《The Alchemists》


 Chapter 1 - Catching The Last MRT

    "I can''t be late.... I can''t be late... I can''t be late..." Finland kept muttering to herself while running as fast as possible to the MRT station.


    She took the midnight flight to Singapore because it was the cheapest. After immigration and baggage collection, she was supposed to have a one hour gap before the MRT closed.


    To no one''s surprise, however, the flight from Jakarta had a 45 minute delay, so now, she has to run as fast as possible while pushing a trolley with her two heavy luggage.


    "Please... please... please... I cannot afford taxi at this hour. The surcharge is crazy...!"


    She focused solely on the arrows pointing toward the MRT. Everything else was a blur. When she saw a young guy passing casually in front of her pushing his small suitcase, it was too late. A collision was inevitable, and Finland, the young guy, and all their luggage scattered on the floor.


    "Oh my God ... Oh my God ... Oh my God ... I''m very sorry, I wasn''t paying attention."


    Finland hurriedly got up and cleared her trolley and suitcases and bowed repeatedly to apologize to the guy who was still lying on the floor. He slowly got up while rubbing his aching head.


    "Ugh ... people nowadays are such idiots... Everyone is always in a hurry, to the point of endangering others..." he muttered to himself. "Maybe it''s time to teach this one a lesson..."


    He brushed off the dust from his clothes., He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and fashionable jeans with white sneakers. He gazed at a small cut on his left elbow and then raised his angry face, staring at Finland.


    Strangely, those fierce blue eyes suddenly turned cold when he saw Finland. The guy cleared his throat and took his cellphone out of his pocket.


    "What you did was reckless endangerment. Give me your name, phone number, and address so I can send you the compensation request for my injury, or court subpoena."


    Finland was stunned...


    Wow... what just happened...?? Where would she get the money to pay for the compensation? She had only 50 dollars in her account until her next part-time job to distribute flyers at the mall next weekend.


    "I... I..." at this point Finland knew she had missed the last MRT. Her only option was to take the bus or wait for the first MRT at 5 am. "My name is Finland. I can give you my address and phone number..."


    Finland took his cellphone and typed in her telephone number and address in Singapore. Ah, it''s actually not her address, but Jean''s, her best friend from NTU university. Jean is a supermodel who travels the world. His apartment on Robertson Road is used only to store his belongings and as a temporary place to stay when in Asia.


    Jean said the unit was only collecting dust because it was rarely inhabited. After graduation, Finland had to leave her cheap school dormitory. She became worried because she had to start looking for a job and a place to live in Singapore.


    She received a scholarship from the government of Singapore to study in NTU. In return, she had to work in Singapore for three years after graduation.. Finding a job in Lion City was not easy. Competition was tough, workspace was limited, and the living cost was extremely high.


    After trying to find a cheap rental room for a month, Finland almost gave up because the cheapest rental price she could find for a small room was 600 dollars! She now has a part-time job which paid 50 dollars per day, while looking for a permanent job. It was far from enough to live a decent life.


    Fortunately, Jean, Finland''s best friend, came to her rescue and told her to stay in his apartment until she was able to rent her own place.


    "This is a very fancy neighborhood," said the guy when he saw the address Finland put on his phone.


    "You spoilt rich brat. You''re so above your head, and you don''t bother paying attention to your surroundings, what if I were a fragile old lady? Crashes like that can kill people, you know!?"


    Finland''s emotion welled up and she snapped, "I''ve apologized repeatedly. Is that not enough for you? It was an accident! I was in a hurry to chase the MRT because I don''t have money to pay for a taxi. I feel so bad already, OK. Why do you have to make it worse for me?!"


    She talked through gritted teeth, trying her hardest to hold back the tears that started building up in her eyes. It has been such a long and tiring day and she just couldn''t take it anymore.


    The guy studied her face carefully, trying to find out if she was lying. Finland knew that having a residence in Robertson Road and claiming to not have money for taxi don''t seem to add up, but she was not in the mood to explain her situation to anyone.


    "Is Finland even your real name?" the guy reached out his hand and gestured at her passport, "I need to take pictures of your passport."


    Finland scoffed and handed him her passport unwillingly.


    Her name is such a nuisance. She only has a first name with no surname, and every time she wanted to book a ticket she had to write "Finland Finland" - as if one time was not humiliating enough.


    The guy''s gaze softened after scrutinizing and taking pictures of Finland''s passport, and he said, "Nice name. Have you been to Finland?"


    "I''m tired. Do you have everything you need? Please leave me alone¡­"


    The guy returned her passport and nodded. Finland then walked slowly to the nearest seat and sat with a grim face. Even though she was very tired, she decided to wait until dawn at the airport so she could take the first MRT ride home to Jean''s apartment. She had a job interview at Suntec Tower the next morning. She must not be late.

 Chapter 2 - Not A Grab Car...

    Finland was an orphan. She was raised by her grandmother on the outskirts of Jakarta until four years ago when she went to university. Her mother died when she was 10 years old and she never knew her father.


    Her beautiful mixed-bred appearance, her weird name, and her pauperism made her a bullying target in school. It was as if looking mixed and being poor is a crime. She had to endure everything alone because she had no parents to protect her.


    When Finland was accepted to study at NTU four years ago on a scholarship, she moved to Singapore and lived in a dormitory. She tried to forget her life in Indonesia and started anew. She only went home several times to visit her grandmother.


    Last week her grandmother passed away and Finland flew home for the last time. She was now alone. It had been a very tough week and Finland was still grieving when she returned to Singapore.


    She had all her remaining worldly possessions from her grandmother''s old place in her two suitcases. She did not know if she would ever return to Indonesia. If only she hadn''t carried those two pieces of luggage, she would probably be on the MRT and the incident tonight wouldn''t have happened.


    Thinking about her unfortunate life welled up her emotions. She didn''t realize her tears flowing down her cheeks as she sat and mourned for her grandmother again.


    Suddenly she felt a soft touch on her shoulders. Through her tears Finland saw the guy handing her a handkerchief.


    "I don''t believe the address you gave me. I must make sure you do live in Robertson Road and the address you gave me is not fake. Please get in the car with me."


    Oh, it is him again!


    Finland refused his handkerchief. When she heard that he did not believe the address he was given and demanded to follow Finland to Robertson Road to ensure that the address was not fake, she brightened up. She didn''t care about his disbelief. All she cared about was that she can go home tonight.


    "Fine, but I''m not paying for the taxi. Your disbelief is not my responsibility. "


    "OK."


    Finland slowly got up and followed the guy, pushing her trolley through the door out of the airport. The guy stopped in front of a black Mercedes-Maybach and handed his suitcase to the driver who rushed out of the car.


    Oh, they were taking a Grab car!


    Finland often heard that lucky passengers in Singapore can get a luxury car when they ordered Grab or Gocar. She had been using Grab for a long time but never got such luck.


    "She is joining us," said the guy to the driver while pointing at Finland. The driver gave a questioning look, but obeyed and helped lift Finland''s suitcases into the trunk.


    Finland then realized her mistake...


    This is not a Grab car.


    "Sir, do you want to stop by the usual place first?" the driver asked before starting the car.


    "Not tonight. We stop by Robertson Road to take this lady home," replied the guy without looking. He was busy nursing his wounded elbow.


    Oh... apparently this was the guy''s driver and car. Such a luxurious vehicle!


    Unfortunately Finland was not into cars so she wasn''t able to guess how much this car was worth. Singapore had very strict rules regarding car ownership and owning just a normal car is already very expensive.


    Finland cannot imagine how much money this guy spent to have such a fancy car in Singapore. This guy must come from a very rich family.


    The thought suddenly made her heart sank. She just hit and injured a guy from a wealthy family! Why was she always struck by such bad luck? How can she ever repay the compensation he would ask for?


    It was a quiet journey. Now, Finland had the time to examine the guy sitting next to her. She was too frustrated before to pay him any attention. All she remembered was a pair of brilliant blue eyes. She cannot remember anything else about his face.


    Well, things couldn''t get any worse, could it? So, she glanced to her side and studied the guy.


    He had an international look. Possibly European, but she wasn''t sure. He was well dressed. His jet-black hair framed his handsome face perfectly and gave out a cold and mysterious vibe. He was approximately 180 cm tall and slenderly built.


    His appearance actually reminded Finland of Jean, her best friend. If he weren''t this rich, Finland would have guessed that this guy too was a model.

 Chapter 3 - Caspar

    The guy, who noticed Finland''s gaze, suddenly turned his head toward her and almost surprised her.


    "Yes?" he asked softly.


    "Er ... nothing ..." Finland hastily looked away.


    Oops... that was close.


    When the guy turned and looked at her from such close proximity, Finland immediately felt her heart pounding. He was so handsome. His mesmerizing blue eyes were so perfect. Finland had never seen a human this beautiful before.


    "I''m sorry for being so reckless just now, that I hurt your arm..." Finland said later.


    She knew it was her fault, endangering others just to save up some money. She didn''t even want to think about the consequence if she had bumped into a weak old lady... She could have killed her.


    These thoughts made her even more depressed and fretfully her fingers started to damp.


    "I''m glad you realized your mistake. Please don''t ever do that again," replied the guy. He turned towards Finland and slowly a smile curved up on his lips for the first time.


    Oh... That''s not fair! This creature even had two perfect dimples when he smiled.


    For a long second, Finland couldn''t say anything.


    "We are here, Sir," said the driver when the car stopped in front of a luxurious condominium building on Robertson Road No. 1.


    They didn''t expect to arrive so soon. The driver helped to take out Finland''s suitcases from the trunk. The guy also came out of the car when Finland was about to enter the gate.


    "I would love a cup of tea, please...." said the guy suddenly. Finland, who just had the gate unlocked, was taken aback. She was just about to thank him for driving her home, but apparently the night was not over yet.


    "Er... but... aren''t you on your way somewhere else? You still don''t believe that I live here?"


    "I always have a cup of tea after I land in Singapore. But today I had to come here, to your place, and I missed my tea appointment. It is only right for you to give me a cup of tea, especially since you wounded my arm."


    Finland was going to refuse his request, but relented. After all, it was her fault. Hopefully, if she treated him well, he would not ask for too much compensation for the accident.


    The guy offered to carry one of Finland''s suitcase as they ascend to the 17th floor.


    "Please don''t look," Finland said before she entered the door lock combination. The guy nodded and turned around. It was Jean''s apartment after all and Finland didn''t want a stranger knowing the passkey.


    They slowly entered the one-bedroom apartment. Even though Jean rarely lived in this apartment, the apartment was beautiful. The design was simple and elegant; it had a beautiful blend of dark and light colors. The guy looked around and admired a painting on the main wall, a picture of a ballerina, the only thing that looked feminine in this masculine apartment.


    "You have quite a unique taste for a girl," he said after looking around, satisfied. Finland placed her two suitcases into the bedroom and approached the uninvited guest in the living room.


    "This is not my apartment. My friend let me use it while he''s away. I''m actually homeless. What kind of tea do you want? We have fruit tea, black tea, and chamomile tea..."


    "Chamomile please... I need to calm my heartbeat," answered the guy while casually sitting on the couch. He leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes, his hands held his left chest. "Hmmm..."


    Finland was deep in thought. She knew nothing about this stranger in her apartment ¨C not even his name. She was tempted to ask, but she wasn''t sure if that would be polite. The last thing she needed was for him to accuse her of acting sweet to avoid paying compensation.


    "Here is your tea." She brought a cup of chamomile tea and placed it on a table near him. The guy nodded and raised his cup to drink.


    "You confused me before, but now I understand. You have such a kind friend to let you stay at his place like this. When will he return?"


    "I am not sure. He is on a tour right now and will probably be back next month."


    "I see." The guy, who was toying with an idea, slowly turned to Finland. His next words surprised her.


    "I believe you. I think you are a trustworthy and resilient girl living in difficult circumstances, otherwise your friend would not have entrusted this apartment to you. And you appreciate it by taking such good care of it. IF your friend returns and you have nowhere to go, you''re welcome to stay at my place. I travel too, very often, and my house is collecting dust most of the time. It would be nice to have someone to take care of it while I''m away. I''ll forget this incident ever happened, and I hope you do too. Stay safe."


    Finland looked surprised. She didn''t expect this at all. This guy was kidding right? There be must many servants and staff taking care of his house.


    "I am sure you have enough staff living in your house."


    "I do. But my offer stands. Call me if you ever need a place to stay."


    The guy pulled out his business card and placed it on Finland''s palm. Finland stared at the elegantly designed black card. Written with gold ink was one number, one email, and one name: Caspar.


    "Caspar?" Finland asked in surprise. This person also has only one name?


    "Finland, thank you for the tea. I need to go. Good luck with everything."


    And so, Caspar left, leaving only his business card behind.


    Finland suddenly felt that her luck wasn''t too bad that day. Bumping into someone from a wealthy family was probably the worst part, but the guy turned out to be nice man. He even offered her a place to stay if she needed it one day!


    After a very long time, Finland''s heart felt lighter.

 Chapter 4 - Encounter at the hospital

    Finland woke up very early in the morning. She had a job interview, and she must not be late. It had been a month since she graduated from college and officially became an unemployed. As someone who was used to being busy and working hard, unemployment sucks.


    The position she applied for was marketing at entry level, and Finland felt confident that she would be accepted. Her college grades were good and she had a PR (permanent residence) in Singapore.


    On top of that, the company she applied to was specifically looking for an Indonesian to assist with marketing projects related to the Indonesian market.


    Finland decided to walk because the distance from the apartment to the Suntec Tower was not too far away. She preferred to walk as much as possible, especially if the distance was under 3 km. She could save money on transportation and exercise at the same time. She had Jean to thank for this. He was the one who showed her the convenience of walking in Singapore.


    "Pretend you''re on the runway and try to walk like a supermodel! Trust me, it is not easy," said Jean, laughing. He then started walking like a male runway model on the catwalk showing off the latest Dior suits. Finland would then try to imitate a Victoria''s Secret model, swinging sexily pretending to wear a glisten underwear and a pair of wings.


    Jean was right, walking on the smooth and straight sidewalk in Singapore was very pleasant. The country''s humidity didn''t bother them as they fantasize the runway. Since then Finland walked as much as she could.


    She intentionally walked slowly to Suntec Tower. She didn''t want to look sweaty and filthy during the interview. Before going to the receptionist, she tidied herself in the bathroom and made sure that she looked perfect.


    She only wore a simple black dress and blue flower-patterned peep toe shoes, but her beauty that emanated still turned heads when she entered the building.


    Her job interview was a success. It did not take long for the HR to offer her a starting salary and a three-month probation. She could start working next week after completing a medical check-up at the company''s appointed hospitals.


    She would receive a starting salary of S$ 2500, which was the minimum wage for fresh graduates that year. Finland was very happy, because for the first time in her life, she would have enough money for her needs. Once she received her first salary, she would immediately find a rental room and move out of Jean''s apartment.


    "Congratulations! Please take this form and fill in all the necessary data. You can start working next week. Before you join, you need to get a medical check-up at one of the hospitals or clinics on this list. Keep the receipt and reimburse it at the finance department. "


    Finland''s excitement faded a little. Apparently she had to pay the medical check fee first, and the company would reimburse it later. She thought about the 50 dollars in her account. She did not know how much a medical check would cost and where she would get more money if she didn''t have enough.


    She said goodbye and took all the forms with a heavy heart. One more step... she almost got the job, she only had to find a way to afford the medical check. Today is Monday, which meant that she couldn''t get extra money from distributing flyers as that was a weekend job. She was deep in thought.


    Ah, maybe she could sell some of her stuff on the internet... First she needed to know how much the medical check costs.


    Finland walked to Stamford Hospital which was not too far from Suntec Tower. This was one of the referral hospitals on the list she was holding. She would ask how much was the cost for medical check in there, so she can ascertain how much money she needed to get.


    In the hospital lobby there were many patients waiting to be served, so Finland had to wait for her turn patiently. When it was her turn, she approached the receptionist, who looked very impatient.


    "Sorry, I want to ask, how much does it cost for a medical check-up like this?" Finland submitted the form given by the office. The receptionist turned to glance and answered curtly.


    "Let me check." She hurriedly typed on her computer while periodically glancing at the door, as if expecting someone important. She seemed very eager to complete her task as soon as possible. "It costs 200 dollars."


    "Oh..." Finland sighed softly. "Thank you."


    It was too expensive. She was about to leave the building when she heard the receptionist''s voice behind her turning crisp and friendly.


    "Good day, Doctor. How are you?"


    Finland looked up to see who this receptionist was so eager to meet. The person who just entered the lobby was young and very handsome. Everyone had their eyes on him. His presence seemed to cool the temperature in the lobby.


    The receptionist, the nurses, and all the hospital staff nodded respectfully to him. He nodded back, greeting everyone, and as his gaze swept towards Finland, his eyes looked a little surprised, but his lips immediately curled up in a smile.


    "Finland? What are you doing here?"


    Finland couldn''t believe her eyes. The doctor everyone was eager to meet was Caspar!


    The same Caspar she bumped into last night at the airport and drove her home.


    Caspar was a doctor? He looked too young to be a doctor, and judging from the respect and admiration he was getting, he was not a regular doctor at this hospital. Some even had the look of adoration when he walked by.


    "Uhm ... I''m asking for the cost of... uhm... a medical check-up here." Finland replied groggily. "Are you a doctor?"


    "Yeah. What a coincidence! Come on in, let me do the examination." He held Finland''s hand and pulled her back to the receptionist. "Please register her now, OK? This will be my first patient today."


    "But I..." Finland tried to refuse. She did not have enough money to pay for the medical checkup. Caspar, who seemed to have read the girl''s mind, smiled.


    "Please put all hospital bills for Miss Finland under my tab," he said to the receptionist who looked dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.


    Caspar approached Finland who was stunned, and whispered softly in her ear, "I know you don''t have the money to pay for the check-up, so let me pay for it now. Later, when you are able to pay me back, treat me to a nice afternoon tea."


    Finland couldn''t believe her luck today. She turned around to face him and immediately her cheeks flushed red seeing Caspar''s face so close to hers. That dimpled smile melt her heart and she nodded subconsciously.


    After the patient registration process was complete, Finland entered the doctor''s office and sat facing Caspar. He was wearing a nice white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. The nurse measured Finland''s blood pressure and reported it to Caspar.


    "OK, sounds good. Now I will take a drop of your blood, don''t move," Caspar pierced Finland''s fingertips softly and let the blood drop into a small tube. "Next we need to check your heart rate. If you are not comfortable, I can let the nurse do it."


    Finland felt her cheeks turn red when Caspar talked about checking her heartbeat, but she shook her head. "It''s okay, Doc."


    She opened the 2 top buttons on her dress and let Caspar put the stethoscope over her chest. Everything was done professionally and Finland did not feel disturbed at all. The only thing she felt was her heart beating faster than normal..


    "Your heartbeat is very fast ..." Caspar commented, smiling broadly. Finland looked down, embarrassed. The nurse who assisted them stared at Finland with a questioning look. This doctor was a well-known surgeon and he was never this affectionate to his patients. Moreover, he never did such a simple medical examination.


    "After this you need to go to the radiology department for a chest x-ray and then you are good to go." Caspar placed his stethoscope back around his neck and wrote something on his notebook.


    "Everything looks good. Congratulations on your new job. You''ll do well."


    "Thank you. But ... can I ask?" Finland asked before leaving Caspar''s room.


    "What would you like to ask?"


    "Uhmm... are you really a doctor? When we met I thought you were a student because you look really young. You must be some sort of genius!"


    The nurse laughed at Finland''s question.


    "You are very lucky; Doctor is a very famous surgeon. He is 35 years old, but he looks very young. Unfortunately he only visits Singapore a couple of months a years." She looked at Caspar with an adoring look. "He never handled an ordinary medical examination. You are the first."


    "Oh ..."


    Finland didn''t know what to say. She said thank you and quietly moved on to the radiology department..


    Finland suddenly had an epiphany. Caspar was apparently a doctor and he was much older than her. She thought to herself "If Caspar had told me yesterday that he was a doctor, I don''t think I would have believed him."

 Chapter 5 - Finlands Smile

    After 20 minutes Finland was finally done with her checkups. She just received her receipt from the receptionist when she remembered to do something.


    She went back to Caspar''s consultation room and upon knocking the door, she overheard the conversation happening inside.


    "Doctor, you will really stay in Singapore for 6 months? Wow... The hospital management will definitely be very happy," exclaimed the nurse.


    "Yes, I decided to become a guest professor for one semester at NUS," replied Caspar.


    "Wow ... This year''s students are very lucky."


    Caspar laughed softly.


    "Hopefully they can appreciate this opportunity. OK, please get my schedule for today."


    "Aren''t you going to receive another patient?" asked the nurse in a teasing tone. Finland couldn''t hear the answer. She only heard Caspar clearing his throat and the nurse''s apology.


    "Oh... yes, sorry for being presumptuous. I''ll immediately get your schedule for today".


    The door suddenly opened and the nurse walked out hurriedly. She looked at Finland in surprise, but said nothing.


    "Errr... Doctor..." Finland knocked on the door and entered. Caspar looked up and immediately smiled.


    "What is wrong?"


    "Err... uhmm... I''m really sorry for my carelessness last night... I feel very guilty. I promise I won''t ever do that again. I can''t imagine what would have happened if your hand was hurt yesterday... Then you won''t be able to work as a surgeon anymore... "


    Tears started to run down her face, and she could not say anything else.


    Caspar was stunned. He got up and tried to calm Finland down. He held the girl to his chest while gently patting her back.


    "Sshhh... It was an accident. Stop blaming yourself. I''m fine. The important thing is that you realized your mistake and won''t do it again."


    "But if your hands were damaged, your career could be destroyed..." Finland sobbed.


    "Who said so? I can do many other things. I can be a farmer, lawyer, researcher, businessman, model, even designer. I have a lot of interests. Please, don''t worry about me."


    He walked Finland to the nearest chair and gave her a glass of water to calm her down.


    "Finland, look here..." he said later. Finland wiped her tears and looked at Caspar with a questioning look.


    Click!


    Caspar suddenly took a picture of Finland''s sad face with a polaroid camera and showed her the results.


    "Look at this, I have never seen such sad eyes in my life before. It looks as if you''re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulder. I have lived for a very long time and I have never seen such deep sadness. It breaks my heart to see you sad. Is there anything can I help you with?"


    Finland was stunned. Was this why Caspar was nice to her since they met last night?


    "I''ll tell you what... I want to make a small project for the next 6 months I am in Singapore. The project is about you, Finland. Every time we meet I will take a photo of you and I will do something to turn that frown into a smile. I will showcase the pictures in my gallery after 6 months so we can see the transformation of an orphan girl named Finland in Singapore. How does that sound? "


    Finland looked surprised to hear that. Does this mean... they will meet often?


    Her heart pounded faster and her face turned red.


    "Err... thank you¡­ and good bye, Doc."


    Finland rushed out to calm her rushing emotions.


    She sat on a bench in the hospital garden and took a deep breath. It seemed like her luck has turned since she bumped into Caspar last night. She looked at the time. Jean must already be awake now, she thought to herself..


    Jean was in France and his current time zone was 7 hours behind Singapore. Finland didn''t like to wake him up with the sound of a phone because she knew how important a good night''s sleep was for her friend.


    [Good news! I just got a job and the salary is decent. After I get my first paycheck next month I can hopefully move to my own place.]


    [Congratulations! Great! Uh, but you don''t need to rush to find a new place. I barely live there so you can stay in my apartment and save your money.]


    Finland paused for a moment... Jean knows that Finland was saving money to one day travel to Finland to see the country for herself and hopefully understand why her mother named her after that country. It would be a very expensive journey and she needs to save every dollar and cent she could get.


    [I don''t want to trouble you further. When will you come home to Singapore?]


    [Next week I will be in Singapore before continuing my trip to Korea. You don''t need to get out of the apartment, I am only staying for one week. I can sleep on the couch. Ha ha.]


    [Oops... Don''t! I will sleep on the couch.]


    [Don''t be ridiculous. You''re a girl.]


    [I''m just a freeloader.]


    [By the way, do you want anything from France? Pierre Herme Macarons as usual? Or Sephora make up? You are employed now so you need to start wearing makeup.]


    [Hahaha.. Surprise me. OK, I won''t bother you anymore. You must be super busy. Take care of your health. I miss you!]


    [Bisous!]


    Click!


    Finland looked up when she heard the camera. Caspar stood in front of her, examining Finland''s picture he just took.


    "You were smiling, and you looked so beautiful. I couldn''t help but take a picture. Sorry if you don''t like being photographed."


    "Eh... Umm... that''s not it. I didn''t expect you to come here".


    "It''s a coincidence. I am on my way to the next building," Caspar said, pointing to a glass building on the right, "and happened to see you here. What are you doing?"


    "Oh... I was talking to Jean about my new job. He''s very happy for me."


    "Who is Jean?"


    "Jean is my best friend and I am currently staying in his apartment."


    "Oh... don''t you want to find your own apartment that isn''t as masculine? You would be able to design it to match your personality. Since you have a job, you will get a salary, right?"


    Finland laughed a little, "Ahaha... My salary is only minimum wage. I will probably be able to rent a room on the outskirts of the city. I won''t have enough money to rent a full apartment. I am planning to find a rental room and move out of Jean''s apartment. I''m not picky about the design as long as it is habitable. "


    Caspar was quiet for a while.


    "Mmm¡­ There is a nice empty room in my house that is decent enough for you. You can rent it for 500 dollars per month. Just come and see. Later you can decide for yourself."


    He took the polaroid picture he just took of Finland out and showed it to her, "Look, your face started to show a smile here. If you come and see the room I offered, your smile will definitely be even wider."


    Finland blushed.


    "Thank you. I''ll think about it."


    "Don''t think for too long. It might not be available later."


    Caspar continued his journey to the next building, leaving Finland dazed.

 Chapter 6 - Dinner Appointment

    Finland was very happy lately. It felt like her life was finally on a better track. She received the medical check-up results on Wednesday and her health status was good.


    She did not see Caspar when she went to the hospital to get her papers, so she decided to send an SMS to the number he had given her to say thank you.


    [My medical examination results are out. Everything is good. Thank you for your help.]


    In less than a minute, came a reply from Caspar.


    [You''re welcome. We must celebrate your new job. When do you have time?]


    Finland felt her face turn red. Was Caspar making a move on her?


    [Uhm... I can''t treat you before I get my salary. Maybe next month?]


    [My treat this time. Next month it''s your turn.]


    [Hmm... How about Saturday night? I have a part-time job during the day but I am free after 5 pm.]


    [It''s a deal. I''ll send a driver to Robertson Road at 7 pm.]


    [OK.]


    Finland suddenly felt very peaceful. She just confirmed a dinner appointment with Caspar on this Saturday night.


    Is this... a date?


    She shook her head, stunned. This will be her first real date... with a handsome surgeon! Maybe this is God''s way of paying back all her misfortunes in life.


    She couldn''t help but he shouted on the top of her lungs, "Yeaaahhhhh...!!!"


    She looked at the time and then wrote a message to Jean.


    [Jean, I met a guy... and we''re going on a date this Saturday! I''m so excited!]


    Five minutes later a reply came from Jean.


    [Make sure he is not a psychopath, OK. Remember, when it''s too good to be true, it probably is.]


    [So far he seems like a normal guy. I''ll definitely give you all the updates.]


    Finland thought about Jean''s words a bit longer.. Caspar could actually be considered too good to be true. He was extremely good looking, very rich, very gentle, and a famous surgeon. People who have many stunning upsides, usually also have many issues. The thought got Finland worried .


    "Ah, it is just dinner. If there''s anything off, I don''t have to see him again." Finally Finland set her heart.


    Meanwhile she started preparing for her new job. She had some decent clothes to wear but she didn''t have a handbag for work. All she had was one backpack. Hopefully after her part-time job on Saturday she would have enough money to buy a nice cheap handbag from Bugis Village market.


    ***


    Saturday finally came and Finland went to her part time job eagerly. Even though she was accepted to work for marketing at an MNC (Multinational Company), she wanted to continue doing her old part-time job for extra money.


    Today she had to distribute flyers in Chinatown from morning to evening. The hot sun did not dampen her enthusiasm. Her main focus was to buy a handbag later.


    "Hey, Finland!" suddenly someone''s voice called her from behind. Finland turned around and stiffened.


    "Whoa, it is Finland! Oh my God, did she move to Singapore just to work on such menial jobs? Hahaha!"


    The group of girls who approached Finland came closer to insult Finland even further.


    She would never forget those faces that made her high school years in Jakarta a living nightmare. They were a horde of evil girls who bullied her for years in high school.


    "Let''s take a look at this flyer and see what it''s about!" One of them took a brochure out of Finland''s hand and pretended to read it. She then crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash. "You were so full of yourself when you got that scholarship to study in Singapore. Yet in the end, you work as a mere flyer girl. Were you expelled? You must be living illegally here now, right?"


    Finland bit her lip, holding back her anger.


    "I can help distribute your flyers, Finland!" Another girl took the rest of the flyers from Finland''s hand and threw them in the trash. The three other girls laughed.


    "Hahaha... this serves you right. Don''t be such an arrogant bitch, just because you went to Singapore to study. Meilin went to college in America and now she already has a decent job in Singapore." The short-haired girl turned to her long wavy-haired friend, "Tsk, our high school friend here seems to have a rough life in Singapore. Hey, is your company looking for a janitor, Mei? I am sure she would be grateful to get a cleaning job at an MNC."


    "Tss... Please don''t make me see her face every day," Meilin replied curtly. They all looked at Finland hatefully and then left, laughing loudly.


    Finland wiped away the tears dripping down her cheeks and picked up the flyers from the trash bin. She cleaned them as good as possible and continued distributing the flyers to passerby.


    When her shift ended and Finland received her 50-dollar pay, she hurried back to Robertson Road. She sobbed for half an hour before she told herself to be strong and left for Bugis Village market. She must get a handbag before her dinner date, so she could look a little decent at the restaurant.


    Finland found a simple black pleather handbag which didn''t look cheap at first glance. With it she would look decent enough to enter a restaurant.


    At almost 7 pm, Finland was ready. She was wearing the same black dress she wore for the job interview a few days ago, peep toe shoes with a blue flower pattern, and the black handbag.


    When she saw herself on the mirror, she realized that she looked exactly like this when she met Caspar last Monday in the hospital.


    Her heart shriveled. Caspar would know that she didn''t have other nice clothes to wear. She rummaged through her suitcase to look for a replacement, but she couldn''t find anything decent.


    [Good evening, Miss Finland, I''m waiting for you downstairs.]


    Caspar''s driver sent Finland a message to inform her that he had arrived. Resignedly, Finland got out of the apartment and into the car. They drove to the Continental hotel.


    "Sir is waiting inside," said the driver when he opened the door for Finland.


    This is the most luxurious five-star hotel in Singapore and this was the first time Finland set foot in it.


    She felt out of place and wasn''t sure where to go. She entered the lobby and looked around.


    [I am at the lobby. Where are you?]


    She sent a message to Caspar.


    [I''ll send someone to the lobby to pick you up. Just wait there.]


    [Oh okay.]


    Finland waited awkwardly in the lobby.


    Suddenly, the three girls who bullied her in Chinatown today entered the lobby. They were apparently staying in this hotel and seemed surprised to see Finland. They approached her with a sneer.


    "What is this little peasant doing here?" Hanna asked loudly.


    "Maybe she is looking for ''clients'', you know... as a call girl," Meilin replied curtly. "We''d better report her to the hotel manager so she doesn''t damage the reputation of this hotel."


    Finland pretended not to hear their words.


    "As an escort, she doesn''t seem to do well. Look at that cheap bag she is carrying!"


    They ceaselessly taunted her, and no matter how hard Finland tried to pretend like she didn''t care, tears started to well up in her eyes. She tried her best not to curse back. Fortunately, the hotel staff sent by Caspar arrived soon.


    "Miss Finland? Let me escort you to the restaurant."


    Finland nodded and followed the female staff to the restaurant on the ground floor. After they entered, the door was closed, and an announcement board was installed.


    ---Restaurant is closed for private function---


    The three girls looked at each other in confusion. They couldn''t believe their eyes when they saw Finland enter the most expensive restaurant in the city. Furthermore, the restaurant was then closed for public.

 Chapter 7 - Another Surprise

    Finland was amazed when she entered the restaurant. There were no other guests in it, and at the very end of the table, overlooking the beautiful garden full of lights, she saw Caspar. Upon seeing her, he immediately stood up and walked toward her with a huge smile.


    "Welcome." His face changed slightly when he saw Finland''s face trying to hide sadness. "What is wrong?"


    "Uhmm ... it''s okay. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. This place is very beautiful."


    Finland tried to smile and opened her eyes wider, desperately trying to hide a tear that almost fell.


    Caspar opened the seat for Finland and gestured her to sit. He then approached the waiter and asked something quietly. The waiter answered quietly too. Caspar then shook his head with a murderous face.


    "Finland, were there people being mean to you outside? Who are they?" He asked Finland. The girl shook her head with a forced smile.


    "Oh, those are just my high school friends. They used to bully me at school because of my weird name..."


    "Weird?! You have such a beautiful name. You know, in Finland, the sun doesn''t set for 9 weeks in the summer. That''s the only place in the world where you can have midnight sun." Caspar smiled softly, "I really want to take you there sometime and show it to you myself."


    Finland shook her head, "Thank you, but I''m not used to accepting free things from people. I am saving to go to Finland myself, and I will go there with my own money. I know Finland is a beautiful country. Actually, they bully me not only because of my name, but also because I have no father and no last name. It is a bad stigma in Indonesia. Don''t worry about it, Caspar, I am used to this already. It is not the first time they bully me, and it surely won''t be the last."


    Caspar looked at Finland for a long time. He then sighed. "Alright, let''s just order food. I don''t want you to think about them for too long."


    He made a sign to the waiter to bring the menu. While Finland was studying the menu and trying to think about what to order, Caspar whispered some instructions to the same waiter.


    Finland did not know what to order, the menu was in French. Finally, she took pictures of the main course section and sent it to Jean to ask for recommendations.


    "Other people usually take pictures of the food, why would you take pictures of the menu?" Caspar asked in surprise. Finland was shocked when Caspar caught her taking pictures of the menu.


    "Ah ... uhm, I... I can''t speak French. So, to avoid ordering something weird, I asked Jean to help me out..." Finland stuttered. "Jean is half French and he speaks French ..."


    "Why don''t you ask me?" Caspar seemed unhappy because in every meeting with Finland, Jean''s name was always brought up. "Don''t you have any other friends besides Jean?"


    "You can speak French?" Finland asked, "Are you French?"


    "German. But I can speak French. I can also speak Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Indian and more. I speak a lot of languages."


    Finland''s eyes widened, "How can you speak so many languages? Are you a really talented polyglot or ...?"


    "I''ve lived in various countries for a long time. I told you I travel a lot," Caspar answered casually.


    "Come on, where''s the menu? I can translate for you."


    He then started reading the menu in English. He kept on translating until the girl found the dishes she liked. The atmosphere during dinner was very pleasant and it felt like the best night in Finland''s life.


    Click!


    Finland looked up when she heard the shutter sound from Caspar''s camera. The guy smiled and took out the polaroid photo from his camera. He shook the paper until the picture was visible. His smile widened when he saw the result, then showed it to Finland.


    "You look happier."


    The angle of shot and the romantic light of the room made Finland look surreal in the photo. Like a fairy in a dream. Very beautiful.


    "Thank you... "


    Finland then remembered the question she wanted to ask since she entered the restaurant.


    "Uhm... why are there no other guests at this restaurant?"


    "Oh, I asked the restaurant to be closed tonight so we can enjoy our dinner in peace." Caspar answered. "I don''t like crowds."


    "Oh..." Finland could not imagine how much money Caspar spent to book the most expensive restaurant in Singapore all to themselves. "This seems a bit too much, no?"


    "You don''t like it?" Caspar asked.


    "Eh, no... I''ve never had dinner like this with anyone else before. It''s not like what I imagined."


    "I''m not just anyone else, Miss Finland. For me privacy is very important. I don''t like people knowing what I do or whom I meet."


    "I understand," said Finland. "Does that mean I also can''t know your full name? The card you gave me only had one name written on it. Or do you only have one name like me?"


    "I have a quite a long family name, but it''s enough for you to know me as Caspar. I don''t think a family name is important anyway. Many great people are known only by their first name, right? Madonna, Raphael, Galileo ... Don''t be sad if you don''t have a family name. Family names are overrated."


    Finland was stunned. Her best friend, Jean, said the exact same thing!


    "Funny, Jean also said that. He is a supermodel, and his dream is to be known only as ''Jean''. He said that if someone succeeds in being known by their first name, like Madonna or Kesha, that means they have achieved real success. I thought he was just saying that to console me, because I only had one name. "


    Jean again. Caspar was starting to feel sick of that name.


    "So, have you found a new apartment? I assume you would want to move out of Jean''s apartment soon, right? "


    "Eh... yeah, I''ll start looking for rental rooms after I get my first salary. I will start working Monday. So next month, I will have the money to move out. The deposit cost also concerns me, so I have to budget carefully. "


    "Why don''t you just stay in this hotel? You can stay for free until you get your salary, then you can find your own apartment." Caspar said suddenly. Finland gasped.


    "Ah, you''re joking¡­ don''t be too outrageous... hahahaha ..."


    "I''m serious. This hotel is mine."


    Finland gaped her mouth but could not say anything. This was all too shocking.


    "Se... seriously, this is your hotel?"


    "Well, technically not yet. But I was talking to the owner just now to buy this hotel."


    "Don''t overdo it... Thank you, but, uh, I can''t accept it. Sorry." Suddenly Finland felt uneasy. She remembered Jean''s words "if he is too good to be true, he probably is..."


    She began to worry that the man in front of her might be an elaborate scammer. Maybe he wanted to impress Finland so hard, make her fall in love with him, and then trap and sell her to the human trafficking network. Suddenly she felt short of breath.


    "Um ... I''m not feeling well. I have to go home now ..." she stood up slowly, her face pale.


    "Now? You still have dessert, you know ..."


    "It... it''s okay ... I''m not feeling well."


    Ugh, what if this Caspar is a truly a scammer? He knew where she lived! Ahhhh ...


    "I''ll take you home then."


    "No... no, I just take a taxi."


    Finland rushed out of the restaurant feeling uneasy. On her way out, she was surprised to see her three evil high school friends arguing with the hotel receptionist.


    "What the fuck is this? We booked our rooms until Monday. Why do we have to leave now? I want to talk to your manager!"


    "Sorry, ma''am. This is an order from the higher ups. You are welcome to look for another hotel. All the fees you have paid for your stay have been refunded to your credit card. Good night."


    The on-duty receptionist and manager no longer responded to the their angry wails.


    "What kind of hotel is this? We will give you a really bad review. You''ll see!"


    The three girls carried their suitcases and called for a taxi in rage. She waited for them to leave before ordering her own taxi.


    In the taxi she pondered, could it be that they were kicked out of the hotel on Caspar''s request? She thought of the instructions Caspar had given to the hotel staff before dinner.


    She frowned and was deep in thoughts. Who is this Caspar really... Was everything he said true? Finland felt a tinge of regret for leaving in such a hurry.


    But... really, she was overwhelmed by everything she experienced so far and she was afraid that she would be hurt again. She doesn''t have anyone in this world, so she must take care of herself. She shouldn''t easily trust people.

 Chapter 8 - Finally, Employed!

    In the following days Finland tried not to think too much about her surreal dinner with Caspar.. How the two of them ate at the most luxurious restaurant in Singapore, how her mean high school friends who bullied Finland were kicked out of the Continental hotel, how he looked at her with his dazzling blue eyes... It all felt like a very beautiful dream.


    She had to admit, she almost fell for him. However, she now tried to forget about him by preparing for the first day of work next Monday.


    It was finally Monday and she enthusiastically went to work. The company she would work for is an MNC (Multinational Company) that focuses on marketing. The company had branches in several countries. Her job on her first week was to attend training to learn about the company.


    "Welcome to LTX International. You have been chosen to be a member of our marketing team. This week to give you information about the company''s vision and mission as well as our corporate governance and values. You will also start working on the projects we are currently working on," Ms. Song from HRD started the training program by distributing the company profile to the new employees.


    Knock knock..


    Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a long-haired girl entered the room. Her familiar face made Finland''s stomach churn.


    "Excuse me Mam, I am sorry for being late. I just came from the Director''s Office. I can take part in training now." Meilin then scanned the room and gasped when she saw Finland sitting in the corner.She hid her expression of hatred quickly.


    "Please sit down and follow the training well," replied Ms. Song firmly. Meilin sat in the back of the room and the training continued as if nothing happened.


    Finland felt uneasy the whole day. Never in her wildest fantasies did she expect to meet Meilin here. Imagining working together with the evil girl really made her shudder.


    She still could not forget the days in high school when Meilin and her gang dragged her behind the school, tied her to a tree, and beat her and pulled her hair, only because the boy whom Meilin liked said that Finland was beautiful. Until now the trauma was still imprinted in Finland''s heart.


    In the office she avoided Meilin as much as possible and immersed herself in her computer. When people came out for lunch, she chose to stay in her cubicle and ate lunch she brought from home.


    [How was your first day of work?] Jean texted her at lunch time. He either woke up very early in France or he hadn''t slept.


    Finland read Jean''s Whatsapp text and smiled for the first time that day.


    [Not good. When will you come back to Singapore?]


    [Ugh, I have an impromptu show in London to replace my sick friend. It is an important show to celebrate the Versace Fashion House''s anniversary. I will stop by Singapore in 3 weeks. How was your date last Saturday?]


    [Too good to be true. I''m afraid that he is a scammer.]


    [What?! I''ll call you. It''s still early in the morning and I''m not busy yet.]


    Five seconds later Finland''s phone vibrated and she rushed out to pick it up. She did not want anyone to hear her conversation with Jean.


    She found a quiet place in the park and after making sure no one was around, she chatted with her best friend whom she only met a few times a year.


    Finland told Jean everything; from her meeting with Caspar at the airport until their very fancy and private dinner.


    "Seriously? Let me research who he is. What is his full name?" asked Jean.


    "I don''t know. He just said that he had a long family name but I should just call him Caspar. The nurse said he was a famous surgeon, but I couldn''t find a surgeon named Caspar on the internet." Finland frowned, "Maybe he doesn''t use his real name?"


    "You said he did your medical check-up last week?"


    "Yeah..."


    "Then you can just see his name on your medical exam report. We can then investigate him together."


    "But I have sent the report to HRD."


    "Oh. Can''t you ask to see it?"


    "I can''t. It would be too suspicious. Maybe I can stop by the hospital again..." Finland suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Try Googling the current owner of the Continental Hotel. Yesterday he told me that he wanted to buy the hotel."


    Jean paused when he heard that.


    Finland also fell silent.


    Then a minute later the two laughed out loud...


    How could they take him seriously when he crazy things such as buying the Continental Hotel? Come to think of it, Caspar often said things that sounded ridiculous. Okay, maybe he was not a scammer. Maybe he was a joker!


    "Never mind... just take it as an entertainment," Jean said later. "The incident was indeed very funny. I am happy to hear that those bad girls from your high school were taught a lesson. We have to thank whoever is responsible for kicking them out of the hotel."


    "Yes, but the gang leader now works in the same office as me ..." Finland sighed sadly. "When my three-month probation is over, I''ll look for another job."


    "Psshh... cheer up. The important thing is you work as well as you can and don''t get involved in office politics. Later, if your probation period is over and you really want to quit working from LTX, you can find another job. Finish your three-year mandatory work in Singapore. Later when I retire from modeling we make our own agency in Paris. You can help me here."


    Finland nodded in enthusiasm, her heart felt calmed down. Talking with Jean always made her feel excited about life. Jean was probably the only good thing in Finland''s unlucky life.


    They were both mixed and when they first met in the Design class, they clicked immediately and continued to sit together throughout the school year.


    Jean''s full name was Jean Pierre Wang. His mother was a French model and his father was a Singaporean businessman. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He did not have any siblings, so he could really relate to Finland''s loneliness. He never used his full name and always asked to be called by his first name, Jean.


    He was very stylish because he learnt a lot from her mother, who was famous in the fashion world. Before graduating from high school, he was already scouted for modelling. He then secured a contract to become the face of a famous jeans brand.


    Jean casually applied study at NTU because he wanted to feel like a normal student, and that was where he met Finland.


    Contrary to most people, Jean did not consider Finland''s name strange, instead he said that Finland was one of the most beautiful names he had ever known, and he immediately told her about his wonderful experience visiting Finland.


    From Jean, Finland learnt that during the summer the sun does not set in Finland for 73 days. Furthermore, Jean made Finland appreciate her own name when he told her that he wanted to be known only by his first name like Madonna and Kesha,


    Finland helped him a lot in college, especially during the first year when Jean was very busy on the runway. She lent him her notes and sometimes helped with his assignments since he was abroad most of the time.


    In the second year, Jean was forced to take some time off from college because of his busy schedule. Finally, in the third year, he had no choice but to quit altogether. They both remained good friends until now.


    You could say, to Finland, Jean was like family. At times like these she was very grateful to have a friend who genuinely cared for her. Finland decided to follow Jean''s advice and avoid getting engaged in political issues in the office. She would focus solely on completing her three-year work obligation in Singapore and then she would follow Jean to Paris.


    To her surprise, the first week of work passed by without any issues. Finland tried her best to avoid Meilin and did not attract attention. After the one-week training she and her team began working on ongoing company projects.


    She spent the second week working on a boring database collection. During that time Finland did not hear anything from Caspar. They had no contact with each other after their dinner date; the date where Finland left in a hurry before dessert.


    Finland finally assumed that her chance encounter with Caspar had become a part of the past. He probably gave up scamming her.


    ***


    Today was an exciting day for Finland. After work she rushed to the ATM to check her account balance.


    Finally, after a full month of hard work, she earned her first salary as a full-time employee. She was overwhelmed with emotion and almost shrieked! She held back her emotions when when she saw the queue of people behind her.


    She came out of the ATM room with a big smile on her face and walked home to Robertson Road. As usual, she imagined herself walking on a runway, like Jean¡­


    Ah... soon she must say goodbye to Jean''s apartment which had been her home for the past two months.


    When she got home, Finland made herself a cup of tea, opened her laptop and looked for advertisements for rented rooms on the internet. She also searched for advertisements on local newspapers. She did not want to trouble her friend any longer.


    There were several listings within her budget, but they were located too far away from her office. She managed to take note of three cheapest property listings that were located at a reasonable distance from her office. She was about to close her laptop when she suddenly saw a newly posted ad.


    "Renting a room in an old house in the city center. Owner is often abroad so a tenant is needed to help take care of the house. Room rental only 500 dollars per month."


    Finland almost shouted in joy. This was the dream room of every poor employee! She was so lucky to see the ad just when it was posted!


    She quickly picked up the phone and dialed the contact number on the ad. She must move fast not to let this perfect room be taken by someone else!

 Chapter 9 - A Place to Call Home...

    Finland immediately dialed the number written on the room listing. She had a feeling that it was too good to be true, but she wanted to give it a try. She was aware of the many scammers in Singapore who target innocent newcomers looking for cheap housing.


    Therefore, if her call were answered, she would ask to look at the property first before transferring money to anyone.


    A middle-aged woman answered Finland''s call and gave her an address so she could come and inspect the room for rent. The location was in the city center, close to Fort Canning Park. Without wasting time Finland went immediately.


    She wanted to make sure that the room did exist and would not be taken by someone else. The property was a little bit far from the office, but she could take the bus.


    Finland was dropped off by the Grab driver at the front of the gate of a beautiful house. She was stunned and for several minutes, she was unable to move. The house she was staring at was a real landed house, not an HDB (cheap apartment) or apartment.


    Flats and apartments in Singapore were already very expensive to buy. However in front of her stood a large and beautiful landed house with a big yard visible from outside the fence. Ivies grew lush and healthy on the walls surrounding the house and she could see big colorful roses in the courtyard.


    "This house must be haunted..." Finland thought to herself.


    In a house like this, even the worst room would cost more than 500 dollars per month to rent, unless there was something very very wrong with it.


    She took a deep breath and ventured to press the bell. She was not afraid of ghosts. She was more afraid of poverty and being homeless.


    A middle-aged woman with a friendly face came out to open the gate.


    "Miss Finland? Please come in."


    Finland followed the woman inside, gasping in admiration when she saw the house and garden from the inside. The garden was far more beautiful than expected. The house itself was built in colonial style: white walls, high ceilings, and many large pillars to support the building. The large windows and doors gave the impression of magnificence and space.


    If Finland were to win the lottery tomorrow, this was exactly the kind of house she would buy to live in.


    What a perfect home!


    "This house is big and too quiet. The gardener, the cook, and I are the only ones who live here. Our Master travels a lot and because we are all getting old, the Master finally asked me to find a tenant to accompany us to live in this house." The old woman suddenly patted her chest while smiling shyly,


    "Ah, yeah... pleased to meet you, my name is Ms Law. Would you like something to drink?"


    "Oh, thank you, Ms. Law,. Just water, please."


    Finland followed Ms. Law as they walked through the magnificent and spacious living room into the beautiful classic kitchen at the back. Ms. Law poured a glass of water and handed it to Finland. An old woman appeared from behind the fridge and smiled at them.


    "This is Ms. Katrin, she is our cook here and John, her husband, is our gardener. We have worked here for the Master for about 40 years. We are very happy to live in this house. You will definitely like it too."


    Ms. Katrin nodded while smiling in agreement to Ms. Law.


    "Oh... Does the house owner go abroad often? Does his family live abroad?" Finland began to wonder.


    "His relatives are mostly in Europe, Germany to be precise. But Master himself has no family."


    "Don''t forget Miss Katia," said Ms. Katrin suddenly. "They were engaged, but never married."


    Ms. Law nodded.


    "Oh yeah... before we started working here, Master was engaged to Miss Katia, but they didn''t get married. Miss Katia left."


    Finland immediately felt sorry for the poor owner of this house. She imagined a man who, in his youth, about 40 years ago, fell in love with a woman and almost married her. However, for one reason or another, she left. He was now old and alone, living in a big house only accompanied by three servants.


    "Oh..." she replied quietly.


    Finland did not know what to say, she felt sorry for the old man. Finally, she decided to tell Ms. Law the reason for coming to the house.


    "Uhm... I''m looking for a place to live, and it feels like this house is far beyond my expectations. Is it true that the rent is only 500 dollars per month? Sorry, I''m worried that I misread the advertisement at the time. If it turns out to be 1500 or 5000 dollars per month, I won''t be able to afford it."


    "Oh, yes, the advertisement was not wrong. Please come with me, I will show you the room we would like to rent out. It is located outside the main building." Ms. Law smiled and signaled Finland to follow her.


    They walked through the pretty garden behind the house to a beautiful pavilion that looked like a pavilion in Disney''s fairy tales. Finland was stunned..


    "I... is this the room?"


    "Yes. This is the room. It''s been empty for a long time, but it''s been cleaned from dust and is now ready to be inhabited. According to Master, empty rooms will quickly deteriorate and lose its beauty. That''s why we would like to rent it out to someone who would take good care of it and treat it like their own home..."


    Finland walked slowly into the beautiful pavilion. There was a terrace with an elegant couch for guests, and inside there was a four-poster bed with bedding and linen more luxurious than that of a five-star hotel.


    The cabinets, carpets, curtains and bathroom look very expensive and classy. She pinched herself several times, not believing her vision.


    "Who... who used to live here, Ms. Law?" she asked quietly.


    "This used to Ms. Katia''s painting studio. After she left, the pavilion was left untouched. Just last week Master ordered this room to be cleaned and designed to be a bedroom. All the items here are new."


    "Oh..." Finland almost shed tears in happiness. She felt like she was dreaming. If it were a dream, she didn''t want to wake up. "What is the name of the owner of this house? I want to thank him."


    "It is Mr. Van der Ven. There is no need to thank him. As long as you take good care of this pavilion, he will be very happy. When would you like to move in?"


    "When will he return to Singapore? I really want to meet and thank him in person for letting me stay here. The house is very beautiful."


    Finland could not hold back her excitement. She would move as soon as possible. Haunted or not, she didn''t care. Besides, there were three other people living with her. She need not be afraid.


    "Actually, Master is currently in Singapore. But now he prefers to stay in a hotel he just bought because it is closer to the gallery he is building." Ms Law said. "Don''t worry, we''ll tell him that the room has been occupied by a nice girl."


    "Thank you very much, Ms. Law. I am very happy to meet you and find this house. I promise I will be a good tenant and will help take care of this beautiful pavilion. I am a self-aware and grateful person. You will not regret having me. " Finland hugged Ms. Law and Ms. Katrin joyfully.


    She went home with a joyful heart. Along the way she could not stop humming because her heart had never felt this happy.


    Finally, she had a place to live... a very beautiful place to live. She was no longer homeless.


    She thought about the wise words by XXX "life is like a ferris wheel. Sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. In the end, you just have to learn how to enjoy the ride." Hopefully now it''s her turn to go up.


    She felt very grateful.

 Chapter 10 - Office Rumor

    The next day Finland heavy heartedly said goodbye to Jean''s apartment. She kissed the curtains of the apartment and caressed the living room sofa; her heart was filled with gratitude.


    This place was her home and shelter for two whole months. She knew that she would never be able to repay her friend''s kindness.


    [But seriously, if the house is haunted and you don''t feel comfortable staying there, you can come back at any time...] Jean said on WhatsApp.


    [I know. Thank you!]


    Finland brought her two suitcases to the new place with a very happy heart. The mansion was called the Rose Mansion because the garden was filled with roses. There were several large and shady trees that made the atmosphere very calm.


    Although the temperature in Singapore reached 35 degrees Celsius during the day, as soon as Finland entered the gate of the house, she felt like she was in a different place because the temperature felt so much cooler.


    Until now she still could not believe her luck. John helped bring her suitcases into the pavilion and Ms. Law helped her organize her belongings. They insisted on helping her although Finland refused a couple of times. For the first time in her life Finland felt truly spoiled.


    After they finished clearing the pavilion, Ms. Law invited her for tea in the backyard. After about 10 minutes, John and Katrin also joined them. They were all very welcoming and didn''t bother her with unnecessary questions. Finland felt very comfortable with them. It felt like she was living with her own grandparents.


    [So when will we have our tea? You have received your first salary, right?]


    Suddenly there was an incoming SMS from Caspar. Finland almost forgot that she promised to treat the guy after she received her salary in return for his help at the hospital during the medical check-up.


    Finland suddenly felt her chest pounding. She no longer thought that Caspar was a scammer because, for the past few weeks, he had not bothered Finland at all. A scammer would usually continue luring their victims and would not stop after just one dinner.


    OK. Finland felt that she was ready to meet Caspar again and treat him for tea somewhere.


    [Do you like bubble tea? Tomorrow is Sunday so I am available all day but if you are busy and prefer going on Monday, I can only go after working hours.]


    Finland replied his SMS.


    [Bubble tea sounds good. I have surgeries scheduled for the whole day tomorrow so let''s go on Monday. Shall I pick you up at the office?]


    [OK. Good luck with tomorrow''s surgery.]


    [No sweat. It''s not hard. I''ve been a surgeon for decades. I can do these surgeries with my eyes closed.]


    [Uhm okay.]


    Finland put her phone down while shaking her head. She felt that at times Caspar sounded rather arrogant. If she recalled correctly, he was only 35 years old. So even if he had become a doctor since he was 25, he had only become a doctor for 10 years. Why would he say that he had been a surgeon for decades?


    Also, just a few weeks ago the same thing happened when he said that he would buy the Continental Hotel.


    "Ah, I know!" Finland exclaimed suddenly.


    "What is it?" asked Ms. Law, interested. Finland suddenly remembered that she was not alone. This girl had a habit of talking to herself when she was deep in thought. It was not unusual that other people thought she was talking to them.


    "Ah... ahahaha... It''s nothing. I''m sorry, Ms. Law, I was thinking about this strange guy..."


    "Wahhh... tell us more about this strange guy." Katrin and Ms. Law were all smiles when Finland told them that there was a guy. She shook her head and laughed.


    "Ahaha¡­ it''s nothing spectacular but... I know a guy who seems absolutely perfect in every way possible. My friend said, if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Well... I finally found his weakness, which means he isn''t as perfect as I imagined. I know he has a flaw!"


    "Indeed, nobody''s perfect, Dear." Katrin nodded. "Then, what is this guy''s flaw, do you think?"


    "Well, he is rather arrogant and overconfident," Finland answered. "That''s a big flaw."


    The two middle-aged women looked at each other.


    "Wow... arrogance is a quite a big flaw indeed. Are you sure you want to continue having a relationship with someone like that?" asked Ms. Law, concerned.


    "Ahahha... Ms. Law it''s nothing like that. We are not in any relationship. He helped me out a couple of times before and now I would like to return the favor by buying him bubble tea. That''s it. I also don''t like arrogant people."


    Because Caspar was busy at the hospital on Sunday, Finland had time to enjoy her new home without having to think about treating him. They agreed to meet on Monday after work.


    Finland spent the weekend reading a book she bought a couple of months ago. She really liked the veranda of the pavilion which faced the rose garden. It had a a very comfortable couch for reading; she felt like a princess in her own private palace.


    There was a sweet smell hanging in the air while she flipped one page of her book after another. For the first time in her life, she was content.


    ***


    Work at LTX began to pile up and Finland was happy because she could keep herself busy. She still did not have any friends in the office, but she didn''t care. Meilin said bad things about her to the other Marketing department staff, and after, they looked at her with unfriendly stares.


    When she was in the toilet she overheard Meilin telling Tran and Lilly from the Marketing Department that Finland was an old rich businessman''s mistress. Her work at LTX was only a cover up.


    "Last month, my friends and I were kicked out of the Continental Hotel because of her." Meilin said in an irritated voice. "Maybe her sugar daddy has a superior position in the hotel."


    "Finland is beautiful, but if she uses her beauty to make money in such a disgraceful manner, I no longer have respect for her" Tran said.


    "Initially I felt sorry for her. We went to the same high school. She''s an orphan. But if she behaves like this, I''m embarrassed to call her a friend."


    Finland, who was in the toilet cubicle, bit her lips sadly. She was used to being suspected and treated unfairly like this. How could she win against a girl from a rich family who enjoyed oppressing others? She didn''t have anyone who can defend her.


    She came out of the toilet when the girls had left.


    After lunch there was an inter-department meeting for the launch of a new luxury watch brand from France. Finland''s responsibility was to take care of the Indonesian clients who were invited to the event. She spent the past week preparing a list of affluent people to be invited and her manager was satisfied with the results of her work.


    "Now, we have a problem with the venue for the event. It turns out that the Starlight Hotel was suddenly booked for a celebrity''s wedding on the date that we wanted." said Ms. Fang after discussing the invited guest list. "We cannot use hotels below Starlight''s level because the prestige of our event will be affected. Can anyone recommend another hotel that is just as good or even better?"


    "What about the Continental Hotel?" asked Tran.


    "Continental Hotel is the most luxurious hotel in the country; the waiting list is much longer than Starlight''s," Ms. Fang sighed. "Does anyone have connections to other hotels?"


    "Ms. Fang, Finland has connection with someone of importance at the Continental Hotel. I''m sure she can help." Meilin exclaimed suddenly.


    Instantly all the eyes in the room turned to Finland who gasped.


    "No... I don''t have that type of connection." she stammered.


    "Don''t be modest. When you had dinner at the Continental''s main restaurant, the place was closed for public." Meilin said in a slightly mocking tone. "Don''t be stingy with your connections. Why don''t you want to help our company?"


    Ms. Fang looked at Finland with a complicated look.


    "Finland... it''s okay if you''re not willing. We can find another place. We don''t want to put you in a difficult situation. But if you can... our clients will definitely be very impressed." She squinted her eyes and continued in a serious tone, "If you manage to get us the venue at Continental Hotel, I will personally give you a 30% bonus on your salary."


    Wow... Finland was not one to reject offers of bonuses and money. All her life she had to work hard to get pennies and cents to make ends meet, and now, after receiving her salary for the first time, she was very happy to see that the number written on her bank account was no longer a pitiful 50 dollars.


    After deducting the cost of living and room rent yesterday, she found out that she had saved 1,500 dollars! If she were given a bonus 30% of her salary next month, then she would get an additional 800 dollars!


    That''s really a lot of money. When distributing flyers, she could only collect that much money after working for eight weeks.


    But she did not have any connection to the Continental Hotel...


    Finally, thinking about the 800 dollars that she could not get, Finland bit her lip and shook her head.


    "Sorry... I don''t know anyone."


    Everyone sighed in disappointment. Some people have heard Meilin''s gossip that Finland is a mistress to some higher up at the Continental Hotel. They had hoped that Finland would use her connection to help with their event, but it turned out that she pretended not to know Continental Hotel''s big wig to save her face.


    What they did not know was that Finland really wanted the bonus money. If she had known someone with a strong position at the Continental Hotel, she would have used it. Unfortunately, they did not know Finland well and trusted Meilin''s lies.


    Before ending the meeting, Ms. Fang delegated the task of finding a replacement venue to the members of the marketing team.

 Chapter 11 - The Owner of Continental Hotel

    The day''s work was finally finished. Finland received an SMS from Caspar at exactly 6 pm.


    [Done working? Want me to pick you up at the office?]


    [I''ll see you at the bubble tea shop. It''s located just between my office and the hospital. I''m leaving now.]


    Finland gave the address of her favorite bubble tea shop.


    [OK, I''m leaving now too.]


    Finland packed her belongings and left. She had not met Caspar for 3 weeks and they had not contacted each other so far. She was somewhat anxious to meet him, but was worried that their meeting would feel awkward.


    On her cellphone she listed a few topics to discuss in case they run out of conversation material later.


    1. How was your surgery yesterday?


    2. What was the case?


    3. Where did you study medicine?


    4. If you were not a doctor, what would you want to be?


    5. What do you do for fun?


    Hm... those 5 questions should give her enough time to finish a glass of bubble tea.


    Finland put her cellphone in her bag when she entered the Cocoa Bubble Tea shop and saw Caspar already sitting inside.


    "Hey... how long have you waited?" she asked, approaching Caspar.


    "It''s only been ten minutes. My legs are longer, so I arrived faster," Caspar answered casually. "What would you like to order?"


    "My treat, so I am asking you, what would you like to order?" replied Finland.


    "I will have whatever you are having," Caspar replied calmly.


    Finland ordered two tropical bubble tea and brought them to their table.


    "Congratulations, you have officially become an employee. Cheers!" Caspar raised his bubble tea and Finland followed. The toast was for Finland''s first salary which financed their afternoon tea.


    "When I asked you to treat me for tea, I was actually referring to real infused tea..." Caspar teased, smiling. "This is bubble tea."


    "I like bubble tea. For me this is a luxury item. It is more expensive than tea, you know. If you want to drink real tea, just come to my place. I can make tea for you; it''s cheaper than going to a cafe," answered Finland.


    "That sounds good. When?" Caspar asked quickly. Immediately Finland realized her mistake. She accidentally invited Caspar for tea at her home.


    Ugh... this bubble tea should have been her last meeting with Caspar, but now she just invited him to her home.


    "Um... I''ll tell you when. I''m pretty busy right now," she replied hastily. She hoped that Caspar would forget about it and let it pass. "I am very busy in the office. We are preparing an event for a new product launch of a French watch brand."


    "Really? Sounds interesting. When?"


    "Next month. Everyone is now busy looking for a replacement venue because Starlight Hotel, the hotel we usually use for such activities, was booked for a celebrity wedding. Similar or better hotels, such as the Continental Hotel, has a very long waiting list." Finland then pursed her lips with an irritated face, "Do you remember my mean high school friend? Well after our dinner she deliberately embarrassed me in the office by saying that I am the mistress of a bigwig of the Continental Hotel and I should be able to get the venue using my sugar daddy connection!"


    Caspar''s brows twitched. He didn''t like to hear Finland being treated in such a way.


    "She works in the same company as you?"


    "Yeah. Haven''t I told you? Meilin works in the same company and, as if that was not bad enough, same department as me. Now I am just waiting for my three-month probation to be over so I can look for another job."


    "I see."


    "Yeah. I don''t like the way they looked at me when I told everyone that I didn''t have any connections at the Continental Hotel. They thought that I intentionally didn''t want to help the company so I can maintain a good reputation of not being a mistress. Between you and me, if I had the connection to Continental Hotel, I''d most definitely use it. I''m not stupid. My manager offered me a bonus of 800 dollars if I succeeded. I don''t care about reputation if I can get extra money out of it; it''s already ruined anyway." Finland replied angrily, "This is like getting two losses for me, I don''t get the bonus, and at the same time my reputation is tarnished."


    Caspar stared at Finland with widened eyes.


    "Huh? You seriously don''t care if people think of you as an Continental Hotel bigwig''s mistress as long as you can get the venue?" He asked, fixating his gaze on the pair of angry eyes in front of him to make sure he heard correctly. "Are you normal or not?Reputation is very important for normal people, you know."


    "I don''t care. No matter what I do, those people won''t change their bad impression of me. I have no friends who defend me whenever there are bad rumors circulating about me. So why should I care about my non-existent reputation? I can better focus on making money."


    "So you choose money?" Caspar asked later, "over your reputation?"


    "Reputation cannot be used to pay rent," Finland answered with a laugh.


    "So, if I told you that I can help you get the venue at Continental Hotel, you will accept it?" Caspar asked earnestly. "Even if it will convince your office mates that you are someone''s mistress?"


    "You help me get the venue at the Continental Hotel? Ahahaha... don''t joke around so lightly with me. I''m serious when it comes to an 800-dollar bonus," Finland replied with a laugh.


    "I''m serious. I can get the venue for you. Are you not ashamed to be called a Continental Hotel owner''s mistress?"


    "I''m not ashamed," Finland answered firmly. "I know the truth. Let other people think of me whatever they want; I know that I am not a mistress. I work hard and I make honest money with my own effort."


    "Okay, then. When do you need the venue?"


    "The 10th of next month."


    "OK." Caspar typed something on his cellphone and sent the short email. "Done."


    "What is that?"


    "I have ordered my secretary to clear the schedule of the Continental Hotel''s main ballroom on the 10th of next month."


    Finland laughed again, she was amused, "You''re so funny."


    "So, since I''ve helped you receive an 800-dollar bonus, you need to treat me again," Caspar said, finishing his bubble tea. "Hmm... 800 dollars is a lot of money. I will give two options for our next date for you to choose from: Universal Studios or dinner at a Michelin starred Restaurant."


    "Hahaha..." Finland still burst out laughing, "You can''t be serious."


    Caspar was still acting as if he owned the Continental Hotel.


    "Why are you laughing? I''m serious. The Continental Hotel is mine, and I just helped you get the venue you need. If you really receive that 800-dollar bonus, I hope you will treat me to dinner as a thank you."


    Finland still had that crazy smile on her face. Caspar shook his head in disbelief. He needed her to know that he was telling the truth.


    "After this let''s go the Continental Hotel. I will make you believe that I am really the owner. I promise you, you will get your bonus."


    Caspar grabbed Finland''s hand and took her to his black Maybach car that was waiting in front of the bubble tea shop and helped her in.


    "We go back to the hotel," Caspar told the driver.


    After hearing those words, Finland''s smile slowly faded...


    What if.. this man was telling the truth?


    She turned to look at the handsome man sitting next to her; he who claimed to be a famous surgeon and now the owner of the Continental Hotel. Caspar''s face looked serious and not playful. It seems like he couldn''t joke about something like this.


    The car arrived at the Continental Hotel 10 minutes later. The driver opened the door and they got out of the car. When the on-duty manager saw the black Maybach enter the lobby, he immediately came to greet him with respect.


    "Good evening, Sir. You''re home."


    "This is Miss Finland, from LTX. They will hold an event in our hotel next month, I am bringing her to check the location," Caspar said.


    "Do you need me to accompany you, sir?"


    "No need."


    Finland gasped when she heard the conversation between Caspar and the on-duty manager. Caspar wasn''t joking! He... was he really the owner of this hotel?


    After the on-duty manager left, Caspar grabbed Finland''s hand and pulled her into the hotel. "Let me show my house. I now live in this hotel."


    Finland allowed Caspar to hold her hand because her mind suddenly went blank. How could it be? He was serious after all...

 Chapter 12 - Please dont pity me...

    Finland didn''t say anything when Caspar pulled her hand through the hotel lobby to the elevator. The hotel staff couldn''t hide their astonishment and curiosity from the scene happening before them.


    They bowed respectfully as Caspar and Finland passed by, then turned to look at the two until they disappeared into the elevator.


    "I... I now believe that you are the owner of this Continental hotel. That''s enough. Thank you for your help..." Finland stammered.


    Caspar smiled as he pressed the number 40 in the elevator. Finland thought to herself; 40th floor... that''s the highest floor. "You can thank me by taking me out on a date. You can choose between dinner at a Michelin starred Restaurant* or a day at Universal Studios. An 800-dollars bonus is a lot..."


    Finland pursed her lips and started calculating the expenses she would have to make.


    "Dinner at a Michelin restaurant then..." she replied later. A smile of victory curled up on her face.


    Finland knew that Singapore was home to the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world: Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle. It sold very delicious chicken rice for less than 10 dollars/serving.


    The only downside would be that the queue could be up to two hours long... But, Caspar didn''t say that the Michelin Restaurant should be an expensive one¡­ Right?!


    "Hahahahaha..." feeling so proud of herself, Finland laughed out loud. Caspar looked at her in amazement.


    "Is there something funny?"


    "Um... nothing. I promise, if I get my bonus, the 800 dollars from the company, I would treat you to a Michelin restaurant," Finland replied while trying her best to hide her sneaky smile.


    The elevator stopped on the 40th floor and the door opened.


    There was only one door on this floor. Caspar pressed the card he was holding and the door opened. In it was the most spacious penthouse Finland had ever seen.


    "Whoaaa... what is this?" Finland asked in surprise, "Is there only one room on this floor?"


    "This is called a penthouse. The penthouse is a unit on the highest floor of a building. This one is made up of the whole floor. I have almost 360 degree view. Would you like to see what''s inside?"


    Finland entered Caspar''s penthouse with her mouth wide open. She had never seen a room as big, as luxurious, and as elegant as this... not even in magazines. Now she believed 100% that Caspar was the owner of this hotel. He was not lying...


    No kidding¡­!!


    Some people were born very lucky. Caspar was very handsome and, judging from his car and his penthouse, very wealthy. He must also be very smart since he worked as a famous surgeon and this semester he was teaching medical students at NUS. In short, Caspar is a perfect human and Finland couldn''t find even the slightest flaw.


    At least not yet.


    She shuddered thinking about this. Jean was right. Nobody was perfect. He must have some weaknesses or flaws. Usually the more perfect people looked on the outside, the more severe their flaws would be.


    Maybe Caspar had a mental disorder... or maybe he had a wife was cheated on her... or maybe he was still single because he was abusive... or...


    Oh God... what was his missing flaw? Finland would have been better prepared if Caspar were poor, or was getting bald, or had a tacky fashion sense...


    That was all acceptable¡­.


    But what if his flaws were invisible and fatal¡­?


    Ugh... Finland tried control her heart. No matter how perfect and charming Caspar seemed to be, she wouldn''t allow herself to give in to his charm and fall in love. Her life just started to improve; she had been working hard, she finally had a decent income, and she had a lovely place to live. She wouldn''t allow herself to ruin her life with love¡­.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" Caspar asked, surprised to see Finland muttering to herself, "Come here!"


    He was standing next to the floor-to-ceiling window and waved his hand for Finland to come closer.


    "I want to show Singapore to you."


    Finland walked slowly towards the window and with every step she took, her eyes widened. From the window, to the left she could see Marina Bay with its distinctive Marina Bay Sands building shaped like a flying fish, and to the right she saw the Singapore Flyer whose lights moved in circles following the turning of the carousel. All parts of the city were bathed in glittering lights.


    She bit her lip to make sure she wasn''t dreaming. From this point of view, Singapore was very beautiful....


    "Very beautiful..." Finland said softly. "Thank you. I''ve never seen Singapore from this angle before..."


    "I offered you to stay here last month, for free, but you refused." Caspar coughed a little, "You don''t believe in my good intentions."


    "Sorry, after all the hardships I have been through in life, I don''t believe in people that easily, and that includes their acts of kindness." Finland replied. " If someone gives me something without expecting anything in return, I would feel very suspicious and I would wonder what this person wants from me in return. I can''t imagine, if I stay in your hotel for a month, what you would want from me in return... I dare not guess."


    Caspar looked at her in surprise. "You can''t believe that I have no hidden motive? I was just feeling sorry to see you in trouble; you had no place to live and you couldn''t even pay for taxi. There are many rooms in this hotel. For me there is no difference, if there is one extra guest staying here for free."


    "Oh..." Finland''s face froze, and immediately Caspar realized he had said something wrong.


    "What''s the matter? Did I say something offending?"


    "I don''t like being pitied. Sorry, I know your intentions were good, but in my life I have never allowed myself to rely on others nor wished for other people''s mercy. I am now able to rent a room with my own money, and I like where I live. Yes, I couldn''t afford taxi last month at the airport, but I could wait for the MRT. I never asked you to take me home, so I don''t owe you anything. Your help in booking a venue at your hotel for me was also not for free, because I promised to share my bonus by buying you dinner." Finland looked at Caspar with a frown, "Please don''t pity me..."


    Caspar was stunned. A moment later he nodded.


    "I''m sorry if you feel offended. I just like helping."


    "It is okay." Finland leaned over and excused herself to go home, "Thank you for showing me this amazing place. Now, will you excuse me... I have to catch the bus home."


    Caspar could only nod. After Finland disappeared from his sight, he sat on an elegant Victorian sofa in his living room and looked at Singapore from the large window he had just shown Finland.


    He pondered.


    When he first saw the girl at the airport, he was attracted to her pair of sad-looking eyes that seemed to carry the burden of the world. He had lived for so long and he had never seen such a sad look; it touched his heart.


    He just wanted to help and made sure the girl was fine. He even thought of various ways to make the girl smile. But just now Finland said firmly that she didn''t like if anyone felt sorry for her¡­


    ***

 Chapter 13 - Heinrich Schneider

    On the way home, Finland was thinking about the perfect guy, Caspar, and frowned when she remembered that he felt sorry for her. He probably came from a wealthy family and never experienced life''s struggles, so when he was faced with a poor person like her, he became interested because it was something foreign to him.


    Or maybe he was just that white person with white savior syndrome, acting like a hero to the people in third world countries like Asia and Africa to show off their kindness and mercy to the world...


    Finland felt offended. She had no choice in life. She was born without knowing her father and her mother died when she was very young. Her grandmother, who raised her with difficulty, had also died. She owed the Singapore government three years of work. All she could do now is work as good as possible for three years, save money and then set the direction of her life.


    She did not want to depend on others and wasn''t willing to be indebted to anyone. Except for Jean... Ah, Jean had helped her a lot, and Finland vowed, in life and in death, she would always remember Jean''s kindness to her.


    [Jean, do you still remember the doctor I crashed into at the airport? I think he is truly a very rich person. Apparently he did buy the Continental Hotel and now lives in the hotel''s penthouse. He invited me over to take a look.]


    Jean replied to her WhatsApp one minute later.


    [No kidding?! What were you doing at his penthouse?]


    [Nothing. He just wanted to show off his place.]


    [Oh. If he wanted to show off his wealth, it is possible that he likes you and wants to impress you. Is he handsome? Send me his pictures?]


    [. I don''t have any pictures of him, sorry.]


    [What''s his full name? We can google it.]


    Finland sighed. She still did not know Caspar''s full name.


    [I don''t know. Didn''t have time to ask.]


    [The guy is very mysterious. Next month I will go back to Singapore and we can investigate him together.]


    [Oh, you''re coming here? I cannot wait! Coincidentally, next month LTX is responsible for Bartz''s new product launch in Singapore. You have to come!]


    [I''ll see later, I may have a job in Singapore.]


    [Oh, you also need to visit my house! It is very beautiful - like a fairy tale.]


    [Of course!]


    It had been almost four months since Finland last met Jean. That time Jean was too busy so they only met twice for dinner. Jean was 24 years old, and he said that he could walk the runway for a maximum of only 2 more years. That was why he tried his best to receive as many job offers as possible. Thereafter he would go back to school or look for another job that did not focus solely on appearance.


    Jean enjoyed taking videos while traveling and he wanted to go to film school or have his own travel show on TV. He always said that Finland should be a travel writer, and with him as her videographer, they could travel the world together.


    Unfortunately, until now Finland had never traveled abroad. Jean often offered to take Finland travelling to other countries with his frequent flyer miles, but Finland always refused.


    "One day there will come a time for me to fly and explore the world with my own means, Jean. I don''t want to be a burden to anyone. I want to explore the world with my wings," that was how Finland always refused his offer.


    The number one place for Finland to visit was Finland, her father''s country of origin, and number two was Paris, where Jean lived most of the time.


    ***


    Finland was working on a project report when Ms. Fang called her.


    "Finland, thank you for your help. The Continental Hotel just contacted me and confirmed our event for the 10th." She had a wide smile on her face when she delivered this announcement to the whole room. "Our program will be successful!" To Finland she said, "I won''t forget the bonus I promised."


    Finland could only nod softly, not knowing what to say. Her colleagues in the Marketing department applauded, but she heard talks of contempt here and there.


    As Caspar suspected, Finland''s co-workers were convinced that Finland was a mistress to one of the Continental Hotel''s bigwig. Ugh...


    It''s okay... she thought to herself. After all, she knew the truth. She got the venue by taking the hotel owner to dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Other people didn''t need to know this.


    She sent Caspar a text message to thank him.


    [We received the confirmation for the venue. Thank you very much. I owe you dinner. I''m willing to treat you whenever you''re not busy.]


    [I''m not busy tonight.]


    Oh, that''s fast, thought Finland. However, she did not want to back down on her words, so she immediately replied,


    [Okay, I choose the place. Should I pick you up at the hospital?]


    [Oh, today I am teaching the medical students at NUS. Just pick me up at the campus?]


    [OK]


    Caspar sent his location and schedule for the day. Finland took note of it. Suddenly she thought of something.


    [If I can''t find your class, whom should I ask for? I don''t know your full name. I don''t think you will be holding your phone when you''re teaching.]


    Got it, thought Finland. Finally, I can know your full name¡­


    For a long time there was no reply from Caspar. Finland began to worry... maybe Caspar didn''t want her to know about him.


    Lunch time arrived, and as usual Finland ate her home-made lunch in her cubicle. She just finished her lunch and was on her way to the pantry to wash her lunch box when Jennie, the office manager, came to her desk carrying a beautiful flower arrangement.


    "Finland, there are flowers for you. Just delivered. The card has the Continental Hotel logo on it," she said, handing the flowers to Finland who was shocked to death.


    Ugh... what a way for Caspar to tease her. Now people will really think she was a mistress...


    "Thank you," Finland said wearily. She put the flowers on her desk and read the note on the card. The whispers around her began to grow louder but she pretended not to hear.


    [I''m looking forward to our dinner at a Michelin Restaurant. - Heinrich Schneider.]


    Oh... apparently THIS was his real name!


    Finland held her breath the moment after reading his name. The whispers around her were getting louder. Someone must have read the content of the card and started the gossip. They knew that the sender of the flowers was someone named Heinrich Schneider. May started Googling his name.


    "Uh, isn''t he the businessman who owns the Schneider Group that recently bought the Continental Hotel?"


    "No wonder Finland can get the venue..." Lily said softly to Tran next to her.


    "There is no picture of him on Google; I think he is an old angmoh* (foreigner)." Tran replied. They both looked at Finland with a disgusted look.


    Finland held the urge to go to NUS and drag Caspar to her office, so her colleagues could see how young and handsome the Continental Hotel owner actually was and stop their gossip. Instead, she calmed herself with a long sigh.


    .


    *angmoh = what people in Singapore call foreigners/expats who have white skin

 Chapter 14 - Dinner at a Michelin Restaurant

    When her office hours ended, Finland immediately prepared herself to pick Caspar - or Heinrich Schneider - up at NUS for their dinner appointment. Unexpectedly, in front of her office, the black Maybach was already waiting for her and Caspar''s driver respectfully welcomed her by opening the car door.


    "Why did you come to pick me up? " Finland asked in surprise.


    "Master said I have to take Miss home and to change clothes, then drive you to NUS to pick him up." replied Ben respectfully. He was Caspar''s regular driver.


    Wow¡­


    Caspar must have thought they were going to an expensive and fancy restaurant.


    Finland felt bad. Driving a car this fancy to the hawker center to eat chicken rice would definitely create a scene.


    Technically Finland did not cheat because they were going to eat at a one starred Michelin restaurant, but Liao Fan Chicken Rice is an exception in the culinary world. The price per serving was only 2 dollars therefore the queue could be very long ¡­


    "Ben, I don''t need to change my clothes. We go directly to NUS."


    Finally, Finland decided to stick to the original plan and have dinner at Liao Fan Chicken Rice. She was not willing to spend a large fraction of her bonus just to eat dinner at the more expensive Michelin restaurants. The important thing is that she kept her promise to Caspar.


    Ben followed Finland''s orders and took her directly to NUS.


    [We are at the parking lot.]


    [Class is almost finished. Wait for me in the car.]


    Finland waited patiently in the car while chatting Jean via WhatsApp.


    [I finally got the full name of our mysterious guy. His name is Heinrich Schneider. Boring though, not much information about him on Google]


    Jean sent a screen shot of his search results to Finland 10 minutes later.


    [I got many hits for Heinrich Schneider. Can you tell me which one he is on Google Images? There are too many different people on the picture.]


    Finland examined the photos one by one and shook her head.


    [None of them. All Heinrich Schneiders found on Google are not him. How is that possible? I thought we can find anyone on Google. If I type your name, for example, I can find a lot of information about you. See, I just typed Jean Pierre Wang, and I see lots of your pictures online; I can even see your show schedule last month.]


    [The very rich and powerful people are able to block news about themselves on the internet. That''s why you won''t be able to find them on the Internet. If we really cannot find any information or photos about Caspar... it means that he is indeed a rich and powerful person. I think he is legit.]


    Finland was stunned. She began to see Caspar differently.


    The guy was so rich and powerful, he could even block news and photos of him on the internet. Finland didn''t even know that such thing was possible. She thought only the FBI or Interpol can do something like that¡­


    Then, what did a person as important and powerful as he want from Finland? Finland didn''t have anything¡­


    Before she could think further, the car door opened and Caspar entered. His hair and clothes were a bit wet because it was raining outside. Finland was not aware it had been raining for the past 5 minutes.


    "Please pass me a towel from the small cabinet over there," Caspar asked Finland while pointing to the small shelf to Finland''s right. She obeyed and handed him a white towel.


    Caspar unbuttoned his shirt, then dried his hair with a towel. He then pointed to the other shelf on Finland''s left, "Please get me a shirt from that cabinet."


    He casually took off his wet shirt in front of the stunned girl. Finland, not knowing how to react, subconsciously took a new shirt from the shelf on her left and handed it to the guy.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Caspar asked in surprise. "Have you never seen a man change clothes before?"


    "Not yet..."


    "Oh ... didn''t you go to swimming lessons in school?"


    "That''s different," Finland protested quickly.


    "Why?"


    Finland did not answer.


    Caspar suddenly thought of something. He squinted his eyes and brought his face closer to Finland to see the girl better. "You... have you never slept with a man?"


    "Geez, I have never had a boyfriend. And even if I have one, I will not sleep with him," Finland said curtly. "Who do you think I am?"


    Finland knew the cultural differences between Westerners and Asians. For westerners, having sex before marriage was normal; for Asians it was not. She did not know how many women Caspar had slept with nor did she care. She did not, however, want Caspar to think of her that way.


    She was born without a father, and the last thing Finland wanted was date a handsome European man and get pregnant out of wedlock like her mother. If Caspar only wants to sleep with her, then Finland had set her heart to make this dinner their last meeting.


    She didn''t want to get too attached to Caspar because, she realized, they lived in such different circumstances. It would seem almost impossible that Caspar wanted a serious relationship with her.


    "Why are you angry? I asked because in this modern times, many people are in casual relationships. It''s nothing to be mad about." Caspar shrugged, "A girl as beautiful as you, I think, must have had many lovers."


    "Thanks. I don''t have time to date. I have to work to make money," Finland answered flatly. "What''s your deal, by the way? What do you really want from me?"


    "I like you. I think you are beautiful and attractive. You are tough and hard-hearted. So, it''s only natural that I am attracted to you," Caspar answered sincerely.


    "But you can be with anyone you want! You can date beautiful celebrities like actors or models, or girls from wealthy families. I am a nobody. Why would you want to spend time with me?


    "I''ve lived for so long and I have met so many women, but I''ve never been in love. You, Finland, are my life''s anomaly." Caspar touched Finland''s chin and looked at her deeply. "I''m not usually this nice with women. For you I genuinely try to be patient and understanding. I think I''m in love with you."


    Finland pretended not to hear that Caspar mentioned the word ''love'' in his sentence just now. Seriously, they barely knew each other. She just knew his full name this afternoon. This may be a trick he used to all women.


    Thinking about it disgusted Finland . She blinked and turned her gaze outside the car window.


    "We''re going to Chinatown, Ben," she said later.


    "You pretended not to hear my love confession just now," Caspar said with a smile and shook his head. "You''re very thick skinned. How could your expression remain so flat? Any other women would be crying buckets when they hear me professing my love..."


    "You have been saying all sorts of silly things ever since we met. You talked about buying a hotel, you said that you had been a surgeon for decades and can do your work with eyes closed, and all other blah blah blahs..." Finland said while shrugging, "And now you tell me that you love me? How am I supposed to take your words seriously?"


    Caspar looked at Finland in disbelief. This girl was very stubborn.


    Finland continued to look out the window, avoiding the love topic Caspar brought up.


    "We stop here," she said as soon as they arrived in Chinatown. "We should walk a little. It would cause too much chaos if this car went all the way to the restaurant."


    Caspar was surprised, but he just followed Finland. They both walked a little towards a hawker center stall, and the closer they got, the more confused Caspar''s face became.


    "The line starts here," Finland said, stopping. Caspar looked at Finland, then at the long queue in front of them, then at his fancy clothes, then at the sign board above the chicken rice stall ¡­


    "The Cheapest Michelin-starred Restaurant in the World." Finland read the writing on the signboard proudly.


    He looked at Finland for a long time and finally shook his head in disbelief.

 Chapter 15 - The Bet!

    Caspar stood out like a sore thumb while queueing for Liao Fan Chicken Rice that he attracted the attention of so many people. This really handsome guy covered in an expensive outfit from head to toe was really out of place.


    Finland then remembered the first time she saw Caspar in the car on the way from the airport, she, too, held her breath in amazement.


    This beautiful creature looked so contrast with the hawker center around him. Finland was also beautiful, but her appearance was very simple, and her cheap handbag made her look very modest.


    She looked very much in place when queuing up with dozens of other blue collared workers and students in front of her who wanted to taste an affordable Michelin starred restaurant dish.


    People started whispering, then someone voice greeted Caspar in a surprised tone.


    "Professor, you eat here too?!"


    Some students who had just arrived seemed very surprised to see Caspar waiting in line. They were his students from NUS. Caspar just smiled and waved, without saying anything.


    "Are they your students?" Finland asked. "Why not say something to them?"


    "I''m not that close to my students." Caspar shook his head, "A lot of people misunderstood my intentions when I was friendly, so now it''s better for me to keep my distance."


    "Oh, you mean... you are afraid that your students will fall in love with you?" Finland asked casually. "Have you dated your student before?"


    Caspar shook his head. He looked like he didn''t like the question, but was still patient enough to reply Finland''s question.


    "Isn''t he a movie star? I think I''ve seen him in a movie somewhere..." there more were whispers around them.


    "Come on, take his picture..."


    Some people secretly began taking pictures of Caspar. As time passed by, some of them even dared to approach him to take close-up pictures. Caspar tried to cover his face with his hands. Finland felt guilty, then used her handbag to cover him.


    "Sorry... I didn''t expect you to attract this much attention," she whispered softly.


    Caspar sighed.


    "I didn''t expect you to be this stingy..." he said while looking at Finland sharply. "This is the cheapest Michelin restaurant in the world."


    "You didn''t say the restaurant had to be fancy," Finland answered, "Besides, I have to save money."


    Suddenly the atmosphere around them became quiet. She no longer heard the whispers from around them and Caspar had lowered his hands from his face.


    Finland was astonished and saw that the people were no longer making noise and taking pictures of Caspar. They were all queueing well and tried to avoid looking at them.


    She looked around and was surprised to see two dangerous looking men dressed in black and wearing dark glasses approaching the people around them to tell them something. They also asked for their cellphones and deleted Caspar''s pictures from the galleries.


    When they were finished, the two then kept guard in the distance to make sure that Caspar was not bothered again.


    Finland held her mouth wide open and looked at the quiet-looking Caspar next to her, stepping forward in the queue, pulling her hand forward.


    "Who are they?" she whispered.


    "My personal bodyguards." Caspar sighed before pinching Finland''s hand, "If you hadn''t cheated on me like this, they wouldn''t need to take action. You should have told me that we will eat at the hawker center, I can change clothes and look poor as to not attract any attention."


    "THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN LOOK POOR!" Finland tried to hold back so as not to laugh out loud. "See, talking is is easy for you, how can I ever take you seriously?"


    "Wanna bet?" Caspar asked, narrowing his eyes, a sign that he was very serious, "I can look poor. If I win, what do I get?"


    Finland looked at Caspar from head to toe, trying to weigh her chances of winning, then nodded.


    "Fine, I accept your bet. Next month there will be a launch of Bartz''s new luxury line at your hotel. Many rich people will come. If you can go there and look like a poor person, and you get kicked out by the staff, it means you managed to look poor, and I admit defeat. But if the staff continue to serve you and try selling luxury items to you, it means that you failed. We are all very smart, you know."


    "Hmm... you won''t cheat and disclose my identity?"


    "Of course not, I never cheat! Who do you think I am?"


    "Good. If I get kicked out of the show, that means I managed to look poor and win this bet. What will be my prize?"


    "I will treat you to dinner in a place that doesn''t need such a queue... hehehe."


    "Hmm... it''s not sufficient. I can eat in a fancy place every day, I don''t need to win a bet for that." Caspar pulled Finland forward again in the queue, until finally there were only two people in front of them. "If you win, I can grant you one request."


    "Uhm... can I ask for anything?" Finland asked excitedly. In her mind she was thinking of the amount of money that seemed reasonable to ask for as a gift. Maybe one month of his salary¡­


    "Can I get your salary for a month if I win?"


    Caspar looked at Finland with wide eyes, as if he did not believe what he had heard. "You only think about money, huh?"


    "You said I could ask for anything if I win."


    Finland advanced in the queue and she pulled Caspar''s hand to come forward. There were no more people in front of them.


    "OK, if you win, I''ll give you my salary for a month." He raised his hand and greeted the chicken rice vendor, "I want two servings of chicken rice. What do you want, Finland?"


    Finland raised two fingers, "I also want two servings."


    "Well, we would like to order 4 servings of chicken rice," Caspar said. He continued speaking to Finland while the girl pulled out her wallet and paid for their food. "If I win, you have to grant my request."


    "Fine, as long as it''s not a weird request like dancing naked or sleeping with you." Finland received her change and signaled that Caspar take their order.


    "Ouch... how do you know I really want to see you dance naked or sleep with you? Can you read minds?" Caspar said sarcastically. He lifted the tray containing their food and followed Finland to the empty hawker center table. They then sat down and began to enjoy dinner.


    "What do you want?" Finland asked later.


    "If I win, and I get kicked out of this event, I would surely be very sad... Imagine, I have never been kicked out of any place before in my whole life! To compensate for the shame and bad feeling I will get, you have to kiss me. " Caspar lifted a large piece of chicken with his chopsticks and devoured it in one gulp, "That''s just fair."


    Damn, Finland thought to herself... She must win. Not only because she did not want to lose her first kiss to a bet, but also because she was really tempted to get a lot of money from Caspar.


    Hmm... She must play this well and make sure that the marketing team can hone their skills in recognizing rich people. She still had a few weeks.


    "It''s a deal," she said later.


    It''s a bet.


    Caspar was smiling smugly. He could already smell his victory.


    Finland also smiled broadly. In her imagination, her savings would increase by at least twenty thousand dollars next month.

 Chapter 16 - Life is Not Fair!

    "Thank you for your treat," Caspar said politely after finishing both chicken rice servings. "I''ve never eaten at such a Michelin restaurant before."


    "You''re welcome," Finland answered with a wide smile plastered on her face. "If I win the bet, I can take you to dinner at your chosen Michelin Restaurant."


    "Are you serious?" Caspar asked with a cheeky smile. "What if I''m like Steve Jobs? His salary from Apple was only $1 per month. If you won our bet and get my one-month salary from Continental Hotel, you would only get 1 dollar. Even to eat chicken rice here, it wouldn''t be enough."


    Finland immediately grabbed Caspar''s collar in a panic, "No! Seriously? You only get paid 1 dollar per month from the hotel? How much is your salary from the hospital? What about the University? Did I just make a bet for only 1 dollar????"


    Caspar laughed and fixed his collar. "I am just kidding."


    He took out his cellphone and opened something on Google, then showed it to Finland.


    "See this Schneider Group? It''s mine. There are hundreds of subsidiaries. I can even give one company to you if I lost. You will immediately become rich..."


    Finland let go of Caspar''s collar and stared at his cellphone with her mouth open... Caspar must be joking!


    She was familiar with most of the companies because they are quite famous and actively appear on the media. There were furniture companies, real estate companies, export-import companies, financial services, insurance companies, hotels, and so many more¡­


    "You''re are always joking around! I can''t take you seriously," she said later. Finland had no doubt that Caspar was a very rich person. She remembered how difficult it was to find information about Caspar on the internet and how his two personal guards hushed the people who were taking pictures of him when waiting for chicken rice earlier. They even took their phones to delete the pictures already taken!


    But to imagine that Caspar could so easily give one company to Finland if he were to lose the bet¡­


    While if Finland were to lose, he only asked for a kiss ¡­


    Unconsciously Finland touched her lips... She stared at Caspar with a confused look.


    "Why are you staring at me like that? Are you ready to lose?" The guy asked in a teasing tone. "Want to just kiss me here and now?"


    "Ugh... shameless," said Finland. "I will work hard and train the staff to recognize rich people. You will lose, wait and see."


    "I look forward to it." Caspar got to his feet and looked at his watch, "I have a meeting with the business unit in the United States in half an hour. I''ll take you home now."


    "No need, you''re really busy. I can go home by myself."


    Finland wanted to refuse but Caspar pulled her hand towards the black Maybach waiting not far from the hawker center. He opened the door and entered after Finland.


    "We stop by the Rose Mansion first, Ben," he said, closing the door.


    The car moved immediately.


    "How do you know where I live???" Finland asked, stunned.


    "Please... Miss Finland. I can know anything about you." Caspar opened his laptop and started working while Finland could only frown unsatisfied.


    "It''s not fair... You can know everything about me, but I don''t know anything about you. Only this afternoon I finally know your full name..."


    Caspar stopped typing for a moment and looked at Finland, "What do you want to know about me?"


    "I want to know... who you really are..." Finland pursed her lips trying to look fierce. "And why are you trying to meet me all the time."


    "Who I am?" Caspar smiled a little.


    "Yes."


    "Why would you ask that?"


    "Because... because you''re weird... You''re so rich and mysterious... I can''t find any information about you on the internet. People like you don''t need to work... but you work as a surgeon in a hospital; you even teach at the NUS medical faculty this semester... "


    "I like being a doctor. It is my favorite profession. I also like teaching and sometimes I teach on in universities to channel my passion. I like exchanging ideas with young people and see their point of view."


    "Okay, so you work as a doctor and teach at the medical school just as a hobby? What is your real job? A businessman?"


    "I have no permanent job. My whole life''s purpose is to seek knowledge. I am now interested in making films. Next year I will apply to a film school in New York."


    "What do you mean? Are you going to study again as a freshman?"


    "Yeah, I still look young enough to be a student, right?" Caspar asked, smiling broadly. "The Schneider Group is a family business, without me the group can still run well, so I am free to do anything in life."


    Finland didn''t know what to say...


    "You''re so lucky ..."


    "I know."


    "Life isn''t fair," sighed Finland. "Your family is rich, you are handsome, smart, and you are free to do whatever you want in life."


    "You forgot one thing," Caspar said later.


    "What is that?"


    "I don''t get old."


    "Oh yeah... you don''t seem your age. You are 35 years old yet you can still enroll in college as a freshman if you want." Finland looked at Caspar with a jealous look, "It''s not fair."


    "Uhm... I am older than 35 years old ..." Caspar cleared his throat, "but you''re right, I look really young."


    The car stopped in front of the Rose Mansion.


    "We have arrived, Miss," Ben said later.


    "Aren''t going to you invite me to drink real tea? I don''t consider the bubble tea we drank last time as tea," commented Caspar.


    Finland thought for a while then nodded.


    "Please come in then. I live in the pavilion in the back. If you don''t make noise, I can serve you tea on the terrace."


    Caspar smiled broadly as he got out of the car and followed Finland. He brought his laptop. He did not look awkward and casually walked with Finland across the rose garden towards the pavilion at the back. He sat on the pavilion terrace sofa and made himself at home.


    For a short second Finland was astonished, but then she thought that Caspar was used to making himself feel at home anywhere, just like when he came to Jean''s apartment.


    "What tea do you want? I have black tea, fruit tea, and chamomile tea."


    "Fruit tea, please," said Caspar. "I will be doing some work in the meantime."


    He opened his laptop and entered the conference room. It was 9pm in Singapore and 9am in New York and his board members were waiting for him to start the meeting.


    Finland came with a pot of tea and two cups, "If you need Wifi, the password is..."


    She stopped in the mid-sentence when she saw that Caspar was already connected to Rose Mansion''s WiFi and was busy talking to his board of directors in the United States.


    Tsk tsk... Now Finland believed that this guy could indeed know EVERYTHING. He knew Finland lived in the Rose Mansion and he immediately knew the WiFi password.


    Finland poured tea into both cups and handed one to Caspar who was still involved in a serious conversation. He received the cup, turned and thanked her, then continued with the meeting. Finland shrugged and sat next to him, enjoying her own cup of tea.


    She tried not to express her feelings by keeping a flat face as usual. On the inside, however, Finland''s heart began to stir. She felt that Caspar was very cool. The guy seemed very assertive when leading a meeting with his directors. His handsome face glowed as he listened to the reports and made decisions.


    Finland sipped her tea slowly and tried to think of her work to distract her mind from Caspar.


    .


    * Steve Jobs received a salary of $1/month from Apple so he wouldn''t be subject to high income tax. He received a bigger income in the form of Apple shares.

 Chapter 17 - The New Marketing Director

    Caspar''s conference meeting finally finished 2 hours later. Finland was very sleepy but she sat beside him, patiently waiting for the guy to finish. If she knew it was going to take this long, she wouldn''t have invited Caspar to come in for tea.


    "Hey... thank you for the tea. You look so sleepy now, so I''ll be going home." Caspar closed his laptop and patted Finland''s shoulder softly.


    The girl gasped and nodded. With her eyes half closed she rose and walked to her room. "Be careful on the road. You don''t need me to take you to the gate, do you?"


    "No, thanks." Caspar smiled and patted the girl''s head softly.


    CLICK!


    He suddenly took a picture of the very sleepy girl who was covering half of her face with her hand.


    "What the¡­!! Why did you take my picture just now? I am very sleepy and I currently don''t look my best. Also, I wasn''t smiling. You said you would take pictures of my smiling transformation! What happened to that arrangement?" Finland uttered her protest. She remembered Caspar had said that for six months he would take pictures of her smiling.


    "You didn''t smile but still look so pretty. Good night." Caspar waved his camera, got out of Finland''s pavilion and went to Ben who was patiently waiting for him at the front yard.


    "Will you still move to New York in four months, Sir?" Ben asked, opening the car door, "Sorry, I''m just curious."


    "Hmm ... I''ve been Heinrich Schneider for too long, Ben. People will be suspicious because I''m not looking older."


    "Will you tell Miss Finland?"


    "I do not know."


    Caspar sat in the car and closed his eyes; he was deep in thought. When he opened his eyes, the polaroid photo he took of Finland had formed an image. He looked at the girl''s adorable sleepy face, and he smiled¡­


    ***


    Finland almost arrived late to the office because she stayed up late accompanying Caspar on her pavilion terrace last night. She felt like she needed to observe how Caspar managed a company, because next month she might become the owner of one.


    That was if Caspar lost the bet. Therefore, albeit being very sleepy last night, she struggled to stay awake to pay attention to how Caspar held a meeting with his board of directors in America via a conference call.


    "We have a new Marketing Director," Tran said when Finland arrived at the office that morning. "He is the son of the CEO of LTX who previously studied in the United States."


    "Oh..." Finland replied, showing no interest. She liked her job, but, considering how Meilin, who also worked here influenced her colleagues, Finland felt reluctant to continue working for LTX once her probation was over. She was getting ready to find a new job, and she only had 1.5 months left.


    Ms. Fang gave an announcement as soon as she arrived at the office.


    "As you know, we already have a new marketing director. Later in the afternoon, we will have a meeting to discuss the preparation for Bartz''s new product launch event. The director himself will attend the meeting. Each of you will have to prepare a presentation. Just five minutes will do."


    Finland was ready with the profiles of the distributor candidates from Indonesia and Malaysia that she had worked on, she just needed to brush up on the slides for presentation later.


    ***


    After lunch, all LTX employees packed the meeting hall on the 3rd floor. They would hear a speech from the new director who was also the son of the owner of the company. Many were curious about his looks because rumors had it that the new director was young and very handsome.


    The atmosphere calmed down when several company''s top management entered the hall, followed by a 26-year-old man wearing a very expensive-looking suit..


    "Good afternoon everyone. My name is Anthony Wu, I am the new Marketing Director. I look forward to working with all of you."


    The man was indeed handsome, and soon whispers were heard among the eager female employees. When she heard this new director''s voice, Finland looked up. His voice sounded very familiar¡­


    "Tony?!" She asked, surprised. Her voice was loud enough for many people to turn their heads toward her. "Are you back in Singapore?"


    Anthony Wu turned to Finland, and as soon as he saw her, a smile curved up on his face.


    "It''s my junior in NTU, apparently. Finland, you work here?!"


    Finland nodded reluctantly. Tony used to be her senior on campus. He was nice and for several years Finland had a crush on him; but, because Tony was very popular and Finland was always busy working part time to make ends meet, she could only admire him from afar and kept her feelings inside.


    Tony took his master''s degree in the United States a few years ago and Finland did not expect meeting him again, especially in this company. Suddenly Finland felt her stomach churn.


    How could she face Tony if she were to quit her job after only three months?


    "Later we will have a meeting with the Marketing department to discuss the important event next month."


    Meilin gave Finland an evil stare. After Tony finished his introduction and returned to his seat, she approached him and whispered something. Finland suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Her guess was that Meilin was trying to defame her.


    During the department meeting after lunch, Finland found out that Meilin and Tony were actually cousins. LTX was a family company and Meilin got her job because of family relations.


    "Good job on the preparation," Tony said while listening to the presentation from the staff. "I would also like to thank Finland for getting us the the best venue."


    Ugh... that thing again!


    Finland secretly cursed Meilin who must have spread the rumor to Tony.


    "I was promised an 800-dollar bonus by Ms. Fang, so I tried to approach Continental Hotel owner to allow us to use the venue. My objective was just the bonus," Finland answered honestly. "But I''m happy that I can help the company."


    "Okay, whatever the reason, I really appreciate all of your hard works," Tony said later. "After this program is finished, there are 3 more brands who want to work with us. I want you to start thinking about how we can get their distribution rights in Asia."


    All nodded in agreement, and the meeting was finished.


    "Finland, I want you to come and see a client with me tomorrow afternoon." Tony said before exiting the meeting room. All eyes suddenly focused on Finland with a questioning look. "This is a small project but it''s important for me. I want someone with a background in design to take care of this one project."


    Finland nodded. She could not guess what Tony''s purpose was to invite her to meet a client tomorrow. Was it really for work, or were there other motives¡­


    [Apparently Anthony Wu is the son of the CEO of the company I work at, and he just moved here as the new marketing director. Can you believe it?]


    After returning from work, Finland immediately told Jean everything.


    [Anthony Wu who played basketball in uni? You had crush on him for years, right?]


    [YES. He is now my boss. How unexpected.]


    [Is he still handsome or has he gone bald as I predicted?] Asked Jean nosy.


    [Hush... he is now even more handsome. He looks more mature and assertive.]


    [Do you still have a crush on him?]


    [Uhmm... a little.]


    Finland laughed at herself. She used to hear rumors from her classmates that Tony Wu liked her since they first met. She did feel that Tony treated her differently compared to the way he treated other girls and thought he really liked her. That was why Finland paid more attention to him and then secretly started harboring a crush on him.


    However, after two years of studying at NTU, Tony never confessed to her openly and she never knew whether he really liked her. He finally graduated and continued his master''s degree in the United States. Until now Finland could only guess what had happened.


    Maybe their status difference was so big that Tony didn''t want to date Finland.


    The next day Tony visited Finland''s desk to remind her of their lunch appointment for the project he considered special.


    "We will go to the restaurant with my car. You should bring the company profile and your laptop," Tony said as they walked the building together. Finland nodded and followed behind him. Tony''s Range Rover drove to a familiar place and Finland felt her heart pounding as she came out of the car and into the lobby.


    It turned out they were having lunch at Hotel Continental''s Moon Restaurant. The hotel staff escorted them to a table at the far end of the hotel, located near the garden and mini waterfall. There sat the most beautiful girl Finland had ever seen. She was wearing light make up and her long platinum hair fell perfectly on her shoulders. She looked radiant¡­


    The girl stood to greet them with a soft smile.


    "Good afternoon. Thank you for coming," she said softly.


    For a moment Finland held her breath and couldn''t say anything. She was overwhelmed by the beautiful woman in front of her.


    "Please sit down." The girl shook Finland''s hand warmly, "My name is Katia. You must be... Finland?"


    "Yes, my name is Finland. Nice to meet you too¡­"


    Katia¡­ Her name rang a bell in Finland''s heart but she couldn''t remember why.


    They sat down and Tony opened the discussion to the project in question.


    "Katia is an artist, painter and sculptor. She plans to set up a gallery in Singapore and wants us to manage her gallery. I want you to help think about the best plan to make this happen," Tony said later. Finland took a lot of notes and asked Katia questions so that she could have an idea for the proposal.


    An hour later, Katia excused herself and Finland could finally order lunch and fill her hungry stomach.


    Tony looked at Finland who ate heartily with a look of amusement.


    " You haven''t changed a bit, have you? You''re still the Finland I remember from college..." he said later.


    "What''s not changed?"


    "You''re always excited when there is free food."


    Hearing that Finland blushed, she hit Tony''s shoulder because he had revealed her embarrassing secret. They continued eating in a friendlier atmosphere, laughing here and there.


    Tony suddenly stopped laughing and pointed to the restaurant entrance. Finland turned around and fell silent.


    Caspar just entered the restaurant wearing home pajamas and slippers. He looked at Finland and Tony who had been laughing with an unpredictable look.


    "Why would he enter the restaurant in pajamas?" Tony asked, shaking his head, "Really tacky. Did he think this is his home?"


    Finland was about to correct Tony, but she decided against it when she saw Caspar''s murderous stare. He frowned and got out of the restaurant.


    Uhm... what was his problem anyway??

 Chapter 18 - Chaos in LTX

    The office was in absolute chaos that week. LTX''s stock price dropped out of nowhere and no one knew why. Directors at the headquarters panicked and immediately held an emergency meeting. The atmosphere in the office became very tense and Finland could not focus on her work.


    "Many guests who have accepted our invitation to the Bartz event in two weeks canceled their reservations," Meilin complained, frustrated. The Marketing Team held an emergency meeting because of this unexpected development.


    "We can''t cancel the program, everything is almost ready." Ms. Fang punched the table because she was so upset. "The three new brands looking to cooperate with us are now pending their projects."


    Finland was stunned. If Bartz''s new product launch is postponed, how can she win the bet? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her...


    Ugh, life has been anything but fair to her.


    "Finland, sorry, but we have to ask you to contact your connection at Hotel Continental and tell them that we wish to postpone our event. The team from Bartz will fly here tomorrow to discuss the changes to the schedule. We will only embarrass ourselves if we hold such a large-scale event without any guests."


    Finland, now realizing the severity of the situation, started to panic. If the company where she worked at was threatened like this, not only she could not quit after her probation was over, she could actually lose her job.


    [Our event is postponed. Please tell your secretary that we will reschedule. Sorry, but there is an emergency at the company.] She sent a message to Caspar.


    [Okay.]


    Caspar sent a short reply to Finland five minutes later. His reply made Finland felt curious; why he didn''t wonder that such a big event could be postponed?


    Or maybe he already knew what had happened...?


    [Won''t you ask what the problem is?] She sent another message.


    [There was a commotion on the stock market, right?] Caspar answered curtly. [Your company is facing a lot of problems and many contracts will be cancelled soon.]


    For some reason Finland suddenly felt that the guy had something to do with the LTX shares plummeting this week.


    [Do you have anything to do with it???]


    [Maybe] came a reply from Caspar. [Maybe not.]


    Damn, Finland was upset. If Caspar had anything to do with the plummeting of LTX shares this week, she wouldn''t forgive him. He had no right to toy around with the fate of hundreds of LTX employees just because he was bored.


    Finland suddenly recalled Caspar''s annoyed look when he saw her and Tony having lunch at the Hotel Continental Moon Restaurant last week.


    Did Caspar hear Tony mocking his appearance at that time? Was that the reason why he is now trying to kill the company?


    Her forehead twitched... She was supposed to get her salary next week and the Bartz event was actually scheduled in two weeks. If the whole situation continued at this rate, she might lose her job!


    [Ugh... I may need to start looking for a new job soon. Also, I think we need to cancel our bet.] She wrote, irritated. [Even though I''m very sure I could have won and taken over one of your companies.]


    Caspar did not reply.


    ***


    The next day, unexpectedly, the situation changed. Finland arrived at the office and found the office buzzing with activity. A group of guests from France, who were the representatives for Bartz, came with a good mood and insisted on continuing the event. The office became very crowded and many things had to be done immediately.


    Suddenly Finland also had stuff to do as Ms. Fang asked her to re-schedule the event at Hotel Continental as before.


    "What''s the matter? Wasn''t the program canceled yesterday?" she asked, confused.


    Tran shrugged.


    "Yesterday our Director suddenly received many requests for cooperation from Germany causing the value of our shares to rise again," she replied in a tone that was just as confused as Finland''s.


    Finland patted her forehead. Now she really believed that Caspar did something. It was really unbelievable how he could mess with the fate of a company and hundreds of employees that easily...


    She was relieved that this man was not her enemy.


    [Thank you.]


    She sent a short message to Caspar. Then called Continental Hotel to re-schedule the Bartz event as before.


    "Good afternoon, can I talk to Manager Park? Thank you."


    [If your company went bankrupt we can''t bet. I forgot about that yesterday.] Caspar replied her text. He quickly sent another message. [Do you want me to reschedule everything?]


    [No need, thanks. I''ve contacted Manager Park myself. I don''t want to bother you any further.]


    Finland sighed. Now she knew how powerful Caspar was. Not only did he lead the massive Schneider Group which oversees hundreds of companies, he was also able to destroy LTX International only by affecting the stock market.


    Suddenly she felt very small.


    What did someone like Caspar want from her? She was just an orphan who struggles hard to do honest work and make money. She did not want to get involved into company politics like this.

 Chapter 19 - Final Preparations

    Finland buried herself in work and did not reply to Caspar''s messages. She was a little angered by Caspar''s actions yesterday. She believed that people with power should not abuse their power like that. She would scold him the next time they meet, but at the moment she has no time. Precious time was wasted due to the sudden corporate crisis yesterday.


    Because she was busy, time passed by quickly. Thanks to the hard work of the marketing team, all the preparations that had been chaotic were successfully resolved and LTX was ready for the big event of Bartz''s latest product launch in Southeast Asia.


    On the 9th, the day before their big event, Finland was very excited. That day Jean will return to Singapore. She was finally able to meet her best friend again after 4 months. Her good mood was radiating and everyone felt it, even Meilin seemed unhappy if she did not say anything mean to ruin it.


    "Tonight we should rehearse to make sure everything will be smooth tomorrow," she said in the middle of the final meeting. "Because Finland is responsible for the venue, she should be there tonight and do the final inspection."


    Ugh.. Finland turned to Ms. Fang to be spared from the assignment, she had worked very hard for the past two weeks and today she just wanted to pick Jean up at the airport after work. But Ms. Fang just nodded.


    "Please inspect one last time, Finland."


    "Why... why me? I''m just a probie. I haven''t even passed my probation to become a permanent employee," she complained. "Are you really going to give this assignment to someone like me?"


    At the same time Anthony Wu came into the room and interrupted, "I''ll also come by tonight. We''ll meet at the venue, Finland."


    Finland remembered Caspar''s annoyed look when he saw Tony and she immediately panicked, "No need... Boss Tony, just entrust everything to me. I''ll inspect the preparations by myself. I feel honored to be given this assignment, because it means I''m trusted by the company."


    She bowed to Ms. Fang, Tony and her teammates. Her face immediately changed. She had to look excited about this task and not let Tony stop by. Finland did not know what other chaos would arise if Caspar saw them coming to his hotel together tonight.


    "Are you sure?" Tony asked confusedly.


    "Yes, please, trust me."


    "Alright then." Tony turned to Ms. Fang and nodded. "It''s actually all right, isn''t it? We just need to make sure all check lists for tonight are met."


    "Right, Sir. We''re ready for tomorrow."


    Finland sighed and returned to her chair. She could not send a message to Jean that she could not meet him at the airport because Jean must be already flying by now. She shall see him tomorrow.


    After work, Finland immediately cleared her belongings and left for the Continental Hotel. She intentionally tied her hair in a ponytail and wore a face mask. She did not want to meet Caspar there. She wanted to avoid problems as much as possible, until their important event was done.


    Because she didn''t have dinner, Finland bought a sandwich to eat at the hotel. She worked very hard that night to make sure all the preparations went well. She also took advantage of this opportunity to give special instructions to the staff and ushers to welcome every guest who came despite not having an invitation.


    "Remember, rich people nowadays don''t like formalities. Their appearance may look ordinary or even shabby, but they have money. You must be polite to everyone and welcome anyone who comes kindly."


    The staff exchanged confused looks.


    "But Miss, our program tomorrow is very exclusive and there are a lot of very expensive items on display. If we let anyone in, theft or other big problems may occur," said one staff, confused.


    "Don''t worry. The Continental hotel is a classy hotel. They have very good security. They will not carelessly let just anyone come inside. You focus on guest services only."


    After making sure everyone understood her instructions, Finland rushed home. She was relieved because she did not meet Caspar at the hotel at all. For safety precautions, however, she kept her face mask on until she was sure that Caspar could not see her.


    [I''ve arrived at the apartment. I brought Pierre Herme macarons for you. When do you want them?]


    Finland received Jean''s message late. She was very busy and did not see her cellphone while she was at the Continental Hotel.


    [Sorry, I just got home. I was very busy earlier.]


    [Dinner with me tomorrow? I just stopped by for a while. In a few days I have a job in Hong Kong.]


    [OMG, I''d love to. But tomorrow there is an important company event I''ve been working on for the past month. If you don''t mind, do you want to come to our event? There is a free dinner]


    [Ahahaha... if it''s only dinner, I can afford it myself.]


    [I know. But I want you to come and see my work. I want you to feel proud of me.]


    [I am proud of you, Finland. You are the coolest person I know. I will come.]


    [Yeay! I am glad to hear that. See you tomorrow.]


    Finland almost fell asleep when a text from Jean appeared on her cellphone.


    [Will Caspar come tomorrow? Can I finally I meet him?]


    Hmm... Finland was very confident that Caspar will come in disguise tomorrow to win the bet. She did not know whether or not she should tell Jean.


    Suddenly her head felt very dizzy.

 Chapter 20 - D-Day

    Finally, the important day arrived!


    Finland woke up feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Her first big event is launching tonight and at the same time she had to work hard to make sure a certain someone didn''t win their bet.


    [See you later tonight when I get kicked out of the event. Can''t wait for my kiss.]


    Caspar''s message woke her up that morning.


    Ugh... why was he so confident that he would win the bet, wondered Finland.


    Finland would make sure that all guests were well served. NOT ONE guest will be evicted from the big event tonight, she was determined.


    At the office, she asked Ms. Song for an additional invitation for Jean so that he could come to their event. Meilin who overheard the conversation immediately tried to prevent her from getting additional invitation. Her reasoning was that since Finland was poor, surely her friends would also come from the same circle.


    "Oh dear, don''t do that Ms. Song ... If we let poor people infiltrate our event, our esteemed guests would feel uncomfortable." Meilin then pointed to Finland''s modest outfit, "Also, I think that Finland should buy new clothes for this evening. Her current clothes do not reflect the prestige of the brands that we represent."


    Finland was about to argue, but she held back.


    "I will buy new clothes," she relented, "but please give me one more invitation. He is not poor..."


    "Oh... maybe she is asking for an invitation for her sugar daddy," people started gossiping behind her back.


    "Well, it''s okay, actually. After all, we got the venue thanks to her connection."


    Tony, who was walking past them, frowned when he heard them gossiping. He could not believe that Finland, who used to be such a hard worker on campus, was now making money by becoming a rich man''s mistress. Moreover, the girl was still modestly dressed until today.


    "Please stop spreading gossip about your coworker!" He rebuked the girls, looking very displeased. Meilin pulled his hand and whispered something to his ear. Tony seemed to disagree, but he just sighed and continued walking.


    He did not actually believe that Finland would live such a life; that she became a rich man''s mistress and worked in LTX as a cover. It was a fact, that the girl had a special relationship with the owner of Continental Hotel who was rumored to be an old German businessman, because technically they DID manage to get the venue thanks to Finland.


    If she weren''t the owner''s mistress, how else could she get it? Today, she also asked for one extra invitation for the event... If not for the sugar daddy, who else would she give it to?


    Finland finished all her work for the day and then promised to meet Jean at the mall. She must buy clothes that would make her look decent enough to enter the Bartz event, and, in her opinion, no one knows more about fashion than Jean.


    [Shall I pick you up at your office?] Jean asked her.


    [No need. We can meet in Orchard Road.] Finland replied. [Oh, and I really need you to help me buy nice clothes...]


    [Of course! I''m excited! This will be like a scene in the movie Pretty Woman.] Jean replied.


    Finland laughed at Jean''s SMS and then immediately left for Orchard. Her office friends had never seen Finland''s face look so bright and happy.


    Finland got off the bus in front of ION Orchard Mall and found Jean waiting for her at the mall entrance. The guy looked rather pale because he had just flown 14 hours, but his handsome face glowed when he saw Finland.


    He was tall and slenderly built, clothed in a casual outfit: a short-sleeved gray shirt, a thin scarf around his neck, and a torn jeans combined with ankle boots that looked very fashionable.


    Jean could wear a gunny sack if he wanted, and he would still look cool.


    "OMG... Look at you!!" Jean approached Finland and hugged her, lifting the girl into the air. "You look more beautiful every time we meet."


    "You too! Oh, how I missed you!"


    Finland laughed and warmly returned Jean''s hug after she was lowered back on the ground. They kissed each other on the cheek and then walked hand in hand into the mall.


    Finland realized that there were so many girls around them who were checking Jean out, stealing glances at him. They couldn''t hide their disappointed faces when Finland arrived and Jean bear-hugged her warmly.


    Jean was a very attractive man because his handsome face looked exotic. He had naturally brown hair that framed his perfect face. He had a pair of charming cat eyes that gave him a Japanese look, but his 182 cm height and fashionable appearance made him look very European.


    They entered the mall to look for nice clothes for Finland, but before they went further, something caught their eye. In front of one of the big shops inside the mall, they saw a huge stunning photo of Jean. He was looking at the camera with a cold gaze and in his hand was a bottle of perfume.


    "Hey... That''s you, right?" Finland asked while turning to the side. Jean narrowed his eyes and smiled broadly.


    "Yup. A new ad. This is my 30th commercial." He raised an eyebrow and looked at Finland with laughing eyes, "Are you proud walking with a celebrity in the mall?"


    Finland nodded while laughing, "Very proud!"


    They both laughed and continued shopping. Jean pointed to a boutique that had an interesting clothing collection. He walked through the dresses and took some out for Finland to try.


    Jean was right when he said that the moment was similar to the scene in the movie Pretty Woman when the character played by Julia Roberts came to the boutique and tried various clothes.


    Finland was very happy because Jean was there to help her choose clothes. Her friend knew that she did not have a lot of money, so he could provide the best insights for nice outfits that would not drain her wallet dry.


    After trying out around 6 dresses, Finland finally chose two that were suggested by Jean and a nice pair of wedge shoes.


    "It''s best to use a simple black dress that fits your body like this," said Jean. "You look so beautiful and elegant."


    "Thank you." Finland smiled happily. "I will go home for a while to change my clothes. Let''s meet later at the venue, OK? I have to go earlier to make sure that Caspar doesn''t show up and do something weird to win our ridiculous bet."


    "If you have his picture, I can help you to look out for him..." Jean said.


    "Ugh... I can''t find his picture anywhere and it never crossed my mind to take his picture secretly..." Finland complained to herself. "Anyway, when he arrives, I''ll let you know."


    When Finland turned around to go home, Jean held her hand, "Wait a minute... I have a present for you."


    He took out a package from the leather bag he was wearing and handed it to Finland, who was wide-eyed in surprise.


    "What is this?"


    "It''s a Prada sling bag to match your outfit. Wearing nice clothes without a fitting purse is useless." He smiled broadly and put his gift in Finland''s shopping bag. "Please wear it later. I want to see how it looks on you."


    "Oh my..."


    "Go ahead, go home now, you don''t want to be late."


    Finland nodded and thanked him by kissing Jean on the cheek and then left.


    Ah... Jean may be the only friend she had, but really, with a friend like Jean, Finland felt that it was more than enough. She didn''t need any other friends. She was grateful for what she had.


    She only hoped that their friendship would never change, especially when one day Jean fell in love with a woman and left her, without anyone in the world.


    Finland didn''t really want to think about it.

 Chapter 21 - Caspars Plan

    Finland arrived at the venue a few hours early. She didn''t want to take any risks. She checked all staff, the venue, and the security details at the entrance, making sure all guests who came were well received.


    When Ms. Fang arrived, she praised Finland''s elegant look which made her very happy. This was the first event that she worked on and she did her best.


    Guests began arriving and the ballroom was soon filled with the richest people in Southeast Asia. The music and performances they prepared were designed in such a way that guests were able to chat while admiring the Bartz products on display in the venue.


    Champagne and cocktails could be enjoyed at the open bar and dishes from world class chefs were on the dinner menu. The event looked more like a party for the socialite community.


    "It''s amazing... there are so many celebrities attending," Lily and Tran whispered excitedly in the open bar area. "Not only Asian celebrities, I also see some from Europe."


    From the corner of their eyes they saw Meilin hurriedly walking toward them looking very tense.


    "Gosh... my God..."


    "What is wrong?" asked Ms. Fang, surprised.


    "I just saw Jean... Oh my God ... who invited him here?" Meilin tried to calm her anxious breathing, "I''ve been his fan since forever. Since I was in high school. I thought he lived in Paris now. Why is he here? I didn''t expect to see him on our event..."


    "Jean?" asked Tran, "Jean Pierre Wang?"


    "Yeah... that Jean." Meilin held her chest and closed her eyes, smiling happily. "I will thank anyone who invited him. Jean is the most handsome model I know. No¡­ the most handsome supermodel I know!"


    Ms. Fang nodded, "This is a very sweet coincidence. Bartz actually tried to contract Jean to become their newest line ambassador, but Jean was very busy, and they were not able to meet to negotiate a contract. Now he is here. If we can bring together Bartz''s brand manager and Jean, LTX''s reputation will rise even higher."


    They all looked at each other eagerly. At that moment, Jean, who had just arrived at Ballroom, walked towards the open bar. The girls immediately held their breath.


    "OMG... he''s walking this way..." sighed Meilin.


    Jean smiled at them and ordered a dry martini. His appearance tonight was casual; he was wearing jeans, but nothing was torn, and his shirt was a dressy shirt with leather shoes that looked very expensive.


    [I''m sitting at the open bar. Later, when you are free, just come here.]


    He sent an SMS to Finland.


    [Soon we will have a fashion show and the models will be wearing Bartz products. I am currently backstage taking care of something. Please enjoy yourself, I''d be right there.]


    Half an hour later the first session of the fashion show began.


    Five handsome men with cool looks walked casually from behind the stage and showed off titanium-plated luxury watches with precious stones that are distinctive of Bartz. They were followed by five beautiful female models with jeweled watches and various accessories worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.


    They walked among the guests who enthusiastically looked at all the expensive products. Everyone gasped in admiration as the ten models walked around. Finland still hadn''t seen Caspar among the invited guests. She became increasingly anxious.


    Suddenly there was a slight commotion at the exit and Finland ran there immediately.


    Oh no! This must be it...


    When she arrived, the commotion was settled. Apparently, the security staff worked quickly to avoid a scandal.


    "What happened?" she asked anxiously. Security staff pointed towards the back of the stage and Finland immediately ran there.


    Oh God... what''s this¡­?


    She entered the dressing room and found the police and LTX staff were swarming around a guy...


    Wasn''t this one of the models who was showing off Bartz products inside...?


    "This is not the model we hired." said John emotionally. "I can''t find Franklin, he''s our main model. Earlier this person disguised himself as one of the models and almost ran away with our client''s products. Fortunately, the exit was secured very tightly."


    Finland was shocked when she noticed the guy''s face properly... Her shoulders immediately became weak.


    Of course they could easily capture this fake model. He had no intention to steal Bartz''s watches and jewelry, he just wanted to be caught, which was why he casually walked to the exit which had the most security guards...


    Finland had been so focused on the guests that she did not pay any attention to the staff and the models...


    "But our bet was for you to prove to me that you can look poor..." she complained softly, but Caspar heard it.


    [If I were considered rich, I wouldn''t have been arrested for trying to bring this expensive product out. You lost the bet.]


    What a nerve! He typed an SMS while being surrounded by the police!


    "OK, that means this is an impostor. Where is our real model? Our event still needs to continue," Finland said, irritated. She did not want the event she had worked so hard for to fail because of her ridiculous bet with Caspar.


    "I paid the real model double of what you paid him and he flew to France." Caspar answered casually. "I have to ensure my victory."


    That''s when Tony Wu came in. He heard about what happened and angrily asked the police to bring the impostor to the police station.


    Caspar did not fight back at all. With a small smile he folded his arms forward and was handcuffed.


    "I''ve never been kicked out of any event before, by anyone. This really hurts my pride, so I need to be consoled." He pretend to look sad and hurt.


    The police took him out, while Finland closed her face in despair. Tony also looked frantic and annoyed.


    "Now we don''t have our main model. Bartz''s most important representation is in the second session..." he complained.


    Finland''s mind shifted to the ballroom, where one of the world''s most famous model was sitting and enjoying his cocktail.


    Maybe Jean would be willing to help her just this one time...


    "I''ll be right back..." she said quickly.

 Chapter 22 - Who Won The Bet?

    Finland ran towards the bar and looked for Jean. She found him with a glass of liquor at the open bar. The LTX girls were all over him; giggling, flirting and taking pictures together.


    "Jean... It''s so good that you''re here...!!" Finland exclaimed hastily. Jean put down his glass and welcomed Finland with a hug.


    "This is a really cool event. Good job," he said.


    "Yes, but we have a problem..." Finland whispered what happened to Jean''s ear and his face changed instantly.


    "Geez... he so desperately wants to win the bet..." Jean was very annoyed to hear what had happened, "Okay, I can help. Let''s go backstage and I''ll help directing."


    Finland pulled Jean''s hand to the backstage and the two disappeared into the crowd. The LTX girls who saw their interaction seemed very surprised. They did not expect Finland to be so friendly with the handsome man.


    Could it be... that Finland invited him?


    Meilin felt like she was swallowing a bitter pill. She herself said that she would thank anyone who invited her supermodel idol to the event. She never expected that the person would be Finland, the girl she hated.


    Backstage, Ms. Fang, the models, staff from Bartz, and Tony Wu were taken aback when they saw Finland come in with Jean. They knew that the man was one of the most sought after and expensive male supermodels today. Many designers considered him to be their muse and he was also the face of various European premium products.


    Even Bartz wanted to make him their ambassador, but Jean was just too busy to confirm.


    His mere presence was a surprise to them, and when Finland proposed for Jean to take over the spot of their missing model, they were in shock.


    "Are you serious?" They all asked almost simultaneously.


    "She is serious," Jean answered. "Finland is my best friend, I will not let her hard work go down the drain because of a small issue like this. Let''s just prepare everything, I can perform."


    Sighs of relief was heard in the room and, somehow, someone started clapping and the rest follow suit.


    "Just thank Finland, she invited me here. I''d do anything for this girl."


    At that moment Tony threw a strange look at Jean. Finland caught the tension between the two.


    What''s with them? They only met on campus a few times, then Jean quit school and Tony continued his master''s degree in United States. Finland didn''t even expect they knew each other.


    "If you had done your job well, Finland wouldn''t have to suffer being gossiped as someone''s sugar baby recently," Tony said curtly, but his voice was low enough so that only the two of them heard it.


    "Finland is fine. If you don''t know anything, don''t be a smartass," Jean replied. He changed his clothes to the clothes prepared by the stylist, then put on a watch and some of Bartz''s most expensive jewelries. Within a short time, he had transformed into the main model, no longer a guest of the show ...


    Finland approached Jean and asked him in a whisper, "Why are you guys so hostile toward each other? How come I don''t know?"


    "Oh, he''s still upset because I scolded him not to toy around with you, back in uni. He told everyone that he liked you, but when I challenged him to take you to his rich family, he didn''t dare. He admitted to being embarrassed to take you to meet his rich family and friends. " Jean snorted, "He was a big jerk. I told him that he was not a good fit for you."


    "Oh..." Now Finland understood what happened back in university, why there was a rumor that Tony had a crush on her but never approached her openly. Apparently, it was Jean who protected Finland from being played by men who were not serious with her.


    She owed Jean again.


    "Thank you..." Finland hugged Jean and tried to hold back her tears that almost fell. "I''m so blessed to have you."


    Jean smiled and wiped her tears gently. "Psshhh... don''t ruin your mascara. OK, time for me to perform..."


    He entered the stage along with 9 other models and immediately captivated the audience. They were impressed by the latest and most luxurious products from Bartz as well as by Jean''s mere presence. He was the hottest model in Europe and it was usually very difficult to book his schedule, but this evening he unexpectedly showed up here.


    The managers from Bartz were very satisfied and excited. They couldn''t wait to talk to Jean after the show was over.


    The LTX International girls were just as surprised as the guests when they saw Jean appear. They felt very fortunate because their event became more exclusive with his presence.


    Finland was relieved, because the show was a success... but she was also sad because she lost the bet¡­


    After his performance Jean returned to the open bar where he could finally chat with Finland, under the watchful eyes of so many envious girls.


    "I lost the bet..." Finland complained.


    Jean was also sad to hear that. He knew how important the bet was for Finland. The girl had never been kissed by anyone before.


    "Hello everyone, please, may I have your attention... We have a special guest this evening," said Ms. Fang who suddenly took the microphone from the MC. "The very busy Continental Hotel owner is willing to say a word or two."


    Everyone looked at each other and immediately turned their gaze to the stage. Finland''s office mates were one of the first to turn because they knew that she had a connection with the old cow.


    "Good evening everyone, I am Heinrich Schneider. Thank you for choosing to hold this prestigious event at our hotel. Please enjoy the presentation that we prepared especially for LTX International and Bartz. I hope this event is a success."


    The man wore a blue tuxedo and looked rich from head to toe. He was definitely not the old and ugly cow many people in LTX initially assumed. This was the mysterious rich man whose pictures or information could never be found on the internet. That was why people easily assumed that he was an old cow who liked to date beautiful young girls as sugar babies.


    Now many were whispering how young and handsome this Continental Hotel owner was.


    It was so unexpected!


    Tony frowned and turned to Finland, "Why does he look like the impostor we sent to the police?"


    Finland did not answer. She only pursed her lips, annoyed. She saw Caspar''s gaze fixed on her, with his nonchalant look. The gaze then turned serious and dangerous when he looked at the person standing to Finland''s right. She realized that Caspar was watching Jean.


    Instinctively Finland took Jean''s hand and stood in front of him to block Caspar''s view. She didn''t want Caspar to harm Jean like he had when he tried killing LTX''s shares last week.


    Finland would never forgive Caspar if he touched Jean, her only friend.


    Caspar''s face looked unhappy.

 Chapter 23 - First Date

    Finland whispered in Jean''s ear, "That''s Caspar..."


    Jean looked at the man on the stage and locked his eyes with Heinrich Schneider''s. This was the guy whose face he wasn''t able to find anywhere on the internet. Both of them seemed to judge one another.


    "Mr. Schneider doesn''t like to be photographed, so please don''t take any pictures to upload on social media." Ms Song said.


    There were whispers among the guests. Most of the upper-class society who have met with Schneider Group''s owner before were not at all surprised. Only some of the guests who heard this strange request for the first time were forced to comply.


    After recovering from their amazement, the girls from LTX International shifted their eyes to Finland. They knew that she had a special relationship with the owner of the Continental Hotel from the flowers he sent to their office, and now after seeing how impressive he was, they started seeing Finland with a different perspective.


    She was friends with the amazing supermodel, Jean... and her connection to Continental Hotel was none other than the owner of Schneider''s Group himself!


    After he was done with his speech, Finland immediately sent an SMS to Caspar.


    [I lost the bet. You won. What do you want me to do?]


    [I want you to go on a proper date with me tomorrow; you can kiss me when we bid good bye.]


    [OK.]


    [By the way, you look beautiful tonight. I love your dress.]


    Finland did not reply to Caspar''s last SMS. She showed their SMS exchange to Jean, and the man frowned. He did not like the situation.


    The event finally came to an end and everyone prepared to leave. Jean insisted on taking Finland home and that''s when he finally saw Finland''s beautiful place. He suddenly felt suspicious.


    "There is no way this place could cost 500 dollars. It''s too good to be true, Finland. Don''t you feel anything is wrong with this?" He asked in surprise. "The pavilion is very luxurious; the main house is also very grand. And look at this stunning garden. Finland, this must be the house of a very rich person, and they don''t usually need tenants."


    "The owner is rarely in Singapore. There are only 3 old household staff living here. They are all very kind to me."


    "I just want you to be careful. If anything bad happens and you are forced to leave from this place, you can always go back to my apartment. I actually prefer that you live in my place."


    "I know. Thank you!"


    After saying good night, Jean returned to his own apartment. Finland sighed. She also realized that Jean was right. The circumstance was very suspicious, but she was not ready for the truth and she did not want to leave this place yet. She really liked her house.


    ***


    The next day Ben picked Finland up at her home for a "date" with his boss. Finland was very aware of the kiss she had to give Caspar at the end of the date. She wished she hadn''t lost the bet.


    Ugh... fine. She shouldn''t be too troubled. This was only the meeting of lips. No big deal.


    It turned out that their date today was in Caspar''s own residence, in his penthouse at the Continental Hotel. The man was preparing dinner when Finland arrived at the door.


    "Welcome, Finland." He welcomed the girl with a big smile and an embrace. Finland replied by kissing his cheek. "I''m cooking today."


    "Oh... that''s great. You can cook?" Finland asked in amazement. "What''s the menu for tonight?"


    Caspar mentioned some dishes that Finland found difficult to grasp and she had no idea what they were, so she just nodded. Anyway, this was a free dinner. She always liked food that was provided for free, and if the dish was prepared fresh before her eyes, it was even better.


    "Seriously... am I not the most amazing man you have ever met?" Caspar asked when he finished serving the food he perfectly prepared. "I''m handsome, I''m very rich, I''m also smart, and I can cook."


    Finland coughed when she heard it. "Uhm... aren''t compliments supposed to be given by someone else? It doesn''t count if you compliment yourself."


    "I just expressed what was in your heart," Caspar said in a teasing tone. "I know that''s what you were thinking."


    "Actually, I was just thinking about the food. I feel very fortunate to have free dinner two days in a row now. Yesterday at the Bartz event, and now at your place. My bad luck seems to be changing. Many good things have happened in my life lately, and I am grateful."


    Caspar smiled at her, "I''m also glad you think like that. Your face looks brighter and happier now, compared to when I first met you at the airport. You are smiling more often now. My mission to make you smile within six months is almost a success."


    "Thank you," Finland bowed, "I don''t know why you care so much about me. But thanks for trying to make me smile."


    "I like doing things that seem impossible. When I saw your pair of sad eyes, I became determined to do something to make your sadness disappear. You could say, I enjoy unconventional projects."


    "Oh..." Finland raised her face in confusion, "are you trying to say that I''m just another project for you?"


    Caspar realized that he chose the wrong words, "Uhm... it''s not like that. I''m just happy I could help."


    He knew he said the wrong thing again. Finland had been very clear from the beginning that she did not like to be helped or to rely on other people''s kindness.


    "Never mind... let''s just eat," Caspar said quickly. He scolded himself. Never in this long life of his had he ever had to be careful about his words like this. All the girls he met treated him like a Prince Charming who saved a damsel in distress. They all liked to be helped, defended, and saved by him.


    But this girl in front of him was very stubborn. She did not want to be pitied, even though among all the women he had ever dated before, Finland was the poorest.


    They finally ate in peace. Finland was impressed by Caspar''s cooking. She had never tasted dishes as delicious as this her whole life. The man was not joking when he said that he was great at cooking.


    "The longer you do something, the better your ability will be," Caspar explained. "For example, someone who have painted for a hundred years would surely have more authenticity compared to someone who have painted for just one year.. Whatever I do now will have close to perfect results because I have had so much time to practice."


    Finland agreed. She didn''t really understand though what Caspar meant by having so much time. He could not possibly have that much time to cook. He was a great surgeon, and a successful business owner...


    The wine Caspar chose during their dinner paired perfectly with each dish they had, and it made the atmosphere more lively.


    Although it was difficult for Finland to accept that she lost the bet, she had to admit that Caspar''s strategy was very clever yesterday. She expected Caspar to disguise himself as a guest, not a model.


    Now she was ready to give the man her first kiss.

 Chapter 24 - First Kiss

    After dinner, Caspar made coffee for them to neutralize the taste of food and then invited Finland to sit on the large Victorian couch facing the window he had shown to Finland at that time.


    They were able to see Marina Bay Sands, Singapore flyers, and thousands of lights from the surrounding buildings.


    Finland sipped her coffee and looked up in surprise, "This is Irish coffee! There is rum in it."


    "You don''t like it? I can use Baileys. Usually women prefer that."


    "Oh, this is fine. It''s nice." Finland sipped her coffee and enjoyed the unique taste. Not bad. Maybe after this she could get one with Baileys. That would probably also taste very nice.


    "Finland... I have something to tell you." Caspar said suddenly.


    "Yes?"


    "I love you."


    Finland, who was taking her coffee cup toward her lips to drink, froze. The cup stopped in the air for a few seconds before Finland slowly placed it back on the table.


    "Don''t joke about things like that," Finland said with a frowned face.


    "I''m not kidding." Caspar put his right hand on his chest and made a solemn statement, "I, Caspar, have never fallen in love like this."


    Finland stared at her coffee and then shifted her gaze to the window. She did not expect that the most powerful and handsome man she had ever known would suddenly profess his love to her.


    "Caspar, I have never had a boyfriend, because I am always busy working to make ends meet. I have no experience in this matter. While I am sure you have gone through this `fall in love ¨C fall out of love ¨C then break up'' phase before, I have not. I don''t know if I''m ready to go through those phases. Right now, my only focus is to fulfil my work obligations to Singapore for the next three years."


    Finland''s flat answer astonished Caspar.


    "Are you not at all interested in me? What are my shortcomings that make you unable to accept my love?" he asked with a confused face.


    "For me, you are scary. Two weeks ago, just because you were angry with my boss, you dropped our company''s stock price overnight... You didn''t think about the impact it may have on the hundreds of employees who relied on the survival of the company to provide for their families..."


    Finland looked into Caspar''s eyes bravely, "Now you say that you love me... but human feelings change. Nowadays there are so many people who fall in love, get married and then divorce on bad terms. Then, they try to hurt each other. You and me, we are not equal. If one day you are tired of having me around, or if one day you don''t love me anymore, I''m afraid of what you can do to me."


    "Are you afraid of me?" Caspar asked, barely believing his own ears. "That''s a very weak reason... You''d better be honest if you don''t share the same feelings. It''s more honorable."


    "No, you''re wrong, Caspar. I''ve liked you since the first time I met you. When you pretended that you didn''t believe I lived on Robertson Road and drove me home. That''s when I know that you''re a good person, and I''m fascinated by all your greatness. You are handsome, you are a famous surgeon, you have a large company group, and you are very rich... You are a perfect man for any woman. But when you shook LTX...I lost it. I am afraid that you cannot control your power well. " Finland sighed, "I saw the way you looked at Jean yesterday. I''m afraid you would bother my only friend just because you''re jealous of our relationship..."


    "I am not going to..."


    Caspar fell silent. Deep inside, he acknowledged Finland''s words. He was already thinking of a way to destroy Jean''s career.


    "You are right." He finally confessed, "I won''t bother Jean if you don''t give me a reason to be jealous. I fell in love with you since we met at the airport, Finland, and I have never been this patient with women. I treat you very well and look after you from afar. I was even willing to be kicked out of an event and get arrested by the police just to get a kiss from you..."


    Finland smiled at the guy''s confession. She moved closer to Caspar and touched his lips, "Jean is my only family in this world... if you touched Jean, I will never forgive you."


    Caspar nodded. He stroked Finland''s hair slowly and touched her cheeks, then brought the girl''s face to his face and kissed her lips gently.


    The girl was inexperienced, so she just let Caspar do the work. The man kissed her slowly, then passionately, and when his tongue ventured into Finland''s mouth, the girl instinctively responded.


    Her head felt very light and happy. The tinge of happiness Finland felt with the kiss felt foreign to her. She embraced the feeling in her head and gave in to Caspar''s increasingly intense embrace and kisses.


    Not bad for a first kiss, she thought.

 Chapter 25 - We dont know each other that well!

    Finland managed to free herself from Caspar''s charm before the man could go any further.


    "The prize for our bet is only one kiss," Finland protested. She quickly stood up and tidied her clothes, which were a little messy.


    On the couch, Caspar closed his eyes and sighed sadly, like a five-year-old who was punished not to play with his favorite toy.


    "I just confessed my love to you," he said after he opened his eyes. He stared straight into Finland''s eyes which were trying to avoid his gaze. "Does my love mean nothing to you?"


    "I''m flattered. Thank you, but I can''t accept it." Finland drank her Irish coffee in a hurry. "You''re not the first guy to profess love to me. In my experience, bad luck befalls me every time someone professed their love to me... I don''t want to take any risks."


    "Bad luck?" Caspar asked, not understanding.


    "One of the reasons I used to be bullied in school was because the boys who had a crush on me had die-hard female fans. These girls were not happy to know that the boy they liked had a crush on a nobody like me." Finland frowned, her expression looked horrified, "You don''t know what it feels like, being beaten and tied to a tree by mean girls."


    "Oh, like those girls yesterday?"


    "Yeah, that''s how it was... That''s why I don''t have any friends, especially female friends."


    "I won''t let anyone get to you... I swear." Caspar approached Finland, but the girl dodged. "You don''t trust me?"


    Finland sighed.


    "May I ask you one thing?"


    "What is it?"


    "Rose Mansion... is that your house?"


    Caspar was rather surprised to hear Finland''s question, but he answered honestly. "Yes, that''s right. I know you needed a place to stay, but you wouldn''t want to stay for free."


    "So, you bought that house from Mr. Van Der Ven and rent the pavilion to me?"


    "I..." Caspar looked hesitant to answer, "Yes, that''s how it was..."


    Finland looked like she was deep in thought. She suspected that Caspar bought Rose Mansion and arranged for Finland to find the ad and move into the pavilion. She was very close to reject Caspar''s kindness and move out of the mansion... but she was in doubt. Finland really liked her current house...


    "It''s too cheap..." Finland said softly.


    "I know you can''t pay more, and actually I don''t really need your money," Caspar said hurriedly.


    "Okay then... I''ll stay there." Finland finally decided. "I''m not staying for free anyway."


    "That''s right. You don''t owe me anything. You rented the pavilion with your own money."


    "Okay." Finland took her bag from the chair and excused herself, "Then I''ll go home now. Thank you for the very nice dinner."


    Caspar looked embarrassed, "You still haven''t answered my question..."


    "Which question?"


    Caspar complained inwardly. In his long life, he had never had to profess his love so many times. In fact, for as long as he lived, he had never professed love openly at all.


    "I''ve never fallen in love with a woman like this... or this fast. You have no idea." Caspar approached Finland and held her hand, "You are the first woman to make me believe in my feelings. When I see you, I see the woman I want to marry and share my life with. When I see you, I just want to be with you, forever. "


    Finland''s eyes widened. She could not believe that this man confessed his love, again. This was truly unexpected.


    "Caspar, we don''t even know each other that well... We have only known each other for like 2 months and we have met in person just a few times. I don''t know you, and you don''t really know me..."


    "I know you were born on January 15. Your favorite food is anything that contains noodles. When you were young you had two pet rabbits. Your grandmother died just one week before we met at the airport and your mother''s name is Laura. You now have 2000 dollars in your savings account¡­"


    Caspar continued mentioning facts about Finland''s past and present which surprised her. She pursed her mouth in shock.


    "Oh my God!" Finland shook her head and immediately went to the door. "I know you are powerful and you can get whatever information you want, but I didn''t expect you to act like such a stalker."


    She pressed the elevator button with an angry face, Caspar knew he just made another mistake.


    "I didn''t mean to act like a stalker. I mean... what I was trying to say is that I know you very well and I love you for who you are..." He sighed deeply, "I know this feels unequal, because you don''t have access to the same information... "


    "You''re right, we are not equal. And you know what I disrespect the most? My privacy being violated."


    "Please let me know how I can fix this?" The elevator door opened and Finland quickly entered. Caspar hastily placed his hand on the door to stop it from closing. "Do you want to spend the whole day with me tomorrow to find out more about me? Please give me a chance. If you still don''t like me after spending the whole day together tomorrow, I promise I will leave you alone."


    Finland closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    "Caspar, I''m not like you... I think you''re too perfect and it scares me. Also, I don''t like my privacy being violated. If you want me to give you a chance to prove that you''re not as scary as I think you are, I want you to promise me something... "


    "I promise..." Caspar quickly placed his right hand on his chest.


    "You have to promise me that you will never use your power to stalk me or find information about me. Be like a normal man who would call or text me to ask for my whereabouts. Be like a normal man who would ask me in person what my favorite food is. Stop using your access to find information about me..." Finland looked at Caspar with a very serious look, "and if one day I want to leave you, you can''t use your access to find me."


    Caspar gasped, "Why would you want to leave?"


    "We don''t know what will happen in the future. Who knows, we may have a dispute and our relationship deteriorates. I wouldn''t want to have a very powerful man like you to be my enemy. It would then be best for me to not deal with you at all, instead of having a miserable life in future..."


    "For someone so young like you, your perspective of life is quite cynical," said Caspar. "But I understand. I promise to treat you like a normal man without extraordinary access. I promise I won''t look for you if you want to leave me."


    "Okay..." Finland finally smiled. "Thank you. I need to work tomorrow. We can meet on weekends to get to know each other. I''m willing to spend the whole weekend with you."


    "The weekend is still so far. What about tomorrow? Just take a day off. Or pretend to be sick."


    "I''m still on probation. If I take leave, my salary will be deducted."


    "I can buy LTX International and change the company''s policy so that probation employees like you can also get paid leave," Caspar said quickly. He immediately took out his cellphone and pressed a number, "Stanis, I will send you an email soon. Can you check that company out? Later you can also..."


    "Err... no need..." Finland hurriedly took the cellphone from Caspar and turned the call off. "You don''t have to be over the top. Normal relationship, remember? Okay, I will take leave tomorrow. I will spend one day with you and judge for myself whether I can get to know you well and whether I will like you after getting to know you better."


    Caspar''s face lit up in an instant.


    "Thank you!" He kissed Finland''s lips quickly before the girl could dodge, then released his hand from the elevator door. "See you tomorrow."


    Finland was still in shock when she got off the elevator. Caspar just kissed her for the second time tonight. Ugh... if each kiss were equivalent to one company, Finland would have lost two companies already...


    In the penthouse, Caspar clenched his fist into the air, feeling very happy.


    "Finland must like me too! She is willing to take leave tomorrow even though that means her salary will be cut. She only thinks about money, so if she would sacrifice her salary for one day, it is a sign that she returns my feelings for her."

 Chapter 26 - The Fiancée

    Ben drove Finland home, and in the car she calculated her financial loss for missing work tomorrow.


    "Ben, I''ll be accompanying Caspar all day tomorrow. We agreed to get to know each other better. Do you know his schedule for tomorrow?"


    "Hmm, tomorrow Boss will have 3 meetings; two conference calls and one meeting at the hotel. He is invited as guest lecturer in NUS at 3pm. Then, at 6pm, he has a scheduled brain cancer removal surgery in the hospital."


    "Okay, I will come in the morning then..."


    "OK, Miss."


    Finland then wondered if she could ask Ben about Caspar... It seemed unethical, but then she remembered that Caspar also obtained Finland''s personal information in an unethical manner... it must have been far more unethical than this.


    "Ben... how long have you worked for Caspar?"


    "I''ve worked for Master for 20 years, Miss. Before that, it was my father who worked for him. We are like family to him," said Ben.


    "Oh... I see. Mhmmm... did your boss ever get married?" Finland asked.


    "No, he was never married." Ben chuckled, "There are so many women who would want to marry Master, but Master and his family are very picky. They don''t fall in love easily. Master has two siblings, and only his sister is married. She has a lot of children and grandchildren now."


    "Children and grandchildren?" Finland didn''t quite understand what he meant.


    "Master has 3 nephews and two of them have married the love of their life. Now, they both have children in Europe and America."


    Finland could not digest what Ben was saying and she blamed it on the few glasses of wine she drank during dinner. Maybe Ben was saying that Caspar had many relatives in Europe and America...


    "Oh, well... so Caspar is part of a big family." Finland nodded. "And he has never been married before. How about lovers? Don''t tell me he has a lover on every continent..."


    Ben laughed at that statement. He cleared his throat and then replied, "Yes, Master had a lot of women in the past. But he never took them seriously. Master only had one fianc¨¦e, but after many years, he was still unsure if she was the right woman to marry, so she finally left him. "


    "Oh, rightfully so. Why stick around a man who is not able to give certainty." Finland said quickly.


    "How long did his fianc¨¦e wait for him?"


    "Long enough," Ben said, shaking his head sadly, "Fifty years."


    Finland dropped her bag when Ben answered, so she only heard the word "... years" and she guessed it might have been ''several years''.


    "Wow... she was waiting for years? That''s a long time. Luckily the woman made a wise decision and left. Hopefully she has found her happiness now." exclaimed Finland while picking up the contents of her bag that were scattered on the car floor.


    The car stopped at Rose Mansion. Finland thanked Ben and got out of the car.


    "Master just told me that I have to pick Miss up tomorrow morning," Ben said.


    "Is that so? Okay then, see you tomorrow. Thank you, and good night."


    ***

 Chapter 27 - The Alchemists

    The next morning, just before 8 am, Ben arrived at Rose Mansion. He waited for Finland at the gates. Finland, who looked radiant in her black dress, entered the car and paid attention to where they were going.


    "So, today he will have 3 meetings, one guest lecture, and a surgery, right?"


    Ben didn''t reply. He drove Finland to the Continental Hotel.


    "Are we picking Caspar up for work?"


    "Master is inviting Miss to have breakfast together first."


    "Oh, okay."


    Finland went up to the Penthouse and found Caspar, still in his pajamas, sitting at the dining table.


    "Come, have breakfast with me. What do you want to eat? I made pancakes, chicken porridge, toast, and various kinds of small bites."


    "I want everything," Finland said greedily. She sat beside Caspar and immediately took the most delicious food. If her salary were cut today, at least she needed to get the equivalent compensation in form of food.


    After they finished breakfast, there was no sign of Caspar getting ready for the meetings. Instead, he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on to watch the morning news.


    "Don''t you have 3 meetings today? Then a lecture at the campus and a surgery at the hospital?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "Oh... I canceled all my agenda for today. I just want to spend time with you." Caspar looked at Finland with a mischievous smile, "I''m all yours today. Feel free to ask me anything. When is my birthday, what is my favorite food, why am I so good at cooking, why I have been a surgeon for decades... "


    Finland was stunned...


    "But we agreed that¡­ I will follow your daily activity for one day so I can see what you normally do... to get to know you better. But now you''re not going to work...."


    "Yes, I want to make it fair. You took a leave of absence with a salary cut, so I should also take a leave of absence and not earn one day''s income. I also think it would be faster if you just ask me everything you want to know, instead of spending time with me all day and make assumptions based on your observations..."


    "Fair enough..." Finland admitted. "OK, when were you born?"


    "I was born on July 7 in ''80."


    "Oh... so you are already 38 years old..." Finland covered her mouth in surprise. She didn''t expect Caspar to be THAT old. She just graduated from university and was 23 years old; in a few months she would be 24. Wow... they were almost 15 years apart. "But you''re lucky, your still look like you are in your twenties, you know..."


    Caspar smiled faintly... "Actually, I''m much older than you think, but thank you for the compliment. My entire family looks younger than we actually are."


    "How many siblings do you have?"


    "I have two younger siblings. My sister is married and has three children and many grandchildren. My younger brother is still single; he lives for science and adventures."


    Finland imagined Caspar''s younger sister who might have gotten pregnant when she was still a teenager. Then, her children also got pregnant at a young age.


    "Are your parents still alive?"


    Caspar didn''t answer for a while. His eyes turned sad, "They died in the second world war."


    "Oh... sorry, I didn''t know. We''re both orphans then." Finland suddenly remembered Ben''s story about Caspar''s fianc¨¦e, "Uhm... you were engaged and about to get married. What happened?"


    Caspar shook his head softly, "I met Katia just after my parents died in the war. At that time, I was devastated, and I felt that her presence gave me comfort... but I didn''t really love her. I feel guilty for giving her hope for so many years. We take marriage and parenthood very seriously. That''s why it took a very long time for my family to fall in love and get married. We have to live with someone forever, so if we make the wrong choice, our life will suffer forever. We don''t get divorced because we are very conservative."


    Last night Finland thought that the wine influenced her capability to process information from Ben, but this morning she felt very fresh and alert. The information provided by Caspar didn''t seem to add up...


    "Wait... wait... you said your parents died in World War 2? Then there is no possible way you could be born in year ''80 if they had died decades before. You also said that you met Katia after your parents died... that means in the 40''s or 50''s..." Finland patted her forehead, "Please... my brain isn''t working."


    Caspar laughed seeing how confused Finland looked.


    "I''m actually older than you imagine. I was born in 1580... not 1980." Caspar continued, his tone became very serious, "We are Alchemists. In 1450 my family invented the philosopher''s stone that made our bodies perfect and stopped our aging process once all cells have optimally grown. After that, new cells will continue to regenerate forever and we will never experience aging, disability, or physical illnesses. We cannot die of natural causes such as illness and old age, and that means we can live forever. The oldest Alchemist in the world is now 550 years old, and he looks like he''s my age."


    Finland''s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.


    Caspar must be joking again. She could not take Caspar''s words seriously because he never made sense. Once, he said that he had been a surgeon for decades and was able to perform surgeries with his eyes closed. Another time he said that he wanted to buy the Continental Hotel. He also said that he would buy LTX International. Now, he claimed that he was born in 1580...


    That was 438 years ago... Hahaha...


    Seriously...


    Those thoughts circulated in Finland''s head, but she could not make herself laugh or pretend that he was joking.


    Her instincts were telling her that this guy was dead serious¡­


    The Alchemists... Who are they?

 Chapter 28 - If you talk more slowly maybe it would make more sense...

    "I... I don''t understand. Can you explain it again? Maybe if you talk more slowly it would make more sense¡­" Finland asked in a doubtful voice. She was unsure of her own hearing and asked Caspar to repeat his words.


    "I am a second generation of Alchemists. In 1450, my grandfather and some of his colleagues discovered the philosopher''s stone, the way to immortality. With his medicine, humans can stay young forever. Once the body reaches it''s peak of growth, aging will stop.


    Normal humans would stop regenerating some of their body cells after their thirties and slowly their bodies will age. We are not like that. After reaching the peak of our cell growth, our face and body will stay like this forever. My father and mother took this potion when they were little and their growth stopped when my father was 27 years old and when my mother was 25 years old.


    Humans have different peaks of growth. I stopped aging when I was 25 years old. After my parents married, they waited several decades before they had children. At that time, at the end of the 16th century, when my parents were almost 100 years old, they decided to finally have children.


    Back then they did not know whether they would continue staying young or if at some point in time they would start aging and it would be too late to have offspring. Fortunately, now, centuries later, not a single Alchemist has experienced aging. The oldest Alchemist alive today is 550 years old, and his looks are of a 25 year old, like me."


    Finland looked at Caspar closely, trying to make sense of the man''s story, but it was very difficult.


    "My sister Flora was born when our parents were 200 years old and Aldebar was born 150 years later. As humans who can live forever, we are not in a hurry to find a partner and have children, because time is in our hands.


    If an ordinary human needs 10 years to study and be an expert in medicine or music, imagine how much knowledge someone can master if they have hundreds of years to learn something? I''ve been cooking for hundreds of years... and because of that my cooking is now perfect. I also like being a doctor, and over time I have attended various medical schools with different identities. To be honest, being a doctor is one of my favorite professions. Every time science became more advanced, my expertise as a medical doctor increases.


    Imagine that every 20 years I become a new student and learn new science... I met Einstein in Bern when he and his then wife, Mileva Maric*, were developing the theory of relativity, before the theory was taught in modern physics classes like now. I''ve been a doctor, writer, war strategist, ship captain, general, designer, painter, farmer, and so many other professions I can''t mention one by one. I usually got bored after a few decades, so then I would look for a new hobby or profession."


    "Are there many people like you?" Finland asked softly.


    "There are only several hundred people like me. All of them are descendants of the early Alchemists, namely my grandfather and his friends. My two siblings and I are pure Alchemists because both our parents are the original Alchemists. Then, within decades, our population grew mostly because of marriage. When an Alchemist marries a normal human, they would be given the potion too so that their spouse can join our clan and live together as immortals.


    Three hundred years ago, my sister Flora fell in love with an ordinary human. She stopped aging when she was 22 years old, and she married her husband without our parents'' blessings, so he did not immediately get the immortality potion. Her husband was finally accepted into our family after they had children and only then he was given the potion for immortality. Unfortunately, their age gap was already very big. When you meet Flora and her husband, you will see that her husband looks much older than her.


    Flora''s husband and children are called half-bloods. In the Alchemist nobility caste, they fall in the second class. I have 3 nephews, Flora''s children, and they too already have children who now live across Europe and America. But if you meet my entire family, you will think that we all have the same age."


    "But why haven''t I heard of you guys before?"


    "Of course, our existence must be kept secret, because many people are eyeing the secrets of Alchemists'' immortality. The formula is currently kept securely by my brother, Aldebar, in Germany. We used to be able to hide our identities more easily in the past, because we could just move to another country and start a new life there. But now, due to the internet, extra efforts must be made to remove all tracks. Fortunately, with the wealth we have piled up for centuries, you can say that we own the world and access to information. Otherwise, you would have seen news about me everywhere."


    "So, you can''t die?" Finland asked doubtfully. All of this sounded so absurd.


    "We cannot die of natural causes such as illnesses and old age. Alchemists are born with perfect bodies, we will not experience disabilities, illnesses, and aging. However, we are not immune to bullets or other weapons. When we are injured, we can die. Many clan members died during the last world war, including my parents. That''s why I really hate the war. You can''t imagine how devastating it feels... losing your parents who had been your best friends for hundreds of years..."


    "You said something about moving to New York to study... does that mean that you will take on a new identity? Otherwise people would get suspicious, seeing Heinrich Schneider still young after decades working as a surgeon..."


    "Exactly. Oh, Finland you are so smart." Caspar smiled. "My persona as ''Heinrich Schneider'' will continue to lead my companies behind the scenes, and then, ten years from now, I will divert it to my new identity."


    Finland was shaking. Her head hurt with every new information she received from Caspar.


    She had to hold his hand for support. This was all very shocking...


    She didn''t know how to react to Caspar''s words...


    .


    .


    *Mileva Maric = Einstein''s first wife whom some people now considered to be actually smarter than Einstein and had a significant role in his success, including the invention of theory of relativity, but as a woman she couldn''t get the same treatment or opportunities as men in physics back then, that''s why she couldn''t get the credit for her contributions. Albert Einstein treated Mileva Maric so badly and cheated on her. At one point, in order for him to stay with her, he made her sign agreement as follows:


    -My clothes and laundry are to be kept in good order.


    -I receive 3 meals a day in my room.


    -My bedroom and study are to be kept clean, and my desk is left for my own use only.


    -You will forego my sitting at home with you, and my going out and traveling with you.


    -You will not expect any intimacy from me nor will you approach me in any way.


    -You will stop talking to me if I request it, and you will leave my bedroom or study immediately if I request it.


    -You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behavior.

 Chapter 29 - Lover and Friend

    "Thank you... for being honest with me and telling me all this... I don''t know what to do now. It''s all too shocking," Finland finally replied after a long sigh.


    She was initially annoyed because Caspar knew everything about her, while she knew nothing about him. But now, she wasn''t ready to hear the whole truth about Caspar.


    "Finland... what I have, everything can be yours... Including immortality, if you want. If I married you, you will become a part of my clan. All my wealth is yours..."


    Caspar supported Finland''s body and helped her sit on the sofa. He grasped the girl''s hands and looked at her earnestly, "I''ve lived for almost 500 years and I''ve never fallen in love with anyone... not like this. I thought I was just sorry for you when I saw you at the airport the first time. I was moved because you have the saddest pair of eyes I''ve ever seen in my whole life... That time, instinctively, I just wanted to protect you, I just wanted to make you happy... But now I''m sure, I want to live with you forever. My people are never in a hurry in loving someone or getting married or having children... that''s why there are so few of us."


    Finland bit her lips in confusion. Now she knew... Caspar was indeed too good to be true. But at the same time, Finland found one big flaw that the man had...


    Finally, she knew that Caspar was not perfect...


    Caspar was not a normal human like her... and that bothered Finland.


    "I... I need to think about this. I don''t know if I want to live forever with you," Finland whispered. "People who get married usually get bored after a few years. I can''t imagine living forever with someone."


    "You don''t love me?"


    "I do not know..."


    Caspar sighed at Finland''s answer. For the first time in his life, he fell in love with a woman, but she did not reciprocate his feelings, or at least, she wasn''t sure about her own feelings yet.


    He thought about the thousands of women he had met during his long life. They all craved for his love and wanted to marry him. They were all fascinated and amazed by him. But now, in front of him, stood the girl of his dreams ¨C and she didn''t know how she felt for him.


    Caspar did not understand what he lacked. He was very intelligent, physically perfect, and very rich too.. Why did Finland not return his love? This was the third time he had expressed his love for this girl, within two months! This had never happened to any Alchemist before.


    "Do you love Jean?" Caspar asked softly.


    "Don''t be silly, Jean is my best friend," answered Finland. "I just need time to think. This is all too surprising, I don''t know what to do."


    Caspar nodded.


    "I understand. Please think about it... I hope your answer is yes. If you agree to marry me, I will pay the fine for your scholarship and take you out of Singapore. We can live together in a place of your choosing with a new identity."


    "Can I tell Jean about all this?"


    Caspar shook his head, "Sorry, Jean can''t know."


    "So, if I agree to marry you, I have to come with you and disappear, and I can''t meet Jean forever again?"


    Caspar nodded.


    Finland bit her lip nervously. She had actually fallen for Caspar since the first time they met at the airport, but she tried to hold back her feelings because she was afraid; the man was too perfect. She did not know what a handsome, rich and powerful man like Caspar wanted from her. She was just a poor orphan girl who was struggling to get by in Singapore.


    Now, what she feared for the most was becoming real: Caspar was indeed too good to be true. He was too perfect, and this perfect man repeatedly expressed that he wanted her...


    She thought about the three times Caspar had professed his love for her in just a few months. Today, she truly felt convinced that Caspar was serious about what he said.


    This perfect man wanted her... but then Finland had to sacrifice her friendship with Jean if she decided to be with him.


    She could not afford to leave and lose her best friend.


    "Jean is my only family..." Finland whispered weakly.


    "If you marry me, I will be your family," Caspar answered firmly.


    Finland shook her head. All her life, she had lived a very lonely life. During the past 4 years she finally had someone who cared about her.


    Jean was her only friend, the only one who stood by her when others were against her.


    To her, he was her only family.


    She could not imagine what it would be like if she had to disappear from Jean''s life and never see him again.


    "I can''t..." Tears trickled down Finland''s cheeks as she made the decision, "If you and I break up, I''d have lost my only family... I can''t risk it."


    Caspar looked very sad.

 Chapter 30 - Heartbroken

    Finland left Caspar''s penthouse with a sad heart and he made no move to stop her from leaving. He had expressed his love for this girl three times, and three times he was rejected. He was still a man, and he still had his pride. He couldn''t bear another rejection.


    As someone who had lived for a very long time, Caspar understood human nature quite well. He knew that Finland had her own fears and it was not her fault that she had a hard life before she met him.


    Her bitter life turned her into someone who was afraid of getting hurt, so asking her to let go of the only family she ever had must be very difficult.


    Too often people fall in love and follow their hearts, and in the process they throw everything away to be together with their loved ones. But, when the love begins to fade and the relationship ends, all those sacrifices become meaningless, Finland thought.


    Caspar may be able to promise her his love, his wealth, and even his time for Finland, but the girl didn''t feel like she was part of the Alchemist''s clan.


    Finland was yet to understand that commitment played a very important role in an Alchemist''s life principles. That was why an Alchemist would not get married until they found someone whom they love completely, so if necessary, they would be able to live together forever. This search could last hundreds of years.


    Alchemists would also not have children if they were not ready to become parents. That was why there were very few of them in the world, and that number decreased significantly during World War 1 and 2 several decades ago.


    ***


    Ben wanted to take Finland home, but the girl refused politely. She took the bus and headed to Robertson Road No. 1. Along the way she tried to calm herself to hold back her tears, but when she arrived in front of Jean''s apartment, her tears flowed profusely.


    She knocked weakly on the door and a moment later Jean came out and found her crying in front of the door. He quickly helped Finland inside.


    "What''s the matter? Didn''t you go to work today?"


    After Finland sat on the couch, Jean poured some orange juice and gave it to the girl. "Drink first..."


    Then he took out his handkerchief and carefully wiped the tears that flowed down Finland''s face.


    "Jean..." Finland finally buried her face in Jean''s chest and sobbed there, "I may have met the man of my dreams... but I can''t be with him, Jean... I''m very sad..."


    "Why not? He doesn''t want to be with you?"


    "No¡­ that''s not it¡­" Finland sobbed, "His life is too complicated, it doesn''t suit me. You know how we can''t find information about him on the internet? If I go with him, you won''t be able to find me later, too. And I won''t be able to call and see you again. I can''t live like that. You are my only family"


    Jean stroked Finland''s hair and tried to calm her down. He did not really understand what Finland was trying to say, but he was aware that Caspar gave Finland a requirement to leave Jean if she wanted to be with him, and the girl could not accept it.


    "Finland... do you love him?" Jean tidied Finland''s hair that fell over her face and fixed his gaze on the girl''s brown eyes. "The most important thing is your feeling. Do you love him too? I know it''s only been 3 months since you met him... but honestly this is the happiest I''ve seen you in the 4 years I''ve known you. You look alive and happy now. Maybe that''s because you also fell in love with him."


    Finland nodded.


    "I love him, Jean. He is an amazing person. But love is not the main thing. My mother fell in love with my father and we know what happened to them, right? The love they had faded even before I was born, and my mother suffered until her death. I don''t want to be blinded by a moment of love. This too shall pass..."


    Finland covered her face with both hands and sobbed again. "It''s just n common heartbreak... I only need time to calm myself down and forget about him... My heart will eventually heal. I just need to focus on my work for the next three years, and then I can move to Paris to live with you, as previously planned..."


    Jean looked at Finland for a long time. He was not sure that Finland would recover that easily; he had never seen Finland like this before.


    "Okay... I am going to stay in Singapore for a month to make sure you''re okay." Jean embraced Finland and patted her back fondly. "Do you want to stay here tonight? I''ll make you your favorite soup."


    Finland nodded weakly.


    Jean told Finland to rest in his room while he cooked a simple soup that Finland liked. When the soup was done, he found the girl fast asleep in his bed. Finally, he stored the soup for later. Jean then climbed into the bed and hugged Finland from behind. He sighed deeply.


    "I know you are afraid of falling in love because you have never experienced any form of affection from anyone; you have never been hugged, soothed, defended, nor loved... You know that if you open your heart to someone, it means that you give that person the power to break it... Love means giving power to someone to hurt you but trusting them not to."


    As a child who also grew up in loneliness, Jean understood how Finland is feeling. As children, they didn''t experience a warm loving home growing up. They didn''t understand the meaning of a parent''s love and they long for acceptance, protection, and even a mere hug.


    But Finland''s experience was far worse compared to his because she also had to work to support herself and she was often harassed by girls who didn''t like her because they were jealous of her beauty.


    Every cell in the girl''s body was always ready to fight and defend herself. Her heart may opened to Caspar since their first meeting, but her brain would not let her surrender.


    Now her brain was whispering to her broken heart all the reasons why she cannot be with the person she loved.

 Chapter 31 - Katia

    The next day came and Finland did not feel any better. Finally, Jean came to LTX International to inform the company that Finland was sick and unable to get to work. He also met with the Marketing Director and Bartz''s Brand Manager to sign his new contract with them.


    "I will be in Singapore for a month because my best friend needs me. For contract matters, you can talk to my manager in Paris. I will resume working again next month," Jean said at the meeting.


    The clients could only follow his request, because they knew it was very difficult to get a contract with Jean and their competitors had tried to lobby Jean for the same product line last month.


    When Jean came out of the meeting room, dozens of excited LTX International female employees gathered around him and asked for a photo together.


    "Jean, are you really Finland''s friend?" Lily asked excitedly, "How do you know each other?"


    "We have been friends since I studied at NTU," Jean replied kindly, "Finland has been living a very hard life ever since she was a child. She is the toughest and kindest person I have ever known. Please treat her well. I will be very grateful... "


    The girls looked at each other. They realized that none of them had actually tried being friends with Finland. They instantly believed all the bad rumors about her that circulated around them. They never took the time to see if those rumors were actually true.


    One gossip was about her being the mistress of the Continental Hotel owner who is old and ugly. However, they had seen with their own eyes that Heinrich Schneider was a very young and handsome man, and if their relationship were true, Finland never showed off her relationship with such an important person.


    Also, she was apparently good friends with one of the most famous supermodel today, Jean, and she never mentioned it. She could brag if she wanted. But as usual, the girl focused only on her work and tried her best not to bother other people. She never acted arrogantly even though she knew important people like Mr. Schneider and Jean.


    They now realized that Finland was a sincere and hard working girl, and slowly they regretted the way they treated her.


    "We will be nice to her," Tran said later.


    Jean smiled happily. "Good."


    He then took leave.


    Finland felt better after three days. She forced herself to go back to her own home despite Jean''s suggestion for her to stay longer in his apartment.


    "I have to work. I have been on sick leave for three days now. I''m sure my work is piling up. My probation period is almost over. After that, I need to apply for a new job," Finland said just before she left Jean''s apartment.


    ***


    The next day Finland returned to work and Tony commissioned her to make a proposal for an artwork exhibition for of one of their clients, Katia Sorrenson, whom he had met last month. Money was not a problem.


    Apparently, this Katia was a noblewoman from Sweden who just inherited a large sum of money. Her life was dedicated to art, and as an artist, she wanted to open a place that could serve as her legacy.


    They met in a luxurious apartment Katia rented and discussed the design proposed by Finland. Katia seemed very fond of the girl''s ideas.


    "You are a talented designer," she said. "I like your ideas."


    They both talked a lot about design and art, and they quickly became friends. When Katia heard that Finland was an orphan, she was very sympathetic.


    "I''m sorry. I understand the feeling, because I also have no one left in this world. All my family members have died." Katia smiled sadly, "I made the decision to leave them for the sake of a man, and now I can''t go back because they are all gone. Life happens."


    Katia pointed at several paintings hanging on the wall of her living room. "That''s my father... and that''s my mother. I''m an only child, so when I left they were really devastated."


    Finland thought of her own situation. Katia had experienced what she was experiencing now, and the girl finally lost the people she loved.


    "Did your relationship not work with that man?" Finland asked carefully, she did not want to put salt over an old wound, but she wanted to know what had happened to Katia.


    "Unrequited love." Katia answered softly. "He was the perfect man and I fell deeply in love. I waited for him to return my love... for so long; I finally gave up."


    Finland was stunned to hear that. This was really similar to her own experience.


    The thought hit her hard. She had heard this name before from various people, hadn''t she? Caspar''s fianc¨¦e''s name was also Katia...


    Was this the same girl?


    What were the odds?

 Chapter 32 - Caspars Decision

    Finland wanted to ask whether Katia was Caspar''s former fianc¨¦e, but she felt it was not in her place to interfere with other people''s personal affairs, but she wanted to know what caused the failure in their relationship.


    Katia said that Caspar did not return her love. But, how would that be possible considering that they were engaged for decades...?


    "If he didn''t love you, why did you leave your family for him?" Finland asked softly. "Isn''t it obvious that it is tantamount to hurting yourself?"


    "Uhmm... the situation was quite complicated at the time and we had to decide quickly," Katia answered. "I couldn''t stay young forever, so I had to make a quick decision whether to follow him or not."


    Katia sipped her tea slowly and closed her eyes. She remembered the events of decades ago just like it was yesterday. The most memorable was when Caspar told her that he was an Alchemist, able to live forever.


    At first she thought Caspar was joking. But all the evidence he presented convinced Katia that the man was telling the truth.


    "Why... why did you tell me all this?" Katia asked at the time. She could still hear his words in her head, word for word:


    "Because... I think... I love you." Caspar fixed his gaze on Katia''s eyes. "After my parents died, you''re the one I feel most comfortable with. I don''t know yet if I want to spend my whole life with you, but if I don''t make a quick decision, in a few years you will age and die... and I can''t take that risk. I wish to give you my family''s secret potion, so you can stay young like this, for as long as you want. You will not age, just like us. And as we go along, we can asses our feelings for each other..."


    This happened 50 years ago, when Katia chose Caspar and left her family. Katia became forever young to be with the man she loved, but finally, bitterly, she realized that after half a century, Caspar was still unsure about his feelings for her. It hurt her so much that she didn''t want to wait any longer and decided to leave.


    Katia opened her sad eyes and found Finland looking at her questioningly.


    She then smiled faintly, "Don''t make the same mistakes like I did. Now I don''t have anyone anymore. Never completely surrender your heart and life to a man. You never know what the future brings."


    Finland nodded.


    Her head was full with questions when she returned home. She felt sorry for Katia. When she entered the pavilion, Finland remembered that Ms. Law told her that the pavilion she occupied used to be Katia''s place to paint.


    That meant that Katia used to live in this mansion with Caspar...


    If Caspar hadn''t kept their relationship hanging for decades, maybe Katia would have become his wife now.


    Finland suddenly felt very guilty about living in such a beautiful place over the suffering of another woman. She did not see the black Maybach parked in the front yard because her mind was frantic and she went straight to her pavilion.


    "Finland..."


    Finland raised her face toward the voice and was surprised to see Caspar on the terrace of her pavilion. His face looked calm and serene.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "This is my house..." Caspar answered calmly.


    "Oh... do you want to move back in?"


    "Right."


    "Then I have to move out ..."


    "Why do you have to move out?"


    "Because..." Finland couldn''t find the right answer. "I thought you want me to get out of here..."


    Caspar shook his head. He approached Finland and unexpectedly hugged the girl very tightly, and then softly he loosened his embrace so that Finland could breathe.


    "I don''t want you to get out of here. I want to move in here so I can see you every day. So we can spend more time together. So you can see that you don''t need to fear me... I''m in no hurry, and I want to wait until you believe me and you are ready to accept me."

 Chapter 33 - Only you are worth the wait...

    Everything was too shocking for Finland, she couldn''t believe she would hear Caspar say that he was willing to wait for her to accept him.


    "I met Katia," Finland said softly. "I''m afraid you too will change your mind and leave me like you left her."


    "I did not leave Katia, Finland. She chose to leave me. I tried my best in being responsible for her, because I brought her into this life. But my heart couldn''t lie and I couldn''t force myself to love her... I was wrong because I was in a hurry, I was afraid she would age and die and I would lose the opportunity of being with the woman I thought I loved... But over time I realized that what I felt for her was not love."


    Caspar looked into Finland''s eyes which were getting wet with tears, "My feelings for you, I can''t explain it in words. I love you, and I''m very sure I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but at the same time, I don''t want to rush you and make you regret it. I want to wait, even if you get older, I don''t care... I''ll keep waiting for you, until you can accept me."


    Finland lowered her gaze, trying to hide the tears that began to flow profusely.


    "Caspar... I am a broken person, deep inside. I have never felt love before. Hugs, words of comfort and encouragement, praises, acceptance, and support... these are all foreign things that I have never experienced in my life. Jean is the only one who understands me, and all this time, I have only felt love and support from him. Yesterday Jean said that I need time to open my heart... I need time to get used to receiving kindness, sweet words, hugs, and outpouring of love from others... Maybe, after a while, my broken heart can be slowly mended. But I don''t know for sure." Finland sobbed in Caspar''s chest.


    "I know. Jean told me to wait for you and to give you time to recover."


    Finland looked up in surprise, "You talked to Jean?"


    Caspar nodded. "He knows you more than anyone. I now understand why it is very difficult for you to accept my love. You are not used to being treated kindly by people, so your heart is always on defense and does not want to open up to receive love. I promise, Finland, I will treat you well, and compensate for all the wounds and sadness that you have experienced in the past. And I will wait until your heart is healed and ready to accept me..."


    "Are.. are you sure? I don''t know how long it would take for me to recover..." Finland said softly, "If you wait for years... I will age and I will look older than you."


    "I don''t mind. I am even willing to wait until you are old and grumpy. I don''t want to force you to make a hasty decision... Even though I''m sure of my feelings, I want you to be sure of yours too. All I ask is for you to please give me a chance to be near you and treat you well... I wish to give you support, love, encouragement, praise, and all the good things you have never received before¡­ I wish to mend your heart so you too can feel the beauty of love."


    Finland closed her eyes and nodded. Her tears started falling again and Caspar gently wiped them away.


    "I''ve never been this patient with anyone," Caspar said. "Only you are worth the wait."


    He kissed Finland''s lips softly and held the girl close to his heart for a long time.


    Finland suddenly felt as light as a feather. After being shadowed by dark clouds for several days, she really enjoyed the man''s embrace.


    Jean was right when he said that Finland''s heart was too barren and hard to penetrate because she had never experienced love in her life. Her heart was thirsty for love and affection she never received from her parents nor her peers, but her mind was stubborn.


    Throughout her life she only focused on ways to survive; there was no space for love.


    When Caspar finally let go of his arms, he looked at Finland deeply, "I will hug you often, I will always hold your hand, I will protect you, I will take care of you, I will praise you, I will support whatever you do, I will get you used to my love. And most importantly, I will wait until you''re ready to accept me."


    Caspar smiled and entered the main house, leaving Finland frozen in place.


    The girl held her chest and felt the warmth of Caspar''s body lingering on hers. Her chest felt very light.


    Caspar would be patient... He was willing to wait no matter how long¡­


    A faint smile curved up on Finland''s face.

 Chapter 34 - Just learn to say thank you

    A soft knock on Finland''s pavilion door woke the girl up from a pleasant dream.


    "Miss, before leaving for work, please come and have breakfast in the dining room with Master." Ms. Law said from behind the closed door. The old woman''s tone sounded very cheerful. Finland nodded, half conscious because she was still sleepy.


    The girl slowly got up and prepared herself for work. Before leaving to the office, she stopped by the main house as requested by Ms. Law.


    In the large kitchen which also functioned as a dining room, Caspar was sitting down, waiting for her. On the table Finland saw that a variety of breakfast foods and tea had been beautifully prepared.


    "From today onwards we will have breakfast together before leaving for work, and dinner together after returning home. I really miss Katrin''s cooking," Caspar said with a broad smile. "I''m tired of staying in a hotel."


    Finland smiled back. She was also happy to see Caspar and spend the morning together.


    "What will you do today?" She asked as she poured some tea in her ceramic cup.


    "I have several meetings in Hong Kong," Caspar raised his cup and Finland filled it with tea, "I''ll be back before dinner."


    "Oh... can you really go back and forth on same day?"


    "I can," Caspar coughed a little, "That''s one of the perks of having a private jet."


    "Oh..." Finland didn''t ask further questions. At this stage, nothing Caspar said could surprise her anymore.


    The man was able to buy a hotel as easily as buying a shirt, cook perfect and delicious dishes, be a famous surgeon and own of one of the largest business groups in the world. Oh, he has also lived for hundreds of years...


    So, adding a private jet on the list was not so hard... Finland was not surprised.


    After they finished their breakfast, Caspar offered to take Finland to her office by car.


    "Ah... no, thank you. I''m used to going to the office by bus." Finland rejected his offer, but Caspar wouldn''t take no for an answer. He took her bag and held her hand, then lead her into the car.


    "You must learn to accept people''s kindness. Just say thank you."


    "Uhmm... thank you." Finland nodded slowly.


    "You''re welcome." Caspar turned to Ben and told him to start the car, "We go to LTX International first before going to the airport."


    Finland glanced at Caspar who was busy with his laptop during the drive to the office. The man looked more handsome when he was busy working. Finland found it hard to believe that Caspar was actually a very old man...


    If she was not mistaken, he was now more than 400 years old, Finland thought. Finland could not imagine all the things he had experienced in his life, and all the knowledge he had acquired throughout the centuries.


    Could it be that his maturity in thinking and his extraordinary understanding on how to treat Finland was because of his long life?


    Throughout her life, Finland had never met a person with such patience.


    When Caspar realized that the girl had been staring at him, he stopped working and turned to look at her with a smile, "You often give me that look... You must be thinking: oh... this man is so perfect."


    Finland laughed softly and pinched Caspar''s hand. "You are a very humble man..."


    "It is so nice to see you smile," Caspar gently patted Finland''s cheeks and resumed his work.


    Finland smiled shyly and looked out of the window, trying to suppress her feelings.


    ***


    Finland deliberately asked to be dropped off at a park one block away from her office building because she did not want to give her colleagues another reason to gossip about her. Thereon she walked to her office. As usual, Finland imagined that she was walking on the runway, as taught by Jean.


    "Hi Finland, good morning."


    Finland turned towards the voice and was surprised to see Tran, who was also walking to the office.


    As far as she could remember, Tran never greeted her like this before.


    "Uhm... good morning," she replied reluctantly. They then walked together to the office.


    When Finland reached her office, she was surprised to hear that all other girls from the Marketing department started greeting her. Meilin was the only one who still pretended that she was invisible, but the others seemed to have warmed up and they were treating her better. She did not know that when Jean came to LTX, he made a special request that they be kind to his friend.


    [I''m surprised... everyone in the office are treating me nicely. Maybe I don''t need to resign and look for a new job after my probation is over.]


    Finland sent WhatsApp to Jean.


    [That''s good. I am happy to hear that. Do you like your current job? My father also has a company, right? I can ask him for a job for you if you want.]


    Jean replied five minutes later.


    [Aha, no need. Thanks. I like my work here in LTX and I wish to see how the situation is in the next few months. I''m currently working on the gallery design for Katia Sorrenson''s artworks. You must have heard about her, she''s a famous artist.]


    Ah, Katia.. the girl who might be Caspar''s former fianc¨¦e...


    [Katia Sorrenson? I know her. We met in London a few years ago. She''s one of Karl Furstenberg''s muses.]


    [Oh... do you know much about her?]


    [Not too much. Why?]


    [It is okay. I was just curious about her personal taste so that I can make designs that suit her better.]


    [I can invite her to dinner so you can chat more freely about the gallery.]


    [That would be wonderful.]


    [Tonight?]


    [Uhm... I promised to have dinner with Caspar at home.]


    [Oh... has he come to see you? What did he say?]


    [Uhmm... yeah. We talked.] Finland hurriedly added [Thank you for your help. Caspar said he went to talk to you and you said many good things to him. We''re fine now.]


    [I can''t stand seeing you heartbroken... I had to say something. I''m glad you both worked things out.]


    Finland thought about the three days she spent in Jean''s apartment, how she felt so miserable that she fell ill. She was indeed heartbroken at the time¡­


    [Thank you.]


    [Okay, let''s have dinner with Katia Sorrenson tomorrow night, then. Will that be OK? I can contact her now and ask for her schedule.]


    [Could you do that? That would be amazing.]


    [Anything for my Finland.]


    Finland smiled to herself. She was so lucky to have Jean as her best friend.

 Chapter 35 - Katias Visit

    Jean''s last message made Finland smile. She returned to work and prepared a program for several new brands that had entered into contracts with LTX. An hour before lunch, Ms. Song invited all members of the Marketing department to eat together. She treated them to lunch to celebrate the success of the previous Bartz event and their success in bringing together Jean and Bartz''s Brand Manager in Singapore.


    "This is all thanks to Finland. We thank you." said Ms. Song in her speech. "You really are a very valuable employee. I want to announce that today, LTX will officially hire you as a full-time employee."


    Finland gasped at the sweet announcement. She could only bow and say thank you. Her colleagues clapped. At that time Finland felt very moved. Finally, her hard work was noticed and recognized by the company. The 800-dollar bonus from Ms. Song was transferred on the same day. She felt very grateful.


    [My probation period is over. Now I''m LTX International''s full-time employee.]


    She sent an SMS to Jean and Caspar.


    [Congratulations! LTX is lucky to have such a talented and dedicated employee like you.] Replied Jean.


    [I am very proud of you.] Replied Caspar.


    That day Finland did not stop smiling. Slowly her life was going in the right direction. When they returned to the office from lunch, two bouquets of flowers were waiting on Finland''s desk. Her office friends teased her about her fans. They were no longer mocking her and Finland felt very grateful for the change in attitude.


    The first flower was definitely from Jean. He always added one white rose in the bouquet of whatever flowers he sent, so even though there was no card, Finland immediately knew who the sender was.


    The second flower was very large and filled almost all the space in the empty corner of the office. It had a card from Heinrich Schneider.


    "Excuse me, Finland, you have a guest." Jenny from the front office called Finland when the girl was admiring her flowers. "Katia Sorrenson wants to meet you to discuss the design you submitted yesterday."


    "Oh, she came here. I thought we''d meet tomorrow during dinner with Jean." Finland was rather confused. She invited Katia into the Marketing department office. The beautiful platinum-haired girl walked in gracefully and sat on the sofa facing Finland''s desk. For a moment her gaze swept over a large bouquet of flowers in the corner of the room.


    "Oh, what is the occasion? Who do I need to congratulate?" she asked in a cheerful voice.


    "Today, Finland is officially a full-time employee at LTX, and the bouquet is from her lover." Tran answered quickly. She glanced at Finland enviously, but the tone of her voice was not cynical.


    "Wahh... congratulations, Finland. Sorry I didn''t know, so I didn''t bring anything."


    "Er... no need. Thank you ..." Finland smiled wryly. She opened her laptop and looked for the material she prepared for Katia.


    She did not notice the platinum-haired girl studying the card attached to the large bouquet of flowers. Her forehead twitched as she read the contents of the card. She turned and looked at Finland in disbelief.


    "Is this card from Heinrich Schneider?" she asked quietly. "What is your relationship with Heinrich Schneider?"


    Finland gasped. She did not know whether or not she should be honest with Katia.


    "Uhm... I met him several times. We worked together for the launch of Bartz''s new product at his hotel last week. He was very friendly." answered Finland as casual as possible.


    Katia looked at her with a complicated look.


    "Finland, you''re Jean''s friend, aren''t you?" She asked a moment later. "We will meet for dinner tomorrow, right?"


    "Er... yes."


    "Then I don''t need to talk now. I have some important things I need to deal with. We will continue this conversation tomorrow during dinner."


    After saying that, Katia said goodbye and left.


    Finland did not understand her purpose of coming and why she suddenly left. She could only shake her head.


    ***


    Finland arrived home at 7 o''clock in the evening. She was surprised to see Caspar sitting on the terrace of her pavilion, working. He did not lie when he said that he would be back from Hong Kong before dinner.


    "Hey, how was your day?" Caspar closed his laptop and approached Finland, who just climbed onto the terrace. He put his arms around the girl and hugged her for a few minutes before letting her go. "Congratulations on your job!"


    "Thank you. How was your business in Hong Kong?"


    "All good. I''m looking for a new identity and I wish to live in a country that isn''t too far from Singapore. So, at least for the next 3 years, I can stay close to Singapore. Close to you."


    "Oh..." Finland knew that Caspar had been Heinrich Schneider for too long, and with his current face, it was getting more difficult for him to claim that he was 36 years old. She remembered that Caspar initially had a plan to move to New York and take a new identity as a film school student. Apparently the plan had changed.


    "I thought you wanted to be a film school student in New York?"


    "Indeed. But then I met you. You are not sure if you wish to come with me, so I have to come up with a different plan. New York is too far from Singapore. I won''t be able to meet you often. I know you can''t leave Singapore yet for the upcoming three years, so I have to look for a new identity not too far away. Hong Kong also has good art schools. The other options are Malaysia or Indonesia, but I would attract too much attention there, only in Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong I can blend in easily because they are all internationally-known countries filled with people from all over the world.


    "Oh..." Finland felt so moved that she spontaneously hugged Caspar.


    This man was very understanding. At least for now, Finland did not have to worry about her life for the next three years. She was able to fulfill her obligations to the Singapore government, keep in touch with Jean, and Caspar would stay close to her with a different identity.


    She would then have three years to figure out their relationship. She would have time to think things through and make careful decisions..


    She believed, over time, the best choice would come.


    "I''m glad to see you''re happy like this." Caspar smiled broadly, showing off his dimples. Finland melted and spontaneously kissed him.


    Caspar was stunned for a moment, but then he returned Finland''s kiss and tightened his embrace. His second kiss was postponed when he heard the footsteps of Ms. Law who came to tell them that dinner was ready.


    Caspar cleared his throat and Finland coughed a little. They then followed Ms. Law to the dining room. When the two sat facing a table full of delicious dishes, a bell rang from outside the gate. Finland and Caspar looked at each other. Katrin and Ms. Law also could not guess who the guest was.


    "Maybe Ben forgot something?" said Finland. John immediately went out and opened the gate. He returned 5 minutes later with a girl who walked behind him.


    This girl had beautiful platinum colored hair. She stopped when she saw Caspar and Finland sitting together at the dining table. Her face twisted...


    "Ka... Katia? What are you doing here?" Finland asked, confused.

 Chapter 36 - Dinner

    Katia smiled and approached Caspar first. The man stood up from his chair and returned Katia''s embrace.


    "Hi, Katia. It''s been a while," he said with a smile. He kissed Katia''s cheek and let go of the hug. Katia then approached Finland and did the same thing. The girl felt rather uncomfortable after Katia came.


    "Hi, Finland. Good evening," Katia realized that her arrival surprised Finland. She did not expect Katia to suddenly come in like this.


    Caspar, on the other hand, did not look surprised at all. It was of course expected from the guy who knew it all.


    Katia therefore apologized, "Sorry I came without telling you in advance. I just wanted to make sure of something."


    "Make sure of something? I don''t understand..." Finland admitted softly.


    She turned to Caspar but the man already sat down. He was casually sipping his tea, as if not at all surprised by the arrival the woman who had been his fianc¨¦e for decades.


    "I saw the flowers from Heinrich Schneider in the office, and I needed to make sure he was the same Heinrich Schneider I know." Katia explained. "You probably already know that it''s very difficult to meet this person if he doesn''t want to be seen. The only way I can make sure that they are the same person is by coming here... I didn''t expect you to be here too, just... "


    "Oh... uhm, do you guys want to talk? I can get out for a while." Finland was about to leave the kitchen, but Katia shook her head and smiled.


    "No need... we will talk outside." She looked at Caspar and smiled thinly. "Only briefly..."


    Caspar nodded and followed Katia out of the house.


    Finland felt nervous during the time they were talking outside. She could not imagine what the ex-lovers were talking about out there. Why did Katia come and what did she want to tell Caspar?


    Ten minutes later the guy returned without Katia. His expression was the same as before he left. Finland could not guess what had happened.


    "Uhm... where is Katia?" Finland asked.


    "She went home." Caspar answered shortly. "Let''s eat, I''m hungry. I was very busy today."


    "May I know what the two of you were talking about outside?" Finland asked carefully.


    "Katia warned me to treat you well. She said that you are a good girl and she didn''t want me to ruin your life." Caspar shrugged, "She didn''t have to do it. I would never treat you badly."


    "Oh..."


    Finland did not understand why Katia came all the way to Rose Mansion just to say that to Caspar.


    Wasn''t she jealous to see her ex-fianc¨¦, the man she said she loved so much and the man who didn''t reciprocate her love, now being with Finland in this mansion?


    It doesn''t make sense that she would warn Caspar on Finland''s behalf. Why would she do that?


    Finland finally decided not to entertain bad thoughts in her head and learn to be grateful for the good deeds other people did for her, as suggested by Caspar and Jean.


    Maybe Katia really cared about her...


    They continued their dinner in silence. After dinner Caspar took out the egg tarts he bought in Macau earlier that day for dessert. Finland, who had never tasted an egg tart freshly made from Macau before, really liked the taste. Caspar never ceased to impress her.


    "The egg tart originated from Portugal and was brought to Macau when the Portuguese colonized Macau. One day, when we go to Portugal, you can taste the even better ones," Caspar explained.


    After they finished the egg tarts, the two drank dessert wine in the library because Caspar had to attend a conference call with the directors of his company in Germany.


    "If you are busy with work, I can go to my room," Finland said.


    "It''s okay. What will you do in your room?"


    "I want to read a book about design and organize some upcoming programs."


    "This library is huge, you can sit and work next to me." Caspar stretched his arms as if to show how big the library was. "Unless you really prefer to be alone in your room."


    Finland shook her head and smiled.


    "No, I prefer to be near you. I will take my laptop and books from my room."


    "Good girl."


    When Finland returned with her laptop and books, Caspar was already in deep discussion with his board of directors. The girl''s presence stunned the people at the other end of the conversation.


    For a moment, they stopped speaking.


    When Caspar saw Finland approach, he stood up and opened the chair next to him for the girl to sit on. Then, as if nothing happened, he continued the meeting, ignoring the confused and astonished looks of the people in his conference.


    Finland smiled awkwardly and sat next to Caspar. She adjusted her seat so she was not visible to the people in the conference call and started working. She did not want to distract nor disturb their work.

 Chapter 37 - A lucky girl

    They worked side by side in the library for several hours. Caspar had another conference call after the first one and so on. At one point he realized that Finland had fallen asleep because the girl''s head slid onto his shoulder.


    "Okay, our meeting is finished for today. Please send me all reports that have not been presented," He said before ending the call. He stroked Finland''s hair and woke her up gently. "Hey... are you done with your work? I will take you to your pavilion."


    Finland opened her eyes and nodded weakly. Her sleepy face brought a sweet and peaceful smile on Caspar''s face. Finally, he decided to carry Finland to her pavilion.


    Finland didn''t remember how she could be in her bed when she woke up at 3 am. After drinking a glass of water, she realized that Caspar must have brought her there. She was moved to see a cup of water available on the table next to her bed.


    A sense of warmth slowly filled her chest and her heart. She closed her eyes and smiled, and went into deep slumber. That night she had the most peaceful sleep ever.


    That day was the first day she spent with Caspar that did not feel rigid or awkward. They had breakfast together, left for work together, had dinner together, and worked together in the library. Everything seemed normal and fun.


    She could get used to this, she thought.


    ***


    The next morning, they had breakfast together, and after, Ben drove Finland to her office. Caspar had to work from home.


    "I will have dinner with Jean tonight," Finland said before leaving. "You don''t have to wait for me."


    Caspar wanted to protest but he immediately restrained himself. He knew that Jean would only be in Singapore for a few more weeks and then he would return to France.


    He had promised not to rush Finland to decide whether or not she wanted to be with him, so even though he really wanted to spend all his time with the girl, Caspar had to give Finland the freedom to live according to her own wishes.


    So, if Finland wanted to meet Jean and to have dinner with him, Caspar wouldn''t object.


    "Alright. Have fun." He embraced Finland and walked her to the car. He watched as the car exit the gate before going back into the house to work.


    Finland was grateful that Caspar kept his promise and she appreciated the man''s efforts to open her heart.


    Caspar hugged her as often as possible, held her hand every time they were close together, and always treated her sweetly. He also gave Finland the freedom to do whatever she wanted.


    Slowly but surely Finland felt her heart warming up to Caspar. She began to get used to the man''s gentle treatment. In the car she thought about the events that happened in past week. So much had happened in such a short time.


    Her mind reminisced to three months ago when her life was at its lowest. It was the time when her grandmother just died and Finland had to return to Singapore using the cheapest midnight flight carrying all her worldly possessions from Jakarta.


    Her heart was broken because her grandmother was the only real family she had left in this world. She remembered sobbing in the airport seat after bumping into Caspar and realized she had missed the last MRT.


    If she had not met Caspar that night in the airport, they would never have come this far. She would be an orphan living alone in an shabby apartment in Singapore, doing anything needed to survive.


    With a minimum wage salary, Finland would only be able to rent a small room in the suburbs, a far cry from her beautiful pavilion at Rose Mansion ...


    Her life would have only revolved around work in the city center, her cheap room in the suburbs, and probably still distributing flyers at the mall on weekends.


    Her colleagues in her office would have ignored her forever and her only friend, who she could confide her feelings to, would be far away in Paris.


    Finland felt very grateful... For the first time in her life, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

 Chapter 38 - Dinner with Jean and Katia

    Finland was very happy at work that day. Subconsciously she was humming almost all day while completing her reports on the computer. Her colleagues were surprised by this change in attitude. They have never seen that girl so happy.


    [Dinner with Katia Sorrenson at De Lune Restaurant at 8 pm is confirmed. Do you want to go to my place first or just go there directly?]


    An SMS from Jean came in after lunch. Finland thought for a moment and replied.


    [I will stop by Robertson Road. See you later.]


    Finland felt that every opportunity she could spend with Jean had to be used as well as possible. They rarely met, and if after three years she decided to be with Caspar, she would probably never see Jean ever again.


    In three years, Finland would be 26 years old. She would be older than Caspar who was forever 25...


    Although the man was willing to wait indefinitely, Finland realized that sooner or later she had to decide.


    ***


    When Finland arrived at Jean''s apartment, the guy had just finished his workout in the gym and they met in the hallway. Jean slanted his cat eyes when he saw Finland arrive. He felt a different aura coming radiating from his best friend, but he wasn''t sure what it exactly was.


    "What happened to your face?" he asked, pressing the passkey button into his apartment. "Why does it look so sad?"


    Finland shook her head, "I''m not sad..."


    Jean opened the door and invited Finland inside. He placed his duffel bag in the corner of the room and poured water for them both.


    "Let me take a shower first. Make yourself at home; feel free to watch TV or read a book."


    "Okay."


    Finland watched Jean with a sad look as he entered his room. The man knew her well. He didn''t guess wrongly when he said that Finland had a sad look on her face. She was sad because she couldn''t imagine living a long life without Jean in it.


    Finland decided to kill the time by working while she waited for Jean. Her new assignment was to organize B2B meetings in Jakarta with prospective distributors for a new brand that worked with LTX International. She read various company profiles in her database and made brief summaries.


    "You are a workaholic, aren''t you?" Jean commented after coming out of his room with a fresh look. He closed Finland''s laptop and scrambled the girl''s hair, shaking his head. "Work stops here. Don''t work if your office doesn''t pay overtime."


    "I don''t know what to do if I don''t work..." Finland shrugged.


    "You can read books, watch TV, go on Facebook... anything but work." Jean slanted his eyes and looked at Finland deeply, "People who grow old never regret not working harder. When facing death, everyone regrets why they didn''t enjoy life more. Don''t love work too much, your work won''t love you back."


    Finland realized that Jean was right ... Her life always revolved around work, so she forgot to have fun and enjoy life.


    "Uhm... you are right." Finland finally nodded.


    "Of course I''m right. Well, I''m still in Singapore for the next two weeks. During that time I will teach you how to have fun. We should go clubbing, watch movies, eat, go sightseeing, and the list goes on..."


    "Sounds like a plan."


    "That''s my girl."


    At 7:30 they left for De Lune Restaurant to meet Katia. The girl arrived 5 minutes after them and the three enjoyed dinner like old acquaintances. Such a small world, thought Finland.


    Who would have thought that she would work on a project for Caspar''s ex-fianc¨¦e in Singapore, who happened to be acquainted with Jean.


    "Katia is very famous in London," Jean said during dinner. "She was Karl Furstenberg''s muse for some of his most famous designs."


    "Ahaha... that''s because Karl was friends with my grandmother, so there was nepotism involved..." Katia said with a laugh. "You are the most wanted supermodel in Europe now, Jean; I''m lucky to be able to meet you here in Singapore. When will you go back to France?"


    "Uhm, in two weeks. Actually, Singapore is my second home. I still have an apartment here. My father is Singaporean, and I had a chance to study at the university here, and that''s where I met Finland."


    "Oh, I didn''t know you''re half Singaporean. So, you guys have been friends for a long time?"


    "It''s been four years..." Jean glanced at Finland with a broad smile. "I will retire from modeling in two years, after that I will travel the world and make travel videos with Finland."


    "How exciting!" Katia comments with sparkling eyes. "I''m jealous to hear that. I don''t have close friends in my life."


    "How long do you plan to stay in Singapore?" Jean asked later.


    "I plan to open a six-month installation of my works in Singapore. Finland is helping me with the design. I really like her ideas so far."


    "Very good. I''m glad to hear that."

 Chapter 39 - Learn to accept kindness

    Katia discussed the details about the artworks she produced and Finland listened wholeheartedly. She was amazed to see how perfect the beautiful girl in front of her looked.


    Katia not only had the appearance of a nobleman''s daughter, she was also very talented. Like Yayoi Kusama, she had produced various paintings, designs, sculptures and installation arts with different genres. Not many people would expect that such rare and creative talents were hidden behind this beautiful face.


    Finland couldn''t help comparing Katia to herself. She did not have such prominent talent and her beauty was nowhere close to Katia''s...


    What did Caspar see in me? she thought to herself.


    Was the man still feeling sorry for me?


    Finland''s wandering mind returned to the present when Katia invited her and Jean for dinner in her apartment.


    "Thank you very much for inviting me to this pleasant dinner... It was very nice and refreshing to chat with you guys. We must meet again while Jean is still in Singapore. I wish to invite you two to my apartment this weekend. I can cook dinner, or we can invite a professional chef."


    "We already have plans for this weekend," Jean said quickly. "I have a mission to teach Finland to have fun, so she can enjoy life instead of only focusing on work."


    "Oh, what''s the plan?"


    "We will go to Universal Studios."


    "Oh, I''ve never been to Universal Studios," Katia said sadly. "I''ve never had a friend I could invite to an amusement park."


    "You can come with us! The more the merrier, that''s what they always say," Jean turned to Finland, "Can we go to Universal Studios this Saturday?"


    Finland could not say no because she had promised him to learn how to have fun. "OK."


    "Wow... that would be nice." Katia looked very happy because Jean invited her to come along.


    "Thank you."


    Katia was a very pleasant person. She was beautiful, smart, elegant, and very easy to get along with.


    During the short dinner they had, Finland felt like she had known the girl for a long time. She was relieved to know that Katia did not discuss her relationship with Caspar at all. She wouldn''t have known how to respond if that topic were to come up.


    Finland arrived home at 10 pm and found Caspar waiting for her on the terrace of her pavilion, working. This guy was definitely more workaholic than herself, she thought.


    "How was the dinner?" Caspar asked, closing his laptop when he saw Finland arrive.


    "The dinner was fun. Jean said that I am overworked and that I didn''t know how to have fun, so he suggested that for the next two weeks he would teach me how to enjoy life. This Saturday we will go to Universal Studios." Finland shrugs, "Jean doesn''t know that you''re bigger workaholic than me. I think you also need to learn to have fun, so you don''t work too much."


    Caspar laughed at that statement. "I''m not a workaholic. It just so happens that you often see me when I''m working."


    "It''s already 10 p.m. and you''re still working. Last night you held a conference call until midnight."


    "I will prove to you that I can also enjoy life. I wanted to take you to a special place this weekend, but it seems that you have already made arrangements with Jean." Caspar then extended his hand, "Give your passport to me."


    "What for?"


    "The special place I want to show you requires a visa. Give me your passport so that my secretary can arrange everything."


    "Oh..." Finland suddenly felt rather anxious. She had always refused when Jean offered to buy her tickets for a trip to Europe, even though he offered to purchase the tickets by redeeming his miles or whatever.


    Finland told him many times that she would one day visit Europe with her own sweat and blood. A visa meant that Caspar was planning to take her out to another country; maybe Europe or America... She would violate her own principles if she received flight tickets from this man.


    "Uhm... I''m already saving to go to Europe. I can''t receive flight tickets from you... I''ve promised myself that I will one day travel with my own money."


    Caspar frowned at Finland''s answer, "Tickets? I have a private plane! Whether you come with me or not, it makes no difference."


    "Ah..." Finland forgot about the private plane.


    "Finland... remember what I told you before? You must learn to accept kindness from other people and say thank you. If you really have troubles accepting my kindness... you can always repay me by treating me to dinner," Caspar coughed coyly, "or kiss me."


    Finland''s face turned red. She pretended not to hear Caspar''s last sentence and immediately entered her room to retrieve her passport. She then handed her passport over to Caspar who was still smiling broadly on the terrace.


    "Thank you..." Finland said. "I am learning to enjoy life from Jean, and I am learning to receive kindness from you."


    "Good. Now you sleep. Tomorrow we will chat again during breakfast." Caspar hugged Finland for a few minutes before letting her go. He then cleared his laptop and left. "Good night, Finland."


    Finland nodded. She watched as he entered the main house.


    She still didn''t believe the luck in her life.


    Everything was going too easy...


    She was afraid to sleep and find tomorrow that all this was just a dream.

 Chapter 40 - Living like a normal person

    During breakfast, Finland couldn''t help but think that she was starting to get used to this kind of life; meeting Caspar every day and sharing her ups and downs with him. Nothing felt out of place and unpleasant. Everything felt light and warm, and Finland liked who she was when she was around Caspar.


    "Caspar, you have lived for a very long time, right...?" Finland asked suddenly, "What does it feel like?"


    "Uhm... normal, I guess." Caspar shrugged. "You are used to eating rice, right? There''s nothing special about eating rice. The same goes for me; I''ve lived like this for so many centuries. Look, if a poor person suddenly becomes rich, he would feel that something special happened in his life. He would feel like the world turned upside down, and he would feel like he is living a new life. However, for me it is different. I have lived like this for so long, it feels normal. What I don''t know is how it feels like to live as an ordinary person. "


    "Hmm, that''s right." Finland nodded. She then looked at it from a new perspective. "Have you ever been bored with your life? I mean... 400 years, it is a very long time..."


    Caspar then started to understand the hidden meaning behind Finland''s questions. The girl wanted to know what it felt like to live as an "immortal" person. She couldn''t imagine living such a long life, because ordinary humans only lived to the age of 70 or 80 years.


    "I like my life, it never feels boring." Caspar said calmly. "I can do all of the things that I like. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time exploring the world. I moved between countries and continents, met many new and interesting people, learned foreign languages and cultures, and enjoyed different foods from all over the world. I can change professions according to my interests, which change over time. I''ve worked as a judge, a military general fighting in battles, a literary writer, a painter, an actor, a doctor, and many more. You don''t have to choose because you can do everything... "


    Finland nodded again. That made sense, she thought.


    "But... in your long life, surely you have met so many people who slowly grow old and die. How do you feel when they are gone?"


    "Hmm..." Caspar frowned and tried to think of a good answer, so Finland could understand his point of view. "We try not to be too attached to ordinary people, to prevent such feelings of loss. Initially it was hard, but then we become used to it. My family have staff who have worked for us from generation to generation. For example, Ben and his family. They helped me deal with things related to the company for a very long time. Stanis, Ben''s older brother, is currently the head of our household staff. He oversees all the staff who knows the secrets of the Alchemists. There are about 20 people in total, which includes Ms. Law, Katrin, and John from Rose Mansion. I no longer feel a loss when the people around me die, because I know the time we spent together was enough, and they had a good life. I knew Katrin, John, and Lilian Law since they were young, when I first came to Singapore a few decades ago. I have been meeting them for a month every year for decades. I see them as who they are and I never felt like they are aging, until I met you. You needed a place to live and I offered you my place. When I first met Katrin, she was your age... now she looks like your grandmother."


    "When I first came, Ms. Law told me that her master''s name was Van der Ven. Who is that?"


    "That''s Stanis'' and Ben''s family names. I sometimes use their surname." Caspar smiled wryly, "If they told you from the start that this house is mine, surely you wouldn''t want to stay here."


    "Yeah, that is right..."


    Caspar finished his breakfast and looked at the clock, it was almost 8am. "We can talk more about the lives of the Alchemists during dinner. Now I have to take care of something. You also have to go to the office, right?"


    Finland nodded. "Yes. I have several meetings today."


    They prepared to leave for work. As usual, Caspar insisted on taking Finland to work but the girl insisted to be dropped off at the park one block away from her office. When Finland was about to get out of the car, Caspar held her hand and embraced her.


    "I need to go somewhere after work. I will send Ben to pick you up, okay?"


    "Uhm, why? We can meet at home for dinner as usual."


    "I want to eat out," Caspar said, shrugging his shoulders. "I want to show you what it feels like to live like me."


    Finland raised her eyebrows; she didn''t understand what he meant, "What do you mean?"


    "You asked me this morning what it feels to live like me... It is true that I am different. I have never lived like an ordinary person before, so I don''t know how to explain it to you." Caspar touched Finland''s chin and brought his face closer to the girl''s face, "I''m glad to hear that you''re interested in knowing how we live our lives as immortals. It means that you''re starting to think about being with me. I''m touched..."


    They stared at each other very closely for a moment.


    "I''m just curious," admitted Finland.


    "Being curious is good." Caspar kissed Finland''s lips before the girl could dodge. Finland was not angry, she just blushed and it made Caspar even more tempted to kiss her. He touched her cheek gently, trying to hold back from pinching her cheek. "I''m very happy to hear that. I promise to make you happy."


    "I''m still thinking. Don''t draw any conclusions. It''s only been a few days." Finland patted Caspar''s shoulder and got out of the car. "See you tonight."


    "I will send Ben to pick you up. Have fun at work." He hastily added, "I love you."


    Finland turned when she heard Caspar say his last sentence and her face blushed. This was the fourth time Caspar said that he loved her and Finland still hadn''t answered. The girl just replied with a smile, and then continued walking to her office in the Suntec Tower.


    "When will you respond to my love confession, Finland..." Caspar murmured when he saw the girl walk away. He then turned to the driver, "Ben, let''s go to the airport, I need to meet Stanis."


    "Yes, Sir."


    ***

 Chapter 41 - Singapore Flyer

    After work, Finland found the signature black Maybach waiting in front of her office building. She wondered how Ben could arrive at the exact time she left her office. Finland looked around, and after making sure that none of her colleagues saw her, she hurriedly entered the car.


    Even though they did not cast her out anymore, Finland still felt uncomfortable if her office mates saw her entering such a fancy car. She did not want them to think of her as a girl who had a relationship with a rich person just to enjoy the luxurious life that comes with it.


    So far Finland had not received anything from Caspar. She was still wearing her modest clothes and the only expensive bag she had was a Prada sling bag gifted by Jean last month.


    Ben drove the car to a place unknown to Finland.


    "Where are we going, Ben?" Finland asked while looking out the window. She saw the car turn to Orchard Road.


    "Master told me to take Miss to a boutique to choose clothes," said Ben.


    "What clothes?"


    "Clothes for dinner."


    "Oh..."


    Ben stopped in front of a very famous high-end branded boutique and opened the car door for Finland. The girl looked at the modest clothes she was wearing and realized what they were here for. Caspar wanted her to buy better clothes for their dinner.


    A tall and graceful woman came out of the boutique and approached Finland respectfully.


    "Miss Finland, we have been waiting for you. Please come in."


    Finland was hesitant to enter, but then her cellphone beeped when she received an SMS from Caspar.


    [Remember, you must learn to accept the kindness from others and say thank you.]


    Uhm... fine, thought Finland. She gave up. She had to learn to accept gifts from Caspar based on his good intentions, and say thank you.


    She entered the boutique and saw 10 staff coming to greet her. There was no other customer there.


    "We closed the shop today just to serve you." replied the graceful woman who welcomed Finland at the car, "My name is Lauren and I will help you choose the clothes that you like."


    Finland was stunned. At first she thought that the experience would be similar to a scene in Pretty Woman, when Julia Roberts'' character had to buy clothes at the store. However, this was far more awesome than that. In her case, the whole shop was closed just to serve her...


    No wonder Caspar didn''t know what it felt to live as an ordinary person. None of the aspects of his life could be called ordinary.


    "Mr. Schneider likes privacy." Lauren said with a smile, as if she read Finland''s mind. "So, we assumed that his future wife would also like the same treatment."


    Future wife? When did she say that she wanted to marry him, Finland told herself. She was still considering it.


    The boutique contained various luxurious and elegant clothes. The staff poured her a glass of champagne and handed it to her as she walked to see the items on display. She accepted the champagne awkwardly and said thank you.


    "Master said Miss has to choose one dress for your dinner tonight, and the rest will be sent to the mansion."


    Finland did not know which one to choose, because all the dresses in the boutique were amazingly beautiful. Lauren who saw her confusion, pointed at the dress on the far right.


    "In my opinion, this tiny dress is perfect for your dinner tonight. Would you like to try it on?"


    Finland nodded and tried the dress on in the fitting room. It was a gray dress with an open accent on the back. The dress wrapped her slender body beautifully. She couldn''t believe her own eyes when she saw her own reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized herself in that expensive dress.


    "Very beautiful," said Lauren. Finland agreed and smiled.


    "Thank you. The dress is very beautiful."


    Finland really liked her new clothes. She felt like a princess in a Disney fairy tale and her heart felt excited.


    Lauren chose matching shoes and half an hour later, Finland looked like a new person. Her beautiful face, which was only covered in thin make-up, looked graceful and natural. It was in perfect harmony with her new clothes. She felt very happy and confident.


    Every woman would be happy to look beautiful and Finland was no exception.


    Ben praised her too and it made Finland even happier.


    "Now we go for dinner. Master is waiting," Ben said.


    "Where are we going to eat?" Finland asked.


    "We go to Singapore Flyer." said Ben.


    He drove towards Marina Bay and entered the Esplanade area. Finland knew that people could enjoy dinner at the Singapore Flyer. It was a giant ferris wheel that overlooked the city of Singapore.


    In all her life, Finland never thought that she would experience eating at the Singapore Flyer. Not only that, during her 4-year stay in Singapore, she had never even set foot on the ferris wheel. In her opinion, paying 30 dollars for a quick ride on ferris wheel was not worth it...


    Caspar was already inside the building when she arrived. The man looked at Finland in admiration.


    "You look very beautiful." He praised her warmly as he embraced her, "You can wear a gunny sack and still look beautiful, but in these clothes, you look radiant."


    Finland blushed, but she remembered that she had learn to accept kindness from others and say thank you..


    "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome. Let''s go upstairs, I''m hungry."


    Caspar took Finland''s hand and led her to the ferris wheel. She looked to the right and left, and realized that there was nobody else there.


    "Is this place also closed to the public?" she asked in surprise.


    Caspar nodded. "You know how much I like my privacy."


    "Oh..."


    Finland thought about the time Caspar told her that he didn''t know what it was like to live like an ordinary person¡­


    Well, that absolutely made sense now.


    Ordinary people had to line up with hundreds of other people if they wished to ride the Singapore Flyer. Oh, and they also had to pay 30 dollars for entry tickets.


    People like Caspar would just close the whole venue to use as their own private property for as long as they wanted.


    Finland could only shake her head in disbelief.

 Chapter 42 - How many women?

    The dinner was very romantic. The food was exquisite and well presented, and the view¡­ oh the view was amazing. From the top of Singapore Flyer they could see the whole city glittering with lights. For a second Finland thought that she was eating in space.


    "This is really amazing..." Finland whispered, "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome. I''m tired of eating in romantic places like this alone," Caspar answered with a smile. "I''m happy that now you can accompany me every time."


    Finland could imagine that eating alone for so long must be very unpleasant. She ate alone many times before and she often wished that she had someone to talk to.


    "You have never been with another woman? Besides Katia I mean..."


    Caspar knew that this was a woman''s tricky question. He had heard this question too many times before. In his experience, if this question was not answered properly, the woman would either become grumpy or leave. Therefore, he just smiled and refused to answer.


    "Why just smile? Come on, answer my question."


    "Do you want more champagne?" Caspar asked, holding the champagne bottle. With a little grunt Finland nodded. She wouldn''t let expensive champagne be wasted. Caspar poured the champagne and filled her and his glass half full. Then, in a teasing tone he asked , "What was your question again?"


    "In your long life, how many women have you been with?" Finland asked, this time more specifically.


    Caspar smiled coyly and shook his head.


    "In my long life, I have learnt that answering such a question is just as tricky as answering a woman''s question of ''Do I look fat?'' There is no satisfying answer." Caspar gulped down the champagne in his glass, "So, I refuse to answer."


    "Ben said you had many women before you met me..." Finland finally said. She couldn''t hold it any longer, and the champagne just helped her be more honest. She had been thinking about Ben''s words in the car a lot; that Caspar had many women before and countless women wanted to marry him.


    Caspar dialed a number on his cellphone and spoke briefly, "Stanis, please cancel the bonus for Ben I asked yesterday. I changed my mind."


    He placed his cellphone back on the table and poured some more champagne again. Then, he looked at Finland.


    "Ben said that?"


    Finland was still recovering from the shock she got when she heard Caspar call Stanis to cancel Ben''s bonus. She was utterly out of words.


    Ouch...


    "He didn''t mean it bad. I forced him to tell me things about you that evening when you professed your love at the penthouse; the day when I skipped work. I was annoyed because you knew so much about me and I didn''t know anything about you. That''s why on my way back to the penthouse I asked Ben a lot of questions. I asked him if you have a lover on every continent, and he answered that you had a lot of women before and many women wanted to marry you, but you are not someone like that. He said people like you and your family are very picky in regard to relationships and you guys don''t to fall in love easily." Finland hurriedly explained. She could not bear to see Ben lose a bonus because of her.


    Caspar pressed the phone again, "Stanis, cancel my previous order. Add 50% on top of Ben''s bonus."


    Finland sighed in relief.


    "Okay, so if I ask about how many women you have been with, I won''t get a satisfying answer?" Finland concluded.


    "Right. You''d better change the question to a more positive one. For example, have I ever fallen in love like this with a woman? I would answer ''never''. You can also ask, if I will ever love other women the way I love you? I would also answer, ''I will not''." Caspar took Finland''s hands and held both in his own hands. "Or you can ask, if I want to get married and have children with you... I will answer, ''yes, with all my heart.''"


    "You..." Finland was out of words.


    "Now what if I asked," Caspar brought his face closer to Finland''s face, "Are you sure of your feelings yet? Do you want to marry me and be the mother of my children? Do you want to share your life with me forever? What would you answer?"


    All of them were heavy questions that Finland still wanted to avoid.


    "You said you wanted to wait... why ask these questions now?" Finland asked hoarsely.


    "I will answer a difficult question from you, if you answer a difficult question from me. It''s just fair." Caspar answered. "Why should I open my life''s secret and answer how many women have been with me, if you eventually reject me."


    Finland rolled her eyes, dissatisfied, but she knew that Caspar was right.


    "Okay... I won''t ask again."


    "One thing you need to know... I am very good at cooking because I have perfected my cooking techniques for hundreds of years. I can also do surgery with my eyes closed because I have been a surgeon for decades. I''m good at painting because I have practiced for a long time. There are so many skills and abilities that I have practiced and perfected for centuries... This is because I have lived for a very long time and met so many people who are experts in their fields... " Caspar then smiled very mischievously. "You will be the one who gets the benefits later."


    Finland didn''t quite catch what he meant, and that made Caspar smiled even wider. He then laughed loudly. Finland shrugged; what was so funny?


    Caspar then drained the wine in his glass and stood up. He pulled Finland''s hand and invited her to see the view of the city from their window. She stood facing the window and Caspar hugged her from behind.


    "I still don''t understand," Finland said 5 minutes later. Apparently, she was still thinking about Caspar''s words on his abilities that he had been training for centuries which would benefit Finland...


    "You don''t have to think about it." Caspar whispered in her ear. "Just enjoy this beautiful view."


    "Uhm... okay."


    They went home at almost midnight. Finland was very sleepy from drinking too much champagne so Caspar had to carry her to her pavilion because she could hardly walk.

 Chapter 43 - A Private Bodyguard?

    The next morning, they had breakfast together as usual. Caspar had to go abroad for a week and he took Ben with him.


    "I have to attend business meetings in Germany. You''ll be fine here. I''ll call you every day. Ben will come with me, so one of my personal bodyguards will drive you to work."


    "Eh?" Finland raised her eyebrows questioningly, "Your personal bodyguard will drive me? What for?"


    "To give me a peace of mind during my trip." Caspar answered while sipping his tea. "I don''t want to lose focus on working because I am thinking about your safety in Singapore."


    "Uhm... okay." Finland shrugged. "If that''s what you want."


    Finland was happy because she could save on bus fares because there is always someone driving her to and from work. Caspar refused to receive the rent for the pavilion after Finland knew that Rose Mansion was his property, and he even returned the money that Finland had paid for the previous two months.


    She also had breakfast and dinner with Caspar in the main house. So with this configuration, Finland didn''t have to spend any money at all.


    "I''m leaving first." Finland finished her breakfast and prepared to leave. "What time are you going to the airport?"


    "In a few hours," Caspar answered. "Hey, we won''t be meeting for a whole week. Don''t I deserve a goodbye kiss?"


    Finland sighed softly. Her cheeks turned red as she looked around. Ms. Law and Katrin were not there, and neither was John. It was as if they knew they had to give these two some privacy.


    Finland tiptoed to Caspar''s side and kissed his cheek once.


    "I need enough kisses for seven days. What you gave me isn''t enough." cried Caspar impatiently. He pulled Finland on his lap and hugged the girl tightly, "Let me hug you for a while... I promised you I would not use my access to stalk you. You have no idea how hard it is for me to grant your request."


    Finland recalled that she asked Caspar to act like a normal man and not stalk her with his extraordinary access to infinite information. Apparently, Caspar stood to his promise.


    It was true, Finland felt uncomfortable when she knew that Caspar could know all her movements and whereabouts. She was relieved to know that Caspar kept his promise.


    "I promise you that we will communicate intensively..." Finland said calmly. "I''ll be fine here."


    "Send photos often." Caspar said hoarsely.


    Finland frowned in amazement. The man in front of her acted like they were going to be separated for years.


    "Yeah... yeah..." Finland shook her head, "I promise. Please, stop being so mushy. Won''t you feel embarrassed if Ben sees you like this?"


    At that exact moment Ben coughed softly at the door.


    "Sorry, Master. Jadeith has come to pick Miss Finland up," he said in an almost whispering voice.


    Apparently, Caspar was not at all embarrassed to be seen like this by Ben. He tightened his arms even more and patted Finland''s hands gently.


    "Don''t tire yourself by working too much. Follow Jean''s advice to learn how to have fun and enjoy life. Send me updates often. Germany is 7 hours behind Singapore, but you can contact me anytime. If there is an urgent matter and you cannot contact me, you can contact Stanis." He pulled out a black card from his pocket and handed it to Finland.


    "Alright. Thank you. I go first."


    Finland actually felt very touched. No one had ever shown her this much love and treated her this sweetly. Fearing that she wouldn''t be able to hold back her tears and Caspar would see her feeling moved, Finland hurriedly broke away from Caspar''s arms, kissed his lips gently, then ran away.


    Caspar was amused seeing the whole scene. He then could only shake his head and touch his lips, feeling the sweet scent she left behind. Hmm... at least today Finland took the initiative to kiss him.


    This made him very happy.


    Ben escorted Finland to Rose Mansion''s front yard where a black Rolls Royce was waiting for her. A hipster man in his 30''s with a man bun got out of the car and greeted her with a polite bow.


    His face was very handsome. He looked like an action movie star. He wore a body-fitting blue shirt that showed a muscular body with hidden muscles. When he took off his sunglasses, Finland could see a pair of beautiful emerald green eyes.


    "Who is this?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "Good morning, Madam. I''m Jadeith, your bodyguard." The man bowed respectfully once more.


    "Madam? I''m not yet married, and I am not that old, please just call me Miss..." Finland said quickly. "Are you my bodyguard? Uhm¡­ for how long?"


    "I was assigned to escort you while Master is abroad. I understand that I have to give you your personal space; I know you do not like to be followed. I will keep you safe discreetly. My job is to take you to and from work, and wherever you please." He took his cellphone out of his pocket and then called a number.


    Riiingg ...


    Finland''s cellphone in her bag rang. Jadeith was calling her.


    "That''s my number. You can contact me at any time." He said, smiling.


    Finland was amazed. Maybe this was what it felt like to live like Caspar... She suddenly had a personal bodyguard and was driven in a luxury car every day...


    Not bad...


    "Okay ... then you take me to work, but ..."


    "But I have to drop Madam off in the park one block away from the Suntec Tower, I understand that..." Jadeith said quickly.


    "Miss."


    "Alright, Madam."


    Finally, Finland gave up. She no longer corrected every time Jadeith called her Madam. She waved to Ben and then got into the car and left for work.


    In the car she quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.


    Without batting an eye, Jadeith handed her a handkerchief.


    "Th... Thank you..." Finland stammered.


    "Master told me to prepare a handkerchief. In the cabinet on the left, you can also find drinks."


    Finland was touched after hearing Jadeith''s words. She looked at the handkerchief in her hand and saw that the letter ''C'' was embroidered in the corner.


    She couldn''t hold back her tears running down her face. She was so moved by this simple gesture.

 Chapter 44 - Atlas Corp

    "Our office will be hosting a number of American guests who sell private jets to customers from Asia. All this time they have been represented by another company, but they are not satisfied with their performance. That''s why they want to change their partner and are considering using our services."


    Tony Wu opened the Marketing department meeting that morning and was immediately cheered by enthusiastic staff. This was an industry that they haven''t touched before and its value was sure to be fantastic considering the price of their unusually expensive products.


    Tony calmed his staff down by raising his hand and then he continued speaking.


    "I will choose two staff to accompany me to meet this client for dinner tonight at De Lune Restaurant. Finland and Lily. This is your chance to learn how to entertain clients."


    The two girls stood up and nodded. Finland was happy to be able to eat free dinner at a fancy restaurant, because she knew the food at De Lune was very good. She remembered that last week she had eaten dinner there with Jean and Katia.


    "Oh yes... Finland... if possible, please buy new clothes," Tony said later when he was about to leave the meeting room. He handed a credit card to the girl, "This is an important client, appearance is also important."


    Her departmental colleagues looked at each other and Finland felt an aura of hostility again. She quickly chased Tony and returned the card.


    "No need... I have new clothes. I''ll wear them later."


    "It''s okay, this is included in the marketing budget," Tony said. "I know you don''t have a lot of good clothes. But from now on, if possible, you need to have some chic clothes when representing LTX as a bona fide marketing brand."


    "Then, you can just give me a raise. If I am given a company credit card for shopping, but my team mates are not, I will be looked down upon by my coworkers."


    Tony understood. Finally, he took the card back and nodded.


    "Okay, then I''ll talk to HR. Now that you are a full-time employee, we can add bonuses on top of your salary for clothing and appearance."


    "Thank you, Boss." Finland bowed. She returned to her coworkers who now no longer looked at her like hungry raptors.


    They all understood that the poor girl did not have many nice clothes. Maybe the man who was reportedly close to her, Heinrich Schneider, was not her lover, because if so, why was Finland still wearing such simple clothes?


    Surely she was not romantically involved with him. Maybe Finland was able to get the Continental Hotel ballroom for their Bartz event because of pure luck or something else they did not know about.


    [I have to shop for clothes again. Our marketing director said that I don''t represent our brand because my clothes are too modest. So, today I will go home earlier to shop for clothes. Later tonight I will represent LTX to a dinner meeting with clients and I have to look expensive. Ughhhhh...]


    Finland sent a WhatsApp message to both Jean and Caspar before lunch.


    Jean replied to her message 5 minutes later.


    [You''re weird. All other women I know will be happy to shop for clothes when told by their boss.]


    [You just found out I''m a weirdo?] Finland replied.


    Caspar replied her message 10 minutes later.


    [No need to shop. Lauren will send all your clothes to the mansion this afternoon. Try checking at home first.]


    [Hey, aren''t you flying right now? How can you reply to my WhatsApp?] Finland asked in surprise.


    [WiFi on the plane.] answered Caspar. He sent the next message [Don''t forget to take photos with your new clothes and send them later.]


    Finland recalled that yesterday in the boutique Lauren said that she had to choose one outfit and the rest would be sent to the mansion. Was this what Caspar meant just now?


    Ahhh... she couldn''t wait to go home and see which clothes Lauren sent her.


    [Thank you!!]


    [You are most welcome.]


    Caspar was smiling when he sent his reply. He now wished he had set up a hidden camera to watch Finland''s candid reaction when she saw hundreds of clothes he bought for her. Now he should only make do with pictures and report from Ms. Law.


    Finland''s mood improved. She completed the gallery design for Katia and sent the results via email. Katia loved it and wanted to further discuss the details this Saturday when they go to Universal Studios.


    She also completed presentations for LTX''s other clients. Now she had time to read Atlas Corp''s company profile, the company they would have dinner with tonight.


    Atlas Corp was a fairly new aviation company, but they had been developing very rapidly because of the various sophisticated innovations they have. Currently the two lines that they would market to super-rich consumers in Asia were the regular private aircraft which had a capacity of 12 passengers and a single helicopter which they say would soon replace cars for the super-rich.


    Finland was very interested in seeing their products.


    [Can I ask for a photo from your private plane?] She asked Caspar.


    [Sorry, I don''t like being photographed.] Caspar replied.


    [I asked for a photo of YOUR PLANE... I want to know how many seats there are. I did NOT ask for YOUR picture.] Finland replied, pursing her lips.


    Why was this Caspar so narcissistic, she thought. She just wanted to compare the private plane that the man used to the products from LTX''s prospective clients.


    [So, you prefer my plane to me? You just want a picture of my private jet and not a picture of me? I feel sad¡­] Came a reply from Caspar.


    Ugh...


    Finland massaged her forehead and rolled her eyes. She did not continue texting Caspar and put her phone down.

 Chapter 45 - Private Plane

    A few minutes later she heard the sound of incoming messages. When she opened her phone, she saw that Caspar sent her 5 photos. Four photos of the cabin of his private plane and one photo of Caspar sitting on a luxury chair on the edge of the window holding a laptop.


    Finland could not help laughing. She gasped when she thought of Ben''s face when Caspar suddenly asked him to take his picture on the plane.


    Finland knew that Caspar was very unhappy about being photographed, but because Finland was strictly asking for pictures of only his jet, and not a single photo of him, the man''s pride was nudged. Therefore he voluntarily sent a photo of himself together with photos of the plane cabin, as requested by Finland.


    "Why are you laughing? What''s so funny?" asked Tran who was sitting next to Finland.


    "It''s nothing... hahahah... no... there''s nothing funny..." Finland wiped away her tears because she was laughing so much. This guy, Caspar, was just too adorable.


    Poor Ben, he must be so confused seeing his Master acting so childish.


    After she stopped laughing, Finland sent a reply to Caspar with heart emoticons. [??Thank you!]


    [Is my plane good?]


    [Yes, very good. I''m just comparing it to the products of our new clients. Later tonight we will meet people from Atlas Corp; they manufacture private planes.]


    [Oh. Atlas has good products. Maybe I''ll buy some of them. Their single helicopter hasn''t got a vehicle permit, but I''m interested in putting some at home for sports and entertainment.]


    [Really??]


    Finland grumbled to herself because Caspar talked about buying a helicopter like buying a shirt. She did not know when she would get used to this kind of lifestyle.


    [Can you drive a car?] Caspar asked her again.


    [Not yet.]


    [Later I will ask Jadeith to teach you how to drive. Driving is a life skill, just like swimming, cooking, and riding a bicycle. You will definitely need it one day.]


    [OK.]


    [Don''t forget to send me photos of you in your new clothes when you get home.]


    [Yes.]


    [I need to work now. Talk later.]


    Finland put down her phone and returned to reading Atlas''s company profile. She compared the images of the Caspar''s plane to the new private aircraft product from Atlas. Caspar''s jet was much bigger, with a possible capacity of 20 people.


    She looked at the photos sent by Caspar and for some reason she could not take her eyes off the fifth photo. Caspar looked very handsome in his fancy chair; he was busy working on his laptop with his shoulders leaning slightly against the plane''s window. In the vicinity she could see several staff who also seemed to be busy.


    They have been separated for just a few hours, but Finland was starting to miss him already...


    Finland asked for permission to go home early with an excuse to shop for new clothes. Because she was sure that everyone was still in the office, Finland contacted Jadeith to pick her up in front of the building. No one would notice anyway.


    "Good afternoon, Madam." Jadeith opened the door for Finland and the girl hurriedly entered.


    "Good afternoon, Jadeith. We go straight home. Later this evening I have to go out for dinner with the company''s clients."


    "Understood." Jadeith started driving towards Rose Mansion. "Master asked me to teach Madam how to drive. How about we start tomorrow after work at the Bukit Batok driving facility?"


    "Uhm... sure. You know better."


    Throughout her life Finland had never intended to learn how to drive a car. She couldn''t even ride a bicycle. After living in Singapore for 4.5 years, she did not feel the need. There were various public transportation options available in Singapore. She also did not know whether, in this lifetime, she would ever afford a car. In Singapore, the cost of owning a car is so much higher compared to other countries in the world.


    But Finland understood why Caspar asked her to learn to drive. It was indeed a very useful life skill. If there were an emergency and she had to take someone to the hospital, they would save valuable time and maybe a life if she could directly jump in a car and drive to the hospital, instead of waiting for help to arrive. Same goes with swimming.


    Rose Mansion had a big swimming pool behind the house and Finland was determined to learn swimming when she was not too busy.


    "We have arrived." said Jadeith a while later. Finland, who was busy with her own thoughts, woke up from her reverie. She thanked Jadeith and got out of the car.


    "Where do you live, Jadeith?"


    "I temporarily stay at the Hotel." answered Jadeith. "Usually we only stay in Singapore for about a month, Madam. We have permanent residences in Berlin and New York."


    "Oh, so you usually live in Germany and United States?" Finland was interested in hearing Jadeith''s answer. "Who do you mean by us?"


    "Master and his six personal bodyguards. Normally we always stay together. Master spends most of his time in Stuttgart or Berlin and New York. Usually he comes to Singapore for only a month to take care of matters related to his companies in Asia. This is the only time Master decided to stay longer."


    "Oh..."


    Finland just realized that Caspar did not live permanently in Singapore. He had been staying in Singapore for almost 4 months now, so surely there were a lot of habits in his life that changed because of his decision to extend his stay in Singapore. She also didn''t know that Caspar had six personal bodyguards. She indeed still had a lot to learn about the man.


    She knew that Caspar was part of the Alchemist clan who stay young forever. He had a younger sister named Flora and a younger brother named Aldebar. She also knew that Ben, who was Caspar''s personal driver, was not a mere driver, because his brother, Stanis, was the head of Caspar''s family staff.


    Apart from this information, Finland realized that she did not know much about Caspar.

 Chapter 46 - A gift with a catch

    They arrived home half an hour later.


    "Welcome, Miss. This morning there was a shipment of clothes from Le Pearl Boutique. I have arranged all the clothes in your walk-in closet." Ms Law welcomed Finland in front of her pavilion. "I placed the rest of the clothes in a box because there was not enough space in the closet."


    Finland gasped. How could there not be enough space in her closet? Her closet was HUGE! How many clothes did they send?


    She entered the pavilion and examined the wardrobe in her walk-in closet next to the bathroom. It was very spacious and was made of 3 cabinets. There should be enough space there to store 100 clothes.


    So far Finland never used that space because she did not have many outfits, and she had nothing fancy to display in such beautiful walk-in closet.


    Finland gasped and held her breath when she opened the cabinets in her closet. She covered her mouth, mesmerized.


    The three cabinets were full of clothes arranged by color. There were about 20 pairs of shoes at the bottom of the closet. On her right she saw various hand bags, sling bags, purses, and wallets. To top it all, there were hundreds of clothes and dresses that filled all the closet hangers...


    At the back of the closet she saw a large box filled with goods - items that couldn''t be arranged because there was not enough space¡­


    "Wha... what is this?"


    She had to hold her chest because her heart was beating so fast. This was as if the whole La Pearl Boutique had been moved into her closet. All the clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories were very expensive, but she now had so many of them.


    Even if she won the lottery tomorrow, Finland would never want to spend this much money on mere clothes and shoes...


    "This was all delivered by the staff from La Pearl Boutique this morning. Everything is yours, Miss."


    Ms. Law smiled at the shocked girl. "Master asked me to take pictures of you wearing these clothes."


    Before Finland could react, Ms. Law had taken some pictures Finland''s expression when she opened the closet. The girl still could not control herself amid the beautiful items that now belonged to her.


    "That''s okay... this is a lot..."


    Five minutes later Finland received an SMS from Caspar. In it was a picture of herself looking surprised in the walk-in closet that contained her new goods.


    [I''m glad you like the clothes I bought you. Don''t forget take pictures with the new clothes and send them to me.]


    Finland didn''t understand.


    [How do you know which clothes I like?]


    [I know you will like anything that is given to you for free.] Caspar chuckled when he wrote his reply.


    Hahahahaha... Finland patted her own forehead. She was convinced that Caspar knew her very well.


    She, Finland, did like free items.


    Finland selected some of the best clothes that she wanted to try. With Ms. Law''s help, she managed to take some beautiful photos with her new dresses.


    Indeed, clothing was only a superficial object, but if used by the right person, clothing could emit the wearer''s optimal beauty.


    Finland felt very beautiful when she wore a black cocktail dress with precious stones scattered at the right places. There was also a light blue summer dress that was pleasing to the eye. It made Finland look fresh and charming. Then there was a pretty yellow dress that looked casual. Finland suddenly felt like a royal princess.


    Ms. Law praised her many times.


    Finland sent 5 pictures of her wearing several different dresses to Caspar. She finally decided on wearing a beautiful red dress for dinner with the Atlas Company tonight. Caspar praised her appearance on all the photos.


    [I don''t know which one I like the most; you look beautiful in all of the pictures.]


    [Thank you. Thank you for these clothes. You''re very kind.] Answered Finland.


    [My gift comes with a catch...] Caspar replied.


    [Uhmm... a catch? Do you want something from me?]


    [I want something from you.]


    Wow... For a moment Finland hesitated to accept the clothes given by Caspar. Apparently, these clothes came with a catch. What was his hidden agenda?


    [What do you want?] Finland asked hesitatingly.


    [I want your time.] Caspar replied, [I want you to take 3 days off and accompany me on vacation.]


    Aha!


    Finland was no longer on probation so she was able to take time off without getting a salary cut. A three-day leave was not too difficult to get. She would grant Caspar this request.


    [OK. Just tell me the dates.]


    [The end of this month.]


    [Okay.]


    Finland was relieved. She didn''t expect the catch would be going on a vacation with Caspar. She didn''t remember the last time she went on a vacation, or even if she ever did.


    A smile curved up on her face when she placed her cellphone in her purse and prepared for the meeting at De Lune Restaurant.

 Chapter 47 - Dinner meeting with clients

    At 7.30pm, Finland arrived in front of De Lune Restaurant. Because no one knew who she was, Finland was dropped off at the restaurant front.


    She was wearing an expensive dress from the latest La Pearl collection and the doorkeeper, who saw her coming out of a fancy Rolls Royce car, greeted her warmly and opened the door for her.


    "My office has a reservation here, LTX International." Finland said at the reception.


    "Fine, Miss. Please come with me."


    Finland was directed to the VIP dining room which was separated from the main restaurant. Lilly and Tony were already sitting at the table. They arrived a few minutes before her.


    They were both impressed by Finland''s appearance.


    "Your clothes are very nice," said Lily earnestly. "This is the latest collection of House of La Pearl that just came out last week. Where did you get such a well-made counterfeit version? At a glance, people will think you are wearing their original dress."


    Finland shook her head trying to humble, "Nice, huh? Thank you, I just grabbed it without giving it much thought."


    Of course, because Finland was a poor employee, Lily thought that the expensive-looking clothes worn by Finland were fake goods or counterfeits. Finland was not bothered by it. The important thing was that she looked good according to the demands of her role.


    "We arrived five minutes early. Our client will come soon." Tony said later.


    Sure enough, five minutes later three American men arrived; one was of Chinese descent, two were white men. They entered the room and introduced themselves as people from Atlas Corp.


    "Please, let me introduce my colleagues. This is William Chan, our engineering director who happened to stop by on his way to Beijing. I am Noah Janssen, the Marketing Manager, and this is Jonathan Brown''s, the Marketing Manager Assistant."


    They all shook hands with each other, and Tony Wu turned to introduce his team.


    "This is Lily, she''s my assistant at marketing for the East Asia region, and this is Finland for Southeast Asia. We can''t wait to work with Atlas Corp." he said.


    They then ordered food and talked about business in a warm and friendly atmosphere. It was clear that Finland''s beauty interested the guests from Atlas Corp. The three of them, especially Noah, were talking more to Finland than to Tony or Lily.


    Noah was an attractive 30 something year-old man. He was handsome but certainly nothing compared to Caspar. He could not take his eyes off Finland and this made the girl a little nervous. She ate slowly and only answered to Noah''s questions as needed.


    [Jean... please help me...]


    She finally sent a text to Jean asking for help.


    [What is wrong?]


    [I''m having dinner with a company client. One person is rather flirty and I find it hard to find a way to make him realize that I''m not interested in him.]


    [Where are you?]


    [De Lune Restaurant.]


    [Wait there, okay, I''ll be right there.]


    "So, is it easy for me to go to Bali from here?" Noah asked Finland. "It''s a shame if we don''t stop by in Bali after coming all the way from Seattle. I heard that Bali is a very famous island."


    "Yeah, it is just a 2.5 hour flight from Singapore. You can get there very easy." Finland replied, trying to still sound friendly.


    "But people say Bali is a very romantic place. It doesn''t feel right to go there alone." Noah laughed, "Hey, why don''t you guys from LTX come to Bali with us? We can continue the meeting there and meet potential clients."


    Tony seemed to be considering the proposal, but Finland felt very annoyed. She knew Noah''s intentions. He wanted her to accompany him in Bali.


    Ugh, I''m not that kind of girl, thought Finland.


    They were still talking about Bali when suddenly Jean appeared, escorted by a restaurant server.


    "Hey, Honey..." Jean approached Finland and kissed her forehead, "What a coincidence, I also have a meeting here with a client. Later when you have finished dinner, wait for me, so we can go home together."


    Everyone at Finland''s table was surprised with that sudden scene. Finland was also surprised because she did not think Jean would kiss her forehead like that and pretended to be her lover.


    "Oh... yes, sure. Thank you." Finland replied in stutter. Jean winked and rubbed her head before going to the corner of the main restaurant.


    "That''s... Jean, right?" Noah asked in surprise.


    "Do you know him?" Finland asked. She didn''t expect someone like Noah would know who Jean was. Her best friend was indeed extremely popular.


    "He is the model for our single helicopter product. Our CEO''s daughter is a fan, so she specifically requested that Jean be the model and ambassador of our product lines." Noah answered. His tone sounded a bit bitter. His attitude immediately changed. He no longer flirted as before.


    "Oh..."


    Finland was proud of Jean. She didn''t expect Jean to be this famous.


    [Your dress is beautiful.] She received a text from Jean.


    [Thank you. Caspar bought the whole boutique yesterday and moved all their products to my closet.]


    [He has good taste.]


    [Thank you.]


    They returned to discussing Atlas Corp products and there was no more discussion about Bali. Noah and his friends'' attitudes toward Finland were more respectful.

 Chapter 48 - That was a gazillion years ago...!

    After they finished their dinner, Finland excused herself and looked for Jean to go home together. She was surprised to see that Jean was indeed meeting someone at the restaurant.


    "Oh... I didn''t know you actually came here to eat," Finland said in surprise.


    "I really did have a meeting. It was supposed to be at my apartment, but because you sent an SOS, I moved it here. Let me introduce you; this is Louisa Chen, a reporter for a lifestyle magazine. She is interviewing me for their cover next month. Louisa, this is Finland, my best friend."


    The girl with glasses who was sitting with Jean swiftly stood up and shook hands with Finland.


    "Please sit down. Our interview is almost complete," Louisa said, allowing Finland to sit down.


    "Thank you." Finland also sat next to Jean.


    Seeing the two very beautiful human beings, Louisa could not help aiming her camera at them.


    "May I take a photo of you two together? You two are very beautiful to look at," she said. Jean and Finland looked at each other then they burst out laughing. "If you guys had a child together, it will definitely be the most beautiful baby in the world."


    Finland covered her mouth with her hands and held her laughter, but Jean just nodded and smiled.


    "Actually, we did talk about children once," Jean said suddenly. "But this story is very funny."


    Louisa seemed interested. "Can you tell me?"


    "Well... many people used to say that we were both very good looking. One day, someone from a fertility clinic approached us and we were offered a large sum of money for Finland''s egg and my sperm. They said, many people would want to have beautiful children from our genes. Finland badly needed money at that time, so we decided to sell our seeds."


    "Gosh, Jean... that was a gazillion years ago!" Finland protested quickly, "You are a celebrity now, you know... Don''t just say things openly like that. How would people think about you later? It''s been a long time..."


    Louisa seemed very interested to hear more about this story. "Then what happened? Has there been a child made from your seeds yet?"


    Jean shook his head.


    "We don''t know. We agreed to an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) so we have no right to know what happened to the cells. We won''t be told if they have created embryos out of it, if they''re already used in the IVF process, or if they''ve been destroyed."


    "As far as I know, Jean, you come from a financially well-off family. Why did you also sell your sperm cells to a fertility clinic?" Louisa asked again.


    Finally, Finland replied, "Actually it was I who needed the money for my grandmother''s medication. I was offered to sell my eggs, but because at that time Jean drove me to the clinic, they also asked for his sperm cells. They turned it into a condition for me to sell my eggs. They said they wouldn''t accept my egg cells if Jean didn''t give his too. They insisted that our seeds together would make beautiful babies desired by many infertile parents."


    When she thought about her situation three years ago, Finland realized she was really deep in poverty. She became really embarrassed. She had to do, and she would do, whatever she could to make ends meet and survive; even the unthinkable. Her only pride was that she never sold herself and never did anything illegal.


    The story of how she had to sell her eggs to live was only one of so many things she did to make money back then. She didn''t even remember it until Jean brought it up. This is a secret that Caspar didn''t know yet, and Finland didn''t know whether she would tell him about it or not.


    "If these seeds still existed, or if they had been fertilized and become frozen embryos, what would you do? Would you let them be born?"


    Louisa''s question made Jean and Finland think. They never talked about this possibility since they sold their eggs and sperm three years ago.


    The child would connect them genetically, forever. If the child were to be born, they could have a new family of their own. Finland, who was now alone, would not be alone anymore. Jean, who was an only child and grew up feeling lonely, would also have a family...


    Neither Finland nor Jean answered.


    "Sorry if my question puts you in a difficult position," Louisa apologized.


    "Well, we are in no position to understand what happened to those cells. However, if I have an opinion about the fertilized egg, I will let it be born," Jean replied later. "That is, if Finland agreed to it."


    He turned to Finland who was still amazed to hear Jean''s words.


    "I agree." Finland finally answered with a smile.


    She never gave much thought about her eggs when she sold them three years ago to be frozen.


    Now that they were discussing this matter, Finland became a little curious about what actually happened to their seeds¡­


    After the interview, Jean took Finland clubbing. He said that this was part of the learn-how-to-have-fun program he prepared for the next two weeks. She asked Jadeith not to pick her up because she would be with Jean until she didn''t know how late.

 Chapter 49 - Bar hopping

    They did bar hopping at Clarke Quay and then walked to enjoy the beautiful river views glittering with lights. Finland drank a lot and her eyes began to get droopy after drinking away at the bars.


    "My God... my head feels very light..." Finland sighed as she placed her cocktail glass on the table.


    "Let''s go home. If I drink one more glass, you will have to carry me home," she said with a sleepy voice.


    "It''s okay, the important thing is that you''re happy," Jean said calmly. "Are we going home now?"


    "Yes, but let''s not go to Rose Mansion. The staff there would be shocked to see me so drunk. Let''s go home to your apartment," Finland said.


    "Alright," said Jean. He paid for their drinks and then took Finland out. They walked along the river, then turned north. Robertson Road was located not far from there.


    "You walk very slowly," Jean said later. He then carried Finland on his back and walked faster to his apartment.


    "You''re a good person, Jean..." Finland said when she was piggyback riding Jean. "I''m very lucky to have a friend like you. If there is another life, I want to be your sister or your wife."


    "You have become like a sister to me in this lifetime, Finland." Jean replied, "You can also be my wife in this life, if you want."


    Finland, who was drunk after so many cocktails, didn''t quite understand Jean''s words, "Wife? You mean to marry you?"


    "Yes," said Jean. "As I always say, if that house you''re staying at is haunted, you can always come back to Robertson Road and stay there." He turned to Finland, "If Caspar hurts you or if he is not treating you well, I hope you will come back to me. I will treat you well. I will take care of you and put your happiness first."


    Finland nodded.


    "Caspar treats me well. You don''t have to worry about me." Finland touched Jean''s cheek and shook her head, "But thank you for stating your feelings for me. Sorry I can''t be with you."


    "I know."


    Jean said nothing more after that. Finland soon fell asleep on his back. When they arrived at his apartment, Jean laid Finland on his bed. He then laid beside the girl and hugged her as usual.


    "Good night, Finland."


    Jean, who knew Finland very well, knew that Finland never received hugs, support, praises, and love from her parents and other people. He had become used to embracing Finland and showing his care and support at any time. He also told Caspar to do the same, so that Finland could slowly learn to open her heart to love.


    Jean saw how much Finland had changed during the past week, and he assumed that Caspar had something to do with it. He was happy to see his friend happy, even though that means he could never be with her as a lover. He knew that deep inside he loved Finland, but he never openly expressed it because he was afraid of ruining their friendship.


    Finland was Jean''s only best friend, and so was he to her. They were even closer than family. If they tried to take a shot at love and the relationship didn''t work, then they may lose not only their only friend, but also their only family. Neither Finland nor Jean wanted to take such a risk. Nothing compared to the relationship they currently had with each other.


    ***


    Finland woke up with a terrible headache when the sun was already high. She had to wait for a few minutes before she was able to gather her thoughts.


    She just remembered that last night she and Jean went bar hopping (moving from one bar to another) and they had a lot of different cocktails. Jean was very familiar with the night life, but Finland was not, and after the fifth bar she almost fell asleep that Jean had to carry her home.


    When Finland came out of the room she saw that Jean was reading a magazine on the living room sofa. The man wore dark blue framed glasses that made him look very exotic.


    Imagine a handsome man sitting on the couch with a magazine in hand and sunlight faintly illuminating from the curtain opening behind him.


    Finland was mesmerized and quickly captured the moment in front of her with her phone camera. Jean looked as if he were pictured in a magazine. This human being was indeed very beautiful; no surprise he was so famous, thought Finland.


    "Since when did you wear glasses?" Finland asked as she sat on the sofa next to Jean. She showed him the photo she had just taken. Jean took off his glasses and frowned.


    "This photo can''t go out to public," he threatened - but in a not serious tone. "I''m near-sighted. Ugh... I''m not even that old yet."


    "So, you are wearing plus glasses? Just like a grandpa..." Finland said in a teasing tone and laughed.


    "Eh, everyone will age eventually, and their eyesight will diminish. Last year my eyes were still 20/20. Just a few months ago I had to wear glasses." Jean put down his glasses and magazine on the table and went to the fridge. "Do you want some orange juice? And maybe something to eat? We can go to the cafe on this building..."


    "I want orange juice." Finland received a glass of orange juice from Jean and drank it all at once. She saw the time on her phone, "It''s 9 o''clock in the morning. I will just call in sick. I can''t go work now, it''s too late."


    "Smart girl," Jean said, patting Finland''s head like to a child. "Don''t work too hard. Remember what I said?"


    "Don''t love work too much, because work won''t love you back," Finland answered.


    "Come on, let''s just be lazy at home today. There''s a new Netflix program that I want to show you. I know the director. But let''s have breakfast first."


    Finland nodded. She called-in sick to the office because¡­ well, she did feel a severe headache, but she did not tell them it was because she went bar hopping last night with Jean.

 Chapter 50 - The Art of doing nothing

    After taking a warm shower, Finland replaced her red dress with one of Jean''s oversized shirt and wore it like a dress. It felt very comfortable on her body. They then went down to the cafe on the ground floor of the building and enjoyed breakfast together.


    [Good morning, Madam, are we still having the driving lesson later in the afternoon?]


    Finland saw an incoming SMS from Jadeith when she just finished her tea. Oh, that''s right, she totally forgot that she had promised Jadeith to go for driving lessons today.


    [Yes, but pick me up on Robertson Road, not at the office. I''m still at my friend''s apartment.]


    [Alright, Madam.]


    "Miss..." Finland murmured, feeling annoyed. She never managed to correct Jadeith to call her ''Miss''.


    "Who was that?" asked Jean.


    "No one important." Finland shook her head, "Some people just keep calling me Madam, even though I''m still young and single..."


    Jean laughed at that.


    After breakfast they returned to the apartment to watch Netflix. Jean played a new horror movie and said that he was well-acquainted with the film director.


    "I actually almost appeared in this movie, you know..." Jean said with a smile, "At that time they needed a cameo as Count Dracula from Transylvania. Unfortunately, my schedule was too busy at the time, so we had to cancel."


    "Ah, that''s a shame." Finland knew Jean was a talented actor because Jean had been active in their school drama club.


    Actually, she would not be surprised if someday Jean would switch direction to acting, especially with this handsome and exotic appearance of his, he would be the dream model of many casting directors.


    "I can''t imagine you being the evil Count Dracula, Jean. You''re too nice. You will fit easily into an angel. The angel figure usually looks rather androgynous, right? You can pull that off really well."


    "Hahaha¡­ Finland, you''re biased because you are my best friend," Jean said with a laugh. "Maybe someday if I get the opportunity to try acting, I will do it."


    "I will be very proud, I will tell everyone that you are my friend!" Finland said with enthusiasm.


    "We will see later." Jean nodded. "But when I''m famous, we won''t be able to go bar hopping or play at Universal Studios anymore. Famous people don''t have privacy."


    Finland hoped that one day Jean could have his dream come true and become more famous than he was now. If he was able to get the opportunity to act in movies and become a big celebrity, even though Finland would not be able to meet him again when she decided to be with Caspar, she would at least still be able to find news about Jean.


    They watched a horror film made by Alan Parker, the director who had a close friendship with Jean, while eating slices of carrots and purple yams and drinking infused water; this was Jean''s typical snack for watching TV since a long time ago.


    As a model he was always very careful with his food intake and Finland had gotten used to watching TV with Jean with this unique snack of his.


    "When we watch TV, we are usually not aware of our food intake. We could keep munching and in the end we snacked too much. It''s better to snack on carrots and yam, because they are healthy."


    Finland remembered what Jean told her 4 years ago when she first came to Jean''s apartment to watch a movie with him.


    At first, she didn''t like it, but after a few times, Finland finally got used to it.


    "Wow... the ending is a cliffhanger, huh?" Finland said after the movie finished. "Why don''t they just let the audience know whether the main character was dead or only injured? Now I am utmost curious!"


    "Yes, they did that intentionally. Alan said Netflix wanted to fund the sequel. If they did, he asked me to appear as one of the supporting roles." Jean shrugged, "We''ll see; hopefully the schedule doesn''t clash."


    "Hopefully they will make the sequel," Finland said excitedly. "I''d love to see you in movies."


    Finland''s cellphone suddenly rang and when she looked at the screen, she saw an incoming call from Caspar. It was already 1 pm in Singapore, that means it was 6 am in Germany.


    Wow, Caspar woke up very early, she thought. Moreover, it was winter, which meant that the sun rises at 9 in the morning.


    "Hello, good morning, Caspar. How are you?"


    "Good afternoon, Finland. I just woke up," Caspar answered at the end of the line. His voice sounded rather sleepy. "I just heard from Jadeith that you didn''t come home yesterday. Is everything OK?"


    "Yeah, I went out for a drink yesterday with Jean. You told me to learn to have fun, enjoy life and not work too hard, right?" Finland sounded proud of her achievement, "Didn''t I do great? Today I didn''t even go to work and called-in sick. I did have a headache this morning, but I didn''t tell them I had a headache because I drank too many cocktails last night. Hahaha¡­"


    "What?!" Caspar''s voice no longer sounded sleepy, "You didn''t come home because you were out drinking all night with Jean? Does that mean that you spent the night at his place? Are you still there now? "


    "Yeah. That''s OK, right? We just watched a horror movie. Oh my God... It feels great doing nothing!"


    Caspar fell silent for some time and Finland waited patiently for his reply.


    "It is okay." Finally, his reply came followed by a deep breath. "Indeed, I told you to learn to have fun. But now I am jealous of Jean. I wish I were there, having fun with you, instead of working like this."


    Finland signaled to Jean that it was Caspar on the phone and then went out to the balcony to get some privacy.


    "You''re the boss, why do you have to work? If you don''t work, you can come back here, right? Aren''t you the one who told me that Schneider Group is a family company that can run without you, and that you are free to do anything?" Finland asked.


    Finland knew that she was being selfish by encouraging Caspar to come home quickly. But¡­ she really missed him¡­


    "That''s right, but there are also clan affairs that I have to deal with. It is not just the company''s business," Caspar replied sadly. If he had the choice, he wouldn''t be in the cold Germany. He would rather be in Singapore, where the weather was warm and he could be close to Finland. Maybe they could also watch a horror movie while chewing on carrot slices. "I want you to be careful and never be far from Jadeith as long as I''m not there."


    "Alright."


    "Later in the afternoon, you will have driving lessons with him, right?" Caspar asked before hanging up.


    "Yes. He will take me to Bukit Batok driving center. Which car will I use for the driving lessons? I can''t possibly use the Rolls Royce for driving lessons, right?"


    "Why not?" Caspar asked, confused.


    WHY NOT? Finland shook her head. Why couldn''t this guy understand?


    "That''s a very expensive car. It''s only common for people to learn driving using old cars, so if they bump into something, the loss wouldn''t be too much. I can''t afford to compensate you if later, during my practice, your car gets scratched or dented," Finland replied in a desperate tone.


    Sometimes she felt like she was talking to a child and she must explain things that were naturally understood by others. Normal people didn''t need to be reminded that Rolls Royce cars were VERY expensive and should not be used for driving practice.


    "Ah, Finland. It''s just a car. There''s no need to exaggerate." Caspar replied casually.


    "But..."


    "I want to take a shower and get ready. Let''s talk again later. I miss you, Finland."


    Before Caspar ended his call, Finland hesitantly replied...


    "Uhmm... miss you too. Take care!"


    Following her reply, she could almost hear Caspar smiling on the other end. Was it really possible to hear a smile? Finland did not know. What was clear was that she heard the sound of Caspar''s smile when she said that she also missed him.

 Chapter 51 - Driving Lessons with Jadeith

    Since it was still 1 o''clock in the afternoon, and the appointment for driving lessons was at 5 o''clock in the afternoon, Finland and Jean watched one more movie. This time they watched the Fantastic Beast movie.


    "It''s already wine o''clock, we can watch a movie while drinking wine," said Jean. "Get it? One o''clock¡­ wine o''clock¡­? Hahaha¡­"


    "Wahaha¡­ that''s funny. Unfortunately, I can''t drink now, Jean. Later in the afternoon I want to practice driving with Jadeith," Finland said sadly. It was unfortunate that she had to refuse the expensive wine from Jean''s private cabinet, because she had promised Caspar she would learn to drive.


    "Who is Jadeith?" Jean asked in surprise.


    "He is Caspar''s bodyguard who was assigned to escort me this week and teach me how to drive. Later this afternoon he will take me to Bukit Batok Driving Center for training. Do you want to come?"


    Jean laughed to hear it, "Sounds interesting. I have nothing to do later in the afternoon. I want to see how you drive."


    Jean didn''t have a car in Singapore because he spent most of his time in Paris, but he was able drive. He and Finland once dreamed of going around the world someday to make travel videos. It would be nice if Finland could also drive and they could rent a camper van to travel around Europe by road one day.


    At almost 4pm, Jadeith arrived at Robertson Road to pick Finland and Jean up. Even though he remained friendly, Finland could feel Jadeith was not happy with Jean''s presence. Maybe he was concerned about his master''s feelings, who was far away in Germany.


    "Jadeith would be the perfect man for acting in action films as Dolph Lundgren''s brother," Jean whispered in the back seat when the car started driving.


    "I think so too..." Finland whispered back. The two of them laughed softly. Jadeith saw their interactions from the rear mirror; his expression was hard to guess.


    Finland stopped briefly at Rose Mansion to change her clothes and after, they immediately proceeded to the driving center.


    Their arrival drew attention from the people who were at the driving center. They couldn''t contain their shock when they saw Jadeith come out of the driver''s seat and signaled for Finland to take the driver''s seat.


    They were pointing their fingers at them and whispering in plain sight. Jean covered his face in embarrassment and Finland started feeling very anxious.


    "We are becoming a spectacle here, Jadeith. Everyone is staring and pointing at us. Can''t we just borrow a car from the center and practice with that?" Finland whispered, "I don''t want to scratch this beautiful car."


    "It''s okay, Madam. I assure you, you will be able to drive well. I am a great teacher and this car will not be damaged," said Jadeith calmly. "Please come in. I have never failed to teach anyone."


    "How many students have you taught to drive before?" Finland asked, upset.


    "Just one." answer Jadeith.


    "Oh..." Finland felt more depressed.


    At that time her cellphone rang. It was Caspar calling her.


    "How is the driving practice?"


    "We are just about to start... I''m so embarrassed. People are staring at us because we are using a Rolls Royce for driving practice. They might think I''m a snob. Can I just borrow an ordinary car from the driving center? You like privacy, I do too..." Finland whispered in a desperate tone.


    "OK." Caspar said later. He asked to speak to Jadeith and a moment later Jadeith met with the manager of the driving center.


    "We would like to extend a sincere apology to all guests using the driving center. We are closing early today. I invite everyone to go to our receptionist to get a refund. Thank you for your cooperation."


    Suddenly they heard an announcement from the loudspeaker and the on-duty manager approached the guests who were at the driving center and asked them to leave.


    Jean and Finland looked at each other.


    "That''s not what I meant..." Finland said desperately.


    That was not what she meant at all.


    Why was it so hard to talk to people who do not understand what it felt like to live as a normal human being¡­.?

 Chapter 52 - Driving Lessons with Jadeith 2

    Jean was impressed by Jadeith''s capability to persuade the manager to empty the driving center. Now there was only the three of them.


    "Who closed this place?" Jean asked Finland with a frown. Finland could only sigh in annoyance. "Seriously? This place is closed only for you to practice driving?"


    He did not need to hear Finland''s answer because Jadeith confirmed his allegations.


    "Master likes privacy, and Madam too," said Jadeith. He invited Finland, who was standing a few meters away from the car, to get into the car to start their training. "Please Madam."


    "Madam?" Jean raised an eyebrow and asked with a voice holding back laughter, "When did you marry his Master? How come I was not invited?"


    "Don''t ask me," Finland answered, shrugging.


    Jean just shook his head and followed her to the car. He entered the car and sat in the back seat.


    "I want to witness a historic moment when Finland can finally drive," he said, smiling casually. "Uhmm... or the moment when we die together when the car crashes."


    "Jeannnnn...!! Don''t stress me out!" Finland exclaimed, accidentally stepping on the gas when she was supposed to hit the brakes.


    Jadeith coughed, trying to calm the atmosphere. Jean laughed even louder.


    Two hours later, the driving practice ended. No one was hurt and the car survived unscratched. That alone made Finland sigh in relief.


    Jadeith then drove them back to Rose Mansion. Finland invited Jean to have dinner with her. She wanted to show Jean that Rose Mansion was not a haunted house.


    "Good evening, Ms. Law. Please meet Jean, my best friend." Finland introduced Jean to Ms. Law who welcomed them at the door. Unlike Jadeith, Ms. Law was very sweet to Jean. "Tonight, I''m inviting him to dinner here. Can I use the kitchen to cook?"


    "Of course, Miss. Hello, how are you, Jean?"


    "I am good, thank you. Nice to meet you, Ms. Law."


    Finland was very good at cooking because she was used to taking care of herself since she was little. She had become creative in using food ingredients so that she could make delicious dishes on a budget.


    Cooking alone was much cheaper than buying ready-to-eat food, but ever since she moved in to Rose Mansion, there was almost no opportunity for Finland to cook. Now that Jean still hadn''t returned to Paris, she wanted to show him her gratitude by cooking something for Jean.


    "Can I help you with anything?" Jean asked when Finland took out spices and various food ingredients from the refrigerator.


    "No. Just sit comfortably in the dining chair, drink a glass of wine, and talk with me," Finland said with a broad smile.


    "Sounds good." Jean laughed.


    They chatted while Finland cooked. Jean shared stories about his work and the various people he met in the entertainment industry. They discussed their plans to travel around Europe with a camper van one day when Finland was able to drive, and about Finland''s work and the projects she was working on.


    Finland made Caesar salad and saltimbocca, and they ate while continuing their conversation.


    "From what I see, I think Caspar is treating you very well," Jean said suddenly. "I''m glad to see it."


    "Thank you," Finland said. "But I still haven''t decided."


    "Decided what? His staff are already calling you Madam and treating you as if you were his wife," Jean said with a laugh.


    "Jadeith is weird." Finland grumbled. "Him calling me Madam makes me feel so old, but I gave up correcting him."


    "But you have to admit, him calling you Madam sounds very cute, you know... It''s as if he is making sure that everyone knows that you belong to his boss."


    "I don''t belong to anyone," Finland said. "I am my own person."


    "You are your own person," Jean nodded, "but when two people fall in love and they commit to each other, the two people will become one. Later you will understand..."


    He finished his wine then excused himself because it was already very late.


    "I''ll pick you up tomorrow and we can go to Universal Studios together..." Jean said before entering the taxi.


    "See you tomorrow." Finland agreed.


    After Jean left, Finland''s cellphone rang. It was Caspar calling to ask for the results of her driving practice that day.


    "I don''t know if I will ever get used to living like you..." Finland answered honestly. "Having a personal bodyguard, getting priority services, driving in luxury cars, and having one room full of branded clothes, bags, shoes, and accessories... It is a life that I never imagined having."


    "Why?" Caspar asked in surprise.


    "I am afraid, if I get used to luxury, when the luxury doesn''t exist anymore, I can''t live anymore... I''m very afraid to imagine that possibility," Finland said.


    "Why do you have to imagine bad things, huh?" Caspar asked.


    "I have to be realistic. If I get used to living with so many luxuries and special treatments, and one day we are no longer together... I''m worried that I will find it difficult to live my simple life again."


    "That''s the whole point. I don''t want you to go back to the life you lived before you are with me." Caspar''s voice sounded tired.


    He didn''t know how long it would take for Finland to really accept him. Caspar wanted her to understand that when he said that had fallen in love with her, it meant that he had given his heart, his life, and everything he had to her.


    There would be no possible way that one day they would break up. He knew himself well enough. He knew that he would never leave Finland. Deep down he was actually afraid that Finland would one day leave him, because it was so difficult to convince her to accept his love.


    "You sound upset. I didn''t mean to upset you." Finland said moments later.


    "I''m not upset," Caspar said after taking a deep breath. "I''m just sorry that I''m not there to hug you so you can believe my words."

 Chapter 53 - You are my only weakness

    Finland thought about how comfortable it felt to be in Caspar''s arms and her heart felt a little sore. She knew that Caspar was a bit frustrated because Finland still found it hard to give him her heart and believe in him.


    Finland hoped that she could easily receive the abundance of love and luxury that were provided for her, but she lived such a hard life for so long, she felt that her fears were justified.


    After all, Caspar promised to wait. It''s only been a week, she thought.


    "I must sleep now. Tomorrow I will to go to Universal Studios with Jean and Katia."


    "Katia will come along? What for?" Caspar asked in surprise. "Are you close to her? Isn''t she just a corporate client?"


    "We are friends outside of work," Finland said. "She is a good person. She knows Jean too, so last week we had dinner together and Jean asked her to come along with us to Universal Studios. Katia said she never had a friend she could go to amusement parks together with..."


    "I didn''t know you had dinner with Katia. I also didn''t know that tomorrow you will go to Universal Studios with her..." Caspar''s voice sounded worried. "I promised not to stalk you, so I don''t know all this information..."


    "Yeah, I forgot to tell you..."


    "Finland, I promised not to use my access to stalk you, but in return you promised me that you will tell me everything. If I don''t know anything, I can''t protect you."


    "Protect me from what?" asked Finland confused. "I have not been bullied by anyone. I am not rich either, so no one can do me any harm because of money..."


    "I have to protect you because I have enemies. You are my weakness," Caspar said slowly, "I am protecting you to protect myself."


    That''s when Jean''s words suddenly rang in her head: two people who love each other would become one.


    Did Caspar have enemies? What kind of enemies did he have...? Business enemies or...?


    Were they ordinary people or were they from the Alchemist clan?


    There were so many questions raging in Finland''s mind.


    She was Caspar''s weakness...?


    It meant that, to protect Caspar, Finland had to protect herself...


    For Caspar''s sake she must not act carelessly.


    Now then she understood Jean''s words.


    "I understand now..." Finland finally replied. "But what does it have to do with me meeting Katia and being friends with her? She is kind to me."


    "Katia isn''t that kind..." Caspar sighed. "Believe me, Katia isn''t that kind. I''ve known her for 50 years, but even now I still don''t understand her... I don''t know why she is being so kind to you."


    Finland was silent for a while. "What should I do then?"


    "You''d better stay away from Katia."


    "Uhmm... I''ll try."


    Finland felt a little uncomfortable thinking that she had to find an excuse to stay away from Katia. The girl was very nice to her.


    She then remembered that Katia said that she fell in love with a man who didn''t love her back... Was that Caspar? Or did Katia meet other people after she left Caspar?


    "Uhmm... if I may know, when did Katia leave you? You said the engagement was cancelled because she left, not because you broke off the relationship..." she couldn''t help asking.


    "Katia left me six months ago. She left saying that she wanted to give me time to think."


    Caspar''s answer surprised Finland.


    "ONLY SIX MONTHS AGO? That''s still very recent..." Finland exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you guys were separated for years already..."


    Finland was upset. Katia had been with Caspar for 50 years, and because the man still did not marry her after so long, she finally left six months ago... to give him time to think...


    But then Caspar met Finland, and in a matter of months he had professed his love to her so many times. He even said that he wanted to marry her...


    One, she felt sorry for Katia...


    Two, she felt sorry for herself...


    The relationship between Katia and Caspar, which lasted for over 50 years, ended bitterly for her... what hope did she have for their relationship which had only been a few months...??


    Finland was silent for some time and Caspar seemed to read Finland''s mind.


    "Please don''t compare my 50-year relationship with Katia with what we have now. What I felt for her was not love." said Caspar in a soft voice, "What I feel for you is love. I have never been this confident about my feelings towards a woman in my life before. Time doesn''t matter, when you know, you will know..."


    "I''m tired... I want to sleep first..." Finland said. "Good night."


    "Alright. Good night."


    Caspar did not force her to keep talking and let Finland hang up the phone.

 Chapter 54 - Katia misunderstood

    The next morning Jean came to pick Finland up by taxi. They headed to Universal Studios. Katia was already there when they arrived. When she saw Katia, Finland thought about Caspar and she became uncomfortable.


    Maybe, when Katia left Caspar six months ago, she thought they were just having a ''break'' to assess their feelings for each other, or to encourage Caspar to confirm his true feelings and decide to marry Katia.


    Unexpectedly, not long after, Caspar met Finland and immediately fell in love with her.


    Even so, Katia went to Caspar and asked him to treat Finland well...


    Finland felt really bad thinking about it. She felt like she was indirectly the third person in Katia and Caspar''s relationship.


    "Why does your face look so gloomy?" Jean asked when they came down from one of the rides. "We''re having fun, remember... What''s bothering you?"


    Katia turned to Finland and asked with concern, "Is it a matter of love?"


    Finland nodded slowly.


    "With Heinrich Schneider?" Katia probed.


    "Uhm... yes..."


    "Oh, that''s just so typical of him..." Katia said in a tone of concern and patted Finland''s back. "Normally he dates women one month and then dumps them, moving on to the next one. Moreover, he never stays long in a city."


    Finland and Jean were surprised to hear Katia''s words. This didn''t sound like the Caspar they knew.


    "As far as I know, it''s not like that..." Finland said.


    "You have only known him for a few months, I''ve known him for almost my whole life." Katia said with a sigh, "I was his fianc¨¦e for years, and as long as he was with me, he was also with many other women. That''s what finally made me break off our engagement."


    Katia looked at Finland pitifully. "When I saw the flowers from Heinrich Schneider in your office, I realized that he was interested in you, just like he was interested in all those other women... I like you, you''re a good girl, and I don''t think you deserve to be treated badly. That''s why I came looking for him and asked him to treat you well. I wanted to protect you, because we are both orphans..."


    "He does treat me well..." Finland said. Katia''s story didn''t make any sense, she thought to herself.


    Katia was now the one who seemed confused.


    "He treats you well? So, he hasn''t left you like he left those other women? Then why are you looking so gloomy? I thought you were sad because he dumped you..."


    Jean and Finland looked at each other.


    "He dumped many other women?" Finland asked.


    Oh, Ben was right; Caspar did have many women before.


    "Yeah, like I said, he would only date them for one month or so, then dumps them. He hasn''t dumped you yet? " Katia asked incredulously, "How long has it been?"


    "We have known each other for about four months. But we aren''t in relationship yet... I am still considering," answered Finland quickly.


    "You... are you still considering? Considering what?" Katia didn''t seem to understand.


    "I am still considering whether I will accept his love or not..." Finland answered honestly. "Caspar and I have such different lives. I don''t know if I will be able to adjust my lifestyle to his."


    Katia''s face looked horrified when Finland mentioned Caspar''s name.


    "You... you know his name is Caspar...?!?"


    Finland became confused seeing Katia''s strange attitude,


    "Yes, I know him as Caspar. Heinrich Schneider is the name he uses today. I know that his life is quite complicated..." Finland said. "That complicated life of his is the reason why I am still unable to decide whether I want to be in a relationship with him or not."


    "Since when did you know his name is Caspar?" Katia asked.


    "Since we first met. He introduced himself as Caspar from the beginning. I found out later that he also uses the name Heinrich Schneider."


    At that time, Finland saw a speck of hatred appear in Katia''s eyes.


    "Five years... he told me his real name only after five years..." Katia hissed in a bitter voice. Her face looked pale and she held her forehead in pain. "Sorry, my head hurts... I''d better go home now. Sorry, I can''t continue having fun with you..."


    "Do you want us to drive you home?" asked Jean.


    "No need. I can take a taxi..."


    Awkwardly Finland and Jean saw Katia leave. Jean knew there was something going on between the two girls, but he did not want to pressure them.


    In the taxi, Katia couldn''t hold back her tears. She sobbed painfully.


    "It turns out that Finland... wasn''t like the other girls he dated. Caspar wouldn''t dump her... He even told Finland his real name from the start..."


    Katia thought about the years it took her to find out Caspar''s real name, while that girl... she knew everything from the start...


    Katia realized that Caspar had fallen in love with Finland...


    Finland wasn''t like those thousands of girls before her...


    Katia had misunderstood him this time.

 Chapter 55 - At Universal Studios

    After Katia left, Finland felt dizzy. She then asked Jean to enter a cafe and rest. She said the hot sun must have given her a headache.


    Of course, Jean who knew Finland well understood that it was only an excuse. He guessed that something had happened between Katia and Finland related to Caspar. However, he did not ask any questions at all.


    "What do you want to drink?" he asked when the waiter came to bring the menu.


    "Mmm... I want a soft drink," Finland replied. "Uff... it''s very hot today..."


    Jean just smiled affirmatively, even though he knew the temperature outside today was considered cool for the Singaporean standard. He ordered two soft drinks to the waiter and then took out his phone.


    "Can you please take a picture of us?" He asked after the waiter finished taking notes of their order.


    "Of course."


    Jean embraced Finland''s shoulder as they posed for photos. The waiter suddenly recognized Jean''s face and he eagerly took more photos.


    "I often see your face..." she said while returning Jean''s cellphone with a delighted smile. "I don''t know your name, but you look very familiar because I often see you in magazines."


    "Thank you." Jean smiled a little and nodded. Finland gasped and then patted Jean''s shoulder proudly.


    "I feel like I am hanging out with a real celebrity..." she said with a laugh. "I can''t imagine what will happen if you end up acting in movies and become more famous. Maybe later there will be paparazzi and fans following you everywhere..."


    "I hope so. I really want to be as famous as Madonna or Kesha, who are known only by their first name." Jean nodded. He sorted the photos the waiter took and chose the best. "I''ll post this one. What do you think?"


    Finland looked at the photo in question and nodded in agreement. "Yes, this photo is good. We look natural and the smiles look good."


    "Great!" Jean posted the photo on his Instagram account with a caption that said ''Spending my last few days home with my person.'' He tagged Universal Studios Singapore as the location.


    Jean had 4 million followers on Instagram and his picture immediately got a lot of responses from curious fans because Jean had never posted a photo with a woman before. Usually he only posted his own modelling photos or photos of him in groups.


    Finland did not have an Instagram account because she felt that she had nothing special in her life to share. Sometimes, when she was with Jean and she wanted to post a certain photo, she would borrow Jean''s account and post a picture there. It happened only a few times a year because Jean and Finland only met when Jean came to Singapore.


    Jean''s loyal followers could see that every few months random photos would appear on his Instagram account.


    Among the hundreds of Jean''s artistic photos as a model, there would suddenly be a picture of a plated dish of Finland''s cooking, or of squirrels on tree branches they saw while walking in Fort Canning Park, or a picture of a flower bouquet that included one white rose that Jean gave Finland on her birthday.


    Usually these random photos attract the attention of Jean''s loyal followers because they were very different from the photos usually uploaded by him. Some of his fans said that Jean had an alter ego, or the Hyde to his Jekyll, who uploaded the photos.


    "Look... you''re very popular..." Jean said while he showed his phone to Finland. Meanwhile, the drinks they ordered arrived, "Many people ask whether you are my alter ego who takes over my Instagram account at random occasions."


    Finland was very impressed to see how quickly the notifications appeared and rolled on Jean''s phone. Her friend was indeed very famous. They received so many comments and likes for their photo together.


    After a while, she noticed that not only were there positive comments, negative messages and comments from the haters also appeared and condemned her for stealing ''their Jean''. Some even went as far as calling her ''slut''.


    "Ouch... how could people talk like that..." Finland complained as she read some of the negative comments. "Am I really that bad...?"


    "No need to respond..." Jean said calmly. "Such people will always be there. You cannot please everybody, especially on the internet. There are many psychopaths there. Let''s just talk about other things."


    "Luckily I don''t have an Instagram account," commented Finland. "Those psychopaths would definitely find my account and bully me there."


    "Yes, there''s no need for you to make an Instagram account. I need social media because of my profession. Positive and negative comments, and even haters are very important in the entertainment industry; to use ''negative publicity is publicity''. I don''t think it suits you." Jean immediately closed his phone and changed the subject so that Finland would not continue to think about his fans'' hate comments. "I will go home next Thursday. Next weekend I have to get ready for various winter shows."


    "Oh... that''s too soon..." Finland frowned. "If only I could come along, it would be nice to see Paris."


    "Why not? You can take time off, right? Come to Paris in January. I will perform at the Men''s Paris Fashion Week. After that, I will be free. We can travel around France. If you''re lucky you can experience snow in January. You have never seen snow, right?"


    Finland counted her savings in her head and decided that Jean''s suggestion made sense.


    "That''s right... my savings should be enough to buy a ticket," she murmured. "Maybe it''s time for me to travel and see Europe."


    "The thing is, if you come in January, we cannot go to Finland... There''s no sun in Finland during the winter. If we go there I''ll get winter depression," said Jean, "Later you should come again in the summer. We will go to Finland and see the midnight sun."


    "Okay..." Finland replied. She opened her phone and made a note to herself to plan a trip to Paris in January.


    "Wow... I can''t wait," Jean said excitedly. "Finally, Finland will be able to see my second home. Your birthday is on January 15, right? We must celebrate it in Paris. Think of it as a birthday present to yourself because you have worked very hard all this time."


    "You are right." Finland nodded.


    Finally, Finland can travel too, with her own money. She was very proud of herself.


    Because her mood improved, Finland forgot about the incident with Katia and they continued having fun together at Universal Studios.


    After so many years of living in Singapore, this was the first time she entered this amusement park. In the past, the ticket prices were too expensive for a poor student like her.


    Now, she had enough money to pay for almost everything she wanted, especially because she did not need to spend any money on lodging and food ever since she started living in Rose Mansion. She was able to save almost all her salary in full!


    They had fun in Universal Studios until closing hours and finally they went home with tired but happy hearts.

 Chapter 56 - Maybe this is my karma

    Finland just finished taking a shower and was getting ready to sleep when Caspar called her.


    When Finland saw Caspar''s name appear on her phone screen, she immediately recalled the incident this afternoon when Katia said things that made Finland nervous, especially when she said that Caspar had dumped many women.


    How many? Who were they?


    After one minute, finally Finland picked up Caspar''s call.


    "Hello," she said softly.


    "Hi, Finland. How was your day?" Caspar sounded a little worried because he heard Finland''s unusual tone.


    "I''m happy," Finland said briefly. "How was yours?"


    "It''s OK. I''m pretty busy, but I had a chance to meet my brother Aldebar. I told him about you. He was very impressed and invited you to come to Germany to attend his 200th birthday celebration."


    Finland could only shake her head when Caspar casually talked about his brother''s 200th birthday celebration. She didn''t know when she would get used to Caspar and his family''s weirdness...


    "He was born in 1818?" Finland asked.


    "End of 1818, right. December 31 to be exact." Caspar chuckled. "People like us only celebrate birthdays every 100 years. Aldebar and I usually hold big parties by inviting all relatives from the Alchemist clan. It is a rare opportunity to meet and exchange news. Otherwise, my people only meet in meetings once every 10 years or in large events such as weddings. Weddings are usually the only time that our clan accepts new members, namely ordinary people who will receive the immortality potion as a wedding gift from us. Like Louis, Flora''s husband. We have had very few weddings because the Alchemists are very picky when it comes their life partners. There are times when we don''t have any wedding at all in a hundred years."


    "Oh..." Finland suddenly thought about Katia who said that Caspar dated many other women during their 50-year relationship and he usually dumped them after one month.


    She then scolded Caspar, "Could it be that your people are not into marriage, not because you are all picky... but because you don''t really value other people, and prefer dating different partners without having to make any commitments...?"


    "Do you think I''m like that?" Caspar asked in surprise.


    "Katia said you dated a lot of women, even during the time when you were engaged to her. That was why she left you. Ben also said that you had many women before you met me." Before Caspar could answer, Finland hastily added, "No... don''t you blame Ben anymore. He was just telling me the truth, which Katia confirmed."


    "Finland, since I met you at the airport four months ago, I did not date any other women," Caspar said firmly. "Why would I be with anyone else? I have found the one."


    "You dumped women after one month, that''s what I heard from Katia," Finland said softly. "Frankly, I''m afraid... You and Katia, who have been together for 50 years together, can break up. What about us? We have known each other for only four months... Do you understand how I feel?"


    "I..." Caspar didn''t know what to say.


    "I admire you, and I think you''re a very great person..." Finland said. "Last week I was almost sure that I really loved you... But at the same time, I was increasingly afraid that if my feelings for you would became deeper, then the pain when you leave me will get worse..."


    Finland''s soft voice did not sound angry, but sad and scared, and it tore Caspar''s heart. He would rather see Finland angry and accuse him of being a player, than having her sound scared and sad like this.


    He could imagine Finland''s worried expression on the other side of the world. Her fear of being hurt, causing her to shrink and close her heart to him. How was she able to open her heart to a man who had the power to dump her like he dumped thousands of women for the hundreds of years he had lived.


    "Honey... I understand. I swear I will never hurt you. It hurts me to see you hurt. I would never do it," Caspar said after a while. He then took a deep breath. "Maybe this is my karma for hurting all those women. Now, the only woman I love, can''t open her heart to me..."


    Finland bit her lip and said nothing more. She really wanted to trust Caspar and give him her heart. She loved Caspar. She missed him every day. But she could not deny that she was very afraid of being hurt.


    Throughout her life Finland had put up wall to protect herself because she had suffered too much. She knew that if her heart were hurt by love, she would not be able to recover easily.


    They fell silent for a while.


    "Uhm... I won''t bother you any longer, I know you''re very busy," Finland finally said. "I also have to sleep. Tomorrow I will go wakeboarding with Jean. He will go back to Paris on Thursday, so we only have a few more days to have fun."


    "Finland... let me know," Caspar said before hanging up. "What will make you believe that I am truly in love with you? That I have fallen in love with you, and that I have never felt this way before. What will make you believe that I want to take care of you and that I will never hurt you? What should I do?"


    "I don''t know..." Finland answered honestly. "You said to me, when you know, you will know. Right now, I don''t know."


    "Alright. Fair enough." Caspar sighed. "Have a good sleep."


    "Thank you, good night."


    Finland ended the call and tried to sleep. Her body was tired but her mind couldn''t rest. All night long she tossed and turned on her bed trying to sleep, but she couldn''t. Finally, she got up and cried until her tears dried.


    Somewhere in Germany, in a large and beautiful castle, Caspar held his phone with a heavy heart. Beside him, a handsome man with long golden hair who looked like a prince from a fairytale, shook his head with concern.


    "I agree with you. That must be karma," he said, smiling. "That''s what you get for hurting so many women in the past."


    "Aldebar, you will also get karma for mocking your troubled brother," Caspar scolded him. "One day you will know how it feels to love a woman who doesn''t love you back."


    "I am not afraid of that." Aldebar patted Caspar''s shoulder and left the library. His casual smile irritated his brother.


    Caspar sighed again, and murmured resentfully, "Surely this is indeed karma. Ugh..."


    He paused for a moment thinking about what he had to do to reverse the bad karma that made him fall in love with a girl who wouldn''t open her heart to accept his love.

 Chapter 57 - Dinner with Katia

    Finland tried to forget her gloomy feeling when she met Jean at Bedok Reservoir to do wakeboarding. She had never done this type of sport before and seeing people gliding on the water pulled by a fast boat frightened her a little.


    Since she couldn''t swim and the thought of drowning frightened her, in the end she only became Jean''s spectator from the side.


    "I will just enjoy it from the side... !!" she exclaimed from the bay. "I''m afraid of drowning."


    "Hahaha... fine."


    Finland spent all weekend with Jean. She was a little sad because in a few days Jean would return to Paris. However, the thought of visiting her best friend in January consoled her.


    Two more months, she thought.


    Finally, Finland would be able to see Europe.


    ***


    The weekend passed quickly and suddenly it was already Monday and Finland had to go back to work.


    When she was busy making a presentation for Atlas Corp''s exhibition the following month, Tony called her to the meeting room.


    "Katia has agreed to all the designs we submitted and she said that we can start the installation next week, so that in December her artworks can be exhibited," Tony said, handing over documents to Finland. "Katia gave you full control. She will return to Europe tomorrow, so she asked to see you later in the evening at De Lune to discuss the technicalities."


    Finland could only nod. She did not know why Katia did not contact her directly instead of asking to meet her through Tony.


    Well... she was prepared to meet Katia after the incident last Saturday.


    Finland returned to her desk and continued working. For a moment she stopped and thought about whether or not she should tell Caspar about this development. She remembered Caspar asking her to always tell him what was happening so he could protect her...


    But their last conversation didn''t end well, and yesterday Caspar didn''t contact her at all...


    Finland became doubtful, what should she do.


    Finally, she decided that her meeting with Katia should not be informed to Caspar, because it was not too important.


    she texted Jadeith that she would go straight to De Lune after work, and Jadeith did not need to pick her up at the office.


    [I''ll take Madam to De Lune. I will be waiting for Madam after work at the park as usual.]


    Came a reply from Jadeith.


    Hmm... actually, Finland was starting to get used to being called Madam by Jadeith. It no longer annoyed her.


    Subconsciously, a smile was engraved on her face. What a strange and stubborn man; Finland could never make him call her Miss.


    [OK. I will finish work late in the afternoon, around 6:30pm, because I have a lot of things to do.]


    Finland tried to complete her tasks quickly but somehow her mind was hovering around and she found it very difficult to concentrate. She wondered why Caspar didn''t contact her at all the day before.


    Maybe the man thought that it was futile to pursue Finland and he would not waste his time waiting for her anymore.


    Ugh... Finland felt upset thinking about it.


    Tony gave her the company credit card to pay for her dinner with Katia at De Lune Restaurant. Seeing the credit card in hand, she thought about De Lune''s deliciously expensive food menu. She felt a little comforted.


    Finland arrived at the restaurant before Katia. Even though she was very hungry, she knew that it was not polite to order food first while the guest had not arrived. Therefore, she ordered a cocktail and she tried to fill her stomach with the bread provided at the table while waiting for Katia.


    Subconsciously she ate the whole basket.


    Katia arrived at exactly 7pm and immediately headed to Finland''s table. Her face looked beautiful as usual, but her attitude had become rather cold.


    "Good evening, Finland," she said briefly, before sitting down and opening the menu. She placed her order to the waiter who was waiting. "I would like to have a Black Russian cocktail first, while I choose the food menu."


    "Alright, Miss."


    "How are you, Katia? How are you doing?" Finland asked later.


    "I''m not too well, I was sick all weekend," Katia said. "But now I feel better. How are you?"


    "I was also sick all weekend," Finland said honestly.


    "Oh, maybe we were sick for the same reason." For the first time that evening, Katia smiled, and Finland saw that friendly and kind girl who had always been nice to her.


    "Maybe." Finland just smiled and shrugged.


    Katia''s drink arrived and they ordered a 5-course menu. They enjoyed their drinks while chatting lightly about the exhibition design that Katia had agreed to,.


    Finland knew that Katia did not ask her to meet only to discuss the exhibition and dinner. She was interested in hearing what Katia really wanted to say, but she did not want to be pushy. Therefore, she let Katia talk about work first.


    Their food arrived one at a time, and both ordered another cocktail. After the second cocktail, their conversation during dinner became increasingly fluid and finally Finland could hear what was Katia''s exact purpose of meeting her tonight.


    "Please forgive me for leaving abruptly on Saturday at Universal Studios," Katia said, sipping her Singapore Sling. "I realize that I was being childish at the time. I hope you would forgive me."


    "There''s nothing to forgive. I don''t understand why you feel the need to apologize," Finland replied.


    "I admit, I still love Caspar. After all we''ve been through together for years..."


    "Fifty years..." Finland cut Katia''s words, "I know,"


    Katia looked surprised but tried to hide it, "Do you know that too?"


    "Yes..."


    Katia smiled bitterly. "That means you know everything, that we are Alchemists who can live forever. It seems, he has told you everything."


    "I know that you left your family to live forever with him, but he did not keep his commitment to marry you." Finland nodded slowly.


    "Right..." Katia finished her drink with a contrite face. "Do you know Karl Furstenberg?"


    "The famous designer? Jean said you were his muse in creating many famous designs."


    "That''s right. I told him that I became his muse through nepotism; because he was friends with my grandmother... hahaha... that''s not true. Karl is MY best friend." Katia signaled to the waiter to bring another Singapore Sling.


    "He loved me with all his heart, but I left him to be with Caspar. I returned to his life a few years ago and claimed to be the granddaughter of Katia Jannsen, his best friend... I had to do that because I hadn''t aged, while he is now more over 70 years old. He knew right away that I was Katia Jannsen. You cannot imagine how devastated he was... All this while he thought that I was dead, and he mourned for me for decades. "


    "I''m sorry to hear that," Finland said softly. She could see that the situation between Katia and Karl decades ago was similar to her situation with Jean now.


    "I thought you were just like all the other women he dated casually in the past. But it turns out that he has told you his real name, and even the secrets of the Alchemists. I am jealous of you, because I still love him... and we were together for a very long time."


    Katia received her third Singapore Sling from the waiter and sipped it until it was half gone. "But during the weekend, when I was sick, I continued to imagine my life if I had been with Karl. If I had not accepted Caspar''s proposal at that time, Karl and I would be living a happy life together. I also would have no need to leave my parents... Living young forever is not fun if you can''t share your life with someone you love."


    Finland nodded. That was also her concern.


    Why live forever, if you can''t share your life with the people you love? She did not know if it was worthy enough to join Caspar''s clan and be young forever. That would also mean that she would have to lose Jean, her best friend.


    If one day Caspar left her like he left Katia, she would be forever alone, like her.


    "I see how much Jean loves you... and I look back at myself and Karl 50 years ago." Katia continued speaking. "I will be honest with you, I still love Caspar, and we have only separated for six months. I do not know whether we can be together again in the future. But I want you to learn from my experience, because it seems like what we experience is quite similar... It''s better to live with a man who loves you, than with a man you love. If you are with someone who loves you, you will be treated like a queen, but if you are with someone you love who doesn''t love you back, you will suffer a lot... Jean is a very good man. Don''t make a decision you will regret in future. Learn from my mistakes... "


    Finland did not respond. In her heart she agreed that it was indeed best for women to marry men who love them, because they will surely be overflowed with love and treated well. She often saw women who suffer and eat their hearts out because they love men who did not treat them well.


    The thoughts continued to haunt her until they finished dinner and Katia excused herself.


    "I''m going home to Europe tomorrow. I need to calm myself down." Katia hugged Finland and kissed her cheek. "I hope you think of me. Goodbye."


    "Thank you, Katia. Goodbye."


    Finland''s face must have looked very sad when she came out of De Lune, because without being asked, Jadeith handed her a handkerchief as she entered the car.


    "Who hurt you, Madam?" he asked when he turned on the car engine and started driving towards Rose Mansion. "You''d better tell Master, so he won''t be worried."


    Finland did not answer, and Jadeith knew not to ask further questions.

 Chapter 58 - Farewell and meeting at the airport

    Tuesday and Wednesday passed by very quickly. Finland felt very sad when she entered her office on Thursday, because she knew that after work she had to take Jean to the airport. He would return to Paris, and their next meeting would be in January, when Finland visited him there.


    Her gloomy face was obvious to her coworkers in the department, and they tried to comfort her by taking her to lunch together.


    The lunch invitation amused Finland a little, because it turned out that her office colleagues were being nicer to her. She thought about her first two months working in LTX; she had absolutely no friends and was ostracized by them.


    After work, she walked from her office to Jean''s apartment in Robertson Road. The fresh air improved her mood slightly. As usual, she tried to walk beautifully, like on a runway, following Jean''s teachings. But today every step on the ''runway'' felt heavy and sad.


    She could no longer hold back her tears when she arrived at the door to Jean''s apartment. When Jean came out with his suitcase, Finland sobbed in his chest.


    "Hey... don''t cry like this. It''s only for two months, after that you can go to Paris. And we can also chat every day..." Jean said as he patted Finland''s head. "If you are like this it would be hard for me to go."


    "I''m sorry..." Finland tried to pull herself together. She wiped away her tears and tried to smile. "Someone''s peeling onions here. I''m not crying, really."


    "Hahaha... I believe you." Jean held Finland''s hand in one hand and while the other pushed his suitcase.


    They took the elevator down and entered the taxi that was waiting at the lobby. Finland asked Jadeith not to pick her up that day because she wanted to accompany Jean to the airport.


    [Jadeith, I''m going to the airport, you don''t have to pick me up at the office.]


    [Alright, Madam. I will just go straight to the airport then.]


    After arriving at Terminal 1 Departure, Jean and Finland embraced one last time before Jean finally entered to check in and boarding. Finland stood looking at Jean until she lost sight and decided to contact Jadeith.


    [Where are you, Jadeith?]


    [I am almost at Terminal 1''s Arrival. Madam is there to pick up Master, right?]


    Jadeith''s reply made Finland flinch.


    It was Thursday. Didn''t Caspar say that he would come home on Thursday?


    Finland face-palmed herself for forgetting this important occasion. No wonder Jadeith thought she was going to the airport to pick Caspar up.


    She did not remember because Caspar had not contacted her since Saturday.


    Ugh...


    Finally, Finland decided to go to the Arrival Terminal to wait for Jadeith. She didn''t want to take the MRT home and the taxi''s surcharge at the current rush hour must be very expensive. It was better for her (financially) to ride home in Caspar''s car.


    Finland was a bit disappointed in herself... Apparently she was getting used to being spoiled. She was now even too lazy to take the MRT.


    Ouch...


    When Finland arrived at the arrival terminal, she saw the Rolls Royce that was usually driven by Jadeith already pulled over in front of the terminal.


    As she walked closer, she heard a familiar voice calling her from behind.


    "Finland! Did you come to pick me up?"


    Finland turned around and her heart shook violently when she saw the handsome man who had filled her heart the past few days.


    Caspar walked towards her, followed by Ben who pushed their suitcases. He was very happy to see her.


    "Hi, Caspar..." Finland felt uneasy to honestly tell him that the real reason for her coming to the airport was to drop Jean off.


    Caspar''s face looked so happy...


    "Oh... thank God you came to pick me up. I thought you were still angry at me..." Caspar said, smiling broadly, showing off his dimples, which always managed to melt Finland''s heart.


    As soon as the girl was within reach, Caspar held Finland tightly and kissed her lips greedily, as if Finland was his favorite food that he had not eaten for years.


    What the f*ck is this, Caspar? Was he not ashamed to be seen by Ben and Jadeith like this? thought Finland.


    Apparently, Ben and Jadeith pretended not to see anything and they were busy talking about the cold weather in Germany and how hot Singapore had been lately.


    "I''m very happy to see you pick me up..." Caspar said repeatedly. He stopped his kisses and loosened his arms a little so Finland could breathe. He planted one last kiss on the girl''s forehead, held her hand, and guided her into the car. "I missed you so much."


    Finland also missed Caspar very much, and she was very happy to see him today, but she said nothing. She just nodded.

 Chapter 59 - Karma is a bitch

    In the car, Caspar kept holding Finland''s hand as if he was afraid the girl would run away and leave him if he didn''t look after her carefully.


    He couldn''t get their last conversation on the phone out of his head. He felt like he was suffering from karma because he fell in love with a girl who didn''t return his love.


    He could then imagine how all those girls he had dated felt when he dumped them after one month. The feeling of regret slowly settled on his chest.


    Ugh... after 400 years, he finally understood why people said ''karma is a bitch''.


    Because women never forget...


    "Have you had dinner?" Caspar asked.


    "Not yet," Finland said.


    "Let''s stop by Continental Hotel first for dinner," Caspar told Jadeith who was driving.


    "Yes, Sir."


    They made a stop by the Continental Hotel. As soon as the Rolls Royce entered the lobby area, the on-duty manager and several staff immediately came out to greet Caspar from the car. They marched and bowed respectfully.


    Jadeith opened the door for Caspar and Ben opened the door for Finland. At that time, Finland felt like a princess from the movies. Caspar walked to Finland''s side, held her hand, and guided her in.


    "I wasn''t aware that Master will come tonight, so I didn''t have time to close Moon Restaurant. Do you want to go to another restaurant or eat at your penthouse?" asked Manager Park.


    "No need," said Caspar. "We can eat with the other guests."


    He turned to Finland and whispered, "I can really live like a normal human."


    Finland understood the point Caspar was trying to make. However, no normal person could casually come without reservation to have dinner at the Moon Restaurant of Continental Hotel and get a table, thought Finland.


    Normal people must reserve at least one month in advance.


    Continental Hotel was the most magnificent and luxurious hotel in Singapore, and the main restaurant, that was located on the ground floor, was a 3 Michelin-starred restaurant. It was a very popular restaurant among the upper class society which offers the best cuisine in the world. Ordinary people must make a reservation at least one month in advance to get a table.


    Of course, as in other VIP restaurants, there was always a special table vacated from reservation to receive VIP guests who arrive without prior notice. World celebrities, politicians and super-rich people were able to receive this VIP treatment; they could come without reservation and get a table.


    The two of them followed Manager Park into the Moon Restaurant which was full of guests. They were seated at the best table near the beautiful garden and an artificial waterfall. As they walked by, guests who were enjoying their dinner stopped eating and turned their gaze to follow the two.


    Of course, Caspar''s appearance was very eye catching, especially to the women who were there. The combination of his very handsome face, fashionable appearance, and slightly arrogant way of walking fascinated them. He looked and acted like he owned the place (which in this case is true, but they didn''t know).


    People started whispering as soon as they sat down.


    Finland looked very beautiful, even though today she wasn''t dressed properly for dinner at such a fancy restaurant. She went to take Jean to the airport directly from her office, so she only wore her work outfit and carried a laptop bag.


    She felt that many people in the room were judging her appearance; they were probably thinking that she did not deserve to be with such a perfect man.


    Ugh... now she understood why Caspar preferred to eat in privacy and always chose to close the restaurant he was having dinner at.


    Finland took the menu and tried to understand its contents. Caspar shook his head and called Manager Park who was standing beside him.


    "Please translate this menu to English, so later if Miss Finland eats here without me, she can order the food she likes herself."


    "Yes, Sir." Manager Park responded while writing something on his tablet. "If you will excuse me, I will go to my office to take care of your request. I will ask my staff to receive your orders."


    He then left them. Caspar translated the French menu to English so Finland could find a dish she wanted to order.


    Finland was touched. She remembered that 4 months ago when they first ate at that restaurant, she took a picture of the menu to ask for Jean''s help as she did not understand French. Caspar must have remembered and now he translated the menu for her again without being asked.


    "Thank you... I want to order this one¡­ and this one," Finland finally decided on her order.


    The waiter noted their orders and excused herself.


    "You remember that I don''t understand the menu because it is in French..." Finland smiled at Caspar after the waiter left, "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome," Caspar said, returning Finland''s smile, showing off his dimples which made Finland want to kiss him. "You can repay my kindness by kissing me."


    Ugh... was Caspar able to read minds too? Finland asked herself.


    She looked around and after making sure that not many people were watching them, she brought her face close to Caspar''s and kissed him quickly.


    Caspar''s face lit up when Finland kissed him. His mood improved significantly and he suddenly called Stanis.


    "Stanis, I''m very happy now. Raise the salary of all staff of Continental Hotel by 5%."


    Finland gasped. Caspar was indeed a generous boss. If he was happy, he could easily bombard his staff with bonuses or salary increases. But if he was upset, Finland remembered he almost cut Ben''s annual bonus.


    "You may come here at any time. I will tell all the staff of the Continental Hotel that you are the reason of their salary increase," Caspar said, "Hopefully when you come here again they would already have an English menu."


    "Wow... thank you," Finland said excitedly.


    Having access to Moon Restaurant was a privilege for a marketing person like her. All this while, due to practicality, LTX was only able to have meetings with clients at restaurants which did not require a one-month advance reservation such as De Lune Restaurant.


    However, with Caspar''s arrangement, next time, Finland could entertain her clients by taking them to Moon Restaurant. She was sure that they would feel very surprised and honored, and LTX International''s image will become even more prestigious.

 Chapter 60 - Things that money can buy

    Finland and Caspar enjoyed their meal while updating each other about the events that happened when he was away. Caspar asked Finland about her meeting with Jean and Katia. He held his promise and did not find out information about her using his extraordinary access, so he had to ask her directly to find out what happened.


    "Jean has returned to Paris; Katia too," Finland said. "Actually, Katia took me to dinner the other day and we talked a little about you... She said that she still loves you."


    "That''s her problem," Caspar responded. "I don''t love Katia and I admit that what I did to her was wrong. I thought the feeling I had for her 50 years ago was love, but I was never sure. When she left me 6 months ago I became more convinced that what I felt for her was not love. After I met you... I know for sure that I never loved her. Finland, you are the only woman I''ve ever loved."


    Finland sipped her wine slowly as she heard Caspar confess his love for her for the umpteenth time.


    "How can you be so sure?" Finland asked him.


    "I am sure, because for the first time in my life, I have never thought of other women beside you. I have met thousands of women in my long life and no one has ever made me suffer like you..." Caspar said. "Since I met you, I''ve never been with other women. Now I see other women differently. It''s like seeing trees, or chairs, or cars. I look at them as if they are inanimate objects."


    "How do I make you suffer?" Finland asked, not quite understanding what he meant.


    "You make me suffer because you are always on my mind, while we know I am never on your mind. It''s been so long and you still haven''t responded to my love confessions," Caspar answered with a slight protest.


    "Maybe that''s the reason... you have never actually been rejected by a woman before. All the women you were interested in fell in love with you almost instantly and wanted to marry you... So now, when for the first time you meet a woman who didn''t fall for you right away, your heart feels interested and challenged. It wants to conquer the only person who didn''t fall in love with you and doesn''t want to be your wife... " Finland said again. "It''s also not love. Because in that case, once I return your love, your heart will feel satisfied because you managed to conquer me like those other women, and the feelings you have now will disappear..."


    Caspar looked at Finland for a long time. He did not deny the girl''s words. He had never met a woman who had not fallen in love with him. Finland was the first girl who didn''t give him that adoring look and wanted to be his wife...


    But he was very sure that what he felt for her was love, not just a desire to conquer.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t know how to convince the girl...


    "I don''t know how I can convince you..." he said then with a sigh.


    Damn you, Karma! he thought, irritated.


    Caspar tried to change the subject. He did not want to linger on topics about Katia and how many women he had hurt in the past four hundred years.


    As the saying goes, action speaks louder than words, so he was determined to prove that he really loved her. He would stop talking about it and he would start showing his love.


    "I can buy a lot of things that I like," Caspar said, raising his empty glass. A waiter quickly came and swiftly poured more champagne, "I bought Continental Hotel because I like the food at this Moon Restaurant. So far the return on investment is good."


    "Is that so? It must be really nice to be able to buy whatever you want," Finland said jealously.


    She thought of all the things she wanted in life but could not afford, even though they were cheap.


    She was reminded of her school uniform that was already too small, shoes that had holes, a school bag that was too old to accommodate her school books... all those things showed her pauperism when she was in school and made her the bullying target of the rich girls...


    She could only swallow hard as she tried to forget the bad experiences of her past.


    "Unfortunately, not everything I want can be bought..." Caspar said. "Often, the most valuable things in life cannot be valued with money."


    "For example?" Finland could not think of anything that could not be bought with Caspar''s wealth.


    Example? Your heart, Caspar said to himself.


    Caspar did not reply her question and only kept that thought in his mind. He did not want to sound cheesy.


    "Do you think my decision to buy this hotel is good or not?" he asked, changing the subject.


    "I don''t know. You said that the return on investment of this hotel was good. Doesn''t that mean that your decision to buy the hotel was a good decision?" Finland answered. "Have you ever bought anything and regretted it?"


    Caspar frowned at the question. "Hmm... I have never regretted buying something, but indeed not everything I bought made a profit. For example, I once bought a house at a price that was too expensive just because I was annoyed by the people who lived there. It belonged to an annoying couple who often played music loudly when other people wish to sleep."


    "Oh..." Finland smiled at that. Rich people''s problems, she thought.


    It''s true, no person had a perfect life.


    She was just about to ask for her glass to be refilled when a man from the table at the other end waved at her. Without her realizing, he had been watching her for some time.


    Finland squinted to take a better look and realized that it was Noah, the guy from Atlas Corp who was trying to flirt with her during dinner at De Lune. Apparently, he and his two colleagues from Atlas were having dinner at this restaurant. Finland nodded to them for courtesy.


    She did not know what to expect when Noah and Jonathan started walking towards their table.

 Chapter 61 - Feeling disgusted

    "Hello, good evening, Finland. I didn''t expect to see you here," Noah said, "Maybe it''s fate. Tomorrow we will meet for the last time to sign the contract, right?"


    The air between Caspar and Finland seemed to drop a few degrees when Noah mentioned the word ''fate''. The girl saw how Caspar''s smile disappeared and his face stiffened.


    "Eh... yes, good evening, Noah." Finland nodded. "Are you staying at this hotel?"


    "Yes. When we made a hotel reservation last month, I read that Moon Restaurant is quite special, so at the time we booked a table for dinner on our last night in Singapore." Noah looked at Finland with a smile that disgusted her. He glanced at Caspar and nodded slightly, "I won''t interfere with your romantic dinner. Good night."


    He threw a teasing smile at Finland before returning to his table.


    "Who is that?" Caspar asked, clearly unhappy.


    "Corporate clients," Finland said. "Don''t bother."


    She tried to continue eating as if nothing had happened, but she felt sick to her stomach. Noah''s way of looking at her was truly disgusting. Finland gulped down her champagne and excused herself to the rest room.


    "Are you okay?" Caspar asked when Finland stood up from her chair.


    "I''m okay... just a little nauseous. I want to go to the rest room to clean up." She raised her hand to calm Caspar down, "Maybe I caught a cold. The food and drinks here are perfect as usual... It is not the restaurant that made me sick."


    She walked quickly to the toilet. Finland realized that many pairs of eyes were following her every movement and she became even more upset. Why can''t people mind their own business?


    When she reached the restroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Seeing her plain and tired face made her feel worse. She should have washed her face and worn at least some light make up after taking Jean to the airport.


    Her face looked so dull because she didn''t stop crying when she was walking from her office to Jean''s apartment earlier that day. She was really sad that her friend was returning to Paris...


    Of course, the girls in this restaurant didn''t know how her day had been and just judged her on her current appearance. She was just deemed not good enough to be with a man as handsome and rich as Caspar.


    She finally washed her face and applied a thin layer of lipstick to make her face look fresher. Ugh... she still felt sick of the way Noah looked at her earlier.


    Finland remembered that Jean pretended to be her boyfriend when she was eating at De Lune a few days ago. Now Noah must think that she was having an affair with another man because she was eating at Moon Restaurant with Caspar.


    His knowing look and smile seemed to indicate that he knew Finland was having an affair... or maybe he thought that she was an escort¡­


    Ugh... if Atlas Corp weren''t such an important prospective client for the company, Finland would not be so courteous to him. She took one last glance at herself in the mirror and walked out of the restroom.


    "Hello, Finland."


    Finland was very surprised to see Noah waiting for her in the hallway outside the restrooms. He smiled very broadly, and immediately nausea in Finland''s throat returned.


    "Hello, Noah. What are you doing here? The men''s toilet is over there," Finland said, pointing to the end of the hall. "Excuse me."


    She was about to walk away when Noah grabbed and pulled her hand.


    "Tomorrow, after signing the project contract, I will fly to Bali for the weekend and enjoy a weekend getaway there before returning to Seattle." Noah smiled slyly, "I need an Indonesian to accompany me there because I don''t understand the language."


    "Everyone in Bali is good at English," Finland said as she tried to pull her hand away, but Noah did not let go.


    "I don''t like to beat around the bush, I want you to accompany me to Bali." Noah said finally. "If you are not willing, then there will be no contract signed tomorrow. We will work with another marketing company."


    "What do you mean?" Finland became angry. "I''m not that kind of woman!"


    "Don''t pretend to be an innocent girl," Noah said in a mocking tone. "You''re going out with Jean, but you just kissed another man tonight. I''ve also heard rumors that you are a wealthy businessman''s sugar baby. So, you must be used to serving a lot of men."


    "Let go of my hand!" Finland pulled her hand with all her might and slapped Noah. "How dare you!"


    Noah grabbed his cheek and became very angry.


    "You¡­!! How dare you slap me! Because of you, tomorrow Atlas Corp will not sign any contract with LTX International. I''m the decision maker for this project. You should have been good to me!"


    He turned away with a loud snort.


    Finland was stunned. She must hold onto the wall to support herself. It''s impudent that Noah accused her of being a sugar baby and asked her to accompany him on his vacation to Bali...


    Tears slowly dripped onto her cheeks.


    She really hated people who use their power to oppress others.


    If the contract with Atlas Corp was cancelled tomorrow, Finland knew that she would be scolded at the office... They would not understand even though it was not her fault.

 Chapter 62 - I will not let anyone bully you

    With a sad face she returned to her table, trying to remove traces of her tears.


    When Caspar saw her, he squinted his eyes to take a better look at Finland. He immediately stood up and held the girl''s hand.


    "Are you crying? What''s wrong?"


    "No... I wasn''t crying. It''s nothing..." Finland answered.


    "I know what your crying face looks like. Even though you wiped your tears, I know you were crying. Your eyes can''t lie."


    Again, Caspar saw the saddest pair of eyes in the world. The same pair which first caught his attention at the airport. He hated to see Finland sad.


    "I hate people who abuse their power to oppress others..." Finland finally answered after Caspar urged her again.


    "Who abused their power? Who hurt you?" Caspar asked.


    Finland stole a glance at Noah''s table, and she saw the man raise his wine glass while nodding toward them. Caspar followed Finland''s eyes and looked at the same direction.


    "He? What did he do?"


    Finland pursed her lips and replied, "He''s the Atlas Corp Marketing Manager. Our company is trying to set up a contract with them. A few days ago, I accompanied several people from the marketing department to meet them for dinner. He tried to flirt with me all night and I became very uncomfortable. Finally, I asked Jean to come and pretend to be my boyfriend."


    Caspar began to understand what had happened.


    "Then?"


    "After Jean arrived, he stopped flirting with me and probably forgot about me. But now, he saw us together tonight, and when I kissed you, he thought I was that kind of woman. He said that he heard rumors that I am some wealthy businessman''s mistress and therefore I must be used to serving men. So he insisted that I accompany him on a holiday in Bali this weekend... otherwise he will cancel the contract with LTX..." Finland gulped down all the wine in her glass before slamming her glass on the table, "I hate people who bully others like that..."


    Caspar hugged her and rubbed her head.


    "I understand..."


    Being treated so gently by Caspar, Finland could not hold back the tears she tried hard to suppress. Hate is a strong word, but she really hated people who have power over others and oppress the weak. She was tired of being mistreated by people all her life...


    "I... I hate being bullied by others..." Finland sobbed, "It''s not my fault that I''m poor or weak... If I can fight them, I will fight. But mostly I can only cry when other people do whatever they want to me... "


    Caspar imagined the times when Finland was dragged to the back of her school, tied to a tree and beaten by girls who hated her because she was beautiful...


    Actually, they did not torture Finland because she was beautiful, but because she was weak, poor, and unable to defend herself.


    Finland was an easy target...


    "Honey... I can''t save you from the bullies that happened in the past, but I can save you from your bullies in the present. Now, anyone who hurts you must face me." Caspar whispered softly in her ears. He was very calm. He ignored all the people who were stealing glances at them and continued, "I will not let anyone bully you again. Ever."


    Finland tried to calm down and wipe her tears away, but Caspar was faster. He had taken his handkerchief and carefully wiped the tears on Finland''s eyes and cheeks with a loving attitude that made all women in the room green with envy.


    After Finland calmed down, Caspar pressed a telephone number on his cellphone.


    "Stanis, I want you to buy Atlas Corporation. They are an American company. I know it''s still early there but I want you to call the owner right now and make an offer that he is unable to refuse. I want an answer in half an hour."


    Finland was amazed to hear that. She stared at Caspar with a look of awe.


    That was easy...


    It must be nice to be a very rich and powerful person who can buy a company without thinking...


    "Do you want more champagne?" Caspar asked as if he hadn''t just made a call to buy a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars.


    Finland nodded. The waiter swiftly refilled her glass without being asked.


    "Do you think buying Atlas Corp is a good decision?" Finland asked softly, "The owner would definitely ask for a price that is too high because he doesn''t actually want to sell. The company is currently very profitable."


    "I know," Caspar answered casually, "but as I said earlier, there are things that cannot be valued with money. Your tears are too expensive to flow in vain like that. I hate to see the girl I love being hurt. So, I will buy Atlas Corp and fire that asshole. That way he can get what he deserves."


    "Oh..." Finland fell silent. She looked at Caspar with love-filled eyes. This man always made her feel looked after...


    She sipped her champagne with a lighter feeling. She did not mind having Caspar on her side. Today, for the first time, she could get back at someone who was trying to oppress her...

 Chapter 63 - I am only protecting myself

    Caspar''s cellphone beeped and the name Stanis appeared on his screen. He immediately picked up the phone.


    Wow... that was fast, thought Finland. It''s only been 15 minutes.


    "It''s all done? Alright. You take care of everything needed for the transfer process and find a new Marketing Manager."


    He put down his cellphone and smiled at Finland.


    "What happened?" Finland asked.


    "Meet the new Atlas Corp owner," Caspar reached out and shook Finland''s hand gently. He was in good mood. "Tomorrow Atlas Corp will sign a cooperation contract with LTX, you don''t have to worry."


    "Oh really?"


    "Have I ever lied to you?"


    "No." Finland shook her head. She then smiled a little and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you."


    "I did this for myself," Caspar grasped Finland''s hand and squeezed it softly, "If anyone hurt you, it means they hurt me. I am only protecting myself."


    Caspar signaled to the waiter and said something. The waiter nodded and walked to Noah and his friends'' table.


    "What are you doing?" Finland asked.


    "I will fire the man right before your eyes, so he knows why he lost his job, and learns to respect women next time."


    Noah, Jonathan, and William came to their table with questioning looks. Earlier, the waiter said that they were summoned to Caspar''s table because there was an important matter to discuss.


    They did not know the man at the table, so they thought it was Finland who called them. Their faces seemed unhappy because they thought Finland was being rude by calling them to her table like this.


    "What''s wrong, Finland? The waiter said we should come to this table?" Noah asked, snorting, "If you have something to say, then you should come to us."


    Caspar cleared his throat and cut off Noah''s words.


    "What is your name?" he asked,


    Noah turned to Caspar and frowned, "I''m Noah Janssen. Who wants to know?"


    "Are you Atlas Corp''s Marketing Manager?" Caspar asked again.


    "I am." Noah looked at Caspar and Finland in turn. "What''s with all this?"


    "I am the new owner of Atlas Corp, and I don''t like the way you treated Finland." Caspar stared sharply at Noah. "You have to learn to respect women. As a business owner, I don''t like to see my employees sexually harass women, especially by threatening to cancel contracts to force clients to comply with your demands."


    Noah and his two friends were shocked to hear that. They looked at each other. A moment later Noah shook his head and laughed contemptuously.


    "I did nothing to her. Don''t believe this woman''s rubbish talk." He shrugged, "Besides you''re not the owner of Atlas Corp. I know my boss. Don''t talk carelessly..."


    Caspar didn''t care about Noah. He pointed to Jonathan and told him to come closer.


    "Who are you? Assistant to Marketing Manager?"


    Jonathan nodded. "Yes."


    "Tomorrow, on behalf of the Marketing Manager, you will sign a cooperation contract with LTX because Noah is fired. Until Stanis appoints a new marketing manager, you have to take care of all his work."


    Jonathan was amazed. He did not know what to answer. He and William exchanged glances. It seemed crazy, because they knew that the owner of Atlas Corp, their boss, was a technology-savvy middle-aged entrepreneur named Sam Atlas.


    He would never sell his company. But this young man in front of them seemed very serious.


    Noah burst out laughing.


    "Very funny..." he said in a mocking tone.


    William Chan, the Director of Engineering, frowned and called the office in Seattle. His voice sounded rather shocked when he heard the answer from the other end. He then handed his cellphone to Noah.


    "This is Boss Sam..." He said softly.


    Noah accepted the cellphone with a frown. "Hello, Boss..."


    His face immediately turned pale. He then looked at Caspar, fear clearly visible in his eyes. William''s cellphone fell from his hand.


    "You... you..." He shook his head in disbelief, "Who are you?!"


    Caspar gave a sign and the waiter returned to fill his glass with champagne.


    "I told you, I am the new owner of Atlas Corp, and you are fired. Tomorrow you will fly straight to Seattle. There''s no need for you to go back to the office. Severance pay and dismissal letters will be taken care of by HR."


    He then signaled for the three men to go away. William and Jonathan bowed before pulling Noah away. They had to drag him because Noah was frozen in his place like a statue. He didn''t expect this to happen...


    Finland witnessed what happened and stared at Caspar with eyes full of gratitude. Noah''s actions hurt her greatly, and Caspar made her feel safe, protected, and defended...


    She slowly felt the defensive wall around her heart collapse...


    "Thank you..." She whispered.


    Caspar smiled mischievously, "Are you grateful enough to give me a kiss?"


    Finland smiled back and nodded.


    "Yeah..." The girl hurriedly added, "but not here. This is a public place and too many people are watching¡­"


    Caspar smiled even wider. Earlier Finland didn''t mind kissing him quickly in front of many people when he translated the menu into English.


    If now Finland didn''t want to kiss him in front of other people... It could only mean that this girl would give him a special kiss, not just a quick kiss like before.


    The thought made him very happy and impatient. He quickly finished his champagne.

 Chapter 64 - The Special Kiss

    "We don''t have to order dessert, right? Let''s just go home," he said.


    Finland nodded. She also felt full because she drank too much champagne already. She stood following Caspar who grabbed her hand and escorted her out of the restaurant.


    She again felt dozens of pairs of eyes following them, but this time Finland did not care.


    Finland thought Caspar would ask for his kiss as soon as they entered the car. However, he just sat next to her, not letting go of her hand. Not once did he mention the kiss that she promised earlier.


    The girl began to wonder if Caspar would not take this opportunity to kiss her... she was more than happy to kiss Caspar this time.


    She still felt very happy because she saw how Caspar defended her... Her chest almost burst with happiness and she felt very safe because Caspar was by her side...


    They arrived at Rose Mansion and got out of the car; Caspar still hadn''t asked for his kiss. He walked toward Finland''s Pavilion, not letting go of her hand.


    Finland followed him feeling confused. She wanted to give him a kiss because Caspar had defended her...


    She wanted to kiss Caspar to show her gratitude... but Caspar seemed to have forgotten about it.


    Or¡­ did he?


    They arrived at Finland''s pavilion. Caspar then let go of Finland''s hand.


    "I want the kiss now..." He said with a mischievous smile, "I waited until we get our privacy..."


    That''s new, thought Finland. As she recalled, Caspar never hesitated to kiss her in front of Ben and Jadeith. She did not understand why he had to wait until they were alone.


    OK...


    Finland closed her eyes and brought her face closer to the man''s face. Not long after, Caspar''s moist lips welcomed her lips with warmth.


    Caspar kissed her very gently, then slowly began to claim her lips greedily, and then his tongue entered Finland''s mouth and explored it passionately. His hand on Finland''s shoulder slowly and gently descended on her back, making her squirm, but she did not protest.


    She really enjoyed Caspar''s kiss and a soft moan escaped from her lips when Caspar held her tightly and continued to kiss her more passionately.


    "I love you Finland, I''ve never felt this way with any woman..." He whispered. He stopped the kiss and stared deep into Finland''s eyes. The girl opened her eyes and looked at him for a long time. Caspar shook his head, "I don''t know how else I can convince you..."


    Unexpectedly, Finland kissed Caspar, making him gasp. He did not expect Finland would take the initiative to kiss him.


    Caspar returned Finland''s kiss passionately, and after a while, he felt her body relax in his arms. He then carried the girl into the pavilion. Finland showed no sign of protest.


    When Caspar lowered her on the bed and continued to make out with her, Finland did not object. She returned his kisses and blushed as she welcomed his outpour of love.


    Caspar then slowly took off her clothes, one at a time, and gently kissed each part that was slowly exposed.


    She never felt so loved before, and she enjoyed all the love and affection he showered on her. Each kiss and caress brought her body to life.


    Caspar was touched when he realized that the girl he loved was willing to give herself to him. He kissed Finland without stopping and caressed her body with affection.


    He slowly took off his clothes and entered her very very gently. He knew this was her first time and he didn''t want her to feel any pain.


    "I will make you happy..." he whispered in a husky voice, "I''ve been practicing for hundreds of years, and all that now is just to make you happy..."


    That''s when Finland understood what Caspar had meant. He said that he had been training his skills for hundreds of years, and Finland would be the one to enjoy the benefits...


    Because this was her first time, Finland did not know whether all sexual intercourses was this beautiful and ecstatic.


    Could it be that his experience with the thousands of women before her had perfected his techniques?


    He was able to give Finland such mind-blowing pleasure during their love-making. Finland felt like she was in the clouds; she never felt like this before.

 Chapter 65 - Caspar had never felt so happy

    Finland slept with a warm smile that night. Caspar, who was still accustomed to the German time zone, which was 7 hours behind Singapore, waited by her side, watching the girl''s peaceful face.


    For the four months he had known her, he had never seen Finland''s expression so peaceful before. Secretly he was proud of himself because the smile on the girl''s face was the result of his hard work.


    A smile was engraved on his face as he thought of everything that had happened since he met Finland at the airport until the incident today which forced him to buy another aviation company.


    That''s right, Atlas Corp was the second aviation company he owned. Some time ago he bought the majority stake in an aviation company in France, Aves Inc., because he liked their aircraft products. He was currently using one of their products: a private aircraft from Aves Inc.


    He couldn''t let Noah hurt Finland without punishing him properly, namely firing him from his position as Atlas Corp''s Marketing Manager.


    Therefore, Caspar asked Stanis to offer Sam Atlas, the owner of the company, a lot of money to sell Atlas Corp to him.


    Unfortunately, Sam refused whatever money offered by Stanis and Caspar was forced to give him permission to offer something more valuable than money: knowledge.


    Sam really loved his company, but he loved science more. When Stanis gave him an offer to meet with Caspar to chat about alchemy, in an undisclosed location, he finally agreed to sell 80% of the company''s shares to the Schneider Group.


    Caspar kept this information from Finland, because he did not want the girl to worry. When he saw her eyes spark with love and gratitude, he felt that all the money and effort he spent last night was worth it.


    He knew that he really loved this girl, because he was only happy when he saw Finland happy...


    And thanks to his sincerity, Finland finally returned his love last night.


    Caspar had never felt so happy.


    Because Finland had returned his love, he was now busy thinking of the most romantic way to propose to the girl, then hold a wedding.


    The Alchemists will witness the most magnificent wedding ever in their history.


    Caspar was the most famous eligible bachelor among his people. Apart from being one of the oldest and most influential, he was also the head of the Schneider family, who had been the leader of the clan from generation to generation. Everyone listened to his orders.


    There were 5 influential families among the Alchemist clan, but only the Schneider family had the immortality potion as their family legacy. This potion was now guarded by his younger brother, Aldebar.


    Given the importance of marriage to an Alchemist, Caspar and Finland''s wedding would certainly be a very important event that would impact the entire clan.


    Aldebar''s 200th birthday would take place at the end of next month. He could announce his engagement there when all the Alchemist clans gathered for that event...


    Or...


    He could marry Finland there and then. Caspar didn''t want to wait too long; he had to get this girl before she changed her mind.


    Moreover, it was more practical to do the wedding next month because almost all clan members would be there...


    Aldebar would be very upset if Caspar took the opportunity to marry Finland on his birthday, but he would forgive his brother someday. Caspar could wait until Aldebar''s resentment subsided. His brother had never been angry for more than ten years.


    Hmmm...


    Caspar''s thoughts ran wild and he couldn''t keep a smile from arching on his face. He then turned to his side, to the beautiful girl who was sleeping next to him.


    "You already belong to me," he whispered softly. "Just look, you will be the proud wife of Caspar Alexander Sebastian Heinrich von Schneider. I promise."


    He kissed Finland''s forehead very softly, so the girl didn''t wake up, then tried to close his eyes and sleep.


    Finally sleep came to him at 4 am.

 Chapter 66 - The Morning After

    Finland woke up when she heard birds singing outside the window. This was one of the things she liked most about Rose Mansion; its spacious and lush garden was full of life.


    When mornings come, animals such as birds and squirrels were already busy with their activities, and their singing had become a natural alarm for Finland to wake up and start the day.


    Her head felt a little dizzy, and Finland thought it was probably because of the amount of champagne she had at Moon Restaurant last night. Apart from knowing that the price was very expensive, Finland also drank more because she was irritated and hurt by Noah''s actions.


    She was deeply moved when Caspar purposely bought Atlas Corp to get back at him and fired the man in front of her. Really, her heart beat faster when she saw Caspar defend her like that...


    And oh, he must have spent a lot of money to buy that company...


    How much did Finland really mean to him? Had he done this for another woman before?


    Finland then thought about what they did after arriving back at Rose Mansion. Caspar asked for the kiss she had promised because Caspar defended her from Noah ....


    Finland remembered that she kissed Caspar twice last night after they arrived at her pavilion... And the second kiss led to¡­


    Ahh¡­


    Instantly her face flushed bright red. Finland turned to the side and found Caspar sleeping next to her with a smile on his face. His arm was hugging her side. They were still naked and Finland, who felt a little embarrassed, tried to cover herself with a blanket from the side of the bed.


    She purposely let the blanket uncover Caspar''s body because she wanted to admire his abs and chiseled body a little longer. It was a mouthwatering view, and she unconsciously gulped at the beautiful sight.


    This was the body that explored her own very expertly last night and repeatedly swept her away with mind blowing pleasures that she had never experienced and dreamed of before.


    Caspar knew exactly what to do and where to do it. He made her moan and beg for mercy because she could not bear being constantly blown away by pleasure after pleasure.


    She shuddered when she thought about how Caspar caressed and kissed her, and sucked and licked all her sensitive body parts, and when she was ready, very gently and slowly, he entered her. That was when Finland knew that the man really loved her...


    Even if Caspar stopped confessing his love to her, Finland would still know that she was truly loved. He showed it in action and made her happy by giving her all those pleasures... He really pampered and spoiled Finland last night...


    Now Finland was convinced that Caspar really loved her. That he really thought she was special, unlike Katia or the thousands of other girls who he had been with...


    "Uhhmmm..." Caspar, who suddenly opened his eyes, caught Finland admiring his body. He smiled and greeted the girl he loved. "Good morning, Sweetheart. Don''t wake up just yet. I''m still sleepy."


    "It''s already 7 o''clock... I have to get ready for work. There is an important contract signing today at the office," Finland answered softly.


    "I just slept at 4am... still hit with jetlag..." Caspar''s face looked very sad and his eyes glazed like a puppy who had been scolded, "Don''t you pity me?"


    "You can go back to sleep; I will get up and get ready," Finland said calmly. She almost laughed when Caspar gave her the ''puppy eyes'' like that.


    "I am the new owner of Atlas Corp. I can sign the contract in our bedroom. I will tell Ben to bring the contract from LTX. You don''t have to go to the office..." Caspar said in a husky voice.


    Finland shook her head.


    "If you do that, everyone in the office will know that I live with you here... And there would be rumors that I''m your mistress AGAIN..."


    "Or you can just quit working," Caspar said, "I can give you whatever money you need."


    "Caspar, I''m not a sugar baby who gets money from her boyfriend without working like that," Finland said when she heard it, irritated.


    Didn''t Caspar fire Noah last night because he said Finland was a wealthy businessman''s mistress??


    "Ouch... yes, I am sorry... I wasn''t thinking..." Caspar scratched his head, almost in despair, "Then why don''t you work as my personal assistant... I can pay you 10 times your salary in LTX. "


    "Thank you. But I like my job as marketing at LTX. There are lots of interesting projects."


    Caspar pursed his lips in sadness, he lost the argument. Finally, he closed his eyes and nodded weakly.


    "Okay... you can go to the office. But can I continue sleeping here? I like being surrounded by your scent on the bed..."


    "Up to you," Finland said, getting up from the bed. She hurriedly covered her body with a kimono and rushed to the bathroom to clean herself and get ready for the office.


    When Finland was ready to go to work, she saw that Caspar was still lying in her bed. He looked very tired. Finally, Finland sat on the edge of the bed and held the man''s hand.


    "Thank you for last night. I''m very happy..." she said softly.


    Caspar pulled Finland''s hand to his lips and kissed the hand with affection.


    "Thank you for finally accepting my love... I''m the happiest man in the world..." he whispered.


    Finland nodded. "Rest here. I''ll call you later."


    Caspar quickly got up and signaled Finland to hug him. His face, which looked like a sad puppy who had to let his master go to work, inevitably made Finland laugh and hug him warmly.


    "I love you, Finland," Caspar said as he rubbed Finland''s hair. A few moments later, the answer he was waiting for softly came...


    "I love you too, Caspar."


    The man smiled very happily. Finland thought she wouldn''t be surprised if later in the afternoon Caspar raised the salaries of the three staff at Rose Mansion, as well as Ben''s and Jadeith''s. He was really generous when he was feeling so happy.


    Finland finally managed to escape Caspar''s arms and walked out. In the front yard she saw Ben waiting for her by the black Maybach. He smiled at her and greeted her while lifting his hat.


    "Good morning, Madam...."


    Finland glared, "How come you also call me Madam now?"


    Ben chuckled, "I''m just practicing to get used to it."


    Finland knew how futile it was to correct Jadeith all this time, and she would not waste energy now trying to correct Ben.


    ***

 Chapter 67 - Is Jean feeling sad?

    Finland arrived at the office just as Anthony Wu entered the building. They took the elevator together to the 7th floor where the LTX Marketing Department was located.


    "Good morning, Finland. I just got word that Noah was fired from Atlas Corp and we will sign a contract for this cooperation agreement with the Marketing Manager''s Assisstant, Jonathan."


    "Is that so?" Finland asked, pretending to be astonished. "What happened?"


    "The rumor is that Noah was fired for sexual harassment..." Tony shrugged, "He did look a bit like a pervert. But I didn''t expect him to be fired just because of his behavior."


    "The important thing is that our cooperation contract continues," Finland said, shrugging. She did not want to talk about Noah for too long. "Excuse me, I have to make a report."


    "OK." Tony walked toward his office as soon as he got out of the elevator and Finland entered the office containing her cubicle.


    After lunch, Jonathan and William came to LTX to sign the contract. Tony greeted them personally and invited them to the meeting room to meet Ms. Fang, Tran, and Finland who were already waiting with the proposal and other documents.


    When William and Jonathan saw Finland, the two bowed slightly, astonishing the other LTX staff. They didn''t know what happened last night.


    "Good afternoon, Miss," Jonathan''s attitude looked very respectful to Finland, as was William''s.


    "Good afternoon. Please sit down," Finland remained friendly and professional, as if nothing had happened.


    Tony and Ms. Fang looked at her in amazement. They did not know why the attitude of their two clients became rather strange, but they guessed that it had something to do with Noah''s disappearance.


    They took a quick moment to discuss the details of the contract before signing it. The whole process went without issues. Half an hour later the two guests left LTX.


    Everyone in the Marketing Department was very happy and Tony offered to treat the whole department to dinner at De Lune Restaurant to celebrate the success, which made everyone more excited.


    [The Marketing Director is treating us to dinner at De Lune after work.] Finland sent a message to Caspar to notify him that she was going to be late.


    [So, you won''t have dinner with me?]


    Caspar replied to Finland''s message, adding a few sad emoticons to convey his feelings.


    [Sorry, this is to celebrate the success of getting the Atlas Corp.''s contract. You can have dinner alone, later when I get home, we can drink wine and eat snacks before going to bed.]


    Caspar only replied. [OK.]


    Finland did not forget to send a message to Jean who probably just landed in France.


    [Good morning, Jean. Welcome back to Paris. We just signed a contract with Atlas Corp. Chances are you need to go to Seattle to shoot the ads in a few months. I''m very happy with this project.]


    [Sounds amazing. I''m in the taxi heading home. Brrr... Paris is cold!]


    Jean replied.


    [What is the temperature there?] Finland asked.


    [About 8 degrees Celsius. It''s almost winter.]


    [Wow... and here I am in Singapore where the temperature is 34 degrees Celsius. Your body must be shocked to the sudden change in temperature.]


    [Yes, not to mention the considerable difference in time zone. Usually the body will feel very tired and must acclimate for several days.]


    [Caspar just returned from Germany. He must experience temperature and time differences too. Would he experience the same fatigue?] asked Finland. She was suddenly worried as Caspar looked very tired this morning when she left him.


    [Oh, usually when you switch from Europe that is cold to Asia that is warm, it doesn''t take long to acclimate. The body can adjust quickly and it won''t get too tired. The opposite is actually more difficult; switching from warm Asia to cold Europe. Our body needs more adjustments and one must be careful of the ''winter depression'' too.]


    [I see.]


    [Yes. So, you can imagine what it feels like to travel to Europe. The clock turns back several hours, the temperature drops, you are prone to winter depression, and you have to leave your loved one in Asia. No wonder many people who come back here become depressed... ahahaha...] Jean wrote again.


    That was when Finland realized that Jean might be feeling sad.


    [Are you feeling sad right now? Do you have a winter depression? Are you all right?]


    Strangely, Jean didn''t reply.


    Finland did not want to be pushy, but she became really worried about Jean. These were the times she became a little jealous of Caspar who had access to any information at the tip of his finger.


    He could become omniscient about anything he wanted to know. If only she could have access to such information and find out how Jean was doing in Paris.


    Finland really wanted to know whether Jean was fine or not.


    [Call me if you need to talk.] She finally wrote him.


    There was nothing else Finland could do for her best friend. Paris was too far from Singapore.


    [I''m fine, don''t worry. The taxi just reached my apartment, so I had to pay and enter my apartment. You will come here in January, right?] Jean''s reply relieved Finland.


    [Oh, I thought you were sad. Yes, I will go to Paris. I''m making my vacation plan and applying for leave.]


    [Sounds good. Please keep me updated...]


    [Definitely, Jean. Take care!]


    [Take care, Finland.]


    Finland was relieved to hear that Jean was fine. For a moment she was worried that Jean had winter depression.

 Chapter 68 - I already have a boyfriend

    Everyone from the Marketing Department was happy to be able to eat for free at the very famous De Lune Restaurant. Everyone was warmly chatting with each other while enjoying their wonderful meal. The atmosphere felt very pleasant.


    Finland liked these occasions because it gave her office mates the opportunity to get to know her better. Hopefully that way they won''t have prejudice toward her at work.


    Even Meilin had stopped bothering her. She was not particularly kind to Finland, but at least she was no longer demeaning her to other staff. Maybe she didn''t want to get on Jean''s bad side, since Jean was her idol, who turned out to be Finland''s best friend.


    "We are celebrating the success of getting a contract with Atlas Corp. This is not the end of our hard work; this is the beginning of a long and lucrative project, because they are just entering the Asian market. I want you to work as well as possible not to disappoint our clients." Tony raised his wine glass to give a toast, "I want to toast for our team cohesion in this department!"


    Everyone lifted their glasses and toasted with laughter.


    Dinner slowly came to an end and everyone prepared to go home. Finland, who finally left her chair, was suddenly stopped by Tony who was waiting for her at the door.


    "Finland."


    "Uhm, what''s up, Boss?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "Stop calling me boss. You were my junior at the university," Tony said.


    "Yes, but it''s been a long time. Now you are my boss in the office," Finland answered.


    "Okay, then, as your boss, I order you to call me by name. Don''t use ''boss'' to address me."


    Finland frowned at Tony''s request, but she could only nod. "Okay then, Boss... uhm, Tony."


    "Good." Tony looked at Finland for a long time, then continued speaking. "I just wish to tell you that so far all your work has been excellent and you have proven to be very capable. I''m sure your future is bright in LTX. There is a possibility that I will be sent to lead a new office in the United States or Europe. Should that project happen, I want to take you along with me. What do you think? You will get a proper promotion."


    "I have only worked for four months... It seems a bit too early for any promotions, don''t you think? Other people usually need years to get a promotion, and probably more to be sent abroad." Finland looked at Tony full of question, "Is there any hidden agenda behind this?"


    Tony laughed softly at Finland''s frankness.


    "Hahaha, you are still as suspicious as before. Business-wise, there is no hidden agenda. I think you are very good marketing person, and you have various additional abilities that make you versatile and can do whatever roles needed. You are the person I want to bring when I am transferred." He nodded, "But outside of work, in my opinion, you are a very beautiful and attractive woman, and I have had a crush on you since we were studying at NTU."


    "Oh..." Finland didn''t expect Tony to say all this now. "Jean said you were ashamed to be with me because I was a poor girl. That''s why you didn''t want to have a relationship with me."


    Tony shrugged. "I was young at that time, and I was still relying heavily on my parents'' money. But it is different now; I am already established, and I don''t care about what other people think."


    "Okay..." Finland shrugged. "Good for you. But I can''t accept your feelings. I already have a boyfriend."


    "I know Jean isn''t your boyfriend. During our dinner at the restaurant with the people from Atlas Corp, you were just pretending that he was your boyfriend because you wanted to make Noah stop flirting with you."


    Finland was shocked to hear that Tony actually realized that Noah was flirting with her when they had dinner at De Lune. He knew but he said nothing!? How outrageous!


    This made Finland somewhat angry. As the boss, she hoped that Tony would defend her when people harass her during working hours. However, he let Noah flirt too far when Noah implied to take her to Bali.


    "If you knew that Noah was bothering me, why didn''t you help me?" Finland asked.


    "It was not very obvious, Finland. He didn''t openly harass you, did he? He was just trying to flirt with you to see how far he could go. I had no good reason to reprimand him." Tony said apologetically, "Jean''s action at that time was the best way to silence him..."


    "Okay, if that''s what you think," Finland said finally. "But I still can''t accept your feelings. I already have a boyfriend."


    "As I said, I know Jean isn''t your boyfriend. You were just pretending to be lovers to silence Noah." Tony said again. He smiled and held Finland''s hand. "I''m not that young student who relied on his parents'' money anymore. I''m well-established, I''m going to lead my own company in America, and I like you."


    Finland released herself from Tony''s grasp, "Please let me go. I really have a boyfriend. One day you will meet another woman who can be your girlfriend."


    "I''ll treat you well, Finland. I sincerely like you since I was in college. You won''t find a man who is better than me." Tony insisted.


    Hearing that, Finland felt like calling Caspar and ask him to come over so that Tony could see that Finland''s boyfriend was MUCH BETTER than him... Ugh...


    Suddenly, she saw the black Maybach enter De Lune Restaurant''s lobby entrance. Finland immediately waved her hand. She no longer cared if Tony saw her getting into the luxurious car.


    "My ride has arrived. Good night." While saying so she hurriedly ran to the car. She entered before Ben could get out and open the door for her. "We go straight home, Ben."


    "Okay, Madam."


    Tony looked at the black Maybach with mixed feelings. He was somehow confused ¨C was Finland really someone''s mistress?


    Was it possible that what Meilin said was true?


    If Finland didn''t use her work in LTX as a cover, she would certainly be happy to be promoted and transferred to United States or Europe.


    It would be such an upgrade for a poor orphan from a third-world country like Indonesia.

 Chapter 69 - Caspar is busy at home

    "Is something bothering you, Madam?" Ben asked when Finland entered the car with a rather sour face.


    "It''s okay, Ben. Everything''s fine." Finland shook her head and smiled, "Is Caspar still at home?"


    "Yes, he was very busy today at home," said Ben, smiling meaningfully.


    "Oh, did he work from home?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "He canceled all his meetings and work today, because he was very busy at home."


    Finland did not understand how Caspar could be busy if he wasn''t working.


    Did Caspar cook for her? But Finland clearly told him that she would have dinner with the LTX people at De Lune Restaurant.


    Hmm... weird.


    They arrived at the Rose Mansion at around 9pm. As usual, the atmosphere was quiet, and it was rather dark in the courtyard. Finland thanked Ben, got out of the car and walked to her pavilion to place her belongings before looking for Caspar in the main house.


    When she walked through the rose garden, she heard soft music starting to play. She paused and tilted her head to find the source of the sound.


    Hmm... classical music.


    Who would play music at this hour? Was it the neighbor next door? Maybe Caspar would buy the house next door because they played music loudly at this hour, she thought to herself.


    Suddenly, several tiny lights lit in the garden in front of Finland. The girl was surprised to see it. She did not remember that there were lights there before. She walked closer to examine the lights when suddenly more lights lit up in front of her.


    She was amazed. Slowly Finland walked forward, and as she walked, more lights were lit... It almost seemed like an endless show of lights.


    The garden began to brighten and she could see that the lights were placed between the roses, like the sparkling lights on the Christmas tree.


    She moved forward and more lights lit in front of her. She finally continued walking towards her pavilion and more lights were turned on in front of her. It also illuminated the road in front of her. The lights stayed on even after she walked passed them. She felt like she was in a fairytale world, or at the light festival... it was really beautiful and breathtaking.


    Strangely, the sound of classical music that she had heard earlier became increasingly clear as she walked towards her pavilion.


    Maybe the music came from...


    When she arrived in front of her pavilion, Finland saw a group of musicians in a mini orchestra playing music in the courtyard. There was a conductor directing them, and a piano player, cellists, violinists, flute player, and even a harpist. What was with all this?


    The surrounding little lights that sparkled around the garden and pavilion made the atmosphere very romantic.


    Finland covered her mouth in surprise... This was very unexpected...


    Was this what kept Caspar busy all day?


    Subconsciously she started looking for the man. She walked into her pavilion to look for Caspar. When she passed by the musicians, the conductor and the musicians nodded their heads in respect. They all bowed courteously as she passed. This felt so over the top.


    "Finland..." she suddenly heard Caspar''s voice from behind her. It turned out that the man had been behind Finland ever since she entered the rose garden, and was walking behind her towards her pavilion. Caspar tried his best to hold back his laughter when he saw Finland advancing slowly to see the lights turned on in front of her.


    The girl turned and looked at Caspar who was dressed in different clothing than usual. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt decorated with lace, which made him look like a prince from the Victorian times. He was very elegant yet casual at the same time.


    Everyday Caspar looked very handsome and perfect, and Finland did not know that he could even look more beautiful if he tried a little. Like tonight...


    "Am I surprising you?" Caspar asked, opening his arms to show signs that he wanted to embrace Finland.


    The girl blushed. She was stunned to see how good looking the man in front of her was, then walked slowly into his arms.


    "Yeah, I''m a little surprised... What''s this for?" Finland asked as she buried her head in Caspar''s chest.


    "Do you like it?"


    "It''s a bit over the top... But yes, I like it," Finland nodded with a smile. "What is this for?"


    Caspar let go of her arms and he held Finland''s hands. He stared at her like a puppy who just met his master after being left to go abroad for months.


    "I love you," he said softly. "I have never met a woman who can draw my heart so strongly, like you. I can''t stop thinking about you... I want to marry you and have many children from you."


    Finland gasped.


    "Err... wait a minute... what¡­ is this..." she swallowed hard, "Are you proposing to me?"


    "Finland, dear... please marry me. I can''t live without you."


    Finland didn''t exactly remember what happened after that. Her mind immediately went blank. She faintly heard the classical music played by the orchestra behind her, then Caspar came down on one knee and took out a ring with the biggest diamond she had ever seen. The diamond was soft pink in color, which was very rare.


    Finland did not remember her answer, but suddenly Caspar placed the ring on her ring finger. The man kissed her hand, got up, and kissed her lips passionately.


    They kissed for quite a long time, rocking slowly back and forth to the music, surrounded by thousands of lights that adorned the rose trees around her pavilion. The romantic songs played by the orchestra made the moment even more surreal.

 Chapter 70 - I love you

    When Caspar carried her into the pavilion, Finland''s mind came to her senses.


    Apparently, she had accepted Caspar''s proposal with tears trickling down her cheeks. She felt very moved... She felt very loved... She felt precious... She loved this man so much¡­


    When Caspar and Finland entered the pavilion, the orchestra group quietly cleared their equipment and left, to give them privacy.


    Within five minutes, the place had become quiet. Finland could only hear the insects outside, and the sound of their breaths.


    "I can''t wait to make you my wife..." Caspar whispered. "Let''s get married in Germany at the end of this year... All Alchemist clan members will come to attend Aldebar''s 200th birthday. I wish to introduce you to everyone."


    He laid Finland on the bed and sat on the edge of the bed while caressing her hair.


    "Is that not too soon?" Finland asked.


    "Actually, when you accepted my proposal, I have already considered you as my wife. Our commitment is more important than the wedding ceremony. But I still want to show you to everyone. And you also have to drink the immortality potion from Aldebar."


    Uhm...


    "About that..." Finland found it rather difficult to explain her decision, "I don''t know if I''m ready to live as an immortal. It''s a commitment that is greater than just marrying you."


    "What do you mean it''s a greater commitment?" Caspar asked in surprise. "Everyone wants to be immortal."


    "I don''t." answered Finland. "I don''t know if I am ready to live forever like you. I am an ordinary human being who is used to living a normal life. You are used to extraordinary things from the moment you were born, and it may be difficult for you to understand what I mean..."


    Caspar looked at Finland for a long time. His lips pursed sadly which made Finland feel so bad.


    "But you still want to marry me, right?" Caspar asked later.


    Finland nodded. "Yes."


    "Alright. As I go along, I will convince you that life as an immortal is fun. When our children are born, you will definitely want to live forever so you can always take care and look after them."


    Slowly a smile engraved on Caspar''s face as he lowered his face and kissed Finland.


    His kiss was very energetic and passionate, and Finland, who was carried away by the atmosphere, kissed him back passionately too. Slowly Caspar shifted his kiss to other parts of her body, and carefully he removed her clothes, one by one.


    Expertly, he explored Finland''s willing body like last night with his lips and hands; touching, kissing, sucking, licking, and caressing her throughout. Finland squirmed gently while holding back her moans.


    Now Finland was no longer embarrassed with their love-making. Her face flushed red because she wanted Caspar.


    Tonight, the man looked even more handsome than usual and Finland was tempted to kiss him, touch him and show him her love. Moreover, Caspar had proposed to her... and she already accepted.


    She smiled as she thought how much the man loved her and wanted to live with her. Caspar did not consider her as just something to conquer, as she initially suspected.


    Caspar''s intent was not to conquer the only girl who did not immediately return his love. His intention was pure. He really loved the girl... He was even willing to wait again, until Finland was sure she wanted to live forever with him¡­


    "I... want to have many children from you..." Caspar whispered in a hoarse voice, "I will convince you to live forever with me and watch our children grow. There will be no sickness and weakness. We will be the happiest family in the world. I promise to make you happy, because you are the only woman I love in this world..."


    Tears trickled down Finland''s cheeks when she heard his love confession for the umpteenth time. She was never tired of hearing Caspar expressing his love.


    She also really loved this man...


    Caspar not only expressed his love with words, but also with deeds. Caspar''s expertise and knowledge of women''s bodies brought Finland to the seventh heaven so many times that night, she lost count.


    Each heaven was more beautiful than what she experienced the night before. She never thought anything like this existed in the world...


    They finally slept when the clock stroke midnight. Fortunately, tomorrow was Saturday, and Finland do not have to go to her office.


    "I love you..." Caspar whispered before closing his eyes to sleep.


    "I love you too, Caspar..." Finland replied, stroking Caspar''s cheeks, who laid facing her.


    He spooned her and soon they both fell in peaceful slumber with smiles plastered on their faces¡­

 Chapter 71 - Moving out - Moving in

    It''s been two days and Caspar still had not left Finland''s pavilion. He even asked John and Ms. Law to bring some of his clothes there. When Finland asked why he had not moved back to his room, Caspar gave no clear explanation.


    "I just want to stay with you. Monday to Friday you are busy with work; only on weekends I can see you all day," complained Caspar. "You refused to quit working, even though I am able to fulfill all your needs and desires..."


    "Honey, I am just enjoying my work life, I am happy to meet many people, and experience what it feels like to live as an adult." Finland held Caspar''s hand and stroke his cheek, "I want to live a normal life as much as possible, so that I can prepare myself if one day I will follow you and become a part of the Alchemist clan. I don''t want to look back and regret missing out a lot of things."


    "So, you are considering it?" Caspar asked, hopeful.


    "Yes. Give me a year... I want to work, enjoy my life as a normal person and slowly bid goodbye to Jean and my old life."


    Caspar nodded in understanding. He had never met anyone who refused to live young forever. But Finland was not just anyone.


    For her, taking the immortality was not luck but a sacrifice that must be made in order to be with the man she loved, even though Finland herself was an orphan who didn''t have many friends. She only had one friend, Jean, and that was what made it more difficult.


    Caspar realized that he came later in her life and so he had to respect the existing relationship between Finland and Jean which intertwined years before his presence.


    "But don''t you feel cramped in my pavilion?" Finland asked again. She thought about Caspar''s penthouse at the Continental Hotel, which was almost 600 m2.


    "I don''t need space when I am with you," Caspar answered briefly.


    "Oh, okay."


    Actually, Finland was the one who needed a little space and privacy. These past two days Caspar was like a newly-adopted puppy who followed his owner (namely Finland) wherever she went.


    Finland felt it was rather difficult to do other work or chat with Jean. She remembered that Jean seemed rather sad when he arrived in Paris yesterday. Finland wanted to know how he was now.


    Finally, Finland decided to move into the main house, so they could have more space.


    "Are you sure you want to move to the main house?" Caspar asked with a happy face.


    "Yes, because my pavilion is too small for the both of us," replied Finland. She read many articles that said that people living in a cramped space tend to become more stressful and it could trigger fights.


    "Okay. Then tonight we sleep in my room." Caspar said happily.


    Finland had never entered Caspar''s room. All this time she only entered the main house to go to the living room or the big kitchen which also functioned as the dining room.


    She knew that on the ground floor there were two staff rooms, one library, one large master bedroom and several large rooms on the second floor. She did not know which room Caspar lived in.


    "Let me show you my room," Caspar said as if reading Finland''s mind. He held Finland''s hand and guided her into the main house.


    They went up to the second floor and Finland saw a large living room with a Victorian sofa comfortably facing the glass wall. On her left and right there was a large bedroom on each side.


    Caspar took her to the room on the left.


    "This is my room, the one opposite is the guest room, if my family decided to stop by." Caspar extended his arms to show a very spacious room, maybe 5x the size of the Finland''s pavilion.


    It had an elegant parquet floor, a very large four poster bed, a sofa, and some fitness equipment facing the large floor-to-ceiling windows. All furniture had elegant and masculine designs.


    "Your room is very nice..." Finland said in awe. She couldn''t help asking, "After we get married, do you want to stay in the same room or do we still have our own privacy?"


    "How can we have children if we stay in different rooms?" Caspar asked her. "I don''t want to stay apart. If you prefer your pavilion, I''ll move into it..." He pulled out a small suitcase and began to put some of his clothes from the closet to the suitcase, making Finland shake her head.


    "So, if I like this room more, I''m moving here?" Finland asked him.


    "Precisely." Caspar stopped packing, "So, what now? Should I move or you?"


    "I will move here..." Finland replied. "But I will need most of the walk-in closet. My clothes sent by La Pearl require so much space."


    Caspar grinned and stood up to embrace Finland.


    "Take it easy, my walk-in closet is for two people. You can use it all." He kissed Finland''s lips with enthusiasm, "Or we can stay in the Penthouse too, it doesn''t matter to me. Next year once you''ve had your fun living as a normal person, we will build a new house for us to live in. Or we can go to Germany and live in my family''s castle. In New York, I also have a mansion. Actually, I have countless other properties throughout the world. Lots of choices."


    Finland smiled at Caspar''s behavior. This man was really adorable when he was in love like this. He followed Finland everywhere and his face always looked bright, really like a newly adopted puppy.


    "I can move in here for now. We can have further discussions about where we want to live after we get married or when we move away from Singapore." Finland answered finally.


    "Yesss!" Caspar looked happy. He hugged Finland and rushed down to ask his staff to take care of the girl''s belongings.

 Chapter 72 - Lets go on holiday!

    Sunday afternoon, Finland had to bid farewell to her home for the past 3.5 months, a beautiful pavilion behind Rose Mansion. She moved in to the second floor and shared a room with Caspar.


    The room was over 120 square meters in size with lots of space to sit and relax. Finland''s favorite place was the large, beautiful sofa overlooking the top veranda. It had the most comfortable seat and the best view.


    "This is also my favorite place to sit to do light work," Caspar said. "We have the same taste."


    "Ahahah... what a coincidence." Finland said.


    "What about the lessons on how to have fun taught by Jean? Have you had enough?" Caspar asked as he sat next to Finland and laid his head on her lap, "I can continue the curriculum if Jean left before the lesson is complete."


    "Hmm... we watched a lot of movies, we did some bar-hopping, we went wakeboarding, well, he did the wakeboarding and I watched from the side, then we went to Universal Studios." Finland recalled, "It feels like we have done a lot of things... Oh! And you took me to the Singapore Flyer to eat. Maybe the next time we can go to a museum or take a vacation somewhere else..."


    "I promised to take you on vacation at the end of November. Next week." said Caspar, reminding her, "Remember that I asked for three days of your time for giving you the entire House of La Pearl collection at that time?"


    "Ah yes... right. I have to apply for leave tomorrow for the end of November. Where are we going?"


    "That is a secret." Caspar replied calmly. "All you need to do is apply for leave and bring your most beautiful smile."


    "Ahahaha... are you still working on the ''Make Finland Smile'' project?" Finland asked. She rarely saw Caspar taking photos of her now.


    "I am. I''ll take another good photo later." Caspar cleared his throat, "On December 31st, when we get married in Germany, it will be exactly 6 months after the project started. Make Finland Smile. Mission accomplished."


    Finland just smiled listening to his explanation. She rubbed Caspar''s hair on her lap.


    That''s true. Compared to 4.5 months ago, she now smiled a lot more. Most of her smiles were caused by the man whose head now rested on her lap.


    ***


    Monday, Finland felt Tony''s attitude somewhat different towards her. She could not decide whether it was a look of pity or hate... Every time they passed each other Tony would sigh.


    Maybe Tony still thought Finland was a wealthy old businessman''s mistress after Finland rejected his love and went home in a luxury car.


    Finland recalled that after dinner at De Lune last Friday, Tony confessed his love for her, and at the same time asked Finland to move to the US with him to help Tony lead the company there.


    If Finland didn''t have Caspar by her side, she would gladly accept the offer to relocate to US provided Tony paid the fine for her not completing her full responsibility of working in Singapore for three years.


    Finland really wanted to see the world and US was a place full of possibilities. If Jean switched to acting, someday he would also move to US.


    However, Finland will never return Tony''s love. Although she harbored a crush on him when she was in college, her feelings were completely eroded when she found out that Tony was aware that Noah was repeatedly harassing Finland during dinner, but did nothing.


    For Finland this was a fatal mistake. She couldn''t be with a man who didn''t respect and defend her.


    She was very happy because Caspar wasn''t like that at all. He was always ready to protect and stand up for her.


    As an orphaned girl who had to work hard and defend herself, for the first time in her life, Finland could feel a sense of peace for not having to put up her guard all the time. she could finally relax a little because she had someone to protect her.


    Her protector was very powerful, and yet very lowkey, which was a perfect combination so that people would not be too careful around them. Noah was a perfect example for this.


    If at that time he had known right away who the man having dinner with Finland at Moon Restaurant was, he would never have dared to poke at Finland in front of him. Caspar was far more powerful than his boss, Sam Atlas, the owner of Atlas Corp, and yet no one knew him.


    After lunch, Finland applied for a two-day leave to HR. Because they did not have any events planned on those dates and due to her good working performance, Ms. Song allowed her to take leave for two days.


    With a two-day leave plus the weekend, Finland and Caspar could enjoy a four-day holiday together.


    "Just bring lots of summer dresses, we will sunbathe all day long on the beach while reading a book," Caspar said as he put some clothes, swimming equipment and snorkel gear into his Louis Vuitton duffel bag.


    "Are we going to Bali?" Finland asked excitedly. She had only been to Bali once, when she was in high school. It was a school trip and all students had to travel to Bali for their senior year.


    She didn''t have to pay for the trip because, as a poor student, she was subsidized. But the insults and bullying she received from Meilin and her gang at that time left a deep scar in her heart.


    "No... this is better than Bali," Caspar said with a secretive smile. "If you want we can also go to Bali for one night. After we have fun in this special place, that is."


    Finland was very excited to hear that. Better than Bali? Was that even possible? Bali had won numerous awards as the best island in the world and one of the top tourist destinations.

 Chapter 73 - Better than Bali

    After finishing packing they immediately headed to the Maybach car that was waiting in the front yard.


    "What time do we take the plane?" Finland asked.


    "We won''t take a plane," Caspar answered.


    Oh... that means they will stay in Singapore¡­ the coastal areas in Singapore were Sentosa or the East Coast¡­


    Finland couldn''t believe that she actually felt a little disappointed. She expected to travel beyond Singapore, but it turned out that they would just be in the vicinity.


    She had lived in Singapore for 4.5 years and according to her the beaches in Singapore were average at best.


    The car drove for about 10 minutes and stopped at the Continental Hotel lobby area. When Ben opened the doors for Finland and Caspar, then took out their bags, Finland could not hide her disappointment.


    It turned out that the special place referred to by Caspar was his own hotel...


    They took the elevator to the 40th floor, but when the elevator opened, Jadeith and another man was standing there, waiting for them. Both were dressed in black.


    Uhm, Caspar''s personal bodyguards? These were the men who drove away people who wanted to take photos of Caspar when they were queueing up for Liao Fan chicken rice.


    The two bowed slightly and led the small group to the end of the hall, then opened the door that led to the roof. They did not enter the penthouse.


    Gosh... Finland only realized that they had not reached their destination!


    When she climbed the stairs and found herself at the rooftop, she saw a medium-sized helicopter parked there.


    "Take my hand," Caspar grabbed her hand and helped her up on the helicopter. So this was how they were going to the special vacation spot he was talking about earlier... He laughed when he saw Finland dumbfounded. "We are not going by plane, I hope you''re not disappointed."


    Finland could only shake her head silently.


    In her lifetime she had never imagined going on a helicopter like this. Caspar sat on the pilot seat and set the noise canceling headset on Finland''s head before setting his own headset.


    "Use a headset, Sweetheart. The advantage of going by helicopters is that we can go anywhere without having to search for an airstrip, but we have to bear the loud noise. I have ordered stealth helicopters which is noiseless, but a lot of documents must be filled because they are considered military grade helicopters. This one can still be used for now."


    Not only the fact that Caspar had a helicopter surprised Finland, but also that the man could pilot it himself. Finland initially thought they would both be the passengers, and Jadeith or the other bodyguard would be the one to fly the helicopter...


    Apparently, she was wrong...


    "Are you ready, Love?" Caspar asked with a smile. He was satisfied to see how successful his surprise was so far. Finland nodded, wordless. Caspar nodded back at her, "Here we go!"


    Caspar started the engine and made all preparations to fly the helicopter, and five minutes later they were already up in the air above Singapore.


    Finland could only look at him with eyes full of adoration. She alternately looked at Caspar and the view of Singapore under them...


    This was so beautiful...


    "I didn''t know you can fly a helicopter," she said softly.


    "I knew the Wright Brothers* personally and helped a little in their research." Caspar replied, "I have flown all the planes that have been created in the world since the beginning of the 20th century."


    "Is it true?"


    "Yes. So, if one day we are on a commercial plane and the pilot suddenly gets a heart attack and nobody else could pilot the plane, I would be able to save us and land the plane on an emergency landing." Caspar smiled rather proudly, "Your boyfriend is amazing, huh?"


    Finland smiled when she heard Caspar compliment himself again. She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you are amazing, and I love you very much."


    Caspar showed his cheeks and Finland landed a kiss there. The two then laughed.


    They have flown for about 20 minutes when Finland, who didn''t take her eyes off the view, saw an something interesting below them.


    "Whoaa... look over there! Such a beautiful and unique islet*!! " Finland cried suddenly... "It''s so cute.. It''s shaped like the letter F."


    "Where?" Caspar turned to the direction pointed by Finland, "Eh, you''re right. I''ll try to land this helicopter there,"


    "Er, don''t do that... What if the islet is owned by someone and they are currently staying there? We will be considered ''trespassing'' other people''s property..." Finland said hurriedly. "See, there is a house in the middle of the islet. We should continue our journey. Where are we going anyway? Bali, right?"


    Caspar didn''t respond to Finland''s request and slowly landed his helicopter on the small island which indeed looked like the letter F from the air.


    Finland persuaded him desperately.


    "It''s okay, Finland. This islet is unique, like the letter F from your name, Finland." said Caspar stubbornly. "If anyone owned it, I will buy this islet from them and give it to you as a wedding gift..."


    "Oh my... Why can''t you act a little normal," hissed Finland, "This is too much..."


    Her words seemed meaningless, because when they landed on a small square behind the only villa on the island, Caspar quickly opened their seat belts and headset and opened the door for Finland. Finland had no choice but to come down and follow him.


    A middle-aged man suddenly came out of the villa, followed by several staff members. They all approached Caspar who was holding Finland''s hand and walking towards the villa.


    "Good afternoon, Madam and Master, was the flight alright?" said the old man, smiling broadly, "The villa is ready for you. Do you want to take a rest? Madam looks tired."


    Finland gave a surprised look at Caspar and was utterly wordless when she saw his mischievous smile.


    .


    *the Wright Brothers = Orville and Wilbur Wright who invented the first aircraft in 1908


    *islet = small island

 Chapter 74 - F - Island

    "I found this island 3 months ago and immediately bought it for you," he said as he coughed a little. "This is my wedding gift for you. Come, let me show you around."


    Finland was still dumbfounded when they entered the beachfront villa. Caspar led her to a very spacious bedroom arranged like a palace. The huge sliding glass doors opened into the infinity pool facing the beach. If these doors were opened, fresh air would flow into the room. It also provided the room with very good lighting.


    "This... is¡­ beautiful, Caspar..." Finland whispered when she saw the view from the room. On the terrace of the room, facing the infinity pool, there was a large rattan cabana for two with soft cushioning. It was the perfect place for sitting and reading while sunbathing.


    "I''m glad you like it."


    Caspar hugged Finland from behind and buried his face in her hair.


    "Are you serious, you really bought this island three months ago?" Finland asked in disbelief, "Three months ago you haven''t even won the bet to kiss me."


    "I know you will be mine sooner or later," Caspar whispered, "When I found this island, I considered it a good sign."


    Finland smiled at that. She knew Caspar could easily buy things he liked. He bought the Continental Hotel because he liked the restaurant, then he bought Atlas Corp because he wanted to fire Noah Jannsen.


    So, why not buy a whole island as a wedding gift?


    Finland was happy because some of the purchases made by Caspar were because of her. She felt loved and spoiled.


    Finland and Caspar were actually not alone on the island. There were the middle-aged man who welcomed them, a butler, several staff, and two personal bodyguards.


    However, these men were very good at being discreet and they gave their master and future lady all the privacy they needed. Caspar and Finland felt as if they were alone on the small island.


    Every day food and fruits were available, and the villa was perfectly cleaned. Finland felt very happy. She never thought that she would be able to experience the rich people''s way of going on a holiday.


    "If we''re not here, is there anyone on the island?" Finland asked one day when they were reading a book by the infinity pool.


    "This island is offered on a ''private island'' website, so anyone can rent it for parties, honeymoon, etc. The butler and staff stay here to take care of the villa and the guests. It''s a shame if this place is left empty. It will deteriorate quickly, because we may only come here several times a year for vacation. " Caspar explained.


    Finland was tempted to ask what other assets were owned by Caspar. Didn''t the man say that he had given his heart, his life, and his everything to Finland? She wanted to know what ''his everything'' would include...


    As if reading Finland''s mind, Caspar suddenly gave her his phone.


    "I don''t even know what exactly all my assets are. If you want to ask about my property and whatever I own, you can contact Stanis. I''ve lived for too long so it''s hard to keep track of everything I''ve bought and owned." He shrugged his shoulders. "If it''s really big or new I will remember, but there are so many properties I own that I don''t even know I have. I once saw a very nice colonial house in South Africa, and when I asked Stanis to buy it, he told me the house was already mine! Apparently, I bought it decades before for the same reason."


    Finland laughed when she heard Caspar''s story...


    It turned out that even super rich people have their own problems, she thought.


    "You seem to trust Stanis very much," Finland said later. She changed her mind about asking him about his assets because now she realized it might be too much work. "Are there other people you trust besides him?"


    "There are many people I trust," Caspar said. He placed the book he was reading on the side table and poured a glass of prosecco for both of them, "Stanis is the head of my household staff - you will meet him in Germany or Spain later. He is the one who selects all the people who work for me. Besides Stanis, of course, there is Ben. They are both the grandchildren of my trusted aide who is now dead; their grandfather was very loyal. He died trying to protect my parents during the war. Their father worked for me his whole life, also very loyal. Then of course I have several bodyguards, two of them are Alchemists. You''ve met Jadeith... "


    Finland gasped, "Jadeith is also an alchemist? But he looks so much older than you. He''s like in his 30s."


    "I have told you that the peak growth of every human being is different. Jadeith stopped aging when he was 35. Actually, I''m much older than him, Jadeith is only 120 years old..." Caspar chuckled while sipping his wine. "I carried him after he was born. He''s Flora''s child, so he is my nephew."


    Finland did not expect this at all. Jadeith¡­ was Caspar''s nephew?


    "So, why does he call you ''Sir'' and not Uncle?"


    "Because four of my other bodyguards do not know that he is my nephew. He wanted to work professionally." Caspar answered. "Jadeith is my nephew. Then there are four bodyguards who are former members of the world''s elite forces, and one more female bodyguard who is also an alchemist. Her name is Famke. She is a special girl who helped me in a lot of covert operations. Maybe someday you can meet her. Famke is currently quite busy working on personal projects."


    Female bodyguard? Suddenly Finland felt her chest tighten. It turned out that Caspar had a female bodyguard¡­ and he said that she was special... a special girl who was also an an alchemist who can live forever...


    "Why do two alchemists want to work for you? Aren''t all members of the Alchemist clan rich and powerful?" Finland asked curiously.


    Caspar shook his head, "Of course not. Just like not all Asians like to eat rice, not all Alchemists are rich and powerful. Some are smart and able to store the knowledge they have gained for hundreds of years to accumulate wealth, investment, and power. However, some don''t use this privilege well. It makes no difference if you live 200 years or 50 years if you are a lazy learner and have poor time management skills. "


    "Oh... are there many Alchemists like you?" Finland asked, curious. Initially she thought that all Alchemists were rich and powerful like Caspar. Apparently she was wrong.


    "There are five influential families in our clan. These families have been active in the alchemy community since the first century. When my grandfather finally found the immortality formula, the world alchemy community appointed him the leader of the Alchemists clan. When he passed away, my father took over¡­ and now me. You will meet the people from these five families and many others on our wedding." Caspar rubbed Finland''s hair lovingly, "I can''t wait to introduce you to Flora and Aldebar. They will definitely like you."


    Finland smiled when he said that. She also wanted to meet Caspar''s family. Four months ago, aside from Jean, she had no one. Now, she had a loving partner, and next month, she would have a husband, a sister in law and two brother in laws (Aldebar dan Louis).


    She would instantly have a family; a large family even, because Flora had children and grandchildren. She truly never imagined this before.

 Chapter 75 - Smiling so much

    "I promised Jean to take leave and visit him in Paris mid-January," Finland said later, "I wanted to tell Jean about our wedding when I meet him in person, but you want us to get married on December 31st... it''s earlier than what I imagined. Can I tell Jean this good news by phone?"


    Caspar looked at Finland for a long time and then shook his head, "I''m sorry, Finland, but you can''t. If you tell Jean, we will have to invite him... And I can''t invite an ordinary man to a clan event."


    Finland fell silent. She bit her lip and nodded, signing that she understood.


    "You''re right... I won''t have the heart to tell Jean and not invite him to the wedding." Finland sighed. "Then how do I ''disappear'' from his life? What do you usually do?"


    "You can go on a vacation with a yacht, then we can arrange for the yacht to sink¡­That makes more sense than pretending to move to another country, because with the internet, people can be anywhere and still be reachable. Flight tickets are also very cheap and easily accessible." Caspar shrugged, "unless you have a better scenario."


    Finland wiped a tear that almost fell on her cheek and tried to smile, "a sinking ship sounds better than a plane crash or something else... Not too terrible. Oh, he would be very sad to hear that..."


    "I understand."


    "I want to see Jean in January and spend time with him like we planned. Would you mind?" Finland asked, "I need a year... after January I will slowly find the right time to disappear."


    Caspar nodded.


    "We can go to Germany at the end of the year for Aldebar''s birthday and our wedding, after that we can go on honeymoon for two weeks in Europe, and in mid-January I will go back to the company and you can go to Paris to see Jean."


    "I want to travel around Europe with Jean, so it might take two weeks..." Finland said with a hoarse voice, "Less than two weeks won''t be enough."


    "You can apply for an extended leave to LTX, they should be willing to give it to you, otherwise Atlas Corp won''t extend their contract for next year. Remember, I''m now one of LTX''s most important clients..." Caspar brought his face closer to Finland''s face and kissed her wet eyes and held her to his chest. "Don''t cry, my heart feels heavy if I see you sad like this... This should have been a nice vacation."


    Finland nodded, "Thank you."


    Finally, Finland just sent a few photos of her vacation to Jean and did not discuss her wedding at all.


    [You, lucky girl! It''s very cold here and you can happily sunbathe on the beach.] Replied Jean.


    [Guess where I am?] Finland asked.


    [In Maldives? Looking at the photos it must be Maldives, but it''s too mainstream, so I''ll say maybe it''s not Maldives but... a private island?]


    Jean was very smart, he could immediately guess that Caspar took Finland on a vacation to a private island.


    [You are so smart, Jean! Yes, we are on vacation on F Island. F stands for my name, Finland. This is mine.]


    [Wow... happy holiday then. I''ll just find a corner here to weep.] Jean replied while adding crying emoticons.


    [Hahaha... I can''t wait to go to Paris to meet you. Take care, Jean.]


    [Take care, Finland.]


    ***


    Because their holiday experience on F-Island was very pleasant, Finland did not ask to stop by in Bali. She wanted to spend every second of her holiday on her ''island''.


    Finland and Caspar spent most of their time holding hands on the beach, swimming in the infinity pool, sunbathing while reading books, watching movies while cuddling on the large couch of the living room, and in the evening, they would watch the sun set.


    After four days, Finland''s appearance looked more radiant and she barely recognized her face in front of a mirror. Her usually stoic face was now decorated with lines caused by so much smiling. She thought about her usual face whenever she looked in the mirror in the past: stiff and cold.


    She had this distinct beauty because she rarely smiled, but now the fine lines on the corners of her lips have been formed because she smiled and laughed a lot. She unconsciously touched her lips and looked at the happy face staring back at her from the mirror.


    Only 4.5 months... and she already felt like a different person.


    At that moment Caspar aimed his camera and took a picture of Finland, who was stunned in front of the mirror.


    "You''re a beautiful woman, Finland. You are even much prettier with a smile on your face." He approached Finland, hugged her, and buried his face into the girl''s fragrant hair. "I''m a lucky man."


    Finland did not know whether Caspar was a lucky man, but she clearly felt that SHE was a lucky woman...

 Chapter 76 - Another Surprise

    When they finally returned to Singapore, Finland felt ready to work hard so she could apply for an extended leave from the end of the year to the end of January 2019.


    When they landed back on the Continental Hotel rooftop, Jadeith and Ben were already waiting for them. Finland recalled Caspar saying that Jadeith was his nephew. She took a closer look at Jaedith, trying to find similarities between them.


    Jadeith had long golden hair tied in a man bun, and his eyes were emerald green. He was a bit taller and more muscled than Caspar. At a glance he looked very different from Caspar who had black hair, blue eyes, a slender body, and more delicate features. Maybe Jadeith inherited more genes from his father.


    When she asked Caspar about it, Finland got confirmation.


    "Jadeith does look a lot like his father. He is a pure alchemist because he is immortal without having to take the immortality potion, because both Flora and Louis, his parents, are alchemists. Since Louis only took the potion when he turned 40, their children only stopped aging in their 30''s. That''s why Jadeith looks older than me." Caspar opened his cellphone and showed a photo, "This is Flora, Louis and their three children. You can see that Louis looks like he is in his 40''s, Flora looks very young at an age of 22, and their children, Alexandrite, Garnet, and Jadeith look like they are in their 30''s. "


    Finland looked at the five people carefully. She could see the very obvious resemblance between Flora and Caspar. Their faces were almost the same, except that Flora''s hair was golden. One thing all five of them had in common was that they all have very brilliant eyes. Finland remembered admiring Caspar''s brilliant pair of blue eyes when they first met, and now she saw that the five alchemists on Caspar''s cellphone also have very brilliant eyes.


    "Does everyone in your family have such brilliant eyes... or is this the specific feature of an Alchemist?" she asked later.


    Caspar cleared his throat, "You''re very clever. The effect of the immortality potion is that all cells in our body become perfect and our eyes become brighter than that of an ordinary human. That''s why I am able to recognize an alchemist only from his/her eyes."


    Finland thought about Jadeith''s brilliant green eyes. A vision of Katia came into her mind ¨C Katia also had a very beautiful pair of brilliant blue eyes. It was like the saying, the eyes are a window to the soul... Finland thought that she would also be able to recognize an Alchemist from their eyes¡­


    She looked into Caspar''s eyes and admired how beautiful the color was. Finland herself had brown eyes that were not special. In her heart she hoped that their children would follow their father and inherit his pair of beautiful blue eyes...


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" teased Caspar, "Are you thinking about our children''s eye color?"


    Oh God... can Alchemists also read minds? complained Finland inwardly.


    "I..."


    "Don''t worry, I can''t read minds, no way..." Caspar laughed, "I was just guessing, because you were talking about eye color and then you stared at my eyes with a strange look."


    Pfew...


    Finland nodded honestly, "I hope our children will have your eyes."


    Caspar smiled very wide. He kissed Finland and immediately carried her into the bedroom. He didn''t care whose eyes their children would take after. He was glad Finland was already thinking about being the mother of his children.


    ***


    Finland was busy with work that whole week. She oversaw the arrangement of Katia''s art exhibition and wanted to set up avenue before Christmas. She also spent a lot of time contacting Atlas Corp potential buyers and making appointments for B2B meetings in Indonesia.


    She gave extra effort working on projects for Atlas Corp, because she knew that this company now belonged to Caspar. Which also meant that it was indirectly hers.


    Every day she had breakfast and dinner with Caspar even though both of them were very busy, especially Caspar, who seemed to be out of the country a lot lately. He always tried to come home before dinner, and Finland was touched to see Caspar often arrive home earlier than her. She knew that he was super busy¡­


    "Honey, can you take time off again in a few days?" Caspar asked after dinner when they were enjoying a dessert wine.


    "I can''t, I have to go to the office every day to look diligent and hardworking so I can apply for an extended leave at the end of this month." Finland shook her head, "Why?"


    "Hmm..." Caspar unlocked his cellphone and contacted Stanis. "Stanis, Rosa Wang should fly here. Finland can''t take any more leave."


    Rosa Wang?


    Finland knew that Rosa Wang was a very famous and widely discussed wedding dress designer. She appeared in a lot of magazines and is probably the most sought-after designer in the world. She lived in New York and bookings were usually made years in advance.


    "Who should fly here?" asked Finland, confused.


    "Rosa Wang is going to design and make your wedding dress. She lives in New York. I wanted to accompany you to her place for inspiration to make a wedding dress you''ll like. I want Rosa to make it according to your taste. But if you can''t take leave... It means I should fly Rosa here, so she knows what kind of dresses you like and make a dress for you. Otherwise your dress won''t be ready for our wedding at the end of the year..."


    Finland thought she had gotten used to all of Caspar''s surprises, but apparently the man still had some tricks up his sleeve. Rosa Wang had a very long waiting list for wedding dresses.


    A specially designed dress usually took 3-6 months to make and the price was very expensive. Still there were so many women who wanted their wedding dresses to be designed and made by Rosa Wang.


    Rich girls would order Rosa''s wedding gowns when they were teenagers, so that when it was time for them to get married, the dress would be ready. Her ready-to-wear lines were often sold out as soon as they were displayed in her store.


    It was safe to say that wearing a Rosa Wang''s mass-produced wedding dress was already considered prestigious for normal people, let alone the dresses she designed specially...


    And Caspar wanted Rosa to make a special wedding dress in accordance to Finland''s taste in less than a month?

 Chapter 77 - Rosa Wang

    Caspar covered Finland''s gasping mouth with his hand and smiled broadly.


    "I impressed you again, huh?" He kissed the girl''s lips gently, "I am indeed a perfect boyfriend. I am handsome, kind, very rich, very smart, a good cook, I am great in bed, and I always give you pleasant surprises."


    Finland knew Caspar should not compliment himself, but this time she could not protest. Caspar was right. He was a perfect boyfriend and Finland admitted that.


    There was a spat of fear creeping in her heart as she recognized Caspar''s perfection. Her life was going too well lately, and the man who wanted to marry her was just too perfect... Finland was afraid something will happen that would ruin the perfect life she was living in.


    Uff... she tried to get rid of that thought and instead tried to be grateful for all the good things that happened so far. She did not want to jinx herself by thinking about bad things.


    Finally, Finland returned Caspar''s kiss and prayed that their love and their life would have no obstacles.


    ***


    Finland, who was too excited about her wedding, bought the December issue of Urban Girl magazine at the magazine kiosk on her way to work. This edition caught her attention because it covered interesting topics on weddings and the holiday season.


    Finland saw the name Rosa Wang on the front cover and she was interested to find out more about the dresses designed by the famous designer. Rosa Wang had dressed dozens of brides who were world celebrities or daughters of super-rich families. Finland felt very fortunate to be able to wear her homemade gown at her wedding later.


    "Hey... why are you looking at wedding dresses?" Lily asked as she sat next to her, curious. "Are you getting married?"


    Finland just shrugged and did not answer.


    "So, it''s true, huh? With whom??"


    The girls at LTX suddenly swarmed around Finland and her magazine enthusiastically. They never knew Finland had a boyfriend, and now she was suddenly getting married. Many girls were quite jealous to see it.


    Finland decided that it was better not to tell anyone that she was going to get married, because later she had to explain at length and she did not have time for that. Her work was piling up and she wanted everything to be sorted out before applying for her extended leave.


    When she went to the pantry to wash her lunch box, Tony approached her and asked Finland to follow him to his office. Finland followed Tony, wondering what the matter was.


    "Finland... I''ve heard a lot of bad rumors about you since I returned to Singapore," Tony said without further ado. "I know some of the gossip was spread by my own nosy cousin, Meilin. But many things happened in the mean time that seem to confirm the rumors..."


    Finland raised her eyebrows. She wasn''t sure where the conversation was going.


    "I don''t understand your point..."


    Tony sighed deeply.


    "Do you have debts to pay? Did you borrow a large amount of money for your grandmother''s medical expenses and now you are trying to pay it back by becoming a... err... an escort...?" Tony looked very uncomfortable when he uttered his last sentence, "If that''s the case, I''m willing to help you. I''ll pay whatever debt you have, selflessly, no frills. You can pay me whenever you have money. But for now... please leave such a life... "


    Although Finland was offended by Tony''s words, she knew that Tony really meant well and just wanted to help.


    What''s with all the men she met in her life? Finland was not a weak woman, why were all these men eager to help her? Finland felt a little annoyed with herself.


    "I don''t need help, Tony. Thank you for caring. I''m fine." Finland showed a thankful smile, then nodded and left the room.


    Tony looked at Finland, confused. He was very sure that Finland was having financial difficulties because the girl was well known as a hard worker who was poor. But now her appearance had changed. She wore classy clothes and last week she went home with a luxurious car. Did Finland really become a wealthy businessman''s mistress to get out of her poverty? He could not bear to imagine it.


    [After work, please come to the Continental Hotel. Rosa Wang is waiting for you there.] Finland received an SMS from Caspar after lunch time.


    Oh... that was fast, thought Finland. She had not had time to look at pictures of Rosa''s dresses for inspiration. That was why when Jadeith picked her up, Finland hurriedly opened her magazine in the car and read a little extra information about Rosa so that she didn''t look too ignorant.


    "Oh, by the way, Jadeith... Caspar told me you are his nephew," Finland said suddenly, "Is that true?"


    "That is true, Madam."


    Finland felt bad to be addressed so respectfully by man who were soooo much older than her. Jadeith was already 120 years old!


    "Can you just call me by name? You''re so much older than me... much older than my grandmother actually..."


    Jadeith smiled as he looked at Finland from the rearview mirror.


    "I can call you ''Auntie''."


    "Ufff... forget it."


    Jadeith chuckled and drove Finland to the penthouse. When she walked by, the hotel staff looked at her respectfully. Their faces were full of gratitude. They knew she was the reason why their salary was raised by 5% two weeks ago.

 Chapter 78 - What a life

    After the elevator door opened, Finland knocked on the penthouse door and Caspar opened the door with a happy face. Jadeith then excused himself back down.


    "Welcome," Caspar said, kissing Finland''s forehead. "Rosa arrived this morning. She was resting and will soon come upstairs."


    He then took out a bottle of champagne from the cabinet and poured two glasses for them.


    "Thank you," Finland said, accepting the glass. They drank while talking about today''s work.


    "I will meet Rosa for a while to accompany you, but after that I have to go to the United States to meet Sam Atlas. There are things that must be taken care of. I need to meet the directors of my company in America, because this is the end of the year. Please have fun with Rosa. I will come back in 5 days."


    "Oh..." Finland looked at Caspar sadly. It used to be normal for Caspar to leave for a long time, but now she was already accustomed to being with the man every day. Knowing that he will leave her for 5 long days felt very painful. Without realizing it she murmured sadly, "That''s a really long time..."


    "You can come if you want..." Caspar replied, smiling.


    "But I can''t take leave..."


    "You can quit working."


    Finland knew she wouldn''t want to resign. Not now. She still wanted to enjoy living like a normal person before the time came when she must live like Caspar.


    "Call me every day..." Finally, Finland could only bury her head in Caspar''s chest sadly. "I will miss you."


    Caspar caressed the girl''s head affectionately. He saw how much Finland had changed over the past few months. Now Finland was able to express her love for Caspar more openly, and it seems that her heart was no longer barren and defensive to love, as it was when they just met


    Caspar was proud of himself for being able to be patient and diligent for more than 4 months in wooing and fighting for the heart of the girl who had stolen his.


    They kissed warmly and sat on the couch waiting for Rosa Wang''s arrival, a glass of champagne in hand.


    Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door. When Caspar opened the door, Finland saw Manager Park with a very elegant woman in her 50s. There were a few staff came carrying wheeled hangers with various materials, accessories and samples of wedding dresses followed behind them.


    "Good evening, Miss Wang," Caspar greeted her and Finland embraced the designer.


    "Good evening, I am honored to be asked specifically by Mr. Stanis Van der Ven for this special assignment." Rosa smiled happily, "Usually my dress takes at least 3 months to make, but he said that this was a very special couple, and I would need to work overtime with all the staff in New York to finish it on time."


    Caspar stayed for a while with Finland to chat briefly with Rosa only so that the designer could get to know the bride and groom and put her impression on Caspar into the design to fit the image of the couple. After about 30 minutes, then he excused himself for his five-day business trip to the United States. When Finland walked him out of the penthouse door, they hugged for a long time, as if it was very hard to separate.


    "I''ll call from the plane. Just let me know when your meeting with Rosa is over." Caspar kissed Finland''s forehead and left.


    The girl just nodded slowly, not answering. She was sad to see Caspar leave. Her own feelings astonished her. She had never felt this way when someone was leaving before. She was often sad when taking Jean to the airport, but the feeling she had now was different...


    Was this what it felt like to love a man as a lover?


    Rosa Wang watched them with a small smile on her face. She could see how much they loved each other. She could only guess why the wedding was held so suddenly.


    "Well Miss... let''s talk about the type of dress you like." She approached Finland who was still standing, looking at the door. Rosa held her hand gently and guided her to the sofa.


    Finland talked with Rosa about the dress of her dreams and what Finland liked from herself. Rosa took out a variety of beautiful silk and satin materials and asked Finland to choose which ones ''touched her heart''.


    "You have good taste," Rosa Wang later said with a smile. She then cleared her equipment with the help of the hotel staff and then she said goodbye. "I have to go back to New York immediately to prepare this dress. Later when it''s finished, I''ll send it directly to Germany."


    "Thank you, Ms. Wang." Finland escorted Rosa out of the penthouse and waited until the elevator door closed, then sent an SMS to Caspar.


    [Already done. Rosa Wang designed the most beautiful dress I''ve ever seen.]


    [I am glad to hear that. You just stay in the Penthouse, don''t go back to Rose Mansion.] Caspar replied. [I like seeing Singapore from that big window because it gives me a feeling of peace. It would be better for you to stay there for five days than to miss me every night at Rose Mansion.]


    Caspar could always read Finland''s heart. The girl would indeed miss Caspar''s presence at Rose Mansion because they were used to having breakfast and dinner together, and sleeping next to each other. They were very used to doing these things together, and now she felt lost.


    [OK. I will stop by Rose Mansion to pick up my stuff.] Finland replied.


    [No need. Ms. Law sent some of your belongings to Continental this afternoon. You can see them in the walk-in closet of the main bedroom.]


    Oh... Finland really felt pampered. She almost didn''t need to do anything, Caspar had everything prepared for her.


    What a life¡­

 Chapter 79 - Caspar Goes to Seattle

    Five days felt like a year for Finland. She never thought that the concept of space and time could become so chaotic when humans were in love.


    Usually, because she was busy, she never cared about days and dates, but now she really counted every second and hour until Caspar returned... And, of course, the days and hours before their wedding.


    3 days and 12 hours before Caspar returned to Singapore...


    27 days and 8 hours before their wedding in Germany...


    Ms. Fang, who saw Finland lacking enthusiasm at work, gave her a lot of tasks to distract her. However, her plan backfired when the girl became even less concentrated and made several mistakes.


    "You''re look like you are in love, Finland," Tran said one day. She pinched Finland''s shoulder and laughed. "Are you thinking about Jean?"


    Meilin, who heard the conversation from the corner of the room, frowned and her face turned angry.


    "Jean doesn''t have a lover!" she exclaimed quickly. "Yesterday on the internet he was rumored to be dating Cara de Milne. Jean denied everything by stating that he was single."


    Tran raised an eyebrow, "Celebrities would never admit if they are going out with ordinary people. They wouldn''t want their privacy to be violated by the paparazzi."


    Ah, Finland remembered that Jean went to the United States to shoot ads for Atlas Corp. products. The shooting was scheduled on an earlier date after Caspar bought the company. It was one of the requirements proposed by the previous owner.


    Finland suspected Sam Atlas''s daughter to be the cause. She remembered Noah saying that Sam Atlas''s daughter was a huge fan of Jean. That was why Jean vacated his schedule this week and left for Seattle.


    She suddenly became jealous because Jean and Caspar were in the same city while she was in Singapore, missing both her fianc¨¦ and her best friend.


    [Jean is also going to Seattle this week for Atlas Corp''s photo shoot. Are you going to tell him that you bought the company?] Finland asked Caspar.


    [No need. Sam Atlas still has a 20% stake and his daughter really wants to meet Jean. I can stay low profile. I don''t care about the others. I just need to meet Sam.] Caspar replied.


    Finland was actually really curious why Caspar had to meet Sam Atlas in person. As far as she knew, Stanis took care of all the important things in Caspar''s companies. What business did Caspar have with Sam Atlas?


    [Hi, Jean. How are you doing in Seattle? Have you finished your photo shoot?] She sent a WhatsApp message to Jean.


    [The shoot is tomorrow. Now I''m having dinner with the owner''s daughter and the photographer for this project.]


    Finland knew that the time in Seattle was 15 hours behind Singapore. If it was already 10am in Singapore, it means it was still 7pm in Seattle. No wonder Jean was now having dinner.


    [Oh, I won''t disturb your dinner. It''s not polite to play with your phone when eating with other people.]


    [It''s okay, I told them that this is important SMS. Let''s chat later.]


    Finland, who was about to send a message to Caspar, changed her mind because she realized that Caspar would also be having dinner now.


    After waiting for what felt like a century, it was finally lunch time. Finland rushed out of the office and looked for the nearest park to call Caspar. It was already 9pm in Seattle.


    If she waited until she got home from work at 6pm, it would be 3am in Seattle and she wouldn''t have the heart to call Caspar and disturb his sleep.


    "Hello..."


    "Hey, honey, I''m just about to call you," said the cheerful voice of Caspar on the other end of the line. "Miss me?"


    "Very much..." replied Finland honestly.


    Caspar chuckled.


    "I will often go on a business trip, then, so you will miss me more often and finally decide to quit working so you can go with me everywhere..."


    "Ouch... why would you do that? That is not nice..." Finland said in an almost crying voice. "Are you happy to torture me?"


    Caspar did not think that Finland would respond so seriously.


    "Err, I''m sorry, Sweetheart, I didn''t mean to make you sad. I was just joking," he said quickly. He was actually happy that Finland missed him and was open about it.


    Ever since they started sleeping together and he proposed to her, the girl''s attitude had really changed. She was no longer cold and it had become so much easier for her to express her feelings.


    Thinking about Finland and her adorable face, Caspar sighed. In fact, he would suffer the same as Finland if he often went on business trips like this. He just couldn''t stay away from the girl. He was already used to having breakfast and dinner with her, and of course sleeping with her by his side.


    He was determined not to go anywhere again until their wedding day. He tried to divert Finland''s attention by asking what she wanted from Seattle.


    "If I only had a meeting with Sam Atlas, I would have returned home by now. But I have so many companies here in Seattle where I have shares at. I need to attend some shareholder annual meetings and meet the directors. Wait, I''m sending a picture to your email. Please check."


    Finland opened her phone and checked her email. Caspar sent her a picture of a beautiful house with a gate of vines. A lush garden could be seen from outside.


    "I''ve received the picture. It''s a photo of a house. Very beautiful."


    "I was going to an area to eat my favorite frozen yoghurt - you have to try their lavender and pumpkin frozen yoghurt someday - and I saw this beautiful house in the neighborhood. It was marked for sale. I love it. What do you think?"


    "What do you mean by what do I think?" Finland asked, not understanding.


    "I don''t have a house in Seattle, but I come here quite often for business trips. I think the house is very beautiful. I immediately thought of you. Should we buy the house?"


    Badump...


    Finland didn''t know that buying a house could be this easy.

 Chapter 80 - Feeling Jealous

    She opened her phone to look at the house again. It was really beautiful. For houses, she and Caspar shared similar taste. Finland fell in love with Rose Mansion before knowing that the house belonged to Caspar.


    "The house is really nice. I like it," replied Finland honestly.


    "Okay. Then I''ll buy it. The next time I go to Seattle, you should come with me and we''ll have a place to stay here. I''ll take care of it soon." Caspar cleared his throat, "I don''t mean to surprise you, this is how I live my life. What I love will definitely be mine. If there are anything you like, don''t hesitate to tell me. Whatever it is, if I can give it to you, I will make sure you get it."


    Finland did not know when she would be able to get used to Caspar''s such a luxurious and easy lifestyle. At present, there was nothing she wanted in the world besides having the man''s presence by her side, but of course, she couldn''t ask for that now.


    "I miss you..." Finland whispered softly. "Please, come home soon."


    Caspar smiled briefly. He then whispered some loving words that made Finland''s face flush red, then she smiled. Finland felt better when she returned to the office and continued with her work.


    When Finland arrived back at the Continental Hotel penthouse, she got a WhatsApp message from Jean. It seemed like he just arrived back at his hotel.


    Gosh, it must be almost 4am in the morning in Seattle, she thought.


    [I met Caspar in Seattle. Is that possible?] Asked Jean in his message.


    [Uhm... He is in Seattle right now. Where did you meet him?] Finland asked curiously.


    [He was in the hotel lobby with a beautiful woman. I secretly took a photo.]


    Ouch... Finland''s stomach immediately started to churn. Caspar didn''t say anything about meeting a woman in Seattle...


    Who was she?


    She received a photo of Caspar who was sitting alone with a short-haired woman. She wore a very sexy leather outfit. The woman''s beautiful face had a very serious expression. Finland immediately felt sick... Her chest was pounding with anger...


    She had never been this jealous to another human being before. Since Caspar proposed to her, she had fallen in love with the man, and in her mind, Finland only wanted to be with Caspar and spend the rest of her life with him. And now seeing him with that sexy woman made her feel very jealous. She was not even this jealous of Katia.


    [I''m sorry I secretly took their photo and informed you about this. I don''t want to see my best friend being played.]


    Finland thought about Ben''s words¡­ that Caspar had many women...


    Was this woman one of them?


    [What do you think I should do, Jean?] Asked Finland confused, [I don''t want to be perceived as a jealous girlfriend, but I also want to know whether they have an affair or not.]


    [Hmm... you can ask him about whomever he is meeting in Seattle. If he mentions any women, you can just ask in more detail. Ask him what hotel he is staying in, and tell him that I saw him in the lobby. If he lied about the name of his hotel, chances are he also lied about other things.]


    [Okay, I''ll ask him tomorrow. It''s already 4am the morning now. Why aren''t you sleeping yet?]


    [Ahahaha... I met some old friends and we went clubbing until morning. I am just about to sleep. Good night, F.]


    [Good night, Jean. Take care of your health, it''s cold in there.]


    [Thanks. You too.]


    Finland looked at the photo sent by Jean and her chest felt even more in pain. The girl who was with Caspar looked so beautiful and sexy... Was she one of Caspar''s many women? Was this girl currently sleeping with Caspar?


    She could not eat thinking about it, and let the dinner prepared by the Continental Hotel''s kitchen go cold.


    Until 11pm she still could not calm her mind and close her eyes.


    Who was that girl? What was her relationship with Caspar? What were they doing now?


    All the bad thoughts stirred in her head and Finland couldn''t contain her emotions anymore. Tears streamed down her face, first slowly, and then she burst into tears. Ughhh... falling in love was not always beautiful and pleasant. Falling in love also involved feelings of longing when parting and feeling jealous when you see the person you love with other people you don''t know who might have a special relationship with them...


    Finland didn''t like the feelings she was having now, but she couldn''t help it... She didn''t like this feeling of longing for Caspar and jealousy to that sexy woman...


    This was an unpleasant feeling that had no cure.


    [Finland, have you gone to bed?] A little past 11pm there was an incoming message from Caspar. It must be 8am in the morning in Seattle, meaning he just woke up.


    [Not yet sleeping, I''m waiting for you to wake up.] Finland replied hurriedly. [Which hotel are you staying at?]


    [I haven''t told you, huh? I am staying at the W.]


    [Oh, Jean is also staying at the W. Didn''t you guys meet?]


    [I saw him come out of the hotel with a group of people. Why?]


    [Oh... Jean said he saw you with a woman.] Finland scolded herself for bombarding Caspar with all these questions. She should have acted more elegantly, but she really couldn''t stand it anymore. [That woman looked very hot.]


    For a long time there was no reply from Caspar. Finland''s feelings turned into a big mess.


    Was Caspar feeling guilty?


    Why didn''t he immediately deny that there was a special relationship between him and that sexy woman??


    Finland couldn''t wait anymore and immediately pressed the call button.


    RING...


    RING...


    After 10 rings, finally Finland''s call was picked up at the other end.


    "Hello?" There was a voice of an angry woman on the other end receiving her call. "Do you know what time is it? It is still very early, dammit! Why are you doing this?"


    Finland was so shocked that she accidentally dropped her phone.


    Why did the woman pick up Caspar''s phone? Why was she in Caspar''s hotel room this early? Did they sleep together last night?!


    Finland''s head immediately felt dizzy.

 Chapter 81 - Misunderstanding

    Finland felt devastated ...


    She was right, no human was perfect. The more they look too good to be true, the more you have to be careful around them.


    She had heard from Katia that Caspar dumped many women after only one month of dating. Ben also confirmed that his master had many women before...


    Why didn''t she listen to them and instead let her heart fall in love with Caspar? Why was she looking for trouble entering this unequal relationship? She cried when she thought about Katia; her fate now seemed to be very similar to Katia''s...


    It turned out that Finland was no different from Katia in Caspar''s eyes. They weren''t even one month into their relationship... How could she let herself believe Caspar''s sweet words?


    She took out the engagement ring she had kept in her wallet and looked at it angrily. She deliberately did not wear her ring in the office because she wanted to avoid people''s suspicion. That was why she only kept it in her wallet. She thought she was special because Caspar proposed to her with this expensive ring...


    But now she realized that people who could easily buy a luxury house in Seattle, of course, could also easily buy an expensive ring to attract a girl''s heart.


    Really, she was too naive. Maybe that was why she easily fell into the arms of a playboy like Caspar....


    The sound of her sobs was overheard over the phone and the woman on the other end exclaimed in surprise.


    "Eh... is this not a telemarketing?"


    Then she could hear Caspar calling out her name, but Finland wasn''t listening. She was sobbing and buried her face in the pillow. Caspar was now desperately calling her name on her cellphone, but Finland didn''t answer.


    The landline on the bedside table suddenly rang.


    Finland looked up and tried to guess who was calling the penthouse. She did not give the number to anyone. Was this a call from the receptionist downstairs? Maybe there was something important going on...


    Finally, she picked up the phone after calming herself so as not to sound hysterical when she talked.


    "Hello, good evening."


    "Honey! Pleaseee don''t hang up...!!" She could hear Caspar begging at the other end. "I was just joking. I was so glad to see you jealous, so I told Famke that there was a telemarketing guy who bothered me early in the morning. That''s why she picked up your call earlier... She didn''t know it was you. Do you remember Famke, one of my bodyguards?"


    Finland fell silent. No wonder the woman sounded so unfriendly; she thought Finland was a telemarketing person who disturbed her boss''s sleep.


    "Your bodyguard is very hot," hissed Finland.


    She heard Caspar''s voice saying to the woman next to him, "Famke, my wife said you are very hot."


    "Oh, thank you, Madam. I''m flattered," Famke answered loudly.


    Finland bit her lip, didn''t know what to say.


    "Is that really Famke, your bodyguard?" she asked later. "Isn''t she one of the women you are dating?"


    "Famke is one of my most loyal bodyguards, she is also an Alchemist, I told you about her." Caspar replied. He sounded very happy because Finland was jealous. "Later when I go back to Singapore you can meet her."


    "Why is she in your hotel room this early?" Finland asked again, still not satisfied.


    "Once you texted me that Jean saw me with a sexy woman, I immediately called Famke to my room. I knew that you were going to call, so I asked her to take the call after telling her that a telemarketing guy was bothering me... hehehe... I''m sorry, Honey, but you''re so cute when you are jealous..."


    Finland pursed her lips in annoyance. She was tricked by Caspar and she was sobbing...


    "Why do you have the heart to prank me and make me jealous enough to cry? Didn''t you say that my tears were too expensive to flow in vain? Do you like to see me cry?" Finland retorted, "Is the satisfaction you get by seeing me sad and jealous to death worth it?"


    Instantly Caspar fell silent.


    Like a puppy being scolded for stealing bones from a pot of soup, he answered haltingly,


    "I... I''m sorry. I was selfish and I just wanted to see you jealous... You were really cute... I won''t do it again. I''m really sorry I made you cry."


    Finland hung up. She also took her phone from the floor and turned it off. She didn''t like being lied to even if was just a prank to see her feeling jealous.


    She had to be firm with Caspar and make him realize that Finland didn''t like to be made crying. If not, the man would repeat his actions just because he found Finland''s jealousy adorable.


    Finland finally managed to sleep when the clock stroke midnight.


    Far away in Seattle, a certain man was very upset because he couldn''t call the girl he loved.


    Her dial tone was either busy or it just went off.


    ***

 Chapter 82 - Caspar Apologized

    Finland finally turned on her phone the next day at lunch time. She received so many messages containing apologies from Caspar who promised not to prank her to make her jealous. He realized that it must have been very difficult for Finland to fall in love and believe in men.


    Considering Caspar''s history of being with thousands of women all his life, he was very lucky that she had come to trust him. He was wrong for making Finland jealous.


    That''s when Caspar realized that between the two of them, he was the one who had the bigger love. If he made a mistake, no matter how little, Finland would not hesitate to leave him. This fact made him a little horrified.


    "I promise I won''t do silly things like yesterday anymore..." was the content of dozens of messages he sent to Finland, "Please don''t be angry again ...."


    Finland did not reply to the messages. She was still upset because he caused her to cry like that.


    Ms. Fang saw that Finland was very productive today. All her work was completed well and in full concentration even though her face frowned all day. She could only guess what was happening.


    "Finland, your work is very good. I''m glad you''re on our team," Ms. Fang said just before lunch time.


    She patted Finland''s shoulder gently and smiled sweetly before going out for lunch.


    Finland was stunned. She really liked her job. After everyone started to know her better and no longer listened to Meilin''s negative comments, Finland felt truly accepted at work.


    In her heart she was a little sad because in one year she would slowly disappear and join Caspar as his wife. Because Caspar lived and moved around the world, she wouldn''t be able to continue working at her current office.


    Finland used to think that she would be happy when she became rich; when she no longer needed to work hard to make ends meet. However, now she realized that happiness came from her inward satisfaction. She felt satisfied when doing her work and managed to do the things she liked. And if she was honest, she realized that she really liked working ....


    Finland did not bring lunch today, so she stopped by the hawker center near her office for lunch.


    [I bought you a souvenir from Seattle.] Suddenly she received a message from Jean. He sent a picture of a Starbucks Tumbler that read ''The Pike Place''.


    [Whoaa... thank you, but you don''t have to bother.] Finland replied.


    [This is a special Starbucks tumbler, Finland. The Pike Place is the first Starbucks store in the world, so I think it''s important to give you this souvenir from Seattle, the hometown of Starbucks.]


    [OK. I''ll take it in Paris in January.] Finland finally said.


    Jean always thought of Finland when he travelled to unique places and never forgot to buy a souvenir for her.


    [I already gave it to your boyfriend. I met him this afternoon.]


    Boyfriend?


    A few moments later Finland realized that Jean meant Caspar. Ugh... Finland still didn''t want to talk to Caspar.


    [Ok...] Finland just replied briefly.


    [Oh, by the way, I met the woman who was with him yesterday too. Caspar said she was his personal bodyguard. Apparently our assumption was wrong.] Moments later Jean sent another message. [I am sorry. Maybe I unconsciously tried to find his flaws and when I saw him with a hot woman, I immediately told you about it, clouded by my own assumptions...]


    [It''s okay, Jean. That''s not your fault.]


    [Maybe I really hoped that he is a player and that he''s not good enough for you... So I have a reason to take you away from him.]


    Finland was silent for a long time after reading Jean''s last message. She thought of the night when she and Jean drank a lot of cocktails during their bar hopping evening.


    Finland finally had to be carried home because she was too drunk to walk, and she vaguely remembered Jean saying that Finland could be his wife in this life if Caspar didn''t treat her well.


    They never discussed it, and maybe Jean did not know that Finland was sober enough to remember what he said... She now knew that Jean had feelings for her. Even so, the man never did anything improper or tried to create a drift between her and Caspar. Instead, he helped Caspar understand Finland''s condition and advised him to be patient to win her heart.


    Jean''s love for her was silent, because Finland did not love him as a lover. Her small heart was already filled with only one man, and that was Caspar. She loved Jean as a friend and as a brother.


    [Caspar was indeed a player. But that was before he met me. Now he is a faithful man.] Finally, Finland replied to Jean''s message. [He is kind to me. It''s just that he''s got an awful sense of humor.]


    [As long as you''re happy with him, I''m happy for you.]


    Finland hoped that someday Jean would meet a wonderful woman who can appreciate just how valuable he was.

 Chapter 83 - I am sorry

    After lunch, Finland quickly rushed back to the office. She wanted to carry out her duties so that later she could request for an extended leave to HRD through Ms. Fang, her manager.


    When Finland arrived back at Suntec Tower, she was shocked to see several trucks parked near her office building. Many workers were taking down flower boards from the trucks. Then, she looked around and noticed that the entire pavement was filled with flowers.


    The whole street now looked like a giant flower garden. Many passersby stopped to take photos.


    "What is this?" she asked in amazement when she saw Tran walking out of the lobby of the building.


    "What is happening here? Why are there lots of flowers outside our building?"


    Tran looked at her in disbelief.


    "Well, our boss told these men to place the flower boards outside because there is no more space in our office..." She shook her head, "After you left for lunch, dozens of florists constantly came to deliver flowers. We were happy when the first one or two flower arrangements came because it made the office pretty, but within an hour there was no more space in the office, hallway, and lobby!


    That was why Ms. Fang refused the next shipment of flowers to be placed in the office. However, the flower workers were stubborn, so they kept delivering their flowers by placing them on the sidewalk..."


    "Huh? Who sent this many flowers?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "That was what I wanted to ask you," Tran exclaimed, "All of these flowers are for you. Don''t you know who sent them?"


    Finland was immediately stunned. She approached a florist worker and patted his shoulder.


    "Good afternoon, Sir. Who are these flowers for?"


    "For Miss Finland. Do you know her?" The man asked back.


    "Uhm... it''s me," said Finland, who suddenly felt uncomfortable.


    Could it be¡­ that all these flowers were from...


    "Oh, these are all flowers for you, Miss. There is no sender''s name; he said you will know who the sender is... He bought all the flowers in my shop, as well as other shops..." He handed over a beautiful flower arrangement with a card pinned on it.


    When Finland received the flower, she saw a short text on the card, "I am sorry."


    Only those three words: I am sorry. There were no arguments nor justifications.


    Caspar admitted his mistake and apologized. Finland''s heart suddenly melted. She looked at all the colorful flower boards on the sidewalk with the same text written on them: ''I am sorry''.


    Finland''s eyes began water when she walked pass the sidewalk and entered the lobby to go up to the 7th floor where her office was located. Along the way she saw sooooo many flower boards and flower arrangements which made many pedestrians unable to move freely.


    All the employees in the building became excited. There were also flowers at the reception desk, in the lobby, in the hallway, and finally in the office of LTX International.


    Everything reads one sentence. ''I am sorry.''


    Ugh... with this kind of action, how could Finland continue being angry and not forgive Caspar?


    It looked like Caspar had bought all the flowers sold in Singapore and sent them to Finland''s office to show how much he regretted his action.


    "Finland," Ms. Fang, who saw Finland entering the room, immediately called out to her, "Please forgive whomever it was who hurt you. We cannot accept any more flowers. The whole office has become too cramped to move and we could be fined by the Department of Environment because of the flowers outside the building."


    Finland nodded slowly, not able to say anything. She hurriedly sat at her desk and sent a message to Caspar telling him to stop.


    [I''ve forgiven you, don''t send any more flowers. You have created such a mess.] Finland wrote.


    Caspar immediately replied her SMS with a heart emoticon.


    From the window, Finland could see the florists neatly arranging the flowers for her along the sidewalk around her office building. She could read some of the texts, and she found dozens of ''I am sorry''s staring back at her.


    Caspar couldn''t even apologize like a normal person.

 Chapter 84 - How Finland and Katia are different

    Caspar had never apologized to a woman he dated his whole life! Even Katia, who was his fianc¨¦e for 50 years, was very lenient and she forgave all his unpleasant actions ¨C an example would be when Caspar casually dated a women he met on the way to her place.


    He knew that he had irresistible charm, and he had seen countless women throw themselves at him.


    Katia never protested or left him just because Caspar was having fun with other women.


    What made Katia finally decide to leave was because Caspar kept her hanging. After so long he never took the last step to marry her. Indeed 50 years was a long time and Katia couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Caspar did not mean to hurt her, he simply could not bring himself to commit to her because he realized that he didn''t actually love her.


    Caspar''s parents who died together during World War 2 were married for more than four centuries and they were a perfect example of true love. They had known each other since they were children and both became Alchemists in their early 20s.


    They provided Caspar and his siblings with a loving household until they died in each other''s embrace under the rubble of the building where they lived.


    Since Caspar reached adulthood at the age of 25 until they died, his parents were his best friends.


    Even after Caspar went away to explore the world, and Flora got married and started a family, and Aldebar was born and grew up to be a world adventurer, all of them always came home to their family castle in Germany to get together every 10 years.


    They had a close-knit relationship. Since their parents passed away, only Aldebar lived in the castle because he was the only alchemist in the family to inherit their grandfather''s secret immortality potion.


    Caspar wanted to fall in love and marry someone, just like his father fell in love with his mother and married her, but for more than 400 years he did not find a woman who captured his heart. When he was devastated after the death of his parents, he met Katia in England.


    She was attending art school. Katia was a beautiful and kind lady from a noble family. They became friends because they often met at art community events in London and soon they started dating. Katia was able to comfort Caspar''s heart and cheer him up.


    Five years later Caspar decided to tell her the secrets of the Alchemists. Katia, whom he first met when she was 20 years old, began to change her appearance and at the age of 25 - she slowly started to age.


    Caspar was worried that Katia would soon look older than him. He also could not let Katia age and then die, leaving him alone.


    Finally, one night after a romantic dinner in Surrey, Caspar told Katia everything. The girl''s first reaction, predictably, was that Caspar was just joking.


    "I told you I''m an Alchemist."


    "I don''t even know what that means. You told me, but I just thought that meant you were interested in alchemy."


    "My dear Kat, my clan, the Alchemists, stay young like this forever. My ancestors found the elixir to immortality hundreds of years ago. We stop aging once our body reaches its prime and we stay perfect for infinity. We don''t even know if we are ever going to die naturally; the oldest alchemist alive is almost 600 years old. We don''t get sick, we don''t experience any physical disability, and we don''t get old. So, naturally, we are what you call the perfect humans. If you can be a doctor by studying for 5 years after finishing your basic education, imagine how much you can learn in a span of hundreds of years? Naturally, I can be whatever I want to be, and I can take my sweet time when doing anything. Since we are not in a hurry, my people are very casual when it comes to marriage and kids. My parents had me when they were already 90 because they are the first generation of Alchemists and at that time it was not known how long they could keep their youth. Later generations are more relaxed about it since we know that even if you go to 600, you''ll still look and feel as if you''re in your twenties."


    Katia accepted the fact that Caspar did look very young for someone who was almost 400 years old. He looked like he was the same age as Katia, only 25 years old.


    Plus, Caspar was also very handsome. Katia didn''t see a single wrinkle on his face...


    "So, you are all immortal? You cannot die?"


    "Well, we are not immune to bullets, but we cannot die of natural causes like ordinary people who are weak and susceptible to disease. During the last world war... many of my people died during city attacks."


    Katia was stunned.


    "I can''t believe this..." Katia sighed softly.


    "That''s why I hate war. It is meaningless." Caspar closed his eyes and tried to control his emotions. He still couldn''t forget the death of his parents.


    "Oh..."


    Katia was lost for words.


    Caspar explained everything to her so nonchalantly. It was as if he was just talking about the weather tomorrow. But it didn''t make sense. Katia felt as if Caspar was discussing the beautiful snowfall outside their window, even though it was actually in the middle of summer.


    How could Katia accept all this weird information?


    "Why did you tell me all this?" Katia asked finally.


    "Because... I think... I have fallen in love with you..." Caspar looked deep into Katia''s eyes. "I don''t know if I want to be with you forever, but if I don''t decide quickly, in a few years, you will grow old and die and I can''t take that risk. We''ve been together for five years, and you can certainly see for yourself I have not changed... but you look more mature and soon you will look older than me. So, I want to give you... my family''s inheritance, so that you can stay like this forever... You will not age, just like me... and we can always be together. "


    Fifty years ago, Katia''s finally decided to accept Caspar''s proposal and chose to live forever with him, leaving her family and her best friend, Karl, behind. Caspar gave Katia the immortality potion and she accepted their engagement. Katia then spent fifty years waiting for Caspar to keep his promise and marry her.


    Katia had never been angry at Caspar when he dated all the women in his life and casually dumped them, because she knew that Caspar''s relationship with them was not serious. Besides, she received the immortality potion, so she thought that she was special.


    However, after half a century, Katia realized that Caspar also was not serious about her and they would never get married... Therefore, Katia finally left.

 Chapter 85 - Jeans Advise

    Now, Caspar bitterly realized that Finland was a very different person from Katia... Finland didn''t have the sense of humor or understanding Katia had.


    Finland became so jealous and angry when Caspar just joked about being with a sexy woman called Famke; he didn''t even date her! It was actually a very funny joke for Caspar, but apparently Finland couldn''t take the joke and became furious.


    He now realized that karma was punishing him because of his past behavior. He had fallen in love with a girl who couldn''t even take his joke when he tried to make her jealous.


    Finally, because Finland did not reply to his messages asking for forgiveness and refused to pick up his phone calls, Caspar turned to Jean who was, at the time, at Atlas headquarters to shoot photos.


    ***


    His arrival at the head office attracted rumors among employees. That was the first time they saw their new boss. He came to the company with Sam Atlas who introduced him to all of them.


    The girls there were fascinated and grateful because they could see two very handsome men in their office on the same day: Jean who was shooting the ads and Heinrich Schneider, the new owner of the company.


    As usual, Jadeith announced that his boss didn''t like being photographed and Famke confiscated all the cellphones that were secretly photographing Caspar. Complaints were slowly heard everywhere.


    "Where''s Jean?" Caspar asked Sam Atlas. "I need to ask him something."


    "Oh, do you know Jean?" Sam asked rather surprised.


    His daughter made it a condition that Jean became Atlas''s ambassador and deliberately included a clause in the contract when he sold his company to the Schneider Group.


    "I know him a little," Caspar answered shortly.


    Sam gave a signal to Jonathan who immediately guided them outside the office where a buggy was waiting. It took them to a very large hangar.


    Caspar saw Jean sitting in the passenger seat. He looked like a very wealthy executive who was busy with his laptop. A middle-aged female photographer who looked eccentric moved back and forth to take his pictures.


    Caspar didn''t have much time, so he turned to Jadeith and Famke who quickly sent away everyone from the photo session and escorted them out of the hangar so that Caspar could talk to Jean in private.


    "Hey... what''s wrong?" Jean asked when he saw Caspar walking towards him. "Are you in Seattle too?"


    Caspar nodded, "Atlas Corp is now mine, so I''m here to check."


    Jean wasn''t surprised to hear that. He knew Caspar could buy anything he wanted.


    "I''m sure you are not here for the photo session," Jean said, smiling slightly. "What is wrong?"


    Caspar twitched his forehead and asked Jean in a desperate voice, "How do you apologize to Finland?"


    "What am I apologizing for?" Jean asked, not understanding.


    "When you make a mistake, or prank her just for fun, and she becomes angry with you, how do you apologize so she will forgive you...?" Caspar asked. He didn''t actually want to ask for Jean''s help, but he had no choice.


    Jean chuckled when he heard Caspar''s words, "I''ve never made her angry and I''ve never pranked her."


    "You never had an argument?" Caspar asked in surprise.


    "Never."


    Caspar fell silent. It was hard for him to take that Jean and Finland never fought at all. The relationship between those two must be very good.


    "What should I do then? I did something stupid and now Finland is very angry with me." Finally, Caspar relented and asked Jean for advice. Luckily the man was kind and willing to help.


    "All girls love flowers. Show Finland that you sincerely regret your action and send her flowers. She should be able to understand and forgive you, if you truly didn''t mean harm and was only joking."


    "Hmmm..." Caspar then nodded. "Okay, thank you."


    When he turned around, Jean suddenly called him.


    "Hey... I bought a souvenir from Seattle for Finland. Please give it to her."


    Jean took a package from his bag which was placed on the chair and handed it to Caspar. The man accepted it and nodded, then walked away.

 Chapter 86 - Souvenirs from Seattle

    Jean was right, flowers could make a woman''s heart melt, and it was evident because Finland finally forgave Caspar after he sent her a lot of flowers.


    Caspar initially thought of only sending ten bouquets of flowers, but then he thought that the more flowers he sent, the more her heart would melt. So, more flowers equals to a bigger chance of being forgiven.


    The text he was waiting for came at 10:00 pm Seattle time, when, finally, Finland told him to stop sending flowers because she had forgiven him.


    Finland had indeed forgiven him, but until his last day in Seattle, the girl did not call nor sent him a message. Caspar finally realized that he still had to apologize to her in person and so he immediately returned to Singapore.


    ***


    That afternoon when Finland was walking into the park after work to meet Ben who was picking her up, she was surprised to find Caspar already in the car.


    "Why... are you home already?" Finland asked in surprise. "Why come here? Not directly to the mansion?"


    Caspar came out of the car and pulled Finland into his arms. He said nothing for a few minutes.


    "I came here directly from the airport. I''m sorry that I have a bad sense of humor..." Caspar said finally. "I don''t like making you cry."


    Finland broke free from Caspar''s arms and sat next to him. "Okay. You''re forgiven. Now let''s go home."


    "I want to introduce you to Famke, so you won''t be jealous anymore..." said Caspar.


    "I''m tired and don''t want to meet anyone," Finland replied. Her face looked flat.


    "Oh, alright. Then, next time." Caspar nodded. He took out two boxes from the cabinet and gave them to Finland. "This is a gift for you from Seattle."


    Finland received the first box and opened its contents. Inside the wooden box was a key.


    "What key is this?" she asked, surprised.


    "This is the key to the house that I bought for you. I sent you a picture of the house a while back..." Caspar answered.


    "Why, thank you." Finland nodded and placed the box in her bag. "What is this?"


    She opened a green cardboard box and found a Starbucks tumbler with the writing The Pike Place.


    Ah... this must be the souvenir from Jean.


    "That..."


    "A gift from Jean, huh?" Finland words cut Caspar''s words, "Thank you for bringing it to me."


    She kissed Caspar on the cheek and placed the tumbler in the bag too.


    Caspar was happy because Finland had the initiative to kiss him, but there was a little irritation because he didn''t know whether Finland kissed him for the house he bought her, or because he brought the tumbler from Jean.


    "I missed you..." he whispered to Finland. "Did you miss me too?"


    Finland sighed, then answered in the most serious voice Caspar had ever heard.


    "I missed you so much."


    Instantly Caspar''s eyes glowed and a big smile was engraved on his face. He pulled Finland''s shoulder towards him and landed a loooooong passionate kiss on her lips.


    Ben understood that he must drive faster to get home so that the lovers in the backseat could immediately quench their thirst for each other.

 Chapter 87 - Going to Germany

    Finland''s application for leave was approved by Ms. Fang. Aside from her good performance, she also impressed her entire department.


    One afternoon she invited the group from the Marketing department to dinner at the Moon Restaurant of Continental Hotel to celebrate the opening of Katia''s gallery. Everyone was very impressed by the result.


    People at LTX know that Moon Restaurant''s waiting list could be months, so Finland''s success in bringing them there to eat made all of her colleagues very happy and amazed. The next morning when Finland approached to Ms. Fang to apply for leave from December 30th to January 29th, her request was quickly approved.


    Finland promised to settle all her obligations before her leave and she would hand over her pending projects to Lily and Tran who would help her. She also promised that she could be contacted by telephone and e-mail at any time if there was an emergency that needed her attention.


    A week before they left for Germany, Finland told Caspar the good news when they were eating together.


    "I have been given a month leave. This week is my last day of work in 2018."


    "Ahh... that''s great! I''m very happy to hear that." Caspar nodded happily, "Starting tomorrow night I will give you a crash course on Alchemists so you can prepare to meet them."


    "Crash course? What for?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "There are a lot of things you don''t know about my people, and I don''t want you to feel surprised when you meet people who are rather quirky or very different from me." Caspar replied calmly, "I told you, not all Alchemists are like me."


    "I know, not all Alchemists are rich and smart like you. You told me that, "Finland said, shrugging.


    "That''s not all." This time Caspar looked very serious, "There are some people who call themselves ''purists'' or pure Alchemists. They are the direct descendants of the previous generation of alchemists and do not need to drink the immortality potion. They consider themselves better than regular humans and look down on them and all members of the Alchemist who are mixed or are born from ordinary people who enter our clan by marrying an Alchemist and are gifted the immortality potion."


    "Really? So they are like racists who look down on others because of their skin color and nationality..." Finland was surprised to hear Caspar''s story. She did not expect that there were some evil Alchemists.


    "Sort of. They only support marriages among fellow Alchemists, even though, you know, there are very few of us... If we limit ourselves to just marrying fellow Alchemists, in a short time we will have relationships with our own relatives, almost like incest. My grandfather and father were also purists. They refused to accept Louis, Flora''s husband, to enter our clan. After Alexandrite was born ten years later, my father changed his mind. He loved Alexandrite, his grandson, and didn''t want to see him grow old and die. Finally, the family accepted Louis and gave him the immortality potion when he was 40 years old. Then, Garnet was born, and finally Jadeith. They are all considered mixed blood."


    Finland only recently heard about Caspar''s parents and grandfather, and she did not expect that his father and grandfather were also racist towards regular people.


    "Have you ever wanted a purist to be your spouse?" Finland probed. She knew that Caspar had a very close relationship with his parents and she wanted to know if Caspar had the same attitude as them.


    "I don''t know..." Caspar answered honestly, "I think, marrying a purist or not, it makes no difference, as long as that person can live forever with me and we love each other. Whether she is born an Alchemist or she has to take the immortality potion, I don''t really care.


    "Hmm... alright." Finland recalled that she had only promised to join Caspar in one year, but she still hadn''t decided whether she would drink the immortality potion or not. Caspar seemed to read her mind, because the man hurriedly calmed her down.


    "But I have promised that I will accept you for who you are, even if you don''t want to be an Alchemist, I''ll still wait. I will never force you." He kissed Finland then whispered, "I''m sure our children will change your mind. You''ll see."


    He smiled broadly and rubbed Finland''s head. The girl just frowned.


    ***


    The day that she had long awaited finally arrived. On December 29, they were ready with their luggage and headed to the airport. They were scheduled to arrive in Germany the day before Aldebar''s birthday party.


    Inside Caspar''s private plane, Finland finally met Famke and several of Caspar''s other personal bodyguards. Before, Famke interacted a lot with Jadeith, but because she was often assigned to secret missions, she was rarely around.


    The girl liked wearing leather outfits which made her look very sexy. Her short bob hair looked very practical and gave out the impression of being cold. Her appearance reminded Finland of the character La Femme Nikita, without her blond hair. Famke was a German and was apparently almost 200 years old.


    She was respectful to Finland but spoke very little. During the 14-hour flight, Finland barely heard Famke''s voice.


    "Famke is not really social," Caspar said. "but she is a good person. She became my bodyguard because I saved her life... She just wants to return my kindness. I''ve repeatedly told her to leave, so she can live her own life, but Famke insists on protecting me."


    Finland looked at Famke who was sitting in the corner of the cabin. She was reading a book seriously. She did not know whether Famke was with Caspar because she wanted to repay his kindness, or if she actually had feelings for Caspar...


    They landed in Stuttgart and immediately went through the VIP access to leave the airport. Some luxury cars were waiting for them in front of the arrival lobby. Finland still couldn''t believe that she just set foot in Europe, and she was with her future husband...


    Everything felt perfect!


    She took a deep breath as she got off the plane, but the cold temperature gave her a shock. It was winter in Germany at the end of December, and the air was piercing cold. Finland shivered immediately.


    Brr...

 Chapter 88 - The Victorian Prince

    Seeing that she was shivering, Caspar quickly hugged Finland and took her under his long coat. He quickly led the girl to the car. Before they could enter the car, a voice called his name from behind.


    "Hey... you guys just arrived too?"


    Caspar turned around and saw a very handsome man with brown hair. He looked really cool. His purple eyes glowed when he saw them. Next to her was a brown-haired girl with a pair of purple eyes.


    The beautiful girl had long wavy hair dangling to her waist, and on her face was a very attractive smile which showed a row of pearly white teeth. Her body was perfectly shaped, as if it was carved by the Gods. All she needed was a pair of wings to make her as perfect as an angel.


    These two people were very attractive and they were followed by several guards dressed in black, like Caspar.


    "Good afternoon, Alexei and Sophia." Caspar greeted them. "You came early. Aldebar''s birthday is tomorrow."


    "It was Sophia who insisted on arriving early, she wanted to meet you," Alexei answered, glancing at the girl beside him.


    Sophia came closer to hug Caspar, but before she reached him, Finland popped her head from Caspar''s coat. Sophia suddenly stopped midway.


    "Who is that?" Sophia asked in surprise.


    Caspar turned towards Finland and answered.


    "This is Finland, my future wife," Caspar extended his arms and so Finland was not fully covered by his coat. Then, the people who just arrived could see her clearly.


    "Future wife...?" Sophia asked in a tone of disbelief. "How long have you been together? How come I didn''t know?"


    "I don''t need to ask for your permission," Caspar answered coldly.


    Hearing that, Sophia''s face looked very unhappy.


    "Is she an ordinary human?" she asked.


    "That''s none of your business," Caspar replied. He turned to Finland and explained, "This is Alexei, my childhood friend. We grew up together. And that''s Sophia, his sister. You could say that recently we are having different opinions about some matters. They are the leaders of the purists."


    Finland immediately remembered Caspar''s story about a group of Alchemists who considered themselves better than ordinary people and wanted to purify the Alchemist clan by not accepting ordinary people as new members. No wonder Caspar disagreed with them. If the purists succeeded in imposing their will, Caspar would not be able to marry Finland.


    "We go first," Caspar said later. He gave a signal to his staff and they quickly entered their cars and drove away.


    Finland had only seen a few Alchemists in her life so far, but she was already fascinated by the people. All the Alchemists she met had beautiful and perfect appearances, and their eyes had brilliant colors.


    As they drove to Caspar''s family castle, she could not stop thinking about the hundreds of perfect people she would meet at the party tomorrow. She did not know whether those people would be able to accept her and consider her fit to be Caspar''s wife.


    The car finally stopped an hour later in front of a beautiful big castle. Finland couldn''t guess how old the castle was, but it must be very old. The castle looked very well maintained and it was surrounded by lush greenery.


    A handsome man with golden locks falling down on his shoulders came to greet them at the door. His face was very similar to Caspar''s, especially his brilliant blue eyes. His smile was also adorned with cute dimples, just like Caspar.


    This must be Aldebar, Caspar''s youngest brother, thought Finland.


    The man, who wore a very beautiful and elaborate Victorian outfit, looked like a prince. It was as if he came out from a historical movie, especially with the castle as a background behind him. Finland had to pinch herself to make sure that they did not time travel to the past.


    "My brother really likes prehistoric fashion..." said Caspar. "He always looks like he''s living in the 19th century."


    Finland shook his head, "But I like it so much... His clothes are beautiful. I have only seen it in movies..."


    She approached Aldebar and touched the clothes he was wearing to feel the material. Aldebar laughed to see her interest and said to his brother, "I already like my sister-in-law. She has good taste."


    Caspar just pursed his lips, looking displeased.


    "We''re tired because of the travel. Finland and I want to rest." He pulled Finland''s hand into the castle.


    "Eh... you''re not going to introduce us?" Aldebar asked in surprise.


    "No." Caspar replied, irritated. "I don''t want you to use your charms on my wife."


    Finland rolled her eyes when she heard Caspar''s answer. She then turned towards Aldebar and extended her hand to shake his.


    "Good day, Aldebar, my name is Finland. No last name."


    Aldebar smiled and shook Finland''s hand. "Nice to meet you, Finland. My name is Aldebar. I''m Caspar''s younger brother."


    The two smiled and nodded at each other. Then, Finland followed Caspar into the castle.


    "There is a shipment of goods from New York for you," Aldebar exclaimed before the two of them disappeared from his sight, "I had the items placed in your room, okay."


    Ah, that must be the wedding dress from Rosa Wang. Finland was very impressed because Rosa managed to finish her dress in less than a month.


    Oh... she couldn''t wait to wear it and see herself in her dress...

 Chapter 89 - Lets get married today

    Even though the castle was very old, it was filled with modern equipment such as elevators and automatic doors. Caspar took Finland to the 3rd floor and showed her a very large and beautiful room.


    "This is my room, our room, but I won''t stay here tonight because we shouldn''t meet until our wedding. So, you will rest here and I will sleep in another room."


    Finland nodded.


    Some staff entered to bring their suitcases, several large boxes of equipment for Finland and a wedding dress from Rosa Wang.


    "Flora will arrive later in the evening and she will help you with the dress. I just told her that we are getting married. Aldebar doesn''t know yet... " Caspar smiled mischievously, "He doesn''t know we were going to ride on his birthday party."


    "Will he not be angry?" Finland asked, concerned. "We don''t have to hold a grand party after the wedding. Having you by my side is enough for me, I don''t need a party."


    "But I still have to introduce you to my people," said Caspar.


    "We can come to Aldebar''s party and announce that we are already married..." Finland said, "Let the people congratulate us, but don''t turn Aldebar''s party into our wedding. It''s his time to shine."


    "Aldebar won''t be angry for a long time, in at least ten years he will forgive me," Caspar insisted.


    Finland nodded impatiently.


    "I don''t want to start my life as your wife by offending Aldebar. Don''t be selfish." She touched Caspar''s cheeks and looked deeply into his eyes, "Tell me, why do you want to get married so quickly?"


    Caspar brought Finland''s hands to his cheeks and looked at the girl with a sad expression, "I don''t want you to change your mind. That is why I want to formalize our marriage as soon as possible. Another reason is that it is very difficult to gather all our clan members like this, so Aldebar''s party is a perfect occasion. Aldebar''s party was first planned two years ago. If I want to plan for a wedding party today, maybe I can only have everything sorted by next year... It''s so long to wait."


    Finland smiled and shook her head. She knew Caspar was serious about his words.


    "Okay... how about we get married tonight, when all your immediate family members are present, and tomorrow we just need to announce our marriage. People can congratulate us tomorrow if they wish. Thus, your goal is achieved, you can marry me and announce it to all clan members." Finland let go of Caspar and sat on the big beautiful bed, then tapped on the space next to her. "If we get married tonight, you don''t need to sleep in another room."


    Caspar was stunned. He then smiled and sat next to Finland. He placed his arm around her waist lovingly, and finally he nodded.


    "You are right. My wife is very wise." He kissed Finland for a long time, "I''m very lucky. I will tell Aldebar now. Later, we will marry before dinner and celebrate with my immediate family. Tomorrow we just need to announce it."


    Finland smiled happily at that.


    With a heavy heart, Caspar left Finland. He must prepare to make sure their wedding tonight would be perfect. Some staff helped Finland unpack and took out the wedding dress that was sent by Rosa Wang.


    They hung the dress in the middle of the room so they could admire it. It had a beautiful simple and elegant style and was made with frilly silk material. Finland couldn''t wait to wear it.


    "Do you want me to help you wear this dress?" asked a female staff who had a pair of beautiful brilliant brown eyes. Finland was stunned by her eyes.


    She only realized that all the staff in this castle , looked young and had beautiful faces, and brilliant colored eyes. Are all these staff also Alchemists?


    As if reading her mind, the girl smiled and bowed slightly.


    "My name is Kara, I am a Schneider family staff member. All who work for Sir Aldebar are from the Alchemist clan. Only the chefs and gardeners are outsiders."


    "Oh..." Finland was lost for words. She felt like she was entering the land of the elves in the Lord of the Rings books she had read some years ago. Caspar family''s castle and the people she met brought her imaginations to Rivendell, an elven land full of beautiful people who lived young forever.


    She was probably the only ordinary human among all these perfect humans.


    The thought depressed her a bit.


    Should she immediately accept the immortality potion and be one of them?


    "I need some fresh air..." Finland said.


    She quickly wore her thick coat, went out of the room and looked for the elevator they used earlier. Kara didn''t try to stop her. She and other staff then cleared room and decorated it beautifully to become a room fit for newlyweds.

 Chapter 90 - Feels like in Rivendell

    Finland found a way out of the castle through a back door and walked aimlessly. She was just going wherever her feet took her. Around the castle there were many beautiful citrus trees ¨C it reminded her of the garden of the Versailles Palace she had seen from a photo that Jean sent. A little to the side there was a small green lake with several canoes.


    Finland was attracted to the lake and walked closer. The scenery here was very beautiful. She then sat on the dock, took off her shoes and dipped her feet into the water.


    Brr... it was so cold...


    She quickly pulled out her feet and wore her shoes again. What was I thinking? She scolded herself.


    It was her first time going to Europe, and she never experienced winter before, so she did not know that the water in the lake would be too cold to touch.


    "Hey...!"


    She turned around in surprise when she heard a voice calling out to her. She did not see anyone behind her. There was no one on the dock.


    "I am here..." called the voice again,


    "Uhm...?" Finland finally found the origin of the sound. Aldebar was lying at the bottom of a canoe with a blade of grass between his lips. Apparently he was taking a short nap and woke up when he heard Finland dipping her feet into the water. He woke up and called her.


    "We met earlier."


    "Yes, hello, Aldebar." Finland nodded.


    The view in front of her looked exactly like a painting.


    Aldebar, with his long golden hair, wearing Victorian nobleman clothes with an elegant frilly collar, handsome like a prince, was sitting in a boat on a beautiful green lake. He looked so similar to Caspar, aside from the color of their hair.


    "Get on the boat, I''ll take you around." Aldebar got up and extended his hand to Finland. Finland, who was initially rather hesitant, approached Aldebar''s boat and accepted his hand.


    She had never ridden a boat around a lake before, and she was very happy Aldebar invited her.


    After Finland sat down, Aldebar started paddling the boat slowly to the center of the lake. He was in a very good mood.


    "This place is beautiful..." Finland said, "I feel like I am in the land of the elves. Have you ever read the Lord of the Ring book? This reminds me of Rivendell, the land of the elves..."


    Aldebar nodded. "I know Tolkien, the author of the book, I once invited him here for tea. Maybe this was where he got the idea for his book."


    "Is it true?"


    Now, Finland was no longer surprised if Aldebar claimed to know the legendary writer JRR Tolkien who lived decades ago. Caspar also said he was friends with Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric, when the couple was young and lived in Switzerland.


    "That is true." I still have the first edition of the book that he signed himself. I''ll show it to you later."


    Finland nodded happily. "Thank you."


    They enjoyed the view of the lake and continued chatting. Finland felt that although Aldebar looked very similar to Caspar, he had a more open and warm personality.


    Caspar kept a rather mysterious impression and didn''t say much, but Aldebar was very friendly and Finland clicked with him right away. He enjoyed reading, just like Finland, and they immediately discussed some of the books he recommended.


    "You are a wonderful woman," Aldebar said afterward. "I understand why Caspar loves you so much."


    Finland looked down, blushing. "Caspar is a wonderful man. I love him very much too."


    "I''ve never seen him bring any woman here before." Aldebar looked at Finland with an amazed look, "You''re very special."


    "Thank you..." Finland didn''t know what to say.


    "When do you plan to get married?" Aldebar asked again. "There hasn''t been any wedding for the past 100 years. We need something to celebrate."


    "Tomorrow we will celebrate your 200th birthday..." Finland replied.


    "Actually, it would be nice if we could celebrate your marriage in ten years, so that there would be another chance to meet people." Aldebar said. He seemed to count something with his left hand. "I can find an auspicious day for you."


    "Uhm..." Finland did not want to tell Aldebar that she and Caspar actually decided to get married tonight. She wanted Caspar to tell his brother himself.


    "What is wrong?"


    "You''d better meet Caspar and talk about the auspicious day. I can''t say anything..."


    Right at that moment Aldebar''s cellphone rang, and the man quickly picked it up. It was a call from Caspar.


    "I''m on the lake with sister-in-law," Aldebar said, "Come here."


    Caspar appeared not long after. He was surprised to see Finland in the middle of the lake together with Aldebar.


    "You''re not hitting on my wife, are you?" he asked with probing eyes, "I saw her first."


    Aldebar laughed and shrugged. He then paddled the boat closer to the dock and Caspar helped Finland get off the boat. He held the girl''s waist tightly to protect her from the cold air.


    "There''s something we want to talk about..." Caspar said after Aldebar came out of the boat.


    "Come to the library. Finland already looks cold," Aldebar said. He led them into the castle to a huge library on the ground floor.


    The fireplace in the library had been turned on and the temperature was warm enough for them to take off their coats. Caspar helped Finland remove her coat and hung their coats on a coat rack near the door.


    "I can''t wait," Caspar said, "after Flora and Louis arrived here, I want to marry Finland."


    Aldebar looked very surprised. "That fast? Have you thought about it carefully?"


    "We''ve thought about it carefully," said Caspar.


    "But how long have you known each other...? Less than six months, right?" Aldebar shook his head, "You know as soon as you bind yourself in marriage, it will last forever. We are not ordinary people who can marry and divorce at will."


    "I''ve thought about it," Caspar insisted. "I can''t live without Finland. For me to live forever it''s not fun when she is not with me."

 Chapter 91 - Ill marry you off

    Aldebar studied his brother''s and Finland''s face alternatingly, then sighed, "Alright. Then I will start working on the potion for Finland so that she can become part of our people."


    Caspar shook his head, "No need to hurry, Finland hasn''t decided to live forever like us. I''m still waiting for her to change her mind. I am sure that once our children are born, she will want to live forever so that she can watch them live their lives in this world."


    "Is that true?" Aldebar asked Finland. The girl nodded.


    "This is a big decision. I don''t know if I want it. But I do know that I want to marry Caspar."


    "Uhmm... okay." Aldebar shrugged, "I''ll make one for you anyway, in case you suddenly change your mind. After my 200th birthday tomorrow I want to sleep for ten years."


    "What...?" Finland didn''t understand. She turned to Caspar and then to Aldebar. "What do you mean by sleeping for ten years?"


    "My brother loves doing research. He is one of the few remaining Alchemist scientists. He inherited the talent of our grandfather. For the past fifty years he has been researching whether we can truly live eternally and cannot be killed by bullets or fire," said Caspar, "Since the death of our parents during the war, Aldebar is trying to make a potion that will make us immune from all external attacks. Hopefully bullets, fire and sharp weapons can no longer kill us."


    "Wow... does the research bring results?" Finland asked curiously.


    These perfect humans could be more perfect? Whoaaa....


    "This will be a very long research," Aldebar said. "The last research I conducted showed that I slept for one year without eating nor drinking, my body will still regenerate my cells. So, I will not die after sleeping for a full year. Now, my next target is to sleep for ten years..."


    Finland knew that for Alchemists, time was in their hands, and they could do whatever they want without having to think about time. She was amazed that Aldebar was very serious about his work.


    "My target is to finish my research and make a better lasting medicine before I have my 300th birthday."


    "You''re amazing..." said Finland.


    "Thank you." Aldebar stretched his arms and hugged Caspar and Finland alternately, "If you are sure, then I am also happy for you. Once Louis and Flora comes, I''ll marry you off."


    When Flora and her husband Louis arrived, Finland and Caspar were still in the library with Aldebar, discussing the details of their wedding. As the clan leader, Caspar usually married the members of their clan, but because he was now the one getting married, Aldebar would take on the role.


    Flora was a very beautiful woman and her face looked very much like her siblings. Just like Aldebar, she had golden hair, but her eyes were green. It reminded Finland of Jadeith''s eyes, Flora''s son, which was also green. Among her two brothers, she looked the youngest, even though she was actually 150 years older than Aldebar.


    Her husband, Louis, looked older compared to all of them; he looked like someone who was in his forties. However, he was still handsome, and his calm appearance made him look the most mature of them all, even though Caspar was actually the oldest.


    "Is this my future sister-in-law?" Flora asked as she entered the library room. Her face looked very happy. She walked towards Finland and hugged her warmly. "I''m very happy to meet you."


    Finland returned Flora''s hug. She didn''t expect Caspar''s family to accept her so easily. Aldebar and Flora were kind to her and seemed to like her a lot.


    Suddenly she felt touched because she felt like finally she had a new family. All this time she had always been alone. She only had one friend and family, namely Jean, and now she would soon have a husband and an extended family.


    She was also sad because Jean could not be here to share her happiness with her.


    Caspar, who saw the sad expression on her face, immediately understood what was on her mind.


    "You''ll see Jean in two weeks. Don''t be sad..."


    "Who is Jean?" Flora asked, "Your family member?"


    Finland nodded. Flora then understood a little what Finland felt. Louis, her husband, also had to leave his family after he took the immortality potion and lived with Flora. They had to safeguard the secret about the Alchemists closely.


    "You girls had better go to the room and prepare the bride. Aldebar and I will prepare Caspar," Louis said afterward.


    Flora nodded. She grabbed Finland''s hand and pulled her out of the library. "Let me help you with your dress."


    Finland just remembered her beautiful wedding dress. She hadn''t had a chance to wear it. She waved to Caspar enthusiastically, "See you later tonight."


    Caspar blew a kiss at her and nodded. "I cannot wait."

 Chapter 92 - Now and forever

    When Finland finally wore her wedding dress, she could not believe in her own appearance. The dress was long and fell past her ankles. It had a long V-shaped neck, showing off and enhancing her beautiful neck and neckline. It was a sleeveless dress with thin straps - and it was adorned with small precious stones sewn together with lots of beads, making it glitter when exposed to light.


    She could not imagine how many people worked overtime to finish the dress.


    "You''re so beautiful..." said Flora. "My brother has great taste."


    "Thank you," Finland replied, blushing.


    Flora called several staff and makeup artists to help Finland with her hair and makeup.


    "Please make it simple and natural..." pleaded Finland. She almost never wore makeup, and she was afraid that if the makeup was overdone, she would not recognize herself.


    "Of course, Madam," replied the makeup artist as she smiled reassuringly.


    ***


    The time everyone was waiting for finally arrived.


    At 4pm, when the sun had almost set, Flora and Famke walked Finland to the small chapel on the ground floor. The chapel was filled with their ancestral statues in ancient clothes, and there were various family symbols and emblems on the floor and walls.


    Hundreds of candles were lit along the walls. In the middle of the chapel, a very large crystal chandelier was also lit, creating a very lively and romantic atmosphere. Famke stopped at the door and now only Flora accompanied Finland into the chapel.


    A harpist was playing a beautiful song that Finland never heard before. Everything felt so perfect as she walked together with Flora toward her future husband.


    Caspar was standing by the altar wearing a tuxedo that made him look very handsome. He turned toward the arriving bride with a sweet smile. At his side was Louis and in front of them, dressed like a king with a robe filled with noble ornaments, was Aldebar. Aldebar stood firm with a beautiful cane in his hand. Finland later found out that the cane actually belonged the legendary Moses.


    Finland walked slowly toward Caspar, and when she arrived beside him, Caspar took her hands and wrapped them in his.


    "On behalf of our late parents, our extended family of the Alchemist clan, I, Aldebar Edward Johan Frederich von Schneider, hereby take the authority to unite Caspar Alexander Sebastian Heinrich von Schneider and Finland as husband and wife. Their unity will be acknowledged by all men, in heavens and on earth, and their perfect union shall be witnessed by all existing elements in the universe. Do you, Caspar, accept and love Finland as your only companion to live this life, in good times and bad times, and promise to protect, to care, and to make her happy as you do to yourself?"


    "I do," Caspar answered calmly.


    Aldebar continued, this time he turned to Finland.


    "Do you, Finland, accept and love Caspar as your only companion to live this life, in good times and bad times, and promise to protect, to care, and to make him happy as you do to yourself?"


    "I do..." Finland replied, her heart stirring with emotions. Tears almost trickled down her cheeks, and Flora hastily handed her a handkerchief.


    "Let the heavens and earth and all the elements in the universe be our witnesses; let the love of these two humans endure an endless stream of time; let them live forever in infinite happiness, until death do them part."


    Although physically Alchemists could live forever, it did not mean they couldn''t die. Their bodies were not made to hold bullets, sharp weapons, and other external attacks. That was why Aldebar still mentioned ''until death do them part''.


    It could also mean, that if Finland did not want to drink the immortality potion until the end, she would die and Caspar would be separated from her by death.


    This thought made Caspar feel sad. He looked at Finland with sad eyes, hoping that the girl would immediately decide to live an immortal life with him.


    Although he was willing to wait, but the thought that one day Finland could get sick and die left him upset.


    "I now declare you as husband and wife, now and forever." Aldebar finally said. He touched his cane unto Caspar''s and Finland''s shoulders alternately.


    Finland didn''t imagine what an Alchemist wedding procession would be like before. At first, she thought that they would invite a priest or hold a wedding ceremony at the church. However, it turned out that the wedding was a solemn intimate ceremony in their private chapel in this castle, carried out by Aldebar. Even Caspar''s staff and personal guards did not enter.


    "Now and forever." Caspar replied. He signaled Finland to repeat after him, and the girl then raised her voice.


    "Now and forever." Finland''s voice trembled as she made her promise. She didn''t know whether they would live forever, but now, right now, her life was revolving around Caspar.


    She wanted to spend every day and night with this man. Every happy and sad moment in her life she wished to share with him. And¡­ she wanted to give birth to his children...


    Caspar kissed her gently, as if Finland was a fragile porcelain doll. He was very careful when treating his wife. When he embraced her, he also did it gently to made sure Finland was not short of breath because of his excitement.


    "I love you." Caspar said later.


    "I love you too," Finland replied.


    The two smiled at each other and kissed gently.

 Chapter 93 - The first snow this year

    "Well... you newlyweds, please take a rest. In a few hours we will have a grand dinner to celebrate. Tomorrow, we will announce to everyone that there has been a wedding," Aldebar said.


    Caspar did not wait for Finland to reply. He carried the girl out of the chapel, into the elevator, and up to the 3rd floor. He followed the traditional method of carrying his wife into their bedroom; bridal style.


    Jadeith and Famke, who were waiting in front of the elevator on the 3rd floor, immediately opened the large wooden door so that Caspar could enter with Finland in his arms. The door was then closed behind them.


    "Finally... you won''t be able to change your mind now." Caspar said happily. He carefully laid Finland on the bed. Their room was decorated with beautiful flowers and romantic candles. "You are bound to me for life."


    He sat next to Finland and hugged her waist.


    "You are so beautiful today, I can''t believe my luck." Caspar said later. He buried his face into the girl''s hair, "I want to live with you forever..."


    Finland turned to her side and faced her husband, who was looking at her full of adoration. Her heart felt warm. She did not realize that Caspar loved her this much. Those pair of blue eyes seemed to open a path to the man''s deepest secret: in his heart there was only Finland.


    Finland touched Caspar''s cheek with her right hand, then came closer to kiss her husband''s lips. Caspar welcomed her kiss immediately and responded more passionately.


    The two immediately realized that they would miss dinner.


    "I can ask the staff to deliver our food directly from the kitchen after we are done..." Caspar whispered in a husky voice, unbuttoning his shirt. "We don''t have to have dinner with my family..."


    Finland nodded with a blushing smile.


    ***


    The next day Finland woke up feeling cold. They forgot to close the window before falling asleep and now cold air entered through the window. Despite the heaters in the room and the thick blanket, Finland could still feel the cold penetrating her bones.


    Finland touched her cold face and opened her eyes. She directed her gaze to the open window. When she saw white snowflakes falling down outside the window, she gave out a small excited shriek.


    Her voice woke Caspar who was asleep spooning her. The man opened his eyes and looked at Finland. "What is it, Honey?"


    "Look at that..." whispered Finland. She pointed to the window.


    Caspar remembered that Finland had never seen snow before, and the girl was very fascinated to see the small snowflakes floating down in the air, as seen from their open window.


    "The first snow this year..." Caspar said with a smile. "Do you want to take a closer look?"


    Finland nodded. Caspar got up and took out two kimonos from the cupboard. He wore the bigger one and handed the other one to Finland, so that she could get out of bed without feeling too cold. He then made two cups of tea for them and brought them to the window.


    Finland, who was wearing her kimono, walked over to him and received her cup of tea.


    "It''s cold..." she said.


    Caspar pulled a comfortable chair and took their blanket from the bed. He sat on the chair and gave a sign for Finland to sit on his lap.


    "Sit here, so we can enjoy your first snow experience."


    After Finland sat on his lap holding her teacup, Caspar covered their bodies with the blanket. Both of their bodies became very warm. They watched the snow fall, tea cups in hand, and whispered sweet words of love to each other.


    After they finished their tea, they continued enjoying the view outside the window, hugging each other until the last snowflake fell.

 Chapter 94 - Party in Rivendell (1)

    Finland sent a photo of the forest behind the snow-covered castle she had taken from the window to Jean.


    [My first snow, I am so excited. Wish you were here.]


    [Where is this? Are you in Europe? How come I didn''t know?] Came a reply from Jean. Half a minute later the next message followed [I''m glad you can finally see snow.]


    [I''m sorry, we''re now in Germany to meet Caspar''s family.] Finland replied quickly.


    [Oh, how serious is your relationship? I am glad to hear that.]


    Oh, if only you knew, Jean, we got married last night... thought Finland. She was really sad that she couldn''t share the happiest moment in her life with her best friend. She was happy with her marriage, but sad because she had to hide it from Jean.


    [We are in a good and serious relationship.] She wrote to Jean. [I''m looking forward to meeting you in Paris. I will go there on the 16th.]


    [What are you doing this New Year''s Eve?] asked Jean again. He seemed very happy because Finland was in Europe; it meant they would celebrate new year at the same time.


    [Caspar''s brother is holding his birthday party and he invited his relatives and friends. The event will start later in the evening.]


    Sorry I can''t invite you, Jean... Finland said to herself.


    [Sounds good. Have fun, okay...]


    [Thank you!]


    Caspar just finished taking a shower and he saw Finland busy with her phone. She took many photos of the castle covered in snow from the window of their room. He hugged the girl''s waist from behind and kissed the nape of her neck, which made her squirm in silence.


    "The event starts at 6pm. We will have a lot of guests..." he whispered, "I can''t wait to introduce you to everyone."


    "It must be strange to be surrounded by perfect humans, like elves in Rivendell," Finland commented softly.


    "Rivendell? Do you think we are like elves?" Caspar laughed to hear what she said, "Look at my ears, I don''t have pointy ears, okay?"


    "That''s not what I meant... hahaha. You are all very beautiful, and you can live forever. Don''t you think you are all just like elves?" Finland asked.


    "Hmmm... you''re right. But elves can also marry regular people, like Arwenn and Aragorn. They lived happily together."


    "Like us," Finland said. She turned and faced Caspar, kissing his cheek. "I want to take a shower and get ready. I have to look beautiful, because there must be a lot of beautiful elves who will come and try to attract your attention."


    "Ahahaha... there can''t be anyone prettier than my wife." Caspar answered with a small laugh. "Impossible."


    Finland was very happy to hear that. Caspar never hesitated to compliment her to show how much she was loved. She remembered that night when Caspar returned to Rose Mansion and decided to stay there so he could meet Finland every day and show his love, to hug her and hold her hand as often as possible, to support her, and say words of praises, so that Finland''s barren heart could slowly melt and able to accept love. Until now Caspar had not changed; he always treated her with love and adoration.


    After taking a bath, Finland wore a creamy dress that wrapped her body very beautifully. Flora had called a makeup artist to dress them up, and Finland and Flora looked really stunning. Caspar and Louis were chatting in the library during the time their wives were getting ready. Aldebar was busy making sure the party preparations were done well. Kara, his assistant, was busy following his orders.


    Time flew, and suddenly it was almost at 5pm and guests began arriving. From the window Finland could see many luxury cars arrive and parked in the very large courtyard of the castle. Not all guests came with cars; some came by taxi or rented cars because they came from far away. Whatever their means of arrival, they were all dressed in beautiful clothes and look very charming. Now, she really felt like she was in Rivendell.


    Many Alchemist men have long hair, like Aldebar. Flora told Finland that an Alchemist''s hair is a part of their body and an extension of their nervous system. It naturally gave them better senses, which was why their hair should never be cut.


    This reminded Finland of the Native Americans who also grew their hair. She read this research about hair. Many Native American trackers were employed by the American army during the Vietnam war to trace the Vietkong guerrillas. However, the army required them to shave their heads, and suddenly their ability to track disappeared and they were not able to do their jobs.


    "Nature has given us everything we need completely and perfectly," Flora explained further. "Birds have feathers, fish have scales, land animals have hair, all in the right size. Bears don''t need to shave their fur, but their fur won''t grow to meters, naturally it would stop growing according to their needs. Snakes change skin when the season arrives. Dogs who live in Tibet have longer and thicker fur than dogs who live in the warm tropics because they need thick fur to warm themselves. We are the same. We don''t need to cut our hair, it will grow according to the needs of our bodies. " Flora lifted her left index finger and closed her eyes, "Hmm... with my sharp senses I can predict that it will rain later in the evening."


    Finland saw how Flora''s beautiful hair reached her waist. She also remembered that Sophia and Kara also have long hair... Apparently, they never cut their hair and it grew to the waist. While Aldebar''s hair, which was also never cut, only grew to shoulder length.


    "Did Caspar cut his hair? Why is his hair short?" Finland asked later. She just remembered, for six months together she had never seen Caspar cut his hair or shave. She just thought he was doing it when he wasn''t with her.


    Flora shook her head. "None of us cut our hair, Finland. Caspar''s hair has been short for a very long time. Maybe his body naturally thought that was the right fit for him."


    Only then Finland understood. Apparently, these Alchemist people were unique.


    "So, Famke also doesn''t cut her hair, then?" she asked again. She remembered that Famke had a short bob-styled hair that was very practical. "Is she really short-haired?"


    "That''s right. Famke is very active and long hair would only be troublesome for people with her profession."


    "Personal bodyguard, you mean? But Jadeith has long hair..."


    Flora looked at Finland with a complicated look.


    "Famke isn''t a personal bodyguard... She''s a contract killer." She patted her forehead when she saw Finland''s surprised look. "Oh... didn''t you know?"


    "Contract killer...? Does Caspar tell her to kill people?" Finland asked with a concerned look.


    "Hmmm... for that you have to ask him yourself. I can''t answer..." Flora shook her head slowly, "Caspar is not a bad person. He is the clan leader and is often in danger. That''s why he has many personal guards. Famke was once assigned to kill Caspar, but she failed. Caspar forgave her and did not kill her because he knew Famke did not know that the person who hired her was a bad person. Since then, Famke felt indebted and decided to protect Caspar. But she still accepted occasional jobs as a hitman... "


    Finland bit her lip. She realized that she knew very little about Caspar''s life. Her husband had many enemies? And Famke was once hired to kill him?

 Chapter 95 - Party in Rivendell (2)

    All the information was difficult for her to accept. A few months ago, she was just a poor fresh graduate who struggled to survive in Singapore. Now she was married to an Alchemist leader who could live forever and had many enemies. He also had a contract killer as one of his personal guards.


    "You don''t need to worry. The party is very tightly guarded. Aldebar has more guards than Caspar because he is the heir to the immortality potion and he must not let it fall into the wrong hands." Flora pulled Finland''s hand out of the room, "Let''s go down, the event will start soon..."


    Finland followed her with a raging mind. They joined Caspar and Louis in the library, then walked hand in hand to the large ballroom where the party was held.


    "You are so beautiful tonight..." whispered Caspar to Finland. He wore a tuxedo that made him look more handsome than usual, and for a moment Finland was blown away.


    "You look handsome." Finland said with a smile.


    "Thank you." Caspar answered. "All invited guests have arrived. I can''t wait to introduce you to everyone."


    Suddenly Finland thought about Katia. The girl was also a member of the Alchemists clan because 50 years ago she received the immortality potion from Caspar, even though they did not get married. She wondered if Katia was also invited to Aldebar''s party.


    When they entered the hall and went inside, before she could ask Caspar, she got her answer.


    At the other end of the hall, standing intently with Alexei and Sophia, was Katia. She looked very beautiful in a sparkling blue dress. The three of them were chatting and laughing happily. The smiles on their faces made them look like beautiful elves from Rivendell.


    ***


    Finland now really felt like she just entered the Lord of the Rings movie set when the elves in Rivendell were having a party. There were hundreds of people in the hall and they all looked young, handsome, and very elegant. Some of them wore modern tuxedos and the latest expensive dresses, some wore unique futuristic clothes, and some wore vintage clothes, like Aldebar. But whatever they wore, they all looked very beautiful and charming. Inwardly Finland thought that Jean would look very fitting to walk among these people.


    Thinking of Jean, she sent an SMS to him.


    [I''m at Caspar''s family party. What are you doing?]


    There was no answer from Jean. That''s weird, Finland thought. Usually Jean only gave slow responses when he was working. But it was impossible for him to work on a New Year''s Eve like this, right?


    "Who are you contacting?" Caspar asked.


    "Jean. I want to know where he is celebrating new year. I forgot to ask."


    "Oh..." Caspar didn''t ask again. He still had to restrain himself from protesting too much about his wife''s close relationship with Jean. He kept telling himself that he was the one who came later, after the friendship between Finland and Jean had long been established.


    Finland decided to look for Jean on Google to find out his schedule. If Jean was working on an event on New Year''s Eve, she would be able to find out.


    Hmm... no schedule found.


    Finland saw Jean''s Instagram account on the first page of Google and opened it. Jean often posted his activities there. Maybe tonight too.


    Badump!


    For some reason Finland''s heart beat fast when she opened Jean''s Instagram account. The last photo he posted was a photo of a snow-covered forest behind this castle which was sent by Finland this afternoon.


    The caption in the photo was "Her first snow".


    Jean posted a photo from Finland on his Instagram, even though Finland was not with him. Like other random photos Finland occasionally posted on his account, this photo received a lot of responses from Jean''s followers who suspected that his account was being used again by his alter ego.


    Hmm... Recently, she felt that Jean was expressing his love for Finland more clearly.


    Or was it because only now she was aware of it?


    This made Finland sad. She now realized that Jean was keeping feelings for her in his heart. Actually, maybe in the past Jean had expressed his feelings in his own way, only Finland was too insensitive...


    Now, after she was with Caspar and married him, Finland just realized all the signs...


    She sighed deeply. She quickly put down her phone, so Caspar could not see Jean''s Instagram account and became jealous.


    Caspar had promised not to disturb Jean if Finland didn''t give him a reason to be jealous. Therefore, she must be careful and maintain her attitude. Later, when she met Jean, she would try talking to him...


    Jean must meet a girl who could accept his love. Finland was now the wife of another man.


    She gulped down the wine in her glass and asked for a new glass.

 Chapter 96 - Surprise at the party (1)

    The music played by the orchestra aired loud enough to be enjoyed but quiet enough so that guests could still chat with each other. Their faces looked very happy, and from the conversation she heard, Finland knew that this party had been awaited by Alchemists for decades.


    "Let''s go forward to meet Aldebar," Caspar said later.


    Caspar took Finland across the room toward a small stage prepared for the host, and the sea of people present moved aside to give them way. When people saw Caspar holding a girl''s hand, the atmosphere quickly became silent.


    These guests had been coming to parties held by the Schneider family several times and they had never seen Caspar nor Aldebar bring a partner. Tonight''s event was enough to make a lot of people curious.


    Guests began whispering among one another.. Finland glanced towards Katia, and found that Katia was looking at her with a very surprised and hateful look. If a gaze could kill, Finland might already be dead¡­


    Finland''s attention was focused back on Aldebar as he walked on stage. All orchestral musicians had left except for the harpist who also played music for Caspar and Finland''s wedding ceremony yesterday. Apparently the harpist was also an Alchemist. Her pair of green eyes shone brilliantly.


    Everyone stopped talking and paid attention to Aldebar. This time he wore a more practical outfit,


    something from the Edwardian time so he still looked like a prince from the past.


    "Everyone, welcome... Thank you for coming from all over the world to celebrate my 200th birthday party. As always there will be a musical, great music, lots of foods and drinks that are specially prepared by the world''s best chefs... There will be a short opera, and of course, the best drinks from our cellar. Let us welcome the new year together. "


    Someone suddenly exclaimed, "Happy birthday to Aldebar, may his life be beautiful and blessed by the universe and always filled with happiness, now and forever!"


    People lifted their glasses and reply, "Now and forever!"


    Aldebar smiled and thanked him. He then continued the announcement.


    "This year''s party, in addition to celebrating my second century anniversary, welcomes the 2019 Gregorian new year, tonight we also welcome a new member in our family. My brother Caspar is now a married man."


    Instantly the whole room became noisy. They were all talking to each other and everyone''s views was immediately addressed to Finland who was sitting next to Caspar. The man immediately grabbed her hand and invited her to walk on the stage where Aldebar was standing.


    He took the microphone and greeted all the guests.


    "Good evening everyone. My wife and I got married yesterday evening here. We don''t want to steal the spotlight from Aldebar because this is his birthday party, but I have to introduce my wife to all of you." He pulled Finland gently to his side and pointed the microphone at her. "Her name is Finland von Schneider. In ten years we will hold another meeting here, and then we will also celebrate our wedding. We kindly ask for your blessings so that our marriage will last and ten years from now we can bring children - our children to meet you. "


    Caspar laughed when Finland pinched his waist. Her face looked red when she finally spoke and greeted the guests.


    "Ah, Caspar is just joking. Good evening everyone. My name is Finland, and I''m very happy to finally meet you all."


    Flora brought two glasses of wine and handed them to Caspar and Finland. She then took her glass from Louis, and in a loud voice she raised her glass and called out to the guests.


    "Let''s toast for Caspar and Finland, who have become husband and wife, may they be blessed with happiness now and forever."


    "Now and forever," replied everyone while raising their glasses and then drinking them.

 Chapter 97 - Surprise at the party (2)

    There were only three people who didn''t raise their glasses. Alexei, Katia, and Sophia. The faces of the two girls looked very angry, but Alexei had a smirk on his face. It was as if he was enjoying the whole show.


    "I can''t believe this..." Katia hissed. "They have only known each other for a few months..."


    "Do you know that girl?" Sophia asked.


    "I know her..." Katia answered, trying to hide the angry tone in her voice, "She is an ordinary woman Caspar met in Singapore."


    "And they have only known each other for a few months?" Sophia asked, interested. "How come they are already married now?"


    "I don''t know. How stupid... How could they decide to get married this soon." Katia sighed.


    Finland knew that Katia still loved Caspar, but now she married the man Katia loved! How could she not think about Katia''s feelings? Katia was feeling bitter and angry.


    Alexei looked at Katia and smiled, "Love does make men do stupid things."


    Sophia narrowed her eyes and grumbled irritably, "I will not let Caspar live with an ordinary woman. He is a pure Alchemist, he must marry someone his equal."


    "You know Aldebar will definitely give her the immortality potion so that she can also be part of Alchemist," Alexei said. "If I can take away the formula and destroy it, then we no longer need to accept new members from outsiders."


    Sophia looked at her brother sharply, "We have to work hard. The Schneider family is too kind to humans. They must not continue being Alchemist leaders. You know, last month Caspar met Sam Atlas in Seattle and they talked about alchemy and our people."


    Katia was surprised to hear that.


    "Sam Atlas? The owner of Atlas Corp? He is an ordinary person, not our clan member, why did Caspar meet him?"


    "Apparently Caspar wanted to buy Atlas Corp and Sam Atlas refused to sell, finally he offered knowledge about Alchemist to Sam to persuade him to sell the company. You know Sam has sniffed our tracks for a few years now and he is very eager to search for more information..."


    "This must not be allowed." Alexei snorted. "But we should not talk about it here. Tomorrow there will be a time and place for it. I have contacted our supporters to meet. Now we should spread and talk to other people to persuade them to join. They must know that our lives will be threatened if the Schneider family continues to rule. "


    Sophia nodded and gave a signal to a few girls who seemed to be her followers. They immediately spread among the guests. Katia looked at Alexei as if asking him what she should do.


    Alexei understood the meaning of Katia''s look. He then took the girl and walked towards the open bar. He whispered softly to Katia''s ear as they walked, "You stay by my side. Don''t draw attention here. Later we must congratulate the host. You may need to drink first."


    A very famous world singer came on stage and began singing to entertain the guests. Finland didn''t even know that this singer could be booked for a private event, because the tickets to her concerts were usually worth hundreds of dollars each.


    "OH MY GOD... that''s Billie Yves!" Finland exclaimed in amazement. She really liked the young genius musician''s works. Billie Yves was only 17 years old when she first released her album eight years ago, and her raspy voice sounded very beautiful, especially when she sang ballads.


    Billie had a beautiful, distinctive face, and a rather quirky appearance with long, blue hair. Jean once said he knew Billie and he would someday take Finland to her concert. Unexpectedly, tonight, Finland could see her idol in person.


    "Aldebar always throws great parties," Flora commented. "All the artists who perform are world class. They all waited in a special room during his speech so they didn''t hear what he was saying."


    Finland nodded understandingly. If regular people attended this party heard that it was a celebration for Aldebar''s 200th birthday, there would definitely be commotion.


    Herewith, Aldebar amazed Finland even more. He went all out in organizing the most amazing birthday party Finland had ever attended. Even Bartz''s new product launch event was nothing compared to Aldebar''s party.


    [Jean... you won''t believe this... I finally see Billie Yves perform!]


    Finland could not hold back her excitement and immediately wrote an SMS to Jean to share the happy news.


    "What is wrong?" Caspar asked when he saw Finland''s glowing face.


    "Billie Yves... This is one of my favorite musicians. I always wanted to see her perform." Finland said, pointing to the stage.


    Before Caspar could respond, Finland''s cellphone rang. It was Jean.


    "I have to pick this phone call up. One second." Finland then opened her cellphone, "Hello, Jean."


    "Where are you?" Jean asked at the end of the telephone, but Finland couldn''t hear the question.


    The atmosphere was noisy due to the music performance.


    "I can''t hear you. Let me look for a quiet place first..." Finland was forced to shout so she could hear her own voice. She kissed Caspar on the cheek and excused herself to get out of the venue and walked to the hallway away from the sound of music.


    "It''s really noisy here, I''ll look for a quiet place..." Jean also replied with the same words.


    "I''m in Germany... I told you already." The atmosphere in the hall was not as busy as in the venue, and Finland could hear Jean''s voice. "It turned out that Caspar''s brother invited Billie Yves to perform."


    "Finland... are you here ?!" Jean''s voice came in a tone of disbelief.


    Somehow his voice sounded like it came from in front of Finland and not her cellphone. Finland raised her face and stared in disbelief.


    Jean was standing in front of her with a cellphone in hand. Apparently, they both came out of the venue and walked to the hallway for the phone call.


    How could Jean be here? Finland was shocked.


    Jean was just as surprised as Finland, and for a few seconds, both could only stare at each other.

 Chapter 98 - Meeting Jean

    "What are you doing here?" Finland was very happy to see Jean, but she was also surprised because she did not expect to meet her best friend at Aldebar''s party. Are not all invited guests Alchemists?


    "I am helping Billie for her show. Her manager was suddenly hospitalized and she needed assistance. I was just about to brag to you that I am helping Billie''s concert. However, it turns out you are on the same show," Jean said enthusiastically. "I didn''t know this party was held by Caspar''s brother."


    "Oh... yes, I also just found out that he invited Billie Yves! If I had known earlier, I would have prepared a CD and asked for her autograph..." Finland said.


    Jean smiled broadly and took out some CDs from the leather bag he was carrying, "I''ve got them for you."


    "Wow... thank you, Jean!" Finland exclaimed happily and hugged Jean.


    Suddenly there was a loud hiss from behind her and Finland immediately let go of Jean. She slowly turned to the direction of the sound.


    Her husband was standing behind her and was now pretending to cough.


    "Oh... Caspar, you wouldn''t have guessed that Jean came to this event. He is helping Billie because her manager is hospitalized."


    It''s bad. Finland hoped Caspar would not mention their marriage, because she hasn''t told Jean about it. She didn''t want Jean to know about it this way!


    "Oh, is that so?" Caspar asked. He quickly understood Finland''s expression and switched to a friendlier attitude, "I didn''t know you were coming. If we had known, we would have welcomed you properly."


    Jean shrugged, "It''s okay, it''s all last minute. I should actually spend new year in Paris, but last night Billie''s manager called me, and I didn''t have the heart to reject. I am only helping out."


    For a moment the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Finally, Finland held the hands of both men and invited them in; Jean on her left and Caspar on her right.


    She must get wine so that the atmosphere becomes less intense, she thought.


    Finland stopped the first waiter who passed by with a tray of drinks and hurriedly gave both men a glass of red wine.


    Caspar also took a glass of martini, so he was holding two drinks. Jean didn''t want to lose, so he took a glass of Scotch on the rock. They were both looking at each other with one glass in each hand.


    "Cheers for...?" Finland looked at the two alternatingly. She was out of words. She really really really hoped that Caspar wouldn''t mention anything about their marriage.


    "A new year," Jean said with a smile.


    "A new life," Caspar replied.


    "Uhm... okay. For all the good things in our lives." Finland said quickly as she clinked her glass with the two men''s glasses.


    They each drank their drink in one gulp.


    "Is this the Schneider family''s castle?" Jean asked, looking around. "I didn''t know that the host is your brother."


    "There are many things you don''t know about me." Caspar answered rather coldly. He then smiled mysteriously. "There are even things that if you found out, I have to kill you."


    "Caspar!" Finland hissed, glaring at her husband. She didn''t know why Caspar was acting so jealous like this. He met Jean before and he knew that Finland and Jean had been friends for a long time.


    "I''m just joking, Jean must know that," Caspar said, shrugging his shoulders. He finished his martini.


    Jean looked at him flatly then nodded, "Well... of course."


    He finished his scotch. Jean, aware of Caspar''s dislike of his presence, immediately kissed Finland''s cheek and excused himself.


    "I''m working. I''m representing Billie''s manager tonight, so I should go back to the side of the stage. You enjoy the concert, then, when Billie has finished her performance, you just come backstage. I''ll introduce you to Billie."


    Finland could only nod and follow Jean''s retreat with sad eyes. She really liked BIlie Yves and she should be able to enjoy her first concert happily. But the atmosphere tonight was rather awkward.


    "I didn''t know you like Billie Yves," Caspar said. "I have shares in the label that contracted her. I can invite her to perform privately for you."


    Finland looked at Caspar with tired look. For Caspar everything seemed to be very easy and could be solved with money.


    "I just want to watch the concert like a normal person, Caspar," Finland complained. "I never told you I like Billie Yves because you never asked."


    "I know a lot about you... but you never said that you like Billie." Caspar remembered that before Finland forbid him to use his special access to find information about her, Caspar read a lot of information on the girl, including the name of her biological mother, the rabbits she kept as pets when she was young, and even the amount of money she had in her account. Since Finland forbid him from doing such thing again, he never tried to find out anything about her...


    He patted his forehead because he never thought about asking her about the things she liked and disliked. He was too accustomed to getting information easily without having to make efforts himself.


    "I''m sorry," Caspar looked at Finland like a puppy being scolded, which was usually effective in melting Finland''s heart. But this time, his action failed. Finland still looked sullen. "I''m sorry for not asking. We''ve only known each other for six months. I have a lifetime to find out and get to know you more closely, so I didn''t feel the need to rush..."


    Finland opened her phone and showed him her music playlist. Caspar saw so many songs from Billie Yves there, among several other musicians. He quickly stored mental images in his memory, so he wouldn''t forget next time.

 Chapter 99 - How much did he hear?

    "All right, Billie Yves, Richard Waterston, then there''s The Hue." He nodded. Caspar then asked, "How about you... do you know my favorite musicians?"


    Finland nodded.


    "You don''t have a favorite musician. But you like all classical music."


    Caspar looked embarrassed because Finland was right. His wife knew his music preferences, but he did not know his wife''s music preferences. He promised himself to pay more attention and ask more questions.


    Finland sighed, "You''re used to getting things easy."


    "Is it wrong?" Caspar asked. "I am used to living like this. If you don''t want Billie Yves''s private concert, I can take you to her concert like a normal person."


    "There is nothing wrong with it," Finland said shaking her head slightly, "We are just used to different lifestyles. I don''t know if I will ever get used to this lifestyle of yours."


    Caspar grabbed Finland''s hand and pointed to the stage, "Do you want to watch Billie Yves''s concert with me now? Like a normal person..."


    Finland finally smiled and nodded. They walked hand in hand to the front of the stage and enjoyed Billie''s performance, clapping and dancing to the music. When Billie sang a romantic slow song,


    Caspar hugged Finland and led her to dance. Many other guests also followed and danced to the music.


    Jean who was standing on the side of the stage with a camera in his hand could only watch the couple''s intimacy with a complicated look. He was happy for Finland, but sad for himself.


    Song after song was sung and finally Billie resigned from the stage. The MC invited the guests to continue enjoying food and drinks provided while a musical group performed a short version of a very famous Broadway drama. Finland was constantly surprised by Aldebar''s choice of entertainment. He was truly a top-class art lover, seen from the choice of performances at his party.


    Finland saw Jean wave to her from the side of the stage, next to him stood Billie who also waved. Her heart rustled because she didn''t expect her idol to wave to her. Billie then went backstage and Jean signaled Finland to follow him.


    Finland just managed to escape Caspar''s embrace and started following Jean, when several people approached and congratulated them.


    "Congratulations, Uncle for your wedding. We hope to have cousins soon." The five people who came were Jadeith, his brothers, and their partners.


    "I''m Alexandrite," said a young, brown-haired and brilliant green-eyed man to Finland. He looked very similar to Louis. "I''m the first child. This is my wife, Olena."


    "I''m Garnet, and this is my wife, Maura," said the other man with brown hair and brown eyes, also very much like Jadeith, "Our children are here, they will come around later and say hello after the other guests go home."


    Jadeith smiled and nodded, "Aunty, you already know me."


    Finland finally saw Flora''s three children. They look just slightly older than their mother. She could not imagine her children looking the same age like her, forever... They would look like friends.


    She didn''t know if she would ever get used to all these abnormalities...


    They talked for a while, but then more and more people started approaching Finland and Caspar. Caspar was the leader of the Alchemist clan so everyone wanted to talk to him and congratulate him. Jean, who saw that Finland was not following him, became worried. Billie would go home soon and he didn''t want Finland to miss the opportunity to meet her idol in person.


    Finally, he came after Finland.


    Right when Jean approached her, Katia, Alexei and Sophia approached Finland and Caspar.


    "Congratulations, Finland and Caspar, for your wedding." Katia tried to force a smile. "I didn''t expect it to be this soon..."


    "Thank you," Caspar answered. He looked at Katia with a rather apologetic look. "I''m sorry."


    "What is there to be sorry about? The heart wants what it wants. You were still not sure after being with me for 50 years, and here you are¡­ after only six months ... you are convinced that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. There must be something right with Finland and wrong with me." Katia shook her head, "No need to apologize."


    "Katia? You are here too?"


    Jean''s shocked voice surprised Finland. Katia also turned to the direction of the voice and when she saw Jean, she covered her own mouth instantly, realizing she just said something that Jean shouldn''t hear.


    How much did Jean hear? Did he hear everything?

 Chapter 100 - Meeting Billie Yves

    Jean looked at Caspar and Finland and then turned to Katia. He was as surprised by their presence as they were by his. He thought that he should be the one surprised seeing them all in the same place.


    "Do you still want to meet Billie?" Jean asked Finland. "She will be leaving soon."


    Instantly, Katia and Finland''s faces seemed to relax. Maybe Jean didn''t hear Katia''s words just now. They didn''t need to worry about him.


    "Hello, Jean. What are you doing here?" Katia asked in a friendly voice.


    "Oh, I am helping Billie Yves''s manager tonight. Are you invited by the host too?" asked Jean.


    "Yes. We happen to be in the same circle of friends," Katia answered. "I''m also a fan of Billie''s. I''ve watched her concerts three times."


    "Do you want to come with us backstage to meet Billie?" Jean asked again.


    "Uhm, no need. I''m not feeling well. Just convey my best wishes to her." Katia shook her head. She couldn''t stand seeing Finland for much longer, let alone follow her backstage.


    "Sorry, I want to meet Billie for a while," Finland kissed Caspar''s cheek and excused herself from the others. "Nice to meet you."


    Caspar held Finland''s hand briefly and rubbed her cheeks before sending her away. "I''m waiting here."


    "Okay, see you later."


    The sight made Katia''s heart ache and she had to hold on to Alexei so she would not shake.


    "We came to say goodbye, but it turned out that the bride went off with another man." Alexei said sarcastically. "Then we''ll excuse ourselves."


    "Excuse me, too," Katia said in a weak voice. He took Alexei''s hand and followed him to leave Caspar. Sophia followed them.


    Caspar stood still in his place. He watched Katia''s interaction with Alexei and tried to guess the relationship between them. Aldebar then approached Caspar and escorted him to his table to enjoy the food.


    ***


    Jean held Finland''s hand as they walked backstage to meet Billie Yves. When they arrived, Billie was enjoying a cocktail with her band and chatting softly.


    "Billie, let me introduce to you my best friend." Jean approached Billie who immediately stood up to embrace Finland without putting down her glass.


    "Hey... how are you? Jean has told me many stories about you." Billie seemed very friendly even though she was one of the most famous singers in the world. Finland could not believe she was standing in front of her idol! And her idol just embraced her! Her body was trembling.


    "I... I am very happy to meet you. I always listen to your songs" Finland seemed a little embarrassed, "Umm¡­ now that I have a job and am earning money, I always buy your music legally..."


    Billie burst out laughing. "Thank you. I''m glad to hear that. Jean has several CDs with my autograph. I prepared them just for you."


    Finland nodded happily. Jean handed her a paper bag containing all the CDs in question. Finland was really happy and it really showed on her face.


    "We have to take a photo together," Jean said after. He took out his cellphone and asked one of the crew members to take photos of the three of them. Finland looked very happy. She did not expect that on the final day of 2019, she would meet and spend time with one of her idols.


    Her love for Billie Yves grew when she was in middle school. At that time, Billie, who debuted at the age of 17, released songs that felt as if they were written specifically for her. All the lyrics hit the girl. Finland, who had no friends in school and no parents, always felt lonely. During her teenage years, Billie''s songs were her only friends.


    She didn''t expect that 8 years later she would be able to see her concert at a private party like this. She was even talking to her like a friend. Suddenly, tears streamed down her cheeks. It shocked Jean and Billie.


    "Why are you sad?" Jean asked quickly. He rubbed Finland''s back trying to calm her down.


    "These are not tears of sadness¡­ These are tears of happiness," Finland said between her sobs, "I never expected that I would one day meet Billie..." She turned to Billie, "When I first heard your song titled ''You Are Enough'' 8 years ago, I felt like you are the only friend who understands me. Your songs make me feel that I''m not alone... "


    Billie smiled sadly. She embraced Finland again and said thank you.


    "I''m happy to hear that my songs have become someone''s friend. We have to meet again one day and chat longer. If you come to America, and I''m not on tour, please come to my studio or to my house. Jean knows my address."


    Jean nodded. "We have to travel to LA sometime and play at Billie''s place."


    Finland nodded many times; she was deeply moved. "This is the best new year party in my life."


    They talked for a few more minutes before finally Billie had to say goodbye. She and her crew had plans to celebrate the new year at a club in the city center. Jean, who was working on behalf of her manager, had to leave too.

 Chapter 101 - He knew!

    "I''ll take you to Caspar..." Jean said. He gave a sign to the others, "I''ll go straight to the car. You wait for me there."


    Jean and Finland walked back to where they left Caspar. Jadeith, who saw them approach, escorted them to the table where Caspar and Aldebar were chatting and enjoying their wine chatting.


    "You are back?" Caspar asked. He quickly stood up and opened a chair for Finland, then signaled for a waiter to come. He then asked Finland in a soft voice. "What would you like to drink?"


    "Red wine or champagne, whatever," Finland answered.


    "One champagne for me," Jean said.


    Caspar turned and looked at Jean in surprise. He did not remember offering Jean to sit and drink with them because he knew that Jean had to leave with Billie''s group.


    "Don''t you have to go?" he asked.


    "Soon," Jean answered. "I can''t leave without congratulating my best friend on her wedding."


    Just then the waiter arrived with a tray of drinks.


    Jean immediately took two glasses of champagne and gave one to Finland. The girl was very surprised and almost dropped the glass given to her.


    "Jean... I¡­ we¡­ uhm..." She was lost for words.


    Jean knew that Caspar and Finland were married!


    Jean tried to smile but his eyes couldn''t lie. Finland couldn''t bear to see Jean''s sad eyes like that. She knew that Jean was upset because she kept the information about her wedding in the dark and didn''t involve him in one of Finland''s most important moments in life.


    But of course, the kind-hearted Jean wouldn''t let Finland feel guilty. He clinked his glass to Finland''s and then drank his champagne, trying his best to smile.


    "Congratulations. You should have told me that you were going to get married. I wanted to be the one to let you go at the altar..." He placed his glass on the table and grabbed Finland''s hand very tightly. "I wish you all the happiness in the world."


    Jean let go of his arms and then greeted Caspar.


    "I leave my best friend to you." He paused before continuing, "Never make her cry."


    Caspar already decided that he would not make Finland cry again, even if Jean hadn''t told him. He thought about the time when he jokingly used Famke to intentionally make Finland jealous. The girl was very angry because Caspar made her cry and the consequence was that she didn''t pick up his phone call for days while he was in Seattle. Caspar didn''t want to take the risk anymore.


    "I know," he answered shortly, but his face was friendly. He then remembered something and asked Jean, "Did you hear what Katia said?"


    "Yes," Jean answered. "But I didn''t want to discuss it in front of them. Of course, it''s a shame for me to consider myself a friend of Finland when I don''t even know she''s married."


    "Jean... forgive us," Finland said in a hoarse voice. "I was going to tell you in Paris..."


    "It''s okay, Finland dear. I understand. You must have good reasons." Jean shuffled Finland''s hair and smiled when she saw Caspar''s jealous stare. "We can talk later."


    "How much did you hear?" Caspar asked urgently. "Did you hear everything?"


    Jean shrugged.


    "That you and Katia have been together for 50 years before you finally started dating Finland?" he asked nonchalantly, "Yes, I heard that."


    Instantly, Caspar and Aldebar''s faces changed. Finland immediately turned pale. Apparently, Jean heard everything. Why did he not react at all??


    "Did you hear that?" hiss Finland. "Why didn''t you say anything?"


    "I don''t think I have the right to ask. If you want to tell me, you will. I''m not the type of person who wants to know other people''s business." Jean smiled casually and then excused himself, "Billie is waiting for me. I have to go now. See you in Paris on the 16th."


    He walked away, leaving the three people out of words. They still couldn''t believe that Jean had heard everything, and he wasn''t even curious about how Caspar and Katia could be in a relationship for 50 years... when the both of them still looked very young.


    "Your friend knows our secret..." hissed Caspar, staring at Finland. "No ordinary human can know of us."


    Finland immediately placed down her glass and held Caspar''s hand.


    "I''m also an ordinary human and I know your secrets... You can''t do anything to Jean. You promised! Besides, it wasn''t his fault," she said immediately.


    She looked at Caspar with a determined look. Caspar knew that if he had an argument with Finland about Jean, Finland would now choose Jean. He couldn''t take that risk.


    Finally, he just sighed, and looked at Aldebar.


    "What should we do?" he asked. Aldebar shook his head while playing with his glass. Caspar sighed again. "You do not know?"


    "Let''s talk tomorrow. It''s almost new year. We''d better enjoy the party and think about it tomorrow. I''m sure Finland''s friend isn''t dangerous." Aldebar signaled the waiter to come with another drink.


    "Jean isn''t a threat. He isn''t dangerous! You can''t do anything to him!" said Finland.


    Caspar could only nod. He would decide what to do with Jean tomorrow morning. Tonight, he would leave the matter be; he did not want to make Finland angry. Not now.

 Chapter 102 - Happy New Year (1)

    For the Alchemists who can live forever, the new year is not something special worth celebrating. What made this New Year''s Eve special was because it was a rare opportunity for them to meet with fellow Alchemists.


    Aldebar and Caspar from the Schneider family celebrated their birthday once every one hundred years! Their sister, Flora, who lived in America, was not a fan of parties and never held any celebrations. She only came to events held by her brothers.


    Important people from the noble families also often hold events, but all clan members agreed that nothing beat the excitement of Aldebar''s party.


    Tonight everyone had so much fun, talking and exchanging news with people they haven''t met for a very long time. When the clock turned to 00.00, they all cheered happily, congratulated each other, and wished each other a happy new year.


    Alexei and Sophia watched the excitement with flat expressions. When their gaze landed on Finland, something came up in Alexei''s mind. He then talked to Katia who sat next to him. She looked very tired.


    "I just realized, Caspar''s wife hasn''t taken the immortality potion yet. You can see that her eyes are not sparkling yet," he told Katia.


    "Ah, you''re right." Katia straightened up and looked at Finland, who was sitting next to Caspar, conversing. Her heart burned with seething anger again. "Maybe Finland hasn''t decided to accept the immortality potion and become one of us."


    "Really? It''s hard to believe there are humans who would reject immortality." Alexei squinted his eyes and thought seriously. "Do you know why?"


    "It could be due to a lot of reasons," Katia said, shrugging. "Maybe they got married in a hurry and Aldebar hasn''t made a potion for her. It could also be that Finland doesn''t want to be immortal for one reason or another. I had a chance to talk to her about Jean, maybe he was also part of her consideration."


    "Jean?"


    "The man who brought Finland backstage. They have been friends for years. I think Jean likes Finland, but he doesn''t want to ruin their friendship, so he never confessed his feelings... until finally Finland met Caspar. I was so scared when he heard me talking about my 50-year engagement with Caspar." Katia gulped, shuddering at the thought that Jean knew she was not 25 years old. "I don''t care if Jean knows that they are married, it''s none of my business. But I''m worried that he accidentally heard about our secret. There are some Alchemists in the entertainment industry who could be exposed..."


    "They do seem quite close," Sophia nodded.


    Katia frowned as she remembered something.


    "I just remember, Karl mentioned something about Jean. He was just interviewed by a lifestyle magazine. The same journalist interviewed Jean a few weeks back and she told Karl an interesting fact about them. He said this would make great news." Her eyes suddenly lit as she whispered, "I know how to hurt Caspar."


    Alexei smiled when he saw the spark of hatred in Katia''s eyes. He poured champagne for Katia and Sophia, then for himself. He invited them to toast with a smirk.


    "Cheers to a new era of leadership." He finished his drink and hissed happily, "I also know how to throw Caspar out of his role as the clan leader. I don''t have to wait too long."


    Meanwhile, at their table, Aldebar, Caspar and Finland, Flora, and Louis were enjoying foods and drinks while chatting to each other. Flora''s children and grandchildren held a meeting at another table. They didn''t want to interfere with the elderlies'' discussions.


    This made Finland feel a bit awkward. She was the youngest human in the room. She would soon celebrate her 24th birthday, and according to Flora, Katia who was 75 years old and Jadeith who was 120 years old were the youngest Alchemists there in the room. Finland felt like a child compared to almost all the people there.


    "Then, who is the oldest here?" she asked curiously.


    "Caspar is the oldest, age-wise." Flora replied. "He is 438 years old, and he is a clan leader not only because family succession but also because he is the most senior here."


    Finland couldn''t stop coughing when she heard Flora''s reply. Oh, that means she, the youngest human in this room, was married to the oldest human! It felt very strange.


    Luckily Caspar didn''t look old at all...


    .


    @@@@@@@@@@@@


    ''From the author:


    First chapter for today. Hope you like it.


    I am setting up a discord server for this novel, where I will share the visuals and backgrounds and other related stuff. You can check it and join here:


    Discord: https://discord.gg/QhWaBz


    It''s still a bit empty at the moment.. hehe. I am commissioning artists to make digital arts and visuals for the characters, but I want to wait a little bit to show them to you, until we get to the main events, where you can meet all the important characters, not only Caspar, Finland, and Jean. There are more cool and great looking guys for us to drool over... hehehe.

 Chapter 103 - Happy New Year (2)

    "Didn''t you say that the oldest Alchemist was more than 550 years old?" Finland asked Caspar. "Why are you the oldest now?"


    "Oh... Lauriel never comes to events like this. He has been in solitude for several decades already. We only know that he is still alive because he often leaves his marks throughout the world." Caspar sipped his wine while reminiscing. "That crazy guy - Lauriel. I love him to bits! I used to admire him and went on adventures around the world with him for almost 100 years. He is a bit eccentric. Do you know crop circle?"


    "Oh... those legendary crop circles*? Around the world there are many unique patterns found in various fields in the form of circles, and many people think they''re made by aliens..." Finland stared at Caspar in astonishment, "Don''t tell me you guys made them? "


    Caspar laughed and nodded.


    "Actually, not aliens. Lauriel made the first crop circle to impress the girl he loved. I was there to help him and we created it overnight. We loved it so much that we decided to make it in countries that we visited. After that many people started imitating us and created their own crop circles. They also spread rumors that it was aliens who made it... But we recognize Lauriel''s crop circles because they have special marks. " He opened his phone and typed in a few keywords, then showed some pictures to Finland. "This is the one he made, and that one too... Look at the triangle mark here. The last crop circle Lauriel made was discovered in Australia last year. So, I know that he''s still alive."


    "Doesn''t he have family?" Finland asked in amazement.


    "All his family died in the last World War, just like our parents," Caspar answered. His face looked gloomy all of a sudden. He really didn''t like to talk about that subject. After more than 70 years, he was still mourning over the death of his parents.


    Finland held Caspar''s hand and tried to cheer him up. She never knew her father and her mother died when she was 10 years old. She didn''t know what it was like to have parents, let alone have a sense of closeness with them.


    Aldebar suddenly pulled out a box from under his coat.


    "I have a new year present for you." He handed the box to Finland. "This is an immortality potion for you, when you are ready."


    Finland accepted the box and opened it to see its content. There was a small bottle filled with dark liquid. Was this the immortality potion that could make the human body perfect? There must be so many people who really wanted to have this bottle in their hands.


    She swallowed hard and handed the bottle to Caspar.


    "Please keep it until I''m ready. I''ll drink it next year."


    Caspar nodded and placed the bottle back in the box and handed it to Jadeith.


    "Please keep it in a safe place."


    "Okay, Uncle."


    Jadeith then left with their bottle of immortality potion.


    "Thank you, Aldebar. I will drink it when I am ready."


    "All right. You know better." Aldebar cleared his throat. "I''ll be closing the party soon. We will meet tomorrow in the dining room for breakfast. I want to talk to you before I sleep for 10 years."


    He then excused himself and walked onto the stage. The staff gave a signal for the musicians to step aside. Only the harpist stayed on stage. Aldebar then gave closing remarks to his guests and thanked them for coming to his party.


    "Right now, I am doing a super important study, and you will not be able to contact me for the next 10 years. So, if possible, please don''t fall in love and get married with a commoner for the next 10 years..." he said, smiling broadly. People laughed at that. "I am serious. The immortality potion will not be available for 10 years. We will meet again in in 2028 for another event here. May your life always be filled with joy, now and forever. See you soon!"


    People replied, "Now and forever," then clapped and prepared to go home.


    "You look tired, we should get some rest," Caspar said. He held his wife''s hand and escorted her out through the backstage. They bid goodbye to Flora and Louis and went up to their room on the 3rd floor.


    "What do you think of Aldebar''s party?" Caspar asked when they arrived at their room.


    "I like everything, it''s artistic and classy," answered Finland. "I''ve never been to an event like that before."


    "We will have a livelier party in 10 years, then in 61 years when I turn 500 years old, and 76 years later when you are a century old." Caspar pulled Finland into his arms and kissed her lips lovingly, "I can''t wait to live forever with you."


    Finland returned Caspar''s kiss and closed her eyes. She still had trouble imagining her 100th birthday as a young woman...


    Caspar then carried her to the bed and continued to fondle her more intensely. The thought of living their lives together in the future made him excited.


    He never had such strong feelings for a woman before. Currently what he had in mind was living with Finland and have children with her.


    Finland and Caspar spent their first day of the new year making love until dawn.


    "This is the best year of my life. The best is yet to come. I promise you." Caspar whispered hoarsely. After they were both tired, he rolled to the side and hugged Finland. He kissed her hair and whispered. "Happy new year, Finland Von Schneider."


    Finland held her breath.


    Finally, she had a last name.


    Her name now was not just one name that often embarrassed her. Now she bears one of the most influential last names in the world...


    She smiled lovingly as she rubbed Caspar''s hand around her and finally replied, "Happy new year, Caspar."


    Finland also considered this year the best year of her life.


    .


    *Crop circle = A crop circle or crop formation is a pattern created by flattening a crop, usually a cereal. Although obscure natural causes or alien origins of crop circles are suggested by fringe theorists, there is no scientific evidence for such explanations, and all crop circles are consistent with human causation. It can be found all over the world and usually it can be made/appear overnight.


    You can google crop circle and see so many beautiful patterns from all over the world.

 Chapter 104 - The Perfect Society

    When the two went down to the dining room, Aldebar, Flora and Louis were already waiting while enjoying their breakfast.


    "Good morning, newlyweds," Flora said teasingly. She turned to her husband Louis, "Do you remember when we were just married?"


    Louis nodded as he touched his wife''s cheek lovingly. "I remember it like it happened yesterday. I really love you."


    "How long have you known each other?" Finland asked, interested. She only knew that Flora was about 100 years younger than Caspar.


    "Hmm... almost my whole life," Flora answered. "I was born in England. Our parents were lonely because Caspar started traveling with Lauriel so they decided to have more children, thus I was born. I grew up in the countryside and became friends with Louis when I was a child. I knew that someday we would have to move and leave him, because he could not know our identity as Alchemists, but when I was 16 I knew that I loved him and I didn''t want us to part. Mother said I must be crazy... How could I know love at that age? But I was stubborn. I finally opened my secret to Louis and we decided to elope. "


    "Really? Wow... I didn''t know that story..." Finland was very impressed. Flora was now in her 300s, and she had spent the most of her life with Louis. It was really a very long time, but even today their love was visible to everyone present.


    Was this how Alchemists loved their partners?


    Finland glanced at Caspar and her heart warmed when she thought of how Caspar loved her all this while. He loved and treated her as sweetly as Louis and Flora loved each other.


    "I was told that at that time you were not given the blessings by your parents, and therefore Louis became older while you still look like you are in your 20s. Before your parents finally accepted Louis and gave him the immortality potion after Alexandrite was born, were you ready to be separated by death?" Finland asked again.


    Flora understood why Finland asked that question. She was weighing her own circumstances and tried to compare her situation with theirs in the past.


    "Hmm... at that time we weren''t thinking ahead. We just wanted to be together, no matter what. I really didn''t care when Louis started to look older. To me he was still the Louis I knew when we were teenagers. But yes, we were indeed prepared to separate when he died... We had no other choice. But I was determined to live for our children in the future," Flora replied. "For me, it''s better to be with Louis even though it''s only for 50 years... rather than not live with him at all."


    Finland nodded. Caspar squeezed her hand gently and smiled reassuringly.


    "Aldebar has given us his immortality potion before he sleeps. You don''t have to rush to decide. I''ll wait whenever you are ready," he said soothingly.


    Finland nodded again. Her heart became calmer.


    "One thing you might not know," Flora said again, "We are usually very picky when it comes to our life partners, so my case is an exception. Most people from our clan only decide to get married after being with their partners for at least 10 years, when they have become very mature. When you reach the age of at least one century, your thoughts would be more mature and you start to really understand what you want. Most of the first- and second-generation Alchemists are married to fellow Alchemists, and only less than half are married to the commoners. That is why there are so few of us. We also don''t do divorce. "


    "Are you not allowed to divorce... or... there has just never been a case where a partner feels that there is no connection anymore?" Finland asked, increasingly curious.


    Caspar''s clan was indeed very interesting. They not only look physically perfect, but socially they also seem to have an ideal lifestyle.


    Nobody got divorced? Wow! That seemed impossible, since divorce rates in many countries in Europe were over 30%. In some countries it was so bad that one in two marriages end in divorce.


    This time Aldebar spoke up. "Never before has anyone fallen out of love with their partners and decide to divorce. All couples we have now are the result of a mature and calculated relationships. Even in the midst of their household dips, problems could usually be resolved by mutual understanding. I have never known any of our clan members split up. "


    "You have a very perfect society," Finland commented. "How come you are now still single?"


    Aldebar laughed at Finland''s question, "I''m still very young. Last night I just celebrated my 200th birthday. My life is still long and there are still many people I will meet. I''m not in a hurry."


    Finland suddenly had a hiccup when she heard Aldebar say his 200 years old self as young... Then what about her? She who would only celebrate her 24th birthday in two weeks! And she was already married¡­ Wasn''t she sooooo much younger than him?


    All Alchemists had one thing in common, she thought later, they were not in a hurry. Caspar was an anomaly because he did not want to wait long in marrying Finland.


    The thought made th girl smile. She was happy because Caspar made her feel special.


    They continued their breakfast while talking about other things. Aldebar would soon leave for his research and Flora would spend one week in the castle for holiday. Caspar had prepared a honeymoon trip to Spain which, at that moment, had a warmer temperature than Germany.


    "I would love to take you to Finland, but the temperature there is too cold and there is no sun. I do not want you to experience extreme winters in your first visit to Europe. We''d better explore cities in Spain and Portugal. These countries are also beautiful. We can return in the spring or summer to explore Scandinavian countries. Next winter we can come back to see aurora. "


    "I''m going to Paris on the 16th. I have to know our route so I can book a ticket to Paris." said Finland.


    Caspar looked at her in confusion, "Why buy a ticket? I''ll take you there, of course."


    "Oh..."


    Finland knew she must get used to being Caspar''s wife. After marriage, of course she should not hesitate to use her husband''s facilities when needed. In the case of travelling, Caspar could take her wherever she wanted, she just needed to ask.


    "Don''t ever hesitate to ask me for anything." said Caspar in a very earnest voice. "If I can fulfill it, I will definitely give you whatever your heart desires. Your happiness is the purpose of my life."


    Finland was very touched to hear that. She touched Caspar''s cheek dan rubbed it softly, then nodded. "Thank you."


    Caspar took her hand and kissed it lovingly. Finland could still not believe that this perfect man was now her husband, and that he loved her very much.


    Caspar then cleared his throat and turned to Aldebar, "Before we part, I want to ask your input about Jean. What should we do with him?"


    Badump!


    Finland''s heart was pounding right away...

 Chapter 105 - Decisions for Jean

    Oh yeah... the problem about Jean knowing their secrets. What decisions would Caspar and Aldebar make?


    "How long have you known him?" Aldebar asked.


    "I just knew him recently," Caspar answered, "but he is Finland''s best friend and I trust my wife''s judgment."


    "Jean is a very nice person." Finland said quickly. "I can guarantee he won''t reveal your secrets. I know him very well."


    Aldebar nodded at Caspar, "If you trust your wife''s judgment, then we can assume this problem does not exist."


    Oh... Finland was very relieved.


    They will not bother Jean.


    In her heart she cheered, because if they thought Jean was harmless, then she would be able to tell Jean about her secrets. She did not need to pretend to die in a sinking ship and disappear from the man''s life. She and Jean would be able to stay connected like Katia and Karl Furstenberg now.


    Katia secretly met Karl and told him that she was still alive. It was 50 years late... but at least she got her best friend back.


    Finland didn''t have to lose Jean...


    The girl felt her chest lighten, as if a heavy burden was lifted of her shoulders. For the past few weeks she had been very stressed at the thought of having to lie to Jean and the need to disappear from his life. That would make Jean very sad. Now that didn''t need to happen.


    "All right, if that is your opinion," Caspar said later. "We will assume this problem does not exist..."


    "Actually, I didn''t intend to let it slide either," Aldebar said, interrupting Caspar. He pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I''ve done research for several years and created a potion specifically for an event like this. Give this potion to him, and he will lose his memory. This has proven to be effective, I''ve tried it on several people."


    Finland''s heart suddenly felt heavy again. Get rid of Jean''s memory?


    "Do you mean to say that he would forget about the talk we had last time... Or would he forget everything?" She asked in a trembling voice. "Is this potion safe?"


    "The potion is safe. The results of my experiments show that the person may lose their memory from the past few months to the past few years, depending on the dose. I have never given this to subjects just to erase their memories of a particular event. Hypnosis can be an effective way if we want the subject to forget about only one incident. But in this case, where the secret is big enough, we cannot take risks. It''s better to use this memory potion."


    "Is it possible for Jean to forget me if he takes this medicine¡­?" Finland asked him urgingly.


    If Jean could forget her, he wouldn''t be sad when Finland disappeared.


    Maybe this could be the best solution, Finland thought.


    "How long have you known each other?" Aldebar asked.


    "Around 4.5 years."


    "Hmm... give him one full bottle. That should be enough to erase his memory for the past four years. He won''t remember ever knowing you. Maybe this will be better for the both of you."


    Caspar smiled, nodding. He agreed that this was the best solution for everyone. Jean would disappear from Finland''s life and would have the girl erased from his memory. Then, he and Finland could start a new life with no baggage.


    "I will give this potion to Jean." Finland finally said. She took the bottle and placed it in her pocket. "I''ll spend the next two weeks with my only best friend... then I''ll say goodbye. He''ll forget me. Maybe that''s the best."


    Finland would certainly never forget Jean for the rest of her life. If she lived forever, then forever Jean would have a special place in her heart.


    He would forever be Finland''s only friend and family for a wonderful 4.5 years of her life, while she would have to accept that Jean would forget her¡­ for his own good¡­


    That was the best way.

 Chapter 106 - Honeymoon (1)

    On the way to the airport Finland spent a lot of time daydreaming.


    It''s January 1st, and it''s a new year; she would celebrate her 24th birthday on the 15th, and on the 16th she would meet Jean and go on an adventure with him for the last time. Then, on the 30th of January, they would be separated¡­ forever...


    Finland would give Jean the potion so he would forget about Finland and all the secrets about the Alchemists he accidentally heard...


    Jean would definitely have a rough couple of months after taking the potion, but many people would accompany him and help him recall his forgotten life. Finland, his best friend since college, would not be there with him. She would never be a part of his life anymore.


    Caspar knew this was what burdened Finland''s mind, but he couldn''t do anything. They all agreed that erasing Jean''s memory was the best choice. He could only hope that as time passed, slowly Finland would be able to let go of Jean and live her own life to the fullest.


    For some reason Caspar strongly suspected that Finland would be able to forget her best friend if she had children. After all, a mother''s instincts were very strong and would supersede anything. He really hoped they would have children soon.


    At the age of 438 years, for the first time in his life, Caspar felt he was already late for this fatherly role and his inner clock was ticking and urging him to have a family of his own as soon as possible.


    Only now did he understand what Flora felt for Louis when his sister desperately eloped with her husband.


    They flew to Barcelona to spend several days in a magnificent villa on a hilltop overlooking the city. They were able to see the beautiful city of Barcelona filled with unique buildings by Antoni Gaudi.


    "Stanis lives in Barcelona. We will meet him before leaving for Madrid," Caspar said as they landed.


    Stanis sent a team to pick up his master and the new lady. Jadeith was given time off during his parents'' stay in Germany, so they could spend some time together. Ben also spent the new year holiday with his own family.


    Finland did not recognize any of the drivers and bodyguard teams who took them across the streets of Barcelona from the airport to their villa.


    "Stephan, before going to the villa, please pass through Sagrada Familia*." Caspar told the driver to take a slight detour because he wanted to show his wife something.


    Finland often protested that he could not live like a normal person, and Caspar was eager to show the girl why she didn''t want to live his life like that.


    The luxury car was moving slowly as it passed by the most beautiful church made by Gaudi, Sagrada Familia. Unfortunately it''s construction was unfinished, but its beauty radiated. The atmosphere was very crowded and at the entrance was a long snaking queue.


    "Jeez... so full..." sighed Finland in a hopeless tone. "It may take hours just to enter."


    She opened Google and looked for information about the building. Suddenly she shrieked happily.


    "Hey, it turns out that we can buy tickets online. The regular queue at the place is very long, but if we buy the tickets online, the queue is shorter..."


    Caspar cursed at the internet which provided all the information he really didn''t want Finland to know, like the online ticket sales. He knew he could not argue with Finland and finally nodded.


    "All right, you win. We will enter the Sagrada Familia like normal people. I will not close the place to give you a private tour. I will buy tickets online and queue with you to exchange them," Caspar said in defeat.


    Finland kissed his cheek and smiled broadly for the first time that day.


    "Thank you." said Finland then. "I actually have a request..."


    "What is that?"


    Actually, Caspar was a bit worried when he heard Finland asking for a request. He suspected that it had something to do with trying to live like a normal person; that something was not his forte.


    "For the next two weeks, during our honeymoon, I want us to live like normal human beings. I want to experience living like other humans for the last time, with you. After I leave my normal life to be with you, we will have a lifetime to live this abnormal lifestyle of yours... a.k.a living your way. "


    See? Thought Caspar.


    He loved his privacy too much. Life as a normal human being meant that he had to sacrifice a lot of things that he took for granted. But he loved this girl very much and was willing to do anything for her¡­


    Seeing Caspar''s hesitant face, Finland hurriedly explained. "You may continue to use the driver..."


    "Why? You think I can''t drive?" Caspar asked in surprise. "I can drive both of us. We don''t need a driver, if you want to live like a completely normal person."


    "Can you drive?" Finland asked in surprise. She did not know that Caspar could drive himself; he always had a driver drive him since the first time Finland met him. She became curious about how Caspar''s driving was like.


    "Honey, I helped Karl Benz* with his research when cars weren''t invented yet," Caspar replied, almost looking offended. "You forgot that I could fly a plane too."


    Ah, that was right...


    Finland found it really very difficult to find Caspar''s shortcomings. She shuddered, why was her husband so perfect...


    "All right, I believe you." said Finland. "But does that mean you agree to live like a normal human being for the next two weeks?"


    "I agree," said Caspar, "I will grant your one wish, provided you also grant me mine."


    "Uhm... what is that?" Finland asked.


    "I want you to promise to always tell me anything that bothers you. I don''t want you to endure anything alone." He looked earnestly at Finland. "From now on, I, your husband, am responsible for looking after you, and I want you to rely on me... I want to know your problems and concerns and how I can help you."


    Finland smiled when she heard Caspar''s request. "All right. I can promise that."


    Caspar kissed her with a happy heart.


    .


    *Sagrada Familia = A large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Spain. Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaud¨ª. It was built in 1882 and until now is still not finished.


    *Karl Benz = A German engine designer and automobile engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical automobile. He received a patent for the motorcar in 1886. He is considered one of the first inventors of cars. He was also the founder of Daimler-Benz company which produces Mercedes Benz cars.

 Chapter 107 - Honeymoon (2)

    They arrived at the villa where they were going to stay for a few days and Finland quickly fell in love with its unique design as it combined Mediterranean elements with nature. Caspar told her that this villa was one of Gaudi''s works too.


    "Really? Does that mean the villa is also a historical building?" Finland asked enthusiastically.


    Antoni Gaudi is the most famous Catalan architect who designed buildings with his trademark characteristics that combined ceramics, patterned glass and wrought iron into his designs. He was the genius behind the Sagrada Familia design and many of his works were legendary.


    Living in a villa that Gaudi himself designed was certainly not an experience that could be enjoyed by anyone. Unknowingly Finland took a few photos and sent them to Jean.


    [Guess whose house this is?]


    She received a reply from Jean 10 minutes later.


    [Hey, are you in Barcelona? This must be Gaudi''s house. It''s shape is very unique.]


    [Aww, why are you so smart, Jean?]


    [I often travel to Barcelona. Gaudi''s works are scattered there so it is very easy to recognize his designs.]


    [I just found out about that. Can''t wait to explore this city. Do you have any recommendations?] Finland asked again.


    [Wow, there are so many things to see there. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. Tonight, I will send you a complete email with recommendations.]


    [If possible, send recommendations about Madrid too! That would be awesome... After leaving Barcelona, we will to go to Madrid.]


    [Sure thing.]


    Finland couldn''t wait to enjoy her honeymoon with Caspar. Once she got detailed recommendations from Jean, she would prepare a plan so that they could enjoy various things like ordinary people.


    She wanted to know if they were able to do it. She was really curious if Caspar could live like a ''normal person'' for the next two weeks.


    **


    The first day they arrived in Barcelona, Caspar and Finland decided to relax and do nothing. As usual, the butler, Caspar''s servants, and the bodyguards gave them privacy by not showing themselves too much. Finland did not see them at all, unless needed.


    Caspar cooked dinner for them both and they enjoyed their time in the villa by doing nothing; just reading and chatting. This was the first time Finland saw Caspar not working, and she was very happy.


    "Don''t you have work to do?" she asked in surprise when she saw that Caspar had not touched his laptop at all that day.


    Caspar shrugged and smiled, "Normal people don''t work when they are on their honeymoon."


    Finland''s eyes lit up hearing that. She placed her book on the table and immediately hugged Caspar.


    "You''re starting to look natural, living as a commoner..."


    "I''m trying, Honey. It''s not easy..." Caspar chuckled. "But tomorrow at lunch we must meet Stanis, not for work. I want to introduce you to him."


    Finland nodded. She had heard the name Stanis very often but never saw him in person. She was eager to finally meet the head of the Schneider family household staff.


    "Stanis isn''t Spanish, is he? Why does he live here?" Finland asked curiously.


    "Why not? The weather here is good. The cost of living in Spain is also very low compared to other European countries, and the food is very delicious. This is Stanis'' favorite city, so it makes sense for him to live in a place he likes. His work could be done from anywhere, especially since we are all connected to the internet. It''s also very easy to travel by plane," Caspar answered.


    "Oh... what is your favorite city then?"


    Caspar smiled slightly and touched Finland''s cheek, "My favorite city is wherever you are. Right now, it''s Singapore."


    Finland was touched to hear that. She was used to Caspar''s constant love confessions, and she now believed that she was sincerely loved. Her heart was really full of happiness.


    From the moment she accepted Caspar''s love, the man never hesitated to show his feelings for Finland. He did not care about his image as an authoritative and resolute man in front of the girl.


    Finland leaned forward and gave Caspar a gentle kiss at what he had just said.


    "I don''t have a place that makes me feel at home. Not even Singapore. Right now, my home is wherever you are." said Finland in a low voice.


    Caspar nodded happily. He rubbed her head then laid her head on his lap. "I''m happy to be your home."


    ***

 Chapter 108 - Honeymoon (3)

    Finland bought entrance tickets to Sagrada Familia online and after brunch they both immediately drove there. For the first time Finland saw Caspar drive the car himself, and he looked very cool. Like a star with his own car commercial!


    Finland couldn''t stop admiring her husband''s appearance. She felt very lucky.


    They parked at a parking place a bit far from the Sagrada Familia, and continued on foot. Finland wore a thick coat, but she still felt cold. Her body was accustomed to the hot and humid weather in the tropical country, she had difficulty adjusting to the mild winter in Spain.


    Caspar embraced her and tried to provide warmth for the girl as they walked towards Sagrada Familia.


    The queue at the online ticket exchange counter was indeed shorter than the on-the-spot ticket purchase counter and 15 minutes later they were already inside.


    "There''s no need to use a headset and hire a guide," Caspar said, "I know Gaudi and I can tell you the complete history of the Sagrada Familia."


    Ah, of course, Finland thought. At this point she would be surprised if Caspar did not know Gaudi. Her husband seemed to know all the important people in world history.


    He was friends with Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric, assisted in the research of the Wright brothers and Karl Benz, and apparently also knew Antoni Gaudi in person.


    "How do you know Gaudi?" Finland finally asked, she could not help herself.


    "He was recommended by Guell. Gaudi designed a lot of buildings for Guell, including his house and the park that we will visit later this afternoon, Parc Guell. I like Gaudi''s style and asked him to design the villa we live in now." Caspar shrugged, "Now my taste has changed, but in the past, I really liked Gaudi. He was a legend. Too bad the only woman he loved did not return his love, so he chose celibacy and devoted himself to his religion and lived a really simple life. At his old age, people often thought he was a bum because of his shabby appearance. When he was hit by a tram, no one recognized Gaudi and thought he was a beggar, so he did not get adequate treatment at the hospital. He finally died because of his wounds..."


    "Ohh... what a pity." sighed Finland. She never knew how tragic the life of the Sagrada Familia''s designer was.


    "It was indeed tragic."


    When they entered the building, Finland was fascinated by how intricate and beautiful the colorful carvings and glass alloys in the Sagrada Familia were. It''s very tall pillars gave a grand and majestic impression. It''s hard to believe that this unique building was a church. The design was not similar to any church she had seen anywhere.


    Caspar patiently explained every detail of the monument and fascinated Finland with the history behind it.


    Sagrada Familia was built in 1882, and to this day, more than 100 years later, it still wasn''t finished. The building was opened to the public with an entrance fee to finance its construction.


    Every year it was visited by millions of people. Some parts of the building were still closed when they entered because they were still being built by workers.


    After they were done there, Caspar took Finland around Barcelona in his car and pointed out important or historic places in the city. At about lunch time, he directed his car towards the beach. They entered a beautiful restaurant overlooking the sea.


    They caught the attention of everyone in the restaurant when they walked in. Finland did look very beautiful and Caspar was also very handsome.


    Many people thought they were celebrities who were stopping by for lunch because the restaurant manager and some staff came respectfully and took them to a table in the most private corner.


    A man in his 50''s rose to his feet as soon as the two came close. His face was very similar to Ben''s, just a little older and more serious. He was neatly dressed in a suit and wore silver-rimmed glasses.


    This must be Stanis, Finland thought.


    "Good afternoon, Sir and Madam," greeted Stanis respectfully.


    Finland greeted Stanis and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Van der Ven. My name is Finland."


    "I''m Stanis Van der Ven. Just call me Stanis. I''ve heard a lot about you." Stanis smiled. "I heard that you both want to spend your honeymoon in an unconventional way?"


    If, according to Stanis, living like a normal human being is unconventional, Stanis''s understanding of life is the same as Caspar''s, Finland thought. No wonder both clicked very well.


    "Only for two weeks, Stanis." said Caspar. "I will trouble you these two weeks, more than usual."


    "Don''t worry, Sir. I''ve served you for 30 years and have always been happy to do it," Stanis replied to Caspar, smiling. "You don''t need to think about anything, just enjoy your honeymoon."


    "Thank you."


    They continued their conversation over lunch. Although they tried their best not to discuss work, several times Stanis and Caspar slipped, and topics about business were accidentally discussed too.


    Finland only laughed when the two apologized.


    After seeing the two of them talking in person, she was now able to confirm that Caspar and Stanis really did have similar characteristics. No wonder Caspar and Stanis were a perfect team.

 Chapter 109 - Honeymoon (4)

    After lunch, Caspar and Finland continued their tour to Casa Batllo, and finally to Parc Guell. The uphill walk to Parc Guell was too much for Finland. She finally gave up and Caspar had to carry her while laughing.


    The next day Finland did not want to get out of bed because her body was still aching from the trip on the previous day. She was drained, especially after climbing the steep steps of Parc Guell.


    "Alright, we don''t have to go anywhere today, let''s just stay home and chill out," Caspar said, coming back to bed to hug Finland. "We can eat and read in bed or watch movies."


    "I like it. We''ll just go on another trip tomorrow." said Finland then.


    Because they were on their honeymoon and were not in a hurry, both of them enjoyed the relaxing time as much as possible. The next day, after Finland felt better, the two left for Casa Mila and then spent their day walking and eating at Las Ramblas.


    "When in Spain, it''s incomplete if you don''t enjoy Sangria," Caspar said. They were sitting in one of the cafes on the Las Ramblas boulevard which was full of people who were thinking the same thing.


    Sangria was a red wine drink mixed with pieces of various fresh fruit and a shot of another liquor such as brandy. Finland was shocked when she saw her drink come in a half-a-liter glass!


    "This glass is so big..." she hissed in surprise.


    "Spanish people really like to drink. They love to talk, take a nap (siesta) and drink... That''s why they always look so happy." Caspar explained with a chuckle. He clinked his glass to Finland''s and encouraged Finland to drink, "Drink, the most delicious sangria in the world is from Barcelona. Mc Donald''s also serves beer here. This is the only country in the world where you can eat at McD while drinking beer. In other countries they only serve soda."


    Finland nodded in understanding. Now she understood why Stanis liked living in Barcelona. The weather was much better than in Germany, and the people here lived their lives with excitement, making the atmosphere very pleasant.


    She observed that most of the waiters in the restaurants around them were not young and beautiful women, like how it was in most restaurants in Asia. One of the waiters that was serving them was a man in his 30-40s who looked like a night club bouncer, but here he was, serving customers, with a huge smile on his face.


    She was amazed that the server''s profession in this country was not gender and physically biased.


    Finland felt grateful to be able to experience all these things and see new perspectives and cultures from other countries. She had lived in Indonesia and Singapore, and then she visited Germany, and now she was in Spain.


    All these countries have their own characteristics. She couldn''t wait to visit Paris to see how the French people live and see their culture. Too bad she would be in the city of love with her best friend, not her husband.


    ***


    Finland was surprised when she found out that they were going to Madrid by car.


    "Isn''t the distance more than 600 km from here...?" she cried in a questioning tone. In Indonesia, to go from Jakarta to Jogjakarta, which was only around 500 km in distance, it would take at least 10 hours of driving to get there.


    "The roads in Europe are different from the roads in your country," Caspar said as if reading Finland''s mind. "With an average speed of 100 km/hour and a quick rest for lunch at the rest area, we can arrive in Madrid in less than 7 hours. We can leave early in the morning so we will arrive in Madrid in the afternoon. Then, we can immediately rest."


    "Won''t you get tired if you drive for so long?" Finland asked again.


    "Yes, it must be very tiring¡­ Therefore you need to give me a good massage when we get to Madrid. That way we can divide the work," Caspar replied, smiling mischievously.


    "Why don''t we take the train like normal people?" Finland asked.


    "There are many normal people who drive like this, Finland. The view is good. Besides, from Madrid we can go to Lisbon and Portugal, and from there straight to Paris. Later if you want to take public transportation, you can do it with Jean," Caspar commented.


    Ah yes, compared to Caspar, Jean was a real ordinary person. Traveling with him would definitely be more normal, Finland thought.

 Chapter 110 - Honeymoon (5)

    They left Barcelona after breakfast and drove towards Madrid, the capital of Spain. They arrived in Madrid at dusk. The traffic was good and the trip felt relaxing. Finland did not feel tired at all.


    They stayed in a luxury apartment in the center of the city and spent the following few days exploring the beautiful old town filled with ancient buildings.


    Finland was fascinated by the royal palace and the Stradivarius string quartet in it. As before, they were very relaxed in enjoying the tour, usually visiting only one place in one day, except for the last day when they stopped at Retiro Park after the Prado Museum because they were so closely located.


    "The Spanish and Portuguese once ''colonized'' my country," Finland said. "It feels rather strange to come here and see the relics of their old civilization and imagine what happened hundreds of years ago, when the Spanish and Portuguese sailors sailed the seas around the world in search of spice islands."


    "Do you like Madrid?" Caspar asked.


    "I like the city, it''s beautiful. Barcelona too... Thank you for showing them to me," answered Finland.


    "I''m glad you like them."


    Time flies when you are having fun, they said. Likewise, their honeymoon was over before they realized it. Two weeks passed like a dream. They had fun in Madrid and then traveled to Lisbon in Portugal and stopped at Sintra.


    Finland was fascinated every day by the new things that she saw and experienced, and Caspar liked to show interesting things. He was also very knowledgeable and explained the various things he knew about the cities they passed and their history.


    Lisbon had a hilly contour with steep narrow roads. Finland managed to get Caspar to take the legendary Tram No. 28 and several other trams that passed several historical sites.


    They also took the time to eat at the most famous food court in Lisbon, the Time Out, which contained a variety of restaurants with very tasty dishes. It was so famous that soooo many visitors were waiting in line when they came. Finland and Caspar were even forced to eat while standing.


    "I didn''t know burgers can be soooo delicious..." Finland said in amazement after taking a bite of the hamburger she was holding. She laughed at Caspar, who looked rather sullen because he could not find an empty seat.


    The place was very crowded. If he hadn''t promised Finland to go on for two weeks like a normal person, the two bodyguards who were watching from a distance would have emptied the large long table just for them, so Finland and Caspar can eat in peace... Ugh.


    Since European countries entered into cooperation agreements in the form of the European Union and Schengen states, there was no longer a border between EU member states and everyone who entered the Schengen states could move freely without having to go through immigration again.


    That was why after landing in Germany two weeks ago, Finland was able to travel to Spain and Portugal by car with Caspar without passing through immigration. Everything felt very easy and practical.


    January 14th was their last day in Lisbon. At first Finland thought that they would fly to Paris on the 16th, on the day after her birthday, but apparently Caspar had other ideas.


    "I want to celebrate your birthday in the city of love," Caspar said as he helped Finland tidy up their suitcases. "I won''t let you enjoy Paris without me."


    Finland looked at Caspar in disbelief. Why was Caspar always reading her mind? Just last week Finland felt sad because she would not be in Paris, the city of love, with her husband.


    She had always dreamed of going to Paris to visit Jean, but now that she was married to the man she loved, Finland''s heart wished that she could experience Paris with Caspar too.


    When Caspar said that he would take Finland to Paris, she thought that they would go to Paris on the 16th and celebrate her birthday in Lisbon...


    Apparently, Caspar would take her to Paris two days before her scheduled meeting with Jean.


    Finland was very touched. She immediately hugged Caspar and kissed him. "Thank you!"


    "Paris is very cold in these times. One day we will return there in the spring, so you can enjoy it more."


    Caspar stroked Finland''s hair lovingly. Flying to Paris two days earlier than scheduled was nothing for Caspar; he would do far greater things just to make his wife happy.


    He was pleased to see how much the girl had changed since they first met. Now Finland smiled more and was more expressive with her feelings. Caspar felt that he had succeeded in his mission to make the girl smile.

 Chapter 111 - Caspar and Finland in Paris

    They arrived in Paris in the afternoon and immediately headed to the city center. Caspar had many assets in Paris and, like in Singapore, he chose to stay in the penthouse of one of his hotels for practicality. Finland could barely hide her admiration when they entered the penthouse for the first time.


    This place was far more beautiful than Caspar''s penthouse at the Continental Hotel in Singapore. The design was classic, with various ornaments and antique furnishings that made it feel like you are in an European king''s palace...


    "This is great... !!" Finland exclaimed as she covered her mouth, trying to hold back her endless sighs of admiration.


    "You can stay here while in Paris," Caspar said. "I''ll go back to Germany and work. You have fun with Jean, I''ll pick you up on the 30th."


    "We will not only be in Paris for 2 weeks. Jean will take me to the Netherlands, Belgium and surrounding areas as well. So, I really don''t need a place to stay here." said Finland.


    "It''s okay, use it for as long as you need to." Caspar stretched his arms and hugged Finland, "I know this is very important for you. Hopefully this will give you a chance to say goodbye properly."


    Finland nodded sadly.


    "Thank you, for understanding me."


    Finland was sad because she had to part with Jean, but at least she would have memories of their 4.5 years of friendship and their two-week trip. While Jean wouldn''t have anything...


    "Today we will rest and tomorrow I will take you for a walk in the city." Caspar, sensing his wife''s sadness, immediately turned his attention to their suitcases. "Let''s get your things out of your suitcase and arrange them here to make you feel at home."


    Because Finland would be traveling with Jean for two weeks, she would only carry one small suitcase for practicality. Many of her belongings, bought by Caspar during their trip to Germany, Spain, and Portugal, will be stored in the penthouse until she returned home.


    Caspar helped her with her stuff and then took her to rest on the couch. He handed her a glass of port they brought from Lisbon.


    At 7 pm, a private chef and several servers came upstairs to prepare their dinner. The dining room window, which rose from floor to ceiling, featured a view overlooking the beautiful Eiffel Tower when the drapes were opened to the side.


    The lights of the Eiffel Tower were beautifully lit, creating a romantic and magical atmosphere in their dining room. Finland could not help but sigh in admiration. Caspar was very satisfied to see that, again, he had managed to impress his woman.


    "You seem to like it very much here. Should we just move to Paris?" Caspar asked teasingly. He could see that Finland''s face seemed very eager to hear this question, "We can live here or move around the world. I have lived in many countries and they all have their own charms."


    Finland nodded, "We have a lifetime for that..."


    "What do you mean by a lifetime...?" Caspar looked at Finland with a probing look, "Have you decided to drink the immortality potion?"


    Finland returned his gaze with a small smile, "Yes. But after I leave Jean and make sure he''s fine."


    Caspar looked very surprised and happy. He had hoped that Finland would want to live forever with him, but he did not think that she would decide so soon. He thought he would have to wait for at least a year.


    It was Finland who was going to have her birthday, but it was Caspar who felt like the one receiving a birthday gift.


    "I''m so glad to hear that!" Caspar immediately got up from his chair and hugged her. "This is good news."


    "In two weeks, Jean will forget about me. I have no more reason to postpone it. Maybe the sooner the better..."


    "I agree. Oh... I can''t wait for the end of the month..." Caspar kept kissing Finland because he felt so happy.


    A few minutes later he pulled himself together and returned to his chair. They continued eating in a much happier mood.


    After dinner, both of them enjoyed the scenery for half an hour. They had a light chat accompanied by a glass of champagne, then went to sleep.


    That night Caspar hugged Finland tighter than usual. He was very happy because Finland was now one hundred percent his, since she decided to live as immortal with him for a lifetime.


    He couldn''t wait to live his forever with Finland, every day, always together until who knows when...


    ***


    When Finland woke up the next day, the clock showed 10 o''clock.


    "Good morning, Princess." Caspar sat on the sofa by the bed, staring at Finland.


    Finland looked at her watch and was shocked, "Oh my God... 10 o''clock! Why didn''t you wake me up?"


    Caspar chuckled. "Today is your birthday and we don''t have a specific schedule. Your job today is to rest and enjoy being pampered."


    He held Finland who was about to get out of bed.


    "Psshhh... stay there, Honey. I''ll bring you breakfast."


    Caspar disappeared and returned 5 minutes later with a tray containing breakfast. His face looked happy. "Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl - my beautiful wife!"


    All her life Finland never dreamed that she would experience breakfast in bed. So far she had only seen it in romantic movies.


    She was touched because Caspar really spoiled her.


    "This... this is so romantic..." she whispered, blushing.


    "I''m glad you like it."


    Caspar spoiled Finland and didn''t let her do anything for the whole day; he handled every single thing.


    After breakfast, they got ready to leave the house. Caspar invited Finland to go out and walk around the hotel to enjoy the typical Parisian atmosphere.

 Chapter 112 - Happy birthday, Mrs. Schneider!

    Finland was amazed to see so many old buildings and historical monuments scattered in the city. Time seemed to stop for her as she enjoyed the beauty of the city famous all over the world as the city of love.


    [Happy birthday, Finland. May you always be happy.] Came a text from Jean while they were sitting enjoying crepes in Trocadero.


    Finland knew that this past week Jean had been very busy with fashion week, but he still had the time to exchange news with Finland. The problem was that Finland hadn''t had the chance to tell Jean that she was already in Paris now.


    [Thank you. I can''t wait to see you tomorrow to get a birthday present from you... hahaha.] She replied Jean''s message jokingly.


    [Relax, I''ve prepared it. By the way, what gift did your husband give you for your birthday?]


    Finland turned to Caspar and realized that Caspar had not given her a birthday present yet.


    She pursed her lips and pondered whether she should ask for a gift or not? Maybe the gift was their trip to Paris, their stay in a beautiful penthouse, and their dinner with a private chef¡­ or¡­ was breakfast in bed considered a birthday present?


    "Who was the text from?" Caspar asked.


    "Jean. He wished me a happy birthday. I asked him for a birthday present..." Finland said. She studied Caspar''s face and tried to judge his expression. Would this make Caspar realize that he hasn''t given her any birthday present yet?


    "Oh..." Caspar didn''t continue his question, which convinced Finland that this holiday was Caspar''s birthday present for her.


    All the miracles she experienced in Paris was indeed an amazing birthday present, and she felt grateful. Caspar didn''t need to give her any more items as an extra gift.


    "I still have a birthday present for you." Suddenly Caspar said those magical words.


    "What?"


    Just when Finland stopped thinking about gifts, Caspar uttered that sentence, to the surprise of the girl.


    "I''ll give it to you after dinner." He pointed at the Eiffel Tower, "I reserved a space at the restaurant above for us."


    Oh... apparently the surprise on her birthday was not over yet...!


    Caspar never stopped impressing her.


    The restaurant above the Eiffel Tower was closed to the public that night. The dining experience felt far more memorable to Finland compared to her dinner at the Singapore Flyer.


    Another plus point was that Paris was more romantic than Singapore, and tonight was special because it was Finland''s first birthday as Caspar''s wife. Finland didn''t know if she ever felt this happy before...


    They both ate a lovely dinner, high in the sky, overlooking the beautiful city of Paris. Finland couldn''t stop shuddering because she was so impressed.


    "This is amazing... This is wonderful..." she whispered.


    Caspar had never seen such a happy expression on his wife''s face before. He could not bear not to take photos. With his cellphone he took several photographs of Finland.


    Behind her was the city of Paris. The girl looked like an angel with her innocent happy face, making Caspar even more infatuated with her.


    "Honey... I have a birthday present for you..." He finally placed his cellphone down, took out a small box from his pocket, and handed it to Finland. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Schneider."


    "W... what''s this?"


    Finland opened the box and found a ring studded with brilliant blue gem that immediately reminded her of the color of Caspar''s eyes.


    "That''s my mother''s ring." Caspar explained as he placed it on Finland''s finger. The girl was still wearing her engagement ring, which had a pink diamond, on her left ring finger. Now, each of Finland''s hand held a different colored diamond ring that was very beautiful. "I have kept my mother''s ring for decades, and if I miss her, I would take out and hold this ring. For the past few months, ever since I was with you, I no longer feel the sadness that I used to whenever I think of my mother. Therefore, I want you to keep this ring. For me, now, with you by my side, I can finally let go of my parents..."


    Finland was out of words. She knew how much her husband loved his parents, and for decades since their death, he was still in grief.


    She did not expect that today, Caspar finally let them go and gave his mother''s ring to Finland. It served as a symbol that he wanted to start a new happy life with her, without being shaded by the sadness of the death of his parents.


    Finland shed tears and nodded slowly. "Thank you. I am very touched. This is the best birthday present I have ever received. Thank you..."


    Caspar grabbed her hand and shook his head, "I thank you, Honey, for willing to share your life with me. Now I feel that my life is complete. I have never been truly happy since my father and mother died. Since I am with you, I can again enjoy my long life with a happy heart. I promise I will be the best husband for you and the best father for our children."


    Finland got up and kissed Caspar lovingly. Her husband responded with a happy heart. They kissed passionately and were quickly filled with intense emotions, that they couldn''t keep their hands off each other.


    When the atmosphere began to heat up both Caspar and Finland let out a disappointed sigh when they realized that they were still on top of the Eiffel Tower.


    "Uff... we should have just had dinner at the penthouse..." complained Caspar. He had to hold back his urge and released his arms from Finland. "Want to go home now?"


    Finland nodded silently. They hurriedly finished their champagne and returned to the penthouse to continue where they left off moments before.

 Chapter 113 - In Paris with Jean

    The next morning, Caspar had a serious talk with Finland during breakfast.


    "I know you don''t like to be followed, but I will be honest with you, that from today, as soon as I return to Germany, I will ask Famke and Ivan to look after you. They will not report to me what you are doing. It''s only to ensure your safety. "


    Indeed, Caspar had promised Finland to act like a normal man by not using his access to extraordinary information to know everything about Finland especially when they are not together.


    He must call or text her like regular man if he wanted to know what Finland was doing or wanted, so that they could become equals. But after they were married, and Finland was introduced to the entire Alchemist community, her safety became first priority for Caspar, exceeding his promise to her.


    "My safety?" Finland asked.


    "Yes. I told you that I have enemies. I don''t want them to take the opportunity when you are far from me to bother you," Caspar answered. "I wanted to protect you quietly, but because we are married, I don''t want to hide anything from you. Therefore, I ask for your permission to leave Famke and Ivan here. They will give you privacy and will not report your movements and whatever you do to me, but they will protect you if anything were to happen."


    Finland was stunned to hear that. She thought that her last two weeks with Jean would be the last time she spent as a commoner. They would go on adventures, travel by public transportation, and do things just the two of them liked.


    However, it turned out that Caspar wanted to send his bodyguards to watch over them. It was rather difficult for her to accept it.


    "What should I say to Jean? You also have to tell him, because you guys are also disturbing his privacy, not just mine," Finland finally said.


    "Famke and Ivan will not interfere with your privacy. They are very professional and will not show themselves. If I hadn''t told you about this, you would never know that I sent people to look after you. I am now letting you know, because I do not want to hide anything from you, now that we are married."


    "But we will travel by train and bus, how can they follow us?" Finland asked, confused.


    Caspar smiled and ruffled Finland''s hair fondly, "You don''t need to think about anything. Let them take care of themselves."


    "Hmm... well then." Finland knew she had no choice and was forced to say yes.


    Caspar would go straight to Germany after breakfast and Finland promised to meet Jean in the hotel lobby at lunch. In fact, although Finland was very happy to see Jean again, she felt sad because she had to be separated from Caspar for two long weeks. It was a shame that in this life, people had to make choices; they couldn''t get everything they wanted.


    "I''m leaving first. Everyone at the hotel knows you are an important person here. Only the general manager knows your identity. If there''s anything you need, you can go to him or call me or Stanis at any time," Caspar said to her before he left.


    Finland nodded in understanding. Caspar kissed her and said goodbye. When he walked out of the penthouse door, Finland already missed him.


    ***


    Finland prepared a small suitcase containing the stuff she needed for the next two weeks. She would leave the rest of her belongings in the penthouse. Jean came to the hotel a little before noon. He texted Finland as soon as he arrived, and the girl immediately went down to the lobby, carrying her small suitcase with her.


    "Hey, Finland. How was your vacation?" Jean asked when he saw Finland coming. He hugged his best friend as soon as she was within reach. His face looked tired, but his mood was cheerful as usual. "My face is a big mess from the lack of sleep... hahaha, but you look beautiful."


    "Thank you, Jean. If you consider this look messy, I can''t imagine what you would look like if you put some effort to look good. See those girls over there? They haven''t taken their eyes off you," Finland whispered to Jean, "Looks like I have to give them a baby bip so their drool won''t wet their dress...."


    "Hahaha... you are so funny." Jean laughed loudly at that. He was used to women and girls looking at him admiringly. "Have you had lunch? Do you want to have lunch here or outside?"


    "Here is good. If we eat now, we will have the energy to walk around after lunch. I''ll leave the suitcase at the concierge first."


    Finland gave her bag to the concierge who received it in surprise. They knew that Finland lived in the penthouse upstairs, so why would she need to put her bag in concierge? They could only guess. She then invited Jean into the restaurant on the ground floor.


    "Did you stay here?" Jean asked as they sat down at the table and ordered lunch.


    "Yes, but for the next two weeks, I will stay with you." Finland looked at Jean with a guilty look, "There are many things we have to talk about."


    "Of course," Jean said with a soothing smile. "I understand."


    He guessed that Finland wanted to talk about Katia and Caspar, and their 50-year relationship. Jean was actually very curious about what happened, but he did not want to enter a realm where he was not invited. He would patiently wait until Finland told him what she wanted him to know.


    Meanwhile, Finland, who had decided to give Jean the memory potion, felt that there was nothing more to hide during the next two weeks. She wanted to be with Jean in honesty in their last moments together, because after that she would have to say goodbye to him, forever.


    Jean would forget everything that had happened.


    "Caspar is no ordinary person..." Finland said in a low voice. "He was born in 1580, more than 400 years ago. He and the rest of his family are part of the Alchemists clan who discovered the secret to immortality hundreds of years ago. There are now hundreds of people like them around the world. They belong to a group called Alchemists. They all look young because their bodies do not experience disease or aging like ordinary humans. They live among us, ordinary people, but their identities are kept secret. Surely you understand why..."


    Jean was stunned to hear Finland''s words. He never thought that Finland would talk about immortals like this. He thought what Katia said might just be their inside joke, and that she didn''t mean literally 50 years...


    But now Finland was telling him that Caspar was an immortal ... an Alchemist?

 Chapter 114 - In Paris with Jean (2)

    "This is very surprising..." said Jean. He gulped down the wine in his glass and his face looked shaken, "Then what about you? You''re not an immortal like him. How can you two be together?"


    "I was given the immortality potion that made me the same like them..." answered Finland. "But that means that I also have to live like them. I won''t age, so I can''t live as Finland forever. Later, everyone in the office would look older, and I would still look like this, people will be suspicious."


    "You know that this is a very valuable thing? Everybody wants to stay young and live forever. You got the immortality potion that every human being on earth desires." said Jean in amazement, "But why are you talking in a sad tone, as if you encountered a misfortune?"


    "Although my life was not very interesting and happy, I like myself and my identity. I like my work in my current office, and I started having friends in the company. I also like the things we can do together like this," Finland answered sadly, "Later, after I enter their society, I won''t be able to live like a normal human being. I will have to take on a new identity every few years."


    Jean didn''t speak for a long time. He also did not touch his food, only added wine to his glass and drank while digesting all the words he heard from Finland. Finland did not force him to respond immediately. She knew that this was all very surprising for Jean.


    After thinking for a long time, Jean finally nodded and smiled a little, "I understand. This is a big secret. I will keep this secret well. I''m just sad because someday I will grow old and will no longer be with you. Death is certain, and someday it will separate us..."


    Finland hurriedly took Jean''s hand and comforted him, "Don''t talk about scary things like death at a time like this... You''re still very young. You''re also of Asian descent, even in your 40s, your appearance won''t change. Aaron Kwok is currently 55 years old and he still looks like he is in his 30s."


    Jean shrugged, "You know what I mean."


    They no longer discussed about the Alchemists because it had to be kept a secret. Finland changed the topic and asked about their travel plans.


    "We will explore Paris for a few days where I''ll show you the important places in this city. Then, we will move on to Colmar; it''s a beautiful old city. There are lots of old buildings in the style of rural Germany and canals that can usually only be seen on postcards, so beautiful. After that we will continue to Belgium and the Netherlands, then back to Paris."


    "How do we go about?" Finland asked.


    "I already bought train and bus tickets for us, so you can have an authentic traveling experience. But from Paris to Colmar I will drive my car. Later we will just take the train to the Netherlands."


    "Wow... that is going to be so exciting." Finland exclaimed. She was really excited to hear their travel details from Jean. She had never experienced traveling in Europe like this; she only read about such stories from other travelers in books and blogs.


    She was glad that Jean was around because he knew the area so he could help her navigate the beautiful cities that she had only seen on the internet. Traveling with Caspar was fun, but they never used public transportation and she would feel awkward when she had to use buses or trains herself.


    "This will be an unforgettable experience," Jean said, clinking his glass to Finland''s glass, "Welcome to Paris."


    After they finished their lunch, Finland took her suitcase from the concierge. They were going to Jean''s apartment to prepare for their adventure. Jean took the suitcase from Finland and pushed it with one hand, while the other held Finland''s hand. They were going to walk to Jean''s apartment.


    "My flat isn''t far from here. Only a 10-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower."


    "Very cool!"


    "I''ve lived there for 4 years. It''s convenient and near the metro station."


    Jean was a practical man, so location was the main consideration in choosing a place to stay. His apartment on Robertson Road was also very strategically located, and thus expensive. Although he mostly lived in Paris nowadays, he still maintained his apartment in Singapore due to sentimental values.


    Jean lived in Arr 13, which was one of the most strategic districts because it was close to the Eiffel Tower and other tourist attractions. Moreover, he could walk everywhere.


    Finland was constantly amazed to see the beauty of Paris as they walked across the sidewalk to Jean''s apartment. Historical monuments, gold-decorated statues, and old buildings dating back to hundreds of years ago were scattered on the way.


    Jean just laughed at Finland''s excitement. She was like a kid in a candy shop.


    "You are very funny, yeah. If you really like Paris, you should just move here. I''m sure Caspar doesn''t mind," he said.


    Finland just smiled and did not answer. Caspar also said the same thing. Maybe someday Finland would ask Caspar to move to Paris. But in the meantime, she wanted to see the world and decide later, which place would be their next home.

 Chapter 115 - Going to Sacre Coeur

    Jean''s apartment in Paris, like his apartment in Singapore, had one bedroom but a slightly larger living room and kitchen. Finland immediately felt at home when she entered the apartment. In contrast to his apartment in Singapore, which looked more minimalist and stiffer, Jean''s apartment in Paris had more color and looked more vibrant.


    "I like the arrangement," Finland praised. "Your taste is always good."


    "Thank you. A little messy, I haven''t had time to tidy up... ahahaha."


    Jean turned on the heating and then brought Finland''s suitcase to his bedroom and placed it in a corner. "Now that you''ve become someone''s wife, I have to keep my distance a little. You sleep in the bedroom, I''ll sleep on the couch."


    "Ouch, Jean... I am the guest, therefore I should be the one sleeping on the couch!" Finland protested.


    "Ahahaha... my couch is really comfortable. You don''t need to worry about me," Jean laughed. He then took out a bottle of Baileys from the refrigerator and poured each of them a glass. "Let''s take a break first to warm ourselves up. Later this afternoon, we will take a walk to Sacre Coeur. It is quite a walk up there, so consider it a workout ... hahaha..."


    Sacre Coeur was one of the old churches in Paris which was very famous. It was located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, which was the highest point in the city. The view of the city of Paris from the hill was very beautiful, which was why many tourists flock to visit it at any time of the year.


    They sat enjoying Baileys while chatting about Jean''s work and the city of Paris. Finland was very amazed to see so many magazines in Jean''s apartment that contained his photographs.


    She also noticed that, when they were walking to the apartment, several people turned their heads and looked twice when passing them, as if they recognized Jean from somewhere. When landing at the airport of Charles de Gaulle, Finland also saw Jean''s face on the billboard for a perfume ad.


    "Billie asked me to be a model in her new video clip later," Jean said when the TV featured Billie Yves''s music. "By the way, she sent her regards..."


    "Really? Whoaaa..." Finland''s face suddenly felt hot. Her idol apparently still remembered her! "Where is she now?"


    "She has returned to the States. She has completed a new album and will launch it soon. The first video single from her new album will be shot in Paris. She asked me to be a star in her music video."


    "Wow... so cool!! I can''t wait to see the video."


    "You''ll be the first to see it," Jean said happily. The Baileys in his glass was gone and he took his coat, "Let''s go for a walk."


    Jean had bought a Navigo card for Finland so they could take the metro and bus everywhere. He wore a thick coat, gloves, a beanie hat and a wool scarf that protected his neck. When they were walking toward the metro station, he finally noticed that Finland was not wearing a wool beanie and gloves. He looked astonished.


    "Aren''t you cold? Why don''t you bring a beanie and gloves?" he asked.


    Finland, who just went to Europe for the first time, only carried a jacket, a pullover, and a thick scarf. She did not have a beanie and gloves. She did not know what the temperature in the winter would feel like and that the blowing wind could make her whole body cold, because the hands and ears had many nerves and was too exposed to cold air.


    Now she understood why many people went out wearing gloves and ear protectors or wool hats in the winter.


    "I didn''t know that I needed beanies... I thought people wear them just for fashion," Finland admitted in a low voice.


    "Beanies and gloves aren''t fashionable... ahahaha¡­ people wear them because it''s necessary." Jean laughed at her, "You''ve been in Europe for more than two weeks already, how did you survive without gloves and beanies all this while?"


    "We were always in a heated space, and we rarely walked outdoor like this," Finland just remembered that she and Caspar never took public transportation and very rarely walked outdoor; everything was made very comfortable for her, "We did go out when we were in Spain and Portugal, but the temperature there was not as cold as in Paris. I could walk around without gloves."


    "Oh, no wonder." Jean took off his gloves and placed them on Finland''s hands, "Just use mine, they are a little too big, but it''s better than being cold. Later, when I see a shop selling gloves and beanies, I will buy new ones."


    He also placed his beanie on Finland''s head.


    "Thank you..." Finland smiled with gratitude.


    They then walked hand in hand into the metro station. Indeed, after wearing a beanie and gloves, Finland felt much warmer. As a girl from the tropics, she struggled to get used to the winter in Europe because before coming there she had no idea at all what to expect. Luckily, she had Jean by her side.


    The metro in Paris was very complicated for first-timers or tourists. There were so many different lines that were marked in color, then there were different types of trains that lead to different districts. The transportation cards available had packages that serve only certain districts or all districts with different prices. Enough to confuse people.


    For people who weren''t used to using public transportation, buying 10 metro tickets at once would be cheaper because the price was discounted from 1.8 euros to 1.4 euros per ticket and could be used for one way at any distance.


    When they were queuing to get through the ticket gate, Finland was surprised when she saw the person in front of her suddenly jump over the ticket gate and did not stick a card or ticket on the scanner.


    "What is he doing?" she asked astonished.


    "Oh, that''s someone who doesn''t want to pay for a ticket," Jean said. "Maybe he doesn''t have money. In Paris there are many poor and homeless people."


    "Oh..." Finland was surprised to hear that. She did not expect that in a developed country like France, there would still be homelessness and people who did not pay for tickets. In Singapore, no one would dare to ride the MRT without paying. They were all afraid of being caught by the police and subjected to large fines. "Are they not afraid of the police?"


    "Here in France the police rarely patrol the metro stations. In Germany it is a little bit different. In Germany, officers often patrol and enter the train carts at random intervals to check for tickets, because there are no gateways like this, so anyone can take the train without a ticket, but if they are caught during that random inspection, the fine can be huge."


    Finland learnt something new from her trip to Europe this time. When compared to France and Germany, apparently Singapore was really very orderly and organized. Singapore was a developed country that was not inferior to western countries.


    The only significant difference would probably be that Singapore lacked the beautiful and magnificent old buildings that were hundreds of years old, like the buildings that could be found in Europe, because Singapore was a young country.


    They chatted along the way and Jean told her the history of the place they were going to visit.


    "Do you want to go up with the cable car or walk?" Jean asked when they arrived in the Montmartre area. This was the highest area in Paris and many people walked up this hill to exercise and warm their body. Therefore, Finland also decided to walk.


    This was a decision which she would later regret.

 Chapter 116 - Snow in Paris

    "Uhm... why have we not arrived yet..." she complained on the way. Even the trek to Parc Guell wasn''t as hard as this, Finland thought.


    Her body did get warmer, but her feet refused to work about halfway to the top. Apparently, she was not accustomed to walking uphill like this, especially in such cold weather. In Singapore, the whole country was almost flat land. The only going up and down she experienced was going on the escalators in a mall or MRT station.


    "We are almost there," said Jean comfortably. "Or we can go down again and take the cable car. Walking down will be easier."


    "Uhm... no¡­ I don''t like to waste my effort, especially if are already halfway there. You said we are close." Finland stopped and held on to the wall, calming her breath. "Ouch, what a shame... I feel so old like a granny."


    "Ahahaha... okay, Granny. Let''s continue upward so you can see Paris from a height. If I wait for you to catch your breath and stop every 2 meters like this, we will arrive in the evening." Jean then squatted in front of Finland and offered his back, "Come on up. If it''s only to carry you for 50 meters up, I can do it."


    "Ah, no, you don''t have to. You''ll get tired later," Finland refused.


    "It''s the same for me. I will feel tired carrying you or tired waiting for you... Come on up." Jean did not want to accept Finland''s refusal and continued to sign the girl to get on his back. "If not, we''d better go down and ride the cable car."


    Finland did not like to cancel something that had been done halfway because it meant that they wasted energy and time. Going back down to ride the cable car was a choice that she disliked very much.


    Finally, she gave up and let herself be carried.


    "You are getting heavier," Jean commented casually when Finland was already on his back. "Surely you ate a lot during the new year."


    "Jeannn!!! Put me down..." Finland protested again. "You are the one who insisted on carrying me."


    "Geez, you know I''m kidding... hahaha," Jean faltered when he saw Finland protesting. "I''m kidding. Slim and pretty people should know when they are teased. I thought your confidence has now improved."


    Finland pinched Jean''s ear.


    "You know I have a problem with confidence because I was bullied by bad people for years."


    "I know. You loved money so much, you even sold your eggs to make money at that time. But when I asked you to try modeling, you didn''t want to do it, even though you could earn a lot of money from it. You were beautiful, but your self-confidence was really bad. " Jean shook his head, "I thought, since you have been working as a marketing person for quite some time now and you have met many people, you have become more confident. Moreover, you are married to one of the most eligible bachelors in the world! Apparently, I was wrong."


    "It''s only been a few months, Jean. Years of wounds can''t disappear in months... I''m still trying to heal myself."


    "I understand."


    They were silent for a few minutes. Jean then distracted Finland by telling her the history of the Sacre Coeur Basilica they were visiting. This was the second most visited monument in Paris and was a Catholic church that was still used for mass. In Martinique, France, there was a smaller version of Sacre Coeur, which was founded to house refugees.


    Many people who passed by them or passed them on their way down looked at them strangely. Jean was the only man who was carrying a woman on his back on their way up Montmartre at the time.


    Their beautiful appearances also attracted a lot of looks and many people secretly took pictures of Finland and Jean.


    "Asian couples are indeed very romantic," commented several girls who passed them. "It''s like watching a Korean drama in real life."


    Finland wanted to protest because Caspar also carried her at Parc Guell and he was not Asian, but of course it would seem strange if Finland stopped foreigners just to correct them. Finally, she only pursed her lips because of annoyance.


    "See... people think we are dating," said Finland, "Come on, put me down."


    "Leave it. They don''t know us anyway." Jean shook his head, unconcerned. He was often ''recognized'' when in public, but no one was really sure whether or not he was famous, because models or actors'' face often looked different in real life, compared to pictures in magazines and on TV.


    Only a few times people actually asked to take a picture with him and confirmed to him whether he was Jean or not. In fact, once someone asked to take a picture with him because she thought he was the actor Ben Kimura who was half Japanese.


    So, he was not too worried about his appearance in public. If there were rumors that he was dating this model or that socialites, he only needed to deny through his agent.


    Finally, Finland gave up. She then saw the great Sacre Coeur dome in front of them, and she was amazed.


    "Is this a church or a palace? Why does it look like a palace? It is soooo majestic!" She asked admiringly.


    "This is a church. The palace usually has gold decorations. Tomorrow we can go to the palace of Versailles, where Marie Antoinette lived. You will see that the palaces of the kings of France are more magnificent than the church."


    Suddenly, white snowflakes drifted down making Finland gasp.


    "Th... this is snow ..." She uttered in awe. This was her second experience seeing snow fall and Finland was still fascinated. "Very beautiful."


    Indeed, the little snowflakes that drifted endlessly made the atmosphere look like a scene on a beautiful postcard. The magnificent Sacre Coeur Basilica, the city of Paris as seen from the hills, and the snowflakes that looked magical, made Finland lost for words.


    "This is a moment worth frozen in memory," Jean said quietly, as if to himself. "At this rate, I won''t be able to hold back. You can come down already."


    He lowered Finland and shook his very cold hands.


    "I wonder, why there hasn''t been a store that sells gloves all the way here."


    "Do you want to wear these gloves instead?" Finland asked him.


    "There''s no need. I''m more used to cold temperatures than you." Jean pointed at a cafe that had a small sign board, "We can sit there to warm ourselves and drink glow wine. Let''s watch the snow fall from the cafe."


    They entered the cafe and sat on the chairs that faced the street, so they were able to see the view.


    Glow wine was the wine only sold in winter and was served hot. It tasted sweet and Finland liked it a lot.


    "This is beautiful..." Finland murmured. "I can sit here for hours drinking glow wine while watching the snow fall."


    She remembered seeing her first snow in Germany. Caspar made them tea and she sat on his lap in front of the window, watching the snow fall. Suddenly she missed Caspar very much.

 Chapter 117 - Birthday Presents from Jean

    Jean looked wistfully at the falling snow. He did not say anything for several minutes, until the glow wine in his glass ran out.


    "I have a birthday present for you..." He placed his glass on the table and pulled a box from under his coat. "I know, surely Caspar has given you very expensive gifts, so I will not try to give gifts of expensive items. I know they will not be comparable..."


    Finland was stunned to see the little box on the table. They were never together when Finland had a birthday because Jean was usually busy with his work, but he would always send her flowers.


    This was the first time Jean gave her a birthday present in person. For Finland, Jean''s mere presence here was already enough.


    "You don''t need to give me special gifts..." Finland said with a smile. "Flowers like usual is good enough for me."


    "This is a birthday present I bought for you when I first moved to Paris, but I didn''t have the chance to give it to you because we never met on your birthday, and for some reason I was happy to have it in my apartment. At that time, I promised myself I would give it to you when you arrive in Paris. Now that you have managed to come here, I want to present it to you as a welcome gift. Welcome to Paris... Open it."


    Finland slowly opened the box. She was touched because Jean had kept this gift for her for 4 years.


    Slowly a soft tune started playing in the pretty little box. The tune was La Vien Rose by ¨¦dith Piaf.


    Ahhh, apparently Jean gave Finland a music box.


    "Th... thank you... This is so beautiful." said Finland.


    "Billie Yves told me that the song that you really like, ''You Are Enough'', was inspired by La Vien Rose. They don''t sound similar at all, but the songs are indeed related. I think you will also like this one..." Jean said with a soft smile.


    "You''re right. I love it." Finland said as she stroked her music box with affection. "Thank you..."


    "I''m not done yet..." Jean said later. "Do you remember how many gifts I usually give you on your birthday?"


    "Uhmm... you usually send me flowers," Finland tried to remember, "You mean how many flower stalks?"


    Jean nodded.


    "Hmm... you always add one white rose among the red roses." Finland reached into her cellphone, "I still have the pictures. I can count..."


    Jean laughed at that. "No need. That means that you never noticed that the flowers I send each year increase by one, according to your age."


    Finland covered her mouth in surprise. All this time she received her birthday flowers from Jean without thinking about anything.


    If what he said was true, that meant last year Jean sent her 23 roses, and the previous year 22 roses... She didn''t pay attention at all. Just the thought of receiving flowers was enough to make her very grateful.


    "This year I have 24 gifts for you," Jean said again. "All of them are gifts I prepared for you for the next two weeks. This glow wine is the first gift. The second gift is the music box. Starting tomorrow I will give the next gifts along our journey. So, these next two weeks will be like treasure hunting... Every day there will be a surprise for you... haha..."


    Finland''s eyes widened when she heard Jean''s explanation.


    How exciting! What a thrill! Her birthday would be celebrated throughout their two-week trip!


    Even though she received very expensive presents from Caspar, it felt like the gifts Jean had provided were more personal and well thought out. Finland couldn''t wait to receive the next gifts...


    "Yes, it''s really exciting... Jean, thank you... Thank you ... !!" Finland could not contain her excitement and hugged Jean enthusiastically. She had never felt so happy on her birthday. As a child from a poor family, she never celebrated her birthday, let alone receive a birthday gift. Jean made her feel really touched...


    Jean chuckled, he was very happy because the gifts managed to make Finland happy. He couldn''t wait to give her more gifts along their journey.


    "Want to go to Sacre Coeur?" he asked her finally. Finland nodded and finished her glow wine.


    They then walked up hand in hand and admired the beauty of the magnificent basilica. The snow fell harder and half an hour later they were already walking home. Finland could not bear to stay longer outside because Jean was not wearing gloves and a beanie.


    Finland cooked pasta for their dinner and they both ate while chatting about the places they will visit next.

 Chapter 118 - Serious talk with Jean

    "Tomorrow we will spend the whole day visiting the Louvre. That will be my third birthday present. Then, the day after, we will go to Palace of Versailles, it will also take all day because it is quite far and we need to take the train. Entering Versailles will be my fourth gift to you. Then, we will spend another whole day in Disneyland Paris, the fifth gift from me. Then, on Sunday, we can see Notredame, the Eiffel Tower and spend time on the canal by boat. After that we will go to my mother''s home to have dinner together. Incidentally, Maman* is in Paris. I want to take my car from her place, so we can go to Colmar by car the next day."


    "Wahhh... everything sounds so much fun! Thank you!" Finland was very happy to hear about their travel plans and Jean''s planned gifts for her. She was also pleased that they would meet Jean''s mother during her visit to Paris this time.


    She only met Rosalind Marchal, Jean''s mother, in Singapore once and was very impressed with her beauty. Even though her expression looked aloof, Rosalind Marchal treated Finland very well back then.


    At the age of nearly 50 years old, she still looked very beautiful and she was still busy with various socialite charity activities. Jean himself admitted that he rarely met his mother.


    "Want to watch a movie before we sleep?" Jean asked as he cleared their dishes. "There''s a fun new horror movie on Netflix."


    "Yes, please," Finland replied. She tried to refrain from looking sad all day.


    She would miss the things they usually to do together such as watching movies while snacking on Jean''s favorite carrot and yam slices, and of course, she would miss sharing stories with Jean every day about what she experienced.


    Jean prepared a bowl of carrot slices for them, a bottle of port that Finland brought for him from Lisbon, and two glasses. He started the movie and sat comfortably next to Finland. They enjoyed watching Netflix while snacking on carrot slices and drinking port.


    "It''s a very scary story..." Finland commented after the movie was over. She sighed with relief, because finally the 90-minute tension ended. "I never thought this kind of horror movie would scare me, but it did."


    "The director is indeed a genius," Jean agreed. "I was also not able to guess the ending earlier. I consider that a sign of a very good movie. If I switched into acting, I want to learn from directors like him."


    "Did you get another acting offer?" Finland asked.


    "More and more. When I went to Seattle a few months ago, I stopped by Los Angeles and met several directors there. Many interesting stories are being developed. I might think of moving to America to pursue a career in the movie industry."


    Jean shrugged, "I still don''t know. My life in Paris is quite comfortable. But, I don''t want to stay in my comfort zone for too long. My initial plan was actually to wait until you finish your three-year work commitment in Singapore, then go on an adventure with you to make travel videos and stuff. However, it turns out now you''re already married to Caspar. So, I think whatever you plan for the future, will definitely be around his life. I can no longer expect us to travel together around Europe and make travel videos..."


    Finland knew that Jean was very smart, and she already thought Jean would think about this before Finland could talk about it. She felt a little guilty about getting married so quickly and keeping it a secret from Jean. She was sad that their plans for future failed because of her marriage.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hide my marriage from you..."


    "I was wrong, Finland. I didn''t think Caspar would be so serious with you in such a short time. I thought I still had time."


    Jean suddenly sounded very serious.


    "I''ve liked you since the first year of college. But I know myself, and my very busy schedule was not suitable for having a girlfriend. That was why I didn''t want to tie you down as my girlfriend. But I tried my best to always help you, and be there for you, and protect you from men who are not serious with you, like Anthony Wu... I thought, once we are not too busy, we can somehow be together as a couple. We already have so many plans for the future... How you will move to Paris, how we will travel the world, how I will star in your travel videos..."


    "Jean..." Finland looked at Jean with teary eyes. "I know... I thought so too. I liked you from the first time I saw you. You are probably the first person who respected and cared for me and the only person who fully understands me. But, I held back and killed my feelings for you, and decided to love you as a friend. I needed you more as my friend and family... I didn''t need a lover, because a lover is able hurt my heart and leave me.


    This relationship that we have, our pure friendship, is deeper than that of two lovers. I didn''t want to lose you when our romance were to end. You were so kind to me. When everyone hurt me, I could always come to you. But if we dated and you broke my heart, who do I go to? Who do I have in this world besides you, Jean?"


    Finland knew that Jean loved her, and in the past, she did love Jean too. But the past years Finland realized that she did not want to risk losing her best friend if the romantic relationship between them ended.


    That was why, in her heart, she decided to love Jean like her own family, because she did not have anyone else in this world.


    "I know..." Jean nodded. "I understand. When I see you two together, I know that you love him, and you look happy with him. So, I''m genuinely happy for you, Finland."


    He hugged Finland and tried hard to stay calm. "Because of that, I want to pursue my other dream, Finland. I will forget my love for you and pursue a career in United States as an actor. I will let you go, so you can live your new life, and I pray that you will always be happy..."


    This time Finland could not hold back her tears. She sobbed. It seemed like Jean really wanted to forget their relationship for their common good.


    She knew that Jean loved her, but Jean was acting chivalrous by supporting Finland and Caspar''s relationship, even though that would give him pain.


    In her heart, Finland was more determined to give Jean the memory potion. It was better for Jean to forget her, so he wouldn''t suffer too much because of losing her.


    .


    *Maman = Mum (French)

 Chapter 119 - More Gifts

    The next day the weather was still cold and snow started falling again. It was a good idea to spend all day at the museum.


    Before going to the Louvre museum, Jean invited Finland to stop by a shop to buy her two wool beanies and two pairs of gloves so that Finland would not get cold. He made it his sixth to eighth present for Finland. Finland was very happy.


    She had never gotten so many birthday presents before.


    They had a really nice time at the museum, and on the way home they passed by the river Seine. Jean took Finland to stop by one of the street painter stands near the bridge. He asked her to sit for half an hour while the painter made her sketch.


    That was his 9th gift. Finland was amazed by the sketch result. She was portrayed so beautifully with snowflakes falling from the sky against the background of the Notre Dame church.


    "This... this is very nice..." She couldn''t take her eyes off her portrait. "Oh, Jean... I love all your gifts!"


    "I''m glad to hear that," Jean said with a smile on his lips. He knew that it was actually very easy to make Finland happy. Small gifts like these were enough to make her joyful. He did not need to give her an expensive gift to see the girl''s beautiful face shine happily.


    "I can''t wait, there are still 15 more prizes..." Finland counted with her fingers excitedly. She was happy to realize that there were still many gifts she would receive from Jean.


    "One of the most important gifts is in Colmar." said Jean in a mysterious tone.


    "Wahhh... what is that?" Finland asked curiously.


    "Just wait until we get there."


    Finland couldn''t wait to get to Colmar. She had searched for information about the city on Google and was amazed by its beauty. Its old buildings with cobbled streets and beautiful canals made it look exactly like a land from Disney''s fairy tale. Very beautiful!


    The next day, they spent the whole day visiting the Versailles palace just outside Paris. Finland was amazed to see the extraordinarily vast and beautifully designed garden. She thought about Queen Marie Antoinette, a famous woman who used to live in this palace.


    When she entered the palace, Finland felt as if she had entered a time machine. She could imagine how the king of France lived in luxury with his family.


    Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was beheaded by guillotine when the people rebelled due to social inequality. She was accused of spending the country''s wealth on lavish and extravagant parties while many of the French people were starving.


    Since then, the French people chose to change the form of the state into a republic and reject the existence of kings and nobles.


    "Jeez... this is really awesome. I didn''t expect France to be this beautiful..." sighed Finland. She really enjoyed their walk exploring the city of Paris and Versailles during the first three days she spent with Jean.


    No wonder Jean liked staying in Paris; he was always surrounded by the beauty of the past. Everything was so inspiring and peaceful, far different from the futuristic and rigid Singapore.


    On the fourth day, Jean took Finland to Disneyland and they had a wonderful time in the amusement park. Cold weather did not make them flinch. On the contrary, it made them more excited! The cold weather didn''t bother Finland much because after being in Europe for a couple of weeks,


    Finland was finally getting used to the cold weather. Jean gave Finland a Donald duck plush toy for his 10th gift. Finland was very happy because Donald Duck was her favorite Disney character as he was fussy and always unlucky.


    "You really spoil me..." Finland said, smiling broadly as she accepted the toy, "Next year my expectations will be higher than this..."


    "Next year I will go back to giving you flowers again, 25 roses..." Jean replied nonchalantly. "You don''t have to be big-headed. I just happen to be super generous this year."


    Finland laughed lightly hearing that. She knew that Jean was not serious.


    They ate pizza for dinner then went to bed quickly because they were super tired. Their adventure the next day continued in Paris by visiting various important places in the city such as the Notre Dame church, the D''Orsay Museum, and Trocadero.


    "I have the next five gifts for you," Jean said as they sat in the cafe enjoying tea and macaroons after exploring all corners of Trocadero. He pulled out five small white cards with gold printed words.


    "What is this?" Finland asked curiously. She flipped the cards and saw the same writing on all of them.


    I WILL GRANT YOUR ONE WISH


    "As it says..." Jean explained. "You can exchange this card for a single request, and as long as I can fulfill it, I will. Whatever you wish."


    "Wow... seriously?" Finland asked excitedly. "Does this mean that since there are five cards, I can ask for five wishes?"


    "That is correct."


    "Whatever it is?"


    "As long as I can fulfill it, I will grant it," Jean answered firmly.


    "Seriouuussslyyyy??" Finland smiled mischievously. She handed one card to Jean to exchanged her prize. "I want you to wear your glasses."


    Jean immediately regretted giving these five gifts to Finland. He didn''t like to wear his glasses, because it made him look and feel old.


    "Ugh... don''t you want ask to me to take you to movie or to buy you something?" he asked sullenly, "You know I don''t like to wear my glasses."


    "I just want to test if you would really grant my wish or not." Finland shook her head, "Wow... the card doesn''t work."


    Jean rolled his eyes, but he took out his glasses that he kept in his coat pocket and wore them in front of her.


    "I am wearing it. Satisfied now?" he asked.


    "Wahhhh... the card works!" Finland exclaimed excitedly.


    Jean quickly took the card Finland had exchanged and placed it in his pocket. "You have four left. Please use them wisely. The cards are valid for one year."


    "You''re more handsome, you know, when you wear glasses like this..." said Finland. "I don''t understand why you are so annoyed by your plus glasses. Other people won''t know if it''s plus or minus glasses. They will only think you look very smart... ahahahaha..."


    "I AM really smart." said Jean.


    "Smart people don''t usually compliment themselves," Finland laughed.


    Finland felt touched when she received the five gift cards from Jean. But at the same time, she was really sad. She understood Jean''s good intentions to grant her wishes for the next year, but he did not know that their time together would not be long.

 Chapter 120 - Jean Pierre Wangs New Girlfriend

    They then went to Jean''s mother''s house to have dinner together. Rosalind Marchal welcomed them at the door of with a cheerful face.


    The French woman was dressed in a very elegant black dress that wrapped her body beautifully. She paired it with a silk scarf. You would never guess that she was nearly 50 years old. Finland was very pleased to hear Rosalind speak with her thick French accent and kept calling her "ma cherie" (my dear).


    "Where have you all been?" Rosalind asked Finland at dinner. "What''s your favorite place in Paris?"


    "Uhmm... we''ve been to Sacre Coeur, then the Louvre and D''Orsay museum, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notra Dame... Oh yes, we also went to the Palace of Versailles. Everything is good, I don''t have a favorite place, because I love everything."


    "Oh, very good!" Rosalind nodded. "I''m glad you finally came here. Jean Pierre told me a lot about you. He said that you are both going to Colmar tomorrow?"


    "Yeah, I can''t wait. I saw the pictures on Google, it''s beautiful..."


    "If I''m not mistaken, Jean Pierre went to Colmar a few times last year. It must have a special meaning for him."


    "Maman, don''t reveal too many secrets about me. You will ruin my surprise..." Jean frowned when her mother called him by his full name. "Besides, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jean."


    "Ahh... you will always be Jean Pierre for Maman," Rosalind chuckled. Apparently, she was deliberately teasing her son. She knew how much Jean wanted to become famous by only his first name.


    Finland knew that the mother and son were very busy and rarely meet, but she was very happy to see their closeness. They bantered and laughed just like friends during dinner.


    A hint of envy sneaked in her heart because she did not have a mother. Indeed, Jean''s parents divorced when he was 5 years old and he grew up alone and lonely. However, his relationship with his mother had improved after he moved to France 4 years ago and Finland could see for herself how they now compliment and teased each other like friends.


    Rosalind also sounded very proud of her son when they were discussing Jean''s projects.


    "There seems to be something special at Colmar..." Finland commented as they drove back to Jean''s apartment in the car Jean took from his mother''s house. "By the way, I looked for route information for our trip for tomorrow on Google Maps. If we take a train to Colmar, it would only take us 3 hours. Driving would take us 5 hours. Why don''t we just take the train since it''s faster?"


    "Because I like driving to Colmar," Jean answered, still in a mysterious tone. "Tomorrow you will understand."


    Finland could not imagine what surprise Jean had prepared for her in Colmar, but she became very excited. She had received 15 gifts so far and all of them were amazing!


    [How is your vacation so far?] Asked Caspar that night before Finland went to sleep.


    [Amazing. I like all the places we visited, and today we had dinner with Jean''s mother.]


    [Rosalind Marchal?]


    [Do you know Jean''s mother?]


    [Uhm... I know everything about Jean.]


    Oh, Finland almost forgot that Caspar was ''omniscient''. He could easily get access to information about anyone. Finland did not forbid him to stalk Jean, only herself. Of course, Caspar could know anything about Jean if he wanted to.


    Finland was tempted to ask Caspar what Jean wanted to show her at Colmar, but she managed to hold back because she didn''t want to spoil the surprise that Jean prepared for her.


    [OK. You can know everything about Jean. By the way, did Famke and Ivan report anything about me?] Finland asked to change the subject.


    [They did not report anything. Their job is just to keep you safe. Why don''t you believe that I''m not stalking you?]


    [That is not what I mean. I''m just kidding.] Finland shook her head when she read the SMS from Caspar. [I believe in you.]


    [Good.]


    Finland felt that the tone of Caspar''s writing became rather cold, and she could guess why. Perhaps Caspar was holding himself back from acting jealous, but that was very difficult for him to do.


    [We are going to Colmar tomorrow. I have to sleep soon. We can chat more after I come back from Colmar.]


    [OK. Have a good sleep.]


    [Have a good sleep.]


    In Germany, Caspar put his phone down with a grim face. His laptop that was on the desk showed several pictures from an entertainment news website.


    The page showed some pictures of Jean and Finland sitting in a cafe, drinking glow wine near Sacre Coeur. Next to it was a photo of Jean carrying Finland on his back while climbing up Montmartre. Another picture was of Jean and Finland laughing happily in Disneyland.


    The news had a big headline that read:


    ''JEAN PIERRE WANG''S NEW LOVE - WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS GIRL?''

 Chapter 121 - Why is Jean so mysterious?

    The next day, Finland and Jean woke up early and had breakfast before leaving for Colmar. The weather was very nice because the sky was blue and the sun was shining throughout their journey. The temperature was still cold, but Finland was prepared with a thick coat, gloves and wool hat from Jean.


    "Do you know what makes travel using your own car more fun?" Jean asked. Finland shook her head. Jean smiled broadly then turned on the music player in his car. "We can play music loudly and sing together. This is my eleventh gift for you."


    He played Billie Yves'' latest album and Finland shrieked in excitement, then she joined in and sang every song she knew the lyrics to. Her face was radiant with joy.


    "Yayyy... how exciting! Oh my God... you''re right!!! If we had taken the train, we can only listen to music using headphones."


    Both of them happily sang along Billie all the way until their voices were hoarse. After the latest album was finished, Jean played Billie Yves'' previous albums which made Finland more excited. She did not expect that Jean kept Billie Yves''s complete music collection for her.


    She just realized how nice it was to drive with loud music and sing together like this. It felt as if they were in a mobile karaoke room. Finland was determined to finish her driving lessons and get a driving license, so that she could drive her own car while singing along to her favorite tunes.


    "I now understand why you chose to drive to Colmar... This is great!" said Finland in a voice that was almost gone. She opened a bottled drink and gulped half of it down in one go, then handed it to Jean. "My voice is almost gone... It''s so exciting."


    "I already know you would like it." Jean nodded.


    They arrived in the suburbs of Colmar before sunset. Jean rented an apartment via Airbnb and they left their suitcases there before looking for dinner in the center of the old town.


    "This city is soooo beautiful, it feels like entering a fairytale country..." Finland was constantly amazed. The buildings in Colmar reminded her of movies with a fairytale kingdom setting, such as Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, etc.


    "Tomorrow we will go back here and take lots of photos," Jean said when Finland complained that the photos she took were not too good because it was already evening. Jean noticed that up to now Finland was still using her old cellphone, even though her clothes now look very expensive. He also noticed how big the diamonds on Finland''s two ring fingers were. "Caspar didn''t buy you a good new cellphone?"


    Finland shook her head. "What for? I can still use this one."


    "To take photos. Nowadays people buy smartphones to take good photos, not just to call and text."


    "Oh..." Finland shrugged, "I never asked."


    "He should know that you need a nicer phone," Jean grumbled.


    "I can really buy a new smartphone with my own money..." Finland said in Caspar''s defense. "He has given me so much; he even repeatedly told me to quit working because he wanted me to always be with him, but I refused. I like working. If I want anything in life, I can ask him, and he would go the extra mile to give them to me. I currently do not feel the need to change my phone..."


    "Alright then. You can take pictures with this camera." Jean took out an Instax Mini Camera from his bag and handed it to Finland. "I was going to give it tonight, but it turns out that you want to take photos now. This is for you, the next gift from me. You can take photos and print them right away."


    "Whoaaa... how do you know I really want to buy this camera?" Finland asked, amazed. After seeing the Instax Mini Camera that was released last year, she really wanted to buy one for herself, but only recently she was willing to spend a little money to buy it. The only problem was just that she hadn''t had time to go to the mall.


    "I don''t know," Jean answered. "Last week when I went to the mall to buy a new smartphone, I saw this camera and thought of you. The camera is cute, and you can print photos right away, which is why it is so suitable for making memories while traveling."


    "This is great!" cried Finland. She immediately fiddled with her new camera. She remembered that Caspar also had a polaroid camera that he often used to take photos of her. Now she would take turns and take Caspar''s photos when they met later. "Try to smile here, Jean. Don''t forget to wear your glasses."


    Jean deliberately put on the ugliest expression when Finland took his picture because he didn''t like Finland reminding him of his glasses.


    "Come on now, take many pictures of this fairyland... I''ll wait here." He gave a signal for Finland to try the camera while he stood waiting in front of the wine shop. The girl happily followed Jean''s advice and in a short time she had used up all the film on her new camera.


    "The photos are good. It does feel like a fairyland here." Finland said as she arranged her photographs on the table. They sat in the cafe enjoying dinner while Finland admired the shots. "Did you buy more films? I already finished everything."


    "Yes, I bought a lot. They are in the suitcase, remind me later to give them to you."


    "This is fun!!"


    Jean took the photographs taken by Finland and checked the results. He nodded happily, "The photos are good. You''re talented, you know. Later you should buy a serious camera and learn photography, surely you will like it."


    "Really?" Finland asked.


    "I spent almost my whole life in front of a camera, I know which people are gifted with the talent for photography and which aren''t," Jean said. "Using a simple camera like this you can already take such beautiful composition and photos with good angles. I''m sure if you learn photography and use a serious camera, the results will be much better."


    "Thank you..." Finland confirmed. She had always loved art and photography, but because photography was a very expensive hobby, she never expected to be able to pursue it.


    Now, if she wanted, she could take photography seriously. She remembered that Caspar told her to ask him whatever she wanted. She could ask to buy a professional camera and learn photography as suggested by Jean.


    Ah, there were so many possibilities in her life now. Finland began to understand what it felt like to enjoy life. She could pursue a hobby that she liked without thinking about the high cost, and hopefully one day she could drive a car while singing along to her favorite songs. Before, those things were just a dream to her, but now, slowly, everything could become true.


    Jean gave the rest of the film he bought to Finland and she excitedly placed them on her camera. She really liked her latest gift. She remembered that Jean said he had a surprise for her in Colmar. Did he mean this camera?


    "No. I will show you the surprise on the last day," Jean said. "I want to show you something on our last day in Colmar, before we both go home."


    "Why are you so mysterious? I''m dying to know..." complained Finland. "I won''t be able to sleep later."


    Jean laughed at that. "Want to drink glow wine to help you sleep?"


    "Do you have one?"


    "I bought red wine at the wine shop while waiting for you. Before we left for dinner, I saw that the apartment kitchen was stocked with spices to make glow wine. I could make our own glow wine."


    Jean showed the glow wine recipe on his cellphone. They only needed water, sugar, red wine, cinnamon, and cloves. Everything should be cooked together until thick and fragrant.


    "This is my favorite wine!" said Finland. "Let''s make it."


    The kitchen of their rented apartment was soon filled with the fragrant smell of glow wine and a little later the two of them were sitting and enjoying Finland''s new favorite drink.


    After drinking two glasses, her throat felt warm and she was finally able to sleep soundly without thinking of Jean''s mysterious surprise.

 Chapter 122 - Aleksis M?kel?

    The next day they explored the center of the old town and Finland enthusiastically took many beautiful photos that were directly printed from her Instax camera. Every corner of the city of Colmar looked beautiful in her shots.


    They also boarded a boat and crossed the canal that looked like Venice. The city felt so magical and Finland was determined to return to Colmar with Caspar someday.


    "I changed my mind..." Jean said suddenly as they passed the flower shop. "I want to show you the surprise gift today. So, you can decide for yourself whether you want to stay in Colmar longer or go straight home tomorrow."


    Finland, who was daydreaming, raised her head in surprise. She almost forgot that Jean took her to Colmar to show her something. "Oh really... why is that? You make it sound so mysterious."


    "You will see for yourself." He bought a bouquet of flowers and gave them to Finland. "This is the next gift. You will need it."


    "..."


    Finland decided to stop asking questions and followed Jean''s plans. The man drove his car out of town to vineyards located in villages from the middle ages. After passing some ancient buildings, he stopped his car in front of a small church.


    "We have arrived."


    When Jean stepped out of the car, his face suddenly looked grim. Finland, whose mood was cheerful, became baffled. Instantly she suspected that something bad had happened.


    "Bring the flowers. We will visit a grave," Jean said.


    "Grave? Whose grave?" Finland asked, confused. She did not remember knowing anyone in France other than Jean and his mother. She finally got out of the car and brought the flowers as Jean had given her. She was really curious. Finland felt that Jean had been very mysterious lately.


    Jean did not answer. He grabbed Finland''s hand and took her to the backyard of the church. There were some old tombs that seemed well maintained.


    Finland immediately had a bad feeling.


    They walked to the tomb which was the furthest away, and halfway there, Finland''s feet refused to move forward...


    Her body froze when she read the writing on the headstone.


    Tears immediately poured down her cheeks...


    "I found it a few months ago..." Jean said quietly.


    "Jean..." Finland covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. "This is my father''s name..."


    Engraved on the gravestone was written the name ''Aleksis M?kel?''. This was the name of the young man who had become his mother''s lover when she was young. He was the one who got her mother pregnant, but the man disappeared and did not return for his baby.


    Finland''s mother had to give birth and raise Finland alone. She eventually became depressed and died of illness when Finland was 10 years old. Finland never forgave his father for walking out of their lives¡­ just like that.


    "He had no intention to leave your mother. He actually wanted to go back to Indonesia and bring you both to Europe, but he fell ill here and passed away," Jean said in a hoarse voice. "Since I moved to Paris, I tried to find information about your father. Only last year I found his tracks; apparently, he was not in Finland, but in Colmar. He was invited by his friend from Colmar to work part-time in the vineyard. He wanted to raise money so he could go back to your mother. One day, he had a high fever and died immediately. He was buried here."


    Finland suddenly rushed to her father''s grave and hugged his tomb with tears in her eyes. She read the date of death written 24 years ago¡­ she was not even born yet.


    So, it turned out, she was not a child who was abandoned by her father. Aleksis Makela never intended to leave Finland and her mother... He died suddenly before he could tell them news on his whereabouts. Finland felt very sad because all this time she had mistakenly suspected, and thought of her father as a jerk...


    Finland was wailing in sadness. Now she was truly an orphan. When she finally learned of her father''s existence, she had to accept the harsh reality that her father left them before she was even born.


    Jean waited patiently for Finland until her tears ran out.


    He patted Finland on the back and hugged her, trying to hold back his own tears. He had prepared himself for this moment, but still, when he saw his best friend crying so sad, his heart was shaken.


    "I want you to know what happened to your father, so you can start a new life in peace. So that you are no longer haunted by the question of why your father left...," Jean said quietly. "I want you to know that your father loved you and that you are worthy. I want you to heal the wounds in your heart, that made you feel that you were unwanted. Know that he really wanted to go home and meet you..."


    Finland nodded between her sobs. She took the flowers she had dropped in shock and placed them carefully on her father''s tomb. After her tears dried up, Finland sat pondering for a long time with a mind filled with sadness.


    "Let''s go home, it''s already dark. Tomorrow we can come here again if you want..."


    Finland nodded slowly. With difficulty she got up and walked with trembling legs back to the car. Jean knew how Finland would be broken hearted when she discovered that her father had died.


    That was the reason why he insisted on taking his own car. With Finland being this sad, it would definitely be difficult and uncomfortable for them to take the train home. Finland was so weak that she had to be supported back to the car.


    "Thank you, Jean... This is the best and worst gift I have ever received..." Finland whispered to Jean on their way back to the apartment. "The best, because you understand me so well. But this is also the worst day of my life. If you hadn''t brought your car, I wouldn''t know how we can get home..."


    Jean just nodded, not replying.

 Chapter 123 - From the author:

    Dear wonderful readers,


    Thank you so so so much for reading my first English novel. I''ve been writing since I was 12, like decades ago (yeah... I''m old) and never got anything published since I was a perfectionist and my works needed research and I didn''t have the means to do it back then.


    I mean, how could you write about life in other countries when you never go there? I felt like a fake - that''s why the only people I allowed reading my novels were my sister and a few friends whom I know would still love me no matter how weird I am in their eyes... hehehe.


    Before you #coughcough Google.... Well, Google and the internet weren''t a thing back then (when I started writing), I didn''t even have a computer. I wrote in any piece of papers I could get my hands into. Sadly, out of maybe 100 titles I wrote for almost 20 years, 95% are gone now because my mom thought they were trash (literally) and threw them together with my old school books.


    Now, thanks to the Internet God, anyone can do research for their novel and even publish it online. That''s what gave me courage to now share my novels with more people.


    I''m also grateful that my profession has allowed me to travel and finally I could put life into the stories I''ve been keeping dearly in my heart. I''ve been to Paris, New York, San Francisco, I''ve lived in Singapore, etc etc etc. Last month I even visited Colmar and see the city and the vineyard and the area myself, and met a friend who named her daughter Scotland (so I feel less guilty naming the MC Finland - apparently it was not really that weird to name your child like a country, right?), she lives in Colmar and was the one who inspired me to use Colmar as one of the settings for this novel.


    This novel is going premium today, October 7, 2019 and will be locked retrospectively from chapter 177. I could have it locked earlier, like ... in chapter 100 for example, but I chose to lock it on chapter 177 because I feel like reading until chapter 100 is not enough for you to decide if this novel is worthy of your spirit stones, so I''m giving you more. I hope by the time you reach chapter 176 you are convinced that you are in for the ride! Yeay!!


    Please do mind that I love throwing spoilers here and there in SEPARATE CHAPTERS to satisfy curious people who are eager to know what happen in future. For some people, knowing a bit of what will happen gives them a peace of mind that they are not investing their time, feeling, and money into a soap opera or cliches or shitty novel or simply something that is not their cup of tea. I respect that. So please, if you hate spoilers, just SKIP the chapters marked with TEASERS or SPOILERS and you''ll be just fine.


    If you LOVE SPOILERS, hell yeah! Go read them! Woot woot!!


    The original novel is loved by many and I got in average 1000 power stones in votes every day. Of course I wish to see this English version gets the same exposure and support. If you like this novel, please vote and help this story reach more people. My biggest dream for this novel is someday to see it made into Netflix original series, for example. Wouldn''t it be awesome? Anyone know anyone in Netflix? Bahahaha..


    Anyway.. again, thank you for joining me on the ride. I hope this story can bring you happiness.


    much love,


    Vina (October 7, 2019)

 Chapter 124 - Hello, Father...

    "There''s someone I want you to meet..." Jean said when they entered the car. He drove his vehicle out of the village to a winery located at the foot of the hill, then stopped in front of a farmhouse.


    "Whose house is this?" Finland asked in a hoarse voice.


    "I managed to find your father''s tracks here and met his best friend who was with your father at his last moment." Jean helped Finland get out of the car and knocked on the front door.


    The door opened, and Finland saw a rather bulky man in his 50s. His face looked very friendly.


    "Eh, Jean Pierre, it''s nice to see you come here again. Come on in."


    "Good evening, Monsieur Fournier. This is my best friend, Finland. She is the daughter of Aleksis Makela." Jean helped Finland, who still looked absent-minded, to go inside and sit on the couch. Monsieur Fournier looked surprised to see Finland.


    "Oh... welcome, ma cherie. I was your father''s friend. Call me Uncle Etienne." Monsieur Fournier hugged Finland tightly for a few seconds then rubbed his wet eyes. "Ah... I didn''t expect to meet Aleksis'' child after decades..."


    He prepared some glow wine and cakes and asked a lot about Finland. With difficulty she tried to answer, but tears welled up and she finally could only shake her head.


    "Sorry... I am so sorry, Uncle Etienne... I just found out that my father is dead. I am still in shock... I thought he left us because he did not want us. My mother did not know that he was gone..."


    "Sshhh... don''t apologize. I''m sure this must be very hard for you. Too bad I didn''t have Laura - your mother''s contact at the time... I couldn''t pass her the news of his passing. She must have been very sad because she didn''t hear from Aleksis for decades... That was how it was in the past, there was no internet, we could only rely on postal mails and telephone..."


    "Why did father leave my mother?" Finland asked after a short pause. This was a question that had been troubling her mind for years. She wanted to know why her father left...


    Uncle Etienne took a deep breath.


    "Aleksis was an adventurer... He wanted to travel around the world and write his adventure books. We traveled together around Europe, China and down to India. We parted in India, where I returned to France, and your father continued his adventure to Southeast Asia with our friend, Lauriel.


    I didn''t hear from him again, until he came to my house 24 years ago. He told me that he fell in love with a girl in his travels and wanted to marry her... Unfortunately, before he could take care of everything, his mother fell seriously ill and he had to go back to Helsinki.


    Your grandmother died shortly after Aleksis returned and so he decided to return to Indonesia. He came to Colmar and worked picking grapes to save money for tickets. He had no intention of leaving you. At that time his mother was seriously ill and in dire need of his care... Too bad, he suddenly fell ill and died here..."


    "How did you find my father''s trace, Jean?" Finland asked, turning her head to Jean. "I once tried to trace him via the internet, but I didn''t get any information..."


    "Uhmm... I sent a letter in the mail to everyone with the last name Makela in Finland, asking if anyone knew your father..." Jean said in a low voice. "Just last year a distant relative responded to my letter and said that your father had died at Colmar. So, I came here..."


    "Oh..."


    No wonder Jean had come to Colmar several times. He was seeking information about Finland''s father. Finland knew how busy Jean was with work... but he was willing to do all this for her...


    Finland didn''t know how she could ever repay all of Jean''s kindness.


    Uncle Etienne went into his room and came out carrying a package, then handed it to Finland.


    "This is your father''s legacy. His notebook and a few photos... These are all that''s left. Take them..."


    Finland accepted the package and took out the contents. A book full of writings in English and Finnish which she did not understand. It seemed like her father was a writer who wrote a lot of poetry and prose during his lifetime.


    Tears slowly fell down the paper she was holding. Finland hurriedly wiped her eyes away so that her tears would not drip on and damage her father''s old book. In the middle of the book there were two photographs, and for the first time in her life, Finland saw her father''s face...


    There was a picture of her father in Paris with Uncle Etienne and another picture of him standing in front of the Taj Mahal in India. Finland was very moved because she recognized that face. Her father''s face was very similar to her own, except that Aleksis had blond hair and green-blue eyes.


    She was touched to see a handsome young man in his 20s on this photo. The young Aleksis seemed full of excitement and adventure, and his smile greeted her for the first time...


    Hello, Finland... finally we meet, my dear daughter¡­

 Chapter 125 - You must let go of Jean

    Finland soon understood why her mother fell in love with her father and became very sad when Aleksis never returned. She felt heartbroken, and finally years later she died in sadness.


    She placed her father''s books and photographs on her chest and closed her eyes, trying her best to hold back her tears.


    "Mom... now I''m content, Mom and Dad you are already united in heaven... It turns out that Dad did not leave us because he didn''t love us anymore... he just couldn''t come back home¡­"


    Finland and Jean excused themselves shortly after. Finland felt unable to carry on a conversation and wanted to rest immediately. On the way home, the two were silent. They didn''t exchange a single word. Jean knew that Finland was still shaken and did not want to disturb her mind.


    "Thank you, Jean... Thank you..." After they arrived at the apartment, Finland hugged Jean for a while and hurried into her room. She was unable to say anything more. She really owed Jean so much.


    She felt that she had only troubled Jean from the beginning and never added value in their friendship. In her heart she was ashamed of never giving anything to Jean, while the man had done so much for her...


    [Caspar, I found my father...] Finland sent a picture of her father to Caspar after she entered her bedroom.


    One minute later Caspar called Finland.


    "Honey... what happened?" he asked worriedly.


    Finland tried to sound tough, but Caspar knew she was crying.


    "Jean found tracks of my father... apparently my father did not intend to leave us... He fell ill and died suddenly. He was buried in Colmar. That''s why Jean invited me here."


    "Wh... what? Jean was looking for information about your father?"


    "That is correct..."


    Caspar was silent for a long time.


    "Why are you silent...?" Finland asked him.


    Caspar sighed at the other end. His voice sounded bitter.


    "I didn''t know you wanted to find your father. If I had known, I would have gotten that information easily."


    "There are things that you should understand without asking..." Finland said in a sad tone.


    She recalled Jean''s remark that Caspar should have been more understanding and provide things needed by Finland even if she did not ask. With his extraordinary access to information, it would have been very easy for Caspar to look for Finland''s father and he could find information more quickly.


    "You asked me not to track you..." Caspar said in his defense.


    "Yeah, I don''t want you to stalk me and be lazy, and not ask me directly about my situation and my feelings. But I hope you know me better and find out what I want. If you don''t know, you can ask. But you also never asked me... You never asked who my favorite singer was, you never asked how I felt about my father, you never asked whether I wanted to look for him or not..." Finland cried. "Jean sent letters by post to everyone with the last name Makela in Finland, asking if anyone knew my father..."


    Caspar took a deep breath. He did not like the way their conversation was going.


    "What are you trying to say by saying all this?" he asked in an urgent voice.


    "I cannot leave Jean, he is my only friend," Finland said stubbornly, "He is also my last family. My father is dead, now I have no one else..."


    "I am your family..." said Caspar.


    "You are indeed my husband, but you don''t know me as well as Jean does. I can''t leave him... I can''t give him the memory potion. I don''t want to part with Jean."


    "Finland... I''ve been patient enough all this time!" Caspar suddenly raised his voice at Finland. "I have held back and looked the other way regarding your relationship with Jean. Even though your photos together were uploaded everywhere, I tried to ward off my jealousy and not bother you. But if you keep this up, I can also get angry."


    Finland was surprised because, for the first time, Caspar yelled at her. All this time, Caspar had always treated her gently and never raised his voice against her.


    "You know he is my best friend! He has done so much for me. He was there before you entered my life... Jean loves me, Caspar, but I chose you. You have no right to be jealous of him... I am married to you, not to him." Finland shook her head, "You have no right to yell at me like that."


    "I''m sorry..." Caspar said quickly. "I didn''t mean to yell at you. I made a mistake. I''m sorry."


    Finland hung up the phone. She was very upset. At first, she wanted to tell Caspar about her father, because she wanted to share her sadness. But what Caspar had in mind was only jealousy because it was Jean who discovered Aleksis Makela and not him.


    He was jealous because Jean knew Finland better than him, and now Finland didn''t want to give Jean the memory potion anymore.


    Of course, their relationship that had only been 6 months couldn''t compare to Jean and Finland''s 4.5-year friendship. But he still regretted not asking Finland much about her wishes and the things she liked...


    Caspar tried to call Finland again many times, but Finland refused to talk to him. Finally, the man sent links to several entertainment website news that contained photographs of Finland and Jean together.


    [I''m jealous because there is so much news about you guys. Even though I didn''t track you down, it feels like I''m being presented with news about you two everywhere I look and I can''t stand it anymore. Forgive me for being carried away. I will delete all this news from the internet.]


    Finland read the gossip news and she understood why Caspar was cranky. But she was still angry because she was yelled at when she was feeling very sad. She thought that Caspar was not being empathetic with her situation.


    Caspar was very sad when his parents died in the war, so he should have understood better how sad she was for finding out about her father''s death. He should have focused on that, instead of acting all jealous like this¡­


    Finland decided not to reply to Caspar''s text because her heart was still very sad and she did not want them to continue fighting.

 Chapter 126 - The coffee was a little off

    "Do you want to stay, or do you prefer that we go back to Paris?" Jean asked during breakfast the next day. "I will do as you wish. We still have a week."


    Finland tried to swallow her food with difficulty, then shook her head. "I want to go home... I don''t want to linger here any longer. Every corner of the city makes me sad..."


    "Okay, I understand."


    After breakfast, they packed their belongings and prepared to return to Paris that very day. The atmosphere on the trip back was very different compared to when they departed and sang happily to Billie Yves''s music. Jean still played Billie''s music, but both just kept quiet along the way, busy with their respective thoughts.


    Finland pondered for a long time. Jean knew all the secrets about Caspar and the Alchemists, and she was sure that Jean would not divulge their secrets. She would defy Caspar and not give Jean the potion, as suggested by Caspar and his family. She was no longer willing, because she already considered Jean her only family.


    After learning that her father passed away, Finland''s heart felt like it was pierced by a knife and the fact that she was alone in this world made Jean even more important to her. She did not want him to leave just like that¡­


    If Caspar really loved her, he should be able to accept Finland''s decision...


    When they arrived back at Jean''s apartment, she immediately unpacked her suitcase and took the memory potion out of it. Feeling slightly angry, she threw the contents in the sink.


    If she threw away the potion, of course Caspar could not force her to erase Jean''s memory. Aldebar was not there to make a new potion, so Caspar had no choice but to let Jean go...


    "What is that?" asked Jean in surprise.


    "Medicine... I don''t need it anymore," Finland said. She then threw the bottle away in the trash.


    "Oh..." Jean shrugged, "Your face looked very upset when you took out the medicine. I thought something must be wrong..."


    "It''s okay, I''m still sad... That''s all."


    Finland decided to sleep early. Her head felt heavy ever since she knew about her father''s death and she had no enthusiasm to do anything. Caspar was still trying to call her, but she really didn''t want to talk to anyone.


    [I am sorry, please don''t bother me. I''m grieving. I don''t want to talk to anyone...]


    [If you are grieving, I should be there by your side. I know you asked for two weeks, but I can''t take it anymore. I want to see you.]


    [I threw away the potion. You can''t make me erase Jean''s memory.]


    [We''ll talk about that next time. I''m going to Paris tomorrow.]


    Finland did not reply. She missed Caspar but right now her heart felt icy. She was not willing to lose her friend to protect the secrets of the Alchemists. Moreover, she knew for certain that Jean was not someone who would harm them. If Caspar came tomorrow, Finland would demand him to let go of Jean.


    The next day, Finland''s mood improved a little. She read her father''s book and tried to understand what was in her father''s head when writing his poems.


    "Do you want to accompany me to Maman''s house to return the car?" Jean asked after they had breakfast. "I rarely use the car, so I put it there deliberately. That way I won''t be bothered by it."


    "I''m not feeling well, Jean. Sorry, I think I won''t come with you..." Finland said in a sorry voice. She didn''t want to go anywhere, and her body felt very weak. "I have a headache and I feel like throwing up."


    "Hmm... let me get some essential oil." Jean took a small bottle of citrus essential oil from the cabinet and handed it to Finland. "Try rubbing this on your neck and hands. It will make you feel better."


    Finland obeyed. "Thank you. It smells good."


    "You just rest. Do you want me to bring something for you from outside? Macaroon or glow wine or something?"


    "I''m fine, thank you. I just want to rest..."


    "Alright. I''ll go now."


    Finland tried to sleep again but she still did not feel well. Finally, she continued reading her father''s poems to calm down.


    She did not understand a word of the Finnish poems written by her father, but the English poems were quite beautiful and made her realize that her father was a talented writer. It was very unfortunate that he died at such a young age.


    Jean returned in the afternoon with a box of macaroons and glow wine for Finland.


    "I''m sorry I took a while," Jean said as he entered through the door. He placed his gifts on the table and sat on the sofa. "You wouldn''t believe it! This fan recognized me and insisted on buying me coffee."


    "Really?" Finland was interested to hear his story. "What''s the person like?"


    "She was so beautiful, she tripped while chasing me, so I felt bad for her and decided to drink coffee with her." Jean pulled out his phone, "Hmm... I have a picture to prove it. She asked to take a photo together with my phone, then asked me to send it to her number because she left her phone at home."


    Jean showed a photo on his phone to Finland and Finland''s heart suddenly beat fast.


    That was a picture of Jean and Famke!


    Why would Famke pretend to be Jean''s fan and invite Jean to drink coffee?


    Was she...


    Did Caspar tell Famke to give Jean the memory potion herself?


    "Jean... the coffee you drank earlier... How did it taste? Was there something strange?" she asked quickly.


    Jean frowned. "Uhmm... I didn''t really pay attention, but yeah, the taste of the coffee was a little off. What''s wrong?"


    "Uhmm... I know this woman. I don''t know why she pretended to be your fan..."


    Finland became very restless. She didn''t think Caspar would go this far...


    "Really? Who is she?" asked Jean in confusion.


    "She is one of Caspar''s bodyguards. I suspect Caspar wants to do something to you..."


    Instantly Jean patted his forehead, "Gosh, you''re right... this is the woman who accompanied Caspar in Seattle. I just remember now... I didn''t pay attention before."


    The two looked at each other with pale faces.


    "She is one of Caspar''s bodyguards... surely he was the one who told her to meet you and do something..."


    "Why would he do that?" Jean asked.


    "He is jealous of you..."


    "Why does he have to be jealous? He is the one who married you. I should be jealous of him..." Jean grumbled. His face clearly looked worried because he knew how powerful Caspar was. "What should we do? Do you think that girl put something in my drink?"


    "We''d better go to the hospital." Finland said in agreement. "I''m sorry... you are now involved in all this because of me..."


    "Don''t apologize. It''s not your fault..."


    Jean and Finland quickly went to the hospital to pump out the contents of his stomach to remove all the coffee he drank with Famke. Finland felt very guilty. Jean looked very weak after the doctor pumped his stomach and gave him medicine.


    Finland could only cry. She felt upset because she couldn''t do anything.

 Chapter 127 - Unwanted Surprise

    [Why did you tell Famke to give Jean the memory potion? Is my wish meaningless to you? I asked you to let go of Jean.]


    Finland still did not want to talk on the phone with Caspar because she was afraid she would get so angry and say words that she would later regret. That was why she only vented her frustration via SMS.


    Caspar tried to call her again but Finland would not pick up.


    [I can''t sacrifice the secret of my people for Jean''s sake. I did ask Famke to switch the potion bottles, so what you threw away was the fake potion. How did you know that Jean was given the memory potion by Famke?]


    [I just know it. Really, I can no longer trust you... How can you have the heart to do this behind my back?]


    [Finland, I love you, but I have responsibilities to my people. You cannot force me to choose you over my people. You know I love you with all my heart, but I cannot betray my people...]


    [I''m not asking you to choose, I''m just asking you not to do things secretly behind my back. If it''s like this, how can I trust you? How can I know that you really appreciate my wishes? Lest you''ve been stalking me all this time too? Famke and Ivan not only protected me but also stalked me...]


    [I swear I didn''t stalk you, and I never will. I respect your privacy and your wishes. You don''t know how hard it is for me to grant your wish, but I did it for you, even though because of it, I was not the one who found information about your father...]


    [Why do you keep bringing that up? Jean doesn''t have access like you do, but he understands what I want, and he looked for my father on his own. Why can''t you understand that to me his actions are so valuable? However, you secretly try to erase his memory... What kind of husband are you? It is unfair that you do this just because you''re jealous. Can''t you understand how important Jean means to me...]


    [Why do you say that? Do you love Jean more than me? Do you want to be with him? Be honest with me.]


    Finland shook her head in annoyance. Her sadness for the past few days had turned into anger because Caspar secretly tried to erase Jean''s memory. She understood Caspar''s jealousy, but she couldn''t accept Caspar''s deed, sending Famke behind her back to erase Jean''s memory without her knowledge. She felt betrayed.


    She turned off her phone and didn''t want to talk to Caspar anymore. She had to make sure that Jean was OK before she could make a decision.


    "Let''s go home, you better rest at home..." Finland said worriedly. "I have to make sure you''re okay."


    They went home to rest. Along the way, Finland kept wringing her fingers in anxiety. She kept asking how Jean felt.


    "Hmm... I''m a bit dizzy. Hopefully this is caused by the medicine the doctor gave me earlier. We should eat first at a cafe near the building before going home."


    Finland nodded. She hoped that the stomach pumping was successful and the memory potion had not affected Jean''s memory yet. She was very worried if anything happened to Jean.


    After dinner, they entered the apartment. On the way in, Jean opened his mailbox and brought his letters and magazines into the apartment.


    "Hey, I forgot to tell you that this month I grace the cover of Upkeep magazine. Do you still remember the interview we had with the journalist in Singapore a few months ago? They postponed the article, and it is only published now. This is the magazine." Jean handed over one of the magazines in his hand to Finland. "Try reading the contents."


    Finland opened the magazine and was immediately amazed to see Jean''s photo on the cover. That man looked so devilishly handsome. She immediately opened page 20 where the article about Jean was published.


    "Why... why are there pictures of me here? Did we give them permission to publish these photos?" Finland felt uneasy when she found some of her photos with Jean in the article.


    She remembered that the journalist asked permission to photograph them both in the restaurant, because she said Finland and Jean looked very beautiful, but they never gave her permission to publish the photos.


    "Where?" Jean took the magazine and looked at the pictures. "Well... they didn''t contact me for permission to use these photos. This can''t be... They should have asked permission from you before publishing your pictures like this..."


    His face looked angry. Finland had never seen Jean this angry before. The man immediately took out his phone and tried to contact the editor of the magazine. However, the call was not picked up.


    "Can they be prosecuted for illegally publishing photos?"


    "Yes, they can. I''ll contact my lawyer." Replied Jean. He then called his lawyer and asked him to send a summons to the editor of Upkeep magazine.


    Finland looked at her photos with Jean in the magazine. She skimmed through the article and saw a paragraph that made her legs weak.


    "To all ladies who are fans of Jean and want to have his children, you can now contact a fertility clinic in Singapore to get his sperm cells. We obtained exclusive information that a few years ago, Jean and his best friend (or lover?) sold their sperm and eggs to this fertility clinic. We went to the fertility clinic and received top secret information that a lucky couple had embryos from their combined seeds. The child is now already two years old. We can only imagine how beautiful or handsome their child will be for having such good-looking parents."


    Finland''s throat felt like it was choked. She had completely forgotten about the incident where she sold her eggs for money. If Jean hadn''t reminded her during the interview, she would never have thought about that again.


    What was worse was that she hadn''t had the chance to tell Caspar what happened... She didn''t know what Caspar would think if he found out about this in such a shocking way¡­


    Ugh...


    She turned on her phone and saw so many messages coming in. She was shaken when she read the messages.


    [Why aren''t you replying to my text?]


    [Why is your phone turned off?]


    [What do you want?]


    Then...


    [Why do you and Jean have a child together?!! You don''t even have a child from me yet...]


    Finland immediately called Caspar to explain what had happened, but Caspar did not pick up his phone. Finland tried again and again to call him, but Caspar still did not answer her call... Her heart was instantly filled with anxiety.


    KNOCK!


    KNOCK!


    "Are you expecting a guest?" Finland asked Jean. Jean just shrugged. He walked to the door and opened it.


    "You...?!"


    Jean''s astonished voice was quickly replaced by Finland''s scream when she saw Famke standing at the door. She immediately remembered that Famke was actually a professional killer. What was she doing here???

 Chapter 128 - The shocking aftermath

    "Famke, what are you doing here?" Finland asked quickly. She immediately pulled Jean, who was standing weakly by the door, to stand behind her.


    "Caspar sent me to kill him." Famke answered in a flat voice. Her beautiful face looked very cold and without expression.


    "No way!!!" Finland screamed and tried to throw her bag at Famke. Famke merely dodged to the side lightly and in a quick second, she was standing inches away in front of Finland.


    Frantically, Finland tried to call Caspar, but Famke quickly snatched her phone away from her hands.


    "Get out of the way... I''m only assigned to kill Jean." Famke raised her hand threateningly.


    Finland knew that Famke didn''t like her from the first time they met; the girl almost never talked to her, and now she felt that Famke was happy to kill Jean in front of her. She shuddered when she saw the girl''s eyes shine dangerously.


    "Over my dead body..." Finland hissed in a trembling voice.


    Famke grinned and with one swift swing of her hand, Finland was slammed to the side. Now, Famke stood in front of Jean, who tried to defend himself in vain. His body was very weak after returning from the hospital.


    "Don''t hurt Finland!" Jean exclaimed, attacking Famke. His punch hit the air because Famke moved so quickly. She disappeared from where she stood and suddenly appeared behind Jean. She hit his shoulder with a skilled jab. Jean fell to the floor. He tried to get up, but Famke''s placed her boots on him mercilessly.


    "You love the wrong woman," she said in a cold voice and pulled out a gun from under her leather jacket.


    "Nooooo!! Don''t shoot Jean...!! I won''t ever forgive you...!!" Finland screamed at the top of her lungs.


    She got up and tried to throw her body over Jean to protect him just as Famke aimed her gun at him. Jean, who instinctively felt that Finland moved in to protect him, immediately turned around to prevent Finland''s body from getting close to him.


    Two shots were heard, and both bodies slammed to the floor.


    Suddenly, the door opened from the outside and Caspar entered with a pale face, gasping for breath. He rushed over to Finland and shouted in anger at Famke.


    "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WIFE??!!"


    He held Finland''s limp body and examined the blood that started to stain her clothes. When he could not find a single wound on Finland, he let out a sigh of relief.


    "Je... Jean... How''s Jean?" Finland asked weakly as she tried to open her eyes. She hysterically looked at Caspar, then screamed as her gaze wiped on Jean''s body lying beside her. "Noooo...!!! Why do you have the heart to kill Jean?!! Why did you do this to my only friend!!??? Why don''t you care about my feelings...??"


    Finland stood up and rushed to Jean to examine his wounds. Jean was shot twice in his left chest and there was a lot of blood flowing out. Finland wailed miserably and shook Jean''s body...


    "Finland... it was not me..." Caspar said softly, shaking his head. "I will never hurt you..."


    "You sent this killer to finish off Jean! How could you do this to me... I will never forgive you..." Finland looked at Caspar with blazing eyes. "I hate people who abuse their power the most... I thought you were different, but it turns out that you''re just the same as all those other rich and powerful people. You are selfish and oppressive to others, just so you can get what you want... I hate people like you the most!!!"


    Caspar tried to come closer to Finland, but she shook her head with hatred. Desperate, he finally turned his gaze to Famke.


    "Famke... who told you to kill Jean?" he asked in an angry voice.


    Famke looked shaken. "Sir... I would not dare to do anything without your command..."


    "I NEVER told you to kill Jean. I only asked you to give him the memory potion...!!"


    "I''m just following your orders..." Famke said stubbornly. "I am not to blame if you regret your decision. You can''t pretend that you never gave the orders."


    Caspar''s face snapped, and he pulled a gun from under his coat. Finland shuddered when she saw how dangerous his face became. She had never seen him this angry, and she didn''t know that Caspar kept a gun himself.


    Without blinking he pointed his gun at Famke and asked in a menacing voice.


    "I saved your life and trusted you ever since... Why did you have the heart to betray me?"


    "Sir... I only carried out your orders..." Famke continued to refute while slowly moving backwards.


    She suddenly swung her body back and tried to escape but Caspar quickly jumped into a chair and ambushed her. They exchanged blows several times before Famke pulled out her gun to shoot Caspar. However, she was swiftly defeated and her gun was taken easily by Caspar.


    She failed to pull out the knives tucked behind her boots because Caspar locked her body down. As Famke tried to take the gun from Caspar''s hand, the man pulled the trigger and a gunshot was heard once more in the room.


    All took place very quickly.


    Jadeith suddenly entered the room, followed by two other men in black.


    "Sorry we''re late..." Jadeith said as he approached Caspar. Caspar threw Famke''s body on the floor and approached Finland who was screaming hysterically.


    "Don''t come near me!!" screamed Finland, as she pushed away Caspar''s hand that reached out to her. Her clothes were covered in tears and Jean''s blood.


    "Jadeith, this is a crime scene. Take Finland away from here. She must not be involved." Caspar said later in a hoarse voice. Jadeith immediately carried Finland out, ignoring her screams demanding her release. Caspar quickly checked Jean''s condition and his face looked very pale.


    "Sir... all his vital signs are gone..." said a bodyguard in a low voice. Caspar sat limp when he heard that. It was true. Jean''s limp body showed no sign of breathing and Caspar, who was also a doctor, could see that Jean''s life could not be saved. His mind went dark.


    Before dying Famke insisted that it was Caspar who ordered her to kill Jean.


    Caspar knew that Famke had betrayed him and deliberately slandered him in front of his wife; who knew what she was on... but Finland didn''t know the truth. Caspar knew that she would definitely blame him for Jean''s death¡­


    This thought made his chest ache. He still remembered how angry Finland was and how she looked at him full of hatred. Caspar was innocent... but he couldn''t prove it because now Famke was dead.


    He patted his chest which was in deep pain, and accidentally felt the small bottle he had kept there.


    "Secure this place until the police and ambulance arrive..." Caspar finally said. He immediately knelt down and placed Jean''s head on his lap. He took out the small bottle of black liquid which he had kept ready for Finland whenever his wife was ready to become an immortal with him.


    Maybe this could help Jean, he thought.


    Jean was not dead yet... His chance to survive was very slim, but if his body cells could repair themselves quickly, he might be able to survive...


    Caspar forcibly opened Jean''s mouth and poured the immortality potion into it, then pressed on his cheeks and forced Jean to swallow the potion...


    For Finland''s sake, Jean couldn''t die... Caspar panicked.


    Jean must not die...


    "Sir, we have to go now. The police and paramedics have arrived. We must not be seen."


    Caspar reluctantly left the place and entered the car that was waiting. They stayed there until they were sure that Jean''s body was carried out by paramedics and the ambulance left safely.


    "Have two bodyguards to always guard Jean''s safety. Whatever happens, he cannot die," Caspar said firmly.


    Jadeith, who was always calm when faced with any condition, was also shocked by the whole situation. He did not expect Famke, who was so trusted by Caspar, to turn into a traitor. But what bothered him more was not Famke''s betrayal, but the grave mistake his uncle just made.


    "Sir... you should lay low for a while. You have just killed an Alchemist." he whispered softly. "Everyone will go after you."


    In the perfect society of the Alchemists, killing a fellow Alchemist was a mistake that could not be forgiven, especially because they were very few in number.


    .


    @@@@@@@@@@@@@


    From the author:


    This is a really difficult chapter to write as it was quite intense. And I know it will now give us a lot of questions:


    - Who told Famke to betray Caspar?


    - Will Jean make it?


    - Does this mean Jean will become an Alchemist if he survived?


    - Will Finland understand what happened and not blame her husband?


    Also kudoz to Caspar for being so mature in their relationship. I love him to bits!


    Second chapter coming up in 3 hours.


    If this novel gives you feelings, please write me reviews.


    Pretty please...? =)


    luv, Vina

 Chapter 129 - I want to go away from here...

    Finland was unconscious when Jadeith took her to the penthouse. When she regained consciousness, her head felt very dizzy and her body went limp.


    "Where am I...?" she muttered softly while holding her head. Her clothes had been changed; they were no longer covered in Jean''s blood. She was lying on her bed and was covered with a thick blanket.


    "Honey... you are awake..."


    Caspar, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed watching over Finland, looked very relieved. He held the girl''s hand. "I''m really worried because you''ve been unconscious all day."


    "Jean...? Where is Jean??!" Finland brushed off Caspar''s hand and immediately sat on the bed. She already remembered what happened.


    "He is still critical, but I will make sure he is safe."


    "I want to meet Jean..."


    "You can''t. I removed all your traces from his apartment because I don''t want you to be involved. Right now, the police have taken over the case, and if you show up there you will face a lot of questions." Caspar took a deep breath. He looked very tired. "Please listen to me, just this once..."


    "I no longer want to listen to you... you never care about my feelings. You are selfish and you only think about your jealousy...!! You and your kind think that you can make everyone follow your wishes!" Then, she finished her sentence in a harsh tone. "I''m sick of people like you..."


    "Finland... I did not order Famke to kill Jean. I would never hurt you like that. Famke did it on her own, not at my command..."


    "But you admit that you did order Famke to erase his memory, even though I asked you to let go of Jean... You don''t care about my wishes. How can I believe that you are not behind his attack? Now you also forbid me to meet Jean. At a critical time like this I need to be by his side... How could you do this to me?"


    Finland covered her face with both hands and cried. She was very worried at the thought of Jean being critical.


    "Listen, Finland. Whether you are with him or not, it makes no difference... Jean is still going to be critical. If you go there, the police will interrogate you to find out what happened, and you could be accused of being involved in a crime. You will not be able to leave France." Caspar looked at Finland impatiently, "You''d better wait until Jean wakes up so that he can free you from all charges..."


    Finland became more hysterical. She knew that Caspar was right, and that made her heart ache. She really wanted to be beside Jean and take care of him.


    "You should rest..."


    Caspar was about to approach Finland but immediately stopped. The girl opened her eyes and looked at him with hatred.


    "I want to go away from here..." Finland said firmly.


    "Where do you want to go? You don''t have a place to live in Paris," Caspar was surprised to hear the determination in her voice. "If you don''t want to see me, I understand. I''ll go. You stay here as long as you need."


    Because he didn''t want Finland to insist on leaving the penthouse, Caspar rushed out. His heart was very sad when he saw the hatred in Finland''s eyes when she looked at him. That made him drowned in sadness.


    Jean''s attack made big news in Paris. The police could not figure out what really happened as all clues were wiped clean. They could only draw the conclusion that the girl found dead in Jean''s apartment was the one who attacked him because they could match the bullets in Jean''s body with the weapon found on her.


    However, they couldn''t figure out who Famke was and why she tried to kill Jean. Jean was known as a famous model who had no enemies and was well liked by many people.


    Finland tried to go to the hospital where Jean was treated but she could not break through police security. She regretted not taking note of Rosalind Marchal''s (Jean''s mother) address and phone number, because now she could not contact anyone who could give her access to meet her friend.


    In desperation, she waited in the hospital lobby to obtain the latest news about Jean''s condition. The nurse who saw her waiting for days at the hospital finally felt sorry for her and told Finland that the surgery to save Jean''s life was a success, but he was still unconscious from the coma.


    A week passed, and Finland was still unable to visit Jean. With great sadness she decided to return to Singapore, because her leave had come to an end.


    Finland bought a Paris-Singapore ticket for January 29 and reluctantly returned home without being able to meet Jean at all. Caspar hadn''t bothered her for the past week when Finland was grieving. He knew that at a time like this, it would be better if he did not trigger a fight with his wife. He still ordered Jadeith to guard Finland from afar.


    "Can you please call a taxi, I need to go to the airport in an hour."


    Finland called the receptionist on the day she was scheduled to return to Singapore. She spent the last week grieving and considering whether or not she should tell Caspar about her departure.


    After thinking for a long time, she decided to test Caspar one last time. She wanted to know whether Caspar was tracking her or not.


    If Caspar showed up at the airport to meet her, it was proof that he had been stalking her ¨C which meant that he lied to her and did not keep his promise. If so, Finland wouldn''t be able to forgive him.

 Chapter 130 - Finlands Decision

    At 4 pm Finland arrived at the airport with her luggage. She left so many items in the penthouse and only carried her most valuable stuff because of the limited baggage allowance from the SQ airline she was flying.


    When traveling on Caspar''s private plane, they didn''t have to worry about baggage allowance and during their trip in Europe Caspar bought a lot of things for Finland. Sadly, Finland had to leave her belongings in Paris.


    "Finland..."


    When Finland was looking for the check-in counter, a familiar voice called out from behind her. When she turned around she found Caspar standing behind her with a really sad face.


    "How did you know I was at the airport?" Finland asked in a cold tone.


    "I was told by the hotel staff." Caspar confessed.


    "I asked you not to stalk me... but apparently you also lied about that." Finland shook her head with an angry face. "We can''t be in a relationship that is not based on trust. I don''t want to live like this."


    "I promise, this is the last time. I will never stalk you again," Caspar said in a low voice. "Please listen to me..."


    "I''m listening." Finland crossed her arms across her chest and looked at Caspar sharply. Her beautiful face looked angry as she clenched her jaw.


    "Famke set me up. I knew something was suspicious when you said that you knew she gave the memory potion to Jean. Famke was a professional. There is no possible way she could get caught doing her job. If you found out that she did something to Jean, it must be because she deliberately wanted you to know. I rushed to look for you because I was afraid that you were in danger. For that I had to track your whereabouts... I lost my phone on the way because I was frantic and worried about you. That was why I arrived late at Jean''s apartment... You already know what happened after."


    "But was it true that you ordered Famke to give Jean the memory potion secretly behind my back?" Finland asked still in her cold tone.


    "I admit that. I already expected that you would change your mind..."


    "Have you been stalking me and Jean all this time?"


    Caspar was silent for a few moments, and then he slowly nodded.


    "I''m sorry. Today is the last time," he said in an almost pleading voice.


    Finland wiped the tears from her eyes and tried her best to smile. "All right. I''ve made my decision."


    "What decision?" Caspar asked quickly.


    "I want us to be separated." Finland held her sobs and tried to continue speaking firmly. "Every time I see you, I cannot remove the events that happened at Jean''s apartment from my head¡­ especially when Famke shot Jean... Famke told me that you ordered her to do that. I can''t forget that... I also can''t trust you anymore, because you repeatedly violated my trust and did things behind my back."


    "Finland...!" Caspar exclaimed in surprise, "Why don''t you give me another chance? I don''t want Jean to die. I even gave him your immortality potion so that he would have a chance to recover. If I wanted him to die, I wouldn''t do it..."


    "If that''s the case, let''s wait for Jean to recover completely, then we''ll talk again."


    "..."


    "I will return to Singapore and live my own life. I don''t want you to stalk me. If you are sorry and want to be given another chance, you must be able to prove that you can be trusted. If I find out that you are tracking me or sending someone to watch over me in the future, it would be an indisputable proof that you really cannot be trusted and that I will never come back to you. You can insist on having my body, but my soul and heart will forever be free to hate you for the rest of my life."


    "Finland..."


    "If Jean recovers, and after I truly believe that you can be trusted, I will contact you." Finland finally smiled a little, "But if you forget me first and meet another woman, I won''t hold you back. You may marry anyone. I assume our relationship is now over."


    "I don''t want to end the relationship between us..." Caspar said quickly. "I will wait. I will wait until Jean recovers and you can trust me."


    "Maybe it will take too long. Maybe Jean will never recover... Maybe I will never be able to forgive you..." Finland wiped her tears that had flowed profusely. She pointed to a man who was queuing to check in in front of her. "I know that man up front, I know he works for you. Please stop stalking me. Leave me alone..."


    Caspar sighed. He gave a sign and the man nodded and then immediately disappeared with his suitcase.


    "I''m moving out of the Rose Mansion. Please don''t find out where I am." Finland then pulled her suitcase and stepped forward to check in.


    "Can I try to contact you?" Caspar asked in a pleading voice, "I''m not going to track you down, but I want to call and contact you like an ordinary man... like what you wanted before..."


    Finland did not answer. She raised her head and tried to smile at the check-in clerk as she handed over her passport. After obtaining her boarding pass, she walked towards immigration, ignoring Caspar who was standing there.


    Caspar, who couldn''t believe what just happened, stood there until she disappeared from view.

 Chapter 131 - Moving out of Rose Mansion

    After arriving in Singapore, Finland hurriedly packed her belongings at Rose Mansion. She received several texts from Caspar asking how she was doing, but she did not reply. Finland immediately looked for a cheap rental room in Singapore so she could move out right away.


    Tears welled up when she saw the mansion she had to leave. That place had become her home for several months now, and now she had to leave. With her current salary she would only be able to rent a cheap room on the outskirt of a town far from the office.


    [I heard from Ms. Law that you''re packing your things... I understand that you don''t want to stay in Rose Mansion with me, but I will not let you live miserably. I''ve transferred enough money to your account. You can rent any apartment or house you want. Please, take care of yourself. Don''t stay in an unfit room. This is my last wish.]


    When Finland was restlessly finding a new and cheap place to live, Caspar sent her that message. The girl was very surprised to read it; Caspar seemed to be able to read her mind again. He was giving Finland what he knew she needed, without being asked. Finland opened her internet banking account to check her balance. She was so shocked she could barely breathe for a few seconds.


    Caspar had sent her enough money to buy a nice house in Singapore, if she wanted.


    In her heart Finland felt happy for receiving such a large sum of money, but she also knew that the two diamonds around her fingers were worth more than that, and if she really needed the money, she could always sell it. Even so, she would feel very sad if she had to sell Caspar gifts; moreover, one of them was his mother''s ring.


    Finally, Finland swallowed her pride and decided to accept the money. She knew she would really need money, especially since she was Caspar''s wife, she was actually entitled to earn a living from her own husband. She then changed the type of lodging she wanted to search. She looked for a small apartment located near her office so she could move immediately.


    Finland quickly contacted several property agents and made an appointment to see several units after work. She wasted no time. The next day she immediately visited several units that were included in the list recommended by the agent.


    One of the units she was about to see was located on the 15th floor. The property agent talked at length about all the facilities provided in the apartment, but Finland hardly listened. She just nodded and walked to the balcony.


    "There''s a well-equipped swimming pool and gym..." The agent continued talking in the living room, not paying attention to Finland who was staring out of the balcony cautiously. Then, she slowly climbed on top of the balcony wall. She sat on the edge of the wall and closed her eyes, then leaned forward, as if she was going to drop herself...


    Finland sat back down. She looked around and found that there was no suspicious movement nor noise at all, aside from the property agent who kept blabbering. She took a deep breath.


    She just wanted to check if Caspar sent anyone to stalk her. She pretended to try to jump from the building to see if anyone would react, but apparently no one was watching her. She was relieved that this time Caspar kept his promise and stopped stalking her.


    "I will take this unit." Finland entered the living room and took the bag that she placed on the table a few minutes earler. "When can I move in?"


    "Oh, you can move in tomorrow, as soon as the rent is paid," answered the property agent with a radiant face. "I will prepare the contract tonight. Later, please send me your identity card via WhatsApp."


    "Fine. See you tomorrow."


    Finland felt relieved. She was worried that Caspar was still tracking her, but now she felt safe. After leaving the apartment building she boarded a taxi and went to the hospital. Now she was certain that Caspar would not know if she went to the hospital.


    Finland registered with the receptionist and waited for her name to be called. While waiting she opened her phone and wrote a message to Anthony Wu.


    [Boss, is your offer to move to the United States still valid?]


    [Did you change your mind? I still need you, if you want. I have started preparing my move there.]


    [Will the company give me a work visa and pay for the relocation process for me?]


    [Of course.]


    [OK. I need to talk to you tomorrow at the office.]


    Finland''s name was called and she rushed to follow the nurse into the doctor''s examination room.


    "Good evening, Miss Finland. What''s your complaint?" asked the doctor after Finland sat down.


    Finland was quiet for a while and then pulled something out of her bag.


    "I haven''t had my period for a few weeks, and 5 days ago I tested with this test pack and the result was positive. I want to confirm whether I am indeed pregnant or not..." Finland placed the test pack on the table with a very sad face. "I live alone and I need to think about what steps I should take if I am indeed pregnant."


    The doctor nodded. He had met various patients and Finland was not the first pregnant young girl who came to his office without being accompanied by her husband. That was why he did not seem surprised and his expression stayed the same.


    "Then we should just do an ultrasound..."


    He told Finland to lie on the hospital bed and then took out an ultrasound machine. After applying the gel to the girl''s abdomen, he began to move the scanner and pointed at the screen, telling Finland the results of the ultrasound.


    "Congratulations, you are pregnant, and your pregnancy is about 5 weeks old."


    Finland bit her lip and nodded. Her mind became foggy and she did not listen to the doctor''s next words. She remembered the queasiness in Paris after returning from the hospital to visit Jean. She thought she was still sick and stressed, but after a few days the nausea did not disappear, and she later realized that she had not had her period for several weeks.


    Finally, with extreme caution, she bought a test pack to test whether she was pregnant. Finland was very surprised when she saw the positive result on the pregnancy test kit.


    On one hand she was very happy because she would have a child, but on the other hand she was afraid that Caspar would never let her go if he found out that she was pregnant.


    She knew how much Caspar wanted to have children with her, which was why she repeatedly threatened Caspar by saying that she would never forgive him if he still stalked Finland.


    For the past few days she had made various attempts to make sure that Caspar kept his promise. She even tried to jump from a tall building to "commit" suicide twice, and no one tried to save her...


    This convinced her that Caspar was not watching over her anymore. For that reason, tonight Finland dared to go to the hospital to have her pregnancy checked.


    "I''m sorry, Caspar..." Finland whispered sadly as she hurriedly left the hospital. "I can''t let you know that you have a child. I''m afraid that you will never let me go... At a time like this, I can''t live in anyone''s confinement. I really need to be alone..."

 Chapter 132 - Such a depressing day for everyone

    Finland moved out from Rose Mansion the next day after she paid the rent and deposit fees for her new place. Her new apartment was fully furnished, and she only needed to bring clothes.


    When she was taking her stuff out of their bedroom, she stopped in her tracks and glanced at the room she shared with Caspar. Then, she looked at the whole house, which was filled with so many beautiful memories. She couldn''t hold back her emotions and tears started flowing down her cheeks.


    "Madam, Master told me to take you wherever you need to go," Ben said as he appeared at the door when Finland unloaded her suitcases with John''s help.


    "Thank you, Ben, but I have ordered a Grab car." Finland would not let Caspar find out about her new place of residence through Ben. "I''m no longer the lady of this house. You don''t have to use formalities."


    Ben seemed depressed to see the current condition of his two employers. Ms. Law, Kathrin and John also looked very sad.


    "Master is innocent..." said Ben.


    "I saw with my own eyes what happened. You were not there, Ben..." Finland shook her head with clenched jaws. She still couldn''t forget that event. Every night she had nightmares, and scene after scene seemed to be played back in her sleep.


    A flash of Famke barging in through the door, beating Jean. A flash of her shooting him, and then insisting that Caspar ordered her to do it. Famke did not change her story even though she was threatened with death.


    If it was not Caspar who ordered Famke to kill Jean, why didn''t Famke desperately admit it? Who would be stupid enough to die for a lie? This made no sense...


    Finland knew Caspar had always been jealous of her relationship with Jean. She was tired of explaining to him that for her Jean was like her own family. Jean for Finland was her father, brother, and best friend who for 4.5 years had always helped her unconditionally ...


    He was even going the extra mile to find her biological father by sending letters one by one to everyone who had the family name Makela in Finland.


    He also sincerely wished Finland happiness with Caspar after knowing they were married...


    Finland was never able to repay Jean''s kindness to her... instead, she almost caused his death because of her husband''s jealousy. This made Finland feel very guilty...


    She regretted her decision to marry Caspar so quickly. The perfect man lured her to the point where she did not use her common sense that she usually held very firm.


    She always knew that if someone was too perfect, they must have a fatal flaw hidden... the more perfect they are, the bigger the flaw. However, she ignored all the warnings and allowed herself to be carried away by Caspar''s charm, good looks, wealth, and all his power... moreover, she was willing to marry him even though they have only known each other for 6 months.


    It turned out that there were so many things that she could not get used to, and there were things that until now she could not accept.


    This was not the life she wanted. She was not willing to erase Jean''s memory, the man had been very nice and sincere to her so far... She would rather be punished than be an ungrateful friend.


    But she did not expect that she would be punished with Jean''s death.


    So far, there had been no news about Jean''s chances of survival because he had not yet woken up from comma. This made Finland very stressed and she lost weight drastically. Within a week she looked very thin and haggard.


    Finland left Rose Mansion with tears in her eyes when the Grab car she ordered arrived. After the Grab car disappeared, a black Maybach entered the yard and Caspar got out of the car with a grim look, followed by Jadeith.


    "You must go now," said Jadeith. "The longer you are in Singapore, the faster the killers sent by the Meier family will find you."


    "I can''t leave Finland here alone," Caspar said quietly.


    "The news of your separation at the airport has spread among our people. They now assume that you have separated because of what happened to Jean. Madame is now no longer a target. Uncle, you must think about yourself." Jadeith insisted, "We better wait for the situation to calm down and take the next step."


    Caspar did not answer, but finally he nodded and signaled his staff to gather in the living room and gave his final message.


    "I have an urgent business to tend to and cannot return to Singapore for a long time. You take good care of this house. Stanis will stay in touch with you."


    Ms. Law, Kathrin and John looked very depressed. They had heard about what happened from Ben, but hearing a confirmation directly from Caspar made them even sadder. Moreover, Finland also decided to leave Rose Mansion just a few moments ago.


    ***


    Finland daydreamed a lot in the office. When she entered the office after returning from a month''s leave, her colleagues from her department immediately approached her to ask for information on what happened with Jean. With great difficulty she avoided their questions and tried to refrain from crying. Until now she did not know how Jean was doing. The feeling of helplessness made her very depressed.


    [Katia... sorry to bother you. I want to ask if you have Jean''s manager''s phone number or his agent''s?]


    She did not contact Caspar to ask for information; she couldn''t bring herself to do it. She would rather contact Katia, whom she knew had connections in the entertainment industry.


    One minute later Katia called her.


    "Oh, Finland, I''ve heard what happened to Jean. I''m sorry too..." Katia''s voice sounded concerned. "I never thought Caspar would go that far..."


    "What do you know?" Finland asked in a trembling voice.


    "I recognized Famke''s face in the news. I knew she was Caspar''s bodyguard that he trusted the most... I immediately concluded that she was assigned by Caspar to attack Jean." Katia took a deep breath, "I''ve been with him for 50 years, but I never knew he had the heart to do such thing. I guess he really loves you, so much that he let his jealousy cloud his judgement."


    Finland clenched her jaw hard.


    I don''t need to be loved like that, she thought sadly.


    "I need the contact number of someone who can give me access to Jean. I want to know his condition. His phone number is no longer active." Finland tried to convey her intentions quickly. She didn''t want to talk to Katia for long.


    "Hmm... I don''t have his agent''s phone number, but I can find out. I''ll send it to you later."


    "Thank you."


    Katia kept her promise and gave Jean''s agent''s phone number to Finland the next day.


    [Hello good afternoon, my name is Finland. I''m a friend of Jean in Singapore. How are things with him now?]


    Her text was not replied. Finally, Finland was forced to call the French number. She was feeling frantic. Maybe the number was wrong.


    "Hello..."


    "Who is this?" asked the voice at the other end.


    "This is Jean''s best friend."


    "Sorry, I don''t believe you. You are the umpteenth person who claims to know Jean. He is still in a coma and does not need interference from the news chaser."


    The call was disconnected.


    Finland desperately tried to keep calling but her call wasn''t picked up. She could only cry and slam her phone.


    Oh Jean... wake up... I''m very worried. Nobody wants to tell me how you are doing¡­.

 Chapter 133 - Moving abroad

    Finland decided to hire an attorney to help her change her name in court and add the surname Makela to all her documents.


    After finally knowing the truth about her father, and feeling a bond with him through his notebook, she felt compelled to use her father''s last name. She wanted to bear her father''s name with pride, because now she knew that her father loved her and her mother. Changing her name would also make it easier for her to hide away.


    With a new passport using the name Finland Makela, she began to arrange for her work visa and relocate to United States. Tony, who understood that Finland was facing a difficult time, tried to make things easier for her so that the girl did not have additional stress.


    He had suspected that Finland had changed her mind and accepted his offer to move to United States because of what happened to Jean. He did not want to ask her too many questions for now. He was happy because Finland wanted to join him abroad. Later after the situation calmed down he would ask what needed to be asked.


    [How are you?]


    A text from Caspar came in when Finland was vomiting in the bathroom of her apartment. She did not look like a woman who was 4 months pregnant because her body was very thin.


    I am feeling bad, Finland thought bitterly. She never replied to Caspar''s texts.


    Before Jean woke up, she would not forgive what had happened. Three months had passed and the last news she obtained was that Jean was still in a coma and had been transferred to a long-term patient care facility. The chances of waking up were very slim.


    Caspar must have lied when he said that he gave Jean the immortality potion, she thought to herself. If that were true... why hadn''t Jean woken up until now? Don''t Alchemist bodies have perfect cells? There was no way for Jean to stay in this state if he had indeed been given the potion...


    These thoughts made Finland feel more and more regretful for being lured so easily by Caspar. She let herself fall in love with him, not listening to her common sense. She should have waited until they really knew each other... 6 months was just too fast to marry someone.


    Now she didn''t know what to believe. Jean had become a victim of her stupidity - for falling for Caspar that easily, and now Finland was starting to learn to let him go...


    Now she really didn''t have anyone else in the world. Her father died before she was born and Jean was now on the verge of death. The man she loved turned out to be a liar and was likely to be the mastermind behind Jean''s attack...


    Maybe Finland was indeed destined to always live alone and protect herself. She would no longer rely on others. It was enough for her to have opened her heart twice...


    She opened her heart to Jean as her best friend and family, and Jean was snatched away from her so viciously...


    She also opened her heart and loved Caspar, but the man violated her trust and snatched Jean away from her out of jealousy...


    Why fall in love when it could hurt this much?


    Finland decided to close her heart tightly and would not open it again to anyone.


    ***


    Finland finally told Tony that she was pregnant a week before her departure for the United States. The man was very surprised and felt tricked because Finland waited for the company to give her the work visa and process her relocation before she told him about her situation.


    "I''m sorry... I''m afraid that if I told you about my pregnancy before, you won''t accept me coming to America." Finland looked down. She wringed her fingers frantically. "I promise to repay you if you don''t cancel all this. I will do a good job..."


    Tony took a deep breath. They were having lunch at De Lune to discuss the details of Finland''s departure next week and suddenly Finland gave him this unpleasant surprise. He watched Finland''s face for a long time and took a few deep breaths.


    "Who is the father?" Finally he asked.


    "You don''t know him." Finland answered softly. "I don''t have anyone else in this world. I only know you, and I need a new life."


    "San Francisco is a very expensive city and you will have difficulty raising your child alone."


    "Singapore is also very expensive..." Finland said in reply to Tony. "I will live frugally. You don''t need to give me special treatment, I will look after myself. Right now, I need to work and live in a new place."


    "Why don''t you go home to Indonesia?" Tony asked again.


    "I have no one in Indonesia, and I can no longer live in Singapore. Nobody will want to hire me in another country and give me visa because I don''t know anyone. You need my skills and I can be trusted, I need a sponsor from the company to be able to live in United States, so we both gain mutual benefit..."


    Tony pondered for a long time. On the one hand he felt troubled, but on the other hand he did not have the heart to reject her, because after all, he once liked the girl sitting in front of him. He knew that Finland was a hard worker and so far she had suffered a lot. Now that Jean was in a coma, Finland indeed didn''t have anyone else.


    Finally, he could not reject her plea.


    "Well... for the sake of our friendship in the past, and how hard you have worked... I will help you." Finally, Tony made a decision.


    "Thank you. I owe you..."

 Chapter 134 - Living in San Francisco

    Finland finally left for the United States and said goodbye to Singapore.


    For 4.5 years she had regarded the city as her home. She had no fond memories of Jakarta, and aside from Singapore, she did not feel that she had a place to live. All her life she felt alone and alienated, therefore, for her to move to a new place was not too scary.


    HR had prepared an apartment for her in Chinatown area and, while getting to know her new city, Finland decided to live there. Her office was located in the Financial District not far from Chinatown.


    The first few days after arriving in San Francisco, Finland tried to walk around the area of her residence to recognize the surrounding environment. San Francisco was very densely populated and was never devoid of tourists. She was a bit surprised because she had never lived in a city full of tourists like that before.


    The apartment was simple and close from a variety of Asian food stalls and supermarkets. It was also located near a beautiful park. She saw a lot of Asians in San Francisco, which made her feel like she was in Singapore again. Her apartment was located not far from her office, so she could walk to work every day. Finland initially felt that her new life in United States wasn''t too bad.


    LTX International in San Francisco had one department that did not exist in Singapore, namely the Market Research Department. This was a department that Tony founded with his own efforts. He made use of the knowledge he obtained from his Masters in finance.


    This department conducted researches for various international companies who wanted to invest in the Asian market. They had research specialists for each region. Because the Indonesian market was increasingly eyed by investors, market research from various industries was in higher demand.


    They sought and invited experts in each field to source insight for investment companies and hedge funds management companies interested in investing their funds in the Indonesian market.


    Tony, who was impressed by Finland''s work while in Singapore, felt that the girl would be the right candidate to help him in the research department when he moved to San Francisco. Finland was trustworthy, she really liked working and she would never forget Tony''s kindness who gave her this opportunity.


    "How are you?" Tony asked on the first day they came to the new office.


    "I''m still adjusting to the climate here. It turns out that San Francisco is very cold..." Finland said. "But I can manage the rest."


    "I know you said I don''t have to give you special treatment," Tony said to her. "But I''m not a heartless person. You can ask for special treatment or extra leave if you need it. I don''t mind as long as you do a good job."


    "Thank you, Tony..."


    Unlike in Singapore, Finland soon made friends in the San Francisco office. There was no evil girl like Meilin here to speak ill of her to everyone. Tony also made sure the staff in her department treated Finland well.


    There were 8 staff in total in the Market Research department and they were all very busy. Only two people were under 30 years old and Finland soon became friends with them.


    Anne Lee and Lucia Mendoza were very sympathetic when they found out that Finland was pregnant, and they took turns bringing healthy food so that the thin girl could become fatter. Their kindness touched Finland''s heart and slowly her sad face and thin body began to get better.


    Finland never stopped finding updates and information about Jean, but until five months after she moved to San Francisco, the man was still unconscious from the coma. She slowly gave up and thought that it was time to let Jean go.


    Finland was eager to go to Paris and visit Jean at the hospital, but her pregnancy prevented her from flying. She hoped that Jean could survive until a few months after her child was born so that Finland could visit and say goodbye one last time...


    "When do you want to apply for leave, Finland?" asked Anne as they ate lunch in the office. She pointed at Finland''s already big belly. "Your pregnancy is almost 9 months, right? Are you still walking to the office?"


    "Yes. The doctor said when the pregnancy is on its late term, I should walk more, so that the baby will go down quickly and I can give birth normally." Finland answered. She rubbed her protruding tummy lovingly.


    Since moving to San Francisco, she felt a little better. She liked walking to the office, as taught by Jean. The cold temperature in San Francisco made walking a fun activity, unlike walking in the hot Singapore. Her nightmare had slowly gone, and every time she thought of the baby in her womb, she felt happy.


    Soon Finland would no longer be alone. She would have her own family as soon as her child was born. The baby in her womb was what gave her the strength to survive until now.


    "You still don''t want to know the gender?" Lucia asked curiously. "Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"


    "I want it to be a surprise," Finland said. "But whether my child is a boy or a girl, I will name it Aleksis..."


    "Oh, good name. Aleksis can be used by both boy and girl." Anne nodded in agreement.


    Finland smiled hearing that. She was able to smile again lately. Her days were filled with so many things that kept her busy, and slowly she was able to forget her sadness, as suggested by her doctor. She did not want her child to feel sadness since it was still in the womb.


    She thought of her mother who became depressed after she gave birth to her, and finally died in sadness when Finland was only 10 years old. Finland did not want her child to suffer the same fate. Whatever happened, she must be strong and enduring, so that she could take care of her child well.


    This child was now the only family she had.


    After finishing their lunch, they returned to work. When Finland opened her email, she was surprised by several emails from Google in the inbox. She had saved the search word for Jean Pierre Wang to her account, so she would get a daily news'' summary when Jean''s name was searched on the internet.


    Every time she looked for news about Jean, there was always no change. He was still in coma. Because of that, Finland changed her method and arranged for her to get a notification whenever there were many searches on Google about Jean.


    If anything happened to Jean, of course the news search traffic about him would increase and Finland could find more information.


    During the 5 months she was in San Francisco, there was no significant development and she almost gave up. But this afternoon her inbox contained several notifications at once, indicating that there was a lot of news searching for Jean today. She hurriedly opened Google and searched for the latest news on Jean.


    As her gaze swept across her computer screen, Finland suddenly covered her mouth with a muffled sigh and tears slowly flowed down her cheeks.


    She had seen various news on the first page of Google containing news articles about Jean Pierre Wang, who finally woke up from his coma.


    "Oh Jean... finally you wake up..." she whispered deeply.


    .


    @@@@@@@@@@@@@


    From the author:


    Yessss!! Finally Jean is awake!


    The story is moving in a fast pace. To be honest you guys are lucky for getting 2 (long) chapters a day .. LOL


    We can quickly get over the angst. Yeay!


    The original novel was published for one chapter per day and the Indonesian readers had to put up with Caspar and Finland''s ordeals longer. Trust me, most of them are just as mad as you at Finland.


    I love you and I don''t want you to feel upset for too long, so I''m working hard to make sure you can get two chapters a day and in a few days time you''ll let out sigh in relief when this ordeal is over.


    xxx

 Chapter 135 - These are tears of happiness

    Finland searched for Jean''s manager''s phone number which she received from Katia eight months ago. At that time, she called while she was still in Singapore and her call was rejected. She would try to call with her American T-Mobile number.


    Hopefully this time they would pick up, she thought.


    After the third ring, her call was picked up.


    "Hello, I''m Jean''s friend... and I''m very worried about Jean''s condition, please tell me about his situation. I''m not a news reporter, my name is Finland, and I''m really his best friend. Tell my name to Jean, he can certainly confirm... " Finland said hurriedly before they hung up the phone. "My name is Finland... Just ask him..."


    "Jean is asleep. Later when he wakes up, I''ll ask." Finally Jean''s manager answered after a long pause.


    "Please tell Jean that I''m very worried about him. I''ve moved to America. I''ll go to Paris in a few months..."


    "Alright, I''ll tell him later."


    "Thank you..." Finland hung up the phone and fell to her chair with relief. She held her phone to her chest and tried to catch her breath that was panting from holding back tears.


    Oh... finally Jean was really awake... Finland felt very relieved.


    "Who are you calling? Why are you sad?" asked Anne, who was worried seeing Finland sitting with tears in her eyes.


    "I was calling my friend..." said Finland, "These are not tears of sadness, these are tears of happiness..."


    "What happened?" asked Anne, not understanding.


    "He just woke up from his coma."


    "Oh... thank God. Where is he?"


    "He is in France. I can''t go there now, I have to wait for my child to be born first..."


    Finland was very happy because Jean was awake. She could not wait to hear news about him soon. Hopefully Jean could recover fully.


    Every day Finland sent text messages asking about Jean''s condition, but his manager no longer replied. Finally, three days later, with consideration that Jean must have improved and could be spoken to, she called back. After a dozen times calling, finally Jean''s manager picked up her call.


    "Hello, sorry, it''s me Finland. Can I talk to Jean? Please give the phone to Jean, he will definitely want talk to me. He will be angry if you don''t let me talk to him..."


    A sigh sounded at the other end. "Sorry, what''s your name?"


    "My name is Finland. Finland Makela. Jean found my father. He is my best friend. He must recognize me."


    "Uhm... Sorry, Miss. Jean says he doesn''t know you."


    Finland, who was walking home on the sidewalk, suddenly trembled. She had to hold on to the wall because her legs felt too weak to stand up.


    "No... no way... I''m his best friend ..." She sat down crying. Her cry made Jean''s manager feel sorry.


    He then said, "Jean is here, I''ll give him the phone. If you are his best friend, he will recognize you..."


    "Oh... okay, thank you..." Finland wiped her tears and tried to sound calmer. Jean just woke up from a long coma, his mind might still be foggy.


    "Hello..." came Jean''s voice from the other end of the phone.


    "Oh, Jean... thank goodness you''re fine... I''m very worried... It''s me Finland."


    "Uhmm... sorry, your name does not sound familiar. Who are you?"


    Bam!


    "I... I''m your best friend. We studied together in Singapore..."


    "I only studied briefly in Singapore and immediately moved to France. I don''t remember anyone there..." Jean''s voice sounded tired. "Maybe you know me from afar because we''re in the same campus..."


    "No... we are friends until now. Even though you moved to Paris, we are still in contact..."


    "I''m so busy... how can we possibly keep in touch?" Jean asked, confused. He then asked his manager, "Did I ever tell you about friends in Singapore?"


    "You have some friends in Singapore but no one really close. I don''t know the name Finland," his manager replied.


    "I know everything about you... you really like walking, you want to be known by just one name, and you also wear plus glasses..."


    "I don''t wear glasses," Jean said quickly. "My eyes are fine."


    "No way... you wear plus glasses for reading, but you hide it. I have proof..." Finland hurriedly searched for Jean''s photo in Singapore when he was reading a magazine wearing his glasses. "I have a picture of you with glasses..."


    A surprised voice sounded from other end when Jean and his manager received the photo.


    "I don''t remember this photo..."


    "Now many people can photoshop pictures, Jean. Did you really wear glasses?" asked Jean''s manager. Jean shook his head.


    "Try to get the book..." He took the book from his manager''s hand and opened page after page, "I can read it well. I don''t need glasses..."


    "Oh, Jean... no way. I''m your best friend... How could you forget me? You even took me to Colmar and showed me my father''s grave. We just got home from Colmar when suddenly Famke came and shot you... I''m sorry, you become involved like this..."


    Finland cried again uncontrollably. Jean didn''t remember her... Jean had forgotten about her...


    "What did you say? Do you know the person who shot Jean?" Jean''s manager had taken over the phone. "What was your name again?"


    Finland suddenly realized she had said too much. She hurriedly disconnected the call and her trembling hand accidentally dropped the phone.


    She could no longer approach Jean like this. She could be investigated by the police regarding his attack. When she was this pregnant and about to give birth, she could not look for problems... She could not take risks.


    Either Jean forgot about her because of the coma, or the memory potion that Famke gave him had reacted, Finland didn''t know. What was clear was that her heart felt very painful because the only person she was waiting for to recover turned out to have forgotten her...


    She left Caspar because of what he did to Jean, and now Jean had forgotten her too... Finland felt like the most miserable woman in the world again.


    Her head was dizzy, and she collapsed. Before her body hit the sidewalk, she felt a pair of strong hands catch her waist.


    ***

 Chapter 136 - Rory

    Finland woke up in the hospital feeling like her body was crushed. She saw someone sitting in a chair by her bed reading a book.


    "Wh... who are you?" she asked in a weak voice.


    "Hey... my name is Rory." The man put down his book. "How are you?"


    "My body feels like it had been run over by a car," Finland admitted. "Were you the person who helped me?"


    "Yes, that''s right. I just happened to be there at the right time, otherwise you would have hit the sidewalk and maybe now you would already be forced to give birth. The doctor said you have to rest in bed until the time of delivery, otherwise your baby will not make it."


    "Oh..." Finland suddenly recalled what happened. She was on the phone with Jean, and she came to find that Jean had forgotten her...


    The memory made her tears slowly flow down her cheeks. Rory, who didn''t know what was wrong, became confused.


    "What''s wrong? Do you remember your boyfriend or husband''s phone number? I can call him for you... Your phone fell on the road when I frantically took you to the hospital."


    Finland didn''t remember Caspar''s nor Jean''s phone numbers. All numbers were stored in her old phone with her prepaid SIM card. All her contact numbers and all her memories were on that phone.


    She shook her head in despair. What to do now...? She could not contact anyone...


    "Shhh... don''t cry. You shouldn''t be stressed. You should rest first. Do you remember your home address? I can tell the people in your house about your condition." Rory tried to calm Finland.


    "I live alone, I''m an orphan, and don''t have anyone in this world..." Finland tried to hold back her tears.


    Rory immediately looked touched.


    "You are alone in the world?" he asked softly. "I don''t have anyone in this world either."


    He approached her and sat at the edge of the bed and held Finland''s hand. His voice sounded so gentle.


    "I''ll help you. Don''t worry. You can ask me for anything."


    "I... I don''t want to bother anyone else..." Finland refused. But her tears did not stop flooding.


    "What is your name?" Rory asked.


    "I... I''m Finland Makela..." Finland answered.


    Rory held Finland''s hand and stared fixedly at her face. "Finland, I don''t believe in coincidences. I saved you at the right time. This must be fate. I never do something half-heartedly. I will help you until you recover, and your child is born, and make sure you are both fine."


    Finland, who was not accustomed to accepting kindness from strangers, was amazed by the seriousness in Rory''s words. She began to pay close attention to the man.


    Rory looked the same age as Finland. He had a very handsome and attractive face with long hair that was messy but seemed to perfectly frame his face.


    A striking feature that he had was that each of his eye had two different colors! It wasn''t very apparent because he wore glasses, but one half of his eye was green and the other half was blue. Finland had never met anyone who had heterochromia* before.


    For a moment she couldn''t take her eyes off Rory, but when she came to her senses, she quickly released her hand from the man''s grasp.


    "I don''t want to bother you... Thank you. I''ll be fine..." Finland said, still trying to refuse.


    "Don''t be selfish," Rory said later. His voice turned icy. "You think by pretending that you are strong you will turn into a super woman who can handle everything? I understand that mindset, because I am also used to living alone. I know how it feels like to have circumstances steer you to be independent and not depend on other people, but asking for help from others when you are in trouble is not a sin. You have to think about your child..."


    Finland bit her lip... She knew that Rory was right. At times like these she really felt helpless and alone. What a beautiful life she had when she had Jean whom she could complain to about life, and there was Caspar who loved her... Now Jean lost his memory, and Finland couldn''t contact Caspar.


    "You''re right..." Finland nodded. "I''m not strong, I need help... I don''t have anyone..."


    "All right. You can just bedrest. I''ll go home first to change my clothes. What should I bring you from outside the hospital?"


    "I don''t need anything. Thank you. Uhmm... would you mind going to my office tomorrow, LTX International in the Financial District, to let my colleagues know I''m in the hospital?"


    "OK."


    Rory walked out, but before he reached the door Finland called him.


    "Rory..."


    Rory turned and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Thank you. I am indebted to you."


    "Do not think about it."


    After Rory left Finland cried again.


    ***


    At a hospital in France, Rosalind Marchal was visiting Jean, who just finished his physiotherapy. Her face looked tired but at the same time relieved that her son finally woke up.


    "How are you?" Rosalind asked, sitting by the bed. "When can you start walking?"


    "With intensive physiotherapy, the doctor said I would be able to walk again within 4 weeks..." Jean said. "I wish it could be faster. It''s not fun at the hospital."


    Rosalind handed him a paper bag and Jean immediately opened the contents.


    "This is a new phone and some books from your manager. I also brought toiletries and a shaver," Rosalind said.


    "Thank you, Maman." Jean was suddenly quiet. He felt his smooth chin and face, "I don''t remember anyone shaving me this week..."


    "But your face doesn''t have hair at all, not traces of shaving..." said Rosalind in amazement.


    "Hmm... maybe my hair growth had slowed down after the coma..." Jean shrugged. "Thank you for bringing these things for me. Later when I have to, I will shave..."


    He opened one of the books his mother brought and began reading.


    "Can you read without your glasses?" Rosalind asked suddenly. She just noticed that Jean was reading a book at close range without difficulty. "You are nearsighted."


    Jean was so surprised to hear it that the book fell from his hand.


    "What did Maman say? I''m nearsighted...?!"


    "Yeah, you started wearing glasses last year. You didn''t tell anyone, but I know. You don''t like wearing glasses and just use it to read in secret."


    Instantly Jean''s memory flew to the girl from yesterday who claimed to be his best friend and insisted that he wore glasses for reading. She even sent him a photo of him wearing reading glasses.


    His heart became disturbed.


    "Maman... do I have a friend in Singapore?" he asked softly.


    Rosalind nodded. "Yes, her name is Finland. You even brought her to my house for dinner before you both went to Colmar."


    Jean''s mind became really confused. He hurriedly picked up his phone and called his manager.


    .


    *Heterochromia of the eye is called heterochromia iridum or heterochromia iridis. It can be complete or sectoral. In complete heterochromia, one iris is a different color from the other. In sectoral heterochromia, part of one iris is a different color from its remainder. In central heterochromia, there is a ring around the pupil or possibly spikes of different colors radiating from the pupil. Rory has sectoral heterochromia because each of his eye has two different colors

 Chapter 137 - I am tired of living

    As soon as his manager arrived, Jean immediately told him what he had heard from his mother.


    "Maman said I do have a best friend named Finland. Maybe she is the key to what happened to me that made me go into a coma. Do you still have yesterday''s photo and her phone number?" said Jean quickly. He was holding his head which still felt dizzy.


    "Uhmm... the number can''t be reached." said Jean''s manager in a choked voice. "Maybe she does know what happened to you. At that time, she said she knew the person who shot you. The police would want to investigate her..."


    "No, don''t involve the police." Jean took a deep breath, "She must be scared because she thought the police is chasing after her."


    "You don''t remember her face at all and where she lives?" asked Jean''s manager again. "She called with an American number yesterday. If she was the same person, she called me from Singapore 6 months ago, saying she would move to America. She said you took her to Colmar to show her her father''s grave..."


    "Is that true?" Jean became more interested. He could not imagine going to a unfamiliar place like Colmar to visit someone''s grave. He tried to exert all his memory to imagine his friend''s face, but failed. He only had a name now, but he was unable to remember what Finland looked like.


    "This is all very strange... I can''t remember the things that happened over the last few years. Everything just feels vague..." he complained.


    "You should not burden yourself with thoughts that will make you stressed. It''s better to focus on getting well and then we''ll think about other things..."


    Finally Jean nodded sadly.


    ***


    Finland tried to obey the doctor and rest in the hospital so that her pregnancy was not affected. She was still very stressed, but Anne and Lucia visited her every day and made her feel a little better. Tony even stopped by twice and brought a fruit basket.


    Rory, who yesterday was just a stranger to Finland, took the position as her brother and came to take care of her every day. It made Finland somewhat uncomfortable because she was bothering a man she just met.


    "I don''t want to hear you talk like that again..." said Rory finally, annoyed. "I am sincerely helping you. Can''t you just take it and say thank you?"


    "Sorry, I''m not used to depending on other people..." Finland apologized for the umpteenth time for offending Rory. She immediately remembered that Caspar was always helping her and told her to learn to accept the kindness of others...


    At a time like this she missed her husband very much. But she did not know how to contact Caspar. Finland already said that she would contact Caspar when Jean woke up from his coma.


    However, because she lost her phone, she couldn''t contact him. She didn''t have any number to call... Should she go to Singapore and look for him at the Continental Hotel?


    "What are you thinking about? It seems like you have been daydreaming forever..." said Rory, moving Finland from her reverie. "Are you hungry?"


    "Uhmm... yes, I''m hungry."


    Rory took an apple and a fruit knife and peeled it for Finland. "Here, eat this..."


    Finland gratefully accepted the apple and ate it. People who do not know them would think that Rory was a husband who was taking care of his very pregnant wife, who was ready to give birth to their child. He seemed very patient and caring.


    "Don''t you need to work?" Finland asked later. She just realized that during this week Rory accompanied her almost all the time.


    "I have a lot of money, so there''s no need for me to work," Rory answered nonchalantly. "I''m not busy, so I can accompany you here."


    "Aren''t you bored being in the hospital all the time?" Finland asked later. "Don''t you want to walk outside to enjoy the fresh air?"


    Rory looked at her with a strange look, then answered, "Lately I''ve come to love hospitals. The smell of death makes me feel good."


    "How strange..." Finland commented. "How are there people who are happy with death?"


    "I am indeed strange." Rory answered nonchalantly, but a moment later he took a deep breath and became more serious. "I''m tired of living."


    "Why?" Finland asked later. She was sad to see Rory''s eyes filled with such sadness.


    "I have no one else in this world. I have lived alone for a long time, and now I feel that I have no more purpose in living. I have done everything I want to do. I no longer have a bucket list or wish list. I have visited all the places I want to visit, and I have tasted all the food I want to enjoy. My life is complete. It''s time for me to die..."


    "Hey... why are you talking like that?" Finland asked in surprise. "You are still very young. You will still meet many people. You will fall in love and find a new purpose in life..."


    Rory smiled slightly and shrugged.


    "You''re too optimistic."


    Finland almost laughed at that. This was the first time anyone called her an optimist. Basically, Finland, who was accustomed to living in misery, was a pessimist. It was hard for her to believe in others and she always tend to suspect that there was a motive behind everyone''s kindness towards her.


    That was the reason why Caspar desperately tried to open her heart and allow herself to receive love. She did not think that today Rory would call her too optimistic.


    Finland suddenly screamed in pain. Rory panicked and held her hand.


    "What''s wrong? Are you in pain? Where''s the pain?" He immediately rang the bell for a doctor to come.


    "Aahh... it hurts so much...!!" Finland curled up holding her stomach, which felt as if it had been punched so hard. "It looks like I''ll be giving birth..."


    Rory tried to calm himself and then calmed Finland,


    "It''s okay, the doctor will come here soon... you take a deep breath first..."


    Finland''s scream broke out when her stomach felt like it was squeezed by an invisible giant hand. The doctor soon arrived, followed by several nurses. He checked Finland''s condition and immediately made a decision.


    "The patient has contracted to give birth... but the opening is still small. You should accompany the patient here first and help count the time of the contractions. It is likely that the baby will come out tonight."


    "What...? Why does it take so long..???! Ouch... it hurts..." Finland never imagined that the pain of contractions would be so severe. It was still 2 pm! How could she endure such pain until the night?


    "The contraction does hurt but it only lasts for a short time; the distance between contractions is still too long. Later, when the contraction takes place every two minutes, let me know, we will take her to the delivery room."


    "All right, Doc. I''ll look after her here." Rory sat next to Finland and tried to cheer her up. "Don''t be afraid, I''m here..."


    Finland cried while enduring the pain. At times like this she really missed Caspar... She was very sorry for disappearing without telling Caspar on her whereabouts.


    She was so angry about what happened to Jean, but she felt very afraid to be in the hospital alone and for the fact that she had to give birth without Caspar by her side...

 Chapter 138 - Aleksis Makela

    Rory was like a true savior for Finland. He faithfully accompanied her until midnight when her contractions became more frequent and longer. Nearing midnight, when Finland''s contractions were two minutes apart, he immediately called a doctor.


    The doctor and nurses swiftly took Finland to the delivery room. Rory, who was about to enter the delivery room, was stopped by the doctor.


    "Are you her husband?" asked Doctor James.


    "No, I''m her friend..." Rory answered. "I want to accompany her inside..."


    "Please let him enter... I need him..." Finland said, breathing hard. She shuddered at the thought of being in the delivery room without anyone she knew. In her life, she had never felt so vulnerable before, and now she really needed someone by her side... She was very scared.


    The doctor finally allowed Rory to enter. He stood next to Finland and held her hand as she pushed and screamed nonstop.


    "Ahhhh... aaahhhhhh... it hurts so much... ahhhh... Caspar, I hate youuu!!!! Oh God... it hurts so much...!!!" Finland screamed and cursed her husband who was responsible for making her pregnant. If it weren''t for him, she wouldn''t have had to experience such immense pain during childbirth.


    Even though she hated Caspar, but in deep in her heart she missed the man so much. Her heart was filled with sadness because when she really needed him, Caspar could not be contacted...


    Rory looked surprised when he heard the name Caspar and loosened his grip a little. He looked at Finland strangely and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something, but then Finland squeezed his hand and screamed again, which distracted him.


    "Hold on... just a little more..." the doctor said quickly.


    Doctor James ordered Finland to push once more and with one last scream she pushed the baby out. Her head limped sideways and she could no longer speak. A little baby''s cry could be heard splitting the air. The doctor hurriedly cut the baby''s umbilical cord and cleaned her body, then placed her on Finland''s chest.


    "Your baby is a girl... Congratulations."


    During that time Rory looked stunned, as if he was enchanted. He seemed fascinated by the birthing process that took place in front of him.


    "Do you want to hold the baby?" the doctor asked as he turned to Rory. The man gasped and involuntarily nodded. The doctor picked Finland''s baby up, wrapped her in a cloth and placed her in Rory''s arms. Rory looked at the baby in amazement. When he saw her eyes, Rory gasped..


    "This baby also has heterochromia..." the doctor nodded. "Her eyes are currently gray and green. Later, over time, the color can still change."


    Finland was surprised to hear that. Heterochromia? What was that?


    "Is this an abnormality, Doc?"


    "No. This is just a genetic disorder. Nothing is wrong. It could be hereditary." Doctor James looked at Rory, who also had heterochromia, "You could be mistaken for her father in future..."


    Rory smiled at that. He looked at the baby girl in his arms with a look of admiration. He still could not believe what was happening tonight. Everything felt like a dream. One second he rescued a girl who fainted on the street, then suddenly he had a newborn baby in his arms.


    "What''s her name? Do you have a name for her?" he asked Finland.


    Finland nodded.


    "Her name is Aleksis..."


    "Nice name." Rory commented. "I once had a friend named Aleksis. I just remembered, he also had eyes like me... hahaha, the world is very small, huh..."


    "Aleksis was my father''s name." said Finland.


    "Oh..." Rory nodded. "Your father must be proud of you."


    "Thank you." Finland smiled. She was very grateful that Rory was around during the most frightening moment of her life. She was indebted forever to Rory.


    "The patient should breastfeed her baby, you must wait outside," The doctor said to Rory.


    The man blinked and nodded. He handed Aleksis to Finland and patted the baby''s back lovingly, "I''ll be waiting outside. Congratulations on the birth of your child..."


    Finland''s eyes were still foggy from tears, "Thank you, Rory... thank you..."


    Rory nodded.


    "My name is actually Lauriel," he whispered softly.


    "What did you say?" Finland asked. She seemed to hear Rory say something.


    "I said I''m hungry."


    "Oh..."


    Rory left Finland. His pair of blue green eyes seemed to be filled with various emotions. He walked away from the hospital and headed to a coffee shop that was open 24 hours. He was very tired after waiting for Finland and now he needed a cup of coffee to clear his mind.


    As he told Finland this afternoon, Rory - or Lauriel - was already tired of living, and the smell of the hospital made him want to die. But when he witnessed the birth of Aleksis, it was as if his life was turned upside down and he could not help falling in love with the baby.


    A warm feeling that he hadn''t felt for a long time filled his chest. Suddenly, he no longer wanted death.


    ***

 Chapter 139 - Mysterious Rory

    Rory came every day to the hospital and brought a lot of gifts for Aleksis. His presence made Finland''s sad heart feel lighter. She felt like she had a new friend to replace Jean who had forgotten her.


    "Rory, why are you helping me? I''m just a stranger to you..." Finland asked as Rory picked them up from the hospital to go home. She really felt bad for troubling someone who was not even her relative.


    "I am not helping you, I am helping Aleksis." Rory answered lightly. He helped Finland carry her belongings since the girl was struggling to carry her baby. "Can you walk to the parking lot or should I push you in a wheelchair?"


    "I can walk, thank you. Uhmm... will you drive us home by car?"


    "Yes, I brought my car here."


    "Where do you live?" Finland asked.


    "I live in a hotel," Rory answered nonchalantly. "I love adventure and I don''t want to settle somewhere. Right now, my house is my car. It''s easier for me to stay in a hotel right now..."


    "Oh..." Finland felt Rory was somewhat mysterious but she didn''t want to ask too many questions. She adheres to the same principle as Jean: if someone wanted you to know something, surely they would share it eventually without being asked. Therefore, she waited patiently.


    Finland finally returned to her apartment after she was hospitalized. To her surprise, the apartment had become quite dusty. Rory coughed and protested when he entered the flat and didn''t bring Finland''s bag inside.


    "Your apartment is a mess. This is not suitable for a baby. You''d better come with me to the hotel," he said, as he shook his head in protest.


    "But this is my home... I can tidy up..." Finland said quickly. "It''s only natural that it''s dusty, I''ve been in the hospital for two weeks."


    "Have the apartment cleaned before you return to live here..." Rory did not listen to Finland''s protest and immediately pulled the girl''s hand out of the apartment. He locked the apartment and returned to his car. Finland had no choice but to follow Rory''s orders.


    Rory apparently lived in the Hilton Hotel. When they pulled over in front of the hotel, Finland immediately shook her head. She didn''t want to get out of the car.


    "This hotel is very expensive. A week''s stay here can pay my apartment rent for a month," she protested. Finland still had a lot of money from Caspar, but she didn''t want to spend it foolishly by staying in such an expensive hotel when she had an apartment to stay in.


    "Who told you to pay?" Rory opened the passenger door and gave a signal for Finland to come out with Aleksis. "I told you, I have a lot of money."


    "Oh..." Finland again had no choice but to follow Rory''s will. Considering that for the past two weeks Rory had taken care of her and Aleksis, she felt bad about arguing. Rory took out their bags and handed the car keys to the valet.


    "I want to move to a two-room suite," Rory told the receptionist who was surprised to see him coming with a woman and a baby. The girl just nodded and typed in something on the computer, then handed the key to the concierge.


    "Welcome back, Sir. Have a good rest."


    Rory just nodded and followed the concierge. Finland followed them with a troubled mind. She was probably facing the most difficult time of her life, and she unexpectedly received help from a stranger. Maybe God didn''t want her to constantly suffer.


    "You won''t be bothered by the presence of a baby here?" Finland asked, confused. Rory was very strange to her.


    "No." Rory immediately made two cups of tea for them and handed one to Finland.


    "Babies usually cry all night..." Finland said again.


    "I don''t mind. Besides, the walls in this hotel are soundproofed." Rory took a sip of his tea with a flat face.


    "I don''t understand why you are helping us... Please, this has been bothering my mind for weeks. You must give me an explanation."


    Rory put down his cup and looked at Finland for a long time.


    "Hmmm..." He finally nodded. "OK."


    Rory took out a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Finland.


    "What is this?" Finland asked, confused. She studied the bottle and looked up in surprise.


    "Death," Rory answered shortly.


    "I do not understand."


    "I am tired of life. Two weeks ago I decided to die, but suddenly I met you on the road. I thought there was no harm in helping one person before I ended my life... So, I decided to wait until you recovered and continue with my plan. I still wanted to die." Rory took a deep breath. "But after I saw Aleksis born... somehow that feeling disappeared. Maybe I was destined to meet you two. Now, I just want to see that child grow up..."


    Finland was stunned to hear that. Finland fell in love with Aleksis since the first time she saw her daughter, but she did not expect Rory to feel the same. They were not even blood related.


    "This is hard to believe..." Finland said softly, "B... but, thank you. Without you, things would have been really hard for me..."


    "I am helping you because I want something in return," Rory said interrupting Finland. "I want to see Aleksis as often as possible. I''ve decided to stay in San Francisco, so I can see her often."


    "Wait... what?!" Finland felt that Rory sounded more and more strange.


    "I have no purpose in life. After venturing around the world, I have no more goals to live for. Maybe now is the time for me to settle down." Rory just shrugged.


    In her heart Finland felt that this was too good to be true. She wanted to refuse, but on the other hand, she would need help to look after Aleksis when she went to work.


    "You mean, you will stay in San Francisco... and you want to see Aleksis often? Do you mind taking care of her while I work?" Finland asked slowly. "If so, then I will be very happy and grateful."


    Rory nodded. He stood up and took Aleksis from Finland''s lap. He held the baby whose two eye colors matched his and smiled very warmly at her.


    "Now I finally have a purpose in life..." he said softly.


    Finland, who saw how much Rory loved Aleksis, felt relieved.


    They stayed at the hotel for a week until Rory bought a house near Painted Ladies. Every day, before Finland left for the office, she left Aleksis at the hotel Rory was staying at until he moved to his new house. Rory happily took care of the baby. He would spend the whole day with her; he read books to her and took her outside in her stroller.


    "Have you found a caregiver for Aleksis? How can you return to work so quickly?" asked Anne when Finland entered the office for the first time after giving birth. Unlike most other countries, woman do not get maternity leave in United States, and every mother was expected to return to work after giving birth so as not to be subjected to salary deductions.


    Even though Finland still had a lot of money, she did not want her salary to be cut, and moreover, she wanted to repay Tony who brought her to America by working as well as possible. She believed in Rory very much and was relieved when he said that he wanted to take care of Aleksis.


    "I did find a caregiver for Aleksis..." Finland answered with a smile.


    "You''re so lucky..." commented the women in the office who knew how difficult it was to balance life at home and work after having children.


    Finland too was wondering how she could be so lucky lately. In the past, she would never consider herself lucky, because her life was always consisted of one misfortune after another. She then remembered how Rory once called her an optimist, and at the time she felt that that statement was not true. However, now she felt that she had changed. She was no longer the poor and pessimistic Finland. Now she felt optimistic and lucky.


    "You''re very natural with babies..." Finland commented as she returned home from work to pick Aleksis up from Rory''s house. "At first glance people will think that you''re her father."


    "I do not mind." Rory shrugged. He kissed Aleksis'' fragrant hair and smiled teasingly at the baby, "Look, her eyes have changed color, and now they are like mine. Maybe it indeed was fate for us to meet. I need Aleksis, and she needs me..."


    Finland nodded in agreement. Rory had been in their lives for six months now and she was very grateful that the man was helping them so much. Rory bought a lot of things for Aleksis and he even decorated a room in his house specifically for her daughter. She almost felt like she and Rory shared custody over Aleksis.


    They had spent so much time together, but until now Rory still did not want to tell her who he really was. Finland''s theory was that Rory came from a wealthy family, but for some reason he had to live alone and eventually he became tired of living (alone) and needed encouragement to live.


    That was where Aleksis came into the picture. She did not mind Rory''s presence in their lives, because he helped Finland a lot.

 Chapter 140 - Im not asking you to marry me

    Finland never stopped finding information about Jean when she was in America. She eventually obtained information that Jean lost his memory after he recovered from his coma. She suspected it was the result of the memory potion he took before being shot by Famke.


    After recovering and returning to work, Jean quit modeling and decided to enter the movie industry. He started playing in several indie movies and Finland faithfully followed the development of his career. She hoped that one day she would have the opportunity to meet Jean in person and revive his memory.


    Finland deeply regretted not storing all her contact details in a notebook or in her email. She used to take for granted Jean and Caspar''s phone numbers. Now that she had lost them, she realized how difficult it was to get access to these important people. If she had kept Rosalind Marchal''s contact, she would have been able to reach Jean.


    Caspar had also given her Stanis'' contacts, but she foolishly did not keep Stanis''s business cards well. She was very sad because now she could not reach any of them.


    Caspar still couldn''t be traced on the internet. Heinrich Schneider was still as mysterious as before. Finland could not find any photos nor decent information. This made her very sad because she did not have any photos of Caspar to show to her child.


    "Boss, I want to take some days off to return to Singapore..." Finland told Tony one day at his office. She was determined to find Caspar in Singapore. "I have something to do."


    "Uhm... how about you go there for a business trip? The company will pay for your tickets and hotels. So, I want you to extend your leave to take care of some office projects. How does that sound? I need you to stop by in Hong Kong for a few days." Tony asked her, spinning his pen.


    Finland was very tempted by the offer. Hotels in Singapore was very expensive, and if LTX could bear the cost of her accommodation there, that would be great. She wouldn''t mind extending her leave to stop by in Hong Kong for work. But who would look after her baby?


    "Think about it, okay." said Tony.


    "OK..."


    Finland had no idea that Rory would ask to come with her to Singapore when she told him of her plans.


    "Well, either I join you to Singapore, or you leave Aleksis in San Francisco with me. It''s your choice..." Rory said firmly.


    "Seriously? You want to come to Singapore just to look after Aleksis??" Finland couldn''t believe her own hearing.


    "I can''t believe you want to take her abroad without asking me," said Rory. "Do you want to take responsibility if I die because you leave?"


    Finland swallowed hard. Rory sounded serious with his words.


    "Uhmm... okay. But we have to stop by in Hong Kong first for three days. I have work to do."


    "Very well. I will look after Aleksis while you work in Hong Kong. I know the city very well."


    Finland finally agreed. She missed Caspar so much and wanted to find information about his whereabouts in Singapore as soon as possible.


    There were only two places she knew could give her a clue: the Continental Hotel and Rose Mansion.


    ***


    Aleksis was already one year old and she was getting beautiful every day. Her hair is light brown with curls that made her look like a little angel in Italian paintings. Her big round eyes now had a very bright blue green colors, making everyone who saw them spellbound.


    Rory also often took off his glasses now and made him look more like Aleksis. He called Aleksis his beloved child, and when Finland and Rory who carried Aleksis walked together at the airport, many people stared enviously at the ''little family''.


    "What a beautiful family ..." commented those who saw them.


    In her heart Finland could not wait to see Caspar so that they could be reunited. She was very grateful for Rory''s kindness so far, but he was still not Aleksis'' biological father.


    LTX bought economy tickets for Finland, but Rory insisted on upgrading her tickets to business class so that Aleksis could sleep more comfortably during the flight. Finland initially refused, but as usual, Rory did not want to listen. In the end they all flew business class to Hong Kong.


    Upon arrival, again, Rory had already prepared accommodation for them; a beautiful and fancy two-room suite at the St Laurent Hotel, one of the most expensive hotels in Hong Kong. He insisted on this arrangement for the sake of his goddaughter''s comfort.


    "Uff... if I knew that you would cover the cost of hotels and plane tickets, I wouldn''t have accepted Tony''s offer and brought my work with me. I could just take my leave..." Finland mumbled as they checked into the hotel.


    "What were you saying?" Rory asked.


    "Uhm... it''s nothing." Finland diverted his attention by pointing at a nice lobby room. "I like the decoration of this hotel."


    "Thank you. I have shares here," Rory answered dismissively.


    "Oh..." Finland never heard Rory talk about his business before. She immediately thought of Caspar, who also owned many hotels throughout the world.


    "I like going on adventures, so I think it''s only natural that I invest in hotels so that I have a home wherever I am in the whole world." Rory continued his explanation. "Everything that belongs to me will belong to Aleksis one day. So, you need to know my assets from now on."


    "Eh...?" Finland gasped at Rory''s words. "Wh... what do you mean?"


    Aleksis doesn''t need your inheritance, she thought. Her father is also very rich ...


    "I have decided to adopt Aleksis as my daughter."


    "You... you can''t decide this one-sidedly," Finland said in protest. "She is my daughter. And she has a father."


    Rory, who was carrying Aleksis, ignored her protests and gave a signal to the concierge to carry their luggage. He then walked towards the elevator. Finland had no choice but to follow behind them.


    She knew that Rory was very fond of Aleksis, but this attitude of his was rather excessive.


    She could not continue her protest because she did not want the concierge to hear their conversation. Finally, Finland remained silent until they arrived at the suite.


    After the concierge finished organizing their suitcases and left the suite, Finland spoke again, "Rory... I am thankful that you are very kind to us. But, you cannot one-sidedly raise Aleksis as your child..."


    "Why not? I''m not asking you to marry me. I just want to raise Aleksis as my daughter. I want to give her what I have and make her the heir of everything that belongs to me." Rory stared closely at Finland. "I don''t have anyone else in this world, Finland... You must understand my situation. I only have you. Otherwise, answer my question, why was Aleksis'' father not there with you during your pregnancy and when you gave birth to Aleksis? Why did he leave you alone like this?"


    Finland felt uncomfortable with Rory''s questions.


    "He... he didn''t know I was pregnant."


    "How come?"


    "It''s a long story, but I can''t tell you." Finland finally sighed. "Actually, my going to Singapore is to look for him..."


    "Hmm... so, you are going to Singapore to look for him?" asked Rory in a thoughtful tone. "Who is he? Who knows, maybe I can help you find him."


    "Uhm... there''s no need, really. You won''t know him, anyway..." Finland didn''t want to reveal Caspar''s identity to anyone.


    "You will be surprised by the access I have. I can find anyone," said Rory calmly. His attitude reminded Finland of Caspar a little bit, and her chest immediately felt heavy when she thought about her husband.


    Finland believed Rory when the mysterious guy said that he had good access to information, but she did not want to betray Caspar by revealing his identity to outsiders, so she could only bite her lip and refuse his offer.


    "Thank you... I can find him myself."


    "Alright then." Rory did not force her. He brought Aleksis to the window and busied himself by showing the waterfront to the child. Finland could only look at them with a deep sigh.


    Caspar should have been the one to carry Aleksis like that...


    She really missed him.


    She hoped to get a clue at the Rose Mansion. She couldn''t wait to show her child to Ms. Law, Kathrin, and John.


    ***


    Finland worked for two days in Hong Kong. She had to arrange meetings with several clients who were visiting their branch office there. On the third day, her scheduled meetings finished earlier than expected. She returned to the hotel, but when she reached their suite, both Rory and Aleksis were not there.


    [Where are you guys?] She asked quickly. [I''m home. Today''s meetings ended earlier than expected so I''m done working.]


    [I''m visiting an old friend. It so happened that he had just arrived in Hong Kong. You just rest. We have an early morning flight tomorrow.]


    [OK.]


    Rory put down his phone and knocked on a door.


    The door was opened from the inside and a handsome man with dark hair and bright blue eyes welcomed Rory inside.


    "Hey... Lauriel, it''s been a long time..." Caspar was surprised to see Rory holding a child in his arm. "Who is this?"


    "My daughter. This is Aleksis," Rory answered. He entered the spacious penthouse, sat on the sofa, and made himself at home.


    "Oh..." Caspar looked at Aleksis with an envious look, then he took a deep breath. "Hello, Aleksis."

 Chapter 141 - Ive received my karma, okay?

    He then looked at Rory with a confused look. "The last time we met was in the 90''s... at that time, you were still the same as you have always been: adventurous and not attracted to women. Ever since your girlfriend died during the war, you''ve always been alone. Have you changed now?"


    Rory shrugged. "When we last met, you were with Katia. How are you?"


    "I''m not with her anymore..." Caspar answered quietly. He took out a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "She left me because, after 50 years of being in a relationship, I still hadn''t married her..."


    "She should have left you a long time ago. You were never faithful to her." Rory shook his head. He received a glass of wine from Caspar and gulped it down little by little.


    Aleksis, who was attracted by the red wine, tried to hold his glass while chattering. Caspar''s heart felt warm seeing the scene in front of him. Aleksis was indeed a very beautiful child, and Caspar was very excited to see her. However, he also felt a sense of pain in his chest.


    "I don''t need to be reminded of that all the time. I''ve received my karma, okay?" Caspar looked at Aleksis and thought about the only girl he ever loved, who also had a child with another man. Even though she sold her egg cells because she needed money, he still felt very sad whenever he thought about it.


    Now even Lauriel, who was known for being a loner, had his own family and child...


    "Aleksis has very beautiful eyes..." commented Caspar. "Very similar to yours."


    Rory just smiled and nodded.


    "Actually, I have something to ask you," said Rory later. Before he could continue with his question, there was a knock and the sound of a door opening. A very beautiful girl entered the room they were at. She had a long hair and purple eyes. She squealed at Rory''s presence.


    "Heyy... geez, who do we have here? Lauriel the great¡­ the mysterious Lauriel... I didn''t expect to see you here! You''ve been off the grid for so long!"


    Rory narrowed his eyes when he saw Sophia, then turned towards Caspar.


    "I didn''t know you two were on good terms," he teased. He knew about Sophia and her family''s views on purity, which had long been incompatible with Caspar''s family views.


    "Sophia helped me..." Caspar answered curtly. "Did you hear about what happened in Paris early last year?"


    "I do not follow what''s going on in the world." Rory shrugged.


    "Yeah, I know..." Caspar sighed. "Alexei managed to find my weakness and he set me up to kill Famke, one of the Alchemists who was my bodyguard."


    "You made the unforgivable mistake?" Rory asked in surprise.


    "I was framed. For over a year I was able to evade the killers sent by the Meier family. Sophia then came to me and told me that Famke was actually Alexei''s girlfriend. She was sent to infiltrate my group and gain my trust. Everything had been planned by Alexei from the start..."


    "And you just believe Sophia?"


    "Hey, watch your words!" said Sophia. "Just because you''re the most senior among us, it doesn''t give you the right to talk about me like that. I am sincerely helping Caspar."


    "I don''t believe your intention is sincere. I know that you have been carrying a torch for him for a long time." Rory looked at the two of them with a complicated look. He was about to ask Caspar about Finland, but Sophia''s arrival changed his mind.


    "My feelings are sincere to him .." Sophia said firmly. "I even betrayed my own family by giving that information. The Alchemist council of four families has acquitted Caspar of all charges, and now my family disowned me..."


    "Hmmm ... So now you are with her?" Rory asked Caspar. "You haven''t changed either."


    The man did not reply. He poured another glass of wine and gulped it down.


    "What do you mean?" Sophia asked in protest.


    "During his engagement to Katia, Caspar was never faithful," Rory answered indifferently, "What assures you that he won''t sleep with other women while he is with you? Maybe he even has children out there."


    "You insult me too much, Lauriel..." Caspar said suddenly. "I know you are a perfect man who is wise and always right. But I can change... I''m not like who I was before."


    Rory stared at Aleksis for a long time, then looked at Caspar and shook his head. "I''m afraid I still see you as who you were before."


    ***


    Finland was reading several reports when Rory came in with Aleksis.


    "Where are you guys from?" she asked. She put down her documents and took Aleksis from Rory.


    "Here nearby, I met with an old friend." Rory turned the water on boiler to prepare tea. "What tea would you like?"


    "Fruit-flavored tea, thank you." Finland answered. She kissed her child lovingly. "How long have you not seen your friend?"


    "Quite a long time. We used to go on adventures together. We parted when I had a girlfriend and no longer dated one woman after another. But it turns out that he hasn''t changed until now."


    Rory handed Finland a cup of tea and sat on the couch to enjoy his own tea.


    "Oh, I didn''t know you had a girlfriend," Finland was interested to hear it. "Where is she now?"


    "She is dead. I have lived alone for a long time. Until I met you." Rory looked at Finland and Aleksis with loving eyes.


    "Oh... I''m sorry."


    "It''s okay. It has been a long time..." Rory took a sip of his tea and was suddenly lost in thought. He actually sent a message to Caspar to see each other when they arrived in Hong Kong.


    Caspar agreed and arrived three days later. Rory did not expect that Sophia would come along with Caspar and it immediately discouraged him from telling Caspar about Finland. He saw that Caspar was still a womanizer who hooked up with different women.


    He suspected Finland was just one of the many women Caspar dated when he was still engaged to Katia. For that reason Caspar did not know that Finland was pregnant. If Finland was really important to him, Caspar would certainly have no difficulties finding the girl¡­ then he would know that she was pregnant with his child.


    He looked at the mother and child who were sitting on the sofa opposite of him with a look of pity. He could not bear to tell Finland that the father of her child was currently with another woman and was not thinking about them at all.


    "Finland... how are you going to look for Aleksis'' father?" Rory asked later. "If he doesn''t want to be found, how will you find him?"


    "That''s impossible..." Finland said quickly. "He will definitely be happy to meet me..."


    "I''m just asking..." Rory''s voice turned soft, "What would you do if he didn''t want to be found? If you really meant something to him, wouldn''t he already be looking for you?"


    Finland knew Rory was right. If Caspar did not want to be found, Finland couldn''t do anything.


    For nearly two years Caspar did not look for her, even though Jean had long woken up from his coma.


    Did that mean Caspar had forgotten about her? Finland remembered that when she left Caspar, she said that their relationship had ended, and that he was free to meet and be with another woman if he met her before Jean woke up.


    Did this mean Caspar had indeed forgotten about her...?


    Those thoughts made her heart feel very heavy.

 Chapter 142 - Breaking a promise

    "I didn''t expect Lauriel to come out of his seclusion," Sophia said, pouring herself wine after Lauriel and Aleksis left. "He almost looked¡­ normal. I only remember him as someone who disliked humans and preferred to be alone. Who would have thought that he would be in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It''s amazing how love can turn someone around like this..."


    "Everyone can change." Caspar shrugged. "You were a purist, now you have also changed. You even betrayed your brother to help me."


    Sophia took a sip of wine then looked down and played with her glass. "I didn''t expect my brother to do such a trick. I supported him in becoming the clan leader, but not by such deceit. I still can''t believe he sacrificed his girlfriend for his cause... If he considers Famke expendable, I''m afraid that someday he will sacrifice me too ..."


    "Alexei is mentally ill," Caspar commented. "My people are still trying to track him down. He must be stopped."


    Sophia remained silent at Caspar''s words. There was sorrow in her eyes.


    She finally finished the wine in her glass then raised her face and looked intently at Caspar. "I''m sorry for my brother''s behavior..."


    Caspar didn''t answer. His mind wandered to the sad-eyed girl he met at the airport more than two years ago. Within six months after their encounter, he succeeded in making the girl happy and smile.


    However, a few months later, her smile disappeared and was replaced by hatred.


    He really missed Finland.


    "You are quiet..." Sophia''s comment evoked his reverie.


    "Hmm..." Caspar took out his laptop and started working. "I''m busy. You know the way out."


    "I have not yet conveyed the purpose of my arrival..." Sophia said quickly. "Don''t you want to hear what I''m going to say? I deliberately didn''t discuss it in front of Lauriel because I was protecting your reputation."


    "What is that?" Caspar asked lazily.


    "People are suspecting that you gave our immortality potion to a mere commoner. Tristan, who worked in a movie with Jean Pierre Wang, recognized all the Alchemist traits on him. I think he started the rumors¡­ " Sophia looked at Caspar with a probing look. She really wanted to know the truth.


    "Even if I did that, it''s none of your business..." Caspar replied, glancing back at Sophia. "Why are you so nosy?"


    "Wasn''t that bottle of immortality potion for your wife? Why did you give it to Jean? Is Jean more important than your wife?"


    "I''m busy, Sophia. I don''t have time to answer all your questions." Suddenly Caspar felt very tired. "I am thankful that you cleared my name, even though the consequence for that is that you must leave your family and live on the run. I have promised to protect you as a favor, but I will appreciate it if you do not interfere in my personal affairs..."


    "Did you give Jean the immortality potion, for your wife''s sake...? You were willing to let your wife age just so that her best friend can live?" Sophia covered her mouth with a look of disbelief. "You know there won''t be any potion for the next 10 years..."


    "Sophia!" Caspar suddenly snapped at Sophia. He had lost his temper. "I don''t usually ask twice."


    Sophia was very surprised when she saw Caspar''s cold expression. She hurriedly apologized.


    "I''m sorry. I care about you and I am sad to see you like this. You have sacrificed so much, but still that woman hasn''t forgiven you. How long do you want to wait for her call? Jean has woken up for a year now, but she still hasn''t contacted you. She doesn''t keep her promise..."


    Sophia took her bag and walked toward the door. "If I were you, I would look for her one last time, and finish my business thoroughly. I would not wait like a fool."


    The door closed behind her.


    Caspar continued his work after Sophia left, but he could not concentrate. He kept thinking about Lauriel and his child earlier. He was truly jealous that Lauriel, who was a loner, was living happily now and had a child of his own. He, on the other hand, was still waiting for a particular woman to forgive his mistakes.


    He always missed Finland, but for the sake of his promise to the girl he could only wait. He knew that Jean had woken up from his coma, but Finland still hadn''t contacted him. He was often tempted to track Finland, but he managed to hold back. He could not take any more risks after he learned that Finland was really serious about testing him.


    Jadeith almost saved Finland when the girl pretended to jump off the balcony of her new apartment building after she moved out of Rose Mansion. Fortunately, Jadeith was a little late and Finland did not know of his whereabouts.


    Thereafter Caspar did not dare to send his men to follow Finland because the girl was very smart. She was also able to recognize the man Caspar sent to follow Finland on her flight from Paris to Singapore. All this left Caspar with no choice but to wait.


    If Finland really wanted to come back to him, it would be very easy for her to contact him.


    However, Sophia''s last sentence kept ringing in his mind.


    Was it true that he had been waiting like a fool?


    Caspar didn''t sleep at all that night. He continuously thought about Finland. Finally, when it was morning, he called Jadeith and asked him to investigate something.


    "Jadeith... I will now break my promise to Finland. I can''t take it anymore. I want to see her. Find out where she is now."


    "Okay, Sir."


    Caspar made coffee to clear his mind. He played various scenarios in his head, mostly about what he would do when he discovered Finland''s whereabouts. Would he approach her and ask her to give him a second chance? Or would he just watch her from afar?


    He could not decide.


    Half hour later Jadeith called. Caspar, who was daydreaming, was surprised by the ringing of his phone and hurriedly picked up the call.


    "Do you know where she is?"


    "Uhm... Madam just left St. Laurent Hotel for the airport..." Jadeith''s voice sounded a little strange, but Caspar didn''t pay attention. He was very surprised to hear the news.


    "What did you say? Finland was at THIS hotel?"


    "Yes, Madame was staying at this hotel, for a total of four days. Now she is heading to the airport to fly to Singapore."


    "Get the car ready, I''m going to the airport."


    Caspar immediately cursed himself for taking too long to make the decision. If he had told Jadeith to investigate her whereabouts sooner, surely he would be able to meet Finland in his own hotel!


    He hurriedly changed his clothes to something neat and tried to clear his head with two cups of espresso.


    He would finally meet Finland again!

 Chapter 143 - Are you ... an Alchemist?

    He really missed her. He was willing to accept the girl''s anger this time for breaking his promise by tracking her. He would deal with the consequence later. He repeatedly told Jadeith to drive faster. He did not pay attention to his nephew''s darkening face.


    Upon arrival at the airport, he hurriedly ran to the SQ check-in counter for the flight to Singapore. Jadeith could only sigh when he saw Caspar get out of the car in a hurry. There was one information that he wanted to convey to Caspar but he couldn''t do it.


    Caspar saw Finland waiting in line to check in at the business counter. He almost rushed towards the woman he missed so much. But suddenly, he saw Lauriel walk toward her carrying Aleksis in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He handed the coffee cup to Finland.


    She smiled and accepted the coffee while saying thanks. She looked a little sleepy, but her face was filled with happiness. She took a sip of coffee and then returned it to Rory and took over carrying Aleksis.


    Caspar couldn''t move.


    He was finally able to accept that Finland donated her eggs a few years ago and had a child with Jean... But to see Finland have a child with Lauriel made his heart ache excruciatingly. Caspar now understood why Finland did not contact him after Jean woke up from his coma. Apparently, she met Lauriel and moved on from him. Wasn''t it Finland who said at the time that their relationship was over¡­?


    Caspar felt that karma was really being too cruel to him.


    He did hurt a lot of women in the past, but he felt that he had been punished enough when Finland left him.


    He never thought that karma would punish him even more severely. He had to see the only woman he loved together with Lauriel, starting a family together.


    Tears started flowing down his cheeks as he stood there in silence.


    His heart had never felt so much pain.


    The pain that filled Caspar''s chest did not last long. It was quickly replaced by anger. He had never been treated like this by anyone. He sacrificed many things for Finland, but at this point he felt that the girl had never loved him as much as he loved her. Caspar had never been so patient and understanding of any girl before, but Finland was so quick to move on to another guy...


    He knew that Lauriel was an extraordinary man. When he was younger, Caspar also admired him and went on adventures with him around the world... He was finally able to accept the closeness between Finland and Jean, but he could not accept the fact that Lauriel had taken Finland from him.


    He just stood there. He saw Lauriel and Finland take Aleksis through immigration. He saw them slowly disappear from his view. Long after they left, he moved and walked back to his car.


    "Are you okay?" Jadeith asked quietly.


    Caspar didn''t answer.


    ***


    The flight from Hong Kong to Singapore took only 4 hours, but it felt like forever for Finland. She couldn''t wait to set foot in their second home. After living in America for a year and a half, there were many things that she missed from that small country.


    She missed Jean''s apartment on Robertson Road, she missed Rose Mansion, and of course her old office in the Suntec Tower. Most importantly, she really hoped to get a clue of Caspar''s whereabouts in Singapore.


    Lauriel calmly read a fairy tale book to Aleksis, who sat on his lap. Not long after, Aleksis fell asleep. Then, he listened to music on his iPod and closed his eyes.


    Lauriel and Aleksis looked like a pair of big angel sitting together with their little angel. The flight attendants came up with various reasons to walk back and forth so that they could steal glances at these angels. They were really a beautiful sight.


    Finland became target of envious glances thrown by so many women who also wished for a handsome and compassionate man like Lauriel to take care of their baby.


    Finland felt very lucky since she met Lauriel. Her life was no longer difficult as before. Her performance at work was also good because she was able to concentrate fully on her work without worrying about her daughter at home. She could also save most of her money given to her by Caspar because Lauriel provided everything without being asked.


    Finland finally decided to move to a better apartment with the extra money she saved so that Aleksis could have a more comfortable place to live in. She did not want Aleksis to prefer living in Lauriel''s house than in her own mother''s apartment.


    After they landed in Singapore, Finland and Lauriel immediately headed to the pickup area. They booked a place at the Continental Hotel and ordered a pickup from the airport so that they wouldn''t have to bother looking for a taxi.


    "Why isn''t the car available?" Finland asked confused. They waited 10 minutes but there was no sign of the Continental Hotel''s shuttle. Lauriel shook his head, then picked up his phone and called the Continental Hotel.


    "What? Our booking is canceled?" He was astonished for a moment but then his face immediately changed to normal. "Hmm... I understand. We will look for another hotel."


    "What is wrong?" Finland asked, worried. She knew that the Continental Hotel belonged to Caspar and she could not understand why their booking was canceled.


    "The hotel owner doesn''t like me," Lauriel said curtly. "Let''s just find another hotel."


    He took Finland to the taxi stand then called the Raffles Hotel and booked a 2-room suite. A moment later they were sitting in a taxi heading to the hotel.


    "Why doesn''t the hotel owner like you?" Finland asked thoughtfully. She didn''t know that Caspar knew Lauriel.


    "We were friends."


    "Friends?" Finland looked at Lauriel with a frown. She suddenly realized that Lauriel''s handsome face had perfect symmetry lines, and his green-blue eyes looked very bright when he took off his glasses. "Do¡­ do you know Caspar?"


    "I do," Lauriel said curtly.


    "Oh my God¡­ Are you¡­ Are you an alchemist?!" Finland gasped.


    Lauriel nodded.


    "My real name is Lauriel. I know Caspar very well."


    Finland covered her mouth. She couldn''t hide her shock.

 Chapter 144 - I will wait for you at Continental Hotel

    Finally, she found out who Rory really was. His real name was Lauriel and he was an alchemist.


    Finland put two and two together and realized how Lauriel''s strange attitude and unusual lifestyle now made sense.


    "Do... do you have his phone number?"


    "Why?" Lauriel asked.


    If yesterday Lauriel asked who Aleksis'' father was, Finland would not have told him, because she was afraid of revealing Caspar''s identity and secret. But now that she knew Lauriel was an alchemist, there was nothing left to hide.


    "He is Aleksis'' father. I want to contact him."


    "Later at the hotel," Lauriel said firmly.


    Instantly Finland''s heart blossomed. Unexpectedly, it turned out that Lauriel knew Caspar. Her efforts to contact Caspar would be much easier. She was a little sorry for not telling Lauriel earlier. If she had known, maybe she could have contacted Caspar since a year ago.


    Thinking about this made her tears well up.


    Lauriel, who saw that she was on the verge of crying, could only sigh. For the first time after meeting her at the hospital, he held Finland''s hand.


    The girl felt a little surprised. She felt that Lauriel was behaving rather differently since they left Hong Kong. She nodded slowly and pulled her hand away from Lauriel''s grasp to wipe her tears away. Finland then averted her gaze out of the taxi window.


    Lauriel kept his promise. He gave Caspar''s phone number to Finland after they checked in at the hotel and sat in the living room of their suite. Finland could not help feeling ashamed when she dialed Caspar''s number on her phone and entered her bedroom to call.


    RING


    RING


    Please pick up...


    Finland waited a long time.


    Please¡­ pick up.


    After the tenth ring the call was finally picked up.


    "Hello, Caspar..." she immediately spoke, unable to bear Caspar''s voice that she had missed for so long.


    "Who is this?" Caspar''s voice sounded as cold as ice.


    "This is me..."


    "Oh. What''s up?"


    Finland was surprised. She had no idea that Caspar''s reaction would be like this. She was suddenly lost for words.


    "Jean has woken up from his coma..." Then stopped. Finland didn''t know what else to say.


    "So now you believe me?" Caspar asked in a flat voice.


    "I... yes. Thank you for giving him the immortality potion so he can survive."


    "A year late, but all right, I accept your thank you." Caspar was silent for a moment. "Is there anything else?"


    Finland''s chest felt very heavy. She was indeed a year late, but telling him that she lost her phone sounded like a made up excuse for not calling soon enough...


    "I... I have forgiven you..." She finally said.


    "Oh, I see?" Far away in Hong Kong, Caspar drank a lot of alcohol to get rid of his sadness. Around him were empty bottles and broken glasses. He poured another glass of whisky and then gulped it down slowly, while coming up with what to say to Finland, "I have always been the wrong one in our relationship. I have always been the one who apologized and pursued you. I loved you so much that I didn''t even care about my pride. I did so many things for you, while you always had someone else on your mind. Even until the last moment you chose Jean over me. Now, I realize, it''s time I stop this madness and return to my true self..."


    "Caspar... what do you mean?" Finland suddenly felt uncomfortable. This wasn''t what she imagined when she could finally talk to Caspar again.


    "What I meant was... please return my mother''s ring, and never contact me again..."


    Finland was shocked to hear that. Tears flowed in her eyes.


    "We must not separate like this... I must meet you... Please, Caspar. I must meet you at least one more time. We cannot talk over the phone like this..."


    Caspar was silent for a long time. Finally, he took a deep breath and agreed.


    "All right. I''ll wait for you tonight at the Continental Hotel in Singapore," he said before hanging up.


    BUSY RING TONE¡­


    Finland was devastated when she put down her phone. She was very shocked by Caspar''s response. She thought that Caspar would be very happy that she called. She imagined that he would come pick her up as soon as possible.


    But his attitude was very cold, and Finland could not find a way to tell him about her pregnancy and their child. She felt that the only way to go was to meet him in person and show Aleksis to Caspar.


    She hoped that their meeting at the Continental Hotel would go smoothly.


    "How was it?" Lauriel asked when Finland got out of her bedroom.


    "I will meet him tonight at the Continental Hotel," Finland replied.


    "Do you want me to come along?" asked Lauriel.


    "No. I''ll bring Aleksis myself."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel said nothing more.


    Finland really counted every minute into the night. She could not wait to go to the Continental Hotel to meet Caspar. She really missed him a lot.

 Chapter 145 - Tricked by Sophia

    With difficulty, Caspar went out of his penthouse and descended into the lobby of the St. Laurent Hotel. He called Jadeith and asked him to drive to the airport immediately. The hotel staff and guests were astonished to see him.


    Caspar had never been seen drunk before. The staff didn''t know what they should do. They wanted to help but at the same time they didn''t want to be rude.


    "Hey... what''s wrong with you?" They looked relieved when Sophia, who just came out of the elevator, approached Caspar and grabbed his shoulder. "Are you drunk?"


    "Hmm..." Caspar shrugged.


    "Did something happen? You rushed to the airport this morning, and then you drink so much..." Sophia narrowed her eyes and looked at Caspar attentively. "Where are you going?"


    "To Singapore."


    Jadeith arrived and signaled that the car was ready.


    "I''m coming. I can''t let you go in this state. Please let me repay your kindness and help you this time."


    Sophia helped Caspar walk to the car and sat next to him. Shortly before the car moved, she changed her mind.


    "Jadeith, wait a minute, I''ll get the hangover soup from the restaurant."


    Sophia got out of the car and walked to the hotel. She returned a few minutes later with a container filled with hangover soup and cutlery from the hotel restaurant. She let Caspar sleep on the way to the airport.


    When they arrived, she took care of their documents and helped Caspar get into his private plane. After they took off, she served the soup and coffee to Caspar so the man would recover soon.


    "Eat... so you will feel better," Sophia said, feeding Caspar. "I''ve never seen you like this. Does this have anything to do with your wife? I can''t imagine anything else causing you to be like this..."


    Caspar nodded slowly. He initially refused the soup from Sophia, but after being pushed several times, he finally accepted.


    "What happened to her?" Sophia asked.


    "She finally called me," Caspar answered reluctantly.


    "What? Why did it take her so long? Then what did she say?"


    "She said she had forgiven me..."


    "Then?"


    "She wants to meet. I think we should meet for the last time, to resolve the problem between us."


    "Then why did you drink so much? Isn''t that good news?"


    "Do you still remember the child Lauriel brought yesterday?"


    "Hmmm, why is that?"


    "That''s Finland''s daughter."


    "Ohh..." Sophia covered her mouth out of surprise. "Is that... is that why you are like this?"


    Caspar nodded.


    "I don''t know if I would be able to meet her in person. I might embarrass myself even further. I''m afraid that if I meet her, I will only beg her to come back to me... That would be very embarrassing."


    Sophia bit her lip. "Don''t do that. I don''t want to see you embarrassing yourself. You have sacrificed too much..."


    Caspar didn''t answer.


    The trip to Singapore was too short. His heart wasn''t ready yet. The next thing they knew, they had arrived at the Continental Hotel and it was already 7:00 p.m. Finland would arrive soon.


    "If you are unable to meet her, let me see her on your behalf. I will deliver your message and receive the message from her for you," Sophia said, looking at Caspar''s gloomy face.


    Finland arrived at the hotel lobby with Aleksis. She sent a text message to Caspar informing him of her arrival. Caspar, who had seen her arrive from behind the elevator, almost walked toward her direction. However, then he saw Aleksis in her arms.


    Instantly his body stiffened and he became very sad. He then turned to Sophia.


    "Sophia... I can''t meet her. Please ask her to return my mother''s ring, so that we no longer have business with each other. I''ll be waiting at the penthouse."


    After saying that he entered the elevator and pressed the 40th floor button. The elevator door closed just as Finland turned toward his direction. She caught a glimpse of Caspar before the elevator door closed and her heart started beating so fast.


    Was that Caspar? Why didn''t he come out of the elevator?


    "Good evening, Finland." Sophia suddenly appeared before her when Finland was busy with her own thoughts. "Caspar sent me to talk to you."


    "So... Sophia? Why doesn''t he want to see me in person?" Finland asked. She found it really difficult to hide her disappointment.


    "Sorry, he''s busy. He asked me to take his mother''s ring from you."


    "I want to meet him in person..." Finland insisted.


    "Sorry, he won''t see you."


    "I have something to say... it''s very important."


    "You can tell me, and I will pass it on to him."


    Finland looked at Sophia who was beautifully and elegantly dressed. She recalled that Sophia was a purist who was not related to Caspar''s family. Why was she here now?


    "Why are you here?" she asked in a cold voice.


    "I''ve been living with Caspar for a year now. I went against my family to be with him."


    Finland bit her lip. This information shocked her to the core.


    "Are you two...?"


    Sophia nodded before Finland could finish her question.


    "I love him very much. It was very hard for him to forget about you, but he finally realized that a relationship with a commoner like you is too complicated."


    "But I ..." Finland bit her lip until she bled. "But our child ..."


    Sophia''s face looked shocked, but she was able to quickly compose herself and hide her feelings behind a flat face.


    "He knew since last year that you had a child, but he thought that the girl was your child with Jean. Seeing how you chose Jean over him so many times, he assumed that you''re actually in love with Jean. That made him realize that it was time to move on and forget you."


    "If he knew I had a child... why did he never contact me?"


    "You think Caspar doesn''t know what was going on with you? He has unlimited access to anything. He didn''t want to contact you because he deliberately wanted to forget you. You have no idea how much he suffered after you left him."


    Finland burst into tears hearing Sophia''s cold words.


    "No way... Caspar knew Jean and I are just friends. I''ve never slept with anyone else. This child of mine is his..."


    Sophia pretended to look concerned and shook her head.


    "You can''t blame him. You always chose Jean over him... it''s only reasonable that Caspar suspected that she''s not his kid. Please don''t make him suffer any more. Caspar struggled hard to forget about you for the past year..."


    "I must hear this from him myself..." Finland insisted.


    "You want to hear him say that he hates you and rejects this child directly? Go ahead..." Sophia handed her phone to Finland, signaling her to call Caspar, "I was going to spare your feelings, but you''re so stubborn."


    Finland bit her lip that was bleeding. She felt such chaos in her heart. She thought about Caspar''s voice this afternoon on the phone which sounded as cold as ice. Her tears streamed down even harder.


    Everything that happened was not as she expected.


    Caspar was not happy when Finland contacted him. He had long known that Finland had a child, but instead of being happy, he thought that Finland had an affair with Jean and that Aleksis was Jean''s child with her. Apparently, he also moved on and lived with Sophia now. So much had changed¡­


    Finland felt very sad...


    She picked up her phone and sobbed at Lauriel.


    "Could... could you pick us up here...? I... I can''t go back alone..." she whispered softly.


    Sophia looked at Finland with a grimace. She then stretched out her hand.


    "Please return his ring. His mother''s ring."


    Finland tried really hard to hold back her tears. She didn''t want to break down even more in front of Sophia. She removed the ring that was encrusted with blue diamonds from her fingers. Those blue diamonds reminded her of Caspar''s blue eyes.


    She took one last glance and handed the ring over to Sophia. She then wiped her tears and walked to the sofa in the lobby. She tried to keep herself composed as she waited for Lauriel to arrive.


    Sophia accepted the ring with a faint smile then walked to the elevator and went up to Caspar''s penthouse on the 40th floor.


    Lauriel arrived 10 minutes later. Finland, who couldn''t contain her sadness anymore, immediately burst into his arms. She sobbed bitterly at Lauriel''s chest.


    "Ssshh... did you two have a fight?" he asked softly while stroking Finland''s hair.


    Finland did not answer. She just cried and nodded.


    Lauriel waited patiently for Finland to calm down. He did not care about people staring at them.


    After a while Finland finally calmed down.


    "Let''s go back to our hotel, okay..." Lauriel said, taking Aleksis from Finland''s hands. He placed his arm around her shoulders and took her out of the Continental Hotel.


    "I want to go back to America..." Finland whispered in a hoarse voice. "I no longer have a purpose here..."


    "All right. We will go back to the hotel to get our luggage, then we go straight to the airport," Lauriel said in a soft voice. "Tomorrow we will already be in San Francisco."


    Finland nodded. She rubbed her bleeding lip and held back the tears that were about to flow.


    .


    ################


    .


    From the Author:


    Sophia is really cunning/smart/evil, taking advantage of an obvious misunderstanding between Caspar and Finland...


    Now, miscommunication added with evil third party can cause sooo much pain.


    I intentionally give you long chapters today so we can get over the angst quickly. Don''t worry, the coming week chapters are so interesting and heartwarming to make up for the pain (plus we will have mass release ... yeay).


    Get your heart ready for the ride!!


    Thank you for your support in comments and power stone votes. It means a lot to me. Please continue supporting this novel so that it will get more views and more people can share our love for our lovely characters. My novel has been FREE from the beginning and I believe will continue to be free (will not go premium). The original version in Indonesian is now on its second volume and readers can read it for free until the end.


    Then how do I make money to support my writing? Ahahaha... I wouldn''t dream of asking for financial support in P.a.t.r.e.on until we have got over certain chapters that contain angst ... LOL and until we have reached more audience. At the moment we only have 1000 readers in this version (I have 6100 readers in Indonesian).


    I also published the paperback version for volume 1 for Indonesian readers who want to have the hardcopy while still maintaining the digital version to read for free here in Webnovel. I plan to do the same for the English version, publishing the English paperback for volume 1, once it''s completed. I''ll keep you updated.


    If you want to support me now ... PLEASE share this novel to anyone you think will enjoy the heartwarming story. Brighten their day with a story that they will love and is free to read. I promise you, the story will only get better. Out of 1600s reviews, the rating is still 4.9 out 5 (sorry for being a shameless author here.. hehe).


    You can also support me by writing comments, reviews, and of course constructive criticism if there were plot holes, inconsistencies, typos, etc. I would really appreciate it.


    THANK YOU for reading this far. I love you!

 Chapter 146 - A man is like fine wine

    Finland was really heartbroken. At first, she was very happy return to Singapore. However, after meeting Sophia, hearing how much Caspar did not want to see her, and being accused of having an affair with Jean, her heart felt so painful that she did not want to stay in Singapore any longer.


    Lauriel immediately called the airline and rescheduled their tickets to San Francisco. At midnight they were already on the plane to United States.


    Finland tried her best to look fine on the plane. She was embarrassed when other passengers saw her cry. But when the plane lights were turned off and the passengers in the business cabin went to sleep, she cried quietly in her seat.


    They arrived in America in the morning after a quick transit in Japan and a 20-hour flight. Once they landed in San Francisco, Finland''s heart felt heavy again. Lauriel saw her change in expression and sensed her gloominess and decided to give her some space.


    "You look very tired. I will take Aleksis to my house, so you can rest." He offered as they walked to the parking lot. Lauriel parked his car in the airport so that they could return to the city easily.


    Finland shook her head.


    "I am okay... "


    "But you don''t look okay." Lauriel insisted. "You still have a few days off, right? We were supposed to be in Singapore for the next 3 days. What if I take you and Aleksis on a vacation? You look like you really need a break. I just bought a house in Colorado. It''s located by a lake, and it''s really beautiful."


    "Don''t you already have a house in San Francisco...?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "My house in San Francisco is too small," Lauriel said, shrugging. "I want Aleksis to enjoy the fresh mountain air and live close to nature."


    Finland could only grumble inwardly. Lauriel''s supposedly ''small'' house was a two-story house which had its'' own courtyard and garden. Having a courtyard and garden was something very rare in San Francisco. She was sure that his house was worth more than 10 million dollars. Finland herself now lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Tenderloin District at a rental price of 1500 dollars per month.


    "You know that my office is in San Francisco. I can''t move to Colorado with you, and Aleksis has to stay with me," Finland confirmed.


    "I know," Lauriel said. "We will go there only for vacation."


    "Oh..."


    "So, what do you say? Do you want to go there and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake or do you want cry in San Francisco until your leave is over?" Lauriel asked again.


    Finland finally agreed reluctantly.


    Lauriel was apparently only being humble when he said he just bought a house in Colorado. The truth was that he bought a big beautiful farm.


    The main building was as grand as a mansion and there were at least 10 servants who took care of the main building alone. It was located next to a beautiful lake with blue and green colors that remind Finland of the color of his eyes.


    Across the lake was a beautiful pine forest and behind it was a towering blue mountain. The whole area looked like a very beautiful painting.


    ***


    The beauty of the area managed to make Finland forget her sadness a little bit. When they arrived, Finland was constantly amazed. Behind the mansion was a stable and a meadow where the horses and livestock graze. Animals such as rabbits and deer roam freely in their pastures.


    "You''re so rich..." Finland could no longer hold her curiosity when they were having a picnic by the lake with Aleksis. "Did you get an inheritance or something? I''ve never seen you work..."


    "I did come from old money, but I also worked a lot in my youth. Now I just want to enjoy life," Lauriel answered. "I used to work very hard."


    "What did you do?" Finland asked.


    "Hmm... have you ever heard of a pirate with the nickname Black Bart?" Lauriel asked. Finland shook her head. Lauriel smiled. He opened something on Google and gave his phone to Finland. "I am Black Bart."


    Finland read on Wikipedia that Black Bart was a nickname given to a famous pirate named Bartholomew Roberts who inspired the Pirates of Caribbean character played by Johnny Depp. He was a young and handsome pirate who operated between 1682-1722.


    It was estimated that he plundered more than 400 ships during his career. Although he was very successful, he hated spree, he did not allow the presence of female passengers on board, and he forbade his men from drinking excessive alcohol. He died in a battle with a British warship, which made all of his men grieve.


    "Black Bart died in battle with a British warship..." said Finland, reading the wikipedia entry.


    "I''m still alive, aren''t I? We are used to faking our deaths by moving to another country and taking a new identity." Lauriel shrugged. "The treasure that I have accumulated for decades as a pirate is more than enough to live comfortably forever. I have also invested my wealth and many historical objects that I own from centuries ago have now become very valuable and expensive. All in all, with my wealth accumulated for 500 years, I have enough."


    Finland instantly remembered something. She remembered hearing Caspar and Flora talking about Lauriel when she came to Germany.


    "So, your name is Lauriel?" she asked him.


    "Hmm. I told you, right?"


    "Oh... Aren''t you the oldest alchemist alive?"


    "Uhm... you make it sound like that is a bad thing. So what if I''m the oldest? Is that a bad thing?" Lauriel looked closely at Finland. "A man is like fine wine, the older they are, the better the taste and the more expensive the price."


    "Uhm... that''s not it. You still look like you''re 25 years old," Finland said. "I''m just curious, what it feels like to live like you guys. I once asked Caspar what it feels to live so long... do you guys not feel bored? He said that everything was normal for him, because that''s the kind of life he had known from the beginning. He just didn''t know what it''s like to live as an ordinary human. His standards for normal are different from mine..."


    Her voice was a little hoarse when she mentioned Caspar''s name, but Lauriel pretended not to notice.


    "I understand the meaning of your question," Lauriel said. "After living for more than 550 years and exploring every inch of this earth... I finally felt bored and I didn''t want to live anymore. There''s no point in living forever if there isn''t anyone you can love..."

 Chapter 147 - Im not in a hurry

    Finland fell silent. She remembered that last year, when she first met Lauriel, the man showed her a bottle he called death and said that he was tired of life.


    "Uhm... when we first met, you said that you wanted to die. Did the bottle contain poison?" she asked slowly.


    Aleksis, who sat next to Finland and was playing with a bell, suddenly became quiet and looked at Lauriel, her round eyes full of question marks. The man, who realized that Aleksis looked at him attentively, smiled and shook his head.


    He rubbed her hair gently before answering, as if he didn''t want Aleksis to hear that he once wanted to die, "It''s not poison, but medicine."


    "What medicine?" Finland asked, not understanding.


    "Being an alchemist is a genetic disorder. People are not supposed to be able to live forever. All cells should eventually die and not regenerate again. The medicine in that bottle heals an alchemist''s genetic disorder and makes us like normal humans." Lauriel raised Aleksis to his lap with affection, as if she was his own child.


    "Uncle Albert, Caspar''s grandfather, found a drug to mutate our genes so that we have super genes. This drug makes us perfect humans. The mutations are genetically inherited, and pure Alchemist offspring don''t need to take any medicine to get that privilege. We can stay young forever and live as immortals, if we want to. However, not everyone fits into that life, and after hundreds of years, some people became tired of life, some people missed their family and friends who died, so they don''t want to live as immortals anymore. Therefore, an antidote was created. All Alchemists who want to go back to being a mortal can take this medicine and eventually die. That''s why the bottle is called Death."


    "Oh... So, after taking that medicine, you will age and eventually die?"


    "That''s true." Lauriel looked at Aleksis for a long time before continuing, "I bought this farm a while ago and I was planning to spend the rest of my life here and die. My adventure in the world is over. I changed my mind when I saw Aleksis. I never had a child, and I feel like I have no purpose in life anymore. All the great adventures I wanted to do have been done... but now I want to share them with Aleksis. I want to take her around the world and make crop circles together. I want to take her sailing in the vast ocean to explore the waters and show her the treasures of the sea that I hid in the Caribbean. Now I even want to wait until Space X launches a voyage into space so that I can explore the sky with my daughter ...."


    Finland remembered Caspar''s words two years ago, that Finland would change her mind and want to live as an immortal when they had children, because she would want to see her children grow up and live happily. Was this how Lauriel felt about Aleksis? He wanted to live forever so he could see Aleksis grow and go on adventures with her?


    "But Aleksis is not your child..." Finland said quietly, "Someday you will meet a woman, fall in love and have a child of your own. I''m sure that will happen."


    Lauriel laughed at that, as if Finland was saying something funny.


    "Finland, I''ve been exploring this earth for 550 years... I''ve seen kingdoms built and destroyed, wars go on and on, rulers come and go. I see times change and life flourish. If I wanted to have a wife and children, it should have happened a long time ago, but the fact is that I''m still alone. I don''t like humans. Only a few people I can tolerate." His tone of speech then became serious. "I already consider Aleksis as my own daughter, and I wish to officially adopt her as my child if you don''t mind. What is mine will be hers..."


    Finland knew that Lauriel was very rich, even though she never saw him do any work. As a woman who grew up in poverty, getting a wealthy foster father for her child was a big temptation, especially now that Caspar had moved on and didn''t want to acknowledge her child, and instead lived with Sophia...


    "I''m not used to accepting other people''s kindness," She said later. She could not accept Lauriel''s offer. "Tell me, what''s your real reason? There''s no way you want to do all that for a child who has no blood relation with you..."


    Lauriel shook his head at the stubborn girl¡­


    "You''ve received my kindness for the past year, have I ever shown that I have an ulterior motive? I don''t need anything in this world. I have everything. If I wanted something in return, wouldn''t I have asked for it a long time ago?"


    "But there is no such human..." hissed Finland. "Sorry, I''m a pessimist. I can''t believe that someone can be nice to others without wanting anything in return..."


    Lauriel stared at Finland for a long time and then something struck in his mind.


    "Hmm... do you think I want you?"


    Finland did not answer. She recalled that in Singapore, Lauriel held her hand and began to behave somewhat differently.


    "Don''t you think I can get any woman I want?" Lauriel asked again.


    "That is true," said Finland softly. "But the fact is that you are here with me and Aleksis. It''s been a year - since we first met ¨C and you have never left us."


    Finally, Lauriel smiled and nodded slowly.


    "Hmm... you''re right."


    Finland took a deep breath. She already suspected this.


    "I''m sorry... my wounds are still very fresh. I don''t know when my heart will recover and be able to open up to others." Finland looked away sadly. She wanted to hide her tears. "You are very kind, but I can''t be with you."


    "It''s OK, Finland. I can wait." Lauriel smiled gently. "I''m not in a hurry.".

 Chapter 148 - Teaser for this week: dont read if you hate spoilers

    I have a bad habit of spoiling bits and pieces of my stories (without ruining the plot). I am very excited about this week''s chapters because so many good things will happen. I''ll let you take a peak and know what to expect =).


    Stop reading if you hate spoilers. You''ve been warned.


    PS: The text still needs editing, so please bear with it for now =)


    .


    .


    SPOILER STARTS HERE:


    .


    ####################


    Finland held her chest that suddenly felt painful. If she had known from the start that Lauriel was an Alchemist, she could have gotten Caspar''s phone number sooner and she could have contacted him as soon as Jean woke up from his coma. Maybe Caspar would be with her now, and not with Sophia.


    Lauriel looked at Finland with a complicated look.


    "I know you were sad, but I never forced you to tell me about yourself... I thought, if you trust me enough, you will open yourself up to me, and when that happens, I will also open myself to you," He sighed, " I never thought that even though we meet every day, and I take care of your daughter, you need two years to start opening yourself to me... I wouldn''t have known who Aleksis'' father was if we hadn''t been rejected from the Continental Hotel last year."


    Finland was now aware that most of what happened was her own fault. It was very difficult for her to trust other people and open herself to others.


    Lauriel, who treated her so well, never forced her to tell him anything she didn''t want him to know. As a result, two years passed before she was able to tell him about Jean and what happened between her and Caspar.


    "Sorry... it''s my fault. I should have trusted you..." Finland whispered in a sad voice. "I really have a hard time trusting people. It''s a bad habit that is hard to change."


    ###################


    Lauriel shook his head. "It looks like you are misinformed, Finland. Caspar doesn''t know whose daughter Aleksis is. When I brought Aleksis with me, he asked who the child was. I introduced Aleksis as my daughter. At that time I didn''t know Caspar was her father..."


    "But Sophia said that Caspar knew that I was pregnant and thought Aleksis was Jean''s daughter. That''s the reason why he decided to move on from me." said Finland with a bitter tone.


    "Why do you believe Sophia''s words?" Lauriel became impatient, "Sophia always had a crush on Caspar. She might have tricked you into leaving him."


    Finland was suddenly stunned. She had never thought like that before. She never got the chance to talk to Caspar. At that time, he only sent Sophia to meet her, and Finland wasn''t able to tell him about Aleksis in person...


    ###################


    "Hi Jean, do you want some coffee? I brought extra for you," Lily De Vries, his co-star in the movie, opened the trailer door after knocking twice. She handed a cup of coffee to Jean who was reading the script and sat next to him. "Today more women came claiming to be your friend. Geez ... those women would do anything just so they can meet you."


    "Hmm ..." Jean nodded tiredly. Since the press conference at that time, there have been a lot of calls and women who have been trying to meet him, claiming to be Finland. After meeting dozens of impostors, he almost gave up hope and didn''t expect to see Finland again.


    "But at least this one isn''t as brutal as the other girls. She was polite and she gave you a present." Lily pulled a box out of her coat pocket, "The music box is beautiful. If you don''t like it, just give it to me..."


    Jean accepted the music box with a frown. He opened it and slowly La Vien Rose was playing from the box. He was stunned, this music box felt very familiar.


    "Where is the person who gave you this music box?" he asked quickly.


    "I met her at the gate. She had been waiting for hours, she said, no one would let her in, because when she saw me she immediately stopped me. I said I would deliver the gift to you." Lily looked at Jean in surprise. "Why?"


    Jean immediately ran out of the trailer looking for Finland.


    #####################


    Finland gasped, she immediately turned toward the origin of the voice and found the man she missed was kneeling beside her, and his face looked very worried.


    "Caspar ...? You''re here ...?" She asked in disbelief. She touched Caspar''s face while shaking her head, "This must be my imagination ... because I miss you so much ... I finally went crazy ..."


    Finland really thought she was only hallucinating. Caspar can''t suddenly appear before her like this right? She thought because she was missing him so much, her mind tricked her like this.


    "You miss me...?" Caspar frowned, he didn''t understand what Finland was saying. "What do you mean?"


    Finland, who thought Caspar in front of her, was only a hallucination, could not stop herself from embracing Caspar and crying on his chest. "I miss you every day ... I can''t hold it anymore. I want to talk to you and meet you one last time ..."


    Jadeith had arrived and drove away all the staff and guests who were still in the lobby to give the two of them privacy, and in an instant the large space had become quiet. Only there were Finland and Caspar in each other''s embrace and only her sobs could be heard.


    "I don''t understand ..." Caspar didn''t know how to behave when the woman he loved cried in his chest. He refrained from rubbing the girl''s head and calming her. "Did something happen ...?"


    "I''m sorry, because I was so angry with you and left you because of what happened to Jean ..." Finland sobbed, not realizing that their surroundings were now empty. "I did not tell you that I was pregnant, because I was afraid you would never let me go ... and at that time I wanted to get away from you. I met Lauriel in America and he helped me a lot since our child was born ... Lauriel considers Aleksis like his own daughter because Aleksis gave him a reason to continue living... "


    "W ... what did you say? Lauriel''s child is MY child?" Caspar was devastated. He did not expect this at all. He remembered from the beginning Lauriel introduced Aleksis as his daughter, and he did not ask further. He did not think Aleksis was just an goddaughter to Lauriel. "Wh ... why didn''t you tell me earlier?"

 Chapter 149 - Lauriels Story

    "This kid falls asleep so easily..." Lauriel commented suddenly.


    He placed his index finger in front of his lips to signal Finland not to make a sound. Aleksis slept soundly on Lauriel''s lap and he carefully carried her into the house. Finland cleared up their picnic blanket and followed him.


    Until she was placed in her bed, Aleksis did not wake up at all. Lauriel signaled Finland to follow him out of the room. They then walked to the stable and Finland was immediately amazed to see the gallant horses inside the big stable.


    "Want to explore this place on horseback?" Lauriel asked.


    "Uhm... I can''t ride a horse..." Finland said. She immediately felt moody. Lauriel''s horses were very handsome and she imagined that exploring this beautiful farm area by horse would be very exciting.


    "Later, when you come here often, I will teach you two how to ride horses. For now, you can ride with me."


    He gave a signal to the stable boy who immediately nodded and placed a saddle on a handsome well-built and tall white horse. After the horse was ready, Lauriel helped Finland get on it.


    "Whoaa... it feels so exciting to be on a horse this tall..." exclaimed Finland in a tone of admiration. Lauriel smiled hearing that. He then went up and sat behind her.


    "Before the invention of cars, everyone rode on horses or coaches if they wanted to go anywhere." Lauriel pulled the reins and controlled the horse from behind Finland. The horse began to gallop casually. "I''ve tried almost all means of transportation humans built ever since they walked on land until now they are able to fly a plane. Nothing beats the pleasure of exploring the world by horse ..."


    Finland did not comment to Lauriel''s words. Both of their bodies were very close to each other since they were sitting on the same horse, and for the first time she noticed Lauriel''s distinctive citrus-like scent.


    She had known Lauriel for a year now, ''sharing'' custody over alexis, and never had the man behaved strangely nor made her uncomfortable. He had a commanding aura which made Finland unable to object his orders, but at the same time he never imposed his will.


    For example, he was able to make Finland and Aleksis go to his place at the Hilton Hotel from the hospital because Finland''s apartment was very dusty, then he made Finland leave Aleksis in his care when the she left for work, and finally involved himself in Aleksis'' entire life.


    And today, he was able to ''order'' Finland to ride a horse with him. His actions always felt very reasonable and casual, which made it somewhat impossible for the girl to say no.


    Finland remembered their conversation by the lake earlier, that Lauriel wanted to formally adopt Aleksis to be his daughter, and that he wanted to be with Finland and was willing to wait for her forever. That made Finland feel very conflicted. The next thing she knew was that they were riding on a horse together and she could not refuse.


    "Why are you silent? You don''t like riding horses?" Lauriel asked, aware of Finland''s silence. "Or did I make you uncomfortable?"


    "Uhm... that''s not it." Finland didn''t know how to convey her feelings properly. "You said earlier that you wanted to be with me, and I have made it clear that I am not ready to open my heart to anyone... But you casually just took me riding like this without me being able to refuse. I don''t understand how you can do it."


    Lauriel just smiled at that.


    "Hmm..."


    "You have to teach me how you can make people do what you want without seeming imposing like this, you''re very good at that..." Finland commented.


    "Hmm..." Lauriel coughed a little, "The secret is to have great self-confidence and know that you''re right. That is all."


    Great confidence was not Finland''s forte, so she realized that she would not be able to imitate Lauriel. Jean used to try to take her into the modeling to make money because she was beautiful, but Finland''s self-confidence was so low that no matter how much she liked money, she could not work as a model.


    "Then I won''t be able to learn how to do it," Finland said, "I''m not as confident as you are."


    "Why?" Lauriel asked. "You''re so smart and beautiful. Why aren''t you confident about yourself?"


    "I grew up in poverty and for years was I bullied by mean girls in school. In the real world, just being beautiful and smart is not enough. You have to be rich, so you don''t get bullied."


    "Hmmm... you don''t have to be rich," Lauriel said. "If you are strong, you will also not be oppressed by others, and wealth will also follow you. I know a beautiful woman who grew up in poverty. She was even forced to become a prostitute on a ship. But she managed to raise her status when she married a pirate. After her husband died, she took over his pirate group and built the largest pirate empire in human history, up to 80,000 men at the height of her glory. She controlled the Chinese Sea and demanded tribute protection from ships that crossed her territory. Her name was Ching Shih*."


    After Lauriel revealed his secret of being an Alchemist, Finland was able to get to know the man better. He was no longer hesitant when talking about his past. He managed to make Finland hold her breath when he told the girl about his adventures in China in the 19th century.


    His ship was seized, and he was captured by a gang of pirates led by a former prostitute named Ching Shih. As former Black Bart the pirate, Lauriel understood very well the life of Ching Shih and her gang and he succeeded in impressing the pirate queen to free him and later they became friends.


    Lauriel lived with Ching Shih and Cheng Po Tsai, her late husband''s adopted son and was his second-in-command, who later became Ching Shih''s lover, for several years and helped them organize the management of the largest pirate group in human history.


    The group at its peak had 80,000 men. The group later dispersed when Ching Shih and Cheng Po Tsai received forgiveness from the king and became government officials.


    "You always seem to live in contact with danger. Aren''t you afraid of dying? I know you can live forever, but that doesn''t mean you can''t die, right?" Finland asked.


    "Hmm... why should I be afraid of death?" Lauriel shrugged. "I''m very good at fighting with bare hands, swords, and guns. I''ve never been defeated."


    Finland believed in Lauriel''s words. His confidence was certainly supported by his great abilities, so that he could very casually tell stories about his adventures, which usually made Finland''s heart beat in fear.


    Not just living with pirates, Lauriel once freed slaves from Africa from the hands of slave traders. Finland knew that slave traders were one of the cruellest kind of people in history.


    Finland really enjoyed riding with Lauriel and she was happy because the man had promised to teach her to ride horses when they returned to the farm for the next vacation, so that Finland could ride on her own.


    ***


    .


    *Ching Shih to this day is known as the most successful pirate in world history. I admire her greatly.

 Chapter 150 - Missing Jean

    After spending 3 days on Lauriel''s farm, Finland finally felt a little better. The man kept her so busy with various activities on the farm that she had no time to be sad, from harvesting vegetables and cooking in the kitchen, to canoeing in the lake and exploring the valley to look for mushrooms and various medicinal plants.


    Lauriel had a great deal of knowledge about various plants and he was like a botanist explaining the benefits of the various shrubs and trees they pass through. He could tell you exactly which ones could be eaten, and which ones are poisonous. He also told his world-exploring adventures and all his stories were very thrilling and awe-inspiring.


    They returned to San Francisco feeling much better. When she returned to her office, Finland was able to control her feelings and work again. She then buried herself in work to forget her sadness due to Caspar''s refusal to meet her.


    Over the next few months Finland became like a robot who got up just to work and take care of Aleksis. The pattern of sleep ¨C work ¨C Aleksis was just on repeat.


    Every month Lauriel took her and Aleksis to the farm for several days and only there Finland would feel a bit of relief. The beautiful nature slowly healed her broken heart. But when they returned to San Francisco, her robotic routine repeated and controlled her life.


    Finland almost never smiled again.


    ***


    "What are you thinking about?" Anne asked suddenly while they were having lunch together.


    "Uhm... what?" Finland did not pay attention to Anne''s words because she was busy with her own thoughts.


    "See? You''re not concentrating," said Anne, shaking her head. "Surely you have a problem..."


    "Uhm..."


    "Do you want to come with me and Lucia for a girls night tonight? Let us have fun."


    "You can have fun because you don''t have children," Finland said. "I have to take care of Aleksis."


    "You can pay for a nanny. So far, when you go to work, who takes care of Aleksis? Maybe you can ask her nanny to take overtime for just this one day. Besides, Aleksis is almost two years old, so she should be able to be left longer." Anne urged Finland. "I mean... if you''re happy, of course Aleksis will also be happy. Come on, when was the last time you watched a movie in the cinema?"


    Finland hardly watched movies in the cinema except with Jean, so the last time she watched a movie was when Jean visited Singapore almost three years ago.


    Suddenly she felt deep sorrow for Jean because she was missing him so much. She was still following Jean''s career development and now her best friend had entered the movie industry in America. He shared his time between Los Angeles and Paris.


    As she thought of Jean, Finland suddenly remembered that Jean''s latest film had just aired in the cinema, and her longing became even greater. She wanted to watch Jean''s movie and satisfy her longing for her friend because for two years she could not reach him.


    "Hmm... okay, let''s watch a movie. Have you seen ''The Thief'' yet?" Finland asked them. Jean played as the best friend of the main character in the movie.


    "Not yet, but the story is very interesting. We can watch that if you want," replied Anne.


    "All right, then I''ll come along. I''ll tell Rory I''ll be home late."


    "Who is Rory?" Lucia asked curiously.


    "My friend who looks after Aleksis..."


    "Oh, okay. I hope he doesn''t mind watching over Aleksis until the evening..."


    Finland was sure that Lauriel would not mind taking care of Aleksis until night. He had actually asked Finland to allow Aleksis to stay over at his house, but Finland always refused because Aleksis was still so young. He had even prepared a beautiful room for Aleksis in his house.


    [My office friends invited me to go to the cinema tonight. Would you mind taking care of Aleksis until 10 PM?]


    [Sure. Have fun!]


    Lauriel made Finland''s miserable life bearable. She could focus on working, caring for Aleksis, and now she could even go out with her female friends because of Lauriel.


    If she hadn''t had Lauriel in her life, Finland would find it very difficult to keep her job. She had to stay at home to care for Aleksis and finance their lives with the money Caspar had given her.


    At 19.30, Finland, Anne and Lucia entered the cinema. They had a quick dinner before going to the movie theatre and now they were enjoying popcorn while drinking soda. The movie would start in a couple of minutes


    "Hey, I was told that the second lead is very handsome..." Anne commented in a whisper. "He stole the attention of the main star of this movie."


    "He is a new actor from France, right? If I''m not mistaken, they are considering letting him play in the upcoming James Bond franchise," Lucia replied. "His name is... Jean, if I''m not mistaken. I forgot his full name."


    "James Bond? But James Bond must be English, Jean is obviously half Asian..." Anne asked.


    "Not for the James Bond role obviously, but one of the villains who becomes James Bond''s enemy. Like an evil mastermind from Asia - something like that..."


    "Ohh..." Said Anne, as she looked at Jean who just appeared on the screen, playing music at the wedding of the main character, "He has the face of an angel. If he gets to play the role of an evil mastermind in James Bond, it would be very interesting..."


    "The director specifically asked him for the role. The director, Jonah Smith, really liked his performance in his last indie film." Lucia and Anne continued to talk about Jean every time the man appeared on the screen. They did it by whispering so they didn''t disturb the other audience.


    Finland did not pay attention to the two, her focus was only on Jean who graced the scene on the screen. Jean was currently living his dream of becoming an actor, and his popularity was increasing by the day.


    Finland missed him so much.

 Chapter 151 - Reignited hope for Jean

    After the movie ended, Finland received an SMS from Lauriel.


    [Aleksis is sleeping. You can come to my house and stay overnight, or I can drive her tomorrow morning to your place. I don''t have the heart to wake her up now.]


    Finland looked at her phone and thought for a long time. Anne and Lucia, who saw her frown, immediately asked what was troubling her mind.


    "What is wrong?"


    "My daughter is asleep, and Rory doesn''t have the heart to wake her up..." Finland tapped on phone, thinking, "I can come there and stay overnight, or I can pick her up tomorrow."


    "Can your friend be trusted?"


    "He definitely can."


    "Well... you just go and rest tonight, then. Tomorrow you can pick up Aleksis," said Anne, giving a solution. "Besides, if you go there now, it would be useless since she''s already asleep. If you spend the night, you will have difficulties coming to work tomorrow because you don''t have any clothes for change."


    Finally, Finland nodded in agreement.


    [OK. I will pick Aleksis up tomorrow after I leave the office.] Finland sent an SMS to Lauriel informing him of her decision. She quickly added, [Thank you.]


    In her entire life, Finland had never been separated from Aleksis like this. She kept thinking about how Aleksis was doing at Lauriel''s house. After she arrived home, she showered and prepared to go to sleep. However, she kept thinking about her daughter.


    [Is Aleksis sleeping well?] Finally, because she couldn''t stand it, she sent an SMS to Lauriel. [If she wakes up, please tell me, I can go there immediately.]


    [Sleep tight. Do not worry, Aleksis is fine. You just rest.]


    Finland tried to sleep as Lauriel suggested, but she realized that until midnight she still was not able to close her eyes. Finally, she sent another message asking about Aleksis''s condition.


    Lauriel, who was reading a book in his library, soon realized that Finland was very worried and he finally became impatient.


    [Just come here if you''re really worried.]


    Fifteen minutes later Finland arrived at Lauriel''s house. She brought a change of clothes so that tomorrow she could go straight to work.


    "Sorry, I changed my mind," said the girl as she appeared at Lauriel''s door. The man nodded and invited her inside. Finland had never stayed over at Lauriel''s house before. She and Aleksis only stayed with him when they were on vacation at his farm or when they stayed at a hotel after returning from the hospital and traveling to Hong Kong and Singapore last year.


    In Lauriel''s house, there was a room that was decorated with a Disney theme fit for a princess. It was a room prepared just for Aleksis to play and spend most of her time while Finland was working.


    Now, her daughter was sleeping soundly in her beautiful bed that was made to look like Princess Aurora''s bed. Anyone would not have the heart to wake the little angel up from her beautiful sleep.


    After seeing Aleksis sleeping peacefully, Finland''s heart calmed down. She smiled with relief and looked at Lauriel gratefully.


    "How was the movie?" Lauriel asked, taking out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He gave a signal for Finland to follow him to the library.


    "The movie was very good. I know the actor..." Finland received a glass of wine from Lauriel and placed her bag on the couch. "He is my best friend whom I haven''t seen in a long time..."


    "You never told me about him," Lauriel said. He took a sip of his wine and looked at Finland with a frown. "Why haven''t you seen him?"


    Finland pondered for a moment before finally deciding to tell Lauriel what happened between her, Jean and Caspar. The man listened carefully, and his face did not change at all.


    "I''m sorry to hear that you lost your friend... Sorry I didn''t know this before, I''ve resigned from worldly life for decades..." Lauriel touched Finland''s hand and patted her softly, as if to ease her burden. "I know Aldebar is a very talented scientist and the potions he creates must be effective. But if I had known earlier, maybe I could have helped Jean restore his memories..."


    Finland gasped at Lauriel''s words. "You... can you do it?"


    "I''m an expert on poisons and medicines... There are many plants that have extraordinary properties in this world." Lauriel pondered for a moment, remembering, "I once learned of this special medicine when I was in the depths of the Amazon. I am not going to promise you that I will be able to recover Jean''s memory completely. But I can try..."


    Tears slowly dripped from Finland''s eyes. After almost 3 years, she had given up on hoping for Jean''s memories to return. Now, suddenly Lauriel reignited her hope...

 Chapter 152 - What do you want?

    "Oh, Lauriel... why didn''t you say from the beginning that you can treat Jean? We have known each other for almost two years, and I am always late in finding out important things about you..."


    Finland held her chest that suddenly felt painful. If she had known from the start that Lauriel was an Alchemist, she could have gotten Caspar''s phone number sooner and she could have contacted him as soon as Jean woke up from his coma. Maybe Caspar would be with her now, and not with Sophia.


    Lauriel looked at Finland with a complicated look.


    "I know you were sad, but I never forced you to tell me about yourself... I thought, if you trust me enough, you will open yourself up to me, and when that happens, I will also open myself to you," He sighed, " I never thought that even though we meet every day, and I take care of your daughter, you need two years to start opening yourself to me... I wouldn''t have known who Aleksis'' father was if we hadn''t been rejected from the Continental Hotel last year."


    Finland was now aware that most of what happened was her own fault. It was very difficult for her to trust other people and open herself to others.


    Lauriel, who treated her so well, never forced her to tell him anything she didn''t want him to know. As a result, two years passed before she was able to tell him about Jean and what happened between her and Caspar.


    "Sorry... it''s my fault. I should have trusted you..." Finland whispered in a sad voice. "I really have a hard time trusting people. It''s a bad habit that is hard to change."


    "It''s okay. I would rather have you to wait for years to trust me, because that means that your trust is hard-earned. If you easily place your trust in all the men who enter your life, it won''t be good for Aleksis..." Lauriel replied. "I already told you, I''m not in a hurry."


    Finland shook her head, "Two years is a very long time... I''m so such a difficult person to deal with..."


    "I''m listening..." Lauriel said with a smile. "What else do you want to tell me? You can also ask me anything."


    Finland finished the wine and refilled her glass. She then twirled her glass and wondered how much she could tell Lauriel.


    "I am an orphan, Rory. I have no family, and I grew up in poverty and suffering. For as long as I can remember, I had no friends during my youth. At school I was always bullied by a gang of rich evil girls... Jean was the only person who was kind to me, and eventually he became my best friend. I never trusted anyone until I met him... I also never opened my heart to love, until I met Caspar."


    Finland bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears that were on the verge of flowing down.


    "You don''t need to tell me if it makes you sad," Lauriel said. "I can guess what happened... Caspar was never serious with any woman. Even Katia, who was engaged to him for decades, couldn''t change him..."


    Finland sighed softly, "Caspar said he had never been in love... That''s why he acted like that. But he said that for the first time in his life, he fell in love¡­ with me... And then he asked me to marry him. Our marriage was officiated by Aldebar and we announced it to the whole clan at Aldebar''s 200th birthday party."


    "Hmm... really? Then maybe he has indeed changed..." Lauriel frowned. He found it hard to believe that Caspar the playboy could turn faithful, but he knew Finland wouldn''t lie to him. "So, you are married before the Alchemists? Then why is he with Sophia?"


    "I was wrong... I left him, and I didn''t keep my promise to contact him when Jean woke up from his coma. Maybe he was tired of waiting for me, and Sophia was there, beside him, comforting him. I lost his contact so I couldn''t call him, until I got his number from you. You know how difficult it is to get access to people like him¡­" Finland rubbed her teary eyes," I also gave more importance to Jean than to him when the shooting happened, so maybe he thought I loved Jean more than him... and he thought Aleksis was Jean''s child..."


    Lauriel shook his head. "It looks like you are misinformed, Finland. Caspar doesn''t know whose daughter Aleksis is. When I brought Aleksis with me, he asked who the child was. I introduced Aleksis as my daughter. At that time I didn''t know Caspar was her father..."


    "But Sophia said that Caspar knew that I was pregnant and thought Aleksis was Jean''s daughter. That''s the reason why he decided to move on from me." said Finland with a bitter tone.


    "Why do you believe Sophia''s words?" Lauriel became impatient, "Sophia always had a crush on Caspar. She might have tricked you into leaving him."


    Finland was suddenly stunned. She had never thought like that before. She never got the chance to talk to Caspar. At that time, he only sent Sophia to meet Finland, and Finland wasn''t able to tell him about Aleksis in person...


    Caspar was the one who refused to see her at the time.


    "Aldebar says the Alchemists can''t get divorced... Then what happens to us now? Is he currently still my husband, according to the rules of the Alchemists?" Finland asked with a face full of questions, "I don''t fully understand your systems yet..."


    "Divorce is not something taboo in our society. It''s just that there has never been any divorce in our history. All Alchemist couples who decide to get married have gone through a very long and mature relationship, so that no one changes their minds halfway." Lauriel said, "But, of course, if you want to separate, there isn''t a single rule in this world that can force you to be together."


    "Oh..."


    "Do you still love him?" Lauriel asked in a calm voice.


    Finland did not answer.


    "What do you want?" Lauriel asked again.


    "I want to meet Caspar and tell him about Aleksis..." Finally, Finland spoke up, almost in a whisper. "I am sorry..."


    Lauriel stared at Finland for a long time, and then nodded.


    "OK."

 Chapter 153 - Sleepover

    Both were silent, busy with their own thoughts. Finland was upset because she let herself be deceived by Sophia at that time. Caspar must have been mad at her because she didn''t call him after Jean woke up from a coma, that was reasonable.


    The misunderstanding was that apparently Caspar didn''t think of Aleksis as Jean''s daughter; he just didn''t know who Aleksis really was.


    One question that was really propping Finland''s heart was why Caspar insisted on not meeting Finland and asked for his mother''s ring to be returned. This was quite confusing her, and it made her very sad. She could not think of any reason why Caspar would not want to meet her at all...


    "What should I do?" Finland asked in a low voice. She tried hard to think of all the possibilities but she could not understand why Caspar would not see her. "Caspar didn''t want to see me... He also asked for his mother''s ring back, and told me never to contact him again. I didn''t even have the chance to tell him about Aleksis."


    "Maybe he has his reasons." Lauriel pondered for a long time. "One possibility would be that he deliberately wanted to stay away from you because he does not want you to be targeted by his enemies. If he really loves you, you will be his weakness."


    Finland remembered Caspar once mentioned that exact same thing, that Finland was his weakness. Was that the reason why he wanted to stay away from Finland? To protect her? Did Caspar really not know that Finland gave birth to their child?


    "If he wants to protect me, he shouldn''t have stayed away from me... He should have taken me and Aleksis with him and kept us by his side..." Finland said, biting her lip. She felt that Lauriel''s words did not make sense. "The safest place for us to be would be with him¡­"


    Lauriel looked at Finland probingly. "Do you still love him? Do you want to go back to him?"


    Finland did not answer. She still loved Caspar, but she didn''t know if they would ever get back together. Caspar didn''t even want to see her.


    She also felt that it was unfair for Lauriel who had been so kind to her and Aleksis, if she decided to return to Caspar.


    Because of that she couldn''t find it in her heart to answer the question.


    "Finland, I know you need years to trust me. But now that we have opened up to each other, I beg you to always be honest with me. I don''t want you to hide your true feelings from me. I am a grown man and as a man I can accept the truth. Don''t be afraid to tell me what your heart desires..."


    Lauriel held Finland''s hand and looked at her intently. His pair of bright blue green eyes looked very charming, and Finland could not look at him for long. She looked away sadly.


    "You''re too kind. I don''t want to hurt your feelings..." she said softly.


    Lauriel smiled at that.


    "I like honesty. I don''t like humans because most of them are liars and destroyers of nature. I only tolerate a few people, including you. I like you because you are not good with small talk. When I first saw you, I felt bad and wanted to help you. But after spending time with you for two years, I learnt that you are a strong woman with extraordinary survival instinct... My love grows with time. I have no family, and I am used to living alone, but for the past two years I have considered you and Aleksis as my family. I will support you and protect you." Lauriel patted Finland''s hand gently, "I want to see the people I love happy."


    Finland was stunned by Lauriel''s words, which felt like rain after a long drought. She had always been alone, and once she decided to consider Jean as her only family. Now that Jean had forgotten her, Lauriel picked her up and Aleksis from the streets and considered them as his family. Finland was very touched.


    "Thank you, Rory..." she whispered in a hoarse voice. "I don''t know how to repay your kindness..."


    "Aleksis is my goddaughter anyway, her happiness is my priority." Lauriel finished his wine and then took his and Finland''s glass to the kitchen. He returned to the library with pillows and blankets. "Let''s talk about what to do tomorrow; how to find Caspar and how to cure Jean. You''d better go to sleep now, tomorrow you have to go to work, right? Or do you want to call in sick?"


    "Uhmm... no, I have an important meeting tomorrow." Finland took the pillow and blanket from Lauriel and spread it on the couch. "Thank you for the blanket..."


    "The pillows and blanket are for me. I will sleep on the couch. You sleep in my room." Lauriel laughed at the confused girl, "How can I let a woman sleep on the sofa? I''ll take you to my room."


    Finland was surprised and involuntarily followed Lauriel, who held her hand, into the master bedroom.


    "I... I''m a guest here, I should just sleep on the couch..." she stammered. Lauriel placed Finland''s bag on the bedside table next to the bed.


    "I left the guest room above empty because I never received any guests. But if you and Aleksis will sleepover here often, I can prepare a nice guest room for you. For the time being, you can sleep in my room. I still want to read in the library."


    Lauriel walked out the door and suddenly Finland came to her senses. She hurriedly chased after Lauriel and hugged his waist from behind.


    "Rory..." She stammered, "Th... thank you."


    "Hmm." Lauriel patted Finland''s hands around his waist but said nothing. As Finland loosened her hug and let go, he continued to walk out of the room and did not turn his head.


    Finland could not sleep at all that night. Lauriel''s bed was very comfortable, because it was made of the most expensive memory foam, but even so, Finland couldn''t keep her eyes closed. Various thoughts raged in her head.


    She couldn''t believe that she let Sophia deceive her for a whole year. Thinking about it, she felt very annoyed. She wanted to meet Caspar as soon as possible and ask him in person why he did not want to meet Finland at that time... She also very badly wanted to tell him about Aleksis...


    And oh, Lauriel may also be able to cure Jean... This made her heart flutter. She really missed her best friend. The only reason why she was able to survive her miserable life in the past was because she could talk to Jean every day. However, for almost 3 years now she couldn''t talk to him anymore.


    This really stressed her out...


    She was very grateful that Lauriel entered her life at the right time. She could not imagine if Lauriel hadn''t saved her when she fainted after Jean''s heart-breaking call two years ago. Doctors said that if she had fallen hard on the sidewalk, the baby in her womb could have died. At that time, she had to bedrest for two weeks before giving birth to Aleksis.


    That was not the only time Lauriel helped her. After that incident, the man had helped her and Aleksis numerous times for the past two years...


    Without Lauriel, Aleksis wouldn''t be living such a healthy and happy life by her side...


    ***

 Chapter 154 - The Handsome Nanny

    Lauriel knew that Finland didn''t sleep well that night because the girl had panda eyes when they met at the dining table for breakfast the next morning. Aleksis was still asleep after Finland took a shower and got ready for work.


    "Usually she gets up at 7..." complained Finland. "It''s already 8 o''clock, but Aleksis is still sleeping."


    "Can''t blame her, the bed here is indeed very comfortable," Lauriel smiled faintly. He handed a cup of coffee to Finland. "Milk?"


    "Yes, please." Finland lifted her coffee cup and let Lauriel pour in some milk. "I''m sorry to bother you again... Please watch over Aleksis today."


    "No problem." Lauriel brought a pan filled with pancakes and placed two on her plate. "Sorry for such a basic breakfast. It''s been a long time since I made breakfast for a girl who stayed overnight."


    "Why, thank you." Finland blushed. She understood what he meant. Even though they were friends, she still felt reluctant to stay at the house of a man who was not her husband.


    Finland went to the office by bus. Although Lauriel offered to drive her, she refused. She had a lot of thoughts on her mind and did not want to give Lauriel, who was already kind enough to offer her a ride, the ''silent treatment'' during their drive. Therefore, she felt riding the bus was a better choice.


    Finland daydreamed a lot in the office that day. Her friends were very surprised to see this as they were used to seeing Finland very focused on work.


    "You''re daydreaming again, like yesterday..." said Anne as they finished a meeting. "Do you have a problem?"


    "Uhmm... I just have a lot of thoughts. It''s okay, really," answered Finland avoiding their questions.


    "Want to have lunch together?" asked Anne again.


    "Hi, Finland... someone''s looking for you." Suddenly Cindy, the office manager, came to the meeting room. Her face looked radiant with joy. "Your boyfriend is so handsome, you should bring him to the office more often. "


    The people from the Market Research department looked at each other and teased Finland. Finland''s office mates in San Francisco were not like her colleagues in Singapore. They liked her and sympathized with her because the girl lived alone and worked hard while raising her child. When Cindy said Finland had a boyfriend, they were genuinely happy for her.


    "I don''t have a boyfriend..." Finland objected quickly. She waved her hands to her colleagues, trying to convince them of her words. But then Lauriel entered with Aleksis in his arms, and the muffled sighs of her female colleagues made Finland turn toward the door. "Ehh... what are you guys doing here?"


    "Mummyyy..." Aleksis rushed towards Finland and the girl immediately accepted her from Lauriel''s arms. "I miss you!"


    "Honey... I miss you too. What''s the matter? Why are you all here?" Finland turned to Lauriel for an explanation.


    The man was wearing a thin shirt with the top buttons open and his rather long disheveled hair made him look very cool. The cold weather of San Francisco didn''t seem to bother him as he appeared in his casual summer looks. Lauriel''s level of tolerance to cold was extraordinary.


    "Aleksis was restless from morning because she didn''t see you when she woke up. I promised her to take you to lunch together so she would calm down." Lauriel explained.


    "Oh... alright..." Finland started to become uncomfortable. She then nodded to her office mates, and showed her rare smile, "Uhm... guys, I''ll have lunch first. My daughter and her ''nanny'' apparently came to pick me up."


    Uh-ah... the women in the office sighed enviously as Finland and Lauriel walked out of the building.


    What they just realized was that this ''nanny'' Finland often talked about was very young and handsome. Really, Finland was very fortunate to have an extraordinarily handsome and loving nanny for her child.


    "Gosh... Finland is so lucky!" exclaimed Anne. "I also want to have a nanny like that... I will soon go to the sperm bank, so I can get pregnant and have children. Later I will leave my child with Aleksis'' nanny too..."


    Lucia just laughed at her, "You''re so naive. There''s no way that guy is a professional nanny. He looks too rich to be a nanny. I am certain that he is Finland''s boyfriend who helps her take care of Aleksis. Finland was only being modest when she said that he''s the nanny..."


    "That means they have been together since Aleksis was born. Remember? a week after her daughter was born, Finland was able to work right away, right? If that is the case, their relationship is progressing really slowly. After two years they still aren''t living together," Anne commented. She looked like she was enjoying the gossip.


    "Maybe they are conservative, so they don''t want to live together before they get married. After all, Finland is Asian," Lucia answered, shrugging.


    "Hmm... you''re right. I mean, if they live together, she could save money on apartment rent."


    "I don''t know... We don''t know. Maybe they really aren''t in a relationship. We''d better not interfere in other people''s business."


    Finland''s colleagues finally stopped talking about her and Lauriel after Tony reprimanded them.


    ***

 Chapter 155 - Making Plans

    Finland and Lauriel went to a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. Lauriel and Aleksis attracted a lot of side glances from people along the way from the office to the restaurant. Both of them looked stunning.


    All the women who saw them wanted to have a child as beautiful as the little angel who was walking slowly between Finland and Lauriel, chattering happily like a bird. They also wanted to have the handsome man who was walking next to Finland, lovingly holding the little angel.


    Finland could only roll her eyes when she saw many women throwing jealous glances at her. She was very happy when they finally entered the restaurant and could hide themselves in a corner of the room.


    She thought of Caspar, who didn''t like eating out because he loved his privacy. Finland realized that the man must very often attract people''s attention because of his good looks, and finally only chose to eat out when he could close the restaurant to the public.


    "You''re not bothered by people''s staring at you?" Finland asked when they were sitting at the table and reading the menu. "Wow... they gave us the wrong menu, this is in Vietnamese."


    Finland was just about to call the waiter to ask for an English menu, when Lauriel stopped her.


    "I understand Vietnamese. I can translate it for you..." He then read the names of the foods and ingredients written on the Vietnamese menu . "You like soup and noodles, right? Here they have beef or chicken pho. You just have to choose."


    Finland was quite shocked to hear it, and involuntarily she nodded, "Uhm... okay, I''ll order beef Pho. Thank you."


    The fact that Lauriel spoke many languages shouldn''t have surprised her. The man had lived for a very long time and had traveled the world for centuries. He was also an expert on plants. It would definitely not be difficult for him to learn various foreign languages during his travels. In many ways, Lauriel reminded her of Caspar.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Lauriel asked with a smile. "Did I just impress you?"


    Finland was touched and nodded, "I didn''t know you could speak Vietnamese. There are so many things I don''t know about you..."


    "Hmm... I haven''t impressed a girl in a very long time. Not bad," Lauriel said with a chuckle. He called the waiter and then in fluent Vietnamese mentioned their order.


    The server was as surprised as Finland was and for a short moment she failed to take down the order. After realizing her mistake, she hurriedly apologized. She then noted Lauriel''s order and immediately went to the kitchen with smiling face.


    "Do you want to call Caspar to arrange for a meet-up?" Lauriel asked when their food was served. He placed the napkin on Aleksis'' neck, who sat on his lap, and asked the little girl. "Do you want spring roll?"


    "Yes, please, Uncle Rory." Aleksis nodded and took the spring roll Lauriel had given her and then ate very politely.


    Finland felt proud because her child, even though she was still so young, understood table manner and did not make a fuss or play with food like most other children. Lauriel really taught the child how to behave like a princess when Finland was busy working.


    "Uhm... yes, I want to meet him. This isn''t something that can be talked about over the phone..." Finland said softly. "But last year he refused to see me. Maybe if I contact him again he would still refuse. I don''t know what the reason was..."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel transferred some Pho into a smaller bowl and handed the spoon to Aleksis. "I can contact him for you."


    "Are you sure?" Finland asked hopefully.


    "Hm..." Lauriel took out his phone and dialed Caspar''s number while Finland looked at him anxiously. Every ring that passed made her heart pound even harder.


    However, Caspar still didn''t pick up the call after ten rings.


    Finland could only sigh in disappointment when Lauriel put down his phone.


    "Maybe he''s in Asia, it''s past midnight there now," Lauriel said curtly. "I''ll text him to ask for his whereabouts."


    They then ate without discussing Caspar again. Finland actually felt very uneasy. She could not imagine what her life would be like if Caspar still wouldn''t meet her. Should she tell him everything via email or SMS?


    "I need two months to find all the ingredients to recover Jean''s memory," Lauriel said after they finished their lunch and were enjoying cold tea. "I have to go to Brazil to look for some of the herbs as they can only be found in the depths of the Amazon."


    "So far away..." Finland felt uncomfortable bothering Lauriel in such a way. "Can''t you just send someone to look for them?"


    "I can''t. A stranger can be killed by the primitive tribe there. I''ve been there several times and I know generations of the tribal chiefs."


    Finland pressed her lips with a muffled sigh. "Sounds very dangerous..."


    "I am used to living in danger..." Lauriel chuckled. "But you don''t have to worry about me, the tribe is very kind to me. I lived for a long time in their place."


    "Uhm... okay." Finland nodded doubtfully. "Thank you..."


    "I want you and Aleksis to come with me, by the way," Lauriel said again. "I''m afraid that the next time you see Caspar, I''ll lose you both from my life. Let me have these two months with you, before I hand you guys back..."


    "Eh...?" Finland gasped. She was very scared at the thought of going to the Amazon jungle to meet with primitive tribes. But what surprised her even more was the possibility that she and Aleksis would never see Lauriel again if she went back to living with Caspar.


    During these two years, Aleksis had been very dependent on Lauriel''s presence. It would definitely be difficult to separate them just like that. "Why do you say that? You will always be Uncle Rory to Aleksis... We can still see each other at any time."


    Lauriel shrugged, ignoring Finland''s question. He had lived long enough in this world to know that although Finland intended to maintain Lauriel''s relationship with Aleksis, he knew that Caspar would never let other men be near his wife and child.


    As a grown man he knew better, and he would not bother them after handing them both back to Caspar. He just wanted to make sure that Finland and Aleksis were okay, and after that he could continue with his plan to take Death.


    As he told Finland two years ago, he had no purpose in life anymore. Now he lived for Aleksis, but if his goddaughter was taken away from him, there was nothing for him to live for anymore.


    "Can you apply for a long leave from your office?" Lauriel asked. "Since this concerns Jean, I suspect you want to be involved."


    "Two months...?" Finland tried to imagine various plausible reasons for asking Tony to allow her to take such a long time off work. All this while, Tony had already given her too many special treatments, and she did not want to disappoint her boss. "I''ve taken one month off, but never two months... I don''t know if it will be approved."


    "I can buy your company and replace the top management if they don''t allow you to take two months off," Lauriel said jokingly. Finland remembered that Caspar once also offered to do the same thing. Somehow these rich people always thought money could solve all problems. She could only shake her head and sighed.

 Chapter 156 - News from Singapore

    Even though Finland loves money, the reason why she stayed working at LTX was because she was loyal to Tony who had helped her a lot. She didn''t actually need her salary because Caspar left her with a lot of money in her account.


    Also, she no longer needed a company sponsor for her visa because Aleksis was born in United States, thus she automatically received a US citizenship. As a mother of an American citizen, she received a green card so she could stay there long-term. Tony had been treating her well for the past two years and she felt bad asking for such big favor like two months off from work, just to go to the Amazon with Lauriel.


    "I''ll talk to Tony first... Maybe I can work part time from abroad..." Finland said while calculating the odds. "As long as my assignments are done, I can technically monitor all our research from afar... Hopefully Tony will understand."


    "I can help you ask for his permission. Maybe, if I convince him, he can understand."


    Lauriel had the rare ability to make people follow his orders without being imposing, which Finland wished she could learn but couldn''t. She could only nod to Lauriel''s suggestion. Lauriel could certainly make anyone do what he wanted.


    Finland finally agreed to accompany him to the Amazon even though she was actually very scared. Lauriel, who was very confident and had a very long history with danger, made Finland feel safe.


    For Lauriel, this would be his last big adventure. He wanted to spend it with the only two humans he loved in this world.


    ***


    In his apartment in downtown Los Angeles, Jean was reading several scripts that were given by his manager. He was trying to determine which movie he should be working on next. Everything was very interesting, but everyone wanted him to be immediately committed at the same time. So, he had to choose.


    "Jean Pierre, you have a call from a lawyer," Bill, his manager, came over with the phone in his hand. "He has been chasing me for a whole week now. He said this is very important."


    "Can''t you ask what it is about?" asked Jean in surprise. Bill was usually very efficient and never let Jean deal with matters that he could handle himself. This was unusual.


    "He said that it is a matter of life and death. Someone''s life depends on you..."


    "Hmm..." Curiously Jean took the phone from Bill. "Good afternoon, this is Jean. Who am I talking to?"


    "Good afternoon, Jean. My name is Harry Li, I''m a lawyer for the Chan family from Singapore. Their child is suffering from leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. We have tried various donors and all of them weren''t a match. You are our only hope..."


    "Wh... what? I don''t understand." Jean thought that the lawyer was being very absurd.


    "Do you remember donating your sperm to a fertility clinic a few years ago? The Chan family''s child came from an embryo made from your sperm cell and Miss Finland''s egg."


    Jean didn''t remember any of this.


    "Why would I donate my sperm...?" He looked at Bill. He was increasingly confused. "Bill, do you remember this?"


    Bill shrugged.


    "I sent a magazine to your management address some time ago, you should have received it by now," said the lawyer patiently. "I know that you experienced attempted murder and, consequently, years of memory was lost. Hopefully the content of the magazine will help you remember."


    Bill seemed to remember something. He took a package from his bag and placed it on the table.


    "Maybe this is what he meant. This package arrived yesterday at the office. Because it was addressed to you, I brought it here as well. I''ll get scissors."


    He took the scissors from the kitchen and immediately unwrapped the package. A magazine was inside the package. It was the January edition of Upkeep Magazine from a few years ago. Jean''s handsome face was on the cover.


    "I don''t remember this cover..." Jean complained. He flipped through the magazine and looked for articles about him. "I''ll ask my former manager in Paris about..."


    He suddenly fell silent. His eyes stumbled upon a number of photos on page 20. It was of him and a girl he did not recognize. Somehow, the pictures looked very familiar.


    Was this the friend he had forgotten? Was this Finland?


    Jean suddenly experienced the Mandela Effect after seeing the article in the magazine. It felt as if the reality he remembered was different from the actual reality. He felt that her face was very familiar, but he could not remember anything about her.


    His head suddenly hurt.


    "Are you okay?" asked Bill who saw Jean stagger into a chair. "Shall I get you your medicine?"


    "It''s OK, Bill. I''m just a little surprised." Jean sighed.


    He really wanted to meet this mysterious girl. There were so many things he wanted to ask her. So many strange things had happened in his life since he woke up from his coma, and he felt that Finland was the key to it all.


    He hadn''t had the need to cut his hair nor shave for the past two years, and his eyes had become brighter. He also felt healthier and stronger; he did not tire easily even though sometimes he had to work for long periods in harsh environments.


    He felt like he was a different person physically and he could not explain what had happened to him. He could even predict whether the weather would be sunny or rainy. It felt as if all his senses had become more alert and sensitive.


    "Have you seen the article?" asked Harry Li. "I know that all this information should have been kept confidential, but that journalist managed to get my client''s contact from the fertility clinic in a sneaky way. However, because the information was leaked, we now benefit from it. My client''s child was diagnosed with leukemia last year and his chance of survival is very slim, unless if he gets a suitable bone marrow transplant. You and his biological mother are our last hope."


    "Have you managed to trace Finland?" Jean asked quickly. "Where is she?"


    "Sorry, Miss Finland moved out of Singapore and we have not yet managed to find her trace. We are still trying..." Harry Li was silent for a few moments, before continuing with a pleading voice, "Would you be willing to be tested to see your compatibility to be the bone marrow donor? "


    "Of course," Jean answered without hesitation.


    ***

 Chapter 157 - The Engagement Dinner

    The next day Finland tried to think of a way to ask Tony for permission to work part time from outside the office. Before she thought of anything, the man entered her office to announce important news.


    "I would like to invite all of you to come to the Starry Night Restaurant tonight, as a celebration because my girlfriend accepted my proposal." His face beamed as he announced this happy news.


    Finland was a bit surprised because she didn''t know that Tony was dating someone, and now, out of the blue, he suddenly announced his engagement. However, she was very happy for her boss. Tony had shown himself to be a good boss and had given Finland a lot of slack these past few years.


    The staff in the office immediately applauded and congratulated Tony.


    [My boss invited us to dinner after work. Apparently, Tony is recently engaged.] Finland knew she couldn''t avoid coming to Tony''s dinner, so she told Lauriel that she would return home late to pick up Aleksis. After pondering for a moment, she sent an additional message, [Do you want to come?]


    Lauriel''s reply arrived 5 minutes later.


    [Of course. It would be a great opportunity for me to talk to Tony and ask for 2 months leave for you.]


    [Oh... good luck then.]


    [Thanks.]


    Finland couldn''t forget Lauriel''s attitude since they discussed the possibility of Finland and Aleksis'' reunion with Caspar. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel really sad.


    Lauriel would definitely be very sad to be separated from them... but he never once tried to force Finland and Aleksis to stay with him.


    That was why Finland felt that she had to take every opportunity to involve Lauriel in their lives, before they went separate ways. If Lauriel wanted them to accompany him to the Amazon, so be it.


    Finland also invited him to come to Tony''s engagement celebration dinner because it meant that they would spend more time together.


    ***


    Tony was really in love. Everyone could see his happy face as he introduced his future wife to all LTX employees he treated to dinner at the restaurant that night. The girl''s name was Rachel Park and she was a beautiful and smart Korean-American woman.


    They met at Tony''s regular bookstore, and after dating for only 6 months, Tony was convinced that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rachel.


    Rachel worked as a pediatrician at a local hospital and was very busy, but she took the time to come to the event dedicated to her and Tony''s engagement. She was quickly on the good side of the LTX International girls because she was very friendly and down to earth.


    However, the star of the evening''s event was Aleksis, who arrived with Lauriel. Everyone immediately surrounded them both and asked to take pictures together. Aleksis, who loved being the center of attention, chattered happily and made everyone want to pinch her cheeks because she was too cute.


    "Ohh... this kid is soooo cute..." Rachel happily carried Aleksis, "You should star in commercials. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met..."


    "Thank you, Aunty Rachel," Aleksis said politely and her sweet smile made everyone happy.


    "Gosh... not only are you pretty, your manners are perfect too... You''re so cute!"


    Finland looked at Lauriel out of the corner of her eye and found the man''s radiant and proud face. It was safe to say that Lauriel was the one who educated Aleksis because he spent more time with the little girl than Finland. Ever since Aleksis was able to speak, she had been taught to always say the words ''please'' and ''thank you''.


    "Thank you," Finland whispered to Lauriel. The man just nodded.


    For some reason, they both thought about the same thing, that after two months, Lauriel would remove himself from their lives. The thought made Finland''s chest feel heavy. She felt that it was unfair to Lauriel.


    When the girls were playing with Aleksis, Lauriel had a serious talk with Tony. Finland''s boss seemed to be listening to Lauriel intently and nodded several times. Finland suspected that Lauriel was again using his charm to make Tony do as he wanted, and he succeeded.


    "Tony already knows and agrees. You can work 2 days a week for the next two months remotely, from anywhere in the world," Lauriel said as they drove back to Finland''s apartment. He would drive them home first before returning to his home.


    "Oh, really? How did you convince him?" Finland asked in amazement. "You didn''t buy LTX''s majority shares and changed the company''s leave policy, did you?"


    "Haha... that''s too easy," Lauriel said. "I used the hard way because I like challenges."


    "So?"


    "I told him the truth about Jean, that I will try to cure him. If Jean can remember you, of course LTX will benefit because he is now very famous."


    "You told him the truth and Tony believed you? Doesn''t this all sound too strange to outsiders?" Finland asked in amazement.


    "Not really. I think I was quite logical when I told him all the facts. Tony immediately understood and agreed. You can start working part time next week, so I have time to prepare for our trip. I''ll buy you a satellite phone so you can keep working from the Amazon... "


    "Oh, okay."


    Lauriel''s car arrived in front of Finland''s apartment building but their conversation was not over yet.


    "Want to come in and have some tea?" Finland offered Lauriel. "We can talk about the trip to the Amazon. I am clueless as to what to prepare..."


    "Hmm... okay." Lauriel looked for an empty spot to park his car before following Finland into her apartment.


    Finland boiled water in a pot and made tea for them both. After taking Aleksis to sleep in her bed, she joined Lauriel in the living room for tea.


    "Caspar still hasn''t replied to any of my texts. He also doesn''t pick up my calls," Lauriel said suddenly. "Do you have to meet him in person?"


    Finland was quite stunned. She felt very sad to know that Caspar did not want to see her at all. Her heart ached at the thought.


    "This isn''t something we can talk about over the phone... I really hope to see him..." replied Finland.


    Lauriel seemed to think for a long time, finally he sighed and gave up, "Okay... I will break my habit and attend the clan event to look for him."


    "What do you mean?" Finland asked.


    "Two months from now there will be a wedding, and all Alchemist clan members will gather in Scotland to attend." Lauriel took a sip of his tea. He looked miserable. He clearly did not like to attend those events. "Normally I avoid crowds, but we have no choice..."


    "Oh, Rory..." Finland felt uneasy. It seemed like Lauriel sacrificed too much for her and Aleksis.


    "It''s okay, Ned and Portia have been in a relationship for more than 100 years and I know them well. I don''t mind meeting them to give my blessing." Lauriel frowned as he continued, "Besides, it may be good for me to meet all the clan members for the last time..."


    Oh... Lauriel was still thinking of dying, Finland thought bitterly.


    "How do you know that Caspar would come to the event? You can''t contact him..." Finland asked. She suddenly felt uneasy; was meeting Caspar again worth the loss of Lauriel?


    "He has to come, because he will be the one to marry Ned and Portia off. It is his responsibility as the clan leader," Lauriel answered. "This may be our last opportunity to meet him, because very few marriages happen among my people. If Caspar wants to disappear and does not want to be found, even if I try, I will not be able to find him."


    Finland bit her lip. She only had this one chance to meet Caspar and tell him what had happened.


    If her efforts later failed, she would be forced to explain everything to him via text or email. Not the ideal way, but she would have no choice.


    ***

 Chapter 158 - Life is Funny

    The villa was beautiful because it directly faced the open sea. A neat row of coconut trees decorated its sides. The villa was located on a small island that looked like letter ''F'' when seen from the air. The villa could only be reached by boat or helicopter from Singapore.


    Caspar often retreated to this island when he didn''t want to be disturbed, and lately he had been coming there more often. His tolerance for humans was running low.


    After parting ways with Finland, he was not fond of meeting people and no longer bothered to take on a new identity. He had been Heinrich Schneider for too long, but he no longer bothered himself with such things. After all, almost no commoner knew his face.


    Now he understood why Lauriel had gone off the grid after he lost his family in the war. Life without a loved one was meaningless.


    Caspar gazed far into the sea. He kept pondering why fate played a such a joke on him. He fell in love with the only woman who didn''t love him back - or she didn''t love him as much as he loved her. And now, the same woman had made Lauriel, whom he admired, fall in love with her.


    Of all the people in this world, why did it have to be Lauriel?


    When he woke up this morning he found 10 missed calls from Lauriel that came in during the night, indicating that the man must be in a reversed timezone to his. There were also several texts from Lauriel asking for his whereabouts and asking to meet.


    [If you still value me as a friend, I want to meet you. We will come to Ned and Portia''s wedding.]


    That was the content of the last text message from Lauriel.


    Lauriel really changed, Caspar thought. Lauriel, who liked to be alone, now he even wanted to come to a clan event like Ned and Portia''s wedding, which would surely be very lively, something so out of character for him. Finland was indeed a special girl who could make all these men change. Caspar no longer wanted to hurt women, and Lauriel no longer lived like a hermit.


    Falling in love with someone really changed people. If he hadn''t experience it himself, Caspar may still look down on people who did stupid things for love or change 180 degrees because of someone they love.


    In two months, after officiating the wedding of Ned and Portia, Caspar intended to resign from worldly affairs, just like what Lauriel did in the past. This would be his last public appearance. He smiled bitterly imagining how he and Lauriel switched positions.


    Life was indeed funny.


    ***


    Even thought it was still August in San Francisco, which meant that it was still summer, the windy weather in the hilly city made the temperature cold throughout the year. Therefore, when she read that Brazil had a tropical climate like Indonesia, Finland felt happy because she could enjoy the warm sunshine again after years of living in a cold city.


    Lauriel advised her to only bring one bag that contained simple clothes made from thin material that would be light and easy to carry. He himself carried a backpack containing some clothes and a book. He also bought a satellite telephone that Finland could use to continue to do her work and stay connected with the company and clients.


    "What are these? Solar panels?" Finland asked when she saw Lauriel''s backpack patched with unique objects that resembled small solar panels.


    "Yes, so I can still get electricity if necessary..." Lauriel smiled broadly, "Technological advancements have made me rather spoiled. I will need electricity to charge my phone, so I can call you."


    "Are you leaving us? Aren''t we going to be with you all the time?" Finland asked, confused. "Then why should we come, if you will leave us?"


    "You will come with me to the edge of the Amazon, but later I will have to walk alone inland. One of the primitive tribes that I will visit has never met other humans from advanced civilizations before. If you and Aleksis come carrying an unknown disease or virus, the whole tribe could be wiped out. I''ve lived there for a long time, so I am not a threat for them. I only need one week, you can wait for me at the inn and work. The rest of the time we will be together."


    "Oh, well understood..." Finland smiled.


    After preparing everything, the small group left for Brazil. The Amazon Forest was the largest rain forest in the world and was crossed by the Amazon River, which was also the largest and longest river in the world.


    They landed in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, and stayed there for two days to adjust to the new country. Thereafter they flew to Manaus. This was where the journey along the Amazon began.

 Chapter 159 - In the Amazon

    "We came at the right time. Thanks to the high tide, I can cross by canoe. I need to go to Santarem to meet my old friends in jungle. Next month, when the water is low, the forest can be explored on foot. The Piripkura tribe, whom I want to meet, recently choose nomadic life because they are hunted by many illegal loggers who want to drive them out of their territory."


    "That is horrible..." said Finland, looking concerned. Lauriel told her that there were still many indigenous tribes in the heart of the Amazon who lived a primitive life and did not want to be associated with modern humans. They did not wear clothes and blended with nature.


    "The people in the Amazon have extraordinary knowledge about plants. A lot of modern medicines were produced based on their heritage and knowledge. What is on the rise right now is ayahuasca. This is a psychedelic drug that has the same effect as DMT. During ceremonies and tribal rituals, the ayahuasca potion is used to cure depression, make humans maximize their brain capacity, and much more. Ayahuasca is one of the ingredients I need to make the potion for Jean. I also need several other plants like acabaya and liana. Liana is easier to obtain. To find acabaya, I need to rely on luck."


    Lauriel continued to explain the various types of plants he needed and where to look for them. After he finished explaining, Finland finally realized just how difficult it was for Lauriel''s to create a cure for Jean.


    The more Lauriel explained to Finland all the herbs he needed and the depths he had to go to obtain them, the more tears welled up in her eyes. Her debt to Lauriel was piling up by the minute, and she had no idea how she could ever pay him back.


    "Mmm... why are you crying?" Lauriel asked suddenly.


    "Uhm... it''s nothing," Finland tried to smile, "I''m just touched."


    "Oh..." Lauriel shrugged, "It is my pleasure to help you, don''t think about it too much."


    Their taxi had arrived at a beautiful inn located by the bank of the Amazon river. The property consisted of various wooden villas that faced the water, which provided a view of the river and the very exotic jungle.


    Some of the lodgings were built on trees which provided the comfort of a home and an impression of living as one with the jungle. Finland couldn''t hold back her admiration seeing the scenery around them.


    "Good afternoon, Sir," said the hotel manager. "Do you want to stay in the tree house like usual?"


    Lauriel laughed, "My daughter is still small, she can''t climb it yet. I want a regular villa. Maybe in a few years we can stay at the tree house."


    The manager looked at Finland, then at Aleksis who was in Lauriel''s arms, and immediately nodded in understanding. He smiled kindly and signaled to the staff to carry their bags as he guided them through the wooden bridge to a beautiful wooden villa at the very end.


    "Hope you enjoy your stay here. As always, food is served at the main restaurant three times a day."


    After making sure everything was done well in the villa, the manager excused himself.


    "Thank you, Jose," Lauriel said, patting the hotel manager''s shoulder. "We want to rest now. Please tell Maurice that I need a boat tomorrow."


    He then chatted briefly with Jose in Portuguese and the two laughed. Finally, Jose excused himself.


    "You also speak Portuguese?" Finland pinched herself for the unnecessary question. "Ah, what kind of question is that... If you speak the less popular Vietnamese, I shouldn''t be surprised if you speak Portuguese..."


    "Exactly," Lauriel replied, smiling. "Looks like you are getting to know me better."


    "Well... after two years. Actually, it''s quite embarrassing. I should already know everything about you in two years," Finland shrugged, "But the fact is that I don''t know much."


    "You don''t need to know everything, just the important things," Lauriel commented. He then carried Aleksis and took her to see the river. "Look at the river, it is so beautiful. Tomorrow we will go out to see the pink dolphins... You will love them."


    "Uhm... there is only one bedroom in this villa," Finland said after going around their villa to check things out. "How are our sleeping arrangements?"


    "You guys sleep in the bedroom. I will just sleep in the hammock over there..." Lauriel pointed to the hammock that was hanging on the veranda of the villa. "I prefer it that way."


    "Oh..."


    Lauriel seemed to be in his element every time they went out of San Francisco and lived close to nature. He looked like an adventurer when he rode his horses on his farm, also now, as he relaxed in a hammock that faced the Amazon river, with a book in his hand.


    His hair seemed to have grown a little longer after they arrived in Brazil and he often tied it up casually for practicality.


    When Lauriel was playing with Aleksis, Finland decided to have a look around their lodging. In her entire life she never thought that she would be able to visit the Amazon. From Lauriel''s story, this place was very interesting. There was an area called the Meeting of Waters, where two rivers of different colors, black and white flow side by side for as far as 6 km.


    Then, of course, there were various fruits and berries that had extraordinary health properties such as acai. They could also go hunting piranhas and observe a variety of wildlife that could only be found on Amazon.


    Tomorrow they would take a walk to see the beautiful pink river dolphins. She could imagine how excited Aleksis would be to be able to feed and swim with the dolphins. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience.


    ***

 Chapter 160 - The Press Conference

    Jean arrived at the hospital with his mother who insisted on seeing her ''grandchild''. Rosalind also wanted to accompany Jean during his bone marrow biopsy.


    Doctor Chou from Raffles Hospital welcomed Jean and Rosalind in his consultation office.


    "His parents are waiting in the patient''s room. They can''t wait to see you." Doctor Chou coughed, "But they begged you not to mention to Terry that you are blood-related. He doesn''t know that he is not the biological child of his parents yet."


    "OK..." Jean nodded in understanding. He just wanted to help, but he realized that his presence may cause the Chan family to feel a little threatened, even though they were the one who conceived and gave birth to their child, Terry was still genetically Jean''s flesh and blood.


    When they entered the hospital room, a married couple in their late 40s stood up to greet Jean. The wife was a mixed Asian-European woman and her husband was a Singaporean. He worked as the general manager of a private bank. Kendrick Chan was very rich and he deeply loved his wife, Sylvia.


    After 15 years of marriage, they still weren''t blessed with a child of their own. Therefore, they finally decided to try the IVF program with an embryo donor because their egg and sperm cells were not healthy enough. After failing many times, the last embryo reached its final gestational age and was born safely, making them the happiest parents.


    Terry was their only child and they both spoiled this child badly. Jean could only imagine how sad they were when their 4-year-old was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia last year.


    They tried everything there was to cure Terry, and the final option was a bone marrow transplant. This was a very difficult option because neither of them was Terry''s biological parents. They had to find information on the sperm- and egg-cell donor and beg for their help.


    They were initially very pessimistic that Jean, who was very famous, wanted to come and help. He didn''t have any relationship with his biological son, as he only acted as a sperm donor. They laid more hope on Finland, who was a regular folk.


    But, to their great surprise, they weren''t able to locate Finland''s whereabouts while Jean easily fulfilled their request.


    "Hello, Terry... how are you?" asked Jean, smiling to greet the 5-year-old boy who lay weak on the hospital bed. He was momentarily stunned because Terry''s face looked very familiar to him. "I brought a toy for you..."


    He handed over a small panda plush toy and was greeted with Terry''s smile. This child would definitely grow into a very handsome young man.


    His face already showed the perfect lines and his cat eyes were exactly like Jean''s. At first glance he looked like a miniature version of Jean. Rosalind couldn''t help holding her breath. She felt like she was seeing her son of 20 years ago. They look so much alike.


    "I''m fine..." Terry nodded, "Thank you for the toy. Panda is my favorite animal."


    "I''m glad you like it."


    Jean had a brief conversation with Terry before the doctor told them to get out so the patient could rest.


    "Thank you very much for coming. We are indebted to you..." Sylvia Chan whispered emotionally after they left Terry''s room.


    "It''s okay, I''m happy to help. Hopefully my bone marrow matches Terry''s," Jean said.


    "I hope so too..." Kendrick Chan hugged Jean gratefully. "Thank you..."


    The doctor immediately scheduled a biopsy for Jean and they waited for the results nervously. If the bone marrow doesn''t match... their only hope would be Finland.


    Where was the girl now? thought Jean anxiously.


    ***


    Caspar just landed his helicopter on the roof of the Continental hotel. He finished composing himself on F Island and must now return to the real world. From the sky he could see several TV broadcast cars in the parking lot and he became curious with what was happening in the hotel.


    As soon as he entered the penthouse, he called the receptionist to ask who the famous guest in their hotel was and why so many reporters were attracted to come.


    "Oh... there is a press conference in one of our halls, sir. There is a team of doctors from Raffles Hospital and the movie star Jean Pierre Wang," said Manager Park.


    Instantly Caspar''s mind flew to Finland''s friend. Famke wiped away his memory a few years ago, and then shot him in his apartment. He then fell into a coma for nine months, which marked the start of the problems between him and Finland, and finally the girl left him.


    Clouds immediately covered his mind. With long steps he descended to the ground floor and headed for the Orchard Hall where the press conference was held. In the room, dozens of journalists were gathered and recorded carefully all the things presented by the team of doctors and Jean.


    Caspar was about to step toward Jean, when suddenly some words caught his attention.


    "... Unfortunately, the test results show that Jean''s bone marrow is incompatible with the patient. Therefore, we kindly request anyone who knows Miss Finland and her whereabouts... to contact her and inform her of this situation. Miss Finland is our only hope..."


    Caspar was soon able to link the information he received piece by piece and concluded that the child produced from the embryo made of Finland''s eggs and Jean sperm was now sick and needed a bone marrow transplant.


    Jean had been tested and he was found to be incompatible, so they hoped to find Finland. The family and doctors had exhausted their options and were asking the internet community all over the world to help find Finland.


    A speck of guilt stuck in Caspar''s heart when he remembered that he was the person responsible for wiping out Jean''s memory. Maybe they could break even if Caspar helped the boy get the bone marrow donor he needed.


    He took out his phone and contacted Jadeith.


    "I need to look for Finland. This is an important matter," he said quickly.


    The phone rang 10 minutes later.


    "Miss Finland is in Manaus with Mr. Lauriel..." Jadeith said nervously. He did not like to convey such news to Caspar, because he could imagine Caspar''s mood going down the drain.


    "Manaus...? Brazil?" Caspar asked in disbelief. "How long?"


    "It''s been two weeks."


    "Oh..." Instantly his pity for the boy and his guilt towards Jean was eroded by the thought of Lauriel taking Finland to his special place. He was very jealous. Caspar knew he would never get rid of this bitter feeling.


    He left the Orchard hall and returned to his penthouse. He no longer cared if the child died.

 Chapter 161 - Jean is looking for me ...

    Finland did not expect that she would really enjoy living in the Amazon. The weather was warm and it was always sunny. It also had a stunning natural beauty. The various unique experiences she encountered with Aleksis and Lauriel made her not want to return to the cold San Francisco.


    They saw the pink dolphins, lemurs, various types of exotic birds, various primates, and even crocodiles and snakes! Lauriel even saw a puma on his way inland and took a picture before the animal disappeared.


    They also experienced things other than the beautiful nature. They went to watch a theater and dance performance in an opera house in Manaus, and they visited a beautiful area called Little Paris.


    Finland began to understand why this was one of Lauriel''s favorite places in the world. The only drawback was that the connection was hard to come by and the internet on the edge of the forest barely worked.


    Finland was not too bothered by that because she only needed the internet for work, and she only needed to work part time for two days a week. Every time they went down to the city for a walk or meet Lauriel''s friends, Finland would use the opportunity to read and send work-related emails. She enjoyed her current life which didn''t depend much on the internet and technology, because she could focus on Aleksis and the nature around them.


    One afternoon after Lauriel returned from a week-long trip inland. He carried with him a bag full of fruits and berries that Finland had never seen before.


    "I need to dry some of these berries to preserve them. They will be very useful in the future," Lauriel said. "What are you doing?"


    "I am arranging interviews with several palm oil plantation business owners in Indonesia with researchers from investment companies who wanted information on the market insights in the industry," Finland replied as she showed the phone in her hand. "Thank God for this satellite phone, I can keep in touch with clients and do my work. It is indeed very expensive... but the joy of living with nature like this is truly priceless."


    "I''m glad you like it." Lauriel smiled. "My work is almost done. In a week after the berries are dried and I get a shipment of special mushrooms from Belem, all the ingredients needed will be complete. We can go home."


    "Oh... I''m so glad to hear that." Finland couldn''t help embracing Lauriel because she was so excited.


    She never thought that Jean would have a chance to be cured, but now Lauriel gave her a new hope. She felt so touched. Lauriel patted her back softly.


    "I''m glad I can help you," he said.


    Finland suddenly realized her overexcitement and let go of her embrace.


    "Sorry, I''m too happy," she said awkwardly.


    Lauriel just laughed and didn''t respond. He took out his Swiss knive and started peeling and slicing the fruits he brought with him. Then, he placed them on a tray. He did it diligently, while occasionally patting Aleksis'' naughty hand who tried to take the fruit he had peeled. "Sshh... these berries are not for children, Sweetie..."


    He gave her a celery so Aleksis did not feel sad. Aleksis happily chatted to herself while playing with her celery.


    "Can I help with anything?" Finland asked.


    "No need. I enjoy doing this. You can continue with your work and call your client..." Lauriel replied.


    "Uhm... okay."


    Thus, the three of them went back to doing their own stuff and kept themselves busy with their respective jobs. Lauriel sliced and dried the berries, Finland arranged LTX client research interview schedules, and Aleksis played with her celery and occasionally interfered Lauriel''s work with her cute hands.


    When evening came, Lauriel invited Finland and Aleksis to have dinner in the city. He wanted to buy some special wine because during the whole week he was in the jungle, he did not drink wine at all. They took a short walk in Little Paris and then had dinner at a Portuguese restaurant.


    Just as they were studying the menu, Lauriel''s phone suddenly caught phone connection and it started beeping with incoming messages.


    "Hmm..." He took out his phone and checked the incoming texts.


    [Check email.]


    He frowned and opened the email on his phone. A few moments later he gave his phone to Finland.


    "That friend of yours... is his name Jean Pierre Wang?" he asked.


    Finland gasped, she nodded.


    "Yes. What about him?"


    "Caspar sent me some news about Jean Pierre Wang and a child who is suffering from leukemia. This e-mail came in a few days ago, but because I was in the jungle I didn''t get a chance to read it before."


    Finland opened the email and clicked some of the links there. Her heart actually hurt because Caspar did not contact her at all, and instead, he contacted Lauriel for matters related to her friend, Jean. But her pain soon disappeared when she saw the news and videos from the press conference held by the team of hospital doctors and Jean in Continental Hotel, dated last month. She was very surprised.


    Lauriel''s phone almost fell when Finland''s trembling hands rubbed her teary eyes. Lauriel quickly took his phone from her and handed her his handkerchief.


    "Jean is looking for me..." Finland whispered in a trembling voice. "He doesn''t remember me, but he has been looking for me... And the child, he will die if no suitable donor is found..."


    "Do you want to go to Singapore?" Lauriel asked. "You can also do a donor compatibility test In Brazil and have the results sent to Singapore for comparison."


    "N... no, I have to meet Jean. If he is in Singapore I have to go there."


    "He may not necessarily still be in Singapore. The news is from a month ago. After all, if you go to Singapore and it turned out that the results don''t match, your efforts of going there will be in vain..." Lauriel took Finland''s hands and tried to calm her down. " If you want to meet Jean, I can find his whereabouts for you."


    "Can you do it?" Finland asked hopefully. Lauriel nodded.


    "After you find out his whereabouts, then we decide what to do. Now, let''s have dinner first."


    Lauriel called someone for a moment then continued to order their dinner. Finland had no appetite and only ordered a salad.


    Just after dinner, Lauriel got a message that Jean was currently shooting for a movie in France. Since France was in the middle between Brazil and Singapore, Finland decided to meet Jean in France and then proceed to Singapore together to undergo a donor test.


    "I still need to stay for a week in Brazil. Do you want to go alone or with Aleksis?" Lauriel asked. "I can take care of Aleksis myself so that you can leave without interruption to Singapore. Children should not be taken to the hospital because they are vulnerable to disease."


    Finland felt conflicted. She did not have the heart to leave Aleksis with Lauriel, but the man made a good point. It would be very inconvenient for her to go back and forth to the hospital with Aleksis around because no one would be able to help her care for Aleksis in France or Singapore.


    "Does it have to be a week? It can''t be accelerated?" she asked nervously.


    "Hmm... the earliest would be 5 days. Tomorrow I will take you to the airport. From there I can immediately continue my journey to Belem," Lauriel replied.


    After two years together, Finland knew that she could entrust her life and Aleksis'' life to Lauriel. She was more worried that Aleksis would contract a disease in the hospital if she insisted on bringing Aleksis with her. Finally, she reluctantly agreed.

 Chapter 162 - The Music Box

    Finland quickly bought a ticket to France. Since this was for her personal business, she refused when Lauriel offered to buy her a plane ticket. Because she was trying to buy last minute tickets, the ticket price for economy class was almost as expensive as business class, so Finland was finally forced to buy a business class ticket and spend nearly 4000 dollars.


    But the thought of seeing Jean, and the hope that his memory could be recovered, was worth all the money she had to spent.


    "Please catch up with me as soon as possible..." pleaded Finland when Lauriel and Aleksis drove her to the airport the next morning.


    "Don''t worry. Next week everything will be OK. We will go to Singapore as soon as I finish my work here," Lauriel said soothingly. Finland kissed Aleksis one last time before the girl entered the airport check security and rushed to board her flight.


    Finland felt calm leaving Aleksis with Lauriel. When she boarded the plane she already missed them. She could not wait for the two to catch up with her in Singapore.


    "All right, Princess, now we go to Belem and sail for a while... Uncle Rory has to meet with an old friend." Lauriel said, leading Aleksis back to the car park.


    As usual, they attracted the attention of so many people. In addition to their good-looking faces and unique eye colors, both of them were wearing matching khaki clothes today. They truly looked like a very cool dynamic duo adventurers.


    ***


    When Finland landed at the Charles De Gaulle airport, Finland suddenly felt her chest heavy. It had almost been three years since the shooting and she never returned to Paris after the incident. This city left so many bitter and sweet memories for her.


    It was already October and the autumn was quite cold in Paris. Finland, who only brought thin clothing from Brazil, quickly reminded herself to go out and buy sweaters and coats after she checked in at the hotel.


    She subconsciously gave the Nobel Hotel address to the taxi driver and she was only aware of what happened when she arrived at the lobby. She just remembered that she was at Caspar''s hotel when the manager on duty recognized her.


    "Good afternoon, Madam. Did you only carry one bag?" The manager on duty asked respectfully. Because Finland did not reply, he politely took her handbag and guided her towards the elevator. "Master and Madam must be so busy that you both never came back."


    His words surprised Finland, but she still subconsciously followed the manager into the elevator. They went up to the top floor, to the penthouse. After placing Finland''s bag on the table, the manager on duty excused himself out.


    "As always, you can call down if you need anything," he said before leaving.


    Finland stood still for a few moments, then she realized that the penthouse had not changed at all. Even though they only stayed in this penthouse for a few days, this place held a lot of memories she shared with Caspar, and apparently Caspar had never been back since.


    She saw that her clothes were still hanging neatly in the walk-in closet, and there were many expensive coats Caspar had bought for her. She didn''t need to shop anymore.


    After flying for so many hours, her body felt very tired. Added with several years'' worth of stress, finally Finland could not stand it anymore. Finally alone, she curled up on the bed and sobbed.


    For the past few years, Aleksis was always beside her, so she did not dare cry. She could only withstand all her sadness, alone. Now, since Aleksis was with Lauriel, finally for the first time in two years Finland could cry until her tears ran out.


    ***


    Jean was memorizing the script for his next scene that would be shot this afternoon. He was currently working on an interesting movie about World War 2 and the shooting was done in Normandy.


    He returned to work two weeks ago because he did not get any news about Finland''s whereabouts. He was quite worried about her fate. There''s no way a human could just disappear, right? He was afraid that something bad had happened to the girl.


    "Hi Jean, want some coffee? I brought extra for you," Lily De Vries, his co-star in the movie, opened the trailer door after knocking twice. She handed a cup of coffee to Jean who was reading the script and sat next to him. "Today more women came claiming to be your best friend. Huh... those women would do anything so they can meet you."


    "Hmm..." Jean nodded tiredly. Since the press conference, a lot of women had called his manager to try to meet him. All of them claimed to be Finland. After meeting dozens of impostors, he finally gave up hope and didn''t expect to see Finland again.


    "But at least this one isn''t as brutal as the previous girls. She was polite, and she gave you a present." Lily pulled a box out of her coat pocket, "This music box is so beautiful. If you don''t like it, just give it to me ..."


    Jean accepted the music box with a frown. He opened it and softly the tune of La Vien Rose started playing. He was taken aback. This music box felt very familiar.


    "Where is the person who gave you this music box?" he asked quickly.


    "I met her at the gate. She had been waiting for hours, she said, and no one would let her in. So, when she saw me walking towards the set, she stopped me and politely asked me to deliver this gift to you." Lily looked at Jean in surprise. "Why?"


    Jean immediately ran out of the trailer looking for Finland.


    This music box felt very familiar. Surely the person who came was the Finland whom he was looking for...


    Instantly his chest swirled with tension and excitement. She was here¡­

 Chapter 163 - Jean and Finland

    Jean arrived outside the gate breathing heavily. He looked around and asked everyone if they saw a girl who had been waiting by the gate for hours.


    "Oh, yes... there was one girl. She waited for you since noon," said James, the assistant director. "Maybe she finally went home."


    "Why didn''t anyone tell me?" Jean asked quickly.


    "We didn''t want to bother you. You know how crazy fans are these days..." James answered, shrugging. Jean couldn''t blame him. Things like that often happened before.


    "Finland... !!!" He finally walked around the block while calling Finland''s name. Maybe the girl was still around and heard him. "Finlaaaand...!!"


    After some time searching without any results, he finally decided to return to the set. He paused in front of the gate and studied the music box in his hand. With a sigh he placed the music box in his coat pocket.


    Jean was about to walk in when suddenly his waist was hugged from behind.


    "Jean..."


    Jean was startled. This girl''s voice felt so familiar. He had heard Finland''s voice over the phone, but at that time he had just recovered from a coma and could not remember well. Now her voice sounded very familiar.


    "Finland? Is that you?" he asked softly. He held Finland''s hands on his waists, "Are you here to see me?"


    Finland could only sob quietly. She was very relieved to hear Jean''s voice again.


    Jean immediately turned and hugged Finland, he could not hold back his tears.


    "I''m sorry... I can''t remember you. I''m sorry for not being able to remember you..." he whispered repeatedly. "I''m sorry... Let''s start over again..."


    For a while they wept silently which attracted the attention of many people who passed by, but neither Jean nor Finland cared. Finland had been separated from Jean for almost three years and she had felt very lonely.


    Jean asked permission from the director to delay the filming because his meeting with Finland was an emergency event. Jonah Smith, the director, understood and decided to postpone the filming of Jean''s part for several days.


    "How did you know I was in Normandy?" Jean asked as they both sat in the trailer and drank tea. "Oh yeah... Sorry, how are you doing?"


    Finland felt a certain melancholy because Jean still did not remember her, but the man knew that at some point in his life, Finland was an important person to him. Rosalind Marchal had told him a lot about Finland and he also began to see traces of the girl in his Instagram account. The article in the Upkeep magazine really convinced him that Finland was his best friend.


    "I... now live in San Francisco," Finland was trying to sound calm. She still could not believe that Jean was in front of her now and they were talking. "I moved there 2.5 years ago."


    "Oh, I have an apartment in Los Angeles, sometimes you have to visit me in LA..." Jean said immediately, "It is only a few hours by train."


    "Yeah, I''ll definitely see you in LA..." Finland smiled and nodded. "Do you still have your apartment on Robertson Road, Singapore? I lived there two months after graduating from college because I didn''t have the money to rent a room... You were very kind to me and let me stay there."


    "Ahaha... that''s nothing," Jean said. "I sold my apartment in Singapore because I rarely go there. Now I spend more time in LA and sometimes I return to Paris."


    "Oh... what about your apartment in Arr 13, is it still there or have you sold it too?" Finland asked again.


    "I had to let that one go..." Jean said. "A lot of people know the old place, so I couldn''t live there anymore. There was no privacy for me there."


    "Oh... a lot has changed..." Finland said softly. "Three years is a long time."


    "How about you?" Jean asked. "Tell me what happened all this time?"


    Finland shook her head, "I''m sorry... Because of me you were dragged into this mess..."


    "A lot of strange things happened..." Jean said quietly.


    Finland looked into Jean''s bright brown eyes and realized that now that Jean had indeed become like Caspar. He was now an Alchemist. Jean''s face was exactly the same as she remembered almost 3 years ago. He didn''t age at all. This meant that Jean had been living as a new person and knew nothing about his own body.


    "I''ll tell you everything... but not here. There are too many ears around here, and I don''t want you to be worried..." Finland said later. "Do you believe me? Will you wait for my explanation? I can''t tell you now... But I promise, I''ll tell you everything."


    Jean stared at Finland for a long time. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but he held back and nodded in agreement.


    "All right... I believe in you. If you were my best friend, surely I believe in you. Whatever it is about..." Jean said later. "I''m really glad that journalist wrote an article about the two of us... Otherwise I would never have found you."


    "I''m happy too, Jean. You don''t know how much I missed you," Finland took Jean''s hand and patted his cheek. "You were my only family in the world... When you fell into a coma and then forgot me, I could barely live."


    Jean looked very guilty. He did not understand how he could forget the sad-eyed girl in front of him. Seeing her in tears made Jean''s heart ache. He felt that he would do anything for this girl.


    "I''m sorry... I didn''t mean to forget you..." he whispered.


    "It''s not your fault... Please, don''t blame yourself. It happened partly because of my mistake too... And now I''m waiting for good news. There is a possibility that we can treat you and recover your memory..." Finland said quickly. "I don''t want to give you too much hope, so we better not discuss it now. If you are willing to come with me to Colmar, I will share some of what happened to you..."


    Jean remembered that his mother said he had been to Colmar a number of times and that he had only just returned from Colmar with Finland when the murder attempt took place.


    "Of course, I will come with you to Colmar. I will get out of this movie production if necessary. Right now, there is nothing more important than knowing what happened to me 3 years ago..." Jean said without hesitation.


    "But if you come out of this movie production, won''t there be a penalty for your contract? Or something like that?" Finland asked worriedly.


    "I can take care of it."


    Jean met with Jonah Smith, the director of his new movie, and discussed the change in schedule. It turned out that they agreed to postpone his part of the shooting. They gave Jean two weeks to take care of his business. Right now, his life was under the spotlight, and all publicity around Jean was considered good for the promotion of the movie he was working on.


    Not long after, Jean followed Finland back to Paris. The plan was to visit Rosalind Marchal for dinner and go to Colmar by car the following day.


    "Gosh... Finland...!! I''m so glad to see you!" Rosalind exclaimed when she opened the door and found Jean and Finland standing in front of her. She immediately hugged the girl very tightly. "You were gone for so long, ma cherie... You''re even more beautiful now than before."


    Finland was touched because Rosalind still remembered her and throughout dinner she tried to remind Jean about the things he had told his mother about Finland. She felt as if their dinner three years ago was replayed before her.

 Chapter 164 - Did we ever have romantic relationship?

    Jean may not remember Finland, but his attitude wasn''t rigid at all. He treated her like a friend and he was very sure that at one time in his life, Finland had a very important meaning to him.


    "We are going to Colmar tomorrow," Jean said. "I want to take the car for our trip. I have found it difficult to take the train, many people will recognize me."


    "Oui..." said Rosalind. "You be careful there, then. What are your plans with Maman''s grandson?"


    Jean and Finland looked at each other. They knew Rosalind meant Terry.


    "Uhm... once we get back from Colmar, we will go straight to Singapore to meet him and do a donor test," Finland answered. "Hopefully I''m compatible, and the transplant can be done."


    Rosalind covered her mouth out of surprise. Sadness was clearly visible on her face, "Poor Terry... I hope you are a compatible match... Such a good child, having to endure this at such a young age..."


    "Compatible or not, I will stay there and support his parents..." Finland said. "And... there''s a chance that my friend can heal Jean too. Hopefully everything goes according to plan."


    "Heal? You mean his memory?" Rosalind looked incredulously, "Jean can get well?? Are you serious?"


    "I don''t want us to hope for too much... But let''s pray that my friend can do it." Finland nodded.


    Rosalind took Finland''s hand and looked at her gratefully, "I am very happy to hear that. I will pray... Thank you, ma cherie."


    When they finally left Rosalind''s house, the atmosphere between Jean and Finland was much more fluid. Finland still hoped that his memories would return when they do the things they went through together.


    "Where do you stay in Paris?" Jean asked as he opened the car door for Finland. "I''ll take you home."


    "I am staying at the Nobel Hotel..." Finland answered. "You can pick me up in the lobby tomorrow morning."


    "OK..."


    On the way to the hotel Jean tried to dig some information from Finland about various things that disturbed his mind.


    "I know you can''t tell me everything... but, there are a number of things I''m curious about..." Jean said on the way. "The music box you gave me through Lily... what does that box mean to me? I feel a strong sense of familiarity with the music box, but I can''t remember anything. Was that box mine?"


    "You feel very familiar with it because you had it with you for 4 years. You bought it as a birthday present for me the first year that we know each other, but you never gave it to me, and so you kept it in your apartment in Paris for 4 years. You only gave it to me when I came to visit you in Paris."


    Finland smiled and took out 4 cards with gold letters from her bag.


    "You always give me birthday present according to my age. On the first year you gave me 20 flowers, on the second year you gave me 21 flowers, and so on. 3 years ago, for my 24th birthday, you gave me 24 gifts, this music box, glow wine, fun time in Disneyland, and many more... including these 5 wish-fulfilling cards You said these cards could be exchanged for requests... At that time, I exchanged a card to see you to wear glasses... ahaha.... You hated wearing your glasses. ... "


    Jean glanced at the four cards and frowned. "I did all that? I didn''t know I was so romantic. It''s like something a man would do for his girlfriend..."


    Finland did not answer. Jean had once claimed to love her, but the two of them had agreed to become friends and family because Finland loved Caspar and had even married him.


    Jean realized Finland''s silence then became increasingly curious.


    "Did we ever have a romantic relationship?" he then asked carefully. "I''m sorry if my question sounds rude..."


    "No, Jean." Finally, Finland answered. "You and I are friends, and you have been my only family for years. I lived alone, and you were the only good person to me. You also supported me when I fell in love and married Caspar."


    "Oh... are you married? Where is your husband now?" Jean asked.


    Finland sighed. "It''s a long story. I''ll start part of it on the way to Colmar... Tonight I''m not feeling well... I''m sorry."


    "Ah, no... I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to pressure you." Jean shook her head, "Let''s talk tomorrow."


    The car arrived in front of the Nobel Hotel and Finland immediately got out of the car.


    "Thank you for driving me home. See you tomorrow morning..."


    "Good night, Finland. I''m glad to meet you today..."


    After Jean left, Finland went up to the penthouse and laid her body on the bed. She was relieved to finally meet Jean and now they were back on good terms, although Jean still didn''t remember her.


    She really hoped the medicine from Lauriel would work and Jean''s memory could be recovered. But even if that didn''t happen, she was sure that she and Jean could start from the beginning and be friends again.


    ***


    Caspar was not in the mood to meet anyone. Only Jadeith and Ben were allowed to be around him for the past few months. After telling Lauriel about Jean''s press conference, his mood became worse.


    He initially wanted to let the child die, but after pondering for a few weeks, he realized that he was not a bad person and he shouldn''t let his judgment be clouded by his emotions. No matter what happened, the boy was of Finland''s blood and he was innocent.


    Finally, Caspar decided to tell Lauriel what had happened and left them to make an informed decision. He then followed Finland''s journey from Manaus to Brasilia, then to Paris. He realized that Finland met with Jean first before leaving for Singapore.


    Caspar had not returned to Paris since the incident involving Famke. For him Paris brought too many painful memories, and he had no reason to come back there. His matters with Paris was over.


    After confirming that Jean had woken up from his coma and that he was completely healthy, Caspar asked Stanis to contact several leading movie studios in Hollywood and offered to fund their big budget movies with a condition that they cast Jean in their productions. He knew that he made a mistake by wiping out Jean''s memory and this was his way of apologizing.


    That was why in a short time Jean was able to become so famous. He starred in one movie after another, each role more important than the one before. His popularity quickly surged.


    Caspar thought that now his debt to Jean had been paid off. The only thing left to do was to pay his debt to Finland for breaking his promise by hurting Jean and violating her trust. That was why, after pondering for a long time, Caspar decided to inform them about Terry.


    After today, there would be no more business between them.

 Chapter 165 - Trip to Colmar

    Today''s trip to Colmar felt like a movie being played back to Finland. They listened to Billie Yves'' songs along the way and sang loudly to the music. This time Finland prepared the song because Jean was now unaware that Billie Yves was Finland''s favorite musician.


    "I didn''t know that going on a road trip while singing out loud like this was so much fun!" Jean commented with a laugh. "I love Billie''s music."


    "You are also friends with Billie Yves. On a new year event 3 years ago you replaced her manager and accompanied Billie to perform at a private party in Germany," Finland said.


    "A private party? No way! Billie can''t be booked for a private event. She''s very exclusive..." Jean said, shaking his head in disbelief, "You must be joking."


    "I''m not joking. You can ask Billie Yves yourself," Finland said, smiling, "The person who invited her was not an ordinary person. His name was Aldebar, he was the heir to the Alchemist''s formula of immortality. He invited Billie to perform at his 200th birthday celebration. "


    Jean laughed at that. "You''re funny."


    "I''m serious."


    Jean was still laughing to himself, but after realizing that Finland was talking earnestly, he was silent.


    "W... what do you mean? I don''t understand."


    "In this world there is a secret society who have perfected their bodies for generations and managed to live young forever. They are known as the Alchemist people..." Finland said in the most serious tone Jean had ever heard.


    "It''s just a myth. Alchemy is pseudoscience, not a real science," said Jean.


    "They do not age because all the cells in their body are perfect, always regenerating without stopping. That is also why they are unable to get sick. They also don''t have any disabilities, that''s why you no longer need to wear glasses. Their intelligence is also perfectly formed so that they can adjust their physical form according to their needs. The Alchemists don''t need to cut their hair because their hair will stop growing as needed. Their senses are also very sharp and can predict the weather accurately... "


    Suddenly Jean swerved and stopped his car on the side of the road.


    Sentence after sentence that was uttered by Finland seemed to hit him hard and gave him the chills. All the strangeness that had happened in the past few years was well illustrated by Finland. What does this mean?


    "I... don''t understand..." Jean looked at Finland, confused.


    Finland held Jean''s hand and calmed him down.


    "Jean... listen carefully. We have been friends since college and you always supported me. But there are things I have hidden from you for some time. Three years ago, I fell in love with Caspar. At that time he used the name Heinrich Schneider... After a while I learned that he was a member of the Alchemists clan. He was the second generation and became the leader of the clan to replace his father who died in the war. Caspar''s brother was the heir to the immortality potion formula invented by their grandfather and those responsible for the survival of the clan. Getting married into the clan would get someone the immortality potion so they could live with their partner, forever. I should have taken the potion from Aldebar 3 years ago after I married Caspar..."


    "Then what happened...?"


    "You came to Aldebar''s birthday event to replace Billie Yves'' manager and overheard their secret... That''s why they decided to erase your memory. You see, common people are not to know about their secrets." Finland bit her lip as she thought about the incident. "But something bad happened, a traitor to the clan shot you and almost killed me... I suspect it was done by the orders of Caspar''s enemies... and then you already know what happened..."


    "Since I woke up from a coma, I feel like my body has changed... is that related?" Jean asked.


    Finland nodded.


    "At the time you were critical, Caspar said he gave you an immortality potion in an attempt to save your life... Luckily the cure was successful..."


    "So, he was the one who erased my memory... but he also saved my life?" Jean shook her head, "I don''t know if I should thank him or be angry with him..."


    "Please don''t be angry with him... He only did what he thought was right. I''ve scolded him enough for the year you were in a coma. I was very angry and left him... He didn''t even know that I was pregnant with his child..." At this point, Finland could no longer hold back her tears. "I hope to see him again soon and clear up the misunderstanding between us. Please don''t hate him... he''s a good man."


    "Oh, Finland..."


    Jean seemed lost for words. All this information was too much to digest at once.


    After a while he finally took a deep breath and nodded.


    "I understand," he said.


    "Thank you..."


    "So... you have a child? Where is she now?"


    "My daughter is named Aleksis, and she is now with Lauriel in Brazil. They will meet us in Singapore next week. Lauriel is an Alchemist who is a medicine expert and he thinks he will be able to cure you..."


    "How many Alchemists do you know?" asked Jean, interested. It was the first time he heard about these Alchemists and finally he felt that he found answers to many of his questions.


    "I know a few. There are only a few of them, at least a few hundred people in the whole world. They meet once every 10 years or if there are important events like weddings. Incidentally next month there is a big wedding ceremony where many Alchemists will gather. I will ask Lauriel if you can attend, so you can meet other people like you... I''m sure there''s a lot you want to know about them..."


    "Are... you an Alchemist too?" Jean asked quietly.

 Chapter 166 - Trip to Colmar (2)

    Finland did not answer. She did not want Jean to know that the man had taken the immortality potion that was supposed to be for Finland, but she also did not want to lie to him.


    "You will like Aleksis... I named her after my father, Aleksis Makela. You searched for my father for years and then found his tracks in Colmar." Finally, Finland diverted the conversation to the purpose of their departure to Colmar. "You have always been very kind to me. Since you moved to Paris, you spent a lot of time looking for my father... as my birthday present 3 years ago, you took me to Colmar to see his grave..."


    "Is that true?"


    "We will meet Uncle Etienne... and you can hear from him yourself..."


    Finally, the question that had been in Jean''s mind for so long was answered. He had been wondering for the past few years why he often went to Colmar, and why he was there before he was shot.


    Apparently he was looking for his best friend''s father, and finally found his grave...


    He took a deep look at Finland. Now he was truly convinced that this girl used to be very important to him, that he was willing to go great lengths to look for her father''s trace.


    Because they arrived at Colmar when it was almost dark, they went straight to the hotel in the middle of the old city and checked in. Finland invited Jean to dinner at a restaurant near the hotel before they took a rest.


    "Let''s meet in the hotel lobby at 6 pm. We''ll find dinner nearby. There''s a good restaurant we can go to." Finland said before they separated into their respective rooms.


    "Very well."


    When Finland came down to the lobby at 6 pm for dinner, she found Jean waiting for her in the lobby, but she barely recognized the man. Jean covered half of his face with a thick wool scarf and he also wore a hat and glasses.


    "Why are you dressed up like this?" Finland asked in amazement. "I thought you were someone else ..."


    Jean chuckled and shrugged. "People can easily recognize me now. I need my privacy..."


    "Oh..." Finland shook her head. She remembered that Jean had long wanted to be famous. But now that he was actually famous, he had to compromise to maintain his privacy, so he had to hide himself in such a way.


    "Aside from avoiding gossip, I also don''t want to invite stalkers or mentally ill fans... You will be horrified when you hear the hear stories of my stalking fans who have been bothering me all this time..."


    "Okay, I understand."


    They walked together to the restaurant and enjoyed their dinner with a glass of Finland''s favorite glow wine. Everything felt like a movie being played back for Finland. In the past, they had dinner several times in this restaurant, too. Too bad Jean was unable to remember anything from their previous trip to Colmar.


    "Thank you for taking me to Colmar. You should rest... tomorrow we will visit Uncle Etienne in the village. He is my father''s friend whom you met several times when you came to Colmar. He must be happy to see you again."


    "All right. You rest too, see you in the morning," Jean replied.


    Finland talked to Lauriel on the phone in the lobby for a few minutes to ask how he and Aleksis were doing before she went up to her room. She was delighted to hear the voices of the two who had just sailed and were now resting in the remote tribal village in Belem. She really missed Aleksis.


    "Alright, you must be a good girl and don''t trouble Uncle Rory too much, okay... I love you, Aleksis."


    "I love you, Mum."


    Finland put down her phone and then took a shower to freshen up before going to sleep. Since meeting Jean, her sad heart slowly began to heal, and she had begun to smile.


    After completing her business in Singapore, she would be ready to meet Caspar in Scotland. She hoped the misunderstandings between them could be resolved soon and they could get back together.


    With thoughts filled with hope, Finland could finally sleep peacefully.


    She woke up to the touch of a soft hand caressing her face gently. When she opened her eyes, Finland saw a face that she had been longing for so long, staring at her from above. Those pair of bright blue eyes looked so sad.


    "Cas... Caspar?"


    No answer.


    Finland touched Caspar''s hand that just touched her face and held it tight.


    This must be a dream because she drank too much glow wine tonight. Finland closed her eyes again, and this time, she slept with a smile on her lips.


    Caspar sighed very softly, and after making sure that Finland was really asleep, he carefully let go of her hand. He then stood there, staring at the girl he never stopped loving as his body froze in place. He tried hard to resist the urge to touch her again. Earlier he almost woke her up.


    When dawn came, he quickly slipped out of her room and disappeared.

 Chapter 167 - Rose Garden

    The next day Finland woke up feeling happy. She dreamed of seeing Caspar and thought of it as a good omen. Now she was with Jean, her best friend, and it was only a matter of time until Jean got his memory back. She was very confident in Lauriel''s abilities.


    In a few days she would also be able to meet with Lauriel and Aleksis again, as well as Terry, her ''son'' from the eggs she sold several years ago. Suddenly, Finland, who was used to being alone, now seemed to be surrounded by family. She felt very grateful.


    In a few weeks, she would hopefully meet Caspar in Scotland. She really couldn''t wait to see him.


    "You look happy," Jean said. "I think this is the first time I''ve seen you smile."


    Finland nodded, smiling sweetly. "I am indeed happy. It feels like my life is slowly getting better..."


    "I''m glad to hear that you''re happy," Jean nodded too.


    They then had breakfast while discussing the plans for the day. Finland told Jean of her life as an orphan who had to struggle to survive alone in Singapore, and how they became friends. She then told Jean how he went through so much to find her father, and that was what now brought them to Colmar.


    They arrived at Uncle Etienne''s house when it was past noon. When Finland knocked, the door was immediately opened by the bulky middle-aged man. He looked surprised but very happy to see them. He immediately hugged Finland and Jean alternatingly.


    "Gosh... look at how well you are... I''m very happy to see you both."


    "Hello, Uncle Etienne... Sorry it took us so long to visit," Finland said regretfully.


    Uncle Etienne just waved his hand while laughing.


    "It''s okay. I know Jean was sick at the time and you were also far away in Singapore. Your friend who comes here often always told me the news about you."


    "Friend?" Jean and Finland looked at each other in surprise. "Who is our friend, Uncle? Nobody knows about my father except the two of us."


    Uncle Etienne looked surprised.


    "The first year after you left, a young man came here occasionally. He even bought the land around the church and turned it into a beautiful rose garden."


    Finland covered her mouth . She immediately thought of Caspar. Could it be him?


    They went to the village and stopped in front of the church where Finland''s father was buried. Once out of the car, Finland felt a surge of warmth in her heart. A beautiful and well-maintained rose garden surrounded them.


    When they walked to the back of the church, she saw that her father''s tomb had been rebuilt. A small monument stood elegantly between two angel statues. The roses around the monument complimented the statues perfectly.


    "Ohh... Did Caspar come here and do all this?" Finland turned to Uncle Etienne.


    "Caspar? Hmm... I don''t know that name. The person who came here said he was your friend, Heinrich. He is German. Colmar is close to the German border, so he can come here often."


    Oh, that must be Caspar, Finland thought. She remembered last night dreaming of the man. Apparently, Caspar often came to Colmar to visit Finland''s father''s grave


    "When was the last time he came here?" Finland asked again. "Is he tall, with black hair and blue eyes?"


    "Yes, that''s right. He hasn''t been here for a while. It''s been over a year."


    "Oh..." Finland was disappointed. She realized that Caspar stopped coming to Colmar after he asked Finland to return his mother''s ring and separate from Finland.


    At the grave, Uncle Etienne told Jean about Aleksis Makela''s story. It was only then that Jean understood the efforts he made to find Finland''s father many years ago. In his heart, he was happy because finally he could give an answer to Finland about her family.


    Finland herself was becoming increasingly sad because she missed Caspar very much. She did not know Caspar constructed such a beautiful grave for her father and was often here after they separated in Paris.


    Caspar was very fond of his parents and he was saddened for decades after losing them. Maybe he also understood how sad Finland felt when she found out that her father was gone.


    After chatting with Uncle Etienne for several hours, the two returned to the inn. Tomorrow Jean and Finland would return to Paris and immediately leave for Singapore.


    ***


    Before Finland could buy her tickets to Singapore, Jean''s manager insisted on buying her tickets so they could fly together. Finland felt that it would be rude to reject the offer. Their departure to Singapore was to meet Terry and check Finland''s compatibility to be the bone marrow donor.


    Upon their arrival in Singapore, they stayed at the Raffles Hotel which was close to the Stamford Hospital and wasted no time. They immediately went to the hospital.


    Kendrick Chan and Silvya Chan welcomed her arrival with tears in their eyes. They were very grateful because the girl was willing to come all the way from America to meet their child. Finland was also touched when she saw Terry''s condition.


    The little boy looked like Jean''s spitting image and deep down she was grateful that a few years ago, she was really broke and had to sell her egg cells to pay for her grandmother''s hospital cost. Now, the Chan family could have a child like Terry.


    "Okay... if you are ready, we will immediately prepare for the biopsy," said Doctor Chou.


    Jean accompanied Finland during the biopsy because he knew the process and the pain involved. He tried to distract Finland from the pain by talking about various things.


    Everyone prayed that Finland could become a compatible donor.


    ***

 Chapter 168 - Aleksis and Lauriel in Singapore

    Jadeith knocked on the door carefully. Caspar, who was typing something on his laptop, raised his face and signaled his guard and nephew to enter.


    "What is wrong?"


    "There is bad news. Ms. Sophia disappeared from the safe house we prepared for her. We tried to track her down, but without success."


    Caspar frowned. He had not seen Sophia for several months because he did not want to meet anyone. Last week Sophia begged to meet him, but he refused, and now suddenly the girl has disappeared.


    "Did the Meier family take her?"


    "We suspect so..." Jadeith said quietly. "What should we do?"


    "Alexei is friends with Ned. Maybe if Ned asks, Alexei will listen to him. He can''t possibly kill his own sister," Caspar said. "But I can''t bother Ned now, he''s getting married soon. This is a very big event."


    "Alexei hasn''t surfaced for several years. I suspect he is preparing a new plan," Jadeith said.


    "I suspect he will come to Ned and Portia''s wedding. They are both purists and he definitely needs their support."


    "Uncle... is... is Lauriel really coming? I heard rumors that Lauriel will attend Ned and Portia''s wedding too. This is great news that is attracting the attention of many people."


    "Yes, he will come," Caspar answered. "If he comes to take the position of clan leader I don''t mind giving it to him. I have no interest in managing the clan anymore."


    "Then what will uncle do?" Jadeith asked in surprise.


    Caspar didn''t answer.


    ***


    Jean, Finland, Kendrick and Silvya couldn''t contain their happiness when they heard from Dr. Chou that the test results were positive. Finland could be a bone marrow transplant donor for Terry. They hugged each other in tears.


    "Oh... thank goodness... Terry has hope..."


    "We will soon prepare for the bone marrow transplant surgery. That means Miss Finland must stay in the hospital..." said doctor Chou.


    "Alright, doctor..."


    Finland and Jean prepared everything for Finland to be hospitalized for the process of bone marrow aspiration. Jean accompanied her in the hospital so that Finland did not feel lonely.


    Jean''s presence at the hospital immediately caused a stir. Even though they had asked for privacy, there were still people who took photos of him and in a short time their faces graced various media on the internet.


    "It''s not fun being famous..." Jean complained as he scrolled through the news about them on his phone.


    Finland just smiled. "You really wanted to be famous, you know. You always told me that bad publicity is good publicity. Why has that changed now? You don''t like being famous?"


    "I like the famous part, but I don''t like it when my personal life is disturbed. You shouldn''t be involved. What will your fate be if people find out you have something to do with me? You will also be disturbed by these people. I have security guards, you don''t... "


    Finland thought of the first time she ate Liao Fan''s chicken rice with Caspar. People were also secretly taking photos of him, even though he was not a celebrity. He was just very handsome and many people thought he must be a movie star. Caspar had to mobilize his bodyguards to restore order and erase his photos from their phones.


    The thought of Caspar made her miss him again. Ned and Portia''s wedding party was only 2 weeks away. She couldn''t wait to see Caspar in Scotland soon.


    [We have landed in Singapore. Where did you stay last night?]


    A text from Lauriel came in when Finland was busy with her own thoughts.


    Ah, she had forgotten that Lauriel and Aleksis where scheduled to land today from Brazil.


    [I need to stay overnight at the hospital. They will take my bone marrow tomorrow. We stayed at the Raffles Hotel.]


    [Alright, Aleksis and I will go to Raffles then. Tomorrow, after the operation, I will bring Aleksis to visit you.]


    [Thank you.]


    "Lauriel and Aleksis have landed..." Finland told Jean. "After I get discharged from the hospital, we will treat you too..."


    Jean took Finland''s hand and nodded. Soon, everything would return to normal.


    ***


    Lauriel carried Aleksis on his shoulder while pushing their suitcase. For the sake of practicality, he bought a four-wheeled suitcase in Brazil to make it easier to carry all the ingredients he collected.


    He wore a thin white shirt, khaki pants and sunglasses. He looked as if he was sunglasses model from the magazines came out into the real world. The women in the airport couldn''t help but hold their breath as he passed by. Especially after they saw the beautiful little girl who was busy babbling on his shoulder.


    Both of them seemed engrossed in conversation. The conversation seem to have started at the butterfly and sunflower garden at the Changi airport terminal, until they exit the terminal.


    "Uncle Rory, where is Mummy?" Aleksis asked, playing with Lauriel''s long hair. "How come she doesn''t pick us up?"


    "Mummy is in the hospital. We will meet her tomorrow. She is helping your brother."


    "Brother? What''s that?"


    "A brother is another human who has blood relations with you, it could be because it comes from the same mother or father."


    "What is Father?"


    "Father is a male parent. Mother is a female parent."


    "So Mummy Finland is my mother, means Uncle Rory is my father?"


    Lauriel did not answer. He just ruffled Aleksis''s hair which had become messy like his own.

 Chapter 169 - Looming threat

    Lauriel took Aleksis on a trip to the Gardens by the Bay to see various flowers and futuristic gardens there. Then they climbed the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel many times because the little girl was very happy to see Singapore from above.


    They were resting on a park bench while eating ice cream when someone dressed all in black came over to the two of them.


    "Good afternoon, Mr. Lauriel."


    Lauriel, who was cleaning some ice cream from Aleksis'' lips, looked up and squinted his eyes, "Who are you?"


    "You are invited to come to my master''s house for tea..."


    "I was asking who you are? Is it so difficult to understand my question?" Lauriel asked again. His face clearly looked unhappy. He could only tolerate a few humans in this world, and he did not like to repeat his questions.


    "Oh... I''m sorry. My name is Neill, I work for Mr. Alexei. He heard you were in this city and wanted to meet you." The man looked uncomfortable. "That is if you want to."


    "I don''t have time to meet people. I''m here for vacation," Lauriel answered curtly.


    "Master said I must give this to you if you refused to come." Neill reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, then gave it to Lauriel.


    Lauriel took the box and opened it. Inside the box was a ring made of a white gold band with a beautiful white pearl in the middle. His face immediately changed.


    "Where did he get this from?" he asked in a cold voice.


    "Lady Luna wore this on her finger when they found her body among the ruins of the building that was bombed by the allies. The Meier family kept the ring all this time, waiting for the time until we could find you. You have been off the grid for a very long time..."


    Lauriel placed the ring on his pinky finger because it was too small to be worn on his other fingers. Then he placed the box in his pocket.


    "All right. I''ll come. We are staying at the Raffles Hotel. Please pick me up at 6 pm."


    "Don''t you want to come now? We have a car ready."


    "I''m not used to repeating my words, Neill."


    After saying that Lauriel carried Aleksis and left. He then took out his phone and called someone.


    "Charlie, I need some guns. I just came into Singapore and I didn''t bring anything with me. I also need a nanny and some bodyguards for a 2-year-old child for a few hours."


    ****


    "Uncle, I have something important to report. You have to hear this," Jadeith came in after knocking on the door, without waiting for Caspar to invite him in. "Lauriel was visited by Alexei''s men. Apparently, they are all in Singapore at the moment."


    He hurriedly placed some photos on the desk. They are of Lauriel and Aleksis in the Gardens by The Bay when Alexei''s men met them. Caspar, who was working with his laptop, immediately frowned as he examined the photos.


    "Does Alexei also want to ask for Lauriel''s support? For what? I don''t want to be involved in any of this."


    "Lauriel is not a purist, but Uncle must remember that his late girlfriend was Alexei''s aunt. After Lady Luna died, Lauriel resigned from worldly affairs. Maybe now, because he has left his seclusion, Alexei wants to bring him to their side."


    Caspar took a deep breath. Initially he wanted to peacefully resign from being the clan leader and go to seclusion. But if Alexei would take his position, he would not allow it, because Caspar knew that he would drastically change the Alchemist clan policies. They would emerge from the shadows and openly control the world. Normal humans or commoners would become second-class citizens and live in misery.


    Today there were many Alchemists who controlled the government and the world economy. They were the invisible hands who controlled various important events in various countries. They were the true masters of the earth, but because they hid in the shadows, no one knew about them.


    There were 5 prominent families of the Alchemists clan who control many large corporations and important organizations in the world. At the moment everything was fine because the Alchemists did not excessively interfere with human decisions but controlled and stood watch from afar.


    However, since the last world war, some Alchemists, especially those who called themselves purists, wanted to emerge from the shadows and openly rule the world. They considered humans unworthy to govern themselves because they were only capable of destroying the earth and causing war.


    The others, who were still loyal to the old rules, want the Alchemists to stay hidden. Caspar and Aldebar have managed to regulate the people to remain secluded, but the purists never stopped challenging them.


    Alexei even sacrificed Famke to frame Caspar, with hopes that he would be exiled from the clan for committing the unforgivable sin. His plan only failed because Sophia shifted her loyalty to Caspar and became a witness for him before the council of 5 families.


    "Have you heard from Sophia?" Caspar asked, a little worried. "If Alexei is in Singapore, maybe he will bring Sophia there. Prepare the flight, we will go to Singapore tonight."


    "Okay, Sir."


    ****

 Chapter 170 - Lauriel and Alexei

    Finland finally regained consciousness from the anesthetic and found Jean sitting beside her bed, looking exhausted.


    "Hey... you look so tired... Why don''t you go back to the hotel to rest?" Finland asked, touching Jean''s hand.


    "Eh... you are awake... I wanted to be here to make sure that you are fine. The doctor said that the operation was successful. Now we just need to wait."


    "Oh... thank goodness..."


    "Are you hungry?" Jean asked.


    "No... I''m just sleepy."


    "Maybe the effects of the drug have not completely disappeared." said Jean. "You just rest."


    "I have to contact Rory. I want to meet him and Aleksis..." Finland took her phone from the side table and contacted Lauriel.


    After two rings her call was picked up.


    "Hi, how was the surgery?" Lauriel asked.


    "Fine. I''ll be able to come home tomorrow. Now we need to wait for them to process the cells and transfer it to Terry. Hopefully his body won''t reject the bone marrow transplant from me. Where are you guys?"


    "I have to take care of something for a minute. Aleksis will be fine, I have a nanny for her."


    "Why don''t you bring Aleksis here?"


    "It''s not safe there. Young children shouldn''t be in the hospital."


    "Uhm..." Finland was disappointed because she could not meet Aleksis. "Can''t she wear a face mask or something to protect her? I miss her so much."


    "We will come tomorrow. You should rest."


    Finland could not argue when Lauriel had made such a decision. Finally, she could only agree.


    "Do you want me to visit them? Are they at the Raffless Hotel too?" Jean asked.


    "Uhm... I don''t think there''s a need. They should be fine. I''ll just wait for tomorrow, they will be here tomorrow."


    "OK."


    At the Raffless Hotel, Lauriel welcomed a beautiful woman in her 20s and 5 sturdy men in his suite. You could see that each one of them hid a weapon under their clothes.


    "Are you Sara? I have an important task for you. Take care of this child until I return. Don''t attract any attention. I have no enemies, but the father of this child has many enemies. I don''t want anything to happen while I''m not around."


    "Yes sir." Sara said as she smiled sweetly at Aleksis, who was standing beside Lauriel with a confused face. "Good evening, little girl. My name is Sara. I''m happy to meet you."


    "Where are you going, Uncle Rory?" Aleksis asked in her rich voice. "I am coming along with you."


    "Sshh... kids can''t come. You just eat fruits and watch cartoons here. I''ll be back in a few hours." Lauriel crouched down and hugged Aleksis. "You must obey Auntie Sara... If you are not naughty, tomorrow we will go to the hospital to meet mummy."


    Reluctantly Aleksis finally nodded and raised her arm to hold Sara''s hand who happily took her to sit on the sofa and read a book to her.


    Lauriel gave some instructions to the five bodyguards then left the suite and went down to the lobby. At exactly 6 pm, Neill came accompanied by another man to pick him up.


    The Rolls Royce took them speeding eastward and finally entered a mansion with a very large courtyard, something that was very rare in Singapore.


    "Please come in, Mr. Lauriel. Mr. Alexei is waiting for you at the library."


    Lauriel did not answer and immediately followed Neill to the library. Neil stopped in front of a large wooden door and gestured for Lauriel to enter alone.


    In the magnificent library there were thousands of books and some comfortable reading chairs. Alexei immediately rose from his seat when he saw Lauriel enter. He moved toward his guest and was about to embrace Lauriel but the man dodged coldly.


    "What do you want?" Lauriel asked quickly. "You know I hate small talk."


    "Ah... we almost became family... If my aunt hadn''t died in the war, you would have already married her and become my uncle. How could you not come to meet me after you came back to civilization? Are we meaningless to you? Is Aunt Luna meaningless to you?" Alexei asked. "Auntie will be very disappointed to see this attitude of yours."


    "Alexei, don''t make me repeat my words," Lauriel became impatient. He showed his pinky finger which held his girlfriend''s ring and asked, "You kept it all this time and didn''t tell me?"


    "Sophia kept it for decades. I just got it last week. My sister is acting up a lot now..." Alexei said in a sad tone. "I just found out about your return and I happen to have the object you want. I want to make a deal."


    "I am not interested."


    "I''m not talking about Aunt Luna''s ring." Alexei waved his hand. "You will be interested if it concerns your goddaughter."


    "What do you mean?" Lauriel began to worry.


    "Charlie did send his best people to protect your goddaughter, but you should know, the safest place for her is beside you."


    "You...!"


    Alexei took out his phone and called someone. He then gave his phone to Lauriel.


    "Uncle Rory, where are you? Auntie Sara and her friends are all asleep. Their bodies are covered in red stuff..." Aleksis'' innocent voice was heard on the line. Lauriel gasped in anger. He did not expect that after he left the hotel, Alexei''s men attacked Sara and her people.


    This was too much!


    "What do you want?" he asked though his gritted teeth.


    "Ahh... I just made you repeat what you just said. Oops¡­ Please forgive me, Your Highness Lauriel..." said Alexei in a mocking tone.


    In an instant Lauriel stood behind Alexei with a gun pointed at his forehead, and his hand gripped Alexei''s throat mercilessly.


    "I''m done with life, I''m not afraid of anyone," Lauriel said coldly. "If anything happens to Aleksis, don''t expect to see the sun again."


    "Don''t be so angry..." Alexei still smiled sarcastically even though Lauriel''s strong hand was clutching his neck. "You haven''t heard what I want. I think you would be stupid if you refused my request."


    "Speak NOW!"


    "I have given the child poison that will be activated in two weeks. You will not have time to look for the antidote partially because you don''t even know what poison I gave her. If you do not want her dead, I want you to follow my orders. That''s all."


    Lauriel''s usually calm face now turned pale.

 Chapter 171 - "All is fair in love and war"

    Lauriel''s grip on Alexei''s neck became stronger and his voice sounded dangerous.


    "I can kill you right now... Do you want to take this risk?"


    Alexei coughed but he stubbornly closed his eyes.


    "Not only that child ... but we will also target her mother... If my life were exchanged for the lives of those two people, I don''t mind... hahah..." Alexei forced a laugh whilst coughing, which made him sound heartless. "Their deaths will destroy not only Caspar but also you ... Please, kill me if you want to take the risk."


    A few seconds passed and Lauriel finally let go of his grip.


    "Why are you doing this? They are innocent..." Lauriel said. His face looked very angry.


    "All is fair in love and war..." said Alexei as he fixed his collar. He still coughed for a while before sitting down elegantly on the sofa. "Katia''s love and my war..."


    "Katia?" Lauriel frowned. "What does this have to do with Katia?"


    Alexei just smiled and nodded towards Lauriel''s back. The man turned around. The library door opened and a beautiful platinum-haired girl entered the library, looking as graceful as a queen.


    "Hello Lauriel, long time no see. The last time we met was in London, wasn''t it?"


    "Hm..." Lauriel studied Katia without saying anything. He suspected that Katia and Alexei had joined forces to plan something bad. He now understood why this situation seemed personal. Katia still held a grudge against Caspar and wanted to hurt him in any way.


    "You know what he did to me..." Katia said coldly, "I''m only responding to his actions."


    "Then hurt him, don''t hurt Aleksis and Finland," Lauriel said. "They don''t know anything."


    "Finland knew what Caspar did to me... and yet she married him. She chose her happiness over my suffering. You don''t know what it''s like to be thrown away like a used object after faithfully accompanying Caspar for 50 years..." Katia spoke furiously. "Hurting Caspar physically won''t mean anything. I want him to feel the same pain as I did. I want him to feel so hurt that he doesn''t want to live anymore..."


    "Do you know whose daughter Aleksis is?" Lauriel asked intently.


    "I''m not as stupid as Caspar. He saw you at the airport and thought Aleksis was your daughter. Sophia then assured him that you and Finland were together. He suffered greatly because he thought Finland had left him for you... hahaha... he even decided to isolate himself after Ned''s and Portia''s wedding. Finally, he is feeling the pain of being abandoned by a loved one..." Katia closed her eyes and smiled, picturing Caspar''s hurt face," But I''m won''t be satisfied until I break his heart completely. I don''t want him to go into seclusion... I want him to choose death. "


    Lauriel looked at Katia in surprise. This beautiful girl was no longer the gentle girl he knew decades ago. Her expression was ice cold and her eyes looked cruel. Lauriel sighed.


    "How can I be sure that you will give Aleksis the antidote if I do as you wish?" he asked later.


    "I''ll give it to you at Ned and Portia''s wedding. If I break my promise, you can take me to the council of 5 families," Alexei answered, his smile tilted, triumphant. "You sure believe in Ned?"


    "Does Ned know that you''re doing this kind of thing to a child?"


    "Ned doesn''t need to know the details..." Alexei looked away, "If you tell him, then the antidote will not be given. You must be well acquainted with the Meier family scientists and how powerful the poisons they can make... Aldebar is currently not around to provide an immortality potion for that kid. I know you''re a poison expert, but you won''t have enough time to make an antidote for her... So you are left with no option but to obey us."


    A soft knock was heard from the door and a woman in black came in carrying Aleksis, who was sleeping. Lauriel quickly took the little girl from her and examined her breathing.


    "Hmm..." He did not notice any changes in her skin color and expression and felt more relieved. "So, the poison will be activated in two weeks. That means it will be activated on the wedding of Ned and Portia?"


    "Right. You must come to get the antidote... We will wait for you there."


    Lauriel took a deep breath and finally gave up, "What do you want?"


    Alexei and Katia looked at each other and smiled.


    ***


    "Finland, somebody wants to meet you..." Jean woke Finland who was sleeping. Finland opened her eyes and sat on her bed.


    "Mummyyyy..." Aleksis, who was sitting on Lauriel''s shoulders, immediately called out and asked to be lowered. Finland was very surprised to see the two of them suddenly appear in her hospital room without prior notice.


    "Eh... didn''t you say that Aleksis shouldn''t be taken to the hospital? What changed your mind?" she asked.


    Lauriel smiled faintly, not answering. He turned to Jean and Finland immediately introduced the two.


    "Oh... please meet Jean, my best friend. Jean, this is Lauriel... my friend in San Francisco. He is also the Aleksis'' godfather..."


    "Hello..." Jean reached out to shake hands with Lauriel. For a long second the men stared at each other, carefully assessing the other party. They only let go of their gaze when Finland cleared her throat.


    "Uhm ... Lauriel is an alchemist, and he is an expert in poisons and medicines. He is the one who made the medicine to restore your memory, Jean," Finland said.


    "Why... thank you," said Jean. "I''ve heard about your people from Finland. Very interesting..."


    "Well, now you are part of us..." Lauriel said curtly.


    "Oh yes, about that... I just wanted to ask, could Jean attend Ned and Portia''s wedding in two weeks...? I think it would be good for him to meet with other clan members and get to know them a bit. After all, he is now part of your clan... " Finland noticed Lauriel looked a little worried - when he was usually calm and composed. She immediately had a bad feeling, "What''s wrong...? You don''t like the idea...?"


    "That''s not it..." Lauriel shook his head slowly, "I have something to tell you, but it can wait. I want to stay with you here until you can get out of the hospital, and after that we can treat Jean."


    "Can''t Jean come to Ned and Portia''s party?" Finland asked again.


    "Ned didn''t invite him, and I can''t casually bring strangers to Ned''s party. I can contact him and ask for an additional invitation..." Lauriel said. "It shouldn''t be a problem. But I don''t recommend Jean to come now."


    "Is something bad going to happen?" Finland asked worriedly. "Your attitude is unusual..."


    "We''ll talk about that tomorrow." Lauriel then turned to Jean, "You look tired. You''d better go back to your hotel and rest, I''ll wait here."


    Lauriel used his usual commanding tone, and both Jean and Finland had no choice but to follow his words. If Lauriel had decided, Finland could not pressure him to change his mind.

 Chapter 172 - An intense night

    Finally, Jean bid goodbye so he could rest in his hotel room. Aleksis soon fell asleep in Finland''s arms on the hospital bed while Lauriel sat reading a book on the corner sofa of the room.


    Even though he looked like he was solemnly reading, his eyes were always mindful of their surroundings. This afternoon Alexei and Katia threatened to hurt Finland and he realized that they were not messing around.


    His negligence caused Aleksis to be poisoned by Alexei''s men, and he knew that they could also easily hurt Finland in the hospital if they wanted. His mind returned to Katia and her cold expression.


    Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and she met with Alexei, who had a personal grudge against Caspar, so they joined forces to take revenge.


    Lauriel had no choice but to follow their requests, especially since he had not yet found an antidote to the poison they gave Aleksis.


    ***


    The next day Finland was discharged from the hospital. She was surprised because they did not return to the Raffles Hotel. The taxi took them to the Continental Hotel.


    "Why are we here? Weren''t we denied entry into this hotel before?" Finland asked in amazement. She thought they would return to Raffles Hotel where she was staying with Jean.


    "The Raffles hotel is unsafe. I asked Jean to book a suite here under his name. From now on, we will stay together."


    The only hotel in Singapore that was safe from Alexei was the Continental Hotel. The penthouse on the top floor was Caspar''s private residence, therefore the security in this building was the most advanced in the world.


    Finland was about to ask what had happened at the Raffles Hotel, but when she saw Lauriel''s serious face, she felt discouraged. She finally decided to wait until Lauriel told her what had happened.


    They entered the Continental Hotel and went up to the 17th floor where their suite was located. Jean had checked out for them from the Raffles Hotel and brought their belongings to the Continental Hotel.


    "Is this a two-bedroom suite? Are we staying here together? Isn''t there any 3-room suite?" Finland asked, confused, when they checked in their suite.


    "We cannot be separated, I will have difficulties keeping all of you safe if we stay in different rooms. This is the biggest suite they have. Starting tonight I will prepare the drug for Jean," Lauriel said. "We need 3 days to see the results. Right now, this hotel is the safest place in the world."


    "Is there any danger outside? I''ve never seen you this serious..." Finland said.


    Lauriel nodded. "I can''t tell you now. I want you to trust me and not ask too many questions. I''m trying to find a way to get us out of danger."


    "Uhm... okay... Then I will sleep in Jean''s room with Aleksis..." Finland said while carrying her bag to the room on the left. Since she was in college, she and Jean were very close and they used to sleep in the same apartment. She thought that the most logical choice was to put her bag in Jean''s room now.


    "No. You will sleep with me," Lauriel said firmly.


    Finland, who was walking toward Jean''s room, suddenly stopped and turned around in surprise. Jean was also startled. Lauriel ignored both of their expressions and took Finland''s bag and placed it in the room on the right.


    Finland was astounded by Lauriel''s attitude. All this time he always kept a good distance from Finland. Even when they lived together for two months in the Amazon in the same villa, he chose to sleep on the hammock while Finland and Aleksis slept in the bedroom.


    She looked at Jean awkwardly and did not know how to explain her relationship with Lauriel. Jean must now consider Finland and Lauriel to be a couple, especially since he saw how close Lauriel was with Aleksis.


    "We should eat now. We have a lot of things to do over the next few days," Lauriel said later. He called the receptionist and asked for a private chef to cook for them. The chef arrived a few minutes later and asked the four VIP guests what food they wanted to have. He then went back to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.


    Finland had no appetite, but Lauriel ordered some healthy menus for her and she was forced herself to eat. She did not want to set a bad example for Aleksis by skipping meals after not eating anything at all.


    While waiting for dinner to be prepared, Finland sent a report to her office in San Francisco asking for an extension of her ''leave'' because she could not go home before knowing about Terry''s condition. It would take some time for them to know if the bone marrow transplant was a success or not.


    Jean also spoke to his manager, Bill, and the director, Jonah Smith, to update them on the current conditions and arrange the next shooting schedule.


    Aleksis sat sweetly on a chair and watched as the chef and his assistant prepared dinner. Lauriel excused himself into his room to contact several people.


    "Charlie, thank you for cleaning the mess in our suite at Raffles yesterday. We moved to the Continental Hotel because it is safer here. We will stay here for three days while monitoring the situation. Do you still have the contacts of Esso, Marion, and friends?"


    "I haven''t been in contact with them for a long time, but I can find them..." Charlie answered. "I thought you have resigned from worldly matters..."


    "I want to, but this is an emergency. I need tough people who can be trusted, to secure my family. I was already tricked once yesterday, I won''t let that happen again."


    Charlie fell silent for a moment. He sent his men to Rendezvous yesterday and found the 5 people he had sent to help Lauriel killed in cold blood. In order not to cause any problems with the police, he cleaned the suite and removed all traces of the attack.


    "I can contact Marion. She will be happy to hear from you. She will contact the others," Charlie finally said. "Good to have you back."


    "Thank you."


    Lauriel concentrated on doing a few things on his computer and contacted several other people. He didn''t notice that the food was ready. Finland entered the room and called him to eat.


    The four of them ate in silence. The atmosphere was still a little tense because of Lauriel''s all-mysterious attitude. In two years of being acquainted with him, Finland had never seen Lauriel act so cautiously and super carefully like this.


    Lauriel, whom she knew was always relaxed and gave off an aura of indifference to his surroundings, now looked like he was on high alert.


    #################


    From the author:


    I''m sorry for my slow response, I''m travelling for the next 2 days. Anybody in Holland, Florence, Rome, Switzerland and France?


    Btw, I know these last few days the story gets pretty intense, but please bear with it, by Saturday ALL misunderstandings will be cleared. ??????????

 Chapter 173 - An intense night (2)

    "I will take Aleksis to sleep..." Finland said after dinner. Lauriel cleared the table and Jean offered to wash the dishes. The two men nodded toward Finland simultaneously.


    In the bedroom, Finland read a fairy tale to Aleksis from a book Lauriel brought and a moment later the little girl had fallen asleep. After making sure Aleksis slept soundly, Finland left her room and entered the living room. He found Lauriel and Jean having a serious conversation.


    "What are you two talking about?" she asked curiously.


    "I told Jean about the Alchemist community and some of the people in it. He just learned that some important people in Hollywood are part of the Alchemist clan," Lauriel said with a smile.


    Jean nodded. "You won''t believe this..."


    He mentioned the name of a very famous actor who was often given the nickname ''highlander'' by the media because his appearance remained young for decades. Finland covered her mouth in surprise.


    "Is that true?" she asked in a tone of disbelief.


    "That''s right. People think he looks really young because he had plastic surgeries... Obviously he managed to survive in the entertainment industry for almost 40 years without changing his identity. I advised Jean to start making such a plan, because his face won''t get old over the next several decades and he will certainly make people suspicious... " Lauriel said again. "In 15 years, you can start spreading plastic surgery gossip to the media..."


    "Ahahaha... I don''t know if I still want to be an actor for another 15 years..." Jean shrugged. "We''ll see. Maybe I''ll enjoy the process like you guys, hide my identity and travel the world..."


    "As you wish..." Lauriel said. He got up and went to the kitchen then boiled some water in the pan. "I will prepare your medication now. You will be able to drink it like tea, but after drinking, it you must meditate and gather your thoughts. Do you know how to meditate?"


    Jean looked offended at Lauriel''s words, "Of course."


    "Good."


    Half an hour later the tea Lauriel referred to was ready and Jean drank it slowly. The smell was a bit strange, but he forced himself to gulp it all down. Instantly a warm sensation coursed throughout his body.


    "Now meditate and gather your thoughts. You may hallucinate, and memories from your childhood that you have forgotten may come back. Past traumas will also emerge... Don''t be affected. All of that is in the past. You need your memories, but don''t let them control you."


    Jean obeyed Lauriel''s words and started meditating. Finland could only watch from a distance. Her face looked worried because she did not know whether Lauriel''s treatment would work or not.


    ***


    Caspar was sitting on his Victorian couch facing the Singapore Flyer. He was deep in thought. He immediately went to Singapore when he found out that Alexei''s men had met Lauriel there. He suspected that Alexei must be in Singapore and brought Sophia with him. Unfortunately, he had to swallow his disappointment because when he arrived, it turned out that Alexei had again disappeared.


    "Uncle..." Jadeith entered after knocking on the door twice. "I found their tracks. It turns out that Alexei and Miss Katia just left Singapore this morning. They headed for England."


    "No trace of Sophia?" Caspar asked. He again thought of the many times Sophia begged to meet him last week and he refused. Now he felt guilty because the girl had disappeared, possibly caught by Alexei. When Sophia came to him two years ago to betray the Meier family, he had promised to protect her.


    "Nothing... Do you want me to follow Alexei?"


    "Hm... I need you here. Send Ivan and his team to follow Alexei." Caspar tapped his fingers as he took a deep breath. He felt very tired and alone. At times like these he wished that Aldebar was by his side, but his younger brother was hiding himself in his experiments in an unknown place. This was just his third year. Seven more years to go¡­


    ***


    For several hours Finland and Lauriel sat watching Jean who meditated after he drank the medicine from Lauriel. The man''s face looked tense and many times he sighed as if he was seeing hallucinations.


    "Is the process really like this?" Finland asked in a whisper.


    "Yeah... Calm down, I won''t harm your friend..." Lauriel said.


    "That''s not what I meant..." said Finland, "I''m just worried."


    "I understand, but worrying now is of no use. You should rest. If Jean recovers tomorrow, we will leave immediately. Our journey will be long."


    "Didn''t you say three days?" Finland asked in amazement.


    "A maximum of three days... it can be faster. Judging from Jean''s progress now, maybe tomorrow he can recover."


    "Oh... I''m glad to hear that."


    Lauriel took Finland''s hand and looked at her closely. It made the girl somewhat uncomfortable.


    "Finland... if you have to choose, between Caspar and Aleksis..." Lauriel''s tone was so serious that made Finland shiver.


    "What... what do you mean? Why should I choose?" she stammered.


    "If you could only save Aleksis OR Caspar... who would you save?" Lauriel asked again.


    Finland looked at Lauriel with widened eyes. She shook her head and tears slowly flowed from her pair of brown eyes.


    "W... what''s up, Rory...? Are you keeping something from me? Why have you been acting so mysterious all day? Did something happen to Caspar?" asked Finland as she tried hard to hold back her sobs so as not to interfere with Jean''s meditation.


    Lauriel held Finland''s hand more tightly and shook it, "Tell me, who do you want to save?"


    "Why can''t I save them both? Why should I choose? If someone has to die, let it be me... As long as Caspar and Aleksis are safe, I will sacrifice myself..." whispered Finland. "Please... tell me what''s up?"


    Lauriel took a deep breath, "Katia and Alexei kidnapped Aleksis yesterday and poisoned her to force me to follow their wishes. I didn''t expect they would be so mean to an innocent child just out of spite..."

 Chapter 174 - Please... pick up

    "Oh my God... Oh my God... oh my God... They poisoned my daughter? How? But Aleksis is fine, right? You managed to treat the poison, right?" Finland''s face instantly turned pale and she staggered to the point of falling if Lauriel hadn''t rushed to catch her body.


    "I don''t know what poison they gave her, but I know that the poison will only react in two weeks. They will give the antidote at Ned and Portia''s party after we do what they want."


    "What do they want? I will do it..." Finland said in tears. She bit her lip frantically.


    "Katia was very hurt when Caspar left her for you, and she has a longstanding grudge. In the history of our people, no woman was ever dumped like her... Not only is she hurt, she is also very ashamed."


    "Caspar didn''t leave him, Katia was the one who left..." Finland said quickly, "At that time Katia wanted to teach Caspar a lesson by leaving him. She thought that Caspar would realize his feelings for her and ask Katia to return, but instead he met me. When we got married, his relationship with Katia was already over..."


    "I know, but other people don''t care. Katia has to live with a reputation of being the woman left at the altar. They were almost married, right? It was a huge shock for everyone when Caspar came to Aldebar''s birthday party with you as his bride..." Lauriel massaged his aching temple at the thought of Katia''s cold expression yesterday. "Katia wants Caspar to feel the same shame and pain..."


    Finland burst into tears hearing this.


    "I will come to her and apologize, I will kneel at her feet and ask her to forgive Caspar..." she said tearfully, "She cannot take her heartache on Aleksis..."


    "Katia has changed, she is no longer the Katia I know. Your apology won''t mean anything to her. She just wants to see Caspar ashamed and suffering..." Lauriel said quietly.


    Finland looked up with wet eyes and finally asked Lauriel what Katia''s request was in order for them to get the antidote for Aleksis. "What do they want? I''ll do it..."


    Lauriel looked at Finland for a long time before finally answering, "Katia wants us to get married before Ned and Portia''s party, and announce our wedding at the party."


    "Wh... what?"


    "When Caspar asked you to return his mother''s ring, he had let you go and no longer acknowledged you. Even though it was a result of a misunderstanding, the fact is that now you are no longer his wife. Katia wants to make sure that Caspar knows what it''s like to see the person he loves marry someone else..."


    Finland buried her face in her palms and cried bitterly.


    She was so close to being with Caspar again. She was supposed to meet Caspar in two weeks with Aleksis and unravel the misunderstanding between them. They should be back together in two weeks...


    But now Katia forced her to marry Lauriel and announce their marriage at Ned and Portia''s party.


    Now she understood why Lauriel asked her to choose who she wanted to save, between her biological daughter and the man she loved...


    Finland had never experienced such great pain before.


    As a mother, she knew that she would choose Aleksis. The little girl was still so small and innocent and she couldn''t defend herself. Caspar was a grown man who was certainly stronger in dealing with problems. But, Finland did not have the heart to see Caspar suffer and Katia obtain what she wished for.


    If she could choose, she would rather die so that her two loved ones would be released from suffering... If that choice were available, she would gladly welcome her death for their sake.


    She did not think Katia could turn this evil.


    "Caspar already said I was his weakness... That''s why he always tried to protect me..." cried Finland bitterly. "They have the heart to use me to hurt him... Why is Katia so mean to him...? They were together for 50 years... Isn''t there the slightest trace of mercy on her?"


    Lauriel let Finland cry her tears out. His attention was divided between the girl and Jean who suddenly collapsed on the floor.


    "Uff..." Lauriel hurried over to Jean and checked his vital signs.


    After making sure that everything was fine, then he sighed in relief. He then took a pillow and blanket from Jean''s room and arranged for the young man to lie comfortably in his place. Jean experienced physical and mental exhaustion, and Lauriel let him rest so the medicine could work.


    He then approached Finland, who was unable to cry anymore, and now only stared at the wall with a blank expression.


    "Why did you let Aleksis be kidnapped...?" she hissed as Lauriel approached her.


    Lauriel stopped in his track hearing Finland''s accusing words.


    "I did NOT let her be kidnapped, I had 5 of the best bodyguards in Singapore to protect Aleksis." Lauriel said firmly. "I know you are sad, and you do not mean to say such accusations. How would I deliberately let my goddaughter be kidnapped by her father''s enemy...? I kept playing different scenarios in my head of what would have happened if I had brought Aleksis with me and she had not been kidnapped... But all of it is now useless. Blaming each other won''t do us any good. I''m just interested in finding out how we can save Aleksis..."


    "Aren''t you a poison expert? Why can''t you cure her?" Finland asked again, this time in a desperate voice.


    She knew the answer, but she could not help asking. Lauriel said that he did not know the type of poison they used to poison Aleksis, and they only had two weeks... He would not have time to analyze the poison and make the right antidote.


    "I can try, but even I am not sure it will work..." Lauriel replied in a regretful tone. "I''m sorry."


    Finland suddenly got up and ran to her room to retrieve her phone, and then, with trembling hands, she dialed a phone number.


    RING


    RING


    RING


    After a dozen rings, her call was still not picked up. Finland did not give up, she tried again.


    "Please... pick up..." Finland whispered over and over again.


    After dozens of calls, none of which were picked up, she came to realize that Caspar didn''t want to pick up any calls from her. Desperately she finally slammed down her phone and ran out.


    "Where are you going?" Lauriel asked.


    "Don''t follow me...!" Finland turned and raised her hand towards Lauriel. "Please don''t follow me. Leave me alone."


    Lauriel narrowed his eyes and tried to assess Finland''s mental state, before finally nodding slowly, "Okay... But don''t leave the hotel. It''s not safe outside."


    Finland forced a smile and nodded. "Thank you..."


    She ran out of the suite and descended the elevator to the lobby. With long steps she went to the receptionist.


    "Please, I want to meet with Manager Park..." she said in a choked voice.


    The surprised receptionist shook her head while trying to keep a friendly smile. "Sorry, Madam... Manager Park has already gone home, we can''t bother him at this hour."


    "Then who are the people at this hotel who can connect me with Mr. Stanis Van Der Ven or Mr. Heinrich Schneider..." Finland didn''t want to give up. "This is very important..."

 Chapter 175 - I dont want to be disturbed.

    "Sorry... but he is not here." The receptionist shook her head again, still smiling. "After all, he is very busy, and we don''t have access to contact him."


    "Please tell Mr. Stanis Van Der Ven or Mr. Heinrich Schneider... I''ll wait... I''ll kneel here until one of them will talk to me..." Finland bit her lip and tried to hold back tears. The tears that had dried for some reason fell down her cheeks nonstop. Both hotel staff looked confused seeing her cry.


    "Madame... can we help you? Are you ill?" The on-duty manager approached Finland and tried to touch her shoulder, but he was pushed aside by Finland who shook her head.


    "Sorry... I have no other choice than to do this..." she whispered quietly. She then kneeled in the center of the lobby, ignoring the stares of of people who were passing by in the hotel lobby.


    "Yikes... Ma''am, please stand up... You are putting us in a difficult position. Other guests will think we have wronged you..." The on-duty manager seemed embarrassed. He tried to help Finland up, but the girl stubbornly remained kneeling on the floor.


    Last year Finland had thought of this way to meet Caspar, but it was Sophia who came out and broke her heart, so she gave up and immediately returned to San Francisco.


    After she learned that Sophia deceived her, Finland felt deep regret and wanted to see Caspar no matter what. Too bad Caspar never wanted to pick up her calls. Now she had no choice but to make a fuss at the Continental Hotel to attract his attention.


    Wherever Caspar is, he would definitely be notified by his staff that Finland was openly looking for him in Singapore. This was her last resort to see Caspar ¡­.


    ***


    Caspar was busy with his own thoughts as he looked at the city lights from his window. Suddenly there was a knock on his door and Jadeith entered without waiting to be let in.


    "Uncle, Stanis tried to contact you earlier but because you didn''t pick up the phone, so he asked me to come here as soon as possible," Jadeith said hurriedly.


    "Hmm... I don''t want to be disturbed, I''m thinking..." Caspar said. His voice sounded very tired. "All the phones are muted. What''s so important?"


    "I didn''t want to tell you, because I didn''t want you to be sad, but Miss Finland and her family are here..." Jadeith said guiltily.


    When he saw how devastated Caspar was when he learned that Finland and Lauriel were in Manaus, he no longer told Caspar the news of Finland''s whereabouts. In his opinion, Caspar was having enough stress on his mind with the disappearance of Sophia and he did not want trouble Caspar even more by telling him that the girl he loved was nearby.


    "Here?" Caspar frowned. "You mean at this hotel? Didn''t I already give orders to management to reject Lauriel?"


    "The suite they are staying at was booked by Jean. The management did not take orders to reject Jean Pierre Wang..." Jadeith looked uncomfortable, "But that''s not the important thing Stanis wants you to know..."


    "What is that?"


    "Miss Finland is kneeling in the lobby and begging for Stanis or Uncle to talk to her... All the staff have tried to persuade her to stand up to no avail... It''s been three hours, and many guests passing by have begun to wonder what was happening. They assumed that the hotel had wronged a guest. The management tried to call Uncle here, but you didn''t pick up, so they called Stanis, and Stanis then contacted me..."


    "Wh... what? Why is Finland doing that? What does she want?" Caspar was very surprised to hear the news from Jadeith, "Did something happen to Lauriel?"


    "Miss Finland just wants to talk to Stanis or Uncle. She doesn''t know that you are currently in Singapore... I don''t know what happened to Lauriel."


    Caspar remembered that Alexei''s people met with Lauriel in the park. Did something happen to him that Finland was forced to contact Caspar for help? He thought of the possibilities that would made Finland feel like she had no choice but to contact him...


    It must be an emergency, he thought. Whatever happened between them, Caspar didn''t have the heart to let Finland face hardships alone if something did happen to Lauriel.


    Without waiting for Jadeith, the man ran out of his penthouse with long steps and descended with the elevator to the lobby.

 Chapter 176 - Let me protect you

    The elevator was moving so slowly for the impatient Caspar. His mind was filled with the worst possibilities. As soon as the elevator stopped on the ground floor and the door opened, he immediately ran towards the receptionist.


    From afar he could see a girl kneel in the center of the lobby and people, who had gathered around her, were trying to talk to her.


    His heart felt hurt seeing Finland derogated herself in such a way just to be able to talk to him and he blamed himself.


    He did not intend to refuse Finland''s calls. Today he just needed time for himself because he had a lot on his mind, and he did not want to be disturbed by any phone call. Even Stanis couldn''t contact him today.


    Caspar quickly drove the crowd away and knelt beside Finland. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Please stand up... Don''t embarrass yourself like this..."


    Finland gasped, she turned toward the origin of the voice and found the man she missed was kneeling beside her. His face looked very worried.


    "Caspar...? Are you really here...?" she asked in disbelief. She touched Caspar''s face and shook her head, "This must be my imagination... I miss you too much... I have finally gone crazy..."


    Finland really thought she was only hallucinating. There was no way that Caspar would suddenly appear before her like this, right? She thought that her mind was playing tricks on her because of her longing for him.


    "You miss me¡­?!" Caspar frowned, he didn''t understand what Finland was saying. "What do you mean?"


    Finland, who considered Caspar in front of her a hallucination, could not stop herself from hugging Caspar and crying on his chest.


    "I miss you every day... I can''t stand it anymore. I came here to talk to you and meet you one last time..."


    Jadeith arrived shortly after and dismissed the staff and guests who were still in the lobby to give them privacy. In a brief instant, the large room became very quiet. There was only Finland and Caspar in the lobby. They embraced each other and only the sound of her sobs could be heard.


    "I don''t understand..." Caspar didn''t know what to do when the woman he loved was crying on his chest. He refrained from rubbing the girl''s head. "Did something happen...?"


    "I''m sorry, I was so angry with you and left you because of Jean..." Finland sobbed, not realizing that the surroundings were empty. "I did not tell you that at that time I was pregnant with your child, because I was afraid that you would never let me go... and at that time I really needed to get away from you. I met Lauriel in America and he helped me a lot since our child was born... Lauriel thought of Aleksis as his own daughter, because Aleksis gave him a reason to live..."


    "W... what did you say? Lauriel''s child is MY child?" Caspar was devastated. He did not expect this at all. He remembered that Lauriel introduced Aleksis as his daughter, and he did not ask further. He did not expect that Aleksis was just a goddaughter to Lauriel. "Wh... why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    "I tried to tell you last year... but you didn''t want to see me, and instead you sent Sophia to ask for your mother''s ring..." Finland shook her head sadly, "Sophia said you both were living together and you didn''t want to see me again... I was so heart-broken..."


    "Sophia did live with me... but we don''t have any particular relationship, I was just protecting her..." When Caspar finally understood what had happened, his shoulders became limp and out of instinct he hugged Finland firmly back. "I''m sorry... It''s my fault... I should have met you at that time. I was so stupid... I was so jealous of Lauriel that I refused to see you. I was afraid of acting stupid in front of you, to beg you to come back to me and embarrassing myself... You don''t know this, you are my only weakness..."


    When Caspar hugged her back, suddenly Finland came to her senses. She looked up and stared at Caspar in disbelief. "Th... Is this you? You''re here? Are you really here?"


    "It''s me, Finland... I''m not your imagination... I''m here... I''m here¡­" Caspar whispered. "I''m sorry for leaving you alone all this time... I didn''t know."


    "Oh, Caspar... I''m sorry... I meant to call you after Jean woke up from his coma, but I lost my phone on the way to the hospital and I couldn''t contact you. I came to Singapore to look for you, but you and Lauriel already had a misunderstanding and then I met Sophia... I didn''t know that she tricked me and I couldn''t take the pain so I went straight back to America. For the past year I thought you had forgotten me..."


    "I thought you were the one who forgot about me and chose Lauriel... I thought Aleksis was his child... That child''s eyes are similar to his..." Caspar said quietly. "I forgot that your father also had heterochromia... I''m sorry... I thought you guys were together, so I deliberately stayed away from you. After all, you are the only woman I have ever loved and Lauriel is my best friend. I didn''t want to disturb your lives..."


    "Caspar... you have always been very kind to me. Forgive me for being so stubborn, for having such difficulties to open my heart. It has caused so much problems for us..." Finland held Caspar''s cheeks and looked at him in tears, "I''m glad we finally met and clear up all these misunderstandings..."


    "I promise I will be a better husband to you... I will also be a good father to Aleksis..." Caspar said quickly. "Let''s start over from the beginning, Honey..."


    Tears continued streaming down Finland''s cheeks as she shook her head in despair. "It''s too late... I have to marry Lauriel so Aleksis can stay alive... I came to apologize to you and say goodbye..."


    "What do you mean?" Caspar choked. "Why do you have to marry Lauriel?"


    "Alexei and Katia kidnapped Aleksis and poisoned her to force Lauriel to marry me. Katia wants you to suffer by seeing the woman you love marry someone else, just as she suffered when you left her to marry me... She wants you to suffer so much that the only way out of your pain is for you to choose Death... " Finland shook her head sadly," We have to get married before Ned and Portia''s wedding, then the antidote will be given. I have no choice... I have to protect Aleksis..."


    Within a second Caspar''s face turned red. He was furious when he heard what Alexei and Katia did to his daughter. In his long life he had never been this angry.


    He tried to control his anger so as not to frighten Finland.


    After taking two deep breaths, he finally spoke in a soft voice, "Honey... you are not the one who must protect Aleksis, but I am. Leave this one to me... Let me protect you."

 Chapter 177 - The reunion

    Leave this one to me...


    Let me protect you


    Finland was taken aback when she heard Caspar''s words. For the first time in her life, she felt truly helpless and in need of protection.


    She realized that she was just an ordinary woman who did not have the resources to defend herself from such powerful enemies. Alexei and Katia were two powerful Alchemist clan members who were surrounded by power and wealth.


    She had tried hard to protect herself and Aleksis. Now, she had reached her limit. She felt helpless and scared. She really needed a knight to protect her and her daughter from danger...


    Her tears were flowing down hard and her lips couldn''t utter a single word. Finland could only nod.


    Caspar was very touched to see the woman he loved in tears and sadness immediately hit his chest. He felt very guilty for letting Finland and his daughter survive on their own in the world...


    He could not imagine what would have happened if Finland was forced to marry Lauriel to save Aleksis. He might never know the truth, and he would be alone forever.


    "Let''s get out of here... I want to see my daughter," Caspar said. He stood up and helped Finland to get up, but because she had been kneeling for hours, the girl''s legs had gone numb. Her legs trembled and she almost fell to the ground after standing up. Caspar shook his head, "Your legs must hurt, let me just carry you..."


    Before Finland could respond, Caspar picked her up and carried her to the elevator. Out of reflex, Finland wrapped her arms around Caspar''s neck, and unconsciously buried her face in his shoulders.


    "I missed you so much..." she whispered in a hoarse voice.


    Caspar kissed her hair and smiled very softly, "I missed you too. I miss you every day... I miss you every night."


    When the elevator door closed, Caspar asked Finland, "Which floor are you staying at?"


    "17th floor," she replied.


    Caspar pressed the 17th floor button then waited patiently for the elevator to take them to their destination. After the elevator doors opened on the 17th floor, he carried Finland towards the only 2-bedroom suite on that floor.


    On arrival at the door, he rang the bell.


    The door was opened by Lauriel, who was surprised to see the two, but also relieved.


    "Is Finland alright?" he asked, signaling them to enter.


    "Not very well... but I''ll take care of her," Caspar answered. He placed Finland very carefully on the sofa, then sat next to her.


    "Tea?" Lauriel asked as he walked toward the kitchen and showed the hot water pitcher. "There''s chamomile or fruit-flavored tea."


    "Chamomile," Caspar answered, "I need to calm my mind."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel brewed a pot of tea and carried the pot and several cups to the living room. He poured tea into three cups and invited Caspar and Finland to drink, then sipped his own tea.


    "I''ve heard what happened..." Caspar spoke up after taking a sip of his tea. He glanced at Finland and changed his mind, "There''s a lot I want to discuss with you... but it''s better to do it later, I don''t want Finland to be more worried."


    Lauriel looked at the two for a long time, and then nodded. He could guess what had happened and at the moment he had no choice but to work together with Caspar to find a solution, without involving Finland. Without words, the two agreed that the girl did not need to know what they had to do to save Aleksis.


    "What should we do...?" Finland asked suddenly. She looked at Caspar and Lauriel alternately. "Don''t you keep anything hidden from me..."


    Caspar rubbed her head gently and shook his head, "I will not keep anything from you, but now you have to trust me and Lauriel. We will save Aleksis and avenge Alexei and Katia. You need to rest first. Tomorrow we will discuss what must be done."


    Finland finally nodded. She drank her tea and slowly her crumpled and depressed face looked calmer.


    "I want to see my daughter... Where is Aleksis?" Caspar asked Lauriel.


    "She''s sleeping. You can see her, but you shouldn''t wake her up, poor child if you have to wake her up in the middle of the night, she will cry all night..." Lauriel said. He rose and took Caspar to his room.


    Caspar stood by the bed and looked at the face of his little angel for a long time. Unconsciously, tear drops fell from both corners of his eyes. He walked slowly towards Aleksis and very carefully touched her hair, making sure the child did not wake up.


    "My daughter is so beautiful..." he whispered softly. He then turned to Lauriel with teary eyes, and a moment later he hugged the long-haired man very tightly. "Thank you... thank you for taking care of my family... Forever I am indebted to you..."


    Lauriel patted Caspar''s shoulder and just murmured, "Hmm..."


    "I know you consider Aleksis as your own daughter... I will not keep her away from you. I will be patient..." Caspar said after letting go of his arms. "Now I will bring Finland to rest at my place. Tomorrow morning we will come to meet Aleksis. Later we will discuss our plans to avenge Alexei... I also have to save Sophia..."


    "All right," Lauriel said. His face looked very relieved. Caspar wasn''t planning to keep him away from his goddaughter... that was all that mattered to him now.


    As they walked back into the living room, Caspar saw Jean lying on the carpet covered with a blanket. He frowned and turned to Lauriel.


    "Why is Jean sleeping here?"


    "I gave him some medicine to recover his memory. He has finished meditating. I will just let him sleep here..." Lauriel answered.


    "Oh... did the treatment work?" asked Caspar with interest. "I know that you are a poison and drug expert... I should have looked for you to cure him... I really didn''t think about that option."


    "We''ll see tomorrow morning," Lauriel answered.


    "All right, then, if you''ll excuse me..." Caspar took Finland''s hand and helped her rise from the sofa, "Let''s go home."


    "But Aleksis..."


    "She is asleep, don''t wake her up. Tomorrow morning, we will come here again," Caspar said soothingly. "Do not worry."


    "Uhm... okay." Finland got up and followed Caspar out of the suite. She looked back and gave Lauriel a grateful look, "Please take care of Aleksis for me..."


    "Of course. Have a good rest," Lauriel nodded.


    He watched the couple disappear into the elevator before closing the door. He then leaned against the door for a few moments and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before returning to his suite.

 Chapter 178 - A family of her own

    Finland almost couldn''t believe her own eyes when the elevator door opened at the 40th floor and she saw the familiar door to Caspar''s penthouse. She really missed this place.


    Caspar opened the door and took Finland inside. His hand was still faithfully holding the girl''s hand.


    "Do you want to go straight to sleep or would you like to take a shower first?" Caspar asked. "There''s a kimono in the closet."


    Finland realized that she must look very disheveled and worn out after crying and kneeling for hours in the lobby. She hurriedly shook her head, "I want to take a shower first..."


    "OK." Caspar entered a room, took a towel and a kimono, and gave it to her. "Do you need help?"


    "N... no, thank you..." Finland suddenly looked uncomfortable. Of course, she could take a shower on her own. She didn''t need any help, not even from Caspar.


    They hadn''t seen each other for almost three years and, somehow, she felt a little awkward if they had to behave like husband and wife right now. After all, it was Caspar who asked to separate from her.


    Caspar seemed to read her mind. He then smiled and raised his hand to invite Finland towards the bathroom, "Take your time. I need to take care of something in my study."


    As soon as Finland closed the bathroom door, Caspar took his phone and contacted Jadeith. His face now looked dark and the air around him seemed to cool down by a few degrees. His anger was clearly visible on his face.


    "Jadeith, I need you in my study now."


    "Okay, Uncle."


    Caspar waited for Jadeith while working on something on his laptop. His face was tense and full of concentration. Five minutes later, Jadeith softly knocked on the door and entered the study.


    "What''s wrong, Uncle?" he asked softly. He had never seen his uncle''s face this scary before.


    "I want to kill Alexei and Katia."


    "Uncle... you barely made it out of Famke''s murder alive... Please think carefully..." said Jadeith anxiously, "What did they do now?"


    "They tried to kill my daughter, and I won''t forgive them. I don''t care if I have to commit the unforgivable mistake again..." Caspar hardened his jaw as he answered Jadeith. He saw Jadeith''s confused face and so he was finally forced to explain what had happened. "Finland''s daughter... isn''t Lauriel''s, but mine. Katia and Alexei poisoned her a few days ago... We must find them immediately and force them to give us the antidote."


    "Oh..." Jadeith covered his mouth in surprise, but his expression immediately calmed down and he nodded quickly, "I understand. I will return with the latest report tomorrow morning."


    "Hmm."


    Jadeith excused himself and disappeared. A few minutes later Finland entered with her body wrapped in a kimono. Her face seemed to have calmed down even though her pair of brown eyes still looked sad. Her beautiful hair hung over her shoulders.


    The vulnerability that hung around her really touched Caspar''s heart. His furious face immediately softened. He smiled and raised his both hands to signal Finland to come closer to him.


    "Come here..." he said.


    Finland slowly came closer, and once she was within his reach, Caspar immediately embraced the girl onto his lap.


    "Let me hold you for a moment..." he whispered softly. "I missed you so much..."


    Finland relaxed and stayed on Caspar''s lap. Her hand rubbed the man''s cheeks lovingly. She really missed this face. She really missed Caspar''s smile, and his heart-melting dimples...


    "Hmmm... that''s enough. You''d better go to sleep now," Caspar said a few minutes later. He seemed very reluctant to let go of Finland from his lap, but he realized that it was very late and they had to rest. "You can sleep in the master bedroom. I will sleep in the guest room."


    Finland looked at him for a while, and after gathering her courage, she finally spoke in a soft voice, "Uhm... don''t you want to accompany me?"


    The girl''s face flushed red and she looked very adorable, making Caspar''s heart flutter. He then smiled, showcasing his dimples. He nodded, stood up, and took Finland''s hand and led her to the master bedroom.


    Finland climbed into bed followed by Caspar who covered her with the duvet then turned off the lights and hugged her from behind.


    For the first time in several years, Finland finally had a peaceful sleep.


    ***


    Caspar couldn''t sleep at all that night. He was busy thinking about everything that had happened the past few hours. He tried his best to suppress his emotions as he didn''t want to disturb Finland who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He did not want to toss and turn in bed and wake the girl, so he could only lie still and think.


    He suspected that Lauriel would take action by mobilizing his old team, which had been disbanded decades ago when he went to seclusion. They were a team of immortal adventurers who were highly experienced in various dangerous operations for hundreds of years. Some of them joined Lauriel when he was still venturing the oceans as Black Bart. He called his team "The Wolf Pack" and their presence would be very helpful if Caspar and Lauriel were to take Alexei down.


    As for Caspar, if he needed to mobilize tens of thousands of mercenaries to attack the Meier family, all he had to do was to order Jadeith to contact the Academi*. However, he preferred to use it only as the last resort.


    He would rather approach Alexei quietly and capture him. Sending so many troops to England would attract too much attention and could lead to war. It would have been a different story if Alexei were in the Middle East. It would be very easy to send troops there and kill him without raising suspicion because the region was always embroiled in conflict.


    ***


    When Finland woke up the next morning, Caspar was no longer in bed. Apparently he blacked-out the window curtains to block the incoming sunlight so as not to wake her up. She turned on the lights to see her surroundings.


    On the bedside table there was a set of neatly folded new clothes and a glass of water. Finland realized that Caspar had brought her clothes so she could take a shower and get ready without having to go to Jean''s suite to change clothes. Feeling touched, she hugged her clothes and rushed to the bathroom to get ready.


    After finishing her bath and changing into fresh clothes, Finland felt much better. She was no longer the sad and fragile girl she was the day before. She felt hopeful. She believed that Caspar and Lauriel would do anything in their power to save Aleksis. They were both the smartest people she knew... She could entrust her life and Aleksis'' to them.


    When Finland entered the dining room, she saw all the people she loved gathered at the dining table. Caspar was preparing breakfast, assisted by Jean who prepared the plates and cutleries, and Lauriel was holding Aleksis who was laughing and playing with his hair.


    For a moment Finland stood transfixed at the sight. Her heart was filled with gratitude. This was HER FAMILY.


    Finland, the poor orphan who had always been alone, now had a family to call her own. There was Caspar, the man she loved, her daughter Aleksis, her best friend Jean, and Lauriel whom she regarded as her older brother. Maybe this was a reward for all the suffering she endured all her life¡­


    "Mummyyyy...!!" exclaimed Aleksis who suddenly saw her presence. The three men turned their heads towards Finland and smiled at the same time.


    "Good morning..." Jean approached Finland and spread his arms, "Guess who just got his memory back?"


    "Whoaa...? Jean... you have recovered? Really? The medicine worked?" Finland covered her mouth in surprise. Her eyes filled with tears as she ran toward Jean and hugged him tightly. "Oh my God... I missed you so much..."


    "Yeah... this morning I woke up and my head felt like it was hit by a hammer... but I remember everything..." Jean said. "I am indebted to Lauriel."


    "I''m glad it worked..." Lauriel said, shrugging. "I haven''t been to the Amazon for such a long time. It''s good to be able to go to my favorite place to look for medicinal ingredients for you..."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel with a complicated look. Now he only understood why Lauriel invited Finland and Aleksis to Manaus at that time. They were collecting the medicinal ingredients for Jean. He mistakenly suspected that Lauriel and Finland were together and that Lauriel took the girl to his favorite place because he loved Finland. Given this, a shy smile tugged on his lips.


    "I''m sorry for wiping out your memories..." Caspar said to Jean. "I only did what I thought was the best thing to do at that time. You shouldn''t know our secrets."


    Jean had forgiven Caspar because the man also saved his life by giving him the immortality potion, and now Jean had obtained what every human dreamed of: to be young forever.


    "You have made up to it, I thank you for saving my life," Jean replied. "Now I too have become an immortal thanks to you."


    Lauriel then remembered something, "How long will Aldebar carry out his experiment?"


    "Ten years," Caspar answered. "Seven more years."


    Lauriel nodded. "Oh, that''s not too long. Finland is half Asian, so her face won''t change until she''s over 40 years old. She can wait if it''s only 7 years. That''s the good thing about being Asian, they are genetically blessed with youthful looks."


    "What do you mean?" asked Jean, not understanding.


    Finland hurriedly signaled to Lauriel and Caspar not to discuss the matter further. Jean did not know that the immortality potion he took was the potion intended for Finland, and there would be no more potion until Aldebar woke up from his long experiment.


    "Why are you talking about something so serious this morning? I''m so hungry... let''s eat." she said to distract the men. She took Aleksis from Lauriel''s lap and kissed her. "Good morning, Little Angel. Did you miss Mummy?"


    Aleksis laughed in amusement and nodded. "I miss Mummy."


    Caspar stopped flipping the pancakes and watched the scene heavy heartedly. He wanted so much to carry his child, but Aleksis always clung to Lauriel and he did not want to force the child and make her cry.


    "Mummy misses you too..." Finland said, smiling. "Do you know who else is missing you?"


    Aleksis shook her head. "I don''t know."


    "Your dad really misses you," Finland whispered. She brought Aleksis to Caspar and showed the man his child. "Aleksis, this is your daddy..."


    Caspar looked awkward when Finland suddenly brought Aleksis to him. He hesitantly stretched out his hand and tried to smile. Aleksis looked at him attentively, then touched his dimples and smiled broadly.


    "Daddy..."


    Just with that one simple world, Caspar''s heart stirred with emotion. He never thought that he would ever fall in love again with someone other than Finland. His heart was suddenly filled with a warm feeling, like spring when flowers bloom.


    He looked emotional when he took Aleksis from Finland and held her close to his heart. "My child..."


    It was then that Lauriel realized that Caspar had really changed. He saw how he treated Finland last night and he was impressed.


    But now, seeing Caspar''s interaction and emotion with his daughter, he was truly convinced. Never in his life did he expect this bachelor, famous for being a womanizer, who dumped many lovers, change into the man he saw today. All because of one woman.


    Lauriel had initially harbored feelings for Finland because he admired her resilience and because of his affection for Aleksis, but seeing how much Caspar loved Finland, he was willing to step aside and give his blessing to them, especially since Caspar promised not to keep Aleksis away from him. Without Aleksis, Lauriel had no reason to live anymore.


    At that moment, his priority was to save the child and make sure Aleksis lived a long and happy life. His feelings and wellbeing was not at all important.


    A few moments later they gathered at the dining table for breakfast. Aleksis was already willing to sit and eat on Caspar''s lap and the man patiently fed her a pancake with chocolate. Caspar never thought that he could be this patient with another human, and he felt proud of himself. He knew he had a natural talent to be a father.


    While peeling an apple, he glanced at Finland who was sitting next to him. After all these problems were behind their backs, he would formalize their relationship again, go on a honeymoon, and have more children together. He really couldn''t wait for that day to come.


    .


    .


    *Academi = a private military company that can be hired by corporates and governments to work on conflict zones for dangerous missions.

 Chapter 179 - Making Plans

    For a long second Finland was able to forget their current problems and enjoy the friendly atmosphere around her. She was forever grateful to be able to see the people she loved around her.


    "After this we have to make a plan," Caspar said after they finished eating. "I want to hear what''s on your minds..."


    Lauriel nodded, followed by Jean. They then stood up and followed Caspar to the library. Finland, who did not want Aleksis to hear their conversation, took her daughter outside and sat in the spacious balcony garden of the penthouse with a book. They basked outside enjoying the warmth of the sun that she had missed so much since living in San Francisco.


    In the library, the three men sat down and started discussing strategies on how to deal with the situation they were facing. They were tense and fully concentrated. Earlier, in front of Finland, they managed to hold back their stress and did not show any signs of worry because they did not want to scare Finland and Aleksis.


    However, now that there were behind closed doors, both Caspar and Lauriel no longer covered their feelings. Their faces showed extreme anger.


    "What can I do for you?" Jean asked softly. He knew that he had the least resources compared to Lauriel and Caspar, but he was eager to help them.


    "Hmm... you can come to Ned and Portia''s party, but for the moment there is nothing you can do," Caspar said. "I think it would be best for you to return to Normandy and continue working as if nothing''s happened."


    "But Terry just finished his transplant procedure, I wish to know if the procedure was a success..." Jean said. "I can''t just leave."


    "I checked his condition this morning before breakfast," Caspar said. "I have arranged for the best doctors to monitor him every day. So far his condition is very stable. Did you forget that I''m a doctor?"


    "Oh..." Jean was stunned. He had almost forgotten that one of Caspar''s many professions in his long life was a highly skilled surgeon.


    Caspar, who could not sleep, got out of bed early that morning and did various things he could do while waiting for everyone to wake up and start their day. He thought of the child suffering from leukemia and wanted to make sure that the bone marrow transplant by Finland was not done in vain.


    He was relieved to know that so far Terry was doing fine. He did not want Finland to undergo the operation for the second time in the future. He made sure that the doctor in charge reported to him daily.


    "You can visit him this afternoon with Finland and say good-bye. I will be more relaxed if I don''t have to think about your safety too. That is why it would be better for us if you stay away first."


    "I understand..." Jean finally said. Also, he had left his job for long enough and he must think of other actors and film crews involved in their new film project. He realized that he was not very useful for Finland this time. Therefore, he followed Caspar''s suggestion.


    "Ivan has kidnapped Karl Furstenberg and brought him to Germany. I am curious if Katia would rather see her friend die or offer an antidote for my child," Caspar said again. His eyes blazed with fury and his hand gripped the table in anger. "We will immediately go to my place and wait there. I will bring Finland and Aleksis with me to Germany. Do you want to come with us?"


    Caspar turned to Lauriel who seemed to shake his head with a heavy heart.


    "I need to make two poisons... One for Alexei and Katia, and one for Aleksis... I will send The Wolf Pack to infiltrate and poison the two and then I will make a deal to exchange antidotes..."


    "What potion do you want to make for Aleksis?" Caspar asked, not understanding.


    "Have you ever heard of the Mother of Poisons?" Lauriel asked in return. "You must have at least heard about that from Aldebar."


    "Medusa?" Caspar frowned. "That is the most dangerous poison ever made. Are you thinking about giving it to Aleksis?"


    "If all else fails, I will be forced to give Medusa to Aleksis. Medusa will neutralize all kinds of poisons below its level, and then all we have to do is to give an antidote for the Medusa poison." Lauriel explained.


    "Do you have a Medusa antidote? Then why don''t we try it now?" Caspar asked quickly.


    Lauriel shook his head with a faint smile. "I can make Medusa''s antidote, but only if I have to. We should try other ways first."


    Caspar frowned and tried to judge the meaning behind Lauriel''s words.


    He could treat Aleksis by fighting poison with poison, and then treating the effects of his own poison. But he chose not to do it unless it was their last resort. Was the Medusa antidote that difficult to make?


    Caspar finally decided to trust Lauriel and follow his words.


    "All right. When will you start making your poisons? Will we meet you in Scotland or will you stop by in Germany?" Caspar asked later.


    "I will leave tomorrow morning. I am waiting for Marion, Esso and the other to arrive. I will entrust them to you to coordinate while I go. If I have time, I will stop by Germany, if not... we will meet in Scotland."


    "OK."


    There was then a soft knock on the door and Jadeith entered with Finland and Aleksis.


    "I have contact from Ivan. Karl has been taken to your castle in Germany, uncle. They are waiting for us there. Alexei and Katia disappeared in England, but we are still looking for them," Jadeith reported. "Do you want to use the Academi?"


    "Have the director meet me in Germany," Caspar said, nodding. "We will leave tonight. This afternoon we will be in the hospital for a while. Please prepare everything."


    "All right," Jadeith was just about to excuse himself when there was a sudden knock on the library door.


    Three people came walking in casually. There were two young men and a girl. The two men were very casually dressed with shorts, sandals and sunglasses. They looked like European tourists who were traveling in the hot Southeast Asia.


    The woman was a very beautiful girl with brown hair to her shoulders and a very slim body. She wore a pair of torn jeans, a casual white T-shirt, and leather boots. Her blue eyes shaped like a cat''s eye reminded Finland of Jean''s eyes. Her eyes were radiant with intelligence. Her face was adorned with a broad smile as she looked at Lauriel''s figure and rushed at him.


    "Lauriel! I''m very glad to hear that you are looking for me. I miss you so much !!" she exclaimed, hugging Lauriel. "I thought you were still in Brazil, I saw the news about the crop circle you made there last month."


    Lauriel patted her back and smiled slightly, "How are you, Marion?"


    "I''m fine. I just happened to be venturing in China when Charlie called me, so I came straight here. Esso was on vacation in Thailand, and Petra immediately flew from Australia. The others are still on their way," the girl replied eagerly. "I didn''t think I''ll ever see you again."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel just nodded. After Marion released her embrace, Lauriel hugged the two men who came with the girl in turn. "Esso... good news? Petra? I''m glad you came."


    Finland stared at the sight of Lauriel the loner who apparently had such close friends. In the two years she had known Lauriel, she had never seen him meet any friends. The man had always been openly showing his dislike for other humans. Finland now saw another side of Lauriel that she had never seen before.


    As a woman, she also noticed how Marion looked at Lauriel. The girl must have fallen in love with him, but Lauriel politely kept his distance.


    Jadeith, who had been stunned by their sudden presence, finally found his voice and stammered at the girl and asked, "H... how did you get in? The security here is very tight..."


    Caspar smiled to see his shocked nephew. They implemented his security system and he must have been very surprised to know that his security system was easily penetrated by these three intruders.


    "Don''t be embarrassed, Jadeith. These three are the best wolves from the Wolf Pack, they can break even the most sophisticated defenses. Our system is not designed to withstand infiltration from them." He waved his hand towards Jadeith to calm him down. "Do you know who stole and switched the Monalisa painting in Louvre?"


    "Monalisa is still in Louvre... It was not stolen..." said Jadeith, frowning.


    Marion looked at him with pity and then burst out laughing. "Hmmm... the copy is really good, isn''t it? I exchanged it ten years ago. The real one is now in my house. I''m an art lover."


    Jadeith looked at Marion sharply, trying to see if the beautiful girl was joking, but a moment later he realized that Marion was serious. His expression immediately went dark. He had to re-examine the security system he made and find out how these three people could enter without his knowledge and prevent that from happening again.


    "I need you to help Caspar," Lauriel said. "His daughter is my goddaughter. She was poisoned by Alexei from the Meier family and we must get the antidote within 10 days. Tomorrow I will go to make my own poisons. I want you guys to coordinate with Caspar to find Alexei. Meanwhile, I will formulate a formula to poison Alexei and Katia. After you find him, I will come and we will secretly poison them. Then we will arrange for us to exchange antidotes. If we don''t succeed, I''ll give Medusa and Medusa antidote to Aleksis."


    Marion''s expression immediately changed. "Lauriel... are you really going to use that method?"


    The tone of her voice was very anxious and made people wonder.


    "I will use it only as a last resort," Lauriel said firmly. The look on his face showed that he didn''t want to talk about it anymore and Marion was forced to remain silent.


    "All right... then we''ll get ready," Caspar decided. Everyone looked at him and nodded.


    "If you go to the hospital, leave Aleksis with me," Lauriel said before everyone left the library. "A child shouldn''t be around sick people. Besides, I need to say goodbye to her before going to America to make my poisons."


    Finland nodded. She handed Aleksis to Lauriel and whispered, "Thank you..."


    "Hmm..."


    Lauriel took Aleksis to Jean''s suite, while Caspar ordered Jadeith to bring Finland''s and Aleksis'' stuff from the suite to his penthouse. Jean immediately packed his bags because he would directly leave for the airport from the hospital and return to France.


    Marion, Esso and Petra accompanied Lauriel in their suite and engaged in a warm long-awaited conversation. They hadn''t seen each other for decades!


    At 3 pm a small group consisting of Caspar, Finland, and Jean drove to Raffles Hospital to see Terry and bid their goodbyes.


    Caspar no longer harbored ill feelings toward Jean for having a biological child with Finland. He already had Aleksis with Finland and his happiness couldn''t be expressed in words.

 Chapter 180 - Years of longing

    Jean and Finland''s presence at the hospital again attracted the attention of visitors and hospital employees, but now the gossip that Jean and Finland were lovers slowly faded away because people saw that the girl, whom they initially thought was Jean''s girlfriend, was walking while holding hands with another man, who was even better looking than Jean.


    When the three passed, people subconsciously stopped whatever they were doing and stared at them until they disappeared from view.


    "Dr. Schneider...!" exclaimed a middle-aged doctor when he saw Caspar. "Gosh... why are you here? Visiting duty or checking on a patient?"


    Caspar recognized the man from a conference he attended several years ago and for the sake of politeness he stopped and greeted him.


    "Good evening, Doctor. I''m just visiting a friend''s child. How are you?"


    "Good, good, I am very happy to meet you. Gosh... You haven''t changed at all! You are still as young and as handsome as when we met several years ago." The doctor was amazed to see Caspar, "You''re almost 40 years old right now, right?"


    Caspar just smiled thinly at that. He had indeed used the identity of Heinrich Schneider for too long. Heinrich Schneider was the owner of the Schneider Group and the well-known genius surgeon, both of whom walked their paths together unnoticed by people in both worlds because his face never appeared on any media.


    Since he parted ways with Finland two years ago, he had not bothered to take on a new identity. That could be taken care of once Aleksis recovers and they live together again, he thought.


    Finland remembered that her second meeting with Caspar also took place at the hospital. That time Finland needed to do a medical check-up as a requirement to start working in LTX and Caspar, who was a visiting doctor at the Stamford Hospital for 6 months, kindly offered to examine her and even paid for her check-up fee because he knew that Finland did not have any money.


    The thought of the event made her smile subconsciously and she looked at Caspar lovingly.


    To avoid more people from recognizing and stopping him, Caspar walked hurriedly to Terry''s room followed by Finland and Jean. They were welcomed by the boy''s parents who seemed very grateful for their help. Terry now had hope of recovery.


    "Hi Terry, how are you feeling?" Jean asked when they arrived at the room where Terry was treated.


    He regretted that he didn''t have the chance to stop by to bring gifts, but they were in a hurry.


    "All right," Terry answered. He smiled at Caspar, "The doctor said that the procedure went well and now we have to wait and see, but so far everything is going on well."


    Caspar nodded. Astonished, Finland turned to look at Caspar.


    "Do you know each other?" she asked.


    "I came here this morning..." Caspar shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure that you didn''t give your bone marrow in vain. I happen to know the director of this hospital personally."


    "Oh..." Finland smiled at this and squeezed Caspar''s hand tenderly. She remembered that Caspar was very jealous because Finland donated her egg cells to get money and as a result she had a child from an embryo produced by her egg and Jean''s sperm. But now, Caspar didn''t seem to mind that anymore. Finland felt relieved.


    They talked for a while and then excused themselves because they were leaving Singapore and promised to exchange news after Terry recovered.


    Jean was driven to the airport because he had to fly immediately to France and Finland heavy-heartedly sent him off when they arrived at the departure terminal. She felt very happy because Jean had regained all his valuable memory of their friendship. Both promised to call each other and talk every day like they used to. Then they exchanged one last hug and said goodbye.


    "Good luck with the movie..." Finland said. "See you in Scotland!"


    "See you, Finland." Jean waved several times before going through the security check. He quickly disappeared from their sight.


    "I have not thanked you for thinking fast and saving Jean''s life by giving him the immortality potion..." Finland said to Caspar with welled up emotions. "Thank you..."


    Caspar looked at Finland and a sly smile carved on his face,


    "Uhmm... you can show your gratitude by kissing me..." he said.


    Instantly, Finland flushed red and subconsciously she looked down. She had not kissed this man for a long time and she really missed him.


    Caspar, who saw Finland''s timid expression, immediately touched her chin and brought her face closer to his. Then, he kissed her lips softly with his eager lips. As he was kissing her, he got more and more excited. He then forcefully entered her mouth with his tongue and explored it to his heart''s content. He really missed these cute red lips, every day, every night.


    Ouch... aren''t you embarrassed...? This is a public place¡­ a VERY public place.


    Finland wanted to say those words in protest, but no sound came out of her lips as they were being attacked by Caspar like there was no tomorrow. Finally, Finland could only close her eyes and enjoy the man''s kisses which made her mind immediately go blank.


    When Caspar finally let go, he whispered tenderly in her ear, "I miss you so much, I miss you every day, I miss you every night..."


    Finland blushed and ''changed the topic'' by pulling Caspar''s hand to where their car was waiting. She was embarrassed by the envious looks the people around them show when they saw them kissing so passionately.


    On the way back to the Continental Hotel, the two sat in the backseat in each other embrace, as if worried that they would be separated again. Ben, who glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror, seemed to smile. He was very pleased to see his employer reunited with the woman he loved.


    After arriving at the Continental Hotel, Finland immediately took Aleksis from Lauriel and prepared to leave for Germany with Caspar. Marion, Esso, and Petra would join them, while Lauriel would leave for America alone.


    "See you later, Lauriel. Good luck..." Caspar said as they parted ways.


    "See you later, Uncle Rory." Aleksis kissed Lauriel''s cheek which etched a smile on her godfather''s face.


    "See you later. We will succeed," Lauriel said as he ruffled Aleksis'' hair until it became as messy as his hair.


    Lauriel''s confident voice gave Finland hope. Even if they could not get the antidote for Aleksis, Lauriel still had a backup plan to cure Aleksis with the Medusa poison which he called ''the mother of poisons''. Finland and Caspar firmly believed in Lauriel''s ability and they were somewhat relieved to know that there was another alternative if they failed to capture Alexei to exchange antidotes.


    After flying for about 12 hours, their plane landed in Stuttgart, and via the VIP route, the group then continued their journey with the several cars that were waiting for them in the lobby. This trip brought Finland down the memory lane when she first landed in Europe and went to Caspar''s family castle. There she met his younger siblings, got married, and saw her first snow...


    Now it was late autumn and the temperature dropped to twelve degrees. But Finland, who had settled for several years in San Francisco, was now accustomed to cold temperatures and did not need to take shelter under Caspar''s coat like she did before. In her heart, she wished that she was feeling cold. Then Caspar would have a reason to shelter her under his coat¡­ that would be very romantic.


    Caspar was thinking the same thing, because he looked at Finland and his face seemed a little disappointed because the girl was not cold and needed no protection from his coat. When the two stared at each other, Finland and Caspar, who knew they were thinking about the same thing, could not help but laugh together.


    "Hmm..." Caspar shook his head and pulled Finland''s hand gently into the car.


    Along the way they talked about what had happened during their separation. Finland told him about her life in San Francisco and how Lauriel helped her a lot, especially after Sophia tricked her in Singapore and made her think that Caspar was living together with Sophia and had forgotten about her.


    "I''m sorry... I was really stupid at that time..." Caspar said apologetically. "It''s a good thing that Lauriel helped you... I owe him a huge favor. I will teach Sophia a lesson, as soon as I save her from Alexei."


    "Why did Sophia switch her loyalty from her brother to you?" Finland tone was slightly jealous.


    "Famke was Alexei''s girlfriend whom he sent to frame me. Sophia felt that Alexei had changed because of Katia''s influence and she was afraid that if Famke was this dispensable for him, surely he could also sacrifice his own sister... That''s why Sophia left him..."


    "Lauriel said Sophia has had a crush on you for a long time... Surely she helped you because she wanted to be with you..." Finland said again.


    "Maybe." Caspar shrugged. "What is clear is that I am yours and I have never loved her nor any other woman."


    He then looked at Finland closely, "My dear... I want us to promise each other not to be blind and jealous without using common sense. Even though Sophia is in love with me, please don''t be jealous of her if I have to save and protect her. I am bound by my promise to her when she cleared up my name before the council. I also won''t be jealous of Lauriel who loved you and did so many things for you... because I now know that you only love me... "


    Finland frowned at Caspar''s words, "Jealous of Lauriel? Oh... please Caspar, don''t be like that anymore. Remember what happened last time when you were jealous of Jean?"


    "I know... that''s why I said that I have learned from my experience and I won''t be jealous of Lauriel, even though I know for sure he has a heart for you. I have known him for hundreds of years and I know how he is when he is in love..." Caspar said quietly. "I know that you are an extraordinary woman, and I am not surprised that he fell in love with you... but I met you first, and he had to give in because you are mine."


    Finland knew that Lauriel had fallen in love with her, but she did not expect Caspar to notice it that easily. She was afraid that the man would be jealous again like he used to be jealous of Jean, but this time Caspar had acted wiser and understanding that someone''s feelings were the prerogative of that person and he could not force them to eliminate those feelings simply because he loved the same person. He had seen that Lauriel always kept a good distance from Finland and for him that was enough.


    They arrived at Caspar''s family castle late at night. Kara welcomed them at the door and immediately became familiar with Aleksis.


    "Ahh... Princess Aleksis, you are very very very beautiful. You will like the princess room which your father prepared in this castle..." she said eagerly.


    Finland turned to Caspar, "When did you prepare a room for Aleksis?"


    "I ordered a few items yesterday and asked Kara to prepare her room..." Caspar replied, smiling broadly, "A beautiful room fit for a little princess."


    When she saw the room prepared for Aleksis, Finland thought about Aleksis'' room at Lauriel''s house which looked a lot like a Disney fairy tale room and she could not help but smile. Both Aleksis'' biological and foster fathers have the same taste in the furniture for little girls.


    "After dinner, we must rest," Caspar said after they placed their belongings in the bedroom. Finland nodded in agreement. Traveling from Singapore was quite tiring even though they flew in a comfortable private plane.


    Food had been prepared in the dining room and they had a quick dinner before reading a bedtime story for Aleksis. Finland and Caspar made sure that she was sleeping soundly before the two went into their own bedroom.


    In their bedroom, Caspar and Finland stared at each other for a long second. For some reason, their urge to immediately sleep vaporized and the fatigue they felt after flying for a dozen hours disappeared.


    Caspar could no longer contain himself and immediately kissed Finland''s lips greedily. He held her head and back very carefully as if afraid that she would disappear like a shadow.


    Finland, who had really missed her husband''s body, involuntarily unbuttoned Caspar''s shirt and slid her tiny hands on the man''s chest and back. The simple gesture made Caspar stop his kisses as he was stunned for two seconds. When he came back to his senses, Caspar carried Finland and laid her on the bed and continued to caress her there.


    They did not rest after dinner as originally planned. Their years of longing was satisfied as they made love all night long.

 Chapter 181 - The Wolf Pack Arrival

    Finland was very sleepy the next day when she woke up because the time in Europe was 6 hours behind Singapore. Also, after dinner, they did not immediately went to sleep but spent several hours making love to each other, to satisfy their longing after being separated for almost three years.


    When she opened her eyes, it was still dark around her because Caspar deliberately closed the blackout curtain to prevent the sunlight from outside from waking her up. When she took her phone from the bedside table, Finland saw that it was already 10 o''clock in the morning.


    Caspar was no longer by her side. As usual, there was a glass of drink placed on the table beside her bed. A huge smile framed her face as she drank the glass of water. She hurriedly finished her drink, then got up and left the room. She was a bit ashamed because she woke up so late and neglected Aleksis this morning.


    Finland was walking hurriedly to Aleksis'' room when Kara passed by and greeted her.


    "Good morning, Madam. Master is waiting for you in the dining room with the little miss."


    "Oh..." Finland nodded and immediately changed her direction. She went down to the first floor and headed for the large dining room where Caspar was waiting for her together with Aleksis. There she saw the two enjoying a leisurely breakfast and her heart flooded with relief.


    "I''m sorry I woke up so late," Finland said apologetically. "Usually I wake up early in the morning to prepare Aleksis to be picked up by Lauriel, and then I go to work. I feel that for the past few weeks I''ve been too spoiled because I am working part time."


    "Oh... you can get up in the afternoon or whenever you want," Caspar said quickly, "you are not alone anymore. There are so many staff who can help take care of Aleksis, and there is me too. You don''t have to do everything alone anymore, Finland."


    Finland forgot that she was no longer a single mother who had to work hard in San Francisco. She no longer had to wake up extra early to leave Aleksis with Lauriel every day.


    Now there were many staff at her disposal, and Caspar also seemed to be such a doting father who happily took care his daughter. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. What a great feeling, not having to worry about everything alone again.


    Finland approached Caspar and kissed him softly on the lips, "Thank you."


    Caspar closed his eyes and gave Finland a long kiss in return. He then pulled the girl onto his lap and hugged her from behind.


    "I''m glad we''re back to how we were..." he said quietly. He was referring to their activities last night. After being reunited in Singapore, he had been eager to make love to his wife and satisfy his desire for her.


    However, he realized that they had been separated for such a long time due to some misunderstandings so he didn''t want to rush things and make the whole situation awkward. He wanted to start over their relationship on good terms, not solely because of sexual desires.


    When Finland asked him to accompany her to sleep in the penthouse after their meeting in the lobby, he had to hold back so as not to vent his longing by immediately having a sexual intercourse. He did not want to take advantage on the girl when she was being fragile. He did not want her to regret anything.


    Fortunately, so many problems filled his mind at that time, so he could easily distract himself. He couldn''t sleep at all that night, mostly thinking about how to get hold on the antidote for his daughter.


    Early in the morning he got out of bed and went to the hospital to check on Terry. Thereafter he prepared breakfast and invited Lauriel and Jean to his penthouse to have breakfast together.


    When Finland kissed him at the airport because she was grateful for Caspar''s help in saving Jean''s life, Caspar felt that she had warmed up to him compared to how distant she was before. That was why, once they arrived in Germany, he no longer held back and vent his desire for her.


    He felt happy because she responded well to their love making . He could see that Finland felt the same longing for him, judging from her response when they made love. The girl was so excited that she forgot her own fatigue after flying for 12 hours.


    They made sweet love all night long and reached endless peaks together, so many times they lost count. Only after the girl was too tired did Caspar stop their love making and let her sleep.


    It was almost 4 o''clock in the morning and he realized that Aleksis would wake up soon. Finally, he decided not to sleep and take care of his daughter while his wife finally rest. Finland had been taking care of Aleksis on her own for two years, so she deserved her uninterrupted rest this time, Caspar thought.


    That was why he made sure their bedroom remained dark and Finland could sleep soundly as much as she needed, while he got ready for the morning and spent time with Aleksis.


    From now on they would stay together, and he would make up for all the time lost and the moments he missed. He would spoil the two girls he loved so much and do anything to make them happy.


    "I''m also glad that we are now together again..." Finland whispered. She looked back and kissed Caspar again. "Thank you for looking after Aleksis this morning..."


    "Hey... why did you have to thank me? She''s my daughter too." Caspar pretended to frown, "Or is she not?"


    Finland laughed and nodded happily.


    "What are you guys eating?" she asked him.


    "Uhm... my special pancakes. Do you want some?"


    "What time did you get up? Aren''t you sleepy? How can you have the time to cook breakfast?"


    "I didn''t sleep. I couldn''t sleep..." Caspar admitted, "Tonight I will sleep early. After breakfast I will meet with the complete Wolf Pack members. They are all on their way here."


    "Oh... Don''t you feel sleepy?" Finland asked in surprise. "I don''t want you to get sick..."


    "Only a little sleepy. Don''t worry. There are so many things more important than sleep right now..." Caspar said soothingly. "I will not be sick. Remember, I am an Alchemist, our body is stronger than a normal human being. A night''s lack of sleep won''t affect me too much."


    "Uhm... okay." Finland got up from Caspar''s lap and kissed Aleksis who was playing with her pancakes. "Hey... little princess, you don''t usually play with food. Have you forgotten what Uncle Rory taught you just because he isn''t here?"


    Aleksis looked at her mother with her puppy eyes, and Finland didn''t have the heart to scold her any further.


    "Jeez... she copied you so quickly..." said Finland. She remembered in the past, she often got these ''puppy eyes'' look from Caspar when he wanted something from her.


    Caspar burst out laughing. He knew exactly what Finland meant. Aleksis may not physically take after him, but for the past few days he had been able to see how the child''s personality traits all came from him.


    "I know you want her to be a timid and well-mannered child, as Lauriel taught her, but don''t blame me if I spoil her rotten. I didn''t get to experience the first two years of her life! Now is my opportunity to properly take care of her..." said Caspar. "Now I have two weaknesses. You and Aleksis..."


    Finland stared at Caspar for a long time, and could only nod reluctantly. She knew that she was the cause of Caspar''s separation from his child for two long years. He only found out that he had a child a few days ago. Finland knew that she could not expect Caspar to be a strict father to Aleksis.


    She didn''t really mind, though. Finland grew up without her father and her mother died when she was little. No one ever spoiled her, until Caspar came into her life. She did not want Aleksis to suffer like she did. If the child grew up being pampered and spoiled by her father, she wouldn''t mind.


    Finland finally ate quickly and immediately helped Aleksis to tidy up her food. After breakfast the two bathed together in a bathtub and started the day with fresh clothes. The mother and daughter duo looked very similar even though their eye colors were different.


    When they entered the library to see Caspar who was working, his gaze was transfixed on them and a broad smile engraved on his lips.


    "My two girls are very pretty..." he said, hugging them both. "Do you want to play or read a book? I will have a meeting with the Wolf Pack in a minute."


    "Uhmm... I have to work," Finland said. "I promised Tony that I would work two days a week. There are two reports that I should have sent last week. Aleksis will draw while accompanying me to work."


    "Oh..." Caspar scratched his head. It wasn''t itchy, but he again felt that itch to ask her to quit working, but instead he held back. He knew he could not force his will. "All right. We will talk about your work after Scotland. Do you want to work here or in my study?"


    "You will have a meeting here, right?" Finland asked.


    "Right."


    "Then I go to your study."


    "OK."


    "But I want to stay with you here until they come. Will that be okay?" Finland asked.


    Caspar smiled broadly and nodded, "Of course. I''m glad you''re here."


    They chatted while drinking tea as they waited for the arrival of Marion and her friends. Although Finland was eager to hear what their plans were to save Aleksis, she realized she would not be very useful to them, and she did not want Aleksis to hear such serious conversations at a very young age. That was why Finland chose to retreat with Aleksis to Caspar''s study during the time they held their meeting.


    "Good morning."


    Half an hour later there was a soft knock on the library door and Marion entered, followed by five men. Finland already knew Esso and Petra. Two of the men who just arrived looked exactly the same. They were both very slender. Their long hair was tied with red ban and they both had a pair of bright green eyes.


    "Hey... Neo and Endo, the twins," Caspar said, welcoming them. "I thought you guys are in Antarctica?"


    "We just got back last week, and by chance Boss Lauriel needed us, so we came here right away," answered one of the twins. "We haven''t seen him in decades, so this is a rare opportunity that should not be missed."


    "Hey... my name is Peach. We have never met," the last person with the most serious face and the really short hair extended his hand to greet Caspar, "I happen to live in Munich, so I can come here quickly."


    Caspar welcomed them and invited them to take their seats. They wasted no time discussing their plans to capture Alexei and Katia.


    Finland excused herself and brought Aleksis with her to Caspar''s study. Finland herself tried to divert her attention from the harsh situation they were facing by working on her reports for LTX.


    Deep down she was very relieved that there was so much help available to them and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart at the thought that the smartest and most powerful people on earth were trying to find ways to save Aleksis. She was very touched.

 Chapter 182 - Sweet SPOILER: dont open if you hate spoilers

    This event will happen sometime in future. It''s just too sweet, so I want to share it with you... hehehe.


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    *************************


    The mother in question was not feeling well during her vacation on her private island. Her stomach had been cramped since morning and her husband panicked because the mother was pregnant, and he was afraid that something was happening with his wife''s pregnancy. Fortunately, he himself was a doctor and could easily check her condition.


    "Pfew... it''s nothing, just regular cramps," he muttered in a relieved voice. "When you were pregnant with Aleksis, did you experience cramps or other complaints?"


    Finland shook her head. "Not at all. Aleksis was a very good child while she was still in the womb, I was not bothered at all, no nausea, and I didn''t even crave for anything. Everything was fine..."


    "Oh... yes, your pregnancy is now 10 weeks in, yet you still don''t crave for anything?" Caspar asked again, amazed.


    Caspar was actually looking forward to all the hassles of being a father-to-be. He would do anything to make up for the lost time when he was absent from the days when Finland was pregnant with his first child.


    But until now Finland, still had not shown any signs of cravings or even nausea and vomiting. Everything felt fine, except for the cramps she experienced this morning,


    "How strange, why don''t you vomit or crave?" Caspar asked, almost complaining.


    "Would you rather I suffer with nausea, vomiting and cravings?" Finland pouted to hear her husband''s ridiculous complaint. Caspar could only scratch his head even though it was not itchy.


    He should feel lucky because his wife had an easy pregnancy, but for some reason, probably because he was not around during her first pregnancy, he became curious and wanted to feel the hassles during this second pregnancy.


    "I want you to be fine..." Caspar said, smiling, "Don''t ever feel worried or reluctant to bother me. I will fulfill whatever you want. Whatever."


    "Hmmm..." Finland seemed to think about what she could ask Caspar to do. "I want a massage. My legs are getting a bit sore..."


    Caspar smiled broadly and nodded. He went into the room and took the fragrant shea butter cream, then lifted his wife''s legs onto his lap and began massaging them one by one with full dedication.


    "You''ve changed..." he said casually, "In the past, all you could think about was how to get more money... Now, you never mention money again... hahaha. Do you still remember our bet about whether or not I could look and act poor? You bet my one month''s income..."


    Finland covered her mouth with the back of her hand while laughing out loud at Caspar''s words.


    Gosh... of course she still remembered that ridiculous bet. Thinking about it made her feel a little embarrassed. She used to be very calculating and only thought about how to get money. Really, so many things changed in three years.


    "Hey... I was just a poor employee back then..." she protested.


    "Yeah, that''s why I have prepared myself in case your pregnancy makes you crave weird things related to money... hahaha..." Caspar said jokingly. "I have prepared a money pool fit for Scrooge McDuck in Germany if you suddenly want to swim in a pool of money like him..."


    "Gosh, Caspar! You think of me as a female version of Scrooge McDuck?!" Finland hit Caspar''s shoulder with exasperation. But a moment later, she could not help laughing. She imagined Uncle Scrooge McDuck bathing in money and jumping into his pool of money for relaxation... Gosh, how funny it would be if Caspar really set up a pool of money like Uncle Scrooge''s for her. "Eh... you''re just joking, right!? You didn''t really make me a money pool?"


    The smile on Caspar''s face disappeared and he quickly shook his head.


    "Oh, thank God... I thought you were serious." Finland said with a chuckle, "Otherwise, how could I face all the people in Germany. Your staff would think that I am a materialist or something."


    "Hehe..." Caspar continued to massage Finland''s legs with affection until slowly the girl fell asleep. Her stomach cramp had disappeared.


    When he saw his wife asleep, Caspar hurriedly took his cellphone and typed a message to Kara.


    [Destroy the money pool. Don''t let Madam find out.]


    .


    .


    *Scrooge McDuck is a fictional character created in 1947 by Carl Bark for The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is Donald Duck''s uncle, he is an elderly Scottish anthropomorphic Pekin duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats. He loves money and often shown jumping into his money pool for relaxation

 Chapter 183 - The missions

    "I have our prisoner here," Caspar said as they began the meeting. "Before Katia became an Alchemist, she was just a regular human. At that time, she had a friend who was very dear to her called Karl. A few years ago they reunited, and he learned about Katia''s secret."


    "Do you want to exchange him for the antidote?" Marion asked.


    "I''m not sure Katia is that nice. She might just throw Karl under the bus... What I want from him is any kind of information about Katia that might be useful," Caspar replied. "Don''t torture him too hard, he''s really old, you don''t want him dead."


    Esso smiled a little and nodded, "Leave that to me. I''ll make him talk."


    "I can lure Katia out using her friend..." Marion said later. She directed her question to Caspar, "Of all of us in this room, who do you think has the same height as that guy?"


    Caspar narrowed his eyes and tried to guess why Marion asked such a question. He could not guess what Marion''s true purpose was. "Uhm... maybe he is as tall as the twins."


    "Hmmm... okay. That can be done." Marion patted Neo on the back, "You come with me to meet our prisoner. I have a plan."


    "Don''t you want to share your plan with us?" Caspar asked in amazement. "We need to work as a team here."


    "Oh... you just do what you want to do. I''ll hear the details later when I return," Marion replied nonchalantly.


    She pulled Neo, who was still confused, out of the library.


    Petra apologized to Caspar on their behalf when the two left just like that.


    "Sorry, Lauriel spoiled Marion too much. She can always do whatever she wants when we are making plans like this. Usually she would reward us with an unexpected surprise when the moment is right." Petra smiled faintly, "Don''t worry about Marion. She knows what she is doing."


    "I don''t like guessing... that is all," Caspar said. "Alright... let''s continue discussing our plans."


    Petra cleared his throat, took out his tablet and connected it to the computer system in the library. The projector immediately broadcasted a three-dimensional design of a castle in the center of the room.


    "The Meier family has two homes in England. Their castle with the strongest defense system is the one in Yorkshire. It is the castle from their mother''s side, the Linden family. I suspect that Alexei is staying there while waiting for Ned and Portia''s party. He knew that sacred events like weddings are neutral zone and no one can come to wreak havoc. Right now, he is just buying time." He pointed at the hologram showing the castle "This is a medieval palace equipped with the most sophisticated defense system. It has its own security forces."


    "Hmm..." Caspar said. "Has anyone been to the Alexei''s castle in Yorkshire?"


    "I have, but a long time ago, on Lady Luna''s birthday party. That was when Boss Lauriel met her for the first time... We came as guests..." Esso shrugged. "A lot has happened in 200 years. The castle may have changed completely."


    Caspar knew that Luna was a princess from the British royal family who was very beautiful and very brave. Her family were very powerful pure alchemists and they lived peacefully in England, until Lauriel came to Luna''s birthday party.


    Her parents had hoped that Luna would choose a husband from the many young men who attended her birthday party. At the age of 200, they really wanted to see her get married. She did not seem attracted to the opposite sex and that was enough to make her parents worried. Her sister was married to a German aristocrat and had two children, Alexei and Sophia, while Luna was busy venturing around the world.


    Her 200th birthday party was deliberately held on a large scale by inviting all members of the Alchemist clan, focusing primarily on those who were male and single. Lauriel''s whole crew was invited and Esso, Neo, Endo and Petra were very eager to come to see the famous Linden''s daughter. At that time Marion and Peach were not born yet and had not joined The Wolf Pack.


    In order to please his men, Lauriel agreed to sail to England and come to the party. He did not like crowds, but after venturing in primitive areas for a long time, he felt some longing for civilization.


    It was at this party that Lauriel met Lady Luna, who later became his girlfriend.


    The girl was so fascinated by Lauriel''s adventurous life and his closeness with danger. She was so in awe that when the party was over, she ran away from her family''s castle and asked to join Lauriel''s crew, disguised as a man.


    After venturing together for decades, Lauriel never suspected that one of his new men was actually a woman. He was very strict with his regulations not to allow women to board his ship, but Luna was very good at hiding her identity. Her ability to fight like a man allowed her to disguise smoothly and that was how she got closer to Lauriel in his adventures.


    It was Caspar who later revealed Luna''s secret when they met in China. As a womanizer who had been with hundreds of women all his life, he could recognize a woman''s body even if she disguised herself as a male. Lauriel, who was very surprised to find that he had been deceived by Luna, kicked her out of the crew mercilessly.


    But of course, love eventually found its way. After Luna left, Lauriel realized that he had fallen in love with the brave tomboyish girl who fought by his side for decades. He decided to stop his sea adventures and went to meet Luna in England. That was when he, with the help of Caspar, made his first crop circle to express his love for Luna.


    Luna accepted his love and they were known among the alchemists as the amazing adventurer couple. Unfortunately, Luna died while she was visiting her sister''s family home in Germany, when the allied troops bombed their city. Lauriel''s sadness didn''t subside after decades, and so he decided to withdraw himself from the world.


    Caspar did not want to force Lauriel to come to Linden family castle in Yorkshire to meet Alexei and Katia, because he knew that the wound in Lauriel''s heart was not completely healed. Going there would remind him of Luna, because that was the castle where they had first met. He preferred to take down Alexei himself and take him to Germany.


    "Petra and I can go there to conduct surveillance and gather their security information," Esso said calmly. He also agreed that it was best for Lauriel not to go there. "I can finish this in three days. Then, we can break through their security system and disable it. I will leave after Karl Furstenberg''s interrogation and obtain the information you need."


    "Peach and I can track down all the Meier family''s scientists and force them to tell us what kind of poison they used on Aleksis. If we can obtain that information on time, Boss Lauriel can make an antidote." Endo said in agreement.


    "They are all good plans," Caspar said. "Now let''s talk about the technicalities."


    They then discussed in more detail the resources they needed and specific reconnaissance techniques for the four wolves from the Wolf Pack to carry out their missions. All of them had 3 days to do whatever they needed to do, and after they would return to Germany to assess whether they succeed or failed.


    Finland entered the library and invited them for lunch, stopping their discussion. The five men obeyed and immediately headed to the dining room to fill their stomachs. There was no longer a need to discuss their rescue mission because everyone already knew what they had to do. Jadeith and several other staff joined because they had to coordinate after lunch.


    "Hey... you guys are eating without me...!"


    When their food was almost finished, a beautiful and sexy girl, walking like a supermodel, strolled gracefully with a flamboyant old man. Everyone looked up in surprise.


    "Heyyy!! How did you get out?" Jadeith exclaimed in surprise. He turned to the two other bodyguards beside him, "Isn''t he detained in a locked room? Who is responsible for keeping the keys?"


    "Who is that?" Finland asked in amazement.


    "Karl Furstenberg," Caspar said wryly. "Katia''s friend."


    "Oh... why is he here?"


    "My men arrested him to obtain information on Katia," Caspar answered. He turned to Jadeith, "How did he get out?"


    "I... I''m sorry, Sir. I don''t know..." Jadeith seemed embarrassed. He immediately approached Karl Furstenberg and was about to take his hand, when a small hand brushed it off.


    "Hey... mind your manners, we''re guests here."


    He turned his head and saw the sexy model glaring at him. Her hand was raised in a threatening pose.


    "Who are you?" asked Jadeith. He did not want to hit a woman, but the look given by the girl in front of him was really upsetting. Her face was adorned with a mocking grin.


    "I''m a guest here..." The girl giggled, "Ah... it''s so nice to be able to fool people again. I really miss this kind of work..."


    The members of the Wolf Pack simultaneously sighed in relief and started laughing. Caspar finally realized what just happened. He now understood why Marion asked which of them had the same height as Karl Furstenberg. Apparently, her plan was to disguise Neo as Karl to deceive Katia.


    Marion was a very talented artist. Within hours she was able to transform Neo into Karl Furstenberg, the famous designer, while she dressed herself as one of the many models who was around Karl every day.


    "Very good..." Caspar said, smiling, "You can even fool Jadeith."


    Marion tilted her smile and looked at Jadeith from head to toe, "Maybe it''s time for you to look for a new security chief. This Jadeith guy is apparently quite unreliable."


    "What did you say?!" Jadeith raised his hand to hit Marion, but at the last moment he realized that he shouldn''t hit a woman and murmured angrily while lowering his arm.


    "Forgive my nephew, Marion, he is young and still needs to work on his temper." Caspar waved his hand and looked at Jadeith seriously, "You can''t joke around, can you? Marion wasn''t being serious."


    Marion shrugged and giggled. She took a seat at the dining table and began to enjoy her lunch. Neo, who was disguised as Karl Furstenberg, sat on the chair next to her and started eating his lunch.


    They planned to take over Karl''s life for a week before contacting Katia to trap her to come over. The original Karl would be held in Germany until they could capture Katia.


    They would mobilize three different missions, in hopes that at least one would give them an antidote for Aleksis. If they succeed in capturing Alexei or Katia, they hoped that Lauriel could force them to exchange antidotes.


    After lunch, all members of the Wolf Pack took leave and immediately began their respective missions.

 Chapter 184 - I will resign from work

    After all the guests left, Finland and her small family stayed in the large dining room. Caspar tried to lighten the atmosphere by inviting Aleksis to play. He did not want Finland to be constantly worried. They only had 10 days left.


    "You are the most beautiful princess in the world... You know that, right?" Caspar asked, kissing his daughter''s hair. Aleksis smiled broadly and nodded. Caspar turned to Finland, who was staring at the father and daughter duo in amazement, and smiled thinly, "Do you still have to work? I can take care of Aleksis."


    Finland suddenly remembered that the report she was working on had yet to be completed and sent to her office in San Francisco. It was 3 pm in Germany, which meant that it would soon be office hours in America. Tony must be waiting for the report she was writing.


    "Uhm... I still have some work to do. Don''t you need to work?" Finland returned the question.


    "I just work for fun, like I always say, the company can go on without me, especially if there is someone like Stanis who oversees everything. Right now, what makes me happy is spending my time with the both of you. I don''t need to work..." Caspar replied while shrugging.


    Finland remembered how Caspar used to love work and never left his laptop, even when they were together. The only time she could remember when he did not touch his laptop was when they were on their honeymoon in Spain. She never expected him to change like this...


    "You''ve changed..." Finland said with a smile. "Now you are no longer jealous, no longer a workaholic, and you have become more understanding..."


    "Hey... our three-year separation taught me that there is nothing more important than family. I will not exchange you for anything..." Caspar said in his defense. "If you prefer me to be a workaholic like I used to be, I can go back to work."


    "Ahahaha... no, please don''t... I like you this way. I will send my report and take care of all my responsibilities in LTX. After our business is settled, I will resign from LTX." Finland hurriedly approached Caspar and kissed him. "You''re right, right now there is nothing more important to me than you and Aleksis..."


    "And our other children in the future," Caspar added, smiling mischievously. Finland laughed at that. Caspar looked at her with relief. He managed to make this girl laugh again, after several tense days.


    "Alright... I''ll work first. What are you going to do with Aleksis?" Finland asked him.


    "I''ll bring her canoeing on the lake. I think it would be fun to go to the lake. In these months there are still many swans playing in there. We can go and feed them."


    "Oh... that sounds really fun..." Finland pursed her lips with envy. She had to work while Caspar and Aleksis could have fun. But she had no choice. She must complete her responsibilities to LTX before she could resign.


    After Finland disappeared into the study, Caspar took Aleksis'' hand and guided her to the lake behind the castle. The yellow and red leaves that filled the path interested Aleksis very much, so she stopped occasionally to collect the beautiful leaves. Caspar patiently waited for her and explained about the different types of leaves one by one.


    "Uhm... Daddy don''t know that type of mushroom," he said when Aleksis pulled a mushroom from the ground and held it up to Caspar, "Laurier is a great botanist. Later when he comes here, you can ask him."


    Next Aleksis pulled out a worm from the ground and brandished it, making Caspar laugh.


    "Jeez... aren''t you disgusted at seeing worms? What a strange child..." He ruffled Aleksis''s hair. "This must have been Lauriel''s influence on your upbringing."


    Their journey to the lake took a very long time because Aleksis often stopped to ask about this and that. Caspar could not believe how patient he was to this little human. He was not a naturally patient person, but it seemed that to the little girl, his well of patience had no bottom.


    They finally arrived at the lake and both happily entered the boat and drifted on the lake. They spent hours singing and feeding the hundreds of swans swimming and lazing in the lake.


    Caspar felt truly grateful that he could be reunited with his family, even though they were still facing some serious problems due to Katia''s actions. He was very happy to know that Aleksis was his child. He no longer needed to be jealous of Jean nor Lauriel, because Finland was his own, and they had a child together.


    He imagined that if all these problems were solved, they would retreat to a beautiful place and live happily together. He would then suggest to Finland to have more children, who would fill their homes with silly questions about leaves, fungi, worms, and various other animals. Maybe they would also raise some dogs and rabbits.


    They would travel around the world together and explore various countries. He couldn''t wait to show Finland his favorite places on earth. Seven more years, when Aldebar returns, Finland would get her immortality potion and they could live happily ever after. Those beautiful thoughts brought a genuine smile on his face.


    ***


    In Caspar''s study, Finland was preparing a conference call with her team in the Market Research department. She had sent her report and they would hold a one-hour long-distance meeting to discuss the progress of their project and coordinate on the next project.


    They decided to use the Zoom platform, and at the appointed time everyone came online. Finland had not attended a meeting like this in a month, because when she was in the Amazon and in France, her communication with her office friends was limited to only e-mail when she got an internet connection. She had not had the chance to contact them at all while in Singapore.


    "Heyy... Finland!! How are you? You haven''t been in the office in more than 2 months! How long are you planning to work part time?" Lucia asked as her face appeared on the screen. "We already miss you."


    "Only two more weeks to go, and after that I will return to San Francisco..." Finland said. She paused for a moment before delivering the bad news. She would quit working. "I don''t think I can work at LTX anymore... After I return, I will tender my resignation."


    "Gosh... are you serious? Is it because you are going to marry Jean?" Anne asked quickly. "We''ve read the news, it turns out he''s your friend, huh? Why didn''t you ever tell us that you have such a famous friend? You can''t imagine the excitement in the office when Lucia showed the news about you in Singapore... Uh, is that gossip true, that the two of you are dating? Is Aleksis his daughter?"


    Finland shook her head. She did not expect that her office friends were very into such gossip and that they were excited about her relationship with Jean.


    "Boss Tony is also his friend... We all went to the same university together. You can ask him yourself." Finland avoided their question. Tony, who was in the meeting room in San Francisco and was drinking his tea, almost burst his tea when he heard that. He waved his hand not wanting to get involved.


    "I don''t know him well, especially since the attempted murder a few years ago. Jean lost his memory, right?" said Tony. "But does he remember you now? Are you really going to get married? Why do you have to stop working?"


    Finland shook her head, "No, this is due to personal matters. Jean has nothing to do with this decision. I will make sure that my work is taken care of before I resign, Boss. Don''t worry."


    Tony looked rather sullen. He had been relying heavily on Finland in managing market research in Indonesia, and was rather reluctant to find a replacement.


    "You have to train your successor before you can stop working," he said finally. "I will start advertising for new employees, but when we find your replacement, you have to train the person well. I don''t have time for that..."


    Finland had no other choice but to say yes. She still felt indebted to Tony because he agreed to place her in America and offered her a job so she could start a new life with Aleksis.


    She was relieved that she managed to tell her boss about her intention to stop working. This was not an easy thing to do because, after all, her friends in the San Francisco office were very kind to her, as was Tony. Now she just wanted to spend time with Caspar and Aleksis.


    They continued the meeting and discussed the reports, project progress and subsequent project planning. Finland really liked working, but this time she agreed with Caspar. Her family was more important and more enjoyable than her job.


    [How are you?] Finland received a text from Jean after the conference call was over.


    [I am doing fine. I still feel a bit jet-lagged, but other than that it''s fine. What are you doing?] Replied Finland.


    [Still working on the filming for ''Normandy''. Next week, as soon as I finish filming, I''ll go straight to Paris. I will go to Scotland from there. I have received an invitation from Ned. Please thank Caspar for taking care of this. I can''t wait to meet all the other Alchemists...]


    [Of course. You are now part of them, you should know who your new extended family is.]


    [You always say ''them'' when talking about Alchemists, not ''us'', aren''t you also part of the Alchemists?]


    Jean''s sudden question stunned Finland. She did not know what to answer. She did not want Jean to know that the immortality potion he took was initially intended for Finland and she was now forced to wait another seven years for Aldebar to return before she could obtain her own potion.


    [I used the wrong word. I meant to say ''us''.] Finally, she chose to lie. Jean did not need to know this. She did not want Jean to feel guilty for her because the potion that was not that important.


    [Hmm... alright. Is Aleksis doing fine?]


    [All good. You do not need to worry. I have also decided to quit working after all these problems are resolved and live with Caspar.]


    [Won''t you be bored? You''re such a workaholic.] Jean commented, making Finland smile a little. She realized that she was almost as workaholic as Caspar, but now she had changed too.


    [I can find other things to keep me busy. After I quit working, and if you''re not busy, come to our home often for a visit so I won''t be bored.]


    [Certainly.]


    Finland was very happy to know that Jean was now part of the Alchemists. A few years ago, she was so upset because she had to leave Jean and disappear from his life because she could not tell him about the life of the Alchemists.


    Now everything seemed to be going on the right track. She had her family and friends by her side. Really, she did not need anything else.


    Now all that remained was obtain the antidote for Aleksis. They still hadn''t received any news from Lauriel, and that worried her. Should they treat no news as good news? Had Lauriel succeeded in making the poison he planned? She could only hope.

 Chapter 185 - Forgiveness and starting over

    "What are you thinking about?"


    Caspar suddenly appeared behind Finland, who wasn''t paying attention because she was preoccupied with so many problems. The girl gasped and held her chest in shock.


    "Gosh... don''t sneak up on me like that... You startled me," she grumbled.


    "It was not my intention to sneak up on you, but you were too absorbed in your thinking, you didn''t hear me coming," Caspar said in his defense. "What is troubling your mind?"


    "You must know..." Finland sighed. "Before all this trouble is over, I can''t calm down."


    "Me too." Caspar hugged Finland from behind and buried his head in her hair. "I''m scared to death if anything happens to Aleksis..."


    Finland was surprised when she felt some dampness on her hair ¨C was Caspar crying? She touched Caspar''s hands on her waist and tried to calm the man down. She did not expect that behind his calm appearance, Caspar was actually very worried about the whole situation.


    "If Lauriel and his crew fails... I will go to Katia and Alexei and kneel before them so they will spare Aleksis'' life..." Finland whispered. "I''m willing to replace her and drink their poison."


    "No, Honey. They don''t want you, but me. If all else fails, I will come to them and grant Katia''s wish. If Katia really wants to see me take Death, I will. Living forever means nothing to me without you nor Aleksis. If that should happen, we will age together and spend the rest of our lives as commoners..." Caspar said firmly.


    Finland was stunned to hear Caspar''s statement. She turned around and looked deep into his eyes. She never thought about this possibility. Katia wanted to get revenge by forcing Caspar to take Death... The intention was to make Caspar leave the world of immortalities and become a regular human being. His body would no longer be as special as the body of an Alchemist. He would no longer be able to live forever.


    At the same time Alexei would have his wish granted. If Caspar were no longer an Alchemist, he would have no right to lead the clan. In the absence of Aldebar to replace Caspar, the clan members would be forced to choose a new leader.


    Lauriel would certainly not accept the position because he had long wanted to resign from worldly affairs. Therefore, Alexei would be the strongest candidate because he had the support of many purists, including Ned and Portia, and their highly influential families.


    Of course, this was not a bad choice, as long as Caspar and Finland could be together. Katia''s original plan was to make Caspar so heartbroken after seeing the girl he loved marry Lauriel, forcing him to take Death. Katia would not have taken into account that Caspar would voluntarily take Death to be able to live with Finland until they grow old and grey. Finland was still a commoner after all, and nothing would change in her life.


    Finland was not sure if Caspar was mentally ready to leave his life as an Alchemist and live like Finland. He would grow old, get sick, and eventually die like everyone else. The man didn''t even know what it was like to live as an ordinary person! Finland was afraid that Caspar would become depressed if that were to happen...


    She thought about Lauriel, who was ready to take the potion of death two years ago, because he was bored of life. Now his passion for life returned only because he considered Aleksis as his goddaughter.


    Certainly, it would be very difficult, especially for Caspar, who has a biological child, to accept Death, because Finland knew that he always hoped to live a long life, forever with his children...


    Finland really wished that there was no need for Caspar to take Death.


    "Let''s hope that Lauriel and his crew will succeed so that neither you nor I have to face Katia and Alexei in person..." the girl said quietly. She blinked, holding back hear tears from dripping. If Caspar was currently very worried, she should hold her emotions and not be frantic. One of them must remain strong for the sake of their family.


    Finland turned, kissed Caspar and wiped his teary eyes.


    "Where is Aleksis?" she asked him to distract their attention from their problem.


    "Hmm... she''s drawing with Kara," Caspar answered in a hoarse voice. "We brought lots of leaves and worms from outside to be her models..."


    "Ah... she always has a thing for worms," commented Finland. "You should see how many worms we raised in the farm in Colorado because of her..."


    "Is that true?" Caspar shook his head at this. Finland then told the various small animals that have been ''adopted'' by Aleksis when they were on Lauriel''s farm.


    "I have a lot of photos to show you..." Finland pulled Caspar''s hand and invited him to sit on the sofa as she pulled out her laptop. "You can see pictures of Aleksis since she was a baby..."


    She opened a folder on her laptop and showed hundreds of photos and videos of Aleksis taken since the little girl was a baby until her second birthday in Brazil. Caspar looked at one photo after the other almost without moving. His eyes were filled with tears again.


    It was not fair; he lost so many moments with his daughter, because Finland one-sidedly decided to leave him. He was not there when Aleksis was born, he did not see her first walk, he did not hear her first word, and he was not there to celebrate her first and second birthday.


    If they had not met in Singapore a few days ago, he would miss more of his daughter''s life, and his heart would still be broken, thinking Aleksis was Lauriel''s daughter.


    This thought makes his heart ache. He understood why Finland had taken that decision, but that did not mean that the pain became any less. Now, to imagine that he would lose his only child to the poison given by Katia, he was even more depressed. Had they not separated, those two devils would never have been able to touch Aleksis.


    "What is wrong...?" Finland asked, seeing Caspar frown. "You don''t like seeing the photos?"


    "Hmm..." Caspar didn''t answer. He did not want to start a new fight with Finland. At the moment his priority was Aleksis'' wellbeing.


    "You look unhappy..." Finland frowned. She had never seen Caspar''s expression like this before and she became worried. "Did I make a mistake?"


    Caspar looked at her sadly. "I''m sorry, I was very worried, and for a moment my mind blamed you for everything. A small voice in my head said that if you had not been selfish and left me, I would have been able to be a part of all the moments in Aleksis'' life, and Katia and Alexei would not have been able to touch her... I can always protect her, and she won''t suffer like now..."


    Finland was taken aback by Caspar''s words. She pursed her lips with a shocked expression. "Do... do you blame me?"


    "No, Honey. I don''t blame you. It was just an ugly thought that came into my head... I''m sorry... I''ve never been this stressed before in my life..." Caspar hurriedly shook his head. "Whatever happened, it''s behind us. Our enemies now are Katia and Alexei... Right now, I need you, and I won''t be able to go through another fight with you."


    Finland bit her lip and nodded, "But you are right, I was selfish. I shouldn''t have robbed you of your two years with the Aleksis... I''m sorry. I haven''t apologized properly. You did take Jean''s memory, but you gave him immortality, and all the decisions that you took was solely for everyone''s best interest..."


    Caspar nodded slowly, "Thank you for acknowledging that. I forgive you. Whatever happens in the future, I ask you to never to do that again. I''d rather have you hate me openly and ask me to take Death, like Katia did, than you kill me slowly like that. You don''t know how bad my life was after you left... I decided to isolate myself from the world, and Ned and Portia''s party would be my last public appearance... I planned to take Death and disappear. Katia didn''t need to poison Aleksis for me to take Death... for me, life was meaningless after I found out that you and Lauriel were together. You have no idea how unattractive it is for me to live forever, when the only girl I ever love was with another man, building a family..."


    "Oh God, Caspar... I''m sorry, I didn''t know. I thought you were happy with Sophia..." cried Finland.


    This was the first time he spoke about how much he suffered after she left. She felt even more guilty. "I''m sorry... if we hadn''t met in Singapore... maybe it would have been too late for you and for me ..."


    Caspar sighed. "I''m glad you looked for me in Singapore. I''m glad we can finally be together again. Please don''t leave me ever again..."


    "I promise, I will never leave you ever again. Whatever happens, I will always be with you..." whispered Finland.


    "This is a promise I will always demand from you," Caspar said, finally starting to smile. He placed Finland''s laptop on the table and held the girl''s shoulder and kissed her deeply. Last week, he had no passion for life at all, and was about to go into seclusion after Ned and Portia''s party.


    For him life was no longer interesting without Finland by his side. Thankfully, fate was kind enough to reunite them and resolve all the misunderstandings that existed between them. Now that he had poured his heart out, and Finland had apologized for leaving him, they could finally really open a new chapter together.


    His heart was filled with happiness because Finland was now at his side, together with Aleksis. His daughter was very beautiful and smart, and he loved her to bits. He felt like the happiest man on earth.


    He kissed Finland more passionately and went for her lips, her hair, and then he started nibbling on her ear lobes just like how she liked it, and then he went down to her neck and left her a few soft love bites. He went even lower to her collarbone and slowly descended to her plump breasts.


    "What if someone enters...?" Finland whispered between her soft moans as Caspar pulled her sweater off.


    "No one would dare enter without..." Caspar''s words stopped as soon as the door opened and Aleksis entered, followed by Kara. The man hurriedly sat on the sofa and covered Finland''s body from view.


    "Daddy...! I''m done drawing..." Aleksis exclaimed happily, holding up the drawing paper in her hand. Kara looked in horror and bowed apologetically.


    "I''m sorry, Sir. Miss Aleksis really wants to show her drawing and immediately ran here. We will not bother you any further. I will immediately bring little Miss out..." She hurriedly picked up Aleksis by her waist and got out of Caspar''s study and closed the door behind them. The little girl was laughing in amusement when Kara took her out.


    Caspar and Finland looked at each other and then took a deep breath.


    "Gosh..." Finland held her palpitating chest. "Next time we have to lock the door..."


    "You''re right..." Caspar immediately moved to the door and locked it. "I''ve never had to lock a door before. Nobody dared to enter without my approval. I don''t think Aleksis counts."


    Finland nodded. "That''s how it is to be parents. We can''t be doing things at will anymore..."


    "But I don''t mind," Caspar approached Finland, smiling sweetly. "It''s all worth it."


    He held the girl to his chest and kissed her hair lovingly.


    ***

 Chapter 186 - You can work for me

    Caspar and Finland hurriedly finished their activities before leaving the study to take Aleksis from Kara and admire the drawings she made.


    The little one drew lots of worms and leaves on her drawing paper and proudly blurted out the names of each of these animals, making her parents laugh.


    "For a two-year-old child, her pictures are great..." commented Caspar. "She takes after my artistic talent..."


    Finland looked at Caspar and shook her head with a faint smile on her lips. Apparently, this husband of hers still liked to compliment himself.


    "I didn''t know you had artistic talents..." she said. Finland immediately remembered that Caspar intended to enroll at an art school in Hong Kong three years ago when he decided to take on a new identity. She did not know that Caspar really could paint.


    "Oh... I never showed it to you, huh? I haven''t painted for the past few years, but I have a gallery in Singapore. I built it on the month we first met, after I bought the Continental Hotel. I''ve painted for hundreds of years. I first met Katia at my painting exhibition," Caspar explained.


    Finland remembered that Katia was an artist and Finland was even in charge of the details of Katia''s exhibition gallery 3 years ago in Singapore. She did not know that Caspar and Katia shared the same artistic interests and met through paintings.


    Thinking of that evil woman made her heart feel very painful.


    Caspar was thinking the same thing and he regretted mentioning Katia''s name in their conversation. He wanted to distract Finland from their problems and keep her calm and happy while they waited for the results of The Wolf Pack and Lauriel''s missions.


    "Three days from now, we will definitely have our news. Meanwhile, I will not stay quiet either. I will hit the Meier family business so that Alexei will be struggling and complacent," Caspar said later. "I''ll be busy all day tomorrow taking care of a lot of things. You can take Aleksis on a trip to town with Kara and Jadeith if you''re bored."


    Finland nodded. Her cellphone suddenly rang, and she saw a video call from Lauriel.


    "Take it, that must be important..." Caspar said. Finland received the call and immediately saw Lauriel''s handsome face on the screen. His eyes were squinted due to sunlight that hit his face.


    "Hey, how are you?" Lauriel asked.


    "Uhm... fine. Where are you now?" Finland asked.


    "I just arrived in Manaus. While I still have internet connection, I want to talk to Aleksis and ask how she is doing. Soon, I will go into the jungle to get my ingredients for the potions. I won''t have any connection for 3 days," Lauriel answered.


    "Oh... Aleksis is fine, she took a walk to the lake and then drew some worms and leaves. Let her show you the results of her drawing..." Finland smiled as she pointed her cellphone at Aleksis.


    "Ahh... worms again?" Lauriel sounded amused. He then talked with Aleksis for a few minutes and asked for the names of the worms in the picture, then praised her tidy hair - not messy as usual - and her nice drawings, while Caspar and Finland looked at the scene with complicated feelings.


    Lauriel was practically a father figure for Aleksis during the first two years of her life and the two were very close. Caspar was a little jealous seeing his daughter''s closeness to Lauriel, but he could only swallow his feelings, since he didn''t want to cause new problems.


    He knew that he was indebted to Lauriel, who had taken care of his family during their separation.


    After Lauriel was satisfied chatting with Aleksis, he talked to Caspar and listened to the results of the meeting with the Wolf Pack.


    "I will come to London as soon as possible to meet Marion and set up a plan to administer the poison to Katia. I will need her expertise to infiltrate and poison that evil woman..." Lauriel thought for a moment, "I think I can come in a week."


    Caspar suddenly remembered Marion''s surprised face when she heard that Lauriel was going to make the Medusa poison and its antidote. He felt that there was something odd about the girl''s expression and assumed that it wasn''t very simple to formulate the antidote for Medusa.


    "Lauriel... about the antidote for Medusa... You said you would only take that road if you had to," Caspar swallowed hard and tried to arrange his question well. "Is the antidote very difficult to make?"


    Lauriel was silent for a few seconds and finally answered, "Yes."


    "Oh..." Finland pressed her lips frantically. Lauriel immediately cleared his throat and changed the topic. He did not want to worry Finland.


    "I am the best poison expert alive. I will not fail. You don''t need to worry. I will leave now. I will call you again in a few days when I have connection."


    Lauriel ended the call.


    Caspar and Finland looked at each other.


    "Do you remember Marion''s reaction when Lauriel said he was going to use the Medusa poison? I have a bad feeling about it..." Caspar said quietly. "I''ll try to ask Marion what made her so worried."


    "Alright... Ugh... hopefully our worries are unfounded," Finland murmured.


    They played for an hour with Aleksis before Caspar had a meeting with the director of Academi, who had come from the US at his invitation. They discussed some issues for a short while in his study while Finland read a book to Aleksis.


    After his guest left, Caspar went back to spending time with Finland and Aleksis, then they prepared for dinner. He kept the details of his talks with the director of Academi from Finland because he did not want to discuss terrible things with his wife.


    During dinner, he tried to make Finland forget their problems by asking her to share her current projects with LTX. Finland, who enjoyed her work, was happy to discuss the details of her projects and the clients that she had handled so far.


    "Hmmm, so investing in Indonesia is easier now, huh?" Caspar asked with interest.


    "Yes, but please if you want to invest, it is better to focus on renewable energy. We need a lot of investments in this field in Indonesia. Not many people or companies are interested in them because the return on investment takes longer compared to other more lucrative businesses such as mining, palm oil and e-commerce, but in my opinion, the future of renewable energy will be more sustainable, and this is good for our earth..." Finland explained excitedly.


    "You can work for me and become an investment advisor in my company for the Southeast Asia region," Caspar said, smiling sweetly, "I know you enjoy working, and I don''t want to lock you up at home without being able to do what you like. You can work at whichever office you want, and I will not interfere, everything will be kept professional. You don''t even have to let people know that you are my wife, so you don''t have to feel awkward towards your office mates..."


    Finland''s eyes widened when hearing Caspar''s offer. Oh, how nice it would be to be able to work with Caspar! And she could still be a professional. She never thought about this possibility before.


    She was already willing to sacrifice her passion and quit working for the sake of being together with Caspar and Aleksis, but of course, in her heart there was a bit of sadness because she would feel that something was missing from her life.


    Right now, Finland worked not just to make a living, because she still had a lot of money given by Caspar in her account, but to channel her enthusiasm and intelligence and to gain inner satisfaction when she went from one project to the next.


    "But I can''t become an investment advisor yet... I haven''t had much experience..." Finland said. "LTX International is the only company I have worked at, so I don''t have experience working for other companies."


    "From what I heard, you are very good at your work. You are a dedicated person and you are so quickly promoted for transfer to their branch in America after only six months of working! Moreover, during your 2.5 years in America, you have successfully accomplished so many projects. If you are not confident in being an advisor, I can give you a consultant or research associate position, it''s up to you..."


    Finland''s eyes sparkled. This was a win-win solution for both. Finland could continue working, but at the same time, she would stay closer to Caspar.


    "I would love that..." she said passionately. "I would love to work for you... As long as we can stay professional."


    "Of course. What city do you want to live in? We can live in New York, Singapore, Berlin, Hong Kong... wherever you want. I can find a position in my company''s office in that city later."


    Caspar was very happy because Finland welcomed his offer. He himself did not need to work. He only worked to please his heart, so he really understood how Finland felt. That was why he thought of this solution for both of them. Wherever Finland chooses to work, he would move his work base there. They could have fun together.


    "I''ll think about it first..." said Finland. She was very happy with this new arrangement and she couldn''t wait to start her new work and their lives together. Soon... after all these problems are over.


    She brought her face close to Caspar''s and kissed his lips gratefully. She knew Caspar understood her very well. She felt that she was the luckiest woman in the world.


    ***

 Chapter 187 - Lauriels Secret (1)

    The next day, Caspar occupied himself in the office for the whole day. Finland knew that whatever he was working on was very serious because Stanis flew all the way from Barcelona to help him.


    She then decided to take Aleksis for a walk to the nearest village, accompanied by Kara and Jadeith. They bought cakes and the glow wine that she loved.


    Along their journey, the small group attracted the attention of many people because of their very beautiful appearances. Aleksis, who was like a little angel, received so many gifts from merchants in the farmer''s market. They gave her fruits, flowers and cakes without allowing Finland to pay.


    "People here are very friendly..." she muttered.


    "People in the village are like that..." Kara commented with a smile. "That''s why we are very happy to live here."


    Finland also liked to live in that area. Although they lived in a castle that was protected for privacy, their place was close to some very beautiful villages. She thought that living here several months a year would be very pleasant, especially in autumn, like now, when all the trees have very beautiful red and yellow leaves.


    When they returned to the castle, Caspar and Stanis were still busy in the study. Finland could only wonder what they were doing. They finally came out when it was time for dinner, and the conversation at the dinner table was kept as light as possible so as not to worry Finland. However, they could not hide their serious and tense faces.


    "Stanis will be staying here tonight. We still have work to do. Tomorrow afternoon he will return to Barcelona," Caspar explained.


    "All right. I''ll ask Kara to prepare a room for him..." Finland said. She was a little confused because on the one hand she should have acted as the lady of the house and arranged accommodation for their guests, but on the other hand she herself felt like a guest here because she did not know the ins and outs of Caspar''s family castle.


    "Stanis is used to staying here when there is an important assignment," Caspar said, smiling. "He already has a place in the east wing."


    "Oh... alright," Finland replied awkwardly.


    Caspar read Finland''s mind and understood how she felt. Since they were married, the two have not lived together and built their own home. Caspar and Finland lived together at Rose Mansion for a few months before they got married, but after their honeymoon in Europe, they immediately went separate ways, not having time to make their own love nest. Both the Rose Mansion and this castle belonged to Caspar''s and Finland felt like she was just a guest.


    "After all this is done, I will build a new house for us to live together. You can determine the design and decoration according to your taste. I leave it all to you," Caspar whispered that night as he took Aleksis to her room and accompanied Finland to read a fairy tale story to their daughter before they both went to their own bedroom to sleep.


    "Uhm... you have good taste, I don''t mind staying at one of your homes either," Finland said. "I just need to make some adjustments."


    "All right. Still, if you want to change something or replace anything, go ahead. You have full rights, and I will support whatever you plan."


    "Thank you." Finland smiled sweetly. She thought for a moment and then asked Caspar, "What did you and Stanis do all day?"


    "Hmm... a lot. We bought a lot of shares from the Meier family company group and dropped their value. Alexei will be overwhelmed over the next few days dealing with this. We also sent a few dozen teams of lawyers to help the NGOs in all countries where they operate to sue them for violating the law as they were damaging the environment. I also know that they have arms trading operations in the Middle East, so we sent Academi to close their operations. Tomorrow Stanis will represent me in Shanghai to negotiate with all the Meier Family partners in China to stop working with them."


    "Jeez... you''re doing such big things..." Finland gasped in surprise. She did not expect that there were so many pawns being played from behind Caspar''s study since the past few days. She frowned at the thought, "I have to check tomorrow''s market conditions to make sure none of our clients will be affected..."


    "I can give you a list of the Meier family companies that will be affected and the countries where they operate. You can warn LTX International and its clients tomorrow. Everything will set in motion on the day after tomorrow," Caspar nodded.


    "Thank you..." Finland kissed Caspar and then kissed Aleksis who was fast asleep. "Let''s sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow."


    "Hmm..."


    They left Aleksis'' room and went into their own room and changed into kimonos to sleep. That night, Finland and Caspar slept cuddling each other, but busy with their own thoughts. Caspar had not slept well for three nights, and now his body was very tired. That night he had a nightmare; Katia came to him in tears and accused him of ruining her life.


    "We were supposed to get married and I should have given birth to your children. Why did you leave me just like that? After everything I sacrificed for you...?"


    Caspar was speechless. His actions in the past had hurt so many women and now the two women he loved had to suffer the consequences. He felt deep regret.


    ***


    Caspar was still busy for the next few days. He received news from Endo and Petra that the Meier family''s castle in Yorkshire was impenetrable because they changed the security system every two days. Their next hope was Marion and Neo, who were in London, at the residence of Karl Furstenberg. They have disguised themselves as Karl and one of his sugar babies to provoke Katia to come.


    Peach and Esso managed to track down all the Meier scientists, but apparently they would rather die than be forced to tell the type of poison used for Aleksis. This mission also failed. Caspar heard that Lauriel had left the Amazon and would stop by in China before coming back to Germany. The plan was for everyone to gather two days before Ned and Portia''s wedding and their clock was ticking.


    "Katia will attend the fashion show in London next week," Marion reported. "If Lauriel has created the poison, I can poison Katia there."


    "Lauriel will arrive in a few days," Caspar said. "I''ll send him straight to London."


    "OK."


    "Marion... do you know how to make a Medusa antidote?" Caspar asked before hanging up, "I have a feeling that Lauriel is keeping something from us..."


    For a long time there was no response from Marion; it seemed like she was hesitant to answer Caspar''s question.


    "I can''t say. Lauriel won''t forgive me..." she replied.


    Caspar was stunned. He was now confirmed that there was something bad behind Lauriel''s reluctance to make Medusa''s antidote.


    "Is it very dangerous?" Caspar asked quickly, "I need to know if Lauriel''s life would be in danger if he makes the antidote?"


    "Hmm..." Marion sighed, "You''d better ask Lauriel yourself, okay?"


    Although Marion refused to answer, Caspar had at least gotten the idea that making an antidote for Medusa would have fatal consequences for Lauriel, even though he did not know why.


    In his heart, he was determined to make sure that their mission succeeded so that Lauriel did not need to use this method. If necessary, he would go alone to take down Alexei at his home, or if he must, he would go to Katia and beg for her mercy for Aleksis.


    He did not want to owe even greater debt to Lauriel.


    ***


    Finland warned the LTX clients who would be affected by the business war between the Schneider family group and the Meier family, and they immediately took precautions to save themselves.


    Tony was very confused because Finland suddenly knew of so many business insiders'' secrets that were all proven true a few days later. He tried to extract information from Finland, but the girl did not want to mention her source.


    She faithfully followed the news and saw that in every country, the Meier family company group was badly hit and suffered huge losses. Caspar spent so much money and resources to bring down Alexei''s family businesses, but he did not care.


    For him, the most important thing was to make Alexei loose his grip and come to Ned and Portia''s party with only half his power.


    The days went by so fast and they became even more worried because there was so little time left.


    Two days before Ned and Portia''s wedding, Lauriel arrived. His hair was more messy than before and his face looked tired.


    "I want to visit Aleksis before going to London to meet Marion and Neo," he said. "Where is Aleksis?"


    "She is in the kitchen watching the chef bake a cake," Caspar said. "I''ll bring her here."


    "Thank you..."


    Five minutes later, Aleksis came running toward Lauriel, who was waiting for her while drinking tea.


    "Uncle Rory!! I missed you...!!"


    "Hey... little angel, I missed you too much..." Lauriel immediately raised Aleksis into the air and kissed her cheek. He placed Aleksis on a chair and talked about a lot of trivial things that only the two of them understood. Caspar could only watch with grief.


    "Lauriel... I want to ask you something..." he said finally, when Aleksis was taken by Finland for her afternoon bath.


    "Hmm..." Lauriel looked at Caspar with raised eyebrows.


    "Will making Medusa''s antidote endanger your life?" Caspar asked straightforwardly. In his head he was determined that he did not want to pile up more debt to Lauriel.


    Lauriel seemed unwilling to answer, but Caspar''s very serious look made him change his mind. Finally, he slowly nodded.

 Chapter 188 - Lauriels Secret (2)

    "The only way to counter the Medusa poison is to weaken the poison in the body of a physically strong Alchemist. Ordinary humans do not have the adequate endurance and capability to do this. After I give Medusa to Aleksis, I will also take the poison and my body will automatically neutralize it. My blood vessels will take the poison to my heart where it will be neutralized. My blood will then contain the Medusa antidote, which can be given to Aleksis. Our blood type is a match. I could die if my heart is not able to neutralize the poison fast enough, but even if I die¡­ you can still give my blood to her as the antidote."


    Lauriel''s face stayed flat when he was explaining the process to Caspar, while the latter looked shocked.


    Caspar had expected something bad, but not THIS bad.


    "You''ve done so much for Aleksis and Finland. I can''t let you sacrifice that much... You can give me Medusa, and I will neutralize it. Aleksis is my daughter and our blood types also match..." Caspar said without hesitation.


    He was willing to die for his child, even though his heart was broken at the thought of leaving Finland and Aleksis alone in this world. But even if he had to die, he was sure that Lauriel would look after them after his death.


    Lauriel looked at him deeply. He was fascinated by Caspar''s seriousness. This selfish womanizer had really changed, he thought.


    Lauriel smiled and shook his head.


    "Do you think Aleksis will be happy to know that her father died to save her? No. It would be better for me to sacrifice if all our other attempts fail. Aleksis is still so young. When she grows up, she will not remember me and will not be sad if I''m gone. But if she loses her father, can you imagine what her future would be, growing up without her father?"


    Caspar was stunned. He did not believe in his own hearing.


    "You... don''t you love Aleksis? Don''t you want to live for Aleksis?"


    "I love Aleksis, and that''s why her happiness is my priority. I think she would be happier to see her father alive to protect her and her mother. I have lived on this earth for a very long time, Caspar, and I am done with life. If I hadn''t met Aleksis 2 years ago, I would have taken Death anyway. I am now living on borrowed time. Maybe this is my destiny, the reason why I survived after Luna and our child died..." Lauriel shrugged nonchalantly.


    Caspar was increasingly surprised to hear Lauriel''s statement. He did not know Lauriel and Luna had a child together.


    "You had a child with Luna? Why don''t I know this?" he asked Lauriel, confused.


    "Hmm..." Lauriel closed his eyes, seemingly trying to erase the bitter memories from his mind, but he was willing to answer the question, even though his voice sounded bitter. "Luna was pregnant at the time, and that was why she decided to return to Germany to live with her sister while I finished my business in Asia. I should have been there with her... She died with our child, and I never had the chance to be a father. Fate then brought me together with Finland in San Francisco. When I saw her in San Francisco, she was heavily pregnant with Aleksis and was having such a difficult time. I felt that I was given the opportunity to help. If only someone helped Luna back then, maybe now I would not be alone..."


    Caspar immediately felt Lauriel''s sadness. If he experienced what Lauriel experienced, of course his sadness would not end and maybe he would hate humans and went to seclusion too.


    "I''m really sorry, Lauriel. I didn''t know..." Caspar approached Lauriel and hugged him. "I''m grateful for your kindness, but we''d better find another way... I also don''t want Aleksis to lose her godfather..."


    Lauriel seemed to be a little relieved after revealing the secret he had kept to himself for decades. His love for Aleksis was not solely because he saved Finland and accompanied her during childbirth. He felt that Aleksis filled a place in his heart where his own child should have been. That was why he was willing to do anything for the little girl.


    "Nobody knows this..." Lauriel said after Caspar released his arms, "I hope you don''t tell anyone..."


    "Of course..." Caspar nodded.


    He was still shocked by Lauriel''s story. They had been friends for most of his life and he had always admired Lauriel. He felt grateful because all this time Lauriel had taken care of his wife and daughter, and Caspar really hoped that one day he could repay his kindness, but now he felt that Lauriel''s sadness was too great that even he would not be able to do anything.


    With that in mind, he decided to take the oldest bottle of wine he had along with two glasses. They needed to drink to ease this pain they are having, Lauriel for losing his child and Caspar for the situation Aleksis was in.


    "Marion and Neo said Katia would stop by before Karl''s show tomorrow night, before she leaves for Scotland. Would you like to meet Katia there?" Caspar asked as he handed Lauriel a glass of red wine.


    The man nodded. "I will go tonight."


    "I want to come with you. I changed my mind about Katia. I will beg her to give Aleksis the antidote. Maybe if she sees my sincerity she would soften... After all we were together for decades. I know that she is basically not an evil person. Maybe she only wanted revenge, and I''ll give her the chance to punish me however she wants..." Caspar said firmly. "I want to try everything, and that includes begging..."


    Caspar had really changed, Lauriel thought. He never expected that this man, an Alchemist aristocrate, who was highly respected and could get whatever he wanted, now was willing to humble himself in such a way as to save his child.


    Maybe being a father did change a man into a better human being...


    Lauriel thought about it for a moment, then nodded.


    "All right. But what about Finland and Aleksis? Are you going to leave them here?"


    "They will be safer if they don''t come. I will ask Jean to come here and they can leave together to Scotland. We will meet in Glasgow before Ned and Portia''s wedding. Jadeith and all my bodyguards will accompany them. I don''t need a bodyguard when I am with you."


    "All right. Then we leave tonight..."


    Just then Finland and Aleksis entered and called the two for dinner. Caspar and Lauriel finished their wine and followed them into the dining room. When they were eating, Caspar expressed his intention to follow Lauriel to London. He did not tell the details of their plans, but he asked Finland to believe in him and waited for Jean to arrive at the castle to leave together to Scotland.


    "I understand. You do what you need to do..." Finland responded. She was not worried when she learned that Caspar was leaving with Lauriel.


    "After dinner, Daddy will go with Uncle Lauriel, don''t be naughty at home..." Caspar said to Aleksis, who in Lauriel''s presence no longer played with her food and acted like a cute little angel.


    "All right, Daddy..." Aleksis answered while smiling sweetly.


    "Jean will arrive here tomorrow afternoon. You will leave for Scotland together the day after tomorrow. Ben will take care of everything from London. I will leave Jadeith and all my bodyguards here to look after you." Caspar said to Finland.


    "I understand."


    After dinner, Caspar immediately packed his bag and prepared to leave. There was only two days left. Two more days, and all this would be over... he thought.


    Finland and Aleksis escorted them to the front door. Caspar embraced Finland for a long time and kissed Aleksis before getting into the car. Lauriel hugged Aleksis and chatted with her briefly and nodded to Finland, before following Caspar into the car. A moment later the car left for the airport and disappeared from their sight.


    On the way to the airport, both Caspar and Lauriel did not talk to each other. They had been experiencing mental exhaustion for almost two weeks and they only hoped that this problem could be resolved as soon as possible. Tomorrow they would be able to meet Katia.


    ***


    Finland could not sleep that night. She knew that they were racing against time and she could not help feeling worried at the thought of losing Aleksis, who was now sleeping soundly beside Finland.


    What if they fail?


    She could not imagine losing the little angel who had filled her life these past two years.


    The next day she felt very tired and had no appetite. Aleksis, who saw her mother sad, seemed to understand something was wrong and did not fuss at all.


    Finland spent their time preparing their needs to leave for Scotland. She was comforted to learn that Caspar asked Jean to come to their place and accompany them to Scotland in Caspar''s absence. This showed that Caspar was no longer jealous of Jean at all and that he could accept his friendship with Finland. This made the girl feel very relieved.


    [I just landed in Stuttgart. I''ll see you in an hour. Want me to bring some glow wine from the road?] Asked Jean that afternoon via text.


    [Oh, you''ve arrived. Yes, in this weather it would be good to drink glow wine...] Finland said. [Buy it in the nearby village, so it will still be warm when you arrive here. Jadeith knows the place.]


    [Okay.]


    Finland had finished packing when Jean arrived at the castle. The man also looked tired, just like everyone around Finland today, because they were thinking about the fate of Aleksis. Jean still tried to smile and comfort Finland because he didn''t want her to be depressed.


    "Hey... Jean, I''m glad you came. How''s your work?" Finland welcomed Jean''s arrival by hugging him warmly.


    "We just finished shooting for the movie. Now we are waiting for the editing and post-production. I want to take time off work for the next 6 months, and I will not take on a new project," Jean replied.


    "Well, you''ve been working really hard for the past two years... It''s best to rest for a while," Finland said. "After all, you''ve gotten what you wanted long ago. Now you''re very famous. Isn''t that what you always wanted?"


    "Right. It turns out that being famous is not always good. Just now, at the airport, I had to put on so much effort to disguise myself so that I won''t be followed by paparazzi..." Jean complained. "It''s becoming very difficult to protect my privacy. Next month I will have to move to another house again because my address has been leaked..."


    "You can follow Daniel Radcliffe''s strategy. He wore the same clothes for 3 months to prank the paparazzi. They couldn''t sell their photos because it seemed like they were all taken on the same day..." Finland said with a smile. She remembered that Jean always wanted to be famous, but now he was complaining about his popularity.


    "Haha... maybe I will." Jean looked around and was amazed at not seeing Aleksis. "Where is Aleksis?"


    "She is drawing in the library. I will call her," said Finland. She walked to the library to call her daughter, while Jean took two glasses from the cupboard to pour the glow wine he brought.


    Finland''s scream a few minutes later shocked Jean and he accidentally dropped the glass of glow wine from his hand. Broken glass and glow wine spilled on his clothes as he hurriedly ran towards the library.


    Jean arrived at the library and saw a panicked Finland who was holding a seemingly unconscious Aleksis.


    "He said we had two weeks... It''s only been 11 days..." Finland was devastated. She panicked when she entered the library and found Aleksis lying motionless. She subconsciously screamed and tears started flowing down her cheeks.


    Jean hurriedly took out his cellphone and called Caspar.


    "Bad news, Aleksis is unconscious. Do you have a family doctor?"


    "Oh my God..." Caspar sounded very surprised and worried. "I''ll send a doctor now."


    Less than 10 minutes later, a helicopter landed on the helipad behind the castle and several healthcare professionals immediately descended carrying their medical equipment. Aleksis was laid in her room and various equipment was immediately prepared and installed as the doctor checked on her condition.


    "Her heart is pumping very slowly..." the doctor said, shaking his head. "This is not enough to wake her up. We must install a pacemaker."


    Caspar called Finland and tried to calm her down. The girl kept crying and she almost fainted when the doctor mentioned his diagnosis.


    "Honey, give the phone to the doctor, I want to talk to him," Caspar said.


    With trembling hands Finland handed her cellphone to Doctor Fredrikson. Caspar, who was also a doctor talked with Doctor Fredrikson and discussed the best treatment that did not involve surgery.


    Aleksis was still very small and he knew that her condition was caused by poison and not by heart-related problems. After consulting for some time, the doctor finally agreed to let Aleksis be and monitor her condition for 24 hours.


    The air in the Schneider family castle that day was very suffocating.

 Chapter 189 - Racing with time

    In London, Lauriel was furious when he was told that Aleksis collapsed and had not regained consciousness after several hours. He kicked the table that stood in the middle of the penthouse where he and Caspar were resting before meeting Marion. The wooden table was split into two because of his fury.


    "Now I know what poison they gave Aleksis... It''s the Sleeping Beauty poison that is activated after 11 days. They tricked me when they said the poison would take effect after 2 weeks." His face was red with anger. "I can cure her... But now it''s too late to look for the ingredients."


    "What do you need? I can mobilize hundreds of people around the world to find whatever ingredient you need... We still have time..." Caspar said quickly. "I want us to try everything..."


    Lauriel tapped his fingers on his chair. He was deep in thought. A moment later he typed something on his cellphone and sent an email to Caspar.


    "All ingredients I need are listed in the email I just sent you. I can provide specific instructions on where to find them. Some plants grow endemic in certain places, such as Huang Qin in China, Kratom in Kalimantan Indonesia, Sawiyon in Kenya, and so on. I can find the rest here. All the ingredients must arrive here the latest tomorrow afternoon, so we only have 24 hours."


    Gathering a number of exotic plants from various places around the world in just a few hours and immediately fly them to London was seemingly an impossible task, but Caspar was determined to try as long as they still had time.


    He stayed calm and made phone calls to several of his trusted people around the world who immediately worked to look for the ingredients needed by Lauriel. It was 2 pm in the UK, which meant that it was 9 pm in Indonesia and 10 pm in China, but that did not stop them from trying.


    That same night a trusted staff member from the Schneider Group in Singapore flew by a chartered plane to Pontianak City in Kalimantan Island, Indonesia, and met with a kratom product distributor.


    The distributor took him to the home of a kratom farmer to get fresh kratom plants directly from the field, and at dawn he returned to Singapore. Within a few hours he had boarded the earliest flight to London, and was expected to arrive in London before noon.


    A similar thing happened in Shanghai. Stanis, who was still in China, immediately contacted researchers from their lab in Beijng to send their men to look for Huang Qin in the forest mentioned by Lauriel. In less than an hour several staff entered the forest to look for the herb.


    When morning approached, Stanis was already holding the plant in question and immediately went to the airport to fly to London.


    In Kenya, Zaire, and Jamaica, three other staff did the same. No one slept that night, and worked as hard as possible to ensure all the ingredients needed by Lauriel was successfully obtained and shipped to London as soon as possible.


    Lauriel also immediately went to a herbal shop in Chinatown and bought all the other ingredients he needed that could easily be obtained. In the meantime, Caspar decided to visit Marion and Neo alone as Lauriel was busy with his preparations for making the antidote. He brought Lauriel''s poison with him to give to Katia.


    "Welcome, please come in, Katia will arrive in an hour..." said Marion, who was still disguised as one of the sexy models who was dating Karl Furstenberg. "I told her that Karl was seriously ill and wanted to meet her one last time. Katia was very worried and decided to visit him."


    "Is she not suspicious?" Caspar asked.


    "No. Esso had interrogated Karl and he found that the old man hated hospitals and sometimes used drugs, so he avoided the police and the hospital as much as possible. Katia knew that... and probably she assumed that her friend was dying of drug abuse... "


    "Hmm..." Caspar nodded. "Lauriel finally knows the type of poison they are using and is now trying to make the antidote. But it doesn''t hurt to still poison Katia, just in case. Who knows, we might be able to get the antidote more quickly."


    "Of course. You can wait in the next room. I''ll accept Katia in Karl''s room."


    Caspar took out the small bottle from his pocket and placed it on Marion''s hand.


    "You just need to put this in her drink. Lauriel said that the poison was odorless and tasteless, and that she would only feel the effects after she sleeps."


    "All right. I''ll give it to her."


    Caspar entered one of the rooms in Karl Furstenberg''s penthouse and waited anxiously for Katia to arrive. While sitting in the chair, he decided to call Finland to ask how Aleksis'' was doing.


    "She is still unconscious... the doctor told me that her condition is stable, but her heart rate is still too weak." Finland''s voice shook as she spoke, but she tried to sound stoic.


    "Lauriel already knows the type of poison Katia used on Aleksis. From the symptoms and for the fact that it took 11 days for the potion to react, Aleksis was given the Sleeping Beauty poison. This indeed slowed the heart rate so that the victim seemed to be sleeping but cannot wake up. He knows the antidote, but the ingredients are difficult to find. However, we are trying our best. Aleksis is fine now. If she doesn''t wake up after three days, there is no more hope. That''s why Katia gave Lauriel two weeks'' time."


    Caspar tried to calm Finland by explaining that Lauriel was able to help save their daughter. He was constantly monitoring the progress of his people who were on their way to bring all these herbs to London.


    "Is it true that Rory could save Aleksis?" Finland asked in a hoarse voice. Her voice was almost gone because of crying.


    "I have mobilized my people to help find all the ingredients needed by Lauriel. They will all arrive here tomorrow."


    "Then... do we have to go there, or do we still meet in Glasgow?" Finland asked.


    "I will pick you up tomorrow morning. We will go to London together to meet Lauriel to give the antidote to Aleksis. Now, you should rest, so you don''t fall ill. The doctors at home will monitor Aleksis."


    Finland wanted to keep a guard beside Aleksis but she was aware that Caspar was right. She must rest so as not to cause new problems. With a heavy heart she finally took a pillow and slept on the sofa next to Aleksis.


    Jean, who had been by her side, pulled a chair and slept on the other side of Aleksis'' bed. They could not afford to fall ill in this critical situation.


    ***


    Marion opened the door when she heard a soft knock on the door. Katia had arrived.


    "Hi, Katia... Karl is waiting for you..." Marion said in a feigned sad voice as she welcomed the beautiful platinum-haired girl who was standing in front of the penthouse door. "He was very sad because he could not attend your show tonight... But I guess he doesn''t have much time left..."


    "Hmm..." Katia brushed her long hair down and looked around the living room. "You are...?"


    "Oh... I''m his newest assistant..." Marion tried to smile awkwardly, "I was the one who called you. Karl is waiting for you in his room. But now, he is sleeping..."


    "It''s okay, I know the place..." Katia said as she walked gracefully into her friend''s room and waved Marion away.


    Marion hurriedly went into the kitchen and took out a bottle of wine and poured the contents into a glass. She approached Katia, who was sitting by the bed in Karl Furstenberg''s room, and glanced at the fake Karl who was sleeping with a sad look.


    "What would you like to drink?" Marion asked.


    "A glass of vodka and ice please," Katia said without turning her head. She was saddened by how frail his old childhood friend looked. Karl was now sleeping while taking very short breaths.


    Marion returned the glass of wine she had poured and took the vodka bottle from the cabinet. She poured half a glass and added some ice, then quickly she added the poison from the bottle Caspar had given her. Marion then returned to the room with the drink and handed it to Katia.


    "Here you go, enjoy."


    "Thank you..." Katia took one sip and then frowned. "What is this?!"


    Marion was somewhat shocked. She didn''t expect that Katia would react like that. Lauriel''s poison was always so subtle and undetectable, she had no idea why Katia would become so suspicious.


    "That''s vodka... You asked for vodka on ice..." she stammered. Katia looked at her with reproach.


    "This is not what Karl normally drinks. Where did you take this from?"


    "Oh... the one Karl usually drinks is finished, and I bought this one instead..." Marion said quickly. "I''m sorry, do you prefer another drink?"


    "Hmm..." Katia seemed to think for a moment and then shook her head. Her face looked like she was in dire need for something strong, like vodka, to overcome her anxiety. Without saying anything else, she finished the contents of her glass and handed it back to Marion. "One more, please..."


    "Uhm... okay." Marion hurriedly took the glass from Katia''s hand then refilled it in the kitchen, not forgetting to add the remaining poison in the bottle. Katia gulped it down without hesitation. She sat on Karl''s bedside chair and pondered for a long time.

 Chapter 190 - I wont kill you

    Katia took Karl''s hand and pressed it to her own cheek. Her mind flew to 60 years ago when she first met Karl. They were still teenagers and shared the same interests. The two were inseparable after the two families attended a party at the royal palace.


    After Katia moved to London, she and Karl were able to spend more and more time together. However, her relationship and friendship with Carl ended after she met and fell in love with Caspar. For the sake of the man, she had to leave her family and friends.


    Ugh... all her sacrifices were in vain, because after decades, Katia finally realized that the man didn''t really love her.


    The thought made her chest feel tight. Her tears dripped without her realizing.


    "Katia..."


    Katia gasped at the sound of Caspar''s voice, but she cleverly refrained, not turning her head.


    "Hmm... you are here¡­ What do you want?" Katia asked in a flat tone.


    "I want to apologize to you personally. I have never done it before, and I realize that what I did to you was wrong..." Caspar walked over to Katia and stopped when he arrived beside the girl.


    "This is not like you. You are the most selfish person I know..." Katia finally looked up and stared at Caspar with a reproachful look, "What made you change?"


    "Love changed me..." Caspar said firmly. "I''m sorry that I wasted your time and selfishly bound you without fulfilling my promise to you. I have taken you from your family and friends. I have felt the karma for my actions, as for the past 3 years I have been punished and I understand how you felt... I''m sorry."


    "You DO NOT KNOW how I feel!" Katia stood up angrily. She hit Caspar''s shoulder harshly, but the man did not budge nor shield himself from Katia''s punches. "I don''t have anyone now... you still have your family! YOU should have been my family. I should have married you and given birth to our children and we will live happily ever after... You took away my only dream in life. This... You''re so mean...!!"


    Tears welled up as Katia hit Caspar''s chest, who received her anger calmly.


    "I can''t return the lost time, Katia. Tell me what I can do to relieve the pain you feel..." Caspar said softly.


    He looked at Katia with a sad face. After all, this girl was the closest woman to him for decades. You could say that Katia was his best friend... He regretted breaking the relationship between them, because it was him who asked Katia to hurriedly leave her life to be with him, when he wasn''t really in love with her.


    Katia bit her lip and looked at Caspar for a long time.


    She then cupped the man''s face and unexpectedly landed a kiss on his lips. Caspar, who was surprised by the gesture, quickly pushed Katia away out of reflex.


    "Katia... I''m married. You can''t do this..." he said quickly.


    "You were engaged to me for decades, but that didn''t stop you from sleeping with so many other women..." hissed Katia.


    "I know what I did was wrong, but I''m not like that anymore," Caspar shook his head. "I''ve changed now."


    "Tsk... Am I hearing this right? You turn loyal to a woman who doesn''t love you. Finland doesn''t love you back, and that''s the only reason you are after her. You''ve never been rejected by any woman, and her refusal drives you crazy. You knew she loves Jean so you sent Famke to kill him..." Katia crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips, craving for revenge," After you got rid of Jean, Finland still didn''t love you back, and she left you for Lauriel and had a child with him... Oh... can''t you just accept her rejection and stop deceiving yourself that none of that is true."


    Caspar shook his head when he heard Katia speaking delusional. He was tired of all her games.


    "I already know everything, Katia. I know your plans and what you did to Aleksis. Finland and I have resolved the problem between us, and Lauriel is not willing to fulfill your request..." Caspar extended his hand towards Katia, "Please give the antidote for Aleksis to me now, I don''t like to use violence..."


    Katia looked a little surprised at Caspar''s words, but quickly her face gave a cold smile.


    "Oh... really? Ah... that''s why we couldn''t trace Finland''s whereabouts over the past week. Apparently she came to you. Well... then you already know." Katia brushed her hair nonchalantly, "I hope you have prepared a nice little grave for your kid."


    "I didn''t expect that you have the heart do such a thing to a child. You should punish me, not my daughter..." Caspar said, holding out his hand, "The antidote."


    "Poison is indeed a woman''s best weapon. I prepared this plan and came to Alexei. You think I didn''t think it through carefully? You''re wrong. I really want to punish you, and I think this is the most appropriate punishment. Even Lauriel would not be able to make the antidote¡­ ha ha ha..."


    "Katia, I don''t want to use violence..." Caspar was still trying to be patient. "Please give me the antidote now."


    "I don''t have the antidote," Katia answered him.


    "Call Alexei and ask for the antidote, otherwise I won''t let you get out of here."


    "Ha... Do you think Alexei will listen to me?" Katia almost laughed at Caspar''s words. "I mean nothing to him. We are partners, because we have the same goal. Do you think that he will sacrifice his goal to save me? You''re wrong. Alexei never loved anyone, he only loved himself. He could easily sacrifice Famke... let alone I."


    "Katia..."


    "You can kill me, if you can do it..." Katia smiled faintly. She reached for her bag and took out a gun from her handbag. For a moment, Caspar was surprised and wanted to stop her, but Katia quickly placed the gun in his hand. "Feel free to kill me with this gun if you hate me that much."


    "You..." Caspar could not help but think of Katia''s reaction. She did not care at all that Caspar could kill her to repay for what she did to Aleksis. "You want to die?"


    The door opened and Marion suddenly entered. She was listening to what was happening inside and became impatient because Caspar had not yet succeeded in forcing Katia to hand over the antidote.


    "Caspar... why is it taking so long?" she asked in a protest tone.


    Katia turned to the door in surprise. "Who... who are you?"


    "I''m Marion, we''ve never met. I poured some poison in your vodka. If you don''t want to die horribly, you have to work with us to get the antidote from Alexei," Marion said impatiently. "You''re not the only who can play with poison."


    Katia frowned and at once she thought about the two glasses of vodka Marion prepared for her. Her heart rustled. She folded his arms across her chest and faced Marion defiantly.


    "You poisoned me, and Caspar has a gun in his hand, he can shoot me and end it all. You think I''m afraid of death? I''m living on borrowed time..." said Katia in a cold voice. "I don''t have anyone in this world. Karl will die soon, too."


    That''s when Neo woke up and removed his disguise, making Katia gasp in surprise.


    "I''m not Karl. Karl is still alive and well. If you still want to see him, please help us capture Alexei," Neo said.


    His voice sounded soft. Earlier, when Katia held his hand in sorrow, he felt touched and could not bear to see Katia really lose her best friend.


    "You drank Lauriel''s poison, and he made that poison with vengeful passion," Marion said. "You will die horribly if you fall asleep. Surely you do not want to be remembered in the history of the Alchemists as the only woman left at the altar who died horribly, right? We do not plan to give you a quick and easy death..."


    Katia was now expressing her fears; Marion looked like a demon who pulled a life.


    For a moment Katia looked daunted. She was surrounded by three people who looked dangerous and now she felt cornered.


    "I know you want to pretend to look strong, but if you know the type of torture I can give you, you will beg for me to kill you." Marion pulled Katia''s hand roughly and tied her with a rope she had prepared. She turned to Caspar, who looked at the scene in stupefaction. "You''re too soft. Remember what she did to your child."


    Caspar was speechless. He knew that Katia did a very evil thing to his child, but in his heart he could not bear to see the girl he almost married treated like this by Marion.


    "We''re about the same height," Marion commented as she threw Katia on the bed. "I will take your identity and go to Yorkshire to meet Alexei."


    She took Katia''s handbag and examined its contents. After being satisfied with her discovery, she gave a signal to Neo to follow her out of the room.


    Only Katia and Caspar were left together in the room. Katia, who had been trying to look cold and indifferent, finally collapsed. She sobbed painfully.


    "Just kill me, Caspar. I don''t want to live anymore." Katia looked at Caspar with a pleading look, "Since you broke my heart three years ago, I don''t want to live anymore. I only survived so far because of my grudge. But anyway... my revenge has failed. I have no more reason to live."


    Caspar shook his head. "No, Katia. I won''t kill you."


    He placed the gun from Katia on his waist and then left Karl''s room with a dark expression.

 Chapter 191 - The cure

    Petra and Esso, who had returned from Yorkshire, came to Karl Furstenberg''s penthouse to keep an eye on Katia, while Caspar went to the airport to pick up his wife and daughter in Germany.


    On the plane, he forced himself to sleep because he knew his condition would worsen as he had not rested for several days. He also did not want to become an extra burden to his friends who had helped him so much.


    Caspar arrived early in the morning in Stuttgart and immediately drove to his castle. When the sun rose, he was already in Aleksis'' room, sitting beside Finland who was restlessly sleeping on the sofa.


    "You''re home...?" Finland woke up when she heard someone sitting on the chair. Her sleep was so restless that even the slightest sound could wake her up. Caspar approached Finland and sat next to her.


    "We have to go to London. Lauriel is trying to make an antidote for Aleksis there," he said.


    Finland got up and nodded.


    "I have prepared everything. We can leave right away."


    She walked over to Jean, who was sleeping in the chair next to Aleksis'' bed, and woke him up. He nodded casually to Caspar and cleaned himself in the bathroom to get ready.


    Within half an hour, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Kara and all Caspar''s personal bodyguards left for the airport in 3 cars.


    At noon they arrived at Hotel St. Laurent London, where Caspar''s penthouse was located. In the hotel, Stanis and a number of staff had arrived with the herbs Lauriel needed to create an antidote for Aleksis.


    "You can rest in the main room," Caspar said to Finland. He took Aleksis and carried her to his bedroom. Finland slowly followed Caspar, while Jean and Jadeith accompanied Lauriel in the kitchen and tried to help with whatever they could. The other five bodyguards immediately set a security perimeter around Hotel St. Laurent London.


    Neo arrived a short time later with Petra and Esso. They carried Katia with them. They decided to gather at Caspar''s place because they thought that Karl Furstenberg''s place was no longer safe.


    "Oh, wow... look who''s here. Apparently, everyone is here..." Katia commented sarcastically as Petra led her into the kitchen. She squinted at Jean. "You are now an alchemist, too?"


    Lauriel, who was busy scaling some medicinal ingredients, only glanced at Katia briefly. His eyes was filled with anger. He remained focused on his work. Jean didn''t care about Katia either; he acted as if she wasn''t there.


    "Do you know that you shouldn''t sleep?" Lauriel asked casually. He was still weighing and mixing some ingredients intently.


    "If I sleep, the poison will work, and I''ll die?" Katia asked sarcastically. "I am not afraid of dying..."


    "You would hope so." Lauriel smiled slightly. He stirred the bowl of dark liquid dramatically, as if thinking about something very interesting. "I will not let you die easily, Katia. The first thing you will lose is your sense of smell. Then, you will not be able to see, and slowly you will also lose your hearing. You will not even be able to hear your own cry... You will be imprisoned in a helpless body, until you beg me to kill you..."


    Katia gasped at his words. She remembered Marion''s words yesterday; she said that they would torture her until she didn''t want to live anymore... but she didn''t think the poison Lauriel made had such an evil effect. Instantly, cold sweat ran down her face.


    "You''re not serious..." she hissed in disbelief. "You''re not such an evil person..."


    "You made me do this. You shouldn''t have touched Aleksis..." Lauriel looked at Katia sharply and shook his head with a clenched jaw. "I already know the type of poison you gave her and I am now making the antidote. Tomorrow morning Aleksis will recover while you will lose all your senses..."


    Katia stood stunned and her face paled. She believed Lauriel''s words, which were uttered in a cold, vengeful voice. She was not afraid of dying, but the thought of losing her senses one by one made her heart sink.


    "Jean... you''re not a bad person..." Katia whispered to him. "We were friends in London... you know Karl... Are you going to pretend that you don''t remember our friendship and let them treat me like this?"


    "Sorry, Katia. You went too far..." Jean answered, shaking his head. He did not want to look at Katia. "You shouldn''t have hurt an innocent two-year-old child to hurt her parents..."


    Katia bit her lip and looked away. She knew Jean''s words were true, and now she almost regretted her actions. For the past few years her revenge had blinded her soul to the point that she would do anything to make Caspar suffer.


    ***


    In the bedroom, Caspar and Finland sat by Aleksis'' bed. Both of them were very worried. As long as Lauriel hadn''t succeeded in making the antidote, their hearts couldn''t calm down.


    "Don''t worry... Lauriel is very skilled. His adventures on earth for hundreds of years have made him master various types of ancient medicine. His head contains far more knowledge than dozens of modern medical books," Caspar said, trying to cheer Finland.


    He himself preferred the modern medical advancement over traditional medicine, but he knew that Lauriel had been pursuing poisons and drugs far longer than he pursued the field of medicine. Even though he was a specialist, he could not do anything for Aleksis right now, and that made him feel like such a failure.


    Finland, who noticed that Caspar looked very tired, reached out to hold the man''s hand. Both squeezed each other''s hands as if they were giving the other strength.


    "I''m sorry, Finland. Katia targeted Aleksis because of what I did to her in the past..." Caspar whispered softly. "I was a jerk."


    Finland nodded. She understood what Caspar meant but she didn''t want them to discuss the matter at a time like this. She patted Caspar''s hand and took a deep breath.


    "Please don''t talk about that now..." said Finland. "Let''s just focus on Aleksis..."


    She tried to distract Caspar, "Can you please get me a drink? I''m so thirsty..."


    Caspar nodded. He let go of Finland''s hand and exited the room to the kitchen. When he got there, he was surprised to see Katia sitting in one of the dining chairs guarded by Petra, while Lauriel was still diligently making an antidote using the medicinal herbs he obtained. Jean and Jadeith were helping Lauriel, following his orders.


    Katia''s face looked pale and disheveled and her cheeks were wet with tears. Katia had never looked this pathetic in her entire life.


    "Why was she brought here?" Caspar asked.


    "Furstenberg''s house is no longer safe," Petra answered. "Besides, Lauriel wants to see for himself when his poison starts to react. So, I brought her here..."


    Katia turned toward Caspar''s voice with tears in her eyes. Her aloofness and icy demeanor were completely gone. Her eyes looked blank.


    "Caspar... I can''t smell and see... help me..." Katia pleaded as she got up and walked toward Caspar; but her feet tripped over the legs of the dining table and she fell down. She crawled on the floor, scratching the surface, trying to find a way to approach Caspar. "Lauriel''s poison is so so gruesome... I was not this atrocious to your daughter..."


    Caspar only stared at Katia, who was struggling to crawl toward him. She looked pitiful, but he did nothing. When he thought about Aleksis, who was still lying unconscious in the room, his heart froze.


    "Please... just kill me... You have my gun... Come on, kill me, Caspar. You must be angry because I poisoned your child..." Katia whimpered. "You owe me because I left my parents and Karl to live with you... You must repay me by killing me. I think that is fair enough¡­ You owe it to me to give me a quick and painless death!"


    Katia continued to whine until she suddenly screamed hysterically.


    Katia was suddenly unable to hear. She was surprised when she realized that she could no longer hear the sound of her crying. She screamed frantically trying to hear her voice but all she ''heard'' was a horrible silence. Katia had never felt that scared...


    Caspar and Jean looked at each other. Both were unable to bear the sight of Katia wailing in panic while holding her head. Finland, who was surprised to hear Katia''s scream, rushed out of the room and into the kitchen. Her face turned pale when she saw Katia kneeling on the ground in a very pitiful condition.


    "W... what''s going on? What happened to her?" Finland asked, approaching Caspar. They both looked stunned.


    "We gave her the poison that Lauriel made for her. It caused her to lose all of her senses..." Caspar said quietly, "Now she cannot see and smell and hear..."


    "Oh..." Finland covered her mouth in shock. She looked at Lauriel, who was indifferently placing the medicinal herbs in a small bowl. He looked at her and nodded.


    "The cure is finished..." he said in a relieved, but tired voice. "I will give it to Aleksis now. If everything works, she will recover tomorrow morning."


    "Lauriel..." Finland hurriedly approached Lauriel, "Do you have Katia''s antidote?"


    Lauriel nodded, "Of course. Why? You want to cure her? Don''t be stupid."


    "She already got her punishment... Please don''t continue torturing her like this..." Finland said in a choked voice. She saw Katia, who was wailing trying to hear her own voice, looking devastated. Instantly her hatred for the girl disappeared. "You''re not a bad person... Aleksis will be sad to see her god father turn into a sadist like this..."


    Lauriel snorted, "I will not forgive her until I can be sure that Aleksis is recovered. In the meantime, let her experience being prisoned in her body like this and accept her punishment."


    He then rushed out of the kitchen and into the room where Aleksis was. Finland and Caspar hastily followed. Jean approached Katia and helped her up and sat her back in the chair.


    "Who is this...? Is this you, Caspar?" Katia whispered while crying. She was more depressed because she could not hear any sound, including her own sobs. Jean did not answer. He left Katia in the chair and left the kitchen to catch up with the others.


    In the bedroom, Lauriel held Aleksis and forced the antidote into the little girl''s mouth. Caspar and Finland, who arrived a little later, could only see from the door. They hoped that Lauriel''s medicine worked and their child could be saved. Right now, they could only wait.

 Chapter 192 - Punishment for Katia (1)

    "I have given Aleksis the antidote. You can rest now. We will know tomorrow morning whether or not my medicine worked, "Lauriel said, placing Aleksis back on her bed. He took the small bowl and stood up. "Petra and Esso will take care of Katia."


    "Are you really going to leave Katia like that?" Finland asked in a choked voice. She could still hear Katia''s scream and it was very disturbing.


    "As I said, I will wait and see if Aleksis recovers. If she recovers completely, I will think about whether Katia has already got her punishment or not," Lauriel answered firmly. "We''ll talk again tomorrow morning."


    After saying that, Lauriel left the room and closed the door behind him. Finland could not say anything more. Lauriel was still using his charisma to make people do what he wanted, and Finland couldn''t object to him.


    She could only stare at the stunned Caspar.


    "Are you not going to do anything?" Finland asked quietly. "Don''t you have any justice system or what? I know Katia committed a crime against Aleksis, but if Aleksis can be cured... do you think torturing her like that is justified? I''m scared to see Lauriel angry like that..."


    "You forgot that Lauriel was once a pirate. He is used to such harsh punishments," Caspar replied, "He tortured Katia with poison because she was a woman. Among pirates, they were accustomed to more horrible tortures, men could beheaded, skinned alive and even thrown from a plank into the open sea..."


    Finland held her breath at Caspar''s explanation. As a woman, her gentle feelings couldn''t imagine the torture of fellow human beings, especially since she knew Katia personally.


    "Let''s leave it for tonight. Tomorrow I will decide for an appropriate punishment for Katia," Caspar finally said. "You should rest, I''ll go down and control the situation for now."


    Caspar could not bear to see his wife tormented by Katia''s wailings. He then signaled for Finland to rest and he left the room for the kitchen.


    "Katia..." Caspar suddenly realized that Katia could no longer hear him. So, he took Katia''s right palm and wrote letters on her palm using his index finger.


    T. H. I. S


    I. S


    C. A. S. P. A. R.


    C.A.L.M


    D.O.W.N


    I.


    W. I. L. L.


    H. E. L. P.


    Y. O. U.


    T. O. M. O. R. R. O. W


    N. O. W.


    S. L. E. E. P.


    Katia went silent. She understood that Caspar had asked her to stop screaming. Although she could not hear her own scream, surely everyone in the penthouse could hear it and were annoyed. Finally, because she was tired, Katia stopped wailing and bit her lip hard, holding back her own tears.


    She had no choice but to trust Caspar.


    G. O. O. D.


    Caspar nodded at Petra, who immediately lifted Katia''s body and placed her on the sofa in the living room. The penthouse was finally calm. Jean, who was tired and stressed, excused himself to rest in the hotel room. Jadeith and Lauriel had disappeared a long time ago.


    Everyone agreed to come together the next morning and have breakfast together. Only Petra and Esso stayed in the living room to watch over Katia. Kara prepared the things they needed to spend a night there. Caspar then went into his room and accompanied Finland who was waiting on Aleksis.


    "She stopped screaming... What did you do to her?" Finland asked when she saw Caspar enter.


    "I said that I will help her tomorrow, as long as she is quiet."


    "Oh..." Finland nodded slowly, "I understand."


    The couple then tried to sleep and hoped that morning would come soon so they could find out whether Lauriel''s treatment was successful.


    Caspar hugged Finland tightly on the bed and comforted her with soft words so that the girl calmed down and she could close her eyes.


    Finland finally fell asleep after midnight, but Caspar could not close his eyes until morning.


    ***


    The atmosphere in the penthouse was again crowded and tensed at around sunrise when people came together. Caspar, who couldn''t sleep all that night, seemed very tired and depressed. He tried to calm himself down by drinking a double espresso and went out to welcome his guests.


    "Have you had breakfast?" he asked Lauriel and Jean, who just arrived.


    "Not yet," Lauriel answered. "I came straight here to wait for Aleksis to wake up."


    "All right, I''ll call the chef up. I''m too tired to cook breakfast for us," Caspar said. He dialed the phone to the receptionist and asked the waiters and chefs to be sent up. Not long after, two chefs and a few staff arrived. They set up their equipment and were immediately busy in the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the master and his guests.


    "I will examine Aleksis..." Lauriel said afterward. Caspar nodded and followed Lauriel to the bedroom.


    Finland awakened when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly got up and opened the door for Lauriel and Caspar, who wanted to see how Aleksis was doing.


    "She''s still sleeping..." Finland whispered as she invited them in.


    Lauriel stepped inside and sat beside Aleksis'' bed, then checked her breathing and her pulse.


    "Her pulse and heart rate are almost normal, it''s no longer as slow as yesterday." His voice sounded very relieved. "Soon, she will wake up..."


    Finland and Caspar sighed together. They both looked very relieved. Caspar hurriedly knelt at the foot of the bed and listened to his daughter''s heartbeat to confirm Lauriel''s words.


    "You''re right..." he whispered happily. Instantly his whole body tensed down and the heavy burden that had clung to his mind for the past two weeks disappeared. "She looks like she''s really sleeping now..."


    Just then, Aleksis''s blue green eyes opened and she stared sleepily at Caspar, who was kneeling beside her, with a questioning expression.


    "Daddy...?" An adorable little voice came from her tiny lips. It startled Caspar and he almost cried in happiness.


    "Gosh... Aleksis... my baby Aleksis, are you awake, little angel...?" Caspar immediately kissed Aleksis''s cheeks and hurriedly hugged the little girl to his chest. "Daddy is very scared..."


    Finland ran toward her daughter with tears streaming down both of her cheeks. Finland and Caspar cried as they made sure that Aleksis was really awake and not lacking anything.


    Lauriel only looked at the scene with a pained expression. At times like these, he could only think of his girlfriend Luna and their unborn child. If humans were not so fond of war, of course he would still have his family... The woman he loved would still be next to him and their children would grow up, enjoying his outpouring affections...


    He really hated humans.


    "Uncle Rory..." Aleksis suddenly called out to Lauriel, stirring him from his reverie.


    "Hmm... what''s up, sweetheart?" Lauriel asked, kneeling beside Caspar. "You called me?"


    "Help me... Daddy and Mommy hug me so tight. They squeezed me so hard I''m afraid I can''t breathe..." Aleksis complained with her cute expression.


    Caspar and Finland immediately let go of their embraces and laughed. Lauriel smiled broadly and nodded. He rose and lifted Aleksis from her bed, away from her parents.


    "Alright... Uncle Rory will save you. In return, you have to eat a lot, so I won''t worry about your health." While saying so he placed Aleksis on his shoulders and walked out of the room to the kitchen.


    The atmosphere in the penthouse, which was very dark and full of tension before, seemed to have lightened up and was now filled with warmth and laughter. Aleksis'' presence at the dining table made everyone''s faces brighten and adorned with smiles. Their most serious problems had been successfully resolved by Lauriel and now they were able to breathe with relief.


    "Later in the afternoon we will all go to Scotland together. It''s time to face Alexei in person and teach him a lesson," Caspar said. "Jadeith said he had arrived in Scotland this morning."


    "Ned and Portia''s party is a neutral zone, but as soon as he comes out of the vicinity, my men would be ready to take him down... We can wait until the party is over. Marion will disguise as Katia and be by Alexei''s side the whole time. I will wait to hear from her," Lauriel said while sipping his tea.


    "What about Katia...?" Finland asked quietly. She had seen Katia in the living room and remembered that the girl was still their prisoner.


    "I actually want to kill her for what she did to Aleksis..." Lauriel said coldly. "But I have left such kind life. I don''t want to get my hands dirty with another human''s blood..."


    "Will you let her go?" Finland asked.


    "I will give her the antidote to my poison, and I hope Caspar will give her a proper punishment." Lauriel turned to Caspar and raised his eyebrows as if asking the man''s decision. "I believe you can decide wisely."


    Caspar nodded. He had thought about this all night when he could not sleep.


    "Are you able to make a memory potion?" he asked Lauriel.


    "Of course. What are your plans?" Lauriel asked.


    "I want to break the vicious cycle of grudge between us..." Caspar said with a sigh.


    "All right. I''ll make it after breakfast." Lauriel nodded.


    They then eat quietly.

 Chapter 193 - Punishment for Katia (2)

    Everyone got ready to attend Ned and Portia''s party in Scotland. Only Lauriel was busy in the kitchen making the potion Caspar had asked for. At noon, before they departed, Caspar asked everyone to gather in the living room. Katia was seated in a chair in the middle of the room.


    "Lauriel, can I have your antidote..." Caspar stood in the middle of the room and extended his hand towards Lauriel. The long-haired man pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Caspar.


    Caspar took it and signaled Katia to open her mouth. The girl complied, because she remembered that Caspar had promised to help her. After taking the potion in the bottle, Katia sat in a chair. Her whole body felt very hot.


    "Ahh... my body hurts..." she groaned while holding her chest. Her chaotic face looked very painful.


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in confusion and Lauriel just shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner.


    "That is indeed the right antidote. I deliberately did not make the easy antidote. People who drink my poison are not entitled to getting the lighter antidote. They must suffer a little..."


    "Ahh... you''re so mean, Lauriel!!" screamed Katia. She was very angry to hear that even now Lauriel still wanted to torture her.


    A moment later she was quiet.


    She just heard Lauriel''s voice...


    With surprise she opened her eyes and looked around. She saw people gathering around her with hateful eyes staring at her.


    Her hearing had recovered!


    She could also see again...


    "I... I can see again..." she whispered in a hoarse voice. "I can already hear..."


    She looked at Caspar and Lauriel alternately.


    "Katia... what you did to Aleksis was unforgivable..." Caspar said in a flat voice. "I understand that I too hurt you and I apologized for my actions. I made you leave your family and friends and brought you into the Alchemist community, without giving you a new family. I regret my actions, but hurting an innocent child just to get back at me is a truly heinous act. I cannot forgive you what you did to my daughter, therefore I sentence you to death."


    Caspar took out a small bottle from his shirt pocket and handed it to Katia.


    "W... what''s this?" Katia asked, stammer.


    "This is Death... I was the one who gave you immortality, and now I will take it from you. After you take this potion, you become an ordinary human again. You will age and die like a normal human being. You are no longer a part of our society." Caspar gave Katia a stern stare and forced her to take the bottle. "You have experienced it yourself, what Lauriel can do to you. If you do not want to drink death, I will hand you over to him and he will be happy to punish you again with yesterday''s poison."


    Instantly Katia''s face shuddered in terror. With a heavy heart she took the bottle of Death from Caspar''s hand. Tears were streaming down her face.


    "You... you''re so mean... You have the heart to tell me..." she cried as she covered her face with both hands after she finished the content in the bottle.


    "Lauriel, can I ask for a memory potion?" Caspar turned to Lauriel, who immediately handed another small bottle into his hand.


    "This is it."


    "Thank you..." Caspar pulled Katia''s hand and placed the second bottle in her hand. "Katia... because now you are a regular human, you must not store the knowledge about the Alchemist community. From now on you must forget everything about us. You must also forget about the grudges between us. From now on, there is no longer any relationship between us."


    Katia looked at Caspar with a pair of very sad eyes. She loved this man ever since they met 58 years ago ... She had patiently waited for Caspar for 50 years as his fianc¨¦e and tolerated all his games and the many women he dated...


    But finally, the man fell in love with Finland and left her alone and miserable.


    Katia was able to accept that she had to take Death... because after all, for her, to live forever was meaningless without the man she loved beside her...


    But being forced to forget Caspar and all the memories they had together for decades... was a punishment which was more severe than Death itself...


    Katia burst into tears.


    Finland, who was unable to see the scene, carried Aleksis out of the room to the balcony to calm down.


    "I don''t want to forget you..." Katia cried miserably. Caspar shook his head and tapped her shoulder gently, for the last time.


    "Drink up, Katia. You must forget all this and break all the grudges between us..."


    Katia shook her head with tears still streaming down.


    "You may kill me... but I don''t want to forget about us..." she whispered sadly. Everyone in the room seemed uncomfortable. Some of them looked away, others sighed. Caspar was stunned for a few moments, then he turned to Lauriel.


    "I have no choice. She chose her own punishment..." said Caspar. Lauriel nodded at Petra, who took out a pistol with silencer and placed the tip on Katia''s hand.


    "There is only one bullet there. You have chosen your own punishment," Lauriel said in a cold voice. "Don''t waste our time any longer."


    Katia cried even more loudly. She stared at the gun in her hand with glazed eyes. She was not a weak girl; she learned to use a gun decades ago and always carried a weapon with her when traveling. She could use the gun in her hand properly.


    "You... Don''t you want to say goodbye...?" She finally looked up and stared at Caspar with tears in her eyes.


    Caspar looked back at her with a very sad look. Fifty years ago, he would never have thought that he and Katia would end like this...


    "Katia..." His words stopped in the air; he did not know how to say good-bye to the girl who had once filled fifty years of his life. She had become his best friend, who accompanied him for decades.


    Katia slowly raised the gun to her forehead...


    When all people were lost in gloomy thoughts, Katia suddenly turned her gun toward Caspar''s direction and pulled the trigger.


    When they realized what was happening, it was already too late...


    Caspar didn''t even try to evade her shot. His face darkened, and his eyes looked deeply hurt.


    CLICK!


    Katia turned pale when she realized that the gun didn''t explode.


    Lauriel lied when he said that the gun had one bullet in it.


    "Lauriel and I wanted to give you a chance to redeem yourself. If you chose to fire the bullet into your head, we would have forgiven you and let you go. We deliberately gave you a gun with an empty shell." Caspar shook his head slowly, his expression was very dark, "But it turns out that you really can''t change. I can''t give you any more mercy by considering our past relationship. You should be sentenced to death..."


    Katia was speechless. She did not think for one second that the two men actually considered of forgiving her. In her desperation she decided to aim her gun at Caspar and kill him. She was determined that if she couldn''t get Caspar, then Finland shouldn''t either. She would die willingly if Caspar died with her...


    "I... I... I''m... sorry... I made a mistake..." Katia cried. "Forgive me... please, I want to live... I promise I won''t bother you anymore..."


    Lauriel was sick of seeing her. He immediately gave a signal to Petra and Esso to get rid of Katia.


    "Katia has chosen her own sentence. I don''t want to see blood here. Take her to her house and finish her there."


    Without needing to be told twice, the two men had lifted Katia, who screamed and kicked in desperation. Esso pressed the back of her neck once and in an instant Katia collapsed and fell silent. They quickly got rid of Katia and disappeared from the penthouse.


    The atmosphere immediately became very gloomy.


    Nobody spoke for a long time. They all got their things ready in silence and immediately left for the airport to head for Scotland.


    ***

 Chapter 194 - The Wedding (1)

    The small group attracted a lot of attention. It was not every day that the airport was visited by a group of very good-looking people, walking together like soldiers ready for battle.


    Even though they passed using the VIP access, people were able to see glimpses of these perfect humans crossing the airport to the VIP waiting room. Kara handled their travel documents very efficiently and in a short time they were already seated in Caspar''s private plane.


    The journey from London to Glasgow took less than two hours and, in the afternoon, they had checked in at the hotel. They took their time changing into their fancy clothes. When everyone was ready, they headed towards the Lewis family palace using several armored Mercedes cars.


    "There are some things you need to know about this wedding..." Caspar told Finland in the car. "Ned and Portia are both heirs of the two important Alchemist families. Ned''s family is the real rulers of England. They are very powerful. We might see representatives of the British royal family at this wedding. Portia came from Germany, and like my family, her family is part of the Baden royalties. Ned and Portia both embraced purist ideology, but they do not force their will, unlike Alexei. They have been together for almost 200 years and we already know that one day they will get married."


    "Wow... it''s such a long time..." muttered Finland. "You''re right when you say your people are very picky and only decide to get married after being together for a long time..."


    Now she understood why, even after 50 years together, Caspar still did not marry Katia. Ned and Portia waited for two centuries before formalizing their marriage. These Alchemists were indeed very picky in terms of commitment. They know not to choose the wrong person to spend their immortal lives together.


    Flora and Caspar were anomalies because they both immediately believed in their love and didn''t wait long to get married. Flora married her childhood best friend, Louis, and Caspar proposed to Finland after knowing her for only 4.5 months.


    Now, 300 years later after their marriage, Flora and Louis still loved each other as much as they did when they were young. Finland hoped that she and Caspar would remain as they were now, loving each other wholeheartedly and their feelings for each other will not diminish until forever.


    Their three cars arrived in front of the Lewis'' family palace and court servants respectfully welcomed them. Caspar was the most important guest they had been waiting for because he, as the clan leader, was the one who was going to officiate Ned and Portia''s marriage.


    Most of the invited guests were already at the main hall and Caspar''s presence with his family made everyone turn their heads. Slowly people started walking toward the entrance to greet him warmly. But when Lauriel stepped in with Aleksis on his shoulders, the grand hall suddenly became silent.


    Many people could not believe their own eyes when they saw Lauriel present at Ned and Portia''s party, because they knew how much he hated crowds.


    What shocked the people even more was that he was carrying a small child on his shoulders who at first glance looked very similar to him.


    Did Lauriel have a child? Thus, the question that arose in the hearts of most guests.


    "Gosh... Lauriel?" A man with reddish hair came from behind to greet the group. His handsome face looked very happy as if he just saw an old friend whom he hadn''t seen for decades. His clothes were very luxurious and decorated with various emblems and badges.


    At first glance he looked like a prince. He embraced Lauriel and pressed their foreheads together. "I''m honored that you come to attend my wedding..."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel nodded. "Sorry I didn''t bring any present."


    "Your presence alone is a gift for us. I thought we would never see you again. I thought you had taken Death..." Ned said with enthusiastically. "Portia will be very happy to see you. She still misses Luna to this day..."


    Lauriel nodded. "Portia is one of the few people I like. I don''t want to miss her happy moment."


    Ned looked delighted. He ushered his entourage of honorable guests to the side of the hall which was meant for the groom''s family.


    "Has Alexei arrived?" Caspar asked as they sat down.


    Ned shook his head. "Not yet. He said he is still on the way. What business do you have with him?"


    He knew Caspar and Alexei had been enemies for a long time. Caspar wouldn''t have looked for Alexei if there were no important matters.


    "It''s only a small matter between two men," Caspar said, shrugging.


    "Aha. All right. I''ll ask him to come here as soon as he arrives," Ned said quickly. "Feel free to rest, eat and drink. I need to greet the other guests. The wedding starts in an hour."


    Classical music played by the orchestra made the atmosphere feel magnificent. Tenor and soprano singers sang a love song from a very solemn Italian opera.


    The silence caused by Lauriel''s presence had been replaced by whispers among guests who talked about Lauriel and his ''child'' and questioned the incomplete members of Lauriel''s usual crew.


    "They''re all talking about Lauriel, huh?" Finland asked in amazement. "Has he really never come to an event like this?"


    "Right. He doesn''t like crowds," Caspar answered. "Many people are amazed because now they suddenly see him here."


    "Oh..."


    Lauriel did look very cool and many Alchemist girls who were still single were openly staring at him, trying to attract his attention. But they must swallow their disappointment because the man seemed indifferent to his surroundings. He was just watching the entrance. Every time the door opened, he would make sure that it wasn''t Alexei.


    An hour later the person they were waiting for arrived.


    Marion, who was disguised as Katia, entered with the graceful steps of a queen followed by a man with brown hair and purple eyes. Behind him were a few of his men. ''Katia'' and Alexei''s gaze swept across the hall and their gaze fell on Caspar and Lauriel''s group who were staring at them with sharp eyes.


    The two groups met for a brief moment. Alexei was shocked when he saw Caspar and Lauriel together, along with Finland and a very healthy-looking Aleksis between them.


    He figured that the little girl must have been cured, and he no longer had an advantage to blackmail Lauriel, but his face did not seem to change. Alexei was very good at keeping his face flat.


    "Hmm... this will be a very lively party," he murmured to ''Katia'', then held her hand and led her across the room to Ned.


    ''Katia'' seemed to throw a cold glance at Caspar and Lauriel. Really, if Caspar hadn''t known that it was Marion in disguise, he would definitely think the girl walking with Alexei was Katia herself.


    Caspar turned to Lauriel and nodded.


    "Marion will wait for the right moment to arrest Alexei," Lauriel said curtly. He took a sip of wine, "We will proceed with the wedding first."

 Chapter 195 - The Wedding (2)

    A staff member entered and approached Caspar. She whispered something by Caspar''s ear and he immediately stood up and excused himself from his entourage. He would soon officiate the wedding of Ned and Portia.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, the wedding procession will begin soon. Please, let us all go to the inner garden. You may follow me." A girl in black appeared and asked all guests to move to the procession.


    The large door on the inside opened and revealed an open garden which was very spacious and was decorated grandly with thousands of flowers and candles. It looked really beautiful and romantic.


    There were dozens of luxurious chairs arranged nicely in two sections on a thick lawn and in the middle there was a small path decorated with white roses for the bride to walk.


    Finland, Jean, Lauriel and Aleksis were invited to sit in the left row, which was reserved for Potia''s family and friends, while Alexei and Katia sat in the right row with Ned''s family and friends. Finland and Jean held their breath when they saw that two British royal princes were present at the event.


    Finland immediately recalled Caspar''s words that the Lewis family was the real ruler of England and representatives of the British royal family would attend the wedding. She didn''t know that it was really the prince who would attend.


    "Does the royal family know the secrets of the Alchemist?" Finland asked in a whisper to Lauriel.


    The man nodded. "Yes, the Lewis family have ruled from behind the scenes since 300 years ago, and the Mounbattens represented them in public in the same way as all Caspar''s public affairs are represented by the Van Der Ven family."


    "Oh..." Finland understood right away. She glanced at the two princes and almost held her breath. It turned out that these Alchemists were truly the aristocratic rulers of the earth, and she accidentally became part of them. Jean too.


    Finland and Jean looked at each other. They knew that they had the same thoughts in mind.


    Finland actually felt rather sad because she had to wait 7 more years before she was able to get the immortality potion from Aldebar.


    The only thing that made her a little relieved was that because of her half-Asian race, her appearance had not changed at all even though three had years had passed since she left Caspar. Lauriel even said that Finland would not look aged until she was in her 40s.


    Twenty musicians were present on the stage behind a small gazebo decorated with thousands of roses where the groom was standing by his sister. Caspar had taken his place in front of Ned and his eyes were very twisted.


    "Caspar is only wearing normal tuxedo... doesn''t he need to wear a fancy robe or something?" Finland asked in amazement. When Aldebar married them off, Caspar''s brother wore pretty complicated gears and looked very majestic, just like a king.


    But now Caspar was only wearing the tuxedo he wore from the hotel. He held a sapphire-headed stick that was very beautiful, but other than that there was nothing special about his appearance.


    Lauriel shrugged, "Caspar has different fashion tastes than Aldebar. His younger brother prefers a very old and traditional fashion, while Caspar is more casual."


    "Oh..." Finland thought that the clan leader had a certain uniform, but apparently she was mistaken. There were so many things she had to learn about this Alchemist society.


    She looked around and realized that the people present all had their own dress style. Some, just like Aldebar, were into the old-fashioned, majestic, and intricate appearances, while others liked simple and modern clothes. Whatever they wore, everyone looked very beautiful and the clothes they wore fit them perfectly.


    The music then played a very beautiful song Finland had never heard it in her entire life. The air slowly turned magical and people fell silent, enjoying the magic of the beautiful song.


    Slowly, the bride walked into the path in the middle of the guests, who immediately stood up and welcomed her with a look of admiration.


    Portia was the most beautiful woman Finland had ever seen. She had purplish hair that fell down beautifully to her hips. She had a small body and her movements were smooth like a fairy. Her face looked radiant with a smile that made her glow.


    Finland had to pinch herself to make sure that Portia didn''t emit a halo from all over her body. She again felt like she was in Rivendell, and Portia was the elf queen.


    When the bride passed Lauriel''s chair, she turned around with a surprised but happy face and covered her lips in surprise. Lauriel smiled and nodded to Portia, who responded with a tear in the corner of her eyes.


    Lady Portia was the cousin of Lady Luna, Lauriel''s late girlfriend, and she felt very sad after Luna died. Today she felt touched because Lauriel took the time to attend her wedding, even though the man hated crowds.


    After Portia arrived beside Ned, the two looked at each other with loving eyes and Ned held his future wife''s hand.


    Gosh... after 200 years together, they were still so filled with so much love for each other.


    Finland and Jean were very impressed. It was the uniqueness of the Alchemists that fascinated them. One day, Jean would fall in love and get married, and he imagined himself and his wife living happily ever after with so much love for each other, just like Ned and Portia.


    The only woman he had ever loved was his best friend, Finland, but the girl now belonged to someone else, and even had a child with him. Jean knew he had to open his heart to another woman.


    Jean felt grateful because a few years ago, Finland was in dire need of money, so she was forced to sell her eggs to the fertility clinic. Jean had to come along because he was requested by the clinic.


    They forgot about it until they found out that they had a biological child together, Terry. Even though Terry was born and raised by other people, they were able to bond even more as best friends and Terry''s biological parents.


    Since they became a family in a way, and Jean did not feel the need for another family. This was enough.


    The beautiful music stopped playing and the atmosphere became very solemn. Caspar raised his staff and smiled at the bride and groom.


    "Ned and Portia. As the representative of all the people in our clan, I, Caspar Alexander Sebastian Heinrich von Schneider, take the power bestowed in me to give you our blessings in your union, Ned and Portia, as husband and wife, before men, heaven and earth, and all the elements in the universe. May your perfect union lead you two into greater happiness. Do you, Ned, accept and love Portia as your only companion to live this life, with all her strengths and weaknesses, and promise to love, protect, care, and nourish her as you would yourself?"


    Ned nodded and looked at Portia deeply and smiled happily, "I do."


    Caspar continued, this time turning to Portia.


    "Do you, Portia, accept and love Ned as your only companion to live this life, with all his strengths and weaknesses, and promise to love, protect, care, and nourish him as you would yourself?"


    "I do..." Portia answered in a voice as soft as a nightingale. A tear streamed down her cheek, which Ned quickly wiped with his fingers lovingly.


    "Before the heavens and the earth, and all the elements in the universe, let the love of the bride and groom endure a never-ending stream of time, and that they live forever in infinite happiness, until death do them part." Caspar then touched his staff to Ned and Portia''s shoulder alternatingly," I now declare you husband and wife, now and forever."


    "Now and forever." Ned said firmly.


    "Now and forever." Portia''s voice shook as she made her promise.


    Ned then took Portia into his arms and kissed her lips softly. The guests cried out loudly, "Now and forever," as they threw flowers in the air. The orchestra was again playing a beautiful and hypnotizing music.


    Caspar turned to Finland and smiled at her. He was thinking about their own wedding 3 years ago. Finland looked down and blushed. She was thinking the same thing.


    Ned then picked up Portia and entered the main hall which was showered with flowers from the happy guests. He and Portia had been together for 200 years and this little ceremony was just a procession to make a public acknowledgment that the two decided to become one.


    With the union of Ned and Portia, the Lewis Family and the Baden Family also united.


    Inside the hall, a new celebration began and the host generously presented world class entertainments and the best food and beverages in the world.


    One by one the guests raised their glasses and delivered words of praise and congratulations to the bride and groom. The atmosphere was so warm and festive.


    However, there were two opposite poles with equal coldness across the big hall: Caspar''s group and Alexei''s group who sat by their respective tables. They were polite to all the other guests, but it was very clear that they were watching and hating each other.


    "I want to thank our friends who took the time to come here from all over the world. Even Lauriel is present... We are truly honored. We have all our five families here. There is, of course, our leader from the Schneider family, a group from the Baden family, the Lewis family, the Flamel family, and Alexei from the Meier family." Portia, who was standing to deliver her speech, seemed to realize that there was someone missing from the party, "Why isn''t Sophia here?"


    Alexei smiled and shook his head slowly, "Sophia sends her regards to you. She met an emergency that she couldn''t postpone."


    "Oh... too bad." Portia sighed. She was sad because she was quite familiar with Sophia and had not been able to contact her for several months. "Who did you come with? I don''t know the girl next to you."


    Finland was dumb footed; apparently Portia did not know Katia.


    "I''m Katia Jannsen..." Marion, who was disguised as Katia, stood up and greeted the noble lady style by bowing gracefully. "I am a converted Alchemist. I obtained the immortality potion from Caspar 50 years ago..."


    Usually commoners who got the potion of immortality were people who entered the Alchemist society through marriage. Jean was a unique case because Caspar gave him the potion when he was dying to save his life.


    Caspar had told Ned and Portia about Jean when he asked for an invitation for Jean to attend their wedding. However, Katia, who had received the immortality potion from Caspar but did not marry him, was unknown to the host. That really made the situation a bit awkward.


    Everyone there knew that Finland was the wife of their clan leader because he announced their marriage to the public 3 years ago, but only a few knew Katia.


    Caspar felt pressured to save the situation and hurriedly stood up and raised his glass, "Katia was my best friend for decades. Even though we are no longer friends, I always hope the best for her... There is only a few of us left, I hope we can respect and protect each other. Now and forever. "


    The people nodded and did not want to prolong the problem. They raised their glasses and drank together.


    Marion turned to Alexei and whispered curtly, "Why didn''t you defend me? If you had introduced me to Portia, I wouldn''t have to explain my relationship with Caspar... I came here with you anyway."


    Alexei looked at her contemptuously, "Who do you think you are? I don''t have to do anything for you."


    Marion looked very offended and angrily she took a glass full of red wine and poured it on Alexei''s face. "You jerk!"


    The man was stunned for two seconds while Marion walked with long steps out of the hall. Tears were streaming down her eyes. All guests looked at the scene in surprise.


    After he got over his initial shock, the angry Alexei wiped his face wet with wine, and ran after Marion, planning to teach her a lesson.


    Lauriel quickly slipped through another door to take him down outside.

 Chapter 196 - Taking down Alexei

    When Alexei realized what was happening, it was already too late. The door closed behind him and from the corner of his eye he saw Lauriel walking toward him from the left. His face looked very scary.


    "Katia...! What are you doing?" Alexei asked in a choked voice. "Are you betraying me?"


    Peach and the twins, Neo and Endo, also walked toward the scene from the right and front. Now Alexei was surrounded by 4 people, and the fake Katia turned to face him with an evil grin.


    "Katia is dead," said the girl, this time in a voice unfamiliar to Alexei. Only then did he realize that Katia, who had been with him, was a fake Katia. Her disguise was really great, and Alexei never thought that he could be tricked like this.


    "Wedding is a neutral zone..." said Alexei trying to sound calm. He picked up his cellphone and tried to call his men to come, but Lauriel pushed the cellphone to the ground.


    "Do you think I care about such ancient rules?" Lauriel said sharply. "Have you forgotten who I am?"


    In the hall, a number of Alexei''s men, who realized that their master had disappeared, ran toward the door to look for him, but Petra, Jadeith and Esso had secured all exits and shook their heads, signaling them to return to the party.


    Caspar approached Aleksei''s guards and quickly gave the order, "If you don''t make a scene here, I won''t punish you after the party is over. Alexei is no longer your master."


    The three people looked defeated immediately. Because the wedding party was a neutral zone, Alexei left his security team at the gate, deep down in the foothills. He only brought three staff members who were part of the Alchemist clan. His power was incomparable to Lauriel''s crew consisting of a total of 7 immortal adventurers, plus the presence of Caspar and Jadeith.


    People who were enjoying the party inside didn''t know what was happening outside. Petra drove Alexei''s three men back to their table and kept an eye on them so they wouldn''t make a fuss.


    Alexei, who was cornered alone, had become aware that his position was not favorable. His hand felt beneath his coat and pulled out a gun.


    "You guys are cheating... wedding is a neutral zone..." said Alexei again. "You will be punished..."


    Lauriel almost laughed at Alexei''s protest. In Lauriel''s opinion, he did not need to respect any rules if his opponent had already cheated first. Sending Famke to betray Caspar and then poisoning his child was not an act of an honorable person. In principle, there was no honor among thieves.


    "You may choose to die quickly or die slowly..." Lauriel said with a faint smile. He pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and toyed it between his fingers dramatically, "I''ve removed myself from worldly affairs for 70 years, and I can do it again."


    Alexei seemed to think hard. He stared at the small bottle in Lauriel''s hands and the besiegers alternately, as if calculating his chances of getting out of there alive. Finally, he took a deep breath.


    "I will make a deal with you... my life, exchanged with Sophia''s..." he said later. "Caspar promised her to give her protection. If you let me go, I will release Sophia..."


    Lauriel shook his head, "I have nothing to do with your agreement with Caspar. I don''t care about Sophia."


    "You..." Alexei looked worried. He aimed his gun at Lauriel. "My men will chase you to the ends of the world if you kill me. They will torture and kill all those you care about."


    "I won''t make the same mistake," Lauriel said coldly. "Your threat is of no use. Now... please choose, a quick or slow death...?"


    Alexei snorted in annoyance. "All right... You forced me to use this method. You made this personal among us. I swear, my men will capture your girlfriend and kill her before your eyes... You will always be reminded of this day, the day you decided to kill me..."


    "I don''t have a girlfriend..." Lauriel said coldly. "Luna is dead."


    Alexei narrowed his eyes with a sarcastic expression, "We did find many corpses in the building, my mother and father included, and the woman we thought was Lady Luna. All were buried in the family mausoleum. Twenty years ago, when DNA testing was available, we tested all the bodies and found that the girl was not Lady Luna. We have been searching for her for decades and kept it a secret from everyone..."


    For a moment Lauriel''s eyes flashed dangerously. He did not believe that Alexei would use such a dirty method; using the name of the woman he loved. But in the corner of his heart, there was a speck of sadness that hoped Alexei was indeed telling the truth.


    "I don''t believe you..." Lauriel said still in a cold tone.


    "Please test the ring that you are carrying. The blood stuck there won''t match Portia''s blood nor mine. As Aunt Luna''s relatives, you can compare our DNAs..." Seeing Lauriel''s expression turn sad, Alexei felt hopeful. "I already have a lot of information that can take you trace Lady Luna''s whereabouts. If you kill me... I will carry that information to my grave."


    Lauriel''s blood boiled with anger. He could not imagine what had happened to his girlfriend almost 80 years ago. Luna was pregnant when she left for Germany and her condition was certainly very difficult. If she hadn''t died in the bombing of the mansion where she was staying with her sister''s family, then where was she now? Why didn''t she look for Lauriel? Did she die somewhere else? Did something happen to her that she could not find Lauriel?


    Was Luna still alive...?


    Those thoughts made him sad and depressed, and Alexei could see Lauriel struggling with his feelings.


    "Don''t be so stubborn. I know you''re a logical person. If you let me go, I will give you all the information I have about Lady Luna, and I will free Sophia. Two lives exchanged for my freedom..." Alexei looked at Lauriel closely. "Or you can kill me and all that will be brought to my grave. Plus... my men will find Luna first and kill her to avenge me."


    "Lauriel..!" Marion walked over to Lauriel and held his hand, "Don''t be fooled by this snake. He will say anything for his freedom."


    "Fifty-fity, Lauriel... are you a good gambler? Will you risk finding the whereabouts of the woman you love?" Alexei closed his eyes again and acted as if he was ready to die.


    BANG!


    Marion, who was impatient, had taken Alexei''s gun from the ground and shot his chest.


    Everyone was surprised by Marion''s unexpected action. Alexei fell unsteadily while clutching his chest and his pair of purple eyes were visibly shocked.


    "You... you? How dare you...!" he hissed furiously. "I can''t be killed by a lowly person like you..."


    "Marion!" Lauriel snatched the gun from Marion''s hand and looked at her with eyes that flashed furiously, "Since when did you elect yourself as the Wolf Pack leader? Why did you take action on your own?"


    "You''ve become weak..." Marion chided. "You almost forgave Katia and did not want to get your hands dirty with her blood. If I hadn''t acted, surely you would also let go of this snake just because he sold the story of Lady Luna being alive. Everyone knows that Luna is your weakness and he is exploiting it! Don''t tell me you believe what he said?!!"


    Lauriel closed his eyes to hold back his mounting anger. When he opened them, he looked straight at Marion and held up his finger, "Marion... I don''t need a team member who feels like they can disobey me as they please. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."


    "You... are you kicking me out of the team because of this snake?" Marion covered her mouth in shock. She didn''t think that Lauriel would exile her like this.


    Peach, Neo, and Endo looked at each other in surprise. They also didn''t expect Lauriel to behave so harshly. They knew that Marion was Lauriel''s favorite crew member and so far Lauriel had always tolerated the girl''s actions, which were sometimes very rebellious.


    Lauriel removed Luna''s white ring which he had hung around his neck as a necklace and squeezed it softly. He approached Alexei and knelt beside him, "I will heal your wound and keep you alive until I can prove your words about Luna. From now onwards, you are my prisoner."


    He patted Alexei''s neck and the man fell limp. Lauriel gave a signal to Neo and Endo to carryAlexei and move him out of the palace courtyard. Peach covered his body with a large coat and quickly they disappeared from view.


    Lauriel picked up his cellphone and called Caspar.


    "We are going to the hotel now. There was an emergency and we need a doctor."


    "I''m a doctor. Who''s hurt?" Caspar asked anxiously.


    "I can handle it for a while. You come as soon as the event is over. Please apologize to Ned and Portia on my behalf. Also tell them that Alexei had to leave in a hurry. Something came up."


    "All right..." Caspar could guess what had happened so he didn''t push any further. He had to act as if nothing happened as to not arouse the suspicion of Ned and the other guests. They would take care of Alexei later in Germany.


    When Lauriel was about to leave to follow his men, his hand was held by Marion, who was in tears.


    "Lauriel... you''re not serious, are you?" the girl asked quietly.


    "Marion... I don''t like to repeat my words." Lauriel let go of Marion''s hand, which, even though was done gently, hurt Marion in ways he could not imagine.


    Luna had been Lauriel''s weakness since a long time ago. Alexei could easily exploit her name to affect Lauriel''s decision making, Marion thought bitterly. Now Lauriel would think that Luna was still alive somewhere and was waiting for him...


    Marion, who had loved Lauriel for a long time, couldn''t take it anymore. She had been waiting for Lauriel''s heart to recover for decades... but now, just by mentioning Luna''s name, Alexei managed to rip back his heart that was almost healed...


    "Lauriel..." Marion could only sit down and cry when she saw Lauriel disappear into the darkness.

 Chapter 197 - Going back home

    The party was very beautiful and lively, and when it ended all guests returned home with very memorable memories in their hearts. The two most powerful Alchemist families were united tonight to become one very impressive force. Ned and Portia were like the king and queen of Rivendell in Tolkien''s story.


    Caspar and his small group managed to go home before the party ended with the excuse that Aleksis had to go to sleep. Before 10 pm, everyone arrived back at the hotel. Finland took Aleksis to rest but Caspar and Jadeith went to another room to meet Lauriel, who was treating Alexei''s wound.


    "What happened?" Caspar asked quickly. He was actually surprised to see Alexei still alive. To his knowledge, Lauriel would not forgive Alexei for what he had done to his goddaughter.


    Lauriel briefly described what had happened and Caspar felt a huge sympathy for him. If the same thing had happened to Finland, he would not hesitate to give up everything in order to save the woman he loved.


    "If Luna were still alive, I''m sure I can find her..." Caspar said.


    "We are 78 years late..." Lauriel replied sadly. "If I had known that the dead girl was not Luna, I would have searched for her everywhere in the world, and I would have found her. But now we will start decades late. All traces and information must have been long lost or buried..."


    "I promise you... We will find her whereabouts... dead or alive." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder warmly. He then opened his medical bag and took some medical equipment. "I''ll take care of Alexei. You must still be shaken."


    Lauriel nodded slowly. He then stepped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.


    "Anyone wants to drink?" he asked in a hoarse voice. No one answered, so Lauriel just poured for himself and drank in the corner of the room with a dark face.


    Caspar quickly carried out a small operation and pulled the bullet from Alexei''s chest which fortunately did not hit his heart. Although he was bleeding a lot, once the bullet was removed and the wound was stitched, his body began to stabilize. They placed him in a room guarded by Petra. After Caspar finished caring for Alexei, he joined Lauriel and drank with him.


    "What are your plans now?" Caspar asked.


    "I will take him to Yorkshire to check whether his story about Luna was true or not. At the same time, I will free Sophia," Lauriel answered. "Once Sophia is free, she will become the new leader of the Meier family and get rid of Alexei."


    "How can you do that?" Caspar asked. "Do you know where Sophia is?"


    "I will interrogate one of Alexei''s staff. They will definitely choose to support Sophia and release her." Lauriel rolled his glass with a faint smile, "Alexei is no longer an Alchemist. He has no right to rule the Meier family."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in surprise. "You gave him Death?"


    "Right. I saved his life, meaning now his life is mine, so I am free to take it at any time. I decided that someone like him do not deserve to be part of our people." Lauriel finished his glass in one gulp and refilled it. "He doesn''t know I gave him Death."


    Caspar could not think of a more appropriate sentence for Alexei than to revoke his privileges as an Alchemist, the perfect human. As a purist, he was very proud of his status. Taking that privilege from him would be a punishment worse than death for Alexei. He would probably hope that Marion''s bullet had pierced his heart.


    "I entrust all of this to you..." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder and nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."


    "Of course." Lauriel smiled, "I will often stop by to see Aleksis..."


    "The door to our house is always open."


    Caspar then excused himself and went to Finland, who had fallen asleep with Aleksis. That night he finally managed to sleep peacefully, after almost 2 weeks of restlessness thinking about Aleksis.


    Finally, all these problems ended. They could return home and live a happy life as a family.


    ***


    The next day, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Jadeith, Kara and some of Caspar''s bodyguards returned to Germany. Lauriel and his team chose to go to England and made plans to save Sophia and search for information about Lady Luna.


    Because Alexei had made this problem personal, Lauriel was no longer halfhearted in dealing with him. He took all responsibility from Caspar and with his crew they captured Alexei and penetrated his court in Yorkshire to free Sophia.


    Upon arrival in Germany, Caspar received Jean as a guest at his home for a week before the man returned to America to attend his latest film promo. The relationship between the two men was becoming better, and Finland was very relieved to see them go fishing together in the lake while caring for Aleksis when she had to work for LTX.


    "If you go to America, stop by in LA," Jean said before leaving, "I don''t have much work for the next 6 months. I just need to attend to the promotion for this new film. I haven''t accepted a new project."


    "I will. I have to go back to San Francisco anyway..." Finland said. "I''ve taken too much time off from work. Tony has been grumpy..."


    Caspar turned to Finland. He just found out that his wife was planning to return to America immediately.


    "Why... why didn''t you tell me that you wanted to go back to San Francisco?" he asked rather sullenly, "Didn''t you say that you want to stop working at LTX?"


    "Yes, I will indeed quit... but Tony made me promise to train my successor first before I can resign." Finland tried to use her ''puppy eyes'' weapon on Caspar. It worked a little, but Caspar still looked sullen. Thinking that her tactics were unsuccessful, Finland finally hugged Caspar''s waist and kissed his cheek. "The sooner I train my successor, the sooner I can resign. Now the decision is yours, whether you want to help me resign or complicate me."


    "I''ll help you," Caspar answered quickly. "I will make sure that you are able to train your replacement within 24 hours."


    "Ahahahaha... very ambitious. Alright, we''ll see." Finland turned to Jean, "We will visit you in LA or you can visit us in San Francisco. Anytime you can."


    Jean frowned as he recalled something, "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, we have a promo schedule in San Francisco. Maybe I can come to see you guys. I''ll let you know if the schedule matches."


    "Alright. Just let me know..." Finland hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "Goodbye. See you in America."


    Caspar shook Jean''s hand and patted his shoulder. "Safe travels."


    "Thank you."


    After the car that drove Jean was out of sight, Caspar held Finland''s hand and returned to the castle.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear, "Don''t forget to lock the door."


    A smile etched on Caspar''s lips as he nodded and hurriedly locked the door to his study.


    They almost missed dinner because they were too busy making love, releasing the tension they felt for the past two weeks.

 Chapter 198 - TEASER for Volume 2 (dont read if you hate spoilers)

    Now that the problem is behind our lovely couple, I would like to show you glimpses of what will happen in Volume 2. The second volume will focus on Aleksis, Finland and Caspar''s daughter who was raised as the dauhgter of the most powerful and richest family on earth - the opposite of her mother.


    You will see how the pampered daughter of Caspar Schneider tried to live as a commoner and found love. We''ll get to see her siblings, her mom and dad, and uncles (Lauriel, Jean, Aldebar) around her, while she met the love of her life.


    Enjoy!


    PS: This text is not yet edited, so please bear with the grammar mistakes ^^


    ################


    .


    Aleksis walked eagerly in long strides following Mr. Miller''s secretary into his office.


    Her tanned face, having spent so many months in the Caribbean, looked rather disheveled and her long, messy hair did not diminish her distinctive beauty. Her blue and green eyes this time didn''t attract much attention because she covered them with glasses like Uncle Rory used to do.


    Aleksis was a very beautiful girl who was used to making herself appeared messy and nerdy by wearing big glassess and old fashioned clothing or torn jeans and oversized shirts so as not to attract men, who would certainly make her bodyguards react badly. At first glance one would think this girl is just a nerd who didn''t deserve a second glance.


    "Please sit down, Aleksis ..." Mr. Miller welcomed Aleksis kindly and invited her to sit on the sofa. "We don''t usually accept student transfer suddenly like this, but Mr. Van Der Ven contributed to the construction of the new library and we must appreciate his good intentions in sending his niece as an exchange student for one year."


    "Thank you sir." Aleksis smiled happily. She knew Kurt Van Der Ven, her father''s right hand, could take care of everything she wanted easily. She just needed to ask. "I''m excited to start studying here."


    "Good. Students may live in dormitory or look for apartments outside of campus. You can contact Ms. Lauren outside if you need help to arrange accommodation. Lectures start next Monday."


    Aleksis listened to some advice from the university director in earnest before excusing herself to take care of her move to the dormitory.


    Ms. Lauren welcomed her well and gave Aleksis several documents to study.


    "So, do you want to stay in the dorm or outside?" asked Ms. Lauren after Aleksis signed several files.


    "I want to try living in a dorm," Aleksis said quickly. "I want to have many female friends."


    "You didn''t have any female friend in your previous school?" asked Ms. Lauren who was astonished.


    Aleksis shook her head. She was almost 20 years old, but until now Aleksis did not have a single female friend. All her life was spent adventuring with Uncle Rory or joining her parents around the world. You could say her best friends are her mother and her two younger siblings. They were very close, but it was really not the same as having normal friends.


    After feeling satisfied exploring the world, now she was longing to be like other girls who went to public university and made friends with people from all walks of life.


    St. Mary University became her choice because of its location in Singapore and was very strategic to explore Asia and Australia, so it would still be easy to go on adventures if she wanted to, and her brother Terry also studied there and was almost graduating. At least she didn''t need to worry about adjusting because there are already people she knew on campus. Terry majored in Film and she herself majored in Management of Information. The two can meet often because their departments are located close by.


    "My family moves around a lot, so I never had close friends," Aleksis said with a slight smile.


    That will change, she thought to herself. She was ready to settle for several years and become like a commoner. It would be very interesting compared to the sheltered life she was used to having.


    "Oh, what a pity. What do your parents do to move around so much?" asked Ms. Lauren is interested. "Are they in the military?"


    "Uhm ... they are researchers," Aleksis answered trying to choose a sentence that had the most obscure meaning as possible. Her mother had a variety of interests and her father had many professions that he could pursue depending on his mood. Currently they were enjoying a honeymoon together for the umpteenth time so Aleksis could get away from home for one year to live as an ordinary girl, and her two younger siblings study with Uncle Aldebar.


    "Oh, they are researchers? Very good ..." commented Ms. Lauren, looking impressed. The girl in front of her did look like a nerd, maybe her parents were indeed very smart. "All right. Everything''s settled. You can enter the dorm this afternoon and start studying next Monday."


    "Thank you, Ms. Lauren." Aleksis got up and excused herself. She came out of the administration building with a happy face and when she arrived outside she breathed in deep fresh air. She couldn''t wait to be a regular student and make friends with people her age.


    Her hands were stretched and her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath. Unconsciously her lips exclaimed happily, "Yeahhh ¡­!!"


    "Watch out for flies. You don''t want to unintentionally swallow them," said a voice from behind her, making Aleksis gasp and look away.


    A tall young man with long blond hair tied with red string passed by with a mischievous smile. His handsome face was covered in a pair of large black sunglasses which made him look mysterious, he gave off indifferent vibe with both hands in his pockets as he walked lightly away from Aleksis.


    "Nicolaeee ... !!" Some of the girls who saw him pass by immediately became hysterical and shouted his name. The young man waved at them and continued his journey towards the library building.


    "Watch out for flies?" Aleksis murmured in confusion.


    Jeez...


    Look at those girls¡­ If I wanted to be like a commoner, should I copy their attitudes? But it''s so cheesy ...


    Do I have to scream out guys names like them?


    "Nicolaeee .. !!" She screamed while pouting her lips with exasperation. Huh ... seriously . This looks dumb.


    "Hey ... Please don''t embarras me ..." Suddenly a hand patted Aleksis''s head and when she looked she saw Terry covering his face while shaking his head. "Don''t tell me you''re also a fan of that pretty boy Nicolae ..."


    Aleksis pursed her lips and hit Terry. I''m not a fan of any pretty boy.


    "You''re late. I''ve taken care of the registration myself," she said curtly.


    "I was busy, sorry." Terry shrugged, but didn''t try to avoid his sister''s punch. "Wanna have lunch?"


    "Yesss. You''re paying." Aleksis''s sullen face immediately changed to a sweet smile as she took Terry and pulled him toward the cafeteria. "I eat a lot, you know ..."


    Terry laughed and followed Aleksis to the cafeteria and opened the chairs for them.


    The atmosphere of the noisy cafeteria suddenly became quiet when people noticed the presence of the both of them.


    Aleksis was stunned to see everyone was staring at her in surprise.


    "Jeez ... Why are people staring at me like this? Is there something on my face?" she whispered to Terry.


    The young man shook his head while rolling his eyes.


    "They must think you are my girlfriend ... Don''t bother with them." Terry pretended not to see the probing gaze of the girls around them and nonchalantly called the server to order food.


    "Gosh? Did they really think my taste is that bad?" said Aleksis in an annoyed tone, while Terry quickly knocked on her head. Aleksis immediately protested, "Heyyy ... I am still growing, you know! If my brain is injured and not fully developed, you must take responsibility!"


    Inwardly Aleksis now believed in Terry''s words yesterday that her brother was very famous on campus. She could see all the girls around them staring at her with hatred and jealousy because she sat eating at the same the table as Terry. They thought she was his girlfriend.


    Her brother was indeed very handsome and being the head of ths student council last year made him highly respected on campus. So many girls wanted to be his girlfriend.


    Ahh ... If only they knew that Aleksis was Terry''s sister, maybe those girls wouldn''t throw her these hateful looks, instead they would try their best to win her heart.


    Even though Aleksis and Terry have different parents and different family names, but by DNA you could say that they are both biological siblings.

 Chapter 199 - Return to San Francisco

    After preparing for everything, Caspar, Finland, and Aleksis finally left for America. As usual, Jadeith and all the other guards joined them. Only when they were on the plane did Finland realize that her small apartment would not be able to accommodate them all.


    "Uhmm... where will your people stay?" Finland asked Caspar, "My apartment only has one bedroom and the unit is quite small."


    Caspar, who was playing with Aleksis who was sitting on his lap, almost chuckled at the innocent question. After all this time, Finland still did not seem to grasp that Caspar was very wealthy. It was very easy for him to arrange for a place to live all over the world.


    He took his cellphone from the cabinet and called Stanis.


    "Stanis, do I have any property in San Francisco?" he asked quickly. Finland was again stunned. She just realized that her worries were very unreasonable.


    Caspar seemed to nod and a minute later hung up the phone.


    "So?" Finland asked curiously.


    "Well, apparently I have a vineyard in Napa Valley, two hotels near Union Square - San Francisco and a mansion in Palo Alto. I rarely go to San Francisco so I can''t remember what properties I have there." Caspar shrugged. "Now, it''s up to you, where do you want to stay...?"


    "Gosh..." Finland covered her mouth with the back of her hand, unable to hide her surprise. Aside from downtown SF, Palo Alto was one of the most expensive areas in San Francisco. It was home to the Facebook headquarters and property prices have skyrocketed in the past 10 years. And Caspar mentioned that he had a mansion there??


    "So?" Caspar asked.


    "Do we have to bring this whole circus?" Finland asked, looking around. The six bodyguards were too many, and not to mention that Ben would join them in San Francisco after they landed. She was still not accustomed to living like this. "Palo Alto is too far for me to commute to my office every day. We can stay in one of the hotels, but I would personally prefer if we lived in my apartment... It''s my own place, and if we are going to move to Germany, I still need to pack all my stuff. Our personal belongings are there too... "


    "All right," Caspar nodded, understanding. "I can make them stay at the hotel when we arrive in San Francisco, while we stay in your apartment if you really prefer... As usual, they will keep us safe from afar."


    "Yes, I prefer it like that..." Finland said happily. "Thank you."


    "Of course..." Caspar smiled sweetly. Granting such a small request was nothing for him, but it seemed to make Finland very happy.


    They landed at night and several cars from St. Laurent Hotel were waiting for them at the arrival terminal. As always, Stanis was very efficient in managing everything.


    "The others will go straight to the hotel, but we can to go to Chinatown," Caspar said. He gave the address of Finland''s apartment to the driver.


    They enjoyed a comfortable trip to the apartment and half hour later arrived at the apartment building.


    Finland carried Aleksis while Caspar pushed both of their suitcases into the building. For a moment, Finland felt touched to see that for the first time, Caspar looked like an ordinary person. He looked like an ordinary husband and father who carried his family belongings into their apartment.


    Finland couldn''t remember when she had seen Caspar carry his own things. There was always Ben, Jadeith, or Ivan to carry their stuff or drive them. She had also never seen Caspar living in a mere apartment. They always stayed in mansions, penthouses, or castles...


    Tonight she felt as if they were just an ordinary couple.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you smiling?" Caspar asked when he saw Finland standing unmoved in her place, "What''s the pass key?"


    "Uhm¡­ 3012..." Finland answered with a blush. That was the date of their wedding. Caspar smiled and opened the door to the apartment. He held the door for Finland, who carried Aleksis in her arms.


    Once they were inside, Caspar immediately acted as if he was at home and headed for the kitchen.


    "What tea would you like?" he asked, lifting the teapot.


    "Fruit-flavored tea, thank you," answered Finland.


    "OK." Caspar boiled water and prepared a pot of tea for the two of them while Finland placed Aleksis in her bedroom.


    A moment later, the two of them were sitting on the living room couch while enjoying tea and chatting.


    "My apartment is maybe too small for you..." Finland said apologetically. She knew that compared to where Caspar lived, her apartment looked very simple.


    "You have a lot of money in your account, why not rent a nicer apartment?" Caspar asked in confusion. What he meant was, of course, the money he had transferred when Finland insisted on moving out of Rose Mansion. "You''re still stingy like you used to be... hahaha..."


    "That''s not it..." Finland said quickly, "I couldn''t splurge, because I had to think about Aleksis'' future. The cost of raising her and her school fee will be very expensive. I couldn''t spend the money just on renting luxury apartments. This was enough for us."


    "Of course, I will be the one to pay for all Aleksis'' needs..." Caspar frowned in surprise. He looked at Finland intently, "Unless¡­ it was not your intention to tell me that Aleksis is my daughter¡­"


    Finland felt guilty again. Indeed, that was what she was thinking when she rented this apartment. She had to prepare for the worst, that was, to leave Caspar forever and not tell him that he was Aleksis'' father. Given that, Finland felt embarrassed and selfish. She was so young and selfish at that time. The experience of being separated for several years made her learn many things and become more mature.


    Caspar saw her guilty expression and felt a little bad. He had no intention to bring up the past again. He touched Finland''s chin and kissed her lips tenderly.


    "We don''t need to talk about this anymore. What is clear is that from now on, I will be responsible for you both. How long do you need to stay in San Francisco to settle your business?" he said later.


    "At most one month..." answered Finland.


    "Hmm... we can stay here for one month, so you can work as usual. Every weekend we can stay in Napa Valley or Palo Alto, or go to Seattle. Do you remember the house in Seattle that I bought for you? We still haven''t been there together. "


    "Oh... that''s a good idea. Thank you!" Finland was very relieved. She was pleased to see that Caspar was not being fussy and wanted to live in her modest apartment while she finished her work with LTX.


    That night they slept comfortably in Finland''s bed. Caspar himself was quite surprised, because for the first time in centuries, he slept in a regular bed, which was not as luxurious as what he was used to, but he could still sleep soundly. In his heart he suspected that the girl sleeping in his arms was the reason.


    During the three years of their separation, he was not able to sleep well even though he had the best and most comfortable beds in his beautiful homes... But now, with Finland by his side, everything felt comfortable and fine.


    He kissed Finland''s hair and closed his eyes, enjoying his sleep.


    ***

 Chapter 200 - Breakfast in the hotel

    The next morning when Finland woke up, Caspar was already waiting for her with Aleksis, looking all neat and ready to go.


    "Where are you two going, looking so handsome and beautiful like this?" Finland asked in astonishment.


    "There is no food in the fridge, so I can''t prepare breakfast for us. That''s why I want to invite you to have breakfast at the hotel," Caspar answered.


    Finland patted her forehead and realized that they had left her apartment for almost 3 months and there was really no food in her kitchen. She nodded and hurriedly took a shower and changed into her office clothes.


    Half an hour later, a taxi dropped them off in front of the St. Laurent Hotel. Caspar walked in casually and asked the hotel staff to direct him to the restaurant for breakfast.


    The atmosphere in the restaurant that morning was very lively. One restaurant staff immediately approached them and asked for their room number.


    "Good morning, Sir and Madam. May I have your room number, please?"


    Caspar smiled slightly. He had never experienced this before. The hotel staff did not recognize the owner of the hotel.


    "We are from the Presidential Suite," Caspar answered curtly.


    "Oh... let me check first..." The staff looked confused. He did not see any guests from the Presidential Suite on the list he held. He picked up his phone and called the reception. In a low voice he asked the reception about the Presidential Suite and, after hearing the answer, he hung up and looked at Caspar apologetically. "Sorry, sir. But I can''t find your name on our guest list."


    "Do you know who my name is?" Caspar asked.


    "Uhm... I mean, I checked with the reception, and they said that there are no guests currently staying in the Presidential Suite. That means that there is no name on my list..."


    "Who is the General Manager here?" asked Caspar, who now felt that this incident was no longer funny. He was hungry.


    "Sorry, our GM hasn''t arrived yet. He will come to the office at 9."


    Finland, who did not want to cause a commotion, immediately took Caspar''s hand and asked him to go, "Let''s just buy food at another restaurant, there''s a McD nearby... They have a breakfast menu there..."


    "No, I''m hungry. Let''s just eat here." Caspar turned to the restaurant staff, "I will wait until your GM arrives. Meanwhile, we will eat first."


    Caspar entered the restaurant and chose the best table. He then placed Aleksis on his lap.


    "Is there a highchair for a child in this restaurant?" he asked.


    "Sorry, there''s no such thing, Sir." replied the restaurant staff.


    "Gosh... Isn''t it part of the SOP to provide high chairs for guests who bring children?" In the past, Caspar did not really care about facilities for children in his hotels. But now, since he had to take Aleksis everywhere, he began to see things from a parent''s perspective, and realized that there were many things that needed to be changed.


    "Sorry, Sir. We once provided high chairs in the past, but there were hardly any guests using them, so we kept everything in the storage."


    "Please bring one here."


    The restaurant staff felt rather uncomfortable. These people were not even hotel guests and they dared to come in, eat, and order him around. He didn''t need them to tell him how he should do his work.


    "Sorry, sir... Since you are not a guest at this hotel, you may not come here for breakfast. Our breakfast is provided exclusively for our guests..."


    Caspar laughed. He was impressed by the restaurant staff''s persistence to drive him out, but in a way that remained friendly and polite.


    "Hm... okay. Wait a minute." He pulled out his cellphone then called Stanis. "Stanis, please call the GM of St. Laurent Hotel in San Francisco, and tell him to come to the hotel immediately. I''m waiting for him at the restaurant."


    It was 8 AM in San Francisco, which meant that it was 3 PM in Barcelona. Stanis shouldn''t take care of such trivial things, Caspar thought, but he had no choice. He was hungry.


    Finland smiled seeing what happened. This staff did not know that he was trying to evict the hotel owner from his own restaurant.


    Fifteen minutes later, a middle-aged man, who was still wearing his pajamas, came hurriedly into the restaurant. As soon as he saw Caspar, he approached his table.


    "Good morning, Master. Is there something I can help you with? Why did you call me so suddenly?" he asked breathlessly.


    The staff, who saw his GM arrive, immediately approached their table. He heard what the GM said to Caspar and suddenly his face went pale.


    "I want to have breakfast here, and we are in a hurry, but your staff here does not recognize me. He continuously refused to allow us to have breakfast and didn''t want to bring a high chair for my baby daughter," Caspar replied with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the restaurant staff''s face turn even paler.


    The GM immediately turned and scolded his staff. He could not believe that he was forced to get up and rush to the hotel this early just for such a trivial matter.


    "I''m sorry, Master. I didn''t know..." said the staff regretfully.


    "It''s okay, I forgive you. I''m really hungry, so my patience this morning is running thin." Caspar waved his hand as to show that the matter was now behind them, "But please get me a high chair, okay..."


    "Yes, sir. I''ll get it right away." The staff hurriedly disappeared and returned 5 minutes later with a high chair. From his gasping breath, it was clear that he ran as fast as he could to fulfill the request of the Big Boss. Caspar immediately placed Aleksis there and then nodded in satisfaction.


    "All right, everything is settled. I will forget about this incident and eat in peace. I am planning to use the Presidential Suite of this hotel for a month to work. Please have it prepared for me," he said afterward.


    The GM and staff nodded in unison.


    "Thank you for your understanding, Master. If there''s anything else you need, please contact me directly..." The GM took out his business card and handed it to Caspar. "Enjoy your meal. Excuse me first."


    "Hmm..." Caspar just nodded when GM excused himself to go home and get ready to work.


    He and Finland then peacefully had their breakfast while discussing their plans for the day. The restaurant staff, who almost made the mistake of driving away the hotel owner, seemed very relieved because the big boss hadn''t exaggerated the problem and was now leisurely enjoying his meal.

 Chapter 201 - In Palo Alto & San Francisco

    After breakfast, Finland prepared herself to commute to her office, but Caspar insisted on driving her. The hotel immediately prepared a car equipped with a car seat and soon they were driving to Finland''s office in the Financial District.


    "Thank you for taking me," Finland said, kissing Caspar''s cheek and getting out of the car. "Are you going to the hotel to work?"


    "Maybe tomorrow. Today I want to look at our house in Palo Alto first," Caspar said.


    "Alright. Just let me know what you''re up to. I''ll go to work now."


    When Finland entered the building, Caspar immediately drove his car to the south. He very rarely came to San Francisco. You could say that for the past 20 years he had never set foot on this region. When he went to the state of California, he preferred to stay at the warm San Diego or Los Angeles. San Francisco was too cold for his taste.


    But over time, Stanis bought and added assets, and eventually Caspar was not able to keep up with which properties he had, including this mansion in Palo Alto and the vineyard in Napa Valley.


    The properties that he bought out of his own will because he liked them could be counted with all his fingers. One was the beautiful house in Seattle that he bought three years ago to give to Finland, another was Rose Mansion in Singapore, then his neighbor''s house in New York ¨C mostly because of the noisy residents, so they could never again play loud music and disturb his peace, and several other buildings.


    Once, when he went to South Africa, he saw a beautiful colonial house in Pretoria. He loved the building so much so he called Stanis to take care of the purchase. To his utter surprise, Stanis told him that the house already belonged to him for a few years. He really did not remember; and to this day he and Stanis still laughed about the incident.


    That was why, whenever Caspar arrives in a new city, he preferred to contact Stanis in advance and ascertain what assets he had in the area. Caspar had lived like this for hundreds of years and he realized he was too spoiled by the wealth he had had in his entire life.


    When he entered the city of Palo Alto, Caspar nodded in satisfaction. This was a very pretty and peaceful area. He drove his car around to see the neighborhood and made sure he really liked the vibe.


    When he was satisfied with his findings, he headed to his mansion in the Palo Alto Hills area. Palo Alto was one of the most expensive cities in America, where many technology billionaires such as Apple''s Steve Jobs and Facebook''s Mark Zuckerberg reside.


    Of the several regions in Palo Alto, the Leland Manor, Crescent Park and Palo Alto Hills were the most expensive. Its location was close to Silicon Valley and Stanford University, and property prices in that area went up like crazy for the past several decades.


    Stanis bought the mansion in Palo Alto Hills 20 years ago, and the price had multiplied since the technology boom in the early 2000s. All the homes that belonged to Caspar all over the world were managed by staff who were personally arranged by Stanis, since he was the head of the Schneider family''s staff.


    Buildings that were not personally used by Caspar were rented out or used for various purposes so that they were always maintained and kept in their best conditions.


    Caspar''s only permanent residences were the castle in Stuttgart, the mansion in Berlin, and the mansion in New York. Other than that, Caspar would usually stay in various penthouses or hotel suites around the world if he needed to travel. Once a year he would also visit Singapore for a month and spend time at Rose Mansion.


    Three years ago, he changed his dynamics by extending his stay in Singapore to 6 months because he fell in love with the girl he met at the airport. And the rest, had become history.


    The mansion he was going to in Palo Alto Hills was very pretty. It was located on the top of a hill and had a very breathtaking natural scenery. Its inhabitants had access to a golf course and a country club.


    The gate to the mansion was white, quite tall, and covered a very large garden with a swimming pool at the back. He was not interested in swimming in late autumn because it must be very cold, but a barbecue on the grassy lawn beside the pool would be very pleasant, he thought.


    Two staff members welcomed him at the door and readily prepared drinks and toys for Aleksis. The mansion had 6 master bedrooms and the design was very elegant. Caspar liked Stanis'' taste.


    Hmm... if he could choose, it would be more pleasant to stay in this mansion for a month, rather than in Finland''s small apartment downtown, but he did not want to disappoint his wife and had to resist his desire to urge them to stay here.


    All right... we could stay here on weekends, he thought, Finland had agreed.


    After playing and reading books with Aleksis all day, Caspar realized that he hadn''t worked at all that day. He was actually rather surprised because usually he really liked to work and always kept himself busy. But today, he had a great time driving around the city and playing with his daughter.


    Ah, was this what it felt like to be a parent?


    In his heart he felt sorry for other parents who wished to spend all their time with their children, but were forced to work to make a living.


    Caspar didn''t need to work. He had enough wealth to support him for so many generations. He only worked because he liked it. If he were an ordinary parent, he would not have had the chance to have this much fun with Aleksis, without having the need to work.


    "Hmm... it''s almost evening. Mummy will definitely finish work soon, we should pick her up from the office," Caspar said to Aleksis, who was busy picking flowers from the mansion''s yard. "We can bring these flowers to Mummy."


    Aleksis nodded happily and pulled out a few stems of flowers and proudly handed them over to her father. Caspar led the little girl to the car and placed her in the car seat. A few minutes later, the car was already heading to downtown San Francisco.


    ***


    Finland spent half of her work day answering all her friends'' questions about her relationship with Jean, where Aleksis'' handsome nanny was now, and why she decided to quit working.


    "Ouch... I didn''t know you girls were all into gossips..." Finland complained, laughing. "Jean and I are just friends. I told you that already. Remember when I told you that I had a friend who was in a coma...? That was Jean."


    "No! Really?! Why didn''t you say that was HIM?" Lucia protested. "I really like Jean. If I knew you had access to him, I would have asked you to give him so many gifts from me."


    "Ahahaha... what do you want to give him, anyway?" Finland asked amused, "I can give it to him the next time he comes here."


    "Jean will come here???? Really??? WHEENNN???" Lucia and Anne looked very excited.


    "Oops... I don''t know yet, just a moment, let me ask him..." Finland shook her head and picked up her cellphone. "Hi, Jean... my colleagues here are your biggest fans. When is your movie promo event in San Francisco?"


    Anne and Lucia screamed hysterically when Finland turned the speakers on her cellphone so they could hear Jean''s voice. Tony, who passed their room, rolled his eyes while frowning at the girls'' behavior.


    "Hey¡­ Finland. I just checked the schedule, and it is next week. Just invite your friends to come with you. I''ll send you the invitations later..." Jean said.


    Lucia felt her cheeks become hot and she almost fainted after hearing that.


    Finland just laughed at their ridiculous behavior. In her heart, she felt a little sad because she would soon leave them. During these 2.5 years, Anne and Lucia had become her good friends and they had helped her a lot. Without them and Lauriel, her life in San Francisco would have been very hard and sad.


    After chatting a bit with Jean, Finland was finally able to get back to work. LTX already had 3 replacement candidates and Tony wanted Finland to interview them to determine who will be hired. She had to attend all three interviews after lunch.

 Chapter 202 - He DID NOT go to prison

    The girl that Finland liked happened to be the candidate that Tony liked too, so that same day they were able to determine who Finland''s successor would be in the Market Research Department. Starting tomorrow, she must train the girl to do her work.


    "Gosh, I''m so tired..." complained Finland. She really liked working, but after working only part time for 3 months, today''s full-time work really drained her energy.


    When she went with Lauriel to Brazil, and during the incidents with Alexei and Katia in Singapore, she only had to work two days a week. Today she had to work from the morning until the evening to fill out reports and attend meetings. It was really energy-consuming.


    "Finland... will Aleksis'' nanny come again today?" Anne asked hopefully while they were tidying up their stuff before going home.


    "Uhm... I don''t think so. He is currently busy in England," Finland answered.


    "Are you two dating or not?" Lucia asked curiously. They knew that Finland asked for a leave of absence three months ago to travel with Lauriel. The man personally asked for Tony''s approval during his engagement dinner. Of course, they were curious what the relationship between Finland and Lauriel really was.


    "Ahahahaha... no, we are not dating," Finland said, shaking her head softly. "He is Aleksis'' godfather, and also my husband''s best friend."


    "Husband?" Anne and Lucia looked at each other in surprise. When they met Finland for the first time 2.5 years ago, the girl was pregnant and had no companion. She never told anyone who Aleksis'' father was. Of course, they did not think that Finland actually had a husband.


    "Gosh... why didn''t you ever tell us?" Lucia asked excitedly. "Where has he been all this time?"


    "He had some important business to take care of, but now he is back and that''s why I want to quit working, so I can be with him."


    "Was he..." Anne seemed to dislike her own thoughts, "Ahh... nevermind..."


    "What''s wrong, Anne? What are you thinking about?" Finland asked, curious.


    "Uhmm... he wasn''t by your side for the few years you were here..." Anne scratched her non-itchy forehead, "Was... was he in prison, and now he is finally released?"


    Finland almost burst her tea at Anne''s innocent question.


    Gosh... Anne thought that Finland lived alone because she married a criminal or a gangster who committed a crime and was locked up in prison¡­ and now that he was finally released from jail, she decided to quit working to spend time with him.


    Right then the receptionist came in and called her.


    "Miss Finland, you have some guests looking for you."


    Finland thought that Caspar and Aleksis must have arrived to pick her up. She asked the receptionist to let Caspar enter, as she wiped the happy tears from her eyes. This was soooo funny, she thought.


    Not long after, the man entered with Aleksis, who was sleeping in his arms. He immediately approached Finland, who was still wiping her tears and giggling.


    "Hey... what''s up, are you crying?" Caspar asked; he was worried.


    "No.. it''s nothing... I''m not crying..." Finland waved her hand with a big smile, "I was laughing because I was amused¡­ I laughed so hard that I cried."


    Caspar was momentarily fascinated by that. Finland laughed so hard that she cried? This was something he had never seen before. The girl was someone who was often sad and pessimistic, but today she laughed so openly and looking amused... What was wrong?


    "What is so funny?" he asked, interested.


    Finland then turned to Anne and Lucia, who were stunned. Their jaws fell open and their eyes widened when they saw Caspar enter with Aleksis.


    "This is my husband. His name is Heinrich. We were separated for several years because of some misunderstanding... He DID NOT go to prison..."


    Finland couldn''t help herself and started laughing her lungs out again.


    Only now Caspar understood what had happened. His face turned sour.


    Just this morning he was almost kicked out of his own hotel, and now his wife''s office mates thought that he spent some time in prison because he was out of the picture for several years?


    Ugh... this was a risk he had to bear for living a life with such strict privacy. His own employees didn''t know the face of their big boss.


    Anne and Lucia were speechless. The man in front of them was very handsome and for a moment they held their breath, just like Finland did when she first saw Caspar in his Maybach after bumping into him at the airport.


    Was this really Finland''s husband? What a lucky girl, they both thought to themselves.


    At that moment Tony suddenly entered to give the girls an assignment before they left work. He was momentarily stunned by Caspar''s presence.


    He remembered seeing this man somewhere before...


    "Gosh... you... you are Mr. Schneider, aren''t you?" he asked in a doubtful voice. He remembered seeing Caspar giving a speech at the Bartz product launch event at the Continental Hotel several years ago.


    Caspar smiled, happy to hear that someone finally recognized him as an important person. He nodded at Tony.


    "Hello Mr. Wu. I was just stopping by. LTX''s work with Atlas Corp''s business for the past two years was very good," he said kindly. "Thank you for your hard work."


    Huh... prison? No way. He glared at Anne and Lucia who now looked very uncomfortable.


    "Ohh..." Tony Wu was then able to connect the series of events that occurred three years ago when Noah was suddenly fired from his position as Atlas Corp''s Marketing Manager. Apparently it was the Schneider Group that bought Atlas Corp. He hurriedly responded, "We are very pleased to be working with Atlas Corp."


    He reached out his hand and shook Caspar''s hand respectfully.


    "You''re welcome," Caspar replied.


    "I know that the Schneider Group has many companies investing in Asia... if you need our help, don''t hesitate to contact me." Tony handed his business card very happily.


    "Hmm... I''m not taking care of my business at the moment," Caspar said, but he took Tony''s business card, so he wouldn''t offend him, "One day, if we need your assistance in anything, Stanis Van Der Ven will be in contact with LTX. Meanwhile, my purpose of coming here today is to pick up Finland."


    "Ohh..." Tony then realized that Caspar was carrying Finland''s daughter, and understood that Finland and this man certainly had a special relationship. "Oh... so Finland will quit working because..."


    Caspar nodded. "She said she needed a month to train her replacement. Uhm... could it possibly be made faster?"


    Tony, who was good at reading the situation, immediately realized what was happening. To win Caspar''s heart he immediately nodded.


    "Of course. Today we have chosen her replacement and within 24 hours I can ensure that the transition will be completed. We are very sad to lose Finland from LTX, but of course we will be happy if she can spend time with her family. Family is the most important thing in life..."


    Finland was astonished to hear how easily Caspar made Tony let her go within 24 hours.


    Whaa... what? Just like that?


    "Good. I really appreciate this," Caspar smiled broadly. "Tomorrow Finland will come to work one last time and make sure her replacement is ready, now we want to go home."


    Caspar picked up Finland''s bag and took her hand to leave the office, turning away from the envious looks of all the women in the office and Tony''s smiling face.


    Tony Wu was very happy to know that Finland had a special relationship with the owner of one of the largest corporation group in the world. If Tony could give a good impression to Heinrich Schneider, it would certainly be useful for his business in the future.

 Chapter 203 - The old-fashioned man

    Finland and Caspar walked hand in hand to the car. When they reached the car, Caspar gently placed Aleksis in the car seat before opening the door for Finland and entering the driver''s seat.


    "You''re such a gentleman..." Finland praised him, a broad smile engraved on her face.


    "I''m an old-fashioned man," Caspar replied.


    Finland just smiled at that. Indeed, since she knew Caspar, she noticed that the man was very polite in treating women. He never cursed in front of a woman, always opened chairs and doors automatically, and always acted very protectively.


    When they were crossing the road, for example, he would automatically take the outside position that blocked the road so that the woman who walked with him would feel protected.


    In Finland''s opinion, in modern times like these, many men use emancipation as an excuse to act a certain way. She often saw internet posts about men who took a seat on buses or trains while they women had to stand with the excuse, "Men and women are equal, why should I give up my seat just because she is a woman? I''m also tired if I have to stand."


    When Finland brought this topic up and discussed it with Caspar, the man just laughed.


    "Indeed, times have changed," Caspar said. "In the past, men would sacrifice their coats to cover puddles of water on the road so that the women could walk on them without getting their shoes and feet wet. Men in the past were indeed educated to protect and treat women with respect. Men would also mind their language if there were women in the same room, they won''t talk dirty or curse because they respected the lady''s presence."


    "I often see such acts in movies about the past. Was that really how people acted in the past?" Finland asked curiously.


    "That''s right. But you must remember that women, even though they were treated with respect at the time, did not have the same rights as men. Women were only able to take part in the elections several decades ago, after a lot of educated women demonstrated and fought for their rights (suffragette).


    In the past, all decisions about the nation, the state, and life in general were made by men, and women could only accept all these decisions as they had no voting rights. No matter how smart or how great a woman was, they were still a second-class citizen. Even Marie Curie was not allowed to accept the Nobel Prize at the time, because she was a woman. Fortunately, her husband, Pierre, refused to accept the Nobel Prize, unless his wife got the same recognition - because the discovery of radiation was the result of their research together.


    It''s good that the times slowly changed. The world war and the industrial revolution contributed to changing the situation. While men went to war, the women became pillars of the economy as they had to do all the jobs men left behind. If the women hadn''t worked when the men fought in the war, the economy would have been destroyed. I support all gender equality movements, but because it had become a habit for me to respect women like in ancient times, I can''t change - I''m used to being a ''gentleman'' like this¡­" Caspar said with a smile.


    He coughed softly as he remembered that on the one side he acted like such a gentleman, but on the other hand he used to dump many women, "Uhm... I know I''m not an angel, and I made a lot of mistakes in the past. But hopefully now I''ve become a better version of the man I am."


    Finland touched his cheeks with affection and smiled back, "Since I know you, you have never acted like a jerk. I am also glad that you still act like an old school man in this manner... It feels good to be treated like an old school woman..."


    "Hahaha... well then," Caspar said happily. "By the way, do you know why men had position themselves on the outside when they were walking with women?"


    "Because their body would be closer to the road and they can protect the women from passing vehicles?" Finland answered curiously.


    "No, this was a custom that existed from the Middle Ages. Back then, there were no cars and horse-drawn carriages were also quite rare." Caspar looked rather amused as he thought about the past, "Hmm... In the past, houses usually consisted of two storeys, and people often dumped used laundry water through the upper window. When men and women walked together, men would walk on the outside so that if someone from the house they pass by happened to dump dirty water, the woman would not get wet because of her position was closer to the wall. The dirty water would be dumped on the man who was walking on the outside..."


    "Is that so?" Finland covered her mouth in disbelief.


    She really didn''t know that it was the reason why men and women walked in a such position. In modern times, of course, it was to protect women from the passing vehicles, but apparently in ancient times, it was to protect women from laundry water. She did not expect it at all.


    "Hmm... do you want to know one more interesting thing?" Caspar asked.


    "What is that?"


    "Why is the women''s shirt buttons on the left while the men''s shirt buttons are on the right?"


    Finland immediately noticed the buttons on her shirt and then the buttons on the Caspar''s shirt. Sure enough, the positions were the opposite. She had never noticed this before.


    "Gosh, you''re right... The position is reversed. My shirt buttons are on the left... and your shirt buttons are on the right." Finland frowned in surprise, "Does this have something to do with emancipation too?"


    "Uhm, no. Actually, when the buttons were first invented a few centuries ago, only women from the upper class were able to buy buttons for their clothes. Buttons back then were so expensive. Rich women and nobles of that era never wore their clothes themselves, because the fashion in those ancient times were very complicated and troublesome. They needed their servants to help them get dressed." Caspar explained.


    "If you were a poor woman, you would wear simple clothes that you could wear without the help of a servant. So, the clothes of the people in the lower class were easy to wear and did not have buttons. Upper-class women''s clothing had buttons on the left side so it would be easier for their servants to attach.


    On the other hand, men, whose clothes were not too complicated to wear, could attach the buttons themselves, so the position of their buttons were placed to the right hand''s side of the clothes. In the past, men also often kept weapons under their clothes, so they should be able to access them more easily.


    That was why, until now, men''s shirt buttons are on the right and women''s are on the left, even though now men and women can now wear their own clothes and no one keeps any weapons under their garment. It is a tradition that lasted for hundreds of years and has been difficult to change. So, until now, the women''s shirt buttons are on the left and the men''s shirt buttons are on the right."


    Caspar smiled happily when he saw that his explanation fascinated Finland. Finally, his knowledge for being alive for hundreds of years could be used to amaze this girl. Caspar could not wait to tell many other things that he had experienced and known for as long as he lived on earth - nearly 450 years!

 Chapter 204 - How many children do you want?

    "Uhm... do you know why, when people get married, usually the wife wears a wedding ring and not the man?" Caspar asked again.


    "Uhmm... because the circle-shaped ring has no end, signifying the bond of love without end?" Finland asked. "I read that somewhere..."


    Caspar chuckled. At first, he seemed hesitant to continue speaking, but when he saw Finland''s curious gaze, he finally explained.


    "In ancient times, men tied the women who belonged to them with a rope so that the women would not run away. It was a way to show ownership. As time passed, the practice was considered inhumane and the bind was made smaller; only the legs, then finally only the fingers. The act was then romanticized by the Greeks, who turned it into the symbol of love. They placed a ring on the ring finger because it was said that the ring finger had blood vessels connected directly to the heart... They also said that the circle was a symbol of endless love and blah blah blah... In reality, it was just a substitute symbol for rope ties in ancient times."


    Caspar smiled awkwardly and shrugged when he saw Finland''s shocked expression, "Sorry, but that''s the true story. The ring used to be a symbol of ownership. It later became a common practice throughout the world - the women who wore a ring on her ring finger already had an ''owner'' so that other men don''t try to pursue the women. Now, many couples both wear rings, to confirm that the man also has an owner. Yes, it is because of emancipation in modern times..."


    "Jeez..." Finland looked at the beautiful pink diamond ring from Caspar that rested around her ring finger. "Then, what is this? A sign of ownership too? Is this to show that I am yours?"


    For a moment Finland felt disappointed because the ring turned out to have a sexist history. It was a sign of a man''s ownership of the woman who became his wife.


    Right now, she was wearing a ring from Caspar, while the man''s hands were clear of any rings...


    "Of course you are mine, with or without a ring, just as I am yours." Caspar said quickly, "Don''t be silly. I gave you the ring because I thought it would look beautiful around your finger. I would never bind you literally nor figuratively with any symbol. When you left me three years ago, I didn''t force you to stay either, did I?"


    Finland confirmed Caspar''s words.


    Ah, so this ring was just a sign of his love, not a sign of a bond. The thought made her feel a little relieved. She remembered that Caspar always respected her wishes.


    In the past, when Finland insisted that Caspar should not use his extraordinary access to find information about her, the man kept his promise. He did not even insist on going after Finland, who wanted to leave him, even though he loved the girl very much and suffered badly during the 3 years when they were not together.


    Thinking about this made Finland feel touched.


    "I love you..." said Finland. "I''m yours... with or without a ring or whatever... I wish I could live forever beside you, raising our children and seeing them live happily."


    Caspar turned towards Finland with a face of filled with emotion. He grabbed her left hand and kissed her.


    "I love you too. I will respect you and take care of you and our children forever..."


    Finland looked down happily. She was always happy to hear the statement of love from Caspar, which came out aplenty from his lips.


    "Uhm¡­ how many children do you want to have?" Finland asked.


    "Uhm... ten?" Caspar answered in a mischievous voice.


    "Gosh! Caspar! Do you think I''m a child-producing machine?" Finland asked angrily.


    "Uhm... okay... okay... how about three? I am of three siblings... It would be nice if our children can have brothers or sisters who are close-knitted and warm. I''m very close to Flora and Aldebar," Caspar said finally; his voice sounded serious. "In my opinion, my brother and sister are the best things in my life after our parents died."


    "Uhm... okay. Three still makes sense," Finland nodded. "Now we already have two, which means ¨C only one more to go."


    It took ten seconds for Caspar to realize the meaning behind Finland''s words.


    He swerved his car to the side suddenly and pulled over. His body stiffened.


    "Wha... what did you say?" He then looked at Finland, confused. "Oh my... Are you pregnant? Really??"


    Finland nodded.


    "I should have had my period a few days ago, but I didn''t. I checked with two different test packs this morning and the results were both positive. I wanted to share the news with you when we are having a romantic dinner or something... hahaha..." Finland stroked Caspar''s cheek while she laughed. She was so amused by the looks on his face. "But I can''t stand it anymore because today you really fascinated me."


    Caspar immediately got out of the car then opened the passenger door. He signaled Finland to come out.


    "Uhm... why?" Finland asked in confusion as she got out of the car.


    "Because I want to hug you properly..." Caspar immediately pulled the girl into his arms and whispered tenderly in her ear. "I love you... Thank you for coming back to my life. Thank you for giving me a new family..."


    Finland was deeply moved, she buried her face in Caspar''s chest and cried softly. She felt very touched. Her chest was filled with overflowing happiness. Now she felt that her life was truly complete, and she felt grateful. This was where she should be. This was her home. She belonged with this man and their children.


    They did not care about the people passing by the road who stared at them enviously. The attention of the two humans was only focused on each other.


    "This is a special moment. I want to take you to a special place..." whispered Caspar, "Tonight we don''t have to go back to your apartment, right? I want us to spend the night at home in Palo Alto. You will like the place, the house is beautiful..."


    Finland knew that she and Caspar had similar tastes about home. She was sure that she would like the house Caspar liked. But Palo Alto was so far from her office.


    "But I have to work tomorrow..." Finland said doubtfully.


    "Tomorrow you just rest with me at home. I''ll spoil you. Tony will understand. You can come to the office the day after tomorrow," Caspar said calmly, but his tone was indisputable.


    "Uhm... okay." Finland finally gave up.


    Caspar kissed her warmly and finally let go of his arms.


    "Let us go home."

 Chapter 205 - I CAN play doctor with my pregnant wife

    Caspar was right. Once Finland saw the mansion in Palo Alto Hills, she immediately fell in love, just like when she first saw Rose Mansion in Singapore. In amazement, she walked through the large house from top to bottom.


    "This is so beautiful!" she exclaimed happily.


    "That''s why I wanted to bring you here tonight..." Caspar said, smiling broadly. He placed Aleksis on the sofa. The little girl had woken up from her sleep and looked surprised to see that they were back in the mansion.


    Two mansion staff immediately approached the couple carrying a jug of orange juice and two glasses.


    "Sorry, we can''t celebrate with wine. You can''t drink alcohol for the next 9 months..." Caspar said.


    "It''s okay..." Finland replied.


    "I will buy an ultrasound machine and some other equipments so that I can examine you myself..." Caspar said again. His face looked very excited and full of plans. "We also have to think about where to live, to ensure your most comfort during your pregnancy..."


    As usual, Finland almost forgot that Caspar was a doctor.


    Eh, but he was not an obgyn, was he?


    "I will see a real doctor..." Finland said. "I mean, I am not saying that you are a fake doctor... but it would be better for me to be examined by a gynecologist..."


    Caspar scowled for a moment.


    "I actually hold a number of specialties, except obgyn," he complained. "I used to hate seeing pregnant women..."


    Finland rolled her eyes. Of course her husband was not into obstetrics and gynecology; her husband used to be a womanizer who dated many women and dumped them after one month. He could not possibly be interested in becoming an obgyn because he would be constantly reminded of the many women he had hurt.


    "Well, I guess that''s karma..." Finland said mischievously. "Now, when you really want to play doctor with your pregnant wife, you cannot because you are not an obgyn."


    "Eh, who said so? I CAN play doctor with my pregnant wife..." Caspar said quickly. His face was engraved with a mischievous grin. He suddenly startled Finland by lifting her body and carrying her into their bedroom. Before closing the door, he managed to call the mansion staff to take care of Aleksis. "Kathy, bring the little miss to play, please!"


    In the bedroom, Caspar intended to ''punish'' Finland who teased him for not having the medical specialization needed to become his wife''s obstetrician.


    The man was overjoyed with the news he had received tonight. He did not think that his wish would come true so quickly. He was constantly reminded by the fact that he had missed all the moments during Finland''s pregnancy and his daughter''s first two years of her life. No words could describe how sad he was. This time he did not want to miss anything.


    "The attraction between the two of us must be very strong... that we are so quick to have children..." Caspar said as he kissed Finland''s neck. "My people only have children when they are truly ready. There is no unwanted pregnancy among Alchemists. If the husband wants to have a child but the wife does not want to or is not ready, she will not get pregnant... That is why our numbers are very few. It is rare for my people to get married and we rarely have children... The world is already overpopulated. Imagine, if all people were like us, surely human life would be more prosperous, and there would be no unwanted children."


    Finland agreed. She also wanted another child from Caspar because all her life she had felt very lonely as she had no family. She really long to have her own family. Before she met Caspar, Jean was her only best friend and family.


    After she married Caspar, she imagined building a family with the man she loved and living happily with him, forever. That was why, after they were married, she got pregnant very quickly. She also wanted it as much as Caspar did. Despite the problems that kept them apart for quite a long time, Aleksis was a really wanted child.


    After they were reunited, the great love between the two again grew her desire to have a family with Caspar. Her desire to have children was as great as her husband''s. Deep inside her heart, Finland also hoped to make up for the past few years.


    She felt really guilty for keeping her pregnancy a secret, leaving Caspar, and causing so much sadness and pain between the two. She also kept a guilty feeling toward Aleksis, because she could not enjoy the love from her biological father during the first two years of her life.

 Chapter 206 - I hope the baby will be a boy

    "I''m glad we will have another child..." Finland said, stroking Caspar''s dimples because he was smiling so sweetly at her, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"


    "A boy..." Caspar said quickly. "I would be a really scary father if my children were all girls."


    Finland could only laugh after hearing her husband''s answer. She understood what Caspar meant. He would be a father who was very protective of his daughters and might do terrible things if someone bothered them. Having a son would relax him a little.


    "Alright... we''ll see in a few months..." Finland said. "When I was pregnant with Aleksis, I didn''t find out about the gender because I didn''t care. But if you want a boy, we''ll find out in a few months."


    "All right..." Caspar kissed Finland''s lips intimately, then slowly took off her clothes while pretending to frown, "But now I want to check my pregnant wife, to prove that I''m not a fake doctor."


    Finland just laughed at Caspar''s behavior, as he was acting like a newly adopted puppy again. His beaming face and his attachment to her looked very adorable. It reminded Finland of Caspar''s attitude when they first slept together at Rose Mansion just before the man proposed to her.


    Ah, it felt like they really were back to the way they used to be.


    Even though Caspar and Finland wanted to play doctor for longer, they didn''t because they knew that Aleksis was waiting for them to have dinner together. She was probably confused because her parents suddenly disappeared. Finally, half an hour after they went ''missing'', the two came out of the bedroom. They found Aleksis playing with Kathy in the living room.


    "Master and Madam, do you wish to eat dinner now?" Kathy asked respectfully. "We didn''t have time to cook because Master and Madam came so suddenly, but there are many good restaurants that can deliver food from nearby..."


    "It''s okay. Can you please buy some groceries? I wish to cook dinner for us," Caspar said. Kathy widened her eyes in shock.


    "Eh...? There''s no need, Sir. If you wish to wait, I can shop and cook right away," Kathy said quickly.


    "There''s no need, Kathy. This is a special night, so I want to celebrate it by cooking a special meal for my wife," Caspar waved and stopped Kathy from replying. Finally, the girl obediently nodded and immediately excused herself.


    "Please send me the shopping list via email or text. I will buy it at the nearest supermarket. I will head out now," Kathy excused herself.


    Caspar quickly typed a list of the ingredients he needed and emailed it to Kathy. In the meantime, the little family sat together in the living room while playing with Aleksis.


    "Aw... you''re overdoing it..." Finland said, "In such an emergency, we should just order pizza. I don''t mind, really..."


    "Nonsense. Pregnant women should eat healthy food," Caspar said in protest. "Let me take care of you. You just sit comfortably. Want to watch a movie or read something?"


    Finland shook her head. "I want you to sit next to me..."


    "Uhm... okay." Caspar followed Finland''s wishes and sat on the sofa next to the girl. Finland smiled happily, then laid down and rested her head on Caspar''s lap.


    "I don''t want to watch or read anything; I just want to rest like this..." she whispered softly.


    Caspar was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled. He nodded. His hands stroked the head of the woman he loved with great affection.


    "This is good," he said. "You should rest, Sweetheart..."


    They enjoyed the atmosphere in silence, and their hearts were filled with warmth. Both Finland and Caspar felt that they had found their home. They belong with each other.

 Chapter 207 - New Agreement (1)

    Caspar cooked several simple but very tasty dishes. When Finland asked for the names of the dishes, as usual, she found them too difficult to pronounce.


    "The important thing is that you know it tastes good. As for the name, don''t worry about it..." Caspar said as he spooned more soup into her bowl.


    "If I want you to cook this food again, what should I say? Their names are just too difficult for me to remember..." complained Finland. "I''ll give them my own names, okay?"


    Caspar laughed at Finland''s logic then nodded.


    "All right. Try to name this soup," he replied.


    "Palo Alto Soup," Finland said quickly. "Here is where I first tasted it. I don''t know what the ingredients are, so I name the dish based on it''s location."


    "Hahaha... alright. Then, this one is the First Date Steak then," Caspar suggested the name of the steak in front of him, "I cooked this for our first date, when you gave me a kiss for winning our bet."


    Finland smiled broadly and nodded. "I like the name."


    She pointed to a plate of sliced tomatoes coated with mozzarella cheese and basil leaves.


    "This one is Palo Alto Tomato. How''s that?"


    "As you wish, you are the one in charge of the naming because you have to remember them." Caspar nodded, "But if we have guests, you should not mention the names you created yourself. Let this be our little secret. Our guests will be confused if you point at the Caprese Salad and call it Palo Alto Tomato."


    "Alright..." Finland said, smiling broadly.


    After their happy dinner, and after Aleksis was sound asleep, Finland and Caspar decided to sit and chat on the back porch facing the pool. Finland''s pregnancy automatically required them to adjust their plans.


    Caspar, who previously offered Finland to work at his company at the place of her choosing, now had objections if Finland went back to work. He deliberately made the girl feel guilty for leaving him for almost three years so that Finland would cancel her intention to go back to work.


    "If you work, I''ll only see you on weekends. You''ll be busy in the office from Monday through Friday," he complained.


    "But if I don''t work now and improve my knowledge, later after our child is born, I won''t be able to go back to work. I have to pause working for at least two years until our baby completes his breastfeeding period and can be left behind." said Finland.


    "Gosh... are you still planning to go back to work after our child is two years old?" Caspar seemed more objected. "Don''t you feel sorry for him? You know that you don''t need to work to make money."


    "I don''t really work for money anymore... if I stay at home, I will definitely feel stupid for not following the progress of the world... For me, work is important to sharpen my mind so that I don''t become ignorant or dull..." Finland pursed her lips in sadness. It was not fair. Caspar had agreed to let her work at his company when they were in Germany. Just because she got pregnant too quickly, he decided to withdraw the agreement. . "You''ve promised..."


    Caspar felt cornered. It was true that he had promised her that she could work, but he did not expect Finland to get pregnant again this soon.


    At first, he felt that it would be nice if Finland worked for him for several years until they had their next child. However, they were unexpectedly blessed with another child! Caspar thought that it would be more comfortable if their family lived in Germany to enjoy 9 months of peace together.


    "Uhm... okay... if I compromise, you also have to compromise. You may work during the first half your pregnancy term. After that, you must stay at home with me. After our youngest child is two years old, you may return to work... "


    Secretly, Caspar was developing a plan in his head; he thought that he would be able to delay Finland''s return to the workfield if, after their second child was two years old, Finland became pregnant again with their third child. His wife would then have to wait for their third child to be two years old before she could work again.


    This would give Caspar a total of five full years with his family. Ha ha ha. This thought made him smile to himself.


    "Uff... alright. I''ll compromise..." said Finland. She stretched her pinky finger, "You promise?"


    "I promise," Caspar grabbed Finland''s pinkie with his pinkie finger, "This is childish, by the way¡­"


    After that, Finland was satisfied. They slowly moved to bed and decided to watch Jean''s newest movie, which happened to appear on the movie subscription site.

 Chapter 208 - New Agreement (2)

    "His acting is excellent... and his popularity quickly skyrocketed. It was not in vain that I sponsored his movies," Caspar murmured in the middle of the movie.


    Finland looked at him in surprise, "Did you sponsor his movies? Why?"


    Caspar, who realized he had said something that was supposed to be kept secret, finally explained that he had told Stanis to invest in a number of major film studios and finance their big-budget movies on a condition that they must cast Jean.


    He did that to make up for wiping out Jean''s memory and causing him trouble. Because of his support, Jean was able to play in big-time movies. That was also why he became famous very quickly.


    "Jeez..." Finland stroked Caspar''s cheek gratefully, "Thank you... you''re so kind¡­ I thought you didn''t like him because you are jealous."


    "Uhmm... not anymore. I can already accept your friendship with him. I was actually more jealous of Lauriel when I first saw that you were with him..."


    "We were not in a relationship; he helped me and Aleksis a lot, and he one-sidedly made Aleksis his goddaughter. He said he would give all his wealth to Aleksis. I told him that Aleksis had a biological father... and that we don''t need his wealth... " said Finland quickly. She didn''t want Caspar to misunderstand her relationship with Lauriel.


    "Yeah, I know. I''ve also talked to Lauriel about it, and now I understand why he loves Aleksis so much. There won''t be any misunderstandings anymore," Caspar smiled soothingly. "Let''s just say Aleksis is lucky because she has two fathers who love her very much..."


    "Agreed..."


    They continued watching while cuddling and commenting on some interesting scenes.


    "You know, my friends in my office are huge fans of Jean. They are very happy because Jean invited them to his latest movie promo next week," Finland said after the movie was over and they were ready to sleep.


    "Oh, really?" Caspar remembered that decades ago, he had tried to be an actor. It was when the pictures were still in black and white and he liked it, but he quickly got bored and quit the profession before he became very famous. His favorite profession that he often repeated was a doctor.


    With current world conditions and advancement in social media, being a celebrity was not suitable for his life that required strict privacy. He could not have lived this freely if his face was plastered everywhere.


    "Jean invited us to come to his new movie promotion. After that, it would be fun to invite everyone to a barbecue here. Like a little farewell party with my office friends. Our backyard here is very spacious and beautiful; it''s perfect for a garden party or barbecue..."


    Caspar was happy because Finland was thinking exactly like him. He also thought of having a barbecue party when he saw the backyard of this mansion, though he was hesitant to invite outsiders into their home.


    "Normally I don''t like to invite outsiders to my home..." he said later, "But I will make an exception this time. You can make a farewell party with your office friends. After that we will move to New York. There you can work in my company for 4 months, and after that we will return to Germany where you will stay home and have fun with me until our second child is two years old. What do you think?"


    Finland thought for a moment and realized that this was the best compromise between them. Finally, she nodded in agreement.


    "All right. I will invite my office friends here for a barbecue next week. I will make it a farewell celebration. After that we will do according to your plan..."


    "Nice." Caspar kissed Finland with a very happy face, "Believe me... even if you don''t work, you won''t be ignorant and dull. There will be so many things we can do together that makes you feel happy and satisfied. Inner satisfaction doesn''t always come from work. Remember, I''m also a workaholic, so I understand how your mind works."


    They both slept peacefully that night because they had reached an agreement.


    ***

 Chapter 209 - The last day at the office

    Finland and Caspar spent the next day relaxing at home. Caspar invited Finland and Aleksis for a tour in Palo Alto to show them the beauty of the city. As they passed a hospital, Finland took Caspar''s hand and pointed at the hospital.


    "Let''s stop by at the hospital to have my pregnancy checked," she asked Caspar, "Let me see a real obstetrician."


    Caspar wanted to protest, but he realized that he also wanted to know the condition of Finland''s pregnancy and make proper preparations. So, they entered the hospital and met with the obstetrician. When they entered the hospital, Finland realized that two of Caspar''s bodyguards were also there.


    "Why are they here?" she asked, confused. She didn''t remember seeing them earlier.


    "You know that they always follow me wherever I go," Caspar said as if Finland should know that fact. "That is the purpose of having bodyguards."


    "But don''t they stay in downtown San Francisco? How can they follow you everywhere? When we slept in Palo Alto, where were they? Sleeping in the car?"


    Caspar nodded.


    "Oh dear... that''s terrible. Then you''d better tell them to come in and stay at home," Finland said.


    "That''s their job. They can take care of themselves," Caspar said. But finally, he nodded, "Okay if that''s what you want."


    In the consultation room, the doctor greeted them kindly and examined the expecting mother. It turned out that the girl was only 5 weeks pregnant. Caspar was very happy because they were so quick to find out about her pregnancy and could immediately get ready.


    "Everything looks healthy and fine. Congratulations... I am sure this child will be as beautiful as the sister," the doctor said, smiling broadly as he pointed his chin toward Aleksis.


    "Thank you, Doctor."


    The three then went out and decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants in the city center. The small family attracted a lot of admiring gazes because of their unusual appearance. Caspar was very handsome and attractive, while Aleksis looked like a little angel with her pair of blue-green eyes and beautiful face. Finland also had her own charms as she had a beautiful Asian face, long brown hair, and a fragile appearance.


    Seeing all the people stare at them made Finland understand why Caspar liked privacy so much. It didn''t feel comfortable to be stared at like that.


    "Sorry, madam..." A man with glasses suddenly approached them as they sat in the restaurant. He handed a card to Finland, "I have been watching you for some time now... I happen to be a talent scout who is on vacation in Palo Alto. I really like your child. In my opinion, she should star in commercials. Are you guys interested?"


    Caspar immediately frowned and wanted to expel the man, but Finland prevented him from being rude and hurriedly smiled as she shook her head at the talent scout. "Sorry, we are not interested. Thank you..."


    "Wow... what a pity. This daughter of yours has the potential to be very famous..." The man looked disappointed, "Well, please just keep my card, who knows you may change your mind."


    "Alright, thank you. Now we want to eat, please give us some space..." Finland said, still refusing gently.


    "Thank you. Have a nice meal." The man raised his hat with a smile and left them alone.


    "Aleksis attracts too much attention," Caspar said. "When she grows up I have to assign a lot of bodyguards to look after her. Can you imagine how many men will chase her when she grows up into a very beautiful lady? Lauriel usually wears glasses to hide the colors of his eyes... Maybe later when she grows up, Aleksis can use ugly glasses to hide her appearance so she doesn''t look too attractive..."


    Finland laughed at Caspar''s concern. That man would indeed be a scary father if his children were all girls.


    She now also hoped that their second child would be a boy.


    ***


    When Finland went to work the next day, she felt that her office friends were treating her differently, and that made her confused.


    "Why aren''t you talking to me?" she asked in a disappointed tone when they had lunch together. "I thought you girls liked to gossip. You guys should be attacking me with questions right now. Who the man who picked me up yesterday, what our relationship is, and... blablabla..."


    Anne and Lucia looked at each other with uneasy expressions.


    "Uhm... Tony told us who Heinrich Schneider is... and we... we don''t want to say anything rude..." whispered Anne. "Sorry, if we are often too curious... We don''t mean bad with our questions..."


    Finland laughed at that. Gosh, her friends became awkward toward her after learning that Finland was married to a man who owned one of the largest corporations in the world. She became a little uncomfortable with the situation. No matter what, the two girls had been very kind to her since she moved to San Francisco; unlike her office mates in Singapore.


    "It''s okay... Don''t be awkward to me. I''m still the same old Finland, your friend." She held Anne and Lucia''s hands warmly, "I will quit working for personal reasons, but I really want to invite you to my farewell party at our house next week. I will also invite Jean, so you can meet with him."


    Instantly Anne and Lucia''s faces lit up, "Re... really? Whaa... we will definitely come!!"


    "I will also invite the other colleagues from our department, and also Boss Tony and his fiance¨¦. I''ll send you our home address in Palo Alto later. Is it okay, or is it too far...?"


    "It''s okay, no problem..." Lucia and Anne hugged Finland warmly. They were happy to learn that Finland was still the Finland they knew, and that she did not become arrogant after she was reunited with her rich and powerful husband.


    They couldn''t wait for next week to arrive, especially knowing that they were invited to Jean''s new film promotion event and to Finland''s farewell party.


    Finland and Tony gave a short training to Donna, the new employee who was appointed to replace Finland. Throughout the day they were very busy transferring Finland''s duties and responsibilities to her.


    Finland did not forget to also invite Donna and Tony and their respective partners to the farewell party. They were very happy to be invited; especially Tony, who wanted to foster a better relationship with the owner of the Schneider Group.

 Chapter 210 - A relaxing week

    Life was relaxing and fun for the little Schneider family. They spent a lot of time reading, playing with Aleksis and trying new food recipes. Two of Caspar''s personal bodyguards and Ben had come to live with them in the mansion and the atmosphere became livelier.


    Ben drove them out to enjoy the view. They spend their weekend at their villa villa in Napa Valley where their vineyard was located.


    The scenery at the vineyard was very beautiful and they ended up staying there for three days because Finland loved it so much. Unfortunately, because of her pregnancy, she was unable to taste the homemade wine from their vineyard.


    "It''s okay, we will bring a few bottles to keep. After you give birth, we will drink the wine from this winery together," Caspar said soothingly.


    As an understanding husband, he deliberately did not drink alcoholic beverages while Finland was pregnant. Every night he prepared a glass of squeezed oranges, or milk, or infused water for his family. These simple gestures made Finland feel very moved.


    During her three-year stay in San Francisco, Finland never had time to live as a tourist and visit the tourist attractions in the city. Her time was always spent working and taking care of Aleksis.


    Only for the past year, after Lauriel bought his farm in Colorado, she had time to relax during the weekends. So practically, Finland hadn''t really explored San Francisco and its surroundings.


    When Caspar heard this, he decided that they should enjoy the tourist attractions in San Francisco before moving to New York. He did not know when they would return to visit SF again, and he wanted Finland to have good memories of the city before leaving.


    After being satisfied with their stay in Napa Valley, they filled their following days with fun activities and visited various famous places in San Francisco.


    They visited Sausalito, the beautiful city across from San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge, ate sea food at Fisherman Wharf, visited Alcatraz Island, the most famous prison in the 60''s (Caspar wanted to close the island for his personal visit, but Finland managed to prevent it), and they also visited the giant aquarium in Monterrey.


    They joined a tour that brought them to the Japanese Garden, Redwood Forest in which grew giant trees aged hundreds and even thousands of years old, as well as the Painted Ladies, home to Victorian houses that became the setting of the TV series "Full House".


    "I visited this area often, almost every day..." Finland commented as they got out of the car and stepped into the pretty park in Painted Ladies. "Lauriel''s home is across there..."


    "Oh..." Caspar nodded. "Did Aleksis stay with him every time you went to work?"


    "Yes. He said that he usually stayed at the hotel, but then he decided to buy a house because he wanted to be close to Aleksis. He bought a house in the Painted Ladies here, and then a farm in Colorado, because he wanted Aleksis to live surrounded by nature."


    Finland looked at Caspar with a probing look, to see if her husband was still jealous of Lauriel. Apparently not at all. Caspar''s face actually looked rather sad.


    "Hmm... I understand. Lauriel will be a great father. Hopefully someday he can have his own children..." Caspar said quietly. He remembered Lauriel''s story, that he and Luna were actually expecting a child when she died in the war. Caspar had promised Lauriel to keep his secret, so he did not tell Finland. "Aleksis is fortunate to have a godfather like Lauriel."


    "You are right." Finland was relieved to hear that.


    Caspar was very nice now about this issue. He was no longer jealous of Jean and Lauriel and this made their lives very peaceful.


    Finland did not expect that she would really enjoy her time traveling with Caspar and not working. Time flew by so fast and suddenly a week had passed and the day of the Jean''s new movie promotion arrived.

 Chapter 211 - Test Screening (1)

    The movie, titled "2050", was a science fiction film set in the future where many androids (artificial humans) live among ordinary people. Jean acted as an android who work as a police officer to serve the community.


    Chaos occurred when a criminal who controlled the time machine managed to escape into the past. Jean''s character and his colleague went after the criminal, but they were trapped in the past and must find a way to go home while trying to survive in an era that was foreign to them. As artificial human beings, they were almost captured by government agents for research in the laboratory.


    For the promotion of this new movie, producers held limited screening in selected cities to see the audience''s response. Usually, from the test audience''s response, they could develop a strategy for the launch of the movie.


    Sometimes, the ending of a film could be re-edited and changed if the audience response was bad or if the audience didn''t like a certain aspect of the movie. It had happened that even a movie could be re-edited even though it had been shown in public theaters widely.


    For example, in "The Program" movie, the main actor was lying on the highway and was not hit by a single car. Then, his friends followed suit as a form of solidarity. This scene was supposed to have a deep social meaning, but eventually it had to be edited and removed from the movie even though it was already aired widely. The reason was because many teenagers were imitating this scene on the highway and someone was killed by a car.


    The "ET: The Extra Terrestrial" movie, produced by Steven Spielberg, also experienced re-editing after the screening test. The ET character was supposed to die at the end of the story and brought back to their planet.


    However, the screening test audience protested because the story was too sad and requested that the ending be changed. Finally, in the final ET movie which was then screened in public theaters, the ET figure stayed alive.


    Something similar was done to the best-selling movie "Pretty Woman", starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. In the original ending, Richard Gere''s character left the character played by Julia Roberts because the movie was meant have a dark ending. But, the test audience rejected the ending outright and demanded that the two characters unite and get married.


    They finally changed the ending of the movie Pretty Woman to follow the wishes of the test audience and it was proven to be a huge success.


    Finland and her two female friends from LTX were very excited to watch Jean''s new movie and gave their input. Caspar, who was not too fond of fantasy movies, offered to stay at home to take care of Aleksis while Finland had fun with Anne and Lucia.


    Ben drove Finland to downtown San Francisco and picked up her two girlfriends from LTX office. They held the invitation they received from Jean to show at the entrance tightly in their hands.


    When Ben and Finland arrived with the limousine in front of the LTX International office building, Anne and Lucia froze and could barely breathe. This was too shocking for them.


    "What... are we riding this?" asked Anne in a muffled voice.


    "Yeah, there are three of us, so, naturally this is a more comfortable ride. Besides, in such screening test events there must be many famous and influential people coming... We also have to look as cool as them," Finland repeated what Caspar had told her at home this afternoon when she also voiced her surprise when Ben came with a limousine.


    "Ohh... oh my god... this is so much fun!" exclaimed Lucia.


    The three of them immediately entered the limousine and Finland treated them with champagne.


    "Let''s drink; when else can we have fun like this, right? In a few days we will be separated..." she said happily.


    "Well... yes, but we can still keep in touch... You should create a Facebook or Instagram account, so we can still contact you..." said Anne.


    Finland just smiled at that. She never made an account on social media, because she didn''t have any friends. But now she didn''t intend to make any accounts because her life and Caspar''s from now on must be kept very private.


    Once in the cinema, Finland and her two friends attracted a lot of attention because they came with a limousine. Finland hurriedly held their hands and pulled them to the entrance door. Once safe from the prying eyes, she called Jean.


    "We''ve arrived. We will meet you inside, okay," she said.


    "All right. I''m almost there," Jean replied.


    They handed in the invitation and the usher immediately took them to the seats that were prepared for them.

 Chapter 212 - Test Screening (2)

    The three girls looked very excited. Snacks and drinks were provided before they took a seat. In the darkened room they were able to see many other invited guests and found famous faces among them.


    The girls felt their cheeks burn when they experienced "starstruck" and laughed incessantly while whispering to each other.


    "Hey... the seat next to us is empty..." Anne commented after the three of them sat down, ready to wait for the movie to play. "Who will sit there?"


    Her question was answered five minutes later when Jean appeared and walked towards them. He hugged Finland and kissed her cheeks as soon as he arrived beside them.


    "Sorry I''m a little late. I should have welcomed you at the door..." he said apologetically.


    "Ah... it''s okay, everything''s fine." Finland smiled broadly, "Let me introduce you guys, this is Anne Lee, and this is Lucia Mendoza... They are your fans..."


    "Hello, Ms. Lee..." Jean hugged and kissed Anne on the cheeks, then turned to Lucia, "Ms. Mendoza... nice to meet you both."


    Anne and Lucia froze for a moment. They couldn''t believe that their idol actor just greeted and hugged them like they were old friends. And oh, Jean was farrrr more handsome in person than what they saw in the movies or in magazines.


    Finland had to pat both of their shoulders for Anne and Lucia to come back to their senses and shyly return to their seats. Jean gave a signal to the usher, who immediately came with a champagne bottle and four glasses.


    "Let''s just drink a little... we don''t want you drunk, but drinking a little can make our experience more relaxed and enjoyable," he said.


    "Uhm... we drank a little in the limo..." said Anne.


    "Limo?" Jean soon understood that Caspar had sent his beloved wife to have fun at the theatre with her friends using the best car. A moment later, he laughed, "Hm... okay. Then don''t you want to drink a little more?"


    "Uhmm... I want to," said Anne hastily, while receiving a glass from Jean. She would not refuse the champagne given by her idol actor. Lucia also nodded.


    "Uhm... I''ll just drink some juice..." said Finland. She did not want to announce her pregnancy to everyone. It''s only been six weeks; she doesn''t want to jinx it. "I don''t feel like drinking tonight..."


    "OK." Jean asked the usher to bring a bottle of orange juice for Finland and soon the four of them were holding their glasses, ready to clink a toast.


    "Can I take our picture?" Lucia asked excitedly. "This is a precious moment, I want to capture this moment and remember it forever... when else can I meet Jean and drink champagne with him?"


    Jean nodded. Lucia then took their wefie and, when she was satisfied with the results, they then toast and drank together.


    The movie started soon after.


    ***


    After the movie screening was over, Jean invited his guests to have dinner with him. The three girls were very happy because they did not think the fun would continue. They ate at a fine dining restaurant and discussed the movie they just watched.


    Finland, Lucia, and Anna were all very satisfied with the movie and assured Jean that everything was perfect.


    "Seriously? Are you guys not biased just because you know me?" Jean asked with a laugh.


    "No, really. The story is neat, and everything is very cool. I like the ending..." Anne said hurriedly. "If the ending is kept open like that, there''s a possibility for a sequel to be made later."


    "Indeed, that was actually the producer''s intentions..." Jean nodded.


    "Whhaaa... there will be a sequel to ''2050''! So cool!" Lucia exclaimed excitedly.


    Dinner was fun and Lucia and Anne, curious about Finland''s friendship with Jean, asked many questions, including how they first met.


    "Oh, we were classmates in university," Jean said. "We sat next to each other and when we started talking, we just clicked. Finland was really fun to be with..."


    Finland remembered that day. She did not feel like she was a fun person at all. As she recalled, Jean was the one whose attitude was very pleasant. At that time, Jean deliberately sat next to her because he saw that Finland was alone and that no one wanted to sit near her.


    Everyone had their own friends after two weeks of college and Finland couldn''t enter their circle because of their closed attitude. Jean skipped classes during the first two weeks of college because he was busy working as a model. That was why, when he first came to class, he also did not know anyone.


    When he saw a girl sitting alone and looking indifferent to her surroundings, he decided to sit next to her. During lunch break, they talked a lot and Jean immediately liked the girl because of her intelligence and interesting attitude.


    As someone who grew up lonely, he felt like he had found his soulmate, and that was when Jean decided to be friends with Finland. Since then they became inseparable. Finland helped Jean a lot with lessons and assignments because Jean had a very busy schedule.


    Jean wanted to repay Finland''s kindness by providing her with material aid such as food, books, or even plane tickets so they could travel somewhere together, but Finland always refused. She never wanted to receive help from anyone, and for years she never accepted any material aid from Jean.


    Jean was pleased when he learned that when Finland was with Caspar, the girl no longer lacked anything, because Caspar had cleverly managed to provide everything she needed without Finland being able to refuse.


    "Then how many years have you two known each other?" asked Anne attentively.


    She did not expect that her coworker was so close with a very famous celebrity. During her 2.5 years of knowing Finland, the girl never told Anne anything about her relationship with Jean, who was a famous actor, and that her husband was a very rich and powerful man.


    Anne kept a deep respect for Finland who never bragged or used other people''s names to get special treatment. She witnessed herself how hard and diligently Finland worked for the company.


    "Hmmm... more than seven years now." Finland and Jean looked at each other and nodded, "Yes, around 7-8 years..."


    "And we will be friends forever," Jean said, winking at Finland. He was speaking literally, and Finland understood his point. Of course, as Alchemists, they could live forever and be friends forever too. This was not just figuratively speaking.

 Chapter 213 - TEASER: Volume 2 (Bad News)

    Since the volume 1 will still not be completed by the time this story goes premium next Monday (October 7), I have decided to give you several teasers about what to expect in Volume 2, so after you finish reading Voulume 1 you can decide whether it''s worth it to embark on the journey as we continue to Volume 2 ... or not.


    I understand the feeling of investing so much time and money on something only to be let down later on. I hate that. So I don''t want you to experience it.


    I want (most) readers to feel like they are appreciated with decent work that they will get a good return on investment on their time and money spent reading this novel. I know I can''t please everyone, but I''ll try my best.


    I do hope by the time you finish Volume 1, you would already get the idea about my writing styles and themes: how I love twists, heartwarming scenes, lighthearted interactions and the big theme that keeps playing in my novels is love for family. If these are your cup of tea, you''re welcome to join me on this journey.


    There will be no rape, no misunderstandings where the characters keep making the same mistakes over and over again, no weak female lead needing to be saved by her prince charming, no CEOs with excessive power and aloof personality who will treat the FL like sh*t before she falls in love with him #chuckle. (Sorry, can''t help it - I''m just a bit tired of this trend).


    VOLUME 2 will focus on Aleksis Schneider who was raised as the daughter of one of the most powerful and wealthiest alchemist families, being sheltered her whole life and pampered as the daughter of the alchemist clan leader, the opposite of her mother who was a poor orphan. When she was 20 years old, Aleksis tried to experience living as a regular human and find the person who saved her life when she was 12, because ... after 8 years, she could never forget him.


    The original readers admitted they love Caspar and Finland, but they love Aleksis and the ML in second volume EVEN MORE. I can''t wait to show them to you!!


    You will also meet with our old characters and you will see how Lauriel finally finds his happiness, how Jean will fit in their lives, how the Schneider children grow in a loving household, and how Aleksis finds her prince.


    First teaser starts here:


    *******************************


    BAD NEWS


    .


    The Schneider family received very shocking news that morning. Kendrick and Sylvia Chan had a car accident while on vacation in France and lost their lives. This made their only child, Terry Chan, an orphan.


    "We must go to Singapore and meet the boy..." Finland said frantically. No matter what, Terry was her flesh and blood, even though she didn''t give birth to the boy herself. Ten years ago, she even donated her bone marrow when Terry had leukemia to save his life.


    Caspar nodded. He could imagine the sadness experienced by the 15-year-old boy, suddenly losing both his parents at once. His own parents died in the war when he was 350 years old, and his sadness did not subside even after decades. That was why Caspar understood.


    "We can leave this afternoon... I''ll ask Kara to prepare everything," Caspar said. He hugged his wife warmly to share her sadness. "What did Jean say?"


    "Jean will come too. Maybe we will arrive first because we are closer to Singapore than he is."


    Finland and Caspar''s little family were living on their farm in New Zealand. They really liked Wellington and always stayed there for at least one month per year. New Zealand was very beautiful in the spring*.


    The trip from Wellington to Singapore only took 8 hours and they were expected to arrive in the morning. Jean, who was living in America, had a 20-hour flight to Singapore. Although he immediately rushed to the airport after he heard the news about the Chan couple, the soonest he could arrive would be tomorrow evening.


    "Where are we going, Mum?" Aleksis asked, confused to see her mother pack some of their clothes in a small suitcase. They had only been in Wellington for two weeks and usually they stayed there until early October. It was still early September now.


    She bit down a piece of grass in her mouth in a very nonchalant way and perched on the first step of their house, watching her restless mother walking back and forth, stuffing and taking things out of their suitcase.


    "We will meet your older brother in Singapore," Finland said hurriedly. She was very unfocused.


    Aleksis frowned and then turned to her father, who only shrugged.


    "Older brother? Am I not your first child?" A moment later her eyes widened like a saucer and she threw Caspar an accusing gaze, "Jeez, Dad¡­!!! Do you have a son from another woman?! I know you were a womanizer in the past... but you shouldn''t embarrass us like this..."


    Caspar gasped at his daughter''s accusation and turned to Finland, almost facepalming himself.


    "Aleksis thinks Terry is my son..." he said, frowning. Finland sighed and hit his shoulder in exasperation.


    "Ugh..."


    Caspar laughed at Finland who looked agitated and hurriedly kissed her.


    "There... there, why don''t you tell Aleksis about Terry and let me do the packing. I will take care of our trip. Under such stress you will forget all the important stuff," he said in a gentle voice. "Aleksis, get a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen. Mummy needs to drink a little to calm down."


    Aleksis obeyed her father''s request, though her face was still full of questions.


    Older brother? From where???


    She returned five minutes later with an open bottle of wine and two glasses. She then poured the wine and handed a glass to her mother.


    "What happened? What are you two hiding from me?" she asked, looking very curious.


    Aleksis was only 12 years old, but she was very mature for her age and had a very friendly relationship with her parents, especially because physically they didn''t look like mother and daughter. Both of her parents looked very young.


    Finland took a sip of wine and after calming down, she told Aleksis the story dated a gazilion years ago when she was a poor student in Singapore who desperately needed money.


    "OH MY GOD...! So, he''s your son with Uncle Jean? Jeez..." Aleksis covered her mouth in surprise after listening to her mother''s story. Caspar shrugged with a smile and Finland nodded with a sad face.


    "We cannot leave him alone, somehow we must find a way to help him... The boy is still too young," Finland said, concerned. "Such a small child cannot live alone without parents..."


    "We don''t know whether his parents have relatives or not," Caspar warned. "He can stay with them."


    "Jean said the child is alone. His parents have no more relatives." Finland sighed sadly, "Jean intends to adopt him, if possible."


    "Oh, really? Well, that''s a good idea," Caspar said. "Hopefully the process runs smoothly."


    Aleksis looked stunned. She was still trying to digest the information she received so suddenly. A moment later, her smile cracked wide.


    "Oh my god!!! How awesome is this! I have an older brother!" she shrieked suddenly. "I always wanted to have an older brother."


    She hugged Finland and kissed her cheek.


    "Thank you, Mum. I''m glad that I have an older brother..." she said happily.


    Caspar looked at the scene in protest.


    "Hey... hey¡­ why are you thanking her? This is unfair! Earlier when I was accused of having a child from another woman, I was said to be embarrassing. Aren''t you a fair person?"


    Aleksis immediately realized her mistake and hurriedly rushed towards her father and hugged him warmly.


    "Daddy, do you also want a glass of wine?" she whispered in an adorable voice so that inevitably her father stopped frowning. He received a glass of wine from Aleksis and gulped it dow

 Chapter 215 - TEASER: Volume 2 (20-Year-Old Aleksis)

    Aleksis finally gave up. She went to the wall that separated the restaurant and the penthouse and prepared herself to climb back home. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands pulled her shoulders roughly.


    "Hey... you''re a spy!" exclaimed the heavy voice behind her. Aleksis could smell the alcohol in his breath. She tried to pull away, but this man was too strong. She already embarrassed him in front of his co-workers, and he was really pissed off. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Heh... where is your bravery now? Who sent you?"


    "No one sent me...!" said Aleksis. She tried to struggle, but this man was too strong. Although Aleksis was strong and usually knew how to defend herself, the man who caught her was far stronger than her.


    Was... was this person also an assassin from Rhionen Assasins? Lest they were indeed related.


    "You have to answer me honestly, otherwise I will throw you out the balcony..." The man raised Aleksis, who wriggled with all her might, as if she weighed nothing. He carried her to the glass wall on the edge of the Sky Bar. The glass wall was only 1.5 meters high as it was placed just to block the wind and prevent visitors from jumping to their death from the 100th floor...


    But he had raised Aleksis higher than the glass wall, and she shuddered in terror... This threat was truly frightening. If she were to fall from this height, her body would be scattered beyond recognition. It would also damage the hotel''s reputation.


    "What''s going on, Pavel?" suddenly the masked man, who had helped Aleksis before, appeared next to the man who was threatening her. He positioned himself between them and the glass wall.


    "This is a corporate spy, Master. She has been asking a lot of suspicious questions and I caught her about to climb that wall to escape...!" said the scary man.


    The masked man narrowed his eyes and carefully studied Aleksis. He immediately recognized the girl as the servant who had fallen from the wall earlier this evening.


    "Are you really a corporate spy?" he asked in a soft voice. For a brief moment Aleksis seemed to recognize his voice. It felt like a dream.


    "No... no... I have nothing to do with any company or anything... Please put me down..."


    Now is not the time to act like a tough woman,  thought Aleksis. She had to use her crocodile tears to save herself. The masked man seemed to be more refined in attitude than his rude staff.


    "Then why are you acting so suspiciously?" the man asked patiently.


    "I... I..." Aleksis looked into his eyes and, for some reason at that moment, she did not dare to lie. "I''m sorry to be barging in... I''m looking for someone. That''s why I crashed into your party..."


    Her voice sounded weak and inviting pity, but he could judge that Aleksis was not lying.


    "You have one minute to convince me that you are not a corporate spy," the man said again. He nodded to the man he called Pavel, "If you can''t, he will throw you down..."


    "Ugh..." Aleksis knew she would not win against them. Inwardly she cursed herself. She should have brought her personal bodyguards, Carl and Sascha, to the Sky Bar to go undercover. They would certainly be able to protect her in a situation like this.


    She finally sighed, "I''m looking for my friend... I suspect that he may be a member of Rhionen Assassins. Since I can''t find any information on Rhinoen Assassins, I was hoping that Rhionen Industries might have a connection with Rhionen Assassins... I just wanted to know if anyone here knows him... I desperately want to meet him again..."


    The masked man frowned. He was surprised because Aleksis knew about Rhionen Assassins. Regular people would only know about Rhionen Industries, the big corporation, and not know about the other one, the assassin organization.


    "What''s his name? And how do you know he is related to Rhionen Assassins?" asked the man in an interested tone. He signaled Pavel to lower Aleksis on the floor and let her go.


    Aleksis fixed her collar and tangled clothes, before answering in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Uhm... I don''t know his name. I call him Prince Siegfried because of the dragon tattoo on his chest... He said I must die if I knew his real name..."


    The masked man and Pavel looked at each other. Pavel looked like he was about to say something, but the masked man raised his hand and gestured him to leave. Pavel grunted and left.


    "What is wrong with him?" Aleksis asked in annoyed tone.


    The masked man did not answer. He looked at Aleksis carefully for a few moments, then slowly a smile curved up on his face.


    "I think I know who you are referring to. I know your Prince Siegfried."


    "Oh really???" Aleksis was immediately filled with explosive excitement, and she unconsciously hugged the masked man with enthusiasm. "Gosh... I didn''t come here in vain... I can finally find him..."


    The man was stunned by Aleksis'' excitement as it was very unexpected. When the girl hugged him, involuntarily his hand moved to rub Aleksis'' head.


    While his hand was still in the air, Aleksis had freed herself and held his shoulders. Her exploding emotions were clearly visible on her face. Finally, the man slowly lowered his hand.


    "You''re very happy, aren''t you?" he asked, smiling faintly. "What will you do if you meet him?"


    "Oh, I''ve trained hard. I''ll beat him in a Go match and he has to tell me his real name..."


    £¬

 Chapter 216 - Barbecue Invitation

    The thought made Finland sad. She had to wait a few more years for Aldebar to wake up to get the immortality potion, and Jean still didn''t know this fact. He would certainly notice and wonder why, five years from now, Finland was getting older.


    She then tried to change the subject.


    "You can come to our barbecue party tomorrow, right?" she asked her friends. Anne and Lucia nodded quickly. Jean seemed to think for a moment, which made Finland curious. She suspected that Jean already had another appointment. "Why? Do you have another appointment? Sorry, I should have told you about this earlier..."


    "Uhm... yeah, I promised to invite Franka to dinner," said Jean in a rather apologetic voice, "I lost the bet... ugh."


    "What bet?" Finland asked, interested.


    "Franka Yoshizumi!??" Anne''s eyes widened. She recognized the name of the famous Japanese-Swedish actress.


    "Hahaha... Franka and I bet that the ending of the film won''t be changed. I lost. The producer just announced their decision..."


    "Oh..." Finland felt sorry for Jean. On the one hand she really wanted Jean to come, but on the other hand she also did not want Jean to break his promise to Franka. She didn''t really keep up with news in the entertainment industry, but Finland once stumbled upon an article about Franka Yoshizumi.


    The girl was a 22-year-old genius actress who built her career since her teens. Many directors sought after her for strong or difficult characters. She was nominated for an Oscar on her 20th birthday and had now become very famous. She did not play in the movie "2050" with Jean and Finland did not expect the two to know each other, to the point of having a bet about the ending of this movie.


    Lucia looked rather disappointed, knowing that her idol would have dinner with Franka, a beautiful actress who certainly couldn''t be compared to an ordinary person like her. But Anne, who was also a fan of Franka, was not disappointed at all! Instead, she hoped to meet Franka too.


    "How about you take Franka to dinner at the barbecue tomorrow? You don''t have a specific agreement where you should take her to dinner, right?" Anne said excitedly. "Come on... It will be fun!"


    Jean seemed to think about it and threw a glance at Finland. When he saw Finland nod, he finally decided to follow Anne''s advice. Jean picked up his cellphone and called Franka.


    "Hey... Fran... I lost the bet. Do you want to have dinner at my best friend''s place tomorrow? They will hold a barbecue party. I''ll introduce you to her," Jean said quickly.


    They could hear Franka''s shriek from Jean''s cellphone.


    "Hahahaha... you lost the bet! I told you, right? You should have trusted my words." Franka''s voice was crisp and happy, "I will empty my stomach all day and eat a lot at the barbeque!"


    "Hahaha... yes, that''s fine. So, let''s eat at my best friend''s barbecue party tomorrow. Would it be okay with you or not?"


    "Which friend? Finland?"


    "How many friends do I have?"


    "Whaa... I''d love to. I want to meet her! Oh my God, what should I wear tomorrow?" The crisp voice suddenly started to panic. "Ouch... I must look beautiful to meet her..."


    "Wahahaha... Finland is here, you know..." Jean said in an amused voice, "You''re already beautiful. Wear whatever and you''ll look good, don''t worry about it. Will you come to SF then tomorrow? I''ll pick you up at the airport."


    Franka sounded embarrassed and lowered her voice. She whispered something and then Jean hung up.


    "Wow... Franka sounds fun, huh..." Anne said happily. She couldn''t wait for tomorrow when she could take pictures with Jean and Franka at the same time. Of course, her Facebook and Instagram friends would be so jealous.


    "She is indeed a really fun girl..." Jean agreed.


    The problem was solved, and they continued eating happily. At 10pm, the four called it a night and went their separate ways.


    ***


    "How was the movie?" Caspar asked when Finland arrived home.


    "As usual, it was good," Finland answered. "Jean is very fortunate. Over the last two years all of his movies have been critically and commercially successful. His dream since he was young has finally come true. Now he is finally famous and people know him by just one name..."


    "Hmm..." Caspar smiled. He then hugged Finland and kissed her softly, "Aleksis has been sleeping since a while ago. You also have to rest. Tomorrow we will be busy with our guests."


    Finland nodded, "I''ll take a shower first."


    "You''re so Asian with your shower routine... Only Asians take a bath before going to bed. Other people will take a shower in the morning before they go out," Caspar said, smiling broadly. "But this is a habit I like about you. I don''t mind bathing you before you go to sleep..."


    "I was exhausted from the outside. My clothes must have been exposed to dust and various things; my body also has to be cleaned before I could sleep comfortably," Finland said quickly. "Jeez... bathing me? You think I''m a child?"


    She did not have time to hear Caspar''s answer because he had carried her to their bedroom and headed for the large ensuite bathroom.

 Chapter 218 - Barbecue (2)

    Aleksis took Lauriel''s big hand and patted it gently. She seemed to understand her godfather''s sadness and did not say anything.


    "Uhmm... isn''t that Aleksis'' nanny...?" Anne asked in a whisper. Finland nodded. She signaled that they should not disturb Lauriel and continue the barbecue.


    The atmosphere returned to normal and people tried not to disturb the sad looking man. Finland took a plate of some grilled meat and sauce, then walked towards Lauriel and sat next to him.


    "Have you eaten?" she asked in a soft voice.


    Lauriel raised his face and shook his head slowly. "Hmm..."


    "Eat first, so Aleksis also wants to eat. She will definitely refuse to eat if her Uncle Rory doesn''t eat..." Finland signaled to Kathy, who immediately came with a bowl of fruit for Aleksis. "Aleksis... accompany Uncle Rory for dinner, okay? Uncle Rory is feeling sad..."


    "Yes, Mummy..." Aleksis nodded. She took a piece of fruit from her bowl and fed it to Lauriel, "Uncle Rory, the strawberry is soooo delicious, you should have some..."


    Inevitably, Lauriel smiled slightly and opened his mouth to receive the piece of strawberry from Aleksis. "Thank you, Little Princess..."


    Aleksis nodded happily and devoured a piece of strawberry too. She then fed Lauriel with another piece of fruit and devoured the next piece. The sight of the little girl and her godfather was so heartwarming.


    Some of the guests became envious and suddenly they want to have a child too. Tony grabbed Rachel''s waist and pointed his chin toward them.


    "We can''t postpone having children. Once we get married, I want you to get pregnant right away..." Tony said in a whisper. Rachel smacked his shoulders while laughing.


    "Whaa... Aleksis and her nanny are very close, yeah. From this perspective they look like father and daughter," Lucia commented to Anne. "If we didn''t know who Finland''s husband is, maybe we would think the man over there is Aleksis'' father..."


    Her voice was heard by Caspar''s sharp ears and he immediately pouted. He was able to accept Finland''s friendship with Jean and his daughter''s close relationship with Lauriel... Ugh... but he didn''t need to hear people talk about it all the time in front of his face.


    He was Finland''s husband, and he was the father of her children.


    Finally, he became impulsive. Caspar signaled to Kathy, Luke, Jadeith and Ben to open several bottles of champagne and prepare the glasses. He would make an announcement right now.


    "Hallo everyone, please, may I have your attention..." He stood in the middle of the garden and clung his spoon into his champagne glass. "We have good news that we want to share..."


    Finland, who was still sitting next to Lauriel, immediately realized what Caspar was going to do and she could only facepalmed herself.


    Gosh... my pregnancy had only been 6 weeks... Wasn''t it too early to make such an announcement...??


    It was too late to do anything now. Her husband had received the attention of all guests. They were all standing around him and looked at him with interest.


    Caspar smiled broadly. He signaled the girl to come to him and she was forced to obey, smiling awkwardly.


    "My wife and I really want to give a younger sibling for Aleksis, and we are very happy because our wish just came true. Finland is pregnant."


    Whoaa... everyone looked very surprised and happy. In unison, they applauded happily. Champagne had been circulated and each of them raised the glasses in their hands and exclaimed congratulations.


    "How wonderful!! Aleksis will have a younger sibling!"


    "Congratulations! We are very happy to hear that!!"


    "Oh wow¡­ a new bundle of joy! That''s amazing!!"


    Caspar nodded here and there and smiled very broadly, "Sorry, but I can''t drink champagne with you guys. Finland is pregnant and she can''t drink alcohol, so I decided to do the same..."


    The faces of the women present seemed to shine in awe. What a dream husband who is so understanding!


    They immediately felt jealous of the simple girl who used to be their coworker. Finland was really lucky!


    "Wow... they are really a couple goals," Franka said to Jean. The man just nodded while finishing his champagne. After the glass was empty, he immediately went to hug Finland.


    "Now I understand why you only drank juice last night..." he said, once he remembered that last night Finland refused to drink champagne and only drank orange juice, "Congratulations... I''m happy for you... Let me know when the due date is near, so I can come and help take care of Aleksis..."


    Finland was very touched to hear that.


    "Thank you, Jean..."


    Lauriel only stared at the scene with a flat face. He returned to his senses when Aleksis placed another piece of fruit in his mouth. He then smiled at the little girl and devoured the strawberry.


    "Aleksis, you should come with me... Your mother and father already have another child," he whispered. "I don''t have anyone..."


    Aleksis nodded with certainty.


    "I will come with you, Uncle Rory..." she said, smiling at Lauriel, while eating a piece of grape.


    ***

 Chapter 219 - Decided to take Death

    The barbecue party was finally over and all the guests were stuffed with food and drink. Everyone was excited and happy. One by one they excused themselves and finally, at 7 pm, the only remaining attendance were the Schneider family, Lauriel, all the guards and staff, and Jean and Franka.


    "We have to go now. Tomorrow I have a press conference in LA..." Jean told the host. "Thank you for inviting us... the party was very fun..."


    "Thank you for coming..." Finland hugged Jean and then Franka. Caspar nodded and smiled.


    After Jean and Franka left, Jadeith and his friends turned back to return to downtown San Francisco. Only Ben and two bodyguards stayed to help Kathy and Luke take care of the rest of the party.


    Lauriel had withdrawn to the library and was enjoying a glass of wine with Aleksis, who was drinking milk. The two seemed to be in their own world, and both Caspar and Finland could only let watch from afar.


    Caspar could guess what had happened, that made Lauriel so sad. Surely, he had tested the DNA of the blood on Luna''s ring he was keeping and found that it indeed did not belong to his girlfriend. He then probably searched for information on Luna''s whereabouts and found that the girl had indeed died, but he couldn''t find her grave.


    If Luna were still alive, she would definitely look for Lauriel, and it wouldn''t be difficult for Lauriel or Caspar to find her.


    After making sure that everything was fine, Caspar invited Finland into the library. They brought with them a pot of tea and two glasses.


    "How are you, Lauriel?" Caspar asked, placing the teapot on the table. He then sat on the sofa and Finland sat next to him.


    Lauriel looked at them and took a deep breath.


    "Bad. I checked Alexei''s story, and he did not lie... The blood on the ring was not Luna''s."


    Finland looked at Caspar and Lauriel alternately. She did not know who they were talking about. Caspar turned to Lauriel as if asking for his approval, and after Lauriel nodded, he explained.


    "Luna was Lauriel''s girlfriend. She died in World War 2, when the allied forces bombed her family''s manor in Germany... At least that''s what we thought,"


    "Oh..." Finland covered her mouth in surprise. There were so many things that she didn''t know about Lauriel, even though they had been close friends for more than two years. She did not expect Lauriel''s fate to be so unfortunate. "I''m sorry, Lauriel..."


    Lauriel looked at her in grief. "Luna, my girlfriend... was pregnant when she returned to Germany. I planned to come after her after finishing my business in Asia. We wanted to get married... But then there was a massive bombing, and I was not there to protect her... That is why, when I met you in San Francisco, I felt like I was given a second chance... I loved Aleksis because she reminded me of my child who never had the chance to live..."


    Finland involuntarily shed her tears. She was very sad to hear Lauriel''s story. It turned out that for the past two years, she and Aleksis had been basking on the man''s kindness and affection because he was thinking of his own child... How sad...


    "I''m sorry I didn''t know..." Finland whispered in a choked voice. Unconsciously she approached Lauriel and hugged him, "I''m sorry..."


    Lauriel nodded slowly, "Thank you... no need to apologize, you have no fault in this. I feel fortunate to be able to meet you and get the chance to be a godfather to Aleksis..."


    Caspar looked at the scene with a complicated look. He was no longer jealous of Lauriel, but still, in his heart, he was worried that the man would take his family from him. Lauriel had lived with Finland and Aleksis for 2 years; even Caspar didn''t have the privilege to live with them for that long.


    "I heard that you are pregnant with another child..." Lauriel said. Finland let go of her arms and sat down next to Caspar. Her husband quickly grabbed her hand and placed it on his lap, as if to mark his territory. Lauriel, who noticed the scene, smiled faintly. "You are very lucky..."


    "Thank you," Caspar nodded.


    "I don''t have anyone..." Lauriel said softly.


    Aleksis, who heard his sad voice, immediately went up to Lauriel''s lap and stroked his cheeks. "Uncle Rory, don''t be sad... You have Aleksis, right?"


    Lauriel nodded emotionally, then smiled and ruffled Aleksis'' hair so that their appearance were equally messy. Caspar could only stare at the scene sadly.


    Lauriel looked up and spoke in a firm voice.


    "I have no more reason to live. I found Luna''s trace in Romania and most likely she had long died. I will try to find her grave... but I think it is unlikely. I have finally decided to give up on life..." He closed his eyes and pulled a deep breath, "I''ve decided to take Death."


    Finland and Caspar sighed together. They didn''t expect Lauriel to decide on such a thing.


    "Wh... why do you have to die?" Finland looked shocked, "What about Aleksis? She will definitely be very sad..."


    "Lauriel... please think about this again..." Caspar tried to persuade him.


    Lauriel shook his head softly, "As I said, I had decided to die two years ago, because I had no reason to live. Aleksis gave me a new reason to move on, but now she has met her biological father and she will slowly forget about me... I''d better go now rather than later, when she is older. She will be sadder then..."


    "Lauriel..." Caspar then lost his words and fell silent.


    "Without Aleksis... I don''t want to live anymore," Lauriel said, making up his mind. "If I may, I want to ask for a few months with her... I want to say goodbye."


    On the one hand Caspar was very reluctant to part with his daughter whom he had only met less than two months ago after being separated for so long, but on the other hand he could not refuse Lauriel''s request.


    "Uhm... how about you live with us?" Finally, Caspar made a decision. "You can be with Aleksis, but I don''t need to lose her either. Please understand my situation... I missed so many moments with her ¨C since she was in the womb until she is two years old..."


    Finland stared at Caspar. She did not expect her husband to act so wise and understanding. He had really changed much.


    Lauriel seemed to think for a moment, and a while later he nodded. "Alright... thank you. I really appreciate it..."

 Chapter 220 - Moving to New York

    Since Caspar and Lauriel were good friends, Caspar of course could not bear to refuse Lauriel''s last request. Moreover, he also hoped that over the next few months, Lauriel would change his mind and decide not to take Death.


    Lauriel stayed with the Schneider family in their mansion in Palo Alto for a week before they finally left for New York. There, Caspar had a mansion and a townhouse next to the mansion, which he bought because his old neighbors were very noisy. He also had a penthouse in St. Laurent Hotel New York, which was rarely occupied.


    In order not to disturb each other''s privacy, Lauriel was welcomed to stay in the penthouse while Caspar and his family reside in their mansion. Finland and Caspar would soon start working at the Schneider Group regional head office on Fifth Avenue and, while her parents were working, Lauriel would take Aleksis and look after her.


    This arrangement was a win-win for everyone; it even felt as if they were returning to their former life arrangement in San Francisco. The difference was that now Caspar was by Finland''s side, and the girl no longer worked in a company owned by someone else; she was working in her own husband''s company.


    Of course, no one in the office was told of her true identity, so as not to cause awkwardness among her coworkers. The HR had announced that Finland was a transfer employee from San Francisco who would start working on a new division, the Market Research department.


    "How do you like our house?" Caspar asked when they arrived at their mansion.


    New York was one of the most expensive cities in the world and having a mansion in the center of the city of Manhattan was unimaginable. Finland could only hold her breath.


    The mansion consisted of three levels and apparently, before their arrival, Caspar had ordered a flash renovation to have an elevator installed so that his pregnant wife did not have to go up and down the stairs.


    Gosh... Finland could only shake her head in amazement.


    "You know that going up and down the stairs is a good form of exercise, and pregnant women should workout diligently?" she asked Caspar, unable to hide her amusement.


    "We can do other types of workout, ones that are more fun to do," Caspar said, not wanting to lose. He then winked mischievously, provoking laughter from his wife. "Well, I see that you agree with me..."


    "You..." Finland could only hit his shoulders in exasperation. Her mischievous husband must mean sexercise. Jeez¡­


    The most beautiful and magnificent bedroom was located on the top floor, which was why Caspar insisted on installing an elevator. He didn''t want Finland to go up and down three storeys every day, especially in her early stage of pregnancy.


    He also did not want to sacrifice their comfort by living in a bedroom on the ground floor which, in his opinion, was not as perfect as the third-floor bedroom he liked so much.


    He quickly helped Finland organize their belongings in the bedroom and later he invited Finland and Aleksis to explore their new home. Everything was really beautiful and it was obvious that the designer had exquisite taste.


    Finland remembered Jadeith saying that the mansion in New York was one of Caspar''s permanent residences other than the one in Germany. That would explain why the house was decorated with such care - because he spent so much time here.


    There were many large rooms and sitting rooms on each floor. There was a library and two living rooms, a very spacious dining room, a kitchen that would make a Michelin starred restaurant owner shy, a beautiful garden in the back with a large swimming pool, and a serene koi fish pond. There was also an artificial waterfall and a gazebo with a swing, perfect for lounging and reading books.


    Finland couldn''t contain her emotions. Their house was very private and magnificent. Finland felt she that could enjoy staying here for a long time.


    "I like the house..." Finland whispered happily, "Our tastes are similar when it comes to home."


    "I''m glad to hear that," Caspar said, kissing Finland happily. "Want to eat at home or outside?"


    "Uhmm... let''s eat at home..." said Finland. She remembered that every time they ate in a restaurant, many people would stare at them, and it felt very uncomfortable. She began to understand why Caspar liked his privacy so much.


    "All right... I''ll invite Lauriel to have dinner here."


    "Good idea," Finland said.


    Although Lauriel lived in the hotel penthouse, Finland and Caspar decided to involve him as much as possible in Aleksis'' life. Both of them shared the same desire: they wanted Lauriel to cancel his plan to take Death.

 Chapter 221 - First day at work (1)

    That evening Finland insisted on helping in the kitchen. She was also good at cooking. The only difference was that she had been cooking without using any recipe. As a poor student, her living expenses were cheaper if she cooked her own food.


    Even after she was employed, she would often save money by bringing her own lunch box from home so that she didn''t have to buy lunch from outside.


    "It doesn''t feel fair if you always cook..." Finland said as she rolled up her sleeve and took the apron. "I can cook too..."


    Caspar just laughed, "I really don''t mind, Honey. I like cooking anyway..."


    "Yes, I know... your cooking is delicious, because you have been cooking for hundreds of years... But as a woman I also want to show my skills.." Finland insisted, "You''ve never eaten my cooking before, right? I want to show my love through food too..."


    Caspar listened to her intently, and knowing that he wouldn''t win this time, a smile etched on his face. He nodded happily, "I want to feel your love through cooking... all right... what are you going to cook?"


    "It''s a simple recipe, though... it won''t be as elaborate as your sophisticated dishes..." Finland said as she blushed, "I would like to cook fried noodle and fried rice..."


    "Hahahaha... okay. I''ll eat that. Cook your fried noodles or fried rice, and let me take care of the rest."


    Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar then hurriedly took the ingredients she needed from the refrigerator while humming a cheerful song. Caspar just watched her in amazement and then nodded while smiling to himself.


    The two were busy in the kitchen while Aleksis played in the backyard with Ben. The little girl had found a rabbit hole and happily chased several rabbits out of their nests.


    Lauriel arrived for dinner and the atmosphere at the dinner table was very warm as they enjoyed Caspar and Finland''s dishes that were made with love. During dinner, Aleksis couldn''t stop talking about her adventures with the rabbit horde this afternoon.


    It looked like their life in New York would be very pleasant.


    On Monday, Finland would start working in her new office for several months. Caspar couldn''t wait to spend time every day seeing Finland in his office, and Lauriel couldn''t wait to spend time with Aleksis when her parents went to work.


    ***


    Finland began her first day of work with enthusiasm. Caspar insisted on taking her to the office, but so as not to arouse the suspicions of other employees, Finland asked to be dropped off at a coffee shop one block from the Schneider Group building. From there, she continued on foot, while Caspar bought coffee and followed her in the car.


    The receptionist in the lobby welcomed Finland cordially and escorted her to the 20th floor. The tall building consisted of 35 floors and some of the floors were rented out to various companies. The Schneider Group itself occupied floors 20 to 35. Each floor had a large meeting room, hall and pantry.


    The 30th floor was devoted to recreation rooms and lounges for resting. On that floor, there was also a restaurant for employees which served healthy food made by the company''s chefs. All employees could eat and drink and rest at will as long as their work was done properly. There was also a gym, sauna and massage parlor for employees who needed them.


    Reading through information about Caspar''s corporation left Finland very impressed. This was a group of companies that oversaw hundreds of businesses, and its headquarters both in New York and Berlin were the ideal workplace.


    The company highly appreciated employees at the head offices and provided many facilities to make their lives easy, healthy, and productive.


    You could say they were pioneering a trend where companies provided all benefits to employees, which included free meals in company restaurants, break rooms to rest, and gyms to let go of some steam. As of this month, they also provided daycare for employees who had small children, so that the parents could concentrate on working knowing that their children were in a safe environment in their vicinity.


    Finland felt proud because Caspar treated his employees so well. She remembered that Caspar was also very generous, and he would easily give an extra bonus to his staff when he was happy.


    "Good morning, Miss Makela," said a woman in her mid-30s with a very serious face. "I''m glad you arrived on time. My name is Ruth Green."


    "Uhm... just call me Finland, Miss Green..." Finland said with a smile.


    "Okay, Finland, you can call me Ruth. For the next two days I will train you on the work you are going to do. I heard you were transferred from an office in San Francisco. Are you from the technology division in Silicon Valley?"


    "Uhm... I worked in the market research department at the previous company..." Finland said, trying not to lie. "I was told that there is a new division in the head office that matched my qualifications..."


    "That''s right. Today you can come with me and learn about how we operate, so that later you can work on your own. I have a few meetings to attend, and you can help make meeting notes and reports..."


    "Okay, Ruth..."


    "Now I will take you on a tour to show you the company and introduce you to people from the relevant departments. On each floor there is a pantry, and the restaurants, spas, gyms, and lounges are located on the 30th floor. You can even make your report while relaxing in the lounge."


    "Wow... how fun," Finland nodded happily.


    "Do you have children?"


    "A... yes, I do, why?" Finland asked in surprise. Her old company has never cared for whether she had any children or not.


    "Yes, from this month onwards the company also provides additional facilities for working mothers. Aside from the nursing rooms, we now also have a free daycare facility so that employees can leave their children there while they work..."


    Ruth looked beaming and proud when she told Finland about the new facility, "Our boss is very generous and understanding. This is a policy that greatly benefits female employees who have young children."


    Finland could not help smiling at that. She was touched. Of course, Caspar had been more attentive to female employees who had small children since he learned that Aleksis was his child. Now he understood how parents felt when they were forced to leave their children to go to work.


    "I have a child, but fortunately I have someone who is willing to look after her... So, I wouldn''t be needing the daycare facility. But this is a very good initiative... our boss sounds incredible..." Finland commented with a big smile.

 Chapter 222 - First day at work (2)

    Ruth''s face instantly changed to a worship-like expression, as she nodded excitedly, "He has been our boss for ten years... and all the women in this building adore him... If you meet him, you will understand for yourself."


    "Is that so?" Finland became interested. She knew that Caspar was a very private person, but apparently the people at his headquarters had the privilege of meeting him often.


    No wonder many women in this building adore him. An outsider who had never seen his face would think that the owner of the Schneider Group was an old goat, as some of Finland''s former office colleagues in Singapore once thought.


    "When can I meet him?" Finland asked curiously. She wanted to know how often Caspar appeared before his employees.


    "Hmm... for employees at your level, it''s very difficult to say..." Ruth said, shaking her head, "Only the top bosses meet with him regularly. Ordinary staff can only see him if they''re lucky, usually when he comes or goes to work. Or at the company''s annual event... hmm... actually, next week is the company''s Christmas Party and we are inviting a famous singer. Maybe he will attend... you can see him there."


    Finland almost laughed at the adoring look on Ruth''s face. This woman certainly idolized her husband.


    "I can''t wait..." Finland said.


    "This year''s Christmas party is going to be incredible. For the first time ever, our company invited Billie Yves to perform. I don''t know how they got her, for as far as I know, Billie can''t be invited to a private or corporate party..." Ruth said again. "Everyone in the company is very excited and looking forward to the party..."


    Finland could not help covering her lips in surprise.


    Gosh... Caspar intentionally invited her favorite singer to the company''s Christmas party.


    He still remembered that Billie Yves was Finland''s favorite singer.


    This made Finland very moved.


    "Sorry, I have to call someone..." she said quickly, she apologized with her hand then went to a corner and called Caspar.


    Ruth nodded. She saw Finland''s face change and the corners of her eyes were wet in with tears. This call must be very important, she thought.


    Finland called Caspar, who had just entered the building lobby and was walking towards the elevator. The employees who saw him walking nodded respectfully.


    Some were amazed, because Caspar seemed to smile broadly while talking on the phone. Usually their boss was always in a rush and not very expressive when talking on the phone, but this morning they saw him smiling sweetly and his steps were relaxed.


    "Hello, my dear... what''s wrong? Have you missed me?" he asked in a teasing voice.


    "Caspar... thank you for inviting Billie Yves for the upcoming Christmas party..." Finland stammered because she was deeply moved, "I really like Billie..."


    "I know," Caspar answered. He was already in the elevator and pressed the button to the 35th floor. The people around him seemed interested in hearing the man speak very softly on the phone. They had never seen him like this before. Some were even trying to eavesdrop.


    "I''ve also heard of the new daycare facility in the company... for mothers with young children... thank you. This will really help women like me, who have to work while raising young children. You''re very understanding..." Finland said again.


    "Hmmm..." Caspar smiled and nodded to himself. He did not think that Finland would immediately find out all the things he had done for the girl on her first day of work, but he was happy. This meant that Finland understood that Caspar loved her very much and was willing to do anything for her. "I''m glad you like it. If there''s any input on what else to improve, I''ll be happy to comply..."


    "Oh, there isn''t any at the moment. Everything''s great."


    "All right. What was your first impression of working at the company?"


    "I like it. I hope to learn a lot."


    "Good. I''ll see you later for lunch, okay. Take care of yourself, I love you."


    "I love you too." Finland hung up the phone with a warm heart. She felt even more loved day after day, and her chest almost burst out with joy.


    Caspar hung up the phone, smiling to himself. He just realized the presence of the people around him when he heard the sound of them holding their breaths. He looked left and right, and saw the curious faces of his employees, who had heard him say "I love you" to someone in a very soft voice.


    They had known him for 10 years and had never seen him with a lover. Caspar was a womanizer in the past, but he never mixed personal and work matters, so none of his employees had seen him with any women before.


    Now, suddenly, their big boss was all lovey dovey and was talking intimately with a woman on the phone. Of course, everyone was very curious.


    That afternoon rumors began to spread in the NY headquarter that their big boss might eventually bring a date to the corporate Christmas party next week.

 Chapter 226 - Life in New York

    Half an hour later, the four of them enjoyed their dinner and talked about their respective activities. Today, Aleksis and Lauriel took a walk to Central Park and fed the swans in the lake, chased rabbits and then returned to read books and play Go.


    Caspar and Finland were very happy to see Lauriel''s sparkling face as he watched Aleksis tell her parents of today''s adventures. They really hoped that Lauriel''s sadness could be overcome by Aleksis''s presence by his side.


    At 9pm Caspar, Finland, and Aleksis took their leave to return to their mansion.


    Soon after he waved goodbye to Aleksis, who walked away with her parents, Lauriel''s face turned gloomy again.


    The sadness he experienced was so severe and deep. He didn''t know if he would ever be happy again.


    ***


    For the following two days, Finland was still in training and followed Ruth working in her office. However, on the third day, she was assigned the task of managing several projects involving Indonesia.


    There were several wind turbine projects and a startup that involved micro-mobility projects in Southeast Asia, starting from Indonesia. Finland had to examine the data related to the industry and the market situation in Indonesia before the company could agree to invest in the startup.


    For several days she was absorbed in research. She read various references and contacted many people. She especially liked this job because of the environmentally friendly aspects in it.


    Since a few years ago, Indonesia had ramped up massive infrastructure development and as a result now the lives of people in urban areas had become very mobile. Many big cities in Indonesia were able to enjoy a more orderly and organized method of mass transportation. People also no longer relied on private vehicles for mobility.


    The startup named Trengginas focused its business on providing e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas for urban residents who wanted to travel close distances, without having to walk to the nearest bus stops or MRT stations. That way they need not to walk far and could save time.


    By using the application, they could find an e-bike or e-scooter closest to where they were located and activate it for use at a certain time. They could use the vehicle to go wherever they wanted to go and park them at the places provided. Users would be billed according to how long they use the vehicles.


    This concept was similar to the concept of a shared economy car rental such as Socar or Turo, where customers could rent cars through the application and search for vehicles closest to their location.


    The difference was that Trengginas focused on environmentally friendly industries, so they chose to operate an e-bike and e-scooter fleet which could be charged with electricity and thus save energy.


    It was also better for nature than businesses like Grab, Uber, and Gojek, whose business caused more cars and motorbikes to fill the streets. They were a big contributor in the increase of pollution levels and the greenhouse effect.


    The drawback was that Trengginas would require huge investment funds to provide their own fleet, in contrast to Grab and Gojek who did not need to invest in a fleet of vehicles because they partner with drivers had to provide their own vehicles.


    In addition, they also had to make a subscription application software, an additional software to control and track their bicycles and scooters, as well as maintenance of the front-end and back-end. That was why Trengginas submitted proposals to several investment giants to notice their business.


    Some startups from Southeast Asia succeeded because of their breakthrough a few years ago and became unicorns* even decacorns*, such as Grab, Gojek, Traveloka, Tokopedia, etc. They were able to grow big because of the support of investment funds from giant investment companies.


    Finland certainly hoped that the results of her research could help Caspar''s investment subsidiaries make the right decision, which was whether they should invest in Trengginas or not. If she misjudged and they missed the opportunity to take part now, they would would surely swallow the bitter pill if one day Trengginas became successful with the support of another investment company.


    "Finland..." Ruth suddenly came and disrupted her concentration, "You were summoned to the 35th floor."


    Ruth''s face looked very jealous.


    "Me? Why?" Finland knew that the highest floor in the building was where Caspar''s office was located, along with his top directors. During her several days in the company, she never had the opportunity to go to that floor because her position in the company''s food chain was almost at the bottom.


    "I heard that Mr. Schneider received a number of documents in Indonesian language and they requested someone who understood Indonesian to translate the documents for him... He said it was urgent."


    Ruth seemed to wish that she understood Indonesian so that she was the one asked to go up there.


    Finland laughed to herself. She knew that this was Caspar''s trick to meet up with her.


    These past few days they were only able to meet each other during lunch and that one hour in the lounge when Finland worked on her reports or did her research.


    As usual, they would sit together in the cabana and chat if Caspar wasn''t taking a nap. Apparently, today he couldn''t wait to meet Finland early and concocted an excuse that he needed someone who spoke Indonesian to help translate important documents.


    "Oh... okay. I''ll go up soon." Finland cleared her laptop and headed out of the office to the elevator. Ben was waiting for her in front of the elevator with an access card to the 35th floor. He bowed slightly with a faint smile and welcomed Finland.


    "Hello, Ben. You don''t need to pick me up..." said Finland. "I can go up myself."


    "Uhm... you can''t, madam. Every employee only has access according to their position. Currently you can only access floors 20 to 25, and floor 30. For the other floors you need special permission or an invitation," Ben explained. Only now Finland understood. Ah... no wonder Ben was sent down to pick her up.


    "Master thinks if you hold a special access card, people would get suspicious." Ben continued, "So I was sent here to pick you up."


    Finland nodded.


    "Thank you. I am sorry to trouble you then. By the way, what is he doing now? There aren''t really any documents to translate, are there?" Finland asked with a suspicious face.


    Ben just smiled.

 Chapter 227 - The translator

    When the elevator arrived on the 35th floor, they immediately got out. Finland was amazed at how luxurious the office space on the highest floor was. There were only large office rooms for directors and several meeting rooms. Of course, the biggest room with a large wooden door that was tightly closed was where Caspar did all his work.


    Several secretaries and staff passing by in the central office, where the personal staff of the directors worked together, seemed to stare at Finland who had just arrived with Ben. It was very rare for people from the lower office to go up to this floor.


    "Please come in, Miss. Master really needs the translation," Ben said loudly as he invited Finland to enter Caspar''s office. He knocked on the door twice then opened it, "Good afternoon, Sir. Miss Finland, who can translate the document, has arrived."


    Finland entered and disappeared behind the door. She could not say anything for a moment seeing how big and nice the Schneider Group owner''s private office was. It was like a smaller version of his penthouse in St. Laurent Hotel.


    There was a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a beautiful balcony with lounge chairs surrounded by trees and flowers, then, to the left, there was a room to rest, a private bathroom, and a lounge to delight yourself with a fully equipped minibar.


    "Hey..." Caspar, who was sitting at his desk, immediately got up when he saw Finland''s arrival. "My interpreter is here..."


    His voice sounded nonchalant and Finland was forced to hold back her laughter. Caspar was very creative in thinking of various ways for them to meet without inviting suspicion from his employees. This made Finland''s heart pound and her cheeks flushed red.


    "I will go now, sir. The translator has arrived and is ready to help you translate the documents." Ben smiled broadly then left the room.


    As soon as the door closed, Caspar immediately pulled Finland into his arms and kissed her lips passionately.


    "Hmmmm... there are quite a lot of document that need to be translated... I think you will need the whole day to do it..." he whispered in a husky voice and a moment later he devoured Finland''s lips greedily. The girl tried desperately to hold back so as not to moan.


    "Gosh... what if someone enters?" she whispered, hitting Caspar''s shoulder when the man finally let go of her lips.


    "Sshh... Aleksis is not here. No one would dare enter my office without me asking them to come or allowing them to enter." Caspar looked very confident. He was the big boss at the company and no one was bold enough to disturb his privacy for fear of being sacked. Only towards his daughter, Aleksis, was he helpless...


    A smile curved up on his lips as he remembered when Aleksis and Kara caught them making out in his study room in Germany.


    "Well... I can stay here all day, especially if there are sooo many documents to translate..." Finland said with a big smile. She invited Caspar to sit together on the sofa and she immediately leaned her head on her husband''s shoulders. "Your office is very nice... I have never seen such a luxurious and large office before..."


    "Well, enjoy whatever you want. Whenever you need a comfortable nap or rest with privacy, just let me know, I''ll find another document for you to translate... hahaha. Resting here with me is more fun than in the lounge on the 30th floor," Caspar said.


    "Uhm... actually, the lounge on the 30th floor is also great. There are plenty of places to rest. There are cabanas, sofas, and various sleeping pods. In my old company, we only had a pantry and meeting rooms."


    "Uff... But in the 30th floor we can''t rest like this...!!" Caspar said in a mischievous tone, before he suddenly lifted Finland and carried her to his resting room. Finland, who was about to protest, was forced to keep her mouth silent. She didn''t want to raise the suspicion of those outside.


    Caspar placed her gently on the bed and started kissing her face, her neck, then down to her plump breasts. His hands were slowly taking off their clothes, one by one.


    ***

 Chapter 228 - Mr. Schneider finally has a girlfriend??

    Finland could only smile to herself at the thought of how thrilling it was to make love in Caspar''s office with the door unlocked and with so many people working outside. Caspar was very confident that no one would dare to enter without his orders, and that proved to be true. Until the afternoon, when Finland finally ''finished translating'', there were no disturbances at all.


    They enjoyed tea and chatted about the results of Finland''s research as well as about the preparation of the company''s Christmas party after Caspar''s so-called ''rest''.


    "I rarely come to the company Christmas parties," Caspar said, "but this year I want to come because I''ve made the effort of inviting Billie Yves for you. I want to make you happy because we can watch her show together."


    "Thank you... you''re very kind," Finland kissed Caspar gratefully and glared at him. "I love you soooo much!"


    "Do you know the theme of the party this year?" Caspar asked her.


    "The Victorian, Ruth told me."


    "It''s not just a Victorian costume Christmas party," Caspar said, " I deliberately added new arrangements because you work here. I''ve asked the committee to make an announcement that the party will be a masquerade party. So besides wearing Victorian costumes, all guests must wear masks. Those who don''t have a mask will be given one by the company to wear at the party."


    "Wow... that sounds exciting," Finland became very excited, "But why because of me?"


    "I want you to come to the party as my wife, but you certainly don''t want people to recognize you, right?"


    "Oh..." Finland finally understood. This was a very neat plan. Caspar could come to the Christmas party with her, and her colleagues would not recognize her. Ah... her husband was full of bright ideas. "I like it!"


    "Hahaha... I knew it. Lauriel doesn''t like crowds, so he certainly won''t come even if we invited him. I''ll ask him to stay with Aleksis while we go to the party. He will be very happy."


    Finland nodded. "Great idea."


    Finland became very excited about the company''s Christmas party. She was also happy to imagine that if Caspar came to the event with a partner, she would stop hearing her husband being gossiped about by her office friends.


    "Ah, it''s almost time to go home from work. People will be suspicious if I don''t get out of your office," Finland got up and took her laptop. "I''ll get down first. I''ll wait for you in the car as usual."


    Caspar got up and kissed her and led Finland to the door.


    "Thank you for your help, Miss Makela. The document was very important..." he said casually as he closed the door after Finland leaned toward him to excuse herself. From the outside, it would seem that Caspar was indifferent and his mind was preoccupied with work, as usual.


    Although they were very convincing, and everyone thought Finland was only working on translating important documents for hours, many women remained jealous of her because she spent so much time in that special office with the big boss.


    Ruth repeatedly asked Finland about her opinion on the amazing Mr. Schneider, since the girl had managed to work near him for many hours the previous day. The questions continued during their lunch break on the 30th floor.


    "Uhm... He is a very kind person," Finland said, somewhat confused about what to say, "I expressed my appreciation for all of the policies that improve the wellbeing of employees in the company, and especially for parents with young children."


    "What else did you guys talk about?" Priyanka asked.


    Seeing that her office friends would not stop bothering her until she gave them a satisfying answer, Finland finally gave in.


    "We talked about the research I''m doing, whether I like working at this company or not, and about the Christmas party tomorrow night." She explained without lying, "Mr. Schneider admitted that he doesn''t usually attend company parties, but tomorrow he will come with his partner because she is a big fan of Billie Yves."


    "Ohhh... it''s no wonder that this year the company invited Billie to our party..." Priyanka exclaimed. "It will be really fun."


    "So, does that mean that the circulating rumors are true? Mr. Schneider finally has a girlfriend?" asked Ruth. "Well... we have to find a new crush now."


    "Sigh..." Simultaneously the three girls sighed.


    They knew that sooner or later this most eligible bachelor in New York would find love and get married. He was old enough to settle down and he had everything a man could ever dream of in life. Of course, they could not possibly hope that he would notice ordinary girls like them.


    "So... let''s just pray that our good boss will be happy with his life and let''s stop gossiping about his personal life. What do you think?" suggested Finland. She was pleased to see their reaction. Finally, they stopped gossiping Caspar and Finland could enjoy the rest of her meal peacefully. "His assistant is also handsome and it looks like he''s still single. What''s his name... Benjamin Van Der Ven? Right? Why not chase him instead?"


    Her colleagues could only sigh. Ruth finally explained, "You''re a new employee, so you don''t know, but Ben already has a family in Germany. He was married when he was very young and he already has older children."


    Finland was very surprised to hear that. She had spent so much time around Ben and she didn''t even know that Ben was married. The man was always with Caspar, so naturally she thought Ben was still single. What kind of wife could accept her husband being away all the time?


    "Oh... I didn''t know that..." Finland felt ashamed because it turned out that she didn''t really know Ben, even though Ben was one of the people closest to Caspar other than Jadeith and Stanis.


    "It''s okay, you''re new here, so that''s understandable. Ben usually works six months in New York with Mr. Schneider and six months in Berlin with his family. Mr. Schneider has another assistant who often replaces Ben. If I''m not mistaken, his name is Max or something. But he''s mostly based in the German office, so we rarely see him here."


    "Oh, good to know..."


    Inwardly Finland decided to ask more questions about Caspar''s staff and pay better attention to the people near him so that she would not miss information like this.

 Chapter 229 - Corporate Christmas Party (1)

    They then discussed tomorrow''s Christmas party at the St. Laurent Hotel ballroom.  Finland was relieved because it seemed that the girls had stopped talking about the big boss. Her ears could no longer stand their gossip.


    "Tomorrow we will leave the office early because all employees are given the opportunity to get ready for the party. We are planning to go to the hair salon before attending the event so we can look our best," Ruth said. "Will you bring your family tomorrow, Finland? You told me you have a child¡­ are you going to take your child with you?"


    "Uh, yes... but because my child is still very young, I will not stay long at the party as we must go home early," Finland replied.


    She had discussed this with Caspar and they agreed that Finland should come with Aleksis for half an hour and socialize with her office friends so as not to be considered anti-social and to build good relations with them.


    After about 30 minutes, she would take Aleksis home to Lauriel and then return to the event with Caspar about 15 minutes before Billie''s concert.


    "Ohhh... how old is your child?" Priyanka asked enthusiastically. "Does she have a father to care for her...?"


    "Yes, but it is a bit complicated, sorry, I can''t tell you right now..." Finland answered, starting to feel uneasy. She did not like to lie, but with her current situation, it would be very awkward if her identity were to be uncovered. She only wanted to work and study at the company. She didn''t want to attract any attention.


    Her office friends thought Finland was experiencing severe personal problems and was separated from her child''s father, so they did not force further inquiries. Such situations were quite common in America.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be nosy. It would be nice to meet your child tomorrow night." Ruth patted Finland''s shoulder warmly.


    "Thank you..."


    Finland spent the rest of her time in the lounge making databases and contacting information brokerage firms to conduct long-distance interviews with several informants from Indonesia in the industry that was being researched.


    She wanted to complete the assessment for Trengginas no later than next week because after the company Christmas party, there was only one week of work left before the long Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year holidays. The last working day was December 20 and employees return to work on January 3.


    [Honey, I can''t go to the 30th floor today, I have to meet the governor. We will meet at home tonight. Ivan will take you home.]


    Caspar sent an SMS to Finland when the girl was fervently making her report.


    [Er, it''s fine, I can take the subway. I''ve never used the public transportation in New York before. I really want to try it out and see the famous Grand Central Station.] Finland answered.


    [Uhm... you really want to take the public transportation...?]


    Caspar was about to nag, but then he realized that Finland and himself had very different lifestyles and preferences. Finland liked to walk everywhere, as long as the distance was still under 3 km. She also enjoyed taking the public transportation when she was in Paris with Jean.


    That was also one of the reasons why Caspar fell in love with her; the girl was not spoiled and was very simple. Finally, Caspar relented.


    [OK. You can take the subway. But please be careful. I will send Ivan and Jadeith to take care of you from afar.]


    A smile engraved on Finland''s lips. She understood why Caspar was so determined to protect her. She was her husband''s weakness. After what happened to Aleksis two months ago, they had to be more careful.


    [Of course. Thank you.]


    Finland was always cautious and not careless because she did not want to worry Caspar, She was happy because she could still enjoy her usual carefree routine, even with the bodyguard provided for her.


    She had experienced how Caspar''s bodyguards really guarded their privacy and never looked conspicuous and annoying. The only moment when Finland saw them appear was when people were taking pictures of Caspar when they were queuing at Liao Fan''s chicken rice restaurant in Singapore, the cheapest Michelin-starred Restaurant in the world.


    ***

 Chapter 230 - Corporate Christmas Party (2)

    The next day the mood of all employees in the office was very bright. Almost no one could focus on working because they were all busy discussing the company''s Christmas party that would be held that night.


    Usually at this Christmas party, besides having suave events, good food, various interesting shows, and lots of prizes, the company would also announce the profits they made this year and how much bonuses would be given to employees.


    It was safe to say that this was a long-awaited day. The bonus would usually be transferred a few days after the party, so that all employees could go on vacation with their family with a thick pockets.


    Finland was very happy because she started working at the right time; just a week before the company Christmas party, and therefore she could really experience the excitement.


    Caspar decided to work from home that day, so Finland left alone for the office. She held two remote meetings with an information brokerage company and scheduled several interviews for the following week.


    At 2pm Finland was back at home. Her face looked satisfied because the project she was working on seemed to go very smoothly.


    "Will the new employees also get a bonus at the company''s Christmas party?" Finland asked, putting her bag on the sofa. She then walked toward Caspar who was fiddling with his laptop, showing something to Aleksis on his lap, to give him a kiss.


    "Hey, honey... Hahaha... usually they don''t. You''ve only been working for a week, right?" Caspar looked at Finland with a teasing look, "But I can give you whatever bonus you want."


    "Ah, I''m just curious..." Finland said, smiling back. "So, I''ll come to the party first with Aleksis, then ''go home'' and leave Aleksis with Lauriel, then we come together to the party?"


    "Yes. I''ll catch up with you. I still have a little business to attend to," Caspar said, nodding.


    "Uhm... Okay."


    Actually, Finland was rather surprised because Caspar was not usually like this. She had initially expected Caspar to offer to come with her to St. Laurent Hotel and wait for her in the penthouse until she was done chatting with her office friends, and then they would come down together.


    Today, too, he chose to work from home instead of going to the office with her. It was very weird, considering that Caspar usually didn''t want to be far from her side.


    Hmm...


    At 5 pm, Finland was ready with Aleksis in their beautiful Victorian gowns (19th century England) and left for St. Laurent. The atmosphere in the hotel was very lively and the ballroom was quickly filled with employees who dressed up and came with their spouses. Some, like Finland, even brought their children.


    At the reception desk, just before entering the ballroom, was a long table where hundreds of beautiful masks were provided for guests who did not bring their own masks.


    The general vibe was very pleasant and warm. Inside the ballroom, there were dozens of beautiful dining tables and party chairs. Each table had a sign with the name of the department, which made it easy for Finland to find her department friends.


    "Hey... you came early. The event hasn''t started yet..." said Ruth, who looked radiant in her beautiful dress. She invited Finland to sit next to her and she immediately kissed Aleksis, who looked like a little angel dressed as a Victorian princess. "Jeez... is this your daughter? She''s so beautiful. What''s her name?"


    "My name is Aleksis, Auntie," Aleksis answered with a smile.


    "Whaa... not only are you beautiful, you are very smart too!" exclaimed Ruth, "Ah, you make me jealous. Now I really want to have a child..."


    "Ahahaha... you can, Ruth." Finland just laughed at that.


    They then chatted and enjoyed the snacks and drinks provided at the table while waiting for the event to start.


    "There, at the corner of that table, is where the big bosses and their spouses will sit. Usually they come in the middle of the event. That''s when they will give speeches and announcements from the corporation. Our table is coincidentally very strategically located. We will be able to observe Mr. Schneider and his girlfriend later... I''m curious to know what kind of person she is," Ruth said enthusiastically.


    Finland could only sigh at that.


    The party finally started, and the employees eagerly enjoyed the music performances and games from the MC, as well as drinks and appetizers. The atmosphere was becoming more and more lively.

 Chapter 231 - Corporate Christmas Party (3)

    "Don''t you drink wine? This is our subsidiary''s wine. It''s quality is number one. I personally wouldn''t spend money to buy this because the price is sooo expensive... aahaha... But if given for free, I will drink A LOT." Ruth said happily.


    Finland shook her head with a smile, "I''m not drinking wine..."


    "Oh yeah? Are you Muslim? Why don''t you drink alcohol?" Ruth asked in surprise. She remembered Finland was of Indonesian descent and realized that the majority of the country''s population adheres to Islam which forbade alcoholic drinks.


    "No, I''m not drinking wine because I''m pregnant..." Finally, Finland admitted bluntly. She did not want to make absurd excuses, after all, sooner or later her pregnancy would begin to show.


    Ruth was agape, "Gosh... are you pregnant again? You''re still so young, and child number two is already on the way..."


    Finland wanted to protest because she felt that she was not that young. She was almost 27 years old. But then she realized that in Western countries, most career women delayed getting married and having children because they wanted to focus on work.


    It was especially difficult for women in America to have children and careers at the same time because they did not provide maternity leave for mothers. The cost of child care and baby sitter was also extremely expensive.


    It was very different from Finland, where every mother could get a four-month paid leave after they gave birth to a child, and every father could get a two-month paid leave. After the maternity leave, one parent could continue to ''leave'' work until their child was 3 years old and still receive a salary of 450 euros (approx. 500 USD) per month. Thereafter, they were entitled to return to their old jobs.


    Also, for over 75 years, the government of Finland had been gifting mothers-to-be with a large box which contained all the necessities required by a newborn such as blankets, baby clothes, diapers, baby shampoo, baby powder, etc., and the box itself could function as a baby crib! It was a kind of starter kit for parents who were expecting a newborn.


    This was done by the government to give all babies an equal opportunity in life from the moment they were born regardless of their family background. Also, due to this custom, Finland had one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. Of course, all these facilities could be enjoyed by citizens of Finland because they paid very high taxes.


    A few years ago, Sweden also started implementing a similar policy by providing parents with a 16-month parental leave per child, and some of the leave must be used by the father. Mothers would usually take leave for 10 months, and the fathers would take the remaining 6 months.


    That way they could take care of their baby together.. Additional leave would be given if they had twins. That was why now, in Sweden, the sight of fathers spending time with their children in cafes was getting very common because fathers also get the privilege of taking time off work if they had children. They could spend time with their children when they took this leave.


    Norway, too, had a generous and flexible birth leave system. Mothers could take 35 weeks of paid leave, receiving full salary, or 45 weeks of paid leave, receiving 80% of their salary. Fathers could take up to 10 weeks of leave depending on the wives'' income.


    Together, both parents could also get an additional 46 weeks of leave with full salary or 56 weeks with 80% pay. Not all developed countries implement such a child-friendly systems.


    In the United States, even though citizens paid high taxes, the health facilities and benefits they receive were far below what they pay for. Men and women did not get leave if they had children, because it was not regulated in the law.


    That was why in America, there were fewer female executives than male executives, because women were forced to choose between their family or career. They couldn''t compromise with having children if they wanted to reach the top positions.


    So, it was understandable why Ruth seemed so surprised to know that Finland already had child and was even pregnant with her next one, in the midst of work competition as it was today.


    "You are looking for trouble... Having two children at such a young age and busy work life like now... Jeez..." Ruth gulped down her wine and signaled the waiter to refill her glass. "Good luck."


    Finland could only smile. She wouldn''t want to get pregnant again, if she had to raise her children alone. It was hard being a single parent. She and Aleksis were lucky they met Lauriel who accompanied and helped them a lot.

 Chapter 232 - Sweet Surprise (1)

    Aleksis was the star of the party that night. Finland''s office mates who saw her were very enthusiastic about hugging and teasing the little girl.


    Finland felt very proud because her daughter was loved by everyone. They were constantly chatting and being playful with her, and were sad when Finland and Aleksis finally had to leave.


    "Well, it''s Aleksis'' bedtime very soon... We have to go home, okay..." Finland said. Aleksis smiled sweetly and waved to everyone. She looked very angelic .


    Aww... many women who didn''t have children felt jealous because Finland had a really cute daughter and she could still work so well. They thought that she had a really strong family support.


    Once out of the ballroom, Finland and Aleksis did not return to the mansion. They took the elevator to the top floor and a few minutes later they were in the penthouse where Lauriel stayed. The man was reading when they entered.


    "Hey... oh my God... you girls look so beautiful in those historical outfits..." he exclaimed in a happy voice. He seemed truly impressed. "I want to take a photo of you two..."


    He hurriedly took out his cellphone and photographed the mother and child.


    "Uncle Rory... it''s very crowded down there..." Aleksis commented. "I was almost asphyxiated because so many people hugged me..."


    Finland laughed at her daughter''s exaggeration and how she always spoke in a cute tone in front of Lauriel.


    "Hush... you know that Mummy won''t let you be asphyxiated from all those hugs," she said.


    Aleksis just rolled her eyes, and quickly walked towards Lauriel and sat on his lap.


    "What are you reading, Uncle? Yesterday you were reading to me the fairy tale book about Prince Siegfried the Dragon Slayer. We are not finished yet. You have to continue reading it for me..." she protested when she saw Lauriel reading a book of poetry.


    "Of course, Princess..." Lauriel got up while carrying Aleksis, took a book from his room and sat back down. He then continued reading her stories about the prince from the German mythology, who was famous for being a dragon slayer.


    Finland just looked at the scene with a smile spread on her face. She was very pleased with the arrangements they had now. She was happy that Lauriel still had a role in Aleksis'' life because she could not bear to take Aleksis away from him after she and Caspar were reunited. So, Caspar''s decision to invite Lauriel to live with them was, in her opinion, the best decision.


    Suddenly, there were two knocks on the penthouse door and then the door opened. Finland turned and found Caspar entering the penthouse carrying a large box.


    "Hey... I brought you a change of clothes," Caspar said, lifting the box in his hand with a big smile, "And... an early Christmas present, as well as a bonus for the best employee in town, who is also very talented as a translator..."


    "Hey ..." Finland got up and received the box from Caspar, "Thank you."


    She was suddenly rooted to her place after receiving the box. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone enter through the door behind Caspar.


    "Hey... how are you?" Those distinctive cat eyes narrowed as the owner smiled broadly and then burst out laughing to see Finland standing transfixed like a mannequin. "Why are you so quiet?"


    "Jean ...? Are you coming here?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "I was invited, so I came. When I knew that Billie would be performing, I felt that I had to come too. Coincidentally I am on my way to Paris, so I might as well add a 24-hour transit in New York." Jean stepped forward and hugged Finland, even though the large box containing a dress was blocking them. "We never celebrated a Christmas party together."


    "You''re right..." said Finland. She then looked at Caspar with a grateful look, "I didn''t know you invited Jean, thank you..."


    "Ahaha... I remember that our last new year''s party didn''t end very well. So, I want to make up for it for everyone. So, there is you, me, Jean, and Billie Yves..." Caspar replied with a happy smile.


    He was very glad because the surprise made Finland very happy. That was why today he deliberately did not go to the office and did not go with Finland to St. Laurent Hotel.


    He wanted to surprise her with the presence of Jean and Billie Yves, two of his wife''s favorite people.


    "Billie?" Finland asked, not understanding.


    "Hi, Finland... I''m here..." Billie Yves suddenly entered with a faint smile. She also embraced Finland, who was immediately moved to tears.


    She. Really. Liked. Billie Yves.


    Billie Yves'' Songs. Were. Her. Friends. When. She. Was. Lonely.


    "Oh, God... Billie Yves is here..." she whispered in disbelief. "Do you still remember me?"


    "Of course I remember you. You''re not someone who can easily be forgotten," Billie said kindly, "I can''t believe you lived in San Francisco for 2.5 years and never visited me in LA."


    "Oh... that, sorry... I was afraid you didn''t remember me..." Finland confessed. Gosh, if she had known that her favorite singer still remembered her, of course she would try to contact Billie for a meet-up.


    "Ahaha... it''s fine." Billie shook her head and smiled, comforting Finland. "Come to the studio sometime."


    "Of course..."


    The atmosphere was very warm, and Finland felt like she was in the seventh heaven. All the people she loved were in the same place and in good health, and they were having a warm conversation.


    .


    *PDA = Public Display of Affection

 Chapter 233 - Sweet Surprise (2)

    "All right... we still have an hour before we need to go down. Anybody want to drink champagne?" Caspar asked. He took one of his most expensive bottles of champagne and three glasses. The glasses were given to Jean, Billie, and Lauriel. He then poured juice for himself and Finland.


    "You don''t drink?" Billie asked in surprise.


    Caspar and Finland looked at each other. Before Finland could answer, Jean explained to Billie what had happened.


    "Finland is pregnant, so she cannot drink alcohol right now. And, her husband decided to accompany her and not drink alcohol until their child is born..."


    Billie seemed very impressed.


    "Wow... amazing..." She nodded in admiration. She then took out her cellphone and wrote something. "I just got an idea for a new song. Later when it''s done, I''ll send you the demo."


    Finland was agape... Billie was inspired to compose a song about her?


    Oh my God... this was the best Christmas present I''ve ever received in a lifetime, she thought happily.


    She turned to Caspar with tears almost dripping down her cheeks, "Thank you... thank you for inviting Jean and Billie for me... I love you."


    "Of course," Caspar rubbed her wet eyes gently with his fingers, "I''m glad you like my gifts..."


    Other people in the room could only look elsewhere when the couple showed their affection.


    Unwittingly and simultaneously Jean, Billie, and Lauriel sipped their champagne.


    "Gosh... sorry, I was so touched..." Finland hurriedly sipped her juice and changed her expression to be more cheerful. She realized that the other people in the room did not have a romantic partner and certainly felt uncomfortable with the PDA* Caspar and herself had shown earlier. "Jean, you didn''t bring Franka to this party?"


    Jean shook his head.


    "No, I actually have a hidden agenda for coming here with Billie." He seemed to smile awkwardly, "I want to stay away from Franka because she''s too aggressive. So now I''m creating gossip that I have a special relationship with Billie. There are already a number of paparazzi waiting outside the hotel."


    "Gosh..." Finland turned to Billie, "You don''t mind?"


    Billie just shrugged, "Why not? Jean helped me a lot, so I want to return the favor. I''m also tired of being rumored a lesbian just because I''ve never dated a man..."


    Billie was the same age as Jean and they looked very good together. She was very beautiful, and she had an extraordinary musical talent. She was unlike most other singers without adequate talent who merely relied on appearance and sexiness to reach the top.


    Since her debut at the age of 16, Billie Yves had released a variety of extraordinary works that touched the hearts of so many music fans, including Finland.


    In her heart, Finland actually hoped that Jean and Billie, her two favorite people in the world, besides her family, could become real lovers.


    "Your life as celebrities is strange... you have to endure gossip and various intrigues from the entertainment world..." Finland turned to Caspar, "We both love privacy. We won''t be able to live under the spotlight like you."


    Caspar nodded in agreement. Finland only had less than four more months to live like an ordinary person. After that, they would retreat to Germany until their child was born, and possibly start the preparations for taking on a new identity.


    "It''s part of the job," Billie said quietly, "You win some, you lose some."


    They chatted while enjoying drinks before finally, at 8 pm, they decided to go down to the ballroom. Billie Yves would be performing soon, and Caspar had to give a speech from the corporation.


    Finland changed into a different dress so her departmental colleagues didn''t recognize her. Then, the four of them went down to the ballroom. They were all wearing Victorian clothes and simple masks that covered a part of their faces.


    The party reached its peak when the four people reached the venue. Billie and Jean immediately stepped backstage, while Caspar took Finland''s hand and guided her to the directors table.


    Their presence immediately attracted the attention of those present. Although they were wearing a mask like all the other guests, one could surmise from his appearance that the person who had just arrived was Mr. Schneider himself.


    They immediately suspected that the girl with him was the girl who had been the subject of gossip for curious employees for a week.


    Apparently, the gossip was true! Heinrich Schneider finally attended the corporate party with a date!

 Chapter 234 - I should have got a raffle ticket

    Caspar introduced Finland to his directors at the two special tables reserved for the directors. They immediately stood up with their respective dates and greeted them respectfully.


    "Let me introduce you to my wife. You can call her Mrs. Schneider," Caspar said casually, not paying attention to the shocked faces of the directors. Even if he mentioned Finland''s name, he was sure that the members of his top management would not notice that a girl named Finland started working in their company recently, but for privacy, he chose not to give his wife''s name.


    "Good evening, nice to meet you all..." Finland greeted everyone at both tables. She was surprised when she saw Stanis Van Der Ven present among the directors. "Eh... Stanis, I didn''t know you would be here... I thought you are in Barcelona."


    Stanis smiled happily and shook his head, "I always come to the annual party at the office here. This year I also brought my son who started running the head office in Berlin. This is Kurt."


    "Ah, nice to meet you, Kurt." Finland remembered that Van Der Ven''s family had worked for the Schneider family for generations, so it was to no one''s surprise that Stanis had now begun to mentor his son to replace him later to take care of the Schneider family affairs. Stanis and his family were part of a few commoners who knew the secrets of the Schneider family.


    Kurt Van Der Ven looked very much like his father, but his face was not as serious as Stanis. He was in his late 30s and looked very confident. He shook Finland''s hand excitedly.


    When the directors saw that Finland was already familiar with Stanis, they understood immediately that Caspar was not joking when he said that the woman next to him was his wife, and from the looks of it, they have become a couple for longer than they expected. They remember that Heinrich Schneider was indeed very protective of his privacy, so it was not surprising that he married secretly and avoided public scrutiny.


    The MC appeared on stage and greeted the top management at the two front tables. The guests applauded many times when one by one the directors were greeted and they stood waving.


    Finally, of course, the big boss himself. When the MC announced the presence of Heinrich Schneider, Caspar stood up and invited Finland to rise with him, then waved to the employees who kept clapping and cheering.


    Finland felt proud because it seemed like the employees were fond of their boss. Bosses who were not well-liked would not receive such a warm and festive reception.


    The MC then took a large glass bowl which contained raffle tickets and asked Caspar and several directors to take raffles from the inside and read out the number written on the papers. Guests who have received a ticket number during registration at the ballroom reception desk could check their tickets to see whether or not they were lucky that night.


    The prizes given were truly extraordinary. A new laptop, a 2-week vacation to Bali with the whole family, $ 1,000 in cash, and many other prizes. The most eagerly awaited prize was a Tesla electric car.


    When Finland heard the door prizes for the raffles that the MC read, she could only swallow hard.


    "Gosh... why didn''t I get a ticket from the receptionist earlier?" she complained.


    Caspar laughed at her, "Which prize do you want? I''ll buy it for you."


    Finland blushed. She lived a tough life for such a long time and was used to work very hard to make ends meet, she was still mentally drawn to free things and saving money.


    She almost forgot that with Caspar by her side, whatever she wanted in this world could now be easily obtained.


    "Sorry... hahahaha, old habits are hard to break," Finland answered with a chuckle.


    Caspar just ruffled her hair and smiled broadly. He still remembered Finland being very frugal and she even ''tricked'' him into eating at the cheapest Michelin restaurant in the world. When he remembered that, he could only shake his head.


    Finally, it was time to draw for the grand prize. The MC invited Caspar onto the stage to pick a raffle from the bowl. The ballroom instantly became quiet. Everyone was paying attention to which number was chosen and who would be the lucky guest to bring a Tesla car home tonight.


    Caspar opened the paper in his hand and then read the numbers, "It is 2-4-7."


    Voices started muttering in the whole dining area as people looked over each other''s tickets and, five seconds later, there was a happy cry from the back of the room. A young woman with glasses excitedly ran fast toward the stage and brandished her ticket.


    "Oh my God, oh my God... that''s my ticket number...!!!"


    Everyone applauded and congratulated this employee who looked like she was dreaming and had to keep pinching herself to make sure she was not sleeping. With a gasping breath she greeted Caspar and the MC and then showed her ticket.


    The MC checked the numbers on the ticket and immediately confirmed the employee''s luck and announced the winner of the Tesla car that night.


    "Wow... that''s great... You''re really lucky. Please introduce your name and what department you''re from..." The MC then gave the mic to the woman.


    "Hello, my name is Patricia Brennan and I''m from the Finance Department. Thank you, Sir... for this amazing gift... I am very happy to work for the Schneider Group..." Patricia looked very moved for winning the car prize. Caspar smiled at her and nodded.


    After all the door prizes were distributed, it was time for them to watch a special music performance by Billie Yves, who would perform four songs. Thereafter the directors would give a speech, followed by the closing performance from Billie with three more songs. That would mark the end of the party.

 Chapter 235 - This is the best year of my life

    When the stage was darkened and music began to play, everyone became very enthusiastic. Some stood up and some came forward to the stage to see Billie up close. The girl appeared and sang her first song while strumming an acoustic guitar.


    "Thank you for inviting me here, to share your happiness with me... This first song is a song from my first album that I released 12 years ago. I would like to attribute this song to Mrs. Schneider, who really likes this song... This is... ''You Are Enough''."


    Finland unconsciously stood up from her seat and walked toward the stage when she heard that Billie would sing her favorite song. Caspar immediately followed and accompanied her to watch Billie''s performance.


    During the performance, Caspar admitted that Billie''s song was very beautiful. ''You Are Enough'' told the story of a girl who lived a lonely life ¨C she was only by herself in the world. She looked into the mirror and told herself that she would be fine, because she could survive, and she was strong enough to live alone.


    Caspar imagined the moment when Finland heard that song for the first time when she was 15 years old. He could understand how that song spoke to her, because the teenage girl was feeling an excruciating loneliness and a sense of helplessness for not having anyone but herself.


    Feeling touched, Caspar hugged Finland''s waist from behind, then turned the girl''s body to face him. He then buried his head in Finland''s hair, and kissed the top of her head several times. "You are not alone anymore, My Love... I won''t ever let you experience sadness anymore..."


    Finland raised her face and looked at Caspar with a smiling face, she then nodded.


    "Thank you," she whispered.


    The two then slow-danced to Billie''s song and hugged each other warmly, without realizing that the people around them were watching in silence.


    None of the employees in the company had ever seen Caspar with any woman he was dating, let alone show such abundant affection in public. Now they realized that their big boss was indeed in love.


    Not long after, couple after couple joined them in front of the stage and danced to the songs. The atmosphere became solemn and very romantic. After the first song was played, Billie''s band came onstage to accompany her and performed her three most famous songs.


    The atmosphere was really lively, and everything felt very special. Many people posted the excitement on social media and there was an uproar immediately because Billie Yves was known as a very exclusive singer who couldn''t be booked for private parties or corporate events, no matter how much money was offered.


    People could only conclude that Billie wanted to perform that day because she had a good relationship with the host.


    "I''m very happy..." Finland whispered to Caspar, "This is the best year of my life..."


    "Hey... it''s still nothing," Caspar replied, "I have forever to show you my love."


    He touched Finland''s chin and brought his lips closer to kiss her lips gently and for a moment both of them drifted in intimacy, ignoring those who watched with envy.


    At her table, Ruth had joined Susan and Priyanka to talk about Mr. Schneider''s date who looked so charming. They admitted that the girl looked very beautiful, even though her eyes were covered with a simple mask.


    "She must be someone famous..." Ruth said enthusiastically, "I feel like I have seen her somewhere before..."


    "Just wait, who knows later at the end of the event Mr. Schneider will officially introduce her," Priyanka said. She was also curious, just like Ruth and the dozens of other girls in the party. "Ohhh... I''m so jealous, they look so intimate..."


    "They seem to really love each other. Well... it is fitting that Mr. Schneider changed like this... he is ready to get married and have a family. We are splashed in luck because he made policies in favor of workers with families..." Susan added.


    After the second song, Finland and Caspar returned to their table and enjoyed the show from there. While the people around them drank champagne and cocktails, they were only sipping tea. This certainly did not escape Ruth''s observations.


    "Did you notice that they aren''t drinking champagne...? They are only drinking juice or tea..." She said to her two friends, "What do you think? Doesn''t Mr. Schneider usually drink at social events?"


    "Hmm... maybe they drank something before coming to this event, so now they are just drinking tea so as to not get drunk," Priyanka said, "It would be embarrassing for the boss to get drunk in front of his employees."


    "Hmm... you''re right. That could be the reason..." Ruth finally agreed.

 Chapter 236 - The Surprise Announcement

    The fourth song was finally over and the audience applauded very lively. The MC returned to the stage and then invited Caspar to give his speech.


    The man went onstage, took off his mask and greeted his employees kindly. He discussed a little about the Group''s progress, the targets achieved throughout the year, and their vision for the coming year.


    He also thanked everyone who had worked hard and contributed to the success of the Group. He then congratulated the door prize winners, and then closed his speech with a surprise for everyone.


    "Because I really appreciate your hard work, I would like to ask our employees who didn''t win a door prize not to worry. Other than the usual annual bonus, I asked Stanis to give all of you, without exception, an additional bonus of 5% of your base salary, as a token of my appreciation, and at the same time, to share my happiness with you." He paused for a moment, then continued speaking in a slightly trembling voice, "A few months ago I was blessed with infinite happiness with the return of my wife and daughter who went away for several years. Something happened in my personal life that I cannot share..."


    There were muffled sighs and whispers among the guests who had no idea that they would hear such a shocking announcement. Everyone was very happy because they got an extra bonus. Their big boss was very generous indeed when his mood was good.


    However, they were also very surprised because their boss kept his privacy so tightly that he got married without anyone knowing.


    Even to this night, he had not introduced his wife''s name. Many people could only guess who the mysterious woman who was so lucky to marry their boss was...


    The guests hadn''t even recovered from their shock when Caspar continued with the second announcement.


    "That''s not all... I will also ask Stanis to add another 5% bonus... because we want to share our next happiness with you. Mrs. Schneider is currently pregnant with our second child..."


    Instantly applause and cheers filled the ballroom. Ruth, Priyanka and Susan looked at each other and gasped.


    "No wonder they didn''t drink any alcohol... apparently his wife is pregnant," Ruth said in surprise. "But shouldn''t Mr. Schneider have a drink if he wants to..."


    "Unless he deliberately doesn''t drink alcohol to accompany his wife during her pregnancy..." Priyanka said.


    They exchanged glances with amazement. "Jeez... Our boss is so cute... aww..."


    Finland was also amazed to hear all of Caspar''s announcements. She was not surprised to see that her husband gave away bonuses so easily, because as she recalled, Caspar was indeed very generous when his heart was happy. Surely tonight he was so happy that he gave out extra bonuses twice, to hundreds of people at once.


    Caspar smiled happily at the reception of his people over the good news he shared. He glanced at Finland who was looking at him adoringly.


    "My wife and I thank you for your support. In four months, I will leave the company and focus on my family. I have learned that in life, the most valuable thing is family. No matter how much money I have, it cannot and will never replace my family. Stanis and Kurt Van Der Ven will manage the company until our children grow up and can take over. I ask that you do your best and continue to support us by supporting the Van Der Ven family. Thank you, and good night."


    Many people were disappointed to hear that Heinrich Schneider would resign from business and focus on his family. But on the other hand, they were happy for their generous boss, and could only pray for his happiness with his family.


    Slowly the guests of the party applauded and one by one they rose to pay their respects and express their gratitude. Caspar waved and walked back to his table.


    "Aww... you''re great. The event is a success..." Finland said tearfully, "Everyone seems to be very happy and touched."


    "Hmm..." Caspar just smiled and kissed her cheek.


    Billie Yves went back on stage and performed the last 3 songs. Caspar grabbed Finland''s shoulders and invited her back to the front of the stage.


    "Want to watch Billie Yves'' concert like normal people?" he asked.


    Finland nodded and together they moved to the front of the stage and danced to the music, like a regular audience. The other people immediately followed, and the front of the stage was soon filled with spectators who danced to the music happily.


    Everyone agreed that this year''s company Christmas party was the best party ever held by the Schneider Group, and the guests returned to their homes with joy and satisfaction.

 Chapter 238 - Year-End Holiday

    When Finland returned to the office on Monday, Ruth told her all the gossips she had missed during the Christmas party because she went home early.


    "They really are match made in heaven. If only you were there," Ruth said excitedly. "Oh by the way, now the mystery is solved, why Mr. Schneider recently made many new policies in favor of families. He and his wife already have a child! And they are currently expecting their second child! Imagine that! We didn''t even know that he is married!"


    Finland just laughed at Ruth''s enthusiasm. She was happy because her office mates seemed to appreciate their boss and encouraged him to be happy.


    There were no significant events going on during the last week of work in December and Finland successfully completed her assessment on startup Trengginas.


    She had gathered a lot of information on the project through research and interviews with similar industry players in Southeast Asia and resource persons from Indonesia. She was very happy because she gained new experience and successfully completed a project which she found very interesting.


    Finally, the holidays arrived.


    "Where are we going on vacation?" Caspar asked when he returned with Finland in the car on the last day of work. "You just name the place, I''ll make it happen."


    Finland seemed to think for a moment. There was one place that she liked so much, and she hadn''t visited in three years.


    "Uhm... what about F Island? It would be nice to escape for a moment from the winter in America. Besides, it''s been a long time since we went to the beach..." she said.


    Caspar nodded. He was very pleased with Finland''s choice. He also really liked the island he bought as a wedding gift for her.


    "Exactly... I bought the island as a wedding present, and we can spend time there later this year to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. What do you think?" he asked. "This could be our second honeymoon or babymoon... or whatever you want to call it..."


    Finland laughed.


    "Uhmm... a very tempting offer," but then she thought about Aleksis and Lauriel, "Should we ask Lauriel to come along? Are you comfortable doing that to him? He is single and if we ask him to come to our babymoon, it would be like feeding him dog food."


    Caspar laughed. "Nah... you didn''t know how much dog food I had to take when he was dating Luna. I helped him make the first crop circle to profess his love for Luna, remember... If he came with us, I''m sure he would not care less if we were being intimate."


    Finland finally nodded, "Well, go ahead ask him then. It''s up to him. If he wants to come, he can join us to F Island, or he can choose to stay in Singapore with Aleksis - just the two of them."


    "Will you let Aleksis stay with him?" Caspar asked in surprise. "Are you okay with that?"


    "I think they will be happy to go on adventures together for a few days - without us, while we are vacationing on F Island. Later we can meet up in Bali or Thailand for a trip together, then head home to New York. What do you think?"


    "All right, I''ll do as you say."


    When they told Lauriel about their plans, the man''s eyes sparkled with joy. He firmly chose to go on adventures with Aleksis in Singapore and continue to Malaysia and Thailand, while Finland and Caspar vacationed on F Island.


    "Okay, then I will prepare a legal statement so that you can travel with Aleksis without a hitch. Because you are not her parent, the immigration officer will ask for the parent''s consent if you want to cross the border from Singapore to Malaysia..." Finland said.


    "Do you need bodyguards for protection?" Caspar asked. Lauriel almost laughed at the question which he thought was ridiculous. Caspar just smiled at his reaction, "All right, that means the answer is no. But please don''t let anything happen to my daughter, okay. I believe in you."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel just nodded.


    They quickly made the necessary preparations and two days later they were on their plane bound for Singapore. They stayed one day at Rose Mansion and Ms. Law, Kathrin, and John were very happy to see their master and madam had reunited, even bringing a very beautiful daughter with them.


    The next day Caspar and Finland left for F Island and Lauriel took Aleksis on a tour in Singapore before continuing their journey to Malaysia by bus


    ***


    Finland felt touched when they rose from the roof of the Continental Hotel in the helicopter. She remembered the first time she took a helicopter three years ago; she had no idea that Caspar would fly the helicopter himself.


    She was amazed because this perfect man could do anything.


    Now they also used a helicopter to go to F Island and along the way she repeatedly exclaimed in excitement while pointing at the clouds and islands they passed.


    Caspar was very happy to see Finland looking so happy. Him purchasing the island 3 years ago had made a proper return on investment, in the form of his wife''s happiness, he thought.


    As always, the butler, the servants, and the bodyguards gave them privacy as much as possible while on the island. Every day they both spent their time relaxing at the beachfront or pool, reading, making out, and talking about trivial things. It was a well-deserved vacation for both of them.


    "We have to thank Lauriel..." Caspar said, sipping his lemon water, "If it wasn''t for him, we wouldn''t be able to babymoon perfectly."


    Finland nodded with a wry smile, "In your opinion, are we bad parents? We are not supposed to be this happy if our child isn''t here... oh dear ..."


    "Uhm... just be thankful that Lauriel is very fond of Aleksis and wants to take care of her during our vacation. After all, he and Aleksis are equally happy," Caspar seemed to think for a moment, "I actually don''t mind sharing Aleksis with him as long as Lauriel doesn''t take death. I want him to keep having a reason to live. "


    Finland took a deep breath. She understood what Caspar meant, "I agree with you. Moreover, we also will have more children. I don''t mind if Aleksis lives with Lauriel for a few months a year."


    They both looked at each other and nodded. They loved Lauriel very much and understood his sadness. If Aleksis could give Lauriel a reason to live, then they would be willing to share their daughter with him.


    ***

 Chapter 242 - Fit for a Scrooge

    The mother in question was not feeling well during their vacation on her private island. Her stomach had been cramped since morning and her husband panicked because the mother was pregnant, and he was afraid that something was happening with his wife''s pregnancy. Fortunately, he himself was a doctor and could easily check her condition.


    "Pfew... it''s nothing, just regular cramps," he muttered in a relieved voice. "When you were pregnant with Aleksis, did you experience cramps or other complaints?"


    Finland shook her head. "Not at all. Aleksis was a very good child while she was still in the womb, I was not bothered at all, not too nauseous, and I didn''t even crave for anything. Everything was fine..."


    "Oh... yes, your pregnancy is now 10 weeks in, yet you still don''t crave for anything?" Caspar asked again, amazed.


    Caspar was actually looking forward to all the hassles of being a father-to-be. He would do anything to make up for the lost time when he was absent from the days when Finland was pregnant with his first child.


    But until now Finland, still had not shown any signs of cravings or even nausea and vomiting. Everything felt fine, except for the cramps she experienced this morning,


    "How strange, why don''t you vomit or crave?" Caspar asked, almost complaining.


    "Would you rather I suffer with nausea, vomiting, and cravings?" Finland pouted to hear her husband''s ridiculous complaint. Caspar could only scratch his head even though it was not itchy.


    He should feel lucky because his wife had an easy pregnancy, but for some reason, probably because he was not around during her first pregnancy, he became curious and wanted to feel the hassles during this second pregnancy.


    "I want you to be fine..." Caspar said, smiling, "Don''t ever feel worried or reluctant to bother me. I will fulfill whatever you want. Whatever."


    "Hmmm..." Finland seemed to think about what she could ask Caspar to do. "I want a massage. My legs are getting a bit sore..."


    Caspar smiled broadly and nodded. He went into the room and took the fragrant shea butter cream, then lifted his wife''s legs onto his lap and began massaging them one by one with full dedication.


    "You''ve changed..." he said casually, "In the past, all you could think about was how to get more money... Now, you never mention money again... hahaha. Do you still remember our bet about whether or not I could look and act poor? You bet my one month''s income..."


    Finland covered her mouth with the back of her hand while laughing out loud at Caspar''s words.


    Gosh... of course she still remembered that ridiculous bet. Thinking about it made her feel a little embarrassed. She used to be very calculating and only thought about how to get money. Really, so many things changed in three years.


    "Hey... I was just a poor employee back then..." she protested.


    "Yeah, that''s why I have prepared myself in case your pregnancy makes you crave weird things related to money... hahaha..." Caspar said jokingly. "I have prepared a money pool fit for Scrooge McDuck in Germany if you suddenly want to swim in a pool of money like him..."


    "Gosh, Caspar! You think of me as a female version of Scrooge McDuck?!" Finland hit Caspar''s shoulder with exasperation. But a moment later, she could not help laughing. She imagined Uncle Scrooge McDuck bathing in money and jumping into his pool of money for relaxation... Gosh, how funny it would be if Caspar really set up a pool of money like Uncle Scrooge''s for her. "Eh... you''re just joking, right!? You didn''t really make me a money pool?"


    The smile on Caspar''s face disappeared and he quickly shook his head.


    "Oh, thank God... I thought you were serious." Finland said with a chuckle, "Otherwise, how could I face all the people in Germany. Your staff would think that I am a materialist or something."


    "Hehe..." Caspar continued to massage Finland''s legs with affection until slowly the girl fell asleep. Her stomach cramp had disappeared.


    When he saw his wife asleep, Caspar hurriedly took his cellphone and typed a message to Kara.


    [Destroy the money pool. Don''t let Madam find out.].


    .


    *Scrooge McDuck is a fictional character created in 1947 by Carl Bark for The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is Donald Duck''s uncle, he is an elderly Scottish anthropomorphic Pekin duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats. He loves money and often shown jumping into his money pool for relaxation

 Chapter 248 - The Happy Husband

    Caspar found his wife in the cabana in the lounge where they often met - where he would usually take a nap when Finland worked. The girl was sitting, huddled in the cabana with a sad face. Her position looked strange because she was trying to hug her knees but her huge stomach was in the way.


    "Hey... my dear," Caspar sat beside Finland and rubbed her shoulders, "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about Sophia''s arrival. I didn''t want to upset you because I know what she did to us. The meeting was purely business-related and it''s over. There will never be any more businesses with her. We were just talking briefly about what happened with Alexei after the meeting."


    Finland turned to Caspar with a still gaze, "What happened with Alexei?"


    "Hmm... Lauriel gave him Death, and because he was no longer part of the Alchemists, he must not keep the knowledge about our people, so Lauriel also gave him the memory potion after he obtained all the information he needed. Sophia could not bear to abandon her brother, so she had arranged for Alexei to go to Switzerland and live quietly there. According to her, losing his immortality and his memory was a punishment commensurate with Alexei''s actions."


    "You can''t let him off that easily! He almost killed Aleksis!!" Finland protested.


    "I agree with you, but I can''t force Sophia. After all, Alexei is her biological brother, and they have been together for more than 300 years. I''ve sent my people to watch over him to make sure that he doesn''t do anything else..." Caspar smiled and touched Finland''s knee, "Are you not sore sitting in this position? Do you want me to give you a massage?"


    Finland pursed her lips. She already saw that her legs were a bit swollen and tears soon fell on her cheeks again. She was very upset for crying like this. Why couldn''t she just return to her elegant self¡­? Ugh.


    "I was called fat..." She whispered softly.


    Caspar was stunned to hear her speak in such a poignant voice. Seeing her sad made his heart hurt. "Who said that ??"


    "It''s doesn''t matter who said that..." Finland covered her face with both hands, "I am fat, and now I''m not pretty anymore..."


    "Gosh, Finland... you''re NOT fat. You''re pregnant, and you''re the most beautiful woman I know. So, I really don''t understand why that would make you so sad..." Caspar looked at Finland with a pair of confused eyes, "Are you jealous because you saw Sophia with me?"


    Finland lowered her hands from her face. Her lips frowned, and she slowly nodded.


    "I know that she always had a crush on you... and she is very beautiful. I was very jealous seeing you two together in your room. You did not tell me that she was coming..." she said in an accusing voice, "Are you ashamed to show your fat wife to her?"


    Caspar laughed so happily that his voice could be heard by other people in the lounge who began to pay attention to their cabana. He then hugged Finland intimately and whispered in her ear, "I''m so happy because finally my wife is jealous like this. I feel loved..."


    Finland tried to struggle but Caspar did not want to let go of his arms.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about her coming here?" Finland was still trying to protest.


    "I didn''t tell you because Sophia is not important. I don''t want you to be angry and come to kill her. Right now, my only concern is your feelings and emotions. I don''t want your pregnancy to be disturbed because you get angry when you see Sophia''s face. I am not ashamed to show you to the world, I will walk beside you proudly, forever."


    Caspar finally loosened his arms and looked at Finland deeply, "Do you really want to meet Sophia? I can bring you to meet her now, but please promise not to kill her..."


    "Huh... of course, because you promised to protect her." hissed Finland.


    "No... not anymore. The debts between us are settled. I have nothing to do with her anymore." said Caspar.


    His deep gaze and sweet smile combined with his pair of heart-melting dimples finally managed to melt Finland''s heart, and a few minutes later, the girl nodded.


    "Alright. I really don''t want to meet her... If I see her face I will lose my patience and throw a vase or a chair to her face..." Finland said in disgust


    "Ah... are you still able to lift a chair?" teased Caspar. "Please don''t, Honey. No need to lift heavy things. If you need some exercise we can do something else that is not so strenuous and more enjoyable."


    "Ughhhh..." Finland hit Caspar''s shoulders because the man seemed outrageously happy just because he saw Finland jealous. "Stop grinning... I''m sensitive and I want to hit people."


    She then rose from the cabana and walked out of the lounge to the elevator.


    Caspar followed her out of the cabana and as he walked toward the elevator, he realized that the people in the lounge were all staring at him in amazement.


    Ah, surely they already knew that he was with Finland in the cabana. In the not-too-distant future, rumors about them would spread like wildfire in this office, but Caspar didn''t care. After all, they would be gone soon.


    He couldn''t help whistling happily as he took the elevator to the 35th floor. Finland had disappeared with the previous elevator to the 20th floor.

 Chapter 249 - Am I Never Good Enough to be with You??

    When Finland arrived in her office space, people looked at her strangely, which made her feel uneasy. She recognized the expressions on their faces and she didn''t like them.


    This reminded her of the difficult times at LTX Singapore, when her coworkers thought she was a mistress of the owner of a Continental Hotel.


    "Pssst... Finland, come here," Ruth who saw her enter immediately pulled her hand and took her to the pantry. After making sure that no one was in the pantry she immediately poured some juice into two glasses. Her face looked very confused. She handed a glass to Finland. "What is your relationship with Mr. Schneider?"


    "Eh...?" Finland was surprised to hear this sudden question. Did Caspar come here looking for her?


    "I now understand why you suddenly want to quit working..." Ruth took a quick gulp of juice, her breathing moved quickly, and it seemed like she was getting emotional, "You''re having an affair with Mr. Schneider and you two just broke up, so the company is forcing you to quit working to avoid scandal. Ugh¡­ why did you do that?? He is a married man! He is very kind, and they are expecting a child together..."


    "Eh... wait, what?!" Finland was surprised to hear Ruth''s words.


    Gosh... now she understood why the people in her department stared at her with hateful looks. They thought that she was having an affair with the big boss because she was often called into his office to translate Indonesian documents and now people thought there was a scandal because they were separated.


    Instantly her head started throbbing and Finland looked at the glass with anger glittering in her eyes. She was eager to slam the glass to the floor.


    Why was she always accused of being Caspar''s mistress or having an affair with him? The exact same thing happened in Singapore, and now in New York...


    All she wanted was to work peacefully and avoid any form of conflict.


    "I''m NOT his mistress..." Finland hissed trying to hold back her anger. She put down her glass and massaged her forehead. "Ruth, I''m feeling upset and I don''t want to get angry here. Please leave me alone."


    Ruth gasped but finally placed her glass in the sink and patted Finland''s shoulder before leaving the pantry. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to be hard on you or interfere with your personal matters. I was out of line. I''m sorry..."


    After Ruth left, Finland sat on the chair in the pantry, trying to calm her feelings. She then sent a message to Caspar.


    [I''m so tired today. I no longer want to work. Can you pick me up on the 20th floor?]


    [I''ll be there soon.] Caspar quickly replied to the text.


    Five minutes later, Caspar arrived at the Market Research Department and, when he did not find Finland, he asked Ruth where Finland was. Ruth was surprised to see him come again but quickly pointed towards the pantry. Caspar immediately rushed there.


    "Hey... what''s up? Are you tired?" He quickly hugged Finland who was sitting on a chair with a disheveled look. "Is something bothering you?"


    Finland cried in his chest and grumbled, venting all her frustrations of the day, "I am accused of having an affair with you... huhuhu... just as I was accused of being a mistress of the owner of a Continental Hotel... huhuhu..."


    Caspar was confused, "Why would they accuse you of that?"


    "Maybe it''s because you came here looking for me, and they remember that I am often called into your office... and they know you have a wife... while I am just an ordinary employee... and I recently tendered my resignation. They thought it was you who told me to quit working because we broke up and you want to avoid a scandal..."


    Caspar patted her head lovingly, "Gosh... I didn''t expect my people have such wild imaginations."


    "I was accused of being your mistress in the past and now I am accused of being your mistress AGAIN!! Why am I never good enough to be with you??" said Finland in an angry tone. She then tried to calm down a little "It''s actually a very funny situation... but today I am so sensitive that I feel like going berserk... I''m not sure I will be able to behave normally in front of them..."

 Chapter 250 - Quit Working

    Caspar agreed that under normal circumstances, this would indeed be a very funny situation because Finland was repeatedly exposed to gossip as his mistress... people thought that she was a gold-digger who tried to seduce a rich man, even though what happened was the opposite.


    Caspar was the one who was hopelessly in love with her and would do anything to pursue her while Finland always tried to avoid him.


    He wanted to laugh but he didn''t have the heart to do so in front of his wife. Now he was aware of all the commotion and Finland''s irrational behavior today was the result of her pregnancy hormones going out of control. Everything then exploded on the wrong day.


    "All right, I''ll scold them and cut their annual bonuses as punishment for making my beloved wife sad. Who called you fat? I will fire her."


    Finland had never seen Caspar sack people before, which meant that he took this incident today very seriously...


    Finland did not want to see Ruth fired. Ruth only told her an honest statement which, under normal circumstances, was not a big deal. Finland was upset because she was feeling super sensitive. She immediately shook her head.


    "Don''t overdo it... This is just my shitty pregnancy hormone, I shouldn''t have felt offended," she said quickly. "But I''m not sure I''ll be able to continue working here after today''s incident. Plus, I don''t know how long this stupid hormone will bother me..."


    "So, what do you want?" Caspar''s eyes suddenly widened when he realized the only possibility, "Are you going to quit working? Starting from today?"


    Finland nodded. "I won''t be able to face my coworkers again... It will definitely be awkward from now on."


    Caspar laughed cheerfully. Ha ha ha. He could not even begin describing how lucky he was today. Finland finally became jealous over him, and she also decided to quit working early.


    He would celebrate this day by drinking with Lauriel tonight. He would make an exception today because he was very happy.


    "All right. Then, let''s go home. Do you want to say goodbye to your coworkers?"


    Finland nodded. Caspar helped her get up from her chair and led her into the Market Research Department area, heading straight for her desk.


    "How do you know which desk is mine?" Finland asked in surprise, she turned her head and gave Caspar a suspicious look, "Are you stalking me?"


    Hm... okay, maybe this pregnancy hormone isn''t always adorable, Caspar thought. He had to restrain himself from replying to his wife''s curt attitude and continued to answer gently, "I know it''s your desk because you have your bag on it."


    "Oh..." Finland took her bag and tidied up the items on her desk. "Alright, we can go home."


    Caspar waited patiently and then nodded. "Don''t you want to say goodbye to your coworkers?"


    Finland turned around and saw that everyone was staring at them with faces full of questions.


    "Uhm... friends, I''m not feeling well and I want to go home early. Thank you for cooperating with me for the past four months... You are all very pleasant. I''m sorry for quitting work so early. My pregnancy is entering a frustrating stage..." She bowed slightly in several directions. Before leaving she remembered something and added an explanation, "Oh, by the way... please don''t let there be any misunderstandings between us. I''m not Mr. Schneider''s mistress, I''m his wife."


    Caspar wanted to laugh out loud when he saw the expressions of his people. They all looked confused and surprised and a little scared at the same time. Even so, Caspar held back and remained calm on the surface. He was after all their boss and must not lose face.


    He nodded, "Yes, Finland is my wife and, as I said at the company Christmas party, she is pregnant with our second child. I will withdraw from business and focus on my family. Thank you for your cooperation so far. Good day."


    He carried Finland''s bag and held her hand as they walked to the elevator. Everyone''s shocked eyes followed their exit. Ruth was the most shocked of all. She felt so bad for openly asking Finland if she had an affair with Mr. Schneider.


    "Do you want to go straight home or rest on the 35th floor? I still have a little work to do, but it''s not really important. I can continue tomorrow," Caspar asked once they were inside the elevator.


    "Hm... if you have work to do, just finish it. I can wait. But I don''t want to meet anyone," Finland answered.


    After all, in the mansion she would only rest, it didn''t hurt to rest in Caspar''s office while waiting for him to finish his work. She didn''t want to be selfish and make Caspar leave his work just because she wasn''t feeling well.


    "OK." Caspar pressed the 35th floor button and they immediately headed to the top floor.


    Before they arrived on the 35th floor, the people from the 20th floor had spread the rumor that the wife of Mr. Schneider also worked in the building and had revealed her identity. That was why when the two arrived at the top floor, people were acting very normal and did not bother or stare at them.


    The staff who tried to stop Finland from entering Caspar''s office earlier today could only hold his palpitating chest for fear of being scolded by his boss'' wife. Fortunately, the woman with her big tummy seemed too tired to notice him.


    "Alright, my beautiful wife, please rest here. I''ll take care of a few things with my directors, so that tomorrow I don''t have to come here again," Caspar kissed Finland on the forehead. He helped the girl sit on his couch and hurried out.


    Everyone could see his carefree face beaming in happiness and they realized that they had never seen him this happy before. Inwardly they were happy to see their boss happy.

 Chapter 251 - London

    Caspar was a very efficient person. Within two hours he had finished all his business with the members of his board of directors and handed all control over to Stanis and Kurt.


    At 15.30, he had packed his belongings and invited Finland to go home. This time there was no need to meet in the basement parking lot as usual. Ben, who had heard what happened, only smiled when he saw the two of them coming out of Caspar''s office.


    "Let me carry your bag, Sir," he offered. Ben carried Caspar''s bag, as usual, while Caspar carried Finland''s bag and took her out in his arm. He had said good-bye to his directors, and for someone in his position, there was no need for him to say good-bye to the staff in the open workspace who did not work directly under him.


    However, he took the time to nod toward them as he headed for the elevator. They nodded back and smiled. They were happy to see that the mood of the big boss was so good.


    Ten minutes later, they were in the car and on their way back to the mansion. During the time, Finland received an SMS from Ruth and some of her coworkers who apologized for any miswords they had uttered or misdeeds they had done during their work together.


    She acknowledged that they had treated her well, only that her pregnancy hormones made her feel sensitive and easily irritated today. She quickly responded by saying that she liked them and enjoyed working with them. She then wrote a personal goodbye for each of them.


    Her coworkers felt very touched because Finland was as kind as their big boss, and they were relieved that she had no resentment at all.


    Finally, Finland and Caspar would truly resign from working world and live quietly while waiting for the birth of their second child.


    ***


    The Schneider family wasted no time in returning to Germany. They left immediately after a two-day preparation. Winter was almost over and the snow in Germany had begun to melt. In a few weeks spring would arrive. Finland could only imagine how beautiful their castle would be, surrounded by verdant forests and blooming flowers.


    Since she was already in her fifth month of pregnancy, Caspar and Finland were able to find out the sex of their child. When the doctor revealed the gender of their child, they were both very happy because, as per Caspar''s expectations, their second child was a boy!


    Oh, by the way, Caspar, being his typical self who often overdid things, had bought his own ultrasound machine so that they could see their child''s sonograms whenever they wanted.


    "Have you thought about a name for him?" Finland asked as they stared at the screen, looking at the ultrasound of their son''s beating heart.


    "Hmm... our first child is named after your father, what if we name our second child after my father?" Caspar asked in a hoarse voice. Finland knew that Caspar was very close and loved his parents, naming their child after his father was an act that showed great affection and respect for his father.


    "Of course, I agree," Finland touched Caspar''s cheek and smiled softly, "What''s your father''s name?"


    "He was called London," Caspar answered.


    "You know, I used to be bullied by my schoolmates because I was named after a country..." Finland reminded, "Is this a wise move, giving him a name of a city?"


    "We''ll see who dares to bully my son because of his name," Caspar said firmly, "I can even make all the people who used to bully you at school pay for what they did to you, if you want... You just give me all their names."


    Finland hurriedly kissed Caspar and stroked his hair, "Hmm... there''s no need for that. I''ve forgotten all the misfortunes of my past. I''m sure no one would dare to bother our son, even if we gave him the weirdest name... ahahaha..."


    Finally, they agreed on naming their second child London, after Caspar''s father.


    Finland was still suffering from her pregnancy hormones which made her very sensitive, prone to pain, and easily irritated, so for the good of everyone Caspar finally asked Lauriel to bring Aleksis on adventures with him while Caspar took care of his wife.


    Lauriel was very pleased and he immediately brought Aleksis to one of his favorite places in the Caribbean. He wanted Aleksis to become accustomed to the sea so that later, when she grew up, she would be able to sail and dive well. He hoped that she would love and respect the sea as much as he did.


    Understandingly, he called the child''s parents every day so they could have a conversation on video. Caspar could only shake his head in disbelief when he saw that after 3 months, Aleksis was already looking like a little pirate with her messy hair and slightly tanned skin.


    "Aleksis, you must be good at diving, okay... I hid a lot of treasure chests under the sea and those places could only be reached by well-skilled divers..." Lauriel said as he braided Aleksis'' long hair. They were sitting on the boat while waiting for their fishing rod to catch fish. Lauriel really liked the sea because he rarely saw humans there.


    In places like these, he really felt like he was living on a vast earth, with only animals in the sea and birds in the sky. He was surrounded by a sea without borders, where the clear blue water sparkled like jewels. The brilliant blue sky adorned with small, swirling white clouds completed the scenery and he couldn''t ask for anything more. Everything was perfect, especially since he had his favorite little human sitting next to him, chattering endlessly about everything.


    That was when Lauriel made the decision that he would not take Death.


    ***

 Chapter 252 - The best birthday present

    Finland woke up at 3 o''clock in the morning because of a sudden contraction and stomach pain.


    She immediately woke Caspar, who was sleeping beside her, and whispered while enduring pain. "It looks like I''ll give birth soon..."


    "Why? So suddenly? What''s the time between?" asked Caspar, who was immediately wide awake when he heard the word ''give birth''. He hurriedly got up, wore his night robe, and turned on the light.


    "How would I know... I don''t have time to count," Finland hissed in annoyance. She was in great pain and did not have the time and patience to count the time between contractions. That was Caspar''s job.


    "Oh... sorry, stupid question..." Caspar immediately called the hospital and asked for a medical helicopter to pick them up. Their castle was located in a remote area and it would definitely take a long time to go to a big hospital by car. Having a helicopter pick them up was much more practical.


    He did not want to fly his own helicopter to the hospital because his attention would surely be divided, and he did not want to take even the slightest risk for his wife and child.


    In less than 10 minutes, the medical team arrived and, like a typical good husband, Caspar was ready with their belongings. Kara and Jadeith were instructed to follow them from behind.


    The helicopters landed at the helipad of the largest hospital in Stuttgart that early morning. The east wing on the top floor of the hospital had been made sterile from patients and other visitors so that the VVIP client could get peace while waiting for the birth of their child.


    Finland felt that Caspar was again overdoing and overthinking things, but because she was in so much pain, she could not protest at all. She just let Caspar do whatever he wanted.


    "Fuh fuh fuh..." Finland tried to calm her breathing and thought about beautiful things to distract her from the pain. Her room in the hospital was very large and luxurious and several doctors and nurses were there to check on her condition and take care of her.


    "It''s already opening 5, luckily she was brought here immediately," said Dr. Muller, "Soon your child will be born..."


    "That is fast..." Finland exclaimed in surprise. She remembered that when she was giving birth to Aleksis, she had to endure the pain from noon until midnight, and it felt like forever. "The first one took a loooong time..."


    Dr. Muller smiled calmly, "Indeed, usually the first child is the most difficult of births, the second one is not too difficult because the birth canal has opened once. It''s okay... we will monitor everything, if the contractions are every two minutes, just ring this bell... We will soon deliver the baby."


    Caspar immediately took out his cellphone to time the contractions. As a doctor who had decades of experience, he could stay calm and contain his emotions. He sat on the edge of the bed and held his wife''s hand tightly, to encourage her.


    "I''ll call Jean and Lauriel, okay? They''ll want to be informed if you''re going to give birth..." Caspar said.


    Finland, who just got a strong contraction, could only nod. Caspar took Finland''s cellphone from her bag and called Jean. Fortunately, 3am in Germany meant that it was 6pm in Los Angeles, so he didn''t need to worry about disturbing his friend''s sleep, even though he knew that Jean wouldn''t mind him calling at whatever time if it was related to Finland.


    "Hey, how are you?" asked Jean on the cellphone screen. He was on the beach near a large Ferris wheel, probably in Santa Monica. "Isn''t it dawn in Germany now? Is there an emergency? Oh my God... Is Finland giving birth???"


    Jean asked and replied his own questions. His shocked face suddenly became joyful and he turned to the person beside him and exclaimed excitedly, "Finland is giving birth!"


    Billie Yves, who looked very beautiful with her platinum-colored hair, looked as happy as Jean was when she heard the news and joined in exclaiming happily, "Wow... how cool! Congratulations... We will come soon to visit..."


    Jean and Billie wanted to have a longer conversation with Finland, but the girl got into another contraction and they had to end the phone call.


    "Okay... contractions are every 4 minutes..." Caspar said, glancing at the timer on his cellphone. "It''s not going to be long now..."


    "Ca... call Lauriel too..." Finland whispered while enduring the pain, "I want to talk to Aleksis..."


    "All right..." Caspar pressed Lauriel''s cellphone number and after the third ring, his phone call was picked up. "Lauriel... Finland is about to give birth."


    Lauriel''s face, which was usually devoid of expression, slowly filled with a smile. He was happy to see his best friend''s radiating face. He was also happy for Caspar because now he had the opportunity to accompany the woman he loved giving birth to their child.


    "Congratulations... this will be a beautiful birthday present for you," Lauriel said.


    "Birthday? What date is it?" Caspar frowned and a moment later he realized that it was July 7. His own birthday.


    He had never celebrated his birthday with Finland before, and today was not only special because it was his first opportunity to celebrate his birthday with this girl, but he would also get a very extraordinary gift: a son.


    London and Caspar would share the same birthday. This was the best birthday present he could ever wish for. This was perfect!

 Chapter 253 - Whos in a hurry?

    Aleksis then appeared on the screen and her parents who really missed her immediately invited her to speak. They told her that the little girl would soon have a younger brother.


    "Wowww!!!! I want to meet baby brother...!" Aleksis exclaimed happily.


    "Tomorrow we go back to Germany, so you can see your brother," Lauriel said with a smile.


    They chatted for another minute and ended the call when Finland went into another contraction.


    "It''s two minutes since the last contraction... it''s time." Caspar immediately rang the bell and the doctors and nurses came to prepare for the delivery.


    This second birth was much faster and easier than the first, and Finland was truly grateful that she did not curse and yell at her husband as she had done in San Francisco. She felt that Caspar was not worthy of being cursed at because for the past 4 months, he had been very patient in taking care of her who turned into an irritatingly sensitive woman due to her stupid pregnancy hormones.


    After half an hour of pain and struggling to push, finally a healthy baby boy was born into the Schneider family. His loud cry echoed in the delivery room.


    "Hey... he looks like me..." Caspar said without restraint. He was really happy to see a mini version of himself who was also born on the same date. Even though a baby''s face would change as they grow, he was very confident that the black-haired baby would remain similar to him.


    Finland, who had felt relief after pushing her son out, was able to smile at Caspar''s dreamy expression. She could see how happy the man was.


    "Thank you..." Caspar hurriedly knelt at the foot of the bed and held his wife''s hand. "I cannot imagine my life without you and our children."


    London, who had been cleaned and wrapped in cloth, was immediately handed over to his father to be carried, and Caspar was moved by the little baby in his chest. His face looked in disbelief as he had witnessed the birth of a human who was his own flesh and blood.


    The doctor immediately cleaned the mother and prepared her to be moved to another room to rest.


    "Please come with us to the other room so you can rest," the doctor told Caspar to follow the nurses who pushed Finland''s bed to the bedroom. The man swiftly walked beside the bed while carrying his baby.


    ***


    The next morning, Jean and Billie arrived at the hospital. They took the earliest flight to Germany and rushed to visit Finland in the hospital. Lauriel and Aleksis arrived at noon, carrying some pearls from shells which they had collected themselves from the sea as gifts.


    "Wow... thank you... you all came... I did not expect this... even though you were so far away... I feel so touched..."


    "Ahahaha... of course we will come. We won''t miss this for the world," Jean said, smiling broadly. Billie handed over a very beautiful bouquet of flowers and Finland received it joyfully.


    Until now she still had trouble believing that the amazing girl, Billie, was now Jean''s girlfriend. If there were a woman who could make her friend happy, she was sure it was Billie. She just felt a little sad because Aldebar would only wake up in 6.5 years. By that time, Billie would already look older than Jean.


    "I want to carry London, can I?" Billie asked.


    "Of course..." Caspar handed the baby over to the girl and Billie carried London happily and brought him to the window while humming a new song that she had created in her head when she first saw the baby.


    Finland pulled Jean close to her and whispered in his ear, "Billie looks very natural with babies... do you have plans to have children?"


    Jean''s face suddenly turned red and he laughed nervously, "Uhm... I''m not in a hurry like your husband. Don''t I have a lifetime to decide? I don''t know if I''m ready to be a father. I''m fine being a cool uncle to your children. "


    "Who''s in a hurry?" said Caspar, frowning, "I am 442 years old today. For a regular person''s standard, I am already very late."


    Finland and Jean only laughed at that, and even Lauriel seemed to smile thinly.


    "All right... I''m not in a hurry right now. We''ll see about that. I haven''t told everything to Billie either." Jean shrugged. "Maybe in 6 years, when Aldebar wakes up, I will tell her everything and marry Billie and then live forever with her... After all, talking now is also useless. Aldebar is not there to make an immortality potion for her."


    The others agreed with his thoughts and nodded in confirmation.


    The atmosphere in the hospital wing was very warm and filled with happiness. Finland never dreamed that one day she would feel this happy. All the bad things she experienced since she was a child: living in poverty, growing up without parents and friends, being endlessly bullied, now felt very far away.


    She was now surrounded by the most important people in her life, who sincerely loved her and had become part of her family.


    Finland, the poor orphan, now had a big family, a warm and loving one, and she never wanted anything else in her life, because the whole world was available to her if she asked for it.


    ***


    The happy family immediately returned home on the second afternoon because they did not want to linger in public for too long. Billie and Jean''s famous faces had begun to bring in a horde of news journalists and they just wanted to immediately avoid the attention and find peace.

 Chapter 254 - Never felt this happy

    When the three luxury cars of the Schneider family arrived in the front of the castle, they were welcomed by Kara, Jadeith, and a dozen other staff who looked very happy.


    "Hey... welcome..."


    Finland and Caspar were rewarded with a huge surprise when they entered the castle living room. Sitting casually in the living room was a a handsome young man with long golden hair who wore a Victorian outfit.


    "You?" Caspar had to blink his eyes several times to make sure that the person in front of him was really his younger brother, Aldebar.


    "I was only gone for three years and in those three years you managed to give me one niece and one nephew. Gosh... you guys..." the young man exclaimed while laughing.


    "Aldebar?" Caspar was shocked but also delighted to see his brother''s sudden appearance, "Shouldn''t you wake up in 6.5 years? What happened?"


    He immediately embraced his brother warmly and checked if anything had changed, and a moment later he hit his brother''s shoulders because he missed Aldebar, "You don''t know how much I missed you."


    "Wow, that''s a first," said Aldebar, chuckling. "I already know what happened. Kara told me everything. So tonight, I will work and make an immortality potion for Finland so that she can live forever with you."


    Jean, who had just entered the living room, overheard Aldebar''s words and immediately gasped. He looked at Caspar and Finland alternately.


    He finally understood what had happened.


    "Is that true? Finland hasn''t taken her immortality potion yet?" He looked shocked, "Was it her potion that you gave to me when I was shot?"


    "Jean, never mind... we don''t need to discuss this again. What is important now is that Aldebar has returned..." said Finland soothingly, "Everything will be fine, all right..."


    Jean suddenly hugged Finland and Caspar together; he was very touched.


    He did not expect that these two people would give up Finland''s immortality potion to save his life, so that now he could become an immortal human just like them.


    Caspar, who had never been hugged by Jean, initially felt awkward, but then he could accept that Jean, as Finland''s best friend, was now also his friend. You could say they were now like family.


    He responded to Jean''s embrace and patted his shoulders.


    "Welcome to the family, Jean."


    Jean had grown up as lonely as Finland, and now he had the friends and family that he loved.


    He felt very touched.


    Billie Yves, who had just come in and didn''t know what had happened before, only saw the three people hugging, and she was touched.


    "I told you, right? Your friendship is very inspiring..." she said with a smile as she looked at the three people.


    Because Billie did not yet know the secrets of the Alchemists, they stopped discussing the immortality potion and focused on Aldebar, who suddenly appeared in the castle.


    "What happened? Why did you decide to come back so soon?" Lauriel asked when he saw Aldebar.


    "Oh, I stopped my research. I''ve actually designed a tool that would automatically wake me up if my body condition goes down and I''m threatened with death." Aldebar said, explaining what had happened, "It would also wake me up when an emergency event occurred and I am most needed. It was all included in my backup plan. There is no way I would be stupid enough to stay asleep if there was an urgency happening in the world, such as war or death of a family member."


    "So... then what urgent event triggered your device to wake you up?" Caspar asked in surprise. "There is no war and no one died..."


    In his heart he felt exasperated because he did not know that Aldebar could be awakened before his research was completed. If he had known, he would have woken his younger brother up months ago to make an immortality potion for Finland.


    "Oh, nothing urgent happened," Aldebar shrugged, his face looked a little embarrassed, "My instrument broke. Yesterday, the detector suddenly went awry and turned on an automatic warning, which then woke me up when nothing urgent happened. I have to fix it."


    Gosh...


    Apparently Aldebar woke up early just by accident. The equipment was broken. Ughh...


    "Everything happens for a reason," Lauriel said suddenly. "I don''t believe in coincidences."


    Caspar nodded. "Whatever it is, coincidentally or not, I''m very happy because Aldebar is back with us. It must be celebrated."


    He ordered his staff to bring the best champagne and glasses for them to drink to celebrate this happy day.


    Yesterday was his birthday, London was born, Aldebar returned, Lauriel no longer wanted Death, and Finland and her children could immediately drink the immortality potion.


    What a perfect day!


    After almost 9 months of not drinking wine, Caspar and Finland were very happy because they could go back to drinking together and share happiness with their loved ones.


    "Shhh... Jean, now you have to think about what you plan to do with Billie, because Aldebar has returned..." Finland whispered into Jean''s ear as Jean poured champagne into her glass.


    Jean just nodded awkwardly, then glanced at Billie. That girl was very beautiful, very talented, and had a kind heart. They had indeed become lovers, but Jean did not know whether he was sure of his feelings and if he wanted to live forever with Billie.


    He needed time to think.


    "I''ll decide next year... It''s still too early," Jean whispered back to Finland.


    "All right. But if you don''t hurry up, she will be taken by someone else later," Finland said.


    Jean nodded.


    "I understand. I''m not that stupid to repeat the same mistakes," he said with a thin smile. Finland just laughed at that.


    The six people who already considered themselves like family spent all afternoon and evening chatting while drinking champagne and laughing.


    Finland had never felt so happy in her life.


    .


    **** VOLUME 1 ENDS HERE ****

 Chapter 255 - The Bad News

    Volume 2


    THESE FOLLOWING EVENTS HAPPENED 9 YEARS AFTER LONDON SCHNEIDER WAS BORN


    .


    The news received by the Schneider family that morning was shocking. Kendrick and Sylvia Chan had a car accident in France while on vacation and died instantly. This made their only child, Terry, an orphan.


    "We must go to Singapore and meet the boy..." Finland said with a sad face. No matter what, Terry was her flesh and blood, even though she didn''t give birth to the boy herself. Ten years ago she even gave a bone marrow donation when Terry had leukemia to save his life.


    Caspar nodded. He could imagine the sadness experienced by the 15-year-old boy, suddenly losing both his parents at once. His own parents died in the war when he was 350 years old but his sadness did not subside after decades. That''s why Caspar understood.


    "We can leave this afternoon ... I''ll ask Kara to prepare everything," Caspar said. He hugged his wife warmly, to share her sadness. "What did Jean say?"


    "Jean will come too. Maybe we will arrive first because we are closer to Singapore."


    At that time the Finland and Caspar family was living on their farm in New Zealand. They really liked Wellington and always stayed there at least one month a year. New Zealand in the spring* was very beautiful.


    The trip from Wellington to Singapore only took 8 hours and they can arrive in the morning. Jean who were living in America must fly 20 hours to be able to arrive in Singapore. Although he immediately rushed to the airport after hearing the news about Chan couple, he would still arrive tomorrow evening.


    "Where are we going, Mum?" Aleksis asked, amazed to see her mother pack some of their clothes in a small suitcase. They have only been in Wellington for two weeks and will usually stay there until early October, now it is still early September.


    She bit down on a piece of grass in her mouth in a very nonchalant style and immediately perched on the first step of their house, watching her mother who looked restless went back and forth stuffing and taking things out of their suitcase.


    "We will meet your older brother in Singapore," Finland said hurriedly. She was very unfocused.


    Aleksis frowned and then turned to her father, who only shrugged.


    "Older brother? Aren''t I the first child?" A moment later her eyes widened like a saucer and she threw Caspar an accusing gase, "Jeez ...! Do you have a son from other woman?! I know you were a womanizer in the past... but you shouldn''t have been embarrassing us like this ..."


    Caspar gasped at his daughter''s accusation and turned to Finland, almost facepalming himself.


    "Aleksis thinks Terry is my son ..." he said, frowning. Finland sighed and hit his shoulder with exasperation.


    "Ugh ..."


    Caspar laughed at Finland who looked agitated and hurriedly kissed her.


    "There... there, you just tell Aleksis about Terry and let me do the packing and take care of our trip. Under these stressful conditions you will  forget important stuff," he said in a gentle voice. "Aleksis, get a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen. Mummy needs to drink a little to calm down."


    Aleksis obeyed her father''s request, though still with a face full of questions.


    Older brother? From where???


    She returned five minutes later with an open bottle of wine and two glasses, then poured the wine and handed a glass to her mother.


    "What happened? What are you two hiding from me?" she asked, looking very curious. Aleksis was only 12 years old but she was very mature for her age and often acted like a friend with her parents. Especially because physically they didn''t look like mother and daughter. Both of her parents look very young.


    Finland took a sip of wine and after feeling rather calm, she then told the events of a gazilion years ago when she was a poor student in Singapore who desperately needed money.


    "OH MY GOD...! So he''s your son with Uncle Jean? Jeez ..." Aleksis covered her mouth in surprise after listening to her mother''s story. Caspar shrugged with a smile and Finland nodded with a sad face.


    "We cannot leave him alone, somehow we must find a way to help him ... The boy is still very young to live alone," Finland said concerned. "Such a small child cannot live alone without parents ..."


    "We don''t know whether his parents have relatives or not," Caspar warned. "He can stay with them."


    "Jean said the child is alone. His parents have no more relatives." Finland sighed sadly, "Jean intends to adopt him if possible."


    "Oh, really? Well, that''s a good idea," Caspar said. "Hopefully the process runs smoothly."


    Aleksis looked stunned, still trying to digest the information she received suddenly like this. A moment later her smile cracked wide.


    "Oh my god!!! How awesome is this! I have an older brother!" she shrieked suddenly. "I always wanted to have an older brother."


    She hugged Finland and kissed her cheek.


    "Thank you, Mum. I''m glad that I have an older brother..." she said happily.


    Caspar looked at the scene with a protesting face.


    "Hey ... hey ¡­ why are you thanking her? This is unfair! Earlier when I was accused of having a child from another woman, I was said to be embarrassing. Aren''t you a fair person?"


    Aleksis immediately realized her mistake and hurriedly rushed towards her father and hugged him warmly.


    "Daddy, do you want wine?" she whispered in an adorable voice so that inevitably her father stopped frowning. He received a glass of wine from Aleksis and gulped it down.


    "All right, Finland, just sit down and drink your wine to calm down. Aleksis, call your brothers from the field, they must get ready," Caspar said firmly. Finland and Aleksis nodded.

 Chapter 256 - Meeting Terry

    Shortly afterward, Aleksis returned with her two younger siblings, London and Rune. The two boys were not happy having to go back home. They were engrossed in playing with their herd of sheep, but when they saw their mother''s grim face, they immediately relented and asked what had happened.


    To avoid Finland having to repeat her story, Aleksis told her brothers what happened. Her two younger siblings looked very surprised.


    If Aleksis looked a lot like her mother, then 9-year-old London was the spitting image of his father; he also had black hair, a pair of bright blue eyes and charming dimples, while the 7-year-old Rune did not look like any of his parents. His hair was dirty blond and he had slightly slanted blue eyes, which made him look mysterious. If the three of them stood in a line, people would not think that they were siblings.


    "Oh... that''s horrible..." London said sympathetically. He could not imagine losing both his parents at once.


    "He doesn''t know about us," Caspar reminded, "So later when you meet him, there''s no need to talk about the life of the Alchemists."


    "Very well, Dad." The three children nodded.


    A few hours later the family was boarding their plane to Singapore. Kara accompanied them along with Jadeith and several of Caspar''s bodyguards.


    After their frequent meeting in Germany ten years ago, Jadeith and Kara began spending more time together, until finally, Kara asked if she could work for Caspar''s family and leave Aldebar, her previous employer.


    Of course, this worked in Caspar''s favor because Kara was a very efficient assistant, and with his three children, he felt that Kara''s presence would greatly ease his wife''s burden. The girl now followed them around the world, together with Jadeith.


    "Do you think Jadeith and Kara will get married?" Finland whispered to Caspar when she saw Jadeith and Kara chatting in the aircraft cabin while enjoying their drinks.


    "It''s too early to judge. You know my people aren''t in a hurry. Ned and Portia were in relationship for nearly 200 years before they decided to get married," Caspar just shrugged. "Why are you curious anyway? You''re not normally like this."


    "Uhm... it''s fine, I was just wondering."


    Finland acknowledged that the Alchemists were not in a hurry in regard to marriage and having children. Caspar was an anomaly among his people. He immediately asked Finland to marry him and they quickly had three children together.


    Finland liked Kara and she hoped that the girl would get her happiness. She also thought that Kara and Jadeith were compatible for each other.


    They landed at Changi Airport in the morning and immediately headed to the Continental Hotel to put their belongings and rest for a while. Thereafter, they left for the funeral home. The Chan couple were rested there for several days before being cremated, so that their friends could pay their last respects and cheer their son, Terry.


    "Good day, Madam... er... Sir." Chan family''s lawyer could not hide his surprise when he saw Finland and Caspar at the entrance to the funeral home. The faces of these two people had not changed at all since they first met ten years ago at the hospital when Finland donated her bone marrow.


    "Good afternoon, Mr. Li. Where is Terry?" Finland asked quickly. The lawyer immediately invited the small group to come inside and took them to meet a boy who was pensive in a chair staring at the two coffins in the center of the room.


    The sight immediately touched Finland''s heart. The scene brought back a memory from a long time ago, when she was left alone in the world after her last relative, her grandmother, passed away.


    Slowly she stepped toward Terry and sat beside him.


    "Hello, Terry... do you still remember me?" she asked in a soft, motherly voice.


    Terry turned, and his grieving face showed no expression as he shook his head, "I don''t remember you..."


    "Oh..." Finland sighed, "My name is Finland, I know your parents... We came to accompany you here..."


    "Thank you..." Terry nodded and looked down again, saying nothing more. It looked like he had been crying for quite a while and now he had no more tears left.


    Aleksis saw how similar Terry''s face was to Uncle Jean''s and immediately felt sorry for the grieving boy. She then sat next to Terry, too. Her hand patted Terry''s shoulders gently.


    "Don''t be sad. You are not alone in this world... we are your family." said the girl in a wise voice, surprising her father and mother.


    Caspar took Aleksis and whispered into her ear, "Aleksis, he doesn''t know that. Don''t tell him that we are his family, he will be confused..."


    Terry certainly did not know that he was Finland''s biological son from the eggs she sold to the fertility clinic years ago.


    "Oh, really...?" Aleksis gasped. She did not realize that Terry himself did not know he was not the biological child of his parents. She immediately covered her mouth with the back of her hand and her expression turned to pity.


    "Who are you guys?"


    For the first time, Terry looked up and stared intently at his five guests. He did not recognize any of them. Judging from their attitude and the way they interact; they must be family.


    The girl sitting on his right looked very similar to the adult woman sitting on his left. The boy standing in front of him was the spitting image of the attractive looking man beside him. The man was holding a small, blond-haired boy who had a face full of curiosity.


    Who were they?


    "We know your parents..." Finland said gently, "You may not remember, but ten years ago, when you were hospitalized for leukemia, my husband and I came to see you... At that time, you were just a child."


    Terry tried to remember the incident and a few seconds later his eyes rounded as he stared at Finland.

 Chapter 257 - The Sad Boy

    "You... you are my biological mother. You gave me your bone marrow for transplant, right?" he said in a muffled voice.


    Finland and Caspar were surprised to hear Terry''s words. Oh... this child knew his identity. Initially they did not want to discuss it because they did not want Terry to become even sadder, but apparently, he already knew what had happened.


    Finland quickly controlled her feelings and nodded with a smile, "So you know?"


    Terry nodded slowly, "Mom and Dad tried to hide it, but they certainly couldn''t remove all the news on the internet from the past 10 years. I already knew that I was a kid made with IVF using an embryo from donors..."


    "You make it sound bad," Caspar commented. "So what if you''re not your parent''s biological child? That means that you are a very wanted child. Your parents did everything they could to have you in their lives... Do you know how expensive and difficult the IVF process is? And they raised you for 15 years in a loving family..."


    "I''m not complaining. I''m just stating facts..." Terry pursed his lips exactly like Finland did when she frowned, and Caspar realized that.


    This child may look like Jean, but his personality and expression were very much like Finland, he thought. Indeed, the DNA couldn''t lie.


    He unconsciously looked at his own three children with satisfaction. He did not need to be jealous of the fact that Jean had a child with Finland, it was only DNA, because Caspar had three wonderful children with his wife. The three children made their family very exciting and fun.


    Caspar did not mind having more children, but now he realized that having three children who were close in age was quite troublesome, because even though they had a lot of staff and servants, he and Finland preferred to take care of their children hands-on.


    Maybe in a few years, when the children had grown  up and left the house, and they experienced empty nest syndrome, like a mother bird who felt lonely because her children were grown and flew away from their nest, they would consider having more children.


    When that time came, he would propose to Finland to have more children. Ha ha ha.


    Caspar was lucky because he had his wish granted: that Finland would not go back to work until London was at least two years old. When London was 15 months old, his beloved wife conceived Rune, and after giving birth to her third child, she focused her full attention on her three small children.


    Swiftly and quickly nine years had passed, and now Finland no longer wanted to return to work. She had found satisfaction in so many new things she encountered in their lives and adventures as a family.


    She was happy to learn new languages when they moved around the world, she became familiar with foreign cultures, and she pursued some of her interests that she had never taken seriously before, such as photography and writing.


    Caspar was very pleased to see that Finland was now busy with various small projects that gave her inner satisfaction. His wife could now make her own wine, cheese, and perfume with ingredients from their farms and vineyards. Finland also began to learn to paint and sometimes they would go to beautiful places and paint together.


    Caspar himself hasn''t been a doctor in years, even though it was one of his favorite professions. He happily appointed himself as the family physician of the Schneider family. His job was to take care of vaccinations and treat his children''s wounds and blisters caused by their super active childhood.


    He did not handle any business anymore. Kurt Van Der Ven was doing a very good job in helping Stanis, his father, in managing the Schneider Group so far that they hadn''t needed to bother Caspar at all.


    For many years the Schneider family lived in peace until suddenly Finland received a phone call that informed her of the death of the Chan couple. Now they must decide what they would do to help Terry.


    Finland looked at Terry attentively.


    "How long have you been sitting here? Have you eaten anything?" she asked Terry. "Maybe it''s better that we chat somewhere else..."


    Terry did not budge.


    Finland, who lost her parents when she was very young, understood the boy''s sadness and did not want to force him. She exchanged glances with Caspar and asked with her eyes what her husband was thinking.


    "It''s okay, let''s wait here," Caspar said, smiling with patience.


    He then sat next to Aleksis. London and Rune followed in his footsteps and sat next to him.


    So, the six of them sat together on the bench, waiting. Nobody said anything else.


    Lawyer Li who saw what was happening from afar seemed to heave a sigh of relief. Now he felt that he didn''t need to worry that his client''s child would be alone. His biological mother and her family were here and it seemed like they were very kind to him.


    ***


    During the next several hours, several dozen guests came to mourn and pay their last respects to the Chan couple. Terry only saw them coming and going without reacting much.


    Rune was starting to get nervous and begged his father with his eyes to take him away. Sitting nicely for 5 hours was a new record for him, and he couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Alright... it''s time to go home." Caspar decided, "We all have to eat dinner."


    Everyone got up except for Terry. The boy seemed to have a stubborn nature that was somehow passed down from his biological mother, Finland.


    "I''ll stay here..." he said firmly. "I have to wait for my parents."


    "I understand that you are feeling a great loss, but I am sure your parents will be sad to see you torture yourself like this." Finland tried to reason with the boy, but Terry seemed to be unmoved.

 Chapter 258 - Dont chase me!

    Finland was not one to give up easily.


    "At least come with us and eat, then rest. Tomorrow morning, we will return here." She kept trying to persuade him. "Believe me, I''m a mother."


    "Big brother..." suddenly Aleksis could no longer hold back and called Terry her brother. "Come with us. If you don''t eat, we won''t eat either. Don''t you feel sorry to see that these small children will starve because of you?"


    She stood up and pulled Rune in front of her, thrusting the boy''s pleading face towards Terry who looked surprised. Rune''s face was frowning pitifully. The child was constantly hungry and he had been very patient not to complain about food for hours.


    "I''m not asking you to stay here," Terry grumbled. He had never seen the family before, so why would he be responsible if the child was starving?


    "Ugh!" Aleksis was not a girl with patience. She immediately pulled Terry''s hand to force him to stand up, and dragged him toward the door. "Jeez...  you are so annoying!"


    "Hey... let me go!" Terry wanted to hit Aleksis to let him go but he was raised to be a real man by his parents, and a real man didn''t hit a girl.


    Finally, he could only jerk his hand tightly so Aleksis would let go.


    Eh... he couldn''t let go.


    Terry looked at the messy-haired girl and his jaw dropped.


    This girl was very strong, he thought.


    "You must come with us and have dinner! Mummy didn''t give her bone marrow to you ten years ago so that you could starve to death here now," Aleksis said.


    She continued to pull Terry''s hand firmly out of the building and to their parked car. Finally, Terry relented and got into the car even though his face seemed unwilling.


    Finland and Caspar exchanged glances and shrugged with a smile. Aleksis did not like to small talk and they were not surprised that she would force Terry to follow her wishes.


    They then walked out of the funeral home too and got into the other car which was parked behind the first car. London and Rune followed their sister into the first car.


    The two luxury vehicles immediately drove back to the Continental Hotel. On the way to the hotel, the three children of the Schneider family stared closely at Terry, and that made him feel rather uncomfortable.


    Rune even narrowed his eyes to see Terry better.


    "Stop staring at me like that. It''s rude, you know," Terry said, looking away.


    "Hmmm... he looks so much like Uncle Jean..." Rune said to London, as if Terry wasn''t there, and that made the teenager even more upset. "But Uncle Jean is very sweet and friendly, this boy is aloof and stoic."


    "Maybe he got his personality from Mum. You know, when mum is upset with Dad, she also looks annoyingly aloof..." replied London.


    They both looked at Terry again and nodded.


    "Gosh... you guys stop treating me as if I''m not here!" said Terry impatiently. The two boys just ignored him and talked in front of him like he wasn''t there. He then turned to Aleksis, who was sitting beside him. "As soon as this car stops I will go. DON''T CHASE ME. I don''t want to hit a girl!"


    "I dare you to hit me!" challenged Aleksis. "I can easily beat ten boys like you."


    "..." Terry thought it would be useless to argue with this weird looking girl with her blue-green eyes. He gritted his teeth and tried to argue again, "This is a kidnapping! I will report you to the police...!"


    "You want to tell the police that a 12-year-old girl kidnapped you by force?" Aleksis looked very amused, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and burst out laughing to tears. "All I did was invite you to dinner..."


    Terry could only snort. He knew Aleksis was right. Instead, he would be embarrassed if he reported to the police that he had been kidnapped by a girl younger than him.


    He finally stopped talking and began to observe the three children sitting in the car. The girl was 12 years old and had a very beautiful face, even though her hair was messy. Her two younger siblings looked very handsome with their brilliant blue eyes. It seemed that these three kids were very close.


    Instantly he thought about his own situation; he was the only child in his family. He always longed to have siblings, but when he learned that both his parents could not have children of their own, he realized that his hopes would never be realized.


    His mind wandered to the beautiful half-Asian woman who patiently sat beside him for hours and treated him very gently in the funeral home. The woman was his biological mother.


    Terry bit his lip sadly. Five years ago, when he learned that he was not the biological child of the Chan family, he tried to find out who his biological parents were.


    He found information about Jean Pierre Wang, but of course, he could not reach such a well-known actor. On the other hand, his biological mother disappeared and could not be traced.


    Today, suddenly the woman appeared, and she brought her whole family with her. She already had other children who were very sweet, and it seemed that they were a very happy and loving family. Unconsciously, Terry rubbed his eyes that were almost wet with tears.


    It was very painful for him to see his biological mother showing off her happy little family after he just lost his parents. He felt like he was being slapped in the face.


    The car stopped in front of the Continental Hotel and the four children immediately got out. Terry looked at the hotel and Aleksis, and within seconds made his decision.


    "I know your intentions are good, but sorry, I am in mourning and unable to make small talk with others. Don''t chase me." He patted Aleksis'' shoulder slowly, and in an instant ran with all his strength and disappeared behind the trees.


    He suspected that these people did not live in Singapore, so of course, they wouldn''t know the inside and outside of Singapore like him. It would be very easy for him to leave and disappear. He didn''t want to see this family again.


    "Hey! Heyyy... don''t go!!" Aleksis swiftly ran fast and chased after Terry. She also immediately disappeared.


    The second car just arrived and both Caspar dan Finland were surprised to see Aleksis running away.


    "What is wrong?" Finland asked worriedly. "Where are they going?"


    Jadeith, who was driving Caspar and Finland, wasted no time in getting out of the car and ran toward the disappearance of the two children. A bodyguard followed him ran after Terry and Aleksis.


    "Terry and Aleksis were still arguing in the car. Terry said he wanted to go and forbade Aleksis from chasing him..." London said.


    "As usual, Aleksis won''t listen so she chased after Terry." Rune continued his brother''s words.


    Caspar massaged his temple. Finland took a deep breath. Both could only hope that the children would be found immediately before something bad happened.

 Chapter 259 - Kidnapped

    Aleksis had an amazing running speed for her age, but unfortunately, she was not familiar with the areas in Singapore. She had come to this city only several times before and had never traveled alone.


    When Terry saw that Aleksis was running after him, he immediately entered a small bubble tea shop and hid under the seller''s counter. He quickly waved 50 dollars to the bubble tea seller and the man immediately understood that the boy wanted to hide, and the man should pretend not to see him.


    "Ugh... where is that boy?" Aleksis muttered in annoyance. She was very sure that Terry was running in this direction, but within a fraction of a second, her brother had disappeared. Aleksis then directed her gaze at the bubble tea merchant of a small kiosk who seemed busy arranging his equipment.


    "Uncle, have you seen a boy wearing a black shirt running past here?" she asked the merchant. The man nodded and pointed westward. Aleksis thanked him and then started running to the direction the bubble tea merchant was pointing at.


    One minute later, after he was sure that Aleksis had disappeared from his sight, Terry went out of hiding and placed the 50 dollars on the merchant''s counter. He then quickly disappeared.


    Jadeith and Caspar''s other bodyguards arrived 30 seconds later but they did not see anyone. Ugh... Jadeith immediately called a number and spoke quickly.


    While waiting for the report from the person he just contacted, Jadeith walked back to the Continental Hotel. His eyes carefully scanned his surroundings. His face looked very worried.


    He hoped that nothing bad would happen to Aleksis and Terry.


    His cellphone rang when he almost arrived at the Continental Hotel. Caspar was still standing and waiting at the hotel lobby while Finland and their two children were told to go up to the penthouse to eat because Rune was starving.


    "So?" Jadeith asked quickly.


    The answer he received from the man on the other end of the phone made his face turn pale. Caspar, who noticed the change in his expression, realized that something bad must have happened.


    "Tell me what happened." He told Jadeith.


    Jadeith couldn''t suppress the fear in his voice as he spoke, "I couldn''t find them, so I asked the security center to access all the CCTVs around the last location I saw Aleksis. They saw her taken into a car that went towards Harbourfront. My men are tracking the car... I''m waiting for further news..."


    Caspar clenched his hands in fury.


    His daughter was taken by strangers...!! This was truly the nightmare of every parent.


    Watch out¡­ if they dare to lay a single finger on Aleksis...


    Caspar was furious, but he realized there was no one to blame. Aleksis had good intentions when she chased after Terry. They both got a head start and ran too fast for Jadeith to catch up... his men were doing their best to track down Aleksis'' whereabouts.


    Now he could only wait...


    He hated waiting without being able to do anything and this situation tortured him.


    ***


    Aleksis, who was sitting in the backseat of the car, looked at their whereabouts outside and frowned. She did not remember this area.


    "Hey, Uncle and Auntie... I don''t think I ran too far from the Continental Hotel... Why are we driving for so long?" she asked the woman in her 30s who was sitting next to her. "Are we lost? Earlier you told me that you can take me back to the hotel... why are we going this way?"


    The woman smiled calmly, "No, we are not lost, we just need to go somewhere first and then we will take you home..."


    Aleksis arrived at a crossroad after running at the direction pointed by the merchant. She couldn''t find Terry anywhere and after some time she realized that she was lost. She finally gave up looking for her brother because she was not familiar with the city of Singapore. She didn''t even know where she was.


    When she saw a husband and wife filling gas at a gas station near to where she was, she came to them to ask for directions. The couple looked very friendly and they said that they would drive past the Continental Hotel soon and offered to drive her there. Hearing that, Aleksis felt very relieved and accepted their offer and got in the couple''s car.


    But now 15 minutes had passed and they haven''t arrived yet. They were on a route that she had never seen before and now Aleksis began to feel anxious.


    "Please drop me off here..." she said finally. "I''ll just take a taxi..."


    "There is no need, dear. We will take you..." the woman said again. She gave a signal to her husband and he stepped on the gas so the car could run faster. Aleksis realized that the couple had no intention to bring her back to the hotel. Her face turned pale.


    "Let me go!! If my father catches you, your regrets won''t be of any use... Let me out now before my dad finds out that you kidnapped me..." said Aleksis in a loud voice. "I''m not asking twice!"


    The woman looked at Aleksis and smiling mockingly, "Ha... you sure are a wild child. I can tell there will be many men who will want to buy you... Children like you sell really well."


    Aleksis hit the woman and tried to open the door, but her husband hurriedly activated the central lock on the car so that Aleksis could not get out.


    "Aww... you hit me! You wild child!!" The woman tried to hit back but Aleksis pulled her body and lifted her legs to kick her head mercilessly many times, then she slammed her shoulder into the driver''s seat, startling the driver.


    Aleksis moved to the center of the car and tried to pull the steering wheel away from the male kidnapper, who was trying hard to balance the vehicle under this speed and pressure.


    "Hey, kid!! Do you want to get us all killed?!!" the man exclaimed, trying to get rid of Aleksis'' hand so he could drive the car without stumbling. Aleksis did not give up; she forced herself on to the man''s thigh and pulled the car''s central lock open. It all happened very fast.


    Once the central lock was open, she quickly moved to the passenger side and opened the door. The car was still driving fast when Aleksis jumped out of the car. Her body slammed hard to the asphalt.


    Blood flowed from her temple and Aleksis fell unconscious.

 Chapter 260 - Punishment for the human traffickers

    A large motorbike came to a sudden stop several centimeters from Aleksis'' body. The bike was driving behind the kidnapper''s car when Aleksis suddenly jumped out. If the driver were not this skilled, surely the motorbike would have run over the girl.


    The kidnapper''s car stopped a few dozen meters ahead, but when the driver saw that a motorbike had stopped near Aleksis, they did not dare to retreat to retrieve the child. A few seconds later, with a sudden movement, the kidnaper''s car sped away and left the place.


    The motorbike rider had an option to chase the kidnapper''s car or save the girl laying in front of him. Within a fraction of a second he made a quick decision to tend to the girl. He got off his motorcycle and hurriedly checked on Aleksis'' condition.


    "Ugh..." He sighed worriedly. He saw that the head injury was quite severe. "You poor thing..."


    The road they were on was quiet because it led to the harbor, and in the evening there were not many people passing by. He was not sure if he would be able to get a car or taxi to bring this child.


    Finally, the biker carried Aleksis and balanced the girl''s body at the front of his motorbike. He then skillfully drove the unconscious Aleksis to seek help.


    Driving a motorcycle with an unconscious child was not easy, but the man managed to do it without any difficulty. He even spurred his vehicle to double the speed limit allowed because he wanted to get professional help for the child as soon as possible.


    He had briefly checked Aleksis'' condition and realized that it was quite severe.


    ***


    Jadeith knocked on the door of Caspar''s study and immediately delivered his report.


    "Aleksis'' kidnappers have been found. My men locked them in a warehouse on Harbourfront and tortured them for information, but they said they no longer have Aleksis..."


    Caspar kicked the table furiously.


    "Where did they take Aleksis to?" he asked in an angry voice that made even Jadeith feel scared. He rarely saw his uncle angry, but once he was angry, Caspar could be very frightening. Moreover, this concerned his only daughter.


    "They said that Aleksis jumped out of the car in the middle of the road..." Jadeith replied, "We traced their last location to find Aleksis, but unfortunately there is no CCTV in that area and the roads are very quiet so we are unable to obtain any information. I have ordered 100 people to comb the surrounding area in search of Aleksis. We will find her soon..."


    "Hmm... alright. Then we can only wait..." Caspar said in a deep voice. He tried hard to hold back his emotions so as not to explode in the penthouse. He did not want to scare his wife. "I don''t want those two to die easily. You know what you have to do."


    Jadeith nodded.


    Of course, child traffickers who took the opportunity to kidnap a child who innocently asked for directions should not be given relief.


    No one knew how many children they have sold so far. Their luck ran out because they kidnapped the beloved child of the powerful Alchemist clan leader. They certainly would not die easily.


    Jadeith himself would make sure that they got the punishment they deserved.


    The man immediately drove to the warehouse in the harbor where his men arrested the kidnapper couple. When Jadeith arrived, they were kneeling and begging for forgiveness so that they would not be tortured again.


    "Forgive us... please¡­ we don''t know anything..." the woman cried bitterly, "The girl jumped out of the car herself... Please let us go.  We already know that what we do is wrong... We will not repeat our actions..."


    Jadeith looked at the two in disgust.


    "Of course you won''t repeat your actions..." he said sarcastically, "I''ll make sure you can''t do anything else ever again..."


    "Please forgive us..." They continued to beg for forgiveness with expressions of fear. They both could  guess that something bad was about to happen to them.


    Jadeith took out a sharp knife from his waist and swung it in front of the woman. "If you cut your right hand yourself, I will let you go. You''ve got half an hour. If that doesn''t work, I will gouge out your eyes and pull out your nails one by one, before plucking your teeth with pliers. Then I will give you a few wounds, just enough to make you bleed to death in a very long time..."


    The woman seemed to shudder at the threat. Her hair was wet with sweat and blood, and her face looked very scared. She glared at the knife that Jadeith pointed to and struggled with her feelings.


    Would  she be able to cut her own hand...?


    Oh... this was really scary. She deeply regretted kidnapping the girl. She must be someone important, judging from the people who were after them.


    They were captured in less than an hour after the kidnapping incident. That meant that her family was very efficient and powerful, so they could easily find them.


    Apparently, the child''s threat in the car was not just nonsense. They really regretted not letting her go. Now they must bear the consequences...


    "All right, then you choose me to punish you myself," Jadeith said in a cold tone when he saw the doubts in her eyes. He gave a signal to his subordinates and one of them brought a big hook and handed it to him, "Hmm... this hook is the best eye prying tool ... It takes out the human eye in a very messy way and immediately dismantles the nerves in the eye socket..."


    The woman screamed in terror and suddenly took the knife from Jadeith''s hand and immediately slashed it into her own.


    Her scream sounded loud and terrible; like a madwoman she frantically tried to cut her hand off, but the knife hit the bones and joints that were very difficult to cut. Tears flowed as she wailed in pain.

 Chapter 261 - Aleksis and Her Savior (1)

    The large motorbike stopped in front of the gate of a big mansion, and a moment later the gate opened automatically giving way to the motorbike to enter into the courtyard before the gate closed behind them.


    After the motorbike was properly parked, the driver removed the helmet covering his head and threw it to the ground. He then descended cautiously, still carrying the wounded girl on his lap.


    "Welcome, Master. Who is this?" asked a servant who came hurriedly to approach him.


    "I don''t know, but her condition is very bad. I will treat her wounds." The motorbike driver was apparently a young man in his 20''s. He had a long blond hair which framed his very handsome face that had perfect lines of symmetry. His pair of eyes were purplish-blue and looked very serious.


    With long strides he entered the mansion while carrying Aleksis and headed for a large bedroom in the front part of the house.


    He laid Aleksis on the bed and hurriedly went into another room to take a small bottle from the cabinet which contained the first aid kit. He painstakingly cleaned all the wounds on Aleksis'' body with alcohol, then took the small bottle and studied its contents.


    "Hmmm... you''re really lucky, little girl. I still have this little miracle medicine... If not, maybe you won''t survive from your injuries." He muttered to himself as he squinted at how much was left of the bottle. He then opened the bottle and poured the contents onto his palm.


    He then rubbed the clear, distinct-smelling oil from the bottle on the various wounds on Aleksis'' head, hands, feet, and shoulders until the content of the bottle was gone.


    He then waited for five minutes and examined the girl''s condition. His lips let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Aleksis'' wounds had immediately stopped bleeding.


    The man placed the empty bottle on the bedside table, then covered Aleksis with a blanket and let her rest. He then called a maid and gave several orders while handing over some money.


    "Please buy clothes and all other stuff a girl needs. Later when this child is awake, take care of her and let me know her progress."


    "Yes, Sir," the maid accepted the money and hurried out.


    ***


    Jean arrived at the Continental Hotel and found his best friend''s family sitting in the living room of their penthouse with anxious faces.


    "I came straight here from the airport... What happened?" he asked, astonished. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Finland shook her head, unable to speak. Finally, Caspar explained what happened.


    "Aleksis disappeared... We are still looking for her."


    "Jeez... what happened? Why did she disappear?" Jean immediately became anxious. Rune that just came out of the room immediately hugged him.


    "Uncle Jean... I miss you. Why did it take so long for you to come? Terry and Aleksis had an argument, then they ran away and haven''t come home yet..." he said in a rather sleepy voice, "Mummy has been crying for hours..."


    Jean lifted Rune up in the air and kissed his hair, "There was a hurricane in New York, so my flight was delayed. Why haven''t you gone to sleep? It''s 9 o''clock now."


    Finland got up and took Rune from Jean, "Rune, you have to sleep. Listen to Uncle Jean''s words. Little children shouldn''t stay up too late..."


    Finland carried Rune back to his room to sleep.


    "I can walk by myself..." protested the boy, but Finland did not listen. At the present, she just wanted to be with her children and make sure they are safe in her arms.


    Caspar poured some brandy into a glass and handed it to Jean, then told him what had happened.


    "Jeez... I don''t know why Terry would do something like that..." Jean gulped down his brandy with a frantic feeling. He did not expect that when he arrived in Singapore, he would have to face such a terrible situation. "Maybe Terry is still depressed because of the death of his parents... What are your plans now?"


    "My people are still looking for Aleksis, and as for Terry, we have searched all the places he might go to, but we haven''t found him. He will likely come to the crematorium tomorrow for his parents'' cremation. We will meet him there. Right now, I will leave him alone," answered Caspar.


    Jean sighed and nodded in understanding.


    ***

 Chapter 262 - Aleksis and Her Savior (2)

    Aleksis opened her eyes and found herself lying in a large, comfortable bed. Her head hurt a lot, and she groaned while clutching her forehead.


    "Don''t move too much..." Suddenly a gentle voice came from the window. A young man who had been sitting and absentmindedly looking out of the window suddenly turned his head when he heard Aleksis'' voice. "How do you feel?"


    Aleksis squinted her eyes at the direction where the voice came from and saw the man who asked how she was.


    The sunlight from the window blocked Aleksis'' view so she could not see the person''s face well. He looked like he was emitting a halo around his head.


    "Who are you? Where am I?" Aleksis asked in a weak voice.


    "You''re in my house. I saw you jump out of a speeding car last night and I brought you here to be treated. You''re lucky to be alive." The man walked over to Aleksis and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature, "Hmm... you''re not feverish."


    "You saved me...?" Aleksis was finally able to see the young man''s face and for a moment she was stunned.


    She had never seen such a gentle face with a calm, cool expression like this. His long hair and his beautiful face almost made Aleksis thought he was a woman.


    She was dumbfounded for one long second and felt that the halo of sunlight coming in through the window suited this angel very well. She had never seen a creature more beautiful than this.


    "Hmm..." The young man looked at Aleksis carefully, "What''s your name and where are your parents? I don''t like dealing with the police, so I can''t take you to the hospital, but I can contact your family..."


    Aleksis frowned. She tried to gather all her memory, but she could not remember anything important. Finally, after thinking hard for a few minutes, she could only shake her head weakly.


    "I do not know..."


    "Hmmm... Maybe you lost your memory because your head hit the asphalt..." The man sighed. His face looked very sorry to see the state Aleksis was in. "I''ll try to find out who you were with in the car yesterday. They might be able to give information about your family."


    Aleksis bit her lip. At first, she felt afraid because she was in a strange place and could not remember anything, but when she saw the man''s face, her heart slowly began to calm down. She only felt peace and zen emanating from the man who helped her.


    "Th... thank you... for saving me..." she said quietly.


    "Hmm..." The man nodded. He touched Aleksis'' wounded forehead and examined the condition of her wound, "You''re lucky because I still have some very good medicine. The wound on your forehead will heal soon and it won''t leave a scar. A girl shouldn''t have a scar on her body..."


    He then walked out and called for someone, and a moment later a maid came carrying a tray of food and drinks into the room.


    "You have to eat to get better. Later we will think about how to find your family. I will leave you and give you some privacy. If you need to call me you can use this cellphone, my number is in it."


    The man placed a cellphone on the bedside table, then stepped out of the room. Aleksis watched him leave until he disappeared from the door and then pondered. She tried to remember who she was and what had happened last night. There was nothing she managed to remember.


    Ugh... She tried to hold back her tears so as not to fall. Crying wouldn''t help, thought Aleksis. She then ate the food provided on the tray and began to think of ways to find information about herself.


    After eating, Aleksis paid attention to her clothes. The clothes she was wearing looked clean and new, probably bought for her by her savior earlier. She will ask for her old clothes, who knows there might be some information she could get from there.


    ***


    The man who saved Aleksis was sitting in the library with his laptop open. He was trying to find information on what happened last night. In front of him stood two stiff-faced men dressed in black.


    "Master... we found a car similar to the car you are looking for. The car was dumped in the harbor and was just lifted from the water this morning." The man in black was the first to give his report.


    The man called Master nodded slowly. His eyes stared at his laptop screen and saw a news video on the internet about a car found drowned in the harbor area. His eyes peered at the model and color of the car and realized it was indeed the car he had seen last night.


    He tried to look for news about the victim drowning in the car or news about the missing child but did not find any news about the mysterious girl he helped.


    "Any news about the driver?" he asked, raising his face, staring at the second man, "This might be a kidnapping case. The girl was wearing very expensive clothes, so I suspect that she''s a rich kid kidnapped by a criminal and she tried to run away."


    "We found two bodies in a warehouse, near the harbor. Their conditions are terrible." The second man seemed to frown, withholding nausea, "Maybe they have angered a mafia group or an influential government official... We are still checking whether they have anything to do with the kidnapper. The sinking car has fake documents, so we can''t find out who the real owner is."


    "All right. You guys continue to search for information underground and report to me immediately if there is anything important."


    The two men nodded respectfully and then immediately left to do their work.


    ***

 Chapter 263 - Terrys new family

    The atmosphere in the penthouse was very dark when Jadeith came to bring Terry in. Caspar, Finland, and Jean sat on the living room couch with dark expressions and hands folded on the chests. London and Rune were taken to another room by Kara to study.


    "Why did you force me to come here?" Terry asked with a defiant face. He was hugging a jar that contained his parents'' ashes on his chest and his mood was as bad as the three people in front of him.


    "We consulted with Lawyer Li and learned that your parents no longer have relatives. As a minor, you cannot live alone. He proposed to find you a guardian until you are 21 years old and you can receive the inheritance from your father," Caspar said without caring about Terry''s protest. His voice sounded authoritative, even though his face looked very tired. "You are already aware that my wife here is your biological mother... then, of course, you know who the person next to her is..."


    Terry turned his gaze to the handsome man sitting at the very end. His face looked very familiar. Not only because Terry often saw him adorn magazines and movie posters, but also because he found the man''s face very similar to his own.


    He was stunned for a few moments, unable to understand why the man looked so young. Shouldn''t he now be almost 40 years old? Ten years ago, when he came for a donor match test, he was over 28 years old...


    "Are you Jean Pierre Wang?" Terry asked quietly, trying to be sure.


    Jean nodded and smiled, even though his face seemed to be filled with worry. Terry didn''t understand why these three people looked so tired and worried. Did they not like his presence here? Did they only come because Terry''s parents'' and lawyer Li asked them to come?


    "Oh..."


    Terry didn''t know what to say. He looked closely at Jean. This person looked very similar to him, and for the first time, Terry felt as if he could see himself in someone else''s figure.


    This was his biological father... although not his real father.


    This person was just a sperm cell donor, he thought bitterly. His father had died in an accident a few days ago. The woman sitting next to him was the same as him, she only donated her eggs and her bone marrow... That woman already had her own family and children.


    "We are here discussing which of us is the right person to be your guardian until you are an adult..." Finland said to Terry. She saw how Terry looked so depressed that she felt pity for the boy. In a very gentle voice, she then explained their intention to meet him.


    "I am your biological mother, and Jean is your biological father. We can and are willing to be your guardians. I have a husband and three children, and we currently live in New Zealand and Germany. If you come with us, you will get a decent life. It''s just that our children don''t go to public schools. If you come with us, you will also study with private teachers. You have met our children yesterday. There are Aleksis, London, and Rune."


    Terry''s big brown eyes widened at Finland''s words. He did not expect that they would offer to be his guardians.


    "You already know that I am your biological father..." Jean continued Finland''s sentence, in the same gentle voice that made Terry almost shed his tears because he was so touched.


    "I know, I''m not your real father. We are only bound by DNA. I also don''t have the talent to be a father because my parents were divorced when I was only five years old. I don''t know how to be a good father, but I hope you will give me a chance to be your guardian. I''m a busy person, but I''ll try to make time to take care of you. My father is aSingaporean, and I am willing to stay with you in Singapore so you can finish your school here. Later we can figure out together where you want to study. Maybe you can even move with me to America if you want."


    Terry could only look at the three people with an astonished expression. He never expected that they all wanted to be his guardian... They were not even his relatives.


    "Why are you doing this?" he asked softly.


    They definitely had certain hidden agendas or something... he thought.


    But...


    They couldn''t be targeting the Chan''s family''s money, considering that Jean was a very successful actor... And the couple sitting next to him also looked wealthy.


    At least, judging from how they could stay in a penthouse like this, they must be very rich... Then what is their true purpose?


    Terry really couldn''t help thinking.


    "Are you sincere with what you say?" he asked later, his voice sounded filled with doubt.


    Finland got up and approached Terry, then unexpectedly hugged him.


    "We mean it, Son. Believe me, I understand what it''s like to be a child who lives alone. We won''t leave you alone..."


    That''s when Terry''s wall collapsed, and for the first time since his parents'' death, he cried in front of these strangers...


    Jean then joined in and hugged the boy. The three of them tried to hold back the tears so they wouldn''t flow harder.


    Caspar only saw the scene with a dark face. His mind was filled with Aleksis... His chest felt tight thinking about the fate of his daughter.


    ***

 Chapter 264 - The Man Who Loves Bonsai

    Aleksis was surprised because her wounds healed very quickly. Fortunately, there were no internal injuries or broken bones, so within 3 days she could recover.


    Now, all she had to do was find out who her family was... and go home.


    Her savior seemed very busy. He only came to visit once a day to make sure his staff took good care of Aleksis. Until now he still did not want to introduce himself.


    "I also don''t know your name, Little girl. So, I have no obligation to tell you mine..." he said with a smile when he visited Aleksis that afternoon and the girl tried to ask for his name again.


    "Then what should I call you?" Aleksis asked stubbornly.


    "You can call me ''Big brother''. I can call you Little girl. It feels fair then," the young man replied with a shrug. Aleksis finally had no choice but to agree.


    "Alright... Uhm, if you manage to find my parents, they will be very grateful and give you lots of gifts..." Aleksis said later.


    "Thank you, but I don''t need anything," said the young man, smiling faintly. He spread his arms to show his mansion. "I have everything."


    Aleksis confirmed this inwardly. This mansion was very large and luxurious, so it only made sense that the owner was already very rich.


    Maybe it''s true he didn''t need material things. But what about things that couldn''t be valued in money...?


    "I know you''re rich ... But there must be something you want in life. My father can make it happen, whatever it is." Aleksis insisted. She hadn''t been able to remember many things, but she knew for sure that her father was very powerful and able to materialize whatever dreams a person had.


    The young man frowned at Aleksis'' words.


    "Do you know who your father is? You want me to call him?"


    "Uhmm... That''s not it. I can''t remember him, but clearly, I know that my father is very powerful. If we can find him, he will return the favor because you have helped me..."


    "Hmm... Alright. I believe you." The man ruffled Aleksis'' hair and smiled faintly. "Are you feeling better? Do you want to come with me for a walk outside? It must be uncomfortable to stay in the room for days."


    Aleksis nodded and immediately got out of bed, then followed the man towards the garden. She was astonished because her condition had greatly improved, even though she had only been treated for three days.


    They walked out the door of the mansion into the vast backyard. White marble steps from the back door descend into a green garden full of flowers and bonsai* trees. The garden gave Aleksis a very cool and peaceful feeling.


    "This is such a beautiful garden..." Aleksis said admiringly.


    "Thank you. I love gardening," the young man answered with a happy smile. He knew his garden was very beautiful, but of course, it was always nice to hear the praise from others.


    He took a pair of plant shears from the branches of a tree and meticulously began to cut several small branches from a beautiful banyan bonsai tree at the very front.


    "Big brother, you are very talented," said Aleksis. "Aside from gardening, what else are your hobbies?"


    The young man answered question after question from Aleksis lightly while arranging his plants meticulously, "I like riding, mountain climbing, sailing... hmmm... and many more."


    "Ah, me too. I most enjoy sailing in the Caribbean with Uncle Rory. He said when I turn 17 years old and my freediving skills are as good as his, I will be invited to take the pirate''s treasure chests in Barbados."


    "Uncle Rory? What about your father?" asked the young man in response to Aleksis'' story. "Don''t you have parents anymore?"


    Aleksis could only shake her head. She remembered the name Uncle Rory but could not remember her parents...


    Hmm... did that mean that her mother and father were gone?


    The thought immediately made her chest feel tight.


    "Hey... don''t be sad. Maybe your parents are still there, you just can''t remember them. Give yourself time. In three days, you have recovered and now remember your uncle''s name. Maybe tomorrow you can remember the others..." Seeing Aleksis'' almost crying face, the young man put down his shears and approached Aleksis to wipe her tears, comforting the girl. "Do you remember Uncle Rory''s full name?"


    Aleksis shook her head. "I do not remember."


    "Well... maybe if I take you sailing, you will be able to remember his real name." The young man finally decided, "I will take you to Harbourfront tomorrow; I have a catamaran there. We can sail and enjoy the sun. Who knows your memories of sailing with Uncle Rory will return and you can remember his name..."


    "I will be very happy..." said Aleksis. She no longer felt sad.


    The young man returned to his bonsai and Aleksis sat watching him. They said nothing more for half an hour.


    Aleksis then explored the garden and admired the man''s other bonsai works. Even though she had just been injured and couldn''t remember about herself and her family, Aleksis was not worried at all. Somehow this place made her feel at peace.


    .


    * Bonsai is a Japanese art form using cultivation techniques to produce, in containers, small trees that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees. The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation for the viewer, and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the growe

 Chapter 265 - Lets Play Go Game

    Terry was rather confused because he had come to the penthouse several times to meet his new guardian''s family and he had not seen their annoying daughter, who had forced him to come to the Continental Hotel, but he did not dare ask where the girl was.


    He had decided to join Finland''s family because he realized that Jean was too busy to be his guardian, even though Jean was kind enough to offer to take care of him.


    Terry could not imagine if Jean had to move to Singapore to live with him, leaving a successful career in Hollywood behind for several years.


    The next consideration was, of course, he would then have three ''little siblings" who would make him feel no longer lonely. After living for fifteen years as an only child, Terry very much want to know what it felt like to have siblings.


    Jean accompanied him at his home in Singapore while he completed his exam and took care of his various needs before he could move out of Singapore to join Finland''s family.


    To avoid people from freaking out, Jean hid his face with a hat and sunglasses every time he took Terry to school. Only the principal knew who he was when they came to his office.


    Terry was showered with words of condolences for the death of his parents that week and his schoolmates were sad to learn that he would move out of Singapore. He was one of the popular kids and was well liked in school, so news about his departure made many friends feel at a loss.


    "I just need a new atmosphere," Terry said to some of his friends as they were getting ready to go home, "Later I will return to study in Singapore."


    "Really? I''m glad to hear that. It''s not fun without you around," commented his friend who was of Korean descent.


    Terry nodded surely. Singapore, after all, was his home. He would definitely come back here after he was old enough to live by himself. "Hmm... I''ll arrange for a farewell party at my house. You can come this Saturday, right?"


    "I can. We will come."


    "Thank you." Terry received a call from Jean, who must have arrived at the school gate to pick him up. "I need to go now. See you later."


    He walked quickly to the gate and found Jean waiting for him behind the steering wheel of a BMW. He went inside and both of them immediately drove away. They were heading to the penthouse for lunch with the Schneiders.


    "On Saturday I want to hold a farewell party with my friends... After that, I could join the Schneider family..." Terry said on the way to the hotel. "When will we leave Singapore?"


    Jean sighed. He didn''t want to answer this question. They agreed that they would not discuss Aleksis in front of Terry for fear that he would blame himself for the kidnapping of Aleksis.


    No one knew when they would leave Singapore. Of course, they had to wait until Aleksis was found. It''s been almost a week and there had been no news.


    Even Caspar, who had extraordinary access, couldn''t find his own daughter. This made everyone feel very uneasy and worried that something had happened with the girl.


    Because Jean didn''t immediately reply, Terry suddenly had a bad feeling. He then asked more specifically. "Did something happen? I haven''t seen Aleksis for a week..."


    Jean only glanced at him and shook his head, "We don''t know."


    ***


    Because it was raining two days in a row, Aleksis and his savior did not go to Harbourfront to sail. They spent their time at home; the young man worked and Aleksis read a book.


    After two days, Aleksis began to feel bored. She then decided to go around the library to see if there was anything interesting there.


    "Hey... You have a Go game board. Can you play? Do you want to play a set with me?" Aleksis asked suddenly when she saw a set of Go game equipment neatly stored on a shelf. The young man, who was busy with his laptop, looked up in surprise.


    "You can play Go game?" the young man asked Aleksis.


    Aleksis shrugged. "I can. I learnt it when I was little."


    "You''re still little NOW..." said the young man, laughing. "Hmm... okay. We''ll see how well you play."


    Aleksis excitedly placed the Go board on the table and the two of them immediately got busy pawning their respective pieces and started the game.


    Aleksis used the white piece and the man used the black piece. For a moment, the two of them were lost in the strategy game, and began to arrange step by step to fill the board.


    Two hours passed so quickly, and both of them had filled almost half of the board. The steps that had to be taken became increasingly difficult and calculating. The young man glanced at Aleksis admiringly many times. He did not expect this 12-year-old girl to be very good at playing Go game.


    Inwardly he began to guess who this child really was. She seemed to come from a wealthy family, she was also very beautiful and very smart, and judging from her stories about her adventures with her uncle, she seemed to lead such an unusual life.


    "You are very clever..." said the young man after he finally admitted to losing to Aleksis when the game ended.


    Aleksis frowned. "I shouldn''t have won. Earlier you deliberately lost two steps back. Why did you do that?"


    The young man was stunned for a moment and then laughed softly, "Ah ... so you know. I can''t possibly let myself win against a girl. Besides, I''m older, and I have trained longer. If you''re my age, you will definitely be able to defeat me easily."


    "Does winning from a girl mean nothing to you?" Aleksis protested. "Am I meaningless in your eyes?"


    "Wow... you are very competitive, Little girl. Well, I admit that I was wrong. I gave in a little bit because I don''t like hurting girls, but if you want to compete seriously, we can do it later when you grow up. I have a principle that I should never fight with a child in any way. How old are you now?"


    "I''m 12 years old," answered Aleksis.


    "Hm... we will compete seriously at Go game when you are 20 years old. Within 8 years of course your abilities will be much better. We will become equal as opponents." The man ruffled Aleksis'' hair cheerfully, "If we compete seriously now, you won''t win anyway."


    Aleksis pursed her lips in protest, but she realized that she could not force this man to compete with her. Finally, she could only agree.


    "Alright... I''ll come back in 8 years... We will compete in a Go match, and I will beat you for real," she finally relented.


    "All right. I like your spirit." The young man tidied up their Go equipment and put it back on the shelf.

 Chapter 266 - Lets go sailing!

    Aleksis had been in his house for a week and their relationship had become closer, especially since they spent a lot of time in the library reading and working together. The girl no longer felt reluctant to ask questions about her savior.


    She was curious because she had not seen his family; not even a photo on the wall of the house.


    "Uhm... Where is your family, Big brother?" Aleksis asked, observing the various books on the shelves. She tried to make her questions sound as casual as possible. "Are they abroad?"


    The young man, whose face always looked so gentle, was suddenly surrounded by a dark aura. Aleksis immediately regretted asking him about his family; it seemed to inflict a wound on her savior''s heart.


    "I have no family," he replied, unwilling to prolong the conversation. He again busied himself with his laptop and paid no attention to Aleksis.


    "Sorry if I offended you..." Aleksis pinched herself. Now it was clear that family was a sensitive topic for this young man. Maybe he somehow lost his family.


    Aleksis tried to lighten the atmosphere by talking about her own family. "I remember now that I have two younger siblings. Their names are London and Rune. Maybe you can do a search with that information..."


    The young man raised his face from the laptop, "London and Rune? Your brothers'' names are unusual. Can you remember your name already?"


    Aleksis shook her head.


    "I can only remember Uncle Rory and my two younger siblings... Can''t you find information from those three names?"


    "Hmm... unfortunately not. I need your last name, or at least, the name of your parents... or your uncle''s full name."


    Aleksis shook her head. "Uhm... how about we sail as originally planned? I might be able to remember more things if I went out of the house and do the things I am used to doing..."


    The young man turned to the window to see the weather outside. He then walked to the terrace and raised his hand in the air, then nodded, "The weather is good. It won''t rain at all tomorrow. We can sail."


    "Great! Shall we go now?" Aleksis asked happily.


    "Ahahaha... you''re too excited. Hm... okay, prepare your gear, then wait for me in the living room in an hour. I need to finish a little work."


    Aleksis was so excited that she jumped and hugged the man and ran out of the library with lightning speed. The man just shook his head at the excited girl''s behavior.


    An hour later when he went into the living room, Aleksis was ready with a duffel bag hanging on her back. Her blue-green eyes seemed to sparkle with joy.


    "We will only sail for one day, tomorrow we come home. Why bring such a big bag?" he asked Aleksis.


    "I brought a change of clothes, a swimsuit, snorkel gear and some books to read." the girl answered proudly. "I am used to sailing so I know what to bring."


    "Aha. Can you snorkel? Can you dive? I have diving equipment on the boat too."


    "I can dive, but I prefer free diving. I can hold my breath in the water for up to 3 minutes." Aleksis exclaimed proudly.


    "Wow... that''s great! It looks like you''re really a special child." The man nodded in admiration. He then ruffled Aleksis'' hair and took her out. "Let''s go."


    A large motorbike was parked in the yard and the man swiftly placed Aleksis'' bag and his own bag at the front, then mounted the motorcycle and wore a helmet. He then handed another helmet to Aleksis and gave a sign for the girl to get on.


    "Why not take the car? I see that you have two cars in the garage," Aleksis said after sitting in the backseat.


    "Do you think driving a car is more fun? We can enjoy the wind and direct sunlight when riding a motorbike," the man replied, "I only use the car when it''s raining."


    Inwardly Aleksis agreed. Indeed, it felt freer and more enjoyable to ride with a motorbike. It was just that in her family no one rides a motorbike. They always went everywhere with chauffeurs. So, riding a motorbike like this was an exciting new experience for her.


    "I like riding motorbikes." Aleksis said as she put her tiny arms around his waist. "Big brother, you look so cool riding this motorbike. You''re the coolest person I''ve ever met."


    "Haha... you''re so cute, Little girl." The man just chuckled at Aleksis'' blunt words and began to advance his motorbike. The mansion''s gates opened automatically and they quickly headed out to the harbor.


    ***

 Chapter 267 - Who are you, really?

    Their journey was very pleasant and Aleksis was determined to ask her parents to buy her a motorbike once she was old enough. She also wanted to learn to ride a motorbike like this cool guy in front of her.


    When entering the road near the harbor, the young man braked so suddenly that Aleksis'' helmet hit his back.


    "Ouch... what''s up?" Aleksis asked, rubbing her cheek which had hit the young man''s back.


    "Sorry, I braked so suddenly," the young man said quickly, then set the standard of his motorcycle and got off. Aleksis was astonished to see him. She also got off of the motorbike and followed the man, who sat squatting a meter in front of her.


    "Jeez... is that...?" Aleksis then saw a wounded puppy in the middle of the road. If the young man had not hurriedly braked, maybe the puppy would have been hit and died. Aleksis looked worried, "We didn''t hit it, right?"


    The man shook his head. "His wound is still new, it looks like this puppy was hit by a car when he was about to cross the road."


    "What should we do?" Aleksis asked worriedly, "If you don''t help this puppy, it will surely die..."


    Apparently, even before Aleksis asked the man, he had picked up the injured puppy and carried it while walking to his motorbike. "Come on up, we will take it to the ship."


    "Oh..." Aleksis was stunned. Very quickly the man had decided to help the puppy that he almost ran over. She could no longer hide her admiration.


    "Why just stand there? Come on, the sooner we arrive, the sooner we can treat the wound. I suspect the back leg is broken." The man signaled for Aleksis to immediately climb on the pillion.


    "I... yes... Here, let me carry the puppy, it would be difficult for you to carry him and ride a motorbike," Aleksis offered.


    The man just laughed, "I was able to drive my motorbike without difficulty while carrying you last week. You were thrown out of a car that was speeding and I almost hit you, I had no choice but to take you home on my motorbike..."


    But he eventually handed the puppy to Aleksis.


    "Oh... that means this dog has the same fate as me... and you took us both from the street together..." Aleksis said softly. Her tears almost dripped as she accepted the puppy and hugged it tightly. "Thank you..."


    "Hey... don''t compare yourself to a dog, okay. But you''re right, this dog has the same fate as you. Let''s just say you two are soulmates..."


    Aleksis nodded then climbed onto the pillion. The man spurred his motorcycle faster because he wanted them to arrive at the dock as soon as possible. Five minutes later, the motorbike entered the harbor area and he parked it in the parking lot for the boat owners. Quickly he and Aleksis walked to the dock, and a moment later his boat was visible.


    "That''s my catamaran ship." The young man pointed at a medium-sized white catamaran ship with white and blue sail. The catamaran was parked nicely at the dock. "Come on up!"


    Because Aleksis was carrying a wounded puppy, the man carried their bags. He threw their bags and then climbed aboard and helped Aleksis.


    "Your ship is really nice! We have a ship like this in Monaco, the size is a little bigger," Aleksis said, looking around, "My father sometimes sails and takes us around the bay, but not for long. He prefers to drive a helicopter."


    The man was impressed to hear Aleksis'' words.


    "Your father sounds so cool..." he commented, placing their bags in the ship''s cabin. He came out with a first-aid kit and towel and then gave a signal for Aleksis to put her puppy on the floor.


    "My dad is indeed cool." Aleksis nodded in agreement.


    "Do you know what your father does?" the man asked, starting to clean the puppy''s wounds with alcohol and then gave some antibiotics. After that he took out the gauze and a short iron bar and used it as an emergency pen to treat his broken leg. Within 5 minutes, everything was done.


    "My father doesn''t work..." Aleksis replied, "Whoaaa... You''re very good at treating wounds. Are you a doctor?"


    "Hmm... no. It just so happens that I have experience in treating wounds because I often get hurt in fights," the man replied with a shrug. Aleksis looked astonished to hear that.


    This gentle person often fought? Why?


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" The man noticed Aleksis'' stare finally turned to ask, "Is something weird on my face?"


    Aleksis shook her head, "No... no... I didn''t expect you to fight a lot. Do you have a lot of enemies? Why fight?"


    "You are still too young to understand. Later, when you are an adult and can win against me in a Go game match, I will answer all your questions, even the weirdest ones," the young man answered with a faint smile. He gave the puppy he had treated to Aleksis. "Here, do you want to carry him? Be careful with his hind legs."


    "Thank you..." Aleksis cheerfully accepted the puppy and immediately forgot about her questions.


    The man then started the boat engine and immediately sailed it to the middle of the ocean. The sun that was shining brilliantly slowly moved towards the west, and a moment later, they were in the open sea with a beautiful view of the sunset on the horizon.


    Aleksis sat cross-legged on the deck while holding the injured puppy lovingly. She was very fond of the dog and she was happy that they were in the same boat. They were both injured on the road and helped by the same person.


    The ship was left to float following the waves and they sat and enjoyed the sunset. The man went down to the cabin and took a bottle of wine, a carton of milk, and two glasses. He poured milk into one glass and handed it to Aleksis.


    "This is for you." Then he poured himself a glass of wine. "You still need to grow."


    Aleksis received her drink gratefully. They then sat down while drinking their drinks and said nothing.


    "Big brother... if I still can''t remember my family... what will you do?" Aleksis asked suddenly after her drink ran out. The man looked surprised at this question. He never thought about that possibility.


    "Hmm... I don''t know. I am currently in no condition to care for small children," he said apologetically.


    "I''m not a child, I''m 12 years old... In Indonesia, in 5 years, I would already have an ID and can participate in the election. I can even get married..." Aleksis exclaimed.


    "Indonesia? What does this have to do with it?" the man asked in surprise.


    "My mother is half Indonesian, so I know..."


    "Hmm... Little girl, we''d better not think about the worst-case scenario. I''m sure you will be able to remember your family, sooner or later. Earlier you could remember the names of your younger siblings, then you remember that your father could fly a helicopter, and that your mother is half Indonesian... I''m sure that soon you will be able to remember everything... so don''t trouble yourself thinking about bad things." The man ruffled Aleksis'' hair and poured more milk into her glass, "Drink lots of milk so you can grow well."


    With a little frown Aleksis downed her milk. At times like these, she just really wanted to grow up quickly. She hated being treated like a child.


    Night fell and they ate a simple meal the man prepared by heating it in the microwave. They had the canned lentil soup and lasagna he brought from home. For the puppy they saved, the man roasted two sausages.


    "Good thing you remember to bring food, huh..." Aleksis said, eating her soup. She did not forget to cut the sausages and fed the puppy deftly. "I only remembered to bring clothes and books. Usually we catch fish on the boat, so we never brought lunch from home..."


    "Can you fish?"


    "I''m GREAT at fishing..." Aleksis said proudly. "It''s a shame you don''t have fishing equipment here. I want to catch fish for us."


    "Hmm... this is a new boat. I usually do have fishing equipment on my ship, but now I haven''t had time to do so." The young man became more interested in the girl. Aleksis was apparently full of surprises.


    "If you have a small knife, I can make a spear with the wooden stick over there and catch fish by spearing the fish in the sea. Did I tell you that I''m good at diving?"


    "Gosh..." The man stopped eating his soup and looked at Aleksis in amazement, "Who are you really?"


    "Me?" Aleksis was stunned by the question and she looked at the man she called ''Big Brother''. A moment later she shook her head slowly. "I do not know..."


    "Hmm... never mind. Tomorrow we will have fun catching fish your way. Who knows, you might be able to remember more things..." The man changed the subject because he didn''t want Aleksis to be sad. They then finished their dinner in silence.

 Chapter 268 - I Know My Name!

    Aleksis offered to wash their plates and utensils then cleaned the cabin. There was only one sleeping cabin in the ship and one kitchen. During her adventures on Uncle Rory''s ship, Aleksis never slept in the cabin.


    She really liked sleeping on a cushioned deck, because she was able to stare at billions of stars in the night sky. So, that night, she automatically brought a pillow from the cabin and placed it on the deck. She was ready to sleep while hugging her puppy.


    "Thank you for the pillow," the young man smiled happily and immediately laid his head on the pillow Aleksis had placed on the deck. He closed his eyes and told Aleksis to take a rest, "You should also go to sleep, tomorrow morning we have many things to do."


    "Eh... the pillow was meant for me..." Aleksis said in an awkward voice. She did not expect the young man to immediately use her pillow to sleep on the deck.


    Wasn''t he the owner of the ship? Shouldn''t he sleep in the cabin?


    "Really? I thought you brought this pillow for me..." The man opened his eyes and scratched his head to look at Aleksis'' awkward expression, "There''s a bedroom down there. Why do you want to sleep on the deck?"


    "I am used to sleeping under the stars..." exclaimed Aleksis. "Besides, you''re the owner of this ship... why would you sleep outside?"


    "Jeez... you''re a weird kid. I think it''s only natural that I sleep on the deck because I''m a guy. You''re a girl. Moreover, you''re still on recovery. You should sleep in a comfortable place, so you will get better sooner." The man waved and signaled Aleksis to go down to the cabin. "At least, if it isn''t for you, do it for your now injured puppy. He would definitely prefer to sleep on a soft bed."


    "But I am used to sleeping on the deck... I don''t mind, really. If you don''t want to sleep in the cabin, it''s okay, I''m also going to sleep here..." Aleksis remained stubborn.


    The sky looked so bright and the billions of stars in the sky tonight looked so charming. She could not afford to miss this sight and exchange it for a boring cabin''s white ceiling.


    "Little girl! If you feel indebted to me, you must obey my words." Finally, the man became exhausted, "You can''t sleep on the deck with me. You''re a girl. If you''re still a toddler, maybe I''ll let you sleep here with me, but you''re a big girl now, and it''s not appropriate for you to sleep here with me. I''m just protecting your honor."


    Aleksis was very confused. Earlier the man said that she was just a child who still had to drink milk to grow up. But now he said that Aleksis was a big girl and shouldn''t sleep with him on deck. Which one was true? Why was he not consistent?


    All this time Aleksis always slept side by side with her beloved Uncle Rory when they were venturing everywhere, and there was never the slightest impression that it was inappropriate.


    After all, Uncle Rory was like her own father. Appearance-wise Uncle Rory and this man also looked like they are of the same age... then what was the difference?


    The man was desperate because Aleksis did not seem understand his intentions. She still stood scowling on the deck. Really, this girl was very weird, he thought.


    "Okay... I''ll let you sleep on the deck if you can tell me what your name is. That''s only fair." The man sat facing Aleksis with a firm look. "What is your name?"


    A smile suddenly appeared on Aleksis'' lips, "I know what my name is!"


    The young man seemed interested, he crossed his arms across his chest and waited for Aleksis'' answer. "Okay, then say your name."


    "Uhm... my name is Laura." Aleksis said triumphantly. "Now, can I sleep on the deck?"


    The man just laughed and finally nodded. "Alright, then please bring one more pillow for me."


    Aleksis smiled broadly and nodded. She put her puppy on the floor then hurried down to the cabin. As she was going down the stairs, the man suddenly called out to her.


    "Laura, please bring a bottle of wine from the refrigerator."


    Aleksis did not turn her head; she continued walking to the cabin, took a pillow, and returned to the deck.


    "Here''s a pillow for you," she said as she handed the pillow to the young man.


    The man shook his head and raised his hand, "You can''t. You sleep in the cabin. Bring the pillow back there."


    "You...! You said that if I could say my name, I could sleep on the deck. Don''t you keep to your own words???" Aleksis protested.


    "Right. I did say so. But you lied to me, you just said whatever name that came into your head. You don''t even know what your own name is, and you just made up the name Laura. Tsk tsk tsk... you are quick to scheme, Little girl..."


    Aleksis scowled, "How did you know that my name is not Laura? Do you know me?"


    "Just as you went down into the cabin I called out to you to bring wine, but you didn''t turn your head at all. That means that Laura isn''t your real name. You only made up the name so that you can sleep on the deck..." The man was not angry. But of course, he would not let the child sleep on the hard deck. He turned Aleksis'' body around and pushed her down to the cabin. "Have a good sleep."


    Aleksis knew she had lost. Finally, frowning, she slept in the cabin. She even forgot to bring her puppy from the deck.


    ***

 Chapter 269 - Aleksis and her schemes

    The shining sun made the sea water around them sparkle like jewels. Aleksis was truly amazed. She could not wait to jump into the water and hunt for fish to show off her fishing skills. Although she was still small, she should not be underestimated.


    They had tuna sandwiches for breakfast and were now relaxing while reading a book. After getting tired of reading books, Aleksis inspected the kitchen and looked for equipment that could be used as an emergency fish spear.


    Ah, there was a small knife and a piece of wood from the broken broom handle. She painstakingly prepared her spear, and half an hour later, she was ready.


    She was in her swimsuit, she had neatly braided her hair, and she had her spear in hand. A cloth bag was tied around her waist for her to keep the fish she caught.


    "Can you cook fish?" she asked, smiling broadly. "I''ll catch fish for our lunch."


    The man looked up from his book and nodded, "I can. Don''t catch too much, okay? I know you must be eager to show off your skills at catching fish, but have mercy on sentient beings in the sea and take only as needed..."


    Aleksis nodded. That was what Uncle Rory taught her. We need to live side by side with nature and we shouldn''t take more than what''s needed.


    She stood on the bridge and immediately jumped into the water. As soon as her body touched the refreshing cold sea water, Aleksis felt very much alive. She was in her element.


    When adrenaline filled her brain, for a moment she felt she could remember many things in her life that were forgotten yesterday.


    She remembered that her family had a farm and her two younger siblings raised a herd of sheep... Her father was a very warm and pleasant man who enjoyed cooking a variety of delicious food for them. Her mother was very beautiful, and she was the gentlest woman Aleksis knew...


    Ah, if only she could remember their names...


    "Are you OK? Why are you silent?" The man had walked to the end of the deck and looked down, "Found the fish?"


    Aleksis immediately moved from her reverie and nodded, "There are plenty of fish, I''ll catch some. Don''t you want to jump in? The water is very refreshing."


    "Hmm... maybe later. I still want to read." The man shrugged, "Have a good time. Call me if you want to get on the ship again."


    "Of course. Happy reading!"


    Aleksis then dived and searched for a horde of fish swimming under their ship. She deftly speared two big fish in just 10 minutes. Every two minutes she would rise to the surface and take oxygen.


    Aleksis was very happy to be in the water. In her heart she was sad that the young man did not take part in swimming and preferred to read his books. Her intelligent brain then thought of tactics to draw the man into the water.


    "Ahh... please!! Lower the stairs!! I want to go up, there are sharks below!!!" Aleksis screamed suddenly. A moment later the young man looked over the edge of the deck and saw Aleksis swimming frantically toward the hull. He quickly threw down the rope ladder so Aleksis could board the ship, but before the girl could reach the rope, she screamed again, "Ouch... my legs are cramped..."


    Aleksis stopped moving her legs and looked in pain. Her face turned red and her body slowly sank.


    "Gosh! Hang in there !!" Without thinking twice, the young man immediately dived into the water where he last saw Aleksis'' body to look for her. He found the girl in the water looking weak and her eyes were closed.


    The young man hugged Aleksis'' body and swam to the surface with her. Deftly he moved toward the hull and held the rope ladder with his left hand while his right hand held Aleksis'' body. With some difficulty he managed to climb the stairs to the deck, carrying Aleksis who fainted.


    "Ouch... you''re so troublesome huh..." he complained while pumping water from Aleksis''s lungs. Within a fraction of a second he made the decision to conduct mouth to mouth resuscitation to help the girl.


    When his lips touched Aleksis'' lips and was about to blow, Aleksis suddenly opened her eyes and woke up in surprise.


    "Gosh!!! What are you doing!!????" she panicked.


    The young man was astonished to see that the girl suddenly pushed him away as hard as possible.


    Wasn''t she drowned and passed out just now?


    "I wanted to give you CPR." The man frowned in astonishment, "Why do you look at me as if you have just seen the devil?"


    Aleksis held her lips frantically. Gosh... she just pretended to drown to get this man to jump in the water. She did not think this man would kiss her to give CPR.


    "Aarghhh.....!!!" Aleksis could only cover her face with her hands and blame herself for being too stupid. Her face looked very embarrassed.


    The man finally realized what had happened and he laughed out loud.


    "Jeez... do you think I kissed you? That was mouth to mouth resuscitation, CPR. I thought you fell unconscious from drinking too much of water. You are really weird, Little girl, last night you insisted on going to sleep with me on the ship''s deck, but now you think of a CPR is a kiss? Inconsistent much, aren''t you?"


    He laughed for a long time as if Aleksis'' behavior was a very funny thing, "Little girl, you are still a child. I am not interested in you. Believe me, I would not have any silly thoughts about you."


    For some reason, when the man said he was not interested in her because Aleksis was still a child, Aleksis felt annoyed. She was indeed only 12 years old, but the man was also still very young; he was probably only 24 or 25.


    In eight years, when Aleksis was 20 years old, he would still be in his early 30s. They would still look appropriate for each other. Moreover, Aleksis'' mother and father had a huge age difference, over 400 years...


    Aleksis thought all that while pursing her lips.

 Chapter 270 - The Mysterious Man

    After his laugh subsided, the man took a towel and threw it at Aleksis. "You are so cunning, huh. Last night you pretended to remember your name, so you could sleep on the deck with me, and now you pretended to drown, so I jump into the sea with you. Tsk tsk tsk... I''ve never met a girl like you."


    Aleksis caught her towel and began to dry herself while continuing to frown. The young man took another towel for himself and dried his wet hair. He then took off his soaked shirt and hung it on the deck to dry.


    "Because of you, I ruined my favorite shirt..." he complained.


    "I''ll buy you 100 shirts like that," said Aleksis without feeling guilty. She was about to add that she was even able to buy the company that produced the shirts, when her words left hanging in the air. She saw so many scars on the man''s body, and when he turned to face Aleksis, she saw a scary looking dragon tattoo on his right chest. Unconsciously, Aleksis exclaimed, "Hey... you''re Prince Siegfried!"


    The young man was stunned by Aleksis'' unexpected words. "Wh... what did you say? Who?"


    Aleksis smiled broadly as she pointed at the dragon tattoo, "Prince Siegfried! He is the prince of German mythology who defeated and killed the dragon..."


    The young man looked at Aleksis for a long time and a memory suddenly reappeared in his head.


    Ah, Prince Siegfried...


    "Do you still have the cellphone I gave you?" he asked suddenly.


    "Yes, why?" Aleksis asked.


    "Please get it, I want to borrow it."


    Aleksis obeyed. She went down to the cabin and took her cellphone from the bag and gave it to the young man. She then returned to the cabin to change her clothes, dry her bathing suit and take the fish she had caught from the bag.


    The young man pulled out his cellphone from his bag, and then with two cellphones in hand, he seemed to be working on something.


    "What are you doing with two cellphones?" Aleksis asked in amazement. She was showing off a fish in front of the young man, "Isn''t it big, the fish I caught?"


    "Hmm... it is big. You did well," the young man looked up and nodded in agreement. "Can you clean the fish? I''ll cook for us."


    "I can." Aleksis then took the fish to the kitchen and began to clean them, while the young man opened Aleksis'' cellphone and deleted the phone number he had put in last week.


    Then he opened his own cellphone and looked for a telephone number. He typed the telephone number into Aleksis'' cellphone and sent an SMS.


    [You still owe me one million dollars. I want to collect it now.]


    Five minutes later the SMS reply came.


    [Send your account number. I''ll transfer it.]


    Hmm... the young man stroked his chin and thought for a moment. He had kept that number for 10 years and had never used it. His meeting with this girl suddenly reminded him of the incident that happened ten years ago, when he had a fight with someone who thought that he had kidnapped his child.


    The man simply said that he was willing to compensate him for a million dollars. He also gave him a bottle of medicine which turned out to be very effective in treating wounds.


    He remembered the little girl calling him ''Prince Siegfried'' after seeing the dragon tattoo on his chest, just like what the girl he saved did just now. That made him wonder whether they were the same person. Therefore, he tried his luck and contacted the man.


    [Do you know Uncle Rory?]


    Thirty seconds after the message was sent, the person immediately called him. The young man was not willing to talk to anyone, so he rejected the call.


    [How do you know that name?]


    [I will not respond before you answer my question. If you answer, I''ll consider writing off your one-million-dollar debt.]


    After a few minutes, he finally got a reply from that person.


    [I am Uncle Rory. Where did you hear my name?]


    The young man let out a sigh of relief. They were really are the same person, he thought.


    [From a girl with blue-green eyes who is very good at catching fish] A smile etched on the young man''s face as he texted it. [She is also good at playing Go game.]


    In Colorado, Lauriel, who was preparing dinner, was suddenly stunned to read the SMS from this unknown number. He immediately suspected something had happened to Aleksis, and the girl was with a stranger.


    He hurriedly called Caspar.


    "What happened to Aleksis?" he asked quickly.


    Caspar, who did not expect Lauriel to call him to ask about Aleksis, became nervous, "Ah... Aleksis is missing. We are still trying to find her..."


    "MISSING...!??" Lauriel''s voice instantly rose. "How long has it been? Why wasn''t I notified?"


    Caspar didn''t think it was necessary to tell Lauriel that Aleksis was missing. He has broader access than Lauriel and he still couldn''t find any trace of his daughter, what could Lauriel do from America?


    "It''s been a week..." Caspar answered in a troubled voice. He also blamed himself because until now he had not managed to find Aleksis.


    "Where are you?" Lauriel asked impatiently.


    "We are in Singapore, at the Continental Hotel."


    "Hmm..." Lauriel immediately cut off the phone call, whch made Caspar wonder.


    Lauriel hurriedly sent another SMS to the person who found Aleksis.


    [Please return my goddaughter, I''ll give you anything.]


    [I don''t need anything. Don''t overreact. I pity her and took care of her for a week, but she doesn''t remember who her family is, so I can''t take her home.]


    [Oh, I see. OK. Please send Aleksis to the Continental Hotel. Her parents are waiting there.] Lauriel hurriedly sent another SMS, [Thank you.]


    [You have lost this child twice. Parents who cannot take care of their children should not have children.] retorted the young man curtly.


    At the other end of the line, Lauriel felt his heart pierced. He had no children because his girlfriend died in the war while pregnant with their child. He raised Aleksis with affection like his own daughter, but the young man''s words really hit him hard.


    It seemed to justify why he did not have children of his own. Maybe he was not given the opportunity to be a father because he was not good enough.


    Lauriel could not be angry, because after all the man had saved Aleksis twice.


    [Please take good care of Aleksis and send her to her parents. I will be indebted to you.] Lauriel said one more time. He no longer had the appetite for dinner. He instead took the strongest bottle of brandy and poured himself a glass.


    The young man closed his cellphone and became pensive. This was indeed the same child, he thought, and her name was Aleksis.


    It was funny, too. He first met this child when she was two years old, and now again, when she was twelve.


    Could it be that they would meet again in the future? If they did meet again when this girl was 20 years old to compete in a Go game match, she would surely be able to remember him, and she would be confused by the fact that the young man did not age.


    These thoughts made ''Prince Siegfried'' feel upset.

 Chapter 271 - Going Home (1)

    Aleksis finished cleaning the fish so she called the young man to cook for them.


    "Big Brother! Prince Siegfried!! The fish is ready. You said you will cook it...!!"


    The young man was distracted from his reverie and a smile graced his face when he heard himself being called Prince Siegfried again by Aleksis. He hurried into the kitchen and threw his cellphone to Aleksis. Although shocked, the girl could catch it easily.


    "Thank you for the phone, Aleksis. Now, prepare some wine for me, I will make tartare with... God knows what fish you caught here..." he said casually.


    "Don''t you know that these are groupers?" Aleksis asked, as if all humans in this world should know the types of fish in the sea. "This is one of the most common tropical fish."


    ''Prince Siegfried'' did not reply. He just ruffled Aleksis'' hair and started working on the fish.


    "Ouchh... you wiped your hand on my hair, didn''t you? Do you think my hair is rag???" Aleksis protested while rubbing her hair into a mess. "You haven''t touched the fish yet, have you?"


    She smelled her hair and tried to find any fishy scent there. When she did not find any, she snorted with satisfaction.


    Aleksis then stood beside the young man and watched him work. It turned out that the young man was not very good at cooking. He was really cooking something very simple and the fish tartare he made looked rather pitiful. Fortunately, the smell was not fishy.


    Aleksis just shook her head. Inwardly she felt grateful for her father who was a very good cook and often spoiled his family with fancy dishes whose names were impossible to pronounce.


    Apparently, not all men were good at cooking, she thought.


    "How is the fish tartare?" asked the young man, feeding a spoonful into Aleksis'' mouth as he asked for her opinion.


    "Uhmm..." Aleksis devoured the raw fish the young man just shoved in her mouth and rolled her eyes trying to find the right sentence. "Hmmm... at least it''s edible."


    Instantly the young man''s face frowned with disappointment, "Hmm... that means - not good, huh?"


    "That''s not it... my father is very good at cooking, so I''m used to enjoying his great cooking. I have also eaten a lot of dishes made by Michelin restaurant chefs. So, my standards are rather high... No hard feelings... Hehehe..."


    The young man nodded. "All right... thank you for catching fish for our lunch."


    "And thank you for cooking our lunch." Aleksis raised her right palm to invite high five and the young man welcomed it while laughing.


    They then ate quietly. After cleaning up their plates and feeding the puppy they saved, the time came for the two to return to land.


    "Aleksis... I have found your family," the young man said suddenly as he was tidying up the deck and preparing to open the mast. "I will take you home tonight."


    Aleksis gasped. She realized that Aleksis was indeed her name. It felt very familiar.


    "Ah... that''s right! My name is indeed Aleksis... How did you find out?" she asked curiously.


    "I have my ways." The young man smiled. "Are you happy to see your family soon?"


    Aleksis nodded. "I''m so happy! I can''t wait. Daddy will give you lots of gifts. Whatever you want, he will give to you."


    The young man shook his head slowly and his smile widened. He felt as if the girl in front of him was exaggerating the greatness of her parents, as was usual with any child. "No human being is that powerful to grant whatever others wish."


    "That''s because you don''t know my father..." Aleksis said with a shrug. "Later I will tell Dad that you helped me and that you were very kind to me. There must be something you want someday. You can ask for it any time."


    "Little girl, you''d better not speak for adults. Your father must have his own thoughts." The young man was exasperated to see Aleksis being so stubborn, so he ruffled her hair again until it was completely tangled.


    Aleksis could not take it anymore and finally pulled his hand and bit him.


    "My hair gets tangled so easily, why do you have to mess it up like that!!? You''re just like Uncle Rory..." complained Aleksis after biting the young man''s hand. "You are now responsible to tidy it up!"


    The young man burst out laughing. He admitted that with such messy hair, Aleksis did look ridiculous. Finally, he relented.


    "Alright... since you''ve been such a fun friend this whole week, and since you caught us fish for us to eat, I''ll tidy up your hair. Come on, sit nicely, I''ll braid it."


    The young man moved behind Aleksis and meticulously began to straighten the girl''s hair and braid it into two braids. He then tore a napkin and used it as a ribbon to tie the two braids beautifully.


    "Well, it''s done... If you are neat and clean like this, your parents will not worry and think I treated you badly..."


    .


    .


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 Chapter 272 - Going Home (2)

    Aleksis hurriedly looked at her reflection in the mirror in the bathroom and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Thank you, Big Brother... uhm... Since you already know my name, now it''s time for you to tell me your name..." Aleksis said as she returned to the deck, "Otherwise it would be unfair. I don''t know your name yet. Should I call you Prince Siegfried all the time?"


    The young man smiled faintly and nodded, "I like the name. You can call me Siegfried."


    "Jeez... why can''t I know your name? Is your name so ugly and embarrassing? I won''t insult you... I swear!"


    ''Siegfried'' shook his head, he still wouldn''t give her his name. "People who know my name usually have to die. I don''t want you to be involved with me any further and run into danger, Little girl. You''re too sweet."


    Aleksis'' big eyes widened. She never expected such words to come out of Prince Siegfried''s lips. He was always so gentle and his movements were soft. His face was always smiling and radiating comfort.


    Aleksis knew that he was kind because he saved Aleksis and the puppy from the street. The person who knew his name must die? Why so terrifying?


    "I don''t understand..." Aleksis murmured softly. She could not understand the meaning of Siegfried''s words. "Is this because I''m still young, so you don''t want to tell me the truth?"


    "Maybe. Obviously, I don''t feel the need to tell you my name. Right now, you can just call me Siegfried."


    "What about in eight years, when I grow up? Will you tell me your name then?" Persistence was apparently Aleksis'' middle name.


    "Hmm... if you defeat me at a fair Go game, I will tell you my name..." Finally, Siegfried nodded.


    "Alright... then, I won''t lose to you next time..." Aleksis was determined. She always got what she wanted, and if just for the sake of a name she had to beat this guy in a Go game match, then she would compete. She would learn harder with Uncle Rory.


    "Good. Eight more years, then..." The young man nodded, still smiling. He knew in his heart that they would never meet again, and there would be no Go game match between the two in the next eight years. He couldn''t be further involved with this child. They shouldn''t meet again.


    They returned to land in the afternoon. At 4 o''clock they arrived at the mansion and Aleksis immediately packed her belongings.


    She did not expect the clothes and items bought for her to be so much that they filled two large duffel bags.


    "Uhm... I don''t need all this stuff, I think... I have a lot of clothes at home..." Aleksis said.


    "Just take it... there are no girls around here. No one can use them. If you don''t, I will have the servants throw them away," Siegfried said when he saw Aleksis standing in confusion with her two bags. "If you don''t like them, you can donate them later."


    "Hmm... alright." Aleksis finally agreed. "What about the puppy we saved?"


    "Please bring him too. I can''t keep a dog at home, I travel a lot and can''t commit to pets."


    "Uhm... okay. I''ll bring him with me." Aleksis nodded. She had fallen in love with the puppy and inwardly she would ask to bring him if Siegfried hadn''t asked her to.


    Aleksis finished packing an hour later and they immediately left the mansion to meet the girl''s parents.


    "Eh... whose car is this? I didn''t see this car in the garage," Aleksis commented when they walked outside. She pointed at an ordinary Toyota van parked in the yard. As she recalled, the two cars in Siegfried''s garage were luxury cars, but it looked like they were going to use a plain-looking van.


    "Why? Do you only ride in luxury cars?" Siegfried asked.


    "No... I''m just surprised." Aleksis did not understand why Siegfried took her in such an ordinary car. It looked like it was borrowed or rented from another place. It was as if he did not want people to see him coming in his own car. "You don''t want to be recognized, do you? That''s why you don''t want to use your own car... Why?"


    "Aha... you are so smart, little girl. Come on up. I told you, right... If you beat me in a Go game match in eight years, I will answer all your questions, even the weirdest ones."


    Siegfried guided Aleksis to the backseat after placing her bags in the trunk, then placed the puppy on her lap. He then sat next to Aleksis. A driver was ready to drive them.


    After everything was ready, the young man gave the order for the driver to immediately drive, "Please go to the Raffles Hotel..."


    ***

 Chapter 273 - Farewell

    Twenty minutes later the car arrived at the Raffles Hotel.


    "We''ve arrived," said ''Prince Siegfried'' while wearing a hat and sunglasses. He deliberately wore a thin scarf to cover his neck and a part of his face. At first glance people would not be able to see his face properly. "I''ll call your parents and ask them to pick you up here. Are you OK with that?"


    Ah... what a mysterious person, thought Aleksis. She could only nod in agreement.


    Aleksis certainly could not interfere with his preferred way to take her to her family, because she was the one being helped and she had to respect the decision of her savior.


    "Big Brother, will you leave me in the lobby alone?" Aleksis asked as she opened the car door and got out. She then took her puppy and carried him in her arms.


    "Of course not. I will accompany you until your family comes," answered ''Prince Siegfried'' firmly.


    "Oh, that''s good. I am sure my parents would love to thank you in person for saving me." Aleksis was glad to hear that ''Prince Siegfried'' would accompany her at the lobby.


    She looked at him intently and suddenly realized that he had no intention to meet her parents.


    "Will I be able to see you again?" Aleksis asked again. Somehow, she had a bad feeling that this would be their last meeting.


    ''Prince Siegfried'' stared at Aleksis for a few long seconds. He tried to hide his feeling through a smile and his purplish eyes looked as calm as the ocean, but the look in his eyes could not lie.


    He did not want to meet her again.


    Aleksis frowned sadly after realizing that the answer she was waiting for was not what she wanted. She could only stare at ''Prince Siegfried'' who made a move to remove both bags from the trunk. The young man then signaled that Aleksis followed him into the lobby.


    Aleksis listlessly walked behind ''Prince Siegfried'' into the hotel. The young man invited her to sit in the lounge in the lobby and ordered drinks for them. While waiting for his drink to arrive, he sent a message to Lauriel''s number.


    [Aleksis is waiting in the lobby of the Raffles Hotel. I don''t like crowds. Please ask only her mother to come to pick her up.]


    Lauriel, who was almost boarding his flight to Singapore, hurriedly responded.


    [OK. I gave your number to Aleksis'' mother. She will arrive in 15 minutes.]


    He then called Caspar and told him to pick Aleksis up at the Raffles Hotel.


    "Caspar, someone found Aleksis and is willing to take her home. They are now in the lobby of the Raffles Hotel. He said that only Finland can enter the lobby to pick Aleksis up."


    "Why?" Caspar asked quickly. "I''ll be there soon."


    "DO NOT enter the lobby," Lauriel said firmly. "Let Finland go alone. This person has saved Aleksis twice and I don''t like to violate his trust. He never took the opportunity to gain any material benefits or anything else. I think he''s a good person. I want to fulfil his request this time."


    Caspar understood Lauriel''s intentions and agreed to do as he said. He was very grateful that his daughter was found unharmed and cared for this whole week. He would not trouble Aleksis'' savior and act like an ungrateful person.


    He hurriedly called Finland and told her what had happened. They were both very relieved to hear that Aleksis had been found and would soon return. However, their hearts would not be at complete peace until they had Aleksis is their arms and was sure that she was OK.


    In less than 10 minutes, their Maybach arrived in front of the Raffles Hotel and Finland rushed out of the car and entered the lobby. Caspar waited in the car anxiously. He had ordered several of his men to oversee the entire hotel building to ensure that nothing unexpected would happen.


    ***


    Aleksis looked at ''Prince Siegfried'' for a long time without blinking, which made the young man uncomfortable.


    "What is wrong?" he asked in surprise.


    Aleksis just frowned, "You don''t want to see me again... How can I win the Go match if you don''t want to meet me again? Why don''t you want to see me again? Am I that bad?"


    ''Prince Siegfried'' slowly nodded, "Yes."


    "Ahhh... Big Brother, you''re so mean!" Aleksis smacked his shoulder in annoyance, "Am I really that annoying to you?"


    ''Prince Siegfried'' just laughed. He then shook his head seriously and spoke in a very gentle voice, "I''m just kidding, Little Girl. You are the most amazing girl I have ever met. You will grow into an extraordinary woman. You are smart, beautiful, and very pleasant to be around. I don''t want to promise things I can''t keep, I''m not that kind of person.


    I can easily give you reassuring words, but what if I can''t keep that promise? That''s why, I''d better for me not promise anything. Let us assume that in eight years you will defeat me in a Go game. I will just admit my defeat now."


    "But why can''t we have a proper match in eight years? I don''t want to win without competing..." said Aleksis stubbornly. "Unless you really don''t want to see me again..."


    "It''s not like that," The young man shook his head slowly, "I told you, I don''t like to make promises. So many things can happen in eight years. What if I am no longer alive by then? Then I won''t be able to compete with you and I''d break my promise. That''s why, I don''t want to promise anything..."


    Aleksis immediately covered her lips with the back of her hand in surprise. Why was this man always so mysterious?


    Why would he die before she could meet him again...? He was young; only in his early 20s. How could he possibly die? Unless¡­


    .


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 Chapter 274 - Big Prince Siegfried & Little Prince Siegfried

    "Are you terminally ill?" Aleksis asked worriedly. "Why do you think you will die before you can meet me again? My father is a very skilled doctor... He will definitely be able to cure your illness..."


    "You said your father doesn''t work...?" asked ''Prince Siegfried'' in surprise, "Now suddenly he is a doctor? Little girl, you are indeed very good at scheming."


    "No... I did pretend that my name was Laura, and I tricked you to jump into the ocean, but this time I am telling you the truth. My father is a great doctor, but he is currently not practicing. He is taking a long break to stay at home with our family..." Aleksis was aware that Prince Siegfried wouldn''t trust her words easily because she always talked so carelessly.


    "Hmm... alright." Prince Siegfried nodded. He suddenly felt tired of this conversation, "I''m not sick, don''t worry, but I''m not sure if I will have a long life either. That''s why I can''t promise to meet you again for the Go game match. So today, I just admit defeat."


    He shook hands with Aleksis, who was dumbfounded and shook her head unsatisfied.


    "I am pleased to meet you, for the second time, Aleksis. If we have a third meeting in the future, I will consider us to be destined, just as you and your puppy are destined to meet." Prince Siegfried stroked the back of the puppy on Aleksis'' lap with affection, "Do you already have a name for him?"


    Aleksis pursed her lips, "His name is Prince Siegfried!!"


    The young man gasped in surprise, but his face looked amused, "Why... am I your dog now?"


    "The thing is, you said that if we will meet again for the third time, it shows that we are destined, just like I am destined to meet this puppy. So, I will just consider him as you," Aleksis shrugged.


    The young man nodded seriously and ruffled Aleksis'' hair, looking amused. "Alright then."


    The cellphone in his hand suddenly rang and ''Prince Siegfried'' saw a foreign number on display. Ah, this must be Aleksis'' parents. He handed the cellphone back to Aleksis, so the girl could talk on the phone.


    "Hello..."


    "Oh my... Aleksis... Mummy is very happy to hear your voice. Are you OK, baby?"


    "Oh... Mummyyy!!! Yes, I''m fine... Mum, are you here?" Aleksis asked happily. She recognized her mother''s voice. "I''m in the lobby of a hotel."


    "Mummy is almost there. Wait for me there, Baby. Soon Mummy will enter the lobby."


    "OK."


    Aleksis hung up with a happy face. She stroked the puppy''s head while smiling broadly.


    "My mother is almost here..." She turned to ''Prince Siegfried'' "Do you want to see my mother?"


    "No, thank you." The young man shook his head. "It''s time to part, Little Girl."


    Instantly Aleksis felt very sad. She really liked this young man who helped her and treated her so well. Even though their ages were far apart, they were able to get along well with each other and respect each other.


    She remembered how she always wanted to have an older brother, and it felt like everything she wanted from a big brother was met by her ''Prince Siegfried''.


    If only the young man was not so mysterious and would want to keep in touch with her, Aleksis would be happy to consider him as her first brother, and Terry her second brother...


    "Uhm... just a moment..." Suddenly the girl remembered something. She removed the white ring with a pearl decoration from her finger and handed it to ''Prince Siegfried''. "I don''t have anything to give as a thank you for helping me... This is my most precious treasure; it''s a gift from Uncle Rory... I want you to have it..."


    "Hey... you shouldn''t regift a gift," ''Prince Siegfried'' said, "That''s disrespectful to the person who gave you the gift. Besides, I''m not a girl, I don''t deserve this beautiful ring."


    Aleksis shook her head, "Uncle Rory wouldn''t mind. He taught me to be grateful. He gave me this ring because he loves me so much and this was his most precious possession. Now I give it to you because you saved my life. I wish to show you my gratitude by giving my most precious treasure..." She placed the ring on ''Prince Siegfried''s palm and closed his hand, "Please accept it, do not embarrass me."


    ''Prince Siegfried'' thought for a moment, then nodded. "Well. I don''t want to embarrass you. I helped you because I received a lot of help in the past too... I was just paying it forward. But I appreciate your gift, Little Girl. Yes... don''t let me see you for the third time because then I have to save you again..."


    Aleksis frowned, "Save me again for the third time? Big brother, you''ve only saved me once..."


    Prince Siegfried just laughed a little. He kept the ring from Aleksis in his pocket and caressed the puppy they had saved.


    "Goodbye." He kissed Aleksis'' hair gently and then left. He saw a beautiful woman who looked like Aleksis walking in a hurry towards the lounge.


    "Aleksis!!" Finland ran towards the girl and within ten seconds she had grabbed her daughter into her arms. "I was so worried..."


    Aleksis looked back and could not find ''Prince Siegfried'' nor his shadow anywhere. The young man had disappeared. In the end, she could only sigh and respond to her mother.


    "Mom... I''m fine."


    "Oh... what is this? A puppy? From where?" asked Finland. She saw the puppy sitting next to Aleksis as she relaxed her arms, "What happened to you? Who helped you?"


    "I''ll tell you at home, okay, Mum..." Aleksis said reluctantly. She raised her dog and Finland asked the hotel staff to bring Aleksis'' bag to the car. They went out in unison.


    ''Prince Siegfried'' stared at the scene from behind the elevator without blinking. He was amazed to see how beautiful and young Aleksis'' mother was. Was it because she''s half Asian? He thought.


    He knew that genetically Asians had a youthful appearance. Inwardly, he thought that when Aleksis grew up, she would also be as beautiful as her mother, or even more beautiful.


    "Take care of yourself, Little Girl," he said softly, before finally stepping out through the back door.


    Caspar got out of the car when he saw Aleksis and Finland leave the hotel. He couldn''t hold back his emotion. He embraced Aleksis tightly and almost shed tears.


    "I''m sorry Daddy couldn''t take care of you, Baby... From now on you will always be protected. I will never allow this kind of thing to happen ever again..." He whispered.


    "Ugh... Daddy, I''m short on breath. Hug gently, please..." protested Aleksis. She was trying to save her puppy from her father''s body, "Prince Siegfried is dying..."


    Caspar let go of his embrace and frowned, "Prince Siegfried? Who?"


    "My puppy... I saved him and named him Prince Siegfried," Aleksis said. "If you make me my favorite meal, I will tell you all about my adventures this week with Big Prince Siegfried and Little Prince Siegfried."


    Caspar smiled broadly. His daughter was still as happy and carefree as usual. That meant she didn''t experience anything horrible nor traumatic .


    He would patiently wait for Aleksis to tell him everything that had happened. He was also waiting for a report from Jadeith about the identity of the person who helped Aleksis.


    "All right. Let''s go home. Daddy will cook for you..."


    Caspar held Aleksis and guided her to the car with her puppy. Finland followed from behind and they immediately drove back to the Continental Hotel.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 275 - Feeling relieved

    After they arrived at the penthouse, Caspar and Finland let Aleksis rest and didn''t pester her with any questions. Caspar cooked his daughter''s favorite food and she then went to sleep.


    "I''m so relieved... Aleksis is fine..." Finland said, hugging Caspar after they closed Aleksis'' door.


    "Me too..." Caspar gently rubbed his wife''s hair. The weight on his chest had been lifted and he felt the same relief. He grabbed Finland''s hand and invited her to the kitchen. There, Jean was waiting for them with an open bottle of brandy.


    "Want to drink?" he asked, lifting the bottle.


    "Just champagne..." Caspar said as he walked to the refrigerator to pick up the oldest Dom Perignon he had. "This is worth celebrating."


    "OK." Jean got up and took three sparkling wine glasses for them and Caspar poured each of them a full glass.


    "To Aleksis!" Jean raised his glass, followed by Finland and Caspar.


    "To Aleksis," both responded.


    "Do you know who saved her?" Jean asked curiously.


    Caspar shook his head. "No. There were no suspicious cars nor people around the Raffles Hotel. Tomorrow I''ll ask Aleksis and Lauriel about this mysterious person. They can certainly provide information."


    "How can Lauriel contact that person?" Finland wondered. As far as she knew, Caspar had better access than Lauriel, but this time it was Lauriel who could find out the whereabouts of Aleksis.


    Also, the person who helped their daughter... who was he really? Why didn''t he want to meet them? What was he hiding?


    "Now that Aleksis has been found, are you guys going home soon?" Jean asked. "Can I stay with you for a week? I want to be with Terry a little longer. You know, this whole situation of being a father is foreign to me, but I want to do my best."


    Finland turned to Caspar before nodding, "Of course. Our farm in New Zealand is huge. You can get to know each other better there. Terry can stay with you for a few months too if you''re not busy."


    "Thank you, I''m so glad to hear that." Jean smiled awkwardly. "Billie seems to want to get married and have children... I always try to avoid the topic. You know, my parents were divorced when I was little, I''m not sure if I could be a good husband and father..."


    Finland nodded. She really understood Jean''s feelings. This man had been her closest friend for almost 20 years and they knew each other very well. Jean had taken the immortality potion meant for his partner and given it to Billie after they had been in a relationship for two years.


    Because Billie was an ordinary human who would age while Jean had become an alchemist at the age of 25, his face would never change while Billie''s appearance would slowly look older than his.


    He loved Billie, but just like how Caspar was with Katia, he wasn''t sure if he would want to be with Billie forever. He wasn''t sure if he wanted to get married and have children with her.


    However, as time went on, and for the sake of his relationship in the future, Jean asked Aldebar to make an immortality potion for Billie. This decision was of course supported by Finland who really liked Billie Yves.


    This meant that in the future, Jean would not be able to get another immortality potion for his wife if he were to fall in love with another ordinary human. His only option to live forever with his partner was to marry a fellow Alchemist.


    "I don''t mind. It''s really hard for me to fall in love," Jean said with a shrug when Finland asked about his decision. All his life he had only loved two women, namely Finland, his best friend, and Billie, after they had been friends for a few years.


    The two girls were very special to him, so Jean was not sure that he would ever meet another girl as special as them in his lifetime. After all, Billie was an extraordinary artist and Jean wanted to see the works she continued to make as she lived her life as an immortal.


    Billie was very surprised but happy when Jean revealed the secrets of the Alchemists and offered her the immortality potion. As a normal human who had dreams, an immortal life was the most beautiful gift she never imagined possible. She accepted the potion and her engagement to Jean with joy.


    Their relationship became even stronger after Billie became Jean''s fianc¨¦e, but until now, because both Jean and Billie were very busy with their respective careers, they were still living apart.


    They were known as the most loving couple in Hollywood and many people expected them to get married soon, especially Rosalind Marchal who didn''t understand why, at the age of 38, Jean was still happy with his bachelor pad even though he had been with such a beautiful and kind girlfriend for almost a decade.


    Caspar thought about the days when he was still a playboy. Getting married and having children was not in his books at all. He was happy to be able to change girlfriends once a month, so he also understood why Jean still did not want to commit himself to marriage. All Alchemists have one thing in common: they were not in a hurry, because time was in their hands.


    "If Billie wants a child, but you don''t, then she will never get pregnant," Caspar said. "Among our people, all children are conceived because they are wanted by their parents."


    "I know." Jean nodded nervously, "After ten years, she must have realized that I don''t want children, and I fear that I hurt her feelings. I love Billie, but I''m not ready for such a big commitment. Right now, I just want to see Terry grow well and become an adult. I don''t have the time and energy for a baby... or any other child."


    Caspar refilled his empty glass, "I needed 400 years to get to that stage... You''re only 38 years old, right? Be patient..."


    Finland looked at the interaction between the two men and her heart filled with warmth. Since Jean and Caspar made up, they could now be good friends.


    Caspar had helped Jean a lot in matters of men, something that Finland could not do because she was a woman. Jean was now already very trusting and close with Caspar. He also became a cool uncle for their children.


    She remembered how the two men acted as rivals before which gave Finland a headache. The girl was now so grateful because they could now be her best friends in life. She was no longer forced to choose between love and friendship.


    "We will return to New Zealand in two days. Tomorrow we will wait for Lauriel''s arrival," Caspar said.


    "Where is he now?" Finland asked curiously.


    "He was flying from Colorado. He''s on the plane now. He flew immediately after he heard of Aleksis'' disappearance."


    Everyone in the room knew how fond Lauriel was of Aleksis and it was no wonder that he rushed to Singapore when he heard something had happened to his goddaughter.


    ***


    .


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 Chapter 276 - The Mysterious Dragon Tattoo

    Lauriel arrived when everyone was getting ready for breakfast. He hurriedly approached Aleksis and hugged her tightly.


    "Uncle Rory... I missed you !!" Aleksis exclaimed when she realized Lauriel was holding her. "Did you come from Colorado?"


    "Right... are you okay?" Lauriel let go of his arms and examined Aleksis from head to toe. "Do you know who helped you?"


    "Prince Siegfried..." said Aleksis. "Uhmm... I call him that because he didn''t want to tell me his name. Do you know him? Do you know what his name is? He said he saved me before... hmm... I am sure I''ve only met him this once... That''s strange..."


    Caspar was stunned to hear it, "He saved you twice? How come? What happened?"


    Lauriel was finally forced to recount the events that happened ten years ago on a train bound for Chiang Mai. Caspar and Finland''s faces were shocked to hear his story.


    "Oh my God... ALEKSIS WENT MISSING when she was with you?!?" Caspar raised his voice.


    He was again worried at the thought that his daughter had gone missing once before. Subconsciously, he also wanted to pay back Lauriel''s criticism yesterday on the phone when he learned that Aleksis went missing under Caspar''s watch.


    "It was just a misunderstanding," Lauriel said, irritated, "The important thing is that she is fine now. I am grateful that Aleksis was saved by a good person. I didn''t pay attention to his face at that time because it was quite dark, but if I met him again, maybe I can recognize him..."


    "Prince Siegfried is very handsome," Aleksis said suddenly. "He reminds me of you, Uncle Rory. His hair is a little lighter than the color of your hair, and his eyes are purplish-blue. There are so many scars on his body and there is also this scary dragon tattoo..."


    Lauriel nodded, "Yes, that''s the person... The same person who helped Aleksis on the train when she was two. Unfortunately, I don''t know his name either. You''re very fortunate, Aleksis... to meet a nice person like him again. I can''t imagine what would have happened if you were found by someone else. You''re so beautiful... You better not wander off alone."


    "Ugh... so what if I''m beautiful?" said Aleksis. "Does that mean I can''t leave the house at all?"


    Lauriel turned to Caspar, "If I''m not around, you should always prepare bodyguards to watch over Aleksis from afar. Her beauty must also be hidden..."


    "How do you hide it?" Finland asked in surprise.


    Aleksis'' beauty, even though she was a child, was already very prominent. How could they cover such a beautiful face that seemed to be carved specifically by the Gods? Her face was of perfect symmetry, and she had tiny red lips, a pair of large brilliant blue-green eyes, and long brown hair that hung so beautifully¡­


    Lauriel took a pair of oversized nerdy-looking glasses from his pocket and put them on Aleksis'' head, "These glasses are normal glasses, so it''s OK for you to wear them. Their ugly shape will cover your beautiful face..."


    He then ruffled the girl''s hair and a moment later Aleksis looked like a shabby nerd.


    Finland covered her lips and sighed in agreement, "Very good... If Aleksis wants to go out alone, she can dress up like this and the bodyguards should only look after her from afar."


    Aleksis, who didn''t care about her appearance, just shrugged. Whatever it was she did not mind as long as her parents wouldn''t become worried.


    "Can you tell me what happened? Start from when you were kidnapped by the two criminals until you met this... er... Prince Siegfried?" Caspar asked her.


    "Uhmm... I lost my way and asked a friendly-looking couple to show me the way to the Continental Hotel at a gas station. They said they were heading that direction and offered to drive me..." Aleksis explained.


    "During the drive I realized they were taking me somewhere else, so I beat them up and opened the car door. I jumped out when the car was still speeding. Big Brother - Prince Siegfried, who happened to pass by, helped me and took me to his house... It was a huuuuge mansion... There were many bonsai plants in his garden. He loves gardening and he is great at it. His garden is sooooo beautiful. He also treated my wounds until I recovered. Well, he actually wanted to take me home right away... but unfortunately, because my head hit the asphalt, I could not remember anything, so he took me sailing, and when I was cleaning the fish I called him Prince Siegfried... then it seems he called Uncle Rory... "


    "Cleaning fish?" Finland looked astonished, not seeing the connection between the fish and Prince Siegfried. "What does cleaning fish have to do with him?"


    "Oh... actually I pretended to drown, because I wanted to trick him, so he would jump into the water... Prince Siegfried then jumped into the water to help me... His clothes got wet and when he took off his clothes to dry them, I saw the dragon tattoo... and spontaneously I called him Prince Siegfried... maybe that was when he thought of Uncle Rory..."


    Lauriel nodded, "Ten years ago Aleksis also called him Prince Siegfried too on the train. Maybe it reminded him of me... then he contacted me."


    "If he contacted you, then you must have his phone number... We can contact him to say thank you..." Finland said.


    Lauriel shook his head, "I don''t think he would be so careless."


    He picked up his phone and dialed the number which he received the SMS from. Suddenly, a cellphone rang in Aleksis'' room.


    "Uh... that''s my phone. Prince Siegfried gave it to me. He said he put his number there so I could contact him... but last night I found that he had deleted the number..." Aleksis took her cellphone from her room and showed it to her family with a sad expression.


    "He didn''t contact me with his own cellphone, but the cellphone he gave to Aleksis," Lauriel said while rolling his eyes, as if saying ''what did I say?''


    "Hmmm... this person is very suspicious... Why is he so secretive about himself?" Caspar couldn''t help wondering.


    Jadeith, who was listening to their conversation, suddenly butted in.


    "Uhm, sorry... this dragon tattoo... is the dragon tattoo located on the right chest?" he asked them.


    Lauriel and Aleksis looked at him and nodded in unison.


    "Yes. Do you know anything about it?" Lauriel asked.


    Jadeith nodded slowly, "I don''t know if this has anything to do with it... But Famke also had a dragon tattoo on her right chest... I often worked together with her in the past, so I was quite close to her and she once showed me her tattoo."


    "Famke?"


    Everyone looked at each other in surprise.


    What was the young man''s relationship with Famke?


    .


    .


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 Chapter 277 - You May Call Me Father

    After thinking for a long time, Caspar finally broke the silence.


    "Famke was a member of the Rhionen Assasins before she died..." he said. "Before that she worked on her own. So, it''s likely that this man has something to do with the group."


    Jadeith nodded. "It is one of the most reclusive and deadly assassin groups in the world. The information we have on them is only based on what Famke told us. Members who have dragon tattoos are first-class killers, the lower tiers are phoenixes, tigers and wolves."


    "I''m afraid if he has a relationship with Famke, we will face some unfinished business," Caspar said.


    "If the man really is a member of Rhionen Assassins, maybe he is on the same level as Famke. But given his young age, he must be a new member. I don''t think he joined them when Famke was still alive. Maybe they don''t even know each other," Lauriel said.


    "As far as I know, Famke is the only Alchemist in the group and she kept her identity a secret. I don''t think we need to worry about them." Caspar tapped his fingers on the dining table. "But that man really made me curious."


    "He did no harm to Aleksis, and instead, he had helped her twice," Lauriel said, "You should not bother him."


    "I don''t like being indebted to others," Caspar said. His face looked rather upset, but he agreed with Lauriel''s words. "You''re right, I won''t bother him. Hopefully next time I will get a chance to repay his kindness."


    Aleksis, who listened to their conversation earlier, was left stunned. She could not believe that ''Prince Siegfried'' who had saved her life twice was an assassin.


    ''Ah, if we meet again for the third time, we are indeed fated'', thought the girl. Slowly a smile adorned her face.


    Aleksis would feel very happy if she could meet her prince again.


    "Uncle Rory, please teach me so I can be better at Go game¡­ please... I must defeat someone in eight years," she said, clinging cutely on Lauriel''s hands. "You know I don''t like to lose."


    "I''d better teach you martial arts, so you can protect yourself better," Lauriel said, "You don''t know how worried we were when you disappeared..."


    "Yes, that too. Uncle, you will come home with us, right? I still miss you... We haven''t seen each other in three months," Aleksis said, giving him her best puppy eyes. She even outperformed Little Prince Siegfried''s puppy eyes.


    Lauriel sighed and nodded. Of course, he would go with the Schneider family back to their home. He didn''t fly all the way from Colorado just to meet Aleksis for a day and then return to America.


    The Schneider family departed from New Zealand with 5 people plus staff, and now they would return with additional members: Uncle Rory, Uncle Jean, and Terry. Among the three guests who joined their group, Terry was the only one who still felt like a stranger. Lauriel often stayed with the Schneider family when he was missing Caspar and Finland''s children. Jean, too.


    Lauriel did think of Aleksis as his goddaughter and he often took Aleksis on adventures because she was the oldest child and she was very independent, but he still treated London and Rune with affection, like a regular uncle.


    His presence was always liked by the children because Lauriel was very knowledgeable in botany and he educated them very well about various plants and their properties. Jean was also very close to the family and sometimes went on a vacation with the Schneider family when his work schedule was not too busy. They also spent almost every Christmas holiday together. Their relationship was as close as family.


    Terry, who had just entered the family, was amazed by how fortunate the Schneider children were to have such loving parents and two cool uncles, not to mention Aldebar. He was happy because the three children treated him very well. They even adored him because Terry was older and knew so many things.


    Aleksis, who was the closest age to him, also managed to impress him because the girl was very smart and fun. Their first bad impression on Terry at Terry''s parents'' funeral had been patched when he and Aleksis made peace and decided to respect each other.


    Inwardly he felt very happy because his dream to have siblings finally came true, even though he had to lose both his parents to get it.


    The family arrived in Wellington after spending an adventurous week in Singapore. Slowly, their lives went back to normal. The Schneider children and Terry were taught by private tutors. London and Rune could go back to taking care of their sheep, Aleksis took care of Little Prince Siegfried, and Terry learned to adjust life in a new place and family.


    Jean stayed in Wellington for a month to spend time with Terry and to take a break after his last movie was released. He was very happy to spend time with Terry and he was glad that they were getting to know each other better. Jean was impressed when he heard that Terry intended to go to film school after the boy learned that Jean was his biological father.


    "You are too famous... I thought the only way I can meet you is to dive into the movie industry," Terry admitted. "That''s why I want to study filmmaking."


    "But you have met me now... Do you still want to study filmmaking?" asked Jean, interested.


    Terry nodded. "Yes. I think filmmaking is a very interesting art."


    "Uhm... I''m glad to hear that," Jean thought for a moment before making a decision, "You may call me father, if you want. I had an intention to adopt you... But it turned out the lawyer only needed a guardian..."


    Terry gasped at Jean''s sudden remark.


    Jean Pierre Wang? He wanted to adopt me? This was hard to believe.


    "But... why?" Terry asked.


    Jean shrugged, "Uhm... because after all, my blood flows in your veins, and I want to make sure that you''re okay."


    Terry looked at Jean for a long time, then slowly nodded and said quietly, "Father..."


    ***


    .


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 Chapter 278 - Aleksis in Singapore

    EIGHT YEARS LATER


    .


    Aleksis eagerly walked with long strides as she followed Mr. Miller''s secretary into his office.


    Her tanned face, having spent so many months in the Caribbean, looked rather disheveled and her long, messy hair did not diminish her distinctive beauty.


    Her blue-green eyes didn''t attract much attention this time because she covered them with glasses like Uncle Rory used to do.


    Aleksis was a very beautiful girl who was used to making herself appear messy and nerdy. She usually wore big glasses and old-fashioned clothing or torn jeans and oversized shirts so as not to attract men, as that would certainly make her bodyguards react badly.


    At first glance one would think this girl was just a nerd who didn''t deserve a second glance.


    "Please sit down, Aleksis..." Mr. Miller welcomed Aleksis kindly and invited her to sit on the sofa. "We don''t usually accept sudden student transfers, but Mr. Van Der Ven contributed to the construction of the new library and we appreciate his good intentions in sending his niece as an exchange student for one year."


    "Thank you, Sir." Aleksis smiled happily. She knew that Kurt Van Der Ven, her father''s right hand, could easily take care of everything she wanted. She just needed to ask. "I''m excited to start studying here."


    "Good. Students are given the choice to live in our dormitory or to look for apartments outside of campus. You can contact Ms. Lauren outside if you need help to arrange your accommodation. Lectures start next Monday."


    Aleksis earnestly listened to some advice from the university director before excusing herself to take care of her move to the dormitory.


    Ms. Lauren welcomed her well and gave Aleksis several documents to study.


    "So, do you wish to stay in our dorm or outside?" asked Ms. Lauren after Aleksis signed several files.


    "I want to try living in a dorm," Aleksis said quickly. "I want to have many female friends."


    "Didn''t you have any female friends in your previous school?" asked Ms. Lauren, who was astonished.


    Aleksis shook her head. She was almost 20 years old, but Aleksis never had a single female friend. All her life was spent on adventures with Uncle Rory or accompanying her parents around the world.


    You could say that her best friends were her mother and her two younger siblings. They were very close, but it was really not the same as having normal friends.


    After feeling satisfied with exploring the world, she longed to be like other girls who went to public university and made friends with people from all walks of life.


    St. Mary University was her university of choice because it was located in Singapore and was a strategic starting point to explore Asia and Australia. She could therefore easily to go on adventures if she wanted to.


    Another plus point was that her brother, Terry, was also studying there so she didn''t need to worry about adjusting to campus life because she already knew someone on campus.


    Terry would soon graduate from his major in Film and she herself would start her major in Management of Information. The two could meet often because their departments were located close by.


    "My family moves around a lot, so I never have close friends," Aleksis said with a slight smile.


    That would change, she thought to herself. She was ready to settle for several years and live like a commoner. It would be very interesting compared to the sheltered life she was used to having.


    "Oh, what a pity. What do your parents do to move around so much?" asked Ms. Lauren, interested. "Are they in the military?"


    "Uhm... they are researchers," Aleksis answered, trying to choose a sentence that had the most obscure meaning. Her mother had a variety of interests and her father had many professions that he could pursue depending on his mood.


    Currently they were enjoying their honeymoon together for the umpteenth time so Aleksis could get away from home for one year and live as an ordinary girl. Her two younger siblings were sent to study with Uncle Aldebar.


    "Oh, they are researchers? Very good..." commented Ms. Lauren, looking impressed. The girl in front of her did look like a nerd, maybe her parents were indeed very smart. "All right. Everything''s settled. You can enter the dorm this afternoon and you will start studying next Monday."


    "Thank you, Ms. Lauren." Aleksis stood up and excused herself.


    She walked out of the administration building with a happy face and when she arrived outside she breathed in deep. She couldn''t wait to be a regular student and make friends with people her age.


    She stretched her arms and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Unconsciously her lips exclaimed happily, "Yeahhh¡­!!"


    "Watch out for flies. You don''t want to unintentionally swallow them," said a voice from behind her, making Aleksis gasp and look away.


    A tall young man passed by with a mischievous smile. He has long blond hair which was tied with red string, and his handsome face was covered with a pair of large black sunglasses which made him look rather mysterious.


    He gave off an indifferent vibe as he had both his hands in his pockets when he walked lightly away from Aleksis.


    "Nicolaeee...!!" Some of the girls who saw him pass by became hysterical and shouted his name. The young man waved at them and continued his journey towards the library building.


    "Watch out for flies?" Aleksis murmured in confusion.


    Jeez...


    Look at those girls¡­ If I wanted to be like a normal girl, should I copy their attitudes? But that''s so cheesy...


    Do I have to scream out at guys like them?


    "Nicolaeee...!!" She screamed while pouting her lips with exasperation. Huh... seriously. This looks dumb.


    "Hey... Please don''t embarrass me..." Suddenly a hand patted Aleksis'' head and when she turned around, she saw Terry covering his face while shaking his head. "Don''t tell me you''re also a fan of that pretty boy Nicolae..."


    Aleksis pursed her lips and hit Terry. I''m not a fan of any pretty boy.


    "You''re late. I took care of the registration myself," she said curtly.


    "I was busy, sorry." Terry shrugged, but he didn''t try to avoid his sister''s punch. "Wanna have lunch?"


    "Yesss. You''re paying." Aleksis'' sullen face immediately changed to a sweet smile as she took Terry''s arm and pulled him toward the cafeteria. "I eat a lot, you know..."


    Terry laughed and followed Aleksis to the cafeteria and pulled two chairs for them.


    The atmosphere in the noisy cafeteria suddenly became quiet when students started noticing their presence.


    Aleksis was confused to see everyone staring at her in surprise.


    "Jeez... Why are people staring at me like this? Is there something on my face?" she whispered to Terry.


    The young man shook his head while rolling his eyes.


    "They must think you are my girlfriend... Don''t mind them." Terry pretended not to see the probing gaze of the girls around them and nonchalantly called the server to order food.


    "Gosh? Do they really think that I have such poor taste?" said Aleksis in an annoyed tone, while Terry quickly knocked on her head. Aleksis immediately protested, "Heyyy... I am still growing, you know! If my brain is injured and not fully developed, you must take responsibility!"


    Inwardly, Aleksis now believed what Terry told her yesterday - that her brother was very famous on campus. She could see all the girls around them staring at her with hatred and jealousy because she was eating at the same the table as Terry. They thought she was his girlfriend.


    Her brother was indeed very handsome and being the head of the student council last year made him highly respected on campus. Naturally, many girls wanted to be his girlfriend.


    Ahh... If only they knew that Aleksis was just Terry''s sister, maybe those girls wouldn''t throw her these hateful looks, and instead, they would try their best to win her heart.


    Even though Aleksis and Terry had different parents and different family names, but by DNA it could be proven that they were both biological siblings.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 279 - Terry... Eww

    After they finished eating, Terry invited Aleksis to walk around the campus and to show her the important places.


    "I''m currently the head of the drama club, and we''re planning a big show. What club are you interested to join?" Terry asked as they finally sat down on the lawn to rest.


    "Which club has a lot of girls?" Aleksis asked back. "I want to have female friends."


    "Hm... well, there are a lot of females in the drama club. The campus newspaper club also has many girls. But you don''t like writing, do you?"


    "Hmm... no. Then I''ll just join the drama club."


    "Okay, next Monday, after the lectures, we will have an afternoon meeting in the auditorium." Terry bit on a grass stem and leaned against a tree while flipping through his book and writing something. "Oh, yeah... do you live in the dorm?"


    Aleksis nodded. "Yeah, I''ve never lived in a dorm before. It must be nice. I can make friends with other girls."


    "What''s so good about being friends with a girl?" Terry asked, shrugging, "They are noisy, they giggle all the time, they also only talk about makeup and guys... You will get bored quickly."


    "Gosh... it''s only right you don''t have a girlfriend!" Aleksis blamed. "Your views on girls are so skeptical."


    "Didn''t you notice that I can easily get a girlfriend if I wanted to?" Terry asked with a smile.


    Of course, Aleksis noticed that. She still remembered the look of adoration from the girls in the cafeteria earlier, and how they looked at Aleksis with hatred because they thought she was Terry''s girlfriend.


    But it wouldn''t be Aleksis if she didn''t tease her brother further. She shook her head and frowned naively, as if not understanding Terry''s question.


    "Really? I don''t believe you can easily get a girlfriend... You think too highly of yourself," she said nonchalantly.


    Terry looked at her in disbelief. "Jeez... do you think I''m lying?"


    Aleksis nodded. "You are so skeptical of girls, surely that is because no girl wants you."


    Terry was baited and immediately stood up. He pointed his finger to a very beautiful girl who was passing by with a stack of books.


    "Hey... what''s your name?" Terry asked, approaching the girl.


    The girl immediately froze in her place; she did not expect that one of the most popular guys on campus would talk to her.


    She stammered, "I... I''m Rosemary..."


    "Hello, Rosemary. My name is Terrence Chan. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Terry asked bluntly.


    Rosemary widened her eyes and she subconsciously dropped her books.


    Terry chuckled seeing the incident. He bowed and picked up Rosemary''s books and handed them to the girl who stood there staring at him without blinking. Rosemary was too stunned to accept her books from Terry.


    "So...? Will you be my girlfriend?" Terry asked again.


    Rosemary immediately nodded shyly.


    Aleksis, who saw the incident, could only facepalm herself.


    Gosh... Terry really wanted to prove that he could easily get a girlfriend.


    Terry glanced over at Aleksis to show off his victory, then leaned toward Rosemary and touched her chin with his right hand, while his left hand still carried the girl''s books, and he expertly tilted his face to softly kiss her lips.


    The girl seemed bewitched and accepted Terry''s kiss with resignation. A few seconds later she closed her eyes and took in Terry''s kiss and they kissed intimately, while Aleksis looked away to hold her nausea.


    Damn...


    Terry took her teasing too seriously...


    Aleksis, who did not want to watch her brother''s intimacy with another girl, hurriedly carried her bag and ran away. She had been tortured enough with her parents being lovey dovey all the time at home. At least when she was in college and away from home, she didn''t need to experience the same torture from Terry, right?


    Ugh...


    Because she was in a hurry, she did not see her way properly and bumped into the back of a young man who was walking while looking down at his cellphone.


    "Aw! It hurts..." Aleksis slammed to the ground because the impact of the collision was so strong and the young man''s back felt like it was made of steel!


    "Hey, are you alright?" asked the young man, turning to help Aleksis. He hurriedly kept his cellphone in his pocket and approached Aleksis who was on the ground.


    "My ass hurts..." complained Aleksis while patting her hands on her thighs and buttocks. "Jeez... luckily I didn''t fall sitting down, I could be paralyzed..."


    Her face was filled with horror. Fortunately, she was fine. She could not imagine if she had been slammed to the ground and fell on her tailbone, she was certain that she would be paralyzed or blind. Thinking of this made her shudder.


    "So be careful when walking..." said the young man, shaking his head.


    "What do you eat every day? How can you be this strong???" Aleksis grumbled. "I am used to bumping into people and never I have ever been slammed on the ground like this..."


    Aleksis was a careless girl who regularly bumped into people when she walked. Fortunately, her physical body was so strong that she was never hurt nor slammed to the ground.


    That was why she was very surprised, because this time she felt like she bumped into a thick and hard wall that made her body bounce when they accidentally collided.


    "What do I eat?" The young man actually couldn''t accept that his food had to bear the blame for the girl''s carelessness. She was the one walking around without paying attention to her surroundings. So, he decided to reply to the girl, "It depends on my mood. If I am in a bad mood I like eating people, you know! My favorite menu is a careless girl who likes bumping into others and doesn''t want to take responsibility."


    "Gosh...!!" Aleksis raised her face when she heard the young man''s voice. In her mind she blamed him for causing her to fall. "You...!"


    Her words stopped midair. His face looked very familiar.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 280 - Nicolae

    ''Wait... why do I feel like I''ve seen him somewhere before?''


    "What''s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? What''s on my face?" The young man became uncomfortable because Aleksis looked at him like a hungry person.


    "Prince Siegfried, Big Brother...!" Aleksis murmured. She hurriedly got up and hugged the young man with tears in her eyes, "Oh my God... It''s been such a long time!!"


    "Er... what is this?" asked the young man in confusion. "Who is Prince Siegfried?"


    He tried to push Aleksis away but the girl hugged him very tightly.


    This girl was strong, he thought to himself.


    "It''s been eight years. I intentionally moved to Singapore to find you..." Aleksis said softly. "We must compete in a Go match, and I will defeat you. Then you must tell me your name..."


    The young man scratched his head, it was not itchy but he was feeling awkward. He did not understand what this weird girl was talking about.


    "Are you a student here? If you don''t know my name, you must have been living under a rock. Everyone knows my name," said the young man. There is a bit of pride tucked in his words. "My name is Nicolae."


    Aleksis was stunned. She let go of her arms and observed the young man from head to toe.


    Gosh... apparently this was the guy who teased her about eating flies when she was yawning. Aleksis did not pay attention to his face this morning because he walked so quickly.


    But now Aleksis was aware that this was the guy who was worshiped by the groupies. He was very handsome, and his long blond hair was tied with a red ribbon. He was tall and well-built and wore very fashionable clothing.


    His eyes were brilliant dark blue and looked like a deep sea where people would feel like they could drown in them. He had covered his eyes earlier with a pair of large sunglasses, so Aleksis did not notice.


    For a moment Aleksis felt shocked. She had courageously hugged a stranger. She really believed that this man was the Prince Siegfried she was looking for, but now she realized that they had different eye colors. Prince Siegfried had purplish blue eyes, while Nicolae had dark blue eyes.


    "Do you wear contact lenses?" Aleksis asked in a probing tone.


    The young man shrugged, "Maybe."


    "Ugh..." Aleksis stared at Nicolae for some time, and then she took a deep breath. "You''re right. I got the wrong person. There''s no way Prince Siegfried still looks like you... He should be in his 30s by now..."


    With a limp shoulder she walked away from Nicolae, who was left astonished by her behavior.


    This girl had hit him very hard, then hugged him, and now nonchalantly left him without explanation. He felt used.


    "Hey... don''t go yet! I want to talk..." exclaimed Nicolae. Aleksis didn''t even turn her head. She only raised one hand and waved without looking at Nicolae. The young man was now curious. "Weird girl..."


    Since meeting ''Prince Siegfried'' eight years ago, Aleksis could not forget him. Slowly her memory of her savior''s face began to erode with time, but Aleksis was determined to return to Singapore eight years later to find him, compete with him in a Go match, then ask for his name...


    And maybe...


    Ah, indeed their age was far apart. Aleksis was almost 20 years old now and the man would be about 33 years old¡­ surely they still looked compatible.


    Aleksis could not understand how she felt before, but now she knew that ''Prince Siegfried'' was her first love. She really wanted to go back to Singapore so she could find him again.


    That was why, when she stumbled upon an opportunity to study abroad for a year when her father and mother went on honeymoon for the umpteenth time, she insisted that she be allowed to study at the same campus as Terry.


    She did not really care about the lectures. She just wanted to be in Singapore and look for ''Prince Siegfried''.


    Nicolae looked at the departing girl with a complicated look. He admitted that even though she looked like a nerd, she was actually very beautiful. Her body also emitted a distinctive citrus scent that enchanted him when she hugged him.


    He didn''t know her name yet...


    ***


    Aleksis entered the Continental Building with long strides, ignoring the staff in the lobby who bowed to her. Five years ago, the Continental Hotel building underwent a major renovation and was upgraded to 100 floors.


    It kept its reputation as the most luxurious hotel in Southeast Asia. The top floor was divided into two spaces: The Sky Bar and a smaller penthouse.


    The Schneider family rarely lived there because they preferred their privacy at the Rose Mansion. Only Aleksis and Terry occasionally stayed there when they travel to Singapore because, as young people, they enjoy the hustle bustle of the downtown atmosphere.


    The tallest building in Singapore was later named the Continental Building. The hotel continues to operate from the 50th floor, and the lower floors were leased as office buildings.


    The Schneider Group occupied floors 40-50 and the rest was occupied by various technology and financial management companies.


    Aleksis had a private infinity swimming pool and complete facilities in her penthouse, but tonight she wanted to socialize. She decided to bring her dog Little Prince Siegfried to the Sky Bar to drink while waiting for Terry. Tonight was Terry''s birthday and they had agreed to celebrate together.


    Aleksis exited her penthouse on the right side of the building and then went down using the elevator to the 99th floor.


    There, she walked to Moonshine Restaurant, the most famous high-end restaurant in Singapore because it could  rotate 360 ??degrees to show the view of the entire city to its visitors.


    From that restaurant, Aleksis took the escalator to the 100th floor on the left side of the building and entered the Sky Bar.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 281 - Drinking in Sky Bar

    The elevator in the building was designed to go up to the 100th floor, but only certain staff and the building owners had the access to this floor.


    All guests who wish to go to the Sky Bar must exit on the 99th floor, enter the Moonshine Restaurant, and take the escalator on the left side of the building to the 100th floor.


    The intention was so that penthouse residents would not feel disturbed by the hotel guests who may enter the area near the penthouse.


    As a person who was very into privacy, Caspar designed this system so that his family would not be disturbed by hotel guests.


    However, but for his more carefree and ignorant children, this arrangement was really annoying, because in order to get into the Sky Bar, they had to go down one floor first and enter through the restaurant, even though the penthouse and Sky Bar were actually located on the same floor and only separated by a tall wall.


    Sometimes Aleksis would casually climb over the wall from the garden outside her room, so she could reach the Sky Bar faster, but tonight, she couldn''t do that because she brought Little Prince Siegfried with her. She could imagine what would happen if her dog were to fall from the 100th floor...


    She could not even think about it.


    "Sorry, Miss... you can''t bring any pets to the Sky Bar..." exclaimed a female staff, who didn''t seem to know who Aleksis was. She tried to stop the girl and block her way.


    "My dog ??is well trained. He is very polite..." Aleksis said quickly. "He is even more polite than most of the people I know."


    "Yes, we understand... but we can''t allow him to enter..." The waiter looked at her watch, "After all, this place is booked for a company event, starting at 8 pm."


    Aleksis looked at her watch, "It''s still 7:30. I just want a quick drink..."


    She hurriedly took out a few one-hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and slipped them into the staff''s hand. Aleksis did not mind that this staff did not recognize her as the daughter of the building owner.


    She did not like to brag about herself to others. In her opinion, as long as money could settle the matter, why should she look for a commotion.


    "Ouch... Miss, I can''t accept this..." said the waiter, trying to refuse her money. However, Aleksis had nonchalantly entered with Prince Siegfried and took a seat on one of the sofas. She then casually flipped through the menu.


    Little Siegfried Prince, a very fat mini bulldog, sat lazily beside her.


    "Hmm... I want your best glass of red wine, please," Aleksis said, waving to the waiter.


    "But Miss..."


    Aleksis finally lost her patience. She touched her watch and dialed a telephone number. The Hotel Continental GM''s voice swiftly responded to her call.


    "What''s wrong, Young Miss?"


    "Mr. Lin, please tell your staff at Sky Bar that I want to have a drink here..." Aleksis turned to the waiter and raised her arm. "You can ask GM Lin directly, okay..."


    Instantly the staff''s face turned pale. "Good evening, Sir... There is a young Miss in here... who wants to drink at the Sky Bar with her dog..."


    "Oh... is Little Prince Siegfried there too? Such a sweet dog!" exclaimed the GM in an enthusiastic voice. "So, what''s the problem?"


    "Eh?" The Skybar staff seemed a little shocked at the enthusiasm in the GM''s voice. "Aren''t pets not allowed in here?"


    "Oh... but of course Young Miss'' dog can enter the Sky Bar at any time," GM Lin answered in a confused voice, as if all the staff should have known who the Young Miss and her dog were.


    "Oh, is that so? All right, Sir. But it is already 7:30 pm and in half an hour there will be an event for the Rhionen Industries. They have booked the entire Sky Bar for their company party... What should I do?"


    "If Young Miss wants to use Sky Bar, just tell the client that there is an emergency and they are welcome to use the Moonshine Restaurant on the 99th floor, for free, because the Sky Bar will be closed down," GM Lin replied casually.


    "Wait... what ?!" The staff did not believe in her own hearing. She stared at Aleksis with wide eyes. Who was this girl, that GM Lin so casually said that the whole Sky Bar could be closed only for her?


    Aleksis hurriedly pulled her hand and spoke into her phone-watch to GM Lin, "Ahahaha... there''s no need to overdo things, Mr. Lin. I just need to relax for a while. Later, at 8pm, I will go back, so the clients can use this Sky Bar for their office party..."


    "Is that so? All right, Miss Aleksis. Have fun. Tomorrow I will provide training to the staff at the Hotel so as not to complicate you in future," said GM Lin finally.


    "Thank you."


    The Sky Bar staff, who just noticed how important the girl in front of her was, hurriedly bowed and took her order. Two minutes later, she was back with a bottle of the best red wine and a glass. She efficiently poured wine into the glass and presented it to Aleksis.


    "Please, Young Miss."


    Aleksis nodded. "Please bring one more glass."


    "Alright... will do."


    When the staff returned with the next glass, Aleksis poured the wine into the glass and gave it to the her. "Sit down. I''m in the mood to talk."


    "Eh...? I can''t drink while working, Miss..."


    "Let''s just say it''s an order. GM Lin won''t mind," Aleksis said nonchalantly. "I''m waiting for my brother, and it looks like he''ll be late. I want to talk to someone."


    Awkwardly the servant obeyed Aleksis'' request and accepted the glass of wine. She then sat down on the chair next to Aleksis.


    "My name is Aleksis, what is your name?" asked Aleksis while sipping her wine.


    "Uhmm... my name is Claudia, Young Miss."


    "Ouch... Just call me Aleksis..." Aleksis said, shaking her head. "How long have you worked here?"


    "Uhm... it''s been two years, Miss. I really like working here because the pay is good and nowadays, finding work in the industry has become very difficult because most properties prefer the cheaper robot staff."


    Aleksis understood that. Since the last industrial revolution, many jobs that were previously operated by humans were replaced with robots because they were cheaper and more efficient.


    Seven years ago, there was even a massive psychological crisis in which many people committed suicide because they could not compete in the job crisis.


    The Schneider Group was one of the economic giants that still used a lot of human labor. They continued to innovate ways to improve the quality of human lives when other technology companies rose and prospered by strengthening their digital systems and reducing the use of human labor.


    As the eldest child, Aleksis knew that one day she had to take over the Schneider Group from the hands of Kurt Van Der Ven. That was why she was interested in slowly learning the family business. She did not want to go into their business empty handed.


    When she took over the industry, her father would be able to relax and enjoy his retirement at home with her mother.


    Later, twenty years after Aleksis took over, they would switch positions because Aleksis would disappear from the public and take on a new identity, while her father would replace her in charge of the family business, and so on.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 282 - Prince Siegfried is A Dog?

    "What company booked our Sky Bar for tonight?" Aleksis asked the staff. She knew that the company was huge to be able to pay for their exclusive Sky Bar booking fees.


    "Rhionen Industries, Miss. They are currently renting ten floors of this office building."


    "Rhionen Industries?" Aleksis asked in amazement. "They have an office in Singapore? As far as I know, they operate in China and Eastern Europe."


    "Just a few months ago, they opened a branch in Singapore, Miss, and they somehow managed to get 10 floors in our building. All the floors already had tenants before they came." Claudia shrugged.


    "All tenants were willing to leave their office for Rhionen Industries? Wow... this sounds very suspicious," Aleksis murmured.


    She frowned and tried to remember what her father''s comments had been when he had a casual discussion about Rhionen Industries with Kurt Van Der Ven a while back.


    "Rhionen Industries uses a name related to Rhionen Assassins, the most mysterious dark organization. They are known as the deadliest and most elusive assassin group in the world. Perhaps they chose the name to intimidate rival companies. The name Rhionen is enough to make the people, who know who they are, tremble with fear."


    Aleksis used to not pay attention to her father''s conversation because it was only related to business. But now, because she would be in direct contact with Rhionen Industries, Aleksis remembered that the Prince Siegfried she was looking for might have a relationship with the Rhionen Assassins.


    If the organization and the company were indeed interrelated... maybe she would be able to get a clue to Prince Siegfried''s whereabouts ...


    This thought made Aleksis very excited. She hurriedly downed her wine and looked at the clock. It was already 19.55. In five minutes, the company would arrive.


    "Alright, Claudia... it''s almost 8pm. I''ll go first." She woke up the not so-small Little Prince Siegfried from his slumber. The dog was now eight years old and was very fat. They then walked out of the Sky Bar and down to the Moonshine Restaurant.


    Aleksis pressed the call button on her watch and called Terry, "Big brother, Sky Bar is booked by a company, so we can''t celebrate your birthday there. You must go straight to the penthouse."


    "Uhm... okay," Terry answered, "I''m almost there."


    Aleksis then walked out of the restaurant to the elevator. She had to go up to the penthouse at the 100th floor to return Little Prince Siegfried. She planned to stow back to the Sky Bar through the wall on the penthouse''s balcony.


    She was curious to see the people from Rhionen Industries. Who knew, she might get a clue about Prince Siegfried.


    The elevator door opened and Aleksis called her dog to come inside.


    "Prince Siegfried, come on..."


    "Hey... you again?!" Suddenly there was a sound of astonishment from inside the elevator. When Aleksis turned her head, she saw a young man with long blonde hair coming out of the elevator who looked at her in surprise.


    "Eh...?" Aleksis was astonished. For the third time today, she met Nicolae again. "You?"


    "This is the third time we met, Weird girl," Nicolae said, shaking his head, "We must be fated..."


    Aleksis was stunned to hear Nicolae''s words. It was very similar to what Prince Siegfried said eight years ago... was he really the same person? If so, why wasn''t he aging?


    Was... he¡­


    Was he an Alchemist too?


    Aleksis could not help but stare intently at the young man. Nicolae, who felt like he was stripped naked with her boring eyes, unconsciously covered his chests with both hands.


    "Hey... why are you staring at me so hungrily? I''m not food, okay..." the young man shouted in protest.


    "Are you an Alchemist?" asked Aleksis bluntly.


    Nicolae frowned. "I do not understand what you mean..."


    Aleksis narrowed her eyes and looked at Nicolae carefully. She felt that this young man was hiding something, but she did not know what it was.


    "Where are you going?" Aleksis asked him.


    "To the Sky Bar..." Nicolae answered. "I have an appointment with my friend there."


    "But the place is closed to the public," Aleksis said.


    "I know."


    "Hmm..." Aleksis knew that she would not get any information from Nicolae if she asked bluntly like this.


    What was  clear was that Prince Siegfried had a connection to Rhionen Assassins, and tonight Rhionen Industries would hold an event at Sky Bar... and Nicolae was heading there.


    This couldn''t be a coincidence...


    Was Nicolae actually Prince Siegfried...? But why didn''t he recognize me?


    Aleksis felt depressed. She looked at her shabby clothes and her nerd-looking appearance...


    Was this the reason why Prince Siegfried found her unattractive?


    Aleksis bit her lip and sighed.


    "What are you doing here?" Nicolae asked in return.


    "Hmm... I made an appointment with my brother to celebrate his birthday, but apparently the Sky Bar is closed, so I will meet him somewhere else," Aleksis answered.


    "Oh, okay. Then who is this Prince Siegfried you called earlier? Where is he?"


    "Oh... that''s my dog..." Aleksis raised Little Prince Siegfried and brought him into the elevator. "See you later."


    "Wait... what? Prince Siegfried is a dog ??" Nicolae''s face suddenly turned red.


    The elevator door closed and Aleksis did not hear the man grumbling.


    "This afternoon she hugged me and called me Prince Siegfried... Now I see that Prince Siegfried is actually a dog. Does she think that I''m a dog??"


    .


    .


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 Chapter 283 - Happy Birthday, Terry!

    Five minutes after Aleksis returned to the penthouse, Terry arrived.


    "Hey... happy 23rd birthday to my dear brother!" Aleksis exclaimed happily. "I have a very nice birthday present for you..."


    "What is that?" Terry asked with a worried face. Aleksis pranked him too often to his liking.


    The girl raised Little Prince Siegfried and handed him to Terry to carry, "You may spend a year with Little Prince Siegfried, while I live in the campus dormitory. Yeayyyy!!"


    "Wait... What?" Terry avoided her out of reflex. He loved the dog but keeping it for a year was not a commitment he wanted to agree on at that moment. He was a very busy person.


    "Come on, Big brother... I can''t bring a pet to the dormitory. Meanwhile if he stays in the penthouse, he will feel lonely. You have a couple staff at your parents'' house who can help take care of Little Prince Siegfried when you are not home..." persuaded Aleksis. "Come on... carry him, uughh¡­ he''s very heavy."


    "Who told you to spoil him rotten until your dog becomes this fat," Terry chided. "If he is going to live at my place, I will make your dog exercise and he will have a strict diet."


    "Geez, you shouldn''t be so cruel to Prince Siegfried..." Aleksis tried to soften Terry''s heart by giving him her glazed puppy eyes, "I don''t want him to be stressed... I will not give you the birthday present from Mom if you are going to treat my dog badly. "


    Terry hadn''t seen Finland in six months and he missed his biological mother. His lips pursed and finally he nodded in defeat, "Okay... not too strict, but he still has to exercise and diet."


    Aleksis handed Little Prince Siegfried to Terry''s arms and hurried into her bedroom to take a large basket which contained several boxes wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper.


    "This is a birthday present from Mom, this one is from Dad, and this is from London, Rune, and myself. Uncle Rory and Uncle Aldebar said that they sent the gift directly to your home address. It would  probably arrive tomorrow."


    Terry seemed very happy to get a basket with various gifts from his family. He placed Little Prince Siegfried on the floor and began to open his gifts one by one. Every gift he got made him very happy.


    Since becoming part of the Schneider family almost 8 years ago, he began to experience how it was to have a big, warm family. Finland and Caspar treated him like their own child. He even called Jean father, and Lauriel and Aldebar were like cool uncles to him.


    Lauriel would take him and Aleksis on an adventure together, while Aldebar liked to make him a guinea pig to test his inventions.


    Jean''s gift together with Billie''s had arrived yesterday.


    "Thank you for bringing these gifts," Terry said with satisfaction after putting all his presents back in the basket and sorted the wrapping paper. "All right... I''ll take Prince Siegfried to my house. When should I take him? You start classes on Monday, right? So, you will start staying in the dorm on Sunday?"


    Aleksis nodded. "Yes, starting Sunday... I will take Prince Siegfried to your house."


    "Alright then..." Finally, Terry relented.


    Aleksis opened a bottle of champagne and took a small cake from the refrigerator. "Please get us glasses. We must celebrate your birthday..."


    Terry took two champagne glasses and poured drinks for them, while Aleksis lit a candle on the cake and brought it to Terry.


    "Make a wish..." she said, smiling broadly, "and blow out the candle."


    Terry looked at Aleksis in amusement, and after a moment, he closed his eyes and then blew out the candle.


    "Done..." He took a cake knife and cut the small cake in half, one piece was given to Aleksis. "Eat... I have all my wishes already, so I made a wish for you earlier..."


    Aleksis was stunned by Terry''s words,


    "You made a wish for me? Do you even know what I want?" she asked, frowning.


    Terry devoured the cake and clinked his glass to Aleksis'' champagne glass.


    "Well, you know... The thing is that you have been talking it about for years." Terry then put on an ugly expression and imitated Aleksis'' voice but in a very high pitch, "Ahhh... I can''t wait... I''ll be 20 years old soon and I will be able to meet Prince Siegfried... Ahh... I can''t wait anymore... I will defeat him in a Go game match... "


    "Terry!!!" Aleksis scowled and hit Terry hard on the shoulder. "I don''t sound like that!"


    Terry just laughed out loud. He knew this was the only topic on which he could tease his sister. He really wanted to payback Aleksis for teasing him this afternoon which made him have to proof to her that he could easily get any girl he wanted.


    "But seriously, Aleksis, I admire you because you are very loyal. I want to know how your childhood love story will end... I wished that you can immediately find him and then move on. You are still very young and you have such a long life ahead of you. There are still many men you will meet in life. " Terry''s voice then sounded more and more earnest, "Don''t be like Uncle Rory... who has only loved one woman all his life, and because of that until now he can''t be happy..."


    "Don''t say that, Uncle Rory is happy..." Aleksis said. "If he''s not happy, he would have taken Death."


    Terry shrugged, "You know what I mean."


    .


    .


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 Chapter 284 - Going on Disguise

    Aleksis knew what Terry meant, but she refused to discuss it. Uncle Rory was a normal man and he certainly needed a partner. He had been alone for too long and he had closed his heart from love. He only devoted his life to nature. At the present he was busy with a wild animal conservation in Africa.


    Sometimes, when Aleksis went there to visit him and they enjoyed the sunset together, Aleksis would think to herself that a sunset as beautiful as this should be enjoyed with a woman he loved, not with his goddaughter.


    Aleksis had heard of Marion, one of Uncle Rory''s ex-crew member who was very beautiful and tough. She had been carrying a torch for him for decades, but unfortunately, Uncle Rory kicked her out of his crew and since then no one heard anything about Marion anymore.


    It sounded like Marion was a great girl and would be very compatible with Uncle Rory. Gosh, Aleksis really wanted to find the girl and help her get together with Uncle Rory...


    "Uhm... it''s already 9pm. I have to prepare a video presentation for tomorrow," Terry said finally. "I have started pitching ideas for short movies to national TV. Tomorrow is an important day for me."


    "Ah... I was about to ask you to go on an adventure next door..." said Aleksis, disappointed. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier that you have an important presentation tomorrow?"


    "What adventure is next door? Isn''t that the Sky Bar?" Terry asked in surprise.


    "Pssh... there is a corporate event at Sky Bar right now, Rhionen Industries. Do you know who they are?"


    "Isn''t that a technology company whose pharmaceutical division is famous for finding a cure for cancer? They also have several subsidiaries engaged in Artificial Intelligence and space exploration with Space X." Terry frowned, "Aren''t they based in China and Europe??"


    "They just opened an office in Singapore. They managed to rent 10 floors in this building... Even though all of the floors already had tenants." Aleksis nodded, "I''m curious as to what the people who work there are like."


    "So, what do you want to do?" Terry asked.


    Aleksis opened the door to the garden and pointed at the high wall of the penthouse and Sky Bar, smiling mischievously.


    "I''ll go in there and disguise myself as a waiter. Do you want to come? I''ve stolen two uniforms for us... hehehe..."


    "Ugh..." Terry felt trapped. He certainly did not have the heart to let Aleksis go alone. What if she got caught? But on the other hand, he really had to finish his video presentation. "Can''t you take one of your bodyguards? Carl and Sascha are downstairs, right?"


    "Ouch... If they reported me to Daddy, I may be called back home..." Aleksis shuddered. She had only arrived in Singapore for a few days, so she did not want to go home this quickly.


    "Ugh..." Terry snorted again, he brushed Aleksis'' head in annoyance but then raised his hand, "Where is my uniform?"


    "Hihihi..." Aleksis hurried into her room and took out the two uniforms she had stolen on the first day she arrived at the Continental Hotel. Since the beginning she had planned to enter the Sky Bar disguised as a waiter, and unexpectedly tonight her plan could be combined with the investigation of Rhionen Industries.


    Five minutes later, Terry and Aleksis had transformed into two Sky Bar waiters in their elegant black uniforms. Aleksis tied her hair and this time didn''t wear glasses to hide her beautiful eyes. She felt that her glasses were an inconvenience because of their susceptibility to fall when she climbed over the wall.


    "We climb the wall through here..." Aleksis said cheerfully.


    "Uhm... why do you have to climb the wall? We can just go in through the front door. There are so many waiters there, they won''t recognize every waiter who goes in and out," Terry said.


    Aleksis scratched her, "Err... I cannot go through the front door. I was there earlier for a drink, I even I called GM Lin... They will definitely recognize me now... I must go over the Wall..."


    "Gosh, Aleksis!" Terry grumbled, "Then you climb the wall. I''ll walk through the front, because they won''t recognize me."


    "Alright. We''ll meet inside, okay..." Aleksis immediately prepared a chair on the edge of the wall and slowly popped her head up to observe the situation in the Sky Bar.


    Terry sighed and immediately exited the penthouse to the elevator to go down to the 99th floor.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 285 - Investigating Rhionen Industries

    On the side of the Sky Bar, The part where the wall was built was deliberately made dark and covered with several large pots containing plants by Caspar, so that Sky Bar visitors would not peek at the penthouse side.


    Aleksis looked around and saw that in the middle of the Sky Bar, by the high glass wall, visitors were enjoying foods and drinks while enjoying the view of Singapore from the top of the building.


    The festive atmosphere was clearly visible, and people seemed to be really enjoying the party. Nobody paid any attention to Aleksis.


    "Alright... I can jump now..." Aleksis murmured.


    She managed to lift herself up against the wall and prepared to jump when suddenly a voice called that shocked her and caused her to lose balance.


    "Who''s there?!!"


    "Aaaarrggghhhhh...!!!"


    Aleksis'' body slammed toward the ground and almost hit the large potted plant made of hard marble when suddenly a strong body moved so quickly to block her fall. Finally, their bodies collided on the floor beside the large pot.


    "Ohhh... I''m sorry..." Aleksis tried to get up. Her body did not feel any pain from the fall thanks to the person who blocked her fall in a split second.


    She could imagine that that person was surely experiencing extreme pain due to the impact of Aleksis'' body weight the impact from the hard floor below. She tried to help the person up while rubbing her hands. "Please forgive me..."


    The man held his aching forehead and slowly rose. His eyes glittered in anger as he stared at the careless girl who just knocked him down.


    "What are you doing here, sneaking up like this? Are you a thief?" When his eyes stared at Aleksis'' face, who was bending down from feeling guilty, his gleaming glance suddenly turned into fascination.


    Aleksis was indeed very, very pretty if she didn''t intentionally look like a shabby nerd with big glasses and shabby clothes. The man''s voice turned soft, "Uhm... are you alright?"


    Aleksis nodded, "Yes, I''m fine... Thank you for helping me..."


    "Hmm..." The man then wiped his dirty clothes. "What were you doing on the wall?"


    Aleksis realized that she had been caught. She had to fabricate a plausible excuse.


    "Uhm... I''m late for work. If I go through the front door, my boss will know that I''m late. That''s why I jumped over the wall..." she said as she pretended to feel sad. She bent her face down as if she was super worried of losing her job. "Please don''t report me... I can''t be fired, I really need this job..."


    The man watched Aleksis closely and after a while he finally nodded. "Hmm... so you are a waiter in this Sky Bar?"


    "Right, Sir. Are you from Rhionen Industries?" Aleksis asked him. "Do you want me to get you a drink?"


    "Hmm... please bring red wine," said the man.


    Aleksis nodded. Before leaving, she raised her face and tried to observe his face and appearance carefully. Later she should not give the drink to the wrong person.


    Aleksis felt that this man was quite friendly and might be able to provide much of the information she needed. She just needed to be nice.


    "Eh...?" She was suddenly stunned when her eyes fell upon the man''s face.


    This person had no face!!!


    That was, the person had a face, but half of it was covered by a black leather mask that hid his eyes and nose. His long hair was tied with a red ribbon.


    He wore a formal outfit in the form of a thin dark blue shirt and black pants that showed off his tall and sturdy body shape. His mask made him look like a mysterious character in novels.


    Was this a masquerade party? Aleksis thought to herself. She glanced at the other guests in the room.


    Nobody wore any masks.


    The man smiled at Aleksis'' surprised expression. "You want to make sure that you don''t mistakenly give my red wine to others, right? Don''t worry, I''m the only one wearing a mask at this party."


    "I... I''m sorry if I was presumptuous." Aleksis hurriedly bowed her head. "I thought this was a masquerade party or something..."


    "No problem. I''m wearing this mask because my disfigured face is too scary to see. I don''t want to scare people," The man shrugged nonchalantly. "I will wait here."


    He then walked casually to the nearest chair then sat and closed his eyes. Aleksis was fascinated by his gestures. They were so confident and commanding, and for a moment she almost forgot that she was now disguised as a waiter and the person had asked her to bring him a glass of red wine.


    Who was this person really? thought Aleksis, moving lightly to the bar to get a bottle of red wine and a glass.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 286 - Im not a corporate spy!

    Aleksis managed to blend in with the waiters at Sky Bar because she wore a uniform instead of her usual shabby clothes. She also did not have Little Prince Siegfried like before. Even Claudia, who served her earlier, did not look twice when they passed each other.


    "Where are you?" Aleksis whispered to her phone-watch while walking carrying a tray containing a bottle of red wine and a glass.


    Terry did not answer her call.


    Ugh... did something happen with my brother? thought Aleksis nervously. As far as she could see, the people from Rhionen Industries looked normal. Some looked serious in formal work attire, some looked casual, while others looked like typical technologists.


    Some people looked stiff and somewhat creepy, dressed in black, while most women looked official and professional. In general, they all looked good.


    She approached the masked man and placed the wine and glass on the table beside him. Aleksis deftly unscrewed the wine bottle, poured a little into the glass and handed it to the man to taste.


    "Hmm..." The man sniffed his glass a little, turned it and sipped the wine in the glass, "This is good."


    He raised his glass and gave a signal for Aleksis to pour more.


    "OK." Aleksis then filled half the glass with wine and placed the bottle back. "Can I help you with anything else, Sir?"


    The man stared at Aleksis for a long time. He seemed to want Aleksis to stay beside him, but he had no reason to hold her.


    Finally, he shook his head.


    Aleksis also felt somewhat disappointed. She had hoped that he would make her stay there so they could talk, and slowly Aleksis could dig up some information about Rhionen Assasins and what their relationship to this company was.


    Ugh... even though Aleksis looked beautiful tonight, why did this man seem uninterested in asking her to keep serving him? Aleksis was a bit disappointed.


    "Alright... then I''ll excuse myself now." Aleksis walked slowly back to the middle of the Sky Bar. Her eyes watched all the people there. It looked like this company was celebrating something. She wanted find out what they were celebrating.


    Aleksis took a tray of various cocktail glasses from the bar and walked over to the crowd of guests who seemed to be having a lively discussion.


    "Good evening everyone... please take the drinks..." She pushed through a group with a big smile. "It seems like there is an important celebration, huh?"


    The people were amazed to see such a beautiful waiter, and the men scrambled to get a drink from her tray.


    "Yes... good news. We just got an automation contract throughout the European Union and China. Our artificial intelligence products will soon rule the world," answered a bald-headed and bespectacled man proudly.


    "Oh... that''s great!" praised Aleksis. She understood the magnitude of the value of the contract. The European Union and China arguably controlled 50 percent of the population and wealth of the earth. If they could control the AI technology there, they would have enormous power.


    She had no idea that Rhionen Industries was so advanced. Maybe, if they continued to move as aggressively as this, within a few decades they would be able to overtake the Schneider Group, which had been established for almost 200 years.


    This made Aleksis even more interested in knowing what their relationship was with Rhionen Assasins.


    Aleksis tried to lure these people to tell more about their company and add to the gossip she heard so that they refute or justify.


    "Sshhh... I heard that the owner of the Rhionen Industries  set up his company with the money he earned when he found Satoshi Nakamoto*. Is that true?" she asked with her most innocent face. "Satoshi Nakamoto is the inventor of bitcoin and nobody knew his identity for decades. Bitcoin made him a very wealthy person and many treasure hunters targeted his true identity. I once read a tabloid that stated that some people managed to figure Satoshi''s true identity and took all his bitcoin 8 years ago."


    The people uncomfortable exchanged glances when they heard Aleksis'' remarks; some even spouted their drinks.


    "Gosh... where did you hear such cheap rumor?" asked one of them in annoyance. "Our boss is an honest entrepreneur. We found a cure for cancer and got a lot of money. This has nothing to do with Satoshi Nakamoto."


    Of course, it had nothing to do with Nakamoto, because Aleksis just created the gossip herself. Ha ha ha¡­. She only wanted to obtain information about the owner of the mysterious company.


    "Oh, yeah? Did your company really find a cure for cancer? Amazing! Is the owner of the company a scientist? I couldn''t find information about him on the internet... Did he ever come to this Singapore office? It would be really cool if I could meet the inventor of the cancer drug..." said Aleksis cheerfully. "I''ll be able to brag to my friends then..."


    A man in black suddenly pulled the collar of her uniform and looked at Aleksis sharply, "For a waiter, you have too many questions. Are you a corporate spy?"


    "I''m not a corporate spy!" Aleksis, who did not accept being treated in such a manner, immediately brushed off the hands of a stiff-faced and muscular man. "You have no right to treat me badly just because I''m only a waiter..."


    .


    .


    *  Satoshi Nakamoto  is the name used by the pseudonymous person or persons who developed bitcoin, a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.


    Nakamoto also devised the first blockchain database. Nakamoto was active in the development of bitcoin up until December 2010. Many people have claimed, or have been claimed, to be "Satoshi."


    Except for test transactions, Nakamoto''s bitcoin remain unspent since mid January 2009. At bitcoin''s peak in December 2017, these were worth over US$19 billion, making Nakamoto possibly the 44th richest person in the world at the time. And to this day, his real identity remains a mystery to the world.

 Chapter 287 - Almost died

    The man raised his hand and was about to hit Aleksis but the girl quickly held his hand in the air.


    "Eh... you? Don''t be impudent... We are guests here!" the man exclaimed.


    "It''s common courtesy that all guests should respect the hosts!" Aleksis retorted. "If you want to hit me, I will report you to my boss and..."


    "Laura! Why are you creating such a fuss!"


    Suddenly, an angry voice broke the crowd''s attention. It was Terry, who came at the right time and was quick-minded by pretending to be a waiter supervisor. He immediately pulled Aleksis and pushed her behind his back. He then bowed many times.


    "Forgive my subordinates, she is still new... I will give her a harsh warning. Please, continue your event... excuse us."


    He quickly pulled Aleksis'' hand toward the bathroom, leaving the group of guests who quickly forgot about the incident.


    "Jeez... why are you always looking for trouble..." Terry grumbled when they were in the bathroom. He hurriedly took off his upper uniform. Now he only wore a t-shirt and no longer looked like a waiter. "We should go home. I already got a little information from the female visitors who surrounded me. I also need to prepare my video presentation..."


    Ah, no wonder Terry couldn''t be contacted. He was surrounded by female guests.


    "Ouch... I was just about to get information," complained Aleksis. "If that jerk hadn''t provoked me, I would not have been so upset..."


    "Ugh... now what? You''ve drawn too much attention..." Terry said worriedly.


    "That''s right. You go home first, I''ll go back to the penthouse over the wall," said Aleksis finally, relenting.


    "All right. Don''t linger here for too long. We will meet tomorrow after I finish my presentation to exchange information, all right?"


    "Okay."


    After Terry left, Aleksis tiptoed toward the dark spot where the wall was located. She did not want to go straight back to the penthouse. She wanted to find an excuse to sit and chat with the masked man who had helped her earlier.


    I hope he''s still there, she thought.


    After arriving at the dark place where she last left the man, Aleksis became disappointed. The masked man was not there anymore. All there was was empty bottles of wine and the used glass on the table next to the chair. Ugh, it would probably be nice to talk to him since he was so friendly, thought Aleksis.


    "Ahh... you dumb girl, you should have talked to him first." She scolded herself.


    Aleksis finally gave up. She went to the wall that separated the restaurant and the penthouse and prepared to climb back home. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands pulled her shoulders roughly.


    "Hey... you are indeed a spy!" exclaimed the heavy voice behind her. Aleksis could smell the alcohol in his breath. She tried to pull away, but this man was too strong. She already embarrassed him in front of his co-workers, and he was really pissed off. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Heh... where is your courage now? Who sent you?"


    "No one sent me...!" said Aleksis. She tried to struggle, but this man was too strong. Although Aleksis was strong and usually knew how to defend herself, the man who caught her was far stronger than her.


    Was... was this person also an assassin from Rhionen Assasins? Lest they were indeed related.


    "You have to answer me honestly, otherwise I will throw you off the balcony..." The man raised Aleksis as if she weighed nothing. She tried to free herself but to no avail.


    He carried her to the glass wall on the edge of the Sky Bar. The glass wall was only 1.5 meters high as it was placed there to block the wind and prevent visitors from jumping to their death from the 100th floor...


    When he raised Aleksis higher than the glass wall, she shuddered in terror...


    Oh no!


    This threat was truly frightening. If she were to fall from this height, her body would be scattered beyond recognition. It would also damage the hotel''s reputation.


    "What''s going on, Pavel?" Suddenly, the masked man, who had helped Aleksis before, appeared next to the man who was threatening her. He positioned himself between them and the glass wall.


    "This is a corporate spy, Master. She was asking a lot of suspicious questions and I caught her about to climb that wall to escape...!" said the scary man.


    The masked man narrowed his eyes and carefully studied Aleksis. He immediately recognized the girl as the servant who had fallen from the wall earlier this evening.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 288 - I know your Prince Siegfried

    "Are you really a corporate spy?" he asked in a soft voice. For a brief moment, Aleksis seemed to recognize his voice. It felt like a dream.


    "No... no... I have nothing to do with any company or anything... Please put me down..."


    Now is not the time to act like a tough woman, thought Aleksis. She had to use her crocodile tears to save herself. The masked man seemed to be more refined in attitude than his rude staff.


    "Then why are you acting so suspiciously?" the man asked patiently.


    "I... I..." Aleksis looked into his eyes and, and for some reason, she did not dare to lie. "I''m sorry I barged in... I''m looking for someone. That''s why I crashed into your party..."


    Her voice sounded weak and inviting pity, but he could judge that Aleksis was not lying.


    "You have one minute to convince me that you are not a corporate spy," the man said again. He nodded to the man he called Pavel, "If you can''t, he will throw you down..."


    "Ugh..." Aleksis knew she could not win against them. Inwardly she cursed herself. She should have brought her personal bodyguards, Carl and Sascha, to the Sky Bar to go undercover. They would certainly be able to protect her in a situation like these.


    She finally sighed, "I''m looking for my friend... I suspect that he may be a member of the Rhionen Assassins. Since I can''t find any information on Rhinoen Assassins, I was hoping that Rhionen Industries may have connections with Rhionen Assassins... I just wanted to know if anyone here knows him... I desperately want to meet him again..."


    The masked man frowned. He was surprised to hear that Aleksis knew about Rhionen Assassins. Regular people only knew about Rhionen Industries, the big corporation, and not about the other one, the assassin organization.


    "What''s his name? And how do you know he is related to Rhionen Assassins?" asked the man in an interested tone. He gave a signal to Pavel to lower Aleksis on the floor and let her go.


    Aleksis fixed her collar and tangled clothes, before answering in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Uhm... I don''t know his name. I call him Prince Siegfried because of the dragon tattoo on his chest... He said I must die if I knew his real name..."


    The masked man and Pavel looked at each other. Pavel looked like he was about to say something, but the masked man raised his hand and gestured him to leave. Pavel grunted and left.


    "What is wrong with him?" Aleksis asked in an annoyed tone.


    The masked man did not answer. He looked at Aleksis carefully for a few moments, then slowly a smile curved up on his face.


    "I think I know who you are referring to. I know your Prince Siegfried."


    "Oh really???" Aleksis was immediately filled with explosive excitement, and she subconsciously hugged the masked man with enthusiasm. "Gosh... I didn''t come here in vain... I can finally find him..."


    The man was stunned by Aleksis'' excitement as it was very unexpected. When the girl hugged him, involuntarily his hand moved to rub Aleksis'' head.


    While his hand was still in the air, Aleksis had freed herself and held his shoulders. Her exploding emotions were clearly visible on her face. Finally, the man slowly lowered his hand.


    "You''re very happy, aren''t you?" he asked, smiling faintly. "What will you do if you meet him?"


    "Oh, I''ve trained hard. I''ll beat him in a Go match and he has to tell me his real name..."


    "Hmm... is that so?" The man nodded. Instantly his expression turned dark and he took a deep breath. "Sorry, I must be the bearer of bad news for you. That person is dead."


    Aleksis stared at the masked man, trying to digest his words. She thought her ears were not working properly, so he asked the man to repeat his words.


    "What... what did you say just now?"


    "His name is Alaric, and he is dead," the masked man replied in a voice full of regret.


    Instantly Aleksis felt her world collapse. She did not think that when she finally knew the name of her savior, the man was dead. Without them ever having the chance to meet again. Unconsciously tears streamed down on her cheeks...


    "No... no way..." she whispered sadly.


    Suddenly her world turned dark.


    .


    .


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 Chapter 289 - Alaric

    Aleksis finally regained consciousness half an hour later. Her head hurt and for some time she had to gather her thoughts to remember what had happened.


    "Ugh... where am I?" she muttered. Aleksis blinked and looked around. It seemed like she was in a medium-sized bedroom. There was only one bed and a small work desk there.


    A moment later she remembered what happened before she passed out. Someone told her that the Prince Siegfried she was looking for was already dead... That was so shocking that Aleksis could not help but feel extremely sad and collapsed.


    The wait and expectations of eight years ended in a sad anticlimax...


    Without being able to hold back, she started crying uncontrollably.


    Aleksis was an expressive girl. She spoke bluntly, she cried and laughed so easily, and now she was lamenting in deep sorrow that her first love was gone.


    The sound of her crying made the man sitting outside intrigued. He got up from his office chair and walked slowly to the door of the room and opened it carefully. He was stunned to see such a beautiful girl now in tears and crying so sadly.


    Why was she so sad? he thought, confused.


    He then opened the door and entered the room. He stretched out a handkerchief in front of Aleksis'' crying face, which made the girl gasp.


    She turned to the side and found the masked man standing beside the bed holding out his handkerchief.


    Apart from her fathers, Caspar and Lauriel, Aleksis had never seen another man carry a handkerchief before, and for a moment the sight stunned Aleksis.


    "Th... thank you," she whispered softly as she took the handkerchief and wiped her tears and wet nose. "Where am I?"


    "Hmm... in my office. You fainted, and I thought you wouldn''t want to wake up in the middle of a crowd, so I brought you here..." the man replied.


    "Oh..." Aleksis remembered that Rhionen Industries had an office on ten floors of the Continental Building. Meaning, that guy had an office here too?


    "Why are you crying so sadly?" asked the man. His voice was gentle and attentive, which made Aleksis frown. She was trying to think hard, where she had heard this voice before.


    "I... I''m sad because you said my Prince Siegfried is dead..." Aleksis answered in a bitter voice.


    "YOUR Siegfried Prince?" The man seemed amused by Aleksis'' behavior, which he thought was cute. "When did you become his owner?"


    "Ugh... that''s not what I meant..." Aleksis said. "I am not his owner. I am indebted to him and I would love to meet him again to repay his kindness to me... So, I am very sad to know that he had died."


    "Hmmm..." The man nodded. He then left the room without another word. His behavior made Aleksis curious and she hurriedly got out of bed and followed him into the living room.


    This man must be someone important in the company. His office had a room for resting, and his living room was quite large.


    In the next room, there was a workspace containing a large work desk and a very comfortable chair, almost like a king''s throne, with large floor-to-ceiling windows that showed a beautiful view of the city from 39th floor.


    The masked man took a bottle of red wine and two glasses then poured wine for them. "Drink up, so you can calm down."


    Aleksis received the glass gratefully.


    Ugh, after receiving bad news like that, she felt like she could use a stronger drink. She imagined whiskey or vodka... But for the time being, wine was fine too, she thought.


    Aleksis sipped her wine and after a moment her head felt lighter.


    "Who are you?" she asked him after her mind had calmed down. "Do you know my Prince Siegfried? Can you please tell me... how he died?"


    The man turned his glass around and seemed to think for a long time. He was contemplating on how much he could tell about what he knew to the girl. Finally, he nodded.


    "Alaric died during one of his dangerous assignments." He shrugged, "That is the risk of his profession."


    Aleksis covered her mouth in shock. Since she learned about the possibility of Prince Siegfried''s profession, Aleksis'' heart often palpitated at the thought that one day he might be killed in one of his jobs, because he told Aleksis eight years ago that he was not sure whether he would still be alive to compete with Aleksis in a Go match.


    "Who... who killed him? Do you know?" Aleksis asked, biting her lip frantically.


    "What would you do if you knew?" the man asked in amazement.


    "I will avenge him!" Aleksis answered firmly.


    "Little girl, Alaric was indeed very formidable, but even he was killed on his job. How can a young woman like you, who couldn''t even do anything against Pavel, get revenge for him?" asked the man, shaking his head, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you should just forget about Alaric and move on with your life..."


    Aleksis clenched her jaws and shook her head firmly, her lips were almost bleeding from being bitten. Her voice was hoarse but firm, "I may not be too strong myself, but I can ask for my father and uncle''s help... They will do anything for me... His death must be avenged. Please tell me who killed him..."


    The man was amazed at Aleksis'' determination.


    "Why are you being so stubborn? I''m only giving you advice for your own good. Forget about Alaric and your revenge... get on with your life. You''re still very young. Don''t torture yourself with unnecessary things."


    Aleksis put down her glass and shook her head stubbornly, "I''m sorry, I''m still grieving. Don''t tell me what to do. I am thankful that you helped me tonight, but my life is my business. And now I have decided to avenge Prince Siegfried. I will kill everyone who hurt him..."

 Chapter 290 - Indeed Fated

    "You are funny... you act like a lover seeking revenge." The man frowned, "What is your actual relationship with Alaric? Alaric died seven years ago, meaning when you last met, you must still be a child, right?"


    Aleksis felt cornered at the question. It was true, when they met eight years ago, she was still a child, but now she was acting like a girlfriend who had been left behind when her boyfriend died...


    Of course, an outsider who didn''t know what happened between them would find her attitude strange and ridiculous.


    "That is, because they killed Alaric, I could not meet him when I am older...!" Aleksis finally replied, her voice was filled with anger, "They took my chance to be his girlfriend..."


    The man looked astonished behind his mask.


    He looked closely at Aleksis'' face to judge whether this girl meant what she was saying.


    "You guys must be quite far apart in age... You''re still very young, very beautiful... Of course, if he were still alive, Alaric would look like a much older guy if you walked side by side. Are you not ashamed?" he asked curiously.


    Aleksis shook her head, "Not at all. For me, age difference doesn''t matter."


    My father is 414 years older than my mother, she thought.


    "Alaric did a lot of dangerous work... During one of his missions, he was seriously injured in a bomb blast. He lost one hand and his face was badly disfigured..." said the masked man quietly. "Even if he were still alive, his appearance would be very pathetic..."


    "Gosh..." Aleksis was stunned by the masked man''s explanation. "Oh no... Poor Prince Siegfried..."


    "If he were still alive, you certainly would not even give him a second glance because he looked really ugly," said the masked man again.


    Aleksis closed her eyes in sadness, thinking about the unfortunate fate of her Prince Siegfried before he died. Oh, you poor thing... she can''t help her tears from dripping.


    "I don''t mind. It''s not his face that made me like him..." said Aleksis a few moments later, after she had calmed herself. "If only he wasn''t that mysterious and just disappeared... My family would definitely help him when he was in a difficult situation... He didn''t have to die in such a horrific condition..."


    The masked man fell silent at Aleksis'' words. He was amazed because this girl in front of him, who was so beautiful, so charming, couldn''t care less about how Alaric was old, disabled, and ugly.


    This girl sounded so sincere...


    Aleksis buried her face in her hands and cried again, imagining the unfortunate fate of her savior, who was also her first love.


    The masked man hesitated for a moment, but then he moved and held Aleksis to his chest and rubbed the girl''s head, trying to calm her down.


    "Little girl... what you are feeling at the moment is not real. You created the figure of a Prince Siegfried in your head and became obsessed with him, for years. Please forget about him, for your own good..."


    Aleksis could not describe her feelings at the time. On the one hand, she was very sad to know that Prince Siegfried had died, but on the other hand, she felt very comfortable in the arms of this stranger.


    Ah... was she this easy? Why should she feel comfortable in the arms of another man? She scolded herself inwardly.


    Perhaps this man''s words were true, Prince Siegfried was only an obsession for her.


    This obsession was not healthy.


    She broke free from the masked man''s arms and wiped away her tears. How could she say that she really liked Prince Siegfried and wanted to be his girlfriend, but let herself be embraced by another man?


    "Well... if you don''t want to tell me who killed Prince Siegfried... I will find out myself. What is clear is that now I know that Rhionen Assassins and Rhionen Industries are connected. I will try to find out more..." said Aleksis softly. She pulled herself together and took a deep breath. "Thank you for your help... I have to go..."


    The man looked disappointed because Aleksis freed herself from his embrace, but he nodded.


    "I hope you can forget him..." the man said gently. "Alaric must be very glad that he saved you twice. You have grown to be a wonderful woman, as he had expected."


    Aleksis nodded weakly and walked to the exit. She had to go back to the penthouse and continue crying there, then make plans to find out who killed Prince Siegfried, and avenge him...


    The masked man only stared at her departure with a complicated look. He raised his wine glass and immediately felt that he too needed a stronger drink.


    He put his glass back on the table then moved to the cabinet and took out a bottle of 24-year-old whiskey.


    Aleksis walked slowly in the large office space, crossing empty rooms and cubicles. Of course, the office was empty. Not only was it no longer working hours, the employees were partying at the Sky Bar on the top of the building.


    When she was looking for the elevator, she saw Pavel walking into the office. She instantly stiffened when she saw the man who had almost thrown her from the Sky Bar.


    Ugh... this man again!


    Pavel didn''t seem to care and walked past her with a flat expression. It was then that Aleksis remembered that until now she did not know the name of the masked man who had helped her and told her about the fate of Prince Siegfried.


    Ah, she shouldn''t be an ungrateful person. She must ask for his name.


    "Hey... You''re Pavel, right?" she called Pavel before the guy walked too far from her.


    Pavel looked around nonchalantly, "What''s up?"


    "Uhm... I forgot to ask for the name of the masked man who helped me. I want to send a thank-you card..." said Aleksis, trying to refrain from talking curtly to Pavel. However, she needed information from him now. Aleksis must hold back her anger. "May I know what his name is?"


    Pavel''s face looked contorted in dislike. His answer sounded more like a grunt, "That is Mr. Alaric Rhionen. He is the owner of this company."


    "Alaric Rhionen?" It took Aleksis a few seconds to digest Pavel''s answer.


    Wasn''t Alaric the real name of Prince Siegfried? Was the name so common that the owner of the Rhionen Industries was also named Alaric?


    Suddenly something struck Aleksis'' mind. She just remembered that the masked man said Alaric must be glad he had saved Aleksis twice because Aleksis had grown into a wonderful woman...


    How did he know Prince Siegfried had saved her twice? She never told him...!


    Were they...


    Were... they the same person?!


    Suddenly Aleksis'' pair of legs turned around and ran to the masked man''s office.


    Prince Siegfried was Alaric Rhionen...


    And he was the masked man who saved Aleksis tonight!


    They had met three times! He had saved Aleksis three times.


    They were indeed fated...


    A smile etched on her lips as Aleksis ran back to the room with tears in her eyes.

 Chapter 291 - Finally, I found you!

    Pavel was surprised to see Aleksis running fast to Alaric Rhionen''s office, and before he could stop her, she opened the door and burst in.


    "Prince Siegfried!!" She called out to Alaric in a voice that was almost out of breath.


    This must be the Prince Siegfried she was looking for, thought Aleksis. She now remembered that the man had also called her ''Little Girl'' as his savior used to do eight years ago.


    The masked man, who was enjoying his whiskey, was surprised by Aleksis''s sudden presence. He thought the girl was gone.


    Shamelessly Aleksis jumped and embraced him, making him feel uncomfortable. He put down his glass and awkwardly hugged Aleksis back.


    "Gosh... you''re not dead... You''re still alive..." Aleksis whispered emotionally. "I''m so glad to see you again..."


    A few moments later Aleksis let go of her arms and examined Alaric''s hands. "Which of your hands did you lose? I can ask Uncle Rory to treat it and will I ask Uncle Aldebar to make a good prosthetic hand for you..."


    The man looked amazed at how much Aleksis was worried about him. The girl even thought of his hand which he said earlier was destroyed by a bomb blast.


    "Uhm... my hands are okay, little girl. Earlier I was just joking..." he said with a smile.


    Aleksis looked at him intently as if to imprint the figure of the man in her memory. After eight years, of course, she no longer remembered the face of her savior.


    This afternoon she even thought that Nicolae was Prince Siegfried, when in fact the real Prince Siegfried had changed his appearance. Indeed, they were physically similar: they both had tall sturdy bodies and similar hair.


    Or perhaps his face was actually not damaged, just as his hand was not really destroyed?


    Was this actually Nicolae in disguise?


    But Nicolae was still young... while Prince Siegfried should now be in his 30s...


    No, in fact, he should be around 40-ish years old now, considering the fact that he first met Aleksis 18 years ago in Thailand.


    Aleksis frowned and unconsciously touched the leather mask on Alaric''s face.


    As if reading Aleksis'' mind, the man touched Aleksis'' hand and lowered it. He shook his head with a wistful expression, "I was only joking about my hand, but my face was truly disfigured... that''s right. Even I can''t bear to see it, so I wear this mask..."


    "Oh..." Aleksis was stunned.


    That meant that Alaric''s face was truly disfigured, she thought sadly.


    Prince Siegfried could not be Nicolae in disguised because they were almost 20 years apart. If Alaric were Nicolae, it meant that he would have the Alchemist youthfulness. While Nicolae didn''t even understand what an Alchemist was.


    Aleksis'' father must have known him too because Caspar was still the Alchemist clan leader and he knew everyone.


    Aleksis silently rebuked herself for thinking too far, only because Alaric was wearing a mask to hide his disfigured face.


    Poor Alaric... the wounds on his face must have been so severe and painful to damage his face like that.


    Another round of sadness hit Aleksis. She thought about the terrible events that forced Alaric to hide behind a mask when meeting other people.


    She then raised her hand again and stroked Alaric''s cheek lovingly.


    "It must have hurt a lot..." she said softly.


    Alaric was stunned to see that Aleksis had not changed her attitude at all, even though he had said that his face had been badly disfigured. He unconsciously closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch of her hands on his face. Slowly his face showed a faint smile.


    "Hmm... it doesn''t hurt anymore. It''s been a long time," he said softly.


    "Uncle Rory said he first met you 18 years ago, and he gave you some powerful medicine to treat wounds... you gave me the last remaining medicine when I fell from the car... Why didn''t you ask Uncle Rory for more medicine? "I''m sure he will gladly give it to you. We have been trying to find your for years... but you are very mysterious," Aleksis said with a slight protest.


    Gosh, if Alaric asked for the medicine from Uncle Rory, surely his face could have been saved...


    "I never help anyone because I expect something in return," Alaric answered with a shrug. "Besides, this is the risk of my profession. If I let you know who I am, I must kill you..."


    "Gosh..." Aleksis pursed her lips in surprise, "Then, are you going to kill me now? I already know your identity..."


    Alaric looked at Aleksis with a soft smile, "Why would I save you three times, to just kill you in the end? Isn''t that stupid and a waste of energy? If I wanted you to die, I should just leave you alone. With this level of carelessness, you will die very easily."


    Aleksis pursed her lips at Alaric''s words. He''s not wrong though... In the three times that Alaric met her, three times he also saved Aleksis from danger...


    Ugh... thinking about that made Aleksis upset and want to scream.


    "So, when I''m in danger next time, you will just leave me be?" she blurted out in protest. Her rather childish behavior made Alaric unable to hold back his laugh.


    Although now the girl he helped had turned into a very, very beautiful woman, her behavior was not much different from when they had met and hung out for a week when she was 12 years old.


    Alaric still remembered how Aleksis schemed him to jump into the water by pretending to drown.

 Chapter 292 - So this is how it feels...

    Ah, this girl is so naughty, he thought in amusement.


    "Maybe," Alaric answered in a nonchalant tone.


    "What? You have the heart to let me die when I''m in danger just because I know your name?" Aleksis looked very disappointed. "Am I that annoying to you? Am I so meaningless...?"


    This time the tears that flowed on Aleksis'' cheeks were not crocodile tears. She was seriously offended because Alaric did not seem to have the same feelings as herself.


    She remembered that Alaric also said he didn''t want to see her again 8 years ago...


    Maybe that was the reason why the man deliberately avoided her and hid his identity.


    Slowly a sense of shame entered Aleksis'' heart. This time they accidentally met again... for the third time. If destiny hadn''t brought them together this way, maybe Alaric would try his best to avoid her.


    The thought made Aleksis feel sad and offended. She knew that she was very beautiful and if she hadn''t deliberately made her appearance look shabby and nerdy, countless men would approach her... But Alaric did not seem to admire her like most other men.


    Even though he was old... and his face was ugly too...


    Why is it that he never liked me, thought Aleksis.


    She then frowned.


    "Well... I have my pride..." she said bitterly, trying to look strong. "Now that we have met, and I already know your name, and you clearly stated that you do not wish to see me again... I feel like there is no more business between us... you want me dead, anyway¡­"


    She lifted her nose high and turned to leave.


    Alaric was amused by her behavior. He knew that Aleksis was really offended, even though he was only joking with his words.


    Never mind saving her three times... even a thousand times he would not mind. The girl was very cute.


    When Aleksis left with long steps, Alaric suddenly called out to her.


    "Little girl, what is the fate of your puppy? Is he still alive?"


    Aleksis'' steps stopped at once and she turned her head, "Of course Little Prince Siegfried is still alive! He is very happy and fat... I took him to Singapore to meet you..."


    Alaric facepalmed himself.


    Gosh... apparently, Aleksis really named her dog ''Little Prince Siegfried''. He thought back then the girl was just joking.


    He stood amazed by this girl in front of him.


    Aleksis was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she also had the most fun and bright personality. From their few interactions, he also came to know that the girl was very brave and smart...


    He couldn''t hold back his admiration...


    No... he couldn''t stop himself from falling for her...


    This girl sincerely adored him; she didn''t even care about his disfigured face...


    "Aleksis..." his lips subconsciously called her name in a hoarse voice.


    "Yes?" Aleksis turned and looked at Alaric in surprise. It was the first time Alaric had called her name like this. Her eyes then rounded when she saw Alaric slowly approach her. "What... what''s up?"


    Her mouth was open, but she was unable to utter any word. When Alaric reached her, he suddenly hugged her very tightly.


    That familiar feeling of peace again enveloped Aleksis'' entire body. She remembered this feeling very well. From the beginning, Prince Siegfried had always given her a sense of peace and zen. He always made her feel safe and protected...


    Alaric then loosened his arms and touched Aleksis'' chin. Slowly but surely, he brought her face closer to his, and his lips softly kissed Aleksis'' open lips. The girl was unable to utter a single word.


    The strange, yet familiar feeling of euphoria made Aleksis high as Alaric''s lips claimed hers lovingly.


    This was her first kiss.


    So this is how it feels...


    The kiss was even more beautiful than what Aleksis had always imagined it would be...


    She closed her eyes and enjoyed the union of their lips. A soft moan escaped Aleksis'' lips as Alaric''s tongue began to roam into her mouth. She really liked Alaric''s moist and soft lips... and she instinctively responded to his kiss.


    No wonder Mom and Dad made out very often, she thought...


    She would often do this too because now she knew that kissing Prince Siegfried was very, very pleasant...

 Chapter 293 - Then, what now?

    Aleksis did not know how much time had passed until they finally broke free, reluctantly.


    The two stared at each other with a somewhat awkward, but happy look. Even though Alaric was wearing a mask, Aleksis could see his eyes beaming, and his gaze made Aleksis'' heart beat faster.


    "Uhm..." Aleksis looked uncomfortable and blushed. She immediately turned toward the door and, without being told to do so, her legs ran fast out of Alaric''s room.


    The man was confused with Aleksis'' behavior. The girl came and went like storm... He actually wanted to sit down and invite the girl to talk, but the girl left so fast, leaving behind only her scent.


    Finally, he smiled to himself, picked up his glass of whiskey, and finished his drink happily.


    He could order Pavel to find information about Aleksis tomorrow.


    Alaric did not expect that 10 minutes later, there was another knock on his door. Before he could respond, the door to his room opened and Aleksis entered again, this time holding a very fat mini bulldog.


    "Eh... you''re back?" Alaric could not hide the happy tone in his voice. "What is that?"


    Aleksis smiled broadly, "This is Little Prince Siegfried. I told you that he is healthy, happy, and fat..."


    Alaric could not help laughing at the lazy-looking dog and his half-closed eyes. He approached Aleksis and took over Little Prince Siegfried from her arms.


    "Hello, Prince Siegfried... How are you? It''s been a long time, hasn''t it?" he said, rubbing the dog''s head who immediately let out a biiiig yaaaawn. "Apparently it''s his bedtime. Where did you get him from? That was really fast. "


    "Er... I am staying at the Continental Hotel until Sunday, and after that I will move to the school dormitory."


    Aleksis did not want to immediately tell him that she was the daughter of the building owner and that she was living in the penthouse on the top of the building. No matter what, her father always emphasized for her to always keep her identity private.


    "Are you currently studying in Singapore? What major?" Alaric asked earnestly.


    "I forgot what I majored in..." Aleksis answered bluntly. "I just chose whatever... hahaha..."


    "Why is that?" Alaric was astonished at Aleksis'' casual response.


    "Uhm... I didn''t really intend to go to school... I applied to the campus here just as an excuse so I could move to Singapore and look for you." Aleksis looked down to hide her blushing face, "Now I''ve found you..."


    Alaric was stunned to hear the girl''s candor. He didn''t expect Aleksis to like him that much... It even seemed that she was obsessed with him.


    A warm sensation slowly filled Alaric''s heart, and without being able to hold it, he landed his next kiss on Aleksis'' lips.


    He had never felt so attracted to a woman before. Aleksis, with her adorable behavior, had made him helpless and he was unable to hold back.


    They only stopped kissing when Little Prince Siegfried struggled to get free because he was sandwiched between the two.


    "Jeez... Please forgive us, Little Prince Siegfried..." said Aleksis quickly. She took the dog from Alaric''s arms and placed him on the sofa. She turned to Alaric who was looking at her, amused, and the two then laughed out loud.


    Weirdly enough, at the same time they both felt like they were a married couple with their four-legged kid.


    Both of them smiled with that thought in their minds.


    "Hmm... so...?" Aleksis looked at Alaric and tried to look for something to talk about.


    "So?" Alaric looked at her with a shrug.


    "You kissed me earlier," Aleksis finally said.


    "That''s right," Alaric nodded.


    "Then what now?" asked Aleksis.


    "What do you mean by that?" Alaric asked her back.


    "Ugh..." Aleksis stamped impatiently. "You know what I mean."


    "I don''t know what you mean," Alaric said.


    "What do you do to the women you kissed?" Aleksis asked quickly.


    Alaric shook his head, "I''ve never kissed a woman before... So, I don''t know what I do with them."


    "Jeez... that''s not possible! You''re already in your 40''s... how come you''ve never kissed a woman before?" Although Aleksis sounded like she was in disbelief, she was actually happy because Alaric had never kissed another woman before.


    That meant it was a first kiss for the both of them.


    I''m older than that, Alaric thought.


    "Why don''t you believe me when I told you that you are the first woman I kissed?" Alaric asked.


    "I can''t believe it, because you are very good at kissing..." said Aleksis, pursing her lips.


    "How do you know if I''m good at kissing? How many men have you kissed?" Alaric asked again.


    Aleksis immediately felt cornered.


    "Uhm... you were the first... but still... people say the first kiss is usually awkward and weird... but earlier our kiss felt very pleasant and not awkward... so I thought you are used to it..." said Aleksis haltingly.


    She wanted to believe in Alaric''s words, but was it really possible for a man his age to have never kissed a woman before? This was hard to believe.


    "I don''t know... maybe I''m talented?" Alaric shrugged.


    "You... have you really never been with other women before?" Aleksis asked, her chest palpitating in excitement.


    "Uhm... I''m no angel," Alaric said quickly. He just understood what she meant. "I am a normal man and I have sexual needs. But I never kissed the women I slept with. I don''t want to get emotionally involved in mere physical relationships."


    "Oh..." Aleksis'' feelings that were initially filled with excitement turned cloudy.


    Of course, she shouldn''t have expected too much. Alaric was much older than her, and must have been with many women before¡­ He was a normal guy after all. She should even be grateful that he wasn''t married yet.


    Alaric was aware of Aleksis'' disappointment but for this there was nothing he could do. The age difference between them was too far. It was only natural that he already had much more experience than her.


    Aleksis thought that Alaric was in his 40''s... when in fact he was much older than that. If only the girl knew, maybe she would be scared and think of him as a freak, Alaric thought sadly.

 Chapter 294 - You owe me for life!

    "Are you disappointed in me?" Alaric asked gently.


    Aleksis shook her head. This was a risk that she must bear for falling in love with a much older man. She remembered that, before meeting Finland, Caspar, Aleksis'' father was a notorious womanizer who, for hundreds of years, had a new girlfriend every month.


    Her father was far worse than Alaric who only slept with women without having feelings for them.


    "So now what?" Alaric asked again. "Because it was your first kiss, and I took it... I am willing to take responsibility. What do you want from me? I will grant it..."


    Aleksis bit her lip ... This was a good opportunity for her to ask for something valuable from Alaric.


    Aleksis could ask Alaric to marry her... or at least make her his girlfriend...


    Or she could ask Alaric to go to her parents and ask for her hand in marriage ...


    Ahh... that would be so embarrassing. How could she ask for such a thing from Alaric? They just kissed and there was no talk of love between the two, Aleksis scolded herself.


    Finally, she made a decision.


    "Uhm... my wish is... I want to see your face." She looked intently at Alaric. "I want to know you inside out... which includes knowing how you really look."


    Alaric shook his head, "Sorry, I can''t grant that one now. I''m afraid you''ll have nightmares if you ever see my face. Even I don''t want to see my own face..."


    "But you said you would grant me my wish..." said Aleksis in protest.


    "Anything but that," Alaric said firmly.


    "Ugh... all right. Then I''ll ask for a million dollars," Aleksis replied furiously.


    It was really too much to ask for a million dollars for a kiss that Aleksis herself enjoyed. However, she was upset because Alaric refused her initial request.


    Without blinking, Alaric took his cellphone from the table and handed it to Aleksis. "Write your account number there, I''ll transfer it now."


    "Ugh... you!?!" Aleksis dismissed the cellphone and it fell from the table. "You rich people... do you think everything can be solved with money?"


    "Why... you are the one asking for money, aren''t you?" Alaric asked. This girl started to confuse him.


    "Yeah, that''s true..." Aleksis suddenly didn''t know what she wanted anymore.


    Alaric''s statement that he had slept with many women had disrupted her feelings. She felt jealous of the women she did not even know because they had taken Alaric from her, before she was old enough to meet him.


    Ugh... what kind of thinking was this? She cursed herself.


    "I just want to see your face. If you cannot grant my wish, then I will make you indebted to me for life," Aleksis finally said.


    When he heard Aleksis'' words, Alaric was amazed. In fact, he and Aleksis were very similar. They even said very similar words in similar situations.


    He remembered when he was having a misunderstanding with the man called Uncle Rory, he demanded Rory to give him a million dollars, but then Alaric refused to accept the money and chose to make Rory indebted to him for life.


    And tonight, Aleksis did the exact same thing to him...


    Unconsciously he shook his head. This girl was a real match for him.


    "All right... Little Girl. Maybe someday I can pay this debt. I don''t know when, but maybe someday I will show this horrible face to you. Maybe when you are old and almost blind," Alaric finally said.


    But I will never grow old and blind, Aleksis thought to herself. She was upset because she then realized she would never be able to see Alaric''s face¡­ ever.


    "Hmmph... just like that?" Aleksis asked later. "Won''t you ask me to be your girlfriend or something?"


    "Hmm... why do you want to be my girlfriend?" Alaric asked in return. "You know my face is badly disfigured, and you won''t be able to see it for the rest of your life. Do you not mind it?"


    Aleksis nodded firmly.


    Alaric gasped when he saw that the girl had not changed at all. She was still obsessed with him.


    "Don''t you think this is all going too fast?" Alaric asked her again. "You don''t even know me."


    "It''s okay, you don''t know me either. We''re the same," Aleksis said.


    "Then what''s the point of us being lovers? We don''t even know each other..." Alaric sounded almost desperate.


    "You said yourself that if we met for the third time, it meant that we are destined. Don''t you realize that it is true? Fate continues to bring us together, and for the past eight years I''ve always been thinking of you..." Aleksis looked at Alaric with a determined look.


    "Aleksis... you don''t know me. If you know the terrible things I do, maybe you will hate me..." Alaric said quietly.


    "I know you are a good person... You have saved me many times, unconditionally..." said Aleksis stubbornly. "The rest, I''m sure whatever you do, it''s because you have to do it and you have no other choice..."


    "Your love makes you biased and it clouds your judgement," Alaric commented. "I don''t know if what you feel for me is love or obsession... What is clear is that you are a strange girl because you like me..."


    "So, what now?" Aleksis asked again. She was impatient because Alaric did not seem to have any intention to clarify their relationship.


    She felt upset because it seemed that between the two of them, Aleksis was the one who insisted on wanting them to be lovers, while Alaric insisted that they should have nothing to do with each other.


    That thought made her chest tight.


    "Sorry, right now I can''t invest my feelings in a woman. I kissed you by mistake. You are too amazing and for a moment I lost control. I suggest you look for a man who won''t hurt you. A man who doesn''t need to hide his face behind a mask..." Alaric shook his head in regret.


    Aleksis gasped at Alaric''s words. She did not expect that after all these years, her love was rejected, just like that...


    Her mind became foggy and distraught as she stamped her feet and took her dog from the couch. She would not beg for love to a man who had rejected her.


    "All right. Then, goodbye..." she said firmly, then walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She managed to hold back her tears until she entered the elevator and disappeared to the 100th floor.


    Feelings of sadness, anger, and disappointment all blended into one.


    In his office, Alaric could only sigh and poured whiskey to the brim of his glass and drank it quickly.


    "Forgive me, Aleksis... You are the most amazing girl I have ever met, but I cannot fall in love with you. I will not be able to endure losing you after few decades because you grow old and die. We are too different... It''s my destiny to always be alone..." he whispered softly, as if Aleksis were still beside him, listening to him sighing.

 Chapter 295 - Who hurt you?

    Aleksis felt uneasy in the penthouse. She could not believe her love story would experience two anticlimaxes on the same night.


    First, she was told that Prince Siegfried or Alaric had died. Then she learned that Alaric was not dead... but he was a man in his 40''s who had a disfigured face and he rejected her love confession.


    She really didn''t understand why.


    After her tears ran out she then decided to call Lauriel to complain about her fate. At present, Lauriel was still in his conservation site in Kenya and it was still daytime there. Aleksis was certain that she wouldn''t bother her godfather if she called him now.


    Aleksis immediately pressed a button on her watch and put on the projector mode so that she could talk to Lauriel face to face.


    "Hey, Sweetheart... Why are you calling me at this hour? How are you?" Lauriel asked as he appeared before Aleksis.


    He was sitting on the veranda of his bungalow and seemed busy with several tiger cubs who were quick to snatch some goat meat from his hands.


    "Uncle Roryyyy... I''m sad. May I go to Kenya to see you tomorrow?" Aleksis asked quickly.


    Lauriel, who noticed how sad his goddaughter''s eyes were, immediately stopped his work. He threw the remaining meat into the yard so that all the cubs would chase the meat and leave him alone.


    "Hey... why are you sad? Who hurt you?" Lauriel asked quickly. He was staring right into the camera, and at that moment Aleksis felt as if she was being interrogated by an expert detective. "Did you find that Siegfried guy and did he hurt you?"


    "Gosh, Uncle... how do you know that I went to Singapore to look for him? Was Terry snitching on me??" Aleksis asked in surprise. She kept her purpose of moving to Singapore a secret from her family; only Terry knew about it. But tonight, Lauriel nonchalantly discussed it.


    "Aleksis, we know everything about you," Lauriel said with a smile. "So, what happened? Did you find him? Did he make you cry? If so, I''ll kill him!"


    Yikes...


    Aleksis knew her two fathers, both her biological father and her godfather, were over-protective and would do anything to protect her. Aleksis could not bear to think about Lauriel killing Alaric.


    Indeed, her love was rejected, but that was no reason to kill someone, she thought listlessly. In this case, Alaric actually acted like a gentleman by not giving her false hopes or making fun of her obsession.


    "That''s not it... I''m sad because I am missing you, Uncle Rory," Aleksis argued. "I don''t like it here. I want to go back to Kenya to see you..."


    "You''ve only been there two days. Didn''t you say you wanted to find some female friends? Why change your mind now? I will be very happy if you came here. But you have made a commitment to go to a regular school for a year, I want you to learn to keep your commitments..." Lauriel looked at Aleksis attentively, "If you miss me, I will come to visit you next week. How about that?"


    Aleksis could only nod. She suddenly thought of something.


    "Uhm... Uncle, you''re an expert on poisons and medicine..." Her voice turned cute, "Can you send me your miraculous wound healing remedy? I often fall and bump here and there and my skin now has many scars..."


    "Gosh... Aleksis, you''re still as careless as ever." Lauriel massaged his temple. "Where are you now? If you''re in the penthouse, I kept a few bottles of that medicine in the wine cabinet. You can get them there."


    "Whoaa... thank you, Uncle Rory, you''re the best! Now I''m not sad anymore..."


    Seeing Aleksis now smiling broadly, Lauriel nodded happily. They then chatted briefly and made plans for Lauriel to visit Aleksis in Singapore in a few days.


    Seeing that Lauriel was actually busy taking care of some of his tiger cubs, Aleksis then ended the phone call. She did not want to bother him any longer.


    Her heart felt a little relieved after talking with Lauriel.


    Hmm... she also got the wound healing medicine from her godfather. Maybe, if Alaric used it, the scars on his face could still be cured or reduced, so he did not need to hide behind the mask anymore.


    Although her love was rejected, Aleksis could not hate Alaric. The man did nothing wrong to her. Alaric was just being honest, even though his honesty was painful for her to hear.


    Aleksis bit her lip thinking about what happened that night. The pain in her heart still hadn''t subsided.


    Finally, the girl decided to go out and get some fresh air. She put her dog on a leash and walked him out of the building.


    Aleksis was not afraid to go out past midnight like this because Singapore is famous for being much safer than most other metropolitant cities. Especially since it was the weekend, the city center was quite crowded, and her two loyal bodyguards, Carl and Sascha, were always looking out for her discreetly.


    As usual, so as not to attract attention, she wore some shabby clothes and large nerdy glasses to hide her beauty. Although she had Carl and Sascha, she was not interested in attracting men''s attention at this time.


    Once in New York, when she was walking home from a restaurant at night, a bunch of thugs came to bother her. Within seconds Carl arrived and beat them to pulp. At that time Sasha did not even need to intervene.


    Since then Aleksis felt more comfortable if she looked as ugly as possible when walking around. After all, all this time she didn''t feel the need to look pretty for anyone. In her heart there was only space for Prince Siegfried... Sadly, tonight her love story ended in an anticlimax...


    Ugh...

 Chapter 296 - Evening Stroll

    The night air was very cold in Singapore, so Aleksis wrapped her coat tightly while taking her dog for a walk. Since the global warming worsened in recent years, the weather in various parts of the world experienced drastic changes.


    Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries that were once known as hot tropical regions, began to experience striking seasonal changes and the temperatures in these months had become very cold.


    "Come on Little Prince Siegfried... you need to exercise a little..." Aleksis whispered to her dog who seemed reluctant to follow her for a night stroll.


    When they arrived at the lobby, she saw a familiar figure coming out of the elevator and heading for the exit. The sight of him made Aleksis stand frozen on her place.


    The man then saw Aleksis with her dog and immediately stopped on his track. They stared at each other in silence.


    Aleksis blushed when she remembered that half an hour ago they had kissed in Alaric''s office. The man also looked somewhat awkward.


    After Aleksis left, he drank a lot of whisky because he wanted to calm his nerves. When he refused the girl, it was because of his logic trying to take control of his mind in making decisions.


    But after Aleksis left him with a disappointed and sad expression, his heart slowly rose and protested his actions. He really liked the jolly beautiful girl who came and went like a storm...


    After Aleksis left, his heart was stricken with sadness which he could not explain. Alaric had long closed his heart and he had never allowed his emotions to control him. So, that sad feeling he felt was quite foreign to him.


    Now suddenly the girl appeared again in front of him, unexpectedly. Alaric just wanted to go home and rest to calm his mind. But now he was unable to move. He could only stand still and as he and Aleksis stared at each other.


    "Hi..." said Aleksis awkwardly. She wringed her dog''s leash unconsciously. She did not know how to behave in front of the man who had been her obsession for years and tonight had just rejected her love.


    "Where are you going so late at night?" Alaric asked attentively.


    Stupid question, he thought soon after he asked the question. Of course, the girl was taking her dog out for a walk.


    A dog named Little Prince Siegfried, like himself.


    Slowly a thin smile etched on Alaric''s face.


    Hmm... seeing how fat and happy the dog was, of course Aleksis had been loving and spoiling him for eight years.


    "Prince Siegfried needs to exercise..." Aleksis murmured in an unclear voice. She still felt awkward, "He''s already too fat."


    "Aren''t you afraid to go out at this time of night?" Alaric asked again. "Your dog is not the type of guard dog that will save you from criminals."


    It was true. If only Little Prince Siegfried were a pitbull or herder, of course his fierce appearance would frighten people who intended to harm Aleksis. However, unfortunately this mini bulldog was very fat and lazy. In no way could this dog tremble the hearts of those who wished to cause her harm.


    "I can take good care of myself," Aleksis replied. She certainly could not tell this man that there were two bodyguards, very fierce former Russian special forces captains, who always followed her and kept her safe.


    Alaric sighed, "You are a girl, but you are so careless in whatever you do. Just now you couldn''t do anything about Pavel, even though Pavel is still a wolf-level assassin. What if you meet a criminal who is at the level of a tiger, phoenix or dragon in Rhionen?"


    Aleksis recalled that her father had discussed Rhionen Assassins with Jadeith and she had heard that in the group there were several levels of assassins, the highest being the dragon, followed by the phoenix, the tiger, and finally the wolf.


    Was Pavel really only on the wolf level? How shocking... he was already so scary...!


    Aleksis shuddered at the thought of Alaric already at the dragon level eight years ago. Did... did that mean he was the leader of the Rhionen Assassins? Considering that they used his name...


    "Are you the leader of Rhionen Assassins?" Aleksis asked him. "Your name is Alaric Rhionen, right?"


    Alaric shook his head. "The leader of Rhionen Assassins had resigned from worldly life and does not deal with such things anymore. I prefer business and so I founded Rhionen Industries 10 years ago. Although they are still somehow connected, the two are very different organizations..."


    "Oh..." Aleksis nodded in understanding. She felt that Alaric''s life was very mysterious and dangerous. "Thank you for caring, but I know how to look after myself."


    She bowed slightly and walked toward the door to exit the lobby.


    "Wait a minute...!" Suddenly Alaric ran after her and walked beside her. "I also need some fresh air. I will walk with you and bring your dog for an exercise..."


    Aleksis looked at him with a complicated look. She knew that Alaric was worried about her walking alone outside at midnight, so he used the excuse of getting some fresh air to protect her.


    Ugh... didn''t you just reject me? Why are you still acting like this??? Aleksis grumbled inwardly.


    She did not say a word and carried Little Prince Siegfried to walk out and across the park. Alaric faithfully walked beside her, also not saying anything.


    It was a strange sight. They were walking together, side by side, but not talking to each other, and no one seemed to want to leave the other.

 Chapter 297 - Aleksis & Alaric

    Half an hour later they were back in the lobby.


    "Thank you for accompanying me to take my dog ??for a walk," Aleksis said to him. She felt uneasy if she didn''t say thank you at all, because she knew Alaric deliberately accompanied her to protect her. "I needed to calm down by getting some air."


    "Hmm..." Alaric smiled and nodded. "Are you going to rest now? Then, I''ll go home."


    Aleksis would certainly choose not to rest, if that meant that Alaric would not be going home.


    "Er... wait a minute..." Aleksis ran to the elevator with Little Siegfried Prince. "I want to give you something..."


    A few seconds later she returned and handed the dog to Alaric. "Please hold my dog ??for a second. I''ll be back in five minutes..."


    Aleksis was about to take Uncle Rory''s wound medicine, but she was afraid that Alaric would leave before she returned, so she deliberately handed her dog to Alaric so that he could not go anywhere while she went upstairs to take the medicine.


    Before Alaric could protest, Aleksis had disappeared behind the elevator door. Finally, having no choice, Alaric carried Little Prince Siegfried and shook his head.


    Aleksis arrived six minutes later, breathing hard. She handed a bottle to Alaric.


    "This... please accept this... this is the miracle wound medicine from Uncle Rory... I want you to have it..."


    Alaric was surprised to see the gift from Aleksis, who was smiling at him with a pair of such loving eyes. He knew how valuable the bottle was, because he had used it before.


    His heart trembled because the girl in front of him was still so kind to him, even though he had made her cry by rejecting her love...


    He had never met anyone so sincere and selfless who treated him with such affection.


    Alaric was stunned, lost for words.


    "Wh... why are you giving me this medicine? I already rejected you..." he said quietly, after he found his voice.


    Aleksis tried to smile, "Because I admire your kindness, Prince Siegfried... You must have a reason to reject my feelings, and that doesn''t make you a bad person. If I want to be honest with myself, you actually acted as a gentleman by rejecting me, because you don''t want to mess with my feelings or give me false hope. I appreciate that... I hope that, even if I can''t be your girlfriend, we can still be friends..."


    Aleksis was thinking about this while they were walking outside.


    Alaric was a good man. Even if he didn''t reciprocate Aleksis'' love, he was still a good man and Aleksis would feel happy if she could be his friend...


    Maybe after a while, her romantic feeling will disappear completely and they could become good friends.


    Alaric swallowed hard, he felt touched.


    "Aleksis... I have never met anyone like you, who is so sincere to me," Alaric said slowly. "I''ve never felt loved like this. Thank you..."


    Aleksis smiled warmly. The girl had so much love in her life, that her attitude was always warm and sincere to everyone. Since she was a child, Aleksis enjoyed a huge outpouring of love from her parents, siblings and uncles. Her life was always filled with love. Tonight, the love that came out of her touched Alaric''s heart which was usually closed and frozen.


    "Aleksis..." Alaric called her name, as if it was the most beautiful name in the world, "Aleksis... Aleksis..."


    "Yes?" Aleksis replied to his words. Her eyes were glowing and full of love.


    "I think you are an extraordinary girl... Tomorrow my logic will again take over, but tonight, I want to follow my heart..." Alaric said as he approached Aleksis. His voice sounded hoarse, filled with emotion, "I want to learn what it feels like to be your man..."


    Aleksis was stunned by Alaric''s unexpected words.


    "Wh... what do you mean?" she stammered. Their bodies had touched each other, and Aleksis felt her heart beating so fast.


    "Do you want to come to my house? I want to show you my newest bonsai collection, and we can play a set of Go game like we promised..." Alaric said.


    A broad smile slowly appeared on Aleksis'' face and the girl nodded vigorously. "I would love that!"


    Alaric smiled happily at the answer. His left hand held Aleksis'' right hand and his right arm held Little Prince Siegfried. He took them to the parking lot and pointed to a large motorbike.


    "It''s not raining, so we can ride the motorcycle. Do you mind?" he asked.


    Aleksis shook her head. She really liked riding a motorcycle with Alaric.


    Alaric turned on his motorcycle, then buttoned his jacket in half, so he could safely put Little Prince Siegfried on his chest. He waited for Aleksis to climb into the backseat and handed her the helmet.


    After everything was ready, he raced his motorcycle to the east.


    "Hold on to my waist," he said to Aleksis, turning slightly back. The girl obeyed. She put her tiny hands around Alaric''s waist and pressed her body against the man''s back.


    Alaric felt her fast, irregular heartbeat and he could not help but smile.


    Both felt very happy that night.

 Chapter 298 - The Demon King

    They arrived at the mansion Aleksis had visited when she was a child. There wasn''t much change there and everything was almost as she remembered. The building was large and sturdy, with a large yard and garden at the back which was filled with beautiful bonsai plants.


    She happily wandered into the living room, library, and out into the backyard. Alaric just looked at her in amusement. He placed Little Prince Siegfried in a basket lined with soft towels and let him sleep there.


    He then went to Aleksis, who was standing on the marble stairs leading to the backyard, looking at the garden which housed various beautiful bonsai plants, his works of art.


    "Hmm..."


    His voice moved Aleksis. The girl immediately turned around with amazed eyes.


    "This garden is better than what I remember. Do you still do it yourself?" she asked.


    Alaric nodded.


    "You are such a complicated person..." commented Aleksis.


    "Complicated?" Alaric frowned.


    "Yeah... from what I know, you are used to violence, you are a dragon-level assassin in Rhionen Assassins, but at the same time you like fine artistic things and your attitude is always very gentle. The Go game and bonsai are two things that really need patience and delicate thinking..." Aleksis explained her point.


    Alaric smiled slightly and shook his head.


    "I think it''s the opposite, it''s actually yin and yang. People who are used to living with extreme violence will compensate it with something delicate, otherwise they could go crazy. People who lead ordinary lives have no need to compensate for anything."


    "You think so?" Aleksis thought carefully about Alaric''s words and realized that he was right. Her own father was a warm person and his life seemed balanced, so he didn''t need to compensate for anything... While Uncle Rory, who always lived alone and used to be a pirate, did have a more refined attitude than Caspar.


    "Do you know Oda Nobunaga*?" Alaric asked.


    "Hmmm... he is Japan''s greatest warlord who was thought to be the force that unified Japan. He was very famous. What''s with Oda Nobunaga?" Aleksis asked back.


    "Oda was a very formidable warlord and he was feared by many. He was even nicknamed as the Demon King because he was considered very cruel. But in fact, he was very fond of writing poetry, singing and dancing.


    Maybe for others, a warlord who was so cruel that he was nicknamed Demon King couldn''t possibly be into singing and dancing... But the fact is that Oda did." Alaric explained.


    "Oh..." Aleksis looked at Alaric, trying to guess whether he also meant to say that he was a Demon King like Oda Nobunaga...


    How many people had he killed so far?


    Aleksis found it difficult to associate the high-level assassin persona with this man standing next to her... He saved a girl and a puppy without second thought, and he always behaved so gently...


    Even Aleksis couldn''t imagine Alaric hurting a fly... Was it true that he had killed many people before...?


    Aleksis swallowed hard thinking about this.


    Alaric, who seemed to read the girl''s mind, smiled faintly and looked at her attentively, "If I told you that I am indeed like the Demon King, do you still want to be my girlfriend?"


    "Uhmm... why did you do all that? Can''t you get another job?" Aleksis asked quietly.


    "Hmm... initially it all stemmed from a situation where you either kill or be killed. I was just trying to survive in this harsh world. The longer I did that, the more skilled I am in it and eventually it became a part of my life."


    "But now you''re not a member of the Rhionen Assassins anymore, right? You already have a big company and you even found the cure for cancer... You also just obtained an EU and China automation contract... Your assassin profession could now be part of the past..."


    Alaric just smiled and did not answer.


    This man is truly mysterious, thought Aleksis.


    .


    .


    * Oda Nobunaga = A daimyo (head of a noble family) in Japan who is supremely famous in history. He lived between 1534-1582. Nobunaga is regarded as one of three unifiers of Japan along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.


    During his later life, Nobunaga was widely known for most brutal suppression of determined opponents, eliminating those who by principle refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. His reign was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art period. Nobunaga could also be considered to lay the foundation for Toyotomi and Tokugawa to gain power.


    Oda Nobunaga is a unique person. He was known to be cruel in war and earned the nickname The Demon King. When he was young, he was famous for having a very handsome face so people often thought he was a woman. Nobunaga hated Noh theater, but he loved poetry, singing, and dancing.


    He died in the Honnoji Temple incident by committing seppuku (suicide for honor) after being betrayed by one of his men, Mitsuhide Akechi. His life story is used as a source of many historical novels and films.

 Chapter 299 - And this is the fourth...

    They then stood in silence, staring at the beautiful garden that radiated a peaceful and calm atmosphere like its owner.


    "Can we not talk about my profession tonight? I don''t want to ruin the atmosphere," Alaric said later. He grabbed Aleksis'' hand and brought her back to the living room.


    Aleksis could only nod.


    She accidentally looked at her watch; it was almost 1am. Carl and Sasha must be worried that she had not given them any news, and even worse they could report what had happened to Aleksis'' mother and father. She could not allow that to happen.


    Aleksis hurriedly typed a message in her hand and sent a text to Carl, while walking along with Alaric.


    [I am staying  at my friend''s house. You don''t have to wait for me. Have a good rest.]


    Ten seconds later Carl replied to her message.


    [Yes, Miss. But please let us know tomorrow morning if you are alright.]


    Aleksis only sent emoticons OK.


    They then sat on the large and comfortable living room sofa. This place was decorated with furniture that was newer and more modern than before, but it still exuded the peace that Aleksis always remembered. Apparently, Alaric''s personality was reflected in the arrangement of items and design of each room in the mansion.


    One word that came to Aleksis'' mind when describing the mansion was: Zen.


    Hmm... if we got married, I will leave all the house decorations to Alaric, Aleksis thought to herself. His taste is better than mine.


    "What''s on your mind?" Alaric asked suddenly. He saw Aleksis nodding to herself with an expression of approval, and he became curious about what was going on in the girl''s head.


    "Er... what?" Aleksis gasped. She was embarrassed because she was caught daydreaming about something she shouldn''t have.


    Gosh... they only met a few times, but Aleksis was already thinking about getting married to this person and living together in his home.


    A red tinge on Aleksis'' cheek made Alaric realize that the girl was imagining something she wasn''t supposed to.


    "Uhm... are you thinking dirty?" he asked teasingly. "If not, why is your face so red?"


    Aleksis hurriedly raised her nose and shook her head, "No, really. I was just admiring your house; you have good taste. I was thinking that when we get married, you should be the one in charge of decorating our house..."


    A fraction of a second later she realized that her big mouth had revealed the secret of her heart that she had wanted to hide.


    Aleksis pressed her lips together and looked away, trying to hide her blushing face.


    Alaric was astonished by Aleksis'' behavior and a moment later he burst out laughing.


    "Your mind has gone a long way, Aleksis... Jeez... You''re very straightforward, aren''t you?" Alaric did not consider Aleksis'' words as a sign that the girl was too aggressive. He felt comforted because Aleksis was very blunt and open. It was as though he had never met a woman as bright and cheerful as her.


    "Ugh... I have a potion to erase memories at home..." Aleksis said later. "I can make you forget this moment..."


    "Oh... no!" Alaric shook his head quickly. He did not doubt that Aleksis had such a potion. Aleksis had an amazing Uncle Rory who gave her miracle wound medicine. So it is not impossible that he also had a variety of other drugs. Alaric''s voice then sounded very serious, "Please don''t ever give me the memory potion. I want to remember everything that happened between us."


    Aleksis pursed her lips and protested, "You just want to remember how a girl is obsessed with you and you rejected her feelings..."


    "That''s not it..." said Alaric. He smiled rather embarrassed, "I want to remember our first kiss."


    His words made Aleksis'' cheeks turn red again and that made the girl look even more adorable in Alaric''s eyes.


    She was so adorable that the man could no longer hold back his urge and reached Aleksis'' face and brought her closer to him. Then, his lips searched for her lips and he kissed her, first softly, and then more passionately.


    "Also, our second kiss... and the third... kiss¡­" he whispered in a hoarse voice. "And this is the fourth..."


    Aleksis forgot about her frustration because Alaric''s kiss had brought her to an addictive euphoria. She had tried DMT for fun with Terry when they traveled to Portugal and felt a sensation of euphoria similar to this, but this one was more drifting and present naturally without the need to consume anything.


    Was this the works of dopamine? The feeling of happiness that the brain produces when humans fall in love?


    .


    .


    *DMT = Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an intense naturally-occurring psychedelic that''s also found endogenously in the human body. It''s not as popular as LSD or psilocybin, though its use has grown over time.


    .


    ***


    Not at webnovel.com? Ouch, you''re reading a stolen content then! I''m publishing this exclusively in Webnovel. Please SAY NO TO PIRACY! DON''T PATRONIZE THIEVES! Go here to read the original: https://www.webnovel.com/book/13038754206496605

 Chapter 300 - You won!

    The two people intoxicated in love forgot their surroundings and allowed themselves to be swept away by the euphoria that they had experienced for the first time.


    Aleksis had been obsessed with her ''Prince Siegfried'' for 8 years while Alaric had never been in love before. But since the first time he met Aleksis as an adult, he had not been able to escape her charms.


    Aleksis was very intelligent, beautiful, and pleasant, and her whole self seemed to radiate the warmth of love so foreign to Alaric.


    During his long life, Alaric had been accustomed to living in solitude. His heart was frozen solid, its entrance closed for decades. He never felt the need to open it for anyone. That was until this girl came like a storm and decimated all the walls he had built up to survive the seemingly endless solitude.


    They kissed on the couch, holding each other''s heads and shoulders as their breathing began to get faster and more irregular.


    A few minutes later, Aleksis tried to break away from Alaric''s temptations and finally succeeded with great difficulty.


    While gasping for air, she raised her hand and signaled Alaric not to try kissing her again.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" Alaric asked in a husky voice. He was very fond of her lips, her small mouth, her thick hair, and her body that smelled like fresh citrus.


    His eyes were full of desperation and longing as he looked at Aleksis who was breaking away from his arms. Aleksis stared at the miserable-looking man, but she managed to pull herself together and slowly shook her head, "I ... I like it ... But I can''t do this ..."


    "Why?" Alaric asked, disappointed.


    "You have rejected my love confession... so right now I just want to be your friend ... I should ... over time, be able to get rid of my romantic feelings for you. Once that time comes, then we can be good friends..." Aleksis looked very sad, "However. .. how will I get over you, if you continue kissing me like this ...? Do you know how evil your actions are? How can I forget my feelings for you ... if you are doing this to me...? "


    Alaric was stunned by her words.


    Alaric did not intend to establish a romantic relationship with the girl. Thus, he realized that by being self-contradictory like this, he would only give false hope to Aleksis who was still at her vulnerable stage due to being rejected.


    He suddenly felt like a jerk. He had firmly rejected Aleksis'' love confession because he did not want to play with her heart. But why did his body betray him and pursue Aleksis so passionately?


    "I''m sorry ... It''s just that¡­ you made my defenses tumble down..." Alaric wet his lips unconsciously. He felt frantic and Aleksis noticed this. The movement of the man''s lips fascinated her. "Can I call you my weakness? I''ve never been like this before ... My logic says I can''t allow myself to fall in love with you ... But my heart says otherwise ..."


    After Aleksis watched Alaric moist his lips, she frowned and shook her head,


    "I don''t understand your logic ¡­ How incompatible am I with you that your logic tells you not to love me? Give me a reason, why can''t we be together?" Aleksis asked.


    Alaric looked cornered.


    "You don''t know me ... We are from very different worlds," he said quietly.


    Aleksis almost screamed, saying that indeed, their world was very different. But she did not mind even if Alaric was an ordinary human who was not only older, but disfigured... While she was from one of the most powerful families in the world, a very beautiful immortal alchemist who could stay young forever.


    They were, indeed, like heaven and earth, but Aleksis was willing to accept Alaric as he was.


    Unfortunately, Aleksis must hold back and not mention all these ¡­ Her mind was clear and hadn''t forgotten her father''s reminder. They must always keep their identities a secret.


    "That is all?" Aleksis asked in a choking voice. "I don''t think those two reasons are enough..."


    Alaric thought bitterly. ''Everyone I know is already dead, Aleksis ... I have been unable to love anyone in this life, because slowly everyone will die and be taken away from me while I remain like this, all alone¡­''


    Aleksis looked at Alaric who was lost in an internal war against himself. The girl''s gaze was filled with determination.


    "If the problem is because we are from different worlds, then tell me what your world is like ... so I can go in there ..." Aleksis said firmly. "You always mention that there is a reason why you can''t love me, but you never told me what that is ... We have to determine the problem so we can solve it ... If we tried to overcome it, yet still did not succeed, then I will accept defeat, and resign. But ... please don''t be like this ..."


    Alaric looked at Aleksis intensely. His pair of purplish-blue eyes appeared to turn darker when he was being as serious like this. Aleksis seemed very mature ... even though he knew she wasn''t even 20 years old.


    Her words sounded reasonable, and Alaric was ashamed that as someone older than her, he didn''t even think from that perspective.


    ''Is there a way to bridge the gap between our worlds?'' he thought sadly.


    "Aleksis ... I want to ask you..." Finally, Alaric took a deep breath. "If you have to choose between  two options, to fall in love and then experience the pain of your heart getting broken ... or to not fall in love at all and not have a broken heart, what will be your choice?"


    "I would choose the first, to fall in love and experience the pain ..." Aleksis answered. "I want to live my life to the fullest."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded, "All right. Then ... if you have to choose between loving someone for a period of time, someone you know that you have to let go, or not love at all so you don''t have to feel the pain of separation. ... what will be your choice? "


    "I will choose to love someone and then let him go ..." Aleksis answered. "Then I will remember our time together, with gratitude in my heart for all the moments that we had between us, rather than not to feel love just to avoid the pain of separation."


    "Alright ..." Alaric nodded again. He closed his eyes and made a decision right then and there. For the first time in life, he would defy logic and follow his heart, "You won."

 Chapter 301 - I won what?

    Aleksis frowned, not understanding what he meant to say. "I won what?"


    Alaric opened his eyes and gave her a small smile, "You won, my lady. I will follow your words. To be honest, I am desperately holding myself back to avoid falling in love with you, because I know our time will be limited, and I don''t want to compromise my heart once the time to say goodbye comes... But because you are willing to take the risk, I will too. If you are willing to have your heart broken just for the sake of that someone you love, then I will too ..."


    Aleksis took a few seconds to understand Alaric''s words because her mind suddenly refused to work.


    "So you mean ... You want to take this chance and try a relationship with me?" she asked in disbelief.


    Alaric nodded. "I will try to open my heart, accept the fact that our time is limited, and live life to the fullest with you in that short amount of time ... For me now, living 30 years with you is better than living forever without you ..."


    Ah, he must be thinking about our age difference, Aleksis thought. If only Alaric knew that once they get married, Uncle Aldebar would give him an immortality potion which would allow him to live forever like them...


    They would be together for all eternity... not just 30 years.


    These thoughts made Aleksis smile. She was glad that Alaric changed his mind and now wanted to open himself to love. Sooner or later, Aleksis would tell him everything, and then they would no longer worry about trivial things like age differences and background.


    "I''m sure we will have more than 30 years ..." whispered Aleksis happily.


    She approached Alaric and then hugged him emotionally. The man nodded and smiled, sharing her happiness. After that, without hesitation, he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.


    Alaric had never felt this happy in his entire life.


    "I''m very pleased to meet you, Little Girl ..." he said quietly. "You are an amazing woman, and I think ... I have fallen in love with you."


    Alaric finally admitted that he was in love with Aleksis!


    Aleksis blushed then she suddenly took the initiative to kiss Alaric. The man was somewhat surprised, thankfully he immediately regained his senses and returned the girl''s warm kiss more passionately.


    A few minutes after, Alaric finally let her lips go and then kissed Aleksis'' forehead. "Do you want champagne to celebrate tonight?"


    Aleksis nodded.


    Alaric smiled and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of champagne and two glasses.


    So many things happened tonight, he thought. It felt like he had been hit by a storm. From when he saved Aleksis when she fell from the wall in Sky Bar when she disguised herself as a waiter, then rescuing her from Pavel who wanted to throw her from the 100th floor, then realized that they had met for the third time and then learned that for years Aleksis had been obsessed and in love with him. ..


    Tonight Alaric was so moved. Now that he let himself fall in love, he put his reasoning aside to follow his heart,


    Aleksis had completely rendered him helpless.


    With a thin smile, Alaric returned to the living room. "Aleksis, let''s drink ..."


    He was surprised to see that Aleksis had already fallen asleep on the sofa even though he had only left her for a few minutes.


    "Gosh ... how come she managed to fall asleep so quickly," he muttered. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost 2 am in the morning." She must be so tired ..."


    Alaric returned the champagne and glass to the kitchen and then patiently carried Aleksis to his room so the girl could sleep comfortably.


    He put Aleksis on his bed, turned on the air conditioner, and then covered her with the duvet. She looked so at peace. The man looked at Aleksis'' beautiful face until he was satisfied before kissing her forehead.


    "Goodnight, Little Girl," he whispered before leaving the sleeping girl. He then went to the guest room to sleep.


    Despite his great desire to lie next to Aleksis, to cuddle her all night and enjoy her citrus-like scent, Alaric decided to hold back.


    Aleksis had fallen asleep before Alaric could ask for her consent, so he would not violate the girl''s trust by doing what Aleksis might not like.

 Chapter 302 - What a beautiful morning

    Aleksis woke up when the sun was already high, needing a few moments to recall her memories of what happened last night before she fell asleep in a place that was unfamiliar to her.


    When her memory returned to her, Aleksis covered her mouth in shock. Too many things took place in one night. She found out that Prince Siegfried whom she had been searching for so long was Alaric Rhionen who saved her twice at Sky Bar, when she fell from a wall and nearly died from being thrown off the 100th floor by Pavel.


    Aleksis remembered how Alaric tried to avoid her by saying that her Prince Siegfried was already dead ... Then they suddenly kissed ... Following this, Alaric rejected her love confession ... But then, urged by each other''s feelings, they ended up in this mansion ...


    Aleksis touched her lips while closing her eyes and then smiled shyly. She remembered how intimate they were last night, and how Alaric finally gave up adhering to his principles so he could be in a relationship with her...


    She could not wait to spend the next coming days with Alaric and reveal her secret identity to the man.


    Alaric would no longer have to worry about the differences in their ages and backgrounds... because, for Alchemists, time was in their hands. A twenty years age difference meant nothing to people who could live forever ...


    What a beautiful morning, Aleksis thought, feeling that so many great things had happened last night.


    She looked around and realized she was sleeping in an impressively beautiful room. Everything here could be described using two words: dark and masculine.


    Was this the guest bedroom in the mansion? Her eyes fell on those decorations typically found in a male''s place and realized that she was sleeping in the house owner''s own bedroom.


    She looked at the big bed where she lied and realized only one side was used, that was, the side she was on now. That meant Alaric did not take advantage of her last night. This made Aleksis smile to herself.


    Of course, the Prince Siegfried in her head was a gentleman who would not prey on a vulnerable, sleeping woman. This made Aleksis increasingly adore the mysterious man whom she had fallen in love with since 8 years ago.


    ''Where is Alaric now?'' she wondered. She looked at her watch and realized it was already 10 am. Ugh ... she was a bit embarrassed because she woke up really late while in someone else''s place.


    Hopefully, Alaric didn''t mistake her for a lazy girl ...


    She noticed that there were messages from Carl on her phone-watch asking how she was. Aleksis hurriedly sent back a reply to him, telling him not to worry because she was fine.


    Finally, Aleksis got off the bed. She really wanted to clean herself in the bathroom before leaving the room, but then she remembered that she forgot to bring a change of clothes with her, while the clothes she was wearing were not at all attractive.


    Aleksis had a huge collection of very beautiful and expensive clothes, but she only wore them at home. Whenever she was wandering around Singapore, she always wore shabby and old-fashioned clothes and a pair of oversized glasses to hide her beauty.


    She just got herself a boyfriend ... It would be really terrible if, on their first day together as a couple, she remained looking like the usual shabby nerdy girl...


    ''Ugh ... what should I do?'' Aleksis mused to herself, feeling annoyed.


    She recalled that when Alaric saved her eight years ago, the man told his staff to buy her a lot of girls'' clothes and other stuff needed... Aleksis was sure that if she asked, Alaric would easily provide anything for her.


    But they only met yesterday... She did not want Alaric to think she was a golddigger once she suddenly requested him to buy her some stuff.


    She could ask Carl or Sascha to bring her nice clothes ... but then the two bodyguards would report definitely this to her parents. Aleksis didn''t want that.


    Hmmm ... I can''t let it happen!


    In the end, she left the room and looked for Alaric with a frown on her beautiful face. She had no other choice.


    Aleksis found Alaric on the back porch, reading a book on the marble staircase while rubbing the back of Little Prince Siegfried who was lying lazily on his lap.


    Whaaa ... what a lucky dog! Aleksis thought exasperatedly. She should be the one sitting on Alaric''s lap with her back getting rubbed, not her fat dog!


    "Hey ..." Aleksis called out to Alaric. She only popped her head out from behind the door, not wanting to show her whole body. She thought it was not attractive at the moment because of her shabby clothes. She scolded herself for leaving the penthouse last night with a disheveled look like this ...


    Ah, but last night she didn''t know that she would meet Alaric and accompany him back to his home¡­


    The young man turned his head and immediately smiled at Aleksis, "Hmm... good morning, Princess. Did you sleep well?"


    "Yeah, I did ..." Aleksis smiled back, "Uhmm ... I didn''t bring a change of clothes ... and I''m really uncomfortable wearing my clothes last night again. I want to ask my friend to bring me clothes here, so I can take a shower and change... may I know the address to your house? "


    Aleksis planned to ask Terry to get her most beautiful clothes from the penthouse and bring them here.


    Alaric''s smile disappeared. He then shook his head softly, "Sorry, I can''t give my address to anyone else. What do you say if I just tell my staff to buy clothes for you?"


    ''Ugh ... I knew it'', thought Aleksis.


    Alaric reminded her of her own father who was crazy about privacy. She was sure that if Caspar met Alaric, they would be sitting down together, discussing various ways to cover up their tracks and protect their identities.

 Chapter 303 - Youre the most beautiful woman

    "Uhm ... I don''t want to bother anyone..." Aleksis shook her head, "Alright ... then I''ll just wear my outfit from yesterday ... Ugh ..."


    Alaric could see that Aleksis really hated her attire. He did not understand why Aleksis was grumpy because of it. The girl did have a very bad fashion taste, and her clothes were not accentuating her beauty, making her look unsophisticated and old-fashioned.


    But for Alaric, her charm lies not in her outward appearance, but in her blunt but cheerful personality and her intelligence. Alaric did not mind if his girlfriend was not stylish, because he thought Aleksis just did not understand fashion.


    So he was surprised because this morning Aleksis seemed to realize that her appearance last night was unattractive, so she became upset over her clothes.


    "Wait a minute," Alaric put Little Prince Siegfried down on the floor and approached Aleksis who was hiding behind the door, "If you don''t want me to buy you clothes, how about you wear my shirt for a while? Just choose which one you like from the cupboard. I think you can use my shirt as an oversized dress."


    Aleksis'' eyes went round at Alaric''s suggestion.


    Was it true that this man never kissed a woman before her? Meaning he never had a romantic partner before? But how could he easily tell Aleksis to wear his clothes, as if he was used to such things?


    "You told me to wear your shirt like an oversized dress?" Aleksis asked, trying not to sound jealous. "How do you know that your shirt can be worn as an oversized dress? You''ve often lent clothes to other women, huh?"


    She scolded herself for not being able to hide the jealousy in her voice. Ugh ... they''ve only been together for a few hours, but she was already acting like a jealous girlfriend...


    Aleksis, you have to act a little more elegant, please ... she thought, irritated at herself.


    Alaric nodded, "Yes, I often lent clothes to a girl, you happen to have the same built as her...so I can guess."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis pursed her lips at Alaric''s words. It means, her assumption was correct. Alaric was used to it. The girl''s face instantly darkened, "I don''t need it then..."


    She hurriedly turned around and walked back to the room. It''s better to take a shower and go back to wearing her old clothes, rather than to wear anything Alaric already lent to another woman.


    Alaric who saw Aleksis leaving with long steps and a frowning face immediately realized what she was thinking. He massaged his forehead and quickly went after her.


    "Hey ... you are misunderstanding me ..." He spoke in an amused tone, his hand catching Aleksis'' wrist and stopping her from her tracks. "I was talking about my younger sister. I used to lend my clothes to her. I have never let other women borrow my shirts ... Also, no woman has ever come here apart from you."


    Aleksis was stunned. She turned to Alaric and saw that the man looked serious about what he said.


    "Oh ... you have a younger sister?" asked the girl attentively.


    She was very happy because Alaric did not let her misunderstand, and hurriedly explained what he truly meant. What she was even more pleased about was that the man had begun to open up to her and tell her about his family.


    Alaric looked sad when he answered Aleksis'' question, "I don''t want to talk about my sister, I hope you don''t mind."


    Oh ... so mysterious, thought Aleksis. She could only guess that something had happened to Alaric''s sister to make him react like this. Aleksis who did not want to see Alaric sad for a long time immediately changed the subject.


    "Thank you for your explanation. Sorry I was just a little jealous ... I won''t ask any more questions ..." She smiled as she touched the man''s cheek covered by his leather mask, "Thank you ... I''ll just borrow your clothes until I get to the hotel and get a new one. "


    Alaric nodded and led Aleksis back to his room.


    The girl was very happy because she was given the chance to open the walk-in-closet in Alaric''s bedroom and choose the shirt that she would want to fashion into a dress.


    She felt touched, because it seemed that Alaric had opened himself to her, by letting Aleksis see his very personal space, where he kept his clothes and personal stuff.


    Aleksis chose a light blue shirt made of soft material. After taking a bath, she put it on and then tidied herself in front of the mirror.


    Alaric was right, his shirt looked just right on Aleksis''s body, and fit her nicely like an oversized dress. She smiled with satisfaction seeing her appearance this time.


    She had put away her ugly glasses, let her beautiful long, honey-colored hair down, and made Alaric''s shirt wrap around her to make her look very sexy.


    When a woman wore her husband''s or boyfriend''s clothes she would emit a certain charm. Sharing clothes had its own level of intimacy that makes men''s clothes look sexy on their women''s bodies.


    Alaric could not say anything when Aleksis came out of the room and met him on the back porch with a very simple but alluring appearance. This girl had a bad taste in fashion, he thought, but she was too beautiful to even describe with words. She would still look stunning even if she wore a gunny sack ...


    "Why are you gasping like that?" Aleksis teased him, seeing Alaric''s entranced look. "You''re right, your shirt fits perfectly on my body like a nice dress."


    Because Alaric''s body was tall, his shirt hung down to one inch above her knee. It was simply showing off Aleksis'' long, beautiful legs, making her look very pretty and seductive.


    "You ... are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen ..." Alaric admitted. "I still don''t understand why you want to be my girlfriend ..."


    Aleksis smiled happily at the man''s confession. She approached Alaric, kissed his lips, then pushed Little Siegfried to the floor, replacing the dog on Alaric''s lap. With an nonchalant expression, she flipped through the book in the man''s hand, "What are you reading?"


    Alaric could only swallow hard. He could not focus on reading at all.

 Chapter 304 - How many fathers do you have?

    Because Alaric did not reply, Aleksis looked back and accidentally touched Alaric''s chin. She could feel the man''s breathing gradually becoming heavy.


    "What''s wrong? Are you sick?" Aleksis asked again.


    Alaric took a deep breath and shook his head. He slowly shifted his body so Aleksis would move away from his lap. After he managed to free himself from her charm, he patted his chest and then started coughing a little.


    "Want some breakfast?" he asked her as a form of distraction. He then rose and reached out to help Aleksis up.


    The girl nodded. After accepting Alaric''s hand, they walked together into the large dining room and saw that on the table, a variety of hot dishes were already laid out.


    "Can you cook now?" Aleksis asked curiously. She remembered that Alaric made really sad-looking fish tartare 8 years ago.


    The man shook his head.


    "I am a person who eats to live, not lives to eat," he confessed. "My staff prepared everything."


    "Ahh ... at home, it is my dad who does the cooking. Mum can also cook, but Dad is a better cook and he is very happy to cook for us," Aleksis said as she prepared her plates and started taking fruit slices. At this moment, she suddenly missed her father.


    "Your father sounds very impressive," commented Alaric. He poured tea into their cups, "Want some milk with your tea?"


    Aleksis nodded. "My father is indeed impressive. You will like him once you meet him. In some ways you two are alike."


    You two are so crazy about privacy, she told herself.


    Alaric let out a small cough after hearing Aleksis mentioned about him meeting her father. They had only been in a relationship for a day and Aleksis was already casually talking about arranging a meeting between him and her father!


    Hmm ... this girl is not one to waste time, he thought.


    "Maybe it''s your father who won''t like me," Alaric replied.


    "Of course he won''t," said Aleksis quickly, "My father only likes my mother..."


    "That''s not what I meant ..." answered Alaric while rolling his eyes.


    "Ahahaha ... I know, I was just kidding." Aleksis shoved a piece of strawberry into Alaric''s mouth.


    The man accepted it awkwardly. He had never been like this with any other woman before. Aleksis smiled at Alaric''s rather rigid attitude toward her treatment. She became convinced that the man never had a girlfriend before.


    Aleksis continued speaking while peeling an apple, "Even if my father doesn''t like you, it''s okay, I''m sure my godfather will like you. You''ve met him before, he praised you a lot, and according to my observations you two are very similar."


    "Godfather?" Alaric frowned. "How many fathers do you have?"


    Aleksis raised her two fingers, "I have a biological father, and a godfather ... I call him Uncle Rory."


    "Oh ... THAT Uncle Rory?" Alaric immediately remembered the man he had met 17 years ago in Thailand who gave him a bottle of miracle medicine for wounds, the same that he just received from Aleksis. Uncle Rory must be a very rich person, because at that time he easily offered a million dollars to Alaric for helping Aleksis.


    Alaric looked at Aleksis with a complicated look. This girl had such a rich godfather. Why did she look rather poor every day?


    "Uhm ... I''m not sure if your fathers will be happy to accept how their daughter''s boyfriend is of the same age as them. Maybe they will like you with a man your age, "Alaric said quietly.


    He remembered the man on the train, even 17 years ago they already looked to be of the same age. Rory must now be around 45 years old and he would think Alaric was a perverted uncle dating a young girl who wasn''t even 20 years old.


    That thought made him a little frustrated. If he had a daughter like Aleksis, he also would not want her to be in a relationship with a much older man.


    Aleksis who noticed Alaric''s uneasiness could only smile to herself. Alaric would be very surprised once he sees Uncle Rory and realized that he did not age at all after 17 years. And that would be when Aleksis tell him her family secrets, that she had kept tightly guarded all this time, that Aleksis and her whole family were immortals.

 Chapter 305 - Breakfast together

    For Alchemists, age difference meant nothing. Uncle Rory was actually now nearly 6 centuries old. If Alaric was in his 40''s now ... it was still nothing compared to Uncle Rory ... Ha ha.


    "Why are you smiling like that?" Alaric asked in confusion when he saw Aleksis nodding to herself while smiling broadly, "You are not worried that your fathers will oppose our relationship? Remember, they are my age. If I have a beautiful and young daughter like you, I also wouldn''t want her to have anything to do with older men."


    Aleksis fed Alaric again, this time with a slice of apple. She then shook her head, "Age is just a number, it''s meaningless. If you don''t believe me, you can ask Uncle Rory yourself. He will come to visit me in Singapore next week."


    When Alaric received the apple from Aleksis, his mind suddenly became distraught. Gosh ... this girl is moving so fast. In just one night she managed to make him fall in love with her and now they were in a relationship, then next week Alaric will meet her godfather?!?


    "Is this not too fast?" Alaric asked hurriedly. "I mean ... maybe you''ll be bored with me next week, or we have a big fight and end the relationship ... isn''t it embarrassing to introduce me to your parents this quickly?"


    "Not really. Uncle Rory doesn''t know anything. He just happens to come and visit me. I haven''t said anything about you. It would be nice if when he comes, you meet him, that is all. I don''t want to stress you out by meeting him this quickly," Aleksis could not bear to see Alaric looked troubled, so she hurriedly added, "As I said, if you feel uncomfortable being in a relationship with me because you think my fathers would object due to our significant age difference, you can ask Uncle Rory in person, whether he objects or not. So you can feel content."


    "Oh ..." There was a sigh of relief that escaped out of Alaric''s lips.


    Thank God ... Aleksis apparently did not intend to force him to meet her godfather this quickly. He was not ready. Everything was happening too fast and Alaric still felt as if he was recovering from the storm. A storm called Aleksis.


    "I don''t feel ready to meet your family. Besides, next week I have a business trip to England, to meet local partners on automation projects in the European Union. Have you heard of the Meier Group?"


    Aleksis remembered that Meier Group was one of the large company groups based in the UK and owned by the Meier family, a member of the Alchemist clan who often showed hostility towards her family.


    Even 18 years ago,  just to take revenge against her father, the Meier family patriarch kidnapped her and gave her poison that almost got her killed.


    "I''ve heard of them," said Aleksis. She raised an eyebrow, trying to look innocent and not understanding much about business. She wanted to know what plans Meier Group had with Rhionen Industries, "They are quite famous, I read rumors that the owners have a pretty close relationship with the British royal family."


    "I think the gossip is true," Alaric said, nodding. "They are one of the reasons we got a contract for the European Union. The Meier Group expressed their support for my company openly. You know, after United Kingdom rejoined the European Union a few years ago, their role was quite significant."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis frowned. This was something she didn''t expect at all. Why did the Meier family express their support for Rhionen Industries? They surely know that the company had a relationship with the world''s number one assassin organization, Rhionen Assassins, so why? "This is very interesting. Why are they interested in your company? Do you have a good relationship with them?"


    "I have never met the Meier Group owners, but of course I did not reject their support. I just needed to meet them and find out what they wanted. No help is given for free, I''m sure they have a plan behind it," Alaric answered firmly.


    Aleksis nodded. Gosh, she really wanted to tell Alaric who the Meier family was, and how they had almost killed her ...


    But right now she could only hold back. Alaric must not know her true identity yet.


    "If it turns out they want something bad, what do you think?" Aleksis asked him.


    "We''ll see," Alaric shrugged. "Hmm ... by the way you seem to know a lot, don''t you? You know all the gossips about Meier Group."


    Aleksis coughed a little and hurriedly drank her tea. "My father works for the Schneider Group. He often talks about the business world, and mentioned the name Meier."


    "Didn''t you say your father does not work? Which one is true? He did not work but he was also a doctor, and now he works for the Schneider Group ... I can''t follow anymore, which one is real..." Alaric exclaimed in amazement.


    Aleksis shook her head and laughed awkwardly. Gosh, it''s really hard to explain what her father''s profession really was to outsiders.


    "I mean, my father used to work for the Schneider Group. Now he''s retired ..."


    "Oh, I understand." Alaric smiled and nodded. "Now, as you said, if the Meier family has bad intentions, I will reconsider the benefits of working with them."


    Ugh ... I hope you guys don''t work together, thought Aleksis. She hated seeing Alaric involved with her father''s nemesis.

 Chapter 306 - Lets play Go game!

    They continued their breakfast and no longer discussed business. Aleksis stayed quiet because she was afraid that her big mouth would spill the beans about her own family. On the other hand, Alaric seemed to like breakfast in a calm and quiet atmosphere.


    After eating, they finally went to the library. Alaric took out his Go game set. He would fulfill his promise to Aleksis to compete in a Go game match and he would play fair, no longer giving in to give the girl a slack.


    "If I win, what do I get?" asked Aleksis who didn''t want to lose, when they started putting the first pieces. "Now that I already know your name ..."


    Alaric raised his face and looked at Aleksis for a moment, "What do you want? I will grant anything, as long as I don''t have to show you my face."


    Aleksis had expected that would be the answer. She had given up on asking Alaric to take off his mask. Hmm ... maybe someday she would be able to make Alaric drink a lot of alcohol, she would wait until he got drunk and took off his mask by himself.


    Hmm ... she must request another thing.


    "If I win ... can I save one request that I can exchange at any time? I know ... as long as it''s not to see your face," Aleksis said after a long thought. "Now I don''t want anything ... But maybe in ten years, I have something to ask from you ..."


    "This is a very big request. What if ten years from now we become enemies and you want me dead? Are you going to do such a thing?" Alaric put his second piece on the board. He looked at Aleksis who was shocked to hear his words, "This would be like I''m putting my life into your hands."


    "Gosh ... why do you think so far?" Aleksis covered her lips in surprise, "I can''t possibly want your death. I just thought maybe in a few more years if you still don''t propose to me, I could ask you to marry me .. hahaha... But strangely you are afraid that I would want you dead. We seem to be on the polar opposite of things in this matter."


    Alaric shook his head, "You''re going to force me to marry you? Aleksis ... you''re a woman, don''t be too aggressive."


    "Do you think I''m being too aggressive?" Aleksis asked, disappointed. "You don''t like it?"


    Alaric did not answer. He only smiled as he pointed at the bowl containing Aleksis''s white Go pieces. Finally, the girl put her ninth piece on the board while frowning.


    Alaric didn''t mind that Aleksis had a bad taste in fashion. He also accepted Aleksis being outspoken and aggressive. But he did not want to state it openly, because he was pleased to see Aleksis'' frowning expression with those slightly pursed lips. This girl was really adorable when she was upset.


    Alaric''s silence made Aleksis''s competitive spirit blazing. She was determined to win their Go match this time to get this one request from Alaric.


    She would make the man suffer by asking Alaric to meet Uncle Rory. If necessary, Aleksis would follow him to England with her godfather. He would not be able to escape from her.


    The game went on for hours but after lunchtime, Aleksis eventually lost. The girl had a very competitive spirit so the loss made her terribly upset.


    "Ugh ... I''ve practiced for such a long time. I practiced with Uncle Rory, I also practiced with the online community, and my score was always very high ..." Aleksis grumbled to herself. "I''m soooo upseeettt ... I should have been able to get one request from you ..."


    Alaric just laughed while ruffling Aleksis'' hair. "You''re greedy, huh... You already have one request from me."


    Aleksis frowned, "Which one? We only competed in this Go game once ...?"


    Alaric put away his Go equipment and then cleared his throat before he replied, "I told you, because I took your first kiss, I would grant you whatever you wish. Have you forgotten about it?"


    Aleksis'' face suddenly glowed in joy. "Ah, that''s right!! Thank you for reminding me!"


    She enthusiastically embraced Alaric. The man who was now accustomed to her behavior, and was no longer feeling awkward about it, returned the hug.


    "Save your wish for things that really matter. I''ve never given anyone such a privilege before, and I think I would never do it again," Alaric said.


    His words rendered Aleksis pensive for a moment. Alaric was correct, she must treasure that request and only use it for a truly precious moment. Forcing Alaric to meet Uncle Rory just because he annoyed her was out of the question.


    Alright ... she would keep it well for a very key moment. Regarding Uncle Rory and Alaric, one day they would surely meet.


    "Are you hungry? Do you want to have lunch now?" He asked when Aleksis let go of his arms.


    The girl nodded. "I am hungry."


    "Alright ... let''s eat."

 Chapter 307 - Did he truly hate humans?

    When they returned to the dining room, Aleksis received a message from Terry asking for her whereabouts. Her brother had just finished his presentation in front of the national TV producers and he wanted to meet up with her to discuss what he discovered from Rhionen Industries'' party last night.


    "Uhm ... I need to call my brother for a minute ..." Aleksis said to Alaric. She then headed to the garden to call Terry.


    Alaric appeared at a loss as he was watching her walk away. Her words stunned him. He inwardly became a bit jealous of her who seemed to have a very warm family. The girl even had two fathers and an older brother.


    On the other hand, here he was, he had no one.


    "Hi, Terry, I''m caught up on something... Would it be alright if we just meet tomorrow night when I take my dog ??to your house?" Aleksis talked to Terry by phone. She wanted to spend time with her prince for as long as possible before she moved to her school dormitory.


    Previously Aleksis almost canceled her plan to go to school because her objective in moving to Singapore, finding ''Prince Siegfried'', was already achieved. She had now found Alaric.


    But Uncle Rory made her commit to a  promise... Ugh...


    "Okay. But the information I got about that company is very interesting, you must be curious ..." Terry replied. "At first, I was casually looking for additional information, but now I intend to investigate them further. This can be a very interesting documentary material."


    "Oh really? What''s so interesting about them?" Aleksis asked, interest budding in her.


    "The owner of that company is very mysterious. He never showed himself in public. I also only know his name and can''t find information about him in the media. There''s no news about him even though his company found a cure for cancer! Can you believe that!" Terry sounded very excited, his tone even turned half a pitc higher, "This is why I started investigating thoroughly. Through my various sources, I discovered that seven years ago there was a rumor that they were responsible for the psychological crisis that caused mass suicide."


    "Huh? What do you mean? That time, isn''t it many people committing suicide due to the job crisis triggered by the development of AI (Artificial Intelligence)?" In quick succession, Aleksis asked in a whisper. She did not want to attract Alaric''s attention by speaking too loudly in a surprised tone.


    "That''s exactly why. Their AI ??technology''s goal seems to be focused on replacing human workers as much as possible. Their technology is also very advanced. I mean ... your father''s company is also pursuing AI but it aims to improve human life, not to replace human workers ... Isn''t it?" Terry sighed then chuckled a few times. He sounded both distressed and worried, "Rhionen Industries''s owner, in my opinion, seems to hate humans. As much as possible, he wants to replace mankind with technology."


    Aleksis was stunned and her hand fell limp, causing the call to be interrupted. She was very surprised to hear this information from Terry. She hurriedly called Terry back and apologized, reasoning she accidentally dropped the call due to shock.


    "Sorry, I did not mean to end the call. I understand. Tomorrow evening, I will go to your place and bring Little Prince Siegfried over, then we can continue to discuss this matter ..."


    "Okay. Where are you right now? Why are you whispering?" Terry asked.


    "I''m at my boyfriend''s house ..." Aleksis answered quickly. "Hey ... Do you know? I found Prince Siegfried. Your wish when you blew out the birthday candle last night is immediately granted! I owe you one... hahaha ..."


    "Wait ... what?" Terry initially thought Aleksis was joking. But not long after, he realized Aleksis had never joked about Prince Siegfried. Terry coughed violently, then exclaimed, "Oh my god ... you just met him and now you call him your boyfriend? He must be really old, right? Isn''t it weird to call someone, who can even pose as your uncle, your boyfriend? Who is he?"


    "I''ll explain tomorrow. Don''t you dare tell Mom, Dad and Uncle Rory! Otherwise,  I''ll send a poisonous snake to your house!"


    Terry snorted but didn''t argue. He was very afraid of snakes, especially poisonous ones.


    After hanging up, Aleksis was pensive remembering her conversation with Terry.


    Rhionen Industries'' owner seemed to hate humans? And that he tried to get rid of them through his business in the AI ??field? This has to be a conspiracy theory circulating out there. Terry was too fond of conspiracies and absurd things like this.


    A person as nice and gentle as Alaric, couldn''t possibly hate humans ...


    Why was he so mysterious? Who was he really? Was it true that he hates humans, just as Terry believed ...? If so, why...?


    Aleksis immediately thought of Lauriel. This godfather of hers despised mankind and preferred to be alone and live with nature. He only tolerated a few people.


    But Lauriel had a good reason for not liking humans, his sentiments could be understood. Due to men who love to fight and go to war, his entire family perished. Lauriel became all alone in the world because greedy humans kept fighting with each other and destroying the world.


    However, Lauriel''s hate of mankind was not to the extent that he would want to get rid of them all...


    Unknowingly Aleksis stepped into the dining room, eyes fixated on the masked man sitting at the dining table, patiently waiting for her to return so they could eat together.


    She knew this man was her Prince Siegfried, the one who had helped her several times in the past. His real name was Alaric Rhionen, and he was one of the highest-level killers in Rhionen Assassins and the owner of Rhionen Industries whose business focuses on AI and industrial automation, its goal seemingly to replace humans. But apart from that, Aleksis knew nothing about him.


    Did he truly hate humans that much? Why? What was his true identity...?


    ***

 Chapter 308 - Let only the strong, the intelligent, and the good ... to survive

    Alaric then realized that Aleksis was watching him intensely. He held out his hand to signal the girl to come and sit beside him.


    "Let''s eat. After this, I want to invite you to sail again ..." he said. Aleksis who was forced out of her reverie unconsciously followed his words. She sat next to him and began to enjoy their lunch.


    "Uhm ... if we go to the ship, I want to first stop by the hotel to get some clothes," Aleksis stated. "I don''t feel comfortable borrowing yours."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded in agreement.


    They then dined quietly. Aleksis was still thinking about Terry''s words on Rhionen Industries'' owner, so she didn''t chatter as usual. Alaric noticed this and inwardly wondered what happened when Aleksis spoke on the phone just now. Just what made the girl quiet?


    "Who did you just call?" he asked after they finished lunch. His tone was very casual as if he didn''t really mean anything more with this question. "You suddenly turned quiet after it."


    Aleksis turned her head, face showing she was internally struggling with something. "Uhm ..."


    "Yes?" Alaric saw the conflict in Aleksis'' eyes. He patted the girl''s shoulder and shook his head, "I don''t want to interfere in your personal life. I was just concerned that something happened that made you sad, so you suddenly became silent. I don''t want you to be unhappy ..."


    Aleksis once again fought with her mind. This person was just so sweet... There was no way he hates humans, right?


    "Uhmm¡­ I just had a talk with my brother. He is a filmmaker so we had a little discussion about the documentary he is planning to make. He wanted to investigate the mass suicide from seven years ago." Aleksis swallowed hard. "He told me a rumor... that seven years ago, your company was accused of contributing greatly to this global crisis ..."


    "Oh ..." Alaric''s expression from behind his mask didn''t seem to change at all. Aleksis was astonished because he didn''t seem to care.


    "Is that true? Your company presently has a very huge contract for automation in China and the European Union. If all the AI systems that can replace human labor come to work, there''s a chance another psychological crisis will occur. This will make you look like a human hater ..."


    "I do hate humans in general..." Alaric said firmly, rendering Aleksis shocked to her core. The man continued to speak placidly as if he did not see Aleksis'' surprised face. "I''m telling you, once you know all the terrible things I have done, you will find yourself hating me. It''s not too late to leave now and forget everything that happened between us."


    He watched as Aleksis cover her mouth in shock.


    "Why ... why? What is wrong with humans? Why do you hate humans?" stammered the girl. You are human yourself... she thought


    "I will not explain in detail, because that means exposing my life secrets. Right now, I can''t do it. But I want you to know that I have my own reasons why I think most people living in this world do not deserve to dwell on earth."


    Aleksis could see that his pair of purplish-blue eyes that usually resembled the calm shimmering surface of the sea was now filled with anger.


    Alaric looked emotional as he continued, "Do you know how the majority of humans treat this Earth? Our world has been greatly damaged by human greed. You should also be aware of how evil humans treat each other and how many died in the war. Evil rulers are constantly elected because many ignorant people trust in their promises.


    Intelligent people who can do good things are helpless because they are outnumbered, for every one good person there would be 9 bad people. We don''t need quantity, we need qualified human beings to fill the earth. Let those unable to survive to be eroded in time ... Let only the strong, the intelligent, and the good ... to survive."


    "Jeez ... jeez ... Alaric ... you just sounded like Hitler ... Do you know who he is?" Aleksis asked in a choked voice. "He considered his people better than other humans, that only they have the right to rule the world. Hitler and his allies killed millions of people during World War 2 and caused so much suffering to tens of millions of people..."


    Even we of the Alchemists, the ones called the perfect humans, do not hate the rest of mankind nor want to get rid of them, Aleksis thought bitterly.


    What Alaric just said really hit her hard.


    "Aleksis, if all the humans I met were like you, maybe I would not hate humans to this extent..." Alaric said in an apologetic tone. "I have no one in this world because my family was taken away by bad people. Since I was born, I have to live in misery. Everyone I met treated me very badly. You don''t know how many times I wanted to take my own life..."


    "Oh, Alaric ..." Aleksis felt her heart being stabbed when she caught the bitterness in the man''s voice.


    Right now, all she could see was someone imprisoned by grudge and trapped in deep sorrow. This time, Alaric''s words also made her feel very down. Unconsciously, she hugged the man tightly, wanting to comfort his wounded soul by her warmth.


    "I don''t know what happened to you for you to hold such a big grudge in your heart... But I''m sad to see you like this ... I want to help you calm your anger ... Please tell me what I can do for you?"


    Alaric was stunned because instead of hating him, Aleksis hugged him and showed sympathy. The anger and hatred filling his chest as he talked about stupid humans who destroyed nature and destroyed each other through war, slowly slipped away. After a few minutes, the tightness in his chest began to loosen up.


    He stroke Aleksis''s thick hair and inhaled her citrus-like scent. Then he slowly smiled. His anger had completely disappeared. His voice turned soft again when he uttered, "Thank you... "

 Chapter 309 - Im not ready to meet your family

    Aleksis slowly let go of him from her embrace. She stared intently at Alaric, her hand rubbing the man''s part of the face not hidden under his mask. "I know two people who are just like you. They were alone and lonely for a long time. Both are the gentlest people I ever known, and I love them very much. After their lives are filled with love, they no longer feel alone ... I really want you to meet them ... so that you can see for yourself that there is always hope ..."


    Alaric looked at Aleksis with a complicated look. "Who are they?"


    "My mother and my Uncle Rory ..." answered Aleksis. "My mother is an orphan and lived miserably until she met my father. Uncle Rory is also alone and had intended to end his life 20 years ago. Uncle Rory doesn''t like humans because his whole family was killed in the war. Actually, you reminded me of  Uncle Rory a lot.."


    Hearing this, Alaric let out a long sigh, "Aleksis, I already told you I am not yet ready to meet your family."


    Aleksis felt uncomfortable. She did not intend to force Alaric to meet Lauriel and her mother. She was just really surprised to know Alaric''s opinions about humans. It was also quite saddening because this man was not the ideal boyfriend she could bring home and present to her family.


    As a commoner, he looked down on his fellow humans. Aleksis could not imagine what would happen if Alaric was given the immortality potion... Perhaps he would further demean ordinary people?


    Why was Prince Siegfried keeping such a terrible secret?


    Aleksis suddenly felt her chest tighten like it was being crushed by a huge boulder.


    Alaric saw Aleksis''s dark expression and realized that their conversation had depressed her.


    "Aleksis ... I don''t want to make you sad ..." Alaric said quietly, "But I don''t want to lie to you and pretend to be a good person. I told you from the start, you might hate me if you learn who I really am. "


    Aleksis nodded weakly. Alaric had been honest with her from the beginning. Although he ultimately gave in to her charm, and now tried to follow his heart to establish a relationship with her, it was still a fact that the man initially rejected her romantic feelings because he did not want to give her false hope and toy with her love.


    From the start, Alaric had also warned Aleksis that he was not a good person and that she would most likely hate him if she knew the terrible things he had done. Then again, it was Aleksis who insisted to stay in his life.


    Could Aleksis change Alaric? Would her love for him be enough to show that holding a grudge would only ruin his own life?


    If he was happy with Aleksis, would Alaric no longer feel lonely and finally be able to forget his revenge?


    Aleksis remembered what happened with Lauriel. He had almost taken his life because he had no more reason to live, but Aleksis'' presence in his life changed him, and now knew he could live happily by dedicating himself to nature ...


    Could Aleksis'' love do the same to Alaric?


    The girl swallowed hard. She did not know who she could seek advice from. She was not ready to tell her parents about Alaric ...


    "Little Girl, it''s not too late to end our relationship. I will understand if, after knowing my background, you decide to leave me."


    Everyone left me, and now I don''t have anyone, thought Alaric. I''ll understand if you want to leave too.


    "Don''t call me a little girl again ... I''m a woman now," Aleksis finally answered, frowning. "I don''t know, okay. Let me think first. This all makes me dizzy."


    "Alright ..." Alaric smiled. Seeing that smile, Aleksis'' felt her heart getting crushed again. How could such a Demon King smile so gently?


    "I want to go back to the hotel to get new clothes for the boat ride ..." Aleksis said after some time. Alaric nodded.


    "We will drive there," Alaric said. He then looked for Little Prince Siegfried who was sitting lazily in the living room and put its collar on. He then led the dog out, followed by Aleksis who was carrying her bag.


    She wanted to ask why they didn''t just ride the motorbike. However, when she saw an armored Mercedes waiting in the yard, with two dangerous-looking men standing in front of the car and bowing respectfully while opening the back door, she became discouraged to ask.


    Only when she and Alaric were already sitting at the back did she realize that the car window was tinted. It was so dark that she would not be able to recognize the surrounding area once they leave the mansion.

 Chapter 310 - Is this really Aleksis...?

    Ugh ... Alaric really loved his privacy, he is just as paranoid as my dad, Aleksis complained in her head.


    She would not be able to find this mansion on her own, because last night when she came here on Alaric''s motorbike, it was very dark and she could not pay attention to her surroundings. This afternoon, too, they came out in a special car with dark tinted windows.


    They did not talk to each other along the way. Aleksis thought Alaric would have preferred if Aleksis didn''t talk to him in front of his men, so she chose to be quiet and only stroked her dog''s back.


    She calculated that it would take them about 15 minutes to arrive at the Continental Hotel. Hmm, she should be able to investigate Alaric''s mansion''s location by checking the places within a 15-min drive radius from the hotel.


    Or ... she could also ask for a tracker from Carl or Sascha. She would then leave the tracker in this car and trace its location later.


    With that thought in mind, Aleksis got out of the car and said goodbye to Alaric, "I''ll go upstairs to pack my things. It will take a while though, do you want to wait in the lobby or come upstairs with me?"


    If Alaric chose to go with her upstairs, Aleksis would have to think of an excuse on why she was staying in such a luxurious Continental Hotel penthouse ...


    "There''s no need. I''ll go to my office and do something. You can meet me there later," Alaric said as he climbed out of the car.


    "Okay..."


    The two of them walked toward the elevator and entered together. Aleksis had to press the 50th-floor button when Alaric pressed the button corresponding to the 39th-floor. Aleksis couldn''t let Alaric know that she was going to the highest floor.


    Since the man kept his mansion''s location a secret, Aleksis then would not tell him that she was actually staying in the penthouse.


    "See you later ..." Alaric smiled sweetly. He then walked out of the elevator and headed to his office. Aleksis nodded. She exited on the 50th floor, in the hotel reception lobby, then re-entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 100th floor.


    Three minutes later, she busied herself with stuffing some clothes, swimsuits, snorkel gear and books into her bag.


    For a moment she was stunned, remembering that 8 years ago she also did the same, packing things like this to sail with Alaric. A smile slowly adorned her lips as she remembered their experience at that time. It was a very pleasant memory.


    She unconsciously blushed, recalling that their first kiss was actually when Aleksis pretended to be drowning and Alaric had to give her a CPR.


    So many things had happened during the past eight years, she thought. Alaric did many terrible things for his revenge, while Aleksis grew up trying to find him ...


    The girl bit her lip and tried to think of how she could touch Alaric''s heart and change his mind.


    No matter what, she must succeed. Once she succeeded in convincing Alaric to correct his ways, then she would take him home and have him meet her family.


    Aleksis knew she might have to work very hard, but given how she had looked for Alaric for years, she would not give up without a try. She would do her best to change his heart.


    ***


    Alaric was sitting at his desk facing the stack of papers in front of him. Before him was Pavel with his arms folded across his chest while delivering his report.


    "Ms. Aleksis is enrolled at St. Mary University and she''ll be attending there starting this month. She is a transfer student. From the information I received, she was able to enter in the middle of the semester due to Kurt Van Der Ven''s influence. That person is the CEO of the Schneider Group. She was referred to as Kurt Van Der Ven''s niece, his sister''s daughter, but because I cannot find information about this so-called sister, I suspect that she is actually his illegitimate daughter..."


    "Hmm¡­ Kurt Van Der Ven''s illegitimate child?" Alaric asked, so quietly, as if he was speaking to himself. He remembered Aleksis saying her father was working for the Schneider Group. Maybe she was really the daughter of Schneider Group''s CEO.


    This would explain why Aleksis could stay at the Continental Hotel despite her shabby appearance. She was probably really an illegitimate child and she was hidden by the family, so she was not used to looking rich.


    Now he could guess why Aleksis had two fathers. Maybe her biological father was Van Der Ven, and because Aleksis was born out of wedlock, she was taken care of by others.  This must be why she was calling her Uncle Rory her godfather.


    Hmm ... Aleksis unexpectedly have a complicated life, he thought.


    Alaric doesn''t care if Aleksis was an illegitimate daughter, or if her taste in fashion was bad. He liked the girl for her intelligence and very open nature. He also liked her because she accepted him as he was ...


    Alaric remembered that Aleksis went to her hotel room to get clothes ... Ah, wouldn''t that be a futile act considering how her clothes were all shabby and ugly?


    It would be better if Alaric brought her to shop for clothes. He could provide insights to the girl and with that, her bad taste in fashion should improve a little...


    He was about to ask Pavel to contact a famous boutique to close down their shop so he could bring Aleksis there when a sudden knock rang from the door to his office.


    Aleksis opened the door and entered while carrying a luxurious duffel bag filled with her belongings. Alaric was surprised to see the girl walking in gracefully. She was wearing a very fashionable and expensive outfit, looking glamorous from head to toe.


    Is this really Aleksis? He was astonished.


    The girl looked very happy upon seeing Alaric''s reaction. She deliberately wore a short dress that accentuated her figure. The pair of fancy sandals on her feet that had precious stones on them was one of the only 3 pairs ever produced in the world. She did not want to look old-fashioned and shabby in front of this man who had stolen her heart.


    Her blue-green eyes seemed to glow with joy and her beautiful face was now framed by her beautiful honey-colored hair. Aleksis was truly the most beautiful woman Alaric had ever seen in his entire (long) life.


    Aleksis'' sweet smile enchanted Alaric. The girl intentionally looked her best today. She wanted to make sure Alaric would not glance at other girls again after seeing her in her beautiful, stunning, original appearance.


    "You ... you''re so beautiful ..." Alaric murmured in a deep voice. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his cool.


    Initially, he really thought Aleksis had a bad taste in fashion ... But now he was starting to suspect that she was hiding her beauty for some reason.


    He could not help the turmoil in his chest which immediately felt tight because he was fascinated by his woman''s breathtaking beauty.

 Chapter 311 - Under the stars

    Pavel was embarrassed to see his boss dumbfounded at the sight of Aleksis. Alaric was staring at her and seemed to forgot how to blink. Pavel hurriedly picked up all the documents from the desk and excused himself.


    Aleksis looked at the departing man with a smile on her lips, and when he disappeared behind the door, she immediately jumped into Alaric''s lap who was still astonished at her transformation.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? You''re staring at me as if you''re hungry and I''m your food..."


    Alaric swallowed hard again. He couldn''t find the words to say.


    "Gosh, did a cat eat your tongue, huh? How come you are not saying anything?" asked Aleksis, pretending she did not notice that her new appearance had shocked Alaric.


    Inwardly she was touched because Alaric already liked her even though her appearance was initially shabby. Aleksis thought, his act, of accepting her as she was, deserved to be rewarded. And so she did by showing the real, impossibly beautiful Aleksis behind her disguised nerdy look.


    Aleksis inherited very good-looking genes from her father and mother, plus she had taken the immortality potion from Uncle Aldebar, making her a hundred percent Alchemist, having a body and face with perfect proportions and symmetry.


    She was also not 20 years old yet, which meant she would still grow up. Her growth would only stop once all the cells in her body are fully formed. It was very possible that she would become even more beautiful in the next few years.


    Alaric wanted to reply to Aleksis'' questions by saying that the girl was very beautiful and he was mesmerized, but he couldn''t find his voice to say anything. As soon as he opened his mouth, instead of letting a sound come out, he kissed the girl.


    Alaric finally gave in to the craving that ensnared him from the moment he saw Aleksis enter the room with her new appearance. He pulled Aleksis''s face close to his face, his lips claiming hers passionately.


    Aleksis instinctively returned his kiss when Alaric''s tongue entered and explored her mouth. Then they kissed passionately on the sofa for a long time.


    "You''re really making me addicted to your kiss ..." Alaric whispered between his kisses. "You don''t look like a human..."


    I am NOT a normal human, thought Aleksis.


    A smile formed on her lips at Alaric''s words, and it tempted him even more because Aleksis'' tiny red lips looked like fresh berries ready to be picked.


    Their breath began to become more irregular as Alaric and Aleksis caressed each other, their lips letting out moans incessantly.


    Alaric then stood up with Aleksis on his lap, automatically carrying the girl in his arms like a princess. With her still in his arms, he walked into his resting room within the office. Slowly and gently, he lowered her in the bed. Aleksis did not protest at all, enjoying his treatment with a shy smile on her face.


    Alaric sat on the edge of the bed and looked into her eyes deeply, "This is the first for you, right? Do you want to do it here, or do you want to do it in a more beautiful place? You choose. I can take you anywhere you want ... "


    Aleksis, who had ignored anything and was ready to give herself to him, was immediately stunned. She didn''t expect Alaric to ask her opinion about where she wanted to have their first sexual intercourse ...


    Ah ... right, because this is her first time, she wanted to do it in a special place ...


    She was touched because Alaric was being considerate even toward something this small, even though Aleksis herself did not actually care... All she thought was that everything was fine as long as she could be with this man ...


    "Uhm ..." Aleksis smiled shyly ... "I want to do it under the stars ... it must be very romantic ..."


    Alaric nodded. He smiled. The smile that always made Aleksis unable to believe this man likened himself to a Demon King.


    "All right ..." Alaric kissed Aleksis once again, then dropped his body beside the girl. "We leave in ten minutes... I will take you to my ship, and together, we can enjoy the sea and watch the night sky full of stars ..."


    Aleksis tossed to the side and smiled broadly at Alaric, "I love it..."


    Her hand held Alaric''s hand and then the two calmed down while catching their breaths.


    Ten minutes later Alaric and Aleksis walked out of the lobby and headed towards the armored Mercedes awaiting them in front of the building.


    Aleksis entrusted Little Prince Siegfried to Carl and Sascha whom she told not to follow her. She felt safe with Alaric and felt no need for their protection.

 Chapter 312 - So much love for him...

    Aleksis made sure that Carl and Sasha were accompanying her dog in the penthouse so they wouldn''t see her going down to the lobby holding hands with a masked man and enter his armored Mercedes.


    Aleksis did not want them to report this to her father and mother who were on their honeymoon for the umpteenth time in the Seychelles. She was worried that her parents would be distraught to hear the news and immediately leave for Singapore.


    It was bad enough that Uncle Rory would come next week, she thought.


    Alaric carried Aleksis'' bag and placed it in the car. He then accompanied the girl to sit in the backseat. The backseat was made very private as it had dark glass and there was a barrier with the front seat where the driver was.


    Aleksis didn''t mind privacy, especially when she was with Alaric. They looked at each other as soon as the car door closed and the vehicle began to move.


    Alaric was still fascinated by Aleksis'' beautiful appearance. He could not understand why such an attractive girl would intentionally make herself ugly by wearing shabby clothes and oversized nerdy glasses.


    "At first I thought you had very bad taste in fashion... I wanted to take you shopping and give you insights on fashion so that you will look more attractive... but apparently that''s not necessary. I was fooled..." Alaric said, staring at Aleksis with an amazed look. "You must have your own reasons, why you deliberately try to look unattractive..."


    Aleksis nodded, "My parents are worried that my physical appearance may attract too much attention, and a lot of men would bother me and make my life uncomfortable..."


    "Hmmm... and you don''t mind that?" Alaric asked attentively, "Isn''t it tiring to pretend to be someone you''re not?"


    Aleksis never really thought about that. She didn''t really care about her appearance, but if she were honest, she really hoped that she didn''t have to deliberately make herself unattractive just to avoid men''s attention.


    The problem was that if she didn''t make herself unattractive, Carl and Sasha would beat up a lot of insolent men who bothered Aleksis. They would attract so much attention...


    "I have no choice..." said Aleksis, shrugging.


    Alaric looked thoughtful. He then took out his cellphone and dialed a number.


    "Pavel, call Takeshi and Mischa to Singapore. I want them to work for me. They will be assigned to protect Aleksis," he said curtly. There was an affirmative answer from Pavel, and Alaric hung up his phone.


    "Eh... who are Takeshi and Mischa?" Aleksis asked, astonished.


    Alaric smiled slightly, "Takeshi and Mischa are my two assassins from the Phoenix and Dragon level. They''ve been on holiday for quite some time, so I''m sure they will be happy to come to Singapore and enjoy the change of scenery by working for me. I will not let anyone bother you. You can be yourself without having to worry about perverts and annoying men. Let Takeshi and Mischa take care of them..."


    Jeez...


    Aleksis looked at Alaric with an astonished expression.


    Alaric reminded her a lot of her father in terms of being over protective toward her. Didn''t Carl and Sascha follow Aleksis to Singapore because her father told them to protect her?


    Now Alaric wanted to add to her security with the two most dangerous assassins from Rhionen Assassins...


    "Why? You don''t like the idea?" Alaric asked.


    Aleksis was dumbfounded. She couldn''t think of an excuse to reject the bodyguards provided by her thoughtful boyfriend. If she accepted, it would be very funny to have Carl and Sasha protecting Aleksis from a distance, without knowing that Takeshi and Mischa were also watching over the girl discreetly.


    "I... I like the idea. But they should not attract attention, okay..." she said quickly.


    Well... she should just accept Takeshi and Mischa. Later she would think of something to settle this four-bodyguard problem.


    The car suddenly stopped and Alaric gave a signal for Aleksis to stay still while he went out and got something. Aleksis obeyed and waited patiently for him in the car.


    Five minutes later Alaric came back with a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers, and handed it to Aleksis. "This is for you..."


    Aleksis, who did not expect to be given flowers, looked surprised and moved her hands to accept them, "Wow... this is so beautiful... I love lavenders. Thank you..."


    "Because this is our first date as boyfriend and girlfriend... we have to do it properly. You''ve dressed up so pretty, of course I have to give you flowers..." said Alaric.


    "Aw... you''re so thoughtful..." said Aleksis. She was very happy because she felt that she had chosen the right man as her boyfriend. Despite Alaric''s very different background and principles, Aleksis felt that they were a complement and very compatible to each other.


    Inwardly, she assumed that Alaric was basically a good man. His only problem was that he held grudges too deeply, because he had lived alone for such a long time. Maybe ... if Aleksis could open his heart, he would be able to change.


    Aleksis believed in the power of love... ha ha ha.


    Seeing Aleksis'' bright and happy face, Alaric could not help but land a kiss on her red lips. The girl shyly welcomed the kiss, pushed the flowers aside, and kissed him back.


    "The color of these flowers is the same as the color of your eyes, purplish blue and beautiful..." said Aleksis half-whispered. "I will always remember this day and these flowers..."


    "Hmm... I accidentally chose those flowers... I thought they were the most beautiful, even though they couldn''t be compared to you..." Alaric said with a smile. "I''m glad you like it."


    "I really like them." Aleksis then leaned her head on Alaric''s shoulder and admired the flowers, while smelling their sweet and distinctive scent. Alaric closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment in his heart. He had never felt this warm feeling in his chest before.


    This was all thanks to an adorable girl named Aleksis, who barged into his life like storm. She didn''t give him a chance to refuse her. Yesterday he was living his life as usual, and after a short meeting with the girl at his company''s party at Sky Bar last night, his life had been changed drastically.


    Who would have thought that in less than 24 hours he would finally have a girlfriend? Now they were getting ready for their first date: sailing on the sea and spending beautiful time under billions of stars in the clear night sky.


    Subconsciously he smiled, which caught Aleksis'' attention. The girl smiled at the thought of Alaric feeling as happy as she was.


    Maybe what Alaric needed was love, so he could be more patient toward humans...


    If that were the case, he didn''t need to worry, because Aleksis had so much love for him...

 Chapter 313 - Fit like a glove

    The car arrived at Harbourfront ten minutes later. Alaric carried Aleksis'' bag in one hand and held her hand in the other. They headed toward his catamaran ship which now looked much more modern than the previous one.


    Alaric''s two men helped carry their belongings and a cooler which contained food and drinks supplies for them to enjoy on board. After everything was prepared, they said goodbye and returned to the mansion.


    After arranging the clothes in the cabin and the food in the kitchen, Alaric prepared to navigate the ship to sail the sea. Aleksis stood beside him enjoying the evening breeze and the sunset in the west.


    It felt wonderful...


    If she could freeze time, she wanted to stay in this moment forever...


    After they were in the middle of the sea, their feelings turned solemn. There was no one around them, only the sea and the night sky. They could see billions of stars from the Milky Way and various other galaxies that night. It looked so beautiful and it made them feel as if they were in a dream.


    "Are you hungry?" Alaric asked. "Do you want to help me prepare dinner?"


    Aleksis nodded happily. She was already getting hungry. Alaric went down to the kitchen and heated several cooked dishes in the microwave. Aleksis followed him and prepared cutlery and wine.


    She placed a picnic blanket on the deck and arranged their cutlery there. A few minutes later, Alaric came with a few dishes arranged on a tray and helped organize their dinner. He then took a few candles from the cabin, lit them, and placed them in the middle of the table.


    "Wow... this is so romantic!! Candle-light dinner!" Aleksis exclaimed in admiration. Now she believed that Alaric was actually a romantic man.


    Ha... it''s such a pity that his talent was wasted because he had never had a girlfriend.


    Aleksis was determined to make the most of this. Ah, Alaric had just given her flowers, and now they were having a simple candle-light dinner under the stars...


    She could not stop admiring the beauty of this moment.


    They ate while chatting lightly. They both still limit the topic of discussion around general matters, because both Aleksis and Alaric still felt the need to hide their true identities.


    I don''t know when we will be honest with each other... thought Aleksis. She knew that sooner or later she would have to reveal to Alaric that she was an Alchemist, the daughter of the Alchemist clan leader who was very powerful, and that she was an immortal.


    At the same time, Alaric thought about when he could tell Aleksis the truth about who he was and show his real face. He was carefully considering his options. There was a possibility that he would never reveal his true identity...


    They had dinner quietly and in a romantic atmosphere. They never had a lover before, and both Alaric and Aleksis were surprised to see how easy they could get along after just one day.


    They fit like a glove: no issues in adjusting and no unnecessary friction. They felt like puzzle pieces that fit together and filled their places perfectly.


    After dinner, the two worked together washing the dishes and cleaning the table. Then it was time to enjoy a glass of red wine while chatting and watching the sky.


    "The deck is hard. Do you want to drink wine while chatting in the cabin?" Alaric asked her after pouring some wine for them.


    Aleksis'' face suddenly turned red. She understood what Alaric meant. There was a bed in the cabin, meaning they might continue in the cabin what they almost did in his office.


    "Uhm... but we can''t see the sky in the cabin... Look the sky is so clear tonight. We can see so many sparkling stars ..." Aleksis said with a little protest.


    Didn''t Alaric just let her choose a beautiful place, wherever she wanted? Why would he take her to the cabin now, Aleksis thought.


    "Get in the cabin, I''ll show you something," Alaric said with a smile. He held Aleksis'' hand with his left hand and his right hand carried his wine glass and bottle. The girl followed him with doubts.


    They went down to the cabin and Aleksis saw a comfortable bed and a small table. Alaric put the wine bottle and glass on the table and then sat on the bed. He gave a signal for Aleksis to sit on his lap.


    "Uhm..." Aleksis''s cheeks were blushing red, when she approached Alaric and sat on his lap.


    She was usually aggressive and outspoken, but tonight she suddenly felt like a little kid caught stealing sweets.


    Alaric looked so calm and confident. Maybe because he was experienced and knew what to do, while Aleksis only knew about sexual relations from books and sex-education from her parents. At this moment, it felt like everything she knew had no meaning at all.


    "Under the stars...!" she protested softly, staring at Alaric with a pair of glazed puppy eyes.


    Alaric smiled at Aleksis'' expression and took a remote from the cabinet beside the bed. He pressed a few buttons and suddenly the cabin roof moved open, showing a beautiful view of the sky.


    "Under the stars..." said Alaric agreed. He pointed at the sky above them.


    Aleksis gasped. She did not expect this ship to be equipped with such a modern convertible roof that could be opened. It was certainly far more pleasant for them to sit and relax on a soft bed, enjoying wine, while looking at the night sky adorned with billions of stars, rather than sitting on a hard and windy deck.


    "This... this is beautiful..." whispered Aleksis in admiration.

 Chapter 314 - Altair & Vega (R-18)

    "Hmm..." Alaric looked satisfied seeing Aleksis'' reaction, "You''re not the only one who likes to watch the stars on a clear night."


    "You too?" asked Aleksis. She could not believe that they apparently had the same interest. Alaric even bought a boat that allowed him to see the night sky like this.


    Alaric nodded. "I always liked astronomy."


    "I do too!" Aleksis exclaimed. "What is your favorite star?"


    Alaric pointed up, "You see the Altair constellation up there?"


    "Gosh...!" Aleksis turned to face Alaric and their faces became very close. The girl''s face looked very surprised, "You also like Altair and Vega*???"


    Alaric nodded.


    The two stared at each other fixedly, in admiration, fascination, and happiness, finding one more thing in common. Apparently, they were both equally fond of the Altair and Vega constellations.


    Everything felt so perfect. A romantic candlelight dinner in the middle of a quiet and peaceful ocean, where they only had one another, a glass of wine that lightened the atmosphere, and the billions of stars in the night sky.


    Slowly, they started to get to know each other, and their love for astronomy. They even liked the same constellations... It really felt like a perfect dream...


    It felt as though Alaric and Aleksis were created for each other.


    A moment later, both of their chests were filled with deep and powerful emotions. Aleksis'' green-blue eyes glazed in tears as she looked at Alaric and realized that she had never felt such a strong feeling for any human before.


    Was this what falling in love felt like?


    Alaric swallowed hard. He was touched by the way Aleksis looked at him with her eyes that were filled with affection. He had never seen anyone look at him that way before: so loving, so warm, and so affectionate.


    For the first time in his life, he felt loved.


    Maybe if he had a mother, Aleksis'' gaze on him would be comparable to the loving gaze of his mother.


    If he had a mother, maybe Alaric would be able to compare their eyes and their love for him...


    Unfortunately, Alaric had never met his mother, because the war-loving humans killed her...


    He still could not forgive them.


    Alaric closed his eyes, trying to dispel the shadow of his own hatred. He realized that Aleksis was sitting in front of him, and the girl loved him with all her heart.


    He must not ruin the atmosphere.


    Although they had only met a few times before, and they had only officially been together for only 24 hours after Aleksis had become an adult, he felt as if he had known her all his life. Aleksis was so warm, open, and filled with a contagious passion.


    "Aleksis..." he whispered, finally opening his eyes, "Aleksis..."


    "Yes...?" Aleksis'' voice sounded as sweet as honey in Alaric''s ears. He could not believe his own luck. This amazing girl fell in love with him, and she didn''t even care about his age and his looks...


    "Aleksis..." called Alaric again. He really liked this girl''s name.


    "Yes...?" Aleksis replied again.


    "I love you." Finally, Alaric couldn''t hold it back anymore and the confession came out of Alaric''s lips.


    He cupped Aleksis'' face and brought his lips closer to kiss the red lips of his beloved girlfriend.


    Aleksis was moved to hear the love confession finally come out of his lips. She also held Alaric''s face and returned his kiss very gently. They started very slowly and very softly, as if worried that their love-making would end too soon.


    "I love you too, Alaric... I may be very young... but I''m quite mature, and I have never had this feeling for anyone..." Aleksis said between her irregular breaths, "I''ve been thinking about you all these years... It''s really crazy, considering we''ve only met several times..."


    "I know..." Alaric kissed Aleksis more passionately.


    His lips began to roam and nibbled on her earlobe and her neckline. Slowly, he moved down to her breasts, while his hands expertly explored Aleksis'' body lovingly, as if she were a very valuable porcellain.


    He knew that Aleksis was inexperienced, so he assigned himself to lead their first love-making session and he did it very, very slowly and very gently.


    With great expertise he took charge of the union of their bodies so Aleksis could follow him slowly and become accustomed to having his body on her. Once the girl was used to his skin touching and pleasuring hers, Alaric increased their rhythm.


    He kissed her, caressed her, played with all her sensitive spots, and slowly took off their clothes, one by one, never missing a beat. Aleksis arched her back in pleasure so many times before he even entered her.


    She never felt anything like that before. Making love was a thousand times better than kissing, she thought, and she loved how his body smelled so nice, how his skin was as soft as snow and his every touch brought her pleasures.


    She couldn''t help letting out soft moans every time he touched her with his hands, his tongue and his lips, and when he finally entered her wet honeypot, she felt like she was sent out of this world.


    They made love passionately for several hours, which somehow felt like mere minutes. Their bodies intertwined comfortably, and their union was witnessed by the billions of stars in the night sky.


    Aleksis could only inwardly compliment on how great her boyfriend''s skills in bed were for their first love-making session.


    Alaric only stopped when he saw Aleksis satisfied and tired. He released himself inside her and kissed the girl before rolling to her side.


    It was already past midnight. It felt as if they finished their dinner only minutes ago.


    Both laid side by side, fixing their eyes on the Milky Way above them. Their hearts were beating fast and their lips smiled with satisfaction. When they turned to the side to look at each other, Alaric and Aleksis saw great love in each other''s eyes.


    Alaric took Aleksis'' hand and closed his eyes, as if he wanted to freeze this moment forever.


    This was the most beautiful night in his life.


    .


    .


    ***Altair and Vega are two of the brightest stars in the sky. They represent probably the saddest most romantic love story of all time.


    Vega was a seamstress. Breath-taking and loved by everyone. She made the most beautiful garments. So beautiful in fact the Gods themselves wanted her to make clothes for them exclusively. Which she did.


    Altair was a shepherd that spent his days and night living for the herd. Altair was poor, he had nothing but he was happy. He worked hard to sustain not only himself but his family. One day while in the field Altair saw Vega bathing in the river.


    She was breathtaking. Her skin was smoother then silk and her eyes had a permanent twinkle. Her smile made time stand still and her voice attracted life of all colours and types. She was the most beautiful thing Altair laid his eyes on. He knew there was no way he could allow her to walk out of his life.


    They were very different and came from different walks of life but despite there differences they fell in love. Altair and Vega spent lots of time together which detriment of the Gods. They have not become her prime focus.


    The Gods were furious, they forced this couple to stop seeing each other with so many ways, but their power were futile. Knowing that this bond is powerful beyond measure something needed to be done.


    One night while asleep Vega and Altair were separated into glass boxes and put in the sky on opposite sides and separated by the celestial Milky Way. Where they will remain forever.


    Their love burns brighter than any star in the sky and can still be seen even today. One day in the year on the seventh day of the seventh month Altair cries so hard that all the birds on Earth fly up and create a bridge with their wings so that these two lovers can be together for one special night.

 Chapter 315 - The face behind the mask

    They held each other''s hands until their breathing slowly went back to normal.


    Aleksis was the first to fall asleep. Alaric felt the girl''s hand relax and the sound of her breathing became smooth and regular. He looked sideways and found his girlfriend sleeping soundly with her eyes closed and her lips slightly open. She looked so peaceful.


    Alaric did not expect that Aleksis could look so much more beautiful when she was asleep. She was really an angel who brought peace into his life. At least at this time, Alaric''s heart seemed to be filled with a sense of peace that was foreign to him.


    He had been living alone for so long and he never had someone whom he wanted to sincerely guard and protect like this. Even though his very nature was delicate and gentle, this man had become very used to violence and cruelty. But now, in front of an angel like Aleksis, how could he be cruel?


    Alaric slowly got up and sat enjoying the beautiful view that was lying beside him. He felt very fortunate that such a beautiful and wonderful person loved him so deeply.


    He then realized that as a result of their intense lovemaking activities earlier, his face had been soaked in sweat and his skin felt uncomfortable especially under his mask.


    After Alaric made sure that Aleksis was fast asleep, he slowly walked to the bathroom. The man took off the leather mask that covered half of his face and then washed his face to freshen up.


    Underneath his mask was a very handsome face. His skin was rather pale and he had fine facial lines and long hair. At a glance Alaric''s face looked like a woman''s.


    He always hated this face.


    When he was young and weak, he was often faced with people with sexual disorder who wanted to force themselves into him. His first murder happened when he was only 12 years old. He was defending himself from such people.


    Since then he learned to fight to protect himself and soon he became skilled at killing, because for whatever reason, evil and sick people were always present wherever he was. After he trained his body and he became tall and strong, no one dared to offend him.


    He cut his hair often as to look more masculine, but unfortunately, his hair always grew very fast, even though he cut it once a week. The last few years Alaric finally gave up and let his hair grow past his shoulders. He liked his mask because it could hide the face he hated, and also conceal his true age and identity.


    Upon seeing Aleksis change her appearance yesterday from an unattractive nerd to a woman who looked so enchantingly beautiful, Alaric was tempted to take off his mask and show that his face was actually not as ugly and disfigured as he had always claimed...


    But at the last moment Alaric refrained from doing so. Why would he take this unnecessary risk? After all, Aleksis didn''t mind his appearance... She loved Alaric not because of his face nor his age.


    This thought etched a smile on his face. He was happy because his woman accepted him as he was.


    Alaric dried his face, put on his leather mask and entered the cabin. He climbed into bed and covered himself and Aleksis with a blanket. After closing the cabin roof to protect them from the sudden rain, he cuddled Aleksis and closed his eyes.


    They slept very soundly that night.


    ***

 Chapter 316 - Arent we supposed to have breakfast? (R-18)

    They both woke up when the sun was high. The sound of sea gulls and the sound of waves was the music that welcomed the two people from their slumber.


    "Good morning, my Princess." Alaric kissed Aleksis'' forehead and then sat on the bed, "Do you want breakfast now?"


    Aleksis opened her eyes lazily and nodded. She stared at Alaric for a long time and then frowned, while her hand traced the man''s broad and chiseled chest. "Hmm... You used to have a lot of scars around your dragon tattoo on your chest here... now most of the scars are gone..."


    "The scars gradually disappear after years," Alaric said. "The scars that you saw were from decades ago, now they are gone..."


    "Oh... in that case, will your face also recover in decades?" Aleksis asked curiously.


    "Hmm... why? Do you regret having a boyfriend whose face is disfigured?" Alaric asked in a disappointed tone.


    Aleksis hurriedly shook her head. "That''s not what I meant... I might be able to help it recover faster..."


    Inwardly Aleksis had already made an assessment. If she married Alaric, she would be able to ask for the immortality potion for Alaric from Uncle Aldebar. The man would then have the body of an Alchemist that could generate perfect cells so he would certainly be able to quickly heal the scars on his body and on his face.


    "How? The only ways I know are face transplants or skin grafts... and I don''t want to take the risk... I don''t mind my appearance right now. If that is a problem for you... then I can''t help you," said Alaric firmly.


    "Uhm... I wasn''t reffering to facial transplant or skin graft... Never mind, we don''t have to talk about this now. You know that I like you just the way you are from the start, I don''t care about your looks nor the age difference between us..." Aleksis didn''t want the first day after they made love last night marred by a fight over Alaric''s face which actually did not matter to her.


    She hurriedly kissed Alaric''s lips to stop the man from talking.


    "Uhff..." Alaric was indeed unable to continue talking about his disfigured face, because Aleksis claimed his mouth with her tiny wet lips.


    Didn''t Aleksis just experience her first kiss two nights ago? How could she be this aggressive in kissing me? Alaric thought in amazement.


    He finally could not help smiling because Aleksis was so blunt and open. Apparently, because she was very smart, the girl quickly learned how to take the initiative to kiss him...


    Any normal guy would be flattered when showered with such abundant kisses and affection by an extraordinarily beautiful woman who stole his heart¡­


    Alaric was still a normal man who couldn''t resist temptation. He welcomed Aleksis'' kiss lovingly and responded with passion and excitement that arose after a good night sleep in a very comfortable bed.


    He positioned his body above Aleksis and showered her with kisses, caresses and affection. He was giving his entire being to her.


    Under the blanket, the two of them were still naked and this made it easier for Alaric to lead them to another love-making session. He fondled her twin peaks and kissed her navel, and went down to her lower lips and showered her with one pleasure after another.


    "Aren''t we... ahh... supposed to¡­ aahh... have... ... breakfast... Aaaahhh¡­" Aleksis whispered between her panting as Alaric guided her to make love once more that morning.


    She didn''t get an answer because the man just shook his head and smiled mysteriously. He then moved up and bit her neck gently, leaving a small love mark, before he positioned himself on top of her and entered her.


    Uhmm... okay, breakfast could wait ... thought Aleksis as she closed her eyes and enjoyed Alaric''s lips and tongue roaming and sucking her breasts as he pumped her senseless.


    ***


    They ended up having spaghetti and hot tea for breakfast at the deck. The scenery around them brought so much peace in their hearts.


    As far as the eye could see, there was only the ocean and the blue sky. The border between the sea and the sky seemed to disappear at the horizon, and they felt as if they were in a beautiful emptiness.


    "Thank you for bringing me here... This is beautiful," said Aleksis, sipping her tea.


    Alaric nodded. "I''m really glad we came here... I feel like I always want to be with you..."


    "Me too..." Aleksis confessed. "If you tell me your address, I can come by often..."


    "Oh... that," Alaric looked thoughtful, "Maybe later, not now. What is clear is that you know my office. You can come there anytime."


    "Uhm... okay." Aleksis was annoyed because until now Alaric was still keeping his residence a secret. She could also not get any information from Carl and Sasha when she went with Alaric to his house on a motorcycle because they lost her track.


    She now brought a tracking device, which she had requested from Carl. Actually, if necessary, Aleksis could always place a tracker in Alaric''s car so she could know where he went.


    But then the girl reconsidered the idea. Alaric who guarded his privacy so tightly certainly would not allow himself to be tracked so easily. His men must be cleaning his vehicles from bugs and trackers all the time.


    If they found a tracker installed by Aleksis, it could jeopardize their fresh relationship and Alaric would not trust Aleksis in the future.


    She couldn''t take that risk...


    Finally, Aleksis could only sigh.


    "Then... can I have your cellphone number? Can I not contact my own boyfriend?" Aleksis'' middle name was ''persistence'', so of course she had to keep trying.


    Alaric finally relented. He handed Aleksis a small box from his shirt pocket.


    "This is a new phone chip. I saved the number just for you..." He smiled. "Only you can contact me there."


    "Oh okay." Aleksis finally smiled. She pulled the small chip out of the box and placed it inside her phone-watch. This would be an enhancement on her phone-watch, so she could finally contact Alaric. She then kissed the man and stroked his hair, "Thank you!"


    They spent the rest of their time on the sea lazily. Aleksis sat on Alaric''s lap and took out one of her books to read, while Alaric just meditated and calmed his mind.


    It was difficult at first, with Aleksis'' seductive presence and her citrus-like scent, but after ten minutes he managed to empty his mind and enjoy some quiet time in peaceful meditation.


    In the afternoon they returned to the mainland and the armored Mercedes that had taken them to Harbourfront yesterday was already waiting at the parking lot. Alaric drove Aleksis back to the Continental Hotel because she had to pack her belongings to enter the dorm and take Little Prince Siegfried to Terry''s house.


    "When will you go for your business trip to England?" Aleksis asked before getting out of the car.


    "In two days..." Alaric answered.


    "For how long?"


    "The fastest is a week, but it could be a month, depending on the cooperation agreement we discuss later."


    Aleksis'' heart sank. She didn''t want to let Alaric meet with the people from the Meier family, but she had no excuse to prevent the man from leaving.


    "Please call me every day..." she whispered in a sad tone. "If you don''t, I will go after you to England. You will be embarrassed if I appear there because I miss you..."


    "Why should I be embarrassed?" Alaric looked very amused seeing Aleksis'' behavior, "I would be happy if you come. Everyone can see how beautiful my woman is..."


    "Really? You don''t mind if I come?" Aleksis asked in an excited tone. "Then I''ll come."


    "I''ll call you every day, but you don''t need to come, unless I''m going to be there for a month. I''ll let you know."


    "Hm... you promise?"


    "I promise to keep you updated. All right... good night. Send my regards to Little Prince Siegfried." Alaric kissed Aleksis and then released the girl into the Continental Building.


    Not long after the car left the Continental Building, Alaric''s cellphone suddenly rang.


    "Gosh..." Alaric picked up the call that was apparently from Aleksis, "What''s wrong? Why are you calling me now? Did you forget something?"


    "I just want to remind you to call me every day. I miss you already." said Aleksis on the other end of the phone.


    The feeling in Alaric''s chest could not be expressed in words. Aleksis was so innocent and open with her feelings.


    Alaric had never felt so loved.


    His eyes were a little wet as he took off his mask and rubbed his eyes with emotion.


    "I miss you too, Sweetheart. Take care of your health, okay. Tomorrow Takeshi and Mischa will contact you, so that you no longer have to bother disguising yourself to avoid annoying men. I''ll call you every day," Alaric said in a soft voice; softer than usual. "I love you."


    He confessed his love to Aleksis for the first time last night. Now, the words slipped so easily from his lips, without him feeling awkward at all.


    It seemed that he had become accustomed to being Aleksis'' boyfriend.

 Chapter 317 - Rhionen Industries Dark Secrets

    Aleksis entered her penthouse with a feeling of loss. Really, she had never felt anything like this before. Little Prince Siegfried was asleep when she arrived. Carl and Sascha were busy with their respective laptops. The two Russian men immediately stood up to greet her when Aleksis entered.


    Ah, yes... how would she convey a message to them that starting tomorrow she would have additional bodyguards?


    "Carl and Sascha... I have a suggestion¡­ what if you both go on a vacation for a month? I''m going to live in the dorm, so I assume that nothing bad will happen to me there..." Aleksis said to the two.


    The two men looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison.


    "Young Miss, please don''t make Master punish us..." Carl complained. "Our job is to look after Miss..."


    Aleksis scratched her head that was not itchy. She could not think of any excuse...


    "Ugh... all right. Then, could you help me carry my things to the dormitory? We''ll stop by Joo Chiat first to leave my dog ??at Terry''s."


    "Alright, Young Miss."


    The four of them went to Terry''s house using a Tesla car driven by Carl. Terry was editing a video on three giant screens when they arrived. In that house, Terry lived alone, only with a gardener and a cook. The cook hastily told him of Aleksis'' arrival.


    "Eh, you have arrived." Terry rubbed Little Prince Siegfried''s head and pointed to a room on the ground floor, "His room is ready at the end of the hall. Just put all his stuff there. Your dog cannot go up to the second floor, though, because I keep a lot of valuable electronic equipment there."


    Aleksis was surprised to hear that. "You prepared the guest room for Little Prince Siegfried? Wow... You must really love my dog that you gave him a room of his own..."


    She hurriedly hugged Terry then kissed his cheek. "Thank you!!"


    "Hmm..." Terry just grumbled indistinctly.


    Carl and Sascha placed a bag that contained Little Prince Siegfried''s toys and other stuff, such as his favorite music box and a few sacks of dog food in the designated room.


    "What time will you want to go to the dorm, Young Miss?" Sascha asked before leaving.


    "Uhm... I don''t know yet..." Aleksis turned to Terry, "Do they usually have a curfew in the dorm?"


    "10 pm, I guess," Terry said with a shrug, "Why?"


    "Would you mind taking me to the dormitory...? That way we will have some time to talk freely. Carl and Sascha can go home and don''t have to wait for me. Besides, don''t you want to talk about Rhionen Industries?"


    Terry thought for a moment, then nodded. "OK..."


    Carl and Sascha then excused themselves to their car and kept an eye on Aleksis from afar, as usual.


    After the two bodyguards left, Aleksis hurriedly pulled Terry''s hand to the sofa and sat next to him.


    "I met Prince Siegfried!!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "He''s as good as I imagined. And now I''m confused..."


    "Why are you confused?" Terry asked in amazement.


    "I didn''t tell him who I am... He doesn''t know that I am an Alchemist and that I have two bodyguards watching over me anywhere to protect me from perverted men..."


    "So?"


    "So, he prepared two bodyguards to protect me from perverted men..." said Aleksis with a frustrated face.


    "Wait... what? So now you have double bodyguards now? Bahahahaha..." Terry couldn''t help laughing, "What a waste of human resources, it''s better to use some of them to protect me..."


    Aleksis laughed and hit Terry on the shoulder. "Then you should date Prince Siegfried."


    Terry looked thoughtful for a moment. "He is very considerate though, to the point of protecting you, just like your father... Who is he?"


    Aleksis smiled faintly but she just shook her head, "Sorry, I can''t reveal his identity now... because he''s a very private person. Later I''ll introduce him to you when the time comes..."


    "Hmmm... he sounds so mysterious," Terry commented.


    "Yes, he is. You said yourself that he is just like Dad," Aleksis replied. "Anyway, you said that you wanted to discuss your findings at the party yesterday with me. What interesting information is there?"


    Terry immediately looked excited. He pulled Aleksis into his room and showed various data that was open on one of his computers. He pressed the holographic mode and all information was presented in three dimensions in front of them.


    "Rhionen Industries has several subsidiaries engaged in the pharmaceutical field and they are well known for discovering the cure to cancer few years ago. They are also one of the leaders in genetical engineering and have succeeded in creating organs in the lab, so in future humans don''t need to wait for organ transplants from a deceased donor..."


    "That sounds really cool. We also invest in a technology like that right?" Aleksis commented.


    "That''s right. Those are some of the positive things about the company, which makes their reputation good, but there are also some less exposed things they do that are enough to shake me up. Their public relations division is very good at preserving their image so that we only hear the good things about them."


    Terry looked very serious when discussing Rhionen Industries, "They are apparently the company behind Splitz and Gen23. You know those two, right?"


    "Splitz is the largest social media platform at the moment... And Gen23 is a genetic research company. What about them?"


    "Splitz has been collecting personal information for the past decade and they have stored a lot of data. Gen23, under the pretext of researching cancer medicines and various other diseases, has succeeded in gathering vast amounts of human genetic data from all over the world. You can imagine how rich they are now. The currency in this modern world is data."


    "Okay... I understand, then what''s the connection? That only means that the owner of Rhionen Industries is very rich..." Aleksis was not worried at all. It didn''t matter how good the company was at collecting data, they would never be able to obtain information about the Alchemists.


    "It is actually quite worrisome for one company to have that much data, because we don''t know whether they are good or bad people, and what they are going to do with the data..." Terry said.


    Uhm... I know that Alaric is basically a good person. He is just very sad and holds a grudge... If I can change his heart, then there is nothing to worry about, thought Aleksis.


    "And I''m sure they don''t have good intentions... based on the latest information I got from my partner..." Terry continued.


    "Your partner?" Aleksis became interested.


    "Well, I have an online friend with whom I discuss about the things you call conspiracy theory. He is the best hacker in the world today and he has directed his attention to Rhionen Industries for the past several years."


    "Gosh... listening to you talk makes me feel like I''m in an action movie..." Aleksis commented. "What did your friend say about Rhionen Industries?"


    "Well, first of all, he found a connection between Rhionen Industries and Rhionen Assassins. You know that regular people don''t even know about Rhionen Assassins, but he found out about them three years ago," Terry said.


    Aleksis began to pay attention with all her heart. Terry was right, his partner must be quite an expert if he knew the about the deadliest and most elusive assassin organization in the world... This made her curious, because it concerned Alaric, her boyfriend.


    "Then?"


    "Rhionen Assassins kept the secrets of so many important people in the world. They use these secrets to blackmail officials or political figures to streamline Rhionen Industries operations in various countries.


    You know that China is a very closed country, but they have managed to grow there very rapidly, and now they even obtained an automation contract for the whole country. There is definitely a game played behind the scenes with the current Chinese rulers.


    Then, Rhionen Industries developed a very advanced AI technology that aims to replace all human workers. Just imagine, with all the genetic data they have, someday, all of a sudden, they can expel viruses or diseases that only react to humans with certain genetic codes, and those people will die. Only those they choose to stay alive will survive.


    Our daily lives will not be too affected, because after all, the workforce has been replaced by artificial humans or robots due to the automation project with AI... The automation process they are doing, if it starts now,.. will be completed in just 10 years... And in the meantime, they plan to expand to the rest of Asia, Australia, America and Africa."


    Terry''s words horrified Aleksis.

 Chapter 318 - Rosemary Lin

    A very large company that stored the personal and genetic data of so many people on earth, and had the power to abuse it...


    Aleksis swallowed hard...


    In ten years, when Alaric completed his automation project, he would be the most powerful person on earth.


    She must be able to change Alaric''s heart before that happens. She strongly believed that Alaric was at heart a good person. He was just lost because he had never felt the love of fellow human beings his whole life.


    "Then... what do you want to do?" asked Aleksis.


    "I want to investigate them and make a film that will reveal all this information to the public."


    "Wouldn''t this be very dangerous?" Aleksis asked again.


    "It''s dangerous, so I''m very jealous of you whose life is very relaxed. You even have four bodyguards at once... such a waste of human resources..." complained Terry.


    Aleksis felt sympathy for Terry, but she could not do anything.


    They talked about Rhionen Industries until it was time for dinner, and the longer she heard about the company''s "dark secrets," the more her heart became troubled.


    After dinner Terry drove Aleksis to the dorm with his sport car. The car really made the young man look very cool. Aleksis arrived at the dorm a few minutes before curfew.


    "I can''t take you inside, huh, because then you will be subject to campus gossip and the girls will make you their bullying target... You don''t want to attract attention, right?" Terry said as he opened the door for Aleksis and helped her out.


    He deliberately parked at a place that was somewhat hidden so that no one would notice them.


    Aleksis nodded. "Thank you. See you tomorrow morning on campus!"


    Terry waved and got in the car, then returned to his house. Aleksis hurried into the boarding room and reported herself.


    The matron was a woman in her 40s, and she looked fierce and unfriendly. She saw Aleksis from head to toe and immediately decided not to like this girl.


    Aleksis had changed into her usual old-fashioned appearance so she basically looked like a bookworm. She was still not used to appearing like her normal self in front of strangers.


    "You arrived so late at night, it''s almost curfew." Ms. Lee, the housekeeper, complained. "Come with me. You will share a room with another sophomore. She will explain everything you need to know about living in this dormitory."


    "Thank you, Ms. Lee..." Aleksis said politely. She didn''t really care if Ms. Lee didn''t like her. She was not looking for friends this old. But she hoped that her roommate was a pleasant person.


    She followed Ms. Lee across the hall and into the elevator. They went up to the 3rd floor and knocked on the door at the very end of the hall.


    "What is wrong?" Someone immediately opened the door and welcomed them. The long -haired girl was very beautiful and her expression looked friendly.


    Ugh... Aleksis wanted to bury herself deep underground that very instant.


    Her roommate in the dormitory was Rosemary!


    Fortunately, Rosemary did not seem to recognize Aleksis. When Terry suddenly approached her in the campus yard and asked her to be his girlfriend and just kissed her, Rosemary, who was walking to the library, didn''t notice that Terry was with Aleksis.


    She smiled at her and welcomed Aleksis into the room, "Welcome. You are my new roommate, right? My name is Rosemary Lin."


    I know, Aleksis thought sadly.


    She suddenly felt uneasy - it felt bad, being friends with with Rosemary while her brother was fooling around with this girl. Moreover, it all happened because Aleksis was teasing Terry.


    "Why are you silent?" asked Ms. Lee to Aleksis.


    "Oh ... right, sorry ... My name is Aleksis Makela ... I''m a transfer student from Germany ..." Aleksis said hurriedly. She had never used her full name in front of strangers before. She was afraid to attract attention because of her relationship with the Schneider Group.


    Although a few years from now she would be prepared to take over the Group from Kurt Van Der Ven, she felt better hiding her identity for as long as possible.


    "Welcome. Please come in. I have occupied the bed in the right corner, you can take the one in the left corner ..."


    Aleksis nodded. She entered the room with her belongings and thanked Ms. Lee who took her to the room and introduced her to Rosemary. The dorm matron just nodded and left.


    Oh ... okay, so this was what it felt like to be a student living in a dorm, thought Aleksis.


    The room she shared with Rosemary was decent, although the size was very very small when compared to her room in her parents'' house. She had an area of ??100 square meters and her personal lounge. In comparison, maybe this dorm room was only half the size of her bathroom.


    "Why are you so quiet?" Rosemary asked, moving Aleksis out of her reverie. "Are you missing home?"


    "Eh ... you can say that ... haha ??..." Aleksis nodded and let out a small laugh. She did not miss her large and luxurious room. She was not a spoiled girl who could only live in luxury. She was just rather surprised to see the size of the rooms in this student dormitory.


    She arranged her belongings in the cupboard indicated by Rosemary, then sat on her bed and studied her surroundings.


    Hmm ... she could get used to living here.


    She was a little doubted whether she should be friends with Rosemary or ask to move to another room. She could not imagine how awkward it would be if Rosemary knew that Terry, who would dump her in a few days, was Aleksis'' brother, and that Aleksis was actually responsible for her suffering.


    She did not expect that Rosemary, who caught her daydreaming, thought Aleksis was missing home. Rosemary then boiled some water and made tea. She then held up the cup of hot tea in front of Aleksis, "Do you want some ginger tea? This will make you feel better ..."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis was touched and felt even more guilty. She received the cup of ginger tea from Rosemary''s and thanked her.


    The homemade ginger tea was really delicious.


    "Do you miss your boyfriend?" Rosemary asked her suddenly, "Sorry, I didn''t mean to interfere, but your face looks sad, and I think you''re sad because you have to leave your boyfriend in Germany ..."


    Wahh ... on the contrary, I came to Singapore to look for my boyfriend ... thought Aleksis. She was amused.


    Even though Rosemary guessed wrong, Aleksis could appreciate Rosemary''s good intentions for worrying about her.


    Hmm ... actually Rosemary was not wrong at all ... when she mentioned the word ''boyfriend'', Aleksis'' mind immediately went to Alaric, whom she just met a few hours ago. Why did she miss him already? It''s only been a few hours, right? Gosh ...


    "Why ... yes, I miss my boyfriend ..." Aleksis said honestly.


    "Wow ... I understand the feeling," said Rosemary, smiling happily, "How long have you two been together?"


    Uhm ... two days?


    "Actually, we are still in a new relationship. I have known him for a long time, but only yesterday he finally confessed his love to me ..." Aleksis said later. "I am so happy..."


    Rosemary covered her mouth with both hands and her face showed a surprised and happy expression, "Whoaa... then we are the same! Me too! I''ve known Terry for a long time. He is my senior in the cinematography department. ... And two days ago he suddenly confessed his love to me and asked me to be his girlfriend ... I didn''t know that he secretly liked me too ... "


    Uhm ... okay. Aleksis started feeling uneasy.


    Terry certainly was not secretly in love with Rosemary as she thought, because Terry always told Aleksis about any girls he liked, if any, whenever they met, and Terry had never mentioned Rosemary once.


    Aleksis believed that even Terry didn''t know that Rosemary was his own junior ... while Rosemary had been having a crush on Terry for a long time.


    Of course, Terry''s sudden love confession made the girl very happy ...


    Oh, God....

 Chapter 319 - Im not Mother Theresa

    "Wait a minute, I have to call my brother first, to let him know that I have arrived in the dormitory in one piece ... I''m afraid I will forget and make him worried," said Aleksis quickly. "We will talk again later..."


    "Oh ... yes, of course," said Rosemary. "You can talk on the balcony. There is enough privacy there."


    "Thank you," said Aleksis. She quickly went out to the balcony and called Terry from her phone-watch.


    "Terry, do you remember Rosemary?"


    "Who?" Terry asked nonchalantly.


    "Uhm .. the woman on campus that you asked to be your girlfriend and kissed?" Aleksis began to sound furious.


    "Oh, is her name Rosemary?"


    "Yes! Gosh ... Terry, you have to think about karma, okay! Don''t play with women as you wish. You can''t just do as you wish. If you wish to fool around, please wait until I leave Singapore and return to Germany."


    "Huh? Why? Why all of a sudden?"


    "She is my roommate in the dorm!!!" Aleksis almost screamed, but then she remembered that Rosemary in the room may hear her voice.


    "Oh ..." Smart Terry immediately understood what was happening. "Hahaha ... wow, sorry, it''s not my fault that you get slapped by my karma now. Whose fault was it that I suddenly have a girlfriend ?"


    "I know it was my fault... but I''m not comfortable with Rosemary if she knows that I''m your sister ... She has a crush on you for real, and from the sound of it, she has liked you for a long time. Just don''t hurt her by breaking up with her after a few days ... Please, please do this for my sake ..."


    Terry laughed happily at the other end of the line. He was pleased to know that this time he held an ace over Aleksis. "All right, I will stay as her boyfriend for one month, but you must obey my request ..."


    "Ugh ... what is that?" Aleksis had a bad feeling. Her brother was quite eccentric and she was worried that he would make her do stupid things.


    "I don''t know yet. I''ll think about it first." Terry smiled broadly, "Agree?"


    "You want me to agree to fulfill one of your requests, God knows what, in exchange for you not being a jerk and play with Rosemary''s heart? Do you think I''m Mother Teresa?" Aleksis decided she could not trust Terry.


    "Well, then. Tomorrow, on campus, I will look for ... what''s her name ... Rosemary, yes, Rosemary, and tell her that I was just playing with her..."


    Ugh ... Aleksis felt she was given a difficult choice.


    "Why don''t you have any feelings for Rosemary?" Aleksis asked, "You kissed her already ?!"


    "So what if I kiss her? That''s normal ..." Terry said nonchalantly.


    "How can you kiss someone you don''t love?" Aleksis protested.


    "Not only kissing, men can sleep with women even if they don''t love them. It''s just physical contact, it''s meaningless," Terry began to sound tired, "It''s late, I''m sleepy and tomorrow I have a presentation for my class assignments. I want to sleep early tonight."


    Aleksis remembered Alaric''s words who thought that kissing was the union of feelings and emotions with someone who were compatible with each other, which was why he had never kissed any woman until he met Aleksis.


    Aleksis agreed with this and she had also read a psychological study which found that humans could indeed have sex without love, but it was not the same as kissing.


    A kiss involved feelings. Many commercial sex workers refuse to kiss their clients so they do not use their feelings when doing their jobs, because kissing could bring love. Of course, they didn''t want to fall in love with clients who screw them just for physical release.


    Aleksis felt a little disappointed because Terry really didn''t care about Rosemary and could easily kiss her without even knowing her, while the girl actually took Terry''s kiss with all her heart.


    Aleksis felt ashamed to have such an ignorant brother. Inwardly, she missed Alaric whom she thought treated women well and respectfully.


    "Uhm ... let me think about this first," Aleksis finally said, "You don''t have to decide on Rosemary now, okay ... Tomorrow I''ll tell you my decision ..."


    "Okay, then I''ll wait. Good night."


    "Good night."


    Aleksis hung up. She almost returned to the room when she suddenly remembered to call Alaric.


    "Hey .. haven''t you slept yet?" Alaric''s said on the other end of the phone. "What are you doing?"


    "Thinking about you," Aleksis confessed.


    Alaric burst out laughing. Gosh ... Aleksis really wasn''t shy about confessing her feelings.


    "Hmm .. thank you. No wonder my ears were burning ..." said Alaric in a joking tone, "Have you arrived in the dorm? How is your room?"


    "Uhm ... not bad. I share a room with a sophomore too. The person seems kind."


    "I''m glad to hear that. Please let me know your schedule tomorrow so I can send Takeshi and Mischa to find you ..."


    Ohhh ... Aleksis almost forgot about her dilemma about the two sets of bodyguards who didn''t know each other. She still hadn''t found a way for them to guard her without bumping into one another.


    She could only imagine Carl and Sascha''s reaction when they saw two mysterious people trailing Aleksis everywhere. They would have thought that the two assassins from Rhionen were stalkers, and vice versa.


    "Y ... yes ..." Aleksis answered weakly. "Uhm ... can you send me their photos to me so I can recognize them tomorrow?"


    "Normally I don''t share the faces of my men, but I will make an exception for you," Alaric said. Twenty seconds later Aleksis received two photos.


    She was very surprised to see the faces of the two men.


    Takeshi was a handsome young Japanese man in his early 20s who looked a bit like a nerd with his black-rimmed glasses, while Mischa looked just as young, but his appearance was very flamboyant and one would think that he was either a  model or a gigolo.


    Were these the faces of the two most dangerous killers from Rhionen Assassins? Not at all as she imagined.


    Her own bodyguards, Carl (actually named Karel) and Sascha were former captains of the Russian secret forces. They were in their 40''s and they looked very intimidating.


    If a pervert bothered Aleksis, the presence of Carl or Sascha alone was enough to make them tremble.

 Chapter 320 - Agreement with Carl and Sascha

    Aleksis decided to think about the matter tomorrow. Usually after sleeping she would be able to find a solution.


    She returned to the room and smiled awkwardly at Rosemary.


    "Uhm .. I''m done calling my brother ..." she said.


    "Oh, okay. Is everything alright?" asked Rosemary. "Earlier, I heard that you guys had a fight ..."


    "Ohoho ... No, really. We always talk like that. Don''t worry." Aleksis smiled broadly, calming Rosemary down.


    "I don''t know what you''re majoring in ... do you already know where you need to go to study tomorrow?" Rosemary asked again.


    Aleksis had forgotten what she majored in ... Haha. She did not really care, actually. She hurriedly took out the agenda given by Ms. Lauren last Friday and examined her schedule.


    "I''m majoring in information management," she replied with a shrug.


    "Ohh .. That means you''re in the same department as Nicolae ... He''s one of the most popular guys on campus," Rosemary said enthusiastically. "He and Terry are rivals in terms of popularity. They are always on the top rank of the Ideal Husband Candidates Poll on our campus."


    "Ideal Husband Candidates???" Aleksis wanted to laugh out loud when she heard that Terry was included in this strange poll. Ideal Husband my foot!


    She then frowned when she heard the name Nicolae. She had heard that name before ... But where ...


    Seeing Aleksis'' reaction, Rosemary could only shake her head. She opened her computer and showed her the Splitz social media platform and opened the St. Mary University Group. On the group board Aleksis could see a lot of polls, announcements and news about the campus and its students.


    "Terry doesn''t have an account on Splitz, but he is so famous that many people made fan pages for him and put him in various polls. Aside from being very handsome, his future is very bright as an actor or filmmaker. He has won many awards since freshman year." Rosemary opened one of the polling boards and showed the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES to Aleksis.


    At the first place was Terry Chan. He looked very handsome on the picture, which was probably taken secretly by a fan. At the second place was another handsome young man with long blond hair and dark blue eyes ... Aleksis immediately shrieked when she saw who the man was.


    Apparently this was Nicolae! Now she remembered.


    They had met three times and Aleksis had thought he was Prince Siegfried before she met Alaric.


    "Why are you so surprised? Are you surprised because we have such handsome men in our campus?" Rosemary asked with a chuckle. "Aside from them, there are still a number of other students in the poll, but only these two are still single, so that they become the most sought after men by every girl in our school ... Uhm ... er, Terry is no longer single though, because last Friday he confessed his love to me ..."


    Rosemary''s face turned red which made Aleksis wanted to massage her temple.


    Ugh ... she had to take care of this problem. Rosemary seemed like a good girl and she might be traumatized by men if tomorrow Terry decided to just break her heart.


    "Oh ... congratulations ..." said Aleksis in an odd tone. "I hope your relationship will last for a long time ..."


    "Thank you ..." Rosemary smiled sheepishly, "Who knows when you go to school, you will meet Nicolae and he might fall in love with you too..."


    "Eh, I already have a boyfriend..." Aleksis said quickly.


    "Oh really? Whaa .. yes I forgot, you told me earlier." Rosemary nodded. "Alright, it''s late, we should better go to sleep. I''ll take you to breakfast and show you around the dormitory tomorrow morning before class."


    "Thank you ..." Aleksis nodded "Good night."


    ***


    The next morning after familiarizing herself with the situation and rules of the dorm, Aleksis contacted Carl and Sascha and asked them to meet her at the campus gate.


    "My good uncles, I am very grateful because all this time you have been guarding me from bad people. You are both so amazing and I love you very much ..." Aleksis started her conversation with the two bodyguards by praising Carl and Sascha. "How many years have we been together?"


    "Hmm ... almost eight years. Since Young Miss was kidnapped by some bad people," Carl answered firmly.


    "Do you know who saved me from the bad guys last time?" asked Aleksis.


    "You call him Prince Siegfried ..." this time Sascha answered.


    "That''s right .. you know the reason that I moved to Singapore is to look for himt ... Well, a few days ago ... I found him! I''m so happy !!!"


    Carl and Sascha looked at each other and smiled. They were also happy to see their Young Miss happy. They had both been the girl''s bodyguards since she was a child and they understood her obsession with the young man who saved her.


    "Congratulations, Miss. Do you already know who he is?" Carl asked curiously.


    "Uhmm ... don''t know yet, and I''m counting on you to help me keep it a secret. You know what Dad is like, he might fly right here and interrogate Prince Siegfried ..."


    The two bodyguards nodded in agreement. They knew that the Master was very overprotective over his only daughter.


    "What about Sir Lauriel, does he know?" asked Sascha.


    Aleksis shook her head, "Right now only you two and Terry know. So you see how much I trust you and tell you even things I don''t even tell my parents ..."


    Both of their faces looked very happy and proud. Aleksis'' trust in them by sharing her secrets made them feel very valued. They were also happy that the girl did not do silly things behind their backs that would worry them.


    "Fine, we will keep this a secret, as long as Miss always tells us what is happening, so we don''t get overwhelmed," Carl said.


    "Well, ahem ... now I have a problem ..." Aleksis coughed a little. "Prince Siegfried does not know who I really am. He thinks that I am an ordinary girl. When he found out that I was was deliberately looking ugly so as not to be bothered by insolent men, he assigned two bodyguards to protect me ... Imagine that! Besides my father who assigned you guys to look after me, Prince Siegfried now also sent his bodyguards ..."


    Carl and Sascha immediately understood the dilemma their Young Miss was facing. Both smiled, feeling amused.

 Chapter 321 - Aleksis First Day in School

    "So you are telling us this, so that we would know from the start that later there would be two suspicious people trailing Miss?" Carl asked, concluding.


    "No wonder last night Miss asked us to leave," Sascha held back his laughter by pretending to cough.


    "Well ... that''s true ... You understand quickly." Aleksis was very happy because even though Carl and Sascha were cold and scary, they were always very warm to her and they always tried to fulfill her wishes.


    They have been with her ever since she was 12 years old until now when she was almost 20. She continued her conversation, "The two guards provided by Prince Siegfried will not know about you, but you will know about them, so you can prepare and act accordingly. Please don''t attract any attention."


    "All right, miss. We understand. You know what kind of bodyguards will be sent for you?" Carl asked.


    "I have their photos." Aleksis hurriedly showed Carl and Sascha Takeshi and Mischa''s photo. They both immediately frowned after looking at the pictures.


    "Are they really bodyguards? They look like ordinary students. One looks so flamboyan,  people might think he is a pimp ..." commented Carl. "Did he give you the wrong photo?"


    Aleksis shook her head firmly. She pointed to Takeshi''s photo, "This is Takeshi, he''s a Phoenix level assassin from Rhionen Assassin."


    Carl and Sascha simultaneously held their breath. They had heard rumors about the most mysterious assassin group in the world. The rumors had never been proven, so they had thought it was just an urban legend.


    "According to the legend, a phoenix level assassin has the killing power equivalent to one of our special forces in the military," Sascha murmured softly. He exchanged glances with Carl. Both of them were former captains of the special forces in Russia so they knew the capabilities of their special troops.


    "Uhmm ... yes, that''s Takeshi. The other one, his name is Mischa ... he''s a Dragon level in Rhionen Assassins ..." Aleksis continued.


    She was satisfied to see the faces of her two bodyguards turn to shock.


    A Phoenix-level assassin was already very dangerous ... but apparently their young miss was also given a bodyguard from the Dragon Level?? Who was this Prince Siegfried really? Both Aleksis'' guards thought in confusion.


    "Hmm ... fortunately, Miss told us first, so we can get ready. If we hadn''t known, it is very likely that we would cross paths with them and the consequences would definitely not be pleasant," Sascha commented. "At this rate, we already know that we should avoid them."


    "Thank you for understanding so quickly," said Aleksis. "Right now I can''t reveal my true identity to Prince Siegfried yet ... Maybe later, when everything is settled, I can tell him about my family, and everything about me ..."


    "We understand, Miss."


    "Fine. Then I''ll go to class now. You don''t need to worry about me. Later, I''ll let you know when I''ve met Takeshi and Mischa ... For the time being, you guys can just relax ..."


    "Alright, Miss. Take care in school!"


    Aleksis then entered the campus and looked for her classroom. She had her schedule in her hand so she knew that her first lecture was in the hall. It was one of the general mandatory subjects.


    As of today Aleksis still wore her shabby clothes and a pair of nerdy glasses, so she still looked very nerdy. She still didn''t want to attract too much attention on her first day.


    Aleksis saw that the public lecture was held in a very large hall attended by students from several departments. She entered the auditorium and looked for a seat at the very back. She had no intention to really study, and her plans were to as much as possible avoid any form of attention.


    Turning left and right, she realized that she was sitting in an unpopular part of the room. Ugh ... wasn''t her objective of going to school to make friends? How would she be able to gain any friends if she sat alone in the back. She immediately stood up and directed her attention to the front. Everyone seemed to have their circle of friends already.


    As a transfer student, she didn''t know anyone on this campus (except Terry who was a few years her senior, and now Rosemary who was from a different department), while the other students all knew each other and some of them had formed their own groups.


    "Hey ... Aleksis! Come here !!"


    Suddenly she saw someone sitting at the front row waving at and asking her to come.


    Gosh ... that was Rosemary. Speaking of the devil, thought Aleksis.


    Relieved, she walked toward Rosemary to sit next to her.


    Since she was in a hurry, she did not notice a girl sticking out her foot in front of Aleksis with a mischievous smile on her face. Aleksis tripped and fell very hard on the floor. She almost hit her head on the table if she had not rushed to hold the fall with her elbows.


    "Hey ... why did you do that?!" Aleksis asked angrily. She hurriedly got up and cleaned her clothes, then immediately turned to stare at the girl who tackled her while clasping her hips.


    "I didn''t do anything. You were walking without using your eyes!" said the short-haired girl with a freckled face.


    Aleksis was very angry to hear that. She immediately grabbed the girl''s collar with a threatening attitude, "Do you think I''m afraid of you?!"


    Rosemary hurriedly walked over to them and separated the two. "Eh ... don''t fight, our assistant lecturer will be here soon. What are you guys doing? Cindy, she is my roommate, don''t bully her ..."


    The girl called Cindy was surrounded by her friends who all wore expensive clothes and makeup that was a little too daring for college kids. They all crossed their arms in demeaning look..


    "Rosemary, I''m just giving a lesson to this new kid. Last Friday she dared to take Terry out to lunch at the cafeteria. I will never forget her stupid glasses!" said Cindy angrily. "We are all Terry''s fans here, you know how it feels ..."


    Rosemary looked surprised, so she turned to Aleksis. "Really? Why didn''t you say you know Terry?"


    Gosh ... Aleksis felt like she wanted to throw a fit and pinch these fans of her brother.


    "Yeah, I did have lunch with him, so what?!" Finally she also crossed her arms on her chest and stood defiantly facing them all.


    Rosemary tried to hide her embarrassment. She remembered that last night she told Aleksis so much about her feelings for Terry, and Aleksis did not even mention that she knew Terry. This made her feel a little betrayed.


    She would ask Ms. Lee to move to a different room. She did not want to share a room again with Aleksis.


    But right now, she was sorry to see Aleksis being cornered. She then stood next to the girl.

 Chapter 322 - The Handsome Teacher Assisstant (1)

    "Aleksis is a transfer student. It''s only natural that Terry helped her get information about the campus. Why can''t you think clearly?" Rosemary scolded the girls. "If you bother her again, I will report you to the professor".


    Aleksis turned to Rosemary with a grateful look. She did not need help because she could defend herself, but she appreciated Rosemary''s good intentions.


    This made her feel even worse for the girl.


    Grumbling, Cindy and her friends returned to their respective seats. Aleksis then followed Rosemary to her seat.


    "Thank you," she whispered.


    Rosemary only shrugged and did not answer. Her usually warm attitude suddenly became very cold, which made Aleksis wonder.


    "Are you mad at me?" Aleksis asked, "What did I do wrong?"


    Rosemary took a deep breath and looked at Aleksis in annoyance, "You didn''t tell me that you already know Terry and you even had lunch with him. You let me pour my heart out about him ..."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis understood Rosemary''s feelings. She then looked at the girl carefully and tried to figure out what she had to do. Rosemary seemed to be a good girl, she was also beautiful and she treated Aleksis kindly. There would probably be no harm if Aleksis were to open up to her. "Uhmm ... okay ... I''ll tell you a secret ..."


    Rosemary looked at her in surprise. "What secret?"


    "Terry isn''t as good as you think. He didn''t really confess his love to you last Friday; he doesn''t even know your name ..." Aleksis finally decided that telling Rosemary the truth would save the girl from a prolonged heartbreak in the future, "He kissed you just for fun ... "


    Rosemary covered her lips in surprise. She never told anyone that Terry kissed her... but how could Aleksis know about it?


    "Wh ... what do you mean?" she asked in disbelief.


    Now it was Aleksis'' turn to sigh.


    "Terry is my brother ... That''s why I know all his quirkiness... He was just playing with you when he confessed his love ... I will make him apologize to you ..."


    "THAT''S IMPOSSIBLE!!"


    Rosemary almost screamed in anger. She thought Aleksis was playing with her.


    "All right ... if he''s really your boyfriend, do you have his phone number?" Aleksis asked patiently.


    Rosemary was immediately stunned. Indeed, since that day, she had never met Terry again and she did not even know his private phone number. She looked at Aleksis and her round eyes were almost in tears. Now she started to believe her.


    "Wh ... what is the proof that your words are true ...?" Rosemary asked finally in a soft voice.


    Aleksis nodded. She pressed the call button on her phone-watch and called Terry.


    "Hey, Big brother... where are you?"


    "Still at home. I have no class today," Terry answered on the other end of the phone.


    "I want to talk to my dog, please ... put my dog ??on the phone," Aleksis said in a cute tone. Terry could be heard grumbling and a moment later from her phone Aleksis could hear Little Prince Siegfried''s grunt. "Ahhh ... are you alright, Honey? Does Uncle Terry take good care of you? Ahh ... I really miss you. Tonight I''ll stop by Joo Chiat to see you, okay ..."


    Rosemary stared at Aleksis, who was conversing with her dog over the phone. She had heard Terry''s voice earlier, and that made her believe that Aleksis'' words were not lies.


    "What class are you attending this morning?" Terry asked later.


    "I don''t know ... ahaha ... What is clear is that the class is held in the auditorium and is very crowded. This is a general mandatory class," Aleksis answered.


    "Strange, usually the general class is always quiet. You know that nowadays students no longer have to go to class to study, because we can study on our own through an interactive module." Terry sounded surprised. "Usually the general class is only crowded if ..."


    "If what?" asked Aleksis.


    "Hmmm ... if it was taught by a teaching assistant who is the obsession of many women," Terry answered in a reproachful voice. "Only Nicolae''s class is always full of students, especially girls, because they want to see his face ... not really to study."


    Oh ... Aleksis understood now. No wonder the auditorium was almost full and most people fight over the seats in the front.


    "Oh... no wonder," said Aleksis. "I didn''t know he is a teaching assistant."


    "Just as a teaching assistant for that one class. He''s scary Parker''s  favorite student, so since last year he is often asked to help in Parker''s class. Please don''t get obsessed over him like most other female students ... I will lose face if you chase after him too! " grumbles Terry.


    "Yes, yes ... I know, that he is your rival on the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATE LIST... hahahaha ..." said Aleksis while laughing. She glanced at Rosemary who was still staring at her. "Uhm ... guess who I''m sitting next to?"


    "Who?" Terry asked.


    "Rosemary, your girlfriend. Do you want to talk to her?"


    Instantly Terry''s voice on the other end of the phone was gone. The call was disconnected.


    Rosemary looked shocked. She was following Aleksis'' conversation with Terry all this time and realized that the girl was indeed telling the truth.


    Her tears started falling down slowly to her cheeks. She understood now that Terry was just playing with her ...


    There was no way that Terry would secretly like her from the beginning. The young man might not even know who she was. She was wrong because she was too easily fooled ...


    "I''m sorry ..." said Aleksis quietly, after hanging up the phone from Terry.


    Rosemary shook her head and sat in her chair with a stiff face. Aleksis had no choice, she sat down next to the girl and took out her notebook.


    Ugh ... the first day of college wasn''t going well.


    "Good morning!" Suddenly, a handsome, cool-looking young man entered the auditorium. He greeted the class and enthusiastically all the students present greeted him back.


    "Good morning, Nicolae..." everyone shouted loudly and happily.


    Today Nicolae looked even more handsome than usual because he was wearing a formal shirt. His long-sleeved gray shirt was rolled up to his elbows and he was wearing black pants and expensive leather shoes.


    His blue eyes looked brilliantly bright and glittered on his handsome face that was adorned with perfect lines of symmetry. A lot of muffled shrieks could be heard from different corners of the room.


    Aleksis could only shake her head at the fan girls. She was used to being surrounded by good-looking people with perfect faces, therefore, for her, good looks and physical beauty had no meaning.


    She agreed that Nicolae was indeed very handsome, but because she already had Alaric in her heart, Aleksis could not even glance at another man.


    "Alright. This is our fifth meeting this semester. In two weeks we will have a midterm exam. This year I will make the test different from last year, so there''s no use in asking your seniors for last year questions." Nicolae scanned the attendance list and looked up at the entire auditorium, "If I''m not mistaken, we have a new transfer students in the middle of the semester? Who is the person?"


    Aleksis was aware that she was that transfer student Nicolae just mentioned. She raised her hand while rolling her eyes. Nicolae immediately looked at her and frowned.


    "Hey ... are you the new student?" He looked at the sheet of paper in his hand and nodded in satisfaction, "So your name is Aleksis Makela, huh?"


    Now the eyes of everyone in class were fixed on Aleksis. Most of the female students seemed to stare at her in astonishment and hate. They heard some excitement in Nicolae''s voice when he called Aleksis, and they did not like that.


    For some reason Aleksis could now draw the conclusion that she did not need a bodyguard to save her from annoying men, but from corny girls who were fans of Terry and Nicolae. She felt very uncomfortable with the way they looked at her with hatred.


    Ugh ... she must let the girls know that she was not interested in taking their two idols because she actually already had a boyfriend. She would ask Alaric to come to see her on campus so that the girls would no longer bother her.

 Chapter 323 - The Handsome Teacher Assisstant (2)

    Everyone stared at Aleksis, still waiting for her answer to Nicolae''s question.


    Ugh, eventually the girl slowly nodded and pretended to be busy with her bag and books.


    Seeing her behavior, people immediately concluded that the nerdy girl was a shy person. Nicolae also noticed Aleksis'' reluctance to talk so he left her alone and didn''t bother her again.


    As a teacher assistant, Nicolae taught the basics of innovation. His class discussed technological developments throughout human history. Today, the students would be learning to make case studies of various pros and cons in technological innovation that have, so far, existed.


    Some of the cases he discussed were genetic engineering to determine the characteristics of children, pets, and even pure cloning. These things were still a hot debate among the people because some wanted to have genetically perfected offsprings by manipulating their baby''s genes while they are still in the womb, while others likened the action into trying to play God.


    The discussion was very lively because the students were very enthusiastic to answer or submit rebuttal arguments in order to get noticed by their handsome teacher assistant. Even Aleksis who was lazy to debate followed the discussion with interest.


    "I think it''s okay, Sir," said a long-haired girl from the front row. "Humans have been trying to experiment with their bodies for a long time. Plastic surgery has been prevalent in South Korea since the 1990s, the IVF program has begun to be used by infertile couples who want to have children decades ago. Operations such as corneal transplants, heart transplants, kidney transplants, etc, are carried out to prolong the lives of people whose organs have been damaged. What is the difference between any of these and the current genetic engineering?"


    Nicolae nodded. "Thank you, Anna. Anybody wants to argue?"


    "In my opinion, everything Anna mentioned is still within normal limits, meaning there is no genetic engineering done. If humans are created to be more perfect species, we don''t need to use technology to change our genes. For example, we will be created like chameleons that have mimicry* ability ...


    Moreover, for tens of thousands of years, our bodies have evolved through evolution and that is natural engineering carried out by nature according to our needs. In my opinion, using technology to drastically change human genes will adversely affect humanity and create many problems in identifying an individual.


    If they can change their DNA, it will be difficult to trace a person''s true identity. This can be exploited to commit crimes, not to mention fraud or theft of DNA from people who are considered superior ... Even though we already have the technology, it doesn''t mean we should recklessly use it."


    Aleksis listened to the exchange of opinions with curiosity. She recalled that Alaric''s company possessed the most advanced AI technology. One of its subsidiaries was also carrying out genetic engineering works similar to what had been discussed in the class.


    Recently there was a lot of controversy surrounding the two technologies yet she had no idea what direction the world government policy would take in the future.


    If they knew that the alchemists had engineered their genes hundreds of years ago, surely the whole world would be in an uproar, thought Aleksis.


    She suspected that if humans continue their research on this, sooner or later, they would discover the same secrets that had been discovered by the Alchemists. It means that in the future, all humans would also be perfect and live forever.


    But humans have the habits of exploiting nature to the point of destroying it. They also kept breeding and filling the earth while consuming its natural resources ... If that time comes, how would the world accommodate the billions of immortal people?


    For hundreds of years, the alchemists were very small in number. Because they feel no need to rush their lives, they very rarely married and have children. This made them have a perfect society.


    Aleksis could not imagine what would happen once all humans turn immortal like her clan.


    "Does our transfer student have an opinion on this? You keep frowning ..." Nicolae''s sudden call knocked Aleksis out of her reverie. He had been watching her since earlier and was curious why she kept frowning and taking deep breaths.


    "Uhm ... in my opinion, whatever technology we use, nothing is more important than educating the public first why we need to use a certain technology. We need to provide some appropriate legalities and policies BEFORE launching a technology. For example, if a company will collect human DNA data, the government should first establish rules on how DNA data must be used. This is to prevent abuse ... So it should be a top to bottom approach."


    Even though the question came all of a sudden, Aleksis was smart and could answer casually. She made Rhionen Industries her reference and based her response on the information she received from Terry last night. Alaric''s Company had now collected a lot of genetic related data that they could easily abuse for their own purposes.


    The students in the auditorium seemed to be paying close attention. Aleksis'' answer was very simple but on point. Not only the students appeared impressed, but even Nicolae was. He threw Aleksis a complicated look before looking away, seemingly lost in thoughts.


    The discussion warmed up again but Aleksis did not interfere again. She did not want to attract too much attention. A message had come to her phone-watch from Takeshi telling her that he and Mischa would be waiting for her in the cafeteria at lunchtime.


    [OK. I''ll see you later.]


    The class ended at 10 am. Nicolae dismissed everyone after giving them some reference materials to read. The task was welcomed by the students, something Aleksis never expected since the assignment was only from a teacher assistant.


    She hurriedly left the place and looked for the next class. She was very surprised to see in such a large classroom, there were only 3 students.


    "Eh ... where are the others?" she asked. "I''m a new student ..."


    A student wearing a pair of glasses responded to Aleksis with a shrug. "It is rare for students to come to classes in person nowadays. Normally, they study remotely with an online module and only go to campus to take exams ..."


    Aleksis now understood what Terry meant this morning. Apparently, the case was ... Students very rarely come to class to study, unless the teacher assistant or professor was very handsome and famous ...


    Suddenly a mischievous smile was formed on her lips.


    Maybe it was true female students like handsome teachers... But what about male students? Wouldn''t they be very happy to come to campus if it meant seeing a very beautiful female student in the class ...


    Muhuahahaha ...


    At this point, Aleksis felt it was useless trying to cover up her appearance or make herself look ugly. It was because even though she looked shabby and nerdy, the girls on campus didn''t want to be her friends. They still saw her as a rival just because she was close to Terry and Nicolae had talked to her in class. Earlier, even Rosemary had begun to give her the cold treatment.


    From the beginning, Aleksis was not a girl that could be bullied, but now she was tempted to respond to the girls'' actions. Alright ... for today she would be patient.


    Tomorrow though, they would see a new Aleksis.


    .


    .


    * mimicry = the natural ability of a chameleon to disguise itself to look like its surrounding environment.

 Chapter 324 - Bullied by the Queen Bee

    The professor came and Aleksis immediately understood why so few students were present. He was a serious man in his 40''s, not attractive at all, and difficult to understand because he talked really fast.


    Fortunately, Aleksis was a very smart girl. She had learned from the best experts in the world and all the things now being taught on campus were things she heard directly from the creators of the theories.


    Aleksis flipped through the Information Management System module written by Prof. Hedwig then smiled to herself. She remembered meeting Prof. Hedwig three months ago in London. She even took private classes at his home for three days. Hmm ... She had even memorized the contents of his book by now.


    "Hey ... my name is Aleksis, what are your names?" she asked the three nerdy students in front of her. The three students, two male and one female, looked astonished. They just realized that Aleksis was a new student because they had never seen her in class, in the auditorium during the orientation or in any of the examination venues last year. Aleksis hurriedly added to her introduction. "Well ... as you can see, I''m a transfer student."


    "Oh... my name is Dave, this is Kris, and she''s Mel ..." said the young man wearing a pair of glasses. The guy with curly hair nodded. Mel, the girl with braces did too.


    "Oh... I remember you. You were at Nicolae''s class just now ..." Mel exclaimed to her. "Why did you suddenly transfer in the middle of the semester?"


    "Well ... it''s ... a long story." Aleksis was very happy because the three classmates looked friendly, unlike the girls in the auditorium.


    They stopped whispering when the lecturer cleared his throat and scolded them. The four students couldn''t move around too much because the class was very empty which made chatting difficult. The professor would easily notice every single thing they do.


    It turned out that Dave, Kris, and Mel belonged to the type of students who could not learn through long-distance modules. They preferred to attend classes in person in order to understand what was being taught. Aleksis had no difficulty learning through any method, but she preferred to come to class to meet new friends.


    After the second class ended, Aleksis immediately said goodbye to her new friends to go to the cafeteria. Dave, Kris, and Mel offered to join her because they also wanted to have lunch.


    "Uhmm ... okay then ... let''s eat together then..." Aleksis couldn''t refuse them because these three people were very friendly to her.


    He then sent a message to Takeshi.


    [I am having lunch with my classmates. Have you guys arrived at the cafeteria? Can you recognize me?]


    [We are already in the cafeteria.]


    Hmm ... alright. Aleksis decided to let Takeshi arrange their meeting. As bodyguards, they should let her live like a normal student without attracting attention. Just because they were meeting her doesn''t mean that she has to avoid eating with her classmates.


    The four students who looked very unattractive entered the cafeteria full of people.


    Aleksis was very pleased to see an empty table in the middle of the room and hurriedly placed her bag there. She was surprised though. At such a busy lunch hour, there were still seats available.


    As soon as she put her bag on the table, the cafeteria instantly became quiet. Mel looked shocked and frightened for Aleksis. The latter noticed her action and frowned in confusion.


    "Gosh ... don''t put your bag on that table!! That''s Anjali''s gang''s ... Nobody can take the seats from them..." Mel whispered in fear. "You''re new, so you don''t know ... But let''s hurry and get out of here before anyone reports you to her ..."


    Aleksis frowned upon hearing her.


    "Anjali? Who''s that? Is there a name on this table?" Aleksis asked nonchalantly.


    Mel sighed, she pointed at the corner of the table and read the small writing there, "AN-JA-LI ... There is a name on this table. Her father contributed a lot of money to a building at our university. You could say she was like a princess on our campus. "


    My father can buy the whole university if I want, thought Aleksis exasperatedly.


    She was not at all impressed with this Anjali girl. Stubbornly, she left her bag on the table then queued up in front of the food counter and bought lunch.


    Mel could only stand shivering on her spot after seeing Aleksis'' behavior. Dave and Kris seemed uneasy, not knowing what to do. The other students in the cafeteria also stood nervously watching the nerd and waiting for something to happen.


    Aleksis coolly brought her food tray to the table earlier and sat down there to enjoy her lunch. She acted as if nothing happened.


    Gosh... how come most students from public campuses act so corny, she thought resentfully.


    She had just eaten a few mouthfuls of her meal when suddenly five beautiful trendy-looking ladies in very expensive branded clothes entered. Amongst them, a beautiful girl with pink highlights on her hair walked like a queen bee.


    The five girls looked surprised to see a shabby-looking nerdy sitting casually where they should be while enjoying her lunch.


    "Heyyy ...! How dare you sit at my table!" the queen bee exclaimed in an angry tone. She turned to her side and one of her ''ladies-in-waiting'' quickly came over to Aleksis and pounded her fist on the table.


    "You must be new here. Anjali has been sitting at this table for two years," she said.


    "As far as I know, the tables in this cafeteria are owned by the campus, not by individuals. Why can''t other people take it for themselves?" Aleksis asked uncompromisingly. "Look, here are a few more chairs. If you are hungry, sit down and eat. I don''t mind sharing this table."


    The five girls looked at each other, then laughed out loud.


    "Hmmm, apparently you don''t know who I am ..." Anjali commented sarcastically.


    She gave a signal and her four cronies immediately grabbed the nerdy and dragged her off her feet. Anjali took a can of soda from the table and was about to pour it over Aleksis when Mel suddenly came forward and stood in front of her.


    "Please forgive my classmate, Sis Anjali... She is a transfer student, she is new here and doesn''t know anything ..." Her face looked scared but she tried to be brave. Aleksis felt touched because her new friend, Mel, was defending her.


    "Hmm... so she''s your friend? No wonder... nerds get along with nerds." Anjali commented with a mocking grin. "I''m in a good mood today. If you two kneel and apologize now, I will forget this incident. If not, both of you will be expelled tomorrow."


    Mel looked pale. She hurriedly dropped down and knelt before Anjali. She was a scholarship student and could not afford to get expelled.


    Aleksis was astonished at what was happening in front of her. She never expected for people to act this crazy on campus. She was not afraid of Anjali''s threat, thinking Caspar could easily buy the whole campus if she asked him to do so. No one would be able to kick Aleksis out of St. Mary.

 Chapter 325 - Nicolae to the rescue

    "Mel... get up ... You are innocent. They are only bullies who use their parents'' power to oppress others. You cannot let them bully you..."


    Aleksis hurriedly knelt to get Mel on her feet, but Anjali immediately slapped her cheek very hard. Aleksis who did not expect the assault did not manage to defend herself on time. Her body stumbled to the side.


    She almost hit the hard table when in a split second someone jumped out and caught her body.


    Aleksis did not get slammed on the table but on a rather broad chest of a tall young man dressed in a gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The young man quickly protected her. Because he was hugging Aleksis'' it was his back that received the impact.


    "Ugh ..." The young man grunted. He quickly balanced himself and made sure the girl was unharmed. "Are you okay?"


    He released Aleksis from his arms and touched her cheeks which had turned red from Anjali''s slap.


    Aleksis stared at Nicolae. His face was only inches from hers so she found herself unable to say anything.


    The cafeteria immediately exploded into turmoil.


    "Hey ... Nicolae ... why are you protecting her ?!" Anjali protested with a very angry face. "She deliberately challenged me and looked for trouble even though I was more of a senior than her. I was simply giving her lessons to respect the seniors. She is just a sophomore, but her attitude towards seniors had been very rude."


    Nicolae didn''t care about Anjali at all. He repeated his question to Aleksis.


    "Are you alright? Does your face hurt?"


    Aleksis shook her head slowly. "Th... thank you ..."


    She broke away from Nicolae who was still touching her cheek attentively.


    They had only met four times, but Nicolae''s attitude toward her was too caring. Aleksis felt uncomfortable, especially after considering that this young man was one of the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES of the girls on the campus.  He was the reason why she got bullied this morning in a public lecture class. Ugh ...


    Aleksis intended to tease the girls by sticking herself to Terry and make them jealous, but that was because Terry was her own brother. She did not want to get involved with Nicolae and add more to her problems.


    "If you want to have lunch, there is a better table ..." Nicolae said, smiling broadly. He took Aleksis'' food tray from Anjali''s table and pulled Aleksis'' hand before leading her to a spot in the corner. "I eat here. You can use my table anytime..."


    What is wrong with this Nicolae? wondered Aleksis, confused. Since class this morning Nicolae had been too friendly to her, as if they knew each other.


    However, they were NEVER formally acquainted. The first time they met was when he teased her about how her yawning would get her to eat flies. The second time was when Aleksis mistakenly hugged him from behind thinking he was Prince Siegfried.


    The third was when they encountered each other within the Continental Building elevator. The last was their meeting as teacher-student in the public lecture class this morning.


    They were not even friends. Why did he so kindly allow Aleksis to eat at his dining spot?


    "Yours? Aren''t all the tables on this campus owned by the university? Why do you people claim all the tables? Did you buy it yourself and bring it here?" Aleksis asked curtly. "If so, tomorrow I will also bring my own table."


    Nicolae laughed at Aleksis'' words. "We did not bring our own table here, but if you become one of the campus'' seniors, there are some advantages you can get and privileges that go with that status. This includes your favorite table that will not be disturbed by others. Over the past years, no one has used this table because they respect me. That''s all."


    Aleksis was about to argue, but when she turned to Anjali and saw the girl and her four cronies look very furious yet could not utter a thing, she felt relieved. Mel was also gone as soon as she saw Nicolae came to help Aleksis, so she won''t have to face Anjali''s fury for standing up for Aleksis.


    Hmm ... they are angry but cannot touch me since Nicolae is around, she hypothesized.


    Aleksis finally sat down on a chair in front of him and continued gorging on her meal. Nicolae watched her for a few moments then smiled broadly and joined her for lunch.


    Anjali and her friends could only look at them from afar with annoyed faces. People in the cafeteria also began talking about the incident. The discussion about it immediately became a hot topic on St. Mary''s Splitz social media group.


    After eating, Aleksis raised her face and looked at Nicolae. This young man made her curious.


    He was very handsome so it was only natural for him to have a lot of fans. But Aleksis did not expect him to be so smart that he could become a teacher assistant this semester.


    Just now as well, he showed how good his heart was when he helped her from Anjali and her friends. This was despite Aleksis still hiding her true appearance. This proved that Nicolae did not judge people by their outward appearances.


    "Why did you help me earlier?" Aleksis asked, probing.


    "Hmm ..." Nicolae stopped his meal and took a sip of water. After that, his attentive eyes stared back at the girl. "I don''t know. For some reason, it feels like we''re always bumping into each other. I think you''re an interesting person. I''m just curious ..."


    "Curious?"


    "You deliberately covered up your beauty and made yourself look unattractive by wearing a stupid and old-fashioned outfit... I wonder why people like you want to appear ugly in public. All the women I know want to look beautiful, but you''re the opposite. This has piqued my interest since last Friday. If I''m curious I will think about it nonstop until I lose sleep." Nicolae confessed.


    "Jeez ... just out of curiosity?" Aleksis shook her head then fixated her gaze at Nicolae. At first glance, this young man looked like Alaric. Even the hair looked similar.


    Ah, if she could see Alaric''s face, surely she would be able to compare them better.


    "Yes, just out of curiosity. Can you tell me what your goal is? Why did you get into this campus only to disguise yourself in such a way?" Nicolae questioned her bluntly.


    "Uhm ..." Aleksis did not prepare an excuse. It was never in her expectations that somebody would suspect her disguise on her first day in college. She could only massage her own forehead.


    "Yes?" Nicolae was still waiting for Aleksis'' reply.


    "Alright..." Aleksis felt that an honest answer was her best choice at the moment. "I don''t have friends since I have always been studying with a private teacher. I came here because I wanted to make female friends ... but I didn''t expect the girls on campus to be corny."


    "Why do you have to look ugly?" Nicolae asked, not understanding.


    Aleksis took a deep breath. "I have a really bad sense of fashion. Are you happy?"


    Nicolae narrowed his eyes and studied Aleksis'' face, "I think you are keeping a secret. I''m sure behind your disguise, you are actually very beautiful."


    Hearing such frank words from a very handsome young man who praised her beauty even though she totally looked unbearable inevitably made Aleksis'' heart quiver. For a while, she could not find her voice.


    Both stared and assessed each other without speaking.


    Suddenly Aleksis and Nicolae''s attention were pulled away. They heard a scream from the table where Anjali and her friends were sitting. Presumably, Anjali was about to walk toward the counter when she suddenly slipped and fell hard on the floor. Her clothes were torn and she was screaming for help from her ladies-in-waiting.


    A lot of excitement ensued as everyone tried to help her stand up and cover up her torn clothes.


    [Sorry, miss, this place is too crowded. Let''s meet at the dorm later this afternoon. I already avenged the girl for you. Sorry, we were not fast enough to help you earlier.]


    Not long after, she got a text message from Takeshi. Aleksis then realized that whatever happened to Anjeli was the deeds of her new bodyguard.


    Ha! Take that, evil girl! she thought exasperatedly.


    [Alright, see you later.]


    Aleksis glanced around trying to find Takeshi or Mischa but did not manage to see anyone looking like the people she was searching for.


    She understood that they saw what happened earlier and had also intended to help her. Nicolae just happened to be faster than them due to proximity.


    Hmm ... Aleksis just realized, maybe they would report this to Alaric? If so, they would then mention to him that she was saved by a very handsome young man and that they were now having lunch together?


    She wanted to know how Alaric would respond once he heard about it ...


    Would Alaric be jealous?

 Chapter 326 - Aleksis New Bodyguards

    Anjali was finally helped by her cronies out of the cafeteria. They looked so embarrassed. Aleksis just stared at their departure with a frown.


    She was glad Takeshi taught the rich and arrogant girl a lesson, but Aleksis still wanted to face Anjali herself tomorrow without having to rely on her bodyguards.


    In her head, she was already devising a plan. Tomorrow she would come to campus with a completely different look.


    Just watch, she thought.


    She didn''t notice that her lips gave out a faint smile.


    Nicolae let out a few coughs, knocking Aleksis from her thoughts. The young man seemed fascinated to see Aleksis daydreaming and smiling to herself.


    "Is there something funny? Care to share it?" he asked with a smile.


    Aleksis raised her face and looked at Nicolae with a frown. This fellow was too curious, she unhappily said in her mind.


    "I''m thinking of a suitable location for my table," replied Aleksis in a nonchalant manner.


    Yes, if the seniors on this campus can have their own table, she can too.


    If necessary, she would buy the most expensive table and put it in the cafeteria, complete with her name carved on it. She would definitely call Kurt Van Der Ven to prepare everything she wanted.


    "You''re kidding, right?" Nicolae asked with a laughing expression on his face.


    "Maybe." Aleksis just shrugged. She then got up and cleared her lunch tray, "Thank you for helping me out today and for letting me use your table. Good afternoon."


    Aleksis'' indifference towards his good looks hit Nicolae''s ego. All this time, the girls on campus or any woman he met were easily mesmerized by his handsome face, intelligence, and outgoing attitude.


    However, this nerdy and old-fashioned girl didn''t even give him a second glance.


    They had met several times, and on their second meeting, Aleksis even hugged him thinking he was somebody else ... but after that, her attitude toward him had turned cold and distant.


    Nicolae was not accustomed to receiving such treatment, but this made him even more curious. Who was this girl really?


    "Where do you live? Dormitory?" Nicolae asked while standing up. He also cleared his lunch tray and followed Aleksis to the tray storage.


    Aleksis began to feel annoyed because Nicolae followed her. The young man was very handsome, yet seemed too friendly to her. She looked around and found the girls in the cafeteria were staring at her with hatred. Ugh.


    She complained inwardly, Oh god ... She went to a public university so that I could have female friends... But look, here she was, feeling really unlucky, because, ever since she set foot on this campus, all she had ever received was hostility.


    It was not her fault that she was close to Terry because he was her brother. She also never intended to be friendly with Nicolae because she already had a boyfriend. But what could she do if the man was following her like this?


    Before Aleksis answered Nicolae''s question, she got an incoming SMS from Terry on her phone-watch.


    [Are you still in the cafeteria? I heard rumors about the commotion that happened there earlier. Are you okay? I''ll be there soon.]


    Gosh ... what rumor?


    [How did you know?] she asked.


    [The video was uploaded on Splitz earlier... the whole campus was in an uproar. Wait for me, I will be there soon.]


    Aleksis took a deep breath.


    The girls in the cafeteria were already staring daggers at her because she was with Nicolae. She could not imagine how they would react once they saw Terry coming for her.


    She did not want Takeshi to deal with so many women bothering her.


    She did not want to start a new disturbance.


    [Don''t go to the cafeteria. I''ve returned to the dorm. We will meet tonight at your house.]


    Without even saying a word to Nicolae, Aleksis hurriedly sent a message to Terry then hurriedly ran away from the cafeteria.


    The man with the blue eyes as deep as the ocean was astonished to see Aleksis running very fast and disappearing from his sight within seconds. This girl reminded him of a storm that came and went without warning.


    Unconsciously, a smile formed on his lips.


    ***


    Aleksis calmed her breathing in front of the dormitory building then pulled herself together. She was running really fast because she wanted to avoid new problems. She must immediately meet Takeshi and Mischa and coordinate with them.


    Later, she would get her nice clothes from the Penthouse so that tomorrow she would no longer need to disguise herself as an unattractive girl. After all, even though she made herself look shabby, the other girls still didn''t like her. It''s like she was experiencing double losses. She had to hide her beauty and still not make new friends.


    If she would have to accept mistreatment from her fellow female schoolmates, then it would be better if she faced their bullies by looking beautiful and classy.


    [I''m already in front of the dormitory building. Where are you?]


    Aleksis sent a message to Takeshi. She then decided to sit on a park bench under a shady tree while waiting for them.


    [We can see you, Miss. Just wait for us there.] Takeshi replied.


    All right ... I''m not in a hurry, thought Aleksis.


    One minute later, they came from behind her.


    Aleksis hurriedly turned around and saw two young men approaching her from behind the tree. Thanks to the photo Alaric showed her yesterday, she immediately recognized them as Takeshi and Mischa.


    Takeshi was a tall young Japanese man wearing black-rim glasses which made him look serious. His appearance was simple, the type that would not attract attention. But Aleksis could see that his movements were very light and looked dangerous.


    Mischa was an extremely handsome Eastern European man wearing a pink shirt with buttons opened down to his chest. Fashioned as a necklace, a leather string with an exotic wind-catcher metal pendant adorned his neck, and an expensive watch rested on his wrist. His curly golden hair was very beautiful, immediately reminded Aleksis of Little Lord Fauntleroy from the novel she read when she was younger.


    When Frances Hodgson Burnett''s novel, Little Lord Fauntleroy, was released at the end of 19th century, many parents wanted to have handsome boys with beautiful curly blonde hair like him so they dressed their sons to Lord Fauntleroy''s style of dress, wearing lacy and intricate aristocratic clothes that looked cute for little boys of that era.


    Aleksis mused that if Little Lord Fauntleroy grew up and became a model, his appearance would be like this Mischa guy. It would just be hard to imagine that Mischa was an assassin already at the dragon level.


    Alaric was really mysterious. And none of his people looked normal!

 Chapter 327 - Takeshi and Mischa Rhionen

    "Thank you for your help. Ugh ... I didn''t know that the girls here could be that corny..." Aleksis said, irritated. "I know that Alaric sent you two to protect me from annoying perverts, but it seems those you will face are vicious girls, a bunch of them... So I don''t know what to do. I don''t mind if you just take a vacation in Singapore during Alaric''s absence. I won''t tell him ... What do you think? You can''t possibly hit girls who will harass me, can you?"


    Takeshi and Mischa nodded their heads.


    "It''s okay. We are professionals. We don''t differentiate between men and women," Mischa answered in a nonchalant manner.


    "Hmm ..." Aleksis looked at the two people carefully. Inwardly, she thought it would be good to get close to Takeshi and Mischa. She could get a lot of information about Alaric from them. It seemed like these two people were quite close to her boyfriend.


    She then smiled very sweetly, "Well then. I can see you are professionals. I appreciate your professionalism. Uhm ... if I may ask, how long have you known Alaric Rhionen?"


    "Almost all my life ..." Takeshi answered with a mysterious smile. "You could say that Master raised us. He also taught us  everything we know ..."


    "Oh ..."


    Aleksis did not expect Takeshi to be with Alaric for such a long time. So  since he was a kid he had been following Alaric?


    Did that mean Alaric was the one who cared for him and raised him to become an assassin like he was now?


    It made sense, considering that Alaric was much older than them.


    She turned to Mischa. "How about you?"


    "Me too. Master is our foster father. He gave us the last name Rhionen when he took us out of the orphanage," Mischa responded.


    Gosh ...


    Aleksis could not believe her own ears. These two young men were Alaric''s foster children? Does it means....if she married Alaric, they would become her foster children too...


    She looked at both of them, agape. Never did she imagine herself having children several years older than her!


    "So ... you are Takeshi Rhionen ... and you are Mischa Rhionen ...?" she inquired to make sure.


    Both Takeshi and Mischa smiled upon seeing the shock on the girl''s face. They nodded at the same time.


    Aleksis never considered this possibility at all. She was satisfied knowing the fact that Alaric had never married, and that she did not have to compete with any other woman.


    She also heard from Alaric that he lived alone, so she had no idea that Alaric had foster children like Takeshi and Mischa, whom he trained to be professional assassins.


    "A ... how many foster children are there besides you two?" asked Aleksis. She began to feel dizzy at the thought of having several foster children who were all adults like these two.


    "There are only four," said Takeshi. "One day Miss will meet the other two. Master loves you so much that he sent us to protect you while he is not around."


    Aleksis was touched to hear that.


    She really missed him. Ah, Alaric would leave for England tomorrow. It wouldn''t hurt Aleksis to see him tonight before he left.


    She could not stand the thought of being separated from him for a week ... much less a month.


    "Takeshi ... will you guys take me to his house? He won''t tell me his address ... Even though I really want to meet him before he left ..." Aleksis persuaded them, showing tears in her best puppy eyes. "I was very touched to hear him being so caring to me ... It''s up to you if you want to take me there with my eyes covered so I won''t recognize the route to his house ... I don''t mind... So please take me to see him ..."


    Takeshi gave a small cough hearing Aleksis'' plea. He then cleared his throat, "If you want to see Master, you don''t have to go to his home. At this hour, he is still at his office in the Continental Building."


    "Oh really? Then, I''ll meet him there. I actually want to go to the Continental Building to get clothes anyway ..." said Aleksis. "Thank you for the information. I''ll go now."


    Takeshi and Mischa bowed respectfully.


    "Then we will just do our job. You are welcome to do your activities as usual." Takeshi told her with a smile.


    He and Mischa then retreated and disappeared into the park. Aleksis exited the dorm area and then hailed a taxi. She hurriedly went to the Continental Hotel to bring her bag of expensive clothes to the dormitory. She would not appear as an unattractive girl again.


    Later, before returning to the dorm, she would stop by Alaric''s office on the 39th floor to surprise him.


    The girl was so happy on her way to the Continental Building, that she unconsciously hummed during the whole ride.


    Aleksis wished she could grow a pair of wings right away so that she could soon arrive at the Continental Building, change her appearance, and come to Alaric''s office.


    As soon as the taxi stopped, she immediately jumped off and hurried into the elevator for the 100th floor. Aleksis took a shower and chose the most beautiful dress. She paired it with strappy sandals that looked very feminine.


    She was like a supermodel ready for the runway.


    After making herself pretty in front of the mirror and feeling satisfied with her appearance, Aleksis quickly descended to the 39th floor. On her way there, the elevator stopped several times on the other floors and people came out and entered it.


    All of them were stunned to see such a beautiful and charming girl in an elevator with radiant looks.


    When the elevator finally stopped on the 39th floor, Aleksis immediately exited it and hurried into the Rhionen Industries office. However, before she could even enter, a female staff swiftly blocked her.


    "Sorry, Miss. Who are you? Do you have an appointment?"


    "I want to see Mr. Rhionen. Is he in his office?" Aleksis asked quickly.


    The staff judged Aleksis from head to toe and unconsciously stared at her in admiration. She felt that this astounding lady must have come to see her boss because they had had business before.


    She wondered who this girl really was and what was her relationship with Mr. Rhionen.


    "Uhm ... please wait in this lobby for a while, I''ll call him."


    Ugh ... Aleksis initially wanted to give him a surprise, but she knew the employees of this company would think she was arrogant if she just barged in. She had no choice but follow the procedure in this office and accept the staff''s offer to call Alaric for her.


    "Alright ..." Aleksis sat down on the sofa and waited patiently. The staff approached the desk and phoned Alaric in his office.


    "Good afternoon, Sir. There is a lady here who wants to see you." She raised her head and threw Aleksis a questioning look.


    "Oh ... just tell him, it''s Princess Aleksis ..." said Aleksis quickly. At first, she wanted to give a fake name, but then got worried that Alaric would refuse to see her because he could not recognize the name. Because of this, she settled with adding the title ''Princess'' before her name.


    The staff seemed astonished at what the other girl said, but still conveyed what she heard to her boss. Five seconds later, she nodded and hung up.


    "Sir will come out to meet you."


    "Oh..." Aleksis felt rather surprised to hear Alaric would come out for her. She expected the man to tell his staff to let Aleksis enter his office. It turned out he was going out to meet her in the lobby.


    Did it mean Alaric didn''t want her to come inside?

 Chapter 328 - The genetic disorder

    A few minutes later, her question was answered by Alaric''s appearance in the lobby. His hair looked short and had a somewhat platinum-blonde shade. Aleksis remembered that yesterday when she met Alaric, he still had his long, shoulder-length blonde hair, tied with a red ribbon.


    Why did his appearance change today ???


    Did he cut and dye his hair today? What for?


    Aleksis really didn''t understand.


    If Aleksis didn''t recognize Alaric''s body shape and if his face was not covered by a leather mask, she would think he was someone else.


    Alaric smiled a little when he saw Aleksis. "Good afternoon, Princess."


    The receptionist seemed astonished to see her boss smiling and even calling the girl ''Princess''.


    Was the guest in their lobby right now a genuine royal princess? She initially thought the girl was merely joking.


    "What happened to your hair?" Aleksis asked, confused.


    His body, appearance, voice all belonged to Alaric, but his hair became completely different from the last time she saw the man.


    Alaric just shrugged.


    "Maybe a genetic disorder. I''m still investigating the cause. My hair sometimes changes colors on its own whenever I experience profound emotional changes. You could say my scientists are very happy to make me their guinea pig. There is a lot of interesting information that they can investigate in me." He grabbed Aleksis'' hand and led her across the office and then into his room. "I didn''t expect you to come this fast. Takeshi said you will be coming, but I assumed it would take a bit longer."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis could only say yes.


    Her conjecture was correct, Takeshi indeed reported everything to Alaric. However¡­ did he tell Alaric what happened at the cafeteria?


    Alaric had a commanding presence which prompted everyone in the office not to try to even tilt their heads up to steal glances at the girl who came to see their boss and then got brought into his room.


    They could only guess inwardly, but there was nothing to talk about.


    In his room, Alaric took out a pot of tea and two cups and then presented it to Aleksis. "Tea?"


    "Thank you." Aleksis received one cup with a happy heart. Apparently, her guess was wrong. Alaric went out to meet her in the lobby to greet her, not because he didn''t want Aleksis to enter his room.


    This thought made her very happy. Alaric actually appreciated her so much and treat her like a real princess. He even casually followed Aleksis'' game earlier and greeted her with ''Princess'' in front of his staff.


    "How is life in the dorm? How is your first day in college too?" Alaric asked, sipping his tea.


    "It''s normal, my classes weren''t interesting," Aleksis quickly replied. "I want to know why your hair can change so quickly. If I didn''t know your body ... I would have thought you are someone else posing as Alaric Rhionen."


    "Know my body?" He asked in a teasing tone, making Aleksis almost spout the tea she was drinking.


    "Ugh ... you know what I mean," Aleksis said with a blushing face.


    Well, at this point, of course, she recognized Alaric''s body, because they had been exploring each other''s bodies so intimately for a few hours yesterday. And she would always recognize the delicate movements and the gentle nature of the deadly Demon King. He was the perfect Yin and Yang.


    "I know," Alaric nodded. His face behind the mask looked amused. He tapped on his thigh, signaling Aleksis to sit on his lap.


    Looking a little shy, the girl obeyed. Of course, she was very happy to sit on Alaric''s lap. If possible she would sit there forever and never go home.


    "What about genetic disorders? I''ve never seen a person who can turn his hair white overnight." Aleksis stroked Alaric''s hair, making sure his hair was indeed authentic.


    "This is not white, but platinum blonde." Alaric corrected her words. He objected to calling his hair white. He was not that old yet. "I told you I don''t know what causes it, but I''ve experienced drastic changes in my hair color several times before. Usually, it''s because something big happened in my life. Even now, my team of scientists is still investigating it.


    And you''re wrong, there are some people recorded in history to experience overnight changes with their hairs. One of them was Queen Marie Antoinette* of France. She was captured in the French revolution and sentenced to death by guillotine. Because she was so depressed about losing her children, all of her beautiful hair turned white overnight."


    "Hmmm ... you''re right ..." Aleksis finally agreed. She still remembered the name Marie Antoinette from a history book. She kept stroking Alaric''s hair, "But why is your hair short now?"


    "I don''t like having platinum-colored hair long. It''s making me look like an old man or fairy from Rivendell, so I cut it..." Alaric chuckled. "You don''t like it?"


    "Uhm ... I like it. Actually, if I may be honest, this is the hair cut and color that suits you best. I really like it ..." Aleksis said quietly. She gave Alaric an enchanted look. The man in front of her actually looked very charming, even with his face covered by a mask. Aleksis was sure that even if his face was disfigured, he would still look cool.


    Alaric nodded. "Hmm ... maybe that''s what happened. Because I really like you, my body unconsciously adjusted to what you will prefer. My hair naturally followed your wishes ..."


    Aleksis laughed. "Ahahahaha ... this is progress. A pick-up line! I have never heard you say cheesy things like this..."


    "You don''t believe it?" Alaric asked.


    "I don''t believe it. But I appreciate your efforts in dropping pick up lines..." Aleksis answered while giggling.


    She knew that for Alchemists, changing hair color was normal. Their bodies were formed in such a way that they just simply know what would make them look best. This was why alchemists never cut their hair. Their hair growth would cease according to their needs, the color would sometimes change slowly following the conditions that were suitable for them.


    This made the people of the Alchemists always look like the perfect version of themselves. However, the changes in hair color usually do not occur overnight. Aleksis'' hair once had changed from light brown to blonde in a span of several months.


    Considering that Alaric was an ordinary human, it should be even more impossible for his body to adjust to the type of appearance that Aleksis liked. Most likely, he had a genetic disorder affecting his system, or like Marie Antoinette, he had experienced something traumatic.


    "Hopefully, this genetic disorder will not cause you some negative effects..." Aleksis added. She was still touching his hair lovingly.


    The man nodded. He no longer tried to convince Aleksis that deep within he truly believed that his body was responding to Aleksis'' love and somehow changing to what she would like.


    This morning when he woke up with platinum-colored hair, he did not understand why his hair had changed and hurriedly cut it because he did not like it. It was only when he heard about Aleksis'' fondness of his new appearance that Alaric suspected this was his body''s response to Aleksis'' love.


    Crazy, even his body loved the girl so much that it unconsciously followed her preferences.


    Over the last few years, scientists had discovered some interesting things about Alaric''s body.


    Since he founded Rhionen Industries 15 years ago, he decided to do research on himself, on why he was not aging, and how the super genes in his body could be used for technological advances.


    As a result of the experiments, they succeeded in finding a cure for cancer, which made the company very rich and influential.


    In reality, the super genes in Alaric''s body could cure all types of diseases. That was why a pharmaceutical subsidiary in Rhionen Industries was founded, and since then they became known as the only company that managed to find a cure for cancer.


    After 15 years, there were still so many inexplicable things from Alaric''s body, including his ability to sometimes slowly changed his outward appearance.


    But he could not tell this to Aleksis, because she would not understand ... It would be better to continue calling it a genetic disorder, easier to believe, he thought.


    "Hmm ..." Alaric touched her hand which was still rubbing his head, "So you like my new look?"


    Aleksis nodded. Seeing her do so, Alaric happily smiled.


    For a moment they looked at each other.


    Then, unconsciously they brought their faces together and searched for each other''s lips. Together they closed their eyes and kissed each other passionately. Both their bodies were like the south and north magnetic poles that met and then immediately connected. A soft moan escaped from Aleksis'' lips as Alaric''s tongue roamed her mouth. It made the man more enthusiastic to kiss her.


    The kisses were followed by loving caresses on each other''s face and body. A moment later, Alaric rose from his seat with Aleksis still on his lap, automatically carrying the girl to the room in the office where he usually rested.


    This was not their first time, so Alaric didn''t ask whether Aleksis wanted to do it in bed in the room or somewhere else. He couldn''t wait any longer.

 Chapter 329 - You Will Give Me Diabetes

    Aleksis did not know how long she spent time with Alaric in his office today. She just knew one thing: that it was never enough. After making love passionately, they sat down and chatted about trivial matters. It was then that Aleksis narrated her very bad first day in college to him.


    "Even though I deliberately made myself appear ugly... problems still came to me. I don''t know what else to do..." she complained. "Thank God, Takeshi taught Anjali a lesson so I didn''t need to intervene."


    "Still, he was not fast enough," Alaric commented with a frown. "He said you were saved by another man in the cafeteria. I heard that he is very handsome."


    "Oh... he''s one of the reasons why the girls are making things difficult for me. I''ve only met him a few times by accident. But even though we don''t really know each other, he''s treating me like a friend..." Aleksis snorted. "The crazy students on that campus made a list of IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES and he is one of the favorites. Because he acted friendly to me, all the girls have gone crazy ..."


    "Does he like you?" Alaric asked attentively.


    "I don''t know. But I don''t think so. To me, he just seems to be a really friendly person. You know for yourself how I look like on the outside, right?" said Aleksis in an annoyed tone. "Someone as handsome and popular like him can''t possibly like a nerd like me."


    "My Sweetheart... no matter how you try to look ugly on the outside, you are still very beautiful. Only a blind man won''t be able to see it..." Alaric looked fixedly at Aleksis. "I am very worried about what would happen if those men saw your true appearance... Even now that you have disguised yourself to look unattractive, I still have so much competition ..."


    "Will you be jealous?" Aleksis asked hopefully.


    Alaric did not answer,


    Aleksis was exasperated to see her boyfriend showing no signs of jealousy. She couldn''t help pinching Alaric''s hand very hard.


    The man only smiled faintly, looking as if he did not feel pain from her pinches even after she poured all her strength on it. The girl could only purse her lips in indignation.


    "Your tolerance for pain is amazing," she grumbled.


    "It doesn''t hurt," Alaric said with a smile. "You have to practice a lot to be able to hurt me."


    Aleksis pursed her lips again. "I don''t want to hurt you... but I''m annoyed because you''re not jealous at all. Nicolae is very handsome, and he is very friendly to me, but you just said you''re only worried, not jealous. People said jealousy is a sign of love¡­ but you..."


    "You''re having the wrong definition of love, Honey. Love is not judged by whether a person is jealous or not. That''s just selfish love. Selfish love is only about taking and owning. True love is liberating. It is when you want to see the person you love happy. If you are happy with ... What''s his name again? Nicolae... Because I love you, I will do my best to make sure you are happy with him. My love is not selfish."


    Aleksis was stunned. She was a hard time believing that she just heard the concept of love from Alaric who was completely unfamiliar with what was in her mind all this time. She only wanted Alaric to be selfish and jealous of the other men trying to approach her.


    "How strange?" she muttered. "If you love me, don''t you want to be with me?"


    "I want to be with you," Alaric nodded. "But if you want to be with someone else, then I will let you go and support you, even if it means you being happy with somebody not me."


    Aleksis gasped. Hearing the last sentence from the man, she suddenly remembered something.


    Wasn''t Uncle Jean also in love with her mother but he fully supported her in finding her happiness with Caspar because he was who she truly wanted as her beloved and husband?


    Uncle Jean''s love was not selfish. Hmm ... it felt very refreshing to hear the same concept coming out of Alaric''s lips.


    "Geez ... you''re going to give me diabetes," Aleksis murmured with a frown.


    "Why?" Alaric asked in a worried voice.


    "You will give me diabetes because you are too sweet," Aleksis replied, looking away.


    Alaric looked at the girl for a long time, then burst out laughing. "Jeez ... Little girl, you''re so funny. Look who''s dropping pickup lines right now?"


    After laughing, he pulled Aleksis'' scowling face into his arms. and kissed the top of her head. "Don''t worry, as long as you want to be with me, I will always be with you."


    At that moment, Aleksis''s chest felt overflowing with emotions. She felt very loved. Apparently, it wasn''t only her who was obsessed with this man and fell in love with him over and over again. Alaric was now showing that he had the same feeling for her. He also loved her.


    For the past four days, they had spent so much time together. Aleksis'' love story had experienced an anticlimax twice because Alaric rejected her, but when he got convinced that he should be with her, he decided to return her love and acted as a perfect lover. Aleksis felt very lucky.


    While enjoying Alaric''s hug she then remembered that her boyfriend would be going and staying in England for a long time, and this depressed her. What if he really met the Meier family? She did not want Alaric to collaborate with them, because Alexei Meier had almost killed her with poison...


    "Honey ... can''t you cancel your trip to London?" Aleksis abruptly asked. She deliberately tightened her arms around Alaric''s waist, so that he would not refuse her request. "I don''t want you to go ..."


    "I can, if that''s what you want," Alaric replied. "I promised to grant one wish for you. Whatever it is, as long as it''s not to see my face."


    "Are you really going to grant it?" Aleksis asked happily, she raised her face and enthusiastically looked into Alaric''s eyes.


    "If I promise something, of course, I''ll keep it." Alaric returned Aleksis'' gaze more seriously, "But you must seriously consider whether you will use such a valuable request just to cancel my departure this time."


    Ugh, right, Aleksis realized.


    The request was too valuable to be exchanged now. She must think carefully about what she wanted.


    In the end, she could only bite her lower lip and shake her head. "I withdraw my request then¡­"

 Chapter 330 - Dinner in Sky Bar

    "All right. I''m leaving tomorrow afternoon. We still have time to be together until tomorrow. Do you want to spend it with me or not?" Alaric asked her. He was secretly very happy to see that even though he had yet to leave, Aleksis was missing him already.


    How could he be jealous upon hearing Aleksis had a lunch-date with a handsome student called Nicolae? He was not a childish kid born yesterday. He would not be easily provoked by unnecessary jealousy.


    Aleksis'' face lit up at Alaric''s offer. Of course, she would rather spend time with her boyfriend than anyone in the world!


    "Of course I want to!" Feeling extreme joy, Aleksis enthusiastically kissed Alaric and cupped his face using her both hands.


    "I''m glad to hear that," Alaric smiled and glanced at his watch before clearing his throat, "It''s already 7 o''clock. Do you want to have dinner first?"


    Aleksis was surprised.


    Gosh ... it''s already 7 p.m.? Time flew by so fast. She went into Alaric''s room at 3 pm and then made love with him for hours. After that, they talked ...


    Her face flushed remembering how they made love with each other for a long time as if they would never feel satisfied.


    Jeez ... she could only imagine what the employees of Rhionen Industries who saw her coming in would think once they realized she did not come out until office hours were over. She hoped she didn''t tarnish Alaric''s reputation and made him the subject of gossip of his employees ...


    "Yes, I''m hungry ..." Aleksis picked up her clothes and rushed towards the bathroom. "Would you mind if I choose the restaurant? I want to eat in a special place. "


    "Of course not," Alaric answered.


    "Okay then."


    Aleksis tidied herself up in the bathroom and spoke with the Sky Bar Operations Manager in a hushed whisper through her phone. She requested for the Sky Bar to close down tonight because she wanted to have dinner there undisturbed.


    Hm ... it''s not only Rhionen Industries who can book Sky Bar to themselves ... hehehe, Aleksis mumbled excitedly.


    "Where are we going?" Alaric asked as he held his hand at her and led her out.


    "Eat somewhere special," she answered with a faint smile on her lips.


    She remembered her first encounter with Alaric within Sky Bar after she became an adult. It was when she slipped in from the sky bar wall and fell onto him. She wanted to relive their first meeting there in a more pleasant manner.


    Alaric was immediately able to guess what she was thinking when they stepped into the elevator and the girl pressed the 99th-floor button. He also smiled. Dinner at Sky Bar was a good idea, he thought.


    Following the elevator stopping on the 99th floor, the two walked out and arm in arm headed into the Moonshine Restaurant. They then took the escalator going up the Sky Bar located on the 100th floor. The waiters and manager nodded respectfully as they passed by them.


    Upon their arrival, the two were invited to sit at the best table beside the outer glass wall which had the best view of the city. While flipping through the menu, Alaric finally noticed that there were no other guests there apart from them.


    "Hmm ... so strange, why is this place so quiet?" he murmured in astonishment.


    "Ah, yes ... you''re right." Aleksis nodded, without looking up from the menu book. "Maybe it''s because it''s Monday? No one eats outside ..."


    "But at the Moonshine Restaurant below, the atmosphere is as bustling as ever," said Alaric.


    Aleksis just shrugged, "Maybe because it''s only 7 pm? We''ll see, who knows if another guest will come ..."


    Of course, there will be no guests besides them, because Aleksis ordered the staff to close the Sky Bar tonight for her. But she would not tell Alaric about that. It is not time yet.


    Alaric looked at Aleksis who seemed rather nonchalant about the situation with a slightly suspicious look. However, he said nothing. They then focused on the food they want to order and enjoyed a quiet dinner together.


    The atmosphere during dinner was very romantic. There was no one around them, only the stars in the sky and the thousands of city lights below them.


    The waiters gave the two VIP guests as much privacy as possible and only appeared when Aleksis or Alaric signalled them to come.


    "So what are you going to do now? Are you going back to the dorm tomorrow?" Alaric asked after they finished eating, when they were both enjoying some dessert wine to relax.


    "I promised my godfather to try to fulfill my commitment and finish a year studying here. He said it would be good for me to learn about the lives of other people. Who knows, I might still be able to meet other good people like Mel, my classmate who stood up for me against Anjali," Aleksis answered. "Do you already have your schedule for London?"


    "I do. I will be very busy meeting many people," Alaric answered. Seeing Aleksis'' frowning face, he hurriedly added, "but I will keep my promise to always call you."


    He never had to make a promise like this to anyone before, but Alaric did not mind doing it for Aleksis.


    Nevertheless, Aleksis'' face did not change. She was not frowning because Alaric would be busy, but because he would meet some people from the Meier Group.


    ''Why is your face like that? Have I done something wrong?" Alaric asked in a probing tone.


    Aleksis shook her head. "That''s not it. To be honest, I don''t like the owners of the Meier Group. My father once talked a little about them."


    "Oh ..." Alaric looked at Aleksis for a long time. He remembered that Aleksis had mentioned that her father worked for the Schneider Group and Pavel had found out that Aleksis was probably the illegitimate daughter of Kurt Van Der Ven, the CEO of the Schneider Group himself. Alaric thought Aleksis was talking about Kurt. "What did your father say about them?"


    "My father said they couldn''t be trusted. The Schneider Group used to deal with them." Aleksis looked back at Alaric, this time with a rather pleading look, "Why don''t you look for working opportunities with the Schneider Group? Doesn''t the Schneider Group also have several business lines in common with your company? Maybe I can help ..."


    Alaric took Aleksis'' hand and shook his head softly, "I don''t like nepotism. I know you have a good relationship with an important person in the Schneider Group, Aleksis. I appreciate your efforts ... but let''s not mix business with our personal relationships."


    "What do you know about me?" Aleksis asked quietly. She looked at Alaric questioningly.

 Chapter 331 - Alarics Past

    "What do you know about me?" Aleksis asked quietly. She looked at Alaric questioningly.


    She was not sure that Alaric knew she was the biological daughter of the owner of the Schneider Group, and she would one day inherit one of the largest corporate groups in the world. Nonetheless, she was interested in knowing what Alaric knew about her.


    Alaric did not want to embarrass Aleksis by discussing her status as Kurt Van Der Ven''s bastard. He refused to discuss the information he learned from Pavel.


    "Can we talk about something else?" Alaric asked. "I don''t want to ruin our last night together before I go to London by discussing work."


    Aleksis looked down. She knew it was in vain to convince Alaric to cancel his partnership with the Meier Group unless she opened herself to him and told him what had happened 17 years ago; that Alexei Meier had poisoned her and almost killed her when she was just over 2 years old.


    She couldn''t do it.


    The clan''s interest must always take precedence. However much Aleksis loved Alaric, as long as this man had not been accepted into their clan by her family, she could not reveal the secrets of her people to Alaric. She still had to use her common sense.


    "Very well ... I will not discuss it again," Aleksis said quietly. She took a sip of wine and thought for a while. "It seems that we are both still covering our true identities from each other. Maybe it''s time for us to open ourselves up a little? What do you think? You remind me of my father ... He also loves privacy, so I''m not too fussy about your attitude being so closed and private, because I''m used to it. I can imagine that other women might find this situation annoying, if she can''t even know where her boyfriend lives ..."


    Alaric nodded, "You''re right. You''re not like other women. To be honest, I like the fact that you aren''t fussy about this and that. It is always very easy and fun to be with you ..."


    "I really want to know you more deeply ..." said Aleksis, "Because I also want you to know me. I want to know more than what is visible on the surface. I want to someday bring you to my family ..."


    She wanted to slowly open up, so Alaric knew who she really was ... so that the man would want to open up to her and one day the two of them could truly unite in marriage, with the blessings of her family.


    Alaric thought that Aleksis wanted to tell him about her status as Kurt Van Der Ven''s illegitimate child. He did not need that information, and to be honest, he did not care about the girl''s background.


    He loved and accepted Aleksis as she was, before he even knew that the girl''s ugly appearance was only a disguise to avoid unwanted attention from men.


    "What do you want to know about me?" Alaric asked. "It looks like you''ve kept the question long enough."


    Aleksis nodded shyly, "Ah ... I want to know what your childhood was like ... Let''s start from there, so that slowly we can get to know each other better. I want to know what made you join the Rhionen Assassins. You said the leader of the Rhionen Assassins had withdrawn from worldly life. I want to know how did you ended up joining the group ... Later I will tell you about my father ..."


    "My childhood?" Alaric stared at Aleksis for a long time. He did not know how much he could share with her.


    "I know you took Takeshi and Mischa from the orphanage and treated them as your foster children, along with several other children," Aleksis spoke very carefully because she understood how sensitive this topic was to Alaric.


    "I think you did that because you used to be in the same boat. You were very kind to me when I was little, and you said, you were only paying forward the kindness of the people who helped you ... So I assume, that your childhood was very difficult."


    Alaric did not answer. However, the way he looked at Aleksis confirmed all her assumptions.


    The girl grasped Alaric''s hand with her hand and continued speaking in a very soft voice, "Were you adopted and trained to be a killer by the Rhionen Assassins leader?"


    Finally, Alaric shook his head.


    "You are indeed very intelligent, Aleksis. You can guess many things correctly with just a little information." Alaric''s eyes now looked sad. "But your guess is not entirely true. My foster father was not a good person. He took me off the streets to help him steal.


    He was a monster when he was drunk and one time he almost killed my foster sister, his own biological child. My sister killed him and we had to run away to avoid the authorities. Since then there was only me and Claudia, looking after each other. Claudia is now dead and I have no one else in this world."


    "Oh ... I''m sorry about Claudia," Aleksis said. He squeezed Alaric''s hand lovingly, "I''m sad to hear about your bad childhood ... Have you never met your parents? Did they pass away?"


    "I never knew them. My mother died while giving birth to me," Alaric said.


    He seemed to think of something, and then pulled out a leather string he wore around his neck. On the necklace hung a silver pendant that could be opened. He touched the pendant with his left fingers and sighed.


    "The midwife who helped my birth cut a bit of my mother''s hair as a memento. My mother begged with all her might that the midwife gave me her hair if she died. This is the only thing that I have from my parents ...


    I grew up in an orphanage and I never experienced love from my parents nor family. I was adopted several times, but it usually didn''t last long ... They said I was a difficult child. Finally, at the age of 8, I ran away and never came back. I lived on the streets and survived alone, until one day I met Claudia and her father. After that, you know what happened."


    Aleksis tried to hold back her tears when Alaric finally opened himself to her. Their childhood was really different, like heaven and hell. She experienced outpouring love and an abundance of affection from her parents, uncles, and brothers who loved her very much.


    Moreover, she was the only daughter so she naturally became the jewel of her family. Aleksis was very spoiled and protected. She had never experienced any grief in her life.


    "If I could replace all the sadness you experienced as a child, I would love for us to switch positions ..." said Aleksis quietly. "I''m very sad to hear that you experienced so much pain in your life."


    "The past is what makes us what we are now, Honey. If I hadn''t experienced it all, maybe I would have been a totally different person. You can''t accept someone without accepting his past," Alaric said. "Now I''m fine."


    "But ... your past made you hate all humans ..." said Aleksis.


    "Not all." Alaric pulled Aleksis'' face close to his face and looked at the girl lovingly, "I don''t hate you."


    Then, he kissed Aleksis very gently.


    "You make me feel like there is hope for humans ..." he whispered softly.

 Chapter 332 - I want to be your family

    Alaric kissed Aleksis very gently as he whispered, "You make me feel like there is hope for humans ..."


    When Alaric kissed her, by reflex Aleksis closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment they had together before her boyfriend went to London tomorrow.


    She was deeply moved when she heard Alaric say that Aleksis made him feel like there was hope for humanity.


    That meant that for Aleksis, there was also hope that someday Alaric would be able to change.


    Maybe with her love, Aleksis could change Alaric''s mind and make him see life from a different perspective, that there was indeed hope for humans to change ... That humans could do better if they were supported and properly guided.


    When Alaric moved away from Aleksis after their kiss, he was very surprised to see a tear fall down her cheek. He hurriedly stroked Aleksis'' face worriedly, "What''s wrong? Why are you crying? Am I hurting you? Did I say something wrong?"


    Aleksis shook her head slowly, trying to smile.


    "It''s okay ... I''m touched to hear you say that there is hope for humanity ..."


    "Oh ..." Alaric looked relieved to hear Aleksis'' answer. He was worried earlier that Aleksis was feeling down. He then smiled and nodded, "In this entire universe, you are the closest person to me. With you, I feel like I have a family."


    Aleksis was stunned by Alaric''s words which he uttered with all his heart. The man must be unaware of the impact his words had on Aleksis at the time.


    He was able to pour his heart out after being with the girl for only a few days. He felt that within a very short time, their souls had linked, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he had found someone to share his life with.


    Aleksis was very touched to hear that. She may not be able to do anything to replace all the sadness and suffering that Alaric experienced in the past, but she could make sure that Alaric had a family in the future who would make the man feel loved ...


    "Alaric ..." Aleksis touched Alaric''s cheek and whispered, "I want to redeem my request now... I already know what I want."


    "Hmmm." Alaric nodded, "Have you thought about it carefully?"


    "I have." Aleksis nodded steadily. She smiled faintly, "I want us to get married. I want to be your family."


    They had only officially been in a relationship for four days, but Aleksis had loved Alaric long before this, and the more days they were together, the more she felt that this man was the person meant to be with her.


    Alaric was the Altair for her Vega.


    They were a match and very compatible. They not only share the same nature and habits, they also shared a deep bond and loving physical relationship.


    Aleksis knew that maybe her request would be considered ridiculous by Alaric, considering that he was more mature and not as impulsive as she was. Plus, at the start of their relationship, Alaric also rejected her love twice.


    But she felt that she would make the same request sooner or later. Then why wait for another year or ten years from now, when Aleksis already knew what she wanted?


    Fortunately, this time Aleksis was wrong.


    Alaric stared at Aleksis for a long time. His lips were slightly open and he couldn''t hide the surprise on his face. He did not expect Aleksis to ask for this request. The girl was indeed very honest and forthright.


    Over the past few days, after he decided to let his heart fall for Aleksis and be in a relationship with her, Alaric often imagined their future together.


    As a human who had lived for almost 100 years and stayed youthful, he knew that if he finally decided to marry someone, he must be prepared to lose her for old age and death.


    It was a risk he never wanted to take for decades, until he met Aleksis a few days ago.


    This girl made him change his mind and now he was willing to risk it for the first time. He initially imagined living together with Aleksis for several years before finally marrying her. He still hadn''t decided whether or not he would reveal his secret to her.


    However, tonight, unexpectedly, Aleksis asked to redeem the request he promised her ... and asked them to get married.


    Alaric secretly felt it was a little unfair to Aleksis because even without her asking, Alaric would have married her. There was no need for her to redeem her request for this. However, the girl did not know what Alaric had been thinking about and so she asked his hand in marriage.


    Aleksis began to worry because Alaric was only staring at her with a complicated look, and did not respond to her request. She immediately suspected Alaric would reject her and tell her that this was all happening too fast. She could only bite her lips sadly.


    Aleksis did not expect Alaric to finally nod and smile as he answered her request. The man only said one word, "When?"


    Aleksis instantly smiled when she heard Alaric''s answer.


    "Before you go to London ..." Aleksis whispered.


    "OK." Alaric nodded. "After dinner, we can go to Sentosa. There is a wedding chapel that is open for 24 hours."


    Aleksis could not hide her excitement. Unexpectedly, Alaric did not refute nor reject her request.


    He granted Aleksis'' request unconditionally. After dinner they could get married right away!


    Her chest was palpitating, and she excitedly stood up and hugged Alaric.


    "I don''t need anything else. This one request is enough for me. Thank you ..." she whispered in a hoarse voice.


    Alaric rubbed Aleksis'' back and kissed the top of her head several times.


    "Thank you, Aleksis, for accepting me as I am. I am the luckiest man in the world," Alaric said, his arms hugged her more tightly.


    The atmosphere slowly became solemn as the lovers decided to get married, impulsively.


    ''Impulsive'' was probably Aleksis'' middle name, because the girl had an explosive and passionate nature. She tends to say or do things suddenly according to her heart''s content, while Alaric was more mature and calm. This time, however, Alaric felt like he was being swept away by a storm, and instead of resisting, he just followed where the storm took him.


    He had never felt this close and deeply connected to another human being before. During his long life, the person closest to him was his foster sister, Claudia, who had left him first, then his foster children whom he had rescued from orphanages and raised as tough assassins.


    He tried to find a replacement for his family whom he lost in the people he adopted. He even gave his last name to them, but he had never had such deep feelings as he had with Aleksis.


    That''s why he didn''t refuse when Aleksis asked him to get married. Maybe it was time, he thought.


    Alaric and Aleksis were not in a hurry with their plans. They took their time at the Sky Bar, chatting softly while holding hands.

 Chapter 333 - I do.

    Aleksis could not remember what they talked about, because her mind wandered over with euphoria. The man of her dreams, whom she had found, had become her boyfriend, and would soon become her husband.


    She would then face her family. Her father, mother, and Uncle Rory would not be able to refuse and oppose her relationship with Alaric if they were already married.


    Aleksis knew her family well and she knew that they would not be able to accept Alaric with his background. Their perspectives and principles were too different. She must protect Alaric from her family''s refusal and give the man time to change.


    He had said before that there was hope for humanity ... so in Aleksis'' eyes, there was hope for Alaric to change. Her family would not understand this ...


    Once deemed ready, Aleksis signaled the waiter and asked for the receipt. She pretended to pay, so Alaric would not be suspicious.


    "I''ll pay," Alaric said, taking out his card.


    Aleksis shook her head quickly. "I was the one who invited you to eat here, let me pay. You can pay for the wedding costs ... hahaha ..."


    Alaric laughed and nodded. Aleksis received the bill from the waiter, pretended to read its contents and then rushed to the cashier. There she winked at the manager of the Sky Bar and signaled that they should not talk about it. She just scribbled on the receipt, pretending to sign a payment, and then said thank you.


    "Allright. Shall we go now?" She asked as she approached Alaric.


    "Let''s go."


    They left the Sky Bar arm in arm, looking very intimate. The waiters and managers of Sky Bar could only stare and look at each other. They knew the girl was an important person in the Schneider Group, even though they did not know her exact identity, but they had orders to follow whatever she asked them to do.


    After seeing her eat with a mysterious man, who covered his face with a mask, and walking out of the restaurant holding hands, they couldn''t help but wonder who the two were.


    ***


    For the past ten years, Singapore had positioned itself as the most advanced modern tourist destination in Southeast Asia by opening an area in Sentosa that was inspired by the concept of Las Vegas in the United States.


    There, the nightlife was very lively with the rise of hotels, casinos, restaurants, and even wedding chapels, just like in Las Vegas.


    Cirque du Soleil had opened a permanent venue and performed world-class performances every night before the impressed crowds. Hotels had also begun contracting top artists to hold permanent shows.


    Even Billie Yves was reportedly willing to accept a contract for 6 months to perform at the Caesar Residence Hotel, which excited many fans because this exclusive artist would be reachable by fans in the Asian region.


    In addition to various entertainment centers and casinos, wedding chapels were also built to provide quick and easy wedding services for many people who suddenly wanted to get married or were looking for a practical wedding procession.


    They only needed to come with their passports and pay the cost for the procession and the marriage celebrant, and within 10 minutes they were legally married.


    That was where Alaric and Aleksis were heading tonight.


    Aleksis excused herself for a short time to go to her ''room'' at the Continental Hotel to get her documents, while Alaric had his assistant make a reservation in the chapel.


    Five minutes later, the two of them walked into the Alaric''s armored vehicle in the parking lot and he immediately ordered the driver to head for Sentosa.


    "It''s not raining tonight ..." Aleksis said. "Usually you only take the car when it rains."


    "We need witnesses," Alaric replied. "If we took the bike, there''s only us. Do you want to find a stranger to be our witness?"


    Aleksis nodded in understanding. The driver and Alaric''s bodyguard would be the witnesses to their wedding ceremony.


    Inwardly she was rather sad because she could not bring witnesses from her side. Actually, it would have been great if Terry could come and be her witness ...


    But Terry would definitely tell her family ... Aleksis couldn''t take that risk.


    The car arrived at the Sentosa area and parked in front of a small chapel painted in blue. Alaric helped Aleksis get out of the car and held her hand along the way.


    "Are you sure?" He asked once more before they entered the chapel.


    Aleksis nodded with certainty.


    With firm steps, the two walked in and met the chapel clerk who was busy taking notes on his desk.


    "Good evening, my assistant had made an appointment for us," Alaric said. He took out his passport and handed it to the chapel clerk. Aleksis did the same thing.


    The clerk immediately stood up to greet the two with respect. He examined the two passports and gave a signal for them to enter the next room and wait there while he prepared their documents. He also received the driver and bodyguard''s identity cards before they entered the required data.


    "All right, thank you for waiting. We can start now." He asked the bride and groom to stand facing the podium and their witnesses to sit behind them. A man in his 40''s came from the backroom. He was dressed in a dark blue robe and he carried a book in his hand. He gave a signal that the ceremony could start.


    "Good evening. My name is Louis Lam, and I am the wedding officiant who has obtained the authority from the Department of Civil Registry to carry out my duties. We are gathered together here to unite this man, Alaric Rhionen and this woman, Aleksis Makela, in a bond of matrimony.


    Do you, Alaric Rhionen take Aleksis Makela to be your lawfully wedded wife, for whom you care for, respect, support, and cherish for life, and with whom you share your joy and sorrow, till death do you part?"


    Alaric nodded, "I do."


    "Do you, Aleksis Makela, take Alaric Rhionen to be your lawfully wedded husband, for whom you care for, respect, support, and cherish for life, and with whom you share your joy and sorrow, till death do you part?" This time Louis Lam directed his question to Aleksis who was struggling to hold back her tears from flowing.


    "I.. I do.." Aleksis finally managed to utter the words.


    Alaric clasped her hands tighter and stared softly at Aleksis to calm her down. The girl could only nod.


    After this, she must think of a way to deal with her family ...


    She knew that her family would be very disappointed. But she did not want to let go of Alaric. If they found out that she was in a relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins and knew of his plans to take revenge on mankind, Aleksis knew that her father and foster father would very strongly oppose their relationship.


    "By the authority vested in me by the government of Singapore, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations! You may now kiss the bride."


    Alaric wiped the tears from Aleksis'' eyes softly, then looked down and kissed her lips for a long time.


    He assumed the tears were because Aleksis was moved. He had no idea that Aleksis was crying because she thought that at that moment, she had chosen Alaric Rhionen over her own family, and she knew that her action would hurt her family.

 Chapter 334 - Feeling at home...

    Getting married was easy, but maintaining a marriage was difficult. That was why in the perfect order of the Alchemist society, marriage would only happen after they are sure of their partners. Some Alchemists engage in a relationship for hundreds of years before they finally decide to get married.


    Ned and Portia were married after being in a relationship for nearly 200 years. Lauriel was about to marry his girlfriend, Luna, after they had been together for more than 150 years.


    Unfortunately, Luna died in the war before they could formalize their marriage. Until now, Lauriel could not find the grave where she and the child in her womb were buried.


    His great love for Luna made Lauriel unable to open his heart to other women even after nearly a century. He enjoyed his solitude in the world and only devoted his attention only to his goddaughter, Aleksis, and the animals in his conservation.


    Aldebar, one of the most eligible bachelors among the Alchemists, was also still very relaxed in matters of love. He was not looking for a partner and no single woman could attract his attention. His mind was preoccupied with research and inventions to improve the lives of humankind.


    You could say that only Flora and Caspar were an anomaly among the Alchemists in the matter of finding a partner. Flora fell in love with her best friend since they were little. He was an ordinary person, and was willing to run away from home so that she could marry him because she did not get the blessing from her parents.


    Caspar, who was a famous womanizer for centuries, changed girlfriend as often as he changed clothes. He got slapped by karma 21 years ago when he fell in love with an ordinary girl who was not impressed by his wealth and his good looks and didn''t reciprocate his feelings.


    Soon Caspar realized that the woman he fell in love with was the only woman he wanted to have by his side in his immortal life, and within six months, after working very hard to woo the girl, he succeeded in marrying Finland. They had lived happily in marriage for 20 years and they had three children together.


    However, those anomalies were nothing compared to what Aleksis, his daughter, did!


    The girl was obsessed and fell in love with an older man whom she met when she was 12 years old, and when they met again when she was almost 20 years old, she managed to make him fall in love with her and become her boyfriend ...


    Then, in FOUR DAYS, they had their wedding.


    Really, this was something that had never happened in the history of the Alchemists for hundreds of years.


    At dinner, Aleksis impulsively asked Alaric to marry her, and he granted her request unconditionally. Before the clock struck 10 times that night, they had officially become husband and wife under the laws of Singapore, where they both resided at that time.


    Their faces looked very happy as they emerged from the chapel, hand in hand.


    "Tomorrow I''ll be in London, and you''ll be in school. Where do you want to go now?" Alaric asked, while helping Aleksis enter the car. The door had been opened by the driver for them, but he still showed concern by holding Aleksis up as she entered the backseat.


    "Let''s go home to your mansion," Aleksis said. "Tomorrow I can take you to the airport, then go back to the dormitory. I will skip class tomorrow. I only have one class, and it''s not important."


    "OK." Alaric nodded to the driver who immediately understood to bring his master and his new lady to the Mansion.


    When the car started to move, Alaric pressed the window button on the car door and lowered the right and left windshield by halfway. The driver immediately responded by slowing down the vehicle so that the incoming wind was not too strong and they wouldn''t feel cold.


    Aleksis was stunned. She turned to Alaric, then to the half-open windows, then back to Alaric.


    "You ... are you no longer keeping the directions to your house a secret?"


    Alaric had lowered the dark windows of his car, so now Aleksis could see the road they were on, and she could now see that the car was heading towards Bukit Timah area.


    Aleksis'' mouth opened slightly in surprise. She did not expect that Alaric would  change this fast. Yesterday, he was still very particular about his privacy, but now, he casually showed her where the mansion was located.


    Alaric just smiled at Aleksis'' surprised expression. Amused, he placed his index finger in front of Aleksis'' half-opened lips, and patted them softly.


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked in an amused tone. "You don''t like the window being rolled down?"


    Aleksis hurriedly shook her head. "No ... it''s not it. I like it!"


    She gave Alaric a heartfelt kiss, then leaned her head against the man''s chest and enjoyed the view from the car window. She finally knew the way to her husband''s house. The road had now been opened and she could come at any time.


    Fifteen minutes later they entered the gate to the familiar mansion. Aleksis very excitedly got out of the car and looked around the mansion and the surrounding area.


    She really liked the lush environment and the various luxurious mansions there. She now knew where they were. She could barely contain her happiness.


    "Are you happy?" Alaric asked her.


    Aleksis nodded vigorously and stretched her hands to fill her lungs with fresh air from the lush mansion, which was surrounded by trees and other plants. After repeatedly coming here, for the first time, she felt like she was at home.


    It was a similar feeling like when she met Alaric many times in the past without knowing his name. Now that they knew each other and she knew the man''s identity, not just his name, the connection between them felt much stronger and deep.


    This man and his mansion made Aleksis feel like she was at home.


    "Don''t stay outside for too long, you''ll catch a cold," Alaric said, inviting Aleksis inside. The girl obeyed with pleasure.


    Inside the house they sat for a while on the living room sofa while pondering about what had happened that day. Everything had happened so fast, and when the two arrived home, finally Alaric and Aleksis had the time to think about and assess the decision they made together.


    The two looked at each other at the same time, then laughed. They were kindred spirits, they shared the same wavelength, and they sometimes thought of the same thing at the same time.


    "Would Mrs. Rhionen like to drink some champagne to celebrate our wedding?" Alaric asked her.


    "Mrs. Rhionen had drunk a lot during dinner tonight, but she won''t refuse half a glass of champagne, because tonight is a special night," Aleksis replied with a big smile.


    "All right ..." Alaric ruffled her hair before getting up to walk to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with a very expensive bottle of champagne and two glasses. He unscrewed the champagne bottle and then poured half a glass for each of them. "Cheers!"


    They clinked their glasses and drank their champagne together, to celebrate their impulsive wedding moments ago.


    "I love you," Aleksis said after putting down her glass and kissing Alaric''s lips with so much love. Alaric could still taste the sweet champagne in her mouth.

 Chapter 335 - Mr. & Mrs. Rhionen (R-18)

    Alaric and Aleksis clinked their glasses and drank their champagne together, to celebrate their impulsive wedding moments ago.


    "I love you," Aleksis said after putting down her glass and kissing Alaric''s lips with so much love. Alaric could still taste the sweet champagne in her mouth. They then kissed for a few moments on the couch, pouring their love for each other.


    When Alaric''s hand began to sneak under Aleksis'' clothes, the girl immediately stopped him and held his hand, refusing to let the hand explore her body, "I feel sticky because I have done a lot of activities since noon. And you just tangled my hair ¡­ AGAIN ..."


    Alaric stared at Aleksis, looking disappointed. "So ¡­ what now?"


    "I want to take a shower first, so I can sleep well," answered Aleksis. She stood up and pulled herself together. Alaric just stared at her walking away toward the bedroom.


    His eyes looked so depressed. He was forced to hold back his desires because Aleksis suddenly decided to take a shower. In the middle of the night? Ugh ¡­ you Asian, he thought.


    His mind suddenly went blank when Aleksis turned and gave him a signal to follow her. Aleksis'' voice sounded disappointed, "Why are you still there? You don''t want to come? You just tangled my hair, at least take responsibility by washing my hair ..."


    Alaric was stunned for two seconds, and after he realized what was happening, a smile spread wide on his lips and he hurried after Aleksis into the bedroom and then into their enormous bathroom equipped with a marble bathtub that he very rarely used.


    "I will take responsibility," he said in a cheerful voice, "I will wash your hair and make it as beautiful as usual."


    His words made Aleksis smile. She kissed Alaric warmly, turned on the hot and cold water taps, then took off her clothes and entered the bathtub. Alaric followed suit; he took off all his clothes then joined Aleksis in the bathtub.


    They enjoyed their time in the warm water, and never stopped exploring each other''s bodies lovingly.


    Alaric kept his words by shampooing Aleksis'' long and beautiful hair. He gently massaged her head and applied some cream on her hair, which made the girl feel very pampered.


    "You are very talented," Aleksis said, closing her eyes to enjoy Alaric''s treatment on her hair. "Ah, I almost forgot that you have experience with long hair ..."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded


    Aleksis seemed to be thinking about something. She then turned her around and looked at Alaric, who was still wearing his mask in the bathtub. She touched Alaric''s cheeks and then made a decision.


    "Thank you, for always treating me so well. I''m sure that it must be very uncomfortable, wearing your mask at a time like this ... You know I really don''t care about your physical appearance, but I understand that you''re not ready to show who you are to me," Aleksis smiled very softly while stroking Alaric''s chin, "I will close my eyes, so you can take off your mask and take your bath comfortably. I promise I will not take a peek. I will only see your face when you are ready to show it to me ..."


    Then, still smiling, Aleksis closed her eyes and continued to enjoy Alaric''s massage on her head.


    Alaric was stunned to hear Aleksis'' words.


    Apparently, despite being much younger, the girl was very mature. He felt lucky to have married such an amazing and understanding woman ...


    It was indeed not comfortable to wear his mask when they were taking a bath like this, because the steam made his skin feel hot.


    "All right ..." Alaric finally said, smiling too.


    Actually, at this point, he didn''t mind even if Aleksis peeked and saw his real face. He was not ashamed of his appearance; he was not old, not ugly, and his face was not actually disfigured. Of course when Aleksis found out the truth, she would be pleasantly surprised.


    If Aleksis were to ask him why he was not aging, Alaric would tell her the truth.


    At this point, he had nothing to hide.


    Slowly he took off the leather mask that covered half of his face and placed it on the edge of the bathtub. He then cupped some water to wash his face. It felt very comfortable and refreshing.


    His very handsome face, which had perfect symmetry lines, seemed to shine in the light of dozens of romantic candles in their bathroom.


    He kissed the top of Aleksis'' head and hugged her tightly from behind.


    "I won''t open my eyes ..." whispered Aleksis, "But that means I won''t be able to see, so you have to guide me ..."


    "I will guide you ..." Alaric answered in a sultry voice. He couldn''t hold back his passion for her. He had never made love to Aleksis without his mask, and this experience shook his heart. Eventually, they would unite completely, without him having to cover his face.


    He turned Aleksis to face him and kissed her half-opened lips. They were very sexy and adorable. The full touch of their facial skin made him feel very happy. There were no more barriers between them.


    He kissed Aleksis greedily and moved down to her neck, then her exposed shoulders and breasts, and finally her whole body. Aleksis could only enjoy all of Alaric''s love without being able to return his kisses and his outpouring love, because she had promised not to open her eyes.


    However, Alaric did not feel the need for her to reciprocate his caresses and kisses. He considered Aleksis'' willingness to marry him and her acceptance to who he was as a form of unconditional outpouring of love that made him very touched.


    And now, his understanding wife let him hide his face until he was ready to open up. Where else would he find a woman like this?


    After they were satisfied with their activities in the bathroom, Alaric dried their bodies, then carried Aleksis to the bed and continued their lovemaking activity there.


    He wanted to know to what extent Aleksis would keep her word and not peek at his face.


    He led their vigorous love making session that lasted for hours. They repeatedly reached their peaks together, and they only stopped when they were both very satisfied and felt very tired.


    When finally Alaric ended their lovemaking, he realized that until the last moment Aleksis had indeed kept her promise not to open her eyes. The girl moaned, bit her lip and screamed with pleasure without ever  opening her eyes.


    "You are truly an extraordinary woman, and I love you very much ..." Alaric whispered intently in Aleksis'' ear as he ended their sexual intercourse. "Now, let''s sleep."


    Inwardly he felt very touched because Aleksis was truly trustworthy and she kept her word. He didn''t need to show his face tonight. Maybe the next time Aleksis asked for it, he would take off his mask and open himself up to her. He had such kind woman as his wife, and he believed that she would be able to accept him and keep his secrets.


    "Thank you, I love you too, Alaric," whispered Aleksis.


    "You can open your eyes now," Alaric said finally.


    Aleksis slowly opened her eyes and saw that the room was very dark because the lights had been turned off. She smiled and nodded, "Good night, Mr. Rhionen."


    Alaric kissed her lips and spooned her, "Good night, Mrs. Rhionen. See you tomorrow morning."


    They fell asleep almost immediately. That night they slept in peace and happiness.


    £¬

 Chapter 336 - Farewell (1)

    Aleksis woke up late and found that she was alone in the bedroom. Reluctantly, she washed herself in the bathroom and changed her clothes to a casual dress that looked very beautiful on her body.


    She found Alaric in his study. He was signing some papers before placing them in a drawer. The man looked very fresh and happy, the opposite of Aleksis, whose body felt very tired and rather painful.


    She felt a little ashamed because last night, technically, Alaric was the one who worked hard and she just selfishly enjoyed their lovemaking.


    But how could Alaric look so fresh and full of vigor this morning?


    "Good morning," Aleksis said as she entered Alaric''s office. The man raised his face and a smile immediately etched on his face. Aleksis immediately felt as if her heart string had been tugged when she saw Alaric''s happy face, "Why didn''t you wake me up? It''s almost 10am. I feel so ashamed. I feel like I am such a lazy person ..."


    Alaric got up and kissed Aleksis, "It''s okay, you don''t have any activities today. Didn''t you plan to skip class? I got up quickly because I had to get ready for my departure. Tomorrow I will have a meeting with the representatives of the Meier Group in London."


    "Why can''t they come here?" Aleksis asked him. Now she realized that her sadness was not because she was tired from their activities the night before, but because she was unconsciously sad to know that Alaric was leaving.


    "This has been discussed from a long time ago. There are several things that must be discussed on the spot. I want to see the system they have and the facilities we have to build for the project," Alaric closed his laptop and then took Aleksis out of his study. "Breakfast?"


    Aleksis nodded. They walked hand in hand to the dining room and enjoyed the breakfast his staff had prepared. The two did not talk much during their meal; they only enjoyed each other''s presence before they had to part.


    "While I''m gone, you can come and stay here at anytime. All the servants already know who you are." Alaric said when they finished eating.


    It was almost time to leave.


    Aleksis just nodded.


    Pavel arrived ten minutes later and had a short conversation with Alaric before they got ready to leave.


    "Can I come with you to the airport?" Aleksis asked later.


    "Of course." Alaric''s answer made Aleksis very happy, so the girl immediately tiptoed and kissed him. Pavel looked away at the scene, while Alaric just laughed. "You must forgive Pavel, he is just too serious."


    Aleksis realized that from their first meeting, Pavel seemed to dislike her. Maybe he was still holding a grudge because Aleksis had argued with him at the Sky Bar on their first meeting, or he really didn''t like her because Aleksis had succeeded in capturing his boss'' heart. But at this point, Aleksis didn''t care much about him.


    She actually liked the fact that Alaric''s people seem to have their own mind and not act like robots around him. She also respected them for not pretending to be kind to suck up on him.


    They immediately left for the airport. Pavel had taken care of everything so that the armored Mercedes was able to go straight into the runway area. They didn''t need to go through the check-in, immigration and boarding gates like commercial passengers.


    Aleksis, who was used to boarding her family''s private plane, did not seem surprised by the fact that they did not go through the entire check-in procedure as on a commercial plane, and this caught Alaric''s attention.


    "You''re not surprised that we went straight into the runway area?" he asked, astonished. "It''s as if you are used to riding a private plane."


    Aleksis just realized her mistake. Ugh ... Alaric would soon find out that she was very rich.


    "I had expected someone like you to have a private plane, so I was not surprised," she answered in the nonchalant tone, "I''ve seen videos of people boarding private planes before."


    "Oh ..." Alaric looked at Aleksis for a long time. He had heard from Pavel that there was a possibility that Aleksis was Kurt Van Der Ven''s illegitimate daughter, but Aleksis had not told him anything about this, so he still did not know the truth.


    He did not want to ask his wife about it because he was worried that Aleksis would be embarrassed. He wanted to wait until Aleksis opened up to him ... But now the girl made him even more curious.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Aleksis.


    "Hmm ... it''s fine." Alaric then remembered that Aleksis was so understanding last night by letting him hide his face until he felt comfortable opening up to her.


    Alaric decided to do the same and would not force Aleksis to tell him about her family.


    "I want to see your plane, can I? I wonder how it looks like from the inside ..." Aleksis said to distract him. Her face looked curious and full of enthusiasm.


    She certainly knew what Alaric''s private plane would look like on the inside. From the shape of the cockpit window, she could already see that it was one of the private aircraft products with a capacity of 30 people made by Atlas Corp, a subsidiary of his father''s company.


    She remembered that 20 years ago, her father was forced to buy the aviation company to fire an impudent marketing manager who harassed her mother.


    Atlas Corp became one of Caspar''s favorite companies, because the purchase of Atlas Corp was the reason Finland decided to accept his love, and finally then they got married and lived happily until now.


    "Hmmm ... well, please come onboard, Princess. I will take you around to give you a tour," Alaric said happily.


    He helped Aleksis get into his plane and showed the inside of the plane that was elegantly and luxuriously designed. There were already around 10 staff on the plane who were busy doing various jobs.

 Chapter 337 - Farewell (2)

    Atlas Corp was one of Caspar''s favorite companies, because the purchase of Atlas Corp was the reason Finland decided to accept his love, and finally then they got married and lived happily until now.


    Aleksis was very familiar with their products so she could know immediately that her husband is using a private plane from Atlas, but she continued to pretend to be impressed by it.


    Alaric helped Aleksis get into his plane and showed the inside of the plane that was elegantly and luxuriously designed. There were already around 10 staff on the plane who were busy doing various jobs.


    When Alaric and Aleksis entered the private plane, everyone took the time to pay their respects before returning to their busy work. Aleksis pretended to be amazed by the interior of the plane; there were two cabins for resting which were arranged in a very comfortable and luxurious manner.


    This aircraft completely fulfilled its functions as both a home and an office in the sky. She looked around and felt content.


    "Very cool!" she said repeatedly. Alaric was happy to see the girl awed by his plane.


    "We will travel on this plane sometime for a holiday," he said later. "I want to take you to one of my favorite places in Romania."


    "Why Romania?" Aleksis asked in amazement.


    Alaric was silent for a moment. His expression seemed to be sad. "My mother''s grave is in Romania."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis immediately understood. She remembered that Alaric''s mother died while giving birth to him. She did not think the man knew where his mother was buried. "Did you find her grave?"


    Alaric nodded. "The midwife who took me to the orphanage visited me there once in a while. After I was old enough to understand, she told me what had happened and took me to her grave."


    Aleksis squeezed Alaric''s hand lovingly. This man really loved his mother and his life seemed to revolve out of revenge due to her death. Maybe, if Aleksis managed to change his heart, Alaric would be able to slowly forgive humankind for what had happened to his mother ...


    "I will be very happy to come with you and meet your mother ..." said Aleksis in a soft voice, "I too want to bring you to meet my parents some day."


    Alaric looked thoughtful for a moment. Four days ago, when Aleksis said she wanted to take him to see her  mother and her Uncle Rory who were as lonely as he was, he was still not ready.


    But now he didn''t mind it too much. Maybe it would be good for him to meet Aleksis'' parents and introduce himself.


    "We will arrange it after I return from London," Alaric agreed. "I hope your family will like me."


    Aleksis could only nod and smile. She was already thinking about the best way to tell her family that she had found Prince Siegfried, the man of her dreams, and that they had been married secretly.


    She knew that they would be disappointed, but she also knew that they loved her very much ... they would not be angry for too long ...


    She kissed Alaric''s lips and held him for a long time.


    The time for separation finally arrived.


    "Uhm ... I have something for you ..." Alaric said suddenly. He let go of Aleksis'' hug and took out a leather-string necklace that had been hanging around his neck, then handed it to the girl, "I am very rich, but the most precious item to me is this necklace ... it contains my mother''s hair ... I hope you are willing to accept it. I''m sorry I never gave you anything before and after we got married."


    Alaric remembered that Aleksis had given him her white ring decorated with a white pearl when she was 12 years old, then a few days ago the girl had given him a bottle of miracle wound medicine, while he had never given her anything ...


    Ah, actually, before Aleksis woke up, he was busy in his study taking care of the document to transfer the ownership of his mansion in Bukit Timah where they stayed.


    He wanted to give the mansion to Aleksis because he loved the girl, and so that if Aleksis found out about him, Aleksis would not be able to track down the owner of the mansion because the ownership deed had become hers.


    For him, his mansion was worth nothing compared to the value of necklace containing his mother''s hair, so he wanted Aleksis to have this most valuable possession of his.


    "Thank you ..." Aleksis received it, feeling very touched. She knew how important it was to Alaric.


    "Here, I''ll help you wear it," Alaric said as he walked behind Aleksis and brushed the girl''s hair over her shoulder. He carefully placed the necklace around Aleksis'' neck. After it was properly hooked, he kissed the nape of her neck and hugged her tightly. "I have to go now. Do you want to be escorted back to the dorm, hotel, or mansion?"


    Aleksis shook her head. "I want to be here for a while. I will go home later. Tell your driver that he can go home."


    "Are you sure?" Alaric asked her. "Takeshi and Mischa are here too, you just have to contact them if you need anything, okay?"


    Aleksis nodded. They kissed one last time in Alaric''s resting cabin for a few moments, then the man escorted Aleksis down from his plane and gave a signal for his driver to bring Aleksis back to the terminal.


    "Have a safe flight!" Aleksis waved when Alaric got back on his plane and they smiled at each other one last time.


    Somehow Aleksis'' chest felt tight. She was not the type of woman who had deep intuition and she was always happy and carefree. But today she felt as though something bad was about to happen.


    She kept feeling unease after she left the hangar and went back to the commercial terminal.


    Aleksis never expected that this would be the last time she saw Alaric.

 Chapter 338 - Uncle Rory is Here

    Aleksis sat sadly on one of the terminal seats thinking about how much had happened in the past five days. Now Alaric was leaving for London to take care of his big project with the Meier Group, a project that she knew would greatly affect the lives of almost half of the earth''s population.


    She hoped that something would happen that would cancel their cooperation. If not now, hopefully in the future.


    Maybe if she could open herself to Alaric, she would tell her husband that years ago Alexei and Sophia Meier had almost killed her with poison. Alaric definitely wouldn''t want to work with people who had hurt Aleksis ...


    In the middle of her reverie, suddenly her phone-watch vibrated and she saw an incoming call from Lauriel.


    "Eh ... hello, Uncle Rory, how are you?" she asked quickly.


    "I''m good. I wanted to surprise you by suddenly arriving in Singapore, but Terry said that you have been very busy and hard to contact lately. So, I don''t want to suddenly come  while you''re busy ..." Lauriel said with a happy voice.


    "Ahhh ... Uncle when are you coming? This weekend, right?" asked Aleksis. Her depressed mood was instantly replaced by joy. She really missed Lauriel, and his presence in Singapore would certainly make Aleksis feel better.


    "I''m at the airport." Lauriel''s tone sounded funny, something that very rarely happened. "Are you home?"


    "Airport in Nairobi?"


    "Changi Airport." Lauriel answered.


    "Oh my god ... !!! You have arrived in Singapore ??? That''s so fast !!!" Aleksis exclaimed in surprise.


    "Why? You don''t want me to arrive so quickly?" Lauriel asked teasingly. "Are you tired of your Uncle Rory now that you are surrounded by lots of handsome men on campus?"


    Aleksis fell silent. How could she glance at a handsome men on campus. In her heart there was only Alaric Rhionen, who was now her husband.


    Ufff .. guilt suddenly crept over her heart, because she thought about how she got married secretly without telling her parents and godfather who loved her very much.


    "Why are you silent? So it''s true that you''re bored of me because you are now surrounded by a lot of handsome male students?" Lauriel asked again. Aleksis could only cough when she heard his statement.


    "Uncleee ... I''m at the airport right now. What terminal are you at, Uncle?" she asked quickly.


    "Hmm ... Terminal 1. Why?"


    "I''ll be there in a second ... Uncle, please wait for me at the arrival terminal!"


    Aleksis hurriedly turned off her phone and ran to the terminal where Lauriel was. She really missed her godfather. Her sadness caused by Alaric''s departure was immediately lifted and replaced with joy.


    Within ten minutes Aleksis arrived at Terminal 1 Arrival. She walked fast while looking for Lauriel, and she finally stopped when she saw her godfather sit in a relaxed manner on a chair. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed.


    "Uncle Roryyyyy ..." she cried from afar, ignoring the views of dozens of people who heard her voice. Lauriel smiled faintly, opened his eyes, and stared at the direction of her voice. He got up when Aleksis jumped up to him and hung on his arms like a little monkey, as she usually did when they met after a long separation.


    "Gosh ... Aleksis, you are now a grown woman ... Your still haven''t changed ..." Lauriel said with a laugh. He saw how astonished the people around them were staring at the sight of Aleksis hanging on to him, but just like Aleksis, Lauriel was also indifferent as to how strangers viewed them. Lovingly he kissed Aleksis'' cheeks alternately and slowly lowered the girl to the floor. "You look healthy."


    "You know that my body is as strong as a buffalo," said Aleksis proudly. She stared at Lauriel and his surroundings in amazement, "Uncle, you still don''t carry a suitcase with you when traveling? Only that bag?"


    Lauriel nodded. "You know that I don''t like to hassle. Clothes can be bought. Let''s go home. Singapore is very hot and humid. I feel very sticky and want to take a shower."


    "Alright ... let''s head back to the Continental Hotel," Aleksis said cheerfully, taking Lauriel out of the terminal.


    "Hmm ... by the way, why are you at the airport today?" Lauriel asked her. "Do you have a friend departing somewhere?"


    "Eh ..." At that time Aleksis suddenly remembered that Takeshi and Mischa were still protecting her from afar, as ordered by Alaric. They must have seen how she interacted with Uncle Rory ...


    Dammit, she completely forgot to coordinate with them.


    Ouch ... she just hugged and kissed Uncle Rory, and she was now walking hand in hand with him ...


    Even though he was 570 years old, Uncle Rory still looked like a handsome young man aged 25. People who didn''t know them could misunderstand and think they were lovers.


    Oh my God... what do I do? What would happen if Alaric misunderstood my relationship with Uncle Rory??


    "Wait a minute, Uncle. I have to make a call," Aleksis said suddenly. She walked away a little bit and signaled for Lauriel to wait for her.


    Lauriel looked at her in surprise. To his knowledge, Aleksis never kept anything from him. But maybe the situation now was different, because his goddaughter was now an adult. Maybe there were things she couldn''t say in front of a man?


    Finally, he just nodded and waited.


    Aleksis hurriedly called Takeshi, "Where are you?"


    "We are in Terminal 1 at the Arrival gate," Takeshi''s reply came from Aleksis'' phone-watch.


    Ugh, as expected, they are still watching over me, thought Aleksis.


    Actually she was amazed because her two bodyguards managed to keep a good distance, did not attract any attention, but were always nearby, protecting her.


    "I just picked up my family member. He is also my father''s best friend, so please don''t make a fuss, I don''t want my family to know that I''m married and my husband sent bodyguards to look after me ... Please, don''t put me in a difficult situation ..."


    Takeshi sounded surprised, but he only replied shortly, "Alright."


    Aleksis then massaged her forehead. Gosh, she mentioned marriage and husband. Only the driver and Alaric''s bodyguard witnessed their marriage.


    She did not know whether Takeshi and Mischa knew that last night she had married their boss. If they didn''t know, of course knowing this from Aleksis must have shocked them.

 Chapter 339 - Lauriel Is Suspicious

    Ah, never mind. She would let Alaric handle it. What was clear was that she couldn''t allow Lauriel to be suspicious by Takeshi and Mischa''s presence.


    At least she had mentioned from the beginning that the person she picked up at the airport was her family member, so that Alaric would not have any misunderstandings. It was better to tell them from the start, than to let her husband think she met with another man just after he left for London.


    Aleksis returned and took Lauriel out of the airport. They took a taxi to the Continental Hotel.


    "Uncle, you came so suddenly. If you had notified me in advance, I could have prepared a driver and other stuff to welcome you," Aleksis said in a cutesy tone. She leaned her head against Lauriel''s chest. Her actions surprised the taxi driver so repeatedly stole glances at the rearview mirror.


    It was rather strange to see a girl so pretty acting cute to a young man who looked only a few years older than her, referring to him as ''Uncle''. Was this some kind of role play or sexual fetish for couples who liked weird things? he thought to himself.


    Both Lauriel and Aleksis did not care about what people think about them, and although they both knew that the taxi driver might think certain things about them, they just smiled in amusement and still did not keep their distance.


    Lauriel had known Aleksis from the moment of her birth; he had even changed her diapers, cleaned her, and cared for her lovingly for years. In his heart, the girl would always be the little girl whom he spoiled and who followed him everywhere.


    Now, seeing that Aleksis had grown up, he half hoped that she would not rush in falling in love and leave him to be with the man who would become her husband. Every father certainly thought that no man was good enough for their daughter.


    After arriving at the Continental Hotel, they went up to the 100th floor and entered the penthouse to rest for a while. Thereafter, they went to the Sky Bar for lunch.


    The waiter and manager, who remembered Aleksis from last night, because she closed the whole Sky Bar to have dinner with Alaric, could only look at each other in confusion when they saw her enter with another handsome man.


    This young Miss seemed to be surrounded by handsome men, they thought. But considering that this time she did not close down the Sky Bar and still ate with other guests, they understood that the relationship between the two was not as special as her relationship with the man from last night.


    "Good afternoon, Miss. Are you ready to order?" asked the On-Duty Manager who came specifically to serve Aleksis this afternoon.


    "I am." Aleksis mentioned the names of the dishes she wanted and then turned to Lauriel, "What do you want to eat?"


    Lauriel mentioned the food he liked and then handed the menu book back to the manager of Sky Bar.


    A waiter came with a tray containing glasses with various types of champagne and other drinks. Aleksis and Lauriel each took a glass of champagne and had a toast.


    "I''m glad you came ... I''ve missed you," Aleksis said.


    "Yes, your voice sounded very sad when you called me a few days ago," Lauriel commented. "What happened?"


    Aleksis remembered that at that time, she really wanted to leave Singapore because she was heartbroken. Alaric had rejected her love twice, and Lauriel finally decided to come to cheer her up. Unfortunately, Lauriel did not know that within five days, Aleksis had managed to get Alaric''s love and last night she even married him.


    Now Aleksis had no more reason to feel sad and to leave Singapore.


    "Uhm ... at that time I was feeling sad because I was still adjusting to this new place ... But now everything is fine, Uncle, don''t worry," Aleksis replied hastily.


    "Terry said you came here to look for your Prince Siegfried ..." Lauriel said while sipping his champagne. "Is there any progress?"


    Gosh, Terry! Can''t you keep a secret ??? Aleksis cursed inwardly.


    On the one hand she did not want to lie to Lauriel, but on the other hand she couldn''t tell Lauriel the truth ¡­ yet. She knew that if Lauriel knew who Prince Siegfried really was, he would strongly oppose their relationship.


    The reputation of Rhionen Assassins and Rhionen Industries was too dark for their people. Even now Terry was looking for information to uncover the deeds of Rhionen Industries, who were collecting so much personal and genetic human data that could be abused, and who worked on projects to replace human labour with AI.


    "I want to see Terry tonight, I also want to visit my dog. Do you want to come with me?" Aleksis asked, distracting Lauriel from his question ...


    Lauriel understood that Aleksis did not want to talk about her love life, and as an understanding father, he did not force her. He would wait until Aleksis was ready to tell him her stories. Clearly, he would stay there to make sure that Aleksis would not be hurt by anyone.


    They then ate quietly while talking about trivial things. Aleksis told him about her life as a student and how the girls on campus hated her, even though she has changed her appearance to make herself look ugly.


    "So, starting tomorrow, I will go to college with my usual appearance. I think these mean girls on campus are more dangerous than the perverts who want to bother me ..." Aleksis said in a resentful voice, "Uncle, don''t worry, my bodyguards are very good and trustworthy. They will protect me even if I look beautiful tomorrow. "


    "Hmm ..." Lauriel nodded. He admitted that Aleksis was indeed very beautiful and she looked very comfortable being herself. It did seem a little unfair that the girl had to look ugly just to avoid being harassed by perverts.


    "Since you are here, I won''t keep staying at the dormitory. Besides, my roommate is apparently not fun to be with. I was so excited to live in the dormitory and make friends, but now I realise that it was a useless move," said Aleksis again. "I already have a good friend in class, her name is Mel. The others are also okay."


    "Hmm ..." Lauriel nodded again. He let Aleksis decide what was best for her. The girl was very smart and never made things difficult.


    When the waiter came to refill his glass, Lauriel caught the silhouettes of two people in the corner of his eye. He remembered seeing them at the airport earlier that day. Their attitude was relaxed and not suspicious, but now Lauriel was suspicious because he saw them again in the same restaurant. This could not be a coincidence, right?


    "Someone''s tailing us," Lauriel said as he sipped his drink. "3 o''clock direction."


    Aleksis slowly glanced in the direction Lauriel mentioned and realized that Takeshi and Mischa were sitting there, enjoying their lunch. Both were very natural dressed and were actually not really attractive ... They were guarding her from afar very professionally.


    Ah, but this was Lauriel they were dealing with. He was very alert because he had hundreds of years of experience. He is used to scanning his surroundings quickly and accurately, and he knew that these two people were also around when they were at the airport ...

 Chapter 340 - Have you heard of Rhionen Assassins?

    Aleksis was worried because even though Takeshi and Mischa are professionals and they could supervise her safety subtly, they couldn''t escape Laurie''s hawk eyes. No one could get away from him because he had hundreds of years of experience.


    Everytime he was in a new place, he would always scan his surroundings quickly and accurately. Just by a second glance. he could know that these two people were also around when they were at the airport ...


    Aleksis knew she had to do something to clear Lauriel''s suspicion.


    "Uncle, they are my new bodyguards, so it''s only natural for them to follow me ..." Aleksis said in a whisper. "I''ll introduce them to you later."


    Lauriel frowned, then nodded in understanding.


    Hmm ... these two men were very good bodyguards, he thought, they could keep Aleksis safe from a distance without attracting any attention.


    "Do they also follow you to campus?" Lauriel asked.


    "Yes, they helped me a lot yesterday when an arrogant girl tried to attack me ..." Aleksis said. "Er ... but if I introduce you to them, I can''t introduce you as my godfather. They are regular people who do not know the secrets of our people. They would be very suspicious if they come to know that my godfather looks so young and handsome ... hehehe ..."


    Lauriel shook his head while ruffling Aleksis'' hair for teasing him just now.


    "So, you are you going to introduce me as ¡­ who?" Lauriel asked.


    "I''ll introduce you as my father''s best friend, that is all. That way I''m not lying, right?"


    Aleksis praised herself for her quick thinking and how she managed to find a solution to this problem. Carl and Sascha also did not know the secrets of the Alchemist clan. They work for Caspar without ever seeing their employer. They only met with Aleksis every time they were on duty.


    Aleksis could use that same excuse for introducing Takeshi and Mischa.


    She was very happy when Lauriel nodded in agreement. She immediately gave a signal to Takeshi and Mischa who were enjoying their lunch, so they both approached her.


    Both Takeshi and Mischa looked very surprised to see Aleksis casually calling out to them. With hesitation, the two left their table and walked towards Aleksis and Lauriel.


    "Uhm ¡­ Did Miss call us?" asked Takeshi with a frown. Mischa seemed to be studying Lauriel closely.


    "Yes, I want to introduce you to Lauriel. He found out that you were tailing us, so I had to tell him about you two," Aleksis said. She purposely emphasized that Lauriel caught Takeshi and Mischa following them, so that the two assassins would feel guilty for not doing their job well and that someone noticed them tailing Aleksis.


    Takeshi and Mischa looked at each other. They were both shocked that someone noticed them and became suspicious. They soon realized that Lauriel was no ordinary person.


    "Good day, Sir. I am Takeshi, I am assigned to protect Miss Aleksis," said Takeshi finally, bowing slightly.


    "My name is Mischa." Mischa followed suit.


    Lauriel glanced at them for a moment and nodded, "I''m Lauriel."


    "Lauriel is my relative, he is my father''s best friend, so you don''t have to follow us anymore. I''m safe as long as I am around him. "I''ll call you tomorrow morning. You guys can now relax, and please finish your lunch. I''ll be fine."


    Takeshi nodded. He and Mischa returned to their table and continued their lunch. Occasionally they threw glances at Aleksis and Lauriel who kept chatting in a relaxed manner. Looking at how close Aleksis was to the man, they must indeed be relatives, Takeshi thought.


    He realized that Aleksis and the man had no romantic relationship, and Aleksis was not cheating on his boss, since Aleksis casually introduced them to Lauriel.


    He already took photos of Aleksis and Lauriel and wanted to send a report to his boss, but now he canceled his intention and just kept the pictures to himself. It didn''t matter anyway, so why bother Alaric with such a trivial thing?


    Aleksis was only spending time with her relatives. Alaric need not be bothered with such an insignificant report.


    After finishing their lunch, Takeshi and Mischa left the Sky Bar.


    ***


    After resting at the Penthouse for a while, Aleksis took Lauriel to Terry''s house to visit her dog.


    Little Prince Siegfried seemed very pleased to see them. His very fat body shook as he waggled his tail to greet Aleksis at the door.


    "Hey ... Lauriel, how are you?" asked Terry while hugging Lauriel. "I''m glad to have you here ... I''m on an interesting project and I need your advice ..."


    "I''m good." replied Lauriel. After letting go of Terry, he hugged Aleksis'' dog and patted his head, "What advice?"


    "Come into my room, I''ll show you." Terry enthusiastically invited them into his study which was equipped with a variety of advanced electronic equipment, including computers with three large monitors.


    Aleksis immediately sat on the comfortable sofa and watched Terry turn on his monitor and indicate what information he wanted to share. Lauriel stood staring at him with Little Prince Siegfried on his lap.


    "Have you heard of the Rhionen Assassins?" asked Terry him.


    Lauriel nodded, "Yes, I have, but there is only very little information available about them. What does your project have to do with Rhionen Assassins?"


    "Hmm ... I''m investigating a company called Rhionen Industries ... most likely both are related or owned by the same organization," Terry explained. "I think this is going to be a very interesting documentary. I need a lot of information."


    Lauriel shook his head, "It''s best not to interfere ... Rhionen Assassins are very dangerous. Caspar got in trouble 20 years ago because of them. They hunted him for a whole year since they got a contract from the Meier Family ... They are very dangerous ..."


    Aleksis subconsciously pursed her lips and sighed.


    She had no idea that 20 years ago Rhionen Assassins had targeted her father ...


    Ouch ... what should she do? How could she introduce Alaric to her family now ...?


    "Aleksis, are you okay?" asked Terry, who heard Aleksis sigh and saw that her face had turned pale. "Are you sick?"


    "I ... my tummy hurts... Maybe I drank too much ..." Aleksis said hurriedly. She covered her lips and coughed.


    She really couldn''t hide her pale face. Lauriel seemed to be watching her attentively.


    He knew Aleksis like the back of his hand and knew for certain that something was troubling the girl''s mind.

 Chapter 341 - Why couldnt Alaric be more like Lauriel?

    Lauriel approached Aleksis and patted her back affectionately, "Are you not feeling well? Do you want me to make a fresh concoction of your favorite mushroom?"


    He knew that Aleksis was hiding something, but he did not want to force Aleksis to tell him was bothering her.


    Aleksis looked at Lauriel sadly. She could keep many things a secret from her parents when they were far from her, but now that her godfather was in front of her, she felt very guilty and could not lie when looking into Lauriel''s eyes.


    "I''m fine, Uncle Rory ..." Aleksis could only shake her head and look away. She could not look at Lauriel in such a situation.


    Lauriel pretended not to notice Aleksis'' anxiety. He sat next to her on the sofa and signaled Terry to talk more deeply about his project. "Then how far have you obtained the information?"


    Terry seemed excited and forgot about Aleksis'' strange attitude. "Well, I have a very cool partner. He is the world''s best hacker today ... Actually, he contacted me because he was interested in my research. He even told me that he had been investigating them for the past 7 years! He started becoming suspicious after the psychological crisis which resulted in many people committing mass suicide ..."


    Lauriel seemed to be increasingly interested. "What does the psychological crisis have to do with Rhionen Industries?"


    "Well, my partner, using the pseudonym Wolf, discovered Rhionen Industries'' contribution to the crisis. They used special targeting through the social media platform, Splitz, to make people who were psychologically weak to see contents that made them lose their grip on life and commit suicide."


    "Does Splitz have the ability to do that?" Lauriel asked in amazement.


    "At that time it was still in the experimental stage, but the impact was really fatal. Imagine how much progress they would have achieved in seven years? If they are not immediately stopped, Wolf is worried that Splitz would repeat this incident on a larger scale. They have gathered data profiles on so many people everywhere in the world ¡­" Terry sighed in horror, "In addition to Splitz, Rhionen Industries also oversees Gen23, which is a technology company that has mined genetic data of nearly a quarter of the earth''s population ... I can''t imagine what would happen if they combined the two ... They would be able to eject viruses that target only people with certain genetic codes, for example ¡­"


    Even Lauriel, who was always calm and emotionally organized, now frowned in terror. "What is their purpose of doing this? Do you or Wolf have a theory?"


    Terry shook his head, "Either this is the work of a lunatic, eccentric, or someone who really hate humans ..."


    Aleksis could only bite her lip at the conversation of her brother and godfather were having.


    Only she knew the reason ... but she couldn''t tell them ...


    Alaric hated humans because he blamed the war-loving humans for causing his mother''s death. Indeed, several decades ago, wars still raged in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa, and nearly 100 years ago there were two massive wars that carved a very dark record in the history of mankind, World War 1 and World War 2.


    "Maybe that person has a reason for hating humans ..." Aleksis said suddenly. She looked at Lauriel attentively, "You also hate humans, right? You choose to isolate yourself from worldly life because you don''t like the way humans live and because they enjoy fighting and destroying nature ..."


    Lauriel stared at Aleksis for a long time, then he nodded, "That''s right ... but it is never my dream to wipe out the human population ..."


    Aleksis fell silent. Lauriel was right. Lauriel had an equally strong reason for hating humans; his girlfriend and his unborn child died in war, but Lauriel did not blame humans and and he had no desire to kill them all ...


    Why couldn''t Alaric be more like Lauriel? Aleksis thought sadly.


    Meanwhile, Lauriel closed his eyes, thinking.


    Image after image flashed through his mind as he thought about that young man who had helped Aleksis on the train to Chiang Mai. The man who had a dragon tattoo on his right chest.


    The same dragon tattoo that Famke had, for being a member of Rhionen Assassins.


    It meant that the young man could possibly be an assassin of the mysterious organization.


    Rhionen Assassins may indeed have a relationship with Rhionen Industries, which was now being investigated by Terry. Lauriel noticed how Aleksis turned pale at the mention of the company during their conversation.


    Had Aleksis met her Prince Siegfried and learned that he was indeed part of Rhionen Assassins?


    If that were true ... then Aleksis shouldn''t be allowed to stay for long in Singapore. She must be taken home immediately, Lauriel thought.


    Lauriel regretted making Aleksis promise to continue her studies for a year in Singapore to fulfill her commitments. It would be very dangerous to let the girl linger in Singapore and meet ''Prince Siegfried'' who had such a shady background.


    He opened his eyes and looked at Aleksis, "Aleksis, honey ... I changed my mind about your commitment to study here ... I want you to come home and live with me in Africa. What do you think? Besides, this is where Rhionen Industries'' new headquarters is set up, and according to Terry, they are very dangerous ... I don''t want you to stay this area with them around ..."


    Aleksis was stunned by Lauriel''s words. Her godfather must have suspected something. Just last week he told Aleksis to continue her study in Singapore ... and now, he wanted Aleksis to come home ...


    Unfortunately, she could not follow Lauriel''s words now. She was married to Alaric and she wanted to wait for Alaric to come home, then take him to her family ...


    "Uhmm ... I like staying here, Uncle ... I''m even starting to have friends ... I think it''s good for me to get this new experience. Besides, why are you worried? I have my brother Terry here ... I also have bodyguards who take care of me ..."


    Terry snorted at Aleksis'' words, "That''s right! She has four bodyguards now, even though her life is very easy ¡­ Lauriel, you don''t need to worry, my sister is very well protected ..."


    Lauriel frowned, "Four bodyguards? I have met two people. Where are the other two?"


    "Uhm ... I told them to take turns in doing the work so they don''t get tired ..." Aleksis said hurriedly. "Tomorrow I will introduce the other two to you. Then you can see for yourself that I''m safe here ..."


    Pfew ... it was a good thing that she had always been a quick thinker. If not, she would be quickly cornered to explain why she had four bodyguards.


    All right ... tomorrow she would bring Carl and Sascha to meet Lauriel to clear his suspicions.


    "Alright then." Lauriel finally gave up. He could not force Aleksis to return with him to Kenya if indeed she had enough protection in Singapore. However, he could not let Aleksis continue with her plan to meet that ''Prince Siegfried'' ... He had to think of an appropriate way for Aleksis to stay away from him.


    Aleksis''s phone-watch vibrated and she saw an incoming message from Alaric. Her heavy heart immediately calmed down and she became happy. She hurriedly excused herself from Terry''s study and read Alaric''s message in the living room.


    A smile appeared on her face when she read the text from her man.


    [Will land in London soon. I miss you.]


    I miss you too, Aleksis whispered softly.

 Chapter 342 - A Pair of Purple Eyes

    Alaric was used to traveling far distances and jetlag no longer affected him. He arrived in England when it was still morning. He had time to rest in the cabin of his private plane and so he had enough energy to start his day as if it was just another regular workday.


    It was still afternoon in Singapore. He did not want to be too busy with his work and forget to contact Aleksis as he had promised, so before landing he decided to send an SMS to the girl.


    [Will land in London soon. I miss you.]


    The message was brief, but he was very happy to write it. It felt strange, because for the first time in his life, he openly expressed his longing for someone.


    He usually traveled all over the world without missing anyone, nor feeling that he was traveling away from home. Usually, his home was wherever he was. Most often, that home was his private plane or car.


    But now, he felt like he was on an actual business trip. That he was actually going somewhere, leaving his home in Singapore.


    Hmm ... even though he really liked his mansion in Bukit Timah, previously he had no attachment to that place. But now that he was leaving Singapore, he felt as if he was leaving home ...


    Was this what people meant with the words, "A home is not a place, but a person?"


    A home is not the house, but the people in it.


    This thought made Alaric smile thinly. In Aleksis he felt that he found his home.


    The reply he was waiting for soon arrived, and that subconsciously made him smile.


    [I miss you, too. Take care of yourself.] was Aleksis'' reply.


    They had only been separated for less than one day, but he was already missing her.


    Hmm ... he hoped that his business with Meier Group could be settled quickly so that he could quickly go back home.


    ***


    Alaric lived in the penthouse that his staff had prepared for his stay in London. He stayed there with Pavel and a few other staff who were responsible in taking care of the house during his time in London.


    Alaric really liked working, because it kept him busy. He also spent very little time thinking about things that weren''t important, especially now that his life-goal project had matured and would soon to be materialized. He was very eager to finish it.


    "You want to immediately meet with the owner of Meier Group ?!" Pavel asked in surprise when they just entered the penthouse. They didn''t even have time to rest yet. "Sir, aren''t you tired?"


    Alaric shook his head. "I want our business in England to be over quickly. I want to return to Singapore."


    Pavel looked at Alaric with an understanding look. He knew his boss was truly in love. Usually Alaric was never in a hurry, so he never wanted to go home from somewhere soon. But for the past few days his attitude did seem different from usual.


    Could this be because of that girl? Thought Pavel.


    He didn''t like Aleksis at first, because their first meeting didn''t go well, but he was starting to accept that his master was having a relationship with the girl.


    Could he begin to respect Aleksis as his master''s future wife ... or were they already married? He heard rumors from one of Alaric''s bodyguards that his master got married last night.


    As an assistant who had faithfully followed Alaric for almost half of his life, he only wanted to see Alaric happy.


    "Very well, Sir. I will immediately contact their headquarters and rearrange the schedule for as soon as possible."


    Alaric just wanted to get things done with the Meier Group, so he could return to Singapore and into Aleksis'' arms.


    He took off his mask and washed his face with clean water; it felt very fresh. He closed his eyes to enjoy the water on his skin and thought about the right time for him to open his identity to Aleksis.


    Maybe the sooner the better.


    He could not wait to show his face to the girl.


    Alaric opened his eyes and stared at his face in the bathroom mirror. He was a little surprised to see that his purplish-blue eyes now looked so brilliant. He couldn''t remember the color of his eyes being so purple ever before.


    He had lived for almost 100 years, and during that time, he often experienced oddities with his hair - it always grew too fast and sometimes it even changed colors. However, the color of his eyes never looked this brilliant before. He did have an unusual eye color, purplish-blue, but in the past it didn''t attract much attention.


    What was happening right now?


    He was now staring at a face he barely knew. The lines on his face and hair were still the same, but his eyes looked very different. It gave him the impression of being completely purple this morning, though it still had a shade of blue


    He squinted, trying to observe the pair of brilliant purple eyes that looked back at him in the mirror, as if he were a stranger to himself.


    Who am I? Am I a mutant? Why don''t I recognize my own body??? He thought fretfully.


    He could only sigh. Over the past dozen years, he had made himself the research material for his group of scientists, so he could get answers.


    What had happened to him? Why wasn''t he aging? Why did he have such a perfect body and cells? Why did he have to live a different life compared to other humans?


    Were there others like him? Or was he really alone in this world?


    Pavel knocked on the door of Alaric''s room and when he was invited in, he immediately told Alaric his report.


    "Such a coincidence, the Meier Group owner is having dinner at a restaurant near this hotel. She would love to stop by and get acquainted informally before meeting you at her office tomorrow morning."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric had never met the current Meier Group owner. 21 years ago the Rhionen Assasins was hired by the young CEO of the Meier Group, Alexei Meier, but at that time Alaric had not yet founded Rhionen Industries.


    He and his team were contracted to kill someone. The contract was canceled a year later, and he never heard from Alexei again. He knew that the Meier Group was a family business, so it was likely that the new owner was Alexei''s younger sibling or daughter.


    Hmm ... the owner of the Meier Group was arguably as mysterious as himself. She led her family''s business from behind the scenes and almost never showed herself to the public.


    The opportunity to meet her in person was something that may not happen again in the future. Alaric had a strong feeling that he really had to meet this person.


    After all, they were on the same side.


    "All right, I''ll have dinner here first," Alaric said. "Later we can meet them to chat over some drinks."


    "Okay, Sir."


    Alaric then finished his dinner and rested a little bit while waiting for his guest to arrive. At a little past nine, he decided to call Aleksis. He missed listening to the girl''s voice.


    RING


    RING


    RING


    Until a dozen rings, she didn''t pick up his calls.


    Ah, he patted his own forehead, realizing his mistake. It must be almost morning in Singapore now. Because he longed to hear Aleksis'' voice, he forgot that England was 8 hours behind Singapore.


    OK. He would call Aleksis again tomorrow morning, when it was already noon in Singapore.


    "Sir, Miss Sophia Meier has arrived," said Pavel, who entered his study, moved Alaric from his reverie.


    Alaric nodded and waved, "Please let her in."


    Two minutes later the door opened and a very beautiful girl entered. She had a very beautiful body, as if it was carved by the gods, and she was almost as beautiful as Aleksis.


    Alaric was stunned to see the Meier Group owner.


    He didn''t expect the owner to be such a young girl. What surprised him the most was not Sophia''s beauty ... but her pair of beautiful and brilliant purple eyes.


    They reminded him of the pair of purples eyes that had stared back at him back from the mirror in the bathroom earlier.


    He did not see his phone vibrate and the name Aleksis appear on the screen. Apparently, his wife woke up and called him back.


    Alaric''s body was rooted to the spot when Sophia came over to him with a big smile and reached out to shake hands.


    "Good evening, Mr. Rhionen," the girl said in a voice as soft as the rain.

 Chapter 343 - You Are Not Alone in This World

    Sophia initially thought it was her beauty that made Alaric rooted in his place when she reached out to ask for a handshake, but after looking carefully at the owner of Rhionen Industries in front of her, her chest shook.


    Sophia was stunned and motionless. Alaric''s face felt very familiar. She had seen this person before, but his eyes were not like this twenty years ago.


    Tonight when they meet again, Sophia seemed to be looking at the same person at the same time, but his eyes that used to be more bluish now looked almost completely purple. Just like hers.


    The two look at each other with a frown.


    Sophia squinted her eyes to see Alaric better. She had a very sharp memory and she realized that 20 years ago she had seen this young man standing before her. Unconsciously she bit her lower lip and her pair of purple eyes seemed to glow with joy.


    "You used to be one of the assassins of Rhionen Assassins that my brother Alexei hired 20 years ago to kill Caspar! I never forgot your face when you came to our palace in Yorkshire ... Now I know you''re not just one of the assassins, actually you are the leader of the Rhionen Assassins yourself," she said in a passionate tone. "I never expected Famke''s boss was an Alchemist, she never said so ... Hmm .. or maybe Famke herself also never knew this."


    Alaric looked up at Sophia with a surprised look, he couldn''t hide his confusion. The beautiful girl in front of him mentioned the names of Alexei, one of his former clients, and Famke, a skillful assaasin from Rhionen Assassins who was killed over 20 years ago. He didn''t remember ever met Sophia before.


    "Who are you?" He asked in a cold tone.


    "I''m an Alchemist just like you. Famke and Alexei were too ..." Sophia answered enthusiastically. "Hmm ... your eyes are very interesting. They didn''t have this color when I saw you the last time. And if I hadn''t seen you 20 years ago with the same face, I would never have thought you were an Alchemist, since I''ve never seen you at clan events. Who''s your family? "


    Alaric was silent when he heard the word ''family''. He had no family.


    "What is an Alchemist?" he asked. He could no longer hide his curiousity. Earlier Sophia was talking about Alexei and Famke, and the Alchemists.


    He didn''t understand what the girl was talking about, and he was very interested. Something in his chest shook as he heard that word.


    Alchemist.


    Sophia looked at Alaric carefully, trying to figure out if the handsome young man was joking. She was shocked to find out that Alaric really didn''t understand what she was talking about.


    "Geez ... you don''t know ..." Sophia covered her mouth and sighed a little. She felt very sorry for the young man standing before her. This man did not know his true identity. She walked up to Alaric and touched his shoulders. "Alaric, have you ... been alive for so long and you haven''t aged?"


    Alaric was stunned to hear this blunt question. Unconsciously he nodded.


    Sophia sighed, "You have never been sick, your body is stronger than a normal human being, you can predict the weather well, and your hair grows as it pleases?"


    Alaric nodded, this time his chest began to feel tight. Why did Sophia know all those?


    "You are an Alchemist. We are the perfect human clan who have immortal life. You are not alone in this world. There are several hundred members of our clan in the world," Sophia continued. "My brother Alexei and I are alchemists, and we are hundreds of years old. Famke was also an alchemist, she was killed by my brother''s enemy. That was why Alexei asked you to mobilize assassins from your organization to pursue Caspar 20 years ago. When Alexei invited you to come, I wasn''t allowed to meet you, but I saw you two talking from the next room. Alexei didn''t know you were an alchemist, I don''t think Famke knew either, because your eye color was different from now ..."


    All the information he had just received from Sophia was too much to digest at once. Alaric''s mind puzzled.


    Sophia''s words kept ringing on his mind, ''You are not alone in this world ...''


    You are not alone in this world.


    Sophia who saw Alaric''s face turn pale only smiled thinly. She patted Alaric''s shoulder gently and whispered, "Maybe all of this is too shocking for you ... You''d better take a drink to calm down. Can I get that tequila please ..."


    She pointed at the liquor cabinet.


    Alaric looked at her for a long time and then nodded. He will need something strong too. All of this information was  too sudden and very surprising.


    For decades he tried to find answers without results, and now, suddenly all the answers were thrown at him without him being able to prepare himself.


    He took a bottle of tequila from the cabinet and some salt and lemon slices. Sophia swiftly poured each of them a shot of tequila, then handed one glass to Alaric.


    She took the salt and licked the salt from his index finger to reduce the burning sensation as she sipped tequila from her glass then sucked the lemon slices to enhance the taste of his drink. The taste of tequila and lemon united in her mouth and made her feel better.


    Sophia never thought her new business partner was an Alchemist. This will make collaboration between them easier. Moreover, it looked like Alaric didn''t know his origins ...


    "Why not drink?" Sophia asked. "After you calm down, we''ll talk about the alchemists and you can ask me anything ..."


    Alaric nodded and followed Sophia''s actions. He gulped down the tequila in his glass and the sour and salty taste of the lemon and salt that accompanied the drink. He now felt more awake.


    Finally ... he will find out the answers he had been looking for ...


    After a few moments of silence, he finally asked Sophia ... "Do all Alchemists have eyes like us?"


    Sophia nodded, "That''s right. All alchemists have brilliantly colored eyes. I don''t know what happened to you, why 21 years ago when Alexei met you you didn''t have brilliant eyes like you do now ..."


    "Not that. I mean ... those purple eyes ..." Alaric said interrupting Sophia.


    "Oh ..." Sophia studied Alaric closer and then remembered something. "No ... this purple color is the special characteristics of the Linden family."


    "Are you part of the Linden family?" Alaric asked. He pointed at Sophia''s purple eyes.


    Sophia shook her head, "I''m from the Meier family, but my mother is a daughter of the Linden family ... so I inherited my eye color from her ... My mother''s cousin, Princess Portia is also a descendant of the Linden family and she inherited purple in her hair ... just like Princess Luna."


    Suddenly Sophia covered her lips and looked at Alaric with rounded eyes.


    That''s right ... Alaric had a pair of purple eyes like herself. He must have blood ties with the Linden family somehow...


    But the young man seemed to know nothing about his family. Is he the lost descendant of the Linden family? But from who?


    Deep down she actually could have guessed the answer, because Alaric''s face was very similar to someone she knew. But she still didn''t believe in her own mind, because that person died a long time ago ...


    "Were ... were you born ... during the war?" She asked then in a choked voice. Sophia cannot believe she would ask that question.


    Alaric looked surprised to hear Sophia''s blunt question.  It seemed like this girl in front of him knew a lot about him.


    Unconsciously his head had nodded slowly, "That''s correct. I was born during the war ..."


    Tears began to well up in both corners of Sophia''s eyes when she heard Alaric''s answer. She had expected that answer, but still she wasn''t ready to hear it ....


    She was very touched ...


    "Were ... were you born in Romania?" She asked again, trying to be sure.


    Alaric had seen Sophia''s eyes filled with tears, and his chest immediately felt tight.


    This girl knew him! At the very least Sophia knew who his family was....


    Alaric nodded again. "That''s right. I was born in Romania ..."


    "Oh God ..." Sophia could no longer hold back and her tears immediately burst forth as she hugged Alaric. "I''m really glad you survived ... apparently Lady Luna''s child was born and alive ..."


    Alaric felt awkward because Sophia treated him so intimately, and hugged him in tears. Who was this girl really?


    "Princess Luna? Who was that?" He asked, astonished.


    Sophia tightened her arms and her voice sounded very emotional, "Lady Luna is my aunt ... She was pregnant when she managed to save herself from Germany to Romania, we lost track of her and thought she had died with the child in her womb ... We never stopped looking for the two of you..."


    "You ... are you my cousin?" Alaric asked haltingly. Unconsciously tears began to well in the corner of his eyes. He became emotional when he saw Sophia nodding softly.


    Finally ... the answer ... he''d been looking for all this time ...


    He now knew who his mother was ...


    And he even managed to meet his own cousin ...


    He was truly not alone in this world ...

 Chapter 344 - Cousins

    Aleksis finally called Alaric. She had woken up at the sound of an incoming phone call from Alaric, but unfortunately when she was about to pick up the phone, it stopped ringing.


    After washing her face and drinking a cup of coffee, she decided to call him back. She longed to hear Alaric''s voice.


    She felt like crying and she wanted to tell Alaric about the anxiety she was feeling because she had to hide their relationship from Lauriel. She wanted Alaric to come home soon so that they could talk about the incident that happened 20 years ago, when Alaric''s organization targeted her father.


    At that time, Alaric was probably still very young, so there was a possibility that he wasn''t even involved ... but still, it would be difficult to bring him to meet Aleksis'' parents given his relationship with Rhionen Assassins.


    Maybe it was time for Aleksis to open her identity to Alaric, considering that at this point, no matter what happened, they were committed to being together... They were married! They must work together to think of a way out of this complicated situation.


    Maybe Alaric would be very surprised at first to hear Aleksis'' secrets, but the girl had no shortcomings nor negativity in her life that would make her feel ashamed. Her family was a respectable family and they were very powerful. Alaric would definitely be able to receive the information well. Now all that remained was to convince her family to accept Alaric ...


    RING


    RING


    RING


    A dozen rings went by and her call was not picked up. Aleksis became confused. She looked at the clock; it was 5am in Singapore, meaning that it was 9:00 pm in England ... Alaric should not have slept yet.


    Was he busy?


    Aleksis decided to send him a message asking Alaric to call her back when he had the chance, because Aleksis was already awake and was waiting for his call.


    [It is already morning here. Don''t forget to call me before you sleep. I love you.] She sent the message to Alaric.


    Unfortunately, Alaric still did not reply to her message. Aleksis could only take a deep breath.


    Could it be that Alaric was hit by jet lag because he went to a country that was 8 hours behind Singapore and was so exhausted that he was asleep now?


    Aleksis decided that she would not disturb him.


    ***


    In his penthouse, Alaric still sat pensive. Sophia had briefly told him about the history of the Alchemists and the order of their society.


    He still could not believe that there were apparently hundreds of people like him out there. He was not alone at all. He had an extended family and even a whole clan in this world.


    For the first time in his life, he felt that finally the pieces of the puzzle in his life were brought to light and he was able to form a complete picture. He finally could see himself as a whole.


    "The Linden family does not have an apparent heir anymore, because all their children have died. My mother was the first daughter and she married a prince from the Meier family, giving birth to my brother, Alexei, and me. While Princess Luna was not married ..."


    Alaric was stunned to hear Sophia''s words. He was just about to ask about his father. It turned out that his mother was not married. This meant that he was a child born outside of marriage ¡­ an illegitimate son.


    "So ... I don''t have a father?" he asked softly.


    Sophia shook her head with a face full of regret. "I''m sorry. Lady Luna kept her private life a secret. We don''t know who your father is ¡­ She did have a relationship with a man but we were not sure if he was your father because when Aunt Luna came home, she refused to talk about the man."


    "Oh ..."


    "Many of our people died during the First World War, including my parents, many of our relatives, and other friends ... Possibly, your father also died during the war," Sophia said sadly, "Although we are immortals, our bodies cannot withstand bullets and bombs ... It is estimated that more than 300 Alchemists died at that time."


    Alaric could not hold back his sorrow and anger. His hands clenched fiercely because anger regained control of his mind. Those stupid and wicked humans who loved war ... they took his parents, and many of their relatives, away from him in vain.


    "I really hate humans ..." his words, coming out through his clenched jaw, sounded very cold. "That''s why ... I want to make sure that they can no longer do whatever they want ..."


    Sophia looked at Alaric attentively. She hadn''t seen Princess Luna for more than 100 years and so she no longer remembered her face well, but now seeing Alaric in front of her, she slowly thought of her aunt.


    Alaric''s personality was very different from Luna''s warm and open nature, but they had eerily similar faces.


    She was deeply moved to imagine that for nearly 100 years, Alaric had to survive alone, without knowing who he was. His life must certainly be very hard.


    But the young man proved to be very formidable, because he succeeded in establishing Rhionen Assassins and now he even acquired very sophisticated technologies to control humans through Rhionen Industries. With the help and support of the Meier Group, he would certainly be more powerful.


    Looking at Alaric, whose face was filled with revenge and sadness, Sophia felt touched, and at that moment she was determined to support whatever her cousin would do.


    Of course it would be better if Ned and Portia also supported Alaric ... Sophia thought again.


    He knew how much Portia loved Luna ... Portia would be very happy to know that Luna had a son ...


    "I want to invite you to meet someone ..." Sophia said. "She will definitely be very happy to see you ..."


    Alaric nodded. "When?"


    "We can go tomorrow. Tonight I''m sure you need to rest and calm your mind. I will pick you up here tomorrow morning."


    "Thank you."


    Sophia got up and tidied her clothes, "I''ll go home now. I''ll call you tomorrow."


    "Alright."


    "I''m glad to meet you, Alaric," said Sophia, kissing Alaric''s cheek. "I initially thought that I would meet an old man who wore a mask - rumors have it that your face was damaged in an accident ... It turned out it''s all just baseless rumors. I''m glad I managed to recognize you, otherwise you might never know your origins ..."


    Alaric nodded slowly. "I have indeed hidden my face for the past 8 years. Tonight I decided to show my face because ..."


    He was silent. He had already decided to open up himself to Aleksis and show her his true face. Aleksis would certainly be happy by this surprise.


    He did not expect that the first time he finally showed his face to someone, it was to Sophia, who was able to recognize him and provide him with all the answers he was looking for.


    Maybe it was fate ... after searching for almost 100 years, he finally met Sophia here. Finally he got his answers.


    "Obviously I''m glad we met. I don''t want to make your head full with too much information. Rest ... I''ll tell you more tomorrow." Sophia then excused herself and left Alaric''s office. "Thank you for the drink."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded.


    Pavel entered a few minutes after Sophia left.


    "Is there anything else you need?" he asked respectfully.


    "Hmm ... accompany me for a drink, Pavel. There are many things that fill my mind at the moment ..." Alaric said, pointing at his tequila bottle. "I do not know where to start."


    Pavel was stunned. For the 20 years he had been with the young man, he had never seen Alaric behave like this before.


    He obediently took a new shot glass and poured tequila for himself and Alaric.


    Both of them drank without saying anything. They were busy with their own thoughts.


    ***

 Chapter 345 - Aleksis Dillema

    Aleksis waited for a while but Alaric did not reply to her message nor did he call her. She assumed that Alaric was already sleeping, so she didn''t want to disturb him. She then prepared to go to school. However, she was determined to teach those corny girls a lesson for bullying her two days ago.


    Aleksis decided to return to live in the penthouse and she ordered the Continental Hotel staff to bring her belongings which she had brought to the dormitory. Her relationship with Rosemary was bad, so she felt that there was no reason for her to stay there anymore.


    Besides, now there was Lauriel in the Penthouse. She certainly preferred to spend time with her godfather when she was not in school.


    Ah, that''s right ... she had to introduce her two other bodyguards to Lauriel, so that Lauriel wouldn''t become suspicious. Therefore, after breakfast, she called Carl and Sascha to come to the penthouse and meet her.


    "Uncle Rory, I would like to introduce some people to you. This is Carl and Sascha ... my two other bodyguards," Aleksis said as the two well-built, cold-looking men arrived. Inwardly, she hoped that Lauriel was not suspicious by the fact that the appearance of the second pair of bodyguards were completely different from her bodyguards yesterday. "Carl, Sascha ... he is my family. I call him Uncle Rory. You remember, right, that every time I go to live with Uncle Rory, you didn''t need to escort me ...?"


    Carl and Sascha nodded. During their eight years of working with Aleksis, there were months when they were not needed, because Aleksis lived with her Uncle Rory and their employer assumed that Aleksis would be safe with him so she did not need Carl and Sascha to protect her.


    Both of them looked at the young man in front of them with respect. Lauriel did look young, but there was something in his appearance that commanded immediate respect; it was as if he had the soul and charisma of someone who was already very senior. They wondered who this man really was ...


    "All right ... Uncle Rory will stay with me here until ..." Aleksis turned to Lauriel, "Uncle, what are you planning to do here?"


    Lauriel shrugged, "I don''t know yet."


    "All right ... as long as Uncle Rory is here, I don''t need your protection. You can please go on vacation."


    Carl and Sascha looked at each other. They did not dare to go on vacation as ordered by Aleksis. Even if the girl did not need their protection, they should better stay in Singapore and be prepared, in case she ever needed them.


    "There''s no need for a vacation. You can watch over her as usual," Lauriel said suddenly. "Don''t let me interfere with your routine."


    "Eh ...?" Aleksis felt rather surprised because this was the first time she saw Lauriel behave like this. He usually did not want to be followed by bodyguards when he was with Aleksis. His attitude made Aleksis rather worried. She was afraid that Lauriel was suspicious of something.


    Ugh ... Alaric honey, please hurry home, let us face my family together ... she said to herself.


    ***


    Aleksis had two classes that day; at 10am and 2pm. After breakfast, she immediately prepared to leave for campus, escorted by Carl.


    On her way to the university she sent a message to Takeshi informing him that as long as Lauriel was in Singapore, she would stay at the Continental hotel and she would be picked up by a driver, so that Takeshi and Mischa would not be suspicious because she was with Carl or Sascha.


    Uff ... luckily she was Aleksis, a very smart girl. Playing cat and mouse between two pairs of bodyguards from Alaric and from her father, and Lauriel, was not difficult for her. Another girl would probably have given up and cried when she was in such a difficult situation.


    When Aleksis set foot on campus, this time in a very different appearance, she felt a significant change in the way people stared at her. The girls who yesterday looked at her with scornful eyes, now looked amazed. They did not recognize her as their common enemy, the girl who had lunch with Terry.


    "Hmm ... first class is at Building B," she murmured while reading the schedule.


    Aleksis looked so beautiful today in her very expensive clothes; she looked like a supermodel. Her steps were full of confidence, and she ignored the astonished looks of the many young men who stared at her passing with eyes full of admiration.


    The girls could only whisper to each other behind her back. They all wanted to know who this new student was. They had never seen her before. She must be a very rich girl.


    As they walked to Building B, several male students approached her and tried to offer help.


    "Good morning, beautiful! What class are you in?" asked one of them who looked like the leader of the student group. His clothes looked expensive and he kept dangling the keys to a Ferrari in his hand.


    Aleksis turned and smiled sweetly. These young men seemed interested in her. They had fun intentions, but they were not dangerous. She must be patient with them. If she looked upset and annoyed, she couldn''t imagine what Carl or Takeshi and Mischa would do to these people. This morning Aleksis was not in the mood to see anyone beaten because of her.


    "I am heading for Building B, room 3.1. The Principle of Information Management."


    "Oh ... coincidentally, I also take the same class," the young man said quickly, "My name is Ian. What''s your name?"


    "My name is Aleksis," Aleksis accepted Ian''s helping hand and greeted him. "Good then. Let''s go to class together."


    Aleksis didn''t know and didn''t care whether Ian really took the same class as her or not. What was clear was that she was happy because this time the classroom would not be as empty as it was yesterday. She did not like classrooms consisting of only four students. That way she couldn''t talk and sleep because the professor would notice her easily ... he he.


    They chatted a bit on their way their class and Aleksis soon learned that Ian was the son of a very wealthy casino businessman and he happened to be in the same department as her, though he rarely attended classes so he had to redo his second year.


    Ian was part of a group or gang on this campus whose work was to have fun. Other than that, they had no clear purpose in life. Aleksis was pleased to see that her presence motivated Ian to enter the classroom.


    As she entered, several other students, Ian''s friends, joined them. Most of them were not from the Information Management Department, but they decided to have fun this time by attending the same class.


    By the time they arrived at the classroom, Aleksis'' group had grown to nearly 20 people who casually entered the classroom and opened their books, ready to study. The old professor who looked very surprised when he came in and saw so many students waiting for him. Aleksis'' three classmates, who were already in the class, Dave, Kris and Mel, were also very surprised to see a very beautiful girl and many students they had never seen before.


    Aleksis just laughed at their expressions. She immediately took a seat next to Mel and whispered, "Hey ... it''s me, Aleksis. Yesterday I skipped class, so I''ll need to borrow your notes."


    Mel, Dave and Kris were stunned for almost a minute. After observing Aleksis for a long time, they finally believed this was indeed their classmate.


    As for the professor, an old man in his 50s, he was stunned to see so many students in his classroom today. He even took out his glasses and wore them again to make sure he wasn''t dreaming.


    "Gosh ..." He narrowed his eyes and saw a very beautiful girl in the middle of the room, and immediately understood what was happening.


    These young people were indeed very easy to direct, especially if the person who directed them was a beautiful woman, he thought.


    "Hey ... Aleksis ... our class has become so full because with all these guys ..." whispered Mel who sat next to her. "Did you invite them?"


    "I did not invite them. They just wanted to follow me ..." replied Aleksis.


    She actually could not wait to go to the cafeteria for lunch. She hoped to meet Anjali or the other evil girls, to teach them a lesson.

 Chapter 346 - The New Queen Bee

    Aleksis became the new queen bee at the University of St. Mary in a matter of minutes. Ian and his friends soon realized that this girl was not only beautiful but also very pleasant to be with and full of surprises.


    When they were about to follow her to the cafeteria, Aleksis called Ian and several others and told them that they could not follow her.


    "Do you see that scary man reading a book under the tree?" she asked, pointing to Sascha who was relaxing under a tree beside the library building. The young men turned their heads towards Sascha. They saw Sascha raise his face and nod softly to Aleksis. The girl sighed, "That''s one of my personal bodyguards. He''s a former captain of the Russian special forces. My father is very strict with people I''m meeting ... If he were to see that there are so many men surrounding me, he could get angry ..."


    The young men gulped at Aleksis'' explanation. Sascha''s appearance was indeed quite intimidating.


    "Uhm ... then how can we meet you?" Ian asked, still stubborn. He actually did not want to seek enmity with Aleksis and her bodyguards, but he still wanted to approach the girl.


    Aleksis took out a piece of paper from her bag and handed it to Ian, "This is my class schedule. If you want to see me, you can just come to class ... hehehe ..."


    She then left the crowd, pulling Mel''s hand into the cafeteria. Ian looked at the schedule carefully and smiled.


    All right, I''ll come to class, thought the young man. He then invited his friends to go out and later return to the next class.


    Mel still couldn''t believe that she was walking into the cafeteria with the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. She knew that Aleksis had a beautiful face, although yesterday her appearance was deliberately made ugly, but she had no idea that if Aleksis were being herself, she could look so perfect.


    Her slender body and beautiful long legs were wrapped in a short dress and casual sneakers. Her hair was tied casually into a cute bun, and her pair of green-blue eyes shone so brilliantly.


    They were spectacular, especially since those eyes were no longer covered by her large nerdy glasses. Her presence radiates a certain vibe that could be felt even from dozens of meters away.


    At the cafeteria door they met Nicolae, who had just arrived. The young man did not pay attention to his surroundings and was busy typing something on his phone. He only realized her presence when his back accidentally hit Aleksis'' shoulder as the girl was about to enter through the door.


    "Why is your body as hard as a wall? You''ve knocked me down twice now ..."


    Aleksis grunted and released herself from Nicolae''s hands while the man looked unnerved.


    He was really amazed to see the beautiful girl in front of him, and she looked even more adorable when she was frowning and angry. He seemed to recognize this beautiful face, and her nagging about Nicolae''s food intake that was always blamed for his steelhard body ...


    Hahaha ... wasn''t this the bumpkin girl who once called him Prince Siegfried ...?


    He narrowed his eyes and studied Aleksis closely.


    Right, this was the same girl. But now her appearance was not at all shabby and old-fashioned. This girl looked amazing, even more beautiful than the supermodels he saw walking at the Paris Fashion Show runway.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Aleksis asked in confusion. She waved her hand in front of Nicolae''s face, who was still stunned.


    "Uhm ... I''m sorry, I wasn''t paying attention." Nicolae, who was already moved from his surprise, hurriedly smiled. "How can I make it up to you? Do you want to eat at my table?"


    Aleksis watched Nicolae and thought of something.


    Hmm ... if she ate with Nicolae, she would definitely pull the corny girls'' hair out in annoyance ... muhuahahahahaha ...


    Ah, but she was a married woman, so she''d better not play with fire. What if Nicolae really fell in love with her? She should not take unnecessary risks.


    "Thank you, but I already have my own table ..." Aleksis said as she rolled her eyes and walked into the cafeteria. She pulled Mel''s hand and left Nicolae, who was upset to see that for the first time in his life, a girl couldn''t care less about his good looks, and just left him.


    He walked after the two girls to see which table she meant. When they arrived in the middle of the cafeteria, he could not hide his surprised expression when he saw Aleksis gracefully taking a seat at a luxurious teak table with four elegant Victorian chairs.


    It was one of those tables that could only be found in very luxurious hotels. On the edge of the table, clearly written in gold, was a neatly carved name ''ALEKSIS''.


    Nicolae facepalmed himself when he realized that this girl had been serious when she told him that she would bring her own table two days ago. Gosh ... what kind of girl was she? He thought exasperatedly.


    "As you can see ... it''s not only seniors who can have their own table ..." said Aleksis, smiling triumphantly. She then sat down elegantly and called the waiter to take down her lunch order, instead of waiting in line at the counter like other students.


    Aleksis was actually very simple and did not like to show off, but today she intentionally did things over the top way because she wanted to give a lesson to the people who were demeaning her two days ago.


    Nicolae smiled and nodded, "All right ... it looks like you really are a very unique girl. Have a nice lunch!"


    He then went to his table and took out several books to study while occasionally stealing glances at Aleksis.


    The new queen bee was here, and everyone was watching Aleksis'' every movement in the cafeteria. Some people already recognized her as the transfer student who was bullied by Anjali two days ago for sitting on her chair, and they were curious to see what Anjali would do when she saw Aleksis'' presence in the cafeteria with her over the top attitude that was obviously meant to directly challenge her.

 Chapter 347 - My Annoying Brother

    Aleksis was the new queen bee and she was obviously challenging the old queen bee in school. People were all looking forward to the showdown.


    Mel still couldn''t help but think about Aleksis'' attitude. She was very surprised to find out that they were having lunch at a fancy dining table that seemed to have been specially brought for Aleksis. Even Anjali, whose father was a member of the school board and donated a lot of money, did not have such a fancy table on campus.


    She began to wonder who Aleksis really was.


    "Hey ... geez ... I heard some gossip about a very beautiful new student, so I hurriedly came here ..." Suddenly a voice could be heard from behind them. Mel was stunned and subconsciously held her breath when she saw Terry appear and patted on Aleksis'' back while nagging at her. "Apparently by ''beautiful student'', they meant you. I feel so wronged! You caused me came to campus early!"


    Aleksis did not protest when Terry slapped her back gently. She had seen Anjali and her cronies arriving at the cafeteria door. She immediately got up and burst into Terry''s chest and embraced him very affectionately.


    "Ohhh ... Terry honey... why did it take you so long to come. I don''t like to eat lunch alone ..." she said to Terry in a cutesy voice.


    Aleksis tried her best to hide her mischievous smile as she stared at Anjali''s pale face. She pretended to show a longing expression and acted cutesy towards Terry who was shocked by Aleksis'' strange behavior.


    At his table, Nicolae accidentally dropped the book he was reading when he saw Aleksis hugging Terry so intimately.


    Ugh ¡­ so, the girl he liked was already in a relationship with Terry, the man who had become his rival in everything, including the St. Mary University List of IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES!


    He knew the poll was ridiculous and meaningless, but for some reason today he couldn''t accept that Terry was leading the votes ...


    Terry knew his sister very well and so he knew that the girl had a plan by pretending to act like his girlfriend. Therefore, he just followed the game Aleksis was playing and rubbed the girl''s head lovingly.


    "You want to pretend to be my girlfriend, huh? Then you owe me one," he whispered, kissing Aleksis'' forehead. From far away they really looked like boyfriend and girlfriend..


    Aleksis pinched Terry''s waist very hard and whispered, "I''ll grant you one wish, as long as it is not too expensive."


    Then she exclaimed cheekily, "Oh, Terry ... sit down for lunch with me. I miss you so much ..."


    Terry then sat next to Aleksis, and muffled sighs could be heard from every corner of the cafeteria. Mel was still stunned and frozen in place. She still could not believe it, that the most popular senior on campus was currently sitting at their table and looked very friendly with Aleksis.


    Anjali, who had been horrified by the scene, suddenly seemed to wake up and hurriedly approached Terry and Aleksis'' table.


    "Good afternoon, Terry ... do you want to announce your official girlfriend today?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Her cronies were beside her and they all looked at Terry attentively.


    "Why should I?" Terry asked.


    "Because if you have a girlfriend, we have to cross you off the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES list," Anjali said, glancing at Nicolae who pretended not to be interested in what was happening at the cafeteria. "That means that Nicolae is now in the top position."


    Ugh ... Terry forgot about the damn poll. He competed in everything with Nicolae, the final year student from the Information Management department, and their position was almost always a draw.


    If he went out of the list now, it meant that for the first time, he must admit defeat to Nicolae. He could not let that happen.


    It''s a matter of pride ...


    "Do you have to be single to be voted into the list?" he asked with a nonchalant expression. Anjali nodded. Terry then turned to Aleksis, then glanced at Nicolae who pretended to read his book but seemed to smile triumphantly. Finally Terry laughed, "Hahahaha ... do you think I care about such votes?"


    "So, do you already have a girlfriend now?" Anjali asked again. The tone of her voice was a little disappointed. She looked at Aleksis with a hateful look.


    "I don''t have a girlfriend," Terry said quickly. He brushed Aleksis'' head aside quickly, "This is my sister."


    "You jerk," whispered Aleksis in disgust. She didn''t expect Terry to betray her that fast, just to maintain his position in a stupid vote. Apparently, he took his competition with Nicolae very seriously.


    Meanwhile Nicolae put down his book and looked at them intently. He cannot help a soft laugh escaped his lips.


    Come to think of it, Aleksis and Terry did look rather similar. Although Terry was half Asian and Aleksis looked more white and more European with her pair of green blue eyes, the girl still had a few Asian features on her face.


    Ah, it''s only fitting that they were very close ... Both of them were apparently siblings!


    A smile etched on Nicolae''s face. He was very pleased to know that Terry did not have a romantic relationship with Aleksis. Apparently Aleksis just pretended to act like his girlfriend because she wanted to tease Terry''s fans. When he realized that, Nicolae could only cough, to hold back his laughter. He thought this beautiful girl was very funny and she just made him more curious.


    Nicolae was determined to approach her. If he succeeded in getting Aleksis'' heart, he would be happy to get out of the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATE poll and all other votes, and hand over all the titles he contested with Terry to him. He did not mind at all.


    "Oh ... so she is your little sister? As far as I know, you''re an only child." Anjali asked, she could not hide the happiness from her face.


    She, who had been investigating all the information about Terry for years, knew that Terry was an only child and his parents died 8 years ago, so there was no way that he could suddenly have a biological sister. It must mean that Aleksis was a younger cousin or distant relative. In the Asian culture, it was common to refer your younger relatives as your little sister.


    "That''s the way it is ..." Terry said, still acting nonchalantly.


    "Ah ... okay. Then I won''t disturb your lunch," Anjali said finally. She invited her cronies back to their table.


    "Eh ... are you guys really relatives?" Mel asked in amazement when Anjali and her ladies had left.


    Aleksis scowled and ate her lunch without replying. She threw several sharp glances at Terry, who pretended not to see her annoyed face. He drank his soft drink while opening his cell phone with a nonchalant attitude.

 Chapter 348 - You are mine

    Aleksis couldn''t believe her brother would sell her so easily just to secure his position in a stupid poll!


    Just you wait, she thought while pursing her lips. She will get some poisonous snakes and send them to her brother''s house. She would enjoy listening to him screaming and yelling and record it as her bargaining chip for the next time she wanted him to do things her way.


    A smile etched on her lips as she was thinking about it. It was then that Mel realized that the two were indeed siblings, because Aleksis and Terry were too alike, especially when they were angry like this. She finally smiled and didn''t ask again.


    "Anjali ... are we going to let the girl act all pretentious like that?" asked one of her cronies, looking at Aleksis in annoyance.


    Anjali shook her head, "Of course not, but we shouldn''t openly disturb her in front of Terry, I don''t want Terry to hate me."


    "Then what are your plans?"


    "We will wait until Terry takes off. I will make her pay. Just because she is Terry''s relative, it doesn''t mean that she can act however she wants and not be respectful toward seniors."


    Anjali couldn''t accept that there was another queen bee on campus, and she had thought of ways to get rid of Aleksis.


    ***


    Alaric woke up at 6am and she immediately remembered that she had not called Aleksis as he had promised before leaving. Too many things had happened last night, when he met Sophia, his cousin.


    Yes, he, Alaric apparently had a cousin ... and now he finally knew about his origins. He knew what his mother''s name was, and who his family was ...


    Apparently, he was not alone, as there are hundreds of people like him out there. They also had young and perfect appearances and lived as immortals. Sophia herself was already over 200 years old, older than him, but she still looked like she was 24 years old.


    He later learned that for the Alchemists, time was in their hands, so they were not in a hurry to formalize their their marriage commitment and to have children. That was why they were so few in number.


    It was very different from ordinary people who got married so easily, then got divorced as easily. They had many children but were not capable of taking care of them properly, causing so many children to suffer.


    Indeed, he felt that the ideal Alchemist order was the best order for this planet. Their small numbers, conservative culture and view on commitment made them the most ideal people to roam the earth.


    Ordinary people must learn from the Alchemist clan about this ideal way of life ...


    Ah ... there was still so much he wanted to know about these Alchemists. He couldn''t wait to see Sophia again soon and meet the person she was referring to last night.


    But before that, he had to contact Aleksis. Alaric took out his phone and found several messages and missed calls from Aleksis last night that he didn''t have time to open.


    Guilt filled his chest. Ah, it''s 6 o''clock in the morning, meaning it''s 2pm  in Singapore. He should call his wife and ask about her condition. He missed Aleksis'' voice.


    Aleksis picked up the phone in just two rings.


    "Hello, Alaric ... are you awake? It''s still early in the morning, right?" Aleksis asked in a very happy voice. "How did you sleep last night? Are you sStill jet lagged?"


    "Good afternoon, Honey," Alaric said. He was very happy to hear Aleksis'' voice, "I''m fine. I had no jet lag and I slept well last night, too. How are you?"


    "I''m fine too, I''m on campus, trying to teach these corny girls who bullied me two days ago a lesson. I was hated on campus because they thought I was robbing them of their idols ... hahahaha ... They don''t know I am already taken."


    Alaric smiled at Aleksis'' words.


    "Right, you are mine," he said softly. "If they make it difficult for you, don''t hesitate to ask Takeshi and Mischa to punish them."


    "Ahh .. there''s no need for them to get involved at this moment. I already asked my brother to help me earlier ..." Aleksis coughed, remembering that she hugged Terry intimately and pretended to be his girlfriend earlier. She was afraid that Takeshi would take a picture of her hugging Terry and send it to Alaric, so she felt compelled to explain that Terry was her brother. "If you go back to Singapore, I''ll introduce you to him."


    "Hmm ... alright ..." Alaric agreed. "Honey, I''ll be busy here all day today, so I''ll call you every morning after I wake up, so it''s not too late in Singapore. I''m afraid that if I call you in the evening, the time will be too late for you."


    "Alright ..." Aleksis smiled broadly, "What are you busy with today?"


    "Hmm ... I will meet several people this day. Many great things are happening ..."


    Aleksis fell silent at Alaric''s words about the great things that were happening. At her side too, so many things were happening and she hoped that Alaric would come home soon.


    "Alright ... Hopefully all your business can be done quickly and you can come home. I miss you."


    "Take care of yourself well." Alaric looked at his phone and didn''t know how to end the call. Aleksis, on the other end, actually didn''t want to hang up.


    Finally, for a minute, no one spoke.


    "Hurry and come home to me ..." Aleksis finally whispered in a choked voice and hung up before Alaric could hear that she was close to tears. "I love you."


    "I ..." Alaric was about to reply to Aleksis'' love statement ut the phone had hung up.


    Finally, he could only sigh and place his phone on the table. His gaze was accidentally fixed on his reflection in the mirror. His hair had changed, now it was closer to platinum, with some shades of purple. His looks were so unique he could barely recognize himself.


    He unconsciously touched his head and frowned. He remembered Sophia''s words that purple was the characteristic of the Linden family. Why did these characteristics come out lately? What was happening to him?

 Chapter 349 - Nicolaes Interesting Offer

    Aleksis closed her phone and hurriedly cleared her bag to enter the next class. Terry had left earlier and there was only Mel nearby. Dave and Kris went to study in the library after lunch and would meet them in class.


    Nicolae was still sitting at his table doing something. People could see how influential he was as a student, because his table had a very private location in the corner of the cafeteria where he could relax as he pleased without anyone bothering him.


    Of course there were many girls who sat around in order to look at him from afar, but they have learned over the years that it was best to leave him alone. Basically Nicolae was very friendly and if they didn''t bother him, he would be very kind to his fans.


    When he saw Aleksis walking out of the cafeteria, Nicolae hurriedly took care of his bag and walked after the girl.


    "Hey ... wait a minute!" he exclaimed while jogging toward Aleksis.


    Mel widened her eyes and stared at him in amazement. Aleksis seemed so friendly with Terry, and now Nicolae approached her.


    Gosh ... two of the campus'' IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES at once!!!


    Aleksis laughed at Mel''s attitude and patted her back, "Heiiii ... ssshhh ... wake up ... why are you staring?"


    "Er ... I ... sorry..." Mel hurriedly blinked and nodded in embarrassment. She awkwardly rushed off, "I ... I need to go to the library for a while. See you in class!"


    With a face so red like a boiled crab she hurriedly walked off to the library. Mel was one of Nicolae''s fans and seeing the man up close in  all of a sudden made her unable to behave normally.


    Aleksis was stunned to see the behavior of her classmate.


    "Jeez ..." She turned to Nicolae, "Do you always make women react like that?"


    Nicolae smiled proudly and nodded. He was glad that at least Aleksis saw how the other girls adored him, although Aleksis herself did not seem to realize how handsome Nicolae was and always acted indifferent toward him.


    "Yes. All women, except ..." Nicolae looked at Aleksis and did not continue.


    The girl understood Nicolae''s intentions and burst into laughter. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I have good taste."


    Nicolae frowned at Aleksis'' words. "So, do you think I''m a lowly man? Who do you consider good? Terry?"


    At that time Aleksis was immediately reminded by how Terry ''betrayed her'' for the sake of his position in the damn poll and her lips immediately pursed. Watch out, you Terry ... she thought angrily.


    Her brother was indeed quirky and unpredictable, but in fact Aleksis knew him so well and in some things they were actually alike. If Aleksis were in Terry''s position, she might probably do the same thing because the girl was also very competitive. That was why Aleksis could not be angry with Terry for long. She and her brother were too similar.


    "Don''t mention Terry''s name again," said Aleksis resentfully.


    "If you want to avenge the girls who bullied you yesterday, why not just use me? I''m more trustworthy than Terry, and I don''t care about my rank in any stupid polls." Nicolae smiled faintly, "I''m willing to be your fake boyfriend. Well ... who knows, if our relationship will end up being real, I don''t mind."


    Aleksis suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked at Nicolae in surprise. Apparently this young man knew about her game with Terry ... and now he offered to be Aleksis'' fake boyfriend?


    "Why do you offer to do this?" she couldn''t help wondering. "If you claim to be my boyfriend, then your fans will run away."


    Nicolae just shrugged, "I''m tired of them. It''s good, if they think I have a girlfriend, they will leave me alone. Don''t you think it''s not tiring to meet fans everywhere you go?"


    Aleksis understood what he meant. She herself, for the past few years, had to deliberately make herself look unattractive to avoid unwanted attention from men. She did not expect that a handsome man like Nicolae would also have the same problem.


    So now Nicolae offered a solution for both of them. He wanted to break away from his fans, and Aleksis wanted to give lessons to those corny girls who bullied her because they thought she took their crush from them.


    Hmm ... that''s right. Why not just completely take their crush as they claim?


    Terry was clearly on her side, because the man was her brother. If she could have Nicolae in her hands, what a great satisfaction she would get when she saw those girls biting their nails and pulling their hair off in annoyance ...


    Ha ha ha...


    Aleksis smiled mischievously, thinking about Cindy and her friends'' reactions in the public lecture class next week ...


    Finally Aleksis narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Your offer is interesting ... I agree, but on one condition."


    Nicolae was very pleased to hear that, he smiled broadly and also crossed his arms on his chest, "What are the conditions?"


    "Only one, don''t fall in love with me." Aleksis'' words, which were uttered very decisively, made Nicolae somewhat surprised.


    "Why can''t I?" Nicolae asked, "What if you are the one who would fall in love with me?"


    Aleksis smiled, "I will not fall in love with you. I already have a boyfriend ..."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae studied Aleksis for a long time, trying to probe whether the girl was serious or just joking, but he could not be sure which one it was. "If you already have a boyfriend, why not just bring your boyfriend here?"


    "He can''t, he''s busy," Aleksis answered casually. "That''s my only condition, it would be good if you can agree to it.  If you don''t want to, that''s okay too. I can still think of other ways to avenge those girls, even without Terry nor you."


    She then walked away from Nicolae and did not wait for the young man to think of an answer. Aleksis was just joking. Nicolae''s offer to pretend to be her boyfriend was indeed very interesting, and he looked more reliable than her quirky brother, Terry. But, Aleksis did not take his offer too seriously.


    She was already married to Alaric and later she would have to explain to her husband why she had such an agreement with Nicolae. She was quite sure she knew Alaric''s sense of humor and assumed that her husband would only respond with laughter.


    What worried her was that Nicolae would really fall in love with her.


    That was why from the beginning she made such conditions, to protect herself in the future. Nicolae shouldn''t seriously like her.


    "Aleksis! Wait!!"


    Aleksis did not expect that Nicolae would run after her and stop her just before she arrived by the classroom door. Aleksis turned and raised an eyebrow at Nicolae, "What now?"


    "I agree to your condition." Nicolae said, smiling broadly. "Win-win for us."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis recalled the polls for the IDEAL HUSBAND CANDIDATES, which was the cause why Terry betrayed her. "You will lose from Terry."


    Nicolae just shrugged, "I don''t care."


    He winked and then turned away, leaving Aleksis rooted on her spot in front of the classroom door.


    Hmm ... Nicolae might be popular and good looking like Terry, but he was much more reliable and not as selfish as her brother.


    Aleksis smiled to herself then shrugged. She entered the classroom which was now crowded with students. After looking around, she noticed that there were not only many male students but also female students.


    Apparently Ian and some of his gang members were also popular guys on campus, and so the news that they were now attending class encouraged many female students to come to class as well.


    Aleksis could barely get a seat when she arrived. Luckily Ian had vacated a chair next to him and immediately gave the signal for the girl to sit down.


    Ahhhh ... this would be a fun lecture, thought Aleksis, smiling broadly.

 Chapter 350 - A Very Manly Man

    Aleksis did not expect that as the heir to the casino business in Singapore, Ian, was apparently very popular on campus, although not as popular as Terry and Nicolae, who were in their final year and had been idols at St. Mary University for longer. She realized that many girls tried to attract Ian''s attention when class was over.


    But Ian was now uninterested in any girl except for Aleksis. He hurriedly chased after Aleksis who left the room as soon as Professor Chang went out.


    "Hey ... are you free tonight? I will host a big party at my father''s hotel and I want you to come ..." he said quickly.


    Aleksis looked at Ian with narrowed eyes. Actually, her initial goal was to have many female friends, but aside from Mel, it felt like the people who were nice to her here on campus were all men. First Nicolae, and now Ian and several other boys.


    She must decide whether she preferred to have many male friends or none at all, because apparently she had to give up on her mission to get female friends.


    "Alright ..." said Aleksis finally. "But I want to invite a friend. May I?"


    Ian smiled happily, "Of course. Give me your phone number, I''ll contact you to tell you the details."


    Aleksis shook her head. "Sorry, I can''t share my phone number around. You can tell me the address and the time now, and I''ll come later."


    For a moment Ian''s face looked annoyed to hear that Aleksis did not want to give him her phone number, but he immediately relented, because he remembered that Aleksis'' bodyguards looked so scary. This girl was apparently not just anyone''s daughter.


    "All right ... tonight at 8 o''clock at the Mystica Hotel. That hotel is my father''s ..." Ian said proudly. Mystica Hotel and Casino was one of the most luxurious hotels in Singapore and it was famous for its huge casinos and was the main destination for gamblers who want to try their luck in Asia.


    "See you tonight!" Aleksis smiled sweetly and soon took her leave.


    She intended to take Lauriel with her. They haven''t had a great time together for a while now.


    ***


    Sophia arrived while Alaric was having breakfast and the girl casually invited herself to join her cousin whom she had just met yesterday. Alaric was rather surprised to see Sophia''s carefree and relaxed attitude when with him.


    Yesterday, when he first met the girl, he thought that Sophia, who was very elegant and looked like a lady from a noble family, had a cold and rigid nature, but today, she prove him wrong by being really warm. She treated Alaric as if he was a member of her own family.


    This reminded Alaric of Claudia, her foster sister who died decades ago from cancer. Claudia was the last of his family member. They had a very close relationship in the past. His heart broke when he lost Claudia and until now he had never fully recovered.


    Last week he finally opened his heart to a girl, who was so charming and managed to make him fall in love. He fell so deep that he even married her after being together with her for only four days.


    When he decided to marry Aleksis, he had accepted the fact that he had to let her go after a few decades together, and thereafter he would be alone again, probably bearing the pain forever ...


    But now, when he looked at Sophia who sat sweetly across from him while sipping earl gray tea, his heart slowly became warm. He would not be alone anymore, because now he had a family who was just like him.


    Both Sophia and himself could live forever. Besides Sophia, he might also find more of his relatives that still existed in this world ...


    "Alaric, if I may ask ... was your life difficult?" Sophia asked, looking at Alaric, who looked pensive. The day had just begun and they had plenty of time to exchange news.


    Alaric nodded, but he did not want to answer further. Sophia quite understood and did not push him. She could guess how difficult the life of an orphan born in the midst of war in Eastern Europe could be, and for almost 100 years not knowing his true identity.


    "Do you have a family?" Sophia asked again, "I mean ... have you ever been married or had children during your time with ordinary human?"


    Alaric nodded, "I am married. I have several foster children who have been raised and trained as assassins. I have also had a foster sister who had passed away."


    "Hmm ... and your wife¡­ is she still alive? Did she not notice anything strange about you?"


    "No. We haven''t been together for a long time. She didn''t have a chance to suspect anything ..." Alaric answered. He could guess where Sophia was going.


    "Hmm ... I can understand that you married an ordinary person because you didn''t know who you were before ..." Sophia shook her head in concern, "But going forward, it will be difficult for you to enter our Alchemist clan. The problem is, we have an unwritten rule that our secrets should not be known to outsiders. I''m worried that you won''t be able to hide something this important thing from your wife."


    Alaric frowned. "Why not? I could keep this secret forever."


    "Rules are rules, Alaric. Do you know Alexei, my brother? I cannot contact my biological brother after he was sentenced with Death. He is now living as a commoner in Switzerland." Sophia''s voice sounded bitter. "Even I, a princess, didn''t get special treatment. Ned and Portia can''t do anything either."


    "Alexei ...? Sentenced to death? What does that mean?" Alaric asked in confusion. He was just about to inquire about Sophia''s brother, who had once contracted Rhionen Assassins to kill someone.


    "Do you still remember Caspar from the Schneider family who was targeted by Alexei? My brother contracted Rhionen Assassin to kill Caspar?"


    Alaric nodded, "Of course."


    "Alexei was going to finish Caspar out for revenge because Caspar had killed his girlfriend, Famke ... You didn''t know that Famke was my brother''s girlfriend back then. You accepted the contract as well as to avenge Famke ..." Sophia bit her lip, "Caspar is the clan leader and, after escaping your grip, he punished my brother by giving him Death, so that Alexei became a regular human being. He is aging and spending the rest of his life alone in Basel, Switzerland. He doesn''t even remember me, his own sister ..."


    Alaric finally understood what had happened.


    "So, since Alexei has become an ordinary human, you can''t contact him anymore?"


    "Yes, that is the way our clan works." Sophia looked at Alaric in pity, "I''m sorry for you, I''m sure you must love that woman. The problem is, if you want to be part of our clan, if you want to come back to your real family, you can''t be married to an ordinary human. I can tolerate your foster children, because they are your people, but ... I feel that sooner or later you will have to choose ... your extended family and the clan, or your ordinary human wife."


    Alaric''s hand shook as he held his tea cup. He looked down and imagined Aleksis'' beautiful face, the way she always looked at him lovingly ...


    His heart suddenly ached. Why was he made to choose like this?


    Sophia looked at Alaric who was filled with dilemma, and her pair of purple eyes flashed with satisfaction. She was surprised to hear that Alaric was married, but her intelligent brain quickly thought of ways to separate her cousin from that woman.


    Alaric knew nothing about the Alchemist clan and he would definitely believe Sophia''s words, that Alchemists should not be married to ordinary humans.


    In fact, since last night when she first saw Alaric, she was fascinated by him and wanted to make this man hers.


    When she had an appointment to meet the owner of Rhinoen Industries, she thought she would be presented with an old man who had a disfigured face. She was really surprised when she was greeted by one of the most handsome men she had ever met.


    When she recognized Alaric as an Alchemist, Sophia considered it a good sign. This must be fate, she thought.


    The fact that Alaric was the founder of Rhionen Assassins made the man even more attractive in her eyes. She could imagine Alaric''s strength and skills as the number one assassin in the world. What a very manly man!


    Sophia had never met a man this great before.


    And oh ... imagine the power that Alaric would have after the automation project was completed in ten years ... This was the man who would rule the earth in the future.


    Sophia immediately decided to have Alaric for herself.


    Although they were cousins, marriage between cousins was not unusual, especially in her family of purists. Ned and Portia were also cousins ??and they finally married after being together for almost 200 years. This was a common practice among European royal families to maintain the purity of their lineage.


    Today, Sophia planned to bring Alaric to meet Ned and Portia, and convinced them to support him. She was sure that sooner or later Alaric would use his logic and understand that it would be better for him to choose his real family over his ordinary human wife, who would probably die in a few decades. Together, they would live as immortals and to rule the world.


    Sophia stood up and patted Alaric''s shoulder in sympathy, "You don''t have to decide now. After breakfast I will bring you to meet Ned and Portia, so you can see for yourself what our family life is like ..."


    Alaric nodded, but he could not continue with his breakfast. His head was filled with images of Aleksis'' face who always looked at him lovingly. His chest felt very tight.

 Chapter 351 - Chased by Kidnappers

    Aleksis was standing under a tree while writing a message to Lauriel when suddenly her hand was pulled by someone and before she could realize what was happening, her body had been pushed into a sports car and the door was closed from the outside.


    "Eh ... what is this?" she asked, confused. She looked to the side and saw Nicolae sitting in the driver''s seat. The young man fastened Aleksis'' seatbelt, put on his own seatbelt, started the engine, and drove the card forward with full concentration.


    All happened within a few seconds. Aleksis was astonished and only got back to her senses after they had left St. Mary University.


    "Heyyyy!!! What are you doing?!!" She hit Nicolae''s shoulder so the young man would stop the car, but Nicolae didn''t listen. He looked in the mirror several times and drove the car even faster.


    The blue sports car overtook the various vehicles in front of it with great skill. Aleksis'' heart was pounding hard; she was scared. Finally, she could only stay silent and hold on to her seat while observing the highway. Her heart was beating really fast.


    After five minutes, she began to observe what was happening. It looked like they were being chased by a black car and Nicolae was trying desperately to escape from the pursuit of the stalker.


    "Wh ... who''s chasing us?" Aleksis asked in a worried voice. "Are they your enemies?"


    Nicolae shook his head quickly.


    His focus was still on the crowded road in front of them, but he could still answer Aleksis'' question, "I don''t know. What is clear is that I saw some suspicious people watching over you. I saw that one of them had opened the trunk of his car and inside there were various suspicious items, usually used by kidnappers."


    "Gosh ..." Aleksis took a deep breath. "What suspicious things?"


    "Ropes, knives, duct tape and carpet." Nicolae answered.


    Ugh! No way!


    Aleksis shook her head. How was this possible? She had four bodyguards but it was Nicolae who saw the suspicious people who wanted to kidnap her?


    She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that the black car was still following behind them. The driver was apparently as skilled as Nicolae in driving because even though Nicolae''s car was swiftly slipping and zigzagging here and there in heavy traffic, he still could not get rid of his stalker.


    For 15 minutes the two cars raced on the highway. The car''s extremely high speed and their zig-zagging movements made Aleksis sick and she could only close her eyes, hoping that the nightmare would end soon.


    Nicolae turned his head and when he saw Aleksis close her eyes to hold back nausea, he thought of something.


    "Are you sick? I will stop this car in a quiet place. You just stay in the car and lock the door, let me face them ..." he said in a firm voice.


    When there was an exit from the  highway on the left, he immediately steered the car to the left and off the main road. The car''s speed was reduced greatly so Aleksis don''t feel too sick anymore. Nicolae drove his vehicle along the road until he found an abandoned warehouse with a large yard.


    The black car continued to follow them.


    Nicolae''s blue sports car finally stopped in front of the warehouse. The black car arrived 10 seconds later and stopped behind him.


    "Can you drive?" Nicolae asked before opening the driver''s door. Aleksis opened her eyes and nodded slowly. Nicolae continued with his instruction. "Once I get out, you lock the car from the inside and wait for me here. If anything happens to me, you must immediately take the car away and seek help."


    Aleksis nodded quickly. Tears almost flowed down on her cheeks, because her mind was tense and her head felt dizzy. It all happened so suddenly and she could hardly think.


    Nicolae took off his seatbelt, took something from the car drawer, then got out. He gave Aleksis a signal and the girl hurriedly locked the car from the inside.


    Aleksis saw two figures coming out of the black car behind them in a threatening manner. She could not see clearly because the distance was rather far, plus her eyes were foggy due to stress.


    Ugh ... where are my four bodyguards when I need them ¡­ complained Aleksis.


    She was about to call Takeshi or Carl, but then she realized her phone-watch had fallen off when Nicolae had hurriedly pulled her into the car. Ugh ...


    She couldn''t ask for help.


    Aleksis could only pray that Nicolae would be able to face the two kidnappers.


    ***


    After finishing her breakfast, Sophia invited Alaric to the roof of the building. They were going to their next destination using her private helicopter so she asked her pilot to pick them up.


    Alaric was impressed by Sophia. Not only was the girl an immortal like him, she was also very powerful. The Meier Group was one of the largest business groups in Europe. It was certainly not easy to run the business alone.


    "Why do we have to take a helicopter? Is our destination far?" He asked as they arrived at the roof and waited for the helicopter to land.


    "Not really. We''re going to the airport and then fly to Scotland. The weather outside is very sunny, so I want to see the view of London from above. It must be beautiful." Sophia smiled sweetly and handed her hand to Alaric so he would help her get into the helicopter.


    Like a real gentleman Alaric opening the helicopter door then helped Sophia board the helicopter before sitting next to her. They wore noise canceling headsets and when everything was ready, the pilot gave the signal and the helicopter rose and headed north.


    The 10-minute trip was very pleasant. Alaric looked at the city below and admitted that Sophia was right, London was known as a foggy city that often looked gray, but today they could clearly see the beauty of its historic buildings from above.


    "We can use your plane, if you don''t fully trust me yet," Sophia said after they got off the helicopter. "Tell your pilot that we''re going to Glasgow."


    Alaric looked at Sophia and nodded with a smile. Sophia was very smart. She knew that Alaric would not carelessly go with her, even though she claimed to be his cousin.


    It would be safer for Alaric to use his own plane to go to this strange place Sophia wanted to show him. Therefore, as a sign that Sophia had no ill intentions to Alaric, the girl handed over the decision to Alaric to use his private plane.


    "OK." Alaric called Pavel, who immediately coordinated his staff, and half hour later they were on Alaric''s private plane.


    "I actually like this plane," Sophia said as she entered and admired the very luxurious interior of the cabin, "But unfortunately I would never buy it."


    "Why?" Alaric asked.


    "Hmm ... personal reasons," Sophia answered with a shrug. She would never buy a plane from Atlas Corp after she learned that Caspar was the majority shareholder. She did not want to make the man richer than he already was.


    "OK." Alaric did not push her. He was sure Sophia must have a good reason. "Then, whom will we meet in Scotland?"


    "Sorry, I can''t say much right now." Sophia looked apologetic, "You still haven''t decided whether you will join the Alchemist Clan or choose to live with ordinary people. If you chose to return to your ordinary-human wife, I cannot reveal too much of our secrets to you ..."


    Alaric sighed. Why were the rules so strict? He really wanted to know everything about the Alchemists, about his family and relatives ... Why couldn''t he know everything just because he had not made a choice?


    "If I want to know everything about the Alchemists, does that mean I have to leave my wife?" he asked in a depressed voice.


    "It depends." Sophia looked at Alaric sympathetically, "Let Ned decide. I will follow his orders. If he thinks that you may know everything about us, even if you decided to stay with your wife, then I will tell everything you want to know. If he considers you an outsider until you are willing to join the clan, then we''ll go home and I will not talk about the clan ever again ... I have a feeling that you are not ready to leave your wife yet."


    "Who''s Ned?"


    "Prince Ned is a member of the five family honorary council. He and his wife, Portia, have the right to decide." Sophia smiled slightly, "Portia is your mother''s cousin ..."


    Alaric nodded in understanding. Apparently there were several important families who were the clan leaders. One of them was his own mother''s cousin. It must meant that, most likely, his mother or the Linden family was also an influential family in the clan. He was really curious to know more about his mother''s family.


    "We can''t talk about the Alchemists, because you are still not officially a part of us. Sorry ..." Sophia smiled calmly, "I will convince Ned to consider your unusual condition. Meanwhile, let us discuss business. However, Rhionen Industries and the Meier Group will collaborate on an EU automation project, right?"


    Alaric nodded. He really would rather discuss business with Sophia than allowing himself to daydream along the way. His mind always wandered off to Aleksis and his dilemma of having to choose. He didn''t want to think about it.


    Two hours later the plane landed at Glasgow airport.

 Chapter 352 - Misunderstanding (1)

    Nicolae knew that offence was the best defense, so when he saw two dangerous-looking young men coming out of the black car, he immediately brandished the Swiss Knives he had taken from the car drawer and got ready.


    The two young men who had just gotten out of the car looked at each other and smiled. Instantly Nicolae felt they were more dangerous than expected.


    One looked Japanese and his appearance was like an ordinary student, while his partner looked flamboyant in his sky-blue silk shirt with buttons open to his chest. The latter wore a leather string fashioned into a necklace paired with a dreamcatcher-shaped metal pendant that hung nicely around his neck.


    "We can do a little exercise. Do you want to go first or should I just beat this guy up?" Mischa asked Takeshi. Takeshi just grinned and raised his hand, signalling Mischa to back away. He slowly rolled up his sleeves and then prepared his stance.


    Seeing that his opponents would not gang up on him, Nicolae put away his Swiss Knives and immediately move to attack Takeshi. He must immediately take down the Japanese guy so that his friend would not have time to disturb Aleksis.


    Takeshi also seemed to think the same. He wanted to finish off Nicolae as soon as possible, so that he could quickly check on Aleksis. He jumped so lightly at Nicolae and suddenly his right hand gripped the young man''s shoulder while he raised his left hand and gave a very hard blow to Nicolae''s chest.


    "Ugh ... !!" Nicolae was shocked for a split second because he did not think that Takeshi could move so fast. He managed to hold Takeshi''s left hand with his right elbow and he quickly lowered his body position. In high speed, Nicolae''s right leg brushed Takeshi''s lower body to try to knock him over.


    Takeshi managed to avoid his attack by jumping to the side. He then stood for a second to improve his balance, before quickly attacking again, this time with a kick aimed at Nicolae''s neck.


    Before his feet touched the man''s neck, Nicolae managed to duck in time. He then rose and raised both hands and struck Takeshi''s chest with all his might.


    BRAAK!!!


    Nicolae''s impact was so loud that even Mischa could hear the sound of bones cracking. The blow caused Takeshi to be thrown six meters back. His body slammed hard into the front bumper of the car. The young man vomited fresh blood from his mouth and fainted.


    "Ahh ¡­!" Mischa was very surprised to see what had happened.


    He hurriedly moved forward and aimed his kick at Nicolae''s chest to get back at what he had done to Takeshi.


    Nicolae, who did not expect to be attacked from the side, did not have time to avoid Mischa''s attack, and as a result, his body was slammed hard to the ground. His chest hurt a lot, but he reflexively got up and put on his fighting stance.


    Mischa looked at Nicolae attentively. He did not expect that an ordinary student like him could defeat Takeshi so quickly like that, considering Takeshi was an assassin who was already at the Phoenix level, only one level below himself.


    He knew for sure how strong Takeshi was because they grew up together and they did a lot of sparring with each other. Seeing how Nicolae could quickly subdue Takeshi like that made Mischa very careful. He suddenly worried that this young man might be even stronger than him.


    He was also amazed because after being hit by his strong kick earlier, Nicolae could immediately get back up and get ready to face him.


    Other people would lay on the ground in pain as that kick must have broken some bones ...


    Hmm ... it''s been a long time since he met an equal opponent, and this opportunity to fight with Nicolae caught his interest.


    Mischa then recalled that two days ago this young man was very quick to save Aleksis in the cafeteria when she was bullied by the evil girl, Anjali. He saved Aleksis from falling with her head on the table.


    At that time he did not pay much attention to how quickly Nicolae moved ... and now he realized that the young man was indeed not just a simple student like what he had been trying to show ...


    "All right ... I won''t play around," he muttered to himself.


    He rolled up his shirt sleeves and prepared his fighting stand, then without warning he attacked Nicolae with various dangerous movements. Mischa no longer underestimated his opponent this time.


    Mischa''s attack after attack aimed at Nicolae''s vital organs made Nikolae very busy . He must duck, parry, retaliate with fists, elbows, kicks, and at the same time, avoid the onslaught of Mischa repeated attacks.


    After five minutes of fighting at close range, both of them had started to get injured, but no one seemed to be winning.


    Mischa really didn''t expect anyone to be able to withstand his close range attacks for this long. Not even that, his opponent even successfully hit him back many times. As the highest level assassin in his organization, his pride was hurt.


    He had only been defeated by one person, and that was his own foster father, Alaric Rhionen. For him, it was an honorable defeat, because Alaric was the one who taught him everything all his life.


    However, he did not accept being defeated by an ordinary student, like Nicolae.


    At this rate, they would be both tired and seriously injured. Mischa realized that he had to end this fight immediately so that he could help Takeshi and bring him to get treatment. He did not know how severe his internal injuries were.


    "Hey, where are you going ?!" exclaimed Nicolae as Mischa suddenly jumped back and ran quickly into his car. He chased after Mischa but two seconds later he stood fixed in his place.


    "I''m not going anywhere ..." Mischa replied as soon as he got out of the car. He held up the gun he had taken from the car and threatened Nicolae to back away.


    Ugh, the situation was really bad right now, Nicolae thought. Mischa turned the tables and caused the situation to be increasingly unbalanced by involving a firearm.


    Nicolae hated violence and he very rarely found himself in a situation where he had to rely on his muscles. He even refused to carry a gun anywhere even though many of his friends had advised him to start protecting himself with decent weapons since he told them that he would move to Singapore to work on his project.


    Now he regretted not listening to them.

 Chapter 353 - Misunderstanding (2)

    Ugh, the situation was really bad right now, Nicolae thought. Mischa turned the tables and caused the situation to be increasingly unbalanced by involving a gun. Nicolae never carried a weapon with him, except for his Swiss Knives, even though some of his friends insisted that he should start protecting himself more seriously.


    His physical strength had been enough to keep him safe all this time, even when met thugs with firearms. However, he never dealt with professional assassin like Mischa before, who was physically as strong as him and carried a gun, and now Nicolae regretted not listening to his friends.


    "I don''t have time to play with you ..." said Mischa while wiping the blood from the corner of his lips. He glanced at the injured Takeshi, then at Nicolae''s sports car, trying to see if Aleksis was inside.


    Nicolae followed the direction of Mischa''s eyes on his car.


    "Ah ... Aleksis ..." he muttered. He immediately remembered that Aleksis'' safety was still at stake if he did not get rid of this opponent in front of him. Without thinking, he pulled his Swiss Knives from his back pocket, opened the knives set and threw it at Mischa to get rid of the gun.


    Mischa was faster, he had pulled the trigger while trying to avoid Nicolae''s knife throw, but the knife managed to hit his hand just half a second after the bullet was fired.


    "Aaghhh ... !!"


    There was a cry of pain from both men. Mischa dropped the gun he was holding and held his injured right hand which was covered in blood, while Nicolae, who did not have time to avoid the shot, got wounded on his left shoulder.


    Aleksis, who was waiting in the car and could not contain her stress, was very shocked to hear the sound of a gunshot. She did not see Nicolae carrying a gun earlier, so that only meant that the criminal, who was about to kidnap her, was the one who had fired earlier ...


    Who was shot ...? Was ... was Nicolae shot? Was he dead ... ???


    Aleksis saw the car keys hanging in the car and remembered Nicolae''s message to escape and look for help if anything happened to him ...


    But how could Aleksis run away and leave someone who had fought hard to help her?


    Oh God ... if only her bodyguards were here ... If Lauriel were here ... If Alaric were here with her....


    Aleksis cried thinking about those people ... They must be very worried.


    She wiped her eyes that were wet with tears and made up her mind to try to get the criminals to talk and offer them a huge amount of money to let her and Nicolae go ...


    "Nico ... !! Are you all right?" She got out of the car and immediately ran towards Nicolae who was holding his bloody shoulder.


    "Aleksis!! Stay in the car!" exclaimed Nicolae in a painful voice.


    "Miss, are you okay???!!" Mischa exclaimed in a relieved voice.


    The two of them talked at the same time, and when they heard each other''s sentences, Nicolae and Mischa stared at each other in surprise.


    "You ¡­ ??"


    "Who are you?!"


    Aleksis was stunned to see the three injured people in front of her.


    "Wh ... what happened ...? Why did you guys fight?" she asked, feeling confused and worried at the same time.


    "We saw him kidnap Miss, so we immediately chased after you ..." said Mischa in a puzzled tone, "But you are OK?"


    "He didn''t kidnap me, Mischa ... He told me that he saw two suspicious people spying on me and he suspected that they intended to kidnap me ..." Aleksis sighed deeply. She then turned to Nicolae, "Are the two people you saw earlier these guys? Takeshi and Mischa?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "No, it wasn''t them ... those two were older and they looked very suspicious. They looked like regular thugs. They happened to be driving the same black car. When these two people were chasing us, I thought they were part of those kidnappers thugs ..."


    "Ouch ..." Aleksis and all the people who had fought all out soon realized that they had misunderstood each other. Nicolae was about to save Aleksis from the kidnappers, but Mischa and Takeshi, who saw him run away with Aleksis, thought that Nicolae wanted to hurt her, while Nicolae thought Takeshi and Mischa were members of the criminals who were chasing them.


    The girl examined the unconscious Takeshi then tore her shirt and handed it to Mischa so that he could bandage the wound on his hand. Then she knelt down and approached Nicolae who was now sitting and trying to examine his own wound.


    "Were you shot?" Aleksis asked with concern.


    She felt very guilty for causing all the men to be injured today.


    Nicolae just nodded, not replying.


    "Mischa ... can you take Takeshi to the hospital? I will take Nicolae to get help. I will find out who tried to kidnap me ... You guys please take good care of yourself ..."


    Mischa nodded. He got up and carried Takeshi into the car. Then, he helped Aleksis carry Nicolae into his car. Aleksis was not strong enough to support the big guy on her own.


    When Nicolae and Mischa''s eyes met with each other, they stared at each other intently and frowned at the same time. Mischa wondered who the young man really was.


    Nicolae too. He couldn''t help thinking why these two stalkers had such a good relationship with Aleksis. Were they friends? Were they her bodyguards ...?


    He decided to keep his questions to himself until the situation calmed down.


    Nicolae was seated in the back seat and Aleksis took the wheel to drive them both home.


    "Mischa, thank you for taking care of me, and I''m sorry that the two of you got hurt like this. It''s just a misunderstanding ... please take care of yourself, and I hope you''ll recover quickly ..." Aleksis said as she started the engine. Mischa nodded and walked to his car. Aleksis then hurriedly drove the car to the Continental Hotel.


    She knew she would not be able to bring Nicolae to the hospital because of his gunshot wound. The hospital would immediately alert the police and Mischa would be in trouble, even though this was all just a misunderstanding ... At a critical time like this, she could only rely on Lauriel to help Nicolae.


    Lauriel would know what needed to be done to remove the bullet and treat Nicolae''s wounds. Lauriel would definitely have a cure for Nicolae, she thought.


    Mischa took a deep breath and got into the car. He had to endure so much pain when he started the engine, because Nicolae''s knife had caused a large wound between his thumb and forefinger, he had difficulties turning the key.


    He must immediately tell Alaric what had happened.

 Chapter 354 - Mother and Father (1)

    The car carrying Alaric and Sophia arrived in front of a very magnificent and beautiful castle. Alaric could only wonder whom they were going to meet.


    He had heard the names of Ned and Portia from Sophia, but although he sought information through all the data sources he could access, he still could not find out who the two people were.


    The car entered the castle grounds and stopped in front of the elegant entrance.


    "They are expecting us," Sophia whispered as she got out of the car. Alaric looked around and admired the castle environment. This castle must belong to a very influential and wealthy family, he thought, but surprisingly, he could not find out who they were.


    When the two set foot on the castle grounds, an aristocratic-looking butler greeted them at the door and respectfully led them inside.


    Alaric was  a very wealthy man, but the grandeur of this castle still amazed him. There must be so much history stored in this place. All the decorations and arrangements looked very old and antique.


    There were various paintings of people that seemed to have lived in the ancient times adorned the various walls of the castle passageways. He felt as if he had entered a time tunnel and arrived in the past.


    "We have arrived," Sophia said. They stopped in front of a large wooden door. The butler opened the door and invited them inside.


    The room was very grand and contained chairs covered in gold and furniture that looked very luxurious. Alaric felt as if he were in the living room fit for a king. In the middle of the room was a large, majestic seating and there sat a young man and a young woman who looked very attractive.


    The man had short hair with shades of red and a very handsome face, while the woman had very long hair with a beautiful purplish color. Alaric had never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. The woman reminded him of the elf queen from the fairy tales.


    "Welcome, Sophia." Portia stood up and hugged her niece warmly. "Have you been well?"


    Sophia held Portia''s hug for a long time, trying to keep herself from becoming emotional. "Uhmm ... I am trying hard to survive, but you know, living alone is very hard. I miss my brother often ..."


    Portia was silent. Ned''s face also seemed to harden as he tried to hold his anger. Alexei was his friend and they still had family ties. Seventeen years ago, out of the blue, they got word from Sophia that Alexei was convicted by Caspar and Lauriel with Death and was also given Memory potion. He was thereafter just thrown out of the clan.


    From then on Ned and Portia could only harbor anger for losing a friend and nephew in such a way. As members of the Honorary Council of The Five Families, they felt that they were not involved in making such an important decision.


    "You know we feel angry, too," said Ned, clenching his jaws in anger. He looked away so as not to appear to be emotional in front of their new guest.


    Portia then let go of her hug from Sophia and turned to Alaric.


    "Then, who is this ...?" Portia stared at the young man''s face, then turned to Sophia. "Who ... who is he?"


    Her chest immediately felt tight because Alaric''s face brought back so many memories for her. She covered her lips when she saw the young man''s face up close clearly. That face was very similar to the face of someone she loved and was now gone.


    "This is Alaric, Princess Portia ... He is an Alchemist who does not know his origins." Sophia held Alaric''s hand and brought him closer to Portia who subconsciously raised her hand to touch Alaric''s cheek. "He was born in Romania at the end of World War 2 ... His mother died while giving birth to him ..."


    Tears suddenly fell on Portia''s cheeks as she rubbed Alaric''s face. She did not need to ask for explanations or evidence ... In her heart, she knew immediately that this young man was the son of her dear cousin, Princess Luna.


    Those pair of brilliant purple eyes, and the delicate lines on Alaric''s face that made him look like a woman, were very similar to his mother''s.


    "You ... are you Luna''s child?" She whispered in a hoarse voice. Ned looked surprised at what was happening. He walked over and approached the two. He then looked at Alaric''s face carefully.


    "Luna ... didn''t she die before giving birth?" he asked, astonished.


    Sophia shook her head, "Princess Luna disappeared from the mansion during an allied attack. We managed to find her trace to Romania, but thereafter we could not find out what had happened to her. We thought that she had died with her child in her womb ... But apparently, she managed to give birth before she finally died ..."


    Before she could finish her words, Portia hugged Alaric very tightly. The thought of the past made Portia very sad and she rubbed the young man''s back lovingly.


    "Luna''s child is still alive ... Oh God ... your child is still alive, my dear Luna ... I''m so happy ..." Portia cried nonstop.


    Alaric felt awkward, because he had no idea who Portia was and why she hugged him so tightly and lovingly. Even though she looked physically the same age as him, for the first time in his life, Alaric felt as if he was being hugged by his biological mother.


    Suddenly his heart felt so light. He realized that he had never felt the love of his mother before because she had died while giving birth to him. He never knew what it was like to have parents.


    When he was embraced by Portia in such a warm and graceful way, deep down in his heart he half hoped Portia to be his mother.


    "Oh ... my child ... you must have suffered a great deal in your life all this time ... I can imagine that for a hundred years you didn''t know anything about yourself ... You didn''t have anyone ..." whispered Portia in a sad voice. Without hesitation she kissed Alaric''s cheeks, head and hands, as if he were her own child.

 Chapter 355 - Mother and Father (2)

    In just a short time, Alaric felt that the walls he had built around himself, to protect himself from the world, started to slowly collapse, along with the kisses and hugs from this woman, who was his mother''s cousin. Tears slowly accumulated at both corners of his eyes.


    After nearly 100 years of being alone ... he was finally given a chance to meet his mother''s family.


    He was no longer alone. This woman in front of him treated him as if he was her own child ...


    Portia cried but she seemed very relieved and very happy. She never thought that one day she would meet Luna''s child. They all thought the child had died with her.


    "Gosh ... Luna''s child ... is still alive ..." She laughed happily as she wiped her tears. Portia then turned to Ned and pulled her husband closer, "Ned ... this is Luna''s son ... His name is Alaric ..."


    Ned nodded. "Welcome, Alaric. We are glad you finally returned home ..."


    "Wait a minute ... you probably really wish to know what your mother''s face looked like ..." Portia said suddenly. She immediately pulled Alaric''s hand to follow her. "I have photos and paintings of Luna in the library."


    Alaric was stunned and his feet subconsciously followed Portia''s into a huge library.


    Portia still kept paintings and pictures of his mother! For the first time in his life, Alaric would be able to see the face of the woman who gave birth to him. The woman who died so he could live ...


    "This ... this is Luna ..." Portia whispered into Alaric''s ear in an enthusiastic voice, "This is your mother ..."


    Alaric was stunned when he saw the painting Portia was pointing at hanging on the library wall. It was of a very beautiful young girl in an elegant Edwardian outfit. Her long, straight hair was purplish in color, and a pair of beautiful purple eyes stared directly at him.


    For a moment Alaric realized that Luna''s face was no stranger to him. Her face was very similar to his own face, which he had always hated in the past because it looked like a woman''s.


    It turned out that his face and his mother''s face were uncannily similar.


    Inwardly, Alaric suddenly felt guilty because for decades he had hated his face. That was because he did not know that he inherited his mother''s face.


    "I''m so sorry, Mother ..." he whispered as he looked at the pair of purple eyes that were staring back at him from the painting. She had the smile of a beautiful angel.


    Alaric''s eyes became foggy and his head went dizzy. He seemed to hear a very soft voice greeting him lovingly from the painting, "Welcome, my son... Welcome home ..."


    ***


    Aleksis hurried out of the car and ran to the lobby to ask the receptionist to call the penthouse because she could not contact Lauriel. He asked Lauriel to meet her in the basement parking lot to help her carry Nicolae up. The young man had fainted because he had lost a lot of blood.


    Five minutes later, that seemed like hours for Aleksis, Lauriel knocked on the car window with a very worried face. Aleksis was trembling in the back seat while holding Nicolae who was in shock.


    "Uncle ... Uncle ... Please help me ... My friend is hurt ..." she whispered anxiously as she opened the car door.


    Lauriel hurriedly checked Nicolae''s condition and his face turned pale. He examined Aleksis and was relieved that his goddaughter was not injured.


    "Are you alright? Can you walk?" he asked. Aleksis nodded, "Very well ... I will carry him to the penthouse. You come with me ..."


    Aleksis obeyed Lauriel''s words. She immediately got out of the car and waited for Lauriel to get Nicolae out. Her godfather was very strong and so he could carry the tall young man on his back. They quickly entered the elevator and headed to the 100th floor.


    "Sshh ... don''t worry ... Your friend lost a lot of blood, but he will be safe ..." Lauriel talked softly, seeing that Aleksis was still trembling in fear in the elevator. "Do not be afraid ..."


    Aleksis nodded silently.


    They entered the penthouse and Lauriel quickly laid Nicolae in the guest room and cleaned his wounds.


    "Aleksis honey, you should take a shower and get changed. The doctor will arrive soon, and we don''t want him to see blood on you ..."


    Aleksis nodded slowly and went into her room to clean herself up. Lauriel called his trusted aide who immediately called a doctor to come to the penthouse. Nicolae needed a blood transfusion and an injection of morphine in order to survive the small operation required to remove the bullet in his shoulder.


    Actually, if he hadn''t tried to dodge the shot, the bullet would have hit his heart. This young man was very lucky because the shot missed a little.


    Ten minutes later Aleksis returned to the guest room with her clothes changed. Her face looked more fresh and she was no longer pale. She had also managed to calm herself down. She was very relieved to have arrived at the penthouse safely, and she was grateful that Lauriel was around, because she believed that he could handle everything ...


    "Are you feeling better?" Lauriel asked as he handed over a glass of wine mixed with a special concoction he made to calm Aleksis down a little. The girl accepted it and nodded slowly.


    "When will the doctor come?" she asked him.


    "Soon. You just wait here, I will get a change of clothes for him ..."


    Lauriel went to his room and looked for a new shirt and pants for Nicolae, because his clothes were soaked in blood. Aleksis finished her wine, then sat by the bed and watched the handsome young man who was laying unconscious.


    She felt sad thinking that Nicolae was injured today because he tried to save her ...


    Still feeling anxious, she took a small towel and a basin of warm water from the bedside table and began to wash Nicolae''s face and shoulders, which were soiled with blood. His clean face looked very pale because he lost so much blood.


    "Doctor Lin has arrived," Lauriel said. He entered the guest room carrying a set of fresh clothes and behind him was a male doctor in his 50''s. He walked in with a calm face. The doctor placed his bag on the floor then sat down next to Nicolae and examined his injuries.


    "Hmm ... your little brother was hit quite badly ¡­ It was a near-miss; the bullet could have hit his heart and kill him instantly ..." commented Doctor Lin. He looked at Lauriel, "Do you want to donate blood for your little brother?"


    "Little brother ...?" Lauriel frowned. He turned to Nicolae who laid still in bed.


    He finally took notice of the young man''s face, which Aleksis had just cleaned. Instantly his chest pounded hard. The young man''s face was very similar to his. At first glance, other people would not think that they looked that similar, unless they really paid attention. Like now.


    The more he looked at Nicolae, the more he felt like seeing himself.


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae and Lauriel alternatingly then frowned as well, "Uncle ... you ... you and Nicolae indeed look very similar ... No wonder this doctor thinks you are brothers ..."


    Aleksis patted her own forehead because she had never noticed this resemblance. Since Nicolae and Lauriel were completely unfamiliar with each other, she never thought of connecting them. Come to think of it, Doctor Lin was not wrong, these two men could indeed be considered siblings when they were next to each other like now ...


    "You ... aren''t you two brothers? I''m sorry, for being presumptuous ..." said Doctor Lin in confusion, "Then, we must test his blood in order to have the right blood sent from the hospital immediately."


    Lauriel stared at Nicolae''s face for a long time and subconsciously said softly, "Doctor ... if you test his blood ... please also test my blood ... if they match ... let me be the donor."

 Chapter 356 - DNA Doesnt Lie

    Dr. Lin quickly took Nicolae''s blood and placed a drop carefully on the test kit. Then, he took some blood from Lauriel''s fingertip and also tested it. The results came out a minute later and it made everyone look at each other in surprise.


    The test that was performed was used not only to show someone''s blood type, but also to have a simple generic report of the person. With this genetic report, the doctor could immediately find out the general health condition of the people he tested to avoid drug allergies or prevent improper treatments.


    Dr Lin was holding the DNA information of both men and he was confused to see that the Y chromosomes from the two reports had so much in common. Dr. Lin scratched his head that wasn''t itchy.


    He remembered Lauriel''s negative reaction when Dr. Lin mistook the injured young man for his younger brother. It seemed as if these two people didn''t even know each other, so why did their Y chromosomes have so much in common ...? It was almost like they were father and son ...


    But, was that possible? These two people seemed to be of the same age ...


    He couldn''t stop thinking, but he couldn''t come up with a good explanation.


    Meanwhile, Aleksis and Lauriel looked at each other in shock. Aleksis even covered her mouth as she tried to hold back her cry of surprise. She was very intelligent and so she knew the meaning of the two DNA reports earlier. Lauriel did too.


    He glanced at the handsome young man who was lying in bed. His face was very pale because he had lost a lot of blood ...


    DNA results never lie. This young man was his son ...


    But from whom? He was not a man who slept with random women, so there was no way that he could have a son he did not know about.


    He could think of a few women who had shared his bed in the past, but none of them meant anything to him. The only woman he loved wholeheartedly had died, and she took their child who was still in the womb with her ...


    As he looked at Nicolae, subconsciously tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes. A sense of peace and warmth filled his chest.


    If this were truly of his son ... he would be very happy, because that meant that Lauriel was not alone in this world.


    "Please take my blood quickly so he could be operated on immediately," Lauriel said in a stern voice.


    His mind immediately went back to work and he knew right now that the most important thing was to save Nicolae. Indeed, his gunshot wounds did not endanger his life, but if he continued to lose so much blood, he could die.


    Doctor Lin nodded. He quickly took out a blood transfusion set from his bag and directly connected Lauriel''s end to Nicolae''s arm so as not to waste time. When the blood was flowing smoothly, he then deftly took out the bullet that was still lodged in the young man''s shoulder.


    Aleksis held Lauriel''s hand during the whole procedure. The two looked at each other and then looked at Nicolae together. Without the need to talk, they already knew what was in each other''s minds.


    Aleksis was very happy to know that her dear Uncle Rory had a child ... There must be so much mystery behind Nicolae''s life, and they couldn''t wait to know as soon as possible what had happened.


    ***


    The atmosphere in the library was very moving. Alaric was not ashamed to shed tears in front of Portia because, for the first time in his life, he felt that he had found the family that he thought was gone.


    His mother had indeed died, but apparently he still had a cousin, and an aunt who loved him very much. Ned, Portia''s husband, also treated him so well.


    After they cried and released their longing for each other, Portia still could not let go of Alaric from her embrace. She invited them to lunch at the beautiful back garden to exchange stories, especially about what had happened to Alaric for the past 100 years.


    "I''m very proud of you," Portia said, smiling heartily, "You managed to live well alone and you have  achieved so many things in your life ... Luna must be so proud."


    Alaric nodded. "Mother is my motivation in life... I only have one goal in my mind right now, which is to make sure that humans no longer do the same foolishness as they did before. I will not allow humans to destroy the earth further as they seem to enjoy war and environmental destruction ... their war caused us to lose so many of our loved ones ..."


    Portia nodded, "Ned and I agree with you. That is why, when Sophia first told us about the automation project from Rhionen Industries, we agreed to provide support. With the leadership of the United Kingdom, of course other EU countries will follow. We have the same wishes as you. You don''t know how proud and happy I am, because as of today, I know that the pioneer of this project, the owner of Rhionen Industries, is my own nephew ..."


    Sophia coughed and told Alaric a bit about who Ned and Portia really were. Alaric was stunned to learn that the two people sitting in front of him were actually the real rulers of the British Empire, which stretched across the commonwealth since hundreds of years ago. They had been ruling the British Empire from behind the scenes for centuries.


    No wonder he easily obtained the European Union automation project. As for China, he had a very close relation with the leaders there, especially because Rhionen Assassins had done a lot of work for them in the past.


    However, for the cooperation with the European Union, he thought he was just lucky when the Meier Group supported his project and moments later the contract was approved.


    Apparently it was because the rulers of Great Britain had the same view as him, and so they gave their blessing so that he would get the big project contract.

 Chapter 357 - Alaric Misunderstood

    "I really want to visit Luna''s grave, and with your permission, I wish to move her grave to the park behind this palace, so that she can be closer to home. What do you think?" asked Portia.


    Alaric nodded, "Mother would be happy to be close to her family."


    "Speaking of family residence ..." Sophia suddenly spoke up, "Actually, as Princess Luna''s son, you inherit the palace in Yorkshire, which is owned by the Linden Family. I am currently living in that palace, only because I can''t bear to see such a nice place left uninhabited. But if you want it, I''ll give it back to you."


    "I have a lot of residences," said Alaric, but he seemed to think for a moment, "You may stay there however you wish, but I would love to see it."


    "Of course, we can go there this afternoon or tomorrow," Sophia said, smiling sweetly. She was happy because Alaric did not send her out of the palace.


    She was sure that when Alaric saw his mother''s palace, he would want to live there, and of course, Sophia would gladly accompany him there.


    "Hmm ... there are a lot of things you should know about our clan, the Alchemists," Ned said, pouring wine for his wife, then for himself. "Not all Alchemists want the same thing as us."


    "Could you please elaborate further?" Alaric asked attentively.


    "At present, there are around 400 Alchemists in this world. We lost more than 300 Alchemists during the world war. The rest lived in the shadows, because clan regulations state that we must not show and make ourselves known to the public, especially when it comes to governing people openly. Therefore, many of us control businesses and governments in secret.


    Sophia, for example, with the Meier Group, controls many financial and technological businesses. Then, there is the Schneider Group, who is one of the largest business groups in the world ... that also belongs to an Alchemist family."


    "Is that so?" Alaric now remembered how difficult it was to fulfill his contract to kill the owner of the Schneider Group 20 years ago.


    No wonder ... it turned out that person was an Alchemist who probably had far more resources than ordinary humans.


    "That''s right. In fact, Caspar Schneider currently serves as the clan leader, and he insists on implementing our clan rules that, in my personal opinion, are so outdated. We don''t see eye to eye on many things, and since that incident 18 years ago, when, without consulting with us, he made a single decision to punish Alexei, Sophia''s brother, with Death, I am eager to separate myself from his leadership."


    "What did Alexei do?" Alaric asked curiously. He had heard several times about Alexei being sentenced with Death, but he still did not know the full story. "I remember Alexei contracted Rhionen Assassins to kill Caspar 20 years ago. Did Caspar take revenge on Alexei for that?"


    Sophia took a deep breath. "My brother and Caspar used to be good friends. However, they had a disagreement, because Alexei embraced the purist ideology, that we Alchemists should not mix with the ordinary people we call commoners, because they are full of weaknesses, deficiencies, and they are harming the world. Bringing ordinary people into our clan would cause harm to the clan.


    Our society is already perfect, but Caspar and his family loves commoners ... His younger sibling is married to a commoner. Caspar himself is also married to a commoner, and the Schneider family is against the reformation of purists, who want to purify our people, because they don''t want to let go of the commoners they brought into the clan ... That''s where the dispute began. Caspar started it by killing Famke, Alexei''s girlfriend, and that triggered Alexei to seek revenge ..."


    Portia nodded, "Killing a fellow member of the Alchemist clan is an unforgivable sin. Caspar should have been driven out of the clan and sentenced with Death, but Sophia was kind enough to defend him before the honorary council of five families. Sophia knew that Alexei was instigated by Katia, a woman Caspar used to date. She was a commoner whom he brought into the clan 70 years ago. You can see that these ordinary people only bring us trouble ..."


    Portia''s beautiful face looked very annoyed, remembering that Katia had succeeded in inciting Alexei to commit various evil actions which finally sent Alexei to his punishment. She hated innate humans like Katia, who only damaged the perfect order of the Alchemist society.


    "That''s right ... I defended Caspar and he was acquitted of all charges ... But instead he used his power and support from Lauriel to take revenge on Alexei and sentenced him with Death, without even consulting the five-family honorary council ..." Sophia clenched her jaw full of anger. "I lost my only brother ... I really hate Caspar and Lauriel!"


    "Who is Lauriel?" Alaric asked with interest.


    "Lauriel is the only remaining member of the Medici family. He is the most senior Alchemist at the moment, and by rule he should be the leader of the clan, but he disappears often and does not want to interfere in worldly affairs." Sophia turned to Portia and looked at Alaric with a complicated look, "Lauriel was almost married to Princess Luna. I don''t know why they separated. Portia knows better."


    Alaric was stunned to hear the information from Sophia just now. Lauriel almost married his mother? Was ... was Lauriel his father?


    "You said my mother did not share her personal life with other people, so how did you know that she was close to marrying Lauriel? Is Lauriel my father?" he asked, frowning.


    "Lauriel is a loner. He doesn''t believe in marriage ..." Portia said, massaging her forehead. She was not happy that their first lunch together was ruined by conversations that were too serious and painful for her. But she understood that Alaric wanted to know more about his family.


    "Lauriel is a free spirit, and the only thing he had in his head was adventure ... Luna followed him for decades, but after such a long time, Lauriel still did not want to settle down and get married to build a family. So when Luna found out that she was pregnant, she decided to take care of herself and go home to her family. After Luna died, Lauriel disappeared. For the next 100 years, I only met him once. He is indeed your father, Son ... but I''m not sure you will be able to find him, or if he is willing to be found ..."


    Alaric nodded slowly. He already understood what had happened. His mother cared for him alone and risked her life to give birth and protect him, without the help of Lauriel, Alaric''s father.


    If he had known such information decades ago, maybe he would have been very sad, because he was apparently not wanted by his father ...


    But now he would not let such weak feelings dominate his mind. Even though his father did not want him, his mother loved him very much and wanted him, and was even willing to die for him.


    That was good enough for Alaric. He didn''t need a father who didn''t want him and didn''t look for him.

 Chapter 358 - SPOILER Alaric Meets Aleksis

    This event will happen sometime in future. How far in the future? It''s still a secret. I believe this is needed to give the readers peace of mind that there will be light at the end of the tunnel once Alaric and Aleksis'' relationship takes a dark turn.


    Please respect the others who don''t want to read spoiler by not discussing the contents of spoiler chapters in other (regular) chapters. =)


    ****


    The luxury car that brought Ned and Portia arrived soon after. Aleksis, who had heard about their arrival, hurriedly went out of the castle to greet them personally.


    "Welcome, Aunt Portia ... Uncle Ned ..." She bowed perfectly like a noble lady, and for a moment Portia was stunned to see her.


    Aleksis wore a red dress that wrapped perfectly around her beautiful body and showed off her long legs. Her beautiful face did not need any makeup at all, and it made her look so simple yet so charming.


    Her thick honey-colored hair extended beautifully on her back, and it framed her face perfectly. Even Portia, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the Alchemist clan, was impressed to see her.


    "Good evening," Portia smiled sweetly, staring at the beautiful woman with perfect manner in front of her. "What is your name?"


    "My name is Aleksis Schneider, I''m my father''s daughter," Aleksis replied with a friendly smile. "Caspar Schneider."


    "Oh ..." Portia and Ned looked at one another in surprise.


    Right at that moment, the car carrying Alaric arrived in the yard and stopped right next to Ned''s car. Alaric, who had seen his godparents standing at the entrance, immediately got out of the car to approach them.


    "Father, Mother ..." He greeted them. Portia and Ned turned toward him, and only then did Alaric see the girl who had been talking to his godparents.


    Instantly he stopped in his tracks and stood fixed in his place. His body froze and Alaric could not take his eyes from the girl.


    "My dear ... you came too," Portia smiled at him. "This is Aleksis Schneider, the bride. Lauriel''s future daughter-in-law."


    For a brief moment, Alaric thought that he was in his Holodeck, because suddenly Aleksis was standing in front of him. His eyes instantly became foggy.


    Meanwhile, Aleksis had noticed the newly arrived man and she was immediately impressed.


    Was this the famous godson of Portia and Ned? she thought. She heard the man call them father and mother just now.


    "I will look for Uncle Rory so he can come and meet you. He will be very happy." Aleksis nodded kindly and invited her guests inside.


    Not only her face ... but her body ... and her voice too ... they all resembled Aleksis''.


    Alaric was so confused.


    "Please come in, Everyone. Uncle Rory is very sorry because he forgot to invite you to his party a few years ago. He is indeed not very good at throwing parties. Auntie Portia, I hope you would forgive him ..."


    Uncle Rory? Alaric''s head instantly became heavy.


    Portia and Ned nodded and followed Aleksis into the castle. Their first impression of the girl was very pleasing and Portia''s annoyance at Lauriel had diminished a little from hearing her explanation.


    Aleksis called for the waiter who immediately brought drinks and served it to the three guests before she excused herself. "I''ll be right back. Please relax and enjoy the drinks. My father and mother are almost here too."


    When she disappeared behind the door, Alaric''s consciousness returned, and tears started welling up in his brilliant purple eyes.


    His brain had stopped working, but his legs subconsciously ran after Aleksis'' shadow, as if they had their own mind. The girl had disappeared behind the door.


    This was not a dream!


    This was not a fantasy feature on Holodeck!


    He was at the Medici Castle and he just saw Aleksis in flesh ...


    Aleksis who was going to call her Uncle Rory ...


    Uncle Rory was apparently Lauriel himself ¡­


    And Lauriel was Alaric''s biological father.


    "Hey, where are you going?" Portia asked, confused. However, Alaric didn''t reply. He didn''t even turn his head.


    His only focus was to look for Aleksis. He couldn''t bear to lose her again!


    When he arrived outside, Alaric found himself in an empty alley. Aleksis had disappeared from his sight.


    "Where is Aleksis ...?" he asked urgently to a passing servant. The girl was surprised for a moment but quickly pointed towards a building across the garden. Alaric immediately ran that direction.


    "Uncle Rory ... Auntie Portia has arrived. Are you in the library?"


    Alaric heard Aleksis'' voice calling for Lauriel when he arrived at the library door. He closed his eyes, absorbing her beautiful voice that he had been deeply missing for a long time.


    "Uncle Rory isn''t here, apparently," murmured Aleksis. She placed her hands on her waist and tried to think about where Lauriel was now.


    "Aleksis ..." A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her, calling Aleksis''s name so solemnly, as if offering a prayer. "Are you Aleksis Makela ...?"


    Aleksis raised her face and turned toward the voice. Her forehead frowned, because she thought that for some reason this voice sounded very familiar.


    "Aleksis Makela? Are you Aleksis Makela?" asked the man once more in an urgent tone.


    Aleksis was stunned to see the young man in front of her looking at her emotionally. The man looked very impressive in his casual party dress custom made for him. His attire was adorned with various badges and emblems of noble families from the Lewis and Baden families, and other families unknown to Aleksis.


    Oh, wasn''t this Ned and Portia''s famous godson? Why did he chase me here? thought Aleksis, confused.


    She had only briefly caught a glimpse of him, because her mind had been distracted by party preparations and searching for Lauriel. Now that he was standing tall in front of her, and since Alaric was slowly closing the distance between them, Aleksis could observe him better.


    This person had a very unique appearance, Aleksis thought admiringly.


    The young man''s hair was platinum blonde. It was kept a bit messy and it framed his very handsome face perfectly. His face was beautiful and had perfect symmetry lines. His pair of brilliant purple eyes looked closely at Aleksis, and it made the girl feel a little awkward.


    "Do I know you?" Aleksis asked in confusion. She had never met this man before, but there was something about him that felt familiar. "I don''t think we''ve met before ..."


    "Is your name Aleksis Makela? I''ve been looking for you for a long time ..."


    "My name is Aleksis Schneider. Why are you looking for me? Do we know each other?" Aleksis asked. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see the man better. Since the young man did not answer her question, Aleksis finally nodded, "I ... have indeed used the name Aleksis Makela before."


    "Oh ..." The man was stunned; he was lost for words as Aleksis confirmed his question. He stared at Aleksis for a long time, and subconsciously a smile etched on his face. "You''re so much more beautiful now."


    "Thank you ..." Aleksis began to feel very uncomfortable. She knew that she was beautiful, since she was young, her beauty had caused many problems. She had no intention of lingering with strangers who praised her for her beauty just as she was about to get married. "If there is nothing important to discuss, I must return to the reception room."


    She bowed slightly like a royal princess and walked past Alaric to get out of the library.


    "You can''t marry that man ..." Suddenly the man''s voice came from behind her again. There was an urgency in his tone. "You already have a husband."


    Aleksis stopped in her tracks. She turned around and looked at the man sharply. Only now did she notice that his purple eyes were very familiar.


    Did ... did this person have a family relationship with Alaric? How did he know that Aleksis was married?


    "Who are you, really?" Aleksis asked in a trembling voice. "My husband is dead."


    The man bit his lip to hold back his emotions, and shook his head slowly, "I''m sorry ..."

 Chapter 359 - I dont know who saved who

    Nicolae woke up with a body that felt so fresh that he himself was astonished. When he opened his eyes, he immediately remembered that he had fought with two mysterious young men whom he thought were kidnappers, even though they apparently were acquainted to Aleksis. He was shot and he remembered bleeding quite a lot.


    "Hey, are you awake?"


    He immediately turned toward the sound and found Aleksis sitting on the window sill watching him. The girl looked very beautiful as she was bathed in sunlight that infiltrated through the curtains. For a moment Nicolae was speechless.


    Aleksis finally had to wave to him.


    "Er ... where am I?" Nicolae asked, holding his shoulder which was wrapped in bandages. He noticed that he was wearing clean clothes that were the right size for him.


    "You''re at my place ..." said Aleksis. "Do you still feel pain?"


    Nicolae shook his head. He examined his body and was satisfied with the results of the treatment he received.


    "Thank you for saving me ..." he said, smiling broadly. He didn''t look like a gunshot victim at all. His attitude was still too carefree.


    "I don''t know who saved who," sighed Aleksis, "You thought you were saving me from the kidnappers, and my bodyguards thought they were saving me from you ... and now you said that I saved you ..."


    "Yes, it''s very funny," Nicolae said with a chuckle. He tried to get up but was immediately prevented by Aleksis, who approached him and sat on the edge of his bed.


    "The doctor said, if the bullet had hit you a little lower, the bullet would hit your heart and you would have died instantly .. You''re very lucky," said Aleksis while holding Nicolae''s chest because he was about to get up. "Now don''t take any risks before you are completely recovered."


    The man looked at Aleksis and his mind immediately turned mischievous. He pretended to moan in pain when Aleksis'' hand touched his chest.


    "Oww .. ouch ... that hurts so much. You touched my wound ..." he complained with a painful voice.


    Indeed, Aleksis'' hand had touched the bandage that wrapped his wound, but not the wound itself.


    After all, even if Aleksis had really touched his wound, Nicolae would not have felt enough pain to cry like that. His body was physically very strong. Aleksis confirmed the fact by complaining several times that his body was as hard as a brick wall. This injury was nothing to Nicolae.


    But right now he felt that it was better to make use of his condition to get the attention of this beautiful girl, who had made him curious since last week.


    "Jeez ... I''m sorry ... where does it hurt?" Aleksis asked quickly. She rubbed the part she had touched with a guilty face.


    "Hmm ... that''s it, right there. If you rub it like that it feels better ..." Nicolae said with a smile.


    Aleksis narrowed her eyes and looked at Nicolae suspiciously. She did not know for sure whether this young man was in pain or just pretending. Nicolae then coughed a little, trying to distract her.


    "Uhm ... I''m thirsty. Is there some water here?" he asked her.


    Aleksis nodded. She got up from the bed and left the room. The girl returned five minutes later with a glass of water; she was accompanied by a young man and that surprised Nicolae.


    The man was very handsome, and there was something about him that made people feel deep respect. He had rather long hair, a big, tall and sturdy body, and a pair of very bright blue-green eyes.


    Who was this person? Why was Aleksis surrounded by such impressive people? Nicolae thought to himself.


    This afternoon he found out that Terry was actually Aleksis'' brother, and earlier, the two professionals who had fought with him also turned out to be acquainted with Aleksis ... if he was not mistaken, the girl called them her bodyguards ... and now there was this man.


    "This is water for you," said Aleksis, as if unaware that Nicolae was staring at her and Lauriel with a look of surprise.


    "Thank you," Nicolae accepted the glass and drank slowly. He tried to judge the new arrival and guess what his relationship with Aleksis was.


    Hmm ... judging from the fact that they both had similar eyes, this man could be Aleksis'' biological brother.


    If so, Nicolae had to be nice to him, so that Aleksis'' brother would not consider him a person with poor manners. He wanted to prove himself fit for Aleksis.


    "Uhm ... thank you for lending me your clothes, the size is just right," Nicolae said to Lauriel, who was staring at him while standing at the door.


    Nicolae now realized that he must be wearing the man''s clothes since they had the same built, and immediately thanked him.


    "Hmm," Lauriel just nodded, still not talking.


    Inwardly, he was still very moved to see the young man in front of him. He always thought that his whole family was gone. But today, DNA proved that this young man was his relative, and most likely his son. Now he only needed to know who the Nicolae''s mother was.


    Lauriel must know Nicolae''s exact age. So far, Lauriel had never slept with an ordinary woman, so this young man must be a pure Alchemist. In the past, he had only slept with a few women. If he could know Nicolae''s age, he would be able to find out who had given birth to his child and why they hid this fact from him.


    "Your gunshot wound was taken care of by the doctor, and the bullet has been removed. Your other wounds were treated by Uncle Rory. With his medicine, your wounds will be healed by tomorrow and they won''t leave any scars," said Aleksis.


    "That''s not possible. I''m a doctor ... my wounds from fighting couldn''t possibly heal in a day, and they WILL leave scars ..." Nicolae said. A moment later he fell silent. It was too late to rectify what he had just said, which came out because he was too excited.


    "So, you''re a doctor?" Aleksis asked, smiling faintly. "You''re not just a final year student in Information Management, are you?"


    Nicolae frowned; he was surprised to see Aleksis looking so calm. There was not the slightest hint of surprise on her face.


    "I mean ..." He paused and then smiled, "All right. Apparently I don''t need to hide who I am."


    "Who are you?" Aleksis asked, smiling back. "A doctor? A student?"


    "I''m indeed a doctor, but I got bored with my profession, so I went back to university to study again ... That''s not a crime, right?" Nicolae asked.


    Ah, if he admitted that he was indeed a doctor, wouldn''t his value actually rise in Aleksis'' eyes? Besides, he really liked her, and sooner or later he would reveal who he truly was to Aleksis.

 Chapter 360 - My son...

    Nicolae didn''t understand why Aleksis was now crying softly. He did not know what had caused the tears to run down her cheeks, but he tried to comfort her while wiping her tears with his finger.


    "Sshh ... what made you so sad?"


    Nicolae then remembered that Aleksis became sad after he told her the story about his past. Did Aleksis feel sympathy because he was born without knowing his parents?


    "I''m really okay ... don''t be sad," Nicolae persuaded desperately. "I was well cared for by my parents and they loved me a lot. My foster father was the trusted doctor of King Michael of Romania in his place of exile. I had a really happy life ... I even followed the footsteps of my foster father and became a doctor ... so, there is no need to be saddened by my fate."


    Aleksis looked fixedly at Nicolae and finally nodded.


    "I''m glad that you were well taken care of by a good family, and that you had a happy life ..." She tried to smile. "But my tears are actually for Uncle Rory, not for you."


    "Eh?"


    Nicolae really couldn''t help thinking about this girl named Aleksis; her attitude was always very strange and unexpected. He remembered that one time Aleksis hugged him excitedly and called him ''Prince Siegfried'', but then she ignored him altogether and said that Prince Siegfried was her dog.


    Today she was moved to tears after Nicolae told her about his past, that he was born during the war and his mother died while giving birth to him, so Nicolae never met his biological parents. But instead of crying for Nicolae, Aleksis'' tears were apparently for her uncle.


    "You are very difficult to understand ..." Nicolae finally said. He was slightly hurt because Aleksis was not sympathetic to his life story. He sighed and then examined his wound once more.


    The wound on his shoulder was well cared for and he also felt quite refreshed. He felt that there was no longer a point in lingering at someone else''s place. Nicolae then got up and tidied his clothes that were neatly folded on the table. He would excuse himself so that he could rest at his own place.


    "Where are you going?" Aleksis asked. She didn''t expect Nicolae to go home so soon after hearing about the Alchemist secrets from her.


    "I want to go back to my place," Nicolae said with a smile. "My head feels dizzy. I don''t want to bother other people for too long."


    "Why not rest here? You are not at all troublesome," said Aleksis half forcefully, "I promise I will take care of you well. You have helped me several times."


    "Are you sure?" Nicolae asked. "When I''m sick I''m very troublesome, you know ..."


    "It''s okay ..." said Aleksis firmly. She was sure that taking care of a sick man would not be more troublesome than taking care of Little Prince Siegfried.


    Oh, that reminded her that she had to call Terry to bring her dog back to the penthouse. Now that she no longer lived in the dormitory, Aleksis could take care of her own dog.


    Gosh, she really missed her Prince Siegfried, both the big and the little one.


    "I helped you selflessly, really, there''s no need for you to repay any kindness to me," Nicolae said again.


    Aleksis shook her head, "It doesn''t bother me, really. Besides feeling indebted to you, I also feel a little guilty because it was my bodyguards who hurt you. I can''t imagine what would have happened if the bullet got to your heart... I wouldn''t want to live anymore."


    Of course, Aleksis would not have been able to face Lauriel if she had caused the death of his only son. Thinking about it made her chest feel tight. She had caused such a terrible misunderstanding.


    She had two pairs of bodyguards because she was not being honest to anyone. If she hadn''t accepted Takeshi''s and Mischa''s protection, and used only Carl and Sascha as her bodyguards, then Mischa wouldn''t have hurt Nicolae like this.


    She must immediately quit this cat-and-mouse situation with her having four bodyguards. She must tell Lauriel what had happened, so that they could both find out who really wanted to kidnap her that day.


    Nicolae''s blue eyes seemed to shine brightly at Aleksis'' words when she firmly said she wanted to take care of him.


    Well, since Aleksis herself offered to take care of him, he should not be foolish and reject the girl''s kindness.


    "Uhm ... then, I''m hungry ..." Nicolae said in a rather cutesy voice, "I didn''t have time to eat lunch because I was making a report, and when I was finally going to eat, I saw the kidnappers and so I rushed to take you away by my car ... It''s already late, and my stomach is now hungry."


    Aleksis was astonished to see Nicolae being so casual to her. This young man was so clever. Since Aleksis offered to take care of him, he would not pass the opportunity to cling on the girl.


    "Uhm ... okay. What do you want to eat?" Aleksis asked him. "I can''t cook, so I''ll ask the chefs to come here to cook whatever you want."


    Now it was Nicolae''s turn to be stunned. She would call chefs to cook? How rich was this girl actually?


    "Whatever I want? Is that true?" He asked curiously.


    Aleksis nodded.


    "Continental Hotel is known to have the best chefs in the world. I''m sure there''s nothing they can''t make."


    "Continental Hotel???" Nicolae started to observe his surroundings. "Are we at a hotel? Not at an apartment?"


    "This is an apartment in the Continental Building," Aleksis said. She was satisfied to see Nicolae''s dumbfounded face.


    "There are no apartments in the Continental Building ..." murmured Nicolae, "except ..."


    Aleksis only smiled at Nicolae''s confusion. She picked up the phone from the wall and called the receptionist below.


    "Please send some chefs up to cook lunch for us, okay. Thank you."


    Nicolae looked at Aleksis with a puzzled face.


    In the Continental Building there were no apartments; there were only offices, hotel rooms and suites, and ... one penthouse!


    Were they now in the penthouse? If so ... who was Aleksis really?


    Only very rich people or the building owners could stay in the penthouse.


    "You''re right. There are no apartments in the Continental Building, there is only one penthouse. My family stays here when we come to Singapore," Aleksis said. "Do you want to eat in your room or can you walk to the dining room? I can give you a tour of this place, if you want."


    Nicolae would certainly not miss touring the most amazing penthouse in Singapore. With enthusiasm he got up and followed Aleksis'' steps.


    "Ugh ... don''t walk too fast, my body is still weak," he said, leaning on Aleksis'' shoulder. "Can I hold on to you?"


    Aleksis nodded as she supported Nicolae''s arms. "Sure."


    "I already told you that I am very troublesome when I''m sick; it was you who offered to take care of me ..." Nicolae said again. He tried to hide his happy smile for being able to hold Aleksis while walking around her residence. Indeed, his body was still weak due to excessive bleeding, but actually his condition was not that bad.


    "Yes, Sick Boy. I did offer to take care of you," hissed Aleksis.


    She took Nicolae around the very luxurious and spacious penthouse. The young man could not hold back his admiration as they passed the living room, sitting room, study room, dining room and the kitchen, and the spacious balcony with a green garden on the outside. They stopped at the vast infinity pool overlooking the beautiful city below.


    "This place is beautiful ..." Nicolae murmured. He turned to Aleksis, "Thank you for welcoming me here."


    "Hmm ..." Aleksis nodded. She would leave Nicolae for a bit so she could check on Lauriel''s condition. She was sure that Lauriel must be very sad to know that Luna died while giving birth to their child, and that for nearly 100 years, Nicolae lived without knowing his true identity. "Are you okay waiting here? Just enjoy the view for a while. I need to check on the chefs sent here and Uncle Rory''s condition ..."


    "Why do you have to check on your uncle''s condition? Is he sick?" Nicolae asked in confusion. According to him, Aleksis'' treatment of her uncle was a little too much.


    Aleksis did not answer. She heard the door open behind her and immediately turned. She saw Lauriel walking out of the penthouse to the swimming pool with a complicated expression. It was hard to tell what was on his mind.


    Nicolae, who saw Aleksis turn around, followed the direction of her gaze. He was amazed to see Lauriel walking briskly toward them. He did not believe in his own eyes when he saw that the man had tears in his eyes ...


    Gosh ... Was something wrong? Crying seemed very unsuitable for such a guy, he thought.


    Lauriel looked like a very tough man. His body was tall and sturdy, and his handsome face always bore a cold expression. His blue-green eyes looked very deep and seemed to store centuries of wisdom; very impressive.


    When he saw Lauriel, Nicolae was immediately reminded of some Greek Gods. So, when such an impressive man approached them with tears in his eyes, which he seemed to try hard to hold back, it  had a surprising impact on Nicolae.


    Aleksis knew that Lauriel was very sad. She had never seen her Uncle Rory''s face filled with such deep sorrow. After nearly 100 years, he was finally beginning to forget his memories with his girlfriend, Princess Luna. Seventeen years ago, he even decided not to take Death. But today, all those memories must have suddenly flooded back into his mind...


    At the same time, Lauriel was also overcome with happiness knowing that he had a son ... The child whom he thought had died before it was born, had apparently survived. Deep sadness and happy feeling raged in his chest at the same time.


    "Nicolae ... is that your name?" Lauriel asked after arriving in front of the two. His eyes stared fixedly at Nicolae.


    "Uhm ... yeah, that''s my name ..." Nicolae said, nodding in confusion. He was somewhat speechless to see the way Lauriel looked at him. This man suddenly felt very familiar.


    He then paused.


    His mind immediately connected some of the strangeness he had encountered from Aleksis and Lauriel''s attitudes. "Wh ... what''s up?"


    Nicolae did not know why, but suddenly his eyes became wet with tears. Was sadness contagious? he thought, confused.


    As far as he knew, only laughter and yawning could be contagious. Sadness couldn''t be transmitted. Then, why did his chest suddenly feel this tight? This feeling of tightness was due to deep emotions, not from the wound on his shoulder. He did not understand why the stranger he had just met felt so familiar.


    "My son ..." Lauriel whispered softly. He then hugged Nicolae very tightly.


    Nicolae''s body froze instantly at the mention of those two words.


    In his entire life, he never knew who his biological parents were. He thought that he was a victim of biological engineering projects during Hitler time, and in effect, he didn''t age. Never in his long life had he expected that his parents were the reason why he was born as an immortal. He did not expect his father to still be alive ...


    And now fate brought them together after being separated for nearly 100 years ...


    Only then did Nicolae realize why that man felt familiar to him.


    Lauriel reminded him of himself.

 Chapter 361 - The Heartwarming Reunion

    Aleksis looked at the heartwarming reunion between the father and son with tears in her eyes. She was deeply moved because Lauriel finally found his happiness.


    Twenty years ago, when Lauriel saved Finland in San Francisco and later fell in love with her newborn, Aleksis, he had been welcomed as part of the Schneider family. He took Aleksis as his goddaughter, as she gave him a new reason to live.


    But now it was different, because with the presence of Nicolae, Lauriel''s family line could continue. He was no longer the only successor of the Medici family that was almost gone. Now, he had Nicolae beside him.


    She subconsciously wiped her tears which slowly fell down her cheeks.


    "I ... I don''t understand ..." said Nicolae in a low voice. "What does all of this mean ¡­?"


    Inside his head, it was still very difficult for Nicolae to accept the fact that a man, who seemed to be of the same age as him, called him son.


    Was this really his father?


    Instan

 Chapter 362 - Why is everyone investigating Rhionen Industries?

    Aleksis was right. The chef and sous chef of the Continental Hotel Restaurant were ready in the kitchen and waiting for orders. They chose to eat pasta and steak and the chefs immediately began working swiftly.


    "Uncle, please, can I use your cellphone ... I want to call Terry ¡­ he needs to come here with Little Prince Siegfried," Aleksis said, as she sat waiting for her food at the dining room. "I lost my phone this afternoon when Nico took me away."


    Lauriel threw his phone to Aleksis and the girl caught it expertly. She hurriedly called Terry.


    "Big brother, please bring my dog ??here, okay. I decided to move back to the penthouse, so you don''t need to take care of Little Prince Siegfried anymore." She then remembered something, "Oh, by the way, we are about to have dinner. If you can get here in 15 minutes, I will ask the chef to prepare food for you as well."


    Nicolae noticed that Aleksis was calling Terry and then he remembered that Aleksis and Terry had a familial relationship, but he didn''t think they were that close.


    "Is that Terry Chan?" Nicolae asked after Aleksis hung up. "You asked him to come here?"


    "Yes. Why not? He''s my brother," Aleksis answered. "I know you guys are competing against each other ... I deliberately didn''t tell him that you were here ... Hihihi ... Terry must be very surprised ..."


    Lauriel was interested in hearing more about what Aleksis had said, "Nicolae and Terry are competing? Why do they compete?"


    Aleksis coughed and glanced at Nicolae, "They are currently competing to be the ideal husband, Uncle ..."


    "Uh ... no. That''s just a stupid poll that doesn''t mean anything," protested Nicolae. "I don''t care about those useless polls. Terry and I compete competitively in serious matters, really. We fought over the chair of the senate last year. That''s all ..."


    "Uhmm ... aren''t you too old to compete with a childish student like Terry?" Aleksis asked teasingly. "You are almost a century old."


    Nicolae pursed his lips. He acknowledged that Aleksis was right. He was already too old for such things, but it was the girls on campus who put them on various ridiculous voting lists. He was actually not interested in competing with Terry, but his meeting with Terry for the first time last year upset him because Terry was very annoying.


    "I never took those polls seriously," he finally shook his head. "I''m just trying to be as natural as possible as a student. What really interests me is this important research I''m currently working on."


    Lauriel, who had taken a bottle of wine and three glasses, listened attentively to Nicolae. He felt that everything his son did and said was very interesting.


    "What research?" he asked as he poured a glass of wine and handed it over to each of the young people. "Medical research? Or what?"


    "Uhm ... yeah, something like that." Nicolae nodded. "Since I am currently surrounded by my own family, I can tell you what my real purpose is for living in Singapore ..."


    Aleksis also started to become interested in Nicolae''s research. Nicolae, who always seemed relaxed on campus, was now suddenly very mysterious. He reminded her a little bit of Alaric.


    Nicolae took a sip of wine and then spoke in a half-whispered voice, "I''m investigating Rhionen Industries. Since they opened a new office in Singapore, I immediately came here so I could investigate them more closely."


    Aleksis almost choked on her own wine when she heard Nicolae''s words.


    How strange ... It seemed that all the people she knew were investigating Rhionen Industries. Terry and his partner, and now Nicolae too ...


    "Why are you investigating Rhionen Industries?" Aleksis asked, trying to keep her expression flat. "They have offices in this building."


    "I know. When we met in front of the elevator some time ago, I was actually in the middle of an investigation, and so I crashed their office party at Sky Bar." Nicolae seemed to think for a moment. He did not know how to convey straightforwardly what he had been doing. He had only known Aleksis for a few days, and he met Lauriel only today. "I want to gather evidence to bring down Rhionen Industries."


    "What''s wrong with them? Why are you so eager to take them down?" asked Aleksis. She actually already knew the answer because she had heard it from Terry and from Alaric himself, but she still wanted to hear Nicolae''s reason.


    "Hmm ... it''s rather difficult to explain," Nicolae said, shaking his head, "You probably don''t know about Rhionen Assassins, but they are the people behind Rhionen Industries."


    Aleksis bit her lip fretfully. Why were so many people hostile to Alaric? Terry, her own brother, was after Alaric, and now Nicolae, Lauriel''s son, too.


    Aleksis really couldn''t wait for Alaric to return from London so she could talk to him


    "We know about Rhionen Assassins," Lauriel said quietly as he sipped his wine. His words made Nicolae somewhat surprised.


    "How do you know? The organization is very mysterious ..." he said in amazement.


    Lauriel smiled and shook his head, "There is no organization more mysterious and hidden than the Alchemists."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae realized that in his long life, he had never heard of these Alchemists. Lauriel was right when he said that the Alchemists were more mysterious than Rhionen Assassins. They lived in the shadows and were not known to outsiders. "I will tell you about my investigation, if you tell me about the Alchemists ... That way we can complement each other''s information."


    "Of course ..." Lauriel nodded. He took another sip slowly and presented a brief history of the Alchemist clan and the order of their lives. However Nicolae must know, because he was now the heir of the Medici family.


    "Geez ... the clan is so amazing ..." Nicolae repeatedly chuckled as Lauriel told him about the history and events of the clan, and all the important members of the clan who ruled the world. "So, the British Empire is actually controlled by the Lewis and Baden family? No wonder ... Then, besides them, there are the Flamel, Meier, and Schneider Families ... hmm ... this is very interesting. Those are all very powerful families in our society."


    "That''s right. Aleksis is Caspar Schneider''s first child. Caspar is my best friend. She is the heir to the Schneider Family, and Caspar himself now serves as the clan leader." Lauriel looked at Aleksis and Nicolae alternately, and something occurred in his mind. "I have been avoiding worldly life for so long that the Medici Family has never interfered in clan affairs. But, if you want to meet Caspar, it might be better for you to use the name of the Medici Family."


    "Meet my father? What for?" Aleksis asked in confusion.


    Nicolae coughed and finished the wine in his glass in one gulp. Gosh ... His father, Lauriel, was so blunt, he thought.


    Apparently, in such a short time, Lauriel could see how much his son was crazy about Aleksis. He had been observing Nicolae''s gestures; how the young man looked at Aleksis with sparkling eyes and how he followed all her movements with a dreamy look.


    Seeing Aleksis who was confused and Nicolae coughing, Lauriel only smiled faintly. He poured more wine back into his glass until it was full and took another sip. He looked at Aleksis and Nicolae lovingly and his chest was now full of warmth.


    He believed that meeting Finland and being there when Aleksis was born was his destiny. It gave him a reason to live, and so he canceled his plans to take Death. Who would have thought that at that time, his son was somewhere out there, still alive and well, waiting for the time when they could finally meet.


    Aleksis was the reason he wanted to live, and she was also the reason for his reunion with Nicolae. It would indeed be nice if Nicolae could marry Aleksis ... This would make the circle complete. Aleksis would not only be his goddaughter, but also his daughter in law.


    He looked at the handsome Nicolae and the beautiful Aleksis, and murmured to himself, how compatible the two were with each other.

 Chapter 363 - So Many Surprises

    Terry arrived just before the meal was served at the dinner table. He carried Little Prince Siegfried in his arms and hurriedly placed him on Aleksis'' lap.


    "Your dog ate so much that he can no longer walk ... I was forced to carry him," Terry grumbled, stretching out his arms to ease the aches after breaking away from Aleksis'' beloved fat dog.


    "Oh, Little Prince Siegfried!! I missed you so much ..." Aleksis exclaimed while kissing her dog, while Terry rolled his eyes.


    "You haven''t seen each other in just two days, but you''re acting like you have been separated for years," he said, shaking his head. "When are you not overreacting when it comes to your dog?"


    He turned to Lauriel and was immediately stunned. He just saw Nicolae''s presence at Lauriel''s side and his attitude immediately changed somewhat curtly.


    "Why is he here?" he said in surprise. He narrowed his eyes and saw the bandage that wrapped Nicolae''s left shoulder from under his shirt that was open at the chest.


    Terry had to blink a few times to make sure his eyes weren''t playing tricks on him.


    "Oh, Nico saved me from some kidnappers ..." said Aleksis. "He got injured during the fight, so I brought him here. The doctor said he could have died if the bullet had gone a little more to the side. You see, he got hit very close to the heart."


    "Another kidnapper?" Terry became somewhat worried. "You already have four bodyguards but kidnappers could still get to you? How is that possible? Does Uncle Caspar know?"


    Aleksis shook her head. "No, he doesn''t. I want to investigate this before I make Mom and Dad worried. I will call Carl and Sasha tomorrow to find as much information as possible."


    Terry stared at Aleksis with a complicated look. He wanted to ask whether Aleksis had also told Prince Siegfried about this attack, but he remembered that Aleksis was still keeping her relationship with Prince Siegfried a secret. Finally, he held back and just nodded.


    "Let''s just discuss the hard stuff later, now let''s eat first," Aleksis said to distract their minds from what had happened. She put Little Prince Siegfried into her bedroom then hurriedly dragged everyone to the dining table.


    The atmosphere during dinner was warm. Terry was the only one who was still not friendly to Nicolae, because they had been enemies for the past year. Aleksis and Lauriel looked at both of them with amused eyes and decided not to tell Terry right away that Nicolae was Lauriel''s son. They wanted to see if the two young men were able to act civil with each other ...


    "The food, as usual, is delicious ..." Terry said, stroking his full stomach. "Does anyone want dessert wine?"


    They nodded, and Terry happily took a bottle of wine from the cabinet and poured it for everyone, except for Nicolae. He let Nicolae pour for himself.


    Aleksis just laughed silently at the sight of her brother and Lauriel''s son behaving like little children, sneering at each other and exchanging insults. Several times Aleksis and Lauriel exchanged glances and both of them could only shake their heads.


    "Well ... Since Uncle Rory had told you about the history of our clan and everything you need to know. Now it''s your turn to tell me, what happened to you so far and why you are investigating Rhionen Industries in Singapore?" said Aleksis after gulping down her wine.


    She wanted to immediately gather information about what Nicolae was doing in Singapore, what was the purpose of him investigating Rhionen Industries, and to what extent did he know about Alaric''s identity. Aleksis felt that she had to protect Alaric so that her husband could take action before the danger threatened him. And hopefully later, Alaric would slowly be able to change his mind.


    "Lauriel, did you tell him about the Alchemist clan?!?" Terry gasped at Aleksis'' words, "Why would you do that?"


    "Lauriel???" It was then Nicolae''s turn to be confused when he heard Terry call his father Lauriel. He had thought his father''s name was Rory, because Aleksis kept calling him ''Uncle Rory''. So, he turned toward Lauriel and asked him. "Father, isn''t your name Rory?"


    "Father???" Now Terry was very surprised and looked at Lauriel and Nicolae alternately. He then patted his forehead as if forcing his frozen brain to work, "I don''t understand what you all are saying ..."


    "Uhm ... Well, Uncle Rory''s real name is Lauriel Medici, and he comes from the Medici Family. Only I can call him Uncle Rory, because I''m his favorite child." Aleksis said explaining. She was satisfied to see Nicolae''s expression, who then nodded in agreement. Then she turned to Terry, "Nicolae is apparently Uncle Rory''s son whom he thought had died while still in the womb ... It turned out that Princess Luna had given birth to Nicolae in Romania before she passed away. We found out about it accidentally when the doctor asked Uncle Rory to donate his blood to Nicolae because Nicolae''s injury was so severe and he lost a lot of blood and so he needed a blood transfusion ..."


    Terry was stunned to hear Aleksis'' comprehensive explanation. He turned to Nicolae and looked at him sharply. He then looked at Lauriel who smiled and nodded.


    Only then did Terry realize, after knowing Lauriel for almost 8 years, this was the first time he had seen Lauriel''s face genuinely happy.


    Oh ... oh dear ... Lauriel had a son!


    He quickly put down his glass and walked towards Lauriel then hugged him warmly.


    "I''m so happy for you, Lauriel ... I really am. I know how it feels ..." Terry had experienced the lowest point in his life when his parents died in a traffic accident.


    He was alone and did not have anyone in this world, but then Finland and Jean, his biological parents, came to see him and took him in as part of their family. Now Terry had a father, a mother, several uncles, and three younger siblings that he loved dearly. He had a very happy life now.


    "Thank you, Terry ..." Lauriel said happily, tapping Terry on the shoulder.


    Terry then looked at Nicolae and without hesitation reached out his hand to shake hands. "Welcome to our family, Nicolae."


    Nicolae hesitantly welcomed Terry''s handshake. They had been enemies for too long, so Terry''s sudden change in attitude felt odd to him.


    "Thank you ..." Nicolae then turned to Lauriel, "Is Terry also an Alchemist?"


    It was Aleksis who answered his question, "That''s right. Terry is my mother''s son with Uncle Jean. We have the same biological mother, but different fathers. Do you know the famous actor Jean Pierre Wang?"


    Nicolae frowned, "The handsome actor famous for his youthful looks?"


    He patted his forehead and looked at Aleksis with a very surprised expression, "Gosh ... don''t tell me that Jean is also an Alchemist? Rumor has it that he was addicted to plastic surgery ..."


    Aleksis nodded, laughing, "In recent years, Uncle Jean deliberately spread rumors about his addiction to plastic surgery ... ahahaha. He did that because he wanted to avoid people''s suspicion for still looking so young at his age."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae nodded. He finally understood what was happening. "Is Billie Yves, his girlfriend, also an Alchemist?"


    "She is."


    "Jeez ... there are so many Alchemists in this world. Some of them even become famous and live so openly among the general population ..." Nicolae still clasped his mouth, shocked at the information he just received.


    "Not that many anymore, we are only around 400 people. Many of our people died during the war, including Uncle Rory''s family, my grandparents, and my father''s friends." Aleksis explained. "That''s why we are happy to accept new members into the clan, so that our numbers do not diminish ... My mother is an ordinary human being. She obtained our immortality potion when she married my father. Her children also got the potion as a gift, so Terry now is also an Alchemist."


    "Oh ... that''s wonderful ..." Nicolae was fascinated by Aleksis'' explanation. He took a deep breath. "I have never had a serious relationship with any woman in my life, because I was afraid of heartbreak as they will age and die ... I didn''t know that you could marry ordinary people and make them immortals too ..."


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae with a frown. Sometimes this Nicolae sounded like her father, Caspar. In the past, her father had never been in a serious relationship with any woman, and once he bound himself to a woman, it was only because he was afraid that Katia would age and leave him, so he hurriedly gave Katia the immortality potion.


    Caspar''s mistake came back to haunt him in the future after he met Finland, the only woman who made him fall in love, because Caspar hurt Katia''s heart by hanging her love for him for fifty years. Katia then held a grudge so great that she did many unthinkable things just to make Caspar suffer, including by almost killing his daughter, Aleksis.


    "We can indeed marry ordinary people ... and give them the immortality potion, but that doesn''t mean that we can carelessly and hastily give the potions to people who might not deserve it. Decades ago, my father mistakenly gave the immortality potion to a evil-hearted woman and it caused a lot of problems in our clan. That''s why the rules are now made more strict. Ordinary people who wish to be given the potion of eternity must meet some of the requirements determined by Uncle Aldebar, to ensure that the potion is not received by the wrong person." Aleksis added.


    "I understand," Nicolae nodded, "But I don''t think I will need the immortality potion for my wife later ..."


    "Why not?" Aleksis asked, not understanding.


    Nicolae scratched his head that was not itchy. He just slipped again. Lauriel smiled seeing his son''s attitude.


    He knew for certain that Nicolae did not consider it necessary to ask for the immortality potion for his future wife, because the girl he liked was already an immortal.

 Chapter 364 - His Heart Was Tempted

    Aleksis did not understand why Nicolae was very sure that his future wife wouldn''t need the immortality potion. She ask, "Why not?"


    But Nicolae only scratched his head and refused to reply. He can''t believe he couldn''t keep his feelings to himself when it came to Aleksis.


    Both Lauriel and Terry understood him immediately, but Aleksis, on the other hand, didn''t catch the hint and kept talking. "The point is, we don''t need to worry. We can fall in love with anyone, including ordinary people, because Uncle Aldebar has the ingredients to make them immortal, like us."


    "I understand," Nicolae nodded again. He looked at Terry and was forced to admit that even now they were still equal competitors. At first, he thought he would win from Terry because he was an immortal and Terry was not. Who knew, apparently Terry was also an immortal like himself.


    He then smiled at Terry and decided to be friendly to him. However, even though Terry really annoyed him, the young man was the biological brother of the girl he liked and the relationship between Aleksis and Terry seemed very close. He must not continue to be hostile to Terry.


    ***


    The very nice lunch ended with heartwarming talk about family. Alaric gladly fulfilled Portia and Ned''s invitation to stay at their palace for several days so that they could get to know each other better and talk more about their family. Of course, Sophia decided to also stay with him.


    "I''m very interested in the system that applies in our clans now," Alaric said after lunch was over. They continued their conversation in the living room, accompanied by a classical music performance and a cup of coffee. "So, at present, there are two groups in the Alchemist clan, right? One group accepts ordinary human beings into the clan and the other one supports the purification of our race, as purists."


    "That''s right. What is it that interests you?" Sophia asked with a sweet smile.


    "Caspar Schneider, the head of the clan, and his sister. They married ordinary people ..." Alaric frowned. "Are their children considered half-bloods, or are they also immortals? Then what about their spouses? Do they separate after their partners grow old and die?"


    "Uhm ... it''s not like that. Aldebar keeps the formula for the immortality potion. He will give the potion as a gift to the ordinary people who are married to our clan members, so they can also live as immortals," Sophia explained, "His wife and children- Caspar''s children have become the same as us now."


    "Immortality Potion?" Alaric seemed very interested to hear that.


    Sophia looked at Alaric and immediately realized what was on his mind, "You want to ask for the immortality potion from Aldebar for your ordinary human wife?"


    Alaric did not reply. He looked away. Sophia''s guess was right. He was thinking and missing Aleksis. When he heard that there was a potion that could make ordinary people become immortal, he immediately wanted the potion for himself, so he could give it to Aleksis, so they could live together as immortals, forever.


    "Alaric ..." Sophia arranged her sentence carefully so as not to offend Alaric. She knew this was a sensitive matter, "You have to remember that 20 years ago you spent a year trying to kill Caspar. Do you think he would just accept you into the clan if he knew who you really are?"


    Alaric was forced to admit that Sophia was right. He knew he could not enter the Alchemists clan and be on Caspar''s good side, because he had killed so many of Caspar''s men in the past.


    Sophia looked at him firmly, "Now that you know who you are ... I want you to choose. If you want to be part of the Alchemists, you have to support us - your family. Otherwise you can try to approach Caspar and ask for an immortality potion for your wife. If you choose to take their side ... Then the relationship between us ends. Portia, Ned and I have decided to separate ourselves from them, because it turns out that their life choices are very different from ours. You also have to remember that it is very unlikely that Caspar will accept you after what you did to him 20 years ago."


    Alaric returned Sophia''s gaze coldly. Her words couldn''t intimidate him. He thought carefully about Sophia''s words and his intelligent brain immediately made a calculation.


    "I don''t want to be part of your war. That has nothing to do with me," Alaric said in a cold voice. "I am a businessman and I have my own goals. As long as our path together will benefit me, I will continue to go along with you. But I will not sacrifice myself and my ambition to side with anyone in the clan''s internal conflict. I have lived alone for almost 100 years and I did just fine without being part of the Alchemist clan."


    Sophia was stunned by Alaric''s words. She did not think that Alaric would brush her words off so easily. Seeing how Alaric was very happy to meet Portia and know about his origins, Sophia thought that Alaric would immediately be eager to join their team. It turned out that Alaric only thought of himself and didn''t even care about the purists and their goals, like Sophia.


    "What do you mean?" Sophia asked in a rather angry tone. "Don''t you respect us as your family?"


    "I respect you as my family, and I will support you, but for the affairs of this clan, I cannot take sides. Right now my main focus is our automation project. I don''t want to be distracted by the clan''s internal conflicts that I have nothing to do with."


    "Hmm ..." Sophia knew she had to find another way to get Alaric to join the Purists and destroy Caspar''s family. "Then ... why don''t you do it for your wife?"


    "What do you mean?" Alaric asked.


    "What we really want is to get rid of the Schneider family and to take the formula of the immortality potion so we can destroy it. That way our clan can no longer accept outsiders." The beautiful girl with purple eyes then smiled very sweetly. Alaric could see her purple eyes glowing with excitement as she spoke, "We will make an exception for you. Before the formula is destroyed, we will make just one last potion, for your wife, so that she can live forever with you. How about that?"


    Alaric finally understood Sophia''s intentions.


    "I myself can force Aldebar to make it for me ..." he said nonchalantly.


    "Please try and see if you can force Aldebar to do something for you." Sophia grinned sarcastically, "You can never even find Aldebar without our help. He is the most mysterious person whose existence could not be traced. He would only come forth if someone as important as Portia or Ned asked to see him."


    Alaric''s heart began to waver. He knew he would never be able to approach to Caspar and apologize for what had happened 20 years ago. His chance to get the immortality potion for Aleksis was only by violence. He had to capture Aldebar and force him to make one dose for him.


    But if he couldn''t find Aldebar ... how could he execute his plan?


    Alaric pondered for a long time, thinking about the pros and cons of each option. He was very happy when he heard that there was a magic potion that could turn an ordinary person into an immortal like him. He immediately thought about Aleksis, the only woman he loved in this world.


    He had accepted the fact that someday Aleksis would age and die, leaving him alone after a few decades ... But now, knowing that there was a way for the two of them to live happily ever after ¡­ knowing that they could be young and together forever ¡­ oh Lord ... his heart was tempted.

 Chapter 365 - Alarics Plan

    Alaric was very happy during his stay at the Lewis-Baden castle, because the host, his aunt Portia, was very kind to him. For the first time in his life, Alaric felt like he really had a family, even a mother who cared about him. He was given his own place at the right wing of the castle, facing the lake. He was also welcome to do whatever he pleased while staying there.


    Sophia also stayed at Ned and Portia''s castle for several days. Her reason was because she wanted to help Alaric in researching various historical sources and records of their ancestral heritage. History stored in the castle was abundant as it went all the way until the first century AD.


    Alaric was very pleased and proud to know that since hundreds of years ago, his mother''s family line was highly respected and influential. The only problem was that their lineage stopped when the last two children born in the Linden Family were women and both had died. The only son they had didn''t live for long.


    One daughter was Princess Elena, who married a prince from the Meier family. Sophia was now their only child left in the clan. The other daughter was Princess Luna, who gave birth to Alaric.


    Alaric felt sad seeing how the number of Alchemists was declining, because they were very rarely married and rarely had children. Ordinary people, on the other hand, who were incompetent in taking proper care of the earth, breed like rabbits and depleted the earth''s natural resources, caused global warming, and slaughtered so many animals causing them to become endangered and even extinct.


    He was eager to accelerate the completion of his automation project, so that the world could immediately conduct natural selection on humans who were not worthy of living on this planet. Humans were the ones who needed nature, not the other way around.


    This earth would be more advanced and prosperous if it were inhabited by a small number of high-quality residents. Everything else could be outsourced to machines to maintain the quality of human lives. That was where his project would play a role.


    After dinner, he excused himself to rest. He immediately contacted Pavel to arrange various things for him. He was tempted to call Singapore, but given the 8 hour time difference, he realized that it was almost dawn in Singapore. He did not want to disturb Aleksis'' sleep.


    "Pavel, I have an assignment for you. Enter the darknet and look for Wolf. I need information about someone."


    "Wolf? The genius hacker? Who do you want to find that you can''t find yourself?" Pavel asked in surprise. "Sisqo is our best finder, isn''t he? You know that Wolf is a very picky person, he will not necessarily accept assignments from us."


    "I''m not sure Sisqo can do this. This person is very mysterious, I need the best finder in the world," Alaric answered.


    "Hmm .. alright. Who is the person you want to find?"


    "He is called Aldebar. I don''t know any more information but his name."


    "Ok ..." Pavel noted something down and then confirmed. "I''ll take care of this soon. Sir, how long will you be in Scotland?"


    "Three days, I want to rest here before we continue work."


    "All right. I''ll arrange things with the others."


    After hanging up the phone, Alaric started counting in his head. He would first try to find Aldebar himself and force him to make the immortality potion for Aleksis. He intended to offer something that Aldebar wanted. He knew from experience that everyone in this world had a desire for something. He was certain that Aldebar wanted something too.


    Alaric would grant whatever he wished. Even if Aldebar''s wish was to have him kill someone, even though it''s Sophia herself - Alaric would do it.


    If his methods didn''t work, he would use violence.


    But first he had to find Aldebar''s location.


    ***


    It was 5 in the morning in Singapore when Nicolae woke up from his sleep. He was still staying in the guest room of Aleksis'' penthouse, and because he drank too much wine with his new family, he felt his head hurt so badly that he woke up before sunrise.


    With his eyes half closed, he walked into the kitchen and took a glass of warm water. When he was enjoying his drink, his phone beeped. He opened his phone and noticed a notification from a special platform he sometimes visited. While yawning wide, Nicolae opened the site and read messages from the platform.


    There was a client who was looking for someone named Aldebar, and the name Wolf was clearly tagged to fulfill the task.


    The name Aldebar felt very familiar ...


    Nicolae frowned and tried hard to think. His head still hurt because he drank too much the night before. Hmm ... he couldn''t remember where he heard that name before.


    Finally, he returned to his room and tried to sleep again, hoping that his headache would slowly disappear.


    Five minutes later he got up.


    Aldebar!!


    Wasn''t that Aleksis'' uncle who mastered the immortality potion!? Who was the person who wanted to find him?? How did they find out about Aldebar? Why did they specifically ask for Wolf to accept the assignment?


    How mysterious!


    Finally he did not go back to sleep. His headache slowly went away because his brain was occupied with guessing who the client was and what they wanted from Aldebar.


    He got out of bed and immediately replied to the message on Darknet.


    -Wolf here. I will only accept this assignment if I know who the client is.


    He waited for 10 minutes, but there was no reply. Nicolae felt rather worried. People only look for negative things in the Darknet, such as hackers, assassins, human traffickers, pedophile networks, child pornography, etc.


    He was afraid that there were people who wanted to harm Aldebar. He couldn''t wait for the morning to arrive so he could tell Aleksis and Lauriel and they could warn Aldebar.


    ***


    Alaric woke up in the morning with a fresh feeling and good mood. Since knowing from Sophia that there was an Alchemist scientist who was able to make an immortality potion for ordinary people, his mood became light and his heart was happy; not cold as usual.


    In his long life, Alaric had never loved and cared so much for a woman as he felt for Aleksis. If it were not for his aspiration to rule the world and arrange for the earth to be governed properly by chosen humans, not the current nine billion foolish and destructive homo sapiens, he would certainly choose death if one day Aleksis got old and died.


    Alaric often considered himself the loneliest man in the world. His thoughts were different from most people, and he personally did not like most humans. There were only a handful of people he tolerated; they were his foster families, the children he fostered and raised with his own hands, and some loyal staff who had followed him for decades. Aside from being with them, he was actually always alone.


    He had been feeling alone for almost a century, when suddenly his whole world was turned upside down last week, when he met a strange girl who entered his life like a storm. Since then, for some reason, Alaric felt that he found the only person who understood him and accepted him one hundred percent, unconditionally.


    Aleksis made him feel love.


    When Aleksis asked him to get married, even though they had only been together (again) for four days, he immediately agreed. Inwardly, at first he only considered the marriage as something that would not bring harm to him. He thought he had nothing to lose.


    But after they were really married ... subconsciously, something in Alaric''s heart changed.


    In his head now there was only Aleksis and he only thought of things he could do to make her happy. His priority now, funnily enough, was no longer the automation project, but how to obtain the immortality potion for Aleksis, so they could live together forever. When that was achieved, he dreamed of ruling the world together with the girl.


    He, Aleksis and their children would become the examples of how humans should live.


    Subconsciously, his lips curved into a thin smile. He thought of all the possibilities that he could do, so that in the future, he could live in peace with Aleksis and their children.


    If he and Aleksis had a child, then he would no longer be alone because, then, he would have his own family. He would be the best father to their children.


    For nearly a hundred years, Alaric had seen many children living in poverty, suffering under the care of their unfit parents, neglected, raised in orphanages, living on the streets, and various other unacceptable conditions.


    He hated humans who carelessly sow their seeds to produce children, but are thereafter unable to be decent parents. He did not want to be such a man, and so he always made sure that no matter what happened, he would not let any woman get pregnant with his seed.


    He preferred helping abandoned children and giving them a better life by housing them in good orphanages or paying for their lives as an anonymous donor.


    Some of them even became his foster children. He then raised and educated them as assassins. One of his best assassins was his own foster son, Mischa.


    Mischa was the only child of a drug addict couple he rescued in Lithuania. He was now one of his favorite children as well as the deputy of Rhionen Assassins. Mischa was only 5 years old when he first met Alaric. Without hesitation Mischa tugged him on his shirt and asked to be taken along. After Alaric killed his parents who were stoned after beating their son to a pulp, Mischa left with Alaric and never looked back.


    Maybe this was destiny. He was thinking about Mischa, when suddenly an SMS came in from his foster son. It was now 7am in Scotland, meaning it was 3pm in Singapore. Surely Mischa deliberately waited for morning to arrive before he contacted Alaric so as not to disturb his sleep.


    Hmmm ... something must have happened, he thought.


    [Sir, sorry, but there was a misunderstanding when Miss Aleksis was rushed by her friend yesterday. We thought she was kidnapped and so we chased after them. Takeshi and I fought with that man to save Miss. Takeshi was injured pretty badly and is now recovering, while I am still treating my wounds. We will immediately investigate who planned to kidnap Miss Aleksis after I recover.]


    Alaric''s brow furrowed. Takeshi''s was severely injured  and Mischa was also wounded? And the opponent they faced was only one person???


    How was this possible?!


    Alaric knew exactly how tough his two people were. If they both fought against him at once, even he might not win. He was curious to know what had happened.


    Oh ... didn''t Mischa say that Aleksis was almost kidnapped? His mind immediately became uneasy. He hurriedly called the girl. He had to make sure Aleksis was okay.


    RING


    RING


    RING


    Until the tenth ring, his call was still not picked up. Alaric became very worried.

 Chapter 366 - I cannot reach her

    Unable to contact Aleksis, Alaric finally contacted Mischa.


    "I can''t contact Aleksis. Do you know where she is?" Alaric asked quickly when Mischa picked up his call.


    "Miss hasn''t contacted us. I can''t call her either. I''ll try to look for her at her dorm," Mischa said immediately.


    "Hmm ... there''s no need for that. You need to recover first. I will ask Pavel to find out about Aleksis'' whereabouts."


    Alaric sent a message to Pavel to find news about Aleksis. It should be easy to find the girl because she was still in St. Mary and was living in the dormitory. He then remembered that Pavel had also been tasked with finding Aldebar.


    "Pavel, have you heard from Wolf?" he asked as he walked out of his room to get tea from the castle''s right wing lobby.


    "Wolf will only accept the assignment if he knows who his client is. Lately he is known for making it more difficult for clients who want to contract him. People with his reputations don''t need money," complained Pavel. "Now information is a more valuable currency."


    Alaric nodded slowly. He had also set the same policy decades ago. When Rhionen Assassins already had a high reputation, they no longer performed anonymous assignments.


    All clients who wanted to sign them must provide their identity as collateral. No matter how much money was offered, if the client refused that one condition, they would not heed the client''s request.


    Finally, the clients gave in and submitted to the conditions he set because they were aware that there was no better assassin than the Rhionen Assassins.


    Their identities and the risk of Rhionen Assassins later using them as collateral were considered part of the price they must pay when they contracted the mysterious organization. Usually these were the people who needed the services of the best and cleanest killers, so they would not be suspected by their victims nor opponents.


    Rhionen Assassins had killed leading presidential candidates so that their political opponents could win the elections. They also eliminated business rivals, powerful criminals that could not be touched by the police, overly vocal parliament members, a famous movie star who had an affair with a European prime minister and intended to reveal their dark secrets to the media, and many more.


    As a professional, Rhionen Assassins did not discriminate their victims; male or female, young or old. They only refused to kill if there were children involved. All of his clients'' data proved to be very useful when Alaric then founded a technology company and needed facilities in various countries.


    They easily blackmailed important people to become their clients to provide support. Contracts with China were obtained in such a way. They also had good support from several European countries which then made things easy for them to obtain more EU contracts.


    Business rivals and politicians who made it difficult for them to conduct their business would suffer a miserable fate at the hands of the assassins. For Alaric, these humans were just a bunch of meaningless homo sapiens. He had a bigger goal and he wouldn''t let anyone get in his way.


    Now, seeing that his method was imitated by this hacker named Wolf, Alaric could only smile. Hmm ... he could share his identity to Wolf, but which identity ...? Himself, as Alaric Rhionen, owner of Rhionen Industries, or himself, as leader of Rhionen Assassins?


    He didn''t know if a clean person like Wolf had ever heard of his assassin organization. He could probably claim to be Alaric Rhionen, the owner of the technology company group, Rhionen Industries. He would even provide Wolf with a little information that the purpose of finding Aldebar was to obtain a medicine that was very important for the betterment of humanity.


    Rhionen Industries'' reputation as a company that invented the drug for cancer could certainly be useful to convince him that they did not harbor evil intention by looking for Aldebar.


    Hmm ... After thinking for a while, he finally made a decision.


    "Pavel, you can give your identity to him. Just tell him that you need information about Aldebar because, as a company who invented the cancer drug, we received a tip that Aldebar had a formula to cure various other diseases, and we would love to buy that formula from him." He paused, "But when you contact him, ask Sisqo to monitor and track Wolf''s identity. We might need it in the future."


    "Yes, Sir." Pavel recorded everything well in his notebook, "Anything else?"


    "Please find out about Aleksis'' whereabouts on campus or her dorm. Mischa and Takeshi fought yesterday with her friend and they are still recovering. I''m sure Aleksis is okay, but I need confirmation. I cannot reach her ..."


    "Hmm ... well, Sir. I will immediately contact John in the office to take care of this."


    "All right. Report me all the progress,"


    "Yes, Sir."


    ***


    Aleksis was forced to go to campus because she wanted to find her phone-watch that went missing yesterday. She could not contact Alaric at all because the man had placed a special chip in her phone-watch so Aleksis could contact him.


    She couldn''t remember what his number was and even if she did, the number couldn''t be contacted unless she had that particular chip.


    Aleksis knew this because she was also as private as Alaric in terms of concealing her identity. The phone-watch was a new product sold in America and was equipped with a special chip. Only the people she contacted directly with her phone-watch could call her back or text her.


    Other people wouldn''t be able to call her. Thus, only the people she trusted could call her. In such an era where privacy is of great importance, devices are made increasingly specific for data protection and they adapt to the privacy needs of each customer.


    Initially, such privacy settings were very useful, but in a situation like now, it only became a burden and created a lot of problems for her. If she failed to find her watch, Aleksis was determined to buy a new ordinary phone without such strong privacy settings. She would give her number to the staff at Rhionen Industries so Alaric could contact her.


    Nicolae insisted on accompanying her to campus to look for the watch, even though he was still injured. He reminded Aleksis that the girl had agreed to make him her fake boyfriend to get rid of the bullies and make her rival, Anjali the queen bee, suffer.


    "But you''re still hurt, right?" Aleksis protested. "Uncle Rory will be angry if he found out that I am using his son for my personal needs ..."


    Lauriel, who was researching some medicinal herbs he ordered from China, looked up when he heard Aleksis'' words, and immediately shook his head, "It''s okay. Men must get used to working hard and protecting women. Nicolae has recovered."


    "See? My father doesn''t mind," Nicolae said. Secretly he winked at Lauriel.


    Inwardly, he was very happy because his father, whom he finally met after nearly 100 years apart, apparently really understood him.


    Lauriel just smiled. Of course, he could immediately figure out his son''s feelings for Aleksis. Only a blind man could not see the girl''s charms. Aleksis was not only beautiful and smart, she also had a very pleasant personality. Indeed, she was stubborn and liked to go around, but her heart was very kind and she had abundance of affection.


    In his heart, of course, he hoped Aleksis would forget her obsession with Prince Siegfried, whom she had only met for one week. The man must already be old now and maybe he even passed away already ...


    Of course, with his profession as an assassin, his life would always be filled with danger and secretly Lauriel was not willing to let his goddaughter live a difficult life and suffer when married to an assassin ...


    Nicolae''s presence was like an answer from the universe to his prayer. The young man was kind, his personality was very pleasant, and he was also very intelligent and very protective of Aleksis.


    Without a second thought he almost sacrificed his life in order to save the girl. Now, in Lauriel''s eyes, there was no better man for Aleksis than Nicolae.

 Chapter 367 - Wolf

    "I will not take any risks at all, I will ask Carl and Sascha to accompany us to campus," Aleksis finally said.


    "What about Takeshi and Mischa?" Lauriel asked, "Are they hurt? Have they received treatment?"


    "They can take care of themselves, Uncle Rory. I don''t want them to come here and find out our secret if you treat their wounds," Aleksis replied.


    Luckily she could quickly think of an excuse. She certainly could not bring Takeshi and Mischa to the penthouse, as they did not know that she was the daughter of building owner. She was also afraid they would slip and accidentally talk about Alaric in front of Lauriel.


    Gosh ... it seemed like the more things Aleksis was hiding from Lauriel, the harder it was for her to keep up with everything. She did not want to lie to Lauriel, but she could not let Lauriel know Alaric''s secrets.


    "Oh, by the way... Father ... Someone is looking for Aldebar in Darknet. Has Aldebar''s life ever been threatened before?" Nicolae asked. He just remembered about the contract offered early in the morning. "I often receive research and hacking job offers, and coincidentally last night a client offered me that assignment."


    Lauriel frowned. "Really? Can you find out who it is?"


    "I''m working on it. But, please, tell Aldebar to be very careful, because there are people who are looking for him. Whether with good intentions or bad intentions ..."


    "All right. I''ll talk to Caspar." Lauriel nodded. "I will also talk to him about the alleged attempted kidnapping of Aleksis. I will try to find out if there are any members of the Wolf Pack currently around Singapore, so we can get some help ..."


    "The Wolf Pack?" Nicolae asked. "Who is that?"


    "That is Uncle Rory''s team and they had been together in adventures for hundreds of years. Some had even followed Uncle Rory since he was a pirate," said Aleksis proudly, "They are the coolest immortal adventurers! They helped my family a lot when I almost died, poisoned by an evil person 18 years ago."


    "Wolf Pack?" Instantly a smile appeared on Nicolae''s lips.


    He was indeed his father''s son. The nickname he chose in Darknet was Wolf, because he liked that animal, and he always considered himself to be a ''lone wolf'' since decades ago when his foster family died one by one.


    It turned out that his father was also a wolf, but his father was not alone because he had a team he called ''The Wolf Pack''...


    "Why are you smiling?" asked Aleksis.


    Nicolae looked at his father in admiration, "Because my nickname in Darknet is ''Wolf''. I really take after my father in many ways ..."


    Lauriel smiled back and nodded slowly. He was proud of his son.


    "Wolf!" Aleksis murmured, "Gosh I have heard that name before ¡­ but where?"


    She scratched her head which was not itchy, but because she could not remember where she had heard the name ''Wolf'', she finally shrugged.


    "You said you were poisoned by someone 18 years ago? Oh my God ... that means you were only 2 years old, right? Who would have the heart to poison a child?" Nicolae asked later.


    Aleksis sighed. "It''s a long story."


    "I''m not going anywhere ... I''ll listen." said Nicolae insisted. He looked at Aleksis with concern. He could not imagine that such a small child nearly died from being poisoned by evil people ... How could they?!


    Inwardly, he was determined to find out who they were and make those evil people pay for what they did to Aleksis. He would make sure that they received the proper punishment even if it was too late. For him, later was better than never.


    "Seventeen years ago, when I was two years old, I was with Uncle Rory in Singapore. Alexei Meier''s men managed to kidnap me and they gave me a very dangerous poison, which would be triggered two weeks after administration and cause my death. They did it because they wanted to force Uncle Rory to marry my mother ... to hurt my father and destroy our family ..." Aleksis told Nicolae of what had happened as concise as possible. "At that time the situation was very chaotic. My father and Uncle Rory mobilized everyone and all resources so that I would not die. Uncle Rory was even prepared to use the poison called Medusa, which could cure me but would sacrifice his life ..."


    "Gosh ..." Nicolae looked at his father who just looked away at the mention of that part. He now understood how much Lauriel loved his goddaughter; he was even willing to die for her years ago.


    Inwardly he felt sad ... If that had happened, then Nicolae would never get the chance to meet his biological father. That thought made him angry and he clenched his fists subconsciously.


    "Well ... My father and Uncle Rory did everything they could, and there was also help from The Wolf Pack. Everyone worked together to trap and take down Katia and Alexei. Katia was my father''s former fianc¨¦e who turned evil and vengeful because her love was rejected by my father. Alexei wanted to bring father down from the clan leadership because he wanted to turn our people into Purists ..." Aleksis massaged her temple when she thought about what had happened in the past, and how her family felt very depressed at that time, "The Wolf Pack managed to capture the two people, and fortunately, Uncle Rory also managed to find the right antidote for me, so I survived, and now I can stand in front of you, blabbering like this ¡­ hahaha ..."


    Nicolae was very surprised to hear Aleksis'' story. He had no idea that such conflict for power existed within the Alchemist clan whom he thought to be perfect. He subconsciously placed his arm around Aleksis'' shoulders when she finished telling him her story.


    Gosh, to think that this girl nearly died from being poisoned by Alexei and Katia just so that they could take revenge on her father.


    "Then ... what happened to those two people now? Where are they now?" he asked her, looking very concerned.


    "Uhm ... Uncle Rory sentenced them with Death. As far as I know, Katia is dead because she wanted to shoot my father, and Alexei now lives as a regular human in Switzerland. Maybe now he has aged and is probably living alone, and he no longer knows anything about the Alchemists," Aleksis replied..


    "But the Meier family is still quite powerful. I didn''t know they were Alchemists too; I just knew they had a lot of big businesses and recently there were rumors that they would work together with Rhionen Industries ..." Nicolae said, frowning, "Who leads the family now that Alexei is gone?"


    "As far as I know, it should be Sophia Meier ... She is the only heir to the Meier family now," Aleksis said, shrugging. She still remembered that Sophia was famous for being very beautiful, even among the Alchemists themselves.


    Given the possibility that Alaric was currently in England and meeting with Sophia for their project cooperation, Aleksis'' heart shook a little. Ugh ... she wanted to find her phone-watch immediately and contact Alaric to ask about his activities in England and whether he really met Sophia.


    "Hmm ..." Nicolae nodded, and in his mind, he kept all information shared by Aleksis.


    Eighteen years might have passed, but he could not forgive what the Meier family did to little Aleksis and how they once made his father almost sacrifice his life in order to save Aleksis from the poison.


    He was determined to find out more about Alexei and Sophia. Who knew, there might be useful things he could use. His reputation as the world''s best hacker was of no use if he couldn''t find anything to punish the Meier Family with.

 Chapter 368 - Nicolaes Suspicion

    "Well, let''s go to campus now, I want to immediately find my phone-watch ..." Aleksis said. She quickly prepared to take her bag and wore her shoes and then bid goodbye to Lauriel. Nicolae followed behind her.


    "You can just buy a new phone with the same privacy settings as your old one, right?" Nicolae asked curiously as he walked around Aleksis who had pressed the elevator door button. "If you buy it online now, you will get it in an hour. All your contacts and lost data can be recovered. I can help with that ..."


    "It''s okay ... I don''t like to be wasteful and buy new things if I still have my old one ..." Aleksis answered casually.


    She actually didn''t need her phone-watch back. She only needed the connecting chip to Alaric. She didn''t care about any other contacts ... she just needed to contact Alaric.


    But of course, she wouldn''t let Nicolae know that.


    "Why is it wasteful? Do you know the value of the entire Schneider Group''s wealth?" Nicolae asked her in confusion. Buying one of the most sophisticated mobile phones was for the Schneiders the same as buying a cheap candy.


    Aleksis did not reply. Finally, Nicolae just shrugged and followed the girl without saying anything more. They went down to the basement where Carl and Sascha were waiting for them in a bulletproof Mercedes.


    They did not want to take any chances at all; this time they would take their young miss anywhere she wanted to go with extra security. Their attitude was exactly like when the special forces soldiers would advance to the battlefield. If Aleksis wasn''t feeling upset about losing her phone-watch, she might even be amused by her bodyguards'' behavior.


    "We can use my car ..." Nicolae said, pulling out his keys.


    "We  can''t. There is too much blood in your car. Yesterday, I asked the staff to take it to the car salon," Aleksis answered. "Carl and Sascha can take us."


    "Uhm ... okay." Nicolae put the keys back in his pocket and walked toward the Mercedes. Carl quickly opened the door for them and after the two sat down nicely in the back seat, he closed the door and sat next to Sascha who would be driving.


    "Miss, we are very worried about what had happened to Miss yesterday," Carl said worriedly. "As per your orders, we kept our distance because you had those two other guards. We didn''t expect that yesterday they didn''t work well enough when Miss was almost kidnapped. Where were the two bodyguards sent by your boyfriend? Why didn''t they help you?"


    BAM!


    "Boyfriend?" Nicolae muttered to himself when he heard Carl''s words. He then turned to Aleksis who was still feeling upset and did not hear at all what the bodyguard just said.


    "Uhmm ... What did you say, Carl?" Aleksis asked him with half-closed eyes and a mind that was not properly attached to her body.


    "Carl asked you where the bodyguards that were sent by boyfriend were." Nicolae answered Aleksis'' question. He looked at her with a complicated look, "Do you have a boyfriend?"


    OUCH!


    Aleksis widened her eyes at a sudden question from Nicolae. Shit shit shit ... She should have coordinated with Carl and Sasha so they wouldn''t just casually talk about her ''boyfriend'' in front of everyone.


    Fortunately, Aleksis was a very intelligent girl and she was quick to handle the situation. She just shrugged nonchalantly.


    "It is only proper for a girl so beautiful like me to have many admirers," she then glanced at Nicolae with a mischievous smile, "You agreed yesterday to be my fake boyfriend on campus, right? Do you think you''re the only one?"


    Oh ... Nicolae immediately calmed down. It was true; yesterday he himself offered Aleksis to be her fake boyfriend, though of course inwardly he hoped that someday their fake relationship could become real.


    Could it be that he was not the only man who offered Aleksis to be her fake boyfriend? Maybe Aleksis did have some other men lined up, and none of them were taken seriously by her. Aleksis seemed to be a very fun girl to be with. Yesterday, in the cafeteria, she acted so cute toward Terry and acted as if she was Terry''s girlfriend to make Anjali angry.


    Terry was the one who betrayed Aleksis and claimed to be her brother.


    Hmmm ... alright. Aleksis could have a lot of fake boyfriends, but Nicolae would be the best of them all, so that the girl would not feel that she needed the others.


    "Carl, I haven''t introduced you guys ... This is Nicolae ... he is ... uhm ... my distant cousin," said Aleksis. "Right now, he is also pretending to be my boyfriend. He rescued me and took me in his car yesterday when he saw suspicious people who had the intention to kidnap me. You can later coordinate with Nicolae to investigate who the kidnappers were ..."


    "Fake boyfriend?" Sascha was smiling while shaking his head, looking at them through the rearview mirror. "Then Young Miss is a playgirl, huh? How nice of you to play with the hearts of so many men ..."


    "Ssshhh ... watch your words, Sascha. I''m not a playgirl, okay..." snorted Aleksis, but her tone didn''t sound angry at all. She knew that Sascha was just joking. "Yeah, yesterday, when Nicolae rescued me, Takeshi and Mischa chased after us. They thought that Nicolae was the one who wanted to kidnap me ... They all had a fight and were injured ... Apparently it was all just a misunderstanding."


    Nicolae could see the surprises in Carl and Sascha''s faces. They quietly looked at him from the rearview mirror.


    They did not expect that Nicolae managed to survive against two top assassins from Rhionen Assassins. Their Young Miss told them that Mischa and Takeshi were already at the Dragon and Phoenix level! And he even managed to injure them.


    What kind of person was this guy? Both of them were very surprised.


    "What is it, Carl?" Finally Nicolae could not help but be curious and ask them. "You look like you just saw a ghost."


    Carl looked back and held his breath, "You ... you''re so amazing ... You fought with two of the highest levels assassins of Rhionen Assassins and you are not dead yet ... Instead, you are now sitting casually in this car as if nothing happened."


    What the ...


    "Rhionen Assassins?" Nicolae frowned and turned his head toward Aleksis, to confirm that Carl had not made a mistake. "What did he say? Rhionen Assassins?"

 Chapter 369 - Nicolaes Suspicion (2)

    Aleksis widened her eyes again at Nicolae''s unexpected question. So what if her bodyguards were from the Rhionen Assassins? She would pretend not to understand.


    "Yes ¡­ one of my boyfriends is so worried about my safety that he hired the best people to protect me ..." said Aleksis casually. "You worried so much about me yesterday that you risked your life to face them. What''s the difference between you and him? Let''s just say I''m lucky to be surrounded by good guys like you all ... hahaha ..."


    Sascha and Carl hiccuped when they heard their young miss'' words. But inwardly they were now also curious, who was that boyfriend of hers actually, so that he could hire the world''s best assassins to be her bodyguards. They only knew that Aleksis called him Prince Siegfried.


    Nicolae seemed to study Aleksis'' face carefully, trying to digest her words just now.


    "Do you know who the Rhionen Assassins are?" He asked in a very serious tone.


    Aleksis shook her head, "I know a little from my father and Uncle Rory''s conversation ... But I don''t know much. I also can''t find information about them anywhere."


    Nicolae shook his head. His expression which was usually relaxed and cheerful was now dark and tense. "They are very dangerous ... unforgiving, and mysterious. If only you knew who their victims were ..."


    Now it was Aleksis'' turn to wonder, "I just can''t find any info about them, and I have very broad access ... how can you know so much about them?"


    Nicolae did not answer. He thought about his encounter with Mischa and Takeshi yesterday. Actually he should consider himself lucky because Takeshi underestimated Nicolae''s capabilities at the beginning of the fight, and so they let their guard down.


    Otherwise he wouldn''t stand a chance against them, especially if they had attacked him together. He was lucky that he could knock Takeshi out before Mischa started his attack.


    He could not imagine if Takeshi had helped Misca yesterday. They could definitely kill him on the spot with one blow. If that had happened, he would never meet his father, and his death would be in vain, due to misunderstanding.


    All his research and projects in Singapore so far would also end in vain. Ugh ... all that because of a mere misunderstanding.


    "How do you know so much about Rhionen Assassins?" asked Aleksis once more. She had to extract information from Nicolae and find out how far he knew about Alaric.


    "Hmm ... I''ve been investigating them for a long time," Nicolae finally answered. "Rhionen Assassins cannot be contracted to become mere bodyguards, unless ..."


    "Unless what?" Aleksis asked, opening her eyes wide.


    "Unless your boyfriend is the leader of Rhionen Assassins himself," Nicolae answered firmly. He looked at Aleksis with a probing look, hoping to get an answer from the girl, "Is that true?"


    Carl and Sascha immediately held their breath when they heard Nicolae''s words. The two looked at each other, then looked at Aleksis in the rearview mirror with shocked faces. They could not believe what they had just heard.


    Was it true that their young miss had a relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins? This was really shocking!


    Aleksis stared back at Nicolae bravely. Nicolae was very smart and always to the point. He always spoke bluntly whatever was on his mind. In this respect, he was similar to Aleksis, who was very open and outspoken.


    Finally Aleksis nodded. "You''re right. I have a good relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins. We have a complicated relationship. To tell you the truth, he is not a bad person."


    "How can you say he''s not a bad person? Do you know how many people he killed ??" Nicolae asked impatiently. He was devastated when he heard Aleksis'' answer. He did not expect his rival to be such a dangerous person. He did not want to directly deal with Rhionen Assassins, but now it seemed like he had no choice.


    "I don''t know what he did to other people, but he is kind to me ...!" said Aleksis.


    She knew that Alaric did many things that no ordinary human being could accept, but that was because he grew up alone and on the wrong path since he experienced a lot of bitterness in his life.


    The real Alaric was actually very kind and gentle. The only problem was that he had gone too far down the dark path for all his life. Aleksis still hoped that one day she would be able to reach the true Alaric, and pull him out to see the light and change his view of humans.


    Nicolae looked at Aleksis sadly, "You have been brainwashed by him. He is a killer ... Not only as an assassin from Rhionen Assassins, but he may also be responsible for the psychological crisis seven years ago when a mass suicide occurred. I can''t believe you just said he is a nice person ..."


    "I told you, I don''t know what he did to others ... what is clear to me is that he is very kind. Then, what should I do? Hate him for various accusations that you can''t prove to be the truth? The fact is that he saved me three times ... I am indebted to him and he treats me very well ... " Aleksis insisted.


    "Uhm ... that''s right, to our knowledge Prince Siegfried had saved Miss several times. Never once had he hurt her." Carl added.


    He did not want to see his Young Miss constantly attacked by Nicolae. Inwardly, he actually admired the fact that Prince Siegfried, whom his young miss had been looking for, was a very influential person.


    "Prince Siegfried?" Suddenly Nicolae felt the pain in his shoulder again. Hmm ... no ... this was not physical pain due to Mischa''s gunshot wound, but his chest hurt knowing that the girl he liked had found the person she was looking for.


    The other day, when Aleksis mistook him for Prince of Siegfried and embraced him, he thought it was just a misunderstanding and the person named Siegfried did not exist. Now, he realized that there really was such a person and that Aleksis had finally met the real one.


    And there was even a possibility that this Prince Siegfried was the leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    "Oh ... you mean the dragon tattoo ..." Nicolae murmured softly.


    He had only just realized the connection between the dragon-slayer prince and the highest level assassin in Rhionen Assassins. Subconsciously, Nicolae held his chest, as if he was holding back the pain from the wound, even though he was actually holding back his sadness due to the information he had just received.


    Aleksis must have liked Prince Siegfried so much that she named her dog Little Prince Siegfried. Then, years later, she returned to Singapore to look for him, and even hid everything from her family, because she knew for certain that Rhionen Assassins'' bad reputation would make her family oppose their relationship.


    He did not know the extent of Aleksis and Siegfried''s relationship. Aleksis had only returned to Singapore for one week, so there was no way that she was far involved with the man, he thought.


    But it was also possible that they already had a close relationship, because clearly he sent his two best killers to protect Aleksis ...

 Chapter 370 - Agreement with Nicolae

    Aleksis looked at Nicolae with a pleading face, "Please, don''t tell Uncle Rory ... I don''t want him to worry. Prince Siegfried is kind to me. He won''t ever hurt me."


    Nicolae did not answer. He then took out a tablet from his bag and pretended not to listen to Aleksis. He quickly fiddled with something on his tablet then gave it to Carl at the front seat.


    "I collected the images from all CCTV cameras around the campus to look for the two suspicious people who wanted to kidnap Aleksis yesterday. You can see that in these 3 pictures, both their faces are clearly visible, as well as the car they use. I recommend that you take us to campus first, and later you guys can take care of those people."


    "Oh ... that is fast ..." Carl murmured in admiration. He received Nicolae''s tablet and checked all the information. "Hmm ... we will have them before the day ends."


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae in admiration. Just like that? Nicolae hacked all the cameras on campus and could find the criminals who wanted to kidnap Aleksis? He made it look very easy.


    In that case, Nicolae should also be able to find her phone-watch, thought Aleksis.


    The girl immediately faced Nicolae and put on her most beautiful smile.


    "Nic ... do you want to help me find my watch?" Aleksis'' beautiful pair of blue-green eyes glazed like a puppy''s. Finally, Nicolae''s heart melted. He nodded and fiddled with his tablet and two minutes later showed it to Aleksis.


    "She took your watch."


    "Oh ... I know her! I will immediately meet her at the dorm," said Aleksis. She saw a CCTV footage on Nicolae''s tablet which showed Rosemary walking to where Aleksis last stood before Nicolae pulled her into the car. The girl looked surprised to see something and then bent down and picked up something from the ground.


    She picked up Aleksis'' phone-watch, studied it briefly as if she was thinking, then walked away.


    "Carl, let''s go straight to the dormitory. I have to find Rosemary," Aleksis said. "Hope she''s still in the room."


    "Hmm ... why don''t we just check the class schedule?" Nicolae asked, "If we go to the dormitory, and it turns out she''s having a class on campus, then we will be wasting time."


    "But I don''t know Rosemary''s class schedule, we are not in the same department," said Aleksis.


    Nicolae sighed and lightly tapped Aleksis'' forehead, then pointed at his tablet as if reminding the girl that he was able to find out whatever information he wanted with a tap of his fingers.


    "See, here ... She has class until 10 o''clock in Building C." Nicolae glanced at his watch, "Looks like you''re too late if you want to meet her now. It would be better for you to go to your class first, then after your first lesson, you can meet with her. She has no more classes after that. Don''t you need to go to Professor Rodriguez''s class?"


    Aleksis widened her eyes again, "You ... you also know my class schedule?! What the hell do you not know?"


    Nicolae patted Aleksis''s forehead again and then pointed at his tablet and shook his head.


    Ugh ... Aleksis finally realized Nicolae was right. She had better go to class and apologize to Ian for flaking on him yesterday and not coming to his party. Then, after the first class she could rush to see Rosemary.


    "Do you have class today?" Aleksis asked him.


    "I don''t have any classes left. I''m a final year student, I go to campus just to teach general lectures and show off my good looks to new students," Nicolae replied nonchalantly.


    The truth was that he was very happy to work in the campus library because he had set up special security so that he could work freely there. Plus, the place was very unappealing, so perfect for him to hide away.


    But, he did not intend to tell all this to Aleksis, bearing in mind that the girl had a fairly close relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins. He didn''t know yet how close she was to him. Nicolae did not want to take the risk.


    "Ugh ... you are so narcissistic," grumbled Aleksis. She studied Nicolae''s handsome face and had to admit that the young man deserved his position as the idol of the girls on campus, and even on social media outside their university group. You could say that his popularity was on par with real celebrities.


    They did not say anything else until they finally arrived at the campus. As soon as the car stopped, Aleksis hurriedly jumped out before Carl opened the car door for her. She knew she was already five minutes late for Professor Rodriguez''s class.


    "Oh yeah ... uhmm ... about that just now ..." She turned around for a moment and took Nicolae''s hand when he got out of the car after her, "Nic ... please don''t tell Uncle Rory about this ... I plan to tell him myself, I just need to take care of something first. After that, I will tell you everything."


    Nicolae frowned, pretending not to understand, "What do you mean by don''t say anything to my father? I don''t know anything."


    "Oh, Nic ... you''re the best!" So excited, Aleksis landed a kiss on Nicolae''s left cheek and then resumed her run towards Building B.


    The young man stood stunned next to the car, and slowly his hand touched his cheek that Aleksis had kissed.


    This girl was overflowing and impulsive, and she kissed Nicolae on the cheek without thinking about the impact of the kiss on him.


    Really, she was just like a storm. She came and went however she liked, leaving only a messy trail behind. Just like this morning, when she left Nicolae after tearing his heart apart.


    Carl and Sascha only glanced at Nicolae with a sympathetic look. They had never met Prince Siegfried, but now they could guess how impressive their Young Miss'' boyfriend was. But, come to think of it, actually this cousin of Young Miss was also okay, they thought.


    He met all the requirements of a dream man. His body was tall and sturdy, his face was very handsome, he was also very intelligent, he had a high level of hacking ability, and his fighting skills was no less than that of a dragon level assassin from Rhionen Assasins. Most importantly ... he was very protective of their young lady. He even held back his own feelings and did not ditch Young Miss to her family for being involved with an assassin ...


    Both of them could only sigh. If they were the ones who had to choose between the two men who were involved with Aleksis,  of course they would quickly choose Nicolae, but then again, they had never met the other guy ... it seemed unfair to judge only one-sidedly.


    "Why do you two sigh like that?" Nicolae asked, pursing his lips. He understood what was on their minds. You could say, as fellow men, they already understood what was happening.


    "It''s okay, Sir. Cough ... cough ... We will soon chase the criminal. We cannot contact Miss because her phone-watch is still missing, shall we later contact you when it''s time to take her home?"


    Nicolae nodded. He wrote down his cellphone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Carl. "I will be at the library. Report your progress to me as soon as you have any information."


    The two nodded together then excused themselves, while Nicolae walked lazily towards the library. Along the way, the girls who saw him passing immediately whispered, giggled, and some even openly greeted him cheekily.


    "Nicolae !! How are you?"


    "Hello, Nicolaeee .. !!"


    Over the years Nicolae had become accustomed to the treatment of his fans. Actually, in his experience, adult women tend to be more elegant in trying to attract his attention. But since he disguised himself as a student, he experienced the ''attacks'' of young girls who were just out of their teens. They were very flirty and openly teased him all the time. Especially when they were in a group.


    All this time he did not care about their actions and considered it a teenagers'' obsessions, because after all, he was also much older than them. He usually ignored their excessive behavior. But somehow, he felt rather disturbed today.


    He compared the girls with Aleksis who was so elegant and never chased after men so openly. Why didn''t the girls learn from Aleksis? They would definitely be more interesting if they were not so noisy and constantly giggling, he thought.


    He just waved to them and continued his journey to the library.


    Hm ... he would investigate who Prince Siegfried really was. He was not going to tell on Aleksis to his father, but he had to be cautious and not let anything happen to Aleksis. He had to know what was happening.

 Chapter 371 - Why did she lie?

    Aleksis peeked through the slightly opened door and saw Professor Rodriguez standing facing the students with his back to the door. He seemed to be busy discussing something with the mostly sleepy students who were not used to studying in the morning.


    Aleksis believed that many of them blamed themselves for coming to class so early hoping to meet her, but instead she was not in class. She felt a little sorry for them.


    At that moment, her gaze collided with Ian who happened to be looking at the door. The young man looked surprised but pleased to see her presence. He then gave a signal with his chin so Aleksis would enter quietly.


    Aleksis nodded and tiptoed like a cat into the classroom with her back to the wall, trying not to attract any attention. Many students who saw what she was doing tried to hold back their laughter and pretended to focus their attention on Professor Rodriguez, so that he would not be suspicious.


    After crawling so carefully, Aleksis finally managed to reach the middle of the room and took a seat on the chair next to Ian that had been vacated for her.


    Phfew ...


    Just when she breathed a sigh of relief, Professor Rodriguez turned to her and pointed right at her. "You, new student! Try to explain Wendell''s economic theory about the best productivity management!"


    "Eh ...?" Aleksis pointed to her own nose. She did not expect that she would immediately become the target of Professor Rodriguez just after she entered the classroom. She hadn''t opened her book at all. She didn''t even know what topic was being discussed!


    Wait ... Theory of Wendell ...


    Wendell .... ?


    Wendell?!?


    "Oscar Wendell?!" Aleksis asked to confirm the question. She was acquainted with Oscar Wendell, who was once a consultant in her father''s company, and she met the famous economist several times in Germany. But Professor Wendell was very old now. Aleksis didn''t even know that he wrote a book on all the economic theories.


    "Yeah, which other Wendell is there?" asked Professor Rodriguez impatiently.


    Aleksis had a very strong memory, and she concentrated briefly on the conversations between Kurt Van Der Ven and Oscar Wendell during dinner. At that time they were busy discussing productivity. Was this what Professor Rodriguez was referring to?


    Finally, Aleksis explained what she had heard during the conversation which immediately invited sighs of admiration from her classmates. She had just explained the theory requested by Professor Rodriguez. She even explained it in more detail by giving examples that were not in the book.


    Professor Rodriguez looked impressed hearing her explanation. He looked at Aleksis attentively. He had heard rumors that this transfer student majoring in Information Management was very beautiful, but he did not expect that the girl would also be very intelligent.


    Finally, he cleared his throat and waved his hand, "Okay ... that''s enough... if you continue, then there will be nothing else I can teach you. Sit down!"


    Aleksis smiled sweetly and nodded. She turned to Ian, "How did I do?"


    Ian nodded and raised his thumb.


    He then tapped Aleksis'' shoulder, who had returned to her seat, and asked, "Why didn''t you come to my party last night? You promised to come."


    "There was an emergency. I will come some other time."


    "How about tonight? I can have another party for you," Ian said, smiling broadly.


    "Ugh ... there''s no need for that." Aleksis shook her head, then tried to focus her attention to the lecturer. Actually, Professor Rodriguez was not at all angry at Aleksis, who had come late and crept into his class. He knew the girl''s presence was the cause of his class being so full today.


    With the current education system, students may choose to study in class or remotely, but as a conventional person, he preferred face-to-face interaction with his students. He did not like coming to campus just to teach a handful of students. So Aleksis'' presence in class actually made him happy.


    As soon as the class ended, Aleksis immediately jumped out of her seat and rushed out. She must go to Building C and look for Rosemary.


    "Hey ... where are you going in such a hurry?" came a voice from the door as Aleksis dashed out.


    Aleksis was in such a rush that she did not pay attention to her surroundings and her body again crashed into the Nicolae''s broad chest. He was waiting for her at the door. As usual, her body was slammed because she hit his steelhard body, which was like a wall. Aleksis would have fallen to the ground if Nicolae had not immediately caught her.


    "Gosh ... your body is hard as a wall ..." Aleksis grumbled as usual. This time, Nicolae, who had memorized the order, continued the girl''s sentence.


    "Gosh, your body is hard like a wall ... What do you eat anyway...?!" Nicolae said, immitating Aleksis'' words. The young man''s expression looked very funny when he imitated Aleksis'' scowling face and the way she spoke when grumbling. He had memorized it, because Aleksis always grumbled the exact same thing.


    The girl pursed her lips because she felt that Nicolae was mocking her and then hurriedly escaped from the young man''s embrace.


    "I don''t talk like that, okay ... my words are not that ridiculous," grumbled Aleksis."Why are you here, anyway? Didn''t you say you wanted to show off your good looks to the new students?"


    "You''re a new student," said Nicolae casually. He then pulled Aleksis'' hand, "Let''s go to Building C, before Rosemary runs away."


    Aleksis was forced to follow him to Building C. She tried to let go of his hand, but the young man wouldn''t let her.


    "What are you doing? Look, everyone is watching us," hissed Aleksis.


    "I''m your fake boyfriend on campus, have you forgotten?" Nicolae asked.


    Aleksis looked at the young man with eyes full of questions, "I ... did agree, but I have my conditions ..."


    "That I can''t fall in love with you?" Nicolae raised an eyebrow. "I promised."


    "Alright then ..." Aleksis looked relieved. She then pulled her hand out of Nicolae''s grasp and took the young man''s arm instead, "It''s better this way, it''s more convincing."


    Nicolae looked at Aleksis who was holding his hand intently, then he smiled thinly and nodded. "I agree."


    They walked together looking lovey-dovey, followed by the shocked eyes of the other students. Soon, rumors spread like wildfire. Nicolae, the ideal husband candidate, was in a relationship with the beautiful transfer student.


    They arrived at Building C, and before Aleksis went inside to look for Rosemary, she saw the girl in front of the building talking to Terry. Her face looked so bright.


    "Eh ... what do they want?" Aleksis murmured in surprise. She hurried over to Terry. "Big brother, I need to talk to Rosemary ..."


    Terry turned and frowned when he saw Aleksis arriving with Nicolae. He snorted softly and then turned to Rosemary and smiled, "Thank you for keeping my sister''s watch. Don''t forget that I will wait for you at the cafeteria. We will have lunch together."


    Rosemary blushed and nodded. She then walked away and left them. Occasionally, she turned to look at Terry. The young man only waved once and then turned his gaze to Aleksis.


    "Are you looking for your phone-watch?"


    He pulled Aleksis'' phone-watch out of his bag and handed it to her. Aleksis shouted with joy because her watch was back. But, her happiness was only short-lived. She saw that her watch was broken, as if crushed by a heavy object.


    "It''s broken ... What happened to it?" she asked with a disappointed face..


    "Rosemary said she found your watch on the side of the road; maybe a car ran over it. She recognized it as yours because she had seen you wear it when you were in her dorm room." Terry shook his head, "Even though it''s broken, she still wanted to return it to you, and since she already knew you are my sister, she came looking for me to give it back to you."


    Aleksis and Nicolae looked at each other. On the video on Nicolae''s tablet earlier, when Rosemary picked up Aleksis'' watch, it was still fine. Why did she lie like this?

 Chapter 372 - The Frenemies

    Aleksis snorted in annoyance. She hurriedly checked the chip that was installed in her watch, hoping that the chip was still good and she could save it so she could contact Alaric ...


    Oh no ... the chip was destroyed.


    Subconsciously, tears flowed down as Aleksis cried in front of Nicolae and Terry, who were confused by her attitude.


    "Why are you crying?" Terry asked, confused. However flat he looked on the surface, he was very fond of Aleksis. Since he joined the Schneider family 8 years ago, he had spent a lot of time with Aleksis, especially since they were close in age. They became close with each other very quickly. Lauriel also often invited Terry on adventures when he took Aleksis with him.


    He lovingly embraced his sister who was now weeping. "My phone-watch is broken ... huhuhu ... I''m so sad ..."


    "Sssh ... that''s easy to buy another one. I can order the exact same watch from America," Terry said, stroking Aleksis'' hair.


    Aleksis just shook her head. She was still sad. It was not the broken phone-watch that made her cry, but the chip that could connect her to Alaric.


    Nicolae paid close attention to Aleksis. He realized that there must be something on her watch that was very valuable to Aleksis, not the phone-watch itself. He opened his tablet and showed Terry the video he had successfully taken from the school CCTV camera.


    Terry looked at its contents and immediately frowned to see that indeed, yesterday when Rosemary found Aleksis'' phone-watch, its condition was still good. Instantly his face turned red with anger.


    "Why did she lie to me?" he hissed, full of wrath. What he hated the most was being lied to. He had treated Rosemary well because he appreciated that the girl had gone to great lengths to return Aleksis'' watch. He did not think that Rosemary had destroyed it before returning it to him.


    "Ugh ... just wait, you, I''ll teach you a lesson," he hissed in annoyance. He then patted Aleksis'' shoulder and calmed her down. The girl was still crying on his chest.


    For a moment, Nicolae felt moved by the sight. To his knowledge, Terry was a very annoying person, but it turned out that the young man was very fond of his sister, although often times he acted indifferent.


    "Hmm ... can I see your watch?" Nicolae asked Aleksis. Without waiting for Aleksis'' answer, he took the watch from her hand. He looked at the slot containing the special chip and immediately recognized its function. "Hmm ... I can fix this, if that can make you stop crying."


    Aleksis'' tears suddenly stopped. She looked up and stared at Nicolae with a face filled with a million questions. "Can you really fix it? It''s already broken ... how can it be repaired?"


    Nicolae nodded, "Yes, it''s broken, but I can copy the code in it and make you a new chip. Whoever the person you want to contact, he just need to wait for a day. Tomorrow I''ll give you a replacement chip."


    "Can you really fix it? Can you really????" This time Aleksis'' voice sounded more hopeful. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, which made Nicolae''s heart ache a little.


    Surely this defective chip was her link with that Prince Siegfried. The fact that it was broken was the reason why Aleksis was so sad, he thought.


    Nicolae nodded firmly. He put the watch in his pocket then spoke to Terry, "Did you bring a car?"


    "Yes, why?" Terry asked.


    "Carl and Sascha are after the people who wanted to kidnap Aleksis yesterday. I told them to take care of it until I arrived. I must take Aleksis home. Later, from the Continental, I will catch up with Carl and Sascha using my own car."


    "Why didn''t you bring your car?" Terry asked curtly. He was still not willing to let Nicolae ride in his car.


    Terry''s curt attitude towards Nicolae made Aleksis impatient. She immediately clapped her brother''s hand, "Big brother, why are you still so harsh? Even to your own partner? No wonder you don''t have a girlfriend and proper friends, your attitude is too annoying ..."


    "Partner? When did I partner with this weird dude?" said Terry, glaring. Nicolae also looked as annoyed as Terry. He would not ever want to partner with Terry, so why did Aleksis suddenly say they were partners?


    Partner my a-s-s.


    Aleksis rolled her eyes and tsk-ed in annoyance. "Didn''t you partner with Wolf for your investigation?"


    Terry immediately placed his index finger on Aleksis'' lips, to stop her from unfolding his secret, "Ssshhh ... why do you have such a big mouth? It''s a secret! I told you about it because you''re my sister! You shouldn''t say it in front of strangers!"


    "He is not a stranger!" Aleksis exclaimed.


    "Yes, yes ... I know that he''s Lauriel''s son, but he''s new to the family. His status is still a stranger ... We can''t tell Nicolae everything yet. You know for yourself how big of a secret our research is ..." Terry shook his head seeing Aleksis being so stubborn.


    "I mean, he''s not a stranger ... because he''s Wolf. Isn''t your partner''s nickname Wolf ???" Aleksis said impatiently. "This morning I can''t remember where I heard that name before, but when I saw your face just now, I immediately remembered ... You once told me that your partner''s name was Wolf, and this morning Nicolae told me that his name in the Darknet was Wolf."


    Nicolae was immediately stunned. "Hey, Aleksisssss ... !! I told you and father that my nickname was Wolf, but that doesn''t mean that you can tell it openly to strangers. That''s supposed to be a secret. Nobody can know my identity!"


    Two seconds later both Terry and Nicolae looked transfixed. They just realized what was happening.


    Both of them looked at each other with wide eyes. Then, their lips opened and closed but no sound came out ... each raised their index finger and pointed at the other with a look of disbelief.


    "Wait ..." Nicolae swallowed.


    "You ..." Terry finally found his voice, "You ... Wolf? Really?"


    "Are you Billie Jean?" Nicolae asked in return. "I thought you were a girl ..."


    "Ugh ..." Terry looked very embarrassed that his nickname was mentioned in front of Aleksis. Billie Jean was indeed a woman''s name, but he used the nickname as a tribute to his father, the famous actor Jean Pierre Wang, and her father''s fiancee, Billie Yves. "Shut up!"


    Aleksis looked at the two of them alternately while shaking her head, "You know what, you two are arguing like a husband and wife who have been married for decades. You are actually very compatible with each other, but you let your ego take over and ultimately you act so hostile. As proof, when you both didn''t know each other''s real identities online, you guys were such good friends and you even partnered up ..."


    Terry still had difficulty accepting the fact that the partner he really admired turned out to be Nicolae, his rival on everything on campus!


    While Nicolae could only scratch his head. He had always thought that Billie Jean was a very cool girl because she was very smart and her attitude was just like a man, so they could be close friends.


    Who would have thought that his image of this super cool and super smart girl was now shattered to pieces. Apparently Billie Jean was a 23-year-old male student, who was the most annoying guy in the world.


    Unwittingly, both of them simultaneously took a deep breath.


    "See, you guys even sighed at the same time," teased Aleksis. She then took the two, one in her right hand, and one in her left hand, then half dragging, pulled them to the parking lot. "You guys can exchange news in the car. I want to go home quickly so that Nico can fix my chip immediately."


    Still looking very shocked, the two St. Mary''s campus ideal husband candidates followed Aleksis. They both couldn''t hide the shock on their faces.


    Gosh ... for the past six months, apparently ... I partnered with my own enemy ...


    The two young men even thought the same thing, on the way to Terry''s car.

 Chapter 373 - Alaric is feeling jealous

    The three people were too preoccupied with their minds to notice how much they were the cause of a great commotion on campus. The two young men idols, who were usually bitter enemies, were now walking together in harmony with a girl, the controversial transfer student.


    The new Queen Bee had raised herself yesterday and openly challenged Anjali.


    They still remembered that yesterday Aleksis brought her own table to the cafeteria and acted like a queen bee to incite Anjali and her cronies. No one thought that today the girl would unite Nicolae and Terry.


    News of the three soon filled the gossip room at the Splitz social media group of the University. There were so many pictures of Aleksis walking with Terry and Nicolae on each of her arm, and it made so many girls on campus green with envy.


    Some actually were impressed by Aleksis because she managed to make the two ideal husbands, who were known to be fierce competitors, walk together, and so their fans could enjoy looking at the two beautiful humans at once in the same frame.


    Aleksis'' admirers, on the other hand, became even more excited to get close to the girl.


    Ian was an example. He knew for sure that Aleksis and Nicolae had no special relationship because he had heard them arguing and Nicolae called himself Aleksis'' fake boyfriend.


    Ian just smiled as he read the gossips on Splitz, and instead of being grumpy, he prepared another party at his father''s hotel to invite Aleksis. He had to make sure that next time Aleksis could really come.


    ***


    Shortly after breakfast, when Alaric finished reading in the library, he received an SMS from Pavel.


    [I''ve found Ms. Aleksis. Apparently, lately she''s quite famous in her university Splitz group.]


    Alaric raised his eyebrows and curiously opened his phone and entered the Splitz social media which was owned by his subsidiary. He had explored this social media before and did not find any accounts belonging to Aleksis, so he knew that Aleksis did not use social media. Then why could Pavel say she was famous on Splitz?


    Alaric quickly found the information he was looking for. Hundreds of photographs had been taken from a distance or close range, and it showed Aleksis with two really handsome young men on campus. Alaric was a little surprised to see how perfectly the three people stood together.


    When he first saw Aleksis in her original appearance, he thought to himself, that he had never, in his long life, seen a woman as perfect as Aleksis. Her face was beautiful with a pair of brilliant blue-green eyes that were glowing with happiness.


    She had perfect symmetry lines on every curve of her body that seemed to be carved by the Gods. She also had a pair of long legs and a really beautiful face..


    Now he saw Aleksis'' perfection becoming more complete as she walked between two equally attractive young men. For some reason, Alaric''s chest trembled slightly at how friendly Aleksis seemed to be with the two men. He thought he was the only man in Aleksis'' life, but apparently he was wrong. Aleksis looked very close with them.


    Was this feeling jealousy?


    This was a strange feeling because Alaric had never experienced it before. He had never romantically loved a woman before. Aleksis was his first.


    "Pavel, who are the two people who are with Aleksis today?" Alaric asked in a cold voice when he called Pavel. Subconsciously, bitterness could be heard in his voice. As a professional assassin, who had never involved his emotions in anything, this time he failed to regulate his heart to stay flat.


    He had been trying to call Aleksis earlier, but the girl could not be reached. Wasn''t it Aleksis who asked him to contact her every day? Then if indeed the girl was having problems so she couldn''t be reached, why didn''t she contact Alaric or Takeshi?


    From the pictures he saw at Splitz just now, Aleksis did not seem distressed. She looked as happy as always, and was so friendly with those two very handsome young men ...


    Who were they? What was their relationship with Aleksis?


    His hand subconsciously gripped the edge of the table while waiting for Pavel''s answer.


    "Uhmm ... both of them are final year students at St. Mary University, Sir. They are among the most popular students on campus and even in Splitz. There is nothing odd about both, they are just ordinary students."


    "When did Aleksis meet them?"


    "Since her first day in school. One of them is the teacher assistant who teaches a class attended by Miss Aleksis. Aside from that, they have also met several times around campus." Pavel then cleared his throat, "Oh, by the way, Mischa said that the man with the long hair was the one who fought with him and Takeshi yesterday."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric then ended the call.


    He sat down and pondered. He thought about this friend of Aleksis, who yesterday succeeded in injuring Mischa, one of his best assassins. He was definitely not a reckless person.


    Alaric then remembered his conversation with Aleksis some time ago, when Aleksis asked what he would do if Aleksis fell in love with another man, and left him.


    Alaric''s answer at that time was that he would support Aleksis'' happiness with that man, especially if Aleksis really preferred someone else over him. At that time Alaric believed that love was liberating. He wanted to show Aleksis that true love was the love that was not selfish.


    But now, when he saw the photos of Aleksis with other men, and learned that one of them fought hard yesterday to defend Aleksis, he realized that his love was not the unselfish love he had originally thought.


    He was not willing to see Aleksis with another man, after all. No one could protect Aleksis better than him. Therefore, the best place for Aleksis to be was with him.


    While he was busy with his various thoughts, Sophia entered the palace''s right wing lobby and waved to him.


    ***


    On the way back home, Terry and Nicolae fell silent. Several times they stole glances at each other to ensure that the annoying person whom they thought was the enemy was actually their good friend on cyberspace.


    Aleksis just smiled at them both. She was no longer upset since Nicolae said that he could copy the code on her broken chip and make a new one. She was eager to talk to Alaric immediately. They hadn''t spoken with each other for only a day, but it felt like it''s been a very long year!


    They arrived at the basement of the Continental Building and immediately headed to the 100th floor. Lauriel, who did not expect to see the three of them before lunch time, looked bewildered. Especially seeing Nicolae and Terry''s awkward attitudes towards each other.


    "What''s wrong with you guys?" he asked.


    "Ugh ..." Terry shrugged, "Apparently Nicolae is Wolf ... This world is very small."


    "I didn''t know you were Billie Jean ..." Nicolae said with a frown.


    Aleksis shook her head, "Uhm ... that''s because you don''t know Terry''s parents. I''m not surprised that he used that nickname in cyberspace."


    "I thought she was a cool girl who loves Michael Jackson''s songs," Nicolae said with a snort.


    Aleksis and Lauriel just laughed at the two of them. They then shrugged and left Terry and Nicolae at the living room. Lauriel went with Aleksis into the kitchen to make drinks.


    Nicolae looked at the departure of her father and the girl he liked with an envious look. He was still not used to seeing their closeness. Although he was Lauriel''s biological son, he had only met his father after almost 100 years.


    During this time, Aleksis had occupied most of his father''s heart as his favorite child, even though the girl was not his biological daughter. Seeing how they acted very warmly with each other, seemingly living in their own world, he felt a little jealous.


    Terry, who saw what Nicolae was looking at, finally felt sympathy. Subconsciously he patted the young man''s shoulder, "Ssshh ... don''t be jealous. They do seem to have their own world together. Aleksis'' relationship with Lauriel is indeed very close, even her biological father is sometimes jealous because he could never be that close to Aleksis."


    Nicolae looked at Terry in surprise, because the young man seemed to be able to read his mind, "You see that too?"


    "You can''t be jealous. Aleksis is the reason why you can meet your father now. Twenty years ago, Lauriel no longer had a purpose in life. He had decided to take Death." Terry smiled at Nicolae''s shocked expression, "To live forever without his family and loved ones was very hard for him. Lauriel had decided to end his long life and follow Princess Luna, your mother, and you, because he thought that you died while still in the womb. When he suddenly met Aleksis, he found a new purpose in life, and he loved Aleksis as a replacement for his child that he had never seen ... So, you need to consider it this way ... if it weren''t for Aleksis, when we found you, Lauriel would have long died."


    Nicolae was stunned by Terry''s explanation. And slowly he had to agree.


    ***

 Chapter 374 - What Magic Is This?

    Nicolae was stunned by Terry''s explanation. And slowly he had to agree. Without Aleksis, he would never have met his father. Lauriel would have died twenty years ago.


    For this, he would was forever grateful to Aleksis. At this point, he did not mind that Lauriel loved Aleksis more than he loved him, his own son.


    Nicolae and Terry then followed Aleksis and Lauriel into the kitchen. The aura of animosity between the two had now subsided. Nicolae actually felt touched because Terry seemed to understand him quite well. He came to remember that actually, behind Terry''s annoying attitude, he had a pleasant personality.


    He remembered having talked with Terry as ''Billie Jean'' and they opened up to one another as orphans. Now that he knew Terry as Aleksis'' older brother, he realized that the two of them were actually very similar.


    Terry was an orphan as he lost his parents in an accident eight years ago, but he still had biological parents, namely Jean and Finland, who were the donors for the IVF procedure used by his mother and father as an attempt to conceive a child.


    Jean now had a fiancee, a very famous singer who treated Terry like her own child, and Finland also opened her home for Terry to become her son, together with her three other biological children, namely Aleksis, London, and Rune. Her husband, Caspar, was always very kind to Terry.


    In addition, Terry was treated very well by Lauriel who was Aleksis'' godfather and he often invited Terry to venture out with Aleksis. That was how the three of them became very close.


    It was complicated indeed; on the one hand Terry was an orphan, but on the other hand he had many families.


    Nicolae had lost his adopted parents decades ago, and as an only child, he had no more relatives, and that was the reason why he considered himself a ''lone wolf''.


    But now, he finally found out that he had a father who physically looked the same age as him. So, you could say he was an orphan, but at the same time, he still had his father ¡­ How complicated!


    "How is your wound? Here, let me have a look," Lauriel, who saw the arrival of the two young men, waved at Nicolae to come closer. He sipped his tea then placed his cup on the table. After Nicolae was in front of him, he pushed his son''s body on the dining chair. "Take off your clothes."


    Nicolae obeyed and took off his shirt. The bandage on his left shoulder looked neat, but Lauriel removed it anyway. Nicolae, who thought his father wanted to change his gauze bandage, was about to refuse. "The bandage is still good. Really, Dad ..."


    Lauriel ignored the protest. Lauriel still removed the gauze bandage on Nicolae''s shoulder nonchalantly, "I am just taking the bandage off, what''s wrong with you? Are you shy because Aleksis can see your body?"


    Instantly Nicolae''s face turned red. He did feel a bit awkward to appear shirtless in front of Aleksis. If that was another girl in the room, he wouldn''t care, but he really liked Aleksis.


    "What ...? You are shy?" Aleksis exclaimed in an amused voice, "Who do you think changed your bloodied clothes yesterday? I''ve seen EVERYTHING."


    Nicolae''s eyes widened so huge. He did not expect that Aleksis was the one who changed his clothes yesterday. He never considered asking. He only remembered waking up in the guest room with clean clothes.


    Oh my God ¡­ Oh my God ...


    Nicolae was not an aloof guy who could disguise his true feelings by showing a cold attitude on the surface in front of the girl he liked.


    He really liked Aleksis and everyone in the room could see it clearly. He couldn''t move whenever the girl was in front of him. Terry could only shake his head in pity because he knew his sister already had another ideal man.


    "Aleksis, you must not tease Nic all the time," Lauriel said softly. He had seen Nicolae''s face turn red.


    Aleksis just laughed heartily and covered her eyes with both hands, pretending to be shy. "All right ... I won''t bother you anymore. Uncle Rory, please check your son''s injury ..."


    The three men just shook their heads at Aleksis'' behavior.


    Terry observed Nicolae a little longer. Slowly he began to see the young man as his best friend, ''Wolf'', in Darknet, and not the beautiful boy Nicolae who liked to make girls scream on campus because of his flamboyant behavior.


    Nicolae was very famous; he was almost like a real celebrity, even though he was only a student, not a musician or an actor. Ever since he met Nicolae, Terry always considered that the young man only had a handsome face with a brain of a shrimp. But his allegations were proven wrong when this year Nicolae was assigned to take over a class as teacher''s assistant


    Now he realized the possibility that the flamboyant persona Nicolae had been displaying on campus was only his way to hide himself in the crowd.


    Of course no one would have thought that Wolf, who had the reputation of being the best hacker in the world for the past 10 years, was a young student surrounded by student girls.


    This made him smile thinly. He felt that he had treated Nicolae unfairly all this time, because he had opposed him without a justifiable reason.


    Lauriel opened the gauze bandage that wrapped Nicolae''s gunshot wound and smiled with satisfaction seeing that the medicinal herbs had healed the wound very well. Even the other parts of Nicolae''s body that were injured here and there from fighting with Mischa were almost healed. He now only applied a small patch of bandage on the gunshot wound, a gauze bandage was no longer needed.


    Nicolae himself was very surprised to see the healing progress of his wound. "What magic is this?"


    "It''s not magic. Lauriel is an expert in medicine and poison, and yesterday he gave you the best medicine he has. His head contains all the information on medicinal plants from around the world that he had collected for more than 500 years," Terry explained. "Everything comes from nature."


    Nicolae was very impressed to hear about his father''s amazing ability. He was already impressed because his father was a great adventurer and successful pirate. And apparently, not only that, Lauriel also had other skills far more valuable than money.


    Nicolae could imagine how many pharmaceutical companies would be willing to pay dearly to get his father''s knowledge.

 Chapter 375 - Lauriels Suspicion

    Nicolae was very impressed by his father''s amazing abilities with medicine and poisons. These are skills far more valuable than money. Nicolae could imagine how many pharmaceutical companies would be willing to pay dearly to get his father''s knowledge.


    "You have to teach me ... or at least, let me make an encyclopedia based on your knowledge ... That kind of knowledge should be passed on ..." Nicolae said admiringly.


    That''s when Aleksis took her hands off of her eyes and exclaimed happily, "Of course! Uncle Rory has taught me and my younger brothers about medicinal plants for the past dozen years. But unfortunately, I''m not talented with medicine."


    Nicolae subconsciously covered his upper body from Aleksis'' sight. He shrieked. "You peeked!"


    Grumpily Aleksis rolled her eyes and moved out of the room. She waved as she went to the door, "Then I''ll play with Little Prince Siegfried."


    Terry and Lauriel looked at each other with a knowing look. They knew the history of Aleksis and Prince Siegfried and why she named her dog Little Prince Siegfried.


    They also knew how Aleksis had been obsessed with the man for the past eight years and even asked to study for a year in Singapore so she could look for him.


    Lauriel seemed to think for a moment, then then asked Terry. "Is there any news?"


    Terry understood the meaning of Lauriel''s question. Lauriel wanted to know if Aleksis had met the person she was looking for. Although Terry knew the answer, he had promised Aleksis that he would not tell Lauriel.


    He would let Aleksis tell her godfather herself, because after all. Aleksis was an adult woman and Terry would not interfere in her life if he was not asked to.


    Finally he just shrugged. Lauriel sighed to see it.


    "I was the one who encouraged her to continue studying here for a year so that she knows what it is like to live like an ordinary human, before she is introduced to the outside world ..." Lauriel shook his head slowly, "But for some reason now I''m starting to worry."


    "Introduce her to the outside world? What do you mean, Father?" Nicolae asked curiously.


    "The three children of Caspar Schneider and also Terry have not been introduced to the members of the Alchemists. We hold a meeting every 10 years and usually new members will be brought in and introduced.


    However, Caspar is very protective over his children, especially since the past events where Aleksis was kidnapped and poisoned by some bad people. He did not want to introduce his children to the world yet, so Aleksis and her younger siblings never attended clan meetings.


    They live peacefully away from the crowd, but of course, in a few years, when the three are grown up and are able to protect themselves, Caspar will introduce them. They will take over the Schneider Group from Kurt Van Der Ven. That is why she must start getting used to meeting people and understanding how ordinary people lived."


    "Wow ..." Nicolae''s admiration for Aleksis became even greater. The girl was apparently being prepared to take over the Schneider Group from her father''s confidants. He knew how massive the family business was, and so Nicolae was very impressed. It was really not easy to lead such a large and influential group.


    "But I''m starting to worry now ... maybe Aleksis should just go home," Lauriel said. "I''ve discussed this with her father and next week her parents will arrive in Singapore."


    Nicolae was stunned. Wow ... next week, the clan leader will come. He couldn''t wait to meet more Alchemists, especially the clan leader, who happened to be Aleksis'' father.


    Inwardly he felt happy because he would be able to meet the father of the girl he liked ... Nicolae remembered that Aleksis once told him that her father was a doctor, like himself.


    "Why worry, Father?" Nicolae asked. He wanted to know what Lauriel knew that caused him to worry so much.


    "I''m afraid, because I know that Aleksis is hiding something from me," Lauriel complained. "She introduced four bodyguards to me, but when I talked to Caspar yesterday, I learned that Caspar had only assigned Carl and Sascha to protect Aleksis, because usually the two of them were more than enough. Moreover, they have been guarding Aleksis since eight years ago ... This means ... that the other two, Takeshi and Mischa ... are assigned by someone else."


    Terry, who already knew the secret, felt rather uncomfortable. He was a little uneasy because Lauriel suspected something while he already knew the answer.


    Nicolae, who also knew Aleksis'' secret, said nothing. This time he managed to hide his feelings behind a flat face. "Who do you think they are, Father?"


    Lauriel massaged his forehead. "Aleksis has only liked one man since a long time ago, and she has been obsessed with him for years. She calls this person ''Prince Siegfried''."


    Terry turned to Nicolae to assess his expression as Lauriel revealed the secret about Prince Siegfried. He was a little surprised because he did not see any change in Nicolae''s expression. Did this mean that Nicolae also knew?


    "Then, what does that have to do with the two new bodyguards?" Nicolae asked, trying to dig up more information, to know to what extent his father suspected Aleksis.


    "Aleksis moved to Singapore to look for that person ..." Lauriel went on with a rather annoyed voice. He almost opened the wine, but then remembered that it was still too early to drink. Finally, he poured some more tea into his cup. "The two new bodyguards might have been sent by Prince Siegfried. That is the only reasonable possibility ..."


    "I''m sure Aleksis is a smart girl, and she has good taste," Nicolae shrugged, "Why do you worry if she meets a man she likes?"


    Lauriel looked at Nicolae fixedly with a worried face, "Hmmm ..."


    "Why are you so worried, Father?" Nicolae urged.


    Lauriel sighed, "The problem is that ¡­ I don''t know who this Siegfried guy really is. What is certain is that he is related to the Rhionen Assassins. As the world''s best hacker, I''m sure you know who they are. I am worried if Aleksis were to have some sort of relationship with those assassins ..."


    Nicolae and Terry were both surprised. The two of them didn''t expect that Lauriel would know so much, just based on his own observations!

 Chapter 376 - SPOILER Alaric in Medici Castle

    This event will happen sometime in future. How far in the future? It''s still a secret. This chapter is fun and heartwarming and personally one of my favorite scenes throughout Volume 2.


    This chapter is quite long (10 SS), but I assure you, it''s worth the SS.


    Please respect the others who don''t want to read spoiler by not discussing the contents of spoiler chapters in other (regular) chapters. =)


    .


    *********


    .


    Alaric walked slowly along the path. The feelings rumbling in his head were difficult to describe with words. This was the castle owned by his father''s family, and for some reason, knowing that made him feel sad.


    He did not need this castle, nor all of the Medici family''s wealth. He himself was already one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.


    He knew that there are things that couldn''t be bought with money, including family and love, and he didn''t have both. Sometimes, this fact made him feel like he was the poorest person in the world.


    The only thing he had was his ambition and his dream to rule the world under his feet.


    "Whoooooo .... !!!!"


    For a moment his reverie was intrigued when he heard someone''s joyful screams to his left.


    Among the orange trees on the edge of the forest, he saw a little girl having a lot of fun chasing butterflies. Her hair was platinum and it went down to her shoulders.


    She was probably around 9 or 10 years old and had a very casual appearance; she wore a pink short-sleeved shirt with white shorts and white shoes.


    Actually, her appearance was quite strange considering how cold the temperature already was that autumn, but it seemed that the child was not bothered at all, even though the her clothes were more appropriate to wear in summer.


    Alaric quietly watched the little girl play with all the butterflies that were flying among the orange trees. It turned out that she was just chasing them so they would fly - she didn''t really want to catch the butterflies. For a moment Alaric was fascinated because the whole sight in front of him looked like a beautiful painting.


    He was curious who this child was, roaming so far to the edge of the forest. It seemed impossible that she came from the surrounding villages, because from what he had seen, the security around the castle was very tight.


    Was this the child of one of the families who arrived early for the party? Then why wasn''t she wearing party clothes?


    Could this be a relative of the host? Hmm ... this was the most reasonable explanation, he thought.


    Who are you related to, Little girl? The groom ... or the bride?


    He was so mesmerized by the child that he did not move a single muscle for 10 minutes. He had never seen an Alchemist child before. This child looked like Tinkerbell, the little fairy, he thought. So beautiful and so agile, jumping there and here.


    When the little girl noticed that someone was watching her, she stopped chasing the butterflies and looked at Alaric curiously.


    "Hello," she said in a very friendly voice. Alaric was momentarily surprised to hear the little girl''s voice. Indeed her voice was still high-pitched like a child''s voice ... but when Alaric listened carefully ...


    The child walked toward Alaric and narrowed his eyes, then asked enthusiastically, "Do you also like butterflies???"


    This was not a girl. This child was a boy!


    For a moment Alaric felt cheated by the boy''s appearance; he was wearing a pink T-shirt and white shorts after all. Moreover, his beautiful hair grew all the way down to his shoulders, making him appear like a girl in a glance. Alaric did not expect that this child was actually a boy.


    After he spoke, Alaric noticed that his attitude was actually very relaxed and light, just like a boy, and not at all feminine and gentle like girls in general. He only looked like a little girl, but his attitude was of a little boy.


    Uhm ... except, when he was busy chasing after the butterflies earlier.


    Subconsciously, a smile etched on Alaric''s face.


    He nodded, "Yes ... the butterflies are very beautiful. I enjoy watching you chase after them."


    The boy''s blue eyes went round when he heard Alaric''s voice. He gave the signal for the man to speak again, "Can you repeat your words earlier?"


    Alaric was confused by this unusual request. Did this child have hearing problems? However, he could not resist his angelic and sweet plea, and finally repeated his sentence.


    "Yes ... the butterflies are very beautiful. I enjoy watching you chase after them."


    "WOWWW!!!" The boy immediately jumped happily. He immediately pulled Alaric''s hand and took him to the orange trees where dozens of butterflies were flying. "Try talking again ... Just say whatever. You may even say the alphabet, A to Z, whatever that is, as long as you talk ..."


    Alaric frowned in surprise. Out of curiosity, he finally obeyed the strange request of that child and recited the alphabet repeatedly.


    He only hoped that none of his men would catch him obeying the silly request of this child.


    He then repeated the alphabet several times until the child was satisfied. Every time Alaric spoke, the strange child would look very amazed. He would spread his arms back and forth, and circle with joy. He looked very happy.


    "WOW ... Lavenders everywhere!! It''s like summer!! Butterflies and lavenders!! So beautiful!" he cried repeatedly.


    After repeating the alphabet three times, Alaric finally could not contain his curiosity. He then stopped talking.


    "Ouch .. Uncle, why did you stop??" asked the boy with a very disappointed face.


    "You have to tell me what we are doing. I feel like a fool, chanting my ABCs," Alaric said firmly. "I won''t continue unless you tell me what is going on."


    "Oh ..." The boy then pulled Alaric to sit on a fallen tree branch and sat next to him. "Have you heard of Synesthesia*?"


    Alaric thought for a short while, then nodded, "It''s a neurological disorder that makes a person have senses that work simultaneously, for example when the person hears a particular sound, the person may see a specific shape, picture, color, or even taste a certain taste."


    "Ah ... so you know." The boy smiled broadly as he brushed his hair, "I can see sound. Every sound I hear must have its own shape or colors. For example, the sound of the wind is blue. The sound of our car horn is shaped like leaves. My mother''s voice is like strawberry ... and well ... when you were talking, I saw beautiful lavenders ... Just like summer!! I''ve never seen a voice like lavender before, that''s why I asked you to keep talking while I chased butterflies. Oh, if you can see what I see ... you will definitely pass out in awe. My surroundings are filled with lavender fields and hundreds of butterflies ..."


    Alaric widened his eyes at this strange kid''s explanation. He knew about Synesthesia, but this was a rare condition and he had never met anyone who had it before.


    Inwardly he felt somewhat resentful because it turned out his voice was said to look like a lavender.


    What look was that? Not at all manly, he thought.


    He cleared his throat and tried to say ABC several times with a deeper voice. "A-B-C-D-E ... ABCDE ... what does my voice look like now? What shape do you see?"


    "LAVENDER !!! It''s so beautiful!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.


    Finally, Alaric gave up.


    He was a very masculine man; he always associated himself with dragons. He had long held the highest assassin level in Rhionen Assasins, and he had trained so many men and women to become very skilled at killing. He even met a little girl who insisted on calling him ''Prince Siegfried'' because of the scary dragon tattoo on his right chest.


    If this child said that his voice was shaped like a dragon, he would be happy to continue chanting ABCs to please this child. But since the boy continued to say that it looked like lavender, Alaric irritably closed his mouth and tried not to speak at all.


    "Uncle ... please talk agaiiinnn ... Lavender is my mother''s favorite flower ..." persuaded the boy a few times. But Alaric shook his head and sat frozen, refusing to say a word.


    Lavender? Humph!


    "Uncleeeee .... !!!" Not discouraged, the boy suddenly attacked Alaric''s waist and tickled him without hesitation.


    Jeez ... !!


    Alaric, who had no idea that this child would be so blunt with a stranger, did not expect that he would be tickled in such a way that he could not protect himself from the attack. He could not help but laugh out loud due to the child''s tiny fingers dancing on his waist.


    "Hahahahhaa ... ouch ... enough¡­!! Stop it ¡­!! AHAHAHA ... you ... don''t you know who I am? Huh!! You ... hahahhaa ... stoppp ... !!"


    As an adult, he could not hit the child to escape, and so, as a last resort, he tried to get up and get as far as possible from the child to avoid his tickling, while laughing out loud.


    The boy looked very satisfied, and after two minutes, he became tired and stopped. He then patted Alaric''s hand and smiled broadly, "I like your voice, Uncle."


    For a second Alaric was stunned. He just realized that he hadn''t laughed in a very long time.


    He then smiled to himself and ruffled the boy''s hair gently. He was grateful because today this boy made his heart feel light and happy.


    "What''s your name, Boy?" he asked.


    The boy smiled mischievously. "I will say my name, only if you talk for 5 minutes. I want to see lavender again."


    Smart kid, Alaric thought, at this age he already knew how to haggle.


    "All right. If you tell me what your name is, I''ll talk for five minutes so you can see lavender again," Alaric nodded in agreement.


    But the boy smiled even more mischievously. "I only accept payment in advance."


    Alaric massaged his temple. This child was truly a businessman! He just negotiated his price and was now asking to be paid in advance. Alaric became even more impressed.


    "All right. I''ll talk for two minutes in advance, and I''ll do the rest after you tell me your name."


    "Three minutes," the boy said again. Alaric shook his head then stood up and pretended to leave. The boy hurriedly called out to him, "Alright, Uncle ... two minutes."


    Alaric sat down again and took out his cellphone and selected a news article from the internet and then started reading it, "This is better than the alphabet."


    The boy nodded and happily looked at his surroundings as soon as Alaric started reading his article.


    The boy was really enjoying  the surrounding scenery, as if he were indeed surrounded by lavender fields. After two minutes of talking, Alaric stopped. He looked at the boy and raised one eyebrow.


    "Now it''s your turn," he said.


    "All right," The boy smiled triumphantly, "My name is Altair."


    .


    .


    *Synesthesia is a condition in which one sense (for example, hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses such as sight. Another form of synesthesia joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people''s names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor. Examples of famous synesthetes (people with synesthesia) are Billie Eilish, Hans Zimmer, Pharrel, etc.

 Chapter 377 - Who is after Aleksis?

    "Aleksis moved to Singapore to look for that person ..." Lauriel went on with a rather annoyed voice. He almost opened the wine, but then remembered that it was still too early to drink. Finally, he poured some more tea into his cup. "The two new bodyguards might have been sent by Prince Siegfried. That is the only reasonable possibility ..."


    Nicolae and Terry were both surprised. The two of them didn''t expect that Lauriel would know so much, just based on his own observations!


    Finally it was Terry who took the initiative to open a bottle of wine and pour a glass for himself. He felt somewhat pressured that he knew something but had to refrain from telling Lauriel about it.


    "I want some, too," Nicolae murmured, reaching out. Terry, who was no longer bitching at him, just nodded and poured a glass for Nicolae. Both look at each other with a meaningful look.


    Terry realized that Nicolae knew something, and so did Nicolae realize the same thing about Terry.


    "What''s wrong with you guys?" Lauriel asked in confusion, "It''s only 12 o''clock."


    "It''s almost one o''clock, Dad ... wine o''clock ¡­ get it?" Nicolae answered nonchalantly. He gulped down his wine then put on his shirt and signaled Terry to follow him. "I want to meet Carl and Sascha to find the kidnappers from yesterday. Do you want to come along?"


    Terry, who would not miss the opportunity to make an interesting documentary video about catching criminals, immediately nodded and went to follow Nicolae.


    "Lauriel, we will go now."


    Lauriel nodded. Just as they were about to leave, Aleksis came with her dog and quickly chased after Nicolae.


    "Nicolae, don''t forget to fix my chip ..." she exclaimed.


    Nicolae waved his hand and nodded before disappearing behind the door.


    When they were in the elevator, Terry turned to Nicolae and asked, "Have Carl and Sascha found them?"


    "Almost. What is clear is that they have found the address of one of the criminals." Nicolae looked at Terry with a probing look, "I didn''t expect that you would want to come."


    "Hey ... we''re talking about people who wanted to lay hands on my sister! Of course I have to interfere," Terry snorted.


    Nicolae nodded. He was now convinced that Terry was very fond of his sister, even though he always looked indifferent toward her whenever they were together.


    "My car or your car?" he asked, brandishing his keys.


    "Your car ..." Terry said, smiling lazily. Of course if they used Nicolae''s car, Terry wouldn''t have to drive, and right now, he really wanted to relax.


    Nicolae didn''t mind, because after all he really liked driving. He opened the door and immediately started the car. Terry sat next to him and pulled out his camera.


    "Who do you think has ill intentions toward Aleksis?" Terry asked on the way.


    Nicolae put on his sunglasses and shook his head. "I don''t know. It could be one of the students on campus who is jealous of her, or her father''s enemy. She was kidnapped and poisoned once before, right?"


    "Where did you hear that from?" Terry asked in amazement. He didn''t know that Nicolae already knew so much.


    "From my father."


    "Hmmm ... I really can''t guess who currently has bad intentions to Aleksis ... It could be anyone," Terry then coughed. "You seem to worry a lot about my sister ..."


    "Of course, she is my father''s favorite child. You also notice that my father loves her more than he loves me, and I am his flesh and blood. If anything happens to Aleksis, I do not want to imagine how my father would feel," Nicolae replied with a shrug.


    "You like Aleksis," Terry said without hesitation. "That''s why you want to protect her."


    Nicolae did not reply. He did not need to argue, because even the blind could see his loving gaze every time his eyes swept at her.


    "Do you know about Prince Siegfried?" Terry asked again.


    Nicolae nodded, "You also know that Aleksis already met Siegfried, and you hid it from father."


    Terry could only sigh, "If it were up to me ... I''d rather have my sister be with you."


    For the first time in history, Nicolae turned to face Terry with a smile on his face.


    "You have good taste," he commented.


    Terry rolled his eyes and looked away at the window. He was still not used to being friendly with Nicolae. He still needed time.


    Both of them then remained silent for the rest of the trip. After they arrived in the East Coast area, Nicolae dialed a number on his phone and called Carl.


    "Is the address still the same?"


    "It''s still the same, Sir ... but ..." Carl''s voice sounded horrified.


    "But what?" Nicolae asked impatiently.


    "He can''t be questioned anymore. He''s dead ..." Carl swallowed hard, "He died ¡­ horribly."


    Terry and Nicolae involuntarily held their breath when they heard Carl''s words. Who was the one who overtook them this fast in getting to the kidnapper?


    "Give me the person''s info, I''ll try to find more data about them." said Nicolae, then changed the direction of his car. "You all need to leave that place immediately. Don''t attract the police'' attention."


    "Alright." Carl then hung up the phone.


    Terry turned to Nicolae, "Where are we going?"


    "To my apartment," the young man answered curtly.


    ***


    Alaric saw Takeshi''s telephone number appear on his phone screen and immediately excused himself from Portia and Sophia who were discussing about the development of artificial intelligence in England.


    This morning the three of them agreed to start discussing their common goal in the future, and so far Alaric liked Portia''s bright opinions as it was in line with his own thoughts.


    When Alaric was sure that he could not be heard by the two women, he picked up Takeshi''s phone call, "Aren''t you still recovering?"


    Takeshi''s voice sounded a little embarrassed as he answered Alaric''s question. He was ashamed because yesterday he could be defeated so easily by that ordinary young man.


    "Uhm .. I''m fine, I only passed out at that time. Mischa was the one who was injured was pretty badly. We are still waiting for his hand to recover."


    "Do you have any news?"


    "I could not contact Miss Aleksis. So, I tried to investigate the reason why her friend had rushed her away yesterday. I found that there were two suspicious guys watching her every move all day yesterday. I then obtained the identities of those two thugs and today I visited one of them to find out who sent them to tail Miss Aleksis."


    "Then?"


    "He easily spat the names of their gang members and who hired them. Apparently, he is a local mafia man who got the order to kidnap Miss Aleksis. Apparently, his boss'' daughter, who goes to the same university as Miss Aleksis, was the one who wanted to seek revenge as she had a feud with Miss yesterday."


    Alaric sighed. He remembered that Aleksis used to complain that she had to look ugly so as to not attract any attention because she didn''t want to get any unwanted attention from men.


    Who would have thought that it was not the man she had to worry about, but the girls who were jealous of her. Especially this evil girl who had a mafia gang behind her back.


    "Do you know who they are?" Alaric asked Takeshi curtly.


    "Yes. What do you want me to do? I just tortured and killed one thug, as a warning to others. Soon they will respond."


    "Find Aleksis and protect her at all costs. They might get back at her."


    "I last saw her enter the Continental Hotel, but I was unable to get her room number. They have a very tight security network and Sisqo could not hack the information."


    "Okay, then just make sure she''s safe at the hotel. If she goes out, you have to follow her." Alaric paused for a moment, "I can''t reach her either."


    "I understand."


    Alaric tapped his finger on his cellphone, thinking of something, then decided to contact Pavel.


    "Pavel, please coordinate with Takeshi to take care of a small mafia group in Singapore. Think of it as your priority for today."


    "Yes, Sir. Anything else?"


    "Any news from Wolf?" Alaric asked.


    "He refused the contract from us. He said he was busy."


    Alaric''s face turned red in anger. He did not expect Wolf to be so arrogant, rejecting outright the assignment from him.


    "Have you offered whatever payment he asked for?"


    "I did. He said he didn''t need money."


    "There must be something he wants. Tell him I''ll grant whatever he wishes."


    "Yes sir."


    Alaric hung up the phone. If his hackers could find out Wolf''s identity, he would give the man a lesson.


    ***

 Chapter 378 - Why is Aleksis always inviting danger?

    Terry looked at the minimalist apartment on Robertson Road in awe. It looked really comfortable and convenient for work, he thought. Nicolae lived in one of the most expensive apartment complexes in Singapore. Terry  did not think that a mere student could afford the rent of such a nice place.


    Then he immediately remembered that Nicolae was not an ordinary student. He was also not a 23 year old like guy himself. Nicolae was a pure Alchemist who was almost 100 years old!


    When Terry remembered the various insults he had thrown at Nicolae, he immediately felt ashamed of himself for being so disrespectful toward such an older man. Nicolae was even older than his grandfather if he were still alive.


    "Make yourself at home," Nicolae said, placing his bag on the sofa. He then hurriedly opened his laptop and worked on something.


    Terry nodded. He then sat next to Nicolae and looked at what he was doing.


    "Now I believe you are Wolf," he said finally with a smile.


    He saw Nicolae''s fingers dancing swiftly on the keyboard, and with just a few clicks, he could enter various protected networks to obtain the information he needed.


    Nicolae raised his face and turned to Terry, then let out a disappointed sigh. "I still can''t believe you are the cool Billie Jean ..."


    Terry could only frown at Nicolae''s words.


    "I am curious how friendly and pleasant Prince Siegfried is that my sister is so crazy about him ..." he said nonchalantly.


    Nicolae suddenly realized that the young man next to him was the biological brother of the girl he liked. Subconsciously, he closed his laptop and looked at Terry with a smile, "Do you want some fruit tea or chamomile tea?"


    Terry folded his arms across his chest and looked away. "Don''t be pretentious now. You can just continue your work."


    Nicolae had to give his all to refrain himself from hitting Terry. He couldn''t understand how could he be friends with such an annoying person like Terry online. Even though they were only friends in cyberspace ... but still¡­


    "As you wish. The kitchen is over there if you want to make a drink."


    Nicolae turned on his laptop again. A moment later, he massaged his own forehead, then opened the marketplace and ordered something.


    "What is that?" asked Terry, peeking from above his shoulder. "Communication chips? Trackers? Pearl bracelets? What are these random items you are buying?"


    "The chip is for repairing the chip on Aleksis'' broken watch. The tracker is to be mounted inside the bracelet secretly, so that it will be easier to locate Aleksis if anything happens to her," Nicolae answered. He was actually too lazy to explain, but his brain kept reminding him that he was talking to Aleksis'' brother, so he had to be kind.


    "Oh ... are you planning to track down my sister???" Terry asked, staring intently. He seemed to think for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and whispered softly, "You can''t get caught."


    Nicolae sighed with relief at Terry''s words. At first, he thought Terry was against his plan to place a tracker on Aleksis, but the young man actually supported him.


    Nicolae had absolutely no intention of stalking Aleksis, but at this point, he felt responsible for ensuring her safety. Her bodyguards proved to be unable to carry out their duties properly.


    "Thank God, you understand," Nicolae said. This time, he sounded genuinely friendly. Over time, he could be good in front of Terry, because he felt that the man was actually supporting him.


    "Uhm, but don''t put the tracker on this pearl bracelet, my sister doesn''t like jewelry. I just noticed that she is wearing a new necklace recently. In my life, I have never seen her wearing a necklace or bracelet or a ring. She only wore a white ring gifted to her by Lauriel a long time ago, but now it''s gone. She said she didn''t want to lose any more pieces of jewelry, so she wouldn''t wear any. "


    "A new necklace?" Nicolae faintly remembered seeing Aleksis indeed wearing a simple leather necklace with a metal pendant around her neck. "Do you think that necklace was a gift from Siegfried?"


    Terry nodded. "That thing must be valuable enough because she never took it off. If you give her a new jewelry, she will accept it for the sake of being polite, but later it will be lost among her many things."


    "Oh ..." A hint of jealousy arose in Nicolae''s heart. He knew what Aleksis felt towards Prince Siegfried was the obsession of a child carried into adulthood, until it felt deeper than it originally was.


    He had heard from his father that Aleksis was only with Siegfried for a week when she was younger, and this time Aleksis had only been in Singapore for a week.


    Even if she had met Siegfried, their relationship would still be very new. Nicolae felt that he still had hope to show her that mere obsession would not last. Sooner or later, Aleksis would be able to see all of Nicolae''s good sides and give him a chance.


    Moreover, he felt that both Lauriel and Terry were in support of him to win Aleksis'' heart. Nicolae became more determined to chase after the girl. At the moment, his priority was to protect Aleksis and track down those who wanted to hurt her.


    "How big is the tracking device?" Terry asked a moment later.


    "As big as a grain of rice," Nicolae answered.


    "Hmm ... I can find a way to borrow the necklace so you can hide the tracking device in it ..." Terry said after thinking for a moment. "You just prepare everything, let me think of a way."


    Nicolae nodded and hurriedly finished his purchase. When he was about to cancel the pearl bracelet from his order basket, as per Terry''s suggestion, his eyes saw the advertisement for a beautiful diamond ring in the lower right corner of the website that he opened.


    Terry who saw it from the corner of his eye hurriedly waved his hand in front of Nicolae. "What do you buy jewelry for? I told you, my sister doesn''t like wearing jewelry."


    Nicolae sighed, "That''s too bad."


    "Besides, do you think there are diamonds that can impress her in this world? Lauriel has given her the biggest and most expensive diamonds in history, which he used to keep inside a treasure chest on the seabed in the Caribbean." Terry added. "People like Aleksis, who have everything in life, will not be impressed by expensive things ..."


    "Then what do you suggest?" Nicolae asked.


    Terry coughed a little, "Actually, I could give you some ideas. My father once gave a very memorable birthday gift to my mother ...  You know my mom is also Aleksis'' mother. According to her, it was the best gift she ever received in her whole life. Imagine, my mother is married to Uncle Caspar and she has everything, but she considers the gift from my father to be the best gift she has ever received! "


    Nicolae seemed very interested. "Hmm .. well, I''m listening. What do you want in exchange for that information?"


    Terry looked at Nicolae with an expression as if he was just being insulted, "You think I''m the type who always asks for a payment, huh?"


    "Yes," Nicolae replied curtly.


    "All right, if you insist," Terry said with a shrug, "I actually need an actor to play as my main character for the short movie I''m making, and I think - not that I like you - but you will be the right person to play it. But I can''t pay. All my budget has been used up for equipment and for paying the other actors. "


    "What??? You want me to act in your movie?" Nicolae exclaimed with an expression of disbelief. He narrowed his eyes, "Surely this is your trick to attract many female viewers..."


    Exactly, that was Terry''s goal in casting the handsome guy, Nicolae, in his film. The young man was so famous even though he was not an official celebrity.


    "Do you want to know what my father gifted my mother or not??" insisted Terry.


    Finally, Nicolae snorted and nodded. "Fine. But I only want to do the shooting on Monday."


    "Got it!" Terry immediately opened his laptop and scribbled on a document, then handed the stylus to Nicolae. "Sign the contract here, I''ll tell you everything later."


    Reluctantly, Nicolae scanned the contents and made sure there was nothing out of the ordinary in the contract, "Why is there a clause here ''willing to do everything the director asks, including some hot scenes''? Hey, what kind of movie are you making? Don''t tell me it''s porn?!"


    "Relax, there will just be some romantic scenes and they won''t jeopardize your reputation." Terry continued to offer the stylus to Nicolae. "I''ll give you a bonus, I''ll tell you some of my sister''s best-kept secrets and her likes and hates."


    Hearing that, Nicolae finally gave in and signed the document that Terry presented after thinking for a long time.


    "Very good. Now, you can continue your business, I will start coordinating with my crew to start shooting next Monday. You are looking for info about the thug  who died earlier, right?"


    Nicolae looked sullen but he followed Terry''s words and continued his research. Ten minutes later, he blurted out.


    "Gosh! These are people from the local mafia group ... Why are they targeting Aleksis? Did Aleksis offend any of the mafia members recently?"


    "Mafia?" Terry was surprised to hear that. "Are they very dangerous? We must immediately report this to Lauriel!"


    Nicolae shook his head in surprise and murmured. "Gosh, Aleksis ... why are you always inviting danger to yourself...?"


    Inwardly, he increasingly became determined to protect her. For some reason, since Aleksis was still a child, danger always lurked near her. No wonder her father was very overprotective of her and was yet to introduce her to the outside world.


    Nicolae then remembered his intention to investigate the Meier family and find out what their fate was. He still wanted to make them pay for their actions. They poisoned Aleksis and almost killed her and Lauriel.


    Terry was already busy calling his crew and arranging a shooting plan. Nicolae could hear the excited voices of the people on the other end of the phone when they heard Nicolae agreed to play in their short movie.

 Chapter 379 - But Prince Siegfried is not an Alchemist like us.

    Nicolae tried to ignore Terry and his friends who were happily discussing how they could exploit Nicolae''s good looks and popularity. He was busy searching all his networks to get information about Alexei Meier and Sophia Meier.


    Suddenly he entered a notification from one of the platforms in Darknet that he had subscribed to. It was a message from Pavel, which he had refused this morning.


    [Wolf, Alaric Rhionen from Rhionen Assassins wants to sign you to find Aldebar. State your price. Whatever you demand, it will be granted.]


    Alaric Rhionen ? His brows furrowed.


    His last name was the same as Rhionen Assassins and Rhionen Industries. Who was this person? It seemed like he was very determined to find Aldebar, even though Wolf had refused the assignment.


    Suddenly Nicolae''s chest pounded. ''Don''t tell me ¡­ Did I manage to lure a big fish out of the darkness?''


    Nicolae contemplated for a moment. What should he do? It seemed like Rhionen Industries was very eager to find Aldebar that Alaric Rhionen himself gave away his identity. This now confirmed the relationship between the two, namely Rhionen Industries and Rhionen Assassins. Nicolae could use it as evidence to uncover the big technology company''s dark secrets...


    Nicolae tapped on Terry''s shoulder and signaled the young man to look at his laptop screen. Terry turned his head, and when his eyes caught sight of what Nicolae wanted to show him, he hurriedly hung up his phone.


    "I''ll call you later." He then turned his attention completely to Nicolae''s laptop. Involuntarily, his hands covered his mouth in surprise, "This means they are indeed related ..."


    "That''s right. He said he will grant whatever I ask ..." Nicolae said quietly. He and Terry looked at each other, "I could collaborate with Aldebar ... Providing his location information to Alaric. But we still have to make sure that Aldebar remains safe. As for compensation, I will request complete information about Rhionen Assassins. Information in exchange with information."


    "You think he''d be honest? He could give us false data," Terry argued.


    "Of course I will verify all the information he will provide, false or not. I''m not that stupid," Nicolae replied. "Did you forget who I am?"


    "Ugh ... okay. Try asking if he is okay exchanging info." Terry eventually nodded.


    Nicolae quickly typed a reply to Pavel and mentioned his conditions for cooperation. After pressing the SEND button, both of them then waited.


    ***


    Aleksis paced back and forth the living room followed by Little Siegfried Prince. Both of them looked funny as they were walking back and forth, like a steam iron, making Lauriel who was researching several medicinal plants nearby baffled.


    "You look very nervous. What''s the matter?" he asked her.


    "I''m bored at home ..." complained Aleksis. Lauriel banned her from leaving while Carl and Sascha were with Terry and Nicolae chasing the criminals who wanted to kidnap her.


    Aleksis couldn''t stand having to stay still for a long time. She also couldn''t ask for help from Takeshi or Mischa, because she knew they were injured. She also couldn''t contact them without her phone-watch.


    "Be patient until Nico and Terry come home," Lauriel said to soothe her. "I  have also received answers from several members of the Wolf Pack. Tomorrow, two people will stop by here."


    When Lauriel''s cellphone rang, he hurriedly picked it up. There was Nicolae''s voice on the other end of the line, giving a report of what he discovered. Lauriel nodded slowly and said a few sentences before hanging up.


    "Any news?" Aleksis asked, feeling hopeful.


    "Bad news. One of the criminals was found dead, after being tortured quite horribly," Lauriel said. "Looks like someone has gone ahead before us, beating the bad guys who wanted to kidnap you. Apparently, besides us ... there is someone else protecting you."


    Aleksis covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Had somebody truly overtaken them ...? Who? Alaric''s men?


    Does it mean, even though Alaric was in England, he was still ensuring Aleksis''s safety and trying his best to keep away anyone who wanted to bother her or do anything harmful to her? The thought made a beautiful smile form on her lips.


    Ah ... she couldn''t wait to contact Alaric.


    "Do you know anybody else protecting you besides us?" Lauriel asked moments later, staring directly into Aleksis'' eyes.


    The girl was stunned. Ouch ... Was there a need for Lauriel to ask her this bluntly? Aleksis could not lie to her godfather, but she also did not want to tell him about Alaric now.


    She must first change Alaric''s image in the eyes of her family so she could bring him to meet them as her husband.


    To Lauriel''s question, Aleksis looked down and then nodded slowly.


    "I know..."


    "Is he Prince Siegfried?" Lauriel questioned once again.


    Aleksis paused for a long time, then nodded slowly. "Indeed he is ..."


    Lauriel sighed. He tried not to sound judgmental when talking to Aleksis. After all, he was very fond of this goddaughter of his and did not want her to feel uncomfortable when opening herself up to him.


    Yet inwardly, he was disappointed because it seemed Aleksis had already set her heart on another man. The disappointment was because he actually hoped she would fall in love with his son, Nicolae.


    "Is he nice to you?" Lauriel inquired again.


    The girl bobbed her head. "He is kind to me ..."


    "Do you like him?"


    "I really like him ..."


    I love him, Uncle Rory ... Aleksis told herself inwardly.


    The man nodded. "I remember a little about him. We met 18 years ago ... Now he must be a lot older. You could pass as his daughter..."


    I don''t care , Aleksis said to herself.


    She could not refute Lauriel and could only bite her lip nervously. She did not know where her talk with Lauriel would be going.


    "My father is 400 years older than my mother..." Aleksis started. "I don''t see what the problem is. Nico is also almost 100 years old ... He is much older than me."


    Lauriel smiled as Aleksis used his words against him. "That''s true. But Prince Siegfried is not an Alchemist like us."


    "Indeed. But does it matter as much as someone''s character and personality? Alexei Meier is an Alchemist and he has a young and perfect physique ... but what happens now? Uncle punished him for his crime." Aleksis could not accept that Lauriel questioned Alaric''s physical appearance which was considered older than her. She felt the need to defend herself.


    "I don''t like humans, you know that. I only tolerate a few people. I have lived for more than 500 years and met so many people. The last thing I''d care about someone is his or her physical appearance. You should understand that," Lauriel stated later. "I don''t mind if your Siegfried Prince is older."


    "Actually, Prince Siegfried also hates humans ... many things about him remind me of you," replied Aleksis. "He is also very kind to me. Please don''t tell me to stay away from him ..."


    "Do you know who he really is? He might have something to do with the assassin organization, Rhionen Assassins, Aleksis. That''s what makes me worried. I don''t care about his looks or anything, but as your father, I don''t want to see you suffer or live in danger. " Lauriel began to massage his forehead. He realized that Aleksis was a stubborn girl.


    "He won''t let me live in misery or be in danger," Aleksis insisted. "He loves me very much."


    Lauriel was somewhat surprised to see his goddaughter''s persistence in defending Prince Siegfried. He could only wonder how far their relationship had progressed.

 Chapter 380 - I miss your voice!

    Lauriel began to massage his forehead. He realized that Aleksis was a stubborn girl.


    "Actually, Prince Siegfried also hates humans ... many things about him remind me of you," Aleksis looked at Lauriel with a determination in her eyes. "He is also very kind to me. Please don''t tell me to stay away from him ..."


    Lauriel could only shake his head, looking disappointed. He loved Aleksis very much and she never talked back to him before. Her persistence to defend her Prince Siegfried today made Lauriel even more worried that his goddaughter had been brainwashed by the leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    "Do you know who he really is? He might have something to do with the assassin organization, Rhionen Assassins, Aleksis. That''s what makes me worried. I don''t care about his looks or anything, but as your father, I don''t want to see you suffer or live in danger."


    "He won''t let me live in misery or be in danger," Aleksis insisted. "He loves me very much."


    Lauriel was somewhat surprised to see his goddaughter''s persistence in defending Prince Siegfried and her boldness in using the word ''love''. He could only wonder how far their relationship had progressed.


    "We love you very much too, you know that," Lauriel spoke to her gently. "I''ve been with you all your life. You know me inside and out, just like I know you. While you have only met him for a week. Please don''t make the wrong decision..."


    Aleksis suddenly felt that the air became heavy. She knew Lauriel was right, but she could not deny her own feelings. She put Little Prince Siegfried''s collar on and excused herself to take her dog out for a walk.


    "Uncle ... I need some fresh air. May I invite Little Prince Siegfried to take a walk in the park outside the building? I''m sure nothing will happen because this building has very good security." She looked at the man with a pleading look. "Please? I need to think ..."


    Lauriel nodded. "Don''t leave the area around the building."


    "Thank you."


    Aleksis tried to calm her heart as she went down to the ground floor with her dog and walked out of the lobby to ''get some fresh air'' like she what she used as an excuse to Lauriel.


    Actually, she deliberately went out after learning that Alaric''s men had killed one of the criminals who wanted to kidnap her. This meant that Alaric knew what had happened and told his men to take care of the problem.


    The girl felt touched because her husband was still watching over her and ensuring her safety, even though he was far away.


    Aleksis believed that if she appeared in a public place, she would be able to meet Alaric''s men. Maybe they had been trying to contact her from yesterday but failed, and they also could not find her tracks because the security at the Continental Hotel was very tight.


    Upon her arrival in front of the building, she stood steadfast while holding her dog leash, trying not to attract attention. Office hours were just over and people were starting to come out of the building to go home. The timing she chose was just right.


    Now she was hidden in the flow of people passing by. Many passersby looked twice when they saw such a beautiful girl standing motionless with her dog as if she waiting for someone.


    "Hallo, Miss. Have you been waiting for long?"


    Suddenly a soft voice came from behind and immediately the girl turn her head. Relief showed on her face when she saw Takeshi.


    "Hey ... how are you feeling? Have you recovered?" Aleksis asked in a worried voice. "Forgive my friend ... He was worried and just wanted to save me. It was a misunderstanding that you all got into a fight."


    "I''m fine," Takeshi said with a smile. "Master is worried because he cannot contact Miss."


    Aleksis was very happy to hear that. Her man was worried about her. It meant nothing happened between him and Sophia Meier.


    "My phone-watch broke ... a bad person broke it, so I couldn''t contact Alaric." Aleksis complained.


    Takeshi nodded in understanding. He took out his own cellphone and handed it to her. "Master''s number is in there. My cellphone can directly reach him. You can use it."


    Aleksis looked at Takeshi with a look of disbelief, "Really? Thank you ... thank you!!"


    She was so excited that she jumped and hugged Takeshi. That made the professional assassin feel a bit awkward. He could only smile when Aleksis finally let go of his arms.


    "Uhm ... Later I will contact Miss if there''s anything. Just keep my cellphone. See you later!"


    And then he suddenly disappeared within the crowd that passed by Aleksis. For a moment the girl was stunned. She thought Takeshi only lent his cellphone so she could contact his master. But the young man actually gave it to her.


    Ah, Aleksis felt very touched. She then remembered that because she married Alaric, Takeshi had actually become her godson too.


    It''s not too bad to have a few godchildren... if they, like Takeshi, are all this good to her.


    With a big smile on her face, Aleksis hurriedly opened the cellphone and looked for Alaric''s number. She had no trouble finding it because there was only one number on contact list.


    One ring.


    Two rings.


    Before the third ring, she heard Alaric''s voice on the other end of the phone.


    "Hmm."


    "Honey!" Aleksis exclaimed happily.


    "Takeshi?" came Alaric''s surprised voice at the other end. "Who is this?"


    "Takeshi gave me his cellphone so I could call you ... My phone-watch broke and I lost contact with you ..." The girl said quickly, "I really miss your voice."


    Alaric who was sitting between Portia and Sophia smiled happily. Finally, he could hear Aleksis'' voice and know that the girl was fine. Meanwhile, Portia and Sophia exchanged glances. This was the first time they saw Alaric smiled.


    The young man excused himself from them to take the call and moved away from them. His handsome face looked even more attractive when he smiled. He even laughed a few times while talking on the phone, making the two women more puzzled.

 Chapter 381 - I love you!

    Aleksis was very happy that she could hear Alaric''s voice again. Inwardly, she was grateful that Takeshi met up with her and graciously gave his cellphone so she could contact Alaric.


    She would never tell Nicolae that she no longer needed the chip from him. She was actually afraid that the man would put a bug on the chip to investigate her. Indeed ... it seemed that Nico was not the shady type to do such a thing, but Aleksis didn''t want to take the risk.


    In the feud between Terry and Nicolae versus Rhionen Industries, Aleksis was caught in the middle. She must now think of ways to reconcile them, or at least protect Alaric so Nicolae would not find his tracks.


    "I am with Little Prince Siegfried," said Aleksis in a happy voice. She then put Takeshi''s cellphone before her dog''s mouth and tickled Little Siegfried Prince, "Hello Little Prince Siegfried ... this is Big Prince Siegfried on the phone ... Come on, go bark and say hi... "


    Alaric laughed at Aleksis'' antique behavior and her cute fat dog. He really missed both of them.


    "Don''t force it. I know your dog would rather open its mouth to eat than bark."


    "Haha... you''re right." Aleksis pulled her dog towards the lobby then sat down on one of the most comfortable sofas there.


    "Are you okay?" Alaric asked. He was very relieved to hear that Aleksis'' voice was still as cheerful as ever. It turned out that the girl could not take his calls because her phone-watch got broken, not because she was with other men who were better looking than him.


    "Yes, I''m fine. Sorry, there had been a misunderstanding between Takeshi and Mischa, and Nico ... But I heard they were after the real criminal."


    "Who is that Nico? I''ve never heard of this friend of yours ..." Alaric was a little annoyed at how Aleksis called Nicolae''s name so intimately. He remembered that the young man did look very close to Aleksis.


    "We are just friends. He is kind to me, yesterday he happened to find the people tailing me before Takeshi and Mischa noticed." Aleksis was completely unaware of the change in Alaric''s tone of voice. "He also wants to help me fix the access chip on my watch. But now I don''t need it anymore."


    "He sounds smart, and he seems to be a really cool guy. I heard from Mischa, he is also quite tough and can fight Mischa really well," remarked Alaric again.


    Inwardly, he scolded himself for being jealous. He should not care and be able to act like it was nothing, but it was proving to be a challenge. He still remembered the photo sent by his men earlier, which showed how close Aleksis and Nicolae were.


    "Yes, many people adore him. If you open Splitz social media, you will see how popular he is."


    "Hmm..." Alaric already knew because he had been exploring Splitz to find information about the other man.


    "I heard that one of the criminals who wanted to kidnap me is dead. Is that your man''s doing?" Aleksis asked him.


    "That''s right, Takeshi killed him. I don''t know how an argument among regular students of a university managed to involve the mafia, but clearly this time they chose the wrong victim," Alaric said.


    "Mafia? Which mafia? What kind of argument?" Aleksis asked, not understanding. "Are there mafia kids on my campus?"


    "Hmmm ... actually, this girl didn''t want to acknowledge her mafia father and chose to live in the dormitory, but for some reason yesterday she came to her father and asked for help to kidnap you. At least, that is the case according to the information that Takeshi got." Alaric frowned and tried to digest the situation, "She must be so angry at you. Otherwise, she wouldn''t resort to this."


    A student holding a grudge against Aleksis who was also living in a dorm? Was it Rosemary???


    Aleksis covered her mouth and sighed. She had no idea at all ... If it was Rosemary, then it made sense. She might be holding a deep grudge against her because Terry was playing with her feelings, and Aleksis told her what really happened ...


    But¡­ Rosemary was the daughter of a mafia boss? Her chest shuddered at the thought of almost living in the same room as that sweet-looking girl. In her heart, she was grateful for finding out early who Rosemary really was before Terry got involved with her any further.


    Wait a minute... If I''m not mistaken, Terry said he will meet Rosemary for lunch. Did they see each other already? It''s almost dark now ...


    "Ugh ... Please give me a moment. I have to call my brother. There is an emergency I must talk with him urgently," said Aleksis in a hurry. "I am SO GLAD to hear your voice again. Can we talk later?"


    "Of course. Take care of yourself. I''ll send another bodyguards to look after you."


    "No no no... that''s not necessary... My father will come here after he heard about yesterday''s events. He has prepared additional bodyguards for me. I don''t want him to be suspicious. The situation between us is still complicated ... Do you understand what I mean?"


    Aleksis was trying to say the fact that they were secretly married and she still could not tell her family about it. Alaric understood, and he did not want to upset his wife, so he forced himself to agree.


    "Are your father''s bodyguards reliable?" he asked worriedly.


    "I''ll be okay, after all, Nico is also here," Aleksis'' answer came immediately. "Oh ... I forgot to tell you but Nicolae is Uncle Rory''s son. You remember meeting my godfather in Thailand 18 years ago, right? Uncle Rory is also in Singapore. I am now in the safest place in the world."


    Alaric was silent. He remembered the man he met 18 years ago on the train to Chiang Mai when he first met Aleksis. So, Nicolae was the guy''s son? No wonder his relationship with Aleksis was very close.


    Once again, he felt discomfort in his heart.


    "Hmm ... okay. You can call me before you sleep tonight. I want to hear from you. Whatever time it is, I will pick it up," Alaric finally said.


    Aleksis was very happy to hear that. She felt that Alaric began to change and become more attentive. Alaric had promised to phone her once a day in the morning in England. But now he wanted Aleksis to call him before she goes to sleep.


    "Yeayy !!" Aleksis subconsciously exclaimed due to excitement. "I''ll definitely call you. Take care of yourself, my love. Tonight, we''ll talk again. I love you."


    "I love you," Alaric replied before hanging up and smiling to himself.


    Sophia and Portia clearly saw Alaric''s lips form the words ''I love you'' when he hung up and smiled. The two exchanged glances again.


    "Alaric already has a wife," Sophia said in a displeased tone, "The woman is a regular human."


    "Oh ..." Portia studied Alaric and found that the young man looked happy after talking on the phone with his wife.


    Portia started to feel uneasy. On one hand, she opposed a pure alchemist getting married to a regular human being. Her own family had the same strong opinion as her. But on the other hand, she could see that her nephew was happy and seemed to love his regular human wife very much.


    ***

 Chapter 382 - Rosemarys Lies

    Aleksis hastened towards the penthouse and asked Lauriel to contact Terry to find out where he was. Unfortunately, even after a dozen rings, Terry still did not pick up the phone.


    "Try contacting Nico ... they were together ..." Aleksis spoke in a panic. She hoped Terry wasn''t with Rosemary.


    "What''s the matter, Father?" Nicolae asked as he picked up the call from Lauriel.


    "It''s me, Aleksis ... Where is Terry?" Aleksis asked worriedly. "I can''t contact him."


    "He went to see Rosemary - to find out what her motive in ruining your watch was. Because of this problem, they rescheduled their meeting to dinner." Nicolae could hear urgency from Aleksis''s voice. "What is wrong?"


    "Rosemary is a mafia boss'' daughter!! She was the one who asked her father to send men to kidnap me. She has a grudge against us because Terry played with her feelings... She was a big fan of Terry and last week he teased her ..." Aleksis became very worried, "Do you know where he is going? Can you tell Carl and Sascha to look for him? I don''t want anything to happen to my brother. Rosemary is no ordinary girl...!!"


    Nicolae immediately realized the gravity of the situation. It was not only Aleksis who was being threatened but also Terry. "I know where Terry is. I''ll be there with him soon with Carl and Sascha."


    "Please hurry ... Terry is not good at martial arts. He has always been saved by his big mouth before, but this time around, I''m not sure if it will be useful ..." yelled Aleksis.


    "Take it easy. You can count on me," Nicolae answered quickly. He was about to end the call when he remembered that he had not yet told Aleksis about the local mafia who was after her. How suspicious that the girl sounded like he knew more than him. "How did you know about the mafia ?"


    Aleksis did not want to answer the question, "Please, help my brother ..."


    "Hmm ... okay. You don''t need to worry." Nicolae finally hung up and immediately ran out of his apartment for his car parked in the basement parking lot. While running, he called Carl. "Carl, go to the Mandalay Restaurant in Sentosa. Terry is in danger."


    Ugh ... I hope nothing happened to Terry, he prayed.


    No matter what, that guy was Billie Jean - his best friend online and the brother of Aleksis - the girl he liked. They were almost like family. And Nicolae did not want anything to happen to his newly found family.


    Nicolae hurried into the restaurant to look for Terry. He looked very relieved when he saw the young man flipping through the menu in the corner of the restaurant. Rosemary was sitting in front of him, watching Terry with a clear look of admiration.


    "Terry!" Nicolae called out quickly. Terry looked up and when he saw Nicolae looking worried, he frowned. Rosemary also turned her head and almost grumbled because her dinner with the guy she liked was interrupted, but when she saw it was Nicolae who was coming over, her face suddenly lit up.


    She did not expect the two most popular guys on campus to be at the same place as her. She smiled and invited Nicolae to sit down.


    "Hello, Big brother Nicolae ¡­ Would you like to join us for dinner?" She asked sweetly. Nicolae felt sick upon seeing the two-faced girl. He almost went berserk on the spot, but because he remembered that they were in a public place, he held himself back.


    "Hmm ... I don''t want to bother you," Nicolae replied.


    "Eh ... I don''t mind. What do you think, Big Brother Terry?" Rosemary asked, turning to Terry. The young man was puzzled, but then just shrugged. Rosemary smiled at Nicolae.  "Well ... Big Brother Terry doesn''t mind. I''m so glad to see the two of you make up."


    Terry and Nicole looked at each other. Something in Nicolae''s eyes made Terry realize something was wrong with Rosemary. He decided to follow Nicolae''s plan. Nicolae ordered food and Terry quickly followed. After Rosemary also ordered hers, the waiter left and the three of them returned to talking.


    "I''m very happy to see that the two of you can sit here together. The rumor is actually wrong," Rosemary said, smiling broadly.


    "What rumor?" Terry asked.


    "Uhm ... The two of you are rivals who hate each other. It turns out it was all not true."


    "Oh ¡­ Yeah, that''s a lie. We are good friends. The proof is that this coming Monday, I will act in Terry''s movie." Nicolae grinned at the other man, "I can''t wait to star in your new movie with Aleksis."


    "Eh ...?" Terry exclaimed in puzzlement. He did not remember offering Nicolae to act together with his younger sister. It took him a while to realize that Nicolae only wanted to instigate Rosemary. Terry then immediately nodded. "Oh, yeah ... it''s on Monday."


    "Right. Aleksis is very beautiful. I really like her ..." Nicolae commented, glancing at Rosemary.


    The girl seemed to be leisurely taking a sip of her drink, as if she was not affected by their conversation. However, Nicolae saw that her fingers were clenching the glass so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Rosemary hid her displeasure because Aleksis'' name was constantly mentioned.


    "Oh, by the way... I just remember, Rosemary. Where did you find Aleksis'' watch?" Terry asked her. "We need to find a chip in that watch. It has likely fallen near the place where you found it."


    Rosemary looked up rather surprised because her name was called, "Uh ... It''s in front of the campus gate."


    "When you found it, was it already broken?" Terry asked again.


    "What do you mean by that question?" Rosemary pursed her lips, "I kept it with me, planning to return it to Aleksis. But I couldn''t find her, so I looked for you."


    "You didn''t answer my question," Terry was slowly becoming impatient. "The watch wasn''t broken when you got it, why is it broken now?"


    "I didn''t do anything. The watch was already like that when I picked it up," replied Rosemary.


    Nicolae rolled his eyes and shook his head. He took out his tablet and played the CCTV video he took from the campus camera. "I saw everything. The watch was fine when you found it. I don''t understand why you have to ruin it."


    Rosemary put down her glass and bit her lips frantically. She realized her lies were caught, but she still tried to find excuses, "Uhm ... actually, the watch fell when I rushed back to the dormitory. Then a car ran over it ... I didn''t mean to destroy it..."


    "Why do you hate Aleksis so much? What''s wrong with you?" Nicolae asked angrily.


    "I... I don''t hate Aleksis ..." Rosemary insisted, "Since I found out that she is Terry''s sister, I no longer hate her... I like Terry, why would I harm Aleksis? After all, she was my roommate in the dormitory. "


    "You didn''t send anyone to kidnap Aleksis?" Nicolae questioned bluntly. Terry widened his eyes at his friend''s words. It was his first time hearing that the mafia thugs were sent by Rosemary.


    Who is this girl really? he thought to himself.

 Chapter 383 - YOU will be sorry!

    Nicolae couldn''t contain his anger anymore. To think that a timid-looking girl like Rosemary could plan such evil scheme to kidnap the girl he liked made him so mad.


    "I... I don''t hate Aleksis ..." Rosemary kept trying to act innocent, "Since I found out that she is Terry''s sister, I no longer hate her... I like Terry, why would I harm Aleksis?


    "You didn''t send anyone to kidnap Aleksis?" Nicolae questioned bluntly. Terry widened his eyes at his friend''s words. It was his first time hearing that the mafia thugs were sent by Rosemary.


    Who is this girl really? he thought to himself.


    Rosemary looked very surprised after being accused blatantly by Nicolae. "Big brother ... What did you just say to me?"


    "You really hate Aleksis because she''s beautiful, popular, and she is close to Terry, so you want to get rid of her." Nicolae narrowed his eyes at the girl sharply, "Or are you angry at Terry for playing with your feelings last week and now you wanted to take revenge against him through Aleksis ¡­??"


    Rosemary covered her mouth in shock, shaking her head, "I ... I really don''t understand what you''re.."


    "Never mind, don''t shed those crocodile tears, Terry would know you lie. He''s been surrounded by actors for years," commented Nicolae. He then turned to the other guy, "Aleksis said the person who wanted to kidnap her is a member of the local mafia. Rosemary is the daughter of the mafia boss here. She asked her father to send people to kidnap Aleksis to take revenge on you because you toyed with her love..."


    DANGG...!


    Terry slammed the table out of anger. He was so angry when he heard Nicolae''s statement. He looked at Rosemary with a furious face, "You ...?! If you are mad at me for playing with you, you should have come to me! Don''t you dare touch my sister!!"


    Rosemary gasped at Terry''s outburst. She had never seen Terry angry, and she was very surprised to see him like this. Terry looked scary when he was mad. Rosemary''s body trembled and the sound of her cry slowly filled the air.


    "I ... I''m sorry, Big Brother... I ... I didn''t mean anything bad for Aleksis ..." Rosemary bit her lip, an apologetic expression on her face, "I just wanted to get your attention ... When Aleksis disappeared, I wanted to be the one to help you find her... "


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!!" This time Terry shouted, ignoring the other people around them now staring at their direction.


    "I''m sorry... I told my father to make sure Aleksis would be okay. I only intended to keep her away for two days ... and ... and then, later, I would help you look for her ..." Rosemary could no longer hold back her sobs, crying out. "I... I want you to feel indebted to me and pay attention to me ... Huhuhu... I am so sorry..."


    Nicolae and Terry both hissed in annoyance. On one hand, Nicolae was relieved that Rosemary had no intention of hurting Aleksis or Terry ... but, on the other hand, he was furious to discover that the evil girl was planning to kidnap Aleksis just so she could have Terry notice her.


    "I''m sorry ... Big Brother Terry ... I''m sorry ... I made a mistake." cried Rosemary, "When you kissed me and asked me to be your girlfriend, I thought you were serious. I was very happy at that time. But... but... when Aleksis told me that you were just playing me, I realized that you didn''t even remember my name, you never noticed me... That''s why ... that''s why I did that... I''m sorry ... I will never do it again ... Please, don''t hate me..."


    Terry stood up in anger, took out some money from his wallet and threw it down on the table. He then pulled Nicolae out of the Mandalay Restaurant followed by a look of astonishment from the other guests.


    Rosemary burst into tears upon seeing Terry''s treatment of her. Seconds later, she got up and chased after the two young men.


    "Big Brother Terry .. !! You really are too much! Why do you have to keep insulting me??" She exclaimed in anger. "You will be sorry for hurting my heart ... Next time, I will not be good anymore...!"


    Terry stopped when he heard Rosemary''s threat. He turned around and approached the girl, then looked at her with a very sharp look, "You''re dealing with the wrong person, Rosemary. I will never like you. Step back now, and stay away from me. Otherwise, YOU will be sorry."


    He then walked away again with long strides. Nicolae followed him silently. Inwardly he was very impressed to see that when Terry was angry, he could look very frightening.


    "You will be the one sorry!!! You''ll see!" screamed the girl.


    She stood there transfixed with a furious face put on. A moment later, she pulled out her cellphone and called someone, "Dad ... I need your help again."


    ***


    "How did you know that Rosemary is a mafia boss'' daughter?" Terry asked once they got inside Nicolae''s car. The latter started his car and immediately drove out of the parking lot back to the Continental Hotel.


    "I heard it from Aleksis. If you want to know where she got the information from, you better ask her yourself." Nicolae pulled out his cellphone and called Lauriel, "Father ... I''m with Terry now. Can I talk to Aleksis?"


    "I am here." A sigh of relief coming from Aleksis resounded from the other end of the c.all "Is Terry all right?"


    "Terry''s fine. You can talk to him yourself."


    "Hey, Aleksis, I''m okay." Terry spoke after snatching the cellphone from his friend. "Nicolae said you know that Rosemary is a mafia boss'' daughter. Who told you that?"


    Aleksis pursed her lips. She did not want to answer because Lauriel was beside her. Hence, she hurriedly changed the subject, "Be careful on the way, I''ll wait for you at the penthouse! Bye!"


    Terry and Nicolae looked at each other and sighed.

 Chapter 384 - Making Plans in Sky Bar

    When Aleksis saw Terry enter through the door of the penthouse, she felt very relieved and immediately dashed towards him, giving her brother a big hug. Even though they were not biological siblings who had lived together since birth and often teased each other, they loved each other very much.


    Since they first met 8 years ago, Terry and Aleksis already had the closeness only present to siblings.


    "I''m so relieved that you''re okay ..." said Aleksis many times, "I can''t imagine what will happen if they catch you and torture you. I won''t be able to face Uncle Jean at all ..."


    "Sshh ... it''s not your fault ..." Terry responded as he rubbed Aleksis''s back, soothing her. "It is partly my fault too ... Rosemary became vengeful because I played with her at that time. I never thought this would happen ..."


    "Yeah, but you only kissed her because I was teasing you ... If I had just shut my big mouth, this would not have happened ..." Aleksis shook her head, still trying to take the blame.


    "Yeah, but I''m older than you, I should have acted more mature. I should not have been lured into it by your stupid teasing..." Terry replied.


    "But I also shouldn''t have acted stupidly by teasing you like that. I know you very well, that you''re a competitive person with a high ego. It will be easy to make you do stupid things like that..." replied Aleksis.


    Nicolae rolled his eyes and shook his head at the two siblings trying to take the blame to themselves but at the same time still sounded annoying to his ears.


    "Never mind ... now we have to make sure they don''t repeat what they did. What do you think?" Nicolae asked them.


    "I don''t want to bother my father..." Aleksis said, pursing her lips. She did not like his father''s overprotective attitude. This incident could potentially give her father a reason to confine his only daughter again.


    Lauriel gave Aleksis an understanding look. He was very familiar with Caspar and agreed that the guy was overprotective of his child.


    "You want us to keep this a secret from your father?" Lauriel asked.


    Aleksis did not dare to nod. She was the only daughter in her extended family. Not only her parents, but her foster father - Lauriel, Uncle Jean, Uncle Aldebar and Aunt Flora and Uncle Louis all spoiled her. But for this matter, she did not dare ask Lauriel to be her accomplice and hide the secret from her fierce father.


    Nicolae could only wonder what kind of person Caspar Schneider was, because it seemed that Aleksis was very reluctant to involve her father. During this time he saw the girl was very carefree and always did whatever she liked, but now she did not seem to dare to mess around in front of her father.


    "Uhm .. I can do something to them ..." Nicolae finally said. "This is just a small mafia group. I can expose their group''s data and crimes, then send all the evidence to the police. Let the police take care of them."


    Aleksis'' eyes instantly lit up. "Can you do it ??? Really? That''s perfect! If the police caught them, I don''t need to bother my father."


    Nicolae smiled at her who looked very relieved. He nodded and then took out his laptop before beginning to work, "Give me an hour."


    "Whaaa ... thank you! Nicolae, you''re the best !!" Aleksis almost hugged Nicolae but dropped the plan because he saw the young man was busy.


    "Hmm ... how about we eat first?" Terry suggested, breaking the ice. "I didn''t manage to eat at Mandalay Restaurant, my stomach is grumbling for food!"


    Aleksis nodded in agreement. She also did not manage to eat earlier because of the tension she was feeling.


    "It''s too late to call the chef. How about we all go to the Sky Bar to eat?" she proposed after thinking for a moment. "Nico, can you do your work at Sky Bar?"


    "No problem." Nicolae closed his laptop.


    The four of them promptly went down the 99th floor and then took the escalator to the Sky Bar from Moonshine Restaurant. The atmosphere at Sky Bar was lively, as usual. It was filled with guests who were having fun.


    The presence of four very attractive people almost made the atmosphere quiet down. One by one the guests saw Aleksis, who was very beautiful, walking into the place with a carefree attitude while pulling Lauriel''s hand. The latter was walking lightly without a sound. They were followed by Terry who strode inside as if he was the owner of the place and Nicolae who nonchalantly marched in carrying a laptop in his hands.


    Three young men, who all looked so handsome and perfect, were following a very beautiful girl with long hair, looking like supermodels as they entered the Sky Bar.  That evening, even though Sky Bar Continental was already the most prestigious restaurant in Singapore, because of their presence, it seemed like the place even became more befitting of being exclusive to the rich and privileged.


    As they walked past the other tables, everyone could not take their eyes off of them.


    "Hey ... what are you two doing here?" All of a sudden, a voice rang from a table in the middle of the room. When they turned around, everyone except Lauriel immediately recognized Anjali who was waving at them. She was having dinner with her ladies in waiting. All of them were looking at the three men beside Aleksis with awe and admiration.


    The three girls then rose and approached Aleksis'' small group.


    "Do you want to eat dinner with us? All the tables here are full. But we are willing to accept you at our table. We can eat together," Anjali flashed a smile at Aleksis and said, "To give faces to Big Brother Terry and Big Brother Nicolae, I will accept you eating with us. "


    Lauriel observed the interaction between the two girls and instantly guessed that their relationship was not good.


    "Thank you, Anjali. But we have personal matters to discuss, so we cannot involve outsiders," Aleksis spoke politely. Her mood was good because Terry was not hurt. Moreover, she remembered that hostility with fellow girls on campus was the cause of the conflict today. She did not want to get a new enemy.


    "But I''m not lying ... all the tables here are already full. We even had to wait half an hour before we could get our table," Anjali replied, frowning. She was very upset because this was the first time that she wanted to be friendly to Aleksis yet the girl could not appreciate her good intentions. "I can''t believe you''re that petty and still suspect me of having ill intentions!"


    Aleksis had no time to answer because the manager on duty who recognized her came over hurrying to them. "Good evening, Young Miss ... How are you? Are you here to have dinner or just to have a drink and relax?"


    "We are very hungry, Manager Li," Aleksis answered, putting on a sad face.


    "Oh, I see ... Please come with me, Jade Table, as usual, is vacant. We are purposely leaving it unoccupied in case you want to come here and eat."


    The manager invited them to sit at the most exclusive table at one end of the Sky Bar which had a panoramic view of Singapore from the 100th floor.


    But of course, to Aleksis, who lived in the penthouse next to the Sky Bar, this view was nothing special. She could see it every day, especially from her infinity pool. Since tonight they have no intention to attract people''s attention to them, she refused and asked for a table located in the most isolated place.


    "Uhm ... tonight we have a rather sensitive matter to discuss. Can we just eat in a private room? Is there still an empty room?"


    "Oh¡­ then please give us five minutes. I will ask the guests in one of the private rooms to move out to the Jade Table. They will definitely be very happy to get this upgrade." Manager Li signaled one of the waiters before rushing into one of the private dining rooms and negotiating with the guests there.


    A waiter quickly approached them with a tray of snacks and various drinks in hand. The four VVIP guests hurriedly took a snack and a glass of wine each to temporarily fill their hungry stomach.


    Meanwhile, Anjali and her cronies watched them, stunned and with their mouths agape. They still had not moved on from the shock when Manager Li returned. By then, less than five minutes had already passed.


    "Everything''s alright now, Big Miss ... Please come with me ... The place is ready for you." The manager courteously invited them to follow him.


    With long steps, all four followed Manager Li. They were all very hungry.


    "They¡­ they told me there is no more table available ..." Anjali murmured before biting her lower lip in annoyance. "But how come they could get the best table in the Sky Bar ... ??? !! Ughhhhhgggghhhhh!!!!"

 Chapter 385 - Aleksis New Plan

    When Aleksis, Lauriel, Terry, and Nicolae disappeared into the private room, they became the talk of Sky Bar. The four very attractive young people looked like they emerged from a novel and so many muffled sighs could be heard following their steps. They didn''t realize how they attracted so much attention, all of them were busy thinking about the recent events and the fact that Aleksis was in danger.


    They ate while talking about what happened. Nicolae mostly listened, more focused on fiddling with various networks on his laptop and gathering all the news from his informants.


    An hour later he closed his laptop. Satisfaction could be seen from his face when he took his glass and finished his wine in one gulp.


    "Found anything?" Aleksis asked attentively.


    "Yeah. People won''t call me Wolf if I can''t collect the data I need in a short amount of time," Nicolae answered with a big smile. "They think they can cover their dirty tracks. But it just so happens that there have been several big cases in the past that I can connect to them. The police must be very happy to receive this much evidence to imprison many of the members of this little mafia group."


    "You''re awesome!" exclaimed Aleksis in admiration. "Can you teach me how to hack?"


    "Of course. When you want to learn, just say so. I''ll teach you."


    Nicolae was very happy because his hacking ability managed to impress Aleksis.


    "I only have one class tomorrow morning, I''ll spare some time afterward to meet you."


    "Eh ... do you really want to learn information technology?" Nicolae asked in puzzlement. "I thought you didn''t like your major."


    "It''s not like that ... I randomly chose my course since I''m fine with anything as long as I could study in Singapore. But after seeing what you can do, I become interested in it and want to learn for real."


    Terry just remembered that Nicolae was indeed Aleksis'' senior in the Information Management department, but he also knew that his sister didn''t care at all about her studies. The girl had studied personally with various great scientists in the world. She was very smart. She didn''t need to come to class and study on campus like what she was now doing.


    Terry wondered if Aleksis began to notice Nicolae as a man and was interested in getting to know him better. If that''s the case, everyone would definitely feel happy for them.


    Terry personally preferred Nicolae to be with Aleksis. That was despite Nicolae being his mortal enemy. He did not know what Prince Siegfried was like, but it was clear, if there was such a smart and kind man like Nicolae, not to mention he was also Lauriel''s son, why would she pursue an ordinary human who was much older than her and would soon age and die?


    Terry hoped Aleksis would recover her common sense soon.


    "Uhm ... okay. I can teach you. I will come to the penthouse tomorrow," Nicolae couldn''t contain his joy in his voice.


    "Thank you!" Aleksis bobbed her head happily.


    From the corner of her eye, she could see Lauriel''s eyes hiding happiness because Aleksis was getting closer to Nicolae. Aleksis could only apologize secretly to her godfather.


    ''I''m sorry, Uncle Rory. If I had met Nico first, maybe I would have fallen in love with him ... Your son was amazing. But I''ve fallen in love with Alaric first and we''re already married. I can''t let my father take me home before my husband returns. I have to make all of you think that I like Nico ...''


    She drank her wine then asked her glass for a refill. She was still upset from earlier. She had thought of a new plan to divert the attention of her family from ''Prince Siegfried''. She will pretend to approach Nicolae.


    In a few days her father and mother will come to Singapore. She must be able to dispel their suspicion of Prince Siegfried ... otherwise they will definitely force her to come home.


    "Oh my God, it''s almost 11pm. We better go home now, tomorrow I have a lot of work," Terry said. He spread his arms and yawned widely. "Today is really very tiring."


    All agreed with Terry. Ten minutes later they were back at the penthouse and Aleksis escorted Terry and Nicolae to the door while carrying her dog.


    "Be careful on the road. See you tomorrow on campus."


    "You get some rest too," Terry ruffled Aleksis''s tidy hair and ran off to the elevator. His sister could only purse her lips in annoyance.


    Aleksis entered her bedroom and turned on the music then dimmed the lights. She laid Little Prince Siegfried on his bed in the corner of the room then she threw herself on her bed. Aleksis took Takeshi''s cellphone from her pocket and started to dial the only phone number there.


    Alaric picked up the phone after the second ring.


    "Hello Honey, why did you just call now? You slept so late ..." Alaric asked in a worried voice.


    Aleksis giggled, delighted at Alaric''s obvious worry over her. "Yes, I am about to sleep. There were a lot of terrible things happening here."


    She then told him what initially caused the problem with Rosemary and how she had been very worried that something would happen with Terry. Moreover, Terry was her brother and she could not imagine how she would be very sad if she had to lose Terry.


    "Your brother ..?" Alaric remembered some of the photos he had received this afternoon, when Aleksis was with two young men. He could guess that one of the men was Aleksis'' brother, because their faces had similarities.


    Hmmm ... a smile appeared on Alaric''s face.


    Now he understood why Aleksis was very friendly with the two young men. One was her brother, and the other was the son of her godfather ...


    Now he can see how things were connected. He didn''t need to worry about anything or feeling jealous ...

 Chapter 386 - Sweet Dream

    A smile appeared on Alaric''s face. Now he understood why Aleksis was very friendly towards Terry dan Nicolae. Terry was her brother, and Nicolae was the son of her godfather ...


    Now Alaric could see how things were connected. He didn''t need to worry about feeling jealous or anything...


    "So how are you doing in England? When are you going home?" Aleksis asked him. "Can we switch to video mode instead? I really really really miss seeing your face!"


    "Why do you want to see me?" Alaric questioned, pretending not to understand her question. He started to enjoy teasing Aleksis.


    "I''m a forgetful person, you know. If you don''t want to talk via video don''t blame me if you come back after one month and I couldn''t remember what you look like anymore ..." Aleksis grumbled. Without waiting for Alaric''s approval she pressed the projector button on Takeshi''s cellphone. She wanted to see how Alaric was doing. Unfortunately, Alaric did not accept the video call from Aleksis, making the girl annoyed. "Why did you reject my video call?"


    The man coughed, "Sorry I can''t use projector mode here. I''m having a conference in the meeting room. People will pass out if they suddenly see your face appearing here."


    Aleksis subconsciously covered her mouth in surprise. Jeez ... Does it mean she was currently interrupting Alaric''s meeting with other people, that she had bothered her husband without asking what he was doing?


    "Gosh ... I''m sorry. You should have told me that you are busy so I wouldn''t call you," Aleksis murmured in guilt. "Sorry, I didn''t ask."


    "Ahaha ... it''s okay. I told you to call me before you sleep. Since it''s you, of course, I would have to pick up your call." Alaric spoke soothingly.


    "Yes, but I should have texted first to ask if you are busy or not. Hmm ... then tomorrow morning you should call me, it would be nighttime in your timezone. Once it''s the evening in Singapore, I will call you. Hopefully tomorrow, we are both not busy," replied Aleksis with finality in her voice. "I''m not comfortable bothering you at work."


    Inwardly, she was actually embarrassed, she had been blabbering nonstop for almost 15 minutes before asking what Alaric was doing.


    "Are you really fine with that? Have you talked enough?" Alaric asked her in a teasing tone.


    "Yes, I have. Let''s talk again tomorrow ... I will go to sleep now. Have a good meeting. Take good care of your health." answered the girl before ending the call.


    "That is all?" Alaric inquired again.


    Aleksis smiled shyly as she whispered, "I love you."


    "I love you too. Good night," said her husband who was smiling on the other end of the line.


    Alaric hung up and turned back toward the middle of the room, where his directors in the European Union countries had gathered in a conference call. All of the six people present were visibly shocked and puzzled because for 15 minutes their boss suddenly paused the meeting to receive a call, and he seemed to have smiled several times while speaking with the one who phoned him.


    They almost never saw the man smiling, whether it be when he was still wearing his mask or today after taking it off in front of them. This was truly a rare sight.


    Only Pavel could guess who had just called his boss.


    ***


    Aleksis woke up feeling happy. She did not expect that after listening to Alaric''s voice, she would become so happy that she could sleep soundly and even had sweet dreams.


    She giggled as she remembered her dream last night. She and Alaric lived in beautiful countryside in Switzerland and raised a bunch of sheep, with Little Prince Siegfried running after some geese on a green lawn against a backdrop of the blue mountains with snow-covered peaks. There were also several waterfalls behind their lovely home.


    They had three beautiful children who were happily running around the place. They were so troublesome that Alaric had to chase them one by one. Her husband was so preoccupied with them that he did not have enough time to think about how to conquer the world ... He devoted his life to them, mostly focused on their adorable and naughty children.


    Hahahaha ... what a beautiful dream. If only it could become reality. Aleksis sighed dreamily.


    The thought made her feel very happy and she was smiling all day long. Lauriel who saw her daydreaming with a grin on her face while they were having their breakfast at the dining hall''s table could only shake his head.


    Aww.He patted her shoulders when the head of the girl who was too absorbed in her daydreaming almost slammed into the chair.


    "You seem very happy," Lauriel commented.


    "Uhmm ... ahahaha ... you think so, Uncle? I''m always happy," she answered simply.


    "Finish your breakfast, I will take you to campus. I have to make sure you always reach there safely until the additional bodyguards for you arrive," The uncle announced, taking the car keys from the table.


    "Ehhh ... you will take me to campus? Oh dear ... you don''t have to.. I don''t want to bother you, Uncle," said Aleksis quickly. "I have Carl and Sascha ... they are enough for me. I will also meet Nico there ..."


    "It is no bother for me, really. I just want to check how your school arranges its security system. Who knows, I might be able to fix it and make it better. Especially when Esso and Petra will be coming later, they can provide some advice to further the security of that place."


    "Oh ... yesterday, you said that there are two wolf packs coming. So cool!"


    Lauriel nodded. "Are you ready to go?"


    "I''m ready ..." Aleksis picked up some eggs and fruit from the table and put them in a lunch box meant for additional snacks. She then hurriedly wore her shoes. After that, she kissed Little Prince Siegfried on the head before saying and waving him her goodbye.


    "Ahhh .. I feel like an ordinary schoolgirl being dropped by my father to school ..." The girl exclaimed while laughing.


    Lauriel smiled at that. Outsiders certainly would not think they were father and daughter duo because physically Lauriel looked only a few years older than Aleksis. They looked more like lovers who went to campus together. The two walked hand in hand towards the elevator and went down the parking lot located in the basement.


    Carl and Sascha who were waiting for Aleksis by the car looked so surprised to see the girl coming down with Lauriel.


    "Are you coming with us?" asked Sascha.


    "We''ll take a different car. Uncle Rory will drive me to the university. You guys follow us from behind as usual," Aleksis said quickly.


    She still remembered, yesterday when she and Nicolae left for the campus aboard Carl and Sascha''s armored Mercedes, the innocent Carl accidentally revealed many of her secrets about Prince Siegfried to Nicolae.


    She could not risk the same happening with Lauriel in the same car.

 Chapter 387 - Terry and Nicolae Interaction

    Yesterday, when Aleksis and Nicolae left for the campus aboard Carl and Sascha''s armored Mercedes, the innocent Carl accidentally revealed many of her secrets about Prince Siegfried to Nicolae and gave the girl headache.


    Nicolae found out about her relationship with Prince Siegfriend and even knew that Prince Siegfried was the leader of Rhionen Assassins himself.  She could not risk the same thing happening with Lauriel in the same car, so she asked her bodyguards to follow them as Lauriel drove her to campus in separate car.


    Aleksis thanked him as she got out of the car and kissed her godfather''s cheek before running towards her class.


    Some of the girls in the campus who saw what they did frowned and whispered about Aleksis.


    "Gosh that new kid ... after she changed her appearance, she keeps on changing boyfriends! So shameless! So she took our Terry, Nicolae, Ian ¡­ who''s next?"


    In reality, these girls were actually happy because they were finally able to find a reason to spew their hatred toward Aleksis - the girl had ''taken'' their idols away.


    Terry, who was sitting in the library while editing some short videos, was annoyed by the many notifications on his laptop from Splitz social media that mentioned his name. He opened his university group and saw that Aleksis had become the target of gossip ¡­ again, this time it was because she was driven to campus by Lauriel.


    He could only shake his head and feel sorry for his sister. It was indeed easier to be born as a handsome man in this world than a beautiful woman. Women like handsome men, and fellow men usually don''t envy other men''s good looks, while beautiful women will be the target of other women''s jealousy dan unwanted men''s attention.


    From what he had been seeing, Aleksis had always been the target of unwanted attention from males and the target of envy from females. If Aleksis were a weak girl who was easily oppressed, of course she would not have survived until today. Fortunately, his sister was very smart and had a strong personality.


    Moreover, coupled with the fact that her family was very rich and powerful, Aleksis could get adequate protection, and no one could bother her without getting repercussions.


    That morning''s gossip had ruined his mood. Finally, Terry decided to open Darknet and contact Wolf. He missed conversing with his best friend.


    [Why are you contacting me here? You already have my mobile number.] Came a message from Wolf to his laptop.


    Terry was stunned for half a second and then patted his forehead. Oh gosh, for a moment he totally forgot that Wolf was Nicolae. Dammit!


    [I just wanted to ask you about the progress of your research on Rhionen Industries. We cannot talk about such thing over the phone, Stupid!]


    [Hmmm ... It looks like Alaric Rhionen is very serious. He has responded to my request.]


    [He agreed to meet you just to be able to find Uncle Aldebar ??? Isn''t he a very reclusive person? Almost no one has ever seen him outside Rhionen Industries. You could say that no one knows his true face. He could easily trick you and send someone else.]


    [I''m still thinking about it. I can track anyone, except him. If I manage to find out his true identity ... this will be the pinnacle of my career achievement. Of course that was before I knew about the Alchemists. Now ... I realized that there are so many people that I can''t find, like Aleksis'' father. I don''t think that I would ever be able to trace him ...]


    [Did he give you a deadline?] Terry asked curiously


    [Only one week. I will ask my father if I can trace Aldebar to lure Alaric Rhionen out. We know how Rhionen Assassins'' reputation is ...]


    Terry smiled when he read Nicolae''s message. He then quickly wrote his reply.


    [There is no way that you would be able to find Uncle Aldebar, unless he allows you to find him. I know your reputation, Wolf, but Uncle Aldebar is totally out of your league.]


    [Is that true? Wow ... I''m feeling even more challenged now.] Nicolae replied.


    [Alaric Rhionen is also not a match for Uncle Aldebar. He can try to find Uncle and capture him if he wants, but he would never succeed.]


    Terry tried to hold back his laughter as he continued writing his message.


    [Uncle Aldebar''s bodyguards are far more terrifying than the Rhionen Assassins. He has the most important position in the clan, because he is the holder of the immortality potion. His safety is the clan''s first priority. Even Uncle Caspar doesn''t have bodyguards as tough as his.]


    [Is that true?? I didn''t know that!]


    Terry finally roared with laughter remembering his own experience. He also used to underestimate Aldebar Schneider when he first met him in the Schneider family castle.


    Caspar''s brother looked so quirky with his long, silky blonde hair, his love for unique historical outfits, and his very indifferent attitude. But when Terry and Aleksis stayed with him for several months to learn about alchemy, he saw the other side of the Schneider family''s scientist.


    Aldebar lived a nomadic life and he was very mysterious. In his entourage, there were always at least 20 of the most impressive bodyguards Terry had ever seen around him.


    The gossip he heard about the guards was that they were the best knights in the world that Aldebar had encountered in his journey for the past two centuries. They were given the immortality potion, on one condition: that they followed him for life and stay loyal to him.


    Some of them were world legendary knights whom Terry thought were dead - as written in history books. Even though Rhionen Assassins'' reputation was terrible, he was very sure that they wouldn''t be able to mess with Aldebar.


    He was not worried at all.


    Terry had just wiped his tears after laughing hard, imagining how shocked Alaric Rhionen and his assassins would be when they met Aldebar.


    He hoped he could be there and watch as the assassins were slaughtered, which would certainly be a very impressive documentary.


    KILLING THE ASSASSINS. He could already imagine the title of the documentary later.

 Chapter 388 - Unwanted surprise

    "Hey, you''re here apparently!" Suddenly Terry''s laughter stopped because someone hit his shoulder quite hard. He turned his head angrily and found Nicolae carrying his laptop and sneered at him. "I heard your terrible laugh ..."


    "Huh ... so you''re in the library too?" Terry asked in surprise. He looked at his laptop and Nicolae alternately, "Then what are we doing chatting through Darknet?"


    "You started it," Nicolae grumbled. He then sat next to Terry. "Now tell me about this Uncle Aldebar of yours. I thought he was just an Alchemist scientist. But now I get the impression that he is very mysterious and full of surprises. I am curious."


    Terry smiled broadly. "Indeed, he is a very mysterious person. I was very fortunate to meet him because I am practically his nephew. I am his brother''s stepson."


    "I want to meet him," murmured Nicolae. He felt that Aldebar was a very interesting person. Ahh ... it seemed like all the Alchemists he heard of were amazing. He couldn''t wait to meet more people like them.


    "Hmm ... if you marry Aleksis, you will also be his nephew, and so you will definitely be able to meet Uncle Aldebar," Terry said mischievously. He got to his feet, cleared his laptop and patted Nicolae on the shoulder very hard. "Good luck !!"


    Nicolae was stunned by Terry''s last sentence. He then hurriedly got up and chased after the young man, "Hey, you said you would tell me how to win Aleksis'' heart! Don''t you break your promise, okay. If you break your promise, I''ll make a mess of your movie later!"


    Terry just laughed at Nicolae''s call. He was very happy to know how young the man was crazy about his sister. It made really easy to control Nicolae in this way. Little by little he only needed to sell Aleksis'' name, and the young man would rush to obey his wishes.


    "First you have to know when Aleksis'' birthday is," Terry answered nonchalantly. "That''s the most important."


    "I know. She was born on July 7 ... I looked her up." said Nicolae as he walked around Terry. "Where are you going, by the way?"


    "All the data she used to enter the university is false. Aleksis was born in October. I want to go to the cafeteria, I didn''t have time to eat breakfast."


    "Oh really? What date?" Nicolae asked in amazement. "Gosh, next week is already October ..."


    "The date is confidential," Terry said. He was delighted to see Nicolae''s face become annoyed. The young man narrowed his eyes at Terry closely. If he didn''t keep in mind that Terry was Aleksis'' brother, he would have hit Terry - who was now showing a very annoying expression.


    He immediately took out his cell phone and dialled a number, "Father ... I want to ask you something; when is Aleksis'' birthday? Oh ... October 2? Thank you."


    Smiling triumphantly, he glared at Terry, who quickly realized that he was not the only source of Nicolae''s information about Aleksis. He forgot that Nicolae was Lauriel''s son, and Lauriel knew EVERYTHING about Aleksis.


    "I was just kidding, you take it too seriously," Terry commented with a laugh. He patted Nicolae on the shoulder and then continued walking to the cafeteria.


    ***


    Aleksis walked out of the classroom with Ian and Mel and several other students. They were discussing the assignments from Professor Tillman that needed to be done in groups and Ian suggested that they all do it in his magnificent home in Bukit Timah.


    "Yes, I can go with you," Aleksis commented. "But I have to meet my brother Terry at the cafeteria first."


    "Brother? Terry?" Mel asked, "Wasn''t that a joke?"


    Aleksis shook her head, "No. He is indeed my brother. See you tomorrow in class!"


    With long steps Aleksis walked towards the cafeteria. He had to meet Nicolae there too to pick up her new chip and cellphone so she could start contacting them without having to make an agreement like now.


    "Hey, you !!! You bitch!"


    Aleksis stopped abruptly in front of the cafeteria. A beautiful girl with a very angry face confronted her at the entrance. Rosemary looked strange because her clothes were rather disheveled and her hair was messy. Her expression filled with hatred.


    Aleksis was very surprised to see Rosemary looking so terrible.


    "Is everything OK with you? Why are you doing this? What happened?" Aleksis asked in puzzlement. "Are you sick?"


    "You terrible woman !!! You are surrounded by dark and terrible people ... You must be a mistress of a high-level criminal or a wealthy businessman in power ..." Rosemary''s eyes flickered, "We never landed a single finger on you ... My father''s intention was only to kidnap you for a short while ... so that I can help Big brother Terry find you ... We did not do anything bad to you ... But you ... you are so vile and you slaughtered everyone ... "


    "Wh ... what? What are you talking about? I didn''t do anything ..." Aleksis said.


    Terry and Nicolae who heard the commotion outside the building immediately came out and approached them. Rosemary looked  like a mad woman. She pulled a pistol from her bag and aimed it at Aleksis.


    "Last night my father''s entire group was slaughtered ... including ... including my father ..." Rosemary bit her lip until it bled. Tears streamed from her eyes that were filled with hatred, "You must be the one to caused my father''s death, Bitch!!"


    Aleksis and Terry looked at each other in shock. Nicolae hurriedly looked for information on his tablet and a moment later his eyes widened in surprise. Subconsciously he covered his mouth with the back of his hand.


    The pictures he received were quite nauseous. There were so many corpses ...


    Gosh ... apparently Rhionen Assassin did not forgive this mafia group because they intended to harm Aleksis.


    His gaze was fixed on Aleksis who stood rooted to the spot, looking confused, scared and surprised. Nicolae wondered how far Aleksis was involved with this black organization, and did she know what they had just done for her sake?

 Chapter 389 - The Incident

    Terry, who was very good in using words, tried to persuade Rosemary to lower her gun. They were in a very crowded room and he was now able to hear whispers around him, suggesting to call the police.


    "Rosemary ... listen, Aleksis was not the one who wronged you, it was me. I''m the one who was careless and didn''t think about your feelings ..." Terry said in a very soft voice, "I''m sorry. I''ll do whatever you ask, to show my regret ... but please, lower your gun. Let''s talk ¡­"


    He walked slowly to the girl and reached out his arms, to show that he had no bad intentions.


    Rosemary looked at Terry and Aleksis alternately. Her lower lip was bleeding because she bit it too hard. Tears flowed even harder down her cheeks. "You two are just as bad! If I have to die, you also have to die with me ... !!"


    "Big Brother ... don''t go near her... we don''t know her current mental state," Aleksis whispered anxiously. Cold sweat was flowing onto her temple. She did not see Carl and Sascha anywhere. Her bodyguards certainly didn''t expect something to happen this early, especially in a crowded place like the campus cafeteria.


    Oh God ... I don''t want to die at Rosemary''s hand ... she cried inwardly.


    I still want to meet Alaric ...


    I can''t die before I talk to him ¡­


    Aleksis slowly and carefully put her hand in her bag and dialled Alaric''s number. It was only 2am in England ... but Alaric had told her that she could call him at any time.


    At the very least, she should say goodbye ...


    "Rosemary ... please lower your gun. There''s still hope, don''t be desperate. You''re not a bad person. We will make sure you get help ..." Terry continued. He advanced slowly toward Rosemary, which made dozens of girls around them scream and hold back and cry. They didn''t want to see their idol die miserably at the hands of a crazy fan like Rosemary.


    Nicolae retreated slowly, trying his best not to be noticed by Rosemary. He intended to quietly disappear and then ambush the girl from behind.


    Unfortunately, Rosemary saw his movements with the corner of her eye and immediately fired her gun at Nicolae''s feet. "Stay where you are! I know what you are going to do! You will help this evil slut, right ?!"


    Her shot missed; it hit the ground a few inches to Nicolae''s left, making everyone scream, and it caused Nicolae to be rooted on the spot. His face turned pale. The bullet hit the ground only inches away from the tip of his shoe.


    Rosemary smiled like a crazy woman and then casually fired another shot. Everyone screamed in terror when a second later, a bird fell to the ground with its head crushed.


    "I purposely missed the shot, because I have no intention of killing you. You are not responsible for my father''s death," said Rosemary in a cold voice, "But as you can see for yourself, I know how to use a gun properly. Don''t try to test me nor my patience ..."


    The atmosphere became increasingly tense. Crazy! It turned out that Rosemary was skilled at using weapons! Possibly it was because she grew up around mafia. Even Nicolae ran out of ideas and didn''t know what to do in such a critical condition.


    "Alright ... we understand." Finally, Nicolae joined in, "What do you want?"


    Rosemary narrowed her eyes that were filled with hatred. She raised her index finger and pointed at Aleksis, "I want her dead."


    People who were burned with hatred certainly couldn''t use their common sense. Aleksis was totally innocent. She was not Terry, who had kissed Rosemary and pretended to ask her to be his girlfriend; Aleksis was also not Rhionen Assassins, who slaughtered her father''s mob group. But now, in Rosemary''s eyes, Aleksis was responsible for all the suffering she had to endure.


    Aleksis subconsciously shed her tears. She did not know how she could come out of this alive. Rosemary was determined, and no one was able to stop her. What made her sad was the fact that she could not say a proper goodbye to the people she loved; her father, mother, younger siblings, Uncle Rory, and most importantly ¡­ Alaric - her husband ...


    "Over my dead body."


    They were all shocked when those four words came out of Nicolae''s lips. He walked forward without hesitation and stood between Aleksis and Rosemary, covering Aleksis'' body from Rosemary''s view.


    Aleksis gasped. She stared at Nicolae''s back in disbelief.


    For the umpteenth time, Nicolae stood protecting her, without a second thought. Aleksis was so shocked that she stood transfixed in her place. Her mind immediately went blank.


    Why was Nicolae always trying to protect her so selflessly? Was Aleksis that valuable to him? But how was this possible? They haven''t known each other for long ¡­


    "Nico ..." Finally, Aleksis could only utter those four letters weakly. She was very moved.


    Nicolae''s hand reached back and held Aleksis'' hand so that her body would not move, while he was still standing straight facing Rosemary who now looked increasingly angry.


    "You ... you want to die for that bitch so badly ...! ?? I told you, I am not after you. Move aside, Nicolae ..." Rosemary said in a threatening tone. Her jaw trembled with anger.


    "You''re after the wrong target, Rosemary. Aleksis is innocent. If you insist on killing Aleksis, then you have to face me," Nicolae said firmly.


    Again, muffled cries could be heard from almost every corner. The girls who saw the scene fell even more in love with Nicolae and many looked at Aleksis with envy. Terry himself was very depressed. He realized that all of this was his fault. Because of his big mouth, his sister and best friend were now in danger. He felt very remorseful.


    "Rosemary ... I''m the one at fault. Please let them go," he said in a trembling voice. He could not face his mother if anything happened to Aleksis.


    Aleksis was the only daughter in the family, and she was the heir to the Schneider family. He could not let Aleksis die because of his mistakes.


    The news about the incident in the cafeteria was spreading like wildfire. Many students secretly recorded the scene with their cellphones and broadcast it their social platform. Within five minutes, the sirens of police cars could be heard in the distance.


    Hearing the sirens, Rosemary panicked. She knew it would not be long before the police arrived and surrounded her. She entered the building already knowing that she wouldn''t be able to get out alive. She was blinded by determination, and she did not want to leave before Aleksis was dead. Everything she had was gone ... and so she wanted Aleksis to die with her.


    "Alright ... if you two really want to die with Aleksis, I will grant your wish ... DEATH TO ALL OF YOU !!!!"


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    There were repeated gunshots the students in the cafeteria went hysterical.


    ***


    Alaric punched the wall with his fist!


    He could not listen anymore. Aleksis'' phone call woke him up and when he saw the name Takeshi on the screen, he became alert in less than a second. He was about to greet Aleksis but then he heard what was happening on the other end of the phone. He realized that Aleksis was in grave danger.


    He listened carefully to assess the situation and soon came to the conclusion that a dangerous girl was threatening Aleksis at gunpoint. He frowned when he heard Nicolae''s voice, who came forward to protect Aleksis, and the voice of another young man who tried to calm the girl down.


    His brain worked hard to think of what he could do from 12,000 kilometers away. His chest hurt knowing that his wife was in danger and he was not there to help her.


    What should he do ... what should he do ...


    Before he could contact anyone, he heard the sound of repeated gun shots.


    "Aleksiiis !!!" Alaric screamed, calling Aleksis'' name. The cell phone fell from his hand and his fist struck the wall causing his knuckles to bleed. His head became dizzy, thinking about the worst possible scenarios.


    ***


    Everyone was lying on the ground leaving only five people standing; Aleksis who was glued in her place-unable to move; Nicolae who had closed his eyes in horror when he saw Rosemary aiming her gun at them and shoot repeatedly; Terry who had covered his face with his hands, ready to die; and Rosemary who was still agape with surprise when suddenly her hand was pulled upwards so quickly by someone and all she shot was the ceiling; and Lauriel who was standing behind Rosemary - his one hand gripped the girl''s neck, while the other hand had curled Rosemary''s arm behind her back.


    The girl''s gun had fallen after releasing the three shots.


    "How dare you try to touch my children," Lauriel hissed in Rosemary''s ear in a voice as cold as ice. Instantly the girl''s heart sank and she became very scared.

 Chapter 390 - The Horrible Accident

    Alaric had never felt so sad in his life. He had lived in violence for too long so he had almost become numb to emotions. For the past decades he had learnt to conceal his emotions and never show his true feelings to the outside world.


    But since Aleksis came into his life, his frozen heart was slowly melting and he began to feel the emotions that burst forth from the bottom of his heart. Various emotions and feelings that had been buried for so long; feelings that had long been hidden behind his neutral expressions. Now, slowly, they began to show their forms.


    Now he could not hold back his tears. The loss of his mother when he was born was his greatest pain so far, and he always carried with him a sense of guilt; that his birth was the cause of his mother''s death.


    He had never expected that he was capable of feeling a greater loss. The thought that Aleksis had died while he was far away and unable to do anything was far more painful than losing his mother. He felt that fate was always so cruel to him and never took his side.


    He had just found his happiness ... but fate so cruelly snatched Aleksis from his side.


    "Aleksis !!!!"


    "Aleksiiiiss ... wake up !!"


    "Oh my God ... Aleksiss ..."


    From the other end of the telephone, which fell on the floor, he could hear people screaming, calling Aleksis'' name. It tore his heart to pieces. He hit the wall again and again with all his strength, leaving various holes covered in blood.


    ***


    Aleksis suddenly fainted after seeing that Lauriel had managed to knock Rosemary out. The tension she felt during the last few minutes caused her to go into shock. Before Nicolae could catch her body, Aleksis had fallen to the ground and her head hit a large metal pot behind her.


    The shocked screams from Terry, Nicolae, and Lauriel did nothing to prevent Aleksis'' fall. They were all half a second late. Lauriel hurriedly patted Rosemary''s neck and the girl fell limply to the ground.


    He then immediately ran after Aleksis'' body who was lying unconscious on the ground. Nicolae knelt with Aleksis'' head on his lap. He felt like he was losing his mind, while Terry stood rooted to the ground unable to move ... His eyes flushed and his handsome face looked devastated.


    "Quickly check her vital signs," ordered Lauriel who was still able to think clearly. Hearing his father''s words, Nicolae immediately remembered that he was a doctor himself, and so he hurriedly checked Aleksis'' pulse and opened her eyes to see her level of consciousness.


    Nicolae sighed in relief. He signaled his father to take care of Terry who was still in shock while he carried Aleksis out of the cafetaria. Lauriel patted Terry on the shoulders. The young man returned to earth and looked at him with very worried eyes.


    "Let''s go home. Soon the police will to come take care of that girl. I don''t want them to bother us."


    The atmosphere in the cafeteria had become very chaotic and everyone was busy uploading videos of the event that happened to various internet media. St. Mary University was the talk of the day.


    Five minutes later, the four of them were in the car heading for the Continental Hotel. Nicolae drove the car like crazy and Terry sat next to him with a pale face.


    In the back seat, Lauriel sat with Aleksis on his lap. She was barely breathing and she hadn''t regained consciousness. Lauriel took the time to call Caspar and tell him about what had happened.


    ***


    Caspar who was in Germany initially sounded sleepy, because it was still dawn when Lauriel called him, but his voice immediately sounded alert and firm when he heard what had happened to his daughter.


    "I''ll send a medical helicopter to the penthouse. You just wait there." They could hear the hysterical sound of Finland who was sleeping next to Caspar when she heard that Aleksis was injured. Caspar hastily hung up after saying shortly, "We''re going there now."


    No one expected that Aleksis would be injured because of her fall, and not because of Rosemary''s shot. Nicolae, who stood closest to her, constantly blamed himself.


    He should have been able to immediately reach Aleksis before her head hit the large flower pot. But alas, everyone had been tense and everything had happened so fast ...


    Carl and Sascha finally heard about the shooting and arrived at the cafeteria after their employer had gone. They only saw the police arrest Rosemary who was lying unconscious on the ground.


    Both of them were devastated because, again, they failed to protect their young miss. With great concern they immediately went to the Continental Hotel.


    As soon as the car stopped in the parking lot, Nicolae hurriedly opened the car door and helped Lauriel carry Aleksis into the elevator. Terry and Lauriel followed with long strides.


    Once they arrived at the penthouse, the medical helicopter sent by Caspar landed on the roof of the building and Aleksis was immediately taken to Stamford Hospital. Nicolae who was a doctor accompanied her in the helicopter while Terry and Lauriel followed them by car.


    ***


    Alaric listened one report after another from his men, and his emotions mountained. The news and video footage of the shooting at the University of St. Mary had disappeared from the internet and so he couldn''t know for sure what had happened to his wife and what her current condition was.


    The reports from his men, obtained from various witnesses they interrogated, stated that Aleksis had fallen after the many shots were fired, and that a few seconds later she was rushed to Nicolae''s car not to be seen again.


    They managed to find Aleksis'' bag containing Takeshi''s cellphone but they could not trace her whereabouts. It was as if the girl was swallowed by the earth. For hours, Alaric''s head was haunted by the sound of gunshots, Nicolae''s scream, and Terry and Lauriel calling Aleksis'' name. He felt like he was going crazy.


    "That girl ... I want her dead. RIGHT NOW." he hissed in a hoarse voice, before he slammed his cellphone. "I don''t want her to die easily."


    Pavel, who received Alaric''s call, took a deep breath before putting down his phone. He immediately contacted his men to kill Rosemary who was in police custody.


    He had never seen Alaric show his anger like this before. So far, Rhionen Assassins had always acted professionally - without emotion, without feeling - but this past week they had repeatedly killed people for personal reasons.


    He realized that his boss had really changed. She had changed him ...


    ***

 Chapter 391 - Critical Condition

    When morning came, Sophia, Ned and Portia were startled when they saw that Alaric was ready to leave. He met them while they were having breakfast in the main tower to say goodbye.


    "What''s the matter? Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Didn''t you plan to stay here for a few more days?" Portia asked, disappointed.


    "Something happened in Singapore and I have to go there immediately," Alaric answered in a flat tone. He did not intend to tell them in detail what had happened, he just wanted to get to Singapore as soon as possible and look for Aleksis.


    Ned and Portia looked at each other.


    "My child, I understand that something big must have happened which triggered you to rush like this, but you must not act rashly. Can''t you feel that the weather will soon get worse?" Portia asked in a soft voice. She raised her right hand and closed her eyes, "In my estimation, a big storm will come soon. It''s big enough to close the airport."


    Alaric shook his head, "I don''t know ..."


    Portia looked at him with pity, "Ah ... of course, you don''t know. You''re used to cutting your hair."


    Alaric did not know that Alchemists never cut their hair, and that for them, their hair was an extension of the nerves in their body that made them sensitive to nature. That was why Alchemists who leave their hair be could even predict the weather. He did not know all this because he did not grow up in the Alchemist community.


    Since he was young he was accustomed to cutting his hair because he did not know that an Alchemist''s hair would grow as long or as short as their respective bodies'' needed. This was the reason why Alaric did not have the same ability as most Alchemists in predicting the weather well.


    "But I have to go to Singapore," Alaric said, almost mumbling. He must look for Aleksis.


    "I will not stop you from going, but please, if you arrive at the airport and you are not permitted to fly by the airport authorities, I beg you not to take any risks." Finally Portia pleaded. She did not want to lose Alaric, not so soon.


    "OK." Alaric bowed slightly and then left them with long strides. During their drive to the airport he was still receiving report after report of what had happened at the university. It was 7am in Scotland, meaning that it was 3pm in Singapore. So many things had happened for the past few hours, but there was no accurate news about Aleksis'' whereabouts.


    "Pavel, I need to contact Wolf," Alaric called Pavel. He had grown impatient with the slow performance of his people.


    Usually it was very easy for him to get whatever he wanted, but today he had to repeatedly ask his people to investigate Aleksis'' whereabouts, but to no avail. It was as if the girl had disappeared into thin air ...


    Could it be that her father, Kurt Van Der Ven, had hidden her after the incident? As the CEO of Schneider Group, Kurt Van Der Ven was a very powerful man. He could easily delete all the news about Aleksis from the internet, and make sure that she could not be found.


    It would make sense that he did not want the press to dig into Aleksis'' identity as it would trace back to him and expose Aleksis'' status as his illegitimate child. Pavel had gathered a great deal of information about Aleksis and it all showed that Aleksis was indeed Kurt''s illegitimate daughter.


    This time Alaric was forced to enlist the help of the best researcher he knew, Wolf, to find Aleksis for him. He must know the fate of Aleksis. If all else failed, he would go to Kurt himself and force him to let him know where Aleksis was.


    ***


    Nicolae, who was sitting with Aleksis in the treatment room, could only stare at the girl with a wistful look. When they were finally able to release themselves from Rosemary''s grasp, thanks to the alertness of his father, Aleksis got into an accident that was completely unexpected and was now in critical condition.


    He had heard from Lauriel that as immortals, they had perfect bodies, and so every cell of their body could regenerate automatically and heal every part that needed recovery. That was what kept them young forever, but Nicolae was still very worried. Aleksis was diagnosed with brain stem injury, and as a doctor he knew how severe the effects of this is to humans.


    Even if Aleksis'' body could slowly heal itself, it would take a very long time before she could recover as before.


    When he was busy with his train of thought, his cellphone suddenly beeped and Nicolae got a notification from Darknet. He opened his cellphone and found an urgent message from Alaric Rhionen himself!


    [Forget Aldebar. I need you to find this girl for me. I will pay whatever you ask for, and I will be indebted to you.]


    Then, he saw a photo of Aleksis and her name on his cellphone screen.


    Nicolae was shocked for a short second. He turned to Aleksis who was lying still on the bed with an IV in her arm and breathing apparatus on her face, then he turned to his phone screen again.


    He immediately connected what had happened and now he could guess who Prince Siegfried really was and what Aleksis had to do with him. It turned out that the Prince Siegfried that Aleksis was looking for was Alaric Rhionen himself! The leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    Now everything made sense.


    Aleksis was protected by two of the best assassins from Rhionen Assassins because their leader had ordered it. There was no way that an assassin from Rhionen Assassins would take on the job of protecting someone unless their boss ordered them to do so. And the slaughter of  the mafia group, Rosemary''s father''s men, must be at his command as well, as the repercussion because the mafia group intended to kidnap Aleksis.


    Everything that had happened today was the result of their actions. Had they not slaughtered her family, surely Rosemary would not have gone mad and blindly attacked Aleksis on campus.


    Instantly Nicolae clenched his fist. Terry, who sat across the room, saw this and immediately approached Nicolae.


    "What''s wrong? You look so angry ..."


    Nicolae took a deep breath before showing the contents of the message he had just received to Terry. The young man was as shocked as Nicolae and came to the same conclusion.


    "That means he''s the one," Terry said in a choked voice. He turned to Aleksis and his mind became frantic; he could not understand how Aleksis could be involved with such a sadistic and dangerous person - the leader of Rhionen Assassins ...

 Chapter 392 - Blackmailed

    Instantly Nicolae clenched his fist. Terry, who sat across the room, saw this and immediately approached him.


    "What''s wrong? You look so angry ..."


    Nicolae took a deep breath before showing the contents of the message he had just received to Terry. The young man was as shocked as Nicolae and came to the same conclusion.


    "That means he''s the one," Terry said in a choked voice. He turned to Aleksis and his mind became frantic; he could not understand how Aleksis could be involved with such a sadistic and dangerous person - the leader of Rhionen Assassins ...


    "I just checked the internet and found that all the news about what had happened to Aleksis today is gone, maybe that''s why he was forced to ask for my help," Nicolae said. "You know what happened?"


    Terry shrugged, "Uncle Caspar is very private man, and he is very strict in keeping information about his children from surfacing. Surely he blocked all the news about Aleksis."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae became even more amazed of Caspar. Aleksis'' father was far more powerful than he initially thought. He couldn''t wait to meet Caspar who was now on his way to Singapore.


    "What would you do?" Terry asked. "Actually, this could be an opportunity to free Aleksis from his grip. I''m afraid that my sister has been brainwashed by him, and that''s why Aleksis always defended him. You know yourself that until yesterday, Aleksis was still trying to protect him?"


    "What do you have in mind?" Nicolae asked.


    "You can send him the doctor''s diagnosis and say that there is no chance that she could survive a brain stem injury this severe, and that you are very sorry," Terry said firmly.


    "You want me to tell him that Aleksis is dead ?!" Nicolae asked.


    "No. I want you to send him Aleksis'' diagnosis and say that you are sorry, and let him draw his own conclusions." Terry shrugged, "He will probably conclude that no ordinary human can survive a brain stem injury. He does not know that Aleksis is an Alchemist. So if one day Aleksis recovers and Alaric found out, he would not blame you, because he himself drew the wrong conclusion. You only gave him the information he asked for."


    Terry knew how dangerous Rhionen Assassins was, and he couldn''t imagine what Alaric would do to them if he felt that they cheated him. This was a safe choice.


    Nicolae finally nodded and replied to Alaric''s message.


    [I will provide the information you asked for if your assassin who committed the massacre last night turned himself in to the police. You are responsible for what happened at St. Mary''s University today.]


    Before he could press the SEND button, Terry hurriedly grabbed his cellphone.


    "Don''t say it like this, you will make him suspicious. Why would you, as Wolf, care so much about what happened at St. Mary''s? We don''t want him to know that there is a connection between you, Aleksis, and St. Mary," he said quickly. "I know you are upset, but you must not lose your composure when facing a dangerous person like Alaric Rhionen."


    "Then, what do you suggest?"


    Terry then changed Nicolae''s reply to Alaric and pressed the SEND button.


    ***


    Alaric was very upset. Portia was right when she had told him that the weather would turn very bad. The storm and the fog was so thick that the visibility was very poor. There was no way an airplane could fly in such thick fog. He was forced to wait until the weather was clear enough to leave.


    Restless, he paced through the lounge, confusing his staff. They had never seen their boss so restless before. There must be something really bad that had happened. A message he received from Darknet made him stop in his tracks. He carefully read the reply from Wolf.


    [Rhionen Industries and Rhionen Assassins have committed many crimes. I found the girl you are looking for, but this information is very expensive. If this girl is really that important to you, I want you to choose between her and Rhionen Assassins. If you want to obtain the information I found about her, I want you to hand over Rhionen Asassins to me by giving me all their data. I won''t offer twice.]


    Alaric was stunned to read a message from Wolf.


    "How dare that lowly hacker blackmail me!" hissed Alaric in a low, angry voice.


    Alaric felt blackmailed by Wolf''s request to exchange the information on his group for information about Aleksis'' whereabouts. This meant a 1 to 15 ratio. He knew that he was cornered but he still had to think rationally.


    He could not sacrifice 15 of his men who had faithfully followed him, some had even spent decades with him and become his foster children, for his personal interests, namely to obtain information about his wife. Moreover, that information did not necessarily indicate that Aleksis was okay.


    He closed his eyes and thought. If the storm were to pass soon and he could fly to Singapore right away, it would take him 14 hours to get there. If, for example, he could only fly in five more hours as predicted by weather experts, then he would arrive the next day at sunset in Singapore. He would be 30 hours late.


    Or ¡­ he could fly to Germany and look for Kurt Van Der Ven. Certainly information from Aleksis'' own father could be far more accurate. Aleksis was either still in Singapore or she had been brought back to Germany.


    He needed to go to the right place to find the girl. Whatever Aleksis'' current situation, Alaric realized that he was not God and his ability was limited. Right now he could only wait ... wait for this stupid storm to pass so he could immediately look for Kurt.


    He almost hit the wall of the lounge in frustration but then he realized that his hand was still injured as a result of venting his anger at the wall in Portia''s castle. He must not lose his composure. Therefore, he closed his eyes and meditated, trying to calm down his nerves again.


    He, Alaric Rhionen, was a professional assassin who had become the best assassin in the world because he never allowed himself to be overcome by emotions. He must return to being that kind of person.


    "Pavel ... order all the assassins currently in Europe to immediately fly to Berlin. I will wait for them there." Finally Alaric made a decision.


    "Everyone, Sir? There are currently eight assassins in Europe," Pavel answered in a surprised tone. They had never had a mission this big where they had to send so many people. What was Alaric''s plan?


    "You come too."


    "Yes, Sir."


    ***

 Chapter 393 - Caspars Decision

    When night came, Alaric still hadn''t replied to Wolf''s message in Darknet, so finally Nicolae and Terry concluded that he did not consider Aleksis valuable enough to be exchanged with the rest of his group.


    "What do you think they will do now?" Terry asked, subconsciously wringing his fingers.


    "I think they would find another way. It is clear that Alaric Rhionen does not take rash decisions. My advice is that you don''t go home until the situation has settled. We don''t know whether he will send someone to find you or not," Nicolae answered.


    "Should we tell Uncle Caspar about this ...? Or at least Lauriel?" Terry asked again. "They certainly know better what to do."


    Nicolae seemed to think. He glanced at Aleksis'' pale face. She was lying in bed and breathing with the help of a ventilator. Aleksis'' condition was very dire and they did not know whether she would survive or not.


    "We should not add to their burden, at least until Aleksis is out of her critical condition. What is clear is that we already know Rhionen Asassins has no ill intentions towards Aleksis ... I think that''s enough for now. I''m sure they won''t do anything bad to the Aleksis," Nicolae finally said, "Think about it; how would Aleksis'' mother and father feel if they knew that their daughter was involved with this assassin organization?"


    Terry nodded slowly. Their conversation stopped when Lauriel entered with the doctor and they proceeded to do various checks on Aleksis.


    "People with severe brain stem injuries are already medically dead," said Doctor Lee with a soft voice. "Sorry, there''s nothing we can do ..."


    The air in the room became very heavy after Doctor Lee said those words that broke their hearts. He bowed deeply and handed over several medical reports to Nicolae, which he read with furrowed brows. The diagnoses and the result of all tests made Nicolae''s heart sink.


    Poor Aleksis ¡­ She had experienced life threatening situations several times, and now it seemed that death really came knocking at the door. Lauriel looked as depressed as the two of them, but he still tried to calm down.


    He had taken the time to go back to the penthouse and concoct a medicine that was very effective in speeding up cell recovery. He hoped that his medicine could help Aleksis'' body heal itself faster.


    Doctor Lee was puzzled to see Lauriel forcibly pour his potion into Aleksis'' mouth, but he didn''t dare say anything. He realized that the people in this room were not regular people. The girl must have been a daughter of a very important family so that the entire east wing of the hospital was made vacant for her.


    The man whose long hair was tied with a red ribbon - who hadn''t left the room at all - seemed very eloquent on medical terms, and so he assumed that the young man must be a very skilled doctor. Also, the other man whose eyes were blue and green looked very authoritative and seemed to know what he was doing.


    "Are the parents coming?" asked Doctor Lee later. "I need to consult with them about what decision to make."


    "They will arrive in a few hours," Lauriel said. "Let''s talk tomorrow morning, Doctor."


    "Hm ... okay then, I''ll excuse myself first."


    The doctor then went out and closed the door behind him.


    A few hours later, when Nicolae, Lauriel and Terry almost fell asleep because they had become tired after waiting with a tense feeling, Caspar and Finland arrived. It was almost midnight when the couple entered the East Wing of Stamford Hospital, which was closed to the public. Half running, both of them hurriedly walked into the enormous and magnificent treatment room that housed their only daughter, Aleksis.


    "You have arrived." Lauriel said. He was sitting on the sofa with a worried face, and he immediately stood up when he saw the door open and Caspar and Finland enter the room. The couple flew from Germany to Singapore as soon as Lauriel called Caspar to tell him about Aleksis'' condition.


    Caspar just nodded and didn''t say a word. Finland had run over to Aleksis and knelt at the foot of the bed while holding her child''s arms which was slumped to the side. Aleksis was still unconscious, and the doctors had installed a breathing apparatus and an IV drip.


    Nicolae, who was standing at the end of the bed, stared at the two strangers. He could immediately guess that they must be Aleksis'' father and mother.


    He was secretly amazed at how handsome Aleksis'' father was and how the man looked so authoritative. Was this the famous leader of the Alchemist clan? he thought to himself.


    Nicolae then saw Aleksis'' mother whose face was so similar to the girl he liked and inwardly he complimented how Finland was no less beautiful than her daughter. The difference was that Aleksis looked cheerful and carefree, while Finland looked very graceful and gentle. They really were the opposite.


    "Mother ..." Terry, who had been sitting on the other sofa,  pondering and cupping his face in his hands, belatedly noticed Finland and Caspar''s presence. Upon hearing Finland''s sobs, he got up and hugged his mother. "I''m sorry ... this is all my fault."


    Finland closed her eyes and shook her head, "Terry ... it''s not the time to look for who is at fault. I just


    want Aleksis to wake up."


    "But I am the one ..."


    Nicolae hurriedly pulled Terry and whispered in his ear, "That''s enough, leave them alone. Don''t add burdens to their minds. We''d better get a drink to calm down."


    Terry turned to Nicolae and then nodded. With their haggard faces, they left the room.


    "We want to get some air first ..." Nicolae said good-bye. Lauriel nodded. Caspar looked at the departure of the two with an expressionless face.


    "What is the diagnosis?" he asked. Lauriel took a deep breath.


    "Brain stem injury." He massaged his forehead nervously, "I have given her various medicines to speed up the process of cell repair. We have to wait."


    Caspar became limp after hearing the diagnosis. This was a very severe brain injury. He deeply regretted his decision to let Aleksis go to Singapore. His daughter was still too young to be sent into the outside world. He should not have let Aleksis go ...


    If he had kept his daughter at home, or told her to go with London and Rune to study with Aldebar, surely this would not have happened. On the way to Singapore, he saw the various video footage of the incident that occurred at St. Mary University that morning, before ordering all the news about Aleksis to be removed from the internet.


    He never expected that, in less than two weeks, Aleksis had gotten herself involved in various problems which threatened her life. He felt sad because ever since she was born, Aleksis had experienced so many dangerous situations and sufferings. She was born as the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the world, and yet he had failed as a father in keeping his daughter safe..


    Caspar listened to Lauriel''s explanation of what had happened with a flat face. Nobody could read his mind. He knew the incident that had befallen Aleksis was an accident, but this was no ordinary accident. There was a trigger that caused this event to occur, and he would not remain silent and do nothing. As Nicolae and Terry walked out of the room, Caspar looked at them with a deadpan expression, but in his heart he felt the two young men were hiding something.


    "Kurt, I will send Aleksis'' medical reports to you. Please prepare the best facility in Germany to receive her. I will bring Aleksis home tomorrow morning," Caspar told Kurt over the telephone.


    The confidant sounded very surprised but he quickly controlled himself and agreed to all Caspar''s orders.


    Caspar felt his chest tighten. He had never been this worried about Aleksis before. He felt a flashback of the incident that had happened 18 years ago, and now, as if on repeat, Aleksis'' life was threatened again ... He did not know whether this was still his karma for hurting a lot of women in the past, so that now his daughter had to bear the consequences.


    This thought depressed him. His wife looked devastated. She could only sit quietly beside the bed while holding Aleksis'' hand.


    [Jadeith, I want you to investigate the girl who threatened Aleksis on campus; who she is and why she did it. I want these things to be clear before we leave tomorrow.]


    [Okay, Uncle.]


    "If she doesn''t wake up tomorrow, I''ll take her home," Caspar then made his decision. He would never take another risk for the safety of his only daughter.


    At the cafe opposite the hospital, Nicolae and Terry sat sipping their coffee. Both were busy with their own thoughts. Nicolae was very impressed to see Caspar, but he was sorry that they had met in such an unpleasant situation.

 Chapter 394 - How Is Aleksis Related to Rhionen Assassins?

    It was early morning in Singapore and Aleksis was still unconscious. Therefore, Caspar decided to take Aleksis home.


    Meanwhile, it was 10 pm when Alaric arrived in Germany. Pavel waited for him at the airport and the car he prepared earlier took them to a large house in the eastern part of Berlin. The house was located in an area which had typical Soviet-style buildings.


    "Sir, you need to rest, our men will see you tomorrow morning," Pavel said, trying to persuade Alaric to go to sleep.


    He poured a glass of water and placed sleeping pills on a small plate next to his glass. He was already informed on what was happening and he was worried because he had never seen Alaric behave like this before. Pavel realized that the girl was very important to his boss.


    "Pavel ... how long have you been with me?" Alaric asked suddenly.


    Pavel was rather surprised at Alaric''s question. "It has been more than a quarter of a century, Sir. We met in the Czech Republic about 25 years ago, and I have accompanied you ever since."


    Alaric smiled faintly, which made his expression difficult to understand because his eyes seemed to be looking very far away. "25 years, and never once did you ask why I am not aging."


    Pavel didn''t answer.


    Alaric took his sleeping pills and swallowed them with a sip of water. "Do you know why?"


    "I don''t know," Pavel finally answered quietly. "But I suppose that is the reason why you have always kept a distance from all of us. You don''t want to get too close and attached to us, because we will eventually leave you alone. We will age and die."


    Pavel had always talked frankly to Alaric, and he was not hesitant when he had something to say, so Alaric understood that this time, too, Pavel was telling the truth.


    "You''re right. I thank you for being loyal and for following me unconditionally." Alaric finished his water and then closed his eyes, as if thinking about something very deep. "Tomorrow''s mission will be the last for Rhionen Assassins. For the past week, I have made decisions that are based on personal reasons, and that is not a good thing. I no longer deserve to be your leader. I have not been able to stay professional since I met Aleksis, and now everything I do is for her sake ..."


    Pavel did not dispute the statement. On the one hand he really hoped that Alaric could return to his usual self, but on the other hand, for the first time in 25 years, he was finally seeing Alaric truly happy. Why couldn''t Alaric have everything?


    "I will rest. Tomorrow morning I want you to take Kurt Van Der Ven and bring him here. Don''t be rude to him as I just want to obtain some information. Don''t underestimate his security, because after all, Kurt has a relationship with the Schneider family. I want you to send all our men, eight in total, to pick him up. I don''t want to risk failure this time. We have limited time."


    He then got up and went into his room to sleep. Pavel nodded in understanding and immediately contacted his people.


    That night Alaric had a restless sleep with many nightmares.


    ***


    In Singapore, finally after carefully studying Aleksis'' condition and weighing all the options, Caspar finally decided that the best place to care for his daughter to recover was in their beautiful resting house in Grindelwald, Switzerland. The mansion was surrounded by mountains and the air was very fresh. He announced his decision after they had rushed to breakfast next to Aleksis'' room.


    "I''ve never seen a case where someone with severe brain stem injury is able to recover ..." Nicolae said suddenly, making everyone turn to him, "I ... I don''t mean to be pessimistic, but if it''s okay, and you don''t think I''m presumptuous ... Can I come to Grindelwald to observe the progress of her recovery?"


    Caspar, who had paid little attention to Nicolae since last night, now started to focus his attention on the young man. He had heard from Lauriel that he had a son, and now Caspar could see how similar Nicolae was to Lauriel. He immediately made an assessment in his head about this young man.


    "You are ... Nicolae, aren''t you?" Caspar asked.


    Nicolae hurriedly reached out his hand to greet Caspar and introduced himself, "I''m sorry that we meet under such circumstances, I haven''t had a chance to introduce myself properly. My name is Nicolae ... I''m Aleksis'' friend from the university. Actually, I happen to be a doctor too, and that is why I wish to study Aleksis'' healing processes ..."


    Lauriel coughed, adding, "This is Nicolae Medici, he is my son that I talked to you about. He is very worried about Aleksis and has saved her several times ..."


    "Several times? Was Aleksis threatened with other dangers before?" Caspar asked, worried.


    "Uhm ... it was just a misunderstanding; it was nothing too serious," Nicolae said quickly.


    "You were shot in the shoulder. If you hadn''t missed the bullet, you would be dead now," Lauriel said, staring at Nicolae, "That is not a light misunderstanding."


    Caspar looked at them alternately with a tense face. "Why didn''t anyone tell me about this? What do you take me for?"


    Terry, who realized that Caspar was slowly becoming angry, rushed in to calm the atmosphere, "Uncle, please don''t be angry. It''s all behind us now and it''s not important. We should now focus on making sure that Aleksis gets the best possible treatment so she can recover."


    Caspar''s gaze now turned to Terry, "You are hiding something from me. It''s time for you to tell me everything you know before I know for myself what had happened."


    Nicolae and Terry looked at each other. They knew they had no choice but to tell Caspar everything they knew.


    Before any of them could open their mouth, Jadeith entered the room. His face looked calm as usual, but the look in his eyes suggested that something bad had happened.


    "What news do you have?" Caspar asked impatiently.


    "Hmm ... the girl''s name is Rosemary Lin, she is a student on the same campus as our Young Miss. Her father is the head of the local mafia group and two nights ago someone violently slaughtered the whole group. The next day, Rosemary came to campus and threatened Miss Aleksis. She blamed her for what had happened to her family."


    "Do you know who slaughtered the mafia group?" Caspar asked curiously. He did not expect a mafia group to be involved.


    "Rhionen Assassins," Jadeith answered curtly. Caspar''s face looked very surprised.


    "How do you know? And why did they target that mafia group? Don''t they usually only kill individuals based on the contracts they receive? They are not the type of gangsters who would kill other gangster groups."


    "They intentionally left their mark, Sir, with the aim that no one would take revenge or investigate this case."


    Caspar frowned in confusion, "So the mafia group offended someone and Rhionen Assassins was ordered to slaughter them. But what does it have to do with Aleksis?"


    "Sorry, but I couldn''t obtain more information than that. Rosemary Lin was found dead at the police custody earlier this morning. She had a lot of wounds on her body."


    "That is convenient," Caspar hissed. He looked again at Terry and Nicolae. "Didn''t you want to tell me something important?"


    Both nodded.


    "They are indeed related, Uncle ..." Nicolae answered. "There is a connection between the massacre of the mafia group and what had happened to Aleksis."


    "Is that true?"


    "Yes. For some reason, Rosemary asked her father to kidnap Aleksis, so her father arranged for the local mafia to perform the job. Because they intended to kidnap Aleksis, Rhionen Assasins punished the whole gang. After learning that the whole group and her father were killed, Rosemary became very angry and threatened Aleksis on campus with a gun." Nicolae said explaining. "Rosemary blamed Aleksis for the massacre of her family."


    "I still don''t understand why Rhionen Assassins had to intervene and what their relationship with Aleksis is ..." Caspar squinted his eyes, looking at the two young men very seriously, "I don''t like bits and pieces of information."


    Because Nicolae and Terry didn''t open their mouths, finally Lauriel spoke up.


    "Caspar ... do you still remember Prince Siegfried?"


    "Of course." Caspar nodded. "Aleksis insisted on bringing her dog to Singapore. What''s with that dog?"


    Nicolae could not help but cover his mouth in surprise. Oh my God ... So the dog was truly named Prince Siegfried . He thought that Aleksis was just kidding.


    "Uhmm ... Big Prince Siegfried, Uncle, not the little one ..." Terry said quietly.


    "Oh ..." Only then Caspar realized what had happened. His face then turned sad. He looked at his daughter who was lying still on the bed and shook his head. "Oh ... Aleksis. It''s only been two weeks since you went out of my supervision. Why did you hang out with such dangerous people?"


    He took a deep breath and ordered Jadeith to call a doctor.


    "Call the doctor here. Before we leave I want the hospital to issue a death certificate for Aleksis."


    ***

 Chapter 395 - From Bad to Worse

    Finally, after experiencing a sleep filled with nightmares, Alaric woke up. He felt like his head was about to explode. When washing his face  in the sink, he realized that his eyes had turned darker. He had been researching his own body for years and still couldn''t figure out why his body and appearance would change at times.


    After forcing himself to eat breakfast, his mind began to calm down. He must act carefully and not be careless. However Aleksis came from a rich family who would surely try their best to protect her. Even if Aleksis was now injured, she would have gotten the best doctor''s care.


    If it turned out that she was dead ...


    Alaric couldn''t do anything.


    He could only look for her grave.


    With that in mind, he went to the living room, closed his eyes, and waited for the arrival of his eight men whom Pavel had called to come.


    At 9 am, one by one, the people whom he was waiting for started to arrive. Pavel arrived first with two very beautiful serious-looking girls who were in their mid 20-s. One had long blond hair tied in a ponytail and wore casual clothes and maroon-colored leather boots; the other one had short, curly hair and looked petite in her short elegant dress and strappy gladiator sandals.


    "Nice to meet you, Master. It''s been a long time," commented the long haired girl while showing a charming dimpled smile.


    "Good morning, Livia." Alaric nodded. "Sorry I called you out all of a sudden."


    "We are happy to be here," said the short-haired girl excitedly, "We haven''t seen each other in five years. You are too busy with that technology company of yours and forgot about us."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric didn''t argue. "You''re right, Rosalien."


    The two girls looked concerned seeing Alaric''s grim face. They had never seen a negative expression on Alaric''s face before. He always looked calm and collected, unaffected, but now they saw that his calmness was only on the surface. His eyes could not lie, and they looked really gloomy.


    "Allen, Noel, Fritz and Kai have arrived with Kurt van Der Ven," Pavel said suddenly. He opened the door and invited the 4 men to enter. They forcibly pushed a man in his late 40-s into the living room.


    "Good morning, Master. We have brought the person you requested. We are sorry it took so long, but his security was quite tight. We had to go through a brutal chase ..." said a man in his 40s who was bald-headed while pushing Kurt to the middle of the room.


    Kurt Van Der Ven seemed to try to remain calm in the face of so many dangerous-looking people around him.


    "Good morning, Mr. Van Der Ven," Alaric greeted Kurt politely. His voice sounded very tired. "I won''t hurt you, but I need information on Aleksis'' whereabouts."


    Instantly Kurt''s face turned pale. He immediately connected the incident that caused Aleksis'' accident with this dangerous looking group of people. He watched Alaric intently and tried to guess who this man was.


    "What do you want from her? Aleksis is sick," Kurt said firmly. "Please do not disturb her."


    He was somewhat surprised to notice that for a moment, Alaric''s eyes flashed in concern. Was he not mistaken? This man was worried about Aleksis? Who was he, really?


    "Sick ... where is she?" Alaric asked again. "We won''t hurt you. I''m sorry for bringing you here by force, but I have no choice."


    Kurt looked around and noticed that there were at least 10 people who surrounded him, some of which had weapons clearly displayed on their waist and hands. The rest, even though they weren''t possessing any weapons, looked just as dangerous. He knew he would succeed if he insisted on escaping.


    "She had an accident on campus due to shock after being threatened at gunpoint. She is currently treated at a hospital in Singapore," Kurt answered cautiously.


    It wouldn''t hurt to tell them where Aleksis was being treated in Singapore, because by now Caspar would have taken her away from there, thought Kurt. He raised a hand, signalling that he wanted to show something. "Can I show you the diagnosis?"


    Alaric nodded and Kurt slowly went to his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He then handed it to Alaric. The man received Kurt''s cell phone and studied the picture of a hospital document containing Aleksis'' diagnosis and the doctor''s note.


    His face, which was rather grim, turned expressionless.


    "All right. Then I want you to make an order to move her to the place of my choosing," Alaric said softly.


    His heart was very sad when he saw Aleksis'' diagnosis. He felt deep regret for going to England, leaving Aleksis alone in Singapore. In just a few days, this horrible tragedy fell on Aleksis and, to his dismay, there was nothing he could do.


    At this point, there was no point in feeling regret, because Aleksis already had an accident and was now in a coma. But at least he wanted to be the one to care for Aleksis until she recovered ... if she still had hope for recovery.


    Kurt was very surprised to hear Alaric''s words. "You can''t ... you can''t disturb Aleksis. Let her recover without interruption."


    "I will not disturb her. I have the best facilities to treat Aleksis," Alaric said firmly.


    Kurt shook his head stubbornly, "I will not let you come near Aleksis. At this time she must not be disturbed."


    Alaric nodded at Pavel and his confidant hit Kurt''s shoulder until he dropped down on his knees. The gun was pointed at his forehead, and Kurt''s face turned pale.


    "Mr. Van Der Ven ... I respect you as Aleksis'' father ... but right now my priority is to find Aleksis. If you don''t want to cooperate, I have no choice but to force you."


    Kurt frowned at Alaric''s words. A moment later he realized that Alaric thought Aleksis was his daughter. He just remembered that all this time Aleksis'' real identity was kept a secret and was often associated with his family to dispel suspicion.


    At first he thought these people had no bad intentions, but from the way they treated and forced him, Kurt felt uneasy if they discovered Aleksis'' secret identity. He must not risk and jeopardize Aleksis'' safety by providing them with her information.


    "You can''t force me, I won''t talk," Kurt answered firmly. He closed his eyes as if not caring about the gun pointed on his forehead.


    Alaric sighed, then nodded to Livia. The girl immediately walked to the door on the left side and opened it. Two men dressed in black entered while clutching the hands of a woman in her late 30''s and a teenage boy. Both their faces looked very scared.


    "Dad...!!" the teenager screamed in German. He tried to rush towards Kurt but the man who grabbed him was faster and pulled him so hard he fell to the floor.


    Kurt, who was very shocked to hear the familiar voice, immediately opened his eyes and turned toward the voice, "Jan!!"


    "Give the order to transfer Aleksis to China, to the place of my choosing ... otherwise your son will receive the consequences," Alaric said in a cold voice, "I don''t care about any of you. I just need Aleksis."


    Kurt''s face turned very pale. He certainly could not give the orders requested by Alaric, because he did not have that authority. Caspar was the one who could give the order.


    But if Kurt revealed this secret, then Alaric would know for a fact that Aleksis was not Kurt''s illegitimate child but the daughter of the Schneider family...


    This was a secret that was far greater than anything, including the rest of his family.


    "I ... I can''t give that order ..." Kurt answered in a weak voice. He must not reveal the secrets of his employer''s family. He knew how tight Caspar protected his family''s privacy and looked after his children. He couldn''t be the one spilling the beans.


    "I will count to ten. If you don''t do as I say, your son and then your wife will die."


    Alaric placed Kurt''s cellphone in front of his face, and gave a signal for Kurt to call the hospital and give orders to transfer the patient.


    Kurt stared at the cellphone, then at his wife and son alternately. He could not sacrifice his wife and son, but at the same time he could not violate the Schneider family''s trust that had been given to his family for generations.


    "One ... two ... three ..." Alaric continued to count slowly. "Four ..."


    "Jan ..." Kurt finally made a decision. He turned towards his son with a remorseful look and said in a low voice, "take care of your mother, Son ..."


    In a quick second, Kurt snatched Pavel''s gun from his forehead and pulled the trigger.


    Everything happened so fast that even the best assassins of the world who were present in the room did not have the chance to stop him, because nobody expected Kurt to take such a bold move.


    He chose to die rather than obey Alaric''s orders!


    "Dadddyyyyy... !!!" Jan screamed loudly and ran to his father, who had collapsed on the floor with a large, horrible wound on his head. Blood flowed hard from a shot wound on his forehead and quickly formed a pool of thick blood. Kurt''s wife fainted after seeing her husband take his own life before her eyes.


    Alaric was shocked by what had happened. For a few seconds, no one spoke.


    It all happened so fast ...

 Chapter 396 - The Aftermath

    It all happened so fast ... that even the best assassins of the world who were present in the room did not have the chance to stop him, because nobody expected Kurt to take such a bold move.


    Alaric was shocked by what had happened. For a few seconds, no one spoke.


    Minutes passed and the atmosphere in the room remained tense. They were all accustomed to killing, but based on the orders they received from Alaric last night, all the assassins in the room knew that Alaric had no intention of hurting Kurt. The order was clear: ''Don''t be rude to him''.


    They just wanted to threaten the man to obey their boss'' request, namely to give access to the sick woman so that Alaric could have her moved to a better facility.


    Why was it so difficult for Kurt to fulfill that simple request? Didn''t Alaric say he meant no harm to Aleksis?


    Alaric even had to threaten Kurt using his wife and children. Alaric thought his request was quite simple and should not be hard to fulfill if Kurt were a little pressured. He didn''t really mean it when he said that he would kill Kurt''s wife and child. He really didn''t expect Kurt to choose death rather than follow his request.


    Alaric couldn''t understand why anyone would be willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of information about a girl...


    Who was Kurt actually protecting?


    All these thoughts made his head hurt. He grimly signaled his men to take out Kurt''s son. Jan''s screams could still be heard for several minutes, and soon faded away.


    "It''s not our fault, Sir, he took his own life ..." Pavel said as he followed Alaric into the library. Alaric took out a bottle of brandy but Pavel tried to prevent Alaric from drinking by removing the glass from the table, "It is still very early, Sir. You cannot lose control. It will be bad for the morale of our people."


    "How can I face Aleksis? Her father died because of me ..." Alaric complained in a deep voice. "I should have asked humbly ... but ..."


    He fell silent.


    He did not know how to ask humbly. He had long lost touch with humans. He hated people and never wanted to hang out with them. He only surrounded himself with the few he trusted and were loyal to him.


    Whatever he wanted he could easily get, whether that person gave it himself, or was forced by means of intimidation. He never had to humble himself to ask for something.


    Maybe... if he had been nice to Kurt, that man would be willing to help him.


    Alaric took a deep breath and a realization entered his heart: he was indeed a bad person. He no longer knew how to behave like an ordinary human.


    He thought about what he told Aleksis when they first met again in Singapore, "I''m a bad person. If you know me well, you will definitely hate me."


    But the girl did not hate him, even more - she loved him, and that touched the core of Alaric''s heart.


    But now, there was no turning back. Aleksis would definitely hate him now. Alaric had caused her father''s death.


    "What do you want to do now?" Pavel asked him. He placed Kurt''s cell phone on the table. The screen still showed Aleksis'' diagnosis.


    Alaric glanced over and nodded slowly, "Try contact the hospital and search for information about Aleksis. I will think of a way to get her out."


    Alaric knew that there was actually no hope for Aleksis to recover, given the severity of her injury. He was just entertaining himself, acting as though Aleksis could still be saved.


    Pavel took his own phone and called the Stamford hospital. As a senior official at Rhionen Industries, he had access to the management of various hospitals because many of them use the cancer drugs made by Rhionen Industries'' subsidiary.


    "Good morning, Director Chen. I need information about the patient who was admitted yesterday to your hospital. We are very interested in helping her recovery, because our scientists are now developing the latest type of treatment for brain stem injuries, and the results are quite promising."


    Alaric could not clearly hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but he frowned when he saw Pavel''s usually flat face turn pale.


    "What happened?" Alaric asked impatiently.


    "Very well, Director. I understand. Thank you for your help. Good evening." Pavel hung up and turned to his boss with a concerned look. "I am sorry, Sir. My condolences."


    It took ten seconds for Alaric to understand the meaning of Pavel''s words. For a moment his mind went blank. As his consciousness recovered, a teardrop fell down his cheek and he nodded slowly. "Thank you Pavel. Please leave me alone."


    Pavel bowed slightly and then left the grieving Alaric.


    Really, he did not expect things would go south this fast. Aleksis came and went as fast as the storm. She touched his life as she passed and stirred it beyond repair.


    His storm girl was gone. The only woman who sincerely loved him unconditionally ... had also left him.


    Alaric again felt as if he was the loneliest man in the world.


    He shut himself up in the library the whole day and only came out when it was getting dark.


    "Pavel ... please gather everyone. I will give my last message before I disband Rhionen Assassins," Alaric said later. His words shocked Pavel.


    "What''s the matter, Sir? Why disband our group?" Pavel asked in surprise.


    Alaric didn''t answer and Pavel understood that he shouldn''t ask too many questions. He excused himself and contacted his friends who were still outside. For years they had never gathered together like this.


    Everything happened so quickly. Takeshi and Mischa finally arrived in Germany, which meant that there were now 10 assassins present. The other five people were far away in Australia and America, but he would ask them to join virtually.


    ***

 Chapter 397 - Caspar Was Furious

    Jadeith''s usually calm expression couldn''t hide the turmoil in his chest when he hung up the phone. If not for this very shocking news, he certainly wouldn''t dare to disturb his uncle who was troubled by his daughter''s condition.


    He patted Caspar''s shoulder slowly and signalled Caspar to follow him to the corner of the room. They had just landed at Bern and were waiting for a medical helicopter to pick Aleksis up. She was to be taken to their home in Grindelwald.


    "Uncle ... something very bad happened to Kurt," Jadeith said in a trembling voice. He had never been this emotional before and it made Caspar wonder.


    "What''s the matter? Quick tell me!" Caspar urged.


    "Kurt was targeted by Rhionen Assassins and ¡­ they killed him ..."


    Caspar had to hold onto the wall to calm his mind down.


    Kurt died! His mind instantly went dark.


    Kurt was Stanis'' only child, his trusted confidant, and had replaced his father as Caspar''s right hand for 10 years since Stanis retired. Caspar had known Kurt since he was a baby. Caspar was there when he grew up and started a family. For him, Kurt was like his own family ...


    Kurt''s sudden death made Caspar very sad and angry. Subconsciously he clenched his fists and his face turned red with anger.


    "They''ve gone too far ..." he hissed in an angry tone. "I''m going to fly to Germany to meet with Kurt and Stanis'' family. Please take care of my family in Switzerland."


    With long steps he approached Finland and held his wife''s hand, "Honey ... I have to take care of something very important. Please go home to accompany Aleksis. Kara will help arrange everything for Aleksis'' treatment at home. You can also count on Nicolae; the boy is a doctor."


    "What ... what happened? Is it very serious?" Finland asked, worried. She turned to Jadeith and concluded that Caspar''s nephew had delivered very bad news.


    "I''ll tell you later. Just go home first." He kissed his wife''s forehead then walked out and talked with the pilot to leave for Berlin immediately.


    Before going to Berlin, Caspar entrusted Aleksis to Nicolae, because he knew the young man was a trusted doctor like himself. It made Nicolae feel very honored. He promised to care for Aleksis as well as possible.


    The space in the medical helicopter was limited because there were various life-supporting equipment and doctors who handled Aleksis, so only Nicolae could accompany the girl. Finland, Terry and Lauriel took part in the next helicopter with Kara who had arrived to pick them up at the airport.


    Lauriel, who was actually just as worried as Finland, tried not to show any traces of anxiety on his face, because he didn''t want Finland to be worried. He tried to put on a calm expression.


    He did not know any immortal person who recovered after suffering a severe injury that paralyzed the body, but in theory, with the ability of their perfect genes that would continuously regenerate, their bodies should be able to heal themselves and repair their injuries from within.


    The problem now was how fast Aleksis'' body could recover ...


    It may take years, or more ...


    Lauriel reached out and grabbed Finland''s hands who was sitting opposite him.


    "Aleksis will be fine," he said quietly, staring at her pair of brown eyes that were swollen from crying. "It takes time, but as immortals, time is in our hands."


    Terry, who sat next to Finland, nodded at Lauriel''s words and rubbed his mother''s back, soothing her. He knew Finland had lived in misery with Aleksis for two years when they were separated from Caspar, and the relationship between the mother and daughter was very close, far closer than the relationship between Finland and him or his younger brothers.


    Therefore Terry realized how hard this was for Finland. It was not easy to see her beloved child on the verge of death. Terry could not help but give as much support as possible. Moreover, he was also aware that the incident which had befallen Aleksis was partly the result of his actions toward Rosemary at that time ...


    Ugh, he swore to himself that he would never play with any women''s feelings even if just for fun. He never had bad intentions towards them. Terry was used to being admired by girls and that bored him. That was all.


    He had never found a woman who truly touched his heart. But now he made a promise to himself, that no matter what happened, and no matter how bored he was with life, he would not play with any woman''s feelings. He felt the accident that befell Aleksis was his bad karma.


    The punishment was very harsh, and Terry really understood his mistake. He would change his ways.


    ***


    In the medical helicopter, Nicolae observed Aleksis'' who was lying still in bed. She was supported by a ventilator and she had an IV in her arm.


    This girl was very beautiful, and her sleep looked very peaceful, he thought. Subconsciously Nicolae thought about the Sleeping Beauty story. He had often seen patients in a coma, but their expressions were all like dead people.


    Aleksis looked like she was enjoying a pleasant nap. Her beautiful lips parted slightly which made Nicolae''s chest pound so hard.


    He must refrain from touching those beautiful lips ...


    He had fallen in love with this girl from the first time Aleksis hugged him from behind and called him Prince Siegfried. Because their faces were very close and their eyes were fixed on each other, he could see how beautiful Aleksis was behind her shabby and nerdy appearance.


    When they met again in front of the Continental Hotel elevator and Aleksis looked normal (because she disguised herself as a waiter), the girl looked even more beautiful and he was more enchanted.


    Then when Aleksis entered the class he was teaching and very cleverly she could explain various discovery theories and technology, he became really impressed; then they met again in the cafeteria after Aleksis suddenly changed her appearance to a supermodel and she became the new queen bee .. Nicolae could barely breathe because he was so fascinated.


    But more than just Aleksis'' beautiful physical appearance, he was fascinated by Aleksis'' carefree attitude, intelligent brain, and her shocking persona.


    He felt like she was his storm. Nicolae liked Aleksis so much that he was willing to do anything for the girl''s sake, including protecting her many times without caring about his own safety.


    He was really lucky because Aleksis turned out to be his father''s goddaughter, and they had a very close relationship. Lauriel seemed very supportive of Nicolae to win Aleksis'' heart, and now it seemed that Caspar also gave him his blessing, judging by his attitude to Nicolae this morning, and how he entrusted Aleksis'' care to Nicolae during Caspar''s absence.


    Looking back at Aleksis, Nicolae''s gaze fell on the leather necklace with a metal pendant around her neck.


    He remembered Terry telling him that Aleksis did not like jewelry, which meant that if the girl wore this necklace, that thing had a significance to her.


    Was ... was this the necklace given by Prince Siegfried?


    What was the relationship between the two?


    Nicolae took out his cellphone and reread the message from Alaric Rhionen who asked him to look for Aleksis.


    From the tone of his message, Alaric did not seem to have any evil intentions towards Aleksis. He truly sounded worried about the girl''s safety.


    Nicolae sighed. Maybe Alaric was really in love with Aleksis. Why wouldn''t he be? Aleksis was a wonderful girl. It was not impossible that the leader of Rhionen Assassins, who was famous for being cruel, did indeed fall in love with her and would do anything for her.


    He even sent two of his best assassins to protect Aleksis. And when a mafia group bothered Aleksis, he sent his assassins to slaughter the them.


    As a man who was also in love, Nicolae felt sympathy for Alaric, because he understood how the other man must have felt. Maybe he should tell Alaric what had happened ...


    He looked at his watch and stared out the window. Finally, Nicolae decided that he would reply to Alaric Rhionen''s message after they landed and he activated his cell phone connection.

 Chapter 398 - Disbanding Rhionen Assassins

    The ten people present seemed eager to hear what Alaric had to say. The man sat in his office chair with his usual calm face. The gloomy expression that they had captured earlier this morning had disappeared.


    He was again the Alaric Rhionen they knew - their leader who had a calm face and gentle expression. Besides them, there were five other people who joined through the conference mode from America and Australia. Everyone paid close attention to Alaric; they were curious about what he had to say.


    "I founded Rhionen Assassins 40 years ago," Alaric began his remarks.


    Sighs of surprise were heard here and there. Apparently not all of his men knew about this information. Alaric just looked at them alternately with a smile.


    "I have always told you that Rhionen Asassins was founded by my father, and that he has resigned from worldly life, and assigned the leadership to me. In reality, I am Jett Rhionen himself, and there was never anyone else. I used to work alone ... I enjoyed this profession because I really hate humans and I''m just looking for an excuse to kill. " He shrugged, "I think you know that already."


    They nodded, but their faces still could not hide their surprise.


    "I started putting together a team around 35 years ago, and with time, many of my men have come and gone, whether they retired or were killed on duty. I slowly met some of you. Pavel has been with me for the longest time. I met Mischa, Takeshi, Rosalien, and Kai when you were little and took you in and raised you as my foster children ... and now you are also part of the Rhionen Assassin''s family. You are all my family ..."


    Alaric''s four foster children nodded slowly.


    "I don''t allow my foster children to call me father, because I don''t want to risk getting too attached as it would eventually hurt myself," Alaric continued. "I also recruited the best assassins of the world to join our group, and for decades we have triumphed and enjoyed the reputation of being the best and most elusive assassin organization in the world. You are very loyal to me; you never even questioned why I am not aging. I really appreciate that. I respect all of you and I think now is the time for me to free you to live your own life and leave me. I will disband Rhionen Assassins and I ask you to go as far away from me as possible and hide yourself."


    Everyone in the room looked shocked.


    "What''s the matter? Why do we have to go as far away from you as possible? Why do you have to disband our group?" Mischa asked in confusion. "I do not understand."


    Alaric knew they would not understand, but he would not explain the reason.


    The atmosphere in the room became heavy and everyone went silent for several minutes. Mischa was the only one who dared to ask Alaric why he had decided to disband his group, but the question was not answered by Alaric.


    "I thank you for your loyalty so far. Now it is best for you to live your life to the fullest and distance yourself from the name Rhionen. The death of Kurt Van Der Ven is an unexpected incident, and I do not want you to share the consequences. That was all one hundred percent my fault, so let me face retaliation from the Schneider Group alone."


    "Sir ..." One by one his men were about to voice their protest, but Alaric just waved his hand and smiled.


    "All right. I hope you all will live well. See you later."


    Alaric gave a signal to Pavel and his faithful confidant immediately stood up and followed him out, leaving the rest of his men standing transfixed in the library. This was all unexpected to them.


    ***


    Caspar was furious when he heard from Ilsa Van Der Ven, Kurt''s wife, about what had happened to Kurt. His guess was that Kurt had been kidnapped by the assassins as they wanted to obtain information about Aleksis, but it had ended badly. He could only embrace Stanis, who was grieving the death of his only child, unable to do anything.


    Stanis, who was 70 years old, seemed to have aged an extra couple of years after hearing the news about his son''s death. His face showed so much sadness; his wife had died and he only had one son who was now dead. No parent should face a situation where they must bury their child, and this broke his heart.


    Ben, who arrived later, immediately represented the entire Van Der Ven family to take care of the funeral and ceremonies at the funeral home. Many people attended the ceremony: officials from the group, business partners and government officials in Germany.


    Kurt died too soon and Caspar hadn''t prepared a replacement at the group. He could not bear to ask Stanis who had already retired to return. This made him very uneasy, because he actually wanted to focus on his family alone; he didn''t want to go back and lead his massive company group which certainly needed a lot of attention. Inwardly, he felt guilty for thinking like that when the Van Der Ven family was grieving.


    After the funeral was over, he sat pondering in Kurt''s study, thinking about what he had to do. Ben and Stanis were already tired from meeting and greeting the guests who had come to offer their condolences. They followed after him and the three of them sat quietly, busy with their respective thoughts.


    "Whiskey?" Ben asked then, breaking the silence. He could not take it anymore and took out a bottle of whiskey and three glasses from the cabinet. Caspar and Stanis nodded.


    With glasses in their hands, they sat quietly again. After finishing the contents of the glass, Caspar finally spoke.


    "I''m sorry, Stanis ... Kurt died protecting my daughter. I will make sure whoever is responsible for this receives the appropriate punishment."


    Stanis nodded weakly. "Thank you, Sir."


    "Do you know who the perpetrator is?" asked Ben.


    "I don''t know for sure, but I have a guess," Caspar poured some more whiskey into his glass, "You probably never heard about this organization because they are so mysterious. But they have been around for decades. Twenty years ago, they were also contracted to kill me. They gave me quite a problem at that time."


    "That means they are very dangerous!" said Ben, worried. "How will you deal with them?"


    "I will ask for the help of The Wolf Pack and Aldebar''s bodyguards. This is a very serious problem, I will not face them alone."


    Ben was stunned. If the people Caspar referred to really intervened, whoever was responsible for Kurt''s death would not be able to escape. Ordinary humans, no matter how great they were, were nothing compared to the 6 immortal adventurers that comprise Lauriel''s crew and the 20 bodyguards Aldebar personally chose from the most formidable people in the world who were given the immortality potion.


    He was grateful that Caspar took his nephew''s death very seriously and would take their revenge.

 Chapter 399 - Nicolae and Aleksis Brothers

    Then the question arose, which Caspar had also asked himself ...


    "Sir, what about the Schneider Group? Are you coming back?" Stanis asked him.


    Caspar could only sigh. "I have no other choice. Until Aleksis recovers or London is mature, I must take care of it myself."


    He had heard a lot about the actions of this new company that had caused much controversy, called Rhionen Industries. In many ways he felt that the Schneider Group had to be careful of that one company.


    Many of the projects they had were at odds with those of the Schneider Group projects. Caspar knew he could not stand by and let go of his responsibility because he was responsible for the lives of so many people.


    ***


    Aleksis was laid in a large room with large floor-to-ceiling windows. When the window curtain was opened, they could see the beautiful snow capped mountains and a grass field overgrown with various flowers. Since it was autumn, the weather was getting cold, so the windows were never opened; only the curtains.


    Nicolae made sure all the equipment was working properly and the staff at home understood what had to be done. He had never seen anyone with a condition like Aleksis recover, but he still had positive thoughts that, being an Alchemist, the girl''s body was different from ordinary humans and could slowly recover.


    Lauriel had prepared various special ingredients which, in his experience, could accelerate the body''s recovery. Finland would give these medicine every day to her child. Some nurses stayed at the mansion to provide physiotherapy to keep Aleksis'' body healthy during her treatment, so that she would not become paralyzed when she woke up in the future.


    The next day, Aldebar arrived with London and Rune, and for the first time Nicolae met Aleksis'' entire family. He was impressed by the closeness and warmth of the Schneider family and soon understood why Aleksis had a very pleasant personality. It was because she had a warm and loving family.


    "I''m London, Aleksis'' younger brother," London said, introducing himself when he first entered Aleksis'' room and saw Nicolae sitting by the bed, perusing the latest CT scan.


    Nicolae immediately recognized the 17-year-old boy as Aleksis'' younger brother because his face was very similar to Caspar''s. He had jet black hair, a pair of brilliant blue eyes and sweet dimples. His body was tall and slim and he looked very casual in his thin blue shirt and short pants below the knee.


    "Hello, London. My name is Nicolae, I''m your sister''s friend," Nicolae said kindly. He turned his face to the side and saw another teenager, about 15 years old, entering from the same door. "Hello, you must be Rune."


    Rune nodded. The boy had a face similar to his brother, London, but his hair was light blond and his eyes were dark blue. He sported a more serious look in his jeans and sweater attached to his shoulders.


    "Hello," Rune walked toward Aleksis'' bed and sat on the edge of the bed. "How long do you think Aleksis will be in a coma?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "I don''t know. It could take months, or years. I have to observe her condition closely for the next few weeks to figure out the progress of her recovery. After that I can make an estimate."


    "So you will stay here to do the observations?" asked Rune in a probing tone.


    Nicolae soon realized that Aleksis'' brothers were as outspoken as their sister, and for a moment he did not know what to say. Of course he wanted to stay there to do his observations, but he did not want to offer himself without being invited by the host.


    "I don''t know," he finally answered. "If you don''t mind, it''s possible."


    London and the Rune looked at each other, and simultaneously they both looked at Nicolae.


    "He seems smart," London told Rune.


    "Looks handsome too," Rune replied.


    "He looks a lot like Uncle Lauriel," London said again.


    "Uncle Lauriel is cool. His son should be cool too," Rune nodded.


    Nicolae widened his eyes as the two teenagers talked about him as if he were not in the room. Even though their words sounded positive and were full of praises, he still felt awkward to be treated like that.


    "Do you think he likes Aleksis?" asked London.


    "Even a blind person can see that he does," Rune commented.


    "Uhm ... I''m here, guys." Nicolae mumbled. "You are talking about me ..."


    Nicolae could only shake his head to see the behavior of Aleksis'' two younger siblings.


    "It looks like he is strong ... he has a tall and sturdy body, just like Uncle Lauriel. What do you think his profession is?" Rune asked London.


    London squinted at Nicolae carefully, "He holds Aleksis'' medical report and seems to understand its contents. He was also allowed by Dad to wait on Aleksis here, which means, I suspect, that he is a doctor."


    "Hmm .. I guess so too."


    Nicolae finally realized it would be useless for him to ask London and Rune to stop talking about him that way. At least these two kids weren''t talking about him behind his back, and they weren''t saying bad things about him either.


    Maybe he just had to get used to their behavior. He certainly could not change their attitude. Finally he consoled himself with such thoughts.


    Terry, who was looking for the two boys, entered five minutes later and when he saw Nicolae''s sour face, he immediately realized what had happened. Terry just shook his head to see his younger brothers'' behavior.


    "Are they talking about you?" he asked Nicolae. The young man could only nod wryly. Terry smiled broadly. "It''s a sign that they like you. I was treated like that too when I first met them. If they didn''t like you, they wouldn''t care about you at all."


    "Oh ... I got it," commented Nicolae. He looked at the two boys and then an idea crossed his mind. He then nodded at Terry. "I don''t mind them talking about me like that. It looks like they''re smart kids. One is very similar to his father, the other is not. Are they not really siblings?"


    "Oh, one is indeed more like Uncle Aldebar than his father. We often tease him and call him Uncle Aldebar''s son. His nature is also similar to Uncle Aldebar''s." Terry immediately figured that Nicolae wanted to get back at London and the Rune by discussing them in front of the two. He then added. "He is very scared of spiders."


    "Oh, I see?" Nicolae asked with a faint smile. He looked at Rune who seemed to shudder when he heard the word ''spider''. Nicolae then turned to Terry, "What about the one who looks like his father, what is he afraid of?"


    Terry smiled, "He''s not afraid of anything, but he thinks of his herd of sheep is like his own children. He will get into a panic if you say you''re hungry and want to eat lamb."


    Nicolae laughed at Terry''s explanation. London and Rune looked at each other. They realized that Nicolae and Terry were retaliating to them. Both of them put on a frowning face and left Aleksis'' room.


    When the two teenagers disappeared, involuntarily Nicolae and Terry happily high-fived each other in the air. Terry seemed very satisfied.


    "Jeez ... you don''t know how much I want to avenge them. But it''s really hard to do it alone ... Hahaha ... Luckily, now I have you to do it."


    Slowly a smile appeared on their lips and finally Nicolae and Terry laughed and patted each other''s shoulders.


    From today, not only Wolf and Billie Jean, but Nicolae and Terry were also officially friends.


    ***

 Chapter 400 - Family Gathering

    The next day, the Schneider family was shocked by Jean''s arrival at their mansion in Grindelwald. He hurried over after hearing what had happened to Aleksis. Billie was preparing for a concert around the world so she couldn''t come with Jean.


    Terry was very happy to see his father come. Everyone could see his beaming face. Terry idolized his father, a famous actor, and he aspired to become a filmmaker to make his father proud.


    Aldebar, who was taking care of London and Rune at his research facilities, also came to visit Aleksis to figure out what he could do to help. With the arrival of Lauriel, Aldebar, and Jean, the atmosphere felt like Christmas, as every Christmas the large Schneider family usually gathered like this.


    As usual, Aldebar, who came with London and Rune, became the center of attention because of his unique outfit choices. This time he chose to wear Edwardian clothes that were rather complicated and very intricate.


    Finland felt relieved because her children did not follow Aldebar''s taste for historical outfits after living with him for so long.


    The atmosphere in the mansion felt very warm and festive. Lauriel was there with his son, Nicolae, and they were the Schneiders'' best friends who came to accompany the family in the midst of this difficult situation. Then, there was Terry, Finland''s biological child from her best friend, Jean, and of course, their two boys who had been with Aldebar for the past month.


    When they were having dinner in the dining room at a very long table with a variety of sumptuous dishes, Nicolae carefully observed everyone who was present. He felt very impressed, because after living alone for decades, he could finally spend time with people who had become his family.


    He was very happy to have met his father, and now his happiness increased because he knew he was part of the Alchemist clan. He felt like he just found a new family.


    They chatted during dinner, mostly about the progress that had taken place. Caspar also conveyed his request to Lauriel and Aldebar to lend their men to him so he could get revenge on those who killed Kurt.


    Terry and Nicolae looked at each other as they listened to the conversation of the older men at the dinner table. They just heard about what had happened to Caspar''s confidant.


    "Do you know who is responsible?" Lauriel asked. "I will ask The Wolf Pack to come and help you."


    Caspar nodded, "Based on my investigation, he was killed by the people from Rhionen Assasins."


    "In two days they will all arrive here. I can instruct them to help you," Lauriel said.


    "Thank you, Lauriel. I owe you one." said Caspar. He then turned to his brother Aldebar. "I also need your help."


    Aldebar nodded, "Of course. We must properly punish this people. Do you know why they kidnapped Kurt?"


    Caspar sighed, "It looks like they were looking for Aleksis."


    Nicolae immediately remembered that he had received a message from Alaric Rhionen on his Darknet account. He had felt sorry for the man and wanted to tell him about Aleksis'' condition, but when he arrived at this mansion, he was so busy preparing for Aleksis'' treatment, he totally forgot to do it.


    Now, after hearing about Kurt''s death, he made the decision not to tell Alaric about Aleksis'' condition. He did not sympathize with him anymore because apparently the man had cruelly lead Kurt to his death.


    Apparently he was even more dangerous than what Nicolae suspected. Inwardly he could not understand how Aleksis could be involved with the leader of the world''s number one assassin organization.


    Finally, Terry and Nicolae could only listen to the adults'' conversation at the dinner table; they did not want to be considered presumptuous. Caspar made plans with Lauriel to hunt down Rhionen Asassins and find out why they were looking for Aleksis.


    Caspar, who had to replace Kurt in taking care of his company, was forced to return to Berlin and arrange for the Group to run well after Kurt''s death. He asked for Jean''s help to watch over his children for several months while he set the conditions of the company.


    Jean claimed to have retired from acting to live temporarily in Switzerland. Finland would stay in Switzerland for a week to accompany Aleksis, and in Berlin for a week to accompany Caspar, alternately.


    Nicolae was very honored when Caspar asked for his help to stay in Switzerland to oversee the care of Aleksis. He did not expect Caspar to give him such confidence in such a short amount of time.


    "I have completed my mission in Singapore, so I can stay here. I will be happy to observe and supervise the care of Aleksis," Nicolae said.


    He just needed to apologize to Professor Tillman for not being able to be his assistant for public lecture on Tuesdays. But for him, life as a student in Singapore was no longer interesting, because Aleksis was no longer there.


    "Thank you," Caspar said, nodding toward Nicolae. He then turned to Terry, "Have you finished your studies?"


    "I have, I just need to submit my final project, and it can be done from anywhere," Terry said quickly.


    "Good. Whenever you can join me in Berlin, I will greatly appreciate your help in managing the group. While Aleksis has not recovered, I hope you will be able to take over."


    Terry could not help but be surprised. He ... was asked by Caspar to ... someday ... take over the group? Gosh, really? Had he heard it right?


    Terry felt so moved. He did not think that Caspar now really thought of him as his own son. Caspar had lightly asked him to take care of his family business - as if he was one of his children. Terry knew how jealous Caspar was of Jean in the past, especially after knowing that Finland had a child with Jean, namely Terry.


    Now it seemed that Caspar no longer had any problem with him, and even considered Terry as his own son.

 Chapter 401 - My mother did what??

    For three days, the extended family spent time together and slowly started to take action. The Wolf Pack finally arrived and Lauriel immediately updated them on what was happening.


    Together with Aldebar, he sat in the living room to discuss their plans. Knowing how dangerous Rhionen Assassins was, Aldebar was willing to lend some of his men to help with their mission.


    Nicolae and Terry, who attended the meeting in silence, could only keep their admiration to themselves, seeing first hand how these skilled adventurers were forming a plan. Nicolae was even more impressed by his father for having such a reliable team.


    Rhionen Assassins, however great they were, were still only regular humans and their experience and expertise couldn''t be compared to the experiences and expertise of these immortals who had walked the earth for centuries.


    Among the members of The Wolf Pack, Peach was the youngest; he was only 140 years old. The others had followed Lauriel since he was still Black Bart and was venturing the sea. They had tasted the life as adventurers for centuries and accummulated a wealth of knowledge and experience in handling different dangerous situations.


    "Boss Lauriel, are you still unwilling to accept Marion? She now lives in Basel. It''s very close from here ... I can give her a call. She could be very useful," said Endo in a very careful tone. He did not want to be scolded by Lauriel for defending Marion, yet he wanted her to be accepted back into their group. "I mean ... with her ability to disguise, we can lure Rhionen Assassins out. Until now no one knows the faces of these assassins. It would be difficult for us to find them."


    "Uhm ... I''ve seen two of them," Nicolae replied. He turned to his father. "I can sketch their faces so we can check on various surveillance cameras around the world. Wherever they are, we will be able to find them."


    Finding someone in China using the facial recognition software would only take five minutes, for example, because they had millions of CCTV cameras installed in the whole country. Nicolae could hack into the control center of all surveillance cameras in every country in the world to find Takeshi and Mischa.


    All the new Wolf Pack members now focused their attention on Nicolae, who had been sitting quietly in the corner. They just realized that the young man looked very similar to Lauriel and wondered what his relationship with their leader was.


    Lauriel, who for the last few hours had only been focusing on finding solutions to the problems that had befallen Aleksis, realized that he had not yet introduced his son. He smiled and nodded at Nicolae.


    "Everyone, please forgive me, I forgot to introduce my son. This is Nicolae, my son."


    Petra, Esso, Endo, and Neo widened their eyes. They did not know that Lauriel had a son. Indeed Nicolae looked very similar to Lauriel, but to their knowledge their boss did not have a girlfriend nor a wife. For nearly 100 years he had lived alone after his girlfriend died during the war.


    "Your son? We did not know that Boss have married ... this is great ..." said Petra, amazed. "You never told us."


    "Hmm ..." Lauriel took a deep breath. "Luna gave birth to Nicolae before she died in Romania. I just found out that I had a son last week when we accidentally did a DNA test."


    Muffled sighs immediately heard in the room and simultaneously the five remaining Wolf Pack members rose and embraced Lauriel with joy.


    "I''m very happy for you, Boss Lauriel." Petra''s eyes were almost glazed when he congratulated Lauriel. He then turned to Nicolae and hugged him too. "I am delighted to meet Princess Luna''s son. Your mother was an extraordinary woman."


    Nicolae was touched by how his father''s friends treated him. He then realized that apparently all the pack members knew his mother. A warm feeling crept up to his chest as one by one they started congratulating him.


    During this time, he had not had time to ask Lauriel about his mother. Lauriel''s face was always filled with grief when Luna''s name was mentioned. Nicolae did not want to bring back the pain to his father by asking him to talk about his mother because he realized how deeply Lauriel loved his mother.


    "I don''t know anything about mother," Nicolae said with a slightly embarrassed face, "I didn''t even know that you guys actually knew her in person."


    "Princess Luna was the most beautiful woman in the whole clan. We could never understand what she saw in your father. She chased after Lauriel so hard. She even disguised herself as a man for decades just to be near him on the ship," Neo said while glancing at Lauriel; a mischievous smile arched on his lips.


    The atmosphere in the room turned lighter. Luna always brought happiness to the people she was with, and now was no exception. The Wolf Pack remembered the girl with a heartwarming feeling in the chests.


    "Wait ... what? My mother did what?? She chased after my father? Is that true??" Nicolae asked in amazement. "And she disguised herself as a man? Why?"


    "Princess Luna was an adventurer. She was good at fighting with swords and her archery skills were extraordinary, and for that reason Boss Lauriel decided to accept her as a member of The Wolf Pack. After meeting your father at her birthday party, Princess Luna was determined to conquer Lauriel''s heart. He was so strict about not accepting women onboard of his ship, so you mother had to disguise herself as a man applied to work for him so she could be near him. It took decades for Boss Lauriel to realize his feelings to your mother, and when he finally realized that he loved Princess Luna, he finally chased after your mother." Endo added.


    Nicolae was touched. Slowly he began to imagine the extraordinary woman who had given birth to him to  this world. He really hoped to get to know her more. A bittersweet feeling filled his chest.

 Chapter 402 - Making Plans

    "It looks like Mother was a great woman. Too bad I don''t know what she looked like," Nicolae said quietly. "In the old days, it was not usual to take photographs, and even if there were photographs taken, I''m sure that nothing would have been left due to the war."


    Lauriel was sad to hear that. Not only because he hoped that Nicolae could know his mother''s face, but also because after almost 100 years, slowly his memories of Luna''s face began to fade.


    He did not have a photo or a picture of his girlfriend, and after nearly 100 years, he had to accept the sad fact that he also did not really remember what her face looked like.


    "Even I am slowly forgetting your mother''s face," Lauriel murmured, "I only remember her beautiful purple eyes ... and her purple hair."


    "Purple is a characteristic of the Linden family," Petra said, nodding. "Maybe if Nicolae saw Princess Portia, he could imagine what Princess Luna looked like. Portia and Luna have some similarities. After all, they are cousins."


    Nicolae had heard about Ned and Portia before, but he just found out that Portia was his mother''s cousin. Inwardly, he did not want to see Portia, because after all, Portia was not Luna. He did not want to long for his mother even more.


    "It''s okay. Maybe it''s better if I don''t meet Portia," Nicolae said, smiling faintly. "Mmm ... what if we continue developing a plan to find Rhionen Assassins? I can sketch the two members I saw and we could look for them. After interrogating the two, we can obtain information about the others."


    Nicolae had observed that Lauriel''s expression had turned sad when Luna''s name was mentioned, so Nicolae wanted them to stop talking about his mother. He glanced at his father and felt touched because his father really loved his mother, even after hundreds of years.


    He wondered if he could have that much love for a woman. At the moment, he liked Aleksis because she was very cute and she had a great personality, but he did not know whether his feelings for Aleksis were as deep as Lauriel''s feelings for Luna.


    "All right, we can start with what you suggested," Lauriel nodded in agreement. "I''ve also met Takeshi and Mischa, so I can help you. The others can start finding ways to infiltrate Rhionen Industries, because now it''s clear that the two are related. I want to know who Alaric Rhionen is."


    Nicolae had told Lauriel that Alaric Rhionen had contacted him to look for Aleksis, and it was highly  likely that he was indeed the man called Prince Siegfried by Aleksis. Now Lauriel was targeting Alaric because he held him accountable for all the problems that befell Aleksis as well as Kurt''s death.


    They agreed to target Takeshi and Mischa while infiltrating Rhionen Industries in search of information about the members of the Rhionen Assassins. Nicolae quickly sketched Takeshi and Mischa''s face according to his memory and hacked all CCTV camera controllers around the world to find them both.


    "All right, then we should gather at my family''s house, so as not to interfere with Aleksis'' healing here," Lauriel said later after they had finished their discussion.


    "Your house?" Petra looked surprised hearing that. "Boss, you haven''t gone home for a long time ..."


    Nicolae turned to Lauriel. He also did not know which house Lauriel meant. As Lauriel was a nomad, being an adventurer who only recently settled, he only knew that Lauriel had a farm in Colorado and an animal conservation in Kenya.


    Lauriel looked at Nicolae''s surprised face and nodded. "The Medici family castle. I am ¡­ was ... the last descendant and I haven''t lived there for a long time - probably since my whole family died. I only stop there once every few years to make sure that everything is fine."


    Only then did Nicolae realize that Lauriel still had a family home - a home where the family had lived for generations, just like the Schneider family castle in Germany. He imagined that if Lauriel had taken Death, if he had not met Aleksis, the Medici family''s home would have collapsed altogether because it''s last successor would be no more.


    "Where is our family home, Father?" Nicolae asked.


    "It is in Italy, in Grosetto to be precise. I will take you there, and hand it over to you, since you are the heir of the Medici family. I will stay at the conservation."


    "Uhm ... but if we go, who would take care of Aleksis here?"


    "Italy and Switzerland are not far away," Lauriel said. "You can come here anytime."


    "Hm ..." Finally Nicolae nodded. He turned to Terry. "How about you?"


    Terry shrugged, "I have to work on my last short film project so that I can graduate. Thereafter I was asked to help Uncle Caspar at the company. I only need two more months. I guess you won''t be able to play in my movie now, will you?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "Sorry, but I have to help care for Aleksis and help my father find Rhionen Assassins."


    "Hmm ... it''s fine." Terry accidentally saw Jean standing outside the window, walking with Finland towards the lake while chatting. "Maybe my father can help ..."


    "Gosh, you are going to ask your father to play in your short film?" Nicolae asked in amazement. "Your film will be a huge success!"


    Terry smiled broadly, "Indeed. But I don''t know if Father would want to. I must ask him first."


    Endo touched Lauriel''s shoulder before they all disbanded to do their respective duties, "Boss ... will you not forgive Marion? It''s been almost 18 years. You know we need her."


    Lauriel sighed and finally nodded. "All right. Next week when we regroup at Grosetto, you may invite Marion."


    "Ah ... okay! I''ll talk to her. Marion really misses you ... er, she really misses all of us at the Wolf Pack. She said her life was boring without us." Endo looked very happy. He patted Lauriel''s shoulder excitedly then left the room and immediately called someone to deliver the good news.


    Lauriel thought about the reason why he kicked Marion out of his group 18 years ago. Marion took liberty in shooting Alexei when Lauriel clearly stated that he had wanted Alexei alive. He knew the reason Marion shot Alexei wasn''t just to teach him a lesson. At that time Alexei had told Lauriel that he had information on the whereabouts of Princess Luna.


    Lauriel knew that Marion had long harboured feelings for him, but unfortunately Lauriel only considered Marion as his little sister. He always let Marion do as she pleased, but when Marion deliberately shot Alexei when Alexei offered information about Princess Luna, Lauriel felt that Marion had stepped over the line.


    He must punish Marion so that the girl understood that her actions were very detrimental to Lauriel who was eager to know the whereabouts of her girlfriend, the mother of his child.


    Now, after 18 years, and after Lauriel had learned with certainty that Luna was indeed gone, he was able to forgive Marion. Besides, he had also met his biological son, Nicolae.


    That was why he gave Endo the permission to contact the girl and bring her back to the group.

 Chapter 403 - What happened to Billie Jean couple?

    It had been a while since Jean and Finland walked together and chatted like this. After Finland married Caspar, she had to keep her distance from Jean because her husband had been very jealous of her closeness to Jean.


    Thereafter, something always stood in the way - her successive pregnancies with London and Rune, the need to take care of her family - and in consequence, Finland could only meet Jean when they gathered for Christmas holidays or when they happen to be in America.


    Now Jean had decided to take a year off from the movie industry because he wanted to help Finland since his best friend was surrounded with problems.


    Not only because Finland had to take care of Aleksis who was sick, but also because Caspar had to leave for Germany to take care of his very large company group because his right hand, Kurt, had died.


    Finland must divide her attention and time for her husband and children because they were left with no option but to live in separate places. Until Caspar could delegate all work matters to his confidants, he must be in Berlin and New York, while Aleksis had been decided to be treated in Switzerland.


    Finland must divide her time between Switzerland and Germany and America and this made her tired. Even so, she was very grateful for having so much support from her family and friends.


    "I''m glad Caspar considered Terry to help him take care of the company," Jean commented, pulling a grass flower and tucking it between his lips. He then sat on the meadow and tapped the place next to him, giving a sign for Finland to sit.


    "Me too. He has left the business for too long and his focus lately has only been our family," Finland said with a smile. She then sat next to Jean. "I''m sure it won''t be easy for him. Hopefully Terry can help ease his work."


    "Hmm ... Our family is very funny, huh?" Jean asked her. He looked at Finland with a witty look. "Somehow, now we all have become one big family."


    Finland nodded. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. "I''m very grateful. Twenty years ago I was just a poor orphan who had nothing and nobody. Now, I have a wonderful family. I have wonderful children, I even have a son with my very best friend ..."


    "Fate is indeed funny. If you hadn''t needed money and hadn''t sold your eggs in the past, there wouldn''t be Terry." Jean nodded. "If I hadn''t become a sperm donor, maybe forever I would never experience how it feels like to be a father. You know I''m not gifted as a parent. I''m also not interested in building a family with other people. Getting married is not the goal of my life, because my parents divorced when I was five years old. I don''t believe in marriage."


    He turned and looked at Finland deeply, "But thanks to you, I now have a family of my own, I have you and your children, and I have Terry. I will not exchange it for anything."


    Finland felt Jean''s attitude was rather strange for suddenly discussing this. She took Jean''s hand and stared back at him, but with a questioning look, "Did something happen between you and Billie? Why are you acting so strangely? You''ve been talking about family but you haven''t mentioned Billie at all. Isn''t she your family too?"


    Jean shook his head slowly, "Billie and I will never get married. She and I have a different outlook on life. I think it''s time for me to take on a new identity. I will fake my death and start a new life. Billie doesn''t want to come with me."


    Finland was surprised to hear that. "Does that mean that ... now you''ve separated?"


    Jean nodded.


    Finland felt sorry for her friend. Jean and Billie had been together for over 15 years, and they were two of her favorite humans on earth.


    She had really hoped that Jean and Billie could become a lasting couple, but unexpectedly, despite being together for over 15 years, the two finally chose to separate.


    "If I may know, what made you and Billie decide to part ways?" Finland asked later. "Many people need tens to hundreds of years to be sure of their partners. Like Ned and Portia, for example, they were together for 200 years before they finally decided to get married. You have only been together for 15 years. Technically ... there is still plenty of time to get to know each other. . "


    Jean smiled at that.


    "You forgot that Ned and Portia are pure Alchemists. From birth they knew no other life. For them, life goes on very slowly because time is in their hands. The three of us were born as regular humans. You, me and Billie - we are more accustomed to normal human time. It is normal for us to find a partner in our 20s or 30s and get married before the age of 40, then build a family." He closed his eyes and laid his body on the grass with a relaxed attitude that Finland had not seen for a long time. "After 15 years together, Billie finally realized that we were very different. She wants to get married and have children, I don''t."


    "I know you are traumatized by marriage because your parents got divorced when you were little, but why do you let yourself be dictated by your parents'' past experiences?" Finland asked again.


    "Why don''t you reflect on successful marriages? Like Caspar and mine, for example. We have been together for 21 years and we still love each other dearly, even more so. Our love seems to grow stronger every day. Our three children are bonuses that make our lives happier. I can''t imagine my life without them."


    "Maybe the pain caused by my parents'' divorce cut me very deep - it hasn''t healed even after 40 years," Jean shrugged, still closing his eyes.


    "Billie is a good woman. She is too good for me. I get sad everytime she expresses her desire to be a mother. She loves Terry, but she wants to have children of her own. You know that as Alchemists, we can only have offspring if both parents want a child. After many years of trying, Billie came to realize that she wouldn''t be able to get a child from me because I don''t want one.


    One day, she cried on my chest and asked me what was she doing wrong ¡­ seeing her cry like that really broke my heart. But you know, it is not her fault, it is mine. Some of the songs in her last album are filled with sadness. I feel guilty, keeping her in a relationship without being able to give her what she wants. That''s why I chose to leave."


    Finland was stunned. After being friends with Jean for almost a quarter of a century, this was the first time they had a deep conversation about his relationship. She did not know that Jean''s fear of marriage was so severe.


    She felt sorry for Billie whom she knew really loved Jean. Finland still listened to Billie''s songs and she now understood why her songs had turned darker lately. Apparently it was because she and Jean had ended their relationship.


    "I hope you will find what you are looking for, Jean," said Finland then after a long silence. Their silence was interrupted by the sound of Finland''s cell phone. She saw an incoming message from her husband. "Ah, Caspar is looking for me. Do you want to go back to the house now?"


    Jean opened one of his eyes and smiled. "No, you go. I still want to be here."


    "All right, see you later then." Finland patted Jean''s shoulder then stood up and walked back toward the mansion.


    Jean laid in the meadow for another half an hour. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of the wind and the squeaking of the birds around him. His depressed mood slowly turned peaceful.

 Chapter 404 - Romance in the Village

    After an hour Jean decided to get up and walk to the nearest village. Because his face was well known, he deliberately wore black sunglasses, a scarf that covered almost half of his face and a sports hat. The temperature had begun to drop that autumn, so his completely covered up appearance did not attract any attention.


    In the center of the village, which consists of various restaurants and shops, there was a huge crowd. Many people wore traditional clothes and there were lively musical performances. Jean saw large prints at various locations "Hyacinthe Village Oktoberfest Festival".


    Oktoberfest is a festival throughout October that had become a tradition in Germany where people hold crowds and drink a lot of beer. Apparently, that tradition also reached this village, because some Swiss residents were of German descent. Although it was still late September, it seemed that the festivities of Oktoberfest had begun.


    Jean''s dark mood lightened when he saw people partying and chatting happily while enjoying their beer and snacks. There were also many tourists from other countries who enjoyed the festive atmosphere.


    Jean sat in an empty chair and ordered a glass of glow wine. The waiter seemed to frown because it was the Octoberfest festival! Various beers of the best quality were issued at the promotional price but this one guest ordered glow wine instead! How weird.


    "Normally we don''t sell glow wine on a month like this, but you are lucky because the restaurant owner is looking to make it, so this week we provide glow wine," commented the waiter.


    Jean smiled, "Thank you."


    After the servant left, Jean observed the people around him. Some were engrossed in conversations while others enjoyed the music performances. He felt happy because he had decided to come here.


    He thought that it would be a good idea for the people in the mansion to come to the village to enjoy the festive mood so that they would be less depressed. He took his cellphone and sent them a message.


    [In the Hyacinthe Village there is an Oktoberfest celebration, come here to have fun.]


    He sent a message to the group.


    A few minutes later there was a reply from Caspar.


    [We can hold an Oktoberfest ourselves at the mansion. Tonight at 8 p.m. before everyone leaves.]


    Jean could only roll his eyes. He knew how much Caspar liked privacy and did not want to mingle with ordinary people. The man was far worse than Hollywood celebrities who hid their personal lives. Caspar would only eat at a restaurant if he could close the restaurant to the public.


    Jean felt sorry for the Schneider children who could not enjoy lives like normal people and mingle with commoners. But given what had happened to Aleksis, he could understand Caspar''s stubbornness not to allow his children to live in the outside world.


    As a very well-known actor, Jean himself must hide and often disguise himself if he wanted to walk among the crowd so as not to be chased by his fans. But he still preferred to disguise himself rather than distance himself from other humans.


    "Excuse me, is this seat empty?" suddenly a crisp sound interrupted his reverie. Jean had been too preoccupied with his own world and, after finishing three glasses of glow wine, he didn''t pay much attention to his surroundings anymore.


    The girl had apparently questioned him three times before Jean finally heard her. Jean turned and saw a very beautiful girl with shoulder-length hair and a pair of beautiful cat eyes. Looking into her eyes made Jean feel like he was looking into his own eyes.


    He smiled and shook his head, and invited the girl to sit. "Please."


    "Thank you." The girl sat down and signaled to the waiter, "I want glow wine too."


    After the order arrived, the girl enjoyed her wine fervently. She and Jean did not talk to each other for several minutes.


    "I''m heartbroken," the girl said suddenly after she finished her glow wine. Jean turned his head in surprise. He was not sure if she was talking to him, so he looked at her with a questioning face. The girl shook her head sadly. "Sorry, I''m talking to you like this. I shouldn''t have bombarded strangers with my personal problems."


    Jean did not reply. He did not know how to comfort a girl who was heartbroken.


    He slowly took a sip of his glow wine.


    "Have you ever loved someone but your love is unrequited?" asked the girl again.


    Jean didn''t want to discuss his personal life with someone he didn''t know, so he didn''t reply. But the girl did not seem to care much about Jean''s answer anyway. She continued talking.


    "I have never loved anyone else, only him. But after being rejected so many times, I still cannot see it. Today I finally realized that he would never ever ever reciprocate my feelings. I feel like I am not a real woman. How can I be so insensitive and didn''t get that he was just not into me?"


    The girl turned to Jean and leaned her face close to his so that their noses almost touched. Her pair of cat-eyes stared fixedly at Jean''s eyes that resembled her own.


    The atmosphere became a little awkward for a few seconds, but before long, tears started pooling on the corner of the girl''s eyes and it made Jean feel so sympathetic. He blinked and subconsciously wiped the girl''s tears softly with his thumbs.


    "Don''t cry," he said gently. "Being insensitive is not a sin. You are too in love with the wrong person. You will find someone who will love you as much as you love him."


    The girl pursed her lips in tears, "I am not a weak woman. Many people are afraid of me, but only one man can make me cry like this. I hate being this weak."


    Jean smiled at that. He acknowledged that love did make people do things that they sometimes didn''t understand. He studied the girl carefully and regretted how such a beautiful and attractive girl had to shed tears for unrequited love.


    His hands were still framing her face because he was still wiping away her tears, and they were still staring at close range. Passerbys who didn''t know the situation would probably think they were lovers.


    "Hmmm, usually people don''t know what they''ve got until it''s gone," Jean said finally. He then smiled to himself remembering something. "You want to know the best way to get back at that person?"


    The girl shook her head. "I want to avenge him, so that he will regret rejecting my love. Tell me, how do I do that?"


    Jean had never done this before, but seeing how deeply she was grieving, he could not bear to see her cry. He really wanted to help the girl.


    "I can pretend to be your boyfriend and you can take me to meet him. That way he sees that you can get someone better than him."


    The girl was speechless for a short moment, then her face frowned as she retorted, "There is no one better than him!"


    Jean was puzzled for a few seconds then he laughed out loud. "Gosh, you are a hopeless case. I give up."


    Seeing Jean laugh freely, the girl slowly realized what was so funny. She really was pathetic, she thought. Even though she was heartbroken, she still defended the man who had rejected her love multiple times.


    Finally, she also laughed.


    Whether it was because they were influenced by the several glasses of glow wine they had consumed, or because the general atmosphere was quite romantic, they both looked at each other and smiled wryly. The girl narrowed her eyes and brought her face closer to Jean''s face and touched his cheek.


    "I like your eyes," said the girl, smiling.


    Jean nodded. "Your eyes are beautiful. I feel like I''m looking in the mirror and seeing my own."


    When their faces were again so close, subconsciously Jean pulled down the scarf that covered half of his face and brought his lips closer to hers, and kissed her. The girl was rather surprised, but then she closed her eyes and returned Jean''s kiss.

 Chapter 405 - I am not your fan!

    Maybe it was the many glasses of glow wine they had consumed, maybe it was because the general atmosphere was quite romantic, they both looked at each other and smiled wryly. The girl narrowed her eyes and brought her face closer to Jean''s face and touched his cheek.


    Both of them had very similar cat eyes, now staring at each other study the other person. Subconsciously Jean pulled down the scarf that covered half of his face and brought his lips closer to the girl''s, and kissed her. She was rather surprised, but then she closed her eyes and returned Jean''s kiss.


    They kissed for a few minutes, first gently and gradually they got more excited. The girl had a broken heart and her feelings were still fragile, while Jean was not fully able to control himself because all the glow wine he had drunk.


    Passers by who saw these two good-looking people could only smile and whisper. The scarf that had covered half of Jean''s face finally fell to the floor as he closed his eyes and kissed the girl in front of him with all his heart.


    He bit her lower lip gently and looked for a way for his tongue to explore her mouth. Both of them drifted deeper into the euphoria, and now they began to caress and embrace each other.


    One by one the passersby began to recognize the handsome young man - who was kissing a girl in a cafe in the middle of this village. The amused whispers slowly turned into protests and gossips and Jean was immediately aware when he heard the sound of camera shutters.


    "Jeez ... is that Jean? Turns out he''s on vacation here," people cried.


    "Didn''t he already have a fiancee? Why kiss another woman?"


    "Jean is one of the few good men in Hollywood, why cheat on Billie? Gosh, this is big news!!"


    Jean looked around and quickly, almost instinctively, placed a 100-franc bill on the table and pulled the girl by the hand out of the cafe.


    "Shhh ... let''s run away from here," he whispered.


    The girl was stunned. Subconsciously, she ran after Jean who was holding her hand, breaking into the crowd at the festival.


    "Where are we going?" she asked in puzzlement.


    Jean turned and smiled broadly, not answering. The girl smiled back and didn''t ask further. Somehow her heart, which was initially very sad, now felt much lighter. With a laugh she ran arm in arm with Jean away from the village.


    When they were finally alone, they stopped at the edge of a river. The water was crystal clear and flowed very gently. They sat on the grass to catch their breath.


    "You run very fast," said the girl, laughing happily. "Why did you run away so fast, anyway? Did you see a ghost?"


    Jean shook his head, "It was worse than a ghost. I saw the paparazzi."


    "Paparazzi?? Who are you to be chased by paparazzi?" The girl brought her face closer to Jean''s and narrowed her eyes to observe the young man. After five minutes, she patted her own forehead and sighed in surprise, "You''re Jean! We''ve met once."


    Jean frowned. At first he thought (and half hoped) the girl finally recognized him as a very popular actor, the dream guy of many women, but apparently the girl was not impressed at all. She was actually rather indifferent.


    He frowned a little because this girl was apparently different from all the girls he had met before, who immediately screamed in excitement when they saw him and tried to attract his attention.


    "Have we met before? Where?" he asked.


    "It''s a long time ago. At that time we were called to Singapore because Lauriel''s goddaughter was poisoned by Alexei and Katia. You were also in Singapore at that time." The girl replied with a laugh, "I know you are a famous actor, but I don''t really follow the news in the film industry. So don''t be disappointed if it turns out that I''m not your fan."


    Jean laughed at the girl''s candor.


    "Is that so obvious?" he asked amusedly, "I look disappointed huh?"


    Marion nodded with a chuckle. Both of them looked at each other again. When they recalled what had just happened in the village, their faces suddenly reddened.


    "Uhm ... sorry, I''m usually not like that. Sorry if I was rude," Jean said in a low voice. He blamed himself for drinking too much glow wine that afternoon. The festival and the atmosphere was very lively, and coupled with the natural beauty of the environment and the cloudy weather, he got carried away by the whole situation. "I didn''t mean to take advantage of you because you are vulnerable."


    Marion looked at Jean''s cat eyes that looked very similar to her own and shook her head, "You are rude. Not because you took advantage of a fragile woman like me, but because you already have a girlfriend. I didn''t expect you to be like those other despicable men."


    "Uhn ... you''re wrong. Billie and I have separated for some time now," Jean said in his defense. "I would not hurt a woman like that."


    Marion stared at Jean''s eyes intently. She was finally satisfied when she saw the honesty in Jean''s eyes.


    "All right. I believe you."


    "Thank you."


    They were silent for some time. The sound of the gentle river gave a romantic feel as the two sat side by side in the meadow, looking at the water in front of them and the blue mountains with white snow-covered peaks in the distance.


    "Gosh," Marion said suddenly.


    "What is wrong?" asked Jean in surprise.


    "This is very romantic. Ohhh!!! I hate you, Switzerland! You are so awful. Everywhere we go things are so beautiful and romantic," Marion complained, frowning.


    "Don''t you like it?" Jean asked.


    "Not with you. This romantic atmosphere is supposed to be enjoyed with a loved one. But right now I don''t have anyone."


    Jean just smiled at that. "If you want, I can go. I''m sure it must be torturous for you to sit in such a beautiful and romantic place with me."


    Marion turned her head and stuck out her tongue. "There are bears in this area! I dare you to leave me alone. I''m gonna kill you and bury your body in Jungfrau!"


    Jean just laughed at that. He didn''t understand Marion''s fickle attitude, but the girl had managed to make him laugh.

 Chapter 406 - Jean and Marions Agreement

    They sat on the bank of the river and talked about trivial things. Jean became talkative as he was influenced by the three glasses of glow wine he drank. Marion was very entertained to hear his stories as he talked about various movies that he had played throughout his career.


    "Gosh, I now believe that you''re very famous," Marion nodded. "Actually, I think I have seen one of your movies. I was bored that day and so I was randomly flipping through the channels on TV. Do you still remember the movie about the grand theft in Louvre?"


    Jean nodded, "Of course. I had to train very hard for that chase scene in Paris. Did you like it?"


    Marion laughed out loud, "Well, it wasn''t ... bad. But, there were some scenes that didn''t make sense. For example, the scene where you disguised yourself and went to the museum to steal the Monet painting."


    "So what?" asked Jean, interested.


    Marion smiled broadly. "For that scene, you should have consulted the only thief who successfully stole the Mona Lisa painting from the Louvre and exchanged it for a fake one. What you did was not the right way to enter."


    The girl patted her chest proudly. Jean was stunned to hear that.


    "Are you serious?"


    "I''m serious. So, remember this. The next time if you are going to make a movie about theft, infiltration, disguise, etc., you have to come to me. I''m willing to be your movie consultant," Marion said earnestly.


    Jean nodded with a smile, "Thank you. But I have decided to retire from acting. After resting for a year, I will fake my death and start a new life somewhere."


    Marion turned her head and looked closely at Jean, "Aren''t you going to miss acting?"


    "Hmmm ... maybe. But clearly I can''t continue using my current identity. The whole world thinks I''m 45 now. Even though I am half Asian and I can claim to look young, in a few years people will definitely start to be suspicious"


    "Then what are you going to do?" Marion asked again.


    "Maybe I will work as a freelancer like you..." Jean answered simply.


    Marion smiled broadly and nodded and patted Jean''s shoulder warmly. "If you bow down and call me big sister, I will teach you how."


    Jean laughed at that. This girl was very funny, he thought.


    "Hmm ... I can give you something far better than that," Jean said in a teasing voice. "If you can teach me how to be a freelancer who can infiltrate the most strictly guarded museum in the world and steal famous paintings, I will teach you about men''s hearts, so you can get the man you love."


    Marion was stunned to hear that, she looked at Jean closely and brought her face closer so that their noses almost touched.


    "You are lying!" she exclaimed.


    "How am I lying?" asked Jean, not understanding.


    "You can''t possibly teach me how to make Lauriel love me. Lauriel''s heart is rock-hard. I''ve been trying to get his attention for almost 100 years, but he never returned my feelings! Not even a little bit." Marion said.


    Jean''s cat eyes twitched after hearing that the man Marion loved was Lauriel. He had known Lauriel for 18 years and they always met during Christmas holidays with the Schneider family. He understood what Marion meant when she said Lauriel''s heart was rock-hard.


    "I''m not lying. I can make Lauriel love you in a few months. Do you want to bet with me?" Jean asked earnestly.


    Marion was impressed and somewhat curious. She looked at Jean with a very serious expression, and slowly she became convinced. Tears almost trickled from the corner of the girl''s eyes.


    "Don''t you lie to me ... I will be very embarrassed if I chase after Lauriel and he rejects my feelings ¡­ again."


    Jean smiled faintly. He touched his nose to Marion''s nose. He was tempted to kiss her again, but fortunately he was able to hold back. Marion was very adorable when she put on a look of despair like this, and Jean couldn''t bear to see her tears.


    "I am not lying." he said calmly.


    "Uhmm ... okay. If you can make Lauriel fall in love with me, I will owe you a favor. I will give you anything you want," Marion said firmly.


    "Anything?" Jean asked, smiling broadly.


    "Anything" Marion answered again.


    "Including the original Mona Lisa painting?"


    "Including ... the..." Marion bit her lip, "Mona ¡­ Lisa ¡­ painting ¡­ the real one."


    "OK." Jean stood up and offered his hand to help Marion up. "Let''s go back to the mansion. Caspar is holding his own Oktoberfest festival at 8 pm."


    "Eh ... should I come?" Marion asked doubtfully, "I already stopped by this afternoon. Actually, Lauriel told me to come to his place in Grosseto next week, but I was too impatient. I live in Basel, which is not far from here, so I rushed over immediately. After 18 long years, his attitude still hasn''t changed. He''s just like how he used to be. Ughhhhh ... I''m so desperate."


    "Hmmm maybe this is not the right time, Marion. His beloved goddaughter is sick and he is frantically chasing down those who are responsible. You chose the wrong time to appear and try to attract him." Jean patted Marion on the shoulder and told her to get up, "Come on, we''re going to the mansion. I''ll help you make Lauriel fall in love with you."


    Marion finally got up while holding Jean''s hand. "How?"


    "I will pretend to be your boyfriend. I will treat you very well. Lauriel will see how such a beautiful girl like you is desired by other men. He will feel something missing in his life. The best way to make a man fall in love with you is to reject them. Men are hardwired to be hunters, not the prey. Because all this time you were chasing after Lauriel, his manliness was nudged and so he avoided you. If you show that you don''t care about him, he might actually chase after you."


    Marion was stunned to hear that. Maybe she was indeed doing it wrong. She then remembered that in the past, Princess Luna chased after Lauriel for decades; she even disguised herself as a man to be by his side. But she failed.


    After Luna finally gave up and returned to her parents'' castle, Lauriel realized that he loved the girl and in turn he pursued Luna back to England.


    Maybe Jean''s words were true, she pondered. Finally, Marion nodded. She held out her hand and accepted Jean''s handshake as a sign they had made a deal.


    "Okay, let''s go with your plan," Marion said. "I want to make Lauriel fall in love with me."


    "All right, I''ll help you make Lauriel fall in love with you." said Jean, taking Marion''s hand. "But, I can''t guarantee that you won''t fall in love with me instead."


    After saying that, he casually walked towards the Schneider family mansion while holding Marion''s hand, who was walking behind him. On his lips was a mischievous grin.


    "What ... what do you mean?" Marion asked, punching his back. "I WILL NOT fall in love with you!"


    ***

 Chapter 407 - A Strand of Purple Hair

    Back in the Schneider Mansion, Nicolae was studying the outcome of Aleksis'' latest test results and pondered. In fact, he was somewhat surprised because the results showed a very drastic progress in a one-week time frame.


    The most recent CT scan showed that the girl''s brain wave activity was almost normal. He just had to wait for the injury to recover slowly. If her progress remained this amazing, in a matter of months Aleksis could recover!


    He could not understand how miraculous the body of an Alchemist was. Other humans would never have hope for recovery.


    "How is she doing?" asked Lauriel who just entered the treatment room."You look so serious."


    "I don''t know what made her progress so extraordinary. Is it the medicine you gave her?" Nicolae asked. He showed the CT Scan report in his hand. Lauriel nodded.


    "Maybe, I used all the best medicinal herbs for brain that I know of." His voice sounded hopeful.


    Lauriel sat beside her bed and clasped Aleksis'' right hand; she was lying on her bed like Sleeping Beauty. Lauriel became nostalgic when he remembered that when Aleksis was a child and lived in San Francisco with him, he prepared a special room for the little girl at his home.


    The room was designed to be the room fit for Princess Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty. And now as an adult, the girl actually fared like Princess Aurora. He touched Aleksis'' cheek and shook his head at the peaceful face of his beloved goddaughter.


    For a moment his eyes fell on the leather strap necklace around Aleksis'' neck.


    "Aleksis doesn''t like to wear jewelry," Lauriel said softly. He touched the metal locket on the necklace and patted it. "This thing must be very important to her."


    Unintentionally, when he touched the locket, the necklace''s leather strap broke. Apparently, when Aleksis fell down, the strap was damaged by friction. It was damaged at the back part, and that was why it wasn''t obvious before. When Lauriel touched it, the fragile necklace suddenly snapped and broke.


    "Hmm ..." Lauriel hurriedly rescued the locket before it fell to the floor. "We must keep this for Aleksis when she wakes up. Don''t lose it."


    Nicolae nodded. He carefully pulled the broken leather strap and placed it in the hand of his father who was holding the locket. "Do you want to keep it or me?"


    "I''ll keep it," Lauriel replied. He studied the locket and somehow felt drawn to open it. He wanted to know if Aleksis put a picture of someone in it. Could it be Prince Siegfried''s picture?


    He opened the locket slowly, and was stunned when he saw that there was no picture inside. Instead, there was a braided strand of purplish-colored hair tied with a white ribbon.


    Lauriel only knew a few people that had purple-colored hair. Seeing that little strand of hair, his heart felt touched. He now remembered that Luna also had purple hair, just like Portia''s. He could only guess where Aleksis had gotten the hair.


    Nicolae who saw his father pensive began to wonder. "What''s the matter, Father?"


    Lauriel shook his head. He quickly placed the hair back into the locket and closed it. "I was just remembering something. Hmm ... when everything is settled here, let''s go to the garden. Apparently Caspar decided to hold an Oktoberfest before we all leave."


    Nicolae nodded and stared at his father''s back as he left Aleksis'' room. Nicolae started pondering. He then sat next to Aleksis'' bed and looked at the beautiful sleeping beauty.


    He breathed a sigh of relief because to his surprise, Aleksis'' recovery was progressing very quickly. In a few months the girl might even be able to wake up.


    ***


    When they were almost at the gate, Jean suddenly stopped. He turned and tapped Marion on the shoulder.


    "Hey, pretend that you sprained your ankle," he said. His face looked mischievous. "I''ll carry you inside to make Lauriel jealous."


    Marion widened her eyes in surprise. She was a tough girl! Even if she were injured and wasn''t able to stand up, she would never act like a weak girl and let herself be carried by a man.


    "But ... I''m not a weak girl," she protested.


    "The fact is, because you''re so tough, men are reluctant to approach you because they think that you''ll reject them. Men have their egos, and they like it when they are needed." Jean sat and hunched in front of Marion and patted his shoulder, "Come on up. I told you that I would help you make Lauriel fall in love with you so I can get the Monalisa painting. I won''t work half-heartedly."


    Marion tsk-ed impatiently. She looked around and then stared at Jean''s back which was provided to carry her. She did not know whether this method would work.


    Ouch ... that meant that she had to act like those weak girls who cry like a damsel in distress, waiting for the prince to save them. Marion didn''t like that.


    But she knew that Jean was right. It is obvious that her current method wasn''t working, so maybe doing the opposite wasn''t a bad idea.


    Finally, she grumbled softly and climbed onto Jean''s back. The man smiled and clapped his hands gently then got up and walked into the mansion, giving Marion a piggy back ride.


    "I''ve never been carried by a man before," Marion said in a shy tone. "Is my body heavy?"


    "It is not heavy. Don''t underestimate my physical strength. To me you are as light as a feather," Jean said with a laugh.


    They entered the large mansion''s courtyard that was now decorated with various flowers and sparkling lights. Several garden tables and various types of drinks and beers were available for all guests present.


    The arrival of Jean carrying Marion on his back caught everyone''s attention and for a few seconds they stopped talking. The silence made Marion somewhat uncomfortable. She almost ordered Jean to put her down but the young man whispered softly to her.


    "Sshh ... Look, Lauriel is looking this way. Don''t embarrass yourself."


    Finally Marion could only pursed her lips and secretly glanced at Lauriel to check his response.

 Chapter 408 - Oktoberfest at the Schneider Mansion

    The arrival of Jean, giving Marion a piggyback ride surprised everyone and for a few seconds they turned silent.


    "Hello everyone, I found Marion under the hill with a sprained ankle, so I brought her here," Jean said, smiling sweetly to everyone.


    Petra and Endo covered their mouths in surprise. They knew how tough Marion was, and they couldn''t believe that the girl would voluntarily allow a man to carry her on his back just because she sprained her ankle; they could not believe what they were seeing.


    Lauriel was also rather surprised to see Marion return this soon. This afternoon he had met her and told her to come to the Grosseto next week, but apparently Marion returned tonight instead; and what was even more surprising was that the girl came with Jean.


    Jean carefully sat Marion on a lawn chair then gently asked if she wanted to drink or eat something. "Let me get it. You just sit there nicely, okay ..."


    Marion who was not used to being treated so gently by any man started to feel awkward. All this time she was able to get along well with the men in her group, The Wolf Pack, and they all treated her like a man, just like they treated the other members.


    Marion had never been romantically involved with a man before. She had worshiped Lauriel ever since she joined the Wolf Pack and had always loved him ever since. She never expected that it would feel so nice to be treated as a lover by a "normal" man.


    She looked at Jean who winked at her and gave a sign with his hand to remind Marion of the Mona Lisa painting.


    Ugh ... alright. Since she would have to pay Jean dearly and give up one of the most expensive paintings in the world that she possessed, there was nothing wrong with using the man to spoil her in front of Lauriel. Right?


    Finally Marion smiled sweetly and pointed at the glass of German beer at the end of the table, "I ... want to drink that."


    "All right, Princess," Jean then brought two glasses, one for him and one for Marion, then invited the girl to a toast.


    Petra, Endo, Esso, Neo, and Peach could only look at each other then drink their beers while rolling their eyes. Finland, who had just come out of the house, saw what had happened but couldn''t guess what Jean''s true purpose was.


    Jean just broke up with Billie. Was her best friend interested in Marion? She hoped that was not true. Caspar, who saw the direction of Finland''s gaze, immediately understood what was happening.


    Smiling sweetly, he hugged his wife''s waist and greeted her in a soft voice, not wanting to be outdone by the way Jean treated Marion, "What do you want to drink, Honey?"


    All the single men who were present at the garden could only look away and finish their drinks. They did not want to witness the intimacy of Caspar and Finland. Too much dog food was thrown at them - from both Jean and Marion; and Caspar and Finland.


    Caspar used to be a womanizer and he changed lovers once a month, until he met the woman who was now his wife. He never failed to show the world how much he adored and loved his wife.


    The other members of the Alchemist clan who did not have a partner could only lament the situation because they were single every time the couple exhibit intimacy in front of them.


    The only person who couldn''t care less seemed to be Lauriel. He was famous for not being attracted to women, especially after his girlfriend, the only woman he truly loved, died.


    Nicolae, who sat next to Terry, pinched Terry''s waist and whispered to him, "That''s your father, right? Does that mean you will have a new stepmother?"


    "Shut your mouth," Terry said irritably. After all, he had never been comfortable seeing his father making out with a woman, especially openly like this. In the movies, OK, that was just acting, but now it was in real life.


    He also did not know how to behave to Billie, his father''s fiancee for 15 years who had become quite close to him. He was very sure that his father and Billie would end up as husband and wife. But now their relationship had ended so unexpectedly.


    Terry just learned that Jean and Billie ended their relationship when he met his father in Switzerland. He hadn''t had the chance to contact Billie and say words of comfort. He didn''t know how to entertain Billie. Now even his father seemed to have moved on so quickly.


    Finally, Terry could only vent his frustration by drinking various types of beer provided at the Schneider family''s Oktoberfest while chatting warmly with the other guests.


    ***


    Meanwhile in Berlin, Alaric was reading various news in online and offline media about Kurt Van Der Ven''s funeral, and his heart felt heavy. He still could not forgive himself for causing the death of the man he thought was Aleksis'' father. He saw Kurt''s death had even caused the Schneider Group stock value go down.


    Actually, if he wanted to bring down his rival group, now was the right time. Market confidence was being tested and Rhionen Industries would be able to provide confidence to the public that the automation system they were developing was the best.


    Schneider Group was one of the greatest challengers to his automation projects. If he could steal the Schneider Group projects in America and instead offer an automated system that had been proven successful, he would be able to bring down some of the Schneider Group subsidiaries and take the market share there.


    At first he had no intention of bringing down the Schneider Group because Aleksis'' father was the group''s CEO, but now that Aleksis was gone and Kurt was dead, Alaric had no reason to delay his goal. He must refocus.


    ***

 Chapter 409 - Men Dont Like Aggressive Women

    That night the Schneider family and friends enjoyed drinks and togetherness which rarely happened. Lauriel and his men talked about the facial sketches of Takeshi and Mischa that Nicolae had made, while Peach and Endo discussed their plan to infiltrate Rhionen Industries headquarters in China.


    "If all this fails, I will need your help, Marion," Lauriel said, clearing his throat. He turned to Marion who was leaning against the wall while Jean massaged her ''sprained'' ankle.


    The girl was not paying any attention to Lauriel because she was fascinated by how expertly Jean massaged her legs. She wouldn''t even mind if she had to sprain her ankle for real. Lauriel had no choice but to cough a little and repeat his words.


    "Marion," Jean patted Marion''s knee because the girl was still dumbfounded.


    The girl widened her eyes in surprise. "What is wrong?"


    Jean leaned his chin towards Lauriel who was staring at them with an impatient look.


    "I said, if we fail to find the Rhionen Assassins in that way, I will need your help," Lauriel repeated his words.


    "Oh, why... of course, Lauriel," Marion said casually. She looked back at Jean and gave a signal for him to continue the massage. Marion waved her hand nonchalantly, "I will infiltrate wherever and whenever needed."


    "Uhm ..." Lauriel''s face seemed to tense up. Given her current attitude, he did not know whether Marion took their mission seriously. He guessed that Marion and Jean were deliberately trying to make him jealous but he could not do anything, because he had no right to forbid Marion from dating anyone. He cleared his throat. "So, you know what to do?"


    Marion nodded. "Sure. I have to disguise myself as Aleksis to lure Alaric Rhionen out."


    Everyone was surprised to hear Marion''s words uttered in such a relaxed manner.


    "You already know everything?" Lauriel asked in amazement. He did not expect that without being told, Marion had understood everything that had happened and even knew what had to be done.


    "Who is Alaric Rhionen?" asked Jean in surprise. "Does it have something to do with Rhionen Industries?"


    Marion nodded. "Rhionen Industries is actually the legal version of Rhionen Assassins. They are very dangerous and mysterious. We may not even be able to find them, so our last option would be to lure the leader out using ''Aleksis'', because he seems to have a relationship with Aleksis Schneider."


    Jean was stunned to hear that. He turned to Finland and found that his best friend was as surprised as he was.


    Finland did not yet know in detail what had happened to Aleksis. She turned to Caspar and asked for an explanation. Her husband looked uncomfortable.


    "Was Aleksis involved with dangerous people ???" Finland asked hysterically. "Why didn''t anyone tell me anything? She is my daughter!"


    "Honey, I don''t want you to be worried. Let us take care of it. Everything will be fine," Caspar tried to persuade his wife who started to panic. "Lauriel and I, and even Aldebar are putting our efforts into this. We will find out whoever is behind all this."


    Finland shook her head frantically, she immediately excused herself and entered Aleksis'' treatment room. She felt very uneasy after hearing that her daughter was involved with dangerous people. She became increasingly afraid to let her children go to the outside world.


    Jean observed everything with a worried look. He regretted not having any resources to help Caspar and Lauriel; he was just a mere actor.


    Lauriel took a deep breath. He finished his beer and then refilled his glass until it was full. "It''s good that Marion understands. Next week we will gather at Grosseto. I hope you get better soon."


    Marion nodded. "Will do, Lauriel."


    When it was late and everyone had to leave, Marion whispered to Jean to drive her home.


    "I can''t go home alone with a ''sprained'' ankle, right? You must borrow a car and take me home." said the girl. "My house is in Basel."


    Jean opened the map and frowned, "That''s two hours away."


    "Do you want my Mona Lisa painting or not?" Marion asked, holding out her hand so Jean would help her stand up.


    Jean could only shake his head. Actually he was not serious about the agreement he made with Marion. He knew that the Mona Lisa painting was Marion''s pride and most valuable possession, because she often boasted about as her most epic theft. Jean was not too fond of paintings anyway, especially the ones that were on the Mona Lisa genre.


    "All right," he said finally. He helped Marion get up and approached Caspar to borrow a car.


    "Why not just take a driver?" Caspar asked in confusion.


    Marion hurriedly replied, "Because Jean will stay overnight."


    Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at Lauriel and tried to see his reaction.


    Success! Lauriel looked stunned and frowned, then sighed and then entered the house.


    Jean shrugged and pointed at Marion, "Like she said."


    Caspar could only narrwed his eyes at the two people suspiciously and then called in his staff to bring the keys to his Mercedes. "Be careful."


    "Thank you."


    Jean returned to his duties as a good ''lover'' and carried Marion, whose ankle had been ''sprained,'' into the car. Ten minutes later they were driving on the A1 highway to Basel.


    "Thank you for all your help today," Marion said on the way. She kissed Jean on the cheek when the man was driving.


    Jean turned to her in surprise and smiled as he raised his eyebrows, "What''s this for? Don''t tell me you''ve fallen in love with me."


    Marion hit his shoulder. "Shameless! If you said such shameless things again, I will kill you and hide your body in Jungfrau so that no one will be able to find you for hundreds of years."


    "Ouch ... are you always this excited?" Jean asked, laughing. "Men don''t like aggressive women."


    Marion just pursed her lips and did not reply.

 Chapter 410 - Heart to Heart Conversation

    The atmosphere then became silent. Marion started to feel uncomfortable because she was not used to such silence. Finally, she turned on the radio so that at least there was some music. The radio station she played had just finished playing a song from a famous band, and then started playing a really sad song.


    "Uhm ..." It took a minute before Marion realized that the song they were listening to was the latest song from Billie Yves, a legendary singer who was world famous, and was Jean''s girlfriend. Uhm ... ex-girlfriend, according to Jean''s confession.


    Feeling awkward, she moved her hand to change the radio channel, but Jean''s hand prevented her from doing so.


    "Why do you want to change it?" Jean asked in a soft voice.


    "Uhm ... this is Billie''s song. I thought you ... will feel awkward listening to it. I don''t want to rub on your heart''s wounds," Marion said honestly.


    Jean smiled and shook his head, "No, Billie is a very talented artist, and I love all of her songs. Even though our relationship ended, I never stopped being a fan."


    "Oh ..." Marion didn''t expect that Jean would think that way. She finally nodded. "The song is indeed good. Really sad... but good."


    Jean nodded. His eyes were focused on the road but his mind flew back to Billie and his heart embraced the beauty of the song she was singing.


    "If I may ask... why did you guys separate?" Marion started probing. "As far as I know, you guys have been together for such a long time. Uhm... you don''t need to answer if you don''t want to."


    Jean frowned and tried to consider whether he could share his personal problems with Marion;  the girl was barely an acquaintance to him.


    Finally, he felt it would not hurt to tell her the truth.


    "Billie and I were too busy with our own careers. We are both very successful and very well known, but we don''t have time for our personal lives. Billie wants to get married and have children, but I personally don''t see the possibility given our busy schedule." Jean sighed, "And honestly, getting married and having children was never something I look forward to."


    "Ohh... " Marion didn''t know how to respond.


    Jean continued his words casually. His voice sounded calm and honest. "I thought I could change, but after 15  years together, I realized that no matter how hard I try, I can''t change. My parents divorced when I was 5 years old and I''m afraid the same thing would happen to me. I don''t want to bring a child into such a life. Besides, I already have Terry, my son from the sperm I donated 23 years ago. For me that''s more than enough."


    Marion did not expect Jean to open up to her so soon, so she could only covered her mouth in surprise.


    "That''s not fair to Billie," Marion finally found her voice. "If you knew that you couldn''t fulfill what she wanted, you should have told her from the start!"


    "Well, I didn''t know that I couldn''t change. I tried. I honestly did my best." Jean shook his head in sorrow. His separation with Billie also had a bad impact on him. He had spent a great deal of his life with Billie and was looking forward to sharing their lives together forever. Now that they realized that they cannot find common goals in life and chose separation, he now felt a void in him too.


    "If Billie quit her job and lived with you, do you want to marry her?" Marion asked again. "You said the problem was that you were both too busy with work."


    Jean frowned and pondered "I''ve actually taken a year off from work, and after this I''ll fake my death and take a new identity. Billie doesn''t want to come along with me. Maybe I didn''t convince her enough, I don''t know, but given the situation of our last few years together, going our separate ways was the best choice. I think I would never change. She wouldn''t change either."


    Marion looked straight ahead when she heard Jean''s last sentence. She then murmured softly. "That''s because you haven''t found the right person."


    "What did you say?" Jean asked, looking away.


    "Hmm ... Lauriel also said the same thing - that he didn''t want to get married and have children. That was why Luna left him and went to Germany when she found out that she was pregnant. She could not believe that Lauriel had the heart to reject the child in her womb. Even though all Alchemists only can have children if both parents want the child, Lauriel did not know that Luna was pregnant when she left. When the news finally reached him, Endo and Neo were trapped in Manchuria in captivity of the Japanese invaders so he must go and free them. When he arrived in Germany, it was already too late to save Luna. That is Lauriel''s biggest regret to this day."


    "Is that really what happened?" asked Jean in surprise. He had never heard this story about Lauriel before. Now everything made sense, why Lauriel lost his girlfriend and child and only met his son a few weeks ago.


    "I''ve known Lauriel for 100 years, just after World War 2 was over. At that time, he was searching for Luna like a mad man." Marion''s gaze looked really sad. "Actually, when I think about it, I was very impressed by how deeply Lauriel loved Luna. That''s when I began to admire him."


    "Do you really think you love him?" Jean asked her.


    Marion shrugged, amazed at herself. "Strangely, after today, I feel like I see him in a different light. So, maybe I just admired him because he was so full of love. Maybe I wasn''t really in love with him."


    "Hmm ... I''m glad to hear that," Jean said earnestly. "I don''t like seeing a girl suffer because of love. You are very beautiful and fun to be with. You deserve a man who truly loves you."


    "Thank you," Marion said. He patted Jean''s shoulder gently then sat quietly, occupied with her own thoughts.

 Chapter 411 - Jeans Five Fans

    They arrived at Marion''s house at 1am. The girl lived in a beautiful villa located in seclusion from the rest of the houses in the area. Marion opened the gate and invited Jean inside.


    "I live alone with five dogs. I only have one assistant who feeds and walks the dogs when I''m traveling," Marion said, turning on the living room lights. All of a sudden, five dogs of various sizes rushed toward her while wagging their tails. Marion sat on the floor, hugging them in turns and laughing.


    Jean seemed very impressed to see the five dogs who so warmly invaded Marion. He knelt beside Marion and stroked a long bodied dachshund. Enthusiastically the dog jumped onto Jean and licked his hand.


    "Gosh, your dogs are very sweet," Jean said. Marion''s french-bulldog had also started sniffing Jean and licking his face. "Ahahaha ... they are soooo cute and friendly. I really like dogs, but I have never been able to commit to keeping one because of my busy schedule. You''re so lucky to have them."


    Marion looked astonished. She stared at Jean in shock.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" Jean asked her in confusion.


    Marion shook her head, her eyes showed nothing but surprise, "My dogs ARE NOT FRIENDLY. They are usually very fierce to strangers. I had to change my assistant several times before I found the one they like. My dogs are very possessive and fierce ... Why are they so nice to you??? I do not understand ..."


    Now the third, fourth, and fifth dog had also started to invade Jean and rub their heads against his body; even the large German Shepherd was now attacking Jean, who had fallen on the floor, with non-stop licks!


    "Ah, really? What is clear is that they really like me," Jean said, laughing. He was very happy because he was invaded by five dogs who so warmly welcomed him, as if he were their own master. Marion shook her head, trying to make sense of the whole situation.


    "Hey, enough ... your master is me, not him, duh ..."


    Marion was calling for her dogs to leave Jean but they didn''t listen. A moment later she massaged her temple and exclaimed.


    "I know!"


    "You know what?" asked Jean in surprise. He had managed to get up and was trying, with a lot of difficulty, to sit on the sofa.


    Marion shook her head, "My assistant is a big fan of yours, I just remembered. She often plays your movies to watch with my dogs. I have a feeling that my dogs have been brainwashed to like you."


    "Ahahahaha ... really? That''s funny," said Jean. He rubbed the backs of all the dogs then exhaled deeply. "I''m very happy that your dogs like me. Later, when I have taken a new identity and am no longer a movie star, I will live in the beautiful countryside of Switzerland and keep a dog or two."


    "You can be my neighbor. The house down the street is for sale, you know," Marion commented casually.


    "Is that true?" Jean asked curiously. "Maybe I''ll follow your advice. Your life here seems very peaceful."


    "It''s very peaceful indeed," Marion commented. "If you live near here, I can often visit my beloved painting."


    "Which painting?" asked Jean, not understanding.


    "My Mona Lisa! What else?" Marion grumbled. She pointed to the wall behind her, "That''s the painting. You can take it anytime. I made a promise."


    "Eh?" Jean suddenly became uncomfortable, "I was just joking about the painting. After all, we haven''t succeeded yet - Lauriel hasn''t openly stated that he likes you."


    Marion frowned, "So you were not serious???"


    "The agreement was that you will give me the Mona Lisa painting if I help you make Lauriel fall in love with you," Jean said again.


    "Hmm ... I changed my mind," Marion said firmly. "Tonight I feel enlightened. I think that I don''t actually love Lauriel. My feelings for him for the past 100 years was just admiration. So now I no longer need to make Lauriel fall in love with me."


    "Oh ..." Jean didn''t know what to say. "Well, if you say so."


    "When do you want to take the painting?" Marion asked again.


    Jean shook his head, "I will not take your painting. I helped you sincerely. I was only joking about being paid for with the Mona Lisa painting. You can keep it. I think it should be owned by someone who can appreciate it well."


    Marion was stunned to hear that. Seriously? Jean refused one of the most expensive paintings in the world in return for his help?


    Unbelievable!


    "Alright then." Marion spontaneously got up and kissed Jean''s cheek, "You''re so kind."


    "Thank you," said Jean, closing his eyes when Marion''s lips kissed his right cheek.


    For a moment Marion stared at the handsome face of the man who had  sincerely treated her as a girlfriend without expecting anything in return. Marion subconsciously moved her lips slightly to the right and touched Jean''s lips with hers. Then, she kissed him on the lips.


    Jean opened his eyes in surprise, and now their eyes were fixed.


    "Thank you," Marion whispered after kissing Jean''s lips and quickly moved back before the situation became awkward. She pointed to a door on her right and acted as if nothing had happened, "The guest room is over there, so you can rest there. It has is ensuite bathroom. I will sleep upstairs. Good night."


    She walked up the stairs in a hurry to hide her blushing face. After a few steps she looked back and was dumbfounded because ... usually her dogs would follow her to bed, but now none had moved an inch from Jean''s side!


    Six pairs of eyes were staring at her from below. Jean was still surprised because Marion had kissed him so suddenly, while her five dogs seemed content to be around Jean and were looking at her with eyes saying: ''Good night, Marion, tonight we will sleep with Jean.''


    Gosh ... she didn''t expect her dogs'' loyalty to her to be very fickle. They all had taken Jean''s side. Marion now felt like a guest in her own home.

 Chapter 412 - Peaceful Morning

    Marion couldn''t believe her own eyes when the five dogs that she had cared for since they were puppies, and had always been loyal to her, now can switch their loyalties that easily. They must be brainwashed!


    "Well, if that is what you want, ask your new owner for your food tomorrow! I''m seriously offended!" hissed Marion with a frown. She then walked with long steps to her room on the second floor.


    Jean just laughed at her behavior. He continued stroking the five ''traitor'' dogs and talked to them as if they understood what he was saying. Jean really liked dogs and they always loved him.


    Wherever he went, if he met a four-legged animals, he would find the time to play with them.


    He only had a dog once when he was little, but because of his parents'' divorce, he was forced to leave his best friend in Singapore when he moved with his mother to Paris.


    He could only see his dog a few times a year until one day the dog died in a car accident. Since then, he never wanted to keep another animal. The loss was just too painful for him.


    When he was a teenager, he started taking modelling very seriously and it took a large portion of his time, and so he realized that he did not have enough time and attention for girlfriends let alone pets, so he decided not to adopt even one dog.


    Eight years ago, after Aleksis went missing, she returned home with a very cute french bulldog which she named Little Prince Siegfried. Jean was very happy because it meant that every time he visited the Schneider family''s house, he could meet and play with their cute dog.


    Satisfied ''talking'' with Marion''s five dogs, Jean then went into the guest room and prepared to wash up and go to sleep. He was very happy because the dogs happily followed him around and, as soon as soon as he lay in bed, the small dogs jumped into his bed while the large ones lay on the carpet and decided to sleep with him in his room.


    Hmm ... unfortunately, after several hours, he still could not sleep. He was still experiencing jet lag because he was accustomed to living in the United States which was 8 hours behind Europe. Added to the fact that he was feeling stressed after recent events. He kept tossing and turning throughout the night.


    ***


    The next morning, Marion woke up early, as usual. The autumn sun usually rose late and the cold air made her too lazy to rise. However, because she had a guest at home, Marion felt uneasy if her guest were to wake up earlier than her and became confused at her home.


    Last night she had not had time to give a tour around her house so Jean certainly did not know how to take care of himself at Marion''s house. What if he was hungry? What if he needed anything?


    Marion felt bad for being petty the night before and didn''t show Jean around her house just because the man ''took away'' her dogs.


    As she descended the stairs, Marion''s nose smelled the air in the living room in confusion. It was still very early, but why was there the smell of cooking from the kitchen?


    Her assistant usually arrived in the afternoon, and she would only come because today was the weekend. On a normal day, Marion was always alone with her dogs.


    She quickly walked into the kitchen to find out why her assistant had come so early. Did the assistant know that Jean was here? Jeez ... Marion could only imagine how shocked Alicia would be if she saw Jean in person ... hahaha.


    When she finally reached the kitchen, no one was more surprised than Marion. She was astonished to see Jean wearing an apron, busied himself in the kitchen grilling bacon slices and preparing boiled eggs. Oh and there were pancakes sizzling in the pan too! ... Gosh. Whoaaa ...!!


    "Why did you wake up so early?" Marion asked. "And why are you cooking breakfast in my kitchen?"


    Jean turned to Marion, who had just entered the kitchen. He did not answer but instead gestured for Marion to bring him a plate to place the slices of grilled bacon. Marion took two plates from the cupboard and placed them on the kitchen counter.


    After arranging the toast, slices of bacon, a few slices of cheese, vegetables, and boiled eggs, Jean brought their two plates to the table at the beautiful veranda overlooking the valley.


    "Bring the teapot and the milk, please," he said to Marion as he went out.


    "Eh ...?" Marion had no choice but to obey. The smell of breakfast made her hungry and she obediently brought the teapot and milk outside. Jean went inside and took the cutlery and tea cups and put them on the same table.


    After everything was ready, he invited Marion to eat. "I can''t sleep because I''m still jet lagged. I didn''t want to make a fuss in the kitchen but I was so hungry, so I decided to cook breakfast. I hope you''re not angry."


    Hearing Jean''s explanation, Marion became uncomfortable. "I should have given you a tour around the house last night, so you could get your own food if you were hungry. There''s no need for you to cook your own food. Also, if you had told me that you couldn''t sleep, I would have accompanied you to watch a movie or something."


    "Ah, don''t bother, we''ll both be sleepy if you also don''t rest," Jean answered lightly. He started to eat his breakfast. "Besides, your dogs accompanied me the whole night. They are all very sweet."


    "Thank goodness for them," Marion said as she enjoyed her breakfast, "Thank you for the breakfast."


    "You are welcome,"


    The two then ate quietly, while enjoying the beautiful view from the terrace that overlooked the valley. It was a peaceful morning.

 Chapter 413 - A Screaming Fan

    "I like this neighborhood," Jean commented after they finished eating and he and Marion were washing the dishes together. "I might check out that house that was for sale that you told me about last night. Where is it located?"


    "Gosh, are you serious?" Marion asked in surprise.


    Jean nodded. "Why not? I have a lot of money and I don''t have a house in Switzerland yet."


    Marion just laughed at his explanation, "All right. When do you want to see it? I can find the seller''s contact information."


    "As soon as possible. I have to go back to Grindelwald to be with Finland to take care of Aleksis this afternoon. But clearly I will stay in Switzerland for a year until I can take on a new identity."


    "Alright, I''ll tell you later," Marion answered, drying the dishes that Jean had washed and then yawned. "Hoaahhemm ... it''s still early but I''m so full. I feel like I''m getting sleepy again."


    "If you''re sleepy, you can just go back to sleep. You don''t have work to do, do you?" Jean asked.


    "Hmm ¡­ no I don''t, but I need to take my dog ??for a morning walk."


    "I can take them," Jean said quickly.


    "No, you can''t. You look so sleepy. You''re still jet-lagged, right? You should go to sleep, so that you can later drive back to Grindelwald safely," Marion shook her head and pushed Jean''s body into the guest room. "Go sleep!"


    Jean was astonished when Marion treated him like a child and forced him to sleep. He could only shake his head and mumble, "I''m an adult, I''m fine."


    "Aish ... don''t argue. You haven''t slept at all. I know your devious intentions. You don''t want to sleep now so that later you''ll be too sleepy to drive and I would be obliged to drive you back to Grindelwald. Don''t think you can fool me!" Marion said in a curt voice.


    "Why do you have to send me back?" asked Jean, pretending not to understand.


    "Crazy! Do you think I''ll let you drive that far in a sleepy state??? Do you think that I won''t be worried to death, huh!?" Marion exclaimed as she threw Jean''s body onto the bed.


    The man was surprised to see how strong Marion was, but at the same time he felt comforted by Marion''s attitude which he initially thought was excessive. He scratched his head and grinned.


    "Hmm ... are you worried about me? Are you perhaps already in love with me?" he asked mischievously. Marion narrowed her eyes and gave him a very dangerous look.


    "Sleep! You know that I can kill you and hide your body in Jungfrau so it won''t be found for a hundred years."


    "Can''t you make up another threat? Try to be creative for once," Jean replied, definitely not intimidated at all. He smiled broadly and finally decided to obey Marion''s request. After all, he was already starting to feel sleepy.


    Slowly Jean took off his sweater and shirt and opened his belt.


    "Ehhhh ... what are you doing??" Marion asked in surprise.


    Jean looked at her with the same puzzled look.


    "I am going to sleep; aren''t you the one who told me to sleep? How could I sleep in full clothes?" When Jean narrowed his eyes, he saw Marion''s face had turned red and he immediately understood what was going through her mind. Jean''s crisp laughter could soon be heard in the guest bedroom, "You have such a dirty mind. Ahahaha ... do you think I''m trying to seduce you?"


    He folded his clothes neatly then put them on the bedside table. He closed the blackout curtains then went under the blanket and closed his eyes, "I''ll sleep now, good morning."


    Marion, stunned to see how casual Jean behaved in front of her, could only pinch herself. She was indeed thinking dirty when she saw Jean take off his clothes one by one. Ugh ...


    "Uhm ... good night," she said then, leaving the guest room to allow Jean to rest. She quietly went outside to take her dogs'' leashes. They were very happy to know that they were going out for a walk.


    For some reason, Marion spent endless hours thinking about Jean''s handsome face when he laughed carefree every time they chatted. Then, she thought of the delicious breakfast he prepared for them, and how her dogs really liked the actor.


    Ugh ... why am I thinking of him so suddenly? Marion kept pinching herself to distract her mind from Jean.


    ***


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh...!!!!!"


    Marion was enjoying her afternoon tea on the veranda while working on something on her laptop when suddenly a hysterical scream came from inside the villa.


    She rushed inside. Her assistant, Alicia, must have just seen Jean and screamed hysterically, she thought. She had forgotten to tell Alicia that her idol actor spent the night at Marion''s house.


    Sure enough, when she arrived in the living room, she saw Alicia, the 23-year-old girl she hired as her part-time assistant, standing dumbfounded in shock and her mouth agape. She had the exact same expression like Macaulay Culkin in the popular Home Alone movie decades ago.


    Jean was standing by the guest room, bewildered by the overly exaggerated reaction of Alicia. When he saw Marion enter, his eyes immediately asked for an explanation.


    "Alicia, he is not a ghost, he really is Jean, in person." Marion said in a loud voice so that Alicia was moved from her surprise. "He''s visiting here. Can you make him some tea?"


    Tears flowed down from Alicia''s eyes when she realized that the handsome man in front of her was indeed her idol actor. Shyly she walked forward and touched Jean with her index finger. After making sure that the person she touched was indeed human, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Good day, Alicia," Jean said, kissing Alicia''s hand which stretched out to touch him. He gave her his sweetest smile - the one that used to adorn many magazines.


    The girl''s legs suddenly turned to jelly and she collapsed on the floor. She never dreamed that she could really meet her idol actor, and just now Jean kissed her hand.


    Marion widened her eyes in surprise. She never knew that celebrity fans could be so tacky - or was this really what it was like to have an idol? She hurried to Alicia and helped her up.


    "Sshh ... don''t embarrass me, please, Alicia. Please make Jean some tea." She then turned to Jean, "Do you want fruit tea or chamomile tea?"


    "Just fruit tea, please, I just woke up, so it is not suitable to drink chamomile," Jean replied. He only smiled at Alicia''s blushing face who immediately went to the kitchen to make tea.


    Jean then sat on the veranda, followed by Marion after she made sure that Alicia was fine.

 Chapter 414 - ADORABLE ACTOR

    After the commotion with Alicia earlier, Jean then sat on the veranda, followed by Marion after she made sure that Alicia was fine.


    "What are you doing?" Jean asked after glancing at Marion''s laptop, "Why are there so many videos of Caspar''s family on it?"


    Marion shrugged, "I''m not sure the Wolfpack will be able to find the assassins from Rhionen Asssassins, so now I''m studying Aleksis'' behaviour so that later, when I am needed, I can disguise myself as her."


    "Oh ..." Jean observed Marion carefully, "You are so talented - you can be an actor, you know. I still remember your acting as Katia 18 years ago. Have you ever considered entering the industry?"


    Marion laughed at Jean''s question, as if the young man was conveying something very funny, "Of course I have. I was a movie star when humans were still watching movies on black and white screens! But then I got bored. Going on adventures in the real world is more fun than the adventures in the movies. I choose reality over imagination."


    Jean nodded in understanding, "You''re right. I can''t wait to go on adventures in the real world."


    Their conversation stopped when Alicia came to bring tea and cakes. She looked very happy. She had read the gossip news that Jean and Billie had ended their relationship, and last night Jean was caught kissing a woman who looked like her boss.


    Alicia would be very happy if indeed Jean and her beautiful boss were dating. It meant that she would often see her idol come to the house. Hihihi ... Alicia smiled happily.


    "I''m sorry about Alicia, she''s a big fan of yours," Marion said when Alicia returned to the kitchen. "She became obsessed with you after watching one of your movies five years ago."


    "Why are you sorry? That''s not something to be embarrassed about," Jean commented. He finished his tea then looked at his watch. "Hm ... it''s late, I have to go back. Thank you for everything. I have rested comfortably."


    Marion was stunned. So fast, she thought.


    "Don''t you want to see the house that is for sale?" Marion asked quickly. "I already have the info."


    "Hmm ... I''ll trust your judgement if you say the house is nice." Jean held out his cellphone to Marion, "I want your number so that my lawyer can contact you to talk about the house later."


    "Ah, okay." Marion wrote down her phone number and before Jean could retrieve his cellphone, the girl hurriedly wrote her contact as BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME MARION.


    Jean just shook his head, "You are shameless, huh."


    He called Marion''s number and saw the girl''s cellphone on the table vibrate. Before Marion could take her cellphone away, Jean quickly took her cellphone and saved his own phone number as MARION IS A FAN OF ADORABLE ACTOR JEAN.


    "Crazy! Who adores you ??" Marion exclaimed, trying to snatch her cellphone. Jean, who was much taller than her, just needed to stand up straight and lift her cellphone up high above his head. Even though Marion jumped, she was still unable to snatch the cellphone.


    "I''ll return it if you promise not to change my name on your phone," Jean said, laughing casually.


    "You ...! I will bury you in one of the valleys in Lauterbrunnen!! Even archaeologists won''t be able to find your body for a thousand years!"


    Jean pretended to yawn, opening his mouth and placing his hand in front of his lips, "That is so typical of you. Please make up a new threat. I have to go back now. If you don''t want your phone back, I''ll just bring your phone with me  and all your clients'' data will be lost with me."


    "Ugh ... alright. You win!" Marion stopped jumping and held out her hand to ask for her cellphone back. "Give me my phone back. I have a lot of confidential contacts there."


    Jean smiled sweetly and handed over her phone. "At least we are even. I will also not change your contact ID  on my phone, okay. If I have to vomit seeing your username on my phone every time you call, you also have to vomit seeing my username on your phone."


    "Who will call you? I''m too busy to even think about calling you, huh." Marion said.


    "Well, didn''t you say that you were going to send me information about the house that''s for sale? I am old, but I am not senile,"


    Without waiting for Marion''s answer, Jean took the car key from his pocket, kissed Marion''s cheek and then walked out.


    "Hey ... do you know the way back?" Marion asked suddenly. She just realized that Jean was really going to leave.


    Jean just waved without turning his head. He found the Mercedes he had borrowed in front of the gate and immediately entered. Ten minutes later, he was already on the highway to Grindelwald.


    Marion was stunned. She opened her phone and looked at her contact lists. None of the names were real names. She used many animals and plants as code names for everyone she knew to maintain their confidentiality.


    She was tempted to change Jean''s username to that of a disgusting animal, such as ''ugly cockroach'' or ''slimy worm''. However, eventually she just deleted the names and left the words: ADORABLE ACTOR.


    ***


    Jean arrived when dinner was served at the Schneider family mansion. Caspar had left for Berlin, together with Aldebar, Lauriel and his team. Only Finland and her children were still at the mansion and they were having dinner while discussing about all the things Rune and London had learnt during their time with Aldebar.


    "Hey, you''re back?" Finland asked when she saw Jean enter the enormous dining room. For a moment Jean was stunned to see the view at the dining table. There sat Finland, London, Rune, and his son Terry. Without Caspar''s presence in Switzerland, he would automatically be the father figure in the house.


    This made his lips curve up a smile. Finland, who saw the grin on Jean''s face, wondered what had happened between Jean and Marion that Jean returned home so late at night. "What is wrong with you?"


    "I am okay," Jean answered with a shrug. He''d feel awkward if he had to pour his heart out in front of their children, so he decided against providing further information. He took a chair and prepared for his meal.


    Since Finland had her own children, Jean was very pleased because he was allowed to be involved in the life of his best friend''s family. He was the children''s cool uncle, and he treated the children like his own. He was able to experience having children without the hassles of being a real parent.


    In short, he could have the sweet children in his life and when the children became troublesome, he would just send them back to their parents. Just as Aldebar had done so far. Ha ha ha.

 Chapter 415 - How Can You Have A Stepmother?

    Jean really enjoy being the cool uncle for the Schneider children and he was glad that his own son, Terry, could grow with them. Since he was afraid of marriage and not wanting to have children himself, this is the best arrangement for him.


    He remembered the time when he finally became Terry''s legal guardian and asked the boy to call him father. Though this was his biological child, Terry was also easy to handle because Terry was already 15 years old at the time, so he was not at all troublesome.


    Jean felt very blessed, because he did not have to face the stress and chaos of having a child that had to be raised from a baby, and yet he still had these extraordinary children in his life. He knew he was very lucky.


    He was not at all personally against being a father. He had discussed this several times with Billie. But he really couldn''t take the next step. The thought of having children who would later suffer if their parents got divorced was enough to bother his mind.


    He understood that among the perfect Alchemist community, no one had divorced before because everyone only married when they were very confident with their partner. Some would even stay in a relationship for up to 200 years before deciding to get married.


    But he was not there yet. He was not entirely convinced that his relationship with Billie would last forever. There were some things that were not fully compatible between them, and after 15 years together, the two still couldn''t find a common ground. Jean did not want to bring a child into this world, when he wasn''t sure about his own life, that was why he still didn''t want to have children of his own.


    Maybe ... maybe if someday he could find a partner whom he could trust with his life ¡­ who could restore his faith in the meaning of ''family'', just like Finland when she met caspar Caspar, he may want to have a child together with her. Never say never, he thought.


    He looked at Terry, London and Rune with great affection. These children were very sweet. He would never trade them for the world.


    "Why are you looking at me with such strange eyes?" Terry asked suddenly. "Were you poisoned by Marion? I know Lauriel taught her a lot about poison."


    Jean flinched at Terry''s blunt question. "Eh, what are you talking about? Marion is a nice girl. You must not be prejudiced."


    Terry covered his mouth in surprise because Jean openly defended Marion. "Gosh, Father ...? Don''t tell me you harbor a crush for her? Does this mean that I will have a stepmother?"


    "What do you mean? How can you have a stepmother? Your mother and I are not married." Jean glared at Terry. Finland, who heard the father-and-son talk coughed and immediately drank a lot of water to ease her throat. She was the mother they were talking about.


    Her family was indeed quite unique. She and Jean had a biological child together even though they were not married, they never even dated. So, Terry now called Jean as father and Finland as mother, but if later Jean married a woman, Terry shouldn''t call her stepmother because technically Jean never had another wife before.


    Jean chewed his food slowly, pretending not to hear Terry''s silly questions. Suddenly, his cellphone rang and he saw the name on the screen of his cellphone: BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME MARION.


    Speaking of the devil, he thought, amused.


    He picked up the phone, "What''s wrong? Are you missing me already? That is fast. Apparently I''m very charming indeed."


    Terry, London and Rune simultaneously turned their heads away (holding back their vomit), while Finland only frowned. Jean now looked like one of the playboys in his movies.


    "I just want to make sure you don''t die silly on the road because you drove while you were sleepy," came Marion''s indifferent voice.


    "No way, you were the one who took me to sleep. I slept for eight hours anyway, so there is no way that I drove in a sleepy state." Jean was immediately aware that his and Marion''s conversation probably sounded strange to his family''s ears and his face suddenly turned red. "I''m fine, okay, Mom? Your child is a grown man now."


    "Crazy! Who is your Mom?" said Marion furious.


    "You! After all, you''re acting like a mother hen worrying about her missing chick," Jean laughed. "I understand that you''re just looking for an excuse to call me, I''m flattered. Thank you. I''m fine. We''re having dinner now."


    "Wh ... what? Is everyone having dinner there?"


    "There are only Finland and our children."


    Marion paused. He forgot that Jean already had a child from his best friend. It felt awkward to think that they were listening to their conversation on the phone.


    BUSY TONE


    Marion suddenly hung up. Jean was stunned and stared at his cellphone which suddenly let out a busy ringing tone. Shaking his head, he placed his phone back in his pocket. Hmm, strange girl, he thought.


    Finland looked at him with a probing look. "Gosh, Jean ... I''ve never seen you like this."


    "Seen me like what?" Jean asked in surprise.


    "Well ..." Finland was having trouble explaining what she meant. She had known Jean since they were still freshmen in university and she never once saw Jean flirt with any woman. The man was too busy in the past, and he did have feelings for Finland, so he didn''t think about other women at all.


    After they separated and Jean became an actor, she was not too involved with Jean''s personal life anymore. Her friend was repeatedly rumored with some actresses or models or singers but he always denied it, and Jean never told Finland when he was close to someone.


    He only ever brought Franka to the Schneider family barbecue party once, but later Jean claimed there was no special relationship between him and the actress. Then suddenly, Jean had a love affair with Billie Yves, Finland''s idol. They started dating around 17 years ago and engaged years later, until recently.


    In a way, Finland had never seen firsthand how Jean approached women. She wondered if Jean approached Billie just as he was approaching Marion just now?


    "I don''t understand what you mean," Jean said. He chewed his food while looking at his cellphone and contemplated whether or not he should write a text to Marion. Finally, because he did not want to set a bad example for the children for using cellphones at the dinner table, he stored his phone in his pocket.

 Chapter 416 - SPOILER Alarics Confession

    It''s time for another spoiler run for those of you who enjoy a sneak peek of what will happen in future. This event will happen around 2 months after Aleksis'' incident. I think... 30 chapters in future. The choice is yours whether you want to read it or not :).


    As usual, please do not discuss the content of this spoiler in other regular chapters out of respect for readers who are not into spoilers. Thank youuu!


    .


    SPOILER STARTS HERE:


    --------------------------


    She got up slowly and sat on the bed, trying not to make a single sound. However, the young man was very alert. He immediately opened his eyes and when he saw Marion moving on the bed; he hurriedly got up and knelt at the foot of the bed.


    "How are you?" he asked in the gentlest voice Marion had ever heard. The girl could only stare at him with amazed eyes. She hadn''t noticed the man''s face before, and now she was surprised to see that he was wearing a black leather mask which covered most of his face.


    Alaric was aware of how Marion was transfixed by his face. He realized that the girl felt uncomfortable with the mask he was wearing.


    Alaric smiled slightly, sat down next to the fake Aleksis and took the girl''s right hand, then touched it to his face.


    "The doctor said you might be a little dazed and so you may not be able to immediately remember everything that happened. It''s only natural for people who were in a coma like you. I''m just glad to see that you''re fine." He closed his eyes and let ''Aleksis'' hand rub his face.


    Marion began to feel uncomfortable. This man seemed to love Aleksis very much, she thought. Wasn''t this one of the assassins of Alaric Rhionen? What had happened exactly? Was this guy also secretly related to Aleksis?


    "Why are you wearing a mask?" the girl asked him in a soft voice. She must find out what really happened. "Sorry, I can''t remember who you are."


    Alaric opened his eyes and nodded, "It''s okay, I will wait for your memory to recover. But from now on, I will no longer hide anything from you. I''m sorry because even though we are married, I didn''t trust you to tell you the truth. I''m sorry , really."


    Married?!


    Marion''s mind went dizzy. She did not know Aleksis had married this man.


    Did her parents know? Did Lauriel know ?? ?


    WHO WAS THIS MAN ACTUALLY ??


    Wasn''t he just ... or


    Was he Alaric Rhionen himself...?


    "Uhm ... I can''t remember anything due to the accident. Can you please tell me who you are?" Marion looked at the pair of purple eyes with questions. Hmm ... his eyes felt very familiar. Lest the Alaric Rhionen that they met all this while was not the real Alaric, but ...


    Alaric nodded. "Of course, I''ll tell you everything. There are no more secrets between us."


    He patted the fake ''Aleksis'' hand gently and started telling his story.


    "My name is Alaric Rhionen. We met for the first time on a night train in Thailand, and at that time you were on an adventure with your godfather, Uncle Rory. When we first met, you called me Prince Siegfried; you were very funny ... 9 years later you were almost kidnapped by a human trafficking plot in Singapore and we met again. At that time you also lost your memory temporarily and I couldn''t find your family - again you called me Prince Siegfried, that''s why I was able to contact your Uncle Rory. We spent a week together until you regained your memory, and I never expected that for the 8 years after that incident, you kept thinking about me and even looked for me to Singapore."


    Alaric looked at the fake Aleksis with a loving look. While the girl just listened to his story with an increasingly stirred heart. This was really Alaric Rhionen, and whom they saw earlier was a fake Alaric!


    "I closed my heart from anyone for decades, but you broke through. You were the first woman who loved me so deeply and made me experience feelings I had never known before. In short, I fell in love with you, and so did you. The feelings that we have for each other is so strong and mind blowing that you asked me to marry you after only four days together ..."


    Marion pressed her mouth together, muffled. She did not expect Aleksis and Alaric''s relationship to be that close. They were even married!


    "Th ... then, what happened. What haven''t you told me?" Marion asked in a trembling voice. All this information made her heart shake.


    This was all a mistake.


    All this while the Wolf Pack had been trying to free Aleksis from the influence of Alaric Rhionen ...


    While maybe Alaric Rhionen thought he had to save Aleksis from the hands of bad people.


    "I started wearing this mask 7 years ago, with the excuse that my face was badly disfigured in an accident, and you believed me. But the truth is ..." Alaric sighed and slowly opened his mask, "Actually I want to cover up the fact that I don''t age. You think that I''m an ugly man in my 40s. But actually, I''m much older than that ... I was born in 1945."


    Marion screamed in surprise when she saw Alaric''s face without his mask. This was neither an old man nor a disfigured face. What she saw sitting next to her was a handsome young man with a slightly pale face and skin as smooth as snow; he even looked a little bit like a woman because of the smooth lines of his face.


    His pair of purple-colored eyes looked very mysterious, adding to the unique impression of his purple-platinum-colored hair.


    This was not an ordinary human''s appearance. This man must be an Alchemist, Marion thought.


    Was this the secret that Alaric had kept all this time?


    Of course, now everything made sense.


    Of course he knew the secrets of the Alchemists ... He himself was part of the immortal clan.


    "I usually disappear and change my identity after a few decades, but my last project was too important for me to leave, so I chose to cover my identity behind a mask. All my subordinates at the company thought that I was disfigured, and so did everyone else. On the one side , it made it easier for me to move around because no one knows my real face. " He smiled soothingly and rubbed the fake Aleksis''s cheeks that looked pale in surprise, "You ... no matter how badly my face is disfigured, you love me unconditionally. I shouldn''t let you go without knowing who I really am. You have no idea how I almost went crazy when I was told that you died without ever knowing the truth."


    "Oh, Alaric ..." Marion bit her lip frantically.


    This was all a mistake.


    Both parties were apparently attacking each for the same reason: their love for Aleksis ...


    "One more thing you need to know about me. I don''t age, not because of medical errors or unnatural gene mutations as I always thought, but because, apparently, I''m part of the Alchemists - you probably never heard of them. They are a hidden group of people, they are all around us, and they rule the world ... I was finally able to find traces of my family; I finally know who my mother is, my face ... they say it''s very similar to my mother''s, I no longer hate my face."


    Marion looked at Alaric with an open mouth. She was about to speak but no words could come out.


    "Wh ... who ... is your mother?" she asked then with difficulty.


    "Her name was Luna, she was a princess from England. She died while giving birth to me in Romania, but before she died, she forced the midwife to cut a small bit of her hair for me." Alaric touched the locket that hung around Aleksis'' neck. He had pinned it when she slept, then opened it slowly, "This is my mother''s hair. See, it''s the same color as mine, right?"


    Marion looked at the braided hair with a shaken heart. Her hands covered her lips in surprise as her eyes alternately looked at Luna''s hair and Alaric''s face. No doubt. Alaric was indeed Lauriel''s son.


    "You ... do you know who your father is?" she asked.


    "Hmmm ... yes, but I don''t really care about him. His name is Lauriel. He is an adventurer who doesn''t care about worldly life. You don''t need to think about him. He doesn''t want me, so I don''t want him either." Alaric looked at Marion''s face, which was now in tears. "Hey, why are you crying? Are you afraid of me? I''m may be different from you because I''m not an ordinary human, but I''m still the same Alaric. I''m still your husband ... please don''t be afraid of me."


    Marion realized that Alaric still didn''t know that Aleksis was an Alchemist too. Alaric did not even know that Uncle Rory and Lauriel were the same man, and that he had actually met his father in person.


    Oh no...


    This was all a big mistake.

 Chapter 417 - The Talk with Billie

    Terry was the one who conveyed Finland''s thoughts to Jean, because he also thought the same thing, "My point is, you seem a bit strange today, because your attitude towards Marion is somewhat different. So mom and I are curious, whether you are in love, or not."


    "Gosh," Jean put down his spoon in surprise. "You think so?"


    The four people at the dinner table nodded in unison. All eyes on him, staring curiously.


    "You''re a public figure. News about you kissing Marion last night has spread far and wide." Finland sighed. "I could only think about how Billie would feel if she read all that."


    Jean hadn''t checked the entertainment news for a long time and he didn''t expect that gossip about him had spread so quickly.


    "Alright, after I finish my dinner, I''ll call Billie," Jean answered with a shrug. He resumed eating and tried to divert the conversation about the children''s school. "You''re working  on your final assignment, right? After that, will you graduate?"


    Terry, who was questioned by his father, looked a little listless, "The only thing I still need to do is to make my short film. Nicolae had signed a contract to play in my project but he suddenly cancelled because of the incident with Aleksis. Now I need to find a new actor."


    "Why did you cast Nic? Can he act?" asked Jean in surprise.


    "No, but he''s handsome. I just need his good looks to attract an audience," Terry answered lightly. "If only I weren''t the director, I''d play the part."


    "Hmm, is that so?" Jean frowned as though thinking, "I''m still taking time off work until next year. I can help you, if you need it."


    Terry was astonished to hear Jean offer himself. He had indeed hoped that Jean would play in his movie, but he did not know how to request it, but now it was his father who offered.


    "Really, Dad? Do you want to act in my short film?" Terry asked enthusiastically. "I will be very happy."


    Jean nodded. "Next year I will take on a new identity, so it would be great if my last appearance in acting will be in a film made by my own son. That would be a good way to end my career."


    Terry had heard of Jean''s plans to fake his death next year and take on a new identity, but he hadn''t expected that Jean would want to act for one last time. He was deeply moved and subconsciously he rose from his chair and hugged Jean.


    "Thank you, Dad." he whispered hoarsely, "I promise to keep our relationship quiet."


    Jean nodded and told Terry to go back to eat. "Just send me the script, I need to study it first."


    "Certainly."


    Terry was very happy throughout the night because without having to try hard, Jean was willing to help with his film. The handsome Nicolae would surely attract many viewers, but if Jean was willing to replace him, Terry''s film would be even more successful because Jean was not only handsome, but he was also a very talented and famous actor.


    Finally they made plans to return to Singapore to finish Terry''s assignment so that the young man could graduate, and then go to Berlin to help Caspar, while Jean would return to Switzerland and help supervise Aleksis'' care while Finland accompanied her husband.


    ***


    After dinner, Jean excused himself to his room so he could contact Billie. He didn''t want Billie to hear rumors about him from the gossip websites, so he hurriedly called his ex-girlfriend.


    Finland was right; of course Billie''s feelings would be hurt when she saw her ex-boyfriend had moved on to another girl so quickly after they decided to part ways.


    The incident that happened between Caspar and Katia was always a reminder for everyone to be more careful in caring for the feelings of a former lover. Katia held a huge grudge against Caspar because he quickly fell in love and married Finland after Katia, who had been with him for 50 years, left him.


    Jean and Billie had been together for a long time, and their relationship was closer than just friends. So, of course Jean was very concerned about the feelings of his ex-girlfriend. There was no possible way that he would deliberately hurt Billie.


    "Hey, how are you?" Jean asked as Billie picked up his call.


    "Hi, Jean. I''m doing well. You know I''m very busy. This week, the world tour for my latest album has officially kicked off. How are the Schneiders in Switzerland?" Billie''s voice sounded tired, but she still found the time to ask about Finland and her family.


    "Everyone is still restless and worried, but at least, according to the latest diagnosis, Aleksis'' condition is improving very quickly."


    "Oh, thank God, I''m glad to hear that. Later, when I have my concert in Europe, I''ll stop by in Switzerland."


    "Of course, just tell me when, I''ll pick you up from wherever you are in Europe." Jean paused. "By the way, have you read the latest gossip?"


    "Which gossip? That you kissed a girl in Switzerland?" Billie asked in a casual tone. "I didn''t actually read it, but of course the reporters bombarded me all day with the question: ''are you jealous because your ex-boyfriend has moved on so quickly?''."


    "Oh," Jean knew it would be impossible to stop journalists from chasing news about him and Billie. He felt bad for the girl because she had become their target because of him. "Then, what did you say?"


    "Of course I answered ''no comment'' as usual. You know I never care about gossip, no matter what it is," Billie said nonchalantly. "But my response now didn''t work. They deliberately say mean words to hurt me so would I react."


    "What did they say? "Jean began to worry.


    "They said that you left me because I was too possessive, then they asked if I deliberately asked you to create such sensational gossip to increase my popularity since I am releasing my new album. In their opinion, I need this sensation because I am already old and can no longer compete with the new and younger singers ... stuff like that."


    "Crazy! How evil! From every angle, you still look so young." Jean grumbled.


    "Well, that''s another one, I was also rumored that I had done a series of plastic surgeries because I look too young for a 46-year-old. It''s funny, isn''t it? They are labeling me too old and too young at the same time!" Billie laughed sarcastically.


    "So, basically, whatever you do will be perceived negatively?" Jean asked, getting emotional. "What can I do to get back at them?"


    Billie laughed softly. She had been in the entertainment industry for almost 30 years and was known to be very reclusive, in contrast to Jean who was outgoing and dealt well with popularity. Billie never cared about journalists and the gossip media, though lately she was getting tired of them.


    "Don''t worry about me, it comes with the job," Billie said, shrugging.


    "Don''t you want to retire with me?" Jean asked her softly, "It''s been too long. We''ve been with our present identities for decades already. People will start to get suspicious because we''re really not aging. There''s only so much plastic surgeries can do."


    Billie paused for a long time, before finally confirming Jean''s words. "Maybe. Let me think about it. At the present moment, it''s important for me to complete this last tour."


    Jean opened the browser on his cellphone and checked Billie''s concert schedule, "Next week you will be performing in Singapore, right? I will also go there to help with Terry''s film project."


    "Wow, that''s so exciting! I''ll keep some tickets for you and Terry''s friends," Billie said happily. Her voice, which sounded tired a minute ago, turned excited. "I miss you two. See you in two weeks then."


    "Take care of your health," Jean then hung up his call with relief. Billie hadn''t changed her attitude at all, she was still as usual, so there was nothing to worry about, he thought.

 Chapter 418 - The Professional Actor

    After being together for more than a dozen years, Jean''s relationship with Billie was special. They were not husband and wife and they have never lived together, but the closeness between the two was like best friends or brother and sister - similar to a couple who had long been married.


    Usually, after a few years, the relationship between a husband and wife was no longer filled with love driven by lust, but rather love for a companion or life partner, and that was what happened to Jean and Billie Yves.


    They understood each other and supported each other well. It''s just that Jean had no wish to be a father and raise a family with Billie; he also no longer had a strong physical desire for the beautiful girl. He greatly admired Billie, but he no longer wanted her physically ... So, they decided to part ways.


    Jean saw how different his relationship with Billie was, when compared to Caspar and Finland''s marriage. After 21 years of marriage, they still doted on each other and were obviously still very much in love - they still had a lot of desire for each other.


    He saw that the two were still very intimate with each other, still showing lust and passion, and always touching - they even often make outsiders grumble for being thrown so much dog food by the couple.


    And what was crazy was that, this couple very often went on honeymoon. This year was already their umpteenth honeymoon!


    Jean wanted to feel love like that. He didn''t want to settle for less than love, chemistry and magic, like what he saw from Caspar and Finland.


    ***


    Two weeks later, Terry and Jean left for Singapore. Jean fulfilled his promise to help Terry''s short film project. For the sake of privacy, he stayed at the Continental Hotel while studying the scripts from Terry. They would start shooting as soon as Terry gathered his crew.


    Terry''s return to campus invited much attention. Few people had discovered that he and Aleksis were related by blood. There was also that horrendous event that caused Aleksis to disappear from campus, which made many people wonder what had really happened.


    Coupled with Nicolae''s disappearance into thin air, Terry became the target of so many people''s questions when he first returned to campus.


    "Big Brother Terry, what happened to Nicolae? Why isn''t he coming to campus anymore?" asked several juniors who managed to approach him during lunchtime. Terry just raised his hand as a sign that he didn''t want to answer any questions.


    "Sorry, I''m not Nicolae''s babysitter, you guys can just ask him yourself," Terry answered nonchalantly. "Excuse me, I''m busy. Please go and bother other people."


    His short film was already two weeks late and now Terry had to work extra hard to ensure that his final assignment could be finished on time to be screened at the local cinema. He had contracted a reliable assistant and two editors to work like horses to edit his footages. They were members of the campus theater and film club in which he was the president of for two years.


    When he postponed the filming due to family affairs, and with the disappearance of Nicolae who was supposed to play in their film, the enthusiasm of his crew had dissipated and he had to hold a meeting to convince them that they could do it in such a limited time.


    During the meeting in the hall he borrowed, Terry reassured them that he had succeeded in finding a replacement actor who was far better than Nicolae.


    "The only person who is more popular than Big Brother Nicolae is Big Brother Terry himself, does this mean you have decided to perform?" asked Masawe, one of the production assistants, his junior.


    "No, I managed to get a professional actor for this movie." Terry seemed to smile very mysteriously. He half wished that he had installed a hidden camera to record his crew''s reaction as he brought Jean into their midst. "We will start shooting tomorrow in the usual place, so please don''t be late."


    Singapore was a really small country and its entertainment industry was not very advanced compared to Korea, Japan, and Western countries, so Terry''s crew could only guess which of the few Singaporean actors that Terry had successfully persuaded to help him in his short film project.


    As the main female lead, Terry chose a sophomore student who had often played films at the national level. His junior was very interested in working with Terry because she had admired Terry since she was a freshman.


    She believed that someday Terry would have a bright future in Hollywood and she wanted to experience working with Terry before he became very famous.


    When they gathered for a pre-production meeting, the crew finally discovered who the professional actor whom Terry successfully extorted to join their production was. Jean casually entered the hall and for a few seconds the students didn''t realize who he was because they were too shocked to see the familiar-looking person.


    "Uh, that ... that guy looks like Jean. Is there anyone else with a face like that?" James whispered to Isla next to him. Isla, the female lead, blinked several times as if it would help her see Jean better.


    "He does look like him, but why would that person come here?"


    "Hello, everyone! Let me introduce you to the professional actor who will help us for this film and guarantee our success ... hahaha," Terry said, smiling broadly, "This is Jean."


    The crew looked at each other, dumbfounded.


    "No way!!" they exclaimed.


    They were all completely wrong. They thought the actor who would help them was from Singapore or maybe from a neighboring country. It turned out ... it was actually one of Hollywood''s biggest stars, who only recently announced that he was taking a leave from acting.


    "Wow, he looks so young in person," Robert said admiringly. "I honestly thought the photos were heavily edited in Photoshop, you know ..."


    "Well, it''s not uncommon for celebrities to do that. They can afford the exorbitant cost of skin care and facial treatments, so they can stay looking young," Isla whispered. "He looks just like a senior in our campus."


    "Whooaaa ... I also want to be a famous actor so I can stay young," James exclaimed enthusiastically.


    Terry had to clear his throat a few times so his crew would stop gossiping. Isla hurriedly got to her feet and greeted Jean enthusiastically.


    "Hello, my name is Isla. We will star together in this film. Please help me to do well,"


    Isla immediately was shouted at by her friends who knew that she just wanted to approach Jean. The girl smiled shamelessly and gave them her middle finger.


    "Hello, Isla." Jean welcomed Isla''s greeting but did not give her any more attention, making the girl a little disappointed.


    "Alright, we should start the pre-production meeting, and tonight we will start shooting some main scenes."


    Terry clapped his hands and all the crew and actors sat neatly and waited for instructions. Jean sat next to Terry and observed his son in action.


    He was a proud father. Terry had often come with him to the set and was familiar with the various film production processes, so he was used to all the activities he was doing now.


    Jean felt that Terry was very talented and that someday he would definitely become a great movie maker. As a father he couldn''t help feeling proud.

 Chapter 419 - The Medici Castle

    After the pre-production meeting, Terry and Jean discussed about Terry''s film project at the penthouse. Jean gave some inputs that were based on his 20 years of experience in the movie industry.


    Both of them seemed very well suited in discussing the film together. After they finished, Jean invited Terry to have a drink together at Sky Bar. When they were walking together, both of them really look like brothers because of the similarities in their appearance and age.


    The waiters at Sky Bar who recognized Jean were very happy to see him. They repeatedly tried to find opportunities to pass and observe the beautiful man.


    The guests who saw them walk towards the Jade table, which was located at the most exclusive corner at the end of the premise as it faced the glass wall that presented the magnificent view of the city lights from the 100th floor, also almost held their breath as the two men passed.


    "After graduation, will you go to Germany and help Caspar?" Jean asked, sipping his wine. "You don''t mind?"


    Terry shook his head. "I also love business. For me, film is art and it makes me happy, and I pursue it because in the past I always wanted to be closer to your world, Dad."


    "You don''t like me retiring?"


    "Ahahaha ... if that makes you happy, of course I will support it. I believe people have professions and interests that change over decades. Uncle Caspar had also been a theater actor in ancient times before he became a doctor, then a painter, then a war strategist, etc. With the life we ??have now, the possibilities are endless."


    Jean nodded. "I am glad to hear that."


    Terry had seen changes in Jean''s attitude in the past few days and he had wanted to ask about it, but only tonight he had the chance.


    "Dad, did something happen?" he asked Jean after a long pause.


    Jean looked at Terry for a long time and then shook his head. "I''m glad you have two fathers, uhm ... three. Your father who raised you since you were a baby,  me - your biological father, and a good ''stepfather'' like Caspar. I think he is an extraordinary man and I hope you can make him your role model.


    He used to be an irresponsible womanizer, but when he met Finland, he changed for the better. I think his current version is what a man, husband, and father should be, and he should be used as an example. When you live your life and when you fall in love, I hope you won''t hesitate and can clearly know what you want. "


    Terry understood what his father meant. Surely Jean still felt guilty about breaking up with Billie.


    "You don''t have to worry," Terry said with a soothing smile, "I have good role models, Daddy Kendrick loved my mom and they survived decades of marriage even without children, until finally I was born through the IVF procedure. Uncle Caspar and you, my own father, also gave me a good example. I won''t turn into a jerk. I will learn from your experience."


    He then lowered his head, thinking about Rosemary who was responsible for Aleksis'' accident. Rosemary would be the last girl he hurt. Until now, no one knew what had happened between them, except Aleksis, and Terry still felt very guilty.


    He felt that after the recent events, he would not play with fire anymore with any woman.


    "In two weeks Billie will have her concert in Singapore. She will give some tickets for us, so you can ask your friends to come along."


    "Wow ... seriously? How many tickets do you have?" Terry asked enthusiastically. "I can give it as an incentive for the most dedicated crew members."


    "Just ask Billie."


    "Wow, cool!" Terry exclaimed excitedly. "You will come too, right?"


    "Of course."


    They continued to talk until late into the night, and they did not notice a man who was enjoying brandy in the corner of the Sky Bar, watching them in a very subtle way.


    ***


    Lauriel was carried away by memories of the Medici family''s past glory every time he returned to his home in Grosseto. They were once very famous and controlled all the Italian part of Europe, but after the 16th century, the Medici family''s glory gradually faded and they began to disappear.


    This was partly due to Lauriel''s mistake, because he spent more time exploring the world and did not care about his family''s legacy.


    Lauriel always assumed that having the responsibility to be the successor to the family was a burden. To avoid that burden, he deliberately disappeared and let his younger siblings become the successors to the Medici family. For him, even his family name was not at all important.


    Lauriel became the first Alchemist known only by his first name. His fame made Lauriel''s name associated only with only him alone. Because of him, hundreds of years later, most Alchemists prefer to be called by first names without the family names.


    Unfortunately, his younger brother passed away due to a horse riding accident which made his parents experience prolonged sadness and finally decided to take Death. His remaining brother later died with his entire family in World War 2. Thereafter, Lauriel was the only person to carry the Medici name in this world.


    He always thought he was alone, until he met Nicolae, his biological child, who was apparently born from the womb of his girlfriend, Luna, the love of his life, before she died.


    The Medici family castle was still well preserved by his family''s trusted staff for generations and Lauriel made time to stop by from time to time. This time, he returned home after 3 years. His emotions were a mess when the car that picked them up passed through the castle gate located on the top of the hill.


    Nicolae, who sat next to Lauriel, looked around in awe. So, this was his father''s house. His adopted father was a trusted physician of King Michael of Romania and he was no stranger to grandeur, but now, seeing his own family''s legacy, he felt the same emotion that Lauriel felt.


    "Welcome back home, Mr. Lauriel." Antonio, Lauriel''s 70-year-old trusted chief of staff was very happy to welcome Lauriel at the door with a very polite Italian. He immediately embraced his master with warmth, a typical nature of the people from Tuscany. After releasing Lauriel, he was stunned for a brief moment when his eyes caught sight of Nicolae. The young man looked very similar to Lauriel. Antonio frowned, "Uhm ... who is this young gentleman, Master?"


    Lauriel, who rarely smiled, showed a broad smile like a proud father. He tapped Nicolae''s shoulder and pushed him forward, "Antonio, this is my son, Nicolae Medici, the new successor to the Medici family."


    Antonio looked surprised but happiness was clearly visible on his face. He hurriedly embraced Nicolae warmly and didn''t ask anymore questions. Only greeted Nicolae in English, "Welcome home, Mr. Nicolae!"


    "Thank you, Antonio." Nicolae immediately felt at home in the Medici family''s ancestral castle.

 Chapter 420 - Just Like Lauriel

    Alaric was busy with his work when Pavel called him to report that he saw Aleksis'' brother at Sky Bar. Lately he had been working like a crazy person because, for every moment he did nothing, Alaric would feel stressed and angry.


    He needed to channel all the negative energy that filled his head and forget his sadness. His closest staff were also aware of this subtle change. Alaric used to be the embodiment of zen; undisturbed, and calm.


    The aura that came out of him had always been peaceful, cool, and collected, just like the bonsai garden he had been maintaining all this time. But now, he looked cruel and filled with anger. Not many dare to get close to him when he was in such a state.


    "Sir, Terry Chan has returned to Singapore. We do not know what the definite relationship between the two of them is, but on campus, it is rumored that Miss Aleksis and Terry Chan have a familial relationship. Terry is the son of an IVF embryo donor, so it''s likely they have blood relations as a consequence. Do you want me to take information from Terry?" asked Pavel.


    Alaric mused over Pavel''s question. He was devastated when he heard the news of Aleksis'' death and he was eager to obtain information on where the girl was buried. In his opinion, as Aleksis'' husband, he had the right to determine where Aleksis'' final resting place should be.


    He had made preparations to move his mother''s grave from Romania to England, on the edge of a beautiful little forest behind the Linden family palace in Yorkshire, and he wanted Aleksis to be buried next to his mother.


    "I don''t want to use violence this time, you remember what happened last time," Alaric told Pavel. "You can send someone to get the information, but don''t touch him."


    "All right, Sir. I''ll be careful," Pavel answered. "Are you all right, Sir?"


    Pavel was aware that his question was related to his boss'' personal matters, something he had never done before, but lately he had begun to worry about Alaric''s condition. He had followed Alaric for 25 years and had always been loyal to him.


    Although he did not particularly like Aleksis, he had to admit that the girl did make his master happy and after Aleksis was gone, Alaric felt very lost.


    "I''m not fine, Pavel," Alaric answered curtly.


    Alaric couldn''t remember the last time he really felt fine. His life had always been hard and filled with bad things. The good things that had happened in his life could be counted with only one hand, and it included events that relate to his mother and Aleksis.


    Alaric didn''t know if in this life he would ever fall in love again. This one time experience was very painful. When he finally opened his heart to another human being, she was snatched away from him after such a short time. Sometimes he wondered if Aleksis was only his dream or a real person.


    He was not sure he would recover from this hurt. When Pavel contacted him and told him that he had seen Terry return to Singapore, Alaric became even more determined to find Aleksis'' grave and take her home to be buried next to his mother''s grave.


    Later, when the time came, whether he died in battle with an enemy or he took his own life, Alaric wanted to be buried between the two of them. These were the only two women who mattered to him.


    The door to his study was knocked twice and Sophia invited herself in. The girl''s face was adorned with a very bright smile. She walked over to Alaric who was pensive in front of several files that he was studying but he couldn''t bother finish.


    "What''s wrong, Sophia?" he asked in a cold voice.


    Sophia was not at all bothered by Alaric''s cold and indifferent attitude. After being with him for a few weeks, she had gotten used to it.


    According to her, that was just Alaric''s personality and she didn''t need to take it to heart.


    "Do you know who you remind me of?" Sophia asked in a crisp voice. She sat on the sofa right in front of Alaric and looked at the man with a probing look. She waited for Alaric to answer her question, but the answer never came. "You never care about anything, don''t you?"


    Alaric looked back at Sophia with a flat face. He would not respond to Sophia and her useless quizzes. Finally the girl gave up.


    "You always remind me of Lauriel. Your face indeed resembles Princess Luna, but your physical appearance and your personality reminds me of Lauriel. Are you not interested in meeting your father?"


    Sophia was very pleased to see Alaric''s eyes glow after she spoke. She knew the news she had brought would make Alaric, who had always been indifferent, interested. What child didn''t want to meet their biological parents?


    "Didn''t you say he couldn''t be found? Hasn''t he disappeared for decades?" Alaric asked.


    Sophia nodded, "That is so. If he wants to disappear, then no one will be able to find him."


    "I don''t like playing guess, Sophia. Tell me everything you want to tell, or stop wasting my time."


    Sophia rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. "You haven''t been pleasant at all lately. All right. If you''re not interested in the news that I''m bringing, I won''t force you either. Sorry for wasting your time!"


    He was just like Lauriel, Sophia thought, irritated, as she stepped out of Alaric''s study. She had just learned that Lauriel was eager to visit the Linden family palace and that was enough to get Sophia excited.


    She hadn''t seen Lauriel in a long time, and besides that, she also wanted to extract information from the man about why he and Princess Luna had separated during the second world war, until finally Luna had to deliver her child alone, and pass away after.


    And of course, she also wanted to know Lauriel''s reaction when he found out that he actually had a son. Sophia was impatient.


    She had initially thought that Alaric would be excited to hear this news. But his indifferent response made Sophia feel that even for this one thing her cousin would not be interested. Now she wondered if Lauriel would act similarly bad.


    Alaric followed Sophia''s departure with a raging mind. Of course he really wanted to meet his father. Although he repeatedly said otherwise, in his heart, Alaric wanted to at least see the man whose blood ran in his body.


    He wanted to know what the man his mother loved looked like.


    He was a bit curious because Sophia repeatedly said that he reminded her of Lauriel. He wanted to know what Lauriel was like.


    ***

 Chapter 421 - Paintings

    Antonio''s family have been working for the Medici family for generations and they maintained the family castle during the absence of their employer. Lauriel only stopped by from time to time and it could be decades that they would actually see him.


    The past decades, he came from frequently with his goddaughter and Antonio was happy to see his master looking contend, better than before. He thought, finally Lauriel will find a family on his goddaughter. The surprise visit today, when Lauriel suddenly introduced his own son, Nicolae, really made Antonio feel happy beyond measure.


    Finally... the master has found his family!


    Lauriel was happy too because Nicolae quickly felt at home in Grosseto. The young man had explored the area around their house and got along well with the staff and their children.


    Inwardly, Lauriel felt that his life was complete because there was now a successor to the Medici family in the world. And if Aleksis later recovered, maybe Nicolae and Aleksis would fall in love and get married, uniting the Schneider family and the Medici family into the most influential family in the clan.


    And maybe he would be able to live long enough to see their children, grandchildren, born into this world. Really, his life would be perfect.


    Lauriel smiled a lot when thinking about this. The aura of sadness and loneliness that had surrounded him slowly disappeared and the staff could see that their employer had changed so much.


    Really, a great change could occur when someone had a child. When Lauriel first came to the Medici palace with his goddaughter, Aleksis, the staff noticed changes in Lauriel, who used to be reclusive and aloof. He became a very patient and dedicated man to his goddaughter.


    Now when they saw Lauriel come with his biological son, his face radiated: I am a proud father. Indeed, there was still worried aura around him because Aleksis was still unwell, but they were very confident that their young miss will recover soon because Lauriel was the best poison and medicine expert in the world.


    ***


    One afternoon, while Lauriel was working on something in the living room, Antonio came to him carrying a painting he had been cleaning.


    "Sir, we haven''t had another member of the Medici family in this palace for a very long time; why don''t we call a painter to make a painting of you and Mr. Nicolae?" he said while showing the painting he was holding. "I only thought about this because I was cleaning up the paintings of your ancestors."


    Lauriel saw the figure of his father and mother in the painting held by Antonio and smiled, "It''s now the modern time, Antonio, we don''t use paintings anymore. There are already digital photos available. We just need to print it on canvas and we have a ''painting''."


    "Uhm ... it''s not the same, Master. Don''t compare artwork with modern-time photos. This old palace is full of history; wouldn''t it be nice if we could hang a painting of you and Mr. Nicolae together with the paintings of your family members as you are both the descendants of the Medici family?"


    Lauriel looked at the smiling faces of his mother and father and sighed sadly. He regretted that he had never taken his picture painted with Luna when she was still alive. Now their descendants would never be able to see the woman he loved.


    Antonio seemed to read Lauriel''s mind. He touched the man''s shoulder and said carefully, "Sir, the Linden family must still have paintings of Lady Luna ... I can borrow one of them to be repainted by our painters here. That is if you allow it."


    "The Linden family is gone," Lauriel answered.


    "True, but their relatives, the Meier family and the Baden family, still exist. Princess Portia may still have some photos and paintings of Lady Luna." Antonio looked at Lauriel hopefully. He looked at the man and the paintings in his hands alternately. Finally Lauriel nodded.


    "All right, Antonio. I''m not sure you''ll get it, but I appreciate your efforts. I''ll visit Portia''s place and talk to her about it." He pondered for a moment, "Maybe I will also take Nicolae to the Linden family palace, so he can see where his mother was raised."


    "Ah, that''s a very good plan, Master." Antonio smiled broadly. He was very pleased to see the change in his master''s attitude.


    "Send an official letter to the two families, so that we would not be considered rude if we were to come suddenly." Lauriel then got up and walked out.


    He looked at the foggy valley below and his mind drifted to more than a hundred years ago, when he returned home for the last time before the world war.


    At that time, his brother and his entire family were still alive, and Luna was there to accompany him. They then went to Asia for an adventure, and unexpectedly, a few years later, the war broke out again and everything changed.


    All his family members were killed and then Luna left him. Now he could not even remember the face of the only woman he ever loved. He purposely didn''t ask for a picture or photo of Luna from Portia because he knew seeing her face would destroy what little sanity he had left back then. But his sadness was so great that it took him almost 100 years to finally forget her face.


    He was not sure if he would still be alive today if he had a picture or a painting of Luna with him. Surely all he would think about then was how he could go and see her in the afterlife.


    He was grateful that he didn''t proceed with his plan to take Death, because then he would miss the opportunity to meet his son, Nicolae.


    Now that he had Nicolae, Lauriel felt that his life was finally complete. He had Aleksis, the sun of his life, whom he was very grateful to meet, and he had Nicolae, his son from his only lover.


    Oh, Aleksis ... please, wake up. How can your Uncle Rory continue living if you''re not around?


    ***

 Chapter 422 - Caspar Returns to Office

    Caspar took on the new identity of Sebastian Schneider, the nephew of Heinrich Schneider, and became the new  leader of the Schneider Group after Kurt''s sudden death. He immediately convened a limited board of directors meeting and gathered the information he needed to run his business empire.


    It had been almost 20 years since he managed the family business because he diverted his focus on his wife and children. Finally, now that he had to return to the business world, Caspar had to exert all his focus and concentration.


    He had asked Ben to, again, become his personal assistant and they immediately prepared the regeneration process to make room for Terry to come in to replace Caspar after a few years.


    The first week was still filled with various ceremonial events because all members of the company still felt deep sorrow due to Kurt''s death.


    There was hardly a single employee at the headquarters who knew Caspar because he had resigned from the company a long time ago.


    Some senior officials who had seen him in the past didn''t really recognize his face anymore and only assumed that as the ''nephew'' of the previous boss, he must indeed look similar to his uncle, the group owner.


    This morning, as usual, Caspar entered his office at the Schneider Tower in downtown Berlin. Because there were too many thoughts raging in his mind, that morning he forgot to bring the access key to his office on the highest floor and, unfortunately, the automatic access using fingerprint and cornea scanning had not been activated for him.


    Hmm ... his meeting would start in 10 minutes and Caspar never liked being late. He looked around and saw, at the reception desk on the ground floor, two staff members who were busy with their work. He finally approached them and asked for access to go up to the 40th floor.


    "Good morning, Sir. Are you a guest? Please leave your identity card and write down your appointment details," said the receptionist who had a small hair bun above her head. She was staring seriously at Caspar, as if assessing who this prospective student or new employee was about to meet.


    "I work here, but I left my access card at home," Caspar said impatiently. He was usually very friendly, but lately, the anxiety caused by Aleksis'' condition had made his patience run thin. "If you can''t give me access, please call Franz Hubert to pick me up here."


    The two receptionists looked at each other in surprise. Their faces showed clear dislike - this young man in front of them was behaving very insolently by casually asking them to summon the senior Vice President of Finance.


    "Who are you? You cannot meet Mr. Hubert without an appointment. As far as I know, he has an important meeting today."


    Caspar shook his head; he was getting very annoyed. "Yes, he will attend a meeting this morning with ME. If you are the cause of me being late, Franz will be angry."


    He looked at his watch. Ugh The meeting would start in 5 minutes. He knew the two receptionists were only doing their job and he was guilty of not having had time to request for his automatic access. His young and attractive appearance did not imply that he was the boss, let alone the group owner.


    He knew that all his employees who saw him would think that he was a final year student who wanted to work as an intern or maybe they think that he was a new employee.


    The only people who knew him were the top level directors, and only those who were at the headquarters in Berlin. He still had to go to the headquarters in New York and do the same thing.


    Ugh ... this was the downside of looking young forever, Caspar thought. People sometimes didn''t take him seriously if they didn''t know who he was.


    "What is this?"


    Suddenly a crisp voice came from behind Caspar and the man immediately turned his head. He noticed a tall and beautiful girl - who looked like a supermodel - approach the reception desk. She frowned when she saw Caspar standing in front of the receptionist with a displeased look.


    "Sorry, Miss, this person keeps on insisting on meeting Mr. Hubert, but Mr. Hubert is having a very important meeting with the new boss of the Schneider Group."


    Caspar didn''t know who this new girl was, but the receptionists seemed to respect her very much. He did not know all the staff below him yet because he had only returned to work last week; he was also not sure this girl knew who he was.


    "Look, I''m not an intern as you might expect," Caspar said quickly, "I am ..."


    The girl smiled and bowed slightly then waved her hand, "Please forgive them, Sir. They do not recognize you. Of course you are not an intern."


    Caspar looked at the girl in surprise. Apparently, even though she was young, the girl had a high enough position in the group so that she could know who Caspar was. He must find out what position the girl had in his company.


    "Can you tell them to give me access to the 40th floor?" Caspar asked.


    The girl extended her hand and greeted Caspar respectfully, "Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Lilian Rosendhal, and I am the deputy manager of the legal department. I work under Mr. Kieff. Nice to meet you, Mr. Schneider."


    Caspar returned Lilian''s greeting briefly and then signaled that the access should be opened for him immediately. Lilian nodded to the two receptionists, who seemed surprised to hear her greet the young man as Mr. Schneider.


    They didn''t know whether this Mr. Schneider was their new boss or whether this man simply had the same surname as their boss. But what was clear was that Lilian''s attitude showed such respect to the man and it made them realize that he was not a nobody.


    After Caspar and Lilian got into the elevator and headed for the highest floor, the two receptionists could only look at each other with worried faces. They were very afraid that they had offended their new boss.

 Chapter 423 - Is Our Big Boss Gay?

    Inside the elevator, Caspar was busy with his cellphone. If Lilian hadn''t come at the right time, he would have had to call Ben to come and give him access. Fortunately, he didn''t need to.


    Caspar wrote a note to himself, so that today he would immediately activate his automatic access, so that he would not be in trouble the next time something similar happened.


    Lately he realized that he could not fully focus because his mind always wandered to Aleksis; he also missed his wife''s presence. During their 21 years together, they had never been far apart, except when Finland went away and left him for almost 3 years.


    After reuniting, the two never once separated even if only for one day. And now, having lived for a week without his wife, Caspar missed her dearly and it made him very grumpy.


    It''s been more than a week since they were together because he had to take care of the group in Berlin and Finland was still waiting on Aleksis in Switzerland. Finland would come to Berlin after they could arrange for a rotation of family members who would look after Aleksis in Switzerland.


    That morning, just like every other morning during the past week, Caspar checked on Aleksis'' progress before he went to work. It had become his habit.


    Lilian repeatedly glanced at the new boss who was busy with his cellphone, and admired his good looks. She felt fortunate that she was able to meet the new boss in person today and even had the opportunity to help him a little in the lobby. She hoped that she had left a good enough impression so that the big boss would remember her.


    Ah, it was only right that the receptionists thought their boss was an intern; his appearance was still very young, though he looked really cool. He was more suited to be a model than the leader of a business empire.


    The Schneider family was indeed famous for being very reclusive. Not much was known about them, not even their photos could be found on the internet, so it was only natural that many people, including the employees, do not recognize their big boss ...


    Hmm ... she wondered if this young guy was single or already married? Or if he had a girlfriend. Lilian continued to make guesses in her head. She couldn''t wait to obtain more information about her new boss.


    She tidied her beautiful hair that fell loose on her shoulders and glanced at Caspar. The man was still busy with his cellphone. Hmm ... Lilian, who was famous for her beauty since she was a teenager, was used to getting the attention of all the men she met.


    She deliberately dropped her pen on the floor and bent slowly to pick it up, to show off her beautiful back. When her eyes glanced to the side, Lilian was very disappointed to see that Caspar was still busy typing something on his cellphone and didn''t look at her at all even though Lilian''s body position when picking up her pen looked very sexy.


    The girl''s curiosity only grew more intense. She had spent almost 1 minute with him during their trip to the 40th floor, and not once did he care about her presence, no matter what she did to attract his attention.


    Is our big boss gay? Lilian thought again.


    Ah, too bad then. She pursed her lips slightly, disappointed. Too bad.


    DING!


    The elevator door opened on the 40th floor and Caspar hurriedly walked into the meeting room. Lilian looked at his rapidly disappearing back with a disappointed look.


    Gosh, it was such a shame that our handsome new boss actually swings to that direction, she complained.


    Caspar had no idea that, due to his encounter with the deputy manager of the legal department, he had become the subject of office gossip. The staff at his headquarters in Berlin all thought that he was gay, just because he was indifferent to all the beautiful women in the office and because he had a really good fashion sense.


    ***


    While Caspar was busy taking care of his business empire, Terry and Jean worked hard to complete Terry''s last assignments so he could immediately graduate and join the Schneider family business, while Finland took care of her children.


    At the same time, Lauriel and Nicolae concentrated on tracking down the members of the Rhionen Assassins. They only knew the faces of Takeshi and Mischa and Nicolae already sketched the faces of the two which he then used to track them through all CCTV cameras around the world.


    After two weeks, they finally managed to obtain trace of Takeshi in India. Apparently, he had been spending his time in the secluded mountains of Nepal and was only caught by camera when he set foot in a big city.


    "Who is the closest to India right now?" Lauriel asked his men who were spread out to do their respective tasks.


    "Petra is in China. He can immediately get to Takeshi in India," Esso said immediately. "I''ll contact him."


    "Good. Coordinate with Nicolae to find out Takeshi''s latest location," Lauriel ordered. "I really want to get information about the other members of Rhionen Assassins."


    Lauriel sat pondering in his chair after hanging up Esso''s phone call. He had been trying to recall the event of 18 years ago on the night train to Chiang Mai.


    ''Prince Siegfried'' looked like a nice young man and he even helped Aleksis unconditionally, which was why Lauriel gave him a bottle of miracle medicine for his wounds and his personal phone number so that he could collect a million dollars at any time from Lauriel. But even until now, he had not asked for anything in return for his kindness at that time.


    Lauriel remembered that eight years ago, he suddenly got a text from that person again for finding Aleksis for the second time.  ''Prince Siegfried'' contacted Lauriel to make sure that he was really her ''Uncle Rory''; and still he did not ask for anything in return after delivering Aleksis safely to her parents.


    Lauriel and the Schneider family were indebted twice to him, but now the situation was such that they had to hunt him down because of what had happened to Aleksis.


    Had Rhionen Assassins not wiped out the Black River mafia group in Singapore, Rosemary Lin would not have come to campus threatening Aleksis'' life and things wouldn''t have ended in such an accident. They were still waiting and hoping that Aleksis would wake up from her coma.


    Caspar, who was very angry, considered Rhionen Assassins responsible for the accident that befell his beloved daughter and he wanted to destroy them. Lauriel initially agreed, especially because the organization had such a shady reputation.


    But now, after he had calmed down and thought about it better, he was reminded of the ''Prince Siegfried'' whom Aleksis liked so much, that the girl tried hard to persuade her father to be allowed to study in Singapore, just so she could look for him.


    His mind returned to the night of their meeting on the train and for some reason Lauriel felt a sadness in his heart that he could not understand.

 Chapter 424 - PRINCE SIEGFRIED - The Dragon Slayer

    Lauriel could not remember ''Prince Siegfried''s'' face, but he remembered that the young man was quite resilient because he managed to hold Lauriel in close-range altercation, and the aura coming out of him at that time did not feel evil at all; even little Aleksis felt comfortable around him and trusted him.


    It felt so unfortunate that 18 years later, ''Prince Siegfried'' had become part of the most mysterious assassin organization in the world; he even got involved with Aleksis and resulted in the girl''s accident which almost claimed her life.


    Lauriel wondered if Prince Siegfried was already an assassin when they met, or had something happened that led him to plunge into the underworld? If so, what actually happened to him?


    What made a good young man like him fall into the organization of assassins? What did this have to do with Aleksis? Who was he, really?


    Now, he must already be in his 40s, much older than Aleksis. Did he really influence Aleksis and brainwash her? Where was Prince Siegfried when Aleksis had this accident? What were his thoughts knowing that she was reportedly dead?


    So many questions raged in Lauriel''s head. Subconsciously, he took his cellphone and wrote an SMS to Petra.


    [Don''t kill the target. I want him alive. I have some things to ask him.]


    He then put down his cellphone and walked towards the courtyard, still feeling upset. The sky was cloudy and the air was very cold, that even Lauriel, who had a very strong resistance to cold, today felt the need to wear a sweater.


    "Father, I want to go to Switzerland to visit Aleksis," said Nicolae, who came out of the hall with his bag packed. "Please let me know if there are any developments with the targets, I want to be involved as much as possible. I really hope to learn from you."


    Lauriel nodded. He smiled slightly as he waved at Nicolae who rushed into the car that would drive him to the airstrip in the valley to board their family''s private plane to Switzerland.


    Aleksis always talked about ''Prince Siegfried'' since she was a child and behaved as if that person was her prince on a white horse. Lauriel had never had a problem with this before, but now that Nicolae had become part of his life, he really hoped that Aleksis could forget her obsession toward that person and start giving his son a chance 1 .


    Nicolae was an extraordinary young man and he would be the perfect husband for Aleksis, he thought.


    ***


    Nicolae''s arrival made Finland very relieved. She knew that there was no one she could trust more to wait on Aleksis than the young man, because not only was Nicolae a doctor, but he had proven himself in the last few weeks to be a very reliable person.


    Finland couldn''t leave Aleksis alone only under the supervision of their family doctor and the nurses and her two younger children, while she must also accompany her husband who needed her support in managing such a large company group which he had left for almost 20 years.


    Sometimes, Finland hoped that she could clone herself so that she could accompany all the people she loved to make sure they were okay.


    "Auntie, don''t worry, I''ll take care of everything here," Nicolae said as he followed Finland to the car. London and Rune stood to his left and right, nodding in unison.


    Finland nodded with a smile of relief. She hugged and kissed her two sons before getting into the car to catch up with Caspar in Berlin.


    London, who looked very similar to Caspar as a teenager, and Rune, who looked like a little Aldebar, then simultaneously sighed after their mother disappeared from view.


    "Ugh ... I don''t like our family being separated like this," complained Rune. "I hope Aleksis wakes up quickly."


    London nodded wistfully. He walked into the house with a book in his hand and entered Aleksis'' treatment room. With a sad face, he stared at Aleksis for a long time. The girl still looked like a sleeping princess who was having a very sweet dream.


    "I saw her latest CT scan report - Aleksis is heading towards recovery with a very promising level of progress. You don''t need to worry," Nicolae said softly. He had followed London and Rune and sat on the edge of the bed. He coughed a little, "Have I told you that I am a doctor?"


    The two teenagers shook their heads. Rune frowned, "I thought you were a hacker. I didn''t know you were a doctor too."


    "Well, I am a doctor. That was my first profession because my adoptive father was also a doctor," Nicolae explained. "Now I''m more interested in computer science, but I still like the world of medicine."


    "Hmm ... is there anything we can do to help Aleksis?" asked London then.


    "Aleksis is being treated by some of the best nurses and therapists. They do their utmost best to keep her body fresh and not stiff because she is always lying still in bed. What you can do is talk to her so Aleksis will not feel lonely. You can also read the books that she likes. Things like that ..." said Nicolae to answer London''s question.


    London looked at the book in his hand and then nodded. "Well, I can read books to Aleksis. I think she would like the story of this book."


    Nicolae glanced at the title of the book held by London and instantly grumbled inwardly.


    PRINCE SIEGFRIED - THE DRAGON SLAYER


    Ugh, why not chose another book? he thought, feeling annoyed. He was already aware of Aleksis'' obsession with ''Prince Siegfried''.


    "This is one of Aleksis'' favorite stories," Rune said. "She said she met Prince Siegfried in person."


    "Is that true?" Nicolae asked. "What''s the person like?"


    "Aleksis said that the person was very delicate and he liked plants. He was also very handsome. Aleksis had always believed that she would one day meet with Prince Siegfried again and they would get married," Rune answered. He looked at Nicolae for a long time and then added, "I don''t want Aleksis to marry Prince Siegfried. I like you more."


    Nicolae was astonished to hear Rune''s blunt words. He did not expect that the boy would like him that much and that fast. A moment later a big smile spread across his face. "Thank you."


    "But you must promise me that you will never hurt my sister," threatened Rune, trying to look bigger and intimidating. "Otherwise, I don''t care if you''re Uncle Lauriel''s son, I''ll kill you."


    "Gosh, you''re still a child, don''t talk nonsense," Nicolae said. "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt Aleksis. I really like your sister."


    London stopped the whisperings between the two with a fierce look in his eyes as he raised the book in his hands, "I want to read, can you two be quiet or not?"


    Nicolae and Rune hastily closed their mouths and allowed London to start reading the story from his book.


    Aleksis had been in a coma for over one month and her younger siblings really missed seeing her awake and talking to them. Both of them loved Aleksis very much and this miserable incident had made London and Rune become even closer.


    London''s voice trembled as he read his sister''s favorite story, while Rune held Aleksis'' hands affectionately. They were eager to see the signs that Aleksis was going to wake up. They both looked at Alexis'' closed eyes, feeling hopeful. London and Rune''s faces were filled with anxiety.


    Nicolae, who felt like he was an outsider, thought that it would be better if he gave the three siblings time to be alone, so he slowly got up and left them.


    He busied himself by observing Takeshi''s movements on his computer. He still remembered his meeting with Takeshi and Mischa, when they had a fight in Singapore. At that time he did not know who they were. If he had known, of course Nicolae would be more careful and not be too rash with his actions.


    He was currently busy guessing whether ''Prince Siegfried'' was the leader of Rhionen Assassins or not, and what his true relationship was with Aleksis.


    When he was busy with his work while enjoying a cup of tea, Rune''s sudden scream from Aleksis'' room shocked Nicolae that he spilled his tea all over the floor. Frantically he placed his cup on the table and hurriedly ran towards the sound.


    "What is wrong?" he asked breathlessly as he arrived inside.


    Nicolae was very surprised to see Rune in tears. He raised Aleksis'' right hand which was in his grasp.


    "Aleksis just moved her hand," Rune whispered in a hoarse voice. "I really felt it. She moved her two fingers and touched my hand!"


    London nodded with a broad smile on his face, "Aleksis can hear us."


    Nicolae breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that something bad had happened to Aleksis. He was happy to know that it was good news instead.


    The girl was responding to her younger siblings! Aleksis'' progress was extraordinary; Nicolae had not expected that her progress would be this fast. It seemed that the girl was fighting very hard to recover.


    Oh... Uncle Rory... If only you knew...

 Chapter 425 - Aleksis Progress

    Nicolae had always known that his body was special. He stopped aging after entering his 20s, he had never been ill, and his physical endurance had always been very strong.


    He used to think that he was the victim of a Nazi Human Experimentation[1] during the second world war, performed by their ''mad'' scientists. He never once thought that he was an Alchemist, and that there were other people who were just like him, who could live for hundreds of years with their youthful looks.


    His father, Lauriel, was currently the oldest Alchemist in the world who had lived for nearly 600 years, and still they could walk next to each other and look like brothers.


    Now seeing Aleksis'' rapid progress, Nicolae was very relieved. He never dreamed that he could ever see a patient with a severe brain stem injury have such a remarkable recovery. Today, Aleksis had begun to move her hand in response to the presence of her two younger brothers.


    London, Rune, and Nicolae were moved to tears.


    They were very relieved and they couldn''t wait to see Aleksis wake up. The sleeping princess had been unconscious for over a month and everyone was very worried about her.


    Nicolae hurriedly called the girl''s parents and informed them of her startling progress, then he called his father, Lauriel, who could only stay silent on the other end of the line, speechless. He also later informed Terry and Jean in Singapore.


    Everyone was very relieved to hear the good news and slowly the gray clouds that had been hovering over the big family slowly began to disappear.


    Everyone could now feel the hope for their beloved girl.


    "Thank you for looking after Aleksis there," Finland whispered tearfully over the phone. "I will come tomorrow to see my daughter."


    "It is my pleasure, Auntie. This is a very miraculous thing. As a doctor I want to learn from Aleksis'' healing process," Nicolae answered modestly.


    "Still, we are deeply indebted to you," Finland said again. "We, the Schneider family, amass our debt to you; both your father and you. I don''t know how we can ever repay your kindness."


    "Ouch, Auntie ... don''t say things like that. We are family. Aleksis is my father''s goddaughter and he loves her very much. We also owe a lot to Aleksis. Without her, Father might have taken Death 20 years ago and I wouldn''t be able to meet him," Nicolae said quickly. "Between our families, there are no debts ... Auntie should not think that way anymore."


    Finland smiled at Nicolae''s very soothing words. She really liked the young man. Nicolae was like Lauriel, but in a warmer and more pleasant version.


    Inwardly, Finland hoped that someday their close family relations could be formalized by the marriage between Aleksis and Nicolae.


    They both looked very compatible for each other, and she could imagine how happy Lauriel would be if his biological son would marry his goddaughter. Caspar and Finland had given their blessings. Now, they just needed to wait for Aleksis to wake up.


    "How about now?" Caspar asked in a very tired voice. He had been listening to the telephone conversation between Finland and Nicolae and was very relieved to know that Aleksis was getting better.


    What he meant with his question was Finland''s plan to return to Switzerland to look after their children. He really wanted to go with her.


    There was no place he wanted to be in this world more than with his wife and children, but unfortunately, he still had to take care of his huge business which was currently hit by a crisis caused by Kurt''s sudden death which shook the group. Moreover, his successor had not yet been prepared.


    It was actually Aleksis who was being prepared to take over from Kurt in a few more years, but Aleksis was now lying unconscious due to the accident that had befallen her.


    Meanwhile, Rhionen Industries, which in recent years had been competing with the Schneider Group in many fields, was taking the opportunity to seize important projects which were initially carried out by the Schneider Group.


    Their goal was to push through their automation projects into many new countries. Caspar was forced to work hard to restore the market confidence in his group.


    "I have to go home to Switzerland ... I am worried about the children," Finland whispered sadly. "I hope you can settle your business immediately and come home to us."


    Caspar shook his head, "If it is true that Rhionen Industries and Rhionen Assasins are led by the same person, I cannot stay quiet. I will fight them, to avenge what they did to Aleksis."


    Finland hugged Caspar for a long time, trying to lighten his burden. "If not for the children, I will stay here forever with you, and even help you in the office."


    Finland remembered that 17 years ago she had worked in the same office as Caspar, and they were able to spend a lot of time together. Later, when Aleksis had recovered, she was determined to join the company and help Caspar with the business. She would not let her husband work alone.


    "I miss the days when we worked together in the New York office," Caspar said, kissing Finland''s hair gently. "Later, when Aleksis wakes up, you have to help me in the office. I can''t stand being apart from you even for just a few hours. I can make you my personal assistant. Ben is busy taking care of too many things, I need a real assistant."


    "I will, Honey. Later, when Aleksis recovers, I will come to help you." Finland kissed her husband''s lips lovingly then let go of his arms. She must prepare for her flight to Switzerland to see their children.


    ***


    .


    [1]  Nazi Human Experimentation


    It was a series of medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners, including children, by Nazi Germany in its concentration camps in the early to mid 1940s, during World War II and the Holocaust. Chief target populations included Romani, Sinti, ethnic Poles, Soviet POWs, disabled Germans, and Jews from across Europe.


    Nazi physicians and their assistants forced prisoners into participating; they did not willingly volunteer and no consent was given for the procedures. Typically, the experiments resulted in death, trauma, disfigurement or permanent disability, and as such are considered examples of medical torture.


    Some examples of experiments they conducted are:


    - Experiments on twins


    - Bone, muscle, and nerve transplantation experiments


    - Head injury experiments


    - Freezing experiments


    - Sterilization and fertility experiments


    - Etc.

 Chapter 426 - The Proud Father

    Terry''s crew never dreamed they would be able to work with a real movie star, a very well-known actor in their generation: Jean.


    The man was already 45 years old but he still looked very young and fresh; it was as if he was the same age as them. His attitude was very friendly and down to earth. It was really unexpected.


    At first, they thought that a star of Jean''s level, would be very arrogant, or at least he would keep a distance from them, the ordinary people, but apparently they were wrong. Jean was very pleasant to be with and they really admired him.


    The filming went very smoothly and within two weeks, all the shooting process had been completed. They just needed to enter the post-production process and then distribute their movie to a number of local theaters and invite their friends and critics.


    "Alright, since we''ve all worked well and completed our assignment perfectly, I''ll give you all a reward," said Terry eagerly as they completed their shoot on the last day. His crew looked at each other and smiled broadly. They didn''t expect that Terry had prepared a gift for them.


    "Wow ... how exciting! What''s the gift?" Isla asked excitedly.


    Terry smiled mysteriously then took out a stack of tickets from his bag, and brandished it in front of his crew.


    "These tickets are for Billie Yves'' concert and backstage access!" Terry exclaimed loudly.


    Simultaneously his crew jumped happily and roar in excitement. They knew how difficult it was to get Billie Yves'' concert tickets. Not only was it very expensive, all the tickets were sold out on the first day of sale! Billie Yves was a legendary musician.


    Jean only looked at Terry''s behavior with a thin smile. His son received many free tickets from Billie Yves as a graduation gift and he was allowed to bring his friends. He certainly did not waste the opportunity.


    "Oh my God! This is too cool!! You''re so cool. You are such a talented filmmaker and getting the chance to work with you before you become famous has actually been a gift for me. But ... oh my, it''s Billie Yves'' concert!!! Thank you, Terry!! " Max exclaimed, involuntarily hugging Terry. "I didn''t know that you had such amazing access to this industry. You know Jean and you can even take us to watch Billie Yves'' concert. Oh my God ... what did I dream of last night ..."


    Seeing Max pinch himself, Jean could not help laughing. Max represented his friends who really liked Terry and blatantly expressed his admiration. This made Jean''s chest expand with happiness because he was so proud of his son.


    Finally, he could not take it anymore and told them the truth.


    "Terry is great, and as a father, I''m very proud of him," Jean said softly, smiling faintly. His voice was not too loud but everyone in the auditorium could well hear the contents of his words.


    Wait a minute, did Jean say that Terry was his son?


    Terry''s eight crew members looked at each other in surprise. One by one they turned to Terry and looked at him with astonished faces.


    Terry himself looked at Jean in disbelief. What did Jean say just now? Did his father casually told his friends that he was Terry''s father?


    Wasn''t Jean afraid of gossip? Just last week he was rumored with all sorts of gossip because he broke up with Billie and kissed another girl soon after ...


    "What are you talking about, Dad?" Terry asked in puzzlement. His friends were even more amazed to hear Terry actually confirm Jean''s words.


    Oh. My. God...


    Terry was really Jean''s son?


    Now they were all aware of the similarities between the two men. Indeed, when standing next to each other, they looked very much like siblings.


    Jean had 50% Asian gene and 50% European gene because his mother was French and his father was Singaporean.


    Terry, on the other hand, had a mixed appearance because both his father and mother were mixed too, so he was also 50% European and 50% Asian.


    "Gosh ... are you for real?" Isla almost stumbled, so shocked. She must hold onto Lorena so as not to fall.


    Jean nodded. "Terry is indeed my son. Since I am planning to retire from acting, I decided to appear on film one last time, in a film created by my own son."


    "Wait ... what? Retiring?? Why?"


    They were still not over the surprise from knowing that Terry was Jean''s son, and now Terry''s friends were even more shocked when they learned that Jean was planning to retire from acting. They were aware of how famous this one actor is.


    It would be very unfortunate if he retired.


    "Then ... the rumor that Jean broke up with Billie isn''t true, right?" Isla asked again, curious. "I mean, we are invited to watch her concert ... If they had indeed broken up, Terry wouldn''t have gotten so many tickets for us ¡­ right?"


    Terry hurriedly covered his leading actress'' mouth and tapped her head, "Hush ... don''t discuss gossip here."


    He looked at Jean with an apologetic look, but Jean just laughed lightly.


    "All right, see you at the concert, okay," he then got up and prepared to leave.


    Everyone stared at Jean''s back with a half-adoring look, including Terry, who still couldn''t believe his father just praised him proudly in front of his friends. They thought they wouldn''t see the famous actor again, and was contemplating how lucky they were to be given the opportunity to work with him.


    But, to their surprise, in less than a minute, Jean returned with a beautiful girl holding his arm with affection.


    "Big Brother, I''ve been looking for you everywhere! Why didn''t you pick up your phone? Good thing I met Uncle Jean in front of this building." Aleksis grumbled as she rushed at Terry who looked at her with a face filled with horror.


    All his crew members were also shocked to see her.

 Chapter 427 - The Fake Aleksis

    Not only Terry was surprised, but all the crew members were staring wide-eyed at Aleksis who suddenly appeared. She looked in good health and was even holding Jean''s hand lovingly. There were so many things that made them bewildered.


    They did not expect Aleksis to be okay. She had disappeared for almost two months from the campus and now, there were various rumors circulating around regarding her wellbeing.


    The stories ranged from normal ones such as she simply died or in comatose somewhere, up to absurd ones like she had been abducted by aliens.


    Another thing that surprised them was Aleksis'' closeness to Jean, the super famous actor whom they only knew today as Terry''s biological father.


    Was Aleksis related to Terry by blood and thus had a kinship with Jean? If that was the case, the girl was indeed very impressive. She deserved to be the new queen bee of their campus!


    For some time Terry was unable to say anything. He looked at Jean and Aleksis with eyes full of questions. Jean signaled him with his eyes so that Terry would stop attracting attention. The young man could only scratch his head and nod.


    "I''m shooting my movie with Father. What are you doing looking for me?" He asked in annoyance. He glared at the girl who was wearing a broad smile on her face.


    Aleksis shook her head, "I am bored at home, I want to go out. You must accompany me."


    Jean nodded toward Terry, "You heard your sister."


    Terry finally looked at his friends and shrugged, "Uhm, have you met my sister? This is Aleksis. She''s a transfer student on our campus. You might have heard that two months ago she had had an accident."


    Terry''s friends nodded. Of course, everyone heard a thing or two about that incident, even though no one was really sure about what actually happened. Nicolae and Aleksis disappeared and Terry left for a while. It turned out that Aleksis was indeed Terry''s sister and at the moment she was in good condition.


    "Have you recovered? We almost thought you died," Max said in amazement.


    The girl just chuckled, "I did get treated after the accident, but my injury was not actually that severe. I have no idea why the gossips spread like that, even escalating into me being dead. But as you can see, I am alive and well. I''m just like weed, it will be hard to kill me."


    Terry was still shocked in his heart, seeing how similar the girl in front of him was to his sister Aleksis. If he did not know for certain that Aleksis was still being treated in Switzerland, he would have surely been fooled. He was completely impressed. This woman was indeed an amazing actress.


    "Uhm, you guys go home first. You, editors, must work hard, okay? I''ll check your work tomorrow before we go to Billy Yves'' concert." Terry cleared his camera and bag then grabbed ''Aleksis'' hand before pulling her outside the auditorium, following after Jean who had gone out first.


    They did not talk to each other as they headed towards Terry''s sports car that was parked in the courtyard. When the three of them were finally seated in the car and Terry had started driving towards the Continental Hotel, the young man turned to ''Aleksis'' and scolded her.


    "Who are you????"


    With one of her eyebrows raised, ''Aleksis'' turned to Jean. "Is this really your son? His face looks similar to yours. But he is not as cool as you."


    Jean just chuckled and nodded slowly, "He takes after his mother a lot."


    Terry frowned at the two who were acting extremely familiar to each other. After observing the girl disguised as his younger sister for some time, he finally realized who she was.


    "Are you Marion? Have you been commissioned to disguise as Aleksis?" He asked in astonishment. "Are they having difficulties finding the traces of the members of the Rhionen Assassins so they ask you to go undercover?"


    Marion shook her head, "They managed to track one person. But he disappeared somewhere in Nepal. While looking for him, they told me to get ready to lure Alaric Rhionen in Singapore."


    "Alaric Rhionen?" Terry remembered Nicolae telling him that the person was the leader of Rhionen Assassins who also wanted to hire the hacker to look for Aldebar and Aleksis. He was the person they suspected as Prince Siegfried. His interest was piqued. "What is your plan?"


    Marion played with her nails as she looked out the window, "Well ... as usual. I will be Aleksis for a week and show myself everywhere. I will go to college, act as Aleksis, and wait until Alaric comes to me. I will pretend to have lost my memory because of the coma so he will not be suspicious of me. I will gather as much information as I can about him and his group. After that, I''ll guide Lauriel and his team to arrest them. I haven''t been in college for quite a long time, so I will need a little help from you to adapt."


    "Did you bring Little Prince Siegfried with you?" Terry inquired. "Aleksis has never been separated from that dog."


    Marion shook her head, "I can''t bear to bring him here and keep him away from Aleksis. We can only improvise with what we have."


    "Alright," Terry nodded. He looked at his father through the rearview mirror, catching Jean frequently stealing glances at Marion who was disguised as Aleksis. The older man was even smiling to himself.


    Gosh, Terry had never seen his father look this happy. Was his father in a special relationship with Marion?


    The moment they arrived at the Continental Hotel, they immediately made plans. Terry opened a large computer in the study and turned on the hologram feature to display all the photos and videos he needed to share with Marion.


    "Here are three of Aleksis''s classmates in the Information Management department. She has several enemies, mostly popular girls who hate her. This is Cindy from the Communication department, and this one is Anjali from the Broadcasting Department. Anjali has a gang of girls always following her around. Aleksis often got on their nerves." Terry was explaining while showing the woman various photos and videos of those people from his campus Splitz social media group. "There is also Ian and several other students who often trailed Aleksis. She is quite famous on the campus."


    "I know," Marion replied quickly. She spread her hands and flashed a wide smile, "Aleksis is very beautiful and sexy. Of course, she has to be very popular."


    Terry rolled his eyes. He knew that his sister was very, very beautiful. So beautiful that her father made Aleksis disguised as an old-fashioned shabby girl whenever she went outside so as to not attract too much attention from various men. However, Aleksis had never acted as if she was aware of how beautiful she was, unlike the current Marion.

 Chapter 428 - Dinner Alone

    "All right, if you know that. Is there anything else you want to know?" Terry asked. Marion who was posing as Aleksis shook her head. Terry then nodded in satisfaction, "I have to admit that your disguise is very good. I''m amazed. I can''t wait to see your performance tomorrow."


    "You won''t be disappointed," Marion answered confidently while glancing at Jean. It was not only Terry that she wanted to impress, but also Jean. "Alright ... by the way it''s already 6 p.m and I''m quite hungry. Where can we eat dinner?"


    "You can have a chef go upstairs to cook whatever you want," Jean said. "Do you want me to order it for you?"


    "Where will you guys eat then?" Marion asked, frowning. "''Aleksis'' just recovered. How come you guys are not taking her out to enjoy a nice dinner together?"


    Terry sighed heavily, "I still have to edit my footages. The shooting started so late last week, and I''ve missed my initial deadlines. I''m really pressed for time. You can just have dinner with Dad."


    Jean sighed, "Sorry, I didn''t know you would come so suddenly. I already promised to have dinner with Billie. She just arrived in Singapore for her concert tomorrow."


    "Oh," For a moment, Marion was stunned.


    She remembered that Billie Yves was Jean''s ex-girlfriend. Apparently, she came at the wrong time. Billie Yves happened to be in Singapore for a concert, and tonight she would be having dinner with Jean.


    "I will be with Billie until 9 pm. If you want, we can go out for a drink at Sky Bar after that," Jean added hurriedly, not wanting to upset Marion.


    The woman looked away as if she didn''t care, "No need, I''m also busy with a meeting tonight, with the Wolf Pack. Let''s just meet up tomorrow."


    "Are you serious?" Jean asked again, "I feel like I really need a drink."


    "Just drink with Billie then!" Marion hissed, involuntarily stomping her feet as she got up and reached for the telephone on the wall to call the receptionist in the lobby. "Hello, this is Aleksis from the penthouse. Please send the chef here. I want to have dinner."


    Jean just looked at Marion''s behavior with a wry smile. He really did not know Marion would come suddenly to Singapore to pose as Aleksis. If he knew, he would have postponed his dinner date with Billie.


    "Are you jealous of her? Don''t tell me you have fallen in love with me?" he inquired casually. "I told you not to."


    "Huh? Who is in love with you? You''re a shameless narcissist dude. Even if you are a famous actor that women dubbed as the nation''s husband, you still have no right to assume that everyone will fall for you!" Marion snorted. She relaxed her posture on the couch then played with her nails, looking a bit bored.


    She then turned on the TV which happened to be broadcasting news about Billie Yves''s concert in Asia. Ugh, she quickly changed it to another channel. The next channel was showing Billie Yves'' latest video clip.


    Gosh ... what magic was this? Billie Yves seemed to be everywhere these days! Marion groaned inwardly.


    She turned off the TV then strode into her bedroom and only came out 10 minutes later wearing a bathing suit.


    Before leaving for the infinity pool outside, she first roamed her eyes around the living room and then left a message to Jean and Terry. "Once the chef comes, please tell him I want steak. I will go swimming first to cool my head off."


    "Dad said okay. As for me,  I want to go home. My editing assignments are piling up," Terry replied, impatiently grabbing his bag. He marched into the elevator after going through the door of the penthouse.


    Meanwhile, Jean could only say yes. He walked towards the pool and stood on the edge watching Marion swim swiftly. It was amazing that the girl could maintain her disguise and look like Aleksis even underwater. This made Jean extremely impressed.


    "Marion, my dinner with Billie will end at 9 pm. I hope you will come with me for a drink by then. I miss talking to you," he said to her before leaving. He did not wait for Marion''s reply since he knew the girl heard him.


    It was past 6 pm yet he wasn''t ready for his dinner appointment. For nearly six months, he had not seen Billie. He reckoned it would not be nice to be late and make a bad impression.


    When he entered the living room, somebody knocked on the penthouse''s door. A chef and two waiters then entered to prepare dinner.


    Jean told them Marion''s order and then got himself ready for his dinner date with Billie.


    Even though her heart felt like a mess, Marion pretended to not have noticed when Jean left the penthouse. However, for some reason, she was actually not willing to let Jean have a meal with Billie Yves.


    Gosh ... She and Jean were not in a relationship. But why did she feel hurt seeing him going out to see that woman?


    It was only natural for Jean to have dinner with Billie since they hadn''t seen each other since the break-up. It would be great if the man and his ex-girlfriend could still be on good terms as no one wanted the same incident with Katia to happen again.


    The relationship between Caspar and Katia ended badly and it resulted in Katia harboring a grudge that made her attempt to destroy Caspar''s life by poisoning his daughter.


    Marion got to know a lot about Jean because Alicia, her assistant was a big fan of Jean, and she had talked endlessly about the famous actor after Jean came to her house last month. Alicia discussed all the gossips surrounding Jean.


    Duh, now Marion knew that Jean''s favorite color was sky blue (same as Marion''s), his favorite food is tiramisu (again the same as Marion''s) and he really liked dogs even though he never raised a single dog in his adult life. Hmm ... what else was there to know about him?


    Gosh ... what''s the use knowing all these useless pieces of information? Marion hissed to herself. She finished swimming and immediately cleaned herself up before readying herself to eat at the dinner table.


    The chef from the Continental Hotel dutifully prepared several sumptuous dishes ordered by Marion. After that, having completed their task, he and the waiters tacitly went out. Marion then ate alone.


    Uhm ... how nice if I won''t have to eat alone again, she thought.

 Chapter 429 - IN THE BEDROOM???

    Billie arrived at the Moonshine restaurant precisely at 7 pm. Jean, who had been there for five minutes, welcomed the girl with a happy face and planted a kiss on her cheek. He then opened a chair for her and sat beside her. The iconic singer chuckled noticing Jean had not changed.


    "You still like to sit next to people." The gorgeous girl with beautiful hair glistening in bluish highlights took her seat. She then continued, "You still don''t want to sit across."


    "Two people sitting across the table will make it look like a business meeting," Jean said, shrugging. "Friends or lovers should sit side by side. Don''t you think so?"


    "I agree," Billie said, opening her napkin and laying it neatly on her lap.


    She still looked like a girl in her 20s since that was when she first drank her immortality potion. Many people who saw her walking towards their table looked amazed at how beautiful this 45-year-old megastar singer was.


    She and Jean used to be considered a perfect couple not only because they were both very good looking, but because they both looked equally young. Unfortunately, the romantic relationship they had for more than 15 years ended due to each other''s busy schedule - at least that was the excuse they gave to the public.


    "So far, what does it feel to take some time off from work?" Billie asked after ordering her food. She slowly took a sip of her wine as she studied Jean''s face which looked brighter than usual. "Did something good happen? You look happy."


    "Oh? I am? Well, yeah. I''m really happy. It''s been a long time since I took a leave. Frankly, I''m now bored of always being recognized by people. Maybe after all my businesses are taken care of, I will fly to Switzerland, go into seclusion and live like an ordinary person, or even be a farmer," Jean casually replied. "People will slowly forget my face, and I will be able to become an ordinary man again."


    Billie chuckled after hearing that, "Farming? I want to see you wearing overalls of a farmer and riding a tractor. I''m sure it will be cool."


    "Eh, I once acted as a farmer in a movie titled ''The Fateful Year''. You didn''t like it because it has a sad ending," Jean said. "I played the role of quite a sexy farmer there. Many female fans forced their husbands to wear hats similar to the one I wore in the movie. That hat sold so well ... With that said, you can safely assume that if I really become a farmer, I will still be cool. "


    This time, Billie could not help but laugh heartily. Jean laughed with her.


    "You''re still as confident as ever, and full of yourself," The female singer commented. For her, it was always entertaining to hear Jean telling stories about his fans.


    How grateful she was that the two of them started out as friends before establishing a romantic relationship. Now that they were no longer lovers, they could still be friends, similar to Jean and Finland who were still friends even though Finland married Caspar and had her own family with him.


    They chatted warmly while eating dinner. After they finished their meal, they began to talk over a cup of coffee. Jean thanked Billie for giving so many tickets to Terry to give out to his crew.


    "Small matter. Let''s just say it''s a graduation gift from me," Billie smiled. "You''re coming tomorrow too, aren''t you?"


    "Of course," he replied.


    "Thank you. This concert means a lot to me, so I don''t want any scandal," Billie sported a regretful expression. "If tomorrow, the reporters suddenly started criticizing you about our past relationship, please just ignore it."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll just make them see that we are still okay with each other," Jean answered firmly. "I''m definitely coming."


    Jean knew that in his ex-girlfriend''s current situation, he had to give her his support by coming and showing the world that their relationship was still fine despite their separation.


    At 9 pm, the pleasant dinner finally ended. After escorting Billie to her suite at the Continental Hotel, Jean hurriedly went up to the penthouse to look for Marion. The girl had already returned to her own room and appeared to be busy in a teleconference with several people. Jean recognized Lauriel as one of them.


    "Hey, are you still busy?" Jean asked, sitting next to Marion. The girl just glanced at him from one corner of her eye and continued to focus her attention on Petra who was still speaking. Jean brought his face near Marion''s ear and whispered softly to her, "Lauriel is watching, don''t you want to make him jealous?"


    Marion''s face turned red. She instinctively pinched Jean''s hand so hard that he groaned. She hissed, "Why are you so noisy? Can''t you see I''m working?!"


    "So fierce," Jean grumbled. He caught sight of Lauriel''s sour face and whispered back to the woman, "He just looked here. I think he is getting jealous. Don''t you want to take this opportunity?"


    I don''t really like Lauriel anymore , Marion sighed to herself. She glared at Jean and was annoyed to see him looking so happy.


    It must have been a very nice dinner with his ex-girlfriend judging from his beaming face , Marion muttered to herself. What did they talk about? Do they still love each other?


    Meanwhile, Jean sighed at Marion''s indifference, "Alright, since I can see that you''re still busy, I''ll go first, I''ll wait for you in the bedroom."


    He kissed Marion on the cheek and then left the room. The teleconference immediately descended into silence. Everyone clearly heard what Jean said and thus Marion''s friends were now giving her a questioning look.


    Marion, who was just as surprised as they were, quickly covered her blushing face and waved her hand at them, "Hahahaha ... he''s just joking, really. Don''t bother about that crazy actor."


    She hurried out of the room and hit the man''s head as soon as he was within her reach.


    "Hey! What did you mean by that ?!" Marion exclaimed. "You''ll wait for me IN THE BEDROOM????"


    "Ouch ... why did you hit my head? If I have a brain hemorrhage and become paralyzed, you will have to take responsibility and take care of me for life," Jean complained.


    "Iiish ... did you think I''m stupid? I''m very good at controlling my strength. Even flies won''t die from that hit," Marion snarled. "So why did you deliberately embarrass me in front of my friends?"


    "I was just trying to help you by saying that. Don''t you want to make Lauriel jealous, to see if he cares for you or not?" Jean asked.


    Marion was silent for a moment.


    "Really? So that is the only reason? You just wanted to help me make Lauriel jealous? That is all?"


    Jean looked at her for a long time. He did not like to see Marion being treated like that by Lauriel. In his eyes, the woman was extraordinary and she shouldn''t be chasing after a man who seemed to have no plan to love her back. So yes, it was true that he really wanted to help Marion make Lauriel jealous so that that man would start paying attention to the girl.


    But that was last month. Come to think of it, Jean only used that as an excuse to be able to tease Marion. However, just now, he was very happy to be able to kiss her cheek and pretend to be her boyfriend.


    "So what?" Jean asked, staring deeply into Marion''s eyes.


    "You said you were willing to be my fake boyfriend to make Lauriel jealous with the condition that I must not fall in love with you," Marion met his gaze. "But what if you fall in love with me instead??"


    Jean was stunned. He did not think Marion would say this so bluntly.


    "Do you think I''m now  in love with you?" Jean then asked back. "Don''t you think it''s too fast? Just a month ago we...-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Marion had already pulled him close by the neck and kissed his lips.

 Chapter 430 - Squinting Contest

    The kiss lasted more than two minutes, leaving each of them wondering how the other had not run out of breath yet. Marion was accustomed to free diving and Jean had practiced holding his breath for one of his action movies. The two were not aware of this.


    As Jean and Marion broke away reluctantly, they looked at each other with admiration. This was their third kiss after the ones in Switzerland. The first one was when Jean drank most of the glow wine and Marion was feeling vulnerable. The second one was at Marion''s home, when she was feeling grateful to him.


    This was their third kiss. It felt more pleasant than the first and second ones, as it was done with both people conscious and willing.


    "Most men don''t like aggressive women who kiss first," Jean commented quietly. Seeing Marion frowning, he laughingly added, "but fortunately I''m not one of those men."


    Marion smiled at that. She patted Jean''s shoulder and then returned to the study to continue her delayed teleconference.


    "Hey ... you''re leaving just like that?" Jean chased after her and caught her hand before she could walk through the doorway.


    "What''s the matter?" Marion asked, frowning.


    "Jeez ... you kissed a man and then you just left him? You''re an irresponsible woman," grumbled Jean. "At least promise you''ll drink with me once your work is done. I miss talking to you."


    Marion rolled her eyes. She flung his hand away and stepped inside. Upon returning to her chair, the girl turned to the door and exclaimed, "Hey, I want Black Russian. You can order it for me, I''ll join you in 10 minutes!"


    Jean, who was almost disappointed, smiled sweetly and nodded. He then took a hat and a pair of glasses from the shelf to hide his identity and then walked out of the penthouse. He would wait for Marion at Sky Bar until the girl finished her meeting.


    "Are you two really dating?" Petra asked attentively as Marion returned to their meeting. The girl put on a scary expression and Petra didn''t ask again. The man then continued his report. "Uhm ... okay. So we finally found Takeshi''s tracks and concluded that he is heading to Singapore. Lauriel and I will catch up soon, but before we arrive I hope you can watch him."


    "Okay, just send me the details," Marion wrote something in her notebook then looked up at Lauriel. "Is that all? I''m off then. If there''s nothing else, I want to get a drink."


    "Hmm ... yeah, that''s it. Have fun," Lauriel finally said. He threw Marion a complicated look before disconnecting the call.


    Marion immediately jumped to her feet and stride out of the penthouse. She knew that Sky Bar was just next to the penthouse. She could save a lot of time by jumping over the wall that separated the two, she didn''t need to go down the 99th floor and enter through the Moonshine Restaurant. So that was precisely what she did.


    She managed to land safely without being seen by anyone. She then quickly moved away, looking for Jean''s figure among the guests at their tables.


    Darn it! Why can''t I find him? Jean must be on his disguise again, Marion complained irritably.


    For some reason, she did not like meeting up with a disguised Jean in public places. When in Switzerland, he was also hiding his face with a hat, glasses, and a scarf.


    [Where are you?] Marion sent an SMS to a contact number named MARION IS A FAN OF THE ADORABLE ACTOR.


    As she waited for the reply, she finally noticed that the username had not been replaced. She chuckled... it''s time for her to change Jean''s username into THE MOST ANNOYING NARCISSISTIC ACTOR.


    Before Marion''s fingers could touch her cellphone''s keyboard, a call suddenly came from the darn username that she had not yet replaced. Three seconds later, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.


    "Here you are," from where the girl stood, Jean pulled her toward his table which was situated not far from there. It was near a glass wall overlooking the whole view of Singapore 100 floors below them, a very beautiful scenery.


    "Ish ... I was about to change your username on my cellphone," Marion grumbled while taking her seat. She was surprised to see Jean moving his chair and sitting next to her. Now they were no longer facing each other from across. "Eh, why did you move your chair? If you want to sit in my spot, just say so, we can just exchange seats."


    Jean shook his head, a broad smile hung on his lips. "No, I always sit like this. I only sit face to face in business meetings. When with friends, family, or dates, I always want to be next to them. This feels more familiar."


    Marion was amazed by his reasoning. Her cheeks flushed red, "That can''t be. But I am not your friend or family..."


    "Is that so?" Jean pretended to be disappointed. "Alright. If you think this is a business meeting, I''ll move my chair back."


    Marion smacked his shoulder hard, "Dammit. That''s not what I meant."


    Jean laughed and then complained because his shoulder that had been hit just now hurt, "Gosh ... I thought I have already told you that guys don''t like aggressive women."


    Marion scowled. She grabbed the glass of Black Russian already atop the table and immediately gulped it down.


    "Hey, drink slowly! Even though it is sweet, the alcohol content is still very high. You can get drunk! I don''t want to take advantage of a woman who is not in her right mind," Jean grumbled as he pulled the glass from Marion''s hand, which unfortunately was already empty, " Ish ... are you half fish? You drank a lot. "


    Marion looked at him while narrowing her cat-like eyes. Jean did the same. Both of them looked very funny, like a couple having a stare-down contest, just that it would be about squinting-their-eyes contest. The winner would be the one who could last longer under the cynical gaze of the other.


    "Ahhhh ... you won!" Marion exclaimed after two minutes. She felt very helpless.


    While staring at the man, she couldn''t help but admire the handsome face in front of her. She loved how his face was adorned with soft fine lines which showed that he was fond of laughing.


    Jean was a warm and carefree person, far different from Lauriel. As she observed his features, Marion actually started imagining various dirty things she wanted to do with him and all the pleasant things that they could go through together.


    Those thoughts embarrassed her. Why did she think of those? They had been acquainted for a dozen years, but they were never close.  They only started to interact more with each other last month. That was also when they first kissed.


    Jean nodded. "Thank you for letting me win the squinting contest just now. Even though you can be very aggressive and stubborn, you''re still quite nice. You let me keep my ego as a man by allowing me to win."


    He then giggled and patted Marion''s head.

 Chapter 431 - Confession

    As Marion observed Jean''s features, she actually started imagining various dirty things she wanted to do with him and all the pleasant things that they could go through together.


    Jean nodded. "Thank you for letting me win the squinting contest just now. Even though you can be very aggressive and stubborn, you''re still quite nice. You let me keep my ego as a man by allowing me to win."


    He then giggled and patted Marion''s head.


    "Ish ..." She could only cover her face. She couldn''t stand seeing Jean pretending not to understand that she lost because she was fascinated by his handsome face.


    "Do you want more Black Russian or do you want me to get you another drink?" Jean asked, raising his hand to call the waiter.


    "What did you get for yourself?" Marion asked.


    "Just Pina Coladas, I''m in the mood for a simple one," he answered.


    "Oh, I want one too. I like Pina Colada, especially when I''m on the beach." Marion suddenly pressed her lips.


    She just remembered Alicia telling her before that Jean''s favorite drink was Pina Colada too, especially when he was on the beach.


    Marion cursed herself for ordering what Jean liked. She did not want the man to consider her a stalker for seemingly imitating his choice because, in actuality, Marion just happened to like it too.


    "What happened to you?" he asked Jean in surprise. "Pina Colada is good."


    "Uhm ... yeah, but I am not ordering the drink just because you like it, okay! I''ve liked Pina Colada first. I''m older than you and I''ve fancied Pina Colada since the 70''s when you weren''t even born!" Marion clarified quickly.


    "Oh my god ... why are we competing on Pina Colada now? I never forbid you from liking or ordering it," Jean announced, shaking his head. He then nodded to the waiter who just arrived to take their orders, "Two Pina Coladas, please. Thank you."


    The atmosphere between them turned silent for a moment until Jean opened his mouth again, "I feel like there is something that must be resolved between us."


    Marion looked at him with her round eyes, "What do you mean?"


    "I like you," Jean declared without further ado. "I don''t think I can hold myself back anymore and not show it to you. I don''t want to confuse you by pretending that there is nothing between us. I talked a lot with Alicia in the kitchen while staying at your house and found out a lot about you. Apparently, we have so many things in common, I could hardly believe my own ears back then."


    "Wait ... what ??" Marion also could not believe her own ears just now.


    "I know your favorite color is sky blue, like me, Your favorite food is tiramisu. You really like Pina Colada, and various other things that make me feel that we are very similar, of course, in addition to your cat eyes that are very similar to mine." Jean smiled a little, "This kept me thinking about you for a month. I wanted to go back to Switzerland to look for you after Terry finished his assignment, I didn''t expect you to come here. I''m so happy."


    Marion was astonished to hear Jean''s words that were spoken so lightly. She did not expect it at all.


    "So what is your point?" the girl asked doubtfully.


    "The point is ... I want to get to know you more," Jean said firmly. "Billie and I have been separated for more than a year, but we just announced it six months ago. I have moved on from my previous relationship. But I don''t know whether you have moved on from Lauriel or not. If you don''t mind, I hope you will give me a chance to be your friend, best friend, and later on, your boyfriend... so we can keep sitting side by side like this. "


    Jean''s statements pushed her into a state of disbelief. But after a while, a smile slowly formed on her lips as she framed his handsome face with her hands. She brought her face closer to his until her nose was touching his nose. She did this while staring into his pair of cat eyes using her own sparkling eyes.


    "Uhm ... I know most men don''t like aggressive women who kiss first, so I won''t kiss you," Marion said in a whisper. Her wet lips parted slightly in a very beautiful smile and made Jean pucker his lips.


    "I told you, I''m not most men," Jean responded quietly. He then crossed the last centimeter distance between them and pressed his lips against Marion''s before kissing her very gently. The two closed their eyes as they kissed.


    With a little hesitation at first, Jean''s tongue entered Marion''s mouth and roamed inside it, searching for the girl''s tongue. The then two softly consume each other''s lips. Marion warmly kissed Jean and for a few minutes, they were swept up in a new feeling that made their chests full.


    Jean and Marion did not realize that the waiter had already brought down their Pina Coladas on the table and immediately fled from the place. Apparently, the waiter did not want to disturb the two lovebirds who were both drunk in each other''s lips.


    "Mmmm .. hmmmh..." Marion finally took the initiative to break away. She had seen her drink being placed down on the table. Jean followed reluctantly.


    The two looked at each other. Their eyes were seemingly telling so many words, but none were spoken out loud. Jean had poured his heart out and thus, he didn''t feel the need to add any more crappy words. Marion had received his confession.


    No, it was not a confession of love since both of them felt that this was all too fast. But at least Jean had honestly said that he was attracted to Marion. He discovered that they had a lot in common and then wanted to be given the opportunity to pursue her. On how their relationship would play out, let fate decided.


    He and Billie had been friends for so long before finally finding that love slowly developed between them. With Marion, the process might have been a little faster, but he still didn''t want to rush their situation. At the moment, what they were having between them was already good.


    "Your kiss is very nice, thank you," Marion said, sipping her drink and not daring to keep staring at Jean''s face. She was afraid that she would get carried away and kiss the man again. "It must be because you''ve kissed hundreds of actresses for your movies."


    Jean just shrugged and smiled. He was not provoked by her petty remarks. He joined her in drinking. The two said nothing more. After emptying their glasses, when Marion was about to order again, Jean suddenly prevented her.


    "Two glasses are already enough. Do you know your limit?" he asked.


    Marion nodded, looking guilty. "Two glasses."


    "Then don''t drink anymore." Jean patted her head softly. "If you get drunk in a public place, it won''t look good. If you still want to drink, we should go home."


    Marion plastered a big smile on her face and then glanced at Jean, "Just say that you can''t carry me if I passed out for drinking too much here."


    "I''m not that weak, okay..." Jean protested. To prove his words, he raised Marion''s body easily as if he were lifting only a block of wood, making the girl half-shocked and unprepared. Jean then put 500 dollar bill on the table and walked away from the Sky Bar with Marion hanging from his shoulders.

 Chapter 432 - Ready To Fall In Love Again

    "Gosh ... I''m just kidding!! I''m just kiddiiiiingg¡­!!! Why have you no sense of humor, huh? Hey .. Heyyyy!!!" Marion pounder her fists on Jean''s back, trying to force him to let go of her.


    However, the man was indeed not weak. He managed to keep Marion slung across his shoulder until they went down to the 99th floor and arrived in front of the elevator going to the 100th floor.


    The waiters and guests at Sky Bar and Moonshine Restaurant could only stare at the sight. Jean did not seem concerned about people''s views at all. He was posing as an ordinary person with his hat and glasses. No paparazzi would recognize him.


    "Put me down, I can walk by myself," Marion pleaded after they got inside the elevator. She was very worried that her reputation as a tough girl would be tarnished if one of her friends from Wolf Pack found out she was being carried like this by Jean. "I won''t call you weak anymore ... I promise ¡­ So, please..."


    Only then did Jean lower the girl down the floor.


    "I may not be a member of the Wolf Pack, but for the past 20 years as a movie star, I have practiced a lot for action roles and am diligent in exercising to maintain my fitness. To be able to find success as an actor  I didn''t only rely on my handsome face and amazing acting. Just for your information..." Jean said while shrugging.


    He deliberately did it to emphasize to Marion that even though he was not Lauriel, the famous leader of Wolf Pack who often brushed shoulders with dangers and violence, Jean was not a weak man.


    He was also an alchemist who had physical strength above the average human beings. Also, for decades, throughout his career, as an actor he had gotten himself accustomed to taking challenging roles.


    Marion understood this now.


    "Be thankful that you are not a member of the Wolf Pack," Marion replied with a smile, "I wouldn''t want to kiss you if you were. They were like my own brothers."


    She grabbed Jean''s hand and pulled him outside when the elevator door opened. In the penthouse, the two headed into the study where Marion took out two glasses of wine. "Do you want red wine or white wine?"


    "Red wine," Jean answered while taking a seat on the sofa. Marion took out a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and poured some into the two glasses. She then handed one to Jean.


    "You''re right, it''s better to drink at home," the girl said, clinking her glass against Jean''s, "Cheers for a very pleasant evening."


    "Cheers!"


    Both of them sipped their wine with happy hearts.


    "Like I said before, the members of the Wolf Pack are my family. I am an orphan, my parents died during World War I. I was raised by my aunt''s family who later died on World War 2. The Wolf Pack had taken care of me since then, until Lauriel kicked me out 18 years ago." Marion felt very comfortable beside Jean as they remained seated on the sofa, drinking together while chatting. This was why she began telling him about her past. Jean listened attentively to her story.


    "I''m sorry to hear that," Jean told her. "My story isn''t as interesting. I''m from an ordinary human family. My ex-supermodel mother divorced my father when I was five years old. Since then I was scared of marriage. I can''t forget my confusion and fear when I was little and had to move around homes, between father and mother.


    I had become a reason for contention in their custody battle. That''s why, for over 15 years, When I was still in a relationship with Billie, I could not give her what she wanted, namely marriage and children. Fortunately, Billie was very kind and had accepted me as is. She also supported me in seeking my own happiness even if it means not being with her."


    "She''s truly an amazing girl," Marion remarked. "I don''t care about marriage or children. I''m an alchemist, so I am not rushing life. You know what we''re like. The last wedding that took place within our kind was the one between Ned and Portia, which was 18 years ago."


    Jean gazed at Marion deeply. He felt like he had found a kindred spirit. He could discuss all his worries and shortcomings with Marion without having to tiptoe for fear of offending her or giving her false hopes. Jean felt he could easily be himself around Marion.


    Come to think of it, they did have a lot of similarities, too many actually, that it was a bit scary.


    "I was very pleased to meet you in the village last month," Jean said. He took Marion''s right hand which was not holding a wine glass and gently squeezed it. Marion looked at their hands with mixed feelings. There had never been a man who made her feel this way, not even Lauriel.


    "I''m happy too," the girl said softly. She finished her wine then placed her glass on the small table in front of them. Afterward, she leaned her head against Jean''s broad chest. "I feel sleepy."


    Jean let the girl close her eyes and sleep on his chest. He watched Marion and was amazed at himself. 18 years ago, when he met Marion, there was no such feeling in his heart for the girl, maybe because at that time he was still harboring feelings for Finland, his best friend, who was already married to Caspar.


    Now his heart was empty and clear of any woman, so he could see Marion from a different perspective. She was actually a very awesome and humorous girl.


    He was glad to meet her again in a different situation. Maybe ... after this, something good would happen between them.


    It didn''t take long for Marion to fall asleep. Jean only looked at her peaceful face and thought about what had happened between them so far.


    Somehow, Jean felt ready to fall in love again.

 Chapter 433 - Aleksis Goes Back To School

    Marion woke up when the sun was already high. She unconsciously jumped from the bed and was stunned for a moment. She felt like she had a beautiful dream and did not want to wake up, but her subconscious knew she had a job to do.


    Hmm ... She smelled food from the kitchen and her stomach immediately responded, growling. It was telling her she was hungry. Her head was a little dizzy too because she drank too much last night, 3 glasses in less than half an hour. Jeez.


    The last thing she remembered was leaning on Jean and falling asleep. The next thing she knew this morning was that she was in her room and had slept in her bed.


    Ahh... Of course Jean carried her into the room ...


    This thought made Marion smile a little. She also recalled what other things happened last night. She and Jean teased each other a lot and then discovered they clearly liked each other. Marion was very happy to remember what they did. They chatted a little and kissed twice. It was a very pleasant night.


    It turned out that Jean''s romantic roles in the film were not just some fantasy of his fans. Jean himself surprisingly seemed like a very romantic man.


    Marion chuckled softly. She washed her face and rushed out to the kitchen, following the smell of food that made her hungry. There she found Jean cooking fried rice in a casual manner while humming softly.


    Ah, yes ... they were in Southeast Asia, precisely in the country where Jean was born, Singapore. Fried rice was the typical food served here for breakfast.


    "Good morning," Marion greeted him in a still sleepy voice. She sat at the dinner table. With a pair of eyes glazed like puppies, she tilted her plate toward his direction, signaling him to fill it with food. "I am hungry..."


    Jean laughed at her behavior and immediately poured the fried rice into her plate before scooping another serving to put into his own plate. He deftly broke eggs and made omelets for them. He then quickly set the table and five minutes later, he was already sitting next to Marion for breakfast.


    "Thank you for not letting me sleep carelessly last night," Marion said, pouring tea for them. "I need a good rest because from today I will be busy."


    "It''s my pleasure," Jean replied, holding the tea in his cup. "What will make you busy today?"


    "Do you know that one of the assassins from Rhionen Assassins is being chased by Lauriel? He is coming here to Singapore. I have to watch out for him. Maybe he will contact Aleksis, so I should get ready once that happens."


    "Assassin? Don''t you think it''s too dangerous? Why not wait for the other Wolf Pack members?" Jean asked, feeling a little worried. He did not know much about Rhionen Assassins, but from what he had heard so far, they were very dangerous.


    The woman only waved her hand lightly. "We suspect Aleksis has a special relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins. Since I''m using her face in this mission, they will surely not hurt me."


    "Hmm..." Jean remained uneasy. However, he could not do anything and was also in no position to say opinions. Wolf Pack certainly knew better what they were doing.


    After having breakfast together, Marion hurriedly took a shower and prepared to disguise herself. At 9 am, she appeared in the living room of the penthouse looking exactly like Aleksis.


    "I want to go to university and show myself. Uncle Jean, will you take me to the campus?" Marion asked the other with a pair of glazed puppy eyes. Jean just laughed at her and nodded. He took the car keys from the cupboard and pulled her hand toward the elevator to go down to the basement.


    "I have nothing to do today. Maybe I''ll visit my father at his home," He said when they got into the car. "I already planned to take a new identity next year, so I should start saying goodbye to my family."


    "Your father still lives in Singapore?" Marion inquired.


    "Yeah. He has a new family here. Our relationship is not very good, but maybe it''s time to fix it before I leave forever from his life."


    Jean almost never visited his father''s family whenever he stopped by Singapore. After he had grown up and become independent, he preferred to live close to his mother, but when his mother died last year he sometimes thought of his father and wished they could make peace. Maybe now was the right time.


    "Good luck," Marion cheered him up, even patting him on the shoulder. They chatted about trivial things along the way, but soon they arrived at the university premise and both were forced to say goodbye.


    Jean drove his car to Bukit Timah area where his father''s mansion was located, while Marion, who was disguised as Aleksis, soon found so many students staring at her in surprise as she stepped into campus.


    "Gosh, you''re still alive ?? Where have you been for almost two months?" asked a young man who ran to her when he saw ''Aleksis'' from a distance.


    "Oh, hi, Ian ... My family had me treated in Switzerland because the accident left me in a coma for several weeks. Now I''m fine," Marion replied lightly. She knew the young man''s name since Terry had discussed everyone mostly around Aleksis whenever she was on campus. She still remembered their names.


    "Oh, thank God ... we heard that you died," Ian awkwardly responded, shaking his head. "Oh, by the way, you don''t have an appointment tonight, do you? I want to take you to Billie Yves'' concert. All the tickets are sold out. You''re lucky because I have a connection. I got the best tickets and even access to a meet and greet at the backstage. How about that?" Ian asked enthusiastically. "Let''s just say it''s our celebration for your recovery."


    Marion was almost cursing as someone mentioned Billie Yves''s name again. She didn''t hate Billie, really, but she was still allergic to Jean''s ex-girlfriend and disliked that the woman''s name was constantly mentioned by those around her.


    "Uhm ... no need, I also have connections actually. But, I''m not interested in watching the concert. Tonight I will be very busy," Marion perfunctorily replied.


    Yep, tonight she would be very busy munching on sunflower seeds and drinking wine while Jean and Terry were enjoying themselves at Billie Yves'' concert.


    "Well ... that''s too bad." Ian looked disappointed. He walked alongside Marion to class. Other students trailed behind them. Mel who saw that ''Aleksis'' was fine, was very surprised and for a moment could not say anything. Not long after, she eventually cried and jumped to hug her.


    "Aleksisss ... you''re okay!!! I''m so happy ..." she sobbed.


    Marion acted so well that she was able to convince everyone that she was really Aleksis. By lunchtime, news of ''her'' return had spread throughout the campus and was even published in many posts in the St. Mary University''s social media group on Splitz.


    Lauriel, Nicolae and Petra who were following the developments on Splitz were very pleased to see that within a few hours, Aleksis''s return was already a hot topic on St. Mary''s social media.


    They could not wait for Alaric or any of his men to approach Marion. Neo and Endo have flown to Singapore to back up the girl and they would be arriving this afternoon.

 Chapter 434 - Rosalien

    Marion hurriedly went to the cafeteria to meet Terry after her class with Professor Hedwig. She wanted to check some developments in St. Mary University, to find if there was any new information that passed outside after she appeared as the famed campus belle.


    Because she was in a hurry, she did not pay attention on the way and crashed into a beautiful petite girl with short hair, wearing casual outfit and sneakers. She was walking while flipping a book and didn''t notice Marion walk toward her.


    "I ... I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to bump into you," Marion hurriedly apologized and turned to help the girl she ran into, expecting that the girl had been thrown to the ground due to Marion''s unusual strength. She ended up stunned seeing that the other girl actually did not budge in her place. "Eh ... are you alright?"


    The short-haired girl narrowed her eyes and carefully looked at Marion, her gaze subtly showing she was as surprised as her. Aware of her very strong physique, she also initially expected Marion to be thrown off the ground, yet the result of their collision was that both of them were standing face-to-face without moving a step from their spots.


    After two seconds, the eyes of the unusually strong girl turned round. She looked at Marion in disbelief.


    "Are you okay?" Marion asked once again, interrupting the other girl''s thoughts.


    "Uhm ... I''m fine."


    "Okay, then I''ll excuse myself. Sorry for bumping into you. It''s my fault for not looking ahead while walking," Marion leaned forward a little and then ran back to the cafeteria.


    The girl she left behind looked stunned for a while, then she pulled her cellphone out.


    "Takeshi, where are you? I''m looking for books in the university library because they have a complete collection. If you can get here soon I''ll show you something very interesting," she said on the phone. "You won''t believe who just collided with me here."


    Takeshi answered from the other end of the line, "Hello, Rosalien. Okay, I''ll be there shortly."


    Rosalien stood still, staring at the departing figure of ''Aleksis'' who was hurrying toward the cafeteria. The wind blew her hair into a mess but she ignored it. Her mind was busy recalling what happened two months ago when they were all called to Germany. Their leader, who was also her foster father, decided to disband Rhionen Assassins for good.


    All because of that girl.


    The girl who was supposed to be dead turned out alive and well, and now she was out and about like no whatsoever accident befell her. Did Alaric know that the one he was looking for was still alive? Rosalien wondered to herself.


    Should I tell Alaric about Aleksis'' existence, or should I just kill her so she will not cause any more problems for us in the future? The question crossed Rosalind''s mind yet her heart could not decide.


    On one hand, she wanted to tell her foster father that she had just met Aleksis, but another part of her brain was telling her the girl was just a source of problems.


    Since Alaric met Aleksis, Rosalien had heard that so many things changed about her foster father. Even Rhionen Assassins, which had been around for decades, long before Rosalind was born, got disbanded.


    For her, Rhionen Assassins was everything. They were her father, her brothers, and her family.


    For the last two months, she had been wandering around the world aimlessly. She deliberately entered an agreement to meet Takeshi in Singapore because she missed her foster brother. They then planned out to tour Japan together.


    Unexpectedly, today she ran into the girl who was the major reason for their headache.


    Aleksis Makela.


    After pondering for a while, Rosalind decided to follow Aleksis to the cafeteria She would observe this person closely for some time before deciding the actions she should make.


    In the cafeteria, Aleksis became the subject of gossips as everyone was surprised to see the girl rumored to have died, suddenly came to school, and in such a carefree fashion. As usual, Aleksis walked with both indifference and confidence. She was the new queen bee and she behaved as such.


    Anjali and her cronies were sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, laughing about something. When the famous beauty entered through the door, one of the girls nudged Anjali. Afterward, they all promptly went silent and turned to Aleksis.


    Ufff ... for the past two months they had casually sat at the best table in the cafeteria which belonged to Aleksis. They even tried to remove the girl''s name from her table, thinking that Aleksis had died and would never return. The girl''s sudden appearance made them shocked.


    Anjali did not want to be called out and embarrassed, so she quickly stood up and in a haughty manner, she confronted Aleksis.


    "You''re back," she said mockingly.


    Marion recognized the girl in front of her so she greeted Anjali in a tone laced with laziness, "Anjali."


    "Since you have simply disappeared from campus, I have asked for official permission from the university director to take over this table. You have to find a new table," Anjali announced, crossing her arms across her chest.


    Marion had caught a small carving of the name Aleksis in the corner of the luxurious teak table and she immediately understood what was going on. Surely Aleksis had brought her own table here.


    Haha ... that girl is cute too , she thought. Now that Aleksis was gone, the girls in front of her wanted to take control of it to show authority.


    "You must have idolized me so much that you wanted to take my used goods," said ''Aleksis'', smiling mischievously. "It''s okay, just use it. I happened to have ordered a new, nicer table."


    Anjali''s fierce face suddenly turned red. She did not want to be called out for using Aleksis'' secondhand goods. With a rough grunt she kicked the leg of the table and then led her cronies out of the cafeteria.


    "Huh, who wants to use this ugly table!" she screamed as she turned towards ''Aleksis'' before completely disappearing from the place.


    ''Aleksis'' just shook her head, then sat at her table casually. She ordered food while waiting for Terry. The young man arrived five minutes later. His eyes had dark circles under them which indicated that he was lacking in sleep, but his face looked excited.


    "Sorry, I''m late. My editing assignments have piled up high. Did you order food already?" he asked while sitting in front of ''Aleksis''. Seeing his ''sister'' nod, he hurriedly ordered lunch for himself.


    While waiting for the order to arrive he pulled out his laptop and showed the trending topic on their Splitz Group University social media. "You have become the subject of discussion all over this campus. It is only a matter of time before they hear about your return."


    Marion who was posing as Aleksis nodded. "Neo and Endo will be here to help me. They will arrive tonight, but I''m afraid the Rhionen Assassins are already here and will be coming to me before them."


    Her voice was very soft and her expression looked very normal, so people who saw her from afar only assumed Marion was talking about trivial things with Terry.

 Chapter 435 - Meeting Rhionen Assassins

    "Care to elaborate? What do you mean?" Terry asked in puzzlement. Astonishingly, he also managed to keep looking as lazy and indifferent as usual.


    "I met a suspicious woman. I don''t know why but I feel that she''s not an ordinary lady."


    "Who do you think she is?" Terry asked again.


    "If I''m not mistaken, Famke used to be a member of Rhionen Assassins. It means that the organization also has female members. I suspect the girl I met outside is one of them," Marion replied, smiling broadly while showing her book. It was done on purpose, to make it appear like they were discussing something interesting from that book.


    A female Assassin? Terry was a bit shocked by what he just heard. Was there an assassin around them right now?


    He discreetly looked around, trying to comb anyone suspicious in the spacious hall. However, nobody truly stood out.


    "Do you remember her face? We have to report it to Lauriel," Terry spoke quickly.


    "I don''t really remember, we just met each other very briefly. Maybe if I saw her again I would remember," Marion said.


    The food they ordered came and both of them had their lunch as if nothing had happened.


    "Do you want to come with us to the concert while waiting for Neo and Endo to arrive? I don''t think it''s a good idea to leave you alone by yourself" Terry finally said to her.


    Marion shook her head lightly, "I''ll be fine, don''t worry. I''ll be back to the penthouse to report this to Lauriel. You can have fun at Billie''s concert later."


    "You really don''t want to come?" Terry asked, concerned.


    Marion just rolled her eyes. She then took her bag and moved away. She looked relaxed and indifferent to her surroundings, but in actuality, Marion''s eyes were sharply roaming around, trying to find the girl she had bumped into in front of the building.


    It will be very interesting, she thought. Originally, they only knew two assassins, namely Mischa and Takeshi, but with the appearance of this girl, the Wolf Pack would be able to identify three people. They would be closer to finding Alaric.


    ***


    Marion sighed in relief when she arrived in front of the campus gate and did not find the girl who had bumped into her. Maybe she''s gone, she thought.


    She quickly ordered a taxi which arrived in front of her five minutes later. The driver of the taxi was an Android of the latest release which already looked very similar to humans and for a moment she was fascinated. The last time Marion took a taxi in Switzerland, the taxi company was still used a rigid robot.


    As a small country with advanced technological sophistication, Singapore was indeed superior compared to other countries, even compared to Germany.


    This was because the Singaporean government was very open to innovation and industry advancement so as not to lose to its large neighboring countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, who were now starting to dominate the economy in Asia.


    That was also one of the reasons why Rhionen Industries opened a large branch office in the Continental Building - Singapore, at the beginning of this year. Marion had read a lot about the corporate group lately since she had to carry out the mission of capturing Alaric Rhionen, who may be related to Rhionen Assassins and Rhionen Industries.


    Ordinary people were only aware of Rhionen Industries as a leading corporation that invented cancer drugs and was engaged in technology. Very few people know about Rhionen Assassins.


    If the world knew about the truth, that their hero, the leader of the company that invented the cancer drug, was the same person who dominated the underworld and killed to achieve his goals, there might be a commotion or even chaos in the world.


    Marion narrowed her eyes after five minutes as she realized that the car she was riding was not taking her to the Continental Hotel.


    Marion turned on her cellphone to look at the map and contact her friends, but she soon realized that the car was given a signal jammer so that she could not connect to the internet.


    Damn! It must be them, she thought.


    "Why don''t we head to the Continental Hotel? Is there an error in the programming?" Marion asked, tapping the window between the passenger and the driver. The android driver did not reply, and continued driving west.


    Ugh¡­ this is too quick, I''m not ready, Marion complained silently.


    She only arrived in Singapore yesterday. Her initial plan was to disguise herself as Aleksis for a week to lure out the Rhionen Assassins. She did not expect that she would bump into them in just one day. It was either a coincidence or they had been watching her since yesterday.


    Endo and Neo were still on their way ... She must be able to overcome this herself.


    For a moment Marion thought about what she should do in an unexpected condition like this. Actually she could easily subdue the android who drove this taxi, then change the programming to direct the taxi to the Continental Hotel, or at least broke the door lock and exited the car. But that means she would disclose her own disguise as Aleksis.


    They would be suspicious if Aleksis suddenly became an expert in breaking through like her.


    But if she didn''t say anything, she took a huge risk for herself. She was not sure what Aleksis'' relationship was with the Rhionen Assassins. She and her team suspected Aleksis had a special relationship with Alaric Rhionen, the leader of the assassins, but they were not 100% sure.


    What if they were wrong?


    What if in fact Aleksis was a potential victim that they were after?


    Marion will not let them discover her secrets if she got caught. She opened her bag and pulled out a small bomb the size of a marble bead and held it tight in her palm.


    If they were going to torture her and her disguise was to be exposed, Marion would blow herself up so that they would never know that they didn''t actually capture Aleksis. She must not let Rhionen Assassins know that there was a group that was after them.


    "Heyy..!!! Heyy.. you! Let me out of here..!!!"


    Marion pretended to be angry and pounded on the glass that divided the driver with the passenger, asking the glass to be taken down. At the same time, she also had to behave like a regular person who was surprised and scared because she was taken to a place other than her destination.


    After some time she seemed to give up and sit in the passenger seat with a sour face.


    She then cautiously watched the route the driver took through the window and immediately memorized it so she could find her way back. By focusing her mind Marion counted every left and right turn that the car took. Even if she couldn''t use the map, she would still be able to estimate her location.


    The taxi stopped 15 minutes later in front of a mansion, with a high gate that opened automatically, then went inside. After the car stopped, suddenly the passenger door opened and Marion could rush out.


    The Android taxi driver suddenly closed his eyes and sat quietly in the driver''s seat. The circuit had been turned off.


    Marion now truly believed she would soon meet people from Rhionen Assassins in this place. She walked around the car and made sure there was no one. Now her eyes were on the front door.


    The door handle moved slowly and then the door opened from inside. Marion frowned when she saw two staff come out and approached her, then bowed respectfully.


    "Welcome home, Miss."


    Marion quickly turned around when she heard a voice greeting her from her behind her. She saw a man in his 20''s who looked like a student wearing casual-looking outfit and with his hands in his pockets.


    From his appearance, Marion could clearly see he was Japanese. Marion remembered this guy as the man they tracked in Nepal; he had apparently arrived here in Singapore very quickly.


    In accordance with the plan that had been drawn up with the Wolf Pack, Marion had to pretend that she had lost her memory after the coma, so that she would not make a mistake in recognizing the people around Aleksis.


    The students on campus did not count because they were not too close to Aleksis and it was very easy for her to ask Terry for help to identify Aleksis'' friends at the university. However, they could not take a risk with the others.


    "Ah ... who are you? Sorry, I was in a coma for sometime due to an accident and I experienced partial memory loss. Do we know each other?" Marion asked him with a face full of questions.


    Takeshi nodded and smiled, and that immediately made Marion rather relieved. It looked like the person in front of her had no malice intentions toward Aleksis.

 Chapter 436 - Whose House Is This?

    "Sorry if we came to you unannounced like this, I just wanted to make sure it really is you." Takeshi sounded rather apologetic, "We thought you were dead, and today I saw a lot of news about you on Splitz all day long; you can imagine my surprise."


    Marion looked at Takeshi as if trying to remember him, "Uhm ... now I remember, you are Takeshi, right? Who are you and what is our relationship?"


    "Wow ... I''m flattered because Miss remembers me." Takeshi laughed softly. "Do you remember this house?"


    Marion looked around and shook her head. That meant that Aleksis had been to this house before, she thought. Whose house was this?


    "I don''t remember," Marion said. "I don''t remember ever being here. Whose house is this?"


    "This is your home," Takeshi answered. "It''s okay. Sooner or later, your memory will recover. You''d better rest first. Feel free to walk around, who knows if you can remember something."


    Marion nodded. After speaking briefly with Takeshi, she now truly felt sure that she was not in danger. She cleverly hid the mini bomb back into her bag. She would not need it.


    Marion followed Takeshi''s advice and walked around the side of the mansion to try to obtain information. Of course she didn''t forget to make sure that her expression showed that she was trying hard to remember something, though she was secretly making mental notes and analyzed what the owner of this house was like.


    Takeshi said this was Aleksis'' home? It must mean that Aleksis came here often, even though the girl hadn''t stayed long in Singapore.


    When exactly did Aleksis come here? Marion knew that Aleksis was protected by two bodyguards. Why weren''t they aware of this place?


    She walked into the library, study room, dining room, and the other rooms in the house, one by one. There was absolutely no sign of anything meaningful. There were no photos or decorations that were of personal nature.


    She then walked toward the large black door on the left. This may be the master bedroom.


    Marion was astonished because Takeshi did not say anything nor did he prevent her from entering any room. It was as if the young man really wanted her to regain her memory by exploring every corner of the house.


    Finally, Marion entered the main bedroom. Her guess was correct. This must be the homeowner''s room because of its enormous size and grandeur. All the decorations were dark and looked very masculine. Marion stepped into every corner of the room and looked for whatever she could get.


    It seemed that this house was still actively used by its resident considering that there were many personal items lying around such as clothes and other items. Marion examined the men''s clothing and belongings that were kept in a walk-in closet and realized that she was quite familiar with the owner''s choice of clothes.


    The room reminded him of Lauriel. Everything was very simple yet elegant. She was very familiar with Lauriel''s style of dressing because he was different from all the men she knew. Lauriel was, after all, a royal from the most influential family in Italy centuries ago; he always looked elegant.


    Inwardly Marion became even more interested in meeting the mysterious owner of the house. Could this be Alaric Rhionen''s own home?


    What did this have to do with Aleksis?


    Marion only pursed her lips because she was unable to answer her own questions.


    She must find out the answer.


    "Takeshi, I don''t remember anything. The more I try, the more my head hurts," Marion said as she left the room. Her steps stopped immediately as she bumped into a woman who was now standing next to Takeshi in the living room. Marion immediately took a cautious stance and kept a distance from the two of them, "Who are you? Didn''t we bump into each other on campus? Are you following me??"


    Rosalien just stood there staring at her with a complicated look. She didn''t care about Marion. She turned towards Takeshi.


    "She doesn''t remember." Her eyes pressed urgently toward Takeshi, who just stayed quietly, "It''s not too late to get rid of her."


    Marion was surprised to hear the hateful tone in the voice of the girl in front of her.


    Wait ... that meant that not all members of Rhionen Assassins were kind to Aleksis. This one looked like she wanted to kill Aleksis!


    Marion slowly pulled out her mini bomb.


    "She is just experiencing temporary memory loss. This is natural for people with head injuries like her," Takeshi finally answered. "You must not do what isn''t ordered to you."


    "What are you talking about?" Marion said, "Do you want to kill me? Who are you really?"


    "Don''t be afraid, Miss. Rosalien isn''t serious." Takeshi smiled at Marion to calm her down. "This sister of mine is indeed quick-tempered, but she has a kind heart."


    Sister? Marion looked at the girl next to Takeshi who was subtly trying to hide her face. She would later have to find out her identity. The two could not be siblings; Takeshi was clearly Japanese, while the girl next to him had white skin and red hair, so she must be from Europe or America. But why did Takeshi call her his sister?


    It was very surprising. She and her friends at the Wolf Pack were also as close as siblings, but even they didn''t call each other brother and sister.


    "I want to go home," Marion uttered in a firm voice. "I only know your name is Takeshi, but the rest, I don''t remember. I don''t know who you are, and I also don''t remember this house ... Please tell me what really happened. I don''t like unnecessary puzzles and mysteries. Who are you guys and whose house is this? I know for sure that this is not my home. There are none of my personal belongings here."


    Takeshi nodded, "We will surely will take you home, but please be patient for a while."


    He looked at his watch and sighed softly.


    Marion immediately understood that Takeshi was waiting for someone. It was now 1 pm in Singapore. Who was he waiting for?


    Lest he was waiting for the morning to come in another part of the world ...


    Marion was very smart and she immediately connected all possibilities. The owner of this house was not in Singapore. He was probably somewhere in a different time zone, most possibly in a time zone that was behind Singapore.


    Was it America? But it was still midnight in America, of course Takeshi would not let her to wait for that long if the person he wanted to contact was in America.


    Europe? It was currently 5am in the UK and 6am in Germany.


    So, maybe it was Europe, Marion thought finally. Takeshi was waiting for morning to arrive in Europe so he could talk to someone about Aleksis and then decide on what to do.


    "Please relax in our garden, I will ask the waiter to serve tea and snacks or books for you to read. Miss can calm down while looking at the garden," Takeshi told her. "I promise, it will only be one more hour."


    Marion, who was very curious, finally agreed to Takeshi''s suggestion. She walked toward the door to the courtyard that Takeshi pointed to and opened the door.


    When she saw the beautiful and elegant bonsai garden in the backyard, Marion was astonished. She did not expect that the back garden was far more beautiful than the courtyard of any mansions she had even seen.


    The homeowner seemed to have a very talented gardener. Marion had never seen a collection of such beautiful bonsai before. The garden was beautifully decorated with a fish pond which gave off a calm and peaceful atmosphere.


    She immediately felt very much at home. Feeling at peace, she sat on the marble steps and admired the view in front of her. This was truly extraordinary.


    After several minutes of awe, Marion took out her cellphone to take a photo. Her lips pouted when realized that the signal in this house was still jammed and she couldn''t connect to the internet. She was still alone and wasn''t able to contact anyone.


    All right ... I''ll wait another hour, Marion finally decided. Morning would soon arrive in Europe and whoever the person whom Takeshi wanted to contact would wake up soon.

 Chapter 437 - The Misterious Homeowner

    Alaric was accustomed to waking up early in the morning. His biological clock never failed.  That morning he woke up at 6 a.m. but as he had been having nightmares again he felt more tired than usual.


    As he got out of bed, a message on his cell phone immediately caught his attention. Alaric knew that no one would dare to disturb him during the night and would wait until morning to contact him.


    [There is interesting news in the St Mary University group chats in Splitz. Maybe Master would want to check it.]


    He recognized Takeshi''s writing style and immediately looked for the news.


    For five long minutes Alaric was glued to his cell phone and scanned the news items and gossips exchange on Aleksis'' arrival at the St. Mary University.


    He even saw some photos of the girl there!


    His forehead twitched and for a moment as he became confused ... what exactly was happening? Wasn''t Aleksis declared dead by the doctors in Stamford hospital? How could she now show up in Singapore? Who had lied to Alaric and what were their reasons ??


    He dialed Takeshi''s number and contacted his foster son.


    "I''m listening," Alaric said curtly.


    Takeshi cleared his throat and began his report. "It''s a coincidence, Sir. Today the news on Miss Aleksis'' return filled the university''s Splitz group chats. It appears she had suddenly returned to Singapore. It so happened that Rosalind and I were in Singapore on our way to Japan, so we immediately checked out the rumours."


    "And ¡­ ?"


    "It really is Miss Aleksis. She is suffering temporary memory loss due to a coma of several weeks after the accident. To my knowledge, it sometimes happens to people with severe head trauma ..." Takeshi turned to Rosalind who gave him a slightly annoyed look while shaking her head, "Miss Aleksis recognized my name, but other than that she did not remember anything. She also did not recognize your home."


    "Is she there?" Alaric asked in a trembling voice. He couldn''t resist the urge to see Aleksis.


    Takeshi sent a picture of Marion sitting on the marble steps of the back porch admiring Alaric''s bonsai garden.


    The girl in the photo looked exactly like Aleksis and for a moment Alaric was speechless. He had really missed the girl. For a month he had been struggling with feelings of sadness and anger for losing track of Aleksis.


    But he must not let his guard down.


    "You didn''t investigate why she suddenly appeared on campus today?" Alaric asked in a flat voice. His eyes stared at the photo on his cell phone. "Doesn''t this look suspicious? As far as I know, Aleksis really likes her privacy and won''t just appear like that, especially after the incident."


    Takeshi was silent. He knew Alaric was right and he had also thought about this, too.


    "Master is right. Therefore, we are not in a hurry to take action but decided to wait for your instructions," Takeshi replied. He did not want to snitch and left out the fact that Rosalind had suggested to get rid of Aleksis so that the secrets about their group would not be exposed to outsiders.


    Alaric remembered that eight years ago Aleksis had also experienced a temporary memory loss after she fell from a speeding car. Gradually her memory had returned and she could remember the names of her younger brother, Uncle Rory, and her mother and father. Maybe now she would too. After all, she had remembered Takeshi''s name. Maybe she just needed time.


    If the girl really was Aleksis, and she really had lost her memory, Alaric knew he should better stand back and give her time to recover, until Aleksis could remember him and came looking for him. Until then he should be careful not to force his way back into the girl''s life and so he would look out for her from afar.


    Alaric took a deep breath and made a decision.


    "Send her home and watch over her from afar. Make sure she stays safe ... Maybe she returned to campus because she wanted to regain her memory."


    Alaric had one way to prove whether the girl was truly Aleksis or not.


    Takeshi hung up and exchanged glances with Rosalind. He then walked out and approached the fake Aleksis.


    "Thank you, Miss, for waiting. I will now take you home."


    Marion was surprised. She didn''t expect that Takeshi would just let her go home that easily. What had happened? Had he contacted Alaric? What had they decided? Why didn''t Takeshi tell her anything?


    "Uhm ... I don''t understand why I was brought here. My question hasn''t been answered," Marion said in a slightly annoyed tone. "What secrets are you hiding from me? Who are you? Who owns this house, and why was I brought here?"


    Takeshi remained friendly and respectful and answered to her question.


    "I brought you here to trigger your memory. Maybe we aren''t successful today but that''s okay. I don''t want to tire you out. We''ll try again later. And as I said earlier, this is your home. Hopefully you will remember it soon."


    The way he put it, Marion couldn''t argue anymore. She shouldn''t be too pushy and arouse Takeshi''s suspicion, she thought.


    "Alright, please take me home ..." she finally nodded.


    Takeshi signalled for Marion to follow him and then they left the house. The taxi''s android driver, which had been non-active, now suddenly started functioning and opened the door for Marion. After closing the door, Takeshi went behind the car and pressed a few buttons on his cell phone. Immediately the car slid smoothly through the gate.


    Five minutes later the vehicle was at a safe distance from the mansion and Marion could breathe with relief. She was not afraid of danger, but now she was in a situation where she was truly alone and unable to contact anyone and she felt terrible.


    What if the Rhionen Assassins turned out to be Aleksis'' enemy? They could have killed Marion disguising as Aleksis without leaving a trace and the Wolf Pack would never know what had happened to her.


    And then she thought about Jean who might also be confused about her absence because she had left the penthouse without leaving a message.


    Ugh, why am I thinking about Jean? He and I do not have anything to do with each other. Why should he worry about me ...? I also don''t have to ask for his permission to do this mission and keep him updated, Marion scolded herself.


    She admitted that since Jean kissed her last month in Switzerland, she had often thought about the man. Especially since yesterday they had ¡­ kissed again


    Ugh ...


    Focus, Marion! Your job is not finished, she told herself.


    Marion again counted the right and left turns and made a rough map in her mind so that later when she arrived at the penthouse she could estimate the location of the mansion she had just left.


    Ten minutes later she arrived at the Continental Building. The car stopped smoothly in front of the courtyard and the doors opened automatically.


    Very sophisticated, she thought.


    Marion hurriedly jumped out of the car and immediately went up to the 100th floor. She had to give a report to her friends.


    Although for now she did not have any important information, they must be able to identify the girl who was with Takeshi and also the owner of the mansion she had visited. They also had to think of ways to plant a tracker on Marion''s body, so that if Marion was captured again, she could always be found.

 Chapter 438 - You Heard The Man!

    Jean, who had just finished taking a shower and was getting ready to go to a concert, looked surprised to see Marion coming into the penthouse in a hurry. Her face was tense and focused.


    She quickly took a scanner from the cupboard and checked for hidden trackers or bugs on her body and bag.


    Hmm ... nothing. Thank God!


    "You look like you''ve just seen ghost," Jean said, frowning, "I don''t look like a ghost, do I?"


    Marion was stunned to hear Jean joke like this. Ugh, if he knew how tense Marion had been in that mysterious house, maybe he wouldn''t have said anything so ridiculous.


    "I just met two assassins," Marion finally said in a low voice. She was not afraid of death and she was used to carrying out dangerous missions. But now, considering the huge risks she had taken, and adding the fact that one of the assassins seemed very eager to get rid of Aleksis, she felt horrified.


    She could have been killed or blown up!  Fortunately, Takeshi and Alaric had given her the benefit of the doubt, so she could return to the Continental Building in one piece.


    Jean was just as surprised as Marion. He knew about the Wolf Pack''s mission and apparently the Rhionen Assassins had outwitted them by finding ''Aleksis'' before they were ready.


    Spontaneoulsy, he moved over and embraced Marion who was looking very tense, "Hey... are you all right?"


    Marion felt rather uncomfortable as she didn''t expect Jean to be so worried about her. Her body drooped in Jean''s arms, and for the first time in her life, she lowered her defences and nodded.


    Marion, the tough girl, was indeed frightened, and she wanted to seek protection in the embrace of someone who would calm her distraught heart.


    Hmmm ... also ... she was suddenly aware of Jean''s pleasant body scent.


    Ouch, what are you thinking about? Focus, Marion!


    "I''m fine. I was just caught off guard," she admitted softly. She then broke away from Jean''s embrace and returned to her usual flat expression. "I didn''t expect to see them so soon. I thought it would be a few more days ..."


    "Whom did you meet?" Jean asked again.


    "Takeshi and a female assassin." Marion sighed, "Fortunately Takeshi was around, since the woman seemed very eager to kill Aleksis."


    She then filled a large glass with water and walked to the study to report to her friends.


    It was 7:30 in the morning in Italy and still dark, but Lauriel and his team were already awake and waiting to hear Marion''s report. Jean was also curious to know what was going on and sat next to Marion. Because everyone was tense, they did not notice Jean''s presence.


    "I did not expect they would already be in Singapore. Earlier today I met a strange girl on campus and suspected that she was no ordinary person. My suspicions were confirmed. She and Takeshi were friends, but Takeshi called her his younger sister." Marion scribbled on the large glass panel in front of her and immediately sent several important notes. "I will make a map of the route we took based on my memory so that we can locate the house. I will also send a sketch of the female assassin so that you can trace her."


    "What did they say? Did they really have no ill intention towards Aleksis?" Lauriel asked.


    "I don''t know. What was clear was that Takeshi was kind and respectful to me, thinking that I was Aleksis. His sister was the opposite, she clearly wanted to kill me. They said the house was Aleksis'' house, but I certainly did not see any of Aleksis'' belongings there. Only men stuff and clothes. Maybe it''s Alaric Rhionen''s house."


    "Interesting," Lauriel looked thoughtful for a moment, "What''s the person like? You''ve seen the house and its contents, how about his profile?"


    "I couldn''t set up a profile. Everything is very confusing. It''s as if he doesn''t have a clear personality. On one hand, the house shows a very peaceful and zen profile, but on the other hand I sense completely opposite vibe," Marion answered. "Ugh, it''s hard to explain."


    Marion, who had been living for almost 150 years and was an expert in disguises also had exceptional profiling skills. She could easily create a person''s profile and imitate that profile. She did it so well that even their own friends and family could be fooled. But in that mysterious house earlier, she felt her abilities were completely powerless. She couldn''t read the owner of the house.


    "Hmm, let me try to explain ...  from his taste for clothing, he is like you Lauriel. From his peaceful and quiet house, he is like a Buddha, but in his bedroom, I saw signs of a Highly Conflicted Personality person.  HCP people are very prone to conflict and violence which is the complete opposite of my earlier reading ... I don''t quite know whether I lost my profiling abilities, or whether this person is just impossible to profile."


    Lauriel and his team looked at each other. They did not doubt Marion''s ability. It seemed like the person they were dealing with this time was indeed quite special.


    "I want to know why they just let you go," Lauriel said. "You should better not go out yet. Wait for Endo and Neo to arrive. Don''t risk meeting them again."


    "I agree with Lauriel," Jean said suddenly.


    When Marion turned, she suddenly realized Jean was at her side listening to their conversation.


    "Sure, I''m not going anywhere, really," said the girl, nodding. "I have a lot to do, I''ll start with the map to the house and the female assassin''s sketch."


    "Good, I''ll accompany you here," Jean said firmly, very much to Marion''s surprise.


    "Weren''t you going to your ex-girlfriend''s concert? She will be very disappointed if you don''t show up," Marion said.


    Jean shook his head, "It''s okay, I have to prioritize."


    Marion was touched to hear that. He understood Jean meant to say that she was his top priority at the moment. Petra and Peach, who were watching from far away in Italy, were grinning and nudging each other. Lauriel only looked at the two with an attentive face.


    At first, he thought Jean and Marion only pretended to be dating in Switzerland. But seeing the interaction between the two, made him second-guess his first impressions.


    Did Jean and Marion really have a special relationship? He asked himself. Marion was like a sister to him, so he felt happy for the girl. He knew Jean well and knew that the man had a kind heart.


    "Right now, there is no point for you to stay here.  You should just go to the concert. Moreover, this might be your last chance to go and see one," Marion said. "I''m fine, really."


    "Why don''t you come along? That way I can make sure you are all right," Jean finally said. "You don''t have to disguise yourself as Aleksis, I guess. If you go as yourself, you don''t have to worry they will come after you."


    Ugh, I DON''T WANT TO WATCH BILLIE PERFORM, Marion thought, annoyed.


    "Marion, listen to Jean," Lauriel said suddenly. You have a tough job ahead of you. So, relax and have some fun tonight. Go on a date and enjoy the concert and a nice dinner afterwards. There''s no point in locking yourself up in the penthouse."


    "Eh?" Marion was surprised to hear Lauriel''s words.


    "This is an order. You go have fun." Lauriel then nodded and turned off the tele-conference.


    "You heard the man," said Jean with a triumphant face. Secretly he was happy because indirectly Lauriel gave his blessing for Jean to approach Marion.

 Chapter 439 - The Twins

    Ugh, I don''t want to watch Biilie Yves'' concert , Marion kept thinking to herself.


    She was still feeling jealous of that beautiful singer. I am perfectly fine sitting in the penthouse on my own, or keep myself busy with maps and sketches.


    "Marion, listen to Jean," but Lauriel thought otherwise and told her to just go with Jean. What was it again? Relax and have some fun? A date and a nice dinner? Is Lauriel being himself? Heyy... Are you really Lauriel?


    "This is an order. You go have fun." Lauriel then nodded and turned off the tele-conference.


    Jean looked so happy when he said, "You heard the man."


    It seemed, Lauriel actually gave his blessings for the two to really start dating.


    After thinking it over and seeing Jean''s sincerity, Marion finally relented. She felt that Lauriel was right. She didn''t know what they would face next, so why not try to relax by doing something fun?


    Although still a bit reluctant, Marion finally got up to get ready.  15 minutes later she showed up in the living room and was ready to go. With her hair arranged in a casual bun, Marion looked sexy and carefree.


    She had chosen a sky-blue shirt with white shorts and sneakers that showed off her long legs. She looked very fresh. Jean was stunned to see her like that, welcoming him with a pout but adorable face.


    "Shall we go now?" asked Jean, smiling broadly, trying his best not to kiss Marion. Marion nodded. Both of them walked to the basement parking and drove the Mercedes provided by the hotel.


    Jean and Marion arrived at the Marina Concert Stadium half an hour before the event began and they casually entered the VIP waiting room. Terry and his friends arrived a few minutes later.


    They all looked very impressed and did not expect to be so lucky. Not only could they watch Billie''s concert from nice seating, but they also got VIP treatment and the chance to meet the superstar backstage after the event.


    "Gosh, Terry ... we didn''t know that you are much awesome than we thought. As Jean Pierre Wang''s son, Billie is your future mother!" Donna whispered in a voice that was loud enough for Marion to hear. Terry''s overzealous friends did not realize that Jean and Marion were sipping wine in a  corner of the room.


    "Shhh ...  don''t you know that Jean and Billie have separated?" Isla whispered while hitting Donna with her elbow. The girl looked surprised hearing that.


    "Really? No way!! Then why is Terry still given out so many free tickets? Is it possible that their separation is just a marketing ploy like what other celebrities are doing?"


    Terry rolled his eyes and brushed the two girls'' heads together.


    "Can you be quiet or not?" he sniffed. He had noticed his father and Marion in the corner of the room and he felt uncomfortable seeing her expression.


    "Auww!!" Isla and Donna shrieked together. They rubbed their heads with expressions as if they were wronged, but they could not be angry with Terry. They finally noticed Jean and Marion and were instantly silent.


    "Sorry if you feel uncomfortable," Jean said in a guilty tone, as if the big-mouthed students were his own children and he apologized on their behalf. Marion shook her head, not responding.


    She now felt this was a mistake. She finally admitted that she really liked Jean and was jealous that he attended this concert to support Billie. Billie who had been his girlfriend for over 15 years.


    She should have just stayed at the hotel. She could create maps, take care of Rosaline''s face sketches and do anything productive. Anything but watching Billie''s concert.


    Her mind wandered off and she was no longer aware of her surroundings.


    "Marion ..."


    Her reverie was moved by the soft voice of the man beside her and the touch of Jean''s hand on her shoulder.


    "Uhm ... what''s up? Has the concert started?" Marion asked lazily. Her eyes immediately went big when she saw someone very familiar standing in front of her.


    "Sorry we are late," Endo, who was still wearing his flying coat, said with a wry smile. Marion was so pleased to see the man and jumped to her feet to embrace him.


    "Endo!! I''m very happy to see you!" Marion''s mood immediately changed. The twins were her closest friends in the Wolf Pack. She had expected the two of them to arrive at night, but apparently they had landed at 6 pm and went straight to the concert venue. "Are you here to pick me up?"


    Marion wanted to immediately return to the penthouse with the twins. She wouldn''t be alone then, so Jean had no reason to keep her with him at the stadium.


    Endo scratched his head, "Uhmm ... after we found out about Billie''s concert, we came over as soon as possible because Jean said he had extra tickets. We really wouldn''t want to miss the chance to watch her performance!"


    Marion glared at Jean, who smiled broadly. Ugh, Marion had forgotten that Neo was a huge fan of Billie''s, and Endo was always happy to accompany his twin wherever he wanted to go. That meant they were here to watch her concert.


    Inwardly, she was upset because she thought Neo and Endo had come here for her. Ughhhhh ...


    "Where is Neo?" Marion asked irritably.


    "He is waiting for Billie up front. He wants a selfie together and her autograph."


    Marion stomped her feet and went out of the VIP waiting room to calm down. Jean hurried after her but as soon as he arrived outside, Marion had disappeared.


    Jean only sighed. He didn''t think Marion really disliked Billie. The girl was a very talented singer and was loved by everyone. Even Finland and many of his friends adored Billie.


    He did not understand why Marion was so curt. If she really didn''t want to come to this concert, why hadn''t she just accepted his offer to accompany her at the penthouse? After all, Marion herself had agreed to come along. Why did she behave like this? Jean sometimes found it very difficult to understand women''s hearts.

 Chapter 440 - Lauriel Lied

    Alaric was still thinking about Aleksis who had suddenly shown up in Singapore. If she really was Aleksis, surely something serious must have happened to cause the girl to lose her memory. Because he was sure that the real Aleksis would have tried all means to find him ...


    But this Aleksis did not do such things at all.


    What should I do if she has really forgotten about me? What if she really lost her memory and her condition became permanent? Can I live without her after this? If in time her memory recovered ... what would she do if she found out I was the one that caused his father''s death?


    Those thoughts made his chest feel heavy.


    Finally, after pondering for a while, Alaric decided to make a decision ONLY after he had made sure who this girl really was. If she really was Aleksis, he would take her home with him, take care of her and help her recover. Then, he would explain his role in her father''s death and ask for her forgiveness ... with all in the open, they could start anew.


    If the girl was indeed Aleksis and her memory did not recover, Alaric would fight for her love and make her fall in love with him again.


    The heart couldn''t lie, could it? If she once loved Alaric, of course no matter what, that love was still there, in her heart, waiting to be revived.


    Alaric realized, at this point, he could not imagine his life without his wife, Aleksis, beside him.


    My wife ...


    For some reason he was very happy to repeat the words when mentioning Aleksis'' name.


    He really missed her.


    All right, I have a way to find out if she is really Aleksis or not, he thought.


    Alaric took his cellphone and looked for the phone number he had kept for 18 years. Uncle Rory had been indebted to him 18 years ago when he had saved Aleksis. In exchange for one million dollars, Alaric had one request he could exchange at any time.


    Now he would use that one request, which was worth one million dollars, to establish once and for all if the girl was really Aleksis or not.


    Considering Uncle Rory was Aleksis''s godfather, he was the only person Alaric could trust to give him truthful information about Aleksis'' condition. Rory was a person with great integrity and wouldn''t lie.


    [It''s me, wanting to collect the one million dollars you promised me] Thus is the message from Alaric.


    Lauriel was very surprised to receive an unexpected SMS from an unknown number.


    If Prince Siegfried was indeed Alaric Rhionen ... didn''t this mean that the person they were looking for was the person who was now sending him this SMS?


    He hurriedly replied. [Please send the account number where I have to transfer the money to].


    [What I want is information worth one million dollars. Information about Aleksis. After this there will be no more debt between us.]


    Lauriel was stunned. He became increasingly convinced this was indeed Alaric Rhionen. With a deep breath he typed his reply.


    [What information?]


    [Where is Aleksis now?]


    [Why do you want to know?] Lauriel replied.


    [I have no ill intention towards Aleksis. You know that you can trust me. I have met her three times and I have never hurt her.] Alaric refrained from saying that Aleksis was his wife. He remembered the girl''s reluctance to reveal the secret to her family.


    If Aleksis was indeed still alive, he would wait until Aleksis herself told her family, he would not do something the girl might not want him to do.


    Meanwhile in Grosseto, Lauriel''s mind was conflicted. On the one hand he knew that Alaric meant no threat to Aleksis and he did owe it to Alaric to provide true information, namely that Aleksis was lying in a coma in Switzerland.


    But on the other hand, Alaric and the Rhionen Assassins had killed too many people and even caused the death of Kurt van Der Ven, Caspar''s confidant. This had caused the Alchemist clan leader to be very angry and wanted to capture and punish him.


    If he wanted to lure Alaric as they had originally planned, Lauriel had to lie and convey that Aleksis was currently in Singapore.


    And finally, that''s what Lauriel did.


    He chose to lie, and for the first time in his life, he broke his promise to someone.


    [Aleksis was in a coma due to an accident and now she has returned to Singapore to recover her memory.]


    [Thank you. Your debt is paid off.]


    Alaric closed his cellphone and tapped the screen with his fingers. Finally he got the confirmation he needed. He knew Uncle Rory would never lie to him because he was bound by his promise to grant Alaric one request.


    He again opened his cellphone and looked at the various photographs of Aleksis scattered on Splitz again.


    Apparently, his wife was still alive. No wonder he hadn''t been able to find information of her whereabouts. Her family must have taken her to a hidden place to get treatment, especially after Kurt''s death.


    A smile was etched on his lips as he dialed Pavel''s number.


    "Prepare the plane. I''m going back to Singapore."


    ***


    Marion went to the top of the building to get some fresh air. Indeed, she felt uncomfortable attending Billie''s concert because she knew of Billie''s relationship with Jean, the man she liked. On the other hand, she felt that she should have been able to understand why Jean had come.


    He still considered Billie a big part of his life and they had a friendly relationship. Of course this was the attitude of a gentleman, compared to some men who acted like jerks after a break up who treated their exes badly after their romantic relationship ended.


    Actually, Marion considered this as one of Jean''s good qualities. He was a good man. His friendship with Finland had lasted almost a quarter of a century was proof of his caring character.


    He always supported Finland and was there for her no matter what. He was even her children''s favorite uncle.


    During his 15 year relationship with Billie, Jean was famous for being a good boyfriend, and now after the relationship had ended, he had never done anything to hurt Billie. He even came to provide support at Billie''s concert.


    If Jean''s attitude towards his ex-girlfriend was so good, Marion could only imagine how he would treat the woman who became his girlfriend or his wife. This thought made Marion melt.


    Jean was honestly telling her that he liked Marion and wanted to approach her. This made Marion feel flattered. She also liked the man and was willing to be more relaxed around Billie, but it was proofed to be very difficult.


    Marion finally returned to the VIP waiting room five minutes before the concert began. Terry and his friends, nor Endo and Neo were there. Only Jean was waiting for her.


    "Eh, are you still here?" Marion asked in surprise. Jean nodded.


    "If you really don''t want to watch this concert, let''s just go home," Jean said firmly.


    Marion was stunned to hear that. Earlier, at the top of the building she had thought for a while and decided to watch the concert and forget all the other things for a moment. All things considered, Billie was an extraordinary artist and it would be a pity not to enjoy her beautiful music.


    "I just needed to get some air." said Marion. "I am alright."


    "Are you serious?" asked Jean in a probing tone. Marion nodded. Jean smiled with relief, "Alright, let''s go in."

 Chapter 441 - Billie Yves Concert

    Billie''s concert was filled with cool technology performances and thick with futuristic vibes. The audience seemed to be transported to life on a new planet somewhere in the future.


    The theme of Billie''s latest album was global warming, and how humanity should should start preparing to move to a new planet.


    It had become a very urgent topic among the different communities on Earth. Since the discovery of a new technology that allowed humans to explore space at speeds exceeding mach-20 a few years ago, mankind had new hopes to leave this earth and move to a better and safer new planet.


    The topic was further romanticized by many literary works and musical performances, making people even more eager to explore the new world.


    Giant technology companies were also competing to participate in this spirit of exploration and some had already prepared packages for other planet colonies, where people could start saving and bequeathed it to their descendants when the time would come to move out to a new planet.


    Jean grabbed Marion''s hand and took her to one of the best seats on the left side of the stage to watch the concert. Terry and his friends had prepared various light sabers and other accessories to take part in the visual excitement of the concert, which, according to the information, would be a Star Wars themed show in the middle of the concert. They looked extremely happy.


    Endo and Neo saw Marion enter and gave her a thumbs up. The girl just rolled her eyes. She looked around and had to admit that the atmosphere at the concert felt very magical and thrilling to the soul.


    She now understood why so many people struggled to get tickets to watch Billie''s concerts. The venue was already thrilling with excitement even before the concert began, and once the superstar appeared on stage, the atmosphere was totally electrical.


    The long-awaited moment had finally arrived. The music stomped and the light show began to decorate the large semicircular stage in the middle of the stadium. A very beautiful voice could be heard singing a very famous song.


    Spontaneously, the audience joined in singing along with Billie who suddenly appeared. She slowly lowered onto the stage by an ingenious contraption. She wore a pair of wings which gave her the appearance of an angel.


    Even Marion was excited. Her eyes went round when she watched the electrifying performance. She experienced first-hand how much Billie was loved by her fans. She glanced to her side and saw a smiling Jean looking at his ex-girlfriend with loving admiration.


    Marion remembered that Jean once had said that whatever happened to his relationship with Billie, he always had been and always would be a fan. Now she understood what he had meant.


    Billie was indeed a charismatic artist, her songs were full of meaning and her music was so beautiful, the crowd just loved her. Even Neo who was usually quite indifferent to the world was a die-hard fan of Billie''s.


    This was something Marion felt she should accept, even though she felt uncomfortable. Marion realized that her jealousy was unwarranted and that she had to bring herself to treat Billie kindly when they met later on.


    Song after song was performed and the audience was getting crazy. The atmosphere was out of this world and everyone enjoyed this soul-stirring experience. Billie was indeed legendary. Her 28-year-long career in the music industry had made her a living legend.


    People praised her as the perfect girl. She was talented, she had never been involved in any scandals, and she was also very beautiful. At the age of 45, her beauty was unblemished and no match for many newcomers in the industry.


    That was why her separation with Jean six months ago had caused a big sensation and let to a lot of speculations. Some people tried to find out Billie''s shortcomings and weaknesses that had led to the break-up.


    Others suggested they might actually be gays and had only been using their relationship all these years to cover up their sexual orientation.


    Billie was indeed a very private person and before dating Jean she had once been rumored to be a lesbian. Now the cheap gossip was back in full force.


    Jean was aware that if he would hurriedly get into a relationship with another woman, Billie would once again become a victim of these rumors. Therefore he refrained and would not yet appear with a new girlfriend on his arm.


    Unfortunately last month he had been caught red-handed by paparazzi while kissing Marion in Switzerland. He had been drinking  a bit too much and had let his guard down, even though at that time he and Marion actually were not dating.


    Now Jean realized he would not be able to hide his feelings for Marion any longer. He turned to his side and found Marion looking at him.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Jean asked silently mouthing the words in the all overpowering concert frenzy..


    Marion shook her head and smiled.


    At that moment Billie had just finished a song and walked over to the center of the stage and raised her hand. The crowd immediately fell silent.


    "Good evening, Singapore!! Good evening, Asia!! I''m very happy to be back here performing for my loyal fans. You are all amazing!" She bowed slightly and the audience went crazy with their applause. Billie smiled broadly and then her eyes met with Jean and she blew him a kiss, "Thank you Jean, for making the time to be here with your family. Thank you for always supporting me no matter what. Terry, I wish you success with your career!"


    Terry''s friends screamed with joy because Terry was called out by the legendary artist and Billie also blew kisses at him.


    "Oh my God!!! This is amazing!!! Everyone is watching this ..." exclaimed Isla, who was still using her cellphone to broadcast the live show through Splitz to her university group.


    Thousands of comments quickly appeared in response to Terry''s closeness with Jean and Billie. The whole St. Mary University overflowed with happiness and excitement; their former head of the student council turned out to have a relationship with two of the most famous people on this planet.


    The concert resumed lively until it ended at 10 pm. The audience crammed to get out. Fortunately Jean, Marion, Terry and his friends had VIP access so they could go backstage straightaway.


    The faces of Terry''s friends were almost stiff from constant smiling. They couldn''t wait to meet Billie Yves in person.

 Chapter 442 - Who Wants To Kill Billie Yves?

    Marion reluctantly followed Jean backstage. She joined Neo and Endo, who had already entered the VIP waiting room. Billie was chatting with selected fans who had the opportunity to meet her backstage and take group photos.


    Then it was Terry''s turn. Billie seemed very pleased to see him and she hugged him lovingly under the gazes of his amazed friends. Billie even ruffled the young man''s hair several times, laughing and joking with him.


    Having known Terry for several years, they only just found out recently that he was Jean''s son and that he was quite close to Billie Yves. The whole campus was excited over this news.


    "Finally you will graduate soon," Billie said happily. "I still remember the first time I met you, you were only this tall."


    She pointed at her waist and Terry hurriedly brushed Billie''s hand away in embarrassment. "I''ve never been that short, Auntie Billie. When I was 15 and meeting you for the first time I was almost as tall as you."


    His friends were very surprised to see Terry carelessly dismissing Billie''s hand and acting like they were just friends. Now they truly believed that the popular student was very close to the superstar.


    "Ahahaha ... alright, I believe you. Now, who are these lovely people with you? Your friends and crew?" Billie asked, greeting them one by one.


    "Yes, these are my friends who helped with my film project. In two weeks we''ll play it in the cinema. I will send the video to you."


    Billie nodded in satisfaction and chatted a bit with Terry and his friends while taking pictures and distributing autographed souvenirs. They were all very happy and super grateful.


    After the guests had left one by one, Billie heaved a sigh of relief and walked towards Jean.


    "Hey... thank you for coming. Sorry, I was rather busy." She hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "You brought your friends too?"


    She moved to hug Marion, Neo and Endo one by one warmly. Marion was a bit awkward about accepting Billie''s hug, but Neo looked like he''d just taken an ecstasy pill. His eyes sparkled with happiness and his shoulders drooped with joy, so Marion became impatient and brushed his head.


    "Ish ... don''t embarrass me, Neo," the girl whispered. "I know you''re a fan, but still..."


    Jean just smiled at their interaction.


    "Yes, this is Marion, Neo and Endo. They are members of the Wolf Pack, Lauriel''s team who are here to carry out a mission." Jean explained.


    "Ahh .. I''m so glad you all stopped by." Billie looked very happy. "After this, want to come with me to celebrate the success of this concert? We can have a drink at Sky Bar or something ..."


    "Of course we want to!" exclaimed Neo quickly, before Marion could refuse. He then turned to Marion, "If you don''t want to go, you can go back to the penthouse. We will drink with Billie."


    Marion could only stomp her feet. She had no choice but to follow the small group. After making sure everything was all right, Jean, Billie and her personal staff and bodyguards, Endo, Neo and Marion walked towards the basement parking lot and prepared to go to the Continental Building to celebrate at the Sky Bar.


    They were busy chatting while walking to the car and not paying too much attention to their surroundings. Neo who always turned his gaze to Billie with that half-worship look was the only person who suddenly noticed a red dot dancing at Billie Yves''s temple - and in a split second, even before the shot was heard, he rushed toward Billie and dropped her body to the ground to escape the bullet.


    All were very surprised because the incident had happened so quickly. Next thing they knew, they heard  the sounds of gunfire and a pool of blood formed on the floor.


    Screams of women were everywhere in the basement parking lot and Marion had disappeared behind a car pulling Jean''s hand. Endo hurriedly checked the condition of his twin brother who sat on the floor while holding his shoulder which was bleeding quite a lot. In his instinctive reflex to protect Billy Yves, Neo got hit by the bullet himself.


    Billie was beside him. Her face was pale and she was gasping for breath. Billie''s two bodyguards immediately dispersed and looked where the gunfire had come from. Billie''s assistant and manager were down on the floor in fear.


    A few seconds after the shooting, Jean was able to overcome his shock. He hurried over to Billie and checked her situation.


    "Are you okay?" he asked in a worried voice.


    Billie looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head. Jean immediately hugged her and calmed her down. Anyone who has had a brush with death would surely feel an enormous existential fear, because ultimately, everyone was afraid to die.


    Billie Yves had a large number of fans and some were mentally unstable and liked to stalk her, so she had hired a personal bodyguard team to protect her wherever she went. Over the last few years nothing really bad had happened maybe they had become complacent.


    Max, Billie''s chief of security, looked very embarrassed. He called in some of his subordinates who coordinated with the police and stadium security units to immediately close all access in and out of the stadium so they could lock in the perpetrators.


    "Can you bring Billie home? I will take Neo to the hospital," Endo said quickly. He carried his brother and headed for the nearest car and laid him in the back seat.


    Jean nodded. He pulled Billie from behind a car and after making sure it was safe, he signalled Billie to follow him while he ducked into the car. After Billie got in, Jean took his cellphone and called Marion.


    Ugh ... the phone kept ringing but she didn''t pick up. Jean became confused. He tried calling again but Marion''s cellphone was now turned off.

 Chapter 443 - Taking Down Assassins (1)

    Jean kept calling and calling but Marion still didn''t pick up her phone. The next call, he found that Marion''s cellphone was now turned off.


    "Who are you calling?" Billie asked.


    "My friend. Uhm ... we''d better get out of here, she can take good care of herself." Jean was very anxious, but he drove forward too and pulled out of the basement parking. His car was bullet proof so he did not need to be afraid in case another attack occurred. All around them, police and security guards were moving swiftly and combing the perimeter of the parking area.


    Not far away, Rosalien removed her gloves while shaking her head in a pout. She wrapped the gun in both gloves and then tossed it in a trash can. Takeshi looked at her in disappointment.


    "What was that for?" Takeshi asked in a flat voice.


    Rosalien answered still with pursed lips. "To prove that I''m right."


    "I didn''t know you had become this bloodthirsty," Takeshi chided. "I don''t doubt your words earlier that those two people are not ordinary people, so why do you feel the need to prove that you are right by shooting at the singer?"


    Rosalien only shrugged. She walked away leaving Takeshi frowning in surprise. He had known Rosalien, his foster sister, for a very long time and she had an unusual personality. One would never have thought that underneath her small body and beautiful face was a really strong and cold-hearted assassin.


    Her life used to be very hard and she enjoyed every murder that became her mission. Among those 15, Rosalien was the assassin who had the highest level of assignment, just because she was an expert and liked her profession.


    Takeshi and Mischa only worked to make a living and spent their remaining time to enjoy life. Rosalien however lived for her work.


    While following Rosalien, who walked casually, Takeshi thought that maybe his foster sister suddenly went crazy because she felt bored since she hadn''t had an assignment for almost two months.


    Since the Rhionen Assassins were disbanded, they accepted practically no more clients. For the other assassins, this was not a problem because they had a life outside the group.


    In fact, for some, this had been a good opportunity to retire and start a new life. All of them had amassed a great fortune from the assignments they took in the past decade alone.


    Only Rosalien could not leave her old life behind. That was why she held a grudge against Aleksis, which she considered to be the cause of their group''s dissolution.


    Takeshi and Rosalien used a special device to reflect light that obscured their appearance when captured on a CCTV camera. That was why both of them were relaxed enough to walk out and mingle with the audience who were now trying to get out of the venue but had to face the police search one by one.


    The closure of the gates by the police caused an enormous traffic jam and a crowd of thousands of people were panicking. Rumors had spread that there had been a shooting inside the basement parking lot targeting Billie Yves.


    News search helicopters and additional police surrounded the location and made the atmosphere even more tense. Marion deliberately had turned off her cellphone when Jean called because she did not want to be detected by her preys.


    At the first shot, she hid behind the car and immediately calculated the direction of the shot. She silently rushed out and came onto Takeshi and Rosalien.


    Marion was furious to see this annoying girl at will and for no apparent reason shooting at Billie Yves just to prove that Neo and Endo were two trained people. She quickly took a photo with her cellphone when Rosalien threw the gun into the trash and then quietly followed them.


    Takeshi and Rosalien may be members of the best assassin group in the world, but they were no match for Marion who had lived 100 years longer and mastered various reconnaissance and martial arts techniques far more proficiently.


    "You will pay your debts for Neo, motherf*ckers..." Marion cursed silently. She followed the two while pretending to be one of the other spectators and tried to pass the gate that was guarded by the police.


    Marion walked briskly behind Takeshi and Rosalien who calmly went through a police check to get out of the venue. Police and stadium security teams had installed low-level x-ray scanning gates and efficiently ordered all those who wanted to get out to pass through that door.


    The massive screening carried out by the police quickly filtered the innocent fans as no metal or gunpowder had been detected on their bodies, mimicking airport security checks which was capable of handling thousands of people in a short amount of time.


    When it was Takeshi and Rosalien''s turn to pass through the scanner gate, Marion moved swiftly toward Max, Billie Yves'' chief of security, whom she had known briefly. She grabbed the big tall man and showed him the photo on her cellphone.


    Max was surprised to see the picture display. He professionally talked with his walkie-talkie to his men who were guarding the scanner gates with several policemen. Rosalien just walked through the scanner at a leisurely pace. The scanner gate didn''t make any sound.


    "Sorry, Miss ... please wait here for a moment. Our boss wants to see you." Max''s subordinates respectfully intercepted her from following those before her who were allowed out.


    Rosalien looked surprised. She did not expect to be stopped by anyone. No one was ever suspicious of her cute little face. She turned to Takeshi who immediately approached her after passing through the scanner gate.


    "What''s going on? Are you suspecting my girlfriend?" he asked in a fierce tone.


    Max''s men were used to dealing with various people, so they were not affected by Takeshi''s rude attitude nor Rosalien''s pretend innocence. He calmly waited for Max and Marion to appear.

 Chapter 444 - Marion vs Two Assassins

    Max looked at Rosalien with a frown. He didn''t expect this cute girl to be a murderer. He approached a high-ranking policeman who was in charge and whispered to him. Takeshi and Rosalien began to sense that something was wrong, but both remained calm.


    "Sorry, Miss, you have to come with us to the police station," said Police Chief Archie Lam as he approached Rosalien .


    Takeshi immediately positioned himself in front of his sister and blocked the police chief''s steps. "I don''t allow you to take her."


    "You must also come to the office," the police chief said, starting to feel agitated. He gave a signal to his men and in an instant the two professional assassins from Rhionen Assassins were surrounded.


    Inwardly, Takeshi wanted to scold Rosalien for blindly attacking someone. They were now in a rather uncomfortable position. But it had to wait. At present they must first escape the siege of the police and security guards.


    Without warning, he took out a long ceramic knife that he had hidden at his feet under his trousers. As professional killers they were used to carrying undetectable weapons that do not contain metals, such as knives or swords made from ceramics and non-metal explosive devices.


    With ease he swiftly made a fast circular motion and attacked one of the police officers standing near him, claiming his life in an instant. The others reflexively evaded and fired, but Takeshi fired back with a gun he had taken from the policeman he had killed and used his body as a shield.


    The other officers were surprised by the turn of events and simultaneously held their fire. They could not bear to bombard their colleague''s body with bullets after his pathetic death.


    Rosalien vanished as soon as the commotion started and immediately held hostage a teenage girl who was in terror. She wanted to force the police to stop attacking her and Takeshi.


    "Don''t even try ... I know how to maim this girl for life!! I will not kill her ... but I will make sure she suffers horribly. If you come closer, you will be responsible for her suffering ...!!"


    The beautiful girl''s voice sounded cold and heartless. Rosalien was cornered. She was not afraid to die and would not hesitate to carry out her threat, but of course she did not want to die if she could negotiate with the police. She still wanted to enjoy life.


    "Release the child ..." Marion walked slowly towards Rosalien with her hands raised. "You may take me hostage, but let go of the child."


    Rosalien squinted at Marion''s courage.


    Crazy, was this girl not afraid to die? Who was she? thought Rosalien .


    Earlier when she and Takeshi watched Billie''s entourage, they couldn''t see Marion because she was blocked by Jean''s body.


    "Who are you? Are you a cop?" She asked Marion mockingly.


    Marion shook her head patiently.


    "I can safely get you out of here," Marion turned to Max. "Right, Max?"


    Max didn''t understand what Marion''s plans were, so he could only nod.


    Rosalien turned to Takeshi and nodded. The young man dropped the body of the police he had been using as a shield and approached Marion. In a quick second, Marion''s neck was already in his grip.


    "Now we have two hostages. If you don''t prepare a helicopter for us to leave this place, you will see for yourself that my threat is not a joke," Rosalien grinned triumphantly. "I''ll count to 10. If you don''t agree, then, I''m very sorry ... the lives and future of these two people are in your hands."


    Marion looked like she was in a lot of pain as her neck was tightly gripped by Takeshi and her face turned red. "Le ... let go of your hand, I can''t breathe," she whispered in a muffled voice.


    With her right hand she tried to hold onto Takeshi''s hand and pull it loose, but the young man tightened his grip even more.


    "Damn it ... you guys are jerks," Marion cried, while still trying to pull Takeshi''s hand. Her efforts were in vain, because Takeshi tightened his grip to show that he was serious. After struggling for half a minute, Marion''s body finally went limp and slumped down.


    "Eh ..." Takeshi was surprised because he didn''t expect that the girl he held hostage was that weak. An unconscious hostage was more troublesome than a living hostage, so he immediately threw Marion to the side.


    Marion laid on the ground motionless while Takeshi walked over to Rosalien. The two of them would be able to get away with just one hostage, he thought.


    He had only walked for two steps, when suddenly Takeshi''s body staggered and he lost his balance. A second later he fell to the ground next to Marion.


    "Ugh ... Takeshi, why happened to you?!!" Reflexively Rosalien pushed the girl in her grip and ran towards her foster brother.


    When she arrived at Takeshi''s side and knelt beside him, Rosalien became careless and did not notice Marion got up and stuck a needle into the nape of her neck, just like how she had poisoned Takeshi''s hand while she was pretending to free herself from his grip.


    Rosalien''s body suddenly felt very hot and for two long seconds she stared at Marion, whom she thought was unconscious.


    "You .. you .. who are you?"


    Marion just grunted and stood up, just when Rosalien''s body fell to the ground on top of Takeshi. The police and security officers who surrounded them gasped.


    Who would have thought that this indifferent-looking beautiful girl could single-handedly take down the two killers they were after.


    The police had seen how ferociously Takeshi had killed some of their comrades with his knife. He was also able to return their gunfire with amazing skills. As for the cute girl who was his partner, she really gave them the chills when she uttered those cold and ruthless words when she held the teenager hostage earlier.


    Who were these three people? They asked themselves.

 Chapter 445 - 98 Misscalls

    "Max, I''ll leave them to you for now. Please don''t let this show up in the news." Marion patted Max''s shoulder then gave him various instructions on how to hold hostage of the two assassins. She then contacted Endo as she needed to look for a quiet place to detain them.


    Max, who still couldn''t believe that young girl could handle the crisis so efficiently, could only nod. He coordinated with the police force and the stadium security officers and immediately carried out Marion''s orders.


    "How is Neo?" Marion asked rather anxiously.


    She could still picture Neo taking all the shots with his shoulders and back. Even though they were Alchemists who had extraordinary physical endurance, their bodies weren''t immune to bullets. If one of the bullets hit the spine or nerves, Neo could become paralyzed or even lose his life.


    "He is undergoing surgery to remove the bullets. The doctor said his chances are good. Lauriel is already on his way here. I believe he is able to treat Neo better than any doctor," Endo replied. He hurriedly added, "Besides, the singer stopped by here too, and said she would come again. I''m sure that Neo will recover very fast when she is around."


    "Oh," Marion just remembered Billie. "Who did she come to the hospital with?"


    "She came with Jean."


    "Oh, okay." Marion hung up the phone and remembered that Jean had repeatedly tried to contact her but she instead turned off her cellphone.


    She dialed the telephone number for the caller ID: MARION LIKES THE ADORABLE ACTOR and waited for Jean to pick up her call.


    RING


    RING


    Somehow, after the tenth ring, Jean still hadn''t picked up her call. Marion became angry and she disconnected the call. Ughhhh ... what was Jean doing with Billie? Why didn''t he pick up the call???


    Her jealousy started overflowing again, but Marion had no other option than to swallow her frustration because ... she didn''t have the right to be jealous, did she? They were not lovers ... at least not yet.


    Marion irritably edited Jean''s contact name and changed it to AFFE (Monkey [German]).


    ***


    Jean had just taken a shower and came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. His hair was still dripping wet and he was not aware that he had made a girl very upset by not picking up her call. He dressed himself and went to Billie''s suite on the 90th floor while carrying a bottle of wine.


    The girl was still devastated and Jean wanted to accompany her tonight, hopefully the alcohol would calm her down. It did not cross his mind at all to take his cellphone along.


    When Marion arrived half an hour later, the girl looked for Jean but could not find him in the penthouse. She tried to call back but Jean still did not answer her call.


    Finally, Marion could only sit in the living room feeling angry. Out of frustration, she threw her cellphone to the floor. A while later she noticed that she looked very messy and dusty from the riots at the stadium, and so she decided to take a shower and change clothes.


    When she came out of her room to get the cellphone that she had thrown, Jean entered the penthouse. Instantly Marion stopped on her tracks.


    She wanted to ask Jean where he had been, but somehow she could already guess; he was probably at Billie''s place earlier. The girl was must have been devastated by the attempted murder she had experienced and Jean must have accompanied her to calm her down.


    She did not want to hear the rest. Maybe something had happened between Jean and Billie ... maybe not. Whatever the answer, Marion was not ready to hear it. Not now.


    She wanted to focus on her task and did not want her mind clouded by personal matters.


    "Hey ..." Marion greeted him nonchalantly. She took her cellphone from the floor and returned to her room. Jean could only stare at her in disbelief. He then went into his room. When he took the cellphone that he had left behind, Jean was shocked to see 89 missed calls from Marion.


    If Marion tried so hard to contact him, why was she so indifferent when they met earlier? Jean could only ask himself.


    "Mmm ..."


    He was contemplated to go to Marion''s room and invite her to talk. He had been very worried about leaving Marion at the stadium as she went after the shooter, but after speaking with Endo at the hospital, he realized that his worries were unreasonable because Marion was very formidable.


    He didn''t need to worry about her.


    But Billie ... that girl was as delicate as a grass flower. He had known her for more than 20 years and so he knew that behind Billie''s talented and outgoing personality was a delicate and vulnerable being. That was why she chose to keep her private life from the media and outsiders, almost in contrast to Jean''s warm and open personality.


    When they finally formed a romantic relationship 15 years ago, the two supported and protected each other in their own ways.


    Jean, who was very open to the media, never asked Billie to appear with him in public and when he had interviews, and he always protected Billie''s privacy. He loved the girl very much and, although after ten years his feelings turned more platonic, they remained together.


    Billie was also very much in love with Jean, and in time she finally realized that his feelings had changed and he didn''t want marriage and children with her, which was the opposite of what she wanted.


    After more than a dozen years together, Billie finally accepted the fact and ended their relationship, allowing Jean to find his own happiness.


    Their separation was announced to the public six months later. Despite the break-up, everything was still good between them, until tonight, when someone attempted to murder Billie.


    She was in such shock that she could only stay silent during their visit to the hospital and on their way to the Continental Hotel.

 Chapter 446 - The Vulnerable Girl

    Billie was so quiet after the incident and it got Jean to worry. He never saw Billie looking so depressed and vulnerable like today.


    "Wait for me here, okay? Lock the door and turn off the TV and all communication devices. I will go to the penthouse to shower and change my clothes, then I''ll come back with some drinks," Jean said after taking Billie to her suite.


    The girl nodded with her body still trembling slightly. She then closed the door and lay down on the couch, trying to forget what happened at the stadium earlier.


    Jean took shower and tried to get rid off the image of the incident earlier. He was worried about Billie''s mental health and at the same time he was worried about Marion. He remembered Marion turned off her phone right after the shooting and he hadn''t heard from her for hours.


    After he managed to look fresh and calm, he went out of the penthouse to accompany Billie, like he promised. On the way out he saw Caspar''s liquor cabinet and decided to take the strongest drink available. At the moment he needed something strong to distract his mind.


    When he arrived back at Billie''s suite, the beautiful was still lying on the couch motionless, and her eyes staring at the ceiling. She looked scared and shaken at the same time.


    "Let me pour us some drinks so that we can calm down," Jean said as he walked to the pantry and prepare the drinks. Five minutes later, the couple was sitting on the couch, enjoying their shots.


    Billie still looked shaken. She was mostly silent and on occasions did not respond to Jean''s words.


    "Mmm ... what are you thinking about?" he asked her softly. Billie turned and shook her head slowly, looking away. Jean frowned, "Do you want to cancel your other concerts and go back to America?"


    Billie shook her head again. No one spoke for a long time, before finally the sad-eyed girl poured her heart out. "You have made an offer for us to retire several times, and my answer had always been no. However, after tonight''s incident, I feel like I no longer want to be in this industry, even though I really love music."


    "Oh ..." Jean turned to Billie and looked at her closely, waiting for the next sentence to come out of her lips. "So?"


    The girl looked back at him with a pair of sad-looking eyes.


    "I won''t ask for us to get married or have children," Billie''s voice was rather shaky because she said it with all her heart. "I will also retire from the entertainment industry so I can start a new and peaceful life in Switzerland or wherever ... but I cannot do it alone. I want to know if the offer for us to start a life together still is still on the table."


    Jean looked at Billie carefully and realized that the girl was very serious about what she had just said. Billie, who ended their relationship a year ago, who told him to find his own happiness because they do not share the same principles of life, now told him that she was willing to live with Jean and follow his life''s principles, provided they could be together.


    "Billie ... Honey," Jean was speechless. He really loved this girl. But a year had passed and his feelings had changed. Now he loved her like a sister.


    "I''m scared, Jean. I''m scared that something like this will happen again and I don''t have anyone with me," Billie cupped her hands to her face trying to hold back tears. Jean placed his glass on the table and hugged Billie.


    "Sshh ... calm down, I''m here." He coaxed the girl with gentle words and allowed her to cry on his shoulder, to release her feelings that had been pent up earlier. Billie could no longer hold back her tears and her body shook in Jean''s embrace. The man tried his best to calm her down.


    After her crying subsided. Billie raised her face and looked at Jean with a pleading look, "Could you please stay with me tonight? Please ... I know I won''t be able to sleep. I took a few sleeping pills earlier but my head just feels empty and I can''t feel the medicine working."


    "Yes, of course," Jean nodded. "It''s past midnight, you should try to sleep."


    Billie agreed to Jean''s suggestion but when she tried to stand up, she lost her balance and would have fallen to the floor if Jean hadn''t caught her in time, "Uhm ... I''m sorry, maybe I drank too much."


    "It''s okay. Let me carry you to your bed," Jean said softly. He carried Billie, took her to her bedroom, and laid her on the bed. After covering Billie and adjusting the temperature of the room, he sat next to her and looked at her.


    "Jean ... I can''t sleep." Billie complained ten minutes later. She was holding Jean''s hand and he patted her lightly. "Just leave. It''s useless if you wait for me here, I won''t sleep."


    "Sshh ... don''t say that. Tonight you experienced something horrific. You must rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow." Jean pondered for a moment and finally decided to help Billie sleep. "I will accompany you. Calm down and try to get some sleep."


    He then took off his shoes and climbed unto the bed, then laid next to Billie and hugged her. The girl took a deep breath and tried to close her eyes. Five minutes later, she was asleep. Jean''s hug calmed her tense body that she was finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.


    Jean made sure Billie was completely asleep before he decided to go back to the penthouse. Billie was beautiful and delicate and soft and fragile, and he felt responsible for looking after her, especially since she was his girlfriend for a dozen years.


    He then remembered the 89 missed calls from Marion and felt his chest tighten.

 Chapter 447 - Father and Son

    Terry arrived the next morning and hurriedly knocked on Jean''s door to make sure that his father was all right. He had switched off his social media platforms and finally his cellphone after returning from the concert yesterday because he was tired of answering all the questions people had about his relationship with Jean and Billie which was revealed at the concert.


    Terry only learned what had happened when he woke up the next morning and saw the breaking news in various media. The shooting incident was reported on a large scale but there was no clarity about how many victims there were and who was behind the shooting.


    As per Marion''s order, Max and the police succeeded in concealing the identities of Takeshi and Rosalien. None of their images were captured by the media. And few journalists who managed to obtain their pictures had been arrested by the police, and the images and footages had been deleted.


    Marion wanted to take care of the two assassins herself and she waited for Lauriel to arrive before taking action. Max took Takeshi and Rosalien to a hidden place and made sure that the two could not contact each other.


    "Hey ... what''s up?" Jean asked as he left his room. He looked haggard from having so many things on his mind. Terry, seeing that his father was fine, suddenly rushed over and hugged Jean with a combination of relief and fear at the same time.


    He was really afraid that Jean became a victim in the shooting and he would lose his parent a second time. The death of a parent would leave a deep mark on their child''s heart; to this day Terry still often missed his father and mother. He could not imagine that he had to go through that ordeal one more time.


    On the way to the penthouse, Terry''s chest was pounding hard. He regretted that he had not openly showed his affection for Jean and Finland, mainly because they became a family when he was already 15 years old and so there was a natural distance between them.


    His relationship with his biological parents were different compared to the relationship Aleksis and her younger siblings had with Finland as they had been together since infancy. They had an extraordinary closeness and it was very easy for them to express their feelings of love to each other and their parents.


    Last night''s event made Terry change his priorities. He came to realize that human life was very fragile, and even though they were immortals, death could still come at any time.


    "Dad ... I was really worried, my cellphone was dead, I couldn''t contact you earlier," whispered Terry, tightening his arms, "I''m so glad you''re okay."


    Jean patted his son''s shoulders affectionately, "Ah, about that... Sorry, there''s a lot going on here and I forgot to charge the battery. But everything''s fine."


    "Who is the victim? Has the culprit been arrested?" Terry asked after releasing his arms.


    At that moment Marion''s door opened and the girl just stared at the emotional scene between father and son with a flat expression. She understood how it felt, as her father and mother had also died.


    "Neo got a few shots, but he will be fine," Marion said. "Lauriel is coming this way. The perpetrators have also been arrested and we will take care of them soon."


    Jean looked at Marion. He was about to say something but she just looked away, not wanting to give him a chance to explain why he hadn''t picked up his phone for the dozen of times Marion called him.


    This morning Marion woke up feeling embarrassed because she remembered that she acted like a ''desperate'' girl last night by constantly trying to call Jean.


    She found her jealousy very disturbing. That was why Marion decided to get rid of all personal matters in order to focus on her task. She had decided to ignore Jean and act as if nothing had happened between them.


    She made a simple breakfast with a nonchalant attitude and invited the father and son to sit and eat pancakes and drink coffee. Jean could do nothing about Marion who was treating him like he was a stranger.


    After they finished breakfast, Marion announced that she would pick up Lauriel at the airport and they could not leave the penthouse without contacting Max or Endo.


    "I don''t want you to be in danger," she said firmly. After taking her black glasses and car keys, she left the penthouse.


    Jean just looked at her departure while sighing softly.


    Couldn''t Lauriel come here alone? Why did Marion have to pick him up at the airport? Secretly Jean felt rather annoyed.


    ***


    Alaric impatiently waited for the driver and his staff to pick him up at the VIP waiting room. He then decided to walk outside and ordered the driver to take the car to the regular passenger terminal pickup. It was faster and more practical, he thought.


    Even though he could not sleep at all last night because he was too eager to, hopefully, be able to look for Aleksis, Alaric''s appearance still attracted the attention of many women who passed by him at the airport.


    His very handsome face with fine lines and a cold attitude radiated a mysterious impression; plus, his platinum-colored hair made him look very attractive. His clothes were neat and he looked very rich from head to toe. Many people looked at him almost in worship and Alaric realized it all.


    These humans were very sickening, he thought.


    He did not like crowded places and wanted to disappear from there as soon as possible.


    Because he was in a hurry, he didn''t realize that a man who was also rushing like him walked towards him from his right. Their bodies almost collided when at the last second Alaric stopped in his tracks and then dodged.


    Reflexively he could feel when there was another human body that would touch him so that he could avoid it on time.


    When he looked to the right, he saw a man with slightly larger built than him who had almost touched him. The man squinted his pair of blue-green eyes and murmured, "Sorry, I''m in a hurry."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric suddenly remembered Aleksis'' pair of blue-green eyes that he had been missing so much. He closed his eyes and sighed, then moved away.


    He did not remember that 18 years ago he had met this man with blue and green eyes. Eighteen years was indeed a very long time, and at that time the light on the night train they were riding was quite dim, so he couldn''t pay closer attention to the color of Uncle Rory''s eyes.


    Lauriel looked at the impressive-looking young man and walked away. He felt as if he had seen him somewhere before. His face looked very familiar.


    He tried to remember, but nobody came to mind.


    If Lauriel had kept a photo of Princess Luna, his girlfriend, and remembered her face well, maybe at that moment he would have known where he had seen that face before. The young man who left him coldly toward the terminal exit looked exactly like the only woman he had ever loved.


    "Hey ...! What are you thinking about?" Marion''s pat on Lauriel''s shoulder moved the man from his reverie.


    "Hmm ... everything is fine. Let''s go." Lauriel tried to focus on Neo''s condition and what they had to do with the two assassins captured by Marion.

 Chapter 448 - Veritaserum

    Alaric looked through the car window without a slight care. After leaving Singapore for two months, he did not feel like he was home when he arrived in Singapore.


    He had indeed never felt an attachment to any place, until Aleksis entered his life.


    When he left for England two months ago, his heart felt very heavy, and for the first time he felt like he was leaving home. That feeling surprised him quite a bit, because the feeling was completely foreign to him. Maybe he felt like he was leaving home because he left Aleksis in Singapore at that time.


    Countless times he had blamed himself for not bringing Aleksis with him. Their situation was still complicated at the time, because Aleksis did not want to tell her family about Alaric. The girl was still waiting for the right moment.


    Unfortunately, the right moment never came.


    At least until Alaric suddenly heard the news that Aleksis had returned to Singapore and was totally fine...


    Though he may be here, for some reasons, when he looked outside the window and paid attention to every corner of the road he was traveling towards Bukit Timah, he still did not feel at home.


    Was this because Aleksis was not with him?


    He took his cell phone and dialed Takeshi''s number.


    Hmm ... Takeshi did not pick up his call.


    Alaric began to suspect something had happened to him. Takeshi always picked up the phone if Alaric called. Alaric then contacted Rosalien whom he knew was with Takeshi.


    She also did not pick up his call.


    What was this?


    He then contacted Pavel, who was always reliable and he was immediately told what had happened.


    "Rosalien made a fuss yesterday and she and Takeshi were arrested by the police, Sir." Pavel''s voice sounded regretful. "I''m still investigating where they are being detained."


    Pavel''s explanation surprised Alaric. Takeshi and Rosalien were two assassins from the phoenix level who were very tough. They had NEVER been caught before. How was it possible that they now fell into the hands of the police?


    "Hmm ... once you find them, immediately send a lawyer to release them from detention." Alaric was silent for a moment. "Who do we have around here?"


    "Kai is in Australia, Sir. Do you want me to call him?" Pavel seemed to check on something and then added, "Mischa is in Vietnam."


    Alaric was quiet for a second as he assessed his situation. In the rear car there was a security team who worked for him. There was also Pavel in Singapore. Did he really need additional men? Something on his head seemed to warn him that something dangerous was waiting for him.


    "Alright, please call Kai and Mischa."


    He returned to his daydreaming all the way home.


    ***


    Lauriel and Marion arrived at the hospital and met Neo who was resting after the surgery to save his life. Endo, who was sitting by the bed, immediately got up when he saw Lauriel enter.


    "Lauriel, you came!" he said.


    "Hmm ..." Lauriel sat beside the bed and checked Neo''s sleeping condition. He nodded slowly then took a few pills out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Endo. "Give these to Neo when he wakes up. He will recover faster."


    "Thank you."


    "Marion and I will interrogate the two assassins; you can catch up with us when Neo is awake." Lauriel then got up and walked out, followed by Marion. Endo could only nod.


    An hour later, Lauriel and Marion arrived at Bayfront and entered the empty warehouse guarded by Max''s men.


    Pavel could still not find Takeshi and Rosalien''s whereabouts because they had both been secured outside the police station on Marion''s orders. Now, Lauriel himself would interrogate them.


    Max welcomed Marion and he looked at Lauriel questioningly. Lauriel''s presence always gave an intimidating aura to people who were accustomed to deal with violence.


    Normal people would only see him as an indifferent young man in his 20''s, but someone like Max, who could judge Lauriel by the way he lightly walked and yet remained cautious, could not help but pay close attention to the man.


    Marion raised an eyebrow at Max and then pointed her chin at Lauriel. It made Max realize that the man who had just arrived was not an ordinary person. If Marion, who was already so amazing, seemed to respect him, surely he was a very important person.


    Finally, subconsciously, Max''s attitude also became respectful toward Lauriel as he brought them inside and showed their detainees.


    Rosalien sat on the floor and she was chained with a large chain to a pole in the middle of the room. Takeshi was detained in another room and from the start Marion had made sure that they could not talk to each other.


    When she heard footsteps approaching, Rosalien raised her beautiful face and looked cynically at the people who came. She did not look scared at all. The girl did not say a single word.


    "You may leave," Lauriel said without turning his head. Marion immediately signaled Max and his men to leave the room.


    At first, Max wanted to argue; as Billie Yves'' security chief he wanted to know what Rosalien''s motive was for shooting his boss. But seeing how Marion''s expression darkened, he finally nodded and took his men outside to secure the perimeter.


    Lauriel leaned on his knees in front of Rosalien. Rosalien thought the man would interrogate her by asking her questions, such as her name, who had sent her, and what her motivation was ... bla ¡­ bla ¡­ bla ¡­ But apparently, all her guesses were wrong.


    "Where is Alaric Rhionen?" Lauriel asked without further ado.


    Instantly Rosalien''s face went pale. From the way he asked, the man in front of her seemed to know a lot and had very little patience. Rosalien refused to answer and bit her lip while looking away.


    These people know about us, she thought. Otherwise, the first question they asked would not be about the leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    "Do you want me to torture her, Lauriel?" Marion asked in a voice as cold as ice. Rosalien slowly turned her head towards the sound and immediately recognized the girl who had pretended to pass out in Takeshi''s arms, when in fact she was trapping Takeshi and herself ... before paralyzing them with poison.


    Who ... who were they really?


    Lauriel''s voice sounded cold, but he had no intention of giving physical torture to Rosalien. At least not now.


    "No need, Marion. Incidentally, Aldebar and I are developing a new potion that will be very useful for such situations." Lauriel took out a small bottle from his pocket and opened the lid.


    Rosalien turned to see what Lauriel meant and before she could reacht, Lauriel suddenly grabbed her face and forced her to swallow the contents of the bottle.


    "Ughhh ..." Even though she struggled to escape, Rosalien could not resist Lauriel''s strength. "What ... what''s this?"


    Marion just stood still and observed what Lauriel was doing and waited for what would happen.


    Lauriel took a chair and sat in front of Rosalien who tried to spit out the liquid but failed. The contents of Lauriel''s bottle had entered her stomach. Rosalien immediately felt that her head became dizzy and her eyes hurt.


    Then, everything went dark.


    "What did you give her, Lauriel?" Marion asked.


    "Veritaserum. The truth serum. I don''t want to bother torturing her and this serum will cause her to tell only the truth. She won''t be able to lie." Lauriel looked at Rosalien who was lying unconscious and tried to figure out how old she was and how she could become an assassin.


    "Ah, interesting." Marion said, "May I have a little?"


    "What for?" Lauriel asked.


    Marion just frowned and didn''t answer. There were so many interesting things that could be done with the truth serum. She could secretly put it in Lauriel''s drink and find out if he had ever loved Marion, even just a little.


    Or she could make Jean tell the truth whether he and Billie were back together, or not.


    Gosh, Marion! Can you please focus?? She scolded herself.


    Rosalien moaned in pain and opened her eyes. When her eyes fell on Laurie, she groaned in anger. Lauriel didn''t care about that at all. His voice sounded very firm when he spoke.


    "Alright, let''s get started."

 Chapter 449 - Rosalien Will Not Talk

    Rosalien looked at Lauriel with a deadpan look. For a moment she groaned angrily at the thought that Lauriel had poisoned her, but after hearing the name of the liquid she had swallowed, Rosalien became calmer. Whatever happened, she would not give what these two mysterious people wanted, she thought.


    Even though she had been given the truth serum, Rosalien only needed to refuse to talk, and so they would not be able to do anything.


    "How old are you?" Lauriel asked, sitting cross-legged in front of Rosalien. The girl pursed her lips tightly.


    But for some reason, her brain refused to cooperate. Rosalien could not believe her own ears when she heard her voice answer to Lauriel''s question.


    "Twenty four years."


    Rosalien''s face was filled with horror. She could not control her brain even though actually she refused to let out any word. What did she drink? Who were these people, really?


    "Hmm ... good." Lauriel smiled for the first time. The serum he and Aldebar had made turned out to be quite effective. "Can you guess how old I am?"


    "Twenty five years." Rosalien was surprised again. She voluntarily replied to Lauriel''s question. She did not care about these trivial questions and had no intention of responding to his questions, but again she could not control herself. Slowly Lauriel saw a speck of fear in her eyes.


    "You are wrong." Lauriel looked at Rosalien very seriously, making sure the girl understood his words well. "I''m 570 years old."


    Rosalien looked at Lauriel closely, trying to find a sign that he was joking or deliberately insulting her intelligence, but strangely Lauriel''s face showed that he was 100% serious with what he said.


    570 years??? Seriously!


    Meanwhile, Marion frowned at Lauriel for telling their prisoner of his actual age. What was this? Did Lauriel intend to kill her immediately? Wouldn''t it be better if they were kept alive as hostages?


    If their first plan failed, they could keep these people hostage to get to Alaric Rhionen ... Marion couldn''t help thinking.


    "You heard me right," Lauriel said again. "I''ve lived for almost six centuries. I''ve met so many people and I have come to know all the tricks in the world. Whatever you think you can do, you are no match for me."


    Rosalien narrowed her eyes and studied Lauriel. She still could not believe this handsome and authoritative young man, who had such a commanding presence, standing in front of her had lived for that long. But why ... why did his face still look young? Just like ...


    Suddenly Rosalien thought about her foster father whom she had known for almost 15 years and ... his face still looked young, just like this man in front of her.


    Were they of the same kind? Who exactly was Alaric?


    She and his friends never questioned him because they respected the leader of Rhionen Assassins and considered his God-like figure a privilege that was to be kept secret and not to be discussed.


    Rosalien never thought that one day she would meet other people like Alaric, who did not age.


    The girl swallowed hard.


    Just one Alaric was already very impressive. How many of them were there in this world?


    She studied Lauriel''s face and appearance. For some reason, Lauriel''s appearance reminded her of Alaric. Their faces were different, but she felt that they both had the same features. Did all of these people have this appearance?


    Did Alaric know that he was being pursued by people of his kind? Was this her foster father''s enemy?


    For the first time since last night, Rosalien regretted her careless actions at the stadium yesterday that resulted in her and Takeshi being caught. She never thought that they would be faced with mysterious people who were so frightening.


    "Hmm ... I see that now you believe me." Lauriel smiled faintly. "I need the names of all Rhionen Assassins'' members and their identities."


    With all her might Rosalien hardened her jaw and tried to refuse to answer. There was clearly a struggle in her head and beads of sweat ran down her forehead.


    When her lips opened, she struggled to control her words.


    "Wh ... why are you after us?? Who are you??" she exclaimed with all her might, trying not to answer Lauriel''s question.


    Lauriel was rather amazed by Rosalien''s stubbornness and her determination to fight.


    "Hmm, alright. To be fair. I''ll tell you why." Lauriel raised two fingers of his right hand, "Two reasons. Aleksis and Kurt Van Der Ven."


    Rosalien''s eyes widened. She had no idea that the two people who held her captive were related to those two names.


    She still vividly remembered Kurt''s death two months ago, because after that, Alaric gathered all of them and disbanded Rhionen Assassins. But Aleksis ... she just saw the girl yesterday.


    "What''s wrong with them?" Rosalien asked fiercely. "Kurt killed himself, whereas Aleksis ¡­ I don''t understand why you have to blame us, she was still fine yesterday!!" Rosalien talked through her gritted teeth.


    She now became convinced that these two people were sent by the Van Der Ven family or the Schneider family who wanted to take revenge on them.


    "Kurt died in the hands of your assassins and Aleksis got into a terrible accident because you cold heartedly eradicated a mafia group in Singapore and so one of their members became vengeful to Aleksis. The Schneider family cannot let you walk free." Lauriel really missed Aleksis and mentioning her name in front of Rosalien made him emotional. "My duty is to punish the perpetrators."


    Rosalien was now aware that these people were not just ordinary people and if she surrendered the information about her fellow assassins, they could definitely capture them all with ease.


    "I want you to give me the data of all members of Rhionen Assassins, starting with the leader."


    Rosalien tried her best to fight her mouth, but it was very difficult. Her lips slowly started releasing the answer to Lauriel''s question.


    "Our leader is Alaric Rhionen. He is in charge of the 15 assassins throughout the world."


    Lauriel and Marion looked at each other. They did not expect that there were only 15 members of Rhionen Assassins. At first they thought that an organization with such impressive skills and reputation would have tens or even hundreds of people.


    This meant that this group, although small, was very tough and deadly. No wonder they were considered the best and most mysterious group of assassins in the world. Unfortunately, this time they met an opponent who was no match for them, The Wolf Pack, who had lived and experienced the world for hundreds of years.


    "Who and where is Alaric Rhionen now?" Lauriel asked again. He just wanted to make sure that Alaric Rhionen, the leader of Rhionen Assassins, was the same person as the owner of Rhionen Industries.


    Rosalien tried hard to fight the effects of veritaserum.


    "Alaric is heading to Singapore ..." out came the answer from Rosalien''s lips. The girl felt even more depressed. She still struggled against the influence of veritaserum but she knew she would fail.


    Tears flowed from both corners of her eyes as she thought that in a moment she would endanger the lives of her foster father and his friends by revealing their secrets. She could not face herself ever again if she were to do that.


    She couldn''t let them obtain the information they wanted.


    Rosalien could only do this last method to protect her family. They may not be caught. She wouldn''t let it happen.


    She closed her eyes and imagined the faces of Alaric and one by one her foster brothers and friends in Rhionen Assassins. This was the only way to protect them.


    "Hey .. what are you doing!! ??" Lauriel hurriedly grabbed Rosalien''s neck when she saw the girl making a daring attempt to kill herself.


    But he was too late.


    So much blood flowed out of Rosalien''s mouth.


    Unexpected by Lauriel and Marion, Rosalien suddenly, with all her might, bit her tongue so hard that it was almost cut off. She was not willing to give them any information, no matter what!


    They could give her veritaserum and manipulate her brain to answer, but without her tongue ... Rosalien wouldn''t be able to speak.


    Withstanding the pain, the girl put on a cold smile while looking at Lauriel in a challenging manner.

 Chapter 450 - We Have What Your Boss Wants

    Lauriel was stunned. He knew that he shouldn''t be fooled by the soft face and petite body of his prisoner, because she was actually a sadistic killer.


    As she did to Neo yesterday, she could kill at will just to prove her opinion. But Lauriel did not expect Rosalien to be this stubborn and determined.


    Now the use of veritaserum was useless, he thought, because Rosalien could no longer speak. Even though they insisted on surgically connecting her tongue and provide her with the special herbs from Lauriel, she would not recover completely and it would take too long.


    That girl was useless now. He must think about what they should do with her.


    He rose and turned to Marion, "Where is the other prisoner?"


    "It''s in the next room." Marion walked out and Lauriel followed her.


    Rosalien only stared at the departure of the two in shock. She succeeded in stopping them. Now she must think of a way to escape from here.


    ***


    Endo arrived after lunchtime and Lauriel immediately gave instructions on what to do. After what happened to Rosalien, this time Lauriel didn''t want to be fooled. He didn''t need to use veritaserum to get information from Takeshi if he could use the right method.


    "Due to that little incident, we have to change our strategy," Lauriel said in a serious voice, "What is clear is that we know that Alaric Rhionen is heading to Singapore and our only clue now is these two men of his. Rosalien has heard a lot from me and she is now useless for us. But Takeshi ... hmmm, we can use him to bring us to Alaric."


    Endo listened carefully to his orders. He and Marion looked at each other with serious eyes. They know based on experience that even when the first plan failed, Lauriel could easily come up with a backup plan.


    "All right, then I''ll leave everything to you," Marion said as she left.


    "Wait a minute," Lauriel called Marion suddenly. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around.


    "What is wrong?" she asked.


    "I brought this to help you disguise." Lauriel took a packet from his jacket pocket and handed it to Marion. "Aleksis always wears it."


    Marion opened the package and found a leather string necklace with a silver pendant. She did not notice Aleksis ever wearing this necklace in the various photos and videos she studied.


    Ahh, maybe this necklace was a piece of jewelry she just received.


    Was this ...? For a moment her brow furrowed.


    Marion could guess that the necklace had something to do with Alaric. She turned to Endo and handed it to the man. "Maybe you''d better hold it first."


    Endo immediately understood Marion''s intentions and nodded while keeping the necklace carefully. After Marion left and Lauriel hid himself, Endo entered the room where Takeshi was held to take care of him.


    Takeshi''s hands were bound with chains to the ceiling, while his legs were chained to the floor. His attitude was relaxed as usual, although it was clear that Max''s men had taken the time to beat him up for attempted murder on their employer.


    Takeshi acted as if the torture he endured meant nothing to him. For members of Rhionen Assassins, their bodies may be destroyed, but their spirit must not be broken. After all, Takeshi was used to suffering and misery since he was as a child, until the day he met Alaric and followed him.


    When he saw Endo entering the room, he only smiled slightly and then looked away. He was not willing to give these people his attention.


    He had never been caught before, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t prepared for this risk. All men lived on borrowed time anyway. He didn''t mind dying anytime.


    That was not an exaggeration.


    Endo walked over to Takeshi and grabbed his chin to force the young man to look at him. Takeshi did not show any expression.


    "I don''t like wasting time," Endo said, "Your girlfriend made a very stupid mistake by attacking my brother, and now you have to pay for it."


    Takeshi didn''t react at all. He even closed his eyes and acted as though Endo was not in the room. Endo secretly admired the stubbornness of these two assassins, both Rosalien and now Takeshi.


    It seemed like it would be very difficult to destroy their morale. However, Endo was an immortal adventurer who had roamed the earth for hundreds of years who was trained by Lauriel. He knew what to do.


    "After we tortured your girlfriend, we obtained very interesting information that is far more valuable than the lives of all of you at Rhionen Assassins," Endo continued his talk and he was content to see Takeshi''s forehead twitch subconsciously.


    The young man must have been very surprised because Endo mentioned Rhionen Assassin, the assassin organization known to only a handful of people. Endo smiled at Takeshi''s reaction and then continued.


    "We have someone your boss, Alaric Rhionen, wants."


    Takeshi opened his eyes when he heard Endo mention the name of his foster father.


    Who ... who were these people? It seemed like they know so much about the organization! He thought irritably. Were they also holding Aleksis captive??


    "We are business people, and we know that Mr. Rhionen has a lot of money. I can forget about what your girlfriend did to hurt my brother and assume she has received her punishment. In fact, I don''t mind releasing you so you can tell Mr. Rhionen that we have something he wants."


    "Mr. Rhionen doesn''t want anything in life. He has everything," snorted Takeshi. "Your deeds are in vain."


    Endo smiled faintly. He then took out Aleksis'' necklace he had received from Lauriel and played with it in front of Takeshi''s face. He was pleased to see the prisoner''s surprised expression.


    It was true. This necklace had something to do with Alaric Rhionen. Takeshi must have seen this necklace before.


    "Now do you believe me?" Endo asked sarcastically. He patted Takeshi''s cheek in contempt. "We ran a thorough investigation and found that you massacred the Black River mafia group two months ago. Initially, for the sake of my friends in the Black River, I intended to take revenge on you, but from your girlfriend we obtained a lot more useful information. Rhionen Assassin is apparently standing behind the Rhionen Industries Group which has a stellar reputation of being the savior of humankind in the world. Fortunately, we know who you really are ... hahahaha, we immediately realized that we can change the bad luck of the Black River massacre into a blessing ..."


    Takeshi became increasingly curious about who this man in front of him was and why he knew so much about the assassin organization. He could not believe that they were able to force Rosalien to open her mouth. But if not from the girl, how could these people know all this information?


    "What do you want?" Takeshi finally asked.


    He gave in. He knew how important Aleksis was to Alaric and he could not let these people hurt the girl.


    Endo smiled broadly when he heard Takeshi''s surrender. He did not immediately answer his question.


    "I will be back." He then left, leaving the confused Takeshi staring at his back.


    Outside, Lauriel waited for Endo and discussed the results of his evaluation of Takeshi. They agreed that all their initial assumptions were correct and they would be able to trap Alaric by using Aleksis'' name.

 Chapter 451 - To Deceive Alaric Rhionen (1)

    "What do you think?" Endo asked Lauriel.


    The man could only pinch his forehead. All this was giving him a headache. He was now convinced that Aleksis did have a special relationship with the leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    Thinking about the fact made him very sad. Why did Aleksis, whom he helped raise and educate as a smart and independent girl, allow herself to be involved with that underworld organization?


    Now, seeing the attitude of Takeshi, who easily gave in because Endo used Aleksis'' name, he realized that Aleksis'' relationship with Rhionen Assassins and their leader might be far deeper than what her family had expected.


    What if Aleksis had fallen in love with him? Did the young girl know what love really was? She had only turned 20!


    Lest Alaric Rhionen brainwash her ... so Aleksis became like that.


    Lauriel sat in his chair and pondered, trying to recall the only time he had met Prince Siegfried. It was a long time ago, almost 18 years back. He did not remember the young man''s face at all, because their meeting was very brief and filled with fights until Aleksis broke them up.


    The night train was also very dim and lacked good lighting. However, Lauriel still remembered the impression the man made. He did not give out any evil vibe.


    Everything seemed normal, he even had to admit that at that time he was a little impressed by the young man because he could keep up with Lauriel in close range physical altercations for several minutes, which was very rare for regular humans. At that moment Lauriel decided to like the young man and almost asked for his name.


    Did he establish Rhionen Assassins after that incident or before that? If so, what made him change and fall into the underworld? If he was already the leader of Rhionen Assassins at that time ... it meant that his appearance and attitude were subtle and not as terrible as many people suspected of a leader from the assassin organization.


    Could that be what made Aleksis interested and fall in love with him? Lauriel was aware that since 8 years ago, after meeting Prince Siegfried for the second time, Aleksis had been obsessed with that man. He and the girl''s parents thought her obsession would subside over time.


    But alas, it seemed like they were wrong. Eventually things turned out to become this compicated. Everything that had happened to Aleksis and Kurt''s death was the fault of Rhionen Assassins.


    If they did not massacre the Black River mafia group, Aleksis would not have befallen such a severe accident, and Kurt would not have lost his life to protect Aleksis'' identity.


    If that had not happened, maybe ... maybe Caspar and Lauriel would not be so eager in punishing Alaric Rhionen.


    As a grown man, who must now be in his 40s, he shouldn''t be in contact with an innocent young girl like Aleksis.


    This should not be allowed to continue, especially after later Aleksis woke up and recovered.


    Lauriel thought about his own son who was currently in Switzerland and was helping to care for Aleksis. Maybe if Alaric Rhionen didn''t exist, Aleksis would be able to open her heart to Nicolae.


    "What exactly are we going to do to Rhionen Assassins if we have captured the leader?" Endo asked Lauriel. He did not know exactly what had happened between Aleksis and Alaric, but he was aware of Lauriel''s bad mood and he could guess that it had something to do with Aleksis.


    What exactly would they do to Rhionen Assassins and Alaric Rhionen after they catch him? Lauriel took a deep breath.


    Surely they would dissolve the organization and make agreements with all its members. Once their identities were known, it would be very easy to control them in the future.


    As for Alaric Rhionen, well he deserved severe punishment. This concerned the lives of two people who were very important to Caspar and Lauriel. But to know the exact punishment they would give him, he had to discuss it with Caspar.


    One thing was certain, both Caspar and Lauriel had agreed to make sure that Alaric stayed away from Aleksis. He was not the right person for their beloved daughter.


    Endo went back into the room and let go of the chains that bound Takeshi. The Japanese man was amazed by Endo''s unexpected actions.


    "What do you want?" He repeated the question Endo had not answered.


    Endo opened his palm and showed a small communication device and shoved it to Takeshi''s face.


    "Give this to Alaric, we will contact him about our demands." He placed the device in Takeshi''s hand and took out Aleksis'' necklace he had in his pocket. "Give this to him as proof that we are not playing games."


    Takeshi received both items and his mind could only guess what his captors wanted.


    "Why are you releasing me?"


    "Because we want you to tell him yourself what happened."


    Ah, of course, Takeshi thought. For the past two months, no one had been able to obtain any information about Alaric. Even if they arrested and tortured the leaders of Rhionen Industries, no one would be able to tell the Wolf Pack about their boss'' whereabouts.


    They need a liaison that could directly take them to Alaric. That person was Takeshi Rhionen himself.


    "What about Rosalien?" Takeshi asked. "I won''t leave if you don''t release her."


    "You''re not in any position to negotiate, boy!" Endo grunted annoyed. "Your girlfriend is dead!"


    Takeshi was shocked to hear that. He was prepared for the worst situation, but hearing that Rosalien was dead, he could not help but feel very angry and sad at the same time. Rosalien was his foster sister ... They grew up together and they had a close relationship.


    "Son of a bitch!" With all his might Takeshi struck his fist into Endo''s neck. The man who had suspected that Takeshi would try to hit him casually avoided the blow. After bowing his head, Endo grabbed Takeshi''s stomach and made a circular motion as if squeezing all the young man''s internal organs, causing him extreme pain, and then slammed him to the floor.


    BAAM!


    The sound of Takeshi''s body slam to the ground was loud enough for Lauriel to hear, though he was outside. Takeshi could only hug his stomach while trying not to make a sound. He was still weak because of the torture by Max''s men, and now he was easily attacked by Endo.


    Really ... the people who detained him were not ordinary people, he thought. He must take advantage of this opportunity and look for Alaric. He could take care of revenge later.


    ***

 Chapter 452 - To Deceive Alaric Rhionen (2)

    Endo gave a signal to Max and the big black chief of security ordered several of his men to drag Takeshi off the floor and throw him in the car. They must send him away from there so that he could go and look for Alaric.


    After everyone left, Endo approached Lauriel and asked what he wanted to do with Rosalien.


    "I''ll take care of her," Lauriel said curtly. He still didn''t want to let Rosalien die. There were things he wanted to know about Rhionen Assassins and why they were so loyal to their leader.


    So far, almost no information could be obtained about them and he wanted to force Rosalien to talk, in case their plan to trap Alaric failed. He wanted all information that he could obtain to develop a backup plan.


    Lauriel entered the place where Rosalien was held and saw that the girl was still bleeding excessively and was on the brim of fainting because she had lost a lot of blood, but she stubbornly persisted to remain conscious.


    Lauriel removed the chains from Rosalien''s body and examined her mouth. The tongue was almost completely cut off. The chances were slim that it could be connected again and that it would function normally.


    This was a scary girl, he thought. He had never met such stubborn woman before. She really wasn''t afraid to die.


    Lauriel took two pills and forced them into Rosalien''s mouth and made the girl swallow them. Rosalien looked surprised to see that Lauriel treat her wound, but because her tongue had been cut, she could not ask any questions and could only stare at Lauriel with the look of hatred.


    "Apparently we still need you," Lauriel said nonchalantly. "You shouldn''t expect to die quickly."


    He then ordered Max''s men to call a doctor and to take Rosalien to another room to be treated.


    ***


    Takeshi woke up when it was already dark. He groaned in pain when he felt the wounds on his body. He got up slowly and realized that he had been dumped in a desolate area near the airport.


    He immediately inspected his body for trackers or bugs or whatever device his captors may use to track him. There was none.


    There was no cellphone to contact for help. He only had the small communication device and Aleksis'' necklace that was given by Endo earlier.


    Ugh ... he must immediately find a way to contact Pavel. He must not contact Alaric directly in case he was bugged.


    Takeshi walked limply in search of the main road and after a while, he found a quiet public parking lot. Takeshi looked around, trying to find a piece of iron that he could use to break open the door of one of the parked cars and leave.


    He was lucky to find an iron rod near a blue sedan. What a coincidence! An old car was parked in the parking lot and it could be broken into from the outside. Exactly as he needed.


    He hurriedly broke open the door and immediately went inside. After dismantling the ignition system he could easily start the engine and drive himself away.


    After Takeshi disappeared, two shadowy figures, who had been hiding behind the dark window of a car a few dozen meters away, got out of the car and exchanged glances.


    "You''re still as good as you used to be," Endo said to Marion, who smiled broadly as she extended her right hand with her palm open. Endo then took out a 100-dollar bill and placed it in Marion''s hand.


    "It only makes sense that he would take the nearest car for his needs. I deliberately placed the iron bar there. As expected, he disposed of his clothes thinking that we placed a tracker there, though the tracker is actually placed in the car." Marion accepted the money from their bet, smiling broadly.


    Both of them then hopped into their car and returned to the penthouse. Marion must get ready to become Aleksis because their prey was almost tracked.


    ***


    Alaric was very surprised when he heard the news from Pavel. Takeshi had been found and his condition was not good. Rosalien was still missing and possibly dead.


    "What?" His face, which usually looked calm and unaffected, became red with anger. The two assassins captured were not only his men. They were his foster children whom he had cared for since they were little.


    He was aware that Rosalien was guilty of causing her and Takeshi to be arrested by the police and now they were apparently held captive by another group of unknown people. Even so, he vowed that he would not let Rosalien die without doing anything.


    "Takeshi also said that the group is holding Ms. Aleksis captive. They know of your relationship with her and are using it to blackmail you to obey their wishes," Pavel said again, his voice sounded as if he was trying hard to hold back his anger.


    Pavel never liked Aleksis, but he tried to support their relationship anyway because he saw that Aleksis made Alaric happy. However after all that had happened, Alaric had changed and things had escalated that two of their assassins were arrested by an unknown party.


    Now the enemy was even using Aleksis to trap their master. He wondered what would be their demands be later, he did not want to imagine. Pavel really hoped that Aleksis would just die and stop giving them trouble.


    "They have Aleksis? How do they know about Aleksis? Do they know about our relationship?" Alaric was stunned. He and Aleksis kept their relationship and identity a secret. Who could know all this? "What is the proof that they did arrest Aleksis?"


    "I will make sure that Takeshi is safe from any bugs and trackers before bringing him to see you, Master." Pavel sighed, "Do you want me to call our other members? Kai and Mischa have arrived in Singapore. They will soon be at your place."


    Alaric pondered for a moment. He didn''t even know what the people who held Aleksis wanted.


    Oh, Aleksis ...


    He felt sad because he had expected that as soon as he arrived in Singapore, he would be able to look for Aleksis. Even though the girl may not remember him, he could at least release some of his worries by confirming that she was all right.


    But now he learned that Aleksis had been kidnapped again, this time by an unknown group. He remembered that Aleksis once told him that she had been given personal bodyguards by her father because she was often the target of bad people ...


    Alaric felt guilty for causing Kurt Van Der Ven''s death ... Certainly with the death of her father, Aleksis became increasingly unsafe.


    Oh, how much Alaric wanted to find her, so he could protect her from anyone who wanted to hurt her. He no longer cared about the girl''s family. He would take her to a place far and hidden, and live alone with her for as long as she lived.

 Chapter 453 - The Four Foster Children

    "Sir?" Pavel''s question moved Alaric from his reverie.


    Alaric then shook his head in a tired voice, "No need, just Mischa and Kai is enough."


    He had disbanded Rhionen Assassins anyway, and so he did not want to further involve them in his personal life. If he now encountered mysterious and dangerous enemies, he should not sacrifice and destroy their lives for his mistakes.


    Takeshi and Rosalien were already involved, while Kai and Mischa had arrived in Singapore. After all, the four people were not just his regular assassins, they also were his foster children. Before he founded Rhionen Industries, he had traveled all over the world and took on many assignments with Rhionen Assassins.


    The earth was his home and the sky was the roof. It was during his journey that he met several new members of the assassin whom he later recruited as his crew, and that included the four impressive young children he rescued.


    He saved Takeshi in Japan from amidst a war between two yakuza groups. Takeshi''s entire family had been slaughtered and the child would have faced the same fate if Alaric hadn''t been around. With his survival instinct and thirst for revenge, Takeshi begged Alaric to take him and he would swear his loyalty forever.


    When Alaric saw Takeshi''s determined pair of eyes, he was reminded of himself when he was the child''s age and his gentle heart was touched. Takeshi had been with him for almost 20 years and had always kept his word.


    Kai was his foster son from Korea who nearly drowned when his family failed to escape the clutches of the North Korean government. Mischa was rescued when he almost died, tortured by his alcoholic parents in Lithuania.


    And lastly, Rosalien, was the hard-headed little girl from New York, who had lived many years on the streets and was not afraid of anything, including death, shown when she bravely faced a gang of thugs who wanted to rape her. Alaric passed by at the right time and saved the girl and took her under his wings.


    Alaric saw himself in the four children and he loved them because they gave him family. But until now, he always kept his distance because he knew that he should not be too close to anyone, because they were all ordinary people who would one day die and leave him behind.


    Only for Aleksis was he willing to open his heart, because the girl was very stubborn in loving him and she never gave up.


    He really missed Aleksis.


    ***


    Pavel made sure that Takeshi was not followed and there were no trackers on his body. Only then he took the young man to Alaric''s place. When Alaric saw his foster son in such a pathetic condition, he could not hold himself and hugged Takeshi worriedly.


    Takeshi briefly explained what had happened. Alaric tried to think about people who might be connected to the mysterious group who had held Takeshi captive.


    "Did Sisqo get any clues?" he asked Pavel. His assistant just shook his head.


    "Not enough clues."


    "Hmmm ... but what is clear is that one of your captors are Billie Yves''s security chief, so she must have something to do with those people, or at least someone close to her." Alaric said again. "I want all information about Billie Yves."


    Pavel brought his tablet and showed Alaric all information he had about Billie Yves collected by Sisqo. Alaric scanned the information quickly and his gaze fell on the photograph of Billie Yves and her boyfriend, Jean Pierre Wang, taken last year before they decided to separate.


    These two people were too charming, and their appearance looked too young for being in their 40''s.


    Ordinary people might be deceived by their statements that they were on a strict diet and exercise plan, or even numerous gossip that both of them underwent many plastic surgeries.


    However, Alaric already knew the secret of the Alchemists who could live forever, and he now knew that there were people like him out there. These two people might be Alchemists.


    He studied the picture, then looked at the next pictures attentively. He noticed that aside from having different hair color and style, both Jean and Billie never actually aged.


    Were these two Alchemists too?


    Were the people who captured Takeshi and were now targeting Rhionen Assassins people from the Alchemist clan? If so ... who? What were their goals?


    Alaric remembered that Kurt Van Der Ven worked for the Schneider family ... Were these people using Aleksis to target the Schneider family because of the relationship between the Van Der Ven family and that family?


    He could not let anyone make Aleksis a pawn in their game. He must save the girl and take her far away.


    "Where are Billie and Jean now?" Alaric asked later.


    "They stay at the Continental Hotel," Pavel said.


    They were all aware that the Continental Building was one of the buildings with the best security in the world. That was also the reason they chose to have an office there. Now that he knew a little about the Alchemist community, Alaric had heard enough about the Schneider family and now he understood why the Continental Hotel was very safe.


    It would be difficult for them to penetrate it. He had to think of other ways to meet the two men and find out what their relationship was with Aleksis.


    "Uhm ... Sir, there''s one more piece of information ..." Pavel showed a news article on Splitz about Billie Yves''s concert in Singapore and Alaric was immediately interested in seeing Terry''s picture in the crowd. He recognized Terry from various photos he had seen when he was with Aleksis. He remembered that Aleksis had mentioned Terry as her brother.


    He must meet Terry and find out what had happened. Who exactly took Aleksis and what they wanted!


    "Look for Terry Chan and bring him to me," Alaric said, observing Aleksis'' photo with Terry and Nicolae on campus. He wanted to know where Nicolae was as well.

 Chapter 454 - Terrys Mission

    Marion glanced at her computer and nodded in satisfaction. Everything went according to plan, she thought.


    "As I thought, the car was left in a random place. But now we know where they''re going. I''ve got the address and we can easily observe the house with satellites. Do you want to go there now?" Marion asked, turning her head towards Endo and Lauriel.


    "There''s no need. Let''s just wait and see whether they will look for Terry as you expect or not," Lauriel said.


    "All right. When will you contact them to ask your demands?" Marion asked again.


    "After they capture Terry."


    Terry, who sat in the corner of the room, only pursed his lips. He really liked acting, but he had never had to act in real life, especially in front of real killers. He did not know whether he would succeed or not.


    Marion, who saw Terry''s worried face, immediately patted the young man''s shoulder and chuckled, "Don''t be afraid, we won''t let anything happen to you."


    Her words did nothing to calm Terry down. It was only when Lauriel looked at him deeply and nodded that he breathed a sigh of relief. Terry trusted and believed that Lauriel would keep him safe.


    Terry left the Continental hotel and drove to his campus. He had to write several reports before he could submit his film for the final assessment by the professors.


    That afternoon, St. Mary campus was very lively and all the students who noticed his arrival looked impressed. Terry had been popular before, not only because he was an outstanding student with amazing talent in theater and art, but also because he came from a rich family and he was very good looking.


    He was the ideal husband candidate who dominated various polls. Though he had to compete with Nicolae, he had many girls who were his fans. What made him more special and interesting was the fact that throughout his studies, Terry never had a serious girlfriend.


    Now, after people came to know that he was the son of Jean Pierre Wang and had a fairly close relationship with the legendary singer Billie Yves, his popularity on campus skyrocketed.


    He had difficulties reaching the dean''s office that afternoon because many students stopped him on his way, wanting to talk to him or take pictures with him.


    Ugh, is this what it feels like to be cool, he thought to himself. After successfully waving his way through the crowd, he was finally able to submit his reports to his professors. He then quickly returned to his car as he had to go home and continue editing the film. He was almost done.


    "Terry Chan?" Terry heard a voice calling his name from behind his car just after he placed his bag in the back seat.


    He turned around and saw two young men he had never seen before. One was very flamboyant and had beautiful curly blond hair, a wind-catcher necklace on his chest, and a fashionable pink shirt that was decorated with lace.


    Terry was a little surprised to see a man dressed so strangely. The young man reminded him of Little Lord Fauntleroy when he had grown up.


    Ah, right, nothing compared to Uncle Aldebar''s fashion sense, though, thought Terry. Nobody had a weirder fashion sense than his Uncle Aldebar, Terry corrected himself.


    The other man seemed to be of Korean descent and he had a serious but handsome face. For an Asian, his height was way above average and Terry, who was considered tall in Singapore, immediately felt short in front of him.


    "Did you call me?" Terry asked in his usual nonchalant manner.


    "We need your help," said the blond man in a friendly voice. "We hope that you can come with us for a minute."


    "Who are you guys?" Terry asked, looking confused. He suspected that these men were associated with Rhionen Assassins, but of course he had to pretend that he didn''t know them.


    "Miss Aleksis knows me, I am one of her bodyguards," Mischa said with a smile.


    His smile made Terry even more confused. He always thought that assassins had rough or sadistic appearances, but the two people in front of him looked normal; in a glance people would even think that they were students.


    "Aleksis'' bodyguards ??!" Terry immediately pointed at them with anger. "How dare you consider yourself my sister''s bodyguards if you can''t keep her safe! Aleksis is now gone and I can''t reach her! Yesterday she was still fine !!"


    Mischa and Kai looked at each other.


    "Our master really wants to hear what happened to Miss Aleksis, because Miss went missing when we were not around. Would you mind coming with us?" Mischa asked again, his voice still sounded friendly.


    They had been warned not to hurt Terry because, after all, he was Aleksis'' brother. Alaric did not want to pressure Terry and repeat what happened with Kurt.


    "Who is your master?" Terry asked, frowning. "Is he Prince Siegfried?"


    The two men in front of him nodded. They had been told by Alaric that he was originally known as Prince Siegfried by Aleksis, so that was the name they should give when Terry asked.


    Although very surprised, both Kai and Mischa did not ask any questions.


    Terry seemed to weigh out his options and finally sighed. "Alright, I''ll come with you. I''d love to meet Prince Siegfried and see what kind of man had made my sister lose her mind."


    Kai seemed a little upset hearing Terry''s words, but held back and took a deep breath. He raised his hand and signaled Terry to follow him to their car but the young man refused.


    "No, sorry. I don''t know who you are, and I don''t want to ride in a stranger''s car. If your boss wants to meet me, he must respect me for coming on my own accord."


    Finally Mischa made the decision and nodded, "Alright, please follow us."


    Mischa and Kai entered their car and drove away from campus with Terry following them from behind.


    He felt a little tense because he felt like he was throwing himself into the tiger''s den. On the one hand he felt relieved because the Wolf Pack would be monitoring him at all times, and on the other hand he experienced first hand the attitude of the assassins who were in contact with him.


    They both treated him with respect. It seemed that Aleksis did have a good relationship with them and, out of respect for Aleksis, they treated Terry well.


    Gosh ... he couldn''t wait, he would finally meet Prince Siegfried.


    What was the person like? Terry was really curious. Although Aleksis could be weird sometimes, his sister was a smart girl and had a kind heart. He actually doubted someone could brainwash Aleksis to fall in love with them.


    There must be something else ...


    ***

 Chapter 455 - Terry Meets Alaric Rhionen

    At the penthouse, which also served as a command center for observation, Lauriel and Jean could only look at each other as they followed the conversation between Terry and the two assassins on their monitor. They did not expect the assassins to be so kind to Terry.


    Endo and Marion, who had been shadowing Terry with a few of Max''s undercover men, did not need to intervene at all. Terry was fine.


    "You see, right? Your son is safe," Lauriel said, turning to Jean. Jean had insisted to be involved after learning that his son would be used in the mission.


    "Yes, I believe in you," Jean answered. He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking, "What do you think they want from Terry?"


    "Confirmation," Lauriel answered. "They''ve asked me, Aleksis'' godfather, about Aleksis'' whereabouts. Now they want her sibling to confirm that Aleksis had indeed been kidnapped. I''m sure they won''t bother Terry. As far as I can tell, these people really care about Aleksis."


    Terry started to feel uncomfortable when he noticed that they were heading towards the waters. Would they hold him in one of the warehouses at the harbor or would they ¡­


    Ugh ...


    He could only wonder where they were going. He hoped that Marion and Neo were still monitoring him, and would protect him if anything were to happen.


    He received the answer to his question when Mischa''s car stopped at the harbor parking lot. They went out of their car and waited for Terry to park. Mischa signalled him to follow them and they then walked together to the dock.


    There were a number of large and small ships parked on the Harbourfront and Mischa steadily headed for one of the largest ships at the dock. The three boarded the ship and a few minutes later, the ship was sailing gracefully to the ocean.


    "Damn! They got away from us," Marion complained as Endo stopped his car at a hidden place. She did not expect that Rhionen Assassins would take Terry to a place they could not reach. If she stalked them with a drone or chased them with a speedboat, they would know that they were being followed.


    Marion and Endo exchanged anxious glances. This time they were fooled.


    "Lauriel, we lost them. We can only rely on Terry at the moment as we cannot follow them into the water," Marion told Lauriel by telephone. "I''m sorry, I miscalculated."


    ***


    Terry was not afraid at all because he was respectfully greeted by the friendly staff on board. No one looked scary or acted coldly towards him. The luxurious ship sailed gracefully on the waters and Terry felt as if he was at home.


    Was this Alaric Rhionen''s ship? Would Terry meet him soon? He was rather impatient.


    Hidden in his shirt button was a micro camera that sent videos to Lauriel''s computer at the penthouse. They were very relieved that Terry was treated well by the assassins. His father did not need to worry too much.


    They climbed onto the spacious deck that was arranged like a very elegant living room. Inwardly, Terry was impressed because he had never been on a ship as grand as this. Even Caspar''s ship wasn''t this big, he thought.


    "Welcome, Terry Chan. Thank you for coming here."


    A tall figure dressed in all-black rose from the sofa as Terry stepped into the ''living room''. He was accompanied by two young men who stood on his sides. Mischa and Kai then approached the man and stood next to him. The man was now accompanied by the four most prominent assassins from Rhionen Assassins and Terry, who stood alone, felt a little daunted.


    Was this Alaric Rhionen?


    He seemed was very calm and unaffected. He was probably in his 40s, looked above average but couldn''t be considered handsome. His face was flat and showed no expression. Was this Prince Siegfried? Why did my sister fall in love with a person like this? Terry complained.


    Truthfully, Terry would probably accept it more if Aleksis were fascinated by Mischa, because in his opinion, Mischa was younger, more handsome, and far more friendly.


    He may be a little flamboyant, but so was Uncle Aldebar and he was an amazing man. What was so attractive of this Alaric Rhionen? Why fall in love with this man?


    To the left of the man claiming to be Prince Siegfried was Kai and Takeshi who looked injured; while on his right was Mischa and a young man who looked very calm, stood quietly with his arms crossed. Half of his face was covered with a black leather mask and, from the scar across his cheek, Terry could guess that the young man had covered his face because it was disfigured ... maybe due to severe injuries during one of his missions.


    "Why did you invite me to your ship?" Terry asked, looking at ''Alaric Rhionen'' probingly. "Are you involved in Aleksis'' disappearance?"


    ''Alaric'' shook his head, "No, on the contrary, I want to help. Please tell me what happened."


    Terry frowned, "What''s your relationship with my sister?"


    "We have a good relationship," ''Alaric'' answered. He still did not show an obvious expression. "You can trust me."


    Finally, Terry sighed. He did not feel threatened at all. These people were trying very hard to make him feel comfortable, and he had a strong feeling that he could trust the man in front of him.


    "All right ..." Terry nodded, "I honestly don''t know what happened. I met Aleksis yesterday and we were supposed to watch Billie Yves'' concert together but she canceled at the last second because she wasn''t feeling well. This morning I couldn''t contact her at all! I went to campus to submit my assignment and to find out from her friends whether they had met her... but I couldn''t find any information about her at all ..."


    Terry made sure that he acted sad and frustrated. If Terry had seen his acting in the mirror, he would probably reconsider his decision to help Caspar in Germany, and instead go to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.


    "Hmmm ..." ''Alaric'' nodded. He then turned to the masked young man on his right. "Then their threat is true."


    The masked young man did not reply, his mind seemed to wander. Terry was very interested in their interaction. It seemed that among his four subordinates, the young man wearing the mask was the one whom ''Alaric'' showed most concern for. Maybe his position was higher than Mischa and Kai and Takeshi.


    "Do you know what happened to Aleksis?" Terry asked.


    ''Alaric'' nodded at Terry, "Aleksis is taken prisoner by a group of people who are not in good terms with us. I would like to apologise because Aleksis became victim for being involved with us, but believe me, we will do anything in our power to save her."


    "Do you know who they are? I can ask my father for help to send his bodyguards ..." Terry tried to offer help. At present there was no need for him to cover up the fact that he was the son of Jean Pierre Wang.


    As a very famous celebrity, Jean also had his own security team, but they only worked every now and then as Jean preferred to travel quietly in disguise. He only used them to accompany him while working.


    Certainly it would make more sense if Terry and Jean also took part in searching for Aleksis, Terry thought, which was why he casually mentioned his father.

 Chapter 456 - Alarics Suspicion (1)

    ''Alaric'' (Pavel) smiled softly at Terry. Rhionen Assassins did not need anyone''s help, especially a mere security team whose job was to protect an actor. However, he held back and said nothing.


    "It''s not necessary, but thank you for your offer. We will find and save Aleksis as soon as possible," said the fake Alaric. "You don''t need to worry."


    Somehow Terry felt unsure with what the man said. ''Alaric'' didn''t sound earnest. What were they hiding?


    "Then take me back to land," Terry took a deep breath. "I have to report the disappearance of my sister to the police station. I came here purely out of curiosity. I wanted to see who Prince Siegfried whom my sister often talked about was. Now that we''ve met, I have no need to wonder anymore."


    Alaric''s eyes sparkled. He wanted to know what Aleksis'' brother thought about him, now played by Pavel. He smiled slightly when he noticed Terry''s expression of dislike.


    He already suspected that Terry would object. Of course, most normal people would not be willing to see their beloved sister engage in a relationship with someone they deemed inappropriate.


    This only made Alaric''s love for Aleksis grow deeper. The girl did not care about physical good looks and material things. Aleksis also thought Alaric to be in his 40s and that he had a disfigured face, but her love for him never changed.


    Pavel, who was disguised as Alaric, nodded at Terry''s request to be taken back to land. "Of course. We will soon return to the mainland. Thank you for coming. My men will make sure you return to your car without anything lacking."


    He then bowed slightly and went from the ''living room'' to the captain''s room. Terry followed his every move with an increasingly troubled mind. Kai, Takeshi, and Mischa nodded at Terry and joined their ''boss'' out. Only the young masked man stayed behind. He then sat on the couch and looked at Terry with his arms crossed.


    Is this the man who would make sure that I get back to my car safely? thought Terry. It seemed so, because the other assassins had left him.


    Since there was nothing he could do but wait, Terry sat down and stared back at the young man, but only briefly. He did not want to be considered rude for staring at the face of a disfigured man for a long time.


    "Are you thirsty?"


    Terry was taken aback when the masked man talked to him. His voice was soft and attentive, as if he was speaking to a child, not at all the voice of an assassin.


    "Eh ...?" Terry replied in confusion.


    "I want to drink. What can I get you?" asked the young man again.


    "Oh, just water, thank you," Terry replied.


    The masked man nodded and stood up. He took a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Terry, while he poured himself a glass of whiskey. Again they sat next to each other in silence.


    Terry was not someone who could sit still, so, after a while he finally asked the masked man what had become his main concern from the start. The young man seemed to have a higher position compared to the other assassins and his he was very nice to Terry. Maybe he would be willing to provide him with information about Aleksis ...


    "What exactly is your boss relationship with my sister?" Terry finally asked. "You surely know that as a brother, I worry about who my sister is hanging out with."


    The masked young man nodded, "I understand."


    "So?" Terry asked again, seeing that the young man was willing to talk with him.


    "Hmmm. Aleksis is an important person for our master," the young man answered patiently. "She is a very amazing girl and he loves her very much."


    CLANG!


    Unknowingly the glass bottle in Terry''s hand fell to the floor and broke to pieces. He had expected this, but hearing it directly from Alaric Rhionen''s assassin still surprised and angered him.


    Aleksis should not be in a romantic relationship with someone who had such a dark background, moreover, it seemed that they were not equals.


    Alaric was not at all surprised by Terry''s attitude. He signalled a servant to clean up the glass shards and made no comment about what had just happened.


    He understood that Terry and most likely Aleksis'' entire family would not approve of their relationship. At this point he didn''t care too much either. He planned to take Aleksis away from her family and they didn''t have to consider her family''s opinion.


    He also realized this was one of the reasons why Aleksis was so determined not to tell her family about him. If Terry knew that Aleksis was married to him, maybe it wasn''t just the glass that would break. The young man would definitely lose it.


    "Do you want something stronger to drink?" Alaric asked Terry, who sat transfixed at the broken glass.


    Terry just shook his head, "No, I have to drive."


    "Hmm ..."


    Alaric remembered the various photos he saw of Aleksis and Terry together, both of whom looked very close with each other. The love between the siblings was obvious.


    He was informed that Terry was Jean''s biological child as he donated his sperm 24 years ago. Alaric had studied all data about Terry: he knew about Terry''s birth at the hospital, then his childhood with Sylvia and Kendrick Chan, and how he became an orphan at the age of 15.


    He was actually very interested in knowing when Terry and Aleksis met and found out that they were siblings. He was curious if Aleksis was also related to Jean and Billie. From their pictures, Alaric had suspected that Jean and Billie were Alchemists as they both looked suspiciously too young for their age. As Terry''s younger sister, of course Aleksis had met Jean before.


    Was Aleksis related to Jean and the other Alchemists?


    Kurt van Der Ven, whom Alaric suspected was Aleksis'' father, also worked for the Schneider Group. Caspar Scheider was the owner of the Schneider Group ... and he was the leader of the Alchemist clan.


    He looked at Terry''s bright brown eyes. Was it possible that Terry was also an Alchemist like his father, Jean?


    "I didn''t know Aleksis had a brother, by the way. You two don''t really look alike," Alaric finally said in passing after finishing his drink.


    Terry knew this question would come, and he had prepared an appropriate answer.


    "We are indeed not alike and we did not grow up together. Incidentally, her mother donated her egg cells which later became the embryo that my parents used to bring me to the world. We also did not know that we were siblings until eight years ago."


    Eight years ago?


    Alaric met little Aleksis in Singapore eight years ago. Was that when Terry first met with Aleksis and learned about their relationship?


    Ahh ...


    Alaric could now vaguely remember Aleksis'' mother, the half-Asian woman he had seen entering the lobby of the Rendezvous Hotel eight years ago to pick Aleksis up. The woman''s face was quite similar to Aleksis''.


    Was that woman Kurt Van Der Ven''s mistress? She did look like she could be such a woman...


    Or was Alaric mistaken? The initial information he obtained mentioned that Aleksis was Kurt''s niece, but there was gossip and additional news that Aleksis was actually Kurt''s illegitimate daughter. What if the rumor was wrong?


    Was it possible that Aleksis, Terry, Jean, Billie and all the others were part of the Alchemists clan?


    Instantly Alaric''s eyes glittered.


    He had never thought about this before. Was it possible that Aleksis was ¡­


    that she was..


    ¡­ an Alchemist too?

 Chapter 457 - Alarics Suspicion (2)

    "Have you ever heard of the Alchemists?" Alaric asked in passing, walking back to the fridge to get more water for Terry. With the corner of his eye he paid attention to changes in Terry''s expression.


    There was none.


    Terry was shocked to the core when he heard the masked person in front of him casually mention the word ''Alchemist'', but as a very talented actor, he was able to cover his surprise with a flat expression.


    He just shrugged, "I have. They are people from the Middle Ages who tried to turn metal into gold, right? What is the term ... hmm ... Midas'' hand or something? What about them? Do you think Alchemy is real and you have a lot of gold?"


    Meanwhile at the penthouse, Lauriel and Jean who were following Terry''s conversation could only hold their breath. Who would have thought that the assassin would nudge on the Alchemists?


    This meant that Rhionen Assassins were far more mysterious than they had imagined. The group knew the secrets of the Alchemists, and they were trying to probe for information from Terry.


    They were both relieved because Terry was able to act composed, as if he had never heard of the Alchemists before. Jean was particularly proud of his son''s acting, while Lauriel only frowned and thought hard.


    He wondered how Rhionen Assassins came to know about the Alchemists and what they had to do to ensure that the information would not be spread around.


    He decided to talk with Caspar, because as the clan leader, Caspar must know this.


    On the ship, Alaric shook his head and took a sip of wine. "We do have a lot of gold, but not from alchemy. I''m just curious to know what you thoughts are about Alchemists."


    "Isn''t that question too random?" Terry asked. "We were talking about my sister."


    "Right. I was thinking of random things, forgive me. When I found out that you were Jean''s son, I suddenly thought about the Alchemists, because it seems that Jean doesn''t age, that''s all." Alaric smiled slightly. He still didn''t see the look of surprise on Terry''s face.


    Either the young man was very good at acting, or he really didn''t know anything about the Alchemists, Alaric thought.


    "Ah ... I don''t know why you have such weird imaginations," Terry commented with a laugh. "Sorry, ... but that''s a very funny thought. I don''t know if you hurt your head in some way that you are imagining such things ¡­ but if my father were an Alchemist, I would know. Hahaha ... Very funny."


    "You don''t believe there are immortal people in this world?" Alaric asked, looking at Terry, who shook his head and looked at him as if Alaric was crazy. The look of derision from Terry did not disturb Alaric at all. He said calmly, "I met an Alchemist. He is an immortal and has lived for decades, but to this day, he still looks like he is in his 20s."


    Terry looked surprised, "No way! Really? Who? Where did you meet him?"


    "All the characteristics of the said Alchemist I also found in your father and his girlfriend, Billie," Alaric continued. "They both have not aged after decades."


    Terry, who seemed interested now, only sighed and looked back at Alaric as if the masked young man had gone mad.


    "Ahh ... I thought you really had proof, but apparently not." Terry crossed his arms on his chest, "Nowadays, it is very easy to find out what is true and what is not. My father looks young because he continuously does plastic surgeries due to the demands of his profession. I believe it is all over the news. He was born 45 years ago in Singapore. He is an ordinary man, his father - my grandfather - still lives in Singapore. As for Billie, she was born in Australia and only moved to America 25 years ago. Her whole family is still in Australia. IF plastic surgery makes my father and Billie considered immortal ... ahahahha ... I can do that too in the future."


    Terry then roared with laughter.


    This was a real life stage and he had to perform his best acting.


    He had no idea that these assassins knew so much about Alchemists. This was an urgent matter. Uncle Caspar really had to take action.


    Meanwhile Alaric, who had already harbored a crazy hope that Aleksis may also be an Alchemist, was thrown back to earth from the high sky, seeing how Terry laughed at his seemingly ridiculous words.


    Everything Terry said made sense, especially since Terry treated him as if he was crazy for talking about Alchemists in this modern day.


    Alaric had read all detailed information about Jean and Billie as conveyed by Terry. The two humans were born into ordinary families and became celebrities when they were adults. They were always surrounded by gossips saying that they relied on plastic surgeries to stay young.


    Hmmmh ... Alaric then remembered Sophia saying that ordinary people could only enter the clan if they married a pure Alchemist, because then they would be given the immortality potion as a wedding gift.


    He just realized that Jean and Billie were both not married.


    Ahh, Alaric ... you miss your wife so much that you allow your mind to imagine such crazy things, he thought bitterly.


    Jean and Billie indeed looked young, but it wasn''t because they were immortals. It was just a coincidence. Didn''t you meet Aleksis when she was little? You saw her when she was two years old, then when she was twelve years old, and now when she was older. She was obviously aging like a normal human being.


    Also, Alchemists did not hastily get married and have children. Portia and Ned had been together for hundreds of years before they finally decided to get married less than two decades ago. Until now they still did not have any children.


    Maybe Terry was right, the wound on his head made him imagine things to the point of thinking that Aleksis also an immortal.


    Wake up ... it''s too good to be true, Alaric.


    Finally, the young man could only sigh. It was indeed too good to be true for Aleksis to be an immortal like himself.


    What a perfect life it would then be for Alaric and Aleksis. They would be able to live together and love each other forever.


    Alaric then remembered that life had never been fair to him. He realized that his imagination had gone too far and he had to stay realistic and keep his feet on the ground. His current mission was to save Alesksis and take her far away.


    If Aleksis could accept Alaric as he was without caring about his age and physical appearance, then Alaric would also accept Aleksis as she was, an ordinary human, and continue to love the girl until she took her last breath.


    Wasn''t that the essence of true love?

 Chapter 458 - Lauriels Demands

    Terry had been feeling on edge ever since he heard the masked young man mention the Alchemists. He couldn''t wait to get off the ship. This was why as soon as the ship docked close to the land, he did not waste time and immediately left it.


    He returned to his car and drove back to the Continental Hotel. He almost breached the speed limit and got an automatic speeding ticket.


    "You did a great job," Lauriel said as he patted Terry''s back. It was because the young man entered the study looking so out of breath. It could easily be guessed that from his car to the elevator, he ran to reach the penthouse as soon as possible.


    "They know about the Alchemists!" Terry exclaimed many times. "They are very suspicious. Crazy! What kind of people are they? How can they know so much!?"


    "Leave it to us. We will take care of it. Now, take a rest. What mattered right now is that they believed Aleksis is gone, that she is held captive by somebody who wants something from Alaric Rhionen," Lauriel declared. "Now is the time to send our demands to them."


    Marion and Endo nodded at the same time.


    "So far, out of the 15 assassins Rosalien has mentioned, we have already seen 5. Takeshi and Mischa are people we already encountered before, then there is Rosalien whom we have captured. There is also a Korean assassin and another one wearing a mask." Marion wrote everything on the glass panel. She continued, "Last is Alaric Rhionen himself. He is just as we thought, 45 years old, and we also finally managed to see his face."


    "Well, I saw him on the night train 18 years ago. But of course, humans can change a lot if given such a long period. I didn''t recognize him at all," Lauriel replied.


    Just like Terry, he was also against Aleksis being in a relationship with a much older man. The girl was from the most powerful and influential alchemist family. He believed that she should be with someone of equal status.


    "Alright, Marion, you should get ready. We will immediately hand ''Aleksis'' over to Alaric." Lauriel announced, looking at Marion.


    The woman nodded and immediately left. While she was walking out of the study, her eyes met Jean''s. He looked like there was something he wanted to say. In the end, though, he chose not to voice them out.


    Marion could only sigh and leave. Jean did not know what to do. He was still in a dilemma and was having trouble deciding how to deal with Billie who asked him to come back to her, and Marion who was now starting to enter his heart.


    ***


    Lost in his thoughts, Alaric stood on the deck, staring at the billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky. He found that the constellations Altair and Vega were still there, shining as bright as when he and Aleksis made love on his catamaran ship. Those two were their favorite constellations.


    He hoped the people who captured Aleksis did not treat her badly. If they touched her - even if it was only a strand of her hair, he would make sure to inflict them a punishment far more painful than what the Black River group received two months ago.


    "Sir, there''s already a demand coming in," Pavel spoke, beating Alaric out of his reverie. He took out the communication device that Takeshi received from his captors and then handed it to Alaric.


    There were only a few codes written there, stating that they had to enter Darknet to receive the video messages. Alaric nodded. Pavel immediately took out his laptop and opened the message in Darknet.


    "Aleksis ....!!" Alaric could not help but cry out when he saw what was in the video. His wife was locked up in a dark room and she looked like she had been crying.


    While he was relieved to see that Aleksis was neither hurt nor mistreated, it was still very hard for him to accept that he had to watch her crying face.


    On the screen, various writings detailing demands from Aleksis'' captors suddenly appeared. Some of them were not even making sense.


    "The ransom money they''re asking is too huge! It can buy a country!" Pavel angrily yelled. He hoped that his boss would not agree to their unreasonable demands.


    Lauriel wanted Marion, who was disguised as Aleksis, to enter Rhionen Assassins and lead the way for Wolf Pack to arrest them. But he also did not want her to invite suspicion by making demands that could easily be fulfilled.


    Alaric saw the amount requested and thought it was indeed ridiculous. It even had to be transferred using an untraceable cryptocurrency of their choosing. It seemed that Aleksis kidnappers had a rough estimate of his liquid wealth.


    This people''s access to information was very impressive, Alaric realized.


    He initially thought the men had something to do with the Alchemists, but his conversation today with Terry made him change his mind.


    Their unbelievable access to information was now making him suspect that they were related to Wolf. That man was the best hacker in the world after all. He was also aware of Alaric''s true identity. If considered through this angle, it would make sense that the kidnappers were working together with Wolf.


    That hacker knew that Alaric was very concerned about Aleksis since the latter had once asked him to look for the girl. Of course, given Wolf''s abilities, it would also be quite easy for him to investigate Alaric''s wealth so that they could ask for a precise amount for her ransom.


    "I can always get back the money. Prepare the ransom that they demanded," Alaric ordered, ignoring Pavel''s protest. "Contact Sisqo too and tell him to announce a bounty in Darknet. Whoever can find Wolf for me, I will give the same amount as a reward!"


    Money was only a material object. Alaric was willing to lose all his wealth to save Aleksis and hunt down Wolf whom he suspected as the mastermind behind the kidnapping.


    Rhionen Assassins were great, but they were too few in number. By announcing a bounty in Darknet, there would be tens of thousands of people to hunt Wolf down. They would help take revenge for Alaric against that damn hacker had dared to kidnap his wife.


    Pavel and his friends could only swallow hard. The amount of money they had to prepare was enormous, it could literally buy a country, but Alaric didn''t seem to care. It seemed right now, for him, nothing was more important than Aleksis.


    "Yes, Master." Pavel decided not to argue anymore. He quickly excused himself to take care of Alaric''s request.


    Lauriel knew it would take a long time to fulfill all his demands, so he gave them two days.


    [After the bitcoin is transferred, Alaric Rhionen must come to the place that we will specify. Only once all of these are met will we release Aleksis. Remember, you only have two days.]


    "Also add in the bounty announcement, whoever can find Wolf within two days, I will give them double the original reward," declared the man again. "I want Wolf, dead or alive."


    **


    Meanwhile, Nicolae who was reading a book beside Aleksis'' bed suddenly sneezed over and over again. He was puzzled since he was not feeling cold. The weather was also still quite warm.


    "Uff ... this is weird," he mumbled. "I''ve never been sick, so why do I keep sneezing?"

 Chapter 459 - Dogs and Cats and Mouse

    Nicolae was very angry when he saw that a bounty announcement to catch him had spread all over Darknet. Some loyal friends immediately helped to erase his traces and covered his tracks. Still, he was so annoyed as he had to become extra careful.


    In less than 30 hours someone had found his apartment on Robertson Road - Singapore, and that made him realize that the bounty was no joke. Fortunately, he left no traces or clues of his exact whereabouts there.


    "Gosh ... This is all very annoying," Nicolae repeatedly sighed in frustration. On one side, the Wolf Pack was hunting Rhionen Assassins, yet on the other side, the Rhionen Assassins were hunting him.


    It was like a game of dogs chasing cats and cats chasing one mouse. Even though Nicolae was very reluctant to admit this, but right now he was really feeling like the latter.


    He hoped his father and team could immediately take down Rhionen Assassins and free him from the bounty.


    "Big Brother, let''s eat." London came in and invited Nicolae to dinner together, knocking the young man out of his dazed state.


    For the past two months, Nicolae and Aleksis'' two brothers had become very close as they had spent a lot of time together. Rune who loved technology especially stuck to Nicolae, frequently asking to be taught various tricks to be able to master information in the virtual world.


    The warmth showed by Aleksis'' brothers made Nicolae feel at home in their house in Switzerland. For the first time, he felt like he was back with his long-deceased family.


    "All right, let''s eat," Nicolae walked into the dining room holding London by the shoulders. The teenager had grown very tall at the tender age of 17 years old. His face looked very similar to his father and so were his personality traits.


    Once London turned an adult, people who see them in passing might even mistake him and his father as twins. The funny thing was the two of them were also born on the same date.


    "How was your lesson?" Nic asked in the dining room while eating the food prepared for them by the staff. He knew that Uncle Aldebar had given London and the Rune many assignments while he was gone.


    The faces of the two teenagers quickly turned gloomy. The homework left to them by Uncle Aldebar consumed a lot of their time. Both of them did not have time to play with their sheep.


    "Big brother Nico, when will Aleksis wake up?" asked Rune to change the subject. He did not want to remember his homework.


    Nicolae shook his head bitterly. "I don''t know, maybe in a few more months, maybe tomorrow ... anything can happen. But clearly, her brain activity has improved. She is physically strong. You can keep reading for her or talk to her." He added, "I''m sure part of her progress is due to your care too."


    "Hmmm ..." Rune looked sad, "I really miss her a lot."


    "Me too," London seconded.


    Aleksis was the only daughter in the extended Schneider family. Of course, she was loved by everyone. Also, she was the light to her parents and brothers. Nicolae understood their sadness and really hoped that she would wake up soon.


    ***


    Two days passed and no one had managed to find Wolf. This fact made Alaric very angry. Several times he received reports of Wolf''s traces in Singapore, in Romania, and even in Switzerland, yet after the two days he allotted, no one managed to find the mysterious hacker.


    Wolf truly deserved his reputation, Alaric resentfully thought. If only the damn hacker was not on the enemy''s side, he would be very glad as a hacker of Wolf''s caliber would be useful to him.


    "Sir, the ransom is ready to be transferred. All the other requests have also been prepared," Pavel reported to him.


    "All right. Let''s hear what they have to say," Alaric replied.


    Exactly 48 hours after the first message, they received the final demand from the people who captured Aleksis. The girl would be released once Alaric Rhionen came to the address that they would give and transfer the money to the provided bitcoin account. They were only given 45 minutes to accomplish all of these.


    [Aleksis is at Stamford Hospital. If you arrive in front of the Mandalay Building within 45 minutes, we will leave her there. But if you come late, sorry, there is a doctor by her side ready to give her a lethal injection. Alaric Rhionen can just come to claim the body.]


    Ugh ...


    Those people really know how to force Alaric to obey their wishes. The man felt helpless. He could not imagine what he would do if Aleksis was killed by her captors.


    He might destroy all of Singapore to exterminate those people. The analogy would be, in order for him to kill the ant that bit him, he would not hesitate to burn the entire ant colony.


    How dare you! Watch what I would do to you if you touch even a strand of my wife''s hair!


    ***


    Upon hearing from the masked young man that Alaric Rhionen loved Aleksis, Lauriel realized how he could easily control Rhionen Assassins and capture Alaric. Love could indeed be very detrimental to a person, if the enemy who knew about it used it as his weakness. That was what Lauriel had just done.


    "Are you sure Alaric will really come to the hospital?" Marion asked as she laid on a hospital bed. Looking like Aleksis, she was ready to play her role.


    "Yes, I''m sure he will send one of his men instead to pose as him, while he goes here to pick up Aleksis. For him, the main priority is, of course, Aleksis," Lauriel answered with confidence. "That''s why I will be here to watch over you."


    "Hmm .. okay."


    "We gave him 45 minutes. I''m sure in less than that, he will come here and try to take you away. Don''t let your guard down."


    "Uhm ... Lauriel, how about you just give me some sleeping pills? If I passed out, it would be more difficult for them to take me away," Marion suggested a moment later. "I''m thinking of the worst possibility. In case  they manage to break through here, we must at least slow down their movements as they take me away, ensuring that Endo and Neo will be given enough time to catch up."


    "You''re right," Lauriel thought for a moment and then agreed. He took a small pill out of his medicine bottle and passed it to her. "This should be enough to make you sleep for a while so that he would not be suspicious."


    Marion quickly swallowed the medicine and then gave an okay sign. "Alright, the mission begins. See you soon."


    "I will protect you, don''t worry," Lauriel patted Marion''s shoulder gently and then marched out of her room.


    They had prepared so much just so they could arrest Alaric Rhionen in the hospital. Although his orders were clear, which was for the leader of Rhionen Assassins to come to the Mandalay Building, Lauriel had a hunch that the man would instead go to the hospital and order his subordinates to replace him at the Mandalay Building.


    Ha. You can''t fool us, Lauriel disdainfully thought.

 Chapter 460 - Alaric vs Lauriel Battle of Wits

    Everyone counted every minute that passed in tension. Alaric arranged the movements of some of his personal bodyguards and his four foster children so that they would immediately be divided into two designated locations.


    He realized that his enemy would definitely focus on guarding the hospital more than the other location, so he had to outwit them by making them think otherwise. There was no other way.


    Lauriel who was standing by the hospital window, staring out into the sky was immediately stunned when his cellphone suddenly buzzed.


    Max was calling him. Hmm, already? ... It''s only been 20 minutes, isn''t it?


    "What''s the matter?" he quickly asked.


    "Uhm ... they are already here. They arrived sooner than expected." Max answered in a doubtful tone. "Alaric Rhionen came complete with his entourage."


    "What?? At the Mandalay Building ?!" Lauriel could not believe his own ears.


    Wasn''t that man supposed to be more worried about Aleksis'' safety? Why didn''t he go straight to the hospital?


    Dammit!


    He hurriedly called Petra who was on his way to the hospital from the airport. "You go to the Mandalay Building right this instance. Our target is there!!!"


    Lauriel then hurriedly ran outside and ordered Terry to drive to the same place. Endo was still to guard Marion in the hospital together with several bodyguards. They only had to watch over all the entrances for suspicious people on the ground floor and on the floor where ''Aleksis'' was being treated.


    The rooftop of the building was closed so that the helipad could not be used if ever Rhionen Assassins would want to land there by helicopter. Lauriel was confident that the hospital would not be breached from above.


    Because Terry was speeding with his car, he and Lauriel arrived at the Mandalay Building in just 4 minutes. The young man was told to wait in the car because Lauriel did not want the Rhionen Assassins to recognize him.


    With long strides, Lauriel walked toward the place of agreement, immediately entering the flower shop opposite the Mandalay Building. There, Neo, Max and their men were waiting. Petra and Peach who had just arrived were also present. Both of them briefly greeted Lauriel and then shifted their attention back to the screen in front of them.


    In front of the Mandalay Building was a relaxed ''Alaric'' standing by Takeshi''s side. The men was accompanied by Kai and his 20 bodyguards. They all had crossed their arms accross their chests as if waiting for something to happen.


    "There are two people missing. They must be heading to the hospital," Lauriel quickly stated his observation. "But the security there is okay. We will just focus here."


    Just when he was about to give another set of orders, Endo''s panicking voice echoed out from their communication device.


    "They came! We didn''t have time to hold them back!!"


    "Wait ... what''s happening ?!" Lauriel asked quickly.


    "They used a helicopter! They are moving very fast ..."


    "But the helipad can''t be used ..."


    "They didn''t land..."


    "WHAT?"


    ***


    Alaric who saw that the Hospital''s helipad could not be landed upon immediately ordered Mischa to maneuver his helicopter to the side, specifically toward the part of the building where ''Aleksis'' was hidden.


    Through the infrared radar reading, he managed to discover her exact location. It was because the number of people securing the 15th floor was just unusually many. The way those people acted, as if they were a professional security team, ratted them out.


    The helicopter Mischa was driving was a stealth helicopter. It made no noise at all so they easily managed to appear near the building without attracting attention. At least, when the enemy realized that something was wrong, it was already too late.


    Alaric went down the rope ladder from his helicopter and when he found an opportunity to enter, he did not hesitate to jump in through the large glass window.


    The sound of glass breaking naturally alerted the guards. At the entry of a mysterious person to the 15th floor, they immediately chased after him, but Alaric quickly shot them down with a gun. In less than 5 seconds he finished all the guards on the 15th floor.


    Without wasting any more time, he entered ''Aleksis'' room and quickly checked her condition. Hm ... the girl has fainted, but she did not seem to have experienced any bad treatment. This made Alaric a little relieved.


    He hugged ''Aleksis'' and kissed her on the forehead. After that, he tied her waist to his own body using a special strap. He moved very quickly and efficiently, and thus in an instant, he was already carrying ''Aleksis'' back to the open window and giving Mischa a signal to approach so he could grab the rope ladder.


    After adjusting the helicopter''s maneuver so that the hanging rope ladder could be as close as possible to the window, Mischa held the helicopter''s in place until Alaric could escape.


    Hmm ... still a bit far, he thought. If he jumped, there would be a risk of not being able to grab the rope ladder as he had to carry an unconscious Aleksis ...


    However, there was no other choice.


    "I''ll try to get closer," Mischa spoke through his headset.


    Alaric signaled Mischa not to do anything as he had already resolved himself to jump and try his best to reach for the rope ladder.


    "You can jump and I''ll go down. We meet below," said Mischa quickly.


    Alaric had already leaped down when he heard Mischa''s words. With one hand, he hugged ''Aleksis'' by the waist, the other extended forward, trying to catch the rope ladder of the helicopter.


    This is bad ... his body descended too fast and his hand missed the ladder for just a few centimeters.


    A couple more seconds and they would soon slam into the ground!


    Suddenly, the rope ladder that had just been missed once again showed up in front of him. Alaric swiftly grabbed it with all his strength.


    Mischa really managed to bring down the helicopter so fast that the ladder could now be reached by Alaric. Once his hand gripped the rope ladder, he immediately twisted the extra rope that extended onto his body and ''Aleksis''.


    As the helicopter flew up at high speed, he felt their bodies curbed up and slowly they neared at the helicopter''s entrance.


    "Thank you, Mischa. Let''s get out of here."


    Alaric climbed into the helicopter with ''Aleksis'' in his arm. He then freed their bodies from the rope. Carefully, he placed the girl in the back seat and then observed the situation below them.


    He only smiled slightly when he saw dozens of people coming out and running into the courtyard of the building. They were staring at the helicopter with surprised faces and clenched fists.


    ***


    Lauriel could not believe that he had just lost Marion. He glared at ''Alaric'' who was standing quietly with his men in front of the Continental Building and saw that the man''s face was now with a faint smile.


    Alaric Rhionen must be very confident that only two of his men were needed to snatch ''Aleksis'' away. This must be why he came here so casually, Lauriel mused.


    Lauriel crossed his arms across his chest, looking very serious.


    Well ... we do want you to bring ''Aleksis'' with you so we can get into the Rhionen Assassins and uproot you from the ground. I just didn''t expect you to work like this.

 Chapter 461 - Everybody Is Going To The Airport

    Forty-five minutes eventually passed and both parties knew that ''Aleksis'' was no longer in the hospital so there was no one to fight over anymore.


    ''Alaric'' raised his hand and his guards immediately formed a circle around him, apparently securing the surrounding perimeter. Lauriel and his team then saw a stealth helicopter suddenly appearing from nowhere and landing gracefully in front of the Mandalay Building.


    ''Alaric'', Takeshi and Kai hurriedly went up and left the place. After they''re gone, their men swiftly escaped with a few black armored vehicles. Their arrival and departure attracted the attention of many people and all of them were left to wonder about what had just happened.


    Lauriel sighed. This should not be the case. He really didn''t expect ''Alaric Rhionen'' to come personally to Mandalay Building and have his men take ''Aleksis'' away. He initially wanted to meet face to face with the assassins'' leader in the hospital and talk to him alone.


    But because ''Alaric'' actually appeared at the Mandalay Building, Lauriel was forced to chase him there. Yet before he could confront the Rhionen Assassins'' leader, the group had already taken ''Aleksis'' away from Stanford Hospital. There were no more pawns for him to use so he could take down ''Alaric'' and suppress the Rhionen Assassins.


    "Hurry and trace where they plan to bring Marion," Lauriel ordered Petra. The man nodded and immediately fiddled with his device. They suspected Marion had been taken to Alaric''s mansion or to his ship, either of these two locations.


    "Uhm ... they actually headed straight to the airport," Petra replied a moment later. He showed them the data on the screen. "There are two private planes that had just requested permission to take off."


    This was not totally unexpected for Lauriel. Inwardly he praised the assassins'' wit. For 10 minutes they watched ''Alaric'' in front of the Mandalay Building. In actuality, at the same time, his men were already bringing Marion to the airport, getting ready to fly away.


    Two planes asking for permission to take off? Which plane was Marion in?


    "Go to the airport, quick!"


    Lauriel now realized that Rhionen Assassins was indeed worthy of their reputation. They managed to play the cat and mouse game with them very well. No, they actually even outwitted Lauriel who was very experienced in this type of operation. Now they were trying to trick The Wolf Pack by flying two planes at once.


    No problem. Lauriel could catch one of the planes, and ask for Caspar to welcome the other one.


    "One plane is heading to Romania, the other to China," Petra promptly reported his findings.


    Lauriel nodded. Rhionen Industries was originally in control of the businesses in Eastern Europe and China before they opened their branch office in Singapore. They had just recently begun to expand to Western Europe.


    This was why it was not that surprising to hear that the destinations of the two planes were Eastern Europe and China respectively. This could be said to be an excellent move to distract their enemies.


    Rhionen Industries owned a skyscraper in Bucharest and it was where their operations were first carried out. Rumor had it that the owner of Rhionen Industries made the $2 billion building there his place of residence and, up to date, it was still the most expensive residence in the world. The security was considered far more stringent than the United States'' White House.


    If Lauriel was Alaric, he would definitely bring ''Aleksis'' there. This was how Lauriel determined that his plane was headed for Romania. He told Caspar what had happened and asked this friend of his to take care of their operations in China.


    "Endo and Neo, you go to China and handle everything there. Petra and Peach will come with me to Romania. Esso will meet us there."


    "Copy that, Lauriel."


    Everyone moved fast. As to not waste time, they did not return to the penthouse. Lauriel and his team went straight to the airport. Terry who saw them leaving immediately approached Lauriel and asked for updates.


    "We''re going to Romania. You tell Jean not to worry. Everything will be fine." Lauriel turned away after saying that, leaving Terry in a dazed state.


    Why did Lauriel ask Terry to tell his father not to worry, that everything would be alright? The young man felt puzzled.


    Ah ...


    Marion!


    He just remembered.


    Terry realized that the Wolf Pack''s leader intended for him to tell Jean not to worry about Marion because he would make sure she would not come into any harm.


    Terry now remembered that his father and Marion did seem strange lately. Were they already in a relationship? But what about Billie Yves?


    In the end, he wearily returned to the penthouse, finding Jean waiting for news from Lauriel which did not arrive.


    "What happened? Why is nobody answering my call?" Jean hollered when he saw his son walk through the doorway. "Is Marion okay?"


    Terry threw a sympathetic look at his father''s worried face. After all, he knew that the two of them would not be able to do much.


    "Lauriel and his team are chasing them to Romania. He said everything will be fine, Dad. Don''t worry."


    Before Terry could finish his sentence, Jean had already grabbed his jacket and left the penthouse.


    Gosh ... are you going to the airport too?


    Terry hurriedly chased after his father and walked in unison towards the basement parking lot. For some reason, he felt like everyone was going to the airport today.


    ***


    While on the plane, Alaric listened to the doctor''s diagnosis of fake Aleksis'' condition. He was relieved to hear that the girl was fine. That was all that mattered to him right now.


    "I''ll take you far away from here. It will be just the two of us," he whispered to ''Aleksis'' who was sleeping in the bed.


    His hand gripped her right hand tightly as he sat in the chair next to her bed. He then tried to close his eyes...


    ***


    Alaric''s aircraft landed at Targu Mures'' airport in Romania. Several cars had come to pick him up along with his entourage. They brought the newly arrived passengers to the hills.


    Alaric built a castle on a hilltop and it was where he spent most of his personal time. In the small forest near his castle, he erected a very beautiful grave for his mother.


    Now the grave was empty since he had moved her remains to Yorkshire, in the Linden family''s palace. However, the tomb was still there, looking as elegant as ever since it was in the middle of a flower garden.


    The large bedroom where ''Aleksis'' was placed was very comfortable and beautiful. It was also overlooking the garden. The early autumn season and the yellow and orange leaves especially made the scenery around them look serene.


    Alaric himself carried ''Aleksis'' into this room and laid her on a large four-poster bed which looked very beautiful, like the bed of a princess. The doctor checked her condition one more time before leaving.


    It was late afternoon and Alaric felt very tired due to everything that had transpired. He fell asleep on the sofa beside the bed, waiting for ''Aleksis'' to open her eyes.


    ***

 Chapter 462 - In Targu Mures

    Actually, Lauriel was somewhat surprised when he learned that the destination of the plane they were chasing was not Bucharest, the capital of Romania, which was the center of Rhionen Industries'' operations, but Targu Mures. It was a small town and in the past, the town was famous for the vampire legends of Transylvania.


    Lauriel had been there several times when he was young and he still remembered the city well. Although hundreds of years had passed, there were still many historical buildings scattered throughout the city and its hilly areas. He felt like he was going back to the past when he was still on his adventures with Luna.


    Hmmm ... he remembered that this place was where the last trace of Luna was found. He couldn''t know for sure what had happened, but Luna had a friend in Romania named Degas.


    Maybe his girlfriend tried to save herself from the war when her entire family was killed by going to Romania, which was relatively safer then, so she could ask for her friend''s help, because Lauriel was far away in Asia.


    Degas never met Luna and only heard about her death a few years later. When Lauriel came to meet Degas in Romania 18 years ago,  based on information from Alexei, he had to swallow his disappointment because Degas did not know what had happened to Luna.


    Indeed, Lauriel''s heart felt the immense pain once more when the plane landed and he had to set foot on Romanian soil. He had been avoiding this country for 18 years.


    But now, he must free Marion and capture the Rhionen Assassins. He suspected that Alaric would also arrive soon. He and his team patiently waited.


    ***


    Marion opened her eyes and found a man sleeping on the couch beside her bed. Was this Alaric Rhionen?


    Ah no. Alaric was older, she thought. This must be one of the bodyguards who was ordered to guard her.


    She quickly surveyed her surroundings and soon realized that she was no longer in the hospital.


    Gosh, that meant that these people managed to outwit Lauriel and escape with her. Hmm ... She must immediately inform Lauriel of her whereabouts so they could immediately rescue her from the hands of Rhionen Assassins.


    She saw that her clothes had been replaced with new clean clothes. Hmm ... that meant there''s no hope in activating the tracker on her shirt buttons. She brushed her hair and found that only one pin remained, while she needed two to be assembled as a location transmitter.


    Alright ... the final step.


    She blinked in succession several times and activated the last communication tool which she did not really like - the blue-green contact lenses in her eyes which resembled Aleksis'' eye color.


    [We are close, we will pick you up soon.]


    She immediately received a message from Lauriel which relieved her.


    Oh, of course. Lauriel was also very efficient. Marion was not surprised to find that her friends were never far from her. Unfortunately, she could not reply to Lauriel''s message because the communication device only worked in one direction. She wanted to tell them that she was fine and they didn''t have to worry about her.


    [We are waiting for you 500 meters east of the castle. If you don''t come out in an hour, we will go in.]


    Hmm ... okay.


    Marion looked around and realized that there were no other guards to worry about aside from this man who was sleeping on the sofa by her bed. Her plan was to leave quietly, but even if this man woke up, Marion would be able to face him alone.


    She got up slowly and sat on the bed, trying not to make a single sound. However, the young man was very alert. He immediately opened his eyes and when he saw Marion moving on the bed; he hurriedly got up and knelt at the foot of the bed.


    "How are you?" he asked in the gentlest voice Marion had ever heard. The girl could only stare at him with amazed eyes. She hadn''t noticed the man''s face before, and now she was surprised to see that he was wearing a black leather mask which covered most of his face.


    Alaric was aware of how Marion was transfixed by his face. He realized that the girl felt uncomfortable with the mask he was wearing.


    Alaric smiled slightly, sat down next to the fake Aleksis and took the girl''s right hand, then touched it to his face.


    "The doctor said you might be a little dazed and so you may not be able to immediately remember everything that happened. It''s only natural for people who were in a comma like you. I''m just glad to see that you''re fine." He closed his eyes and let ''Aleksis'' hand rub his face.


    Marion began to feel uncomfortable. This man seemed to love Aleksis very much, she thought. Wasn''t this one of the assassins of Alaric Rhionen? What had happened exactly? Was this guy also secretly related to Aleksis?


    "Why are you wearing a mask?" the girl asked him in a soft voice. She must find out what really happened. "Sorry, I can''t remember who you are."


    Alaric opened his eyes and nodded, "It''s okay, I will wait for your memory to recover. But from now on, I will no longer hide anything from you. I''m sorry because even though we are married, I didn''t trust you to tell you the truth. I''m sorry, really."


    Married?!


    Marion''s mind went dizzy. She did not know Aleksis had married this man.


    Did her parents know? Did Lauriel know ???


    WHO WAS THIS MAN ACTUALLY ??


    Wasn''t he just ...


    Was he actually Alaric Rhionen himself...?!?


    "Uhm ... I can''t remember anything due to the accident. Can you please tell me who you are?" Marion looked at the pair of purple eyes with questions. Hmm ... his eyes felt very familiar. Lest the Alaric Rhionen that they met all this while was not the real Alaric, but ...


    Alaric nodded. "Of course, I''ll tell you everything. There are no more secrets between us."


    He patted the fake ''Aleksis'' hand gently and started telling his story.

 Chapter 463 - This Was All A Big Mistake

    "My name is Alaric Rhionen. We met for the first time on a night train in Thailand, and at that time you were on an adventure with your godfather, Uncle Rory. When we first met, you called me Prince Siegfried; you were very funny ... 10 years later you were almost kidnapped by a human trafficking plot in Singapore and we met again.


    At that time you also lost your memory temporarily and I couldn''t find your family - again you called me Prince Siegfried, that''s why I was able to contact your Uncle Rory. We spent a week together until you regained your memory, and I never expected that for the 8 years after that incident, you kept thinking about me and even looked for me to Singapore."


    Alaric looked at the fake Aleksis with a loving look. While the girl just listened to his story with an increasingly stirred heart. This was really Alaric Rhionen, and whom they saw earlier was a fake Alaric!


    "I closed my heart from anyone for decades, but you broke through. You were the first woman who loved me so deeply and made me experience feelings I had never known before. In short, I fell in love with you, and so did you. The feelings that we have for each other is so strong and mind-blowing that you asked me to marry you after only four days together ..."


    Marion pressed her mouth together, muffled. She did not expect Aleksis and Alaric''s relationship to be that close. They were even married!


    "Th ... then, what happened. What haven''t you told me?" Marion asked in a trembling voice. All this information made her heart shake.


    This was all a mistake.


    All this while the Wolf Pack had been trying to free Aleksis from the influence of Alaric Rhionen ...


    While maybe Alaric Rhionen thought he had to save Aleksis from the hands of bad people.


    "I started wearing this mask 7 years ago, with the excuse that my face was badly disfigured in an accident, and you believed me. But the truth is ..." Alaric sighed and slowly opened his mask, "Actually I want to cover up the fact that I don''t age. You think that I''m an ugly man in my 40s. But actually, I''m much older than that ... I was born in 1945."


    Marion screamed in surprise when she saw Alaric''s face without his mask. This was neither an old man nor a disfigured face. What she saw sitting next to her was a handsome young man with a slightly pale face and skin as smooth as snow; he even looked a little bit like a woman because of the smooth lines of his face.


    His pair of purple-colored eyes looked very mysterious, adding to the unique impression of his purple-platinum-colored hair.


    This was not an ordinary human appearance. This man must be an Alchemist, Marion thought.


    Was this the secret that Alaric had kept all this time?


    Of course, now everything made sense.


    No wonder he knew the secrets of the Alchemists ... He himself was part of the immortal clan.


    "I would usually disappear and change my identity every few decades, but my last project was too important for me to leave, so I chose to cover up my identity and hid my face behind a mask. All my subordinates at the company thought that I was disfigured, and so did everyone else. On the bright side, it made it easier for me to move around because no one knows my real face. " He smiled soothingly and rubbed the fake Aleksis''s cheeks that looked pale and in surprise, "You ... no matter how badly disfigured my face is to everyone''s imagination, you love me unconditionally. I shouldn''t have let you go without telling you who I really am. You have no idea how I almost went crazy when I was told that you died and this was without ever knowing the truth."


    "Oh, Alaric ..." Marion bit her lip frantically.


    This was all a mistake.


    Both parties were apparently attacking each other for the same reason: their love for Aleksis ...


    "One more thing you need to know about me is that I don''t age, not because of medical errors or unnatural gene mutations which I have always thought as the reasons, but because, apparently, I''m part of the Alchemists'' clan - you probably never heard of them. They are a hidden group of people, they are all around us, and they rule the world within the shadows ... I was finally able to trace my family; I finally know who my mother is. My face ... they say it''s very similar to hers, so I no longer hate my face."


    Marion looked at Alaric in shock, her mouth fell open. She wanted to say something but no words came out of her trembling lips.


    "Wh ... who ... is your mother?" After some time, she finally managed to ask with difficulty.


    "Her name is Luna, she was a princess from England. She died while giving birth to me in Romania, but before she passed away, she forced the midwife to cut a small part of her hair for me." Alaric touched the locket that hung around Aleksis'' neck. He put it on her when she was still asleep. He opened it slowly, "This is my mother''s hair. See, it''s the same color as mine, don''t you think so?"


    Marion looked at the braided hair with a shaken heart. All the surprises made her cover her mouth using her hands. Her eyes alternately looked at Luna''s hair and Alaric''s face. No doubt. Alaric was Lauriel''s son.


    "You ... do you know who your father is?" she asked with bated breaths.


    "Hmmm ... yes, but I don''t really care about him. His name is Lauriel. He is an adventurer who doesn''t care about worldly affairs. You don''t need to know much about him. He doesn''t want me, so I don''t want him either." Alaric stared at Marion''s face, which was now covered in tears. "Hey, why are you crying? Are you afraid of me? I may be different from you because I''m actually not an ordinary human, but I''m still the same Alaric. I''m still your husband ... please don''t be scared of me."


    Marion realized that Alaric still didn''t know that Aleksis was an Alchemist too. He was not even aware that Uncle Rory and Lauriel were the same man, and that he had actually met this father of his in person.


    Oh, poor Alaric ...


    This was all a big mistake.


    All along, the one Lauriel planned to attack was actually his own biological child ...


    Marion hurriedly got up, intending to go out of the room where she was resting. Her mind worked furiously - she had to find a way to tell Lauriel what had happened here. She mustn''t be late.


    "Aleksis ...! Where are you going? You''re still not well!" Alaric chased after her. He was confused by the weird attitude of the girl he thought as Aleksis.

 Chapter 464 - Lauriel Had Arrived!

    For various reasons today, Marion who usually could think clearly suddenly couldn''t come up with any good tactics or strategy so she could deceive Alaric. She was too shaken to sit still and analyze the situation.


    One thing was for certain, she did not want Alaric to know that she was only disguising as Aleksis. The man would be very hurt once he found out that the girl he saved was not really his wife, but a fake Aleksis sent by his own father.


    The longer Marion stayed with him, the more she became afraid that her disguise would be exposed.


    Alaric must not know that his father was the one after him ...


    Marion could not imagine how bad the relationship between the two men would become once Alaric learned the truth.


    Lauriel would be very sorry, but his regrets would come too late. By then, Alaric would have already hated him so much...


    "Alaric ..!" Marion suddenly turned around and raised her hands, signaling that he shouldn''t follow her. "Please, I need to be alone. If you love me, please don''t follow me. I need time to process all of this in my head ..."


    She must escape from Alaric, then find a way to meet Lauriel.


    The man was instantly rooted in his place.


    A few dozen men in black surrounded them, looking alert and cautious. Alaric raised his right hand. They all nodded and left him and Marion.


    "Calm down ... I''ll leave you alone. So don''t run away like that, I won''t chase you," Alaric said in a very gentle voice.


    He understood that everything he just told her, for an ordinary human, was too overwhelming to handle. It was not surprising that ''Aleksis'' became this shocked and tried to leave. He had to give her some time to think things through.


    As he had promised to himself, even if Aleksis did not remember him, he would simply try to make her fall in love with him again. He would wait until forever. He had a very long life to spend with her.


    Marion, who saw the bodyguards leaving them, became quite relieved. Right now, she had no weapon with her and would be unlikely to escape from him, much less with others around. She must use Alaric''s love for Aleksis to get some freedom of movement for herself.


    However, when she looked at those loving purple eyes, her heart felt very guilty. This man really loved Aleksis and was willing to do anything for her, she realized. But now Marion was actually planning to use his sincere and deep love against him.


    All her life, Marion was used to carrying out various missions that were not at all clean, but she found herself wallowing in guilt only this one time. She thought of Aleksis who was still lying in a coma in another country. For sure, she would want to be with the man she loved. However, the man Aleksis loved was actually being targeted by her fathers.


    "Alaric ... I ..." Marion swallowed hard.


    She almost spilled out all her secrets to him and told him that the real Aleksis was in Switzerland.


    Ah, you can''t do that, Marion. Not yet. The situation is still currently very bad.


    She did not know what Alaric would do once he discovered that he got cheated.


    Marion unconsciously touched the necklace around her neck, remembering that inside its locket was Princess Luna''s hair.


    She better go to Lauriel quietly and tell him what had happened. She had to show his girlfriend''s hair as proof and then convinced them that they all had to retreat and leave Alaric alone.


    Later, once they were back in Switzerland, she would make sure Lauriel find a way to apologize to his son and reunite him with the real Aleksis.


    Yes ... that''s the only way.


    "Yes, Honey? What is it? What do you want?" Alaric asked patiently.


    "I need some time alone ... Please, don''t follow me." Marion gave Alaric a pleading look. "I promise I will return, but for now, I need to go somewhere to calm down. Do you believe me?"


    Alaric nodded, "Of course."


    He stood in place and let Marion slowly walked out the door leading to the flower garden where his mother''s grave was. Alaric just stared at the back of the departing girl, his thoughts ranged from wanting to follow her to leaving her alone.


    Marion tried to make her steps look as miserable as possible as if she was walking without a plan or destination in mind. During the first 10 minutes, she kept observing her surroundings to make sure she was not being followed.


    Thankfully, Alaric stayed true to his words. None of his bodyguards went after her. The girl''s vision and hearing were very sharp so she would easily know if somebody did.


    Ah, this was a relief. She could calmly meet her friends and tell them to go away from here. Soon they would be able to clear up all this mess.


    And, oh ... Marion could already imagine how happy Lauriel would be once he learned that he had had another son with Princess Luna. Furthermore, this son had a face that was very similar to his late girlfriend!


    While walking towards the south, Marion''s gaze accidentally went to a beautiful monument that had two statues of angels on each side. It looked like a tomb, except there was no gravestone.


    She approached the monument and using her fingers, she traced the writing carved on it.


    [You''re the best woman in the world.]


    Unconsciously, after she read the inscriptions, a drop of tears fell on Marion''s cheeks. She realized the monument was made by Alaric for his mother. She remembered that Luna''s tracks disappeared in Romania and after that, Lauriel was unable to find her at all.


    Who would have thought that In actuality, Luna died at this place? That she left a son here who later lived in sufferings and ended up mingling with people from the underworld?


    If she thought about Nicolae''s story and linked it to what happened to Alaric, it would be easy to conclude that Nicolae was born first and was saved by the hospital doctor. As for Alaric, he was born sometime later. Most likely, before Luna died, she asked the midwife to cut her hair to give to her son.


    Alaric then lived alone, keeping his mother''s hair as a memento without knowing that he had an older brother and father. The harsh life was what made him who he was today ... The leader of Rhionen Assassins.


    What a poor child ... Marion thought sadly.


    She immediately wiped her tears and hurried towards the meeting place Lauriel specified. She must get there before Alaric became suspicious of why she had not yet returned.


    She couldn''t wait to tell Lauriel what she discovered.


    Marion walked with long strides. She soon learned that the place Lauriel designated was at the top of a cliff. Most likely, they planned to pick her up by a helicopter. She was told to go to high ground so that she could be spotted easily.


    Almost there...


    "Aleksis ..."


    Marion was almost at the top of the cliff when suddenly Alaric''s voice rang behind her. Oh, apparently the young man could no longer help but follow her as she had been gone for so long ...


    But then, from behind the cliff, she suddenly saw a stealth helicopter hovering up.


    Lauriel had arrived!

 Chapter 465 - The Saddest Day

    Marion was shaken by Lauriel''s presence in the helicopter and by Alaric who was walking briskly toward her. Alaric must have accelerated his pace due to the sudden appearance of the helicopter, thinking that she was in danger.


    "Alaric ... don''t come here!" Marion screamed on top of her lungs.


    She tried to make Lauriel leave by waving her hand at him, but the helicopter grew closer instead, and now even circling above her. The dimness of the night which was only illuminated by the moonlight rendered Lauriel unable to read Marion''s lips. Due to this, he failed to grasp that she was trying to drive them away.


    "Someone''s following Marion!" Petra, who was controlling the helicopter cried in panic. "What should we do now, Lauriel?"


    "At the moment, our priority is Marion," Lauriel replied firmly. "Once  that person did anything to endanger her, don''t hesitate to shoot him down!"


    Alaric ran after Marion who was still attempting to reach the top of the cliff. He was very scared, thinking ''Aleksis'' had panicked too much and now wanted to kill herself. He had also seen the arrival of the foreign helicopter and then became more worried as their presence could make ''Aleksis'' even more agitated.


    "Aleksis, stop ... don''t go there! Below there is a gorge... It''s dangerous there !!" He cried out many times. With all his strength he ran toward Aleksis, ignoring the presence of the enemies watching him within the helicopter that was hovering in the air.


    "Mischa, we have intruders! You must secure our place!!" Alaric called Mischa on his cellphone before jumping on the big rock and using that as a springboard so he could get to the top of the cliff quickly.


    As he was only a short distance away from Marion, he could see her standing tense at the top of the cliff, wearing an anxious expression. The girl''s hands were raised, trying to signal Alaric to stop and not chase her.


    But it was all in vain, the young man arrived in front of her, panting, "Don''t be afraid ... I''m here. I will protect you..."


    Marion was amazed as she realized that Alaric was chasing her because he was thinking that the helicopter had frightened her. This man was really willing to do anything for his wife, not even caring about his own safety ...


    "He got Marion!" Petra exclaimed in a muffled voice when he saw Alaric reach Marion. Out of reflex, he pushed the fire button from the steering wheel and fired at Alaric to save his friend.


    The sound of gunfire rang several times and almost deafened Marion. For a moment, she could not hear anything ... Her mind went blank and her eyes widened after she realized that Alaric was hit by the bullets.


    The young man also looked at her, wide-eyed using his pair of bright purple eyes. He also felt deafened. The name he heard kept playing in his mind.


    In that instance, he seemed to have finally understood what had really transpired. At the last second, Alaric realized that the girl in front of him was not the real Aleksis. He was deceived. This woman was not the one he loved with all his heart.


    The purple eyes closed as the owner of the body first collapsed in Marion''s arms before gradually touching the ground. Blood gushed out of his chest and back.


    "Aaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!" Marion screamed uncontrollably. She did not expect the situation to change so badly in such a short period of time.


    No¡­!!


    Nooooooooo ¡­!!!!


    Lauriel had just killed his own son... Marion''s mind became so chaotic when she felt the ground around her collapsed as if there was an earthquake.


    Marion held the necklace around her neck in a panic.


    Alaric Rhionen was Princess Luna''s son... He was Lauriel''s child with Princess Luna, and they just killed him...


    Like someone on the verge of losing her mind, Marion immediately pulled off the necklace and hid it inside her clothes.


    This necklace must not be found. Lauriel must not know that he just killed his own son...


    While in tears, Marion examined Alaric''s body to see his condition.


    She felt no pulse on his wrist. This young man was really dead.


    Marion did not dare picture in her head how devastated Lauriel would be if he learned what really happened ...


    It could even be more painful than when he lost his girlfriend.


    Marion could not imagine how much guilt Lauriel would bear ...


    The helicopter moved slightly away to find flat ground to land upon. Marion knew she had to act fast. Soon Lauriel would arrive here and see what Alaric Rhionen really looked like. He would definitely wonder who the young man was ...


    And then he would find out that this was his biological child ...


    She did not have the heart to imagine it ...


    "I''m sorry ..." Marion whispered in a poignant voice. "I''m so sorry... Alaric ... These mistakes cannot be undone ... Please forgive us ..."


    She rose slowly from the ground and with Alaric''s body in her arms, she inched closer to the edge of the cliff ... After that, with all her strength, she threw the young man down the ravine.


    She could hear her heart breaking into pieces as she watched the body disappear into the dark chasm below. Her tears were flowing incessantly.


    If they didn''t find the body, Lauriel would never find out who Alaric really was ... He wouldn''t feel hurt.


    She no longer loved Lauriel, but deep in her heart, she still respected and treated him as a friend. She did not want to see him drowning in deep sorrow, blaming himself for not recognizing his biological child ... and even causing this child''s death.


    If she didn''t dispose of Alaric''s body, she knew they would use DNA testing to find out who he was ... and then all the secrets would be revealed.


    Let her be the one to keep all of these secrets ... This would be a secret she would carry with her to her grave.


    "Marion!! Are you all right ??" Lauriel and Esso came down running towards the girl. She was just sitting there limply, staring at them with a blank look on her face and tears in her eyes. She looked too agitated.


    "Alaric ... he''s dead." That was the only thing that came out of Marion''s lips. She then looked away as she absolutely did not want to answer any of Lauriel''s questions. The latter finally concluded that the young man chasing her had died and fell into a ravine, at least based on the traces of blood on the ground.


    Marion appeared devastated. When Lauriel carried her to the helicopter, she cried nonstop, yet she refused to say anything. Lauriel suspected that something had traumatized the woman but he just could not figure out what it was.


    He immediately felt very guilty. He assumed that Marion was abused when she was held captive by Rhionen Assassins. Suddenly, in his heart, he felt very angry at the group.


    ***


    While Alaric''s pair of purple eyes closed, in Grindelwald, Aleksis actually opened her eyes. She took a long time to realize where she was and how she ended up here.


    She easily recognized her room in their home in Switzerland. Hmm ... But as she recalled, before falling into a long sleep, she was still in Singapore. What happened to me? Why am I here?


    She tried to move her body, but it was not cooperating well with her. Only after exerting all her strength did Aleksis managed to move her hands. Hmm ... what happened? Why was it so hard for me to move? she wondered.


    Her intelligent mind immediately guess filled in the details for her. Most likely, she got injured and then went into a coma. She had to lie down in bed for a fairly long time, making her body stiff and difficult to control.


    Ugh ...


    She heard someone approaching. His voice was very familiar. It seemed like that person was talking on the phone. Aleksis looked towards the door trying to find out who the other person was.


    Nicolae was on the phone with Lauriel, asking him what took place in Romania. He had just made tea from the kitchen and was on his way back to Aleksis'' room, planning to check her condition before going to sleep.

 Chapter 466 - The Heartbeats

    While walking to Aleksis'' room, he listened to his father''s explanation through the telephone. Nicolae could only nod and sigh repeatedly as the sequence of events was just quite unbelievable.


    "Then, where is Marion now?" he asked attentively.


    "We tried to treat her but she refused to meet anyone after that," Lauriel answered. He took a deep breath and then continued, "I feel like she got traumatized. She didn''t want to see me at all and only asked to be taken back to her home in Switzerland immediately. Jean will accompany her. Maybe once they arrive, you can visit Marion and check on her."


    "Alright, Father." Nicolae turned his body and when he saw Aleksis who was lying on the bed was currently looking at his direction, their eyes met. Due to shock, Nicolae accidentally dropped his cellphone on the ground. Subconsciously he ran toward Aleksis. "You ... you have awakened??"


    He ignored his father calling out through the telephone. His attention was solely directed at the sleeping princess who had finally woken up from her long slumber.


    "Mmm ... where am I?" Aleksis asked softly. She tried to get up and sit but she could barely move. Nicolae eagerly but cautiously helped the girl sit on her bed.


    "You''re home, in Switzerland. I''m here to look after you." Nicolae was smiling at the girl but tears were also in his eyes. He didn''t think Aleksis would wake up so fast. It was a welcomed surprise. "You were in a coma for almost two months due to an accident on campus. Thankfully, your body is recovering at an incredible speed."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis frowned, trying to remember what happened.


    Two months ...? Quite a long while had passed ...


    Did ... did Alaric look for her? How was his condition? Where was he now? She immediately panicked.


    "My phone ... where is my phone?" Aleksis asked with urgency in her tone. She was referring to the one given to her by Takeshi. She MUST immediately contact Alaric!


    "Uhm ... your phone is gone. Do you need it? You can use my phone for now." Nicolae hurriedly picked up his phone from the floor and handed it to Aleksis.


    "No, not this one. I need MY phone." Aleksis almost cried. She felt hopeless. Her husband received no news from her for two months. Alaric must be very worried by now.


    Nicolae felt sorry seeing her current state and then hurriedly got up, "Uhm ... wait a moment, I will get your new phone-watch for you. It''s in your father''s study. I''ve replaced the defective chip."


    The girl was stunned. Apparently, Nicolae kept his promise and fixed the important chip. She felt very touched.


    The young man returned 15 minutes later with a new phone-watch that was very similar to Aleksis'' missing device.


    "Here, do you want to make a call? I''ll give you privacy," he said as he handed the item. When she nodded, he hurriedly left the room.


    Aleksis stared at the Nicolae''s back, her eyes sending him out with a grateful look put on her face. She hugged her device close to her chest and then quickly wiped her tears away.


    She felt very relieved, the chip was on her phone which meant she could contact Alaric. With trembling hands, she dialed one by one the numbers which would connect her to him. She had those memorized by heart.


    RING


    RING


    Ten rings.


    There was no answer.


    Aleksis called over and over. Still, no one picked up.


    Was Alaric not using that number anymore? Was the chip not working? What exactly was going on??? Who else could she contact to find him??


    Out of frustration Aleksis slammed her phone-watch on the floor and burst into tears. Nicolae who heard her crying immediately returned to her room and sat on the edge of her bed.


    "Ssshh ... who do you want to contact? Can I help you?" he questioned in a soft voice.


    Aleksis bit her lip. She did not know whether to honestly answer Nicolae.


    In the end, she could only shake her head. She could not tell anyone about Alaric. She had no idea of their current attitude towards Alaric. She must not endanger her husband.


    Nicolae took a deep breath and seriously stared into the stubborn girl''s eyes.


    "Is the person you want to contact Alaric Rhionen?" he asked again, this time bluntly.


    Aleksis looked at him with a surprised face put on. "How ... how did you know?"


    Nicolae could not look straight at her face. "I''m truly sorry."


    His voice that sounded remorseful made Aleksis immediately understand that something bad had happened. Her body which was still weak could not bear the heavy stress, and thus she fell unconscious again.


    Nicolae hurriedly fixed Aleksis'' body and laid her comfortably in the bed. He knew that the intelligent girl now had a hunch that something untoward befell Alaric. The news had simply hit her hard.


    He promptly called his father and reported what just took place. Lauriel, who was very happy to know that his goddaughter had awakened, impatiently got ready to fly to Switzerland. He also informed the girl''s parents that their daughter had regained consciousness.


    To make sure that Aleksis'' body was fine, Nicolae checked her heartbeat using a stethoscope. This was so that if something was wrong, he would immediately be able to implement appropriate medical treatment.


    "Eh ... what is this?" he frowned and tried to listen one more time. He wanted to make sure that he made no mistake.


    Was the device broken?


    Eventually, he threw his stethoscope away and took out a Doppler to make sure he didn''t mishear.


    Not long after, his face turned pale. There was indeed more than one heart beating.


    While he was checking Aleksis'' heartbeat with the stethoscope, he seemed to have heard of a strange beat besides the girl''s heartbeat. He thought that he heard wrong many times, because ... this should not be possible, right?


    However, after checking for a few more times, apart from hearing that the girl''s heartbeats which had become quite regular, there was another heartbeat that was very weak but still audibly echoing in between the thumping of the girl''s heart.


    Doppler just confirmed it. Aleksis was indeed pregnant!


    Nicolae felt devastated. He did not expect Aleksis to be with child at this moment. With raging thoughts, he listened to the heartbeats again as he realized that, as a doctor, he could not be selfish. Aleksis'' health and safety were more important than his personal feelings.


    It didn''t take long for Nicolae to freeze in place again as he listened carefully to Aleksis'' heartbeat and her baby using a doppler.


    Apparently, he had truly misheard.


    There were not two heartbeats, but three.

 Chapter 467 - I Really Hate You!

    Nicolae just sat limply beside the bed, waiting for Aleksis to wake up. He did not want to tell his father or the girl''s family that she was pregnant. At least, not without Aleksis'' consent.


    Inwardly, he felt sad because he finally knew how deep her feelings for Alaric Rhionen was.


    Aleksis certainly wanted his children. An alchemist would only have children if they were ready and truly wanted them. Aleksis must have loved the man so much that she was okay being pregnant with his child.


    Based on what Marion last reported before she closed off herself from people, Alaric Rhionen was already dead. Nicolae felt very sorry for Aleksis.


    The girl would, of course, become heartbroken once she found out that the man she loved had passed away. She would certainly hate her father and Lauriel for causing that man''s death.


    ***


    Jean rushed to welcome Marion who was in Lauriel''s arms. As soon as he arrived he insisted on taking Marion from Lauriel''s arms and carried her.


    "Let me take care of her from here," he said firmly.


    Marion only opened her eyes slightly before closing them again. She did not care who brought her where. She just wanted to go home, to be alone and not meet anyone else. Her body was still trembling as she thought of what occurred at the clifftop of Targu Mures last night. They killed Alaric and she dumped his body somewhere he would never be found out.


    She felt like a murderer and so she was being chased by guilt. She was unable to face Lauriel, afraid that she would just suddenly tell him the truth, that he had just caused the death of his own biological son.


    Marion couldn''t bear it. It would be better for her to keep her peace and not see anyone for the remainder of her life. The secret would then be safe as she had no need to talk to Lauriel.


    While Lauriel was rushing to Grindelwald for Aleksis who had just awakened, Jean took Marion to her home in Basel. Along the way, she only kept her eyes closed, not moving whatsoever and thus, making Jean worried sick.


    Like Lauriel, he also suspected that Marion was harassed when she was taken away by Rhionen Assassins, and that caused her to be so traumatized.


    Jean could only stroke Marion''s hair. She was sleeping on his lap along the way. The driver who drove for them seemed to have recognized Jean''s face but still considerately let them have their privacy.


    "Miss Marion, what happened to her?" asked Alicia who welcomed them on the doorway. Jean did not reply. He carried Marion into her room and laid her down gently upon the bed.


    The five dogs rushed in, wiggling their tails to attract the girl''s attention, but Marion just curled up underneath her blanket, pulling it up to cover her face.


    Jean became very confused upon seeing the way she was acting. He looked for nearby physicians to check Marion''s condition, but after several visits from different doctors, no one could pinpoint what caused Marion''s condition to be this bad.


    ***


    Nicolae jerked awake when he felt some movements on the bed. Aleksis had regained consciousness. Her muffled cries immediately broke the silence within the room.


    "Shhh ... I''m here ..." Nicolae hurried over to Aleksis who was sobbing. He held her hand trying to calm her down.


    "What happened? Why ... why are you saying sorry? What happened to Alaric?" Aleksis asked between her sobs.


    "Uhm ..." Nicolae really didn''t know where to begin. In the end, he sat by her bed and slowly recounted what he had heard, starting from when Alaric searched for her until Marion was suddenly found traumatized saying that Alaric Rhionen was dead.


    Every word that came out of his lips made Aleksis feel like she was being stabbed in the heart. She had expected that something like this would happen once her family confronted Alaric and Rhionen Assasins. They were on the opposite sides so this was what she wanted to avoid.


    However, her two-month-long coma somehow became a catalyst and now with there nothing preventing the two sides from attacking each other, a confrontation naturally ensued ... which resulted in Alaric becoming a casualty. He died at the hands of The Wolf Pack.


    Aleksis tried her best to get out of bed and with tears in her eyes, she forced her way out of her room. Her legs were still weak and so she fell several times. But each time, she would stubbornly force herself to stand up and walk.


    Nicolae couldn''t bear to see her this way. "Aleksis, where are you going?"


    "I want to go to Targu Mures. Don''t stop me!" yelled the extremely agitated girl.


    "Ssh ... you''re still weak ... Don''t force yourself. Later, when you get well, I''ll take you there." Nicolae tried to coax her.


    "I don''t want to get well!" Aleksis snapped. "I want to go there to die! Without him, I don''t want to live anymore!"


    Nicolae was stunned. He was shocked to see how in love the girl he liked was with another man. Even though that person was no longer in this world, Aleksis heart did not change. She even said determinedly that she did not want to live anymore ...


    Nicolae''s heart was very hurt after the realization crossed his mind.


    "Aleksis ... you can''t die ..." Nicolae finally knelt beside her and spoke to the girl in a gentle voice, and for some reason Aleksis seemed to hear Alaric''s voice talking to him, making the girl bewildered, "Aleksis ... You must know one thing ... "


    "What is itr? Why are you hiding from me?" Aleksis asked in a sharp tone. "What happened?"


    Nicolae swallowed hard, "I haven''t told anyone about this ... But you''re pregnant. Right now in your womb, there are two children ... If you die ... then your two children will never get a chance to live."


    Aleksis involuntarily covered her lips in shock. The news was something she did not expect ... at this time she became pregnant with his children - with the man she loved so deeply.


    Slowly she looked at her stomach which was still flat and before she knew it, her eyes started being flooded again with tears that had almost dried up. Aleksis wailed while hugging Nicolae. She began crying uncontrollably.


    She really wanted to die, as she could not imagine life without Alaric ... but she knew she had to stay alive for their children.


    Lauriel who arrived with Petra and Esso made a surprised expression when he saw his goddaughter sobbing in Nicolae''s chest. With his eyes, he tried to inquire from Nicolae the current situation but his son signaled for him to step aside.


    The blue-green-eyed man did not understand why the young man wanted to send him away. He sat cross-legged beside Aleksis and tried to hug her.


    But when Aleksis'' eyes fell on Lauriel''s face, the girl screamed and with all her might, she pushed her godfather''s body away.


    "Uncle Rory! You killed my husband ... I really hate you!! Leave me alone!!!"


    Aleksis'' words deeply stunned Lauriel and for a moment his body staggered in shock.

 Chapter 468 - Announced Dead

    He.. killed Aleksis'' husband?


    It took Lauriel a few seconds to understand what his goddaughter meant. Afterward, he was shocked. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Aleksis and Alaric Rhionen to be married.


    Hadn''t they only been together for two weeks?


    What happened in such a short amount of time that both of them become that attached to each other?


    He didn''t know. He was in great disbelief. But at least, he now understood why Alaric was willing to do anything for Aleksis. Apparently, he really loved her.


    There was no crying over spilled milk. Although he did not approve of Aleksis'' relationship with Alaric, if he knew that they truly loved each other and were even married, perhaps he would hold himself back and refrain from targeting Alaric.


    Lauriel looked at his goddaughter who kept staring at him hatefully, as if he was an enemy. His eyes became very sad. The last thing he wanted to do in life was to make Aleksis cry. He loved the girl very much.


    "Aleksis ... I didn''t know. I''m very sorry." he whispered softly.


    Aleksis just moved her gaze away, completely unwilling to look at Lauriel.


    "I don''t want to see them. Take me away from here," she whispered to Nicolae. The young man nodded and immediately helped her up. When Aleksis fell again due to her legs which were still not strong enough to support her body, Nicolae resorted to carrying the girl out.


    "Where are we going?" Nicolae asked when they passed by the front door.


    "I want to go far away from here." she replied, closing her eyes. She did not want to see anyone. She knew that her mother and father would arrive soon, but she did not want to see either of them too.


    "Wait ..." The young man carefully placed Aleksis on the backseat of his car and sat before the steering wheel. "As you wish, we will leave this place."


    He knew that at the moment, Aleksis needed time alone to vent her sadness, but because her body was still very weak, she could not leave by herself. Living in this house would only make her even more depressed as she would regularly see the people she considered responsible for her husband''s death.


    This was why Nicolae would try his best to help the girl. He was afraid that Aleksis would act recklessly if they keep pushing her.


    ***


    Mischa continued to search along the Mures River for the body of her foster father. He mobilized all his men to comb through the place. They intended to leave no stone unturned.


    A man''s shout from the end of the river made him stunned. A couple of seconds later, he could be seen running towards the direction where the voice came. When he arrived, his men was already surrounding a limp body wearing a black outfit. This person was lying behind a large rock and his condition appeared very horrible.


    At one glance Mischa was able to estimate how much blood was lost and how many bones were broken. If all of these had been experienced by an ordinary person instead, his body would have been crushed beyond recognition.


    "Immediately get the medical helicopter down here," he ordered the pilot who had been circling his helicopter above them.


    Within 10 minutes, Alaric''s body had been transported out of the gorge and brought to his castle. There,  dozens of doctors and other medical personnel were waiting for him.


    The next day, all members of Rhionen Assassins who were in Europe gathered at Alaric residence while those still in the other parts of the world were already on their way. Mischa, as the only dragon-level assassin among them, besides Alaric, led the discussion with his comrades on what steps they should take after this ordeal.


    "Master was attacked and his condition is very critical. Even now, he is not yet out of danger, and the doctor said his chance of survival is less than 1%." Mischa announced in a calm voice.


    He appeared not as flamboyant as usual. Instead of wearing his favorite pink, he was wearing black, and he planned to wear the same color from today onwards as a sign of grieving for his foster father.


    "Is this caused by the same group of people?" Pavel asked with an angry face.


    "It seems like it. I wasn''t there. I only got orders to stand guard because the enemy arrived, but when I brought the reinforcements with me there, Master had already fallen into the gorge."


    "Then, where is Miss Aleksis?" Pavel asked again. He was beginning to suspect that the girl had something to do with all of this. If Alaric did not bring Aleksis to his residence, this would surely not have happened. He was now curious whether that woman was truly on his master''s side or if she was actually involved with those people who pulled his master into a trap...


    "Miss Aleksis is nowhere to be found. I suspect she had been taken away by the same group who injured Master." Mischa sounded very tired, "We can think of revenge later. Right now, the priority is to make sure he survives his critical situation."


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    "Pavel, you''re used to helping take care of Rhionen Industries. Don''t let all our master''s plans fall apart just because he is injured. You have to make sure all the projects go smoothly," Mischa ordered calmly. Pavel nodded.


    "I will need help," Pavel said. "If you can take care of it, I will be very grateful. After all, you are one of the heirs."


    Mischa nodded slowly. Indeed, among the 15 assassins in his group; he, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien had a higher standing as they were heirs to Alaric Rhionen. Since they were little, they had been raised and educated by Alaric Rhionen himself and even bore his last name as his foster children.


    With Alaric in a dangerous condition where they didn''t know whether he would survive or not, they were forced to step forward, intervening with the management and operations to make sure Alaric''s project and goals would continue.


    A month passed and the doctors began to give up. They said that all the man''s internal organs had been too damaged and would have problems recovering completely. The threats and shouts from Takeshi and Pavel only made them shrivel up in fear, but no one dared to promise anything to placate them. There was just no way to guarantee that the dying patient in the bed would be able to wake up again.


    After Mischa and his siblings debated amongst themselves, they all then decided to announce Alaric Rhionen''s death and formally assumed management of his businesses.


    Pavel immediately took action and contacted Rhionen Industries'' partners to inform them that the business would continue and that the children of Alaric Rhionen would keep all their projects in progress.


    Sophia who received the news was horrified and surprised. She could not contact Alaric for several months. However, she only assumed it was because her cousin was busy or did not want to talk to her. Upon hearing the announcement of Alaric''s death from Pavel, she hurriedly came to see the latter in Bucharest and forced him to tell her what happened.


    "Tell me what''s going on!! Alaric is my cousin and I have a right to know what befell him!" she exclaimed the moment she stepped into Pavel''s spacious office.


    Her sharp eyes made the man feel cornered. He had no choice but to narrate to her what his master had experienced... that he got trapped by a group of strangers and then killed in his own home.


    Sophia was devastated since she never imagined Alaric would ever suffer such a bad fate. All because of a woman!

 Chapter 469 - Ned and Portias Adopted Son

    The usual serenity at Alaric Rhionen''s residence was disrupted by the sudden appearance of Rosalien. Her brothers were surprised to see her because they all thought that she was dead.


    She now stood in front of them with a cold and ruthless expression they had never seen before. She also refused to talk. It made them realize that something bad had happened to her.


    [I managed to escape ... I think they have no interest in keeping me after Master''s death.] Rosalien said in writing to her siblings. Her tongue had been connected but she still couldn''t speak properly and she hated her own voice.


    "What did they do to you?" Mischa asked in concern.


    Rosalien''s face hardened because the question brought her back to her detainment. Lauriel did not torture her nor did he hurt her. The man had only forced her to drink veritaserum so that she would betray Alaric and her friends, but Rosalien had bitten her tongue to prevent herself from talking.


    [They are people from the same kind as Master. The leader is called Lauriel and he is 570 years old.]


    The fact surprised Rosalien''s foster brothers.


    570 years?? What kind of person lived that long?


    They did not even know how old Alaric really was, but it was unlikely that he had lived that long.


    Who were these people? How mysterious ...


    To their surprise, a staff member came to announce Pavel''s arrival with some guests whom they had never heard of before.


    Several helicopters landed gracefully in the castle''s courtyard and Pavel came out of one of the helicopters, followed by three of the most impressive people the assassins had ever seen.


    Ned, Portia, and Sophia''s arrival at Alaric Rhionen''s private residence truly thrilled anyone who witnessed their arrival. The three people were very good looking, very impressive, and their aura, especially Ned and Portia''s, made people subconsciously bow their heads as they passed.


    Mischa, who welcomed them with Takeshi and Kai, could only look at the three in admiration. Something in his mind said that they were not ordinary people.


    "We would like to pick up Alaric," Portia said in her melodious voice which hypnotized anyone who listened. She walked with the grace of a queen and no one could say no to her request. Subconsciously, Mischa invited them to follow him into the room where Alaric was being treated.


    When Portia saw her beloved nephew''s body lying stiff and lifeless, she screamed in sadness and immediately embraced Alaric. Her face was wet in tears because of deep sadness. This was Luna''s child ... why was fate so cruel to him?


    "What happened to him?" Ned asked, turning to Alaric''s four foster children. Rosalien just arrived in the treatment room. On behalf of Rosalien and his other brothers, Mischa told them what happened.


    Sophia, Ned, and Portia were very surprised to hear their story.


    "Gosh ... so Alaric had a dispute with Lauriel, and Lauriel chased after him because Lauriel blamed him for what had happened to a girl named Aleksis and her possible father, Kurt Van Der Ven??" Ned took a deep breath. He exchanged glances with his wife who could only massage her temple.


    He finally understood what had happened. Lauriel and Caspar were angry because they thought Alaric Rhionen and the Rhionen Assassins were responsible for the deaths of Kurt, Caspar''s right-hand man, and his daughter.


    "The woman you saved is definitely not Aleksis ..." Ned commented, "Lauriel has a team member who is great in disguise, and I don''t blame you for being fooled. The real Aleksis is dead, and they are angry, so they blamed you and hunted you down."


    Pavel nodded, "I too suspect that''s the case. I called the hospital myself and talked to the hospital director. He said that the girl had died and they had issued her death certificate."


    Rosalien clenched her fists in anger. So actually Aleksis was dead and they were cheated by another group. She really hated Lauriel and wanted to avenge her foster father ...


    "Who are they really?" Mischa asked curiously, "The leader said that his name was Lauriel and he was 570 years old ..."


    Ned''s eyes flashed as he stared sharply at Mischa, "You don''t need to know that."


    Subconsciously Mischa bowed his head. He couldn''t fight Ned''s overbearing gaze.


    Ned finally stepped in to make decisions as his wife was too shaken by Alaric''s current condition, "We will take Alaric with us and care for him until he is completely recovered. You do what you need to do. We will contact you when he has made a full recovery."


    Ned helped his distraught wife walk to their helicopter to return to Scotland. At the Targu Mures airport, they waited for the arrival of their medical plane, which was equipped with the most sophisticated medical equipment and a dozen specialists who would care for Alaric during their flight.


    "Lauriel went overboard this time ... He does not deserve to be a father," hissed Portia many times. She was very angry when she found out that Lauriel was responsible for Alaric''s current condition.


    "Sshhh ... Portia, I''m sure Lauriel doesn''t know. We haven''t had the chance to tell him ..." Ned tried to soothe his wife.


    "I don''t care! He is too cold-hearted and never cared for other humans, not even Luna. I cannot accept that Lauriel is Alaric''s father ... He doesn''t deserve that child!"


    On their way back to Scotland, Portia kept on lashing out at Lauriel. She was very hurt to see her beloved nephew in his current state.


    "Ned, when Alaric wakes up ... I want to adopt[1] him," Portia said suddenly, just before they landed in Glasgow.


    Ned could only stare at his wife in surprise, "He still has a father ..."


    "Lauriel does not deserve to be his father. Don''t you think, if Alaric knew that his father was responsible for his attempted murder, he would hate Lauriel? I want to give Alaric the position he deserves, as the heir of the Linden family. He has the right to be the leader of the clan.


    I am tired of the way Caspar and Lauriel continue to lead the clan. I will provide open support to Alaric at the clan meeting in 10 years so that he will become the new candidate for the clan leader. I want to take revenge against Lauriel."


    Ned looked at his wife''s fiery face. They were both not ready to have their own children even though they had been together for more than 200 years, so Portia''s sudden desire to adopt Alaric took him by surprise.


    He didn''t know that Portia''s affection for Alaric was so deep. Adopting Alaric would make him the heir of not only the Linden family but also the Lewis and Baden family ...


    Alaric would be very powerful.


    That was ... if he would be able to recover completely.


    "All right ..." said Ned patiently, "We''ll wait for him to recover."


    .


    .


    [1] Adult adoption is pretty common in Japan. If a family doesn''t have a male heir or if the biolgical heir seemed no strong enough, they can adopt an adult male to be the heir. The centuries-old practice was developed as a mechanism for families to extend their family name, estate and ancestry without an unwieldy reliance on bloodlines. Still common today, adult adoption is a dynamic tool for social and economic mobility


    The current CEO of Suzuki, Osamu Suzuki, is the fourth adopted son that is heading the company. Suzuki surpassed his own biological heir and named Hirotaka Ono as his successor because he felt that his biological son was less capable. Other famous companies using this method are Kikkoman, Canon, Toyota, and Matsui Securities.


    The world''s oldest family business, the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, has been passed down through the family name for 1,300 years. If the adopted male heir falls short of success, he can be passed over and disinherited from the family, although it is very rare. If this happens, another successor can be adopted, since the first lost his inheritance.

 Chapter 470 - Marions Grief

    Marion had not yet recovered after two months and that made Jean very worried. Voluntarily, he decided to stay at Marion''s house to help her manage the house because he could not bear to see the girl living alone in such a bad condition.


    Alicia still came to help three times a week, but most of the time it was Jean who fed Marion''s dogs and took them out for a walk twice a day. He also happily cooked food for Marion and shopped for groceries. He covered his face whenever he went out so that no one would recognise him.


    His relationship with Marion''s five dogs became increasingly close and consequently they always slept with him in the guest room.


    Jean, who really loved dogs, felt very at home at Marion''s house, and it didn''t take long for all the occupants of the house to get used to his presence.


    One afternoon, it showed unexpectedly when Jean took Marion''s dogs for a walk. The weather forecast had not predicted snow and so Jean Jean did bring a thick coat with him. He decided to cut the walk short and head back home so as not to be caught in the cold for longer.


    Hmm ... this kind of weather was perfect for making glow wine, he thought as he hung his coat on the wall. He planned to get Marion to talk by offering her some glow wine. He really missed talking with the girl.


    During the two months he could count the number of times Marion talked to him with his fingers; only 8 times! And the message every time was the same: for Jean to leave her alone.


    The man did not listen, though, and insisted on staying with Marion because he wanted to make sure Marion was OK.


    He hummed softly and went to the kitchen to prepare his home-made glow wine. The five dogs followed his every move with their wagging tails.


    Jean''s humming suddenly stopped when he saw Marion sitting at the dining table, staring outside with an empty gaze.


    "Hey ... you left your room. How do you feel? Can I get you anything?" said Jean in a soft voice. He walked over to Marion and sat next to her. "I am going to make glow wine. Would you like some?"


    Marion turned and looked at him without saying anything. After thinking for a while, the girl finally found her voice and shook her head.


    "I don''t want to bother you any further ... Thank you."


    "I am not bothered at all," Jean replied, smiling broadly, "I like it here, and your dogs also like me. So, do you want some glow wine?"


    Finally, Marion nodded.


    Whistling happily, Jean took out all the ingredients he needed and started working on his favorite glow wine.


    This was really great progress! Marion finally left her room on her own and talked to Jean. Jean hoped that hereafter, her condition would continuously improve.


    After the glow wine was prepared, he served it in two glasses together with some cakes that he bought at a nearby cafe. They sat down and enjoyed the sweet and hot drink while looking at the falling snowflakes.


    The atmosphere was very solemn.


    "Jean ..." after a long silence, Marion''s voice suddenly broke the silence.


    "Hmm ... what is it, Marion?" Jean asked.


    "I''m fine, you don''t need to worry about me anymore," Marion said in a choked voice. She was not fine, but she didn''t want to bother the man any longer.


    "Hmm ..." Jean twirled his glass, trying to find the right words. He really did not want to leave Marion''s house. "Can''t I be here even though you''re fine?"


    "You ..." Marion was at a loss for words.


    "I want to be here with you," Jean said again. He turned his chair to face Marion and looked right into her eyes, "If you don''t want me, l understand."


    Marion stared at Jean''s beautiful cat-eyes with a raging mind ... She felt very guilty towards Lauriel and Aleksis for covering up the truth, but at the time of the incident, her only concern was to keep Lauriel from getting hurt for killing his own biological child.


    The guilt had eaten away her heart for the past two months and she could no longer live as cheerful as her usual self. Marion knew that Jean had fallen in love with her, for she was intelligent, tough, and very pleasant to be with. But now she felt like that woman was gone, replaced by a woman filled with only sadness and bitterness.


    "I''m not pleasant to be with at the moment," Marion said quietly, "you won''t be happy with me."


    "Let me be the judge of that," said Jean. "It saddens me to see you like this ... I don''t know what happened to you at Targu Mures ... Lauriel suspects that they did something bad to you and now he wants to repay them for what they did to you ..."


    Marion''s eyes glittered in panic, "Don''t! Lauriel can''t do anything anymore. They didn''t mistreat me. In fact, they treated me very well when I was there ..."


    Jean was surprised to see Marion panic. He grasped her hand and stroked her softly, "Shhh ... don''t panic ... I''ll tell Lauriel not to bother them if that''s what you prefer."


    "Lauriel can''t target them anymore. Let it all end here!" Marion said. She shook her head and covered her face with both hands, "Enough had happened that day, and there is no need to add to the sadness ..."


    Jean felt like Marion''s attitude didn''t make sense. Why would she suddenly defend the Rhionen Assassins? Weren''t they the cause of her trauma?


    He hurriedly hugged the girl to calm her down, "Ssshh ... calm down, I''m here. Tell me what really happened. I won''t judge you no matter what ..."


    Marion looked at Jean with tears in her eyes and, finally, she spoke with a trembling voice, "Jean ... Alaric Rhionen was Lauriel''s biological son ... Princess Luna gave birth to him before she died ... Lauriel does not know he had killed his own biological son ..."


    Jean was shocked and for a moment he could not believe his own hearing.


    "What ... what did you say?"


    "Alaric Rhionen wasn''t aware that Aleksis was an Alchemist, nor did Aleksis know who Alaric really was ... they loved each other very much and were married. We robbed her of her husband who loved her so much. Lauriel did not know that he killed his own child ... It was then too late to tell Lauriel ..."


    Jean was really out of words.


    "Why ... why didn''t you tell Lauriel?" he asked in a choked voice.


    Marion cried more and more hearing that question, especially since she knew that she should have told Lauriel the truth. But at the time, the only thing that crossed her mind was to keep Lauriel from getting hurt ... she didn''t want him to feel the pain he had felt knowing Luna had passed away ¡­ and now it was too late.


    "I ... I feel so guilty. I threw the boy''s body off a cliff so that he couldn''t be found ... so that Lauriel wouldn''t know that Alaric was his son." Marion cried tearfully, "I couldn''t bear to see Lauriel suffer again. He would be devastated if he knew that he had killed his own child ... I did what I did so that he would not take Death."


    Trembling, Marion took out a leather string necklace with a silver pendant from under her clothes and showed it to Jean, "Inside this locket is Princess Luna''s hair ... If Lauriel were to test her DNA with the Alaric Rhionen''s DNA, he would find out the truth ... That is why I hid this necklace and threw away Alaric''s body ..."


    Jean released his hug and looked at the girl in a shocked face. He didn''t expect Marion to go that far.


    He thought that Marion was still in love with Lauriel, and so wanted to bear this heavy burden and lie just so that Lauriel would not get hurt ...


    "I endured this burden for two months ..." Marion said in tears. "I completely understand if now you think of me as a terrible woman ... I am a murderer ... I hurt Aleksis and Lauriel."


    Jean felt very sorry for Aleksis. He could only imagine how sad she was when she woke up from her coma and was told that the man she loved was killed by her foster father ...


    No wonder Aleksis ran away from home ...

 Chapter 471 - You Are My Only Friend

    Jean was speechless as he was very surprised to hear Marion''s confession. He felt very sorry for Lauriel and Aleksis ...


    Because of Marion, Lauriel would never know that he had a second child, and Aleksis would never see her husband anymore after she woke up from her coma.


    However, seeing Marion so devastated and destroyed, Jean was unable to reprimand the girl. He understood that the mistakes that had happened could not be corrected, and Marion did what she considered the best decision at the time.


    "You must tell Lauriel about all these, Marion ..." Jean said quietly, "If you had a child, don''t you want to know what happened to your child?"


    "It will not bring Alaric''s life back, Jean ... I do not want Lauriel to feel pain worse than what he had already experienced. You do not know how Lauriel was before Princess Luna died ... Lauriel used to be a very pleasant person," Marion cried painfully, "His personality turned dark and he hated people after he found that Luna had died ... He hated himself and he didn''t want to live anymore. Imagine how devastated he would be if he found out that he had killed his own child ..."


    Jean shook his head. He, himself, had a son, who, although not born as his biological child, he was very fond of. He could not imagine what he would feel like if he were in Lauriel''s position. He might also consider taking Death.


    Jean could only sigh deeply.


    Marion tried to look strong and wiped her tears. "I understand if you hate me now. I know what I did was wrong, but if time had turned back and I have to go through the same incident, I would still do what I did to protect Lauriel. The child is dead, I don''t want to see Lauriel die too."


    The girl then stood up and walked with very sad steps back to her room.


    "When I wake up tomorrow, I don''t want to see you here anymore," Marion said without turning her head.


    Jean could only look down while sadness overflowing his chest.


    ***


    Aleksis did not answer Nicolae''s question. Her mind was floating somewhere in the clouds. When the young man gently touched her shoulder, Aleksis turned her head.


    "Hmmm?" she asked indifferently.


    Nicolae smiled sweetly as usual when he saw Aleksis'' flat expression, "Use an extra blanket, will you? The weather is very cold today."


    Aleksis had opened the window in her room to watch the snowfall and somehow she did not feel the chilling cold, but Nicolae saw her body shiver and offered an extra blanket. Aleksis neither agreed nor refused. She just did not care.


    Since Aleksis did not refuse his offer, Nicolae spread another blanket over Aleksis'' protruding tummy. He then sat next to the girl and poured a cup of tea for them.


    Having spent two months together, he had come to know what the girl''s favorite tea was and how often she wanted it. Since the incident, Aleksis did not want to meet a single member of her family. She blamed them for the death of Alaric Rhionen, the man she loved.


    Aleksis begged Nicolae to take her to a place far away, which could not be tracked by her father and Lauriel. She believed in Nicolae because she knew of his reputation as a Wolf who was good in hiding and covering his tracks.


    Besides, since Nicolae was not involved with the mission to kill Alaric as he was too focused on caring for Aleksis, the girl considered him the only person she could trust, and Nicolae was happy to do anything for Aleksis.


    He took Aleksis to his home in Bucharest and gave her time to calm down without the interruption of her godfather and parents. He believed that Aleksis would eventually go home and forgive her parents once she made peace with herself.


    But after two months, Aleksis still did not want to talk to them, and her family was still not aware of her pregnancy with Alaric''s children.


    Out of respect for Aleksis, Nicolae said nothing to her family. He allowed Aleksis to decide for herself what she wanted for her and her children. As a good friend, he tried to help as much as possible when she needed him. At the moment what Aleksis needed were shelter and protection, so those were what he provided.


    "Thank you," Aleksis said suddenly, without turning her head from the window. She was too ashamed to say thanks with lengthy words to Nicolae who allowed her to bother him for the past two months, but she also didn''t want to seem ungrateful by not expressing her gratitude.


    Nicolae nodded, "I''m glad you asked for my help. It means that you trust me."


    Aleksis opened her mouth to say something but then changed her mind. She poured some tea into her cup and sipped it slowly. Nicolae who wanted to know what was on her mind lightly touched her hand.


    "Did you want to say something? Why stop?"


    Aleksis shook his head. "It''s nothing important."


    "Why isn''t it important? I want to know what is on your mind. Your thoughts are important to me ..."


    Aleksis turned and looked at Nicolae, "I have no friends ... All my life I only had Terry and my younger siblings, but since I am too upset to go home right now, I can only stay with you ¡­ You are my only friend."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae smiled at that. He then nodded. "I''m glad to be your friend."


    "I know you like me ... and I think I used your feelings to help myself ... I''m sorry," Aleksis said quietly.


    She knew from the start how much Nicolae liked her, however, she only regarded the man as a friend, especially since she was told that Nicolae was Lauriel''s son. Now, Aleksis felt guilty because she used Nicolae''s feelings to help herself ...


    However, Nicolae did not feel used at all. He only laughed at Aleksis'' confession.


    "You can make use of me at any time, for anything. I don''t mind," he answered lightly. "I''m glad you let me help you. Whatever you decide, I will support you."


    Aleksis felt very moved, and subconsciously a drop of tear rolled down from each of her eyes. Nicolae swiftly wiped the girl''s tears with his fingers and patted her shoulder gently.


    "Don''t be sad all the time. Don''t you feel bad for your children? How would they feel if they knew that their mother was so sad? What can I do to make you smile? Do you want me to mimic Donald Duck''s voice again?" Nicolae asked with a light laugh.


    For the first time today, Aleksis smiled and shook her head.


    "No. I just want to listen to music and look at the falling snow." She took a deep breath of the fresh air. "You may accompany me here."


    "Hm .. okay. I will work while accompanying you." Nicolae took out his tablet and began working next to Aleksis who watched the snowfall while pondering and thinking about Alaric.


    Both of them did not say anything more.

 Chapter 472 - Jean & Marion (R-18)

    Marion woke up that morning with a severe headache. This must be from the so many glasses of glow wine I drank, she thought.


    After Jean left last night, Marion spent the night drinking until she fell asleep at the kitchen table.


    Uh, wasn''t I in the kitchen last night? How did I wake up in my own room? Marion wondered while holding her aching head. She had no history of sleepwalking, so it was not possible that she unconsciously walked to her room.


    She also noticed that her clothes had been changed. She wore blue pajamas last night, and now they were ...


    Was it Alicia?


    Marion got up and staggered out of the room to call her assistant.


    "Hey, you''re awake."


    Marion gasped when Jean called her from the living room. The man was sitting casually on the sofa and Marion''s smallest dog was asleep on his lap. Relief was clearly visible in his eyes.


    "Eh ...? Didn''t I tell you to leave?" Marion asked hoarsely. "I saw you leave last night ... Why did you come back?"


    Jean shrugged, "I don''t know either. I think I''m comfortable here."


    Marion was stunned by Jean''s answer, which was uttered so lightly. She thought Jean had hated her because of what she had done, and finally left her... but apparently he returned and was still helping her out.


    Marion was very touched.


    She slowly walked toward Jean and sat beside him. For a few minutes, she was unable to say anything.


    "I made some hangover soup. I noticed that you drank all the glow-wine I made last night! You also threw up, so I changed your clothes." said Jean softly, placing Marion''s mini Shih Tzu''s to the floor and then reached for Marion''s head, and placed the girl''s head on his lap. "I hope you don''t mind."


    Marion shook her head. She was very touched by Jean''s sweet gestures. She then buried her head in Jean''s lap and cried softly there.


    Jean knew Marion was devastated and she had been punishing herself for everything that took place at Targu Mures, so he couldn''t bear to say anything that would hurt Marion even more. Therefore, he said nothing.


    After five minutes Marion finally managed to calm down. She woke up and smiled slightly as she looked at Jean, "Thank you. I would like to have the soup, please."


    "All right. Let''s go to the kitchen."


    When Jean was walking towards the kitchen to get Marion some of the hangover soup, she suddenly chased after him and hugged his waist from behind. They both stood rooted to the spot.


    For the first time in two months, Marion was finally willing to talk openly to Jean, and today she hugged him.


    Jean''s heart was filled with warmth as he held Marion''s hands that wrapped around him from behind. He slowly turned his body that their front bodies met. He could feel Marion''s heartbeat racing faster, together with his own heartbeat.


    The two stared deeply into each other''s eyes. In her entire life, Marion had never allowed herself to appear this fragile in front of anyone ... and Jean''s response to her unfavorable situation made Marion trust him completely.


    Jean did not go even though Marion was feeling down and not pleasant to be with. Jean did not judge her even though Marion had made such a big mistake and punished herself. Jean also never took the opportunity when Marion was in a vulnerable state.


    Never in her long life had she met such a kind and respectful guy. Subconsciously she closed her eyes and opened her lips slightly, then the name of the man she had fallen in love with since a few months ago slipped out of her lips.


    "Jean ..."


    Jean smiled faintly when he heard Marion call his name in her hoarse voice. He slowly brought his face close to hers and closed his eyes as his lips reached for Marion''s half-open lips. Gently and very carefully he kissed Marion, who involuntarily let out a moan that made Jean go crazy for her.


    Jean tightened his embrace even more as his lips claimed hers lovingly. Slowly Marion had accepted his presence in her life and opened up to him. Then, she hugged him, and now, she allowed him to kiss her.


    Jean realized that he had never felt like this with any woman before. When his tongue explored Marion''s mouth, enjoying the sweetness of the girl, it hit him that he had never wanted a woman like he wanted Marion.


    He was really in love.


    They kissed passionately for several minutes. He then moved his lips to her neck, and slowly nibbled on her earlobe. Feeling the sensation, she let out soft moans as his kisses continued to her shoulders. Jean slowly unbuttoned the girl''s clothes, revealing the smooth skin of her chest and her body that was as soft as a marshmallow.


    "Uhmm ..." Marion involuntarily held Jean''s hand and her face flushed red. Jean smiled broadly and looked at Marion. Marion, who was usually carefree and not afraid of anything, now looked like a shy kitten before him.


    "There''s no need to be shy. I''ve seen everything when I changed your clothes last night ..." Jean whispered with a mischievous voice. "I like what I saw ..."


    "Jean !!" Marion hit Jean''s shoulder but she was no longer resisting his hands, which were swiftly stripping her off of her clothes.


    "I love you," Jean whispered as he took off Marion''s last piece of clothing and lifted her to the bedroom.


    Marion''s five dogs rushed to follow their two masters into the bedroom, and Jean was forced to drive them all away. He didn''t want to be disturbed.


    "Shoo ... shoo¡­ all of you, stay out. Mom and Dad have something important to do."


    For the first time in two months, Marion laughed. She was amused because Jean truly considered himself the new master of her five dogs, together with Marion of course, and she was especially pleased that her four-legged children loved him.


    "Hmmm. Your laugh is so nice to hear." After closing the door, Jean went back to bed and sat next to Marion. "I miss hearing your laughter."


    He bent down and continued kissing Marion.


    "You know ... I''ve never been in love like this," he whispered, as he unbuttoned his shirt while softly kissing and biting Marion''s neck, "I thought about this for a while, under the snow, after I left last night. I realized that I don''t want to leave you, even if you tell me a hundred times to leave."


    Marion closed her eyes and savored Jean''s confession of love as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you too. Thank you for not leaving me ..."


    "I will never leave you," Jean whispered as he climbed into bed, fondled her, and finally lead their first lovemaking.

 Chapter 473 - Missing Aleksis So Badly

    For the past few months, the Schneider family home had been filled with sadness. Aleksis left them as soon as she woke up from her coma and no one had the chance to meet her after.


    Lauriel told Finland that Aleksis went berserk and blamed them for killing Alaric Rhionen, whom she claimed to be her husband. None of them had expected that Aleksis had such a deep relationship with the man.


    According to Marion, Lauriel could only conclude that they had been chasing after the wrong Alaric, and the real Alaric was the one they had shot at Targu Mures, whose body had fallen into a gorge.


    "He was very smart. He fooled us from the beginning by pretending to be someone else," Lauriel said with a long sigh. "I didn''t know their relationship was that deep. No wonder he so cruelly slaughtered the Black River gang for trying to kidnap Aleksis."


    "We would have done the same thing if we knew that Aleksis was targeted," Caspar confirmed. "This was actually a very bad misunderstanding ..."


    Jadeith clenched her hands and showed dissatisfaction, "But they are very dangerous. Kurt died in vain because of them. I wouldn''t want to see my cousin involved with someone like him."


    Caspar turned to his nephew and nodded tiredly, "I don''t really like it either, but he is dead now. I don''t want Aleksis to stay sad for too long."


    "I know Nicolae is working together with Aleksis to keep her out of our reach. He still won''t tell me where they are ..." Lauriel complained. "I''d love to meet Aleksis and apologize to her in person."


    Finland, whose tears had become dry, continued weeping over the fate of her daughter. She really missed Aleksis.


    "Aleksis has been gone for two months now, I am very worried ..." she burst into tears. Caspar hastily embraced his wife and stroked her back affectionately.


    "I believe Nicolae will look after Aleksis ... For how long is Aleksis planning to run away from home?"


    "Maybe, if we send one of her younger siblings, Aleksis would want to meet them?" Finland asked hopefully. "London and the Rune are missing Aleksis too."


    Aleksis'' parents were suffering greatly because their daughter did not want to meet them. Many times they had persuaded Nicolae to take them to Aleksis, but the young man always refused. He did not want to violate the trust Aleksis had given him.


    "I''ll try and contact Nicolae again," Lauriel said quietly. He took his cell phone and called Nicolae''s number.


    In the living room of his apartment in Bucharest, Nicolae was busy working on something on his tablet when his cellphone rang. Aleksis was sitting absentmindedly looking at the snow falling from the window.


    "Hello, Father," Nicolae said, glancing at Aleksis who looked at him attentively, obviously curious about Nicolae''s telephone conversation. "I''m fine, Aleksis is fine too. Sorry, I still can''t tell you more about our whereabouts. We still need time ..."


    Nicolae had made sure that his cell phone couldn''t be tracked even by the best technologists, and Lauriel, who tried in vain to trace it, had finally given up.


    "Hmm ... I haven''t seen you in two months either. You don''t miss your dad?" Lauriel complained. He finally gave up, because it was clear that Aleksis still did not want to meet him.


    Nicolae took a deep breath. He did miss his father, but he did not go home because he wanted to accompany Aleksis. He could not bear to leave the girl alone.


    "I miss you too, Dad, but I can''t go home right now," he finally said. "Later when I can go home, I will immediately find you. Possibly in the summer."


    "Summer? That''s still so long ..." Lauriel was really depressed. He really missed Aleksis and Nicolae but the two children didn''t want to go home.


    Slowly emptiness started to undermine his heart and memories of decades ago, when he no longer had a desire to live, returned. It felt as if what he was experiencing now was not much different from that time.


    After Nicolae hung up, Aleksis became sad to see Nicolae''s sad expression. She understood that Nicolae didn''t want to leave her alone, and that made her feel guilty.


    "You should go home and meet your father. He must really miss you," Aleksis said quietly.


    Nicolae shook his head and resumed his work. "I''ll go home when you go home."


    "You ...!" Aleksis bit her lip nervously. "Why are you acting so stupid?"


    "It''s okay, all right? I don''t want you to do anything stupid," Nicolae answered lightly.


    "What do you mean? Do you think I''m stupid for bothering you? Do you want me to leave?" said Aleksis in a trembling voice.


    "Princess, I do not consider you stupid, but I consider your actions, running away from home and not wanting to talk with your family, to be stupid and irresponsible." Nicolae placed his tablet aside and faced Aleksis, looking at her with serious eyes. "Naturally, if you are angry, you need time to calm down. What matters is how long will you keep your anger. If you put yourself on your parents'' side, what will you do?"


    "I''m not my parents ..." Aleksis said.


    "True, but you will soon become a parent. Imagine yourself in the position of a parent and think about your father and mother''s feelings. How would you feel if your beloved child would not meet you and blames you for an incident that was not entirely your fault?"


    Aleksis pursed her lips. She imagined her two children, who are currently still in her womb, all grown up, not willing to meet her again. She would definitely be very sad ...


    "They ... they caused Alaric''s death ..." Aleksis finally whispered, trying so hard to hold back her sobbing.


    "I know, and I''m sorry ... But if you want to be fair, it''s not entirely the fault of my father and Uncle Caspar," Nicolae reminded, "You must forgive them for they didn''t know. They didn''t know what your relationship with Alaric Rhionen was, because you never told them anything."


    Aleksis looked cornered. "I haven''t had the chance to tell them ... I was just delaying it, because I needed to find the right time so that your father and Dad can accept him."


    "I understand. He is not the ideal male figure your father and my father would like for you. Surely it is not easy to convey such things to them," commented Nicolae. "But still, you should respect your parents enough to tell them the truth."


    Aleksis finally buried her face in her hands and cried uncontrollably. During these two months, Nicolae had never talked about Alaric Rhionen. He also never mentioned anything about Aleksis'' decision to run away from home and her blaming their parents for Alaric''s death. But now, for the first time, Nicolae spoke bluntly to her about a topic that they had been avoiding.


    Aleksis did not want to accept the fact that she was guilty of the incident that had befallen Alaric and resulted in his death. If Aleksis had been open to her family, maybe they would not have wanted his death.


    Nicolae''s words today forced Aleksis to admit her own mistakes ...


    She was also responsible for Alaric''s death ... but cowardly she ran away and pointed all the blame on Lauriel and her father.


    "Ohh ... Nic ... I''ve been so mean ..." Aleksis cried bitterly, "I''m just as guilty ... but I put all the blame on Uncle Rory and my father ... I''m so bad ... They must be very sad because of what I had done to them these past few months ..."


    Nicolae did not answer. On the one hand, he was glad Aleksis had admitted her mistake, but on the other hand, he also didn''t want her to blame herself too much. He was afraid that Aleksis would lose her desire to live.


    As Caspar said, all of this was a very bad misunderstanding.


    "Your father and mother, and my father are missing you very much ... they have suffered dearly for the past two months worrying about you ..." Nicolae said quietly. "Please, see them ..."


    For a long time, Aleksis pondered with wet eyes before, finally, she nodded, "I ... I''ll go and meet them."


    A sweet smile grew on Nicolae''s face when Aleksis agreed.

 Chapter 474 - Forgiveness and Going Home

    Once Nicolae told Lauriel, Caspar, and Finland that Aleksis was willing to meet them, the three wasted no time and immediately headed to the young man''s house to meet Aleksis.


    "Aleksis!!!" As soon as the door was opened, Finland rushed to hug her daughter who had run away from home for two months. "I missed you so much ..."


    She had noticed Aleksis'' protruding belly, but Finland managed to calm herself down and did not mention it. She hugged Aleksis lovingly and stroked her daughter''s hair.


    "Mommy ..." Aleksis could only cry without tears on her mother''s shoulder. Her tears have dried because she had been crying for the past two months.


    Caspar and Lauriel who entered after Finland could only stand motionless. They quickly figured out that Aleksis was pregnant, and they didn''t know what to do or how to act.


    Nicolae just shook his head softly and signalled the two men not to say anything that would make Aleksis sad. Lauriel looked at his son deeply and sighed.


    He knew how much Nicolae liked Aleksis, he had been protecting and shielding her all this while. Lauriel realized that Nicolae had fallen in love with the girl.


    It was a pity Aleksis had married someone else and was now pregnant with his child ...


    Finally, they let Aleksis and Finland cry until they couldn''t cry anymore, then Caspar and Lauriel got their turn to hug Aleksis.


    When Lauriel approached Aleksis to give her a hug, she was initially a little hesitant to return his hug ... There was anger still burning in her chest ...


    But when she looked at Lauriel''s grief-filled eyes, the anger in Aleksis''s heart was swept away by a very cold wind and she finally hugged Lauriel back.


    Yes ... she could now admit that all of this was her own fault ... She shouldn''t have put all the blame on Lauriel. Lauriel was her godfather who loved her so much, and she was sure that all his decisions were made to ensure her happiness ...


    Eighteen years ago when Aleksis was poisoned by bad-hearted people, Lauriel was even willing to die to neutralize the poison.


    During the 20 years of her life, Aleksis had been receiving Lauriel''s abundant affection and he had never stopped spoiling her. Of course Aleksis'' sadness was his sadness too ... so Lauriel was probably in as much grief as she was.


    Aleksis could not look at his blue and green eyes that were covered with sadness ...


    Suddenly Aleksis was afraid that Lauriel would lose his desire to live and decide to take Death.


    She hugged Lauriel even tighter.


    "Forgive me for leaving, Uncle Rory ... I just needed time to calm down ..." Aleksis kissed Lauriel''s cheeks and wiped the tears that began to wet her godfather''s eyes. She realized how Lauriel was also devastated by everything that had happened. "Please forgive me ..."


    Lauriel just nodded; he was speechless. Everyone was then quiet, occupied with their own thoughts.


    Nicolae, who was full of understanding, made hot drinks for everyone and they sat together while enjoying tea. Slowly, conversations started to surface and the ice started to break.


    "We have news from Rhionen Industries ..."


    The five were surprised that the TV had turned on suddenly and mentioned Rhionen Industries.


    Nicolae had set a notification system so that the TV would turn on automatically when there was news about several topics that he was researching, and he had forgotten to turn it off. For the past few years, he had been investigating Rhionen Industries and had arranged for all of his TVs and computers to provide him with the news whenever it came up.


    He even moved to Singapore and disguised himself as a student so he could enter the new Rhionen Industries office. During the past two months, after he returned to Bucharest, there had been no news about them so Nicolae forgot that he had installed this automatic settings.


    Now, out of the blue, at such an imprecise time, the TV turned on and delivered news about Rhionen Industries, in front of his father and Aleksis.


    Nicolae hurriedly looked for the remote to turn off the TV, but Aleksis held her hand and stopped him. The girl''s eyes were fixed on the TV screen on the wall and her tears started flowing again as she saw the familiar faces on the screen.


    "Rhionen Industries finally announced that the four children of Mr. Alaric Rhionen will replace him and take over the company group after a single accident that resulted in his death two months ago. All heirs to one of the largest corporate groups in Europe will lead a different division and they will reside in four branch companies, namely in Romania, in China, Singapore, and in the UK. Mischa Rhionen, Takeshi Rhionen, Kai Rhionen, and Rosalien Rhionen Mr. Rhionen''s children who had been living in low profile and only appeared to the public this week. The public is very interested in this family because the Rhionen family is known for their privacy and never appeared in public. Many people are surprised by the news, because they never knew who the Rhionen Industries owners are, until the death of the patriarch."


    Lauriel was surprised to see the four familiar faces. Apparently the four assassins were Alaric Rhionen''s children and now they were taking over the company.


    "I didn''t know Alaric Rhionen had children," Caspar said subconsciously. He had heard long heard about Rhionen Industries but even he did not know much about the man who owned it, until finally they fought over Aleksis.


    "They are his foster children," Aleksis answered without taking his eyes off the screen. "He loved them very much. I know Mischa and Takeshi, but I have never met the other two."


    "Oh ... foster children," Caspar nodded, "No wonder they don''t look alike."


    Caspar wanted to say that Alaric Rhionen was probably a playboy because his children were of different nationalities, and so he had wives of different races. Aleksis'' explanation made him a little relieved.


    "Yes, he was a very good person, he adopted the children from broken families and raised them as his own ..." Aleksis said while biting her lip. She was very sad because Alaric would not be able to see and care for his biological children in her womb. The thought made her chest feel very tight. "I''m pregnant with Alaric''s biological children."


    Finland hugged her daughter again and wiped Aleksis'' tears that almost fell, "It''s okay, Sweetheart. Mama is here ... we will take care and raise your child together ..."


    "Children?" Caspar asked in puzzlement. He looked at Nicolae in surprise.


    "Uhm ... Aleksis is carrying twins," Nicolae said quietly.


    "Oh ..." Caspar and Lauriel exchanged glances. Their faces looked very happy. This was shocking news, but they were very happy to learn that Aleksis was pregnant. This meant that they would soon become grandfathers!


    "My family has no history of twins," Caspar whispered. "I don''t think anyone in Finland''s family had twins either ..."


    "My two deceased siblings were twins," Lauriel replied, "But I''m only Aleksis'' godfather, we are not blood related."


    They could only stare at the TV and assumed that Aleksis was carrying twin babies because her husband had twin genes in his family.


    Caspar and Lauriel sighed at the whole situation.


    When everyone was not paying attention, Nicolae quietly turned off the TV and immediately canceled all notifications.


    This should not happen again, he thought.


    "All right ... then ... let''s go home now, Honey. Let Mummy help take care of you so that you stay healthy and your pregnancy can go smoothly. I want my grandchildren to be born healthy and happy," Finland coaxed Aleksis.


    She never imagined that she would become a grandmother at the tender age of 45. Seeing Aleksis in such condition, her heart felt devastated. But for the sake of her daughter, she tried to hide her sadness and remain calm. Aleksis was already depressed enough after losing Alaric, she thought.


    Finally Aleksis nodded slowly. Finland immediately hugged her and wasted no time in helping her daughter stand and get ready to go home.


    "Thank you for everything, Nic ..." Aleksis hugged Nicolae before she followed her mother out of Nicolae''s apartment. "Sorry, I am always troubling you."


    "You NEVER once trouble me," Nicolae replied, "I''ll come and visit you in a few days. You''ll be fine at home..."


    "Take it easy, she will be fine, I''m a doctor. I''ll make sure Aleksis stay healthy," Caspar said quickly. He patted Nicolae on the shoulder and followed his wife and daughter out while ordering his staff to bring Aleksis'' belongings.


    Lauriel, who came out last hugged Nicolae and looked at him for a long time, before he finally left. He missed his child, but now it was more important for him to accompany Aleksis because she was in a very fragile state.


    Nicolae understood the meaning behind his father''s gaze. He knew that Lauriel was sympathetic to him for the fact that the girl he loved was married to someone else and would soon give birth to his children.


    After they had left, Nicolae closed the door and sat on his couch with a listless body. He had been feeling immense sadness these past two months but never showed it in front of Aleksis. He did not want her to be burdened by his sadness, so in front of everyone Nicolae acted as if there was nothing wrong.


    He subconsciously buried his face in his hands. He had promised to visit Aleksis, but for a fact Nicolae knew that he would never be able to meet Aleksis again.

 Chapter 475 - I Am Not Joking, Marion!

    "Do you still want the hangover soup?" whispered Jean, hugging Marion who laid limply on his chest. The girl just smiled shyly as she shook her head.


    The headache she had felt earlier this morning when she woke up had disappeared. They had made love several times they were both exhausted. Exhausted ... but happy. Maybe the dopamine hormone produced by their brains during their sexual intercourse drove away all the pain in Marion''s head and also her sadness.


    She couldn''t describe her feelings right now. She felt that there was nothing more important in the world for her than Jean and that there was no place she wanted more than in his arms.


    Marion realized she had never felt like this before. For the first time in her life, she was sure that she was truly in love. Her admiration for Lauriel before was not comparable with her overflowing feelings for Jean right now.


    The man treated her like a princess. His every single touch on her body carried an electric vibe that made Marion high in euphoria. His kisses were intoxicating and his scent drove her crazy.


    Marion continued to smile as her she moaned and called Jean''s name when he entered her gently and made love to her as she had never experienced before, bringing them to heaven together in continuous orgasms, one after another.


    This man was not just a great lover in movies, Marion thought, looking at the man who had been exploring her body so expertly, he was also a perfect lover in the real world. He had a kind heart, he loved animals, he was a true gentleman, he was very romantic, and he was great in bed.


    Marion felt very lucky.


    "It''s late now, don''t you want to get up to eat or something?" Marion asked him.


    "Gosh ... we forgot to feed the kids," Jean exclaimed. He and Marion looked at each other. Both were too busy with their lovemaking that they forgot to feed Marion''s five dogs as they were also not fed that morning. Both of them hurriedly wore their robes then walked out of the room.


    The five dogs welcomed them at the door with their tails wagging, not looking hungry. How come...?


    Marion saw a note on the living room table and she blushed when she read Alicia''s handwritten note.


    [I fed the dogs and took them out for a walk. I didn''t want to bother you guys. I know you are both very busy.]


    Jean just laughed at Alicia''s message and kissed Marion without feeling guilty, "You have to give her a bonus."


    "Ish ... you!" Marion was very embarrassed when she thought about the fact that Alicia knew that she and Jean had shut themselves in the bedroom all day to make love. She did not know if she would have the face to see Alicia again.


    "Don''t worry about it, she will get used to it, these kids will get used to it too ..." Jean shrugged. "I have decided to buy your neighbor''s house and move to this neighborhood."


    Marion pursed her lips, trying to say something, but she held back.


    Jean, who noticed Marion''s slight reluctance, became somewhat curious. He wanted to know what she really wanted to say. "Why? Don''t like me being your neighbor?"


    Marion shook her head.


    "It is not that ..."


    "What then?" Jean asked.


    "Uhm ... I mean ... you''ve lived here for two months," Marion answered in a small voice.


    "Yes, precisely for that reason, I don''t want to be a guest any longer ... I''m afraid I''m invading your personal space," Jean said. He knew what Marion wanted to say, but he wanted to hear her say it herself.


    "Your presence is not at all bother..." Marion fell silent. She wanted to offer Jean to move into her house, so he did not need to buy the neighbor''s house. But then she remembered that Jean had never lived together with a woman before, not even with Billie, though they had been together for over 15 years.


    "Are you sure this is okay? As far as I can remember, for the past two months, every time we talked, you are always trying to kick me out of this house," Jean said pretending to look like he had been wronged.


    "Ish ..." Marion could only hit the man''s shoulder and stomp her feet. "Whatever you say!"


    Jean just smiled broadly. He also felt comfortable living in Marion''s house these past two months. He was used to the beautiful and comfortable surroundings. He was also accustomed to Marion''s five adorable dogs and naturally accustomed to seeing Marion every day as he delivered food to her room.


    Today the way was opened for them to become lovers. He had confessed his love for her and Marion welcomed him with the same feelings.


    Their bodies were united in a beautiful physical union and their lovemaking was electric. Jean had never felt this close to any woman before, not even to Billie who was with him for over 15 years. Not only did Jean and Marion have similar appearances, but their personalities also complemented each other.


    For the first time in his life, Jean felt that he didn''t need anyone else in this world aside from this beautiful woman who was now pouting in front of him.


    "Marion ..." Jean said in a very serious voice.


    "What?" Marion asked, still pouting.


    "Marry me." Jean looked at Marion, who stood glued in front of him, not believing her own hearing.


    SLAP!!


    "What did you say?" Marion involuntarily slapped Jean in surprise.


    Jean who was just slapped by Marion widened his eyes in surprise. His cheeks felt no pain but he was surprised because Marion slapped him for no reason.


    "If you don''t want to marry me... you can just say no. There''s no need for you to slap me." Jean protested.


    Marion was quiet, shocked by her own actions. She hurriedly stroked Jean''s cheek which she had just slapped and she shook her head in panic.


    "Gosh ... I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to slap you. I panicked ... I don''t like being pranked like that ... Ouch ... does it hurt?" Marion repeatedly apologized. "Here, let me blow some air on it ... so that the pain lessens."


    Jean took Marion''s hand and pushed the girl into the wall. He deftly held Marion''s hands above her head with his right hand, while his left hand held Marion''s shoulders.


    "Ah ... what''s wrong with you? I''ve already apologized!" hissed Marion.


    "Why did you slap me?" Jean asked in a very serious tone. He looked at Marion so closely that the girl lowered her gaze.


    "I ... you surprised me. If you are playing a prank on me, don''t go too far, please ..." Marion protested.


    "Who''s playing a prank on you? Look at my eyes and tell me whether or not I am being serious right now ..." Jean said in a very serious tone.


    "Of course you''re not serious. How can someone like you propose to someone ..." Marion snorted, trying to get away, but for some reason, her strength wasn''t enough to escape Jean''s grip.


    "If you will marry me, I will move in," Jean said firmly. "If you don''t want to marry me, I''ll leave this place."


    He touched Marion''s chin and made her look at him. "I''m not joking, Marion. This is not a prank ..."

 Chapter 476 - FIVE YEARS LATER

    For a long time, Marion could only stare at Jean with her glaring eyes. She really could not assess whether or not Jean was being serious. Jean did look dead serious. His voice also sounded serious.


    But then ...


    Jean once told Marion that he was very afraid of marriage and having children due to trauma caused by the divorce of his parents.


    He even broke up with Billie because he did not want to get married while Billie wanted to get married and build a family.


    Ahh ... was it possible that Jean had changed?


    After all, this might be because Jean had become comfortable with Marion''s presence, plus she was very casual about marriage and children. Jean had Terry in his life, and with Marion and her five dogs, it was enough.


    "I don''t like to be kept on a string, you have to give me an answer right away," Jean insisted.


    Gosh ... this guy was so annoying, Marion thought. Hadn''t Jean kept his relationship with Billie on a string for over 15 years? Why was he forcing Marion to give an answer as soon as possible?


    "Why are you in such a hurry for an answer?" grumbled Marion "Will you die if you can''t get the answer now?"


    She looked at Jean, challenging him, "I don''t want to just say yes. You may change your mind tomorrow. Maybe you are now feeling euphoria because we just had sex, so your judgment is clouded."


    Yes, even though Marion really liked Jean ...


    No ...


    Even though Marion was in love with Jean, she didn''t want her common sense to be blurred by Jean''s sudden proposal.


    She knew very well that Jean was not interested in getting married ... it was too much of a surprise that he suddenly proposed to Marion after they slept together.


    Jean let go of Marion''s hands and sighed in disappointment.


    "You don''t believe me, do you?" he shook his head sadly. "I know I have a bad reputation because of my past relationship with Billie."


    "That''s not it ..." Marion felt guilty, "I just want you to feel really sure of what you want. I suggest you go and think things through. I don''t mind us living together first before considering the next step. You know that I''m not in a hurry, I am an Alchemist and we are never in a hurry to do anything. I just don''t want you to be ashamed for saying something you didn''t mean."


    Jean nodded. "I understand."


    He let go of Marion and walked into the guest room to change clothes and get his bag. Marion could only stare at his departure.


    What had just happened?


    Jean just proposed to her a minute ago. Marion only wanted him to think carefully about his proposal and be sure with his feelings, but now it seemed that Jean was going to leave ...


    Gosh ... so annoying.


    This sucks!


    Jean came out of the guest room carrying his bag and traveling clothes and his winter coats. He hugged Marion briefly and kissed her forehead.


    "I''ll go and think carefully about what I want. You''re right, I shouldn''t speak so carelessly," he said in an apologetic voice.


    Marion bit her lip and watched Jean''s departure.


    ***


    FIVE YEARS LATER


    .


    Marion woke up in the morning with the usual headache. She was drinking wine all night with Alicia and now she had to bear the consequences. Geez ... she cursed herself for never learning from experience.


    Her tolerance level for alcoholic drinks was only two glasses, but every time she went out to have fun with Alicia, she would go too far and drink a few more glasses.


    Of course, she didn''t go out drinking often, so she usually took advantage of such opportunities. She had to be very careful about her behavior at home, because ...


    "Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh ... !!"


    Marion hurriedly jumped out of bed and ran towards the screaming sound. She almost bumped into Jean, who was also running towards the backyard from the kitchen. The man was wearing an apron and from his body, Marion could smell the delicious hangover soup.


    "What''s wrong with our Little Monkey?" Marion asked her husband who looked very worried. Jean just shook his head, not providing an answer.


    Marion''s question was immediately answered when they arrived in the backyard and found a very adorable curly-haired little girl hanging on a tree branch in her overalls. The little girl looked flailing trying to climb back to the branch she had just fallen off.


    "Gosh, Jean-Marie ... are you climbing the tree again?" Jean exclaimed in disbelief. He turned to Marion, frowning, "I told you to cut the tree."


    "Aishhh ... you! Global warming is caused by people like you whose hobbies are cutting trees," Marion replied sharply. "You should be teaching Little Monkey not to climb trees without adult supervision."


    "Get me a ladder," Jean said, trying to reach for his daughter who was reaching for his hand.


    Half-grumbling, Marion took the triangle ladder from the shed and placed it next to Jean. The man deftly positioned the ladder and climbed up to grab Jean-Marie. He carefully lifted the little girl''s body from the branch and brought her down.


    "Thank you, Father ..." Jean-Marie, who was usually referred to as Little Monkey by her mother, kissed her father''s cheeks gratefully. Of course Jean could not bear to scold this cute little monkey and so he only shook his head.


    Jean carried Jean-Marie on his shoulders and walked back into the kitchen. He then reminded Marion that hangover soup was ready for her to eat.


    "Drink the soup first so that your headache disappears," he said, kissing Marion''s lips and disappearing with his child. Marion could only sigh.


    A smile etched on her lips as she walked behind them into the kitchen.


    It was true that life at home kept her busy, and the opportunity to drink outside with Alicia felt like a pleasant release. She sometimes entertained herself by drinking alcohol, but she would not want to trade what she had now with anything. She had a very happy life.


    Jean always gave her the freedom to have fun and find the time to calm herself down. Sometimes, he would take Marion on a date, just the two of them, leaving the Little Monkey in the care of Alicia.


    Whenever Marion came home from drinking too much, her husband would faithfully prepare a very good hangover soup for her every morning, and he would take care of Little Monkey all day until Marion''s headache disappeared.


    "Thank you," Marion whispered into Jean''s ear after she finished her soup and her head felt light and happy again.


    Jean just nodded and kissed her. "Of course, Honey."


    He ruffled Marion''s hair and left, taking Little Monkey to her room. "You''re so dirty, now you have to take a bath again ¡­ for the third time ... Oh gosh."


    Jean-Marie laughed cutely while trying to escape from her father''s hands.


    Marion only looked at the two with overflowing happiness. Five years ago, when she had asked Jean to leave and think about his proposal, Jean did leave and he didn''t return for months.


    Marion almost thought that Jean wasn''t serious about what he had said. But Jean returned in the summer and again confessed his love, and again asked Marion to marry him. He had spent several months trying to understand what he really wanted, and he was now sure that he wanted Marion in his life, forever.


    They married at the end of the summer and Jean-Marie was born a year later. Until now, Marion still avoided meeting other Alchemists. They were not married by Caspar, the clan leader, but rather had a conventional wedding at a local chapel.


    Jean repeatedly tried to soften Marion''s heart and meet with Lauriel, but the trauma of the incident five years ago left a deep impression in Marion''s heart. Jean could only wait and hope that someday Marion would recover and want to meet with her friends again.


    Right now, their life together with Jean-Marie was enough to make her happy.

 Chapter 477 - The Birthday Party

    The atmosphere at the Medici Castle that afternoon was very lively. Dozens of waiters paced around and carried drinks to the party guests who were enjoying the festive event.


    Of course, this event could be considered very special, because the owner of the famous Medici Castle,  who was known to be very reclusive and did not like the crowd, insisted on holding a lively party by inviting the people close to him.


    Caspar and Finland, who had just arrived with London and Rune, immediately approached the host and updated each other about their news. They haven''t seen each other for a few months.


    "You''ve really changed," Caspar said, hugging Lauriel, and touching their foreheads. "No one would have thought that one day there would be a party thrown at the Medici Castle."


    "Well ... this place has been quiet for too long," Lauriel replied with a smile. "But today is a special day, my son is celebrating his 100th birthday. Not every day you can celebrate for turning a century, right?"


    Caspar nodded. He looked around, "So, Nicolae will finally come home? How long has he been gone?"


    Lauriel sighed, "It''s been over five years ... I guess he really needed time to find himself."


    Caspar knew what Lauriel meant. Nicolae was heartbroken because the girl he loved was married and had children with another man. After making sure that Aleksis had returned to her family home and was in good condition, Nicolae decided to withdraw and not return for many years.


    He still faithfully updated his father on his whereabouts, but he still did not want to come home and chose to travel alone around the world. Lauriel could only wait patiently.


    This year, Nicolae would turn 100 and Lauriel thought this to be a good opportunity to persuade Nicolae to come home since his father had arranged a festive birthday party for him.


    Finally, Nicolae relented. He knew Lauriel did not like crowds, so if his father organized a party for his sake, he had to respect his father''s good intentions and come home. He realized, of course, that Lauriel missed him a lot.


    Lauriel deliberately invited all Alchemist families, especially those who had beautiful and single girls in the house. He never expected that the time would come when he had to use this dirty trick to get his son a partner.


    Lauriel remembered the party of 200 years ago when he first met Princess Luna. The girl''s parents deliberately held a very lively party and invited all single Alchemist men to come, hoping that Luna would be attracted to one of them.


    Luna was indeed attracted to one of the party guests - Lauriel, who came with four of his men. She even ran away from home disguised as a man to follow Lauriel''s crew on adventures around the world.


    Well ... it didn''t hurt to try, did it? Who knows, maybe one of these girls would capture Nicolae''s attention, Lauriel thought. He hoped that his son''s broken heart had somewhat recovered and he returned home with a new heart that could open up to other girls.


    "Uncle Rory, when will Nicolae arrive?"


    Lauriel''s reverie was moved when he heard Aleksis'' sweet voice greeting him. The girl had been helping him with the party decorations and the staff so that everything went on smoothly.


    Aleksis was now almost 26 years old and was extraordinarily beautiful. Gosh, he really prayed that when Nicolae saw Aleksis again, his heart wouldn''t bleed all over again.


    Aleksis was indeed the perfect girl. She was very beautiful, very intelligent, and her presence always brought happiness to everyone around her. Outsiders would think that the girl was still 20 years old and would not guess that she had two very adorable children.


    The two children were very similar to each other and if they wore similar clothes, people would think their eyes were playing tricks on them and seeing double.


    As usual, Altair and Vega followed their mother everywhere. Wherever Aleksis went, Altair and Vega would follow. This time they weren''t wearing the same clothes so Lauriel could distinguish which one was Altair and which one was Vega.


    Although Altair was a boy, his beautiful platinum-blonde hair grew to his shoulders. He liked to wear brightly colored clothes and at first glance, people would think he was a girl, just like his twin sister Vega.


    The two children did not look like Aleksis at all. Both had pale skin and beautiful faces with fine lines that made them look gentle. They had large dark blue eyes and long platinum blonde hair.


    "Uncle?" asked Aleksis once more.


    Lauriel realized he hadn''t answered Aleksis'' question yet. He just shook his head, "I don''t know. Hopefully, he comes home before the party is over. Otherwise, this party will be in vain."


    "Hahahaha ..." Aleksis laughed at Lauriel''s answer. "Hopefully ..."


    Aleksis then stood beside Lauriel and surveyed her surroundings. "Will you also announce Nicolae as your son? I see a lot of beautiful girls here at the party."


    Lauriel turned and smiled at Aleksis, who seemed to understand very well why Lauriel invited so many single and beautiful girls.


    "That''s right. I think it''s time." He leaned his chin toward Caspar who fetched drinks for his wife and asked, "When will your father announce you? He can''t keep on hiding his children from the outside world, can he?"


    Aleksis shrugged, "I don''t know ... Dad is still overprotective, even though we''re all grown up. London is now 23 years old and will soon help him at the company. Rune is 21 years old and he has successfully created his first machine. I don''t know why he is so worried about us."


    "That''s because he loves you all too much," Lauriel said with a smile. "Maybe he will introduce you to the clan when you are 100 years old. Hehehe ...."


    Aleksis almost spouted her drink at Lauriel''s words. "Gosh ... 100 years? That is such a long time."


    "Yes, you can''t blame your father for being overprotective. You know for yourself what has happened to you all this time?" Lauriel said softly. Aleksis could only sigh.


    She realized that she always made her father worry. Since she was a child, Aleksis had been on the verge of death several times. When she was two years old, she was nearly poisoned by Alexei, her father''s enemy; when she was 12 years old, she was kidnapped by human traffickers; when she was 20 years old, she was nearly killed by Rosemary and fell into a coma after she fainted.


    No wonder Caspar kept a close eye on Aleksis.

 Chapter 478 - Terry and Nic (1)

    Since Aleksis returned home almost 6 years ago, she had spent most of her time at the Schneider family castle in Germany. Caspar was still taking care of his business and shared his time between Berlin and New York.


    Finally, for the past 3 years, he was able to relax as Terry was finally able to help him at the company. After graduating from college and working alongside Caspar in the Schneider Group, Terry slowly positioned himself in the company.


    He quickly became the right hand of his stepfather and he was in charge of the regional headquarters in New York. At the age of 29, he became one of the most famous eligible bachelors in New York and many celebrities and rich family daughters wanted to be his girlfriend.


    Added with the fact that Terry was also the son of the famous movie star Jean Pierre Wang who died in a skiing accident a few years ago (that was how Jean fake his death), he became even more adored and was considered an icon among New York''s upper classes.


    His busy life meant that Terry did not have time to date but he still took the time to visit his family every few months and travel once a year.


    He was his father''s best man when he married Marion. He was also there to calm his panicked father when experiencing the birth of his first child with Marion.


    "Aren''t you too old for ... you know ... panic attacks?" Terry teased his father at that time. Jean only glared at Terry''s lack of sympathy for panicking when he saw Marion screaming in pain in the delivery room.


    The doctors and nurses who heard their conversation frowned in puzzlement. They could not understand why the two young men, who seemed to be the same age, behaved like father and son.


    Terry and Jean covered their faces with their scarves and glasses so that people would not recognize them, but people could guess that they were still young and so everyone in the hospital assumed they were friends or siblings.


    "Don''t call me father in public," Jean hissed when he noticed the strange glances thrown by the people around them. Terry just laughed lightly.


    He was very happy to see his father happy. After decades of searching for love, Jean finally gave his heart to Marion, an amazing Alchemist who filled his days with happiness and joy. She was even able to help him overcome his trauma of marriage and his reluctance to have children. Now Jean was living happily with his wife and their naughty little monkey.


    Upon seeing the happiness of his father and Marion, and how adorable their daughter was, Terry sometimes became a little jealous. He quietly asked himself whether he too would be able to love a woman like his father loved Marion ... or his mother loved Caspar, or even like his sister Aleksis loved Alaric, though her love had ended in tragedy.


    There were so many beautiful girls around him all the time ready to throw themselves to him, but he was afraid to try or play around, given what had happened with Rosemary. He had set his heart, that he would only engage in a serious relationship when he found a girl who could captivate him.


    Until now, there was not a single girl who interested him.


    The invitation to Nicolae''s birthday party was sent to his office six months ago. When he saw the simple yet elegant invitation, Terry realized that he had not spent time with his extended family for a long time. Certainly, it would be a great opportunity to meet everyone, he thought.


    He hurriedly sent an email to Nicolae asking him for his whereabouts.


    [I''m in Japan. I''ve been here for three months. Why?] Nicolae replied . [When will you go on another vacation? Come to Japan, come ¡­ come!]


    [Do you know that your father is throwing a party to celebrate your 100th birthday?] Terry asked.


    [WHAT???]


    Terry could only massage his forehead. Apparently Nicolae was not aware that his father missed him so much that he shamelessly held a birthday party for Nic and invited everyone close to him to attend the party.


    [Oh, apparently you didn''t know.]


    Terry knew that the invitations to Alchemists events were usually sent out way in advance to ensure that the people could set aside the time to come. In the past, invitation was distributed several years before the event, but in the more modern times, six months was usually considered adequate.


    However, Terry didn''t expect that Lauriel didn''t tell his own son, the star of the party, that he was arranging a party for him.


    [Where is the party going to be held?] Finally, Nicolae gave up. He could not bear not to come to a party that was held for him.


    [At the Medici family castle, on your birthday.]


    [August 1?]


    [Yes. I plan to take a vacation at the end of July. I can go around with you first, then we can come together to your party. What do you think?]


    Terry always took time off work once a year for a vacation, and for the past four years, he had always made time to visit Nicolae wherever the young man was. Last year Nicolae was in Chile, and this year he was apparently in Japan.


    [Alright, if you come, I''ll come too. I don''t like going to parties if there isn''t anyone I know.]  complained Nicolae. [At the end of July I plan to venture to Mongolia. Do you want to come along?]


    [What''s in Mongolia?]


    [You have internet, find out for yourself what''s in Mongolia, you lazy brat!]


    After digging for the details of the party, Nicolae found out that this was the first time his father held such a big party. He knew that Lauriel intended to announce Nicolae as his son, heir to the Medici family.


    There would definitely be a lot of people he didn''t know. He would feel less awkward if he came with his best friend, Terry.


    As Nicolae had expected, his father told him about the party only a week before the event so that Nicolae could not refuse on the grounds: ''everyone has made an RSVP to come, so wouldn''t it be nice if the birthday boy could be here ...?''.


    [Alright Dad, I''ll come.] Nicolae typed a reply to Lauriel as he tidied up his bag.


    Terry was waiting for him in the car. They were on vacation in Mongolia and were currently on a road trip through the Gobi desert. In just two days, they had learned to learn to call eagles from the natives. Like true adventurers, they stayed in tents typical of the nomadic Mongolian family.


    After completing their adventure in Mongolia, they planned to fly to Italy to attend Nicolae''s party together.

 Chapter 479 - Terry and Nic (2)

    The long-awaited day arrived. Because the charter plane they ordered couldn''t fly due to the sandstorm, Nicolae and Terry were forced to drive to the nearest airport yet still missed their flight to Italy.


    "Are there no empty planes that we can book to go to Rome?" Terry asked the check-in clerk who refused to let them board the plane that had just departed earlier.


    "You mean an empty seat?" the officer asked, confirming Terry''s words. "Uhmm ... the next flight to Rome leaves tomorrow afternoon."


    Terry shook his head impatiently. "An empty plane, I want to order one to take us to Rome."


    Nicolae just laughed at the clerk''s confused look. The girl must have thought the young man in front of her was crazy because he wanted to book an empty plane.


    Terry had no other choice because they couldn''t ask for a private plane to be sent to Ulaan Bator from Europe or the United States. The distance was just too great that when the plane arrived, they would be too late to come to the important party that Lauriel had painstakingly organized.


    The clerk looked stunned and speechless for some time until Terry forced her to call her manager.


    "What''s the matter, Sir?" asked the operational manager with a frown. He did not understand why these two rather shabby-looking young men called out to him while his staff stood still.


    "We missed the flight to Rome, and we had to attend a very important event. We could not fly to another city first and then continue to Rome. I want to book one of your planes to take us there. Is there one available?"


    It was the manager''s turn to be stunned upon hearing the request of this strange and handsome young man. At first glance, Terry and Nicolae looked like students going on backpacking vacations in Mongolia.


    Both of their clothes were rather worn out because they had to cross the desert in a jeep to reach the airport due to the delay in the chartered plane they booked. They didn''t look like rich people who could book a private plane.


    Eventually, Terry was forced to take out his business card and make both the manager and the check-in clerk widen their eyes in surprise.


    Terrence Chan - VP of Schneider Group.


    Someone this young was the vice president of the giant corporation group? Was this for real???


    After making a phone call to confirm everything, the manager hurriedly guided Terry and Nicolae to the VVIP waiting room and prepared their drinks himself.


    "Uhmm ... there are currently no empty planes, Sir. But there is a plane heading to Paris in two hours. We will ask the pilot to fly directly to Rome and take you there. After you land, the plane can then proceed to its original destination. What do you think? "


    Terry nodded. "It''s OK, but will the passengers come with us to Rome? Won''t they protest then?"


    "Don''t worry, Sir. We explained to them there is an emergency situation so the plane had to make a stop in Rome."


    "All right, you can charge everything to my assistant, Lee." Terry handed his assistant''s business card to the manager.


    "Oh ... it''s okay, sir. We will only charge the airport fees to you, for the landing in Rome. As for the rest, just think of it as a gift from us to the Schneider Group."


    Smiling sweetly, the manager resigned from the lounge.


    Nicolae smacked Terry on the shoulder while laughing, "Gosh ... you''re a big man now, huh ..."


    "Hey, if I didn''t do that, we won''t arrive on time for your own birthday party, okay..." Terry said angrily. "I told you not to delay the booking of the flights because the weather in Mongolia is unpredictable. Because of you, I almost got us a private plane for 300 passengers and lost a month''s worth of salary at that."


    "All right, dear VP. I''ll listen to your words," Nicolae responded with a laugh.


    "By the way, later in Rome we have to buy new clothes," Terry commented, looking at Nicolae from head to toe with eyes like a fashion editor who was disappointed upon seeing how a country bumpkin looked like, "Uncle Lauriel would hate me if he knew I took you home looking like a tramp."


    Nicolae agreed that this time their adventure made both of them look miserable and pathetic. He just laughed while hitting Terry''s shoulder. "Apparently, you need a mirror!"


    "Hey ... I don''t have to look handsome, but you do. Don''t you know Uncle Lauriel invited many beautiful girls to your party to find you a match?"


    Nicolae spat some of the wine he was drinking into Terry''s face in surprise.


    He did not think his father would go that far.


    "Wait .. what did you say ???"


    "Oops ..." Terry pretended to have forgotten that he had just blurted out to Nicolae that Lauriel was actually throwing him a birthday party to find him a match. He wiped his face with a handkerchief. Terry had heard from Aleksis about the impressive invitation list. So many beautiful girls are coming ... This should have been a surprise to Nicolae.


    But as usual, Terry and his big mouth messed up the situation.


    "Dad has gone too far. He thinks I can''t find my own girlfriend?" Nicolae complained.


    "Uhm ... I don''t think that''s the issue, Nic," Terry said earnestly, "Uncle Lauriel is afraid you''re still heartbroken because of my sister. He just wants you to feel happy when you come to the party."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae finally understood.


    "Are you still heartbroken?" Terry asked him attentively.


    Nicolae did not reply. He immediately remembered the beautiful girl with blue and green eyes who had always filled his heart. He loved the girl and was willing to do anything for her. But alas, he was too late, Aleksis had fallen in love with another man, married him and now had two children from him.


    Nicolae went away to heal his heart, and for nearly six years he had gone on adventures around the world to keep himself busy. He tried not to look at any news about Aleksis at all. As long as there was no bad news about her, he knew the girl was fine.


    But was his broken heart now healed? He himself did not know.


    Two hours later, they finally boarded a plane for Paris which first headed to Rome. During the trip, Terry felt comfortable sleeping on his first-class seat. On the other hand, Nicolae fretted about how he should behave once he saw Aleksis at his birthday party. The girl would definitely come because she was Lauriel''s favorite child.


    And she must be coming to the party with her children. Nicolae did not know whether he would be able to look at the two children of the man who had taken Aleksis from him.


    Gosh ...


    "Go to sleep ... You have no one to blame if later at the party the girls run away from you thinking you are a vampire after seeing you with those eyebags," snorted Terry before turning to another side and going back to sleep.


    "Vampire? I don''t mind." Nicolae snapped at Terry, but in the end, he forced himself to sleep too.

 Chapter 480 - Stupid Nicolae!

    The passengers in the plane that Terry and Nicolae had boarded never knew that they were transiting for an hour in Rome just to take the two young men to Italy before continuing their journey to Paris.


    The flight attendants who served both of them on the journey gossiped about the two mysterious young men. They had no idea who exactly they were, but because of these two special passengers in the first-class cabin, they were to transit in Rome instead of directly flying to Paris. They were certainly not backpackers like what they appeared to be.


    Their good looks also made the flight attendants kept making excuses just so they could pass by their aisles. When the two mysterious passengers got off, the atmosphere in the plane became very boring for the flight attendants.


    Terry and Nicolae rushed to buy new clothes at a  fashion shop at the airport and half an hour later they transformed into two young masters from the upper-class families.


    Terry, who liked to appear neat and expensive, wore an expensive gray suit with leather shoes; while Nicolae still liked to look casual with a dress shirt, jeans, and boots. As usual, he carelessly tied his hair with a blue ribbon.


    To save time, the two directly ordered a private helicopter and flew to Medici Castle in Grosetto, so they could arrive there before the party was over.


    In the magnificent Medici Castle, there were already many guests who looked young and good-looking. And Lauriel was almost going crazy because it was almost 9 pm and his son still hadn''t shown up. He tried to reach Nicolae through his phone but his call was not picked up.


    "The party is about to end... Is he really not coming?" Lauriel complained to Aleksis. The plan was, he would end the party at 10 pm, by sunset. In summer, the sun sets late in the evening.


    The atmosphere in the garden party held by Lauriel was lively as there were musical performances and many young people were dancing to the tune happily. The sun that had begun to gush orange at the horizon also looked beautiful.


    This was the right time to introduce Nicolae as the heir to the Medici family, but alas... the man of the hour was not yet here and had not even shown his nose.


    "Terry said they missed the plane because of the sandstorm. But they should have reached Rome by now. Maybe they will get here soon. Uncle Rory, please be patient..." Aleksis coaxed him.


    She smiled in amusement, seeing Lauriel looking quite unlike his usual self. Her godfather was known for being a quiet guy who always appeared cold and indifferent. However, right now, he just really seemed like a father missing his son.


    "Mummy, who is it that grandpa was waiting for?" asked Altair, who wore a white shirt and pink shorts. people who did not know him would definitely assume the five-year-old kid was a girl. "Grandpa''s voice sounds like a sour berry."


    Lauriel turned and stroked the boy''s head, "Is that so? If grandpa is worried, my voice changed taste? Yesterday, you said it sounded like a sweet berry."


    Altair nodded. Since last year, his family finally realized that this child had synesthesia, a.k.a his brain perceived sounds using several senses apart from hearing. He could visually see or taste the form of every sound he heard. So they were not surprised when they heard the boy making strange comments about the sound he had listened to.


    His sister did not have this condition, but she really liked plants. Vega loved singing to the plants at home, and for some reason, her family observed that the plants she often sang to were growing healthier and more beautiful.


    Every time she saw Vega ''gardening'', Aleksis would always be reminded of Alaric who liked plants and had a beautiful bonsai garden.


    Aleksis loved her two children and, for her, they were the best gifts to her life. She still could not tell her children about their father, because remembering Alaric still made her heart sad, but she promised them that one day they would hear about him.


    "Sir, a helicopter is about to land," a staff member told Lauriel, who was busy talking with Altair and peeling fruit for him.


    "Oh ... maybe it''s them," Aleksis commented. She, Lauriel, and the guests immediately turned their gaze to the black helicopter that swirled in the sky over the sun and slowly landed in the castle''s courtyard, a few hundred meters away from the party.


    Dozens of pairs of eyes seemed to be watching attentively as one by one the passengers descended gracefully. The girls who were invited to the party began to smile and talked to each other, admiring the two young men who got off the helicopter and started walking towards them.


    Terry and Nicolae were both very handsome and each of them had their individual charms. Terry had a unique face because he had some Asian genes. He also had a tall body and a good fashion sense that made him look like a famous movie star, just like his ''late'' father.


    Nicolae too, although he was only wearing casual clothes and appeared rather careless about his appearance, he still looked very handsome and gave out a mysterious vibe like his father.


    His face, which was very similar to Lauriel, made it easy for guests to guess that he was the prince from the Medici family whom they had been waiting for. When Nicolae got to his father''s location, Lauriel immediately approached Nicolae and rubbed his son''s head impatiently.


    "Where have you been? I almost ended the party by apologizing to the guests because you have not appeared until now," Lauriel chided. However, a moment later, he hugged his son very tightly.


    "Ah ... Dad... I''m running out of breath. You don''t want me to die before this party is over, right?" Nicolae complained, jokingly. He knew his father just really missed him.


    When Lauriel was finally content from hugging his son, he let him go. Nicolae looked around to see what kind of party his father had organized to celebrate his 100th birthday.


    Subconsciously his eyes stopped at one spot. His gaze went stiff when he saw Aleksis standing behind his father, smiling sweetly.


    Oh, God ... why did Aleksis get prettier? Nicolae complained inwardly. He continued to curse himself who had involuntarily advanced toward the girl and hugged her warmly.


    Nicolae you are stupid.


    You should have stayed away from Aleksis.


    "Hey ... you look more beautiful than ever," Nicolae greeted Aleksis after kissing her cheeks.


    Okay, it''s OK, can''t cry over spilled milk. Now, for damage control... you just need to hug and greet other girls, Nicolae told himself.


    "Ah ... you can always make people smile," Aleksis replied. "How was your adventure around the world?"


    You must reply that you are very satisfied with your adventure around the world and that once the party is over you will be back to going to more adventures , Nicolae kept giving instructions to himself.


    Unfortunately, his heart was too stubborn ... or too stupid ... or maybe, too in love.


    "I''m glad to see your smile," Nicolae replied.


    Stupid Nicolae , he cursed himself inwardly.

 Chapter 481 - Nicolae and The Twins

    Aleksis looked at Nicolae''s reddening face and realized that Nicolae still had feelings for her. This was why she hurriedly excused herself from the young man and approached her brother Terry who had just snatched a cocktail from a servant''s tray.


    "Hey ... I''m glad you succeeded in persuading Nic to go home," Aleksis greeted him with a smile. She hugged Terry and kissed his cheeks.


    "Of course he has to go home, he won''t be having his 100th birthday every year," Terry commented. He finished his cocktail and then took a second glass, "Where are my niece and nephew?"


    Aleksis looked around and realized her two children were not with her. "You know ... they were with me just now. Maybe they went to Mom. I''ll find the two kids first."


    Terry nodded, "All right. I''ll accompany Nicolae, otherwise, he would have to dodge all the girls on his own."


    Aleksis could only watch her brother walk toward Nicolae who seemed to be acting awkwardly because the beautiful girls invited to his party started to approach him one by one and tried to talk to him.


    She could only laugh to herself as she knew that Terry, who always competed secretly with Nicolae, was certainly not willing to see the other guy be the center of attention alone.


    Nicolae''s popularity at this party was not only because he was handsome, but because they heard that Nicolae would be announced as the heir to the Medici family, one of the six most prominent families in the Alchemist clan.


    Lately, there had been a rumor that Caspar Schneider had long wanted to resign from his position as the clan leader. As one of the most senior alchemists in the clan, he felt it was time for young people to rise and become leaders.


    Because Aldebar, his younger brother, preferred to be a scientist, it was likely that he would give up the position of the clan leader to the generation below them. Since Caspar had not yet announced his own children, the strong candidates were the sons from the other prominent families.


    Ned and Portia still didn''t have children, Andrew Flamel and his wife were not popular among the clan members and their children were not very well-liked too. The Meier family had lost Alexei as he had been sentenced to Death and became an ordinary human.


    Other families did not have as much influence as the five families. If indeed Lauriel had a child and he would announce him as his successor today, then his son would be a strong candidate for the clan leader position.


    Even a while ago, they could no longer wait to see what the Medici family''s heir was like. And now that they saw him for themselves, many girls immediately fell in love with him. The thought of being with the heir to the Medici family and later becoming the wife of the clan leader really tempted them.


    Many of them excitedly chased after Nicolae as soon as the beautiful girl he hugged left. Aleksis had not been introduced by her father to the public so they did not know that she was the daughter of the current clan leader.


    "Ahhh ... so you are the famous Lauriel Medici''s son. I heard you like adventures. What is the last place you have visited?" asked a very beautiful girl with sexy curves, long platinum colored hair, and a princess-like appearance. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce my name. I am Kit Blue. My family lives in Iceland. If you plan to drop by there, you can visit us. We have a famous ice hotel in Reykjavik."


    "Oh, wow ... so cool," Nicolae looked impressed. "No pun intended... hahaha. I have been to Iceland but I''ve yet to try staying at an ice hotel. Maybe early next year, I will return to see the aurora."


    "Well then, you must promise to stop by. I will be more than happy to be your tour guide." Kit''s face lit up.


    When Terry came over to Nicolae, the crowd around them grew bigger. Nearly all the young and single people present surrounded Nicolae and Terry to hear stories of their adventures.


    The party atmosphere became more lively after the two young men arrived. Now Lauriel felt reluctant to end it. But the sun had slowly begun to set and he realized he had to officially announce Nicolae''s identity before ending the party.


    "Aleksis, can you please call Nico over here?" Lauriel asked Aleksis, who had returned with her two children. "I will soon announce him as the Medici''s heir and close this event."


    "Okay, uncle." Aleksis walked to the crowd of young people who were listening to Terry''s fiery story about how they summoned eagles in Mongolia. She was about to interrupt her brother''s talk so she could call Nicolae out. But before she could say anything, Kit spoke to Aleksis.


    "Hey ... you there, please bring me another drink ..." Kit exclaimed to the girl.


    She saw that from the beginning of the party, the girl had been giving instructions to the servants and even dared to hug Nicolae when the young man had just arrived. Kit thought Aleksis was working for the Medici family.


    She was very annoyed to see a staff member daring to hug the host''s son and now she wanted to give Aleksis a lesson so that she would remember her place. Even though her position was higher than that of the other servants she was still just a maid or a staff of the Medici family.


    Aleksis was stunned when she heard a woman she didn''t know spoke to her in a commanding and demeaning tone. For a moment, she could not say anything. Never in her life had anyone dared to talk to her that way...


    "Eerr ... what did you say?" Finally, Aleksis found her voice.


    "You''re deaf, aren''t you? Well, I''ll talk slowly so you can read my lips. Bring. Me. More. Drinks. That''s your job, right?" Kit hollered impatiently.


    When Nicolae heard the sharpness in Kit''s tone, he immediately turned around to see the girl she was talking to. He found Aleksis who looked stunned.


    Aleksis was shocked and at the same time amused to see a guest who was so brave to insult her in front of many people.


    She was the daughter of the clan leader, Caspar Schneider, and the goddaughter of the party host, Lauriel Medici. All her life, nobody dared to speak rudely to her.


    "Hey ... what''s up? Are you looking for me?" Nicolae asked as he hurriedly approached Aleksis. For a moment he was stunned. He had seen two similar-faced children trailing behind Aleksis.


    Oh ... these must be Aleksis'' twins ...


    Subconsciously, Nicolae sat on his knees to be at the same level as the two kids and then he hugged them alternately.


    "Gosh ... you''ve grown up. You''re both so beautiful." For some reason, he did not feel awkward when hugging the two children. They felt so familiar.

 Chapter 482 - Lauriel Can Make A Joke?

    At first, Nicolae thought he would feel awkward dealing with Aleksis children. He had even started thinking of excuses so he could avoid them ... but now, when the two little angels stood before him, he subconsciously, and so naturally, hugged them very tightly.


    So Aleksis gave birth to twins, he mused. They were so beautiful. And their facial features were not at all like her... which meant their faces took after their father. Nicolae felt surprised because he actually didn''t feel bothered by this fact at all.


    He fell in love with the two children as soon as he saw them.


    "Hello. I am very happy to meet you. What are your names?" Nicolae greeted Altair and Vega in a very soft voice. His face glowed with both fondness and adoration.


    "I''m Altair, Uncle. You have a good voice. You sound like a star," said Altair. Nicolae was stunned by what he just heard. He did not understand.


    "I''m Vega." Vega smiled very sweetly.


    Her smile could melt even the coldest heart, let alone Nicolae''s gentle one. The young man smiled so wide that his face started to hurt. He was truly happy to be surrounded by these two children.


    Aleksis immediately lowered her head and whispered to Nicolae''s ear, "Your father is looking for you, he plans to end the party. You should go and see him now."


    Nicolae sighed and then nodded. He hurried to his feet and subconsciously carried the two children, each in his right and left arm.


    "Eh ...?" The three looked at each other in surprise.


    "You''re so strong," Vega complimented him. She hugged Nicolae''s shoulder so that her body position became balanced. Altair copied his sister. The two kids then comfortably latched onto Nicolae and eagerly ordered him to walk to bring them to Grandpa Rory.


    "Alright, you show me the way," Nicolae replied obediently.


    Lauriel who saw the arrival of his son with two little monkeys in both arms sighed deeply. He no longer knew how to make Nicolae forget about Aleksis seeing that he was now actually getting along with her two kids.


    Aleksis was still stunned by the departure of the three. So Kit, who was so annoyed to see Nicolae leave, walked to her side and nudged her by the waist.


    "Hey, why are you still standing here? Didn''t you hear me asking you for a drink? I''m a guest, you know... Don''t let the host leave a bad impression on the ones they invited," she said in a high voice. Terry was surprised to see his sister being treated like a maid but before he could say something, Aleksis raised her hand and signaled him not to interfere.


    "Just a moment, I will call the waiter to bring some drinks here. Sorry for the inconvenience." Aleksis still replied nicely. She then raised her hand and motioned several servants to come with the drink trays.


    She knew there was no point fighting with an insignificant guest like this girl. Aleksis already considered herself one of the hosts as she was one of those who helped Lauriel prepare for this party. So of course, she had to be friendly to all the guests.


    Kit seemed unsatisfied with Aleksis'' answer. She kept her hands on her hips until the waiter came over to bring a tray of drinks and serve her and other guests. After Kit took a glass of red wine from the tray, she walked over to Aleksis and pretended to have accidentally tripped and spilled her wine on her clothes.


    "Heiiii !! What are you doing?" Aleksis exclaimed in surprise. She suspected that the annoying girl intentionally poured the red wine on her, but she could not prove it. Aleksis was very upset because her clothes were now dirty and her body felt sticky.


    "Why are you still there? Quickly clean up the spilled wine!" grumbled Kit rudely. "If you are working for me, I would have fired you by now."


    The other girls looked sorry for Aleksis but they did not want to defend her since they were also thinking that she was only a staff member in the Medici family''s home. Terry glared at Kit and immediately gave his handkerchief to Aleksis so she could wipe her hand off the wine so it wouldn''t feel sticky.


    "Did you bring a change of clothes?" he asked attentively.


    Aleksis shook her head.


    " I might as well change into a maid''s outfit ..." She glared at Kit who was still staring at her in disgust. "Because someone here thinks I''m a maid."


    Hearing Aleksis'' cynical words, Kit became stunned. She just realized that this girl in front of her could also possibly not be a maid of the Medici family.


    "Blame your father, who still won''t announce you," Terry complained, glancing at Caspar Schneider who was standing at the main table and talking to the host while sipping a cocktail. "Here, give me back my handkerchief. Let me help you clean your clothes."


    Terry then took his handkerchief from Aleksis''s hand and helped his sister wiped her clothes. The guests around them were amazed seeing how Terry painstakingly cleaned the clothes of the girl they had thought as a mere maid.


    They were left to wonder about the real relationship between the two.


    "Everyone, please may I have your attention," Lauriel''s voice suddenly rang from the small stage built in the middle of the garden. Everyone immediately turned their heads to him. Aleksis took the opportunity to step aside and try to find an outfit to change into.


    Kit and the other young guests didn''t care about Aleksis and went to the front of the stage to listen to what Lauriel had to say. The man was a living legend and he is famous for not liking the crowd let alone throwing a party.


    Very few people had seen him, so the guests did not want to waste the opportunity to see the impressive man in person.


    Several ladies whispered to each other, admiring the handsome host.


    "Actually Lauriel is also very handsome. I heard that he is still single. I don''t mind being his wife," one of the girls said softly.


    "Shhh ¡­ let''s first listen to what Lauriel will say."


    They looked back at Lauriel who looked serious. His face did look as young as everyone else at this party, but they could see that he had such an authoritative and commanding aura setting him superior to other people.


    He was the oldest Alchemist in the current world. He had lived far longer than anyone else. Naturally, his attitude and words invited respect from those listening to him now.


    "Thank you for coming to my son''s 100th birthday party. I really want to introduce my heir to all of you. Some of you have met him, and some only saw him for the first time. This is my only son. I love him so much and he is now officially the heir to the Medici family. Nicolae Medici. "


    Nicolae appeared by his father''s side, and surprisingly there were still two small monkeys in his arms, both looking comfortable on his left and right side. Smilingly, he slightly bowed his head towards the guests. "Thank you, Father. Good evening everyone. My name is Nicolae."


    "My son is still single," Lauriel said jokingly. All the guests laughed, while Nicolae glared at him, looking furious.


    Caspar and Finland exchanged glances. So were the members of the Wolf Pack who were present - Petra, Peach, Esso, and Endo. Neo could not come because his wife, Billie Yves, was currently pregnant with their second child. Naturally, she could not travel. Neo did not want to attend by himself or leave his wife alone.


    Lauriel was not someone who used to joke like this, so his behavior just now was quite surprising to those who knew him closely. Over the past few years, he had begun to change into a warmer person. Many thought this was due to the presence of the young twins in his life which softened his cold heart. He then slowly opened himself up to others.


    Before, little Aleksis was only able to make Lauriel regain his zest for life. But now, Altair and Vega made him return to his warm and pleasant personality,  which he was like before Luna, his girlfriend died.


    "I''m very happy to see Lauriel like this," Petra commented. His friends nodded in unison. They felt like they were seeing Lauriel of the past who always acted indifferently but was still so full of life.


    £¬

 Chapter 483 - Mummy or Uncle Nic?

    Aleksis was about to change clothes because her body felt sticky from the wine spilled by the mean girl, but then she changed her mind when she heard Lauriel say that ''Nicolae is still single''.


    Instantly, her mind was filled with mischief and she wanted to give lessons to the annoying girls who had thought she was a servant. Aleksis knew clearly that the girls were all after Nicolae and she wanted to show them that they all first had to get past her and get her approval if they wanted to approach the heir of the Medici family.


    She swiftly walked across the garden and climbed the stage. She then headed towards Nicolae, who still was carrying her children. Smiling broadly, she waved to the guests present.


    "As Uncle Lauriel''s goddaughter, I am always here if you want fast access to be his future daughter-in-law," Aleksis said playfully, winking at Lauriel and ignoring Nicolae who seemed even more annoyed by what she said.


    Lauriel could not hide his joy after seeing Aleksis acting cheerfully and not awkwardly in front of Nicolae. Ahh ... if only Aleksis could also fell in love with his son, he would be very happy. In fact, if his biological son and his goddaughter could get married, he would be the happiest father in the world.


    Kit and the other female guests who had thought Aleksis was a servant could not hide their surprise in their faces. They did not know that the host had a goddaughter.


    Kit began to feel a little awkward because she had been very arrogant toward Aleksis. The feeling intensified when Lauriel embraced Aleksis warmly and praised the girl in front of all the guests.


    "I want to thank Aleksis who had worked so hard to help me prepare this festive event." Lauriel kissed his goddaughter''s cheek while giving her a grateful look. "I''m just an old man and am not good at throwing parties. Without Aleksis here, you all would only be eating pizza and drinking wine from the barrels."


    "Ah, Uncle Rory ... I''m just here to help," Aleksis said while throwing a glance at the girls from earlier. She was glad to see Kit''s face turn pale.


    Nicolae just gave the two a look of disbelief. He thought his father was really yearning for him, so he went to a great length to throw a party for him. But from what he saw, Lauriel was still the same as ever and loved Aleksis more than his own son. The two people always looked like they had their own world.


    Nicolae did not know why he could not be jealous of Aleksis. It was his father, he should have paid more attention to him rather than Aleksis.


    But somehow he could not feel envy for her.


    Suddenly, a naughty idea crossed Nicolae''s mind after remembering what Aleksis uttered just now. Anyone who wanted to approach him and become his girlfriend must pass through Aleksis first, huh?


    He walked calmly to Aleksis'' side and took the microphone from her hand, then with a big smile he spoke, "Aleksis is right, I believe in her taste. I''m not good at looking for girlfriends. So I will agree with whoever she will recommend. So please go to Aleksis to get her seal of approval."


    Aleksis and Lauriel both looked at the young man who was standing casually beside them. Aleksis was just playing around, but Nicolae actually turned her joke into something serious.


    "Eh, I was just joking, stupid," whispered Aleksis to him while pinching his arm.


    "Mother ... don''t pinch Uncle!" Vega scolded her all of a sudden. "It will hurt!"


    "Wow, you guys are defending Uncle Nic, huh?" Aleksis replied. "Come on, who will you choose? Me or Uncle Nic?"


    Without hesitation, the two children in Nicolae''s arms answered in unison, "Uncle Nic."


    "Eh? What do you mean?" asked Aleksis, who immediately regretted asking her children to take sides.


    "Uncle Nic has a good voice. He sounds like a star," said Altair with sparkling eyes.


    Ugh ... Even though Nicolae still couldn''t understand what Altair meant, Aleksis could. It was the first time Altair had found anyone with a voice like stars, that was why he had been fascinated by Nicolae.


    Aleksis had a voice like strawberry, Vega had a voice like cherry and Grandpa Rory''s was like a berry. While Grandpa Caspar had a voice like a rabbit and Grandma Finland had a voice like a rose. Nic''s voice is a new and fascinating thing to Altair.


    "Uncle Nic is also very strong, he can carry us easily," Vega added. She looked very comfortable in Nicolae''s arms.


    "You guys ..." Aleksis was speechless.


    Nicolae, too, appeared dumbfounded. He didn''t expect Altair and Vega to like him that much.


    "Wow ... you guys are so cute. If so, why don''t you become my children, huh?" he asked the two kids solemnly. He looked at Altair and Vega alternately.


    Both of them smiled very broadly and eagerly nodded.


    Gosh ...


    Aleksis did not expect this to happen. She just casually went on stage to tease the female guests who all seemed to have taken a liking to Nicolae.


    For some reason though, she now felt like she had instead lost face by going up like this. Nicolae smiled broadly and gave Aleksis a meaningful look.


    "Okay, then. You have chosen Uncle Nic over your Mom. You will stay here with him tonight. I''ll go back to Stuttgart alone."


    The female guests who had been surprised by the fact that Aleksis was Lauriel''s goddaughter immediately turned to her with hostility. They could see the loving gaze from the young man, whom they were all trying to chase. His eyes were only focused on the mother of the two children in his arms.


    They knew that there might be no war at all because Aleksis had already won and was even holding her trophy, even though she might not be aware of it.


    Even Lauriel realized that his efforts to invite some other girls to Nicolae''s birthday party were all in vain. His son still loved Aleksis wholeheartedly.


    What should I do? he asked himself sadly.


    He was very fond of Aleksis and could not possibly ask her to distance herself from them so that Nicolae wouldn''t continue feeling hurt. Nicolae already did it. He went away to escape from his love for Aleksis and he had been gone for almost 6 years.


    But now that he had returned, he, unfortunately, still couldn''t let go of his feelings for Aleksis. In fact, it seemed to be even stronger, since he had also fallen in love with Altair and Vega.


    If only Aleksis was willing to reciprocate Nicolae''s feelings, everything would be alright...

 Chapter 484 - Good Morning, Sir. Happy Birthday.

    The Schneider family still hadn''t announced their three children and heirs, so none of the party guests knew who Aleksis really was, well,  apart from the host''s family and Wolf Pack members who were present.


    Now Aleksis'' presence and her two children began to invite questions about her identity. She looked very young, and her children were still small.


    Considering that there was no marriage announced among the Alchemists other than Endo and Billie Yves'', for the past 10 years, they suspected that the girl was only an ordinary human taken in by Lauriel. Maybe Lauriel felt sorry for her because of her unfortunate life. After all, it was not easy being a single mother of two small children.


    The girls'' hostile gaze now turned condescending because they thought of Aleksis as unequal to them who were pure Alchemists. They didn''t need the immortality potion to be able to marry the heir of the Medici family. But the girl in front of them... Sheesh.


    She must be flirting with Nicolae because she wanted to be an immortal too, she and her children!


    The gossip amongst them reached Terry''s ears. The young man became so annoyed because his sister was being subjected to nasty rumors, all because Caspar did not want to announce his children''s identities to the public.


    Terry truly wanted to slap those people one by one and tell them that Aleksis was not who they were gossiping about. But he knew that he could not overstep Caspar''s authority. He could only clench his fist without being able to do anything. If her father still wished to not announce Aleksis as his heiress, then Terry must comply with it and keep her identity a secret.


    After saying a few more words, Lauriel officially concluded Nicolae''s birthday party and thanked all the guests who came.


    One by one, the guests came over to Lauriel and Nicolae and said their goodbyes before heading home. Until the last moment, the two kids latching onto Nicolae''s arms faithfully continued clinging on to him.


    At first glance, he looked like the twin''s father because their faces looked similar and all three had the exact same eye color.


    After threatening her children that she would leave them in the Medici castle with Nicolae, Aleksis regretted her action because she realized that in actuality, it was her who would not be able to part with them. She could only look at the three from afar while trying to calm her own mind.


    She should have avoided Nicolae.


    Aleksis, you stupid girl... she criticized herself. The moment Nicolae came to see her, she already understood that the man was still carrying a torch for her. She should have known better and avoided Nicolae as much as possible.


    As of now, the girl could only take a deep breath and watch as Nicolae grew closer to her two children.


    Aleksis was reluctant to admit it, but she now realized how much Altair and Vega missed a father figure in their lives. Nicolae''s sudden presence impressed them and so, before they knew it, they had already projected their longing for their father subconsciously to Nicolae.


    Oh ... my poor children, she was feeling really sad.


    She was still unable to tell Altair and Vega what had happened to their father. She did not want them to hate Grandpa Rory and Grandpa Caspar, for the terrible misunderstanding that had occurred.


    All this time, her brothers, Terry, even London and Rune had tried to become father figures to Altair and Vega. But of course, their attempts did not work well. Terry was a busy person, and London and Rune were still childish due to their young age.


    Oh, Alaric ... your children grew up without a father figure, but they really need you ...


    Unknowingly tears trickled down Aleksis'' cheeks. She promised herself for the last few years not to cry over Alaric again because she had to stay strong for their children.


    But today, seeing how Altair and Vega were being spoiled by Nicolae and that they seemed to want him around more, Aleksis once again became somber.


    If only it was that easy to forget about Alaric and fall in love with Nicolae ...


    ***


    The temperature in the grand bedroom was automatically regulated and now the barometer was showing 18 degrees Celsius, exactly how the owner liked it. The black curtains covering the large floor to ceiling windows made the place dark and made it seem like a very comfortable cave.


    The birds'' chirping and the other sounds of nature that were soothing to the ears could be heard in the room. The noises started out soft and increasingly became louder.


    The dark room also slowly turned bright along with the automatic alarm that sounded like a bird''s chirping and the sounds of nature earlier. The soothing sounds of water streams also resounded faintly from somewhere.


    Life seemed to return to the large elegant room decorated with shades of white. In the middle of the room, in a magnificent white bed, laid a handsome young man. His purple platinum hair framed his face that was adorned with delicate lines. He was sleeping peacefully.


    At first glance, one would think that the sleeping person was a woman due to his long hair and a delicate face. But when observed carefully, his tall and sturdy body, the muscles adorning his shoulders, arms, and chest on the right proportion, would immediately make his figure looked very masculine.


    When the sound of birds chirping and the stream of water engulfed the place again, his pair of eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of very attractive purple-blue eyes. People who stare into that pair of eyes would feel like they were sucked in and couldn''t escape from there.


    Alaric closed his eyes again and enjoyed the sounds he liked. He prepared his mind to wake up with a calm heart.


    Hmmm ... his sleep started to improve lately.


    Since he woke up from a coma a few months ago, he had to adjust his body to get used to the new atmosphere. He took some time to remember everything that happened and of course to train his body to function normally. After four months, he began to feel like he was himself again.


    "Good morning, Sir. Happy birthday," a beautiful voice of a woman greeted him.


    Alaric frowned for a moment and then nodded. This was the first time his birthday felt important. In his 100 years of living in this world, he had always hated the day he was born, because this date was also when his mother died.


    August 1 was the date he had to commemorate her death every year. Instead of throwing parties for himself, he would spend it by lighting candles and pondering over the memories the woman who had passed away for 100 years left him.


    Luna Linden was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The thought came to Alaric when he finally saw his mother''s face through the various paintings in the Lewis-Baden Palace and some old photographs provided by Portia.


    He also heard stories about his mother''s amazing skills at archery, how much she loved adventures, and how pleasant her personality was. Those stories touched his heart so deeply. If the war did not happen, Princess Luna would still be exploring the earth happily and her life would be filled with adventures and excitement.


    "Thank you, Luna. I never thought I would live ''til my hundredth birthday, but as you can see, I''m still here." Alaric said to his personal digital assistant who had been greeting and taking care of him since he woke up from the coma.


    "I hope you will live until your next birthday one hundred years from now, and that your days will always be filled with happiness and success," Luna replied with her melodious voice.


    "Hmm ... success, maybe," Alaric got up from the bed and promptly took the coffee pot that was automatically made available on the table beside him. He then poured himself a cup of espresso. "But happiness ... I don''t think so. I will never be happy."


    He sipped his espresso and reminisced a beautiful face that had a pair of witty green-blue eyes which he always missed. Alaric tried to remove the face from his mind and focused on his coffee.


    "Happiness is in how one views life, Sir," replied Luna who did not want to give up providing positive vibes to her boss.


    "Hmmm ... you''re so fussy," Alaric commented after finishing two cups of espresso. He then headed towards the bathroom to wash up.


    The bathroom door automatically opened, and so was the shower which turned on to the preferred water temperature that he had set. Alaric took off all his clothes and then stepped under the shower. The warm floor felt very comfortable to his feet when he stepped into it.


    Today he would be very busy, he shouldn''t waste time getting ready, he told himself.

 Chapter 485 - Alaric in The Morning

    The entire house was equipped with an automated system which was actually one of the prototypes of the automation system that Rhionen Industries launched earlier this month.


    A new era of human life had arrived. From the moment they wake up to when they sleep, everything was served and taken care of by computers.


    It was the digital assistant who would regulate the temperature of the room, prepare food, arrange everyday menu, order groceries, ensure all appointments were scheduled, and assure that all minute aspects of human life were organized so humans could focus on studying or working.


    Alaric was very satisfied with the prototype and thus he gave his blessing so that the project could be launched immediately. They started with several big cities in China and the response was great.


    In a few months, they would present the results to their major clients, namely the governments of big countries who were interested in using the automation system from Rhionen Industries in their countries. Just one more step and the whole world would start to become automated.


    All of these technologies would revolutionize human life. Not everyone would be able to keep up with the changes as this system, of course, would be expensive and not accessible to everyone.


    The people who still rely on conventional ways would slowly be pushed out and they would find it hard to get a better life. People who have no advantages aside from their physical strength would also find it harder to survive because there would be no work available for them.


    Humans thought that all the breakthrough inventions from Rhionen Industries were for the betterment of humanity, to make their lives easier, whereas, in reality, Rhionen Industries actually wanted to rule humankind and control their lives through their technology.


    From the moment they wake up till they sleep, everything would be monitored and controlled by the machine, which was ultimately under the control of Rhionen Industries.


    When he woke up from a coma and realized that all his projects and ideals were being carried out well by his foster children, Alaric felt very satisfied. He just needed a bit more time and then everything would be back to his control.


    Soon ... he would rule the world. He would be the one to determine what kind of people should live. They would not be able to destroy the earth further. He would not let them.


    When Alaric came out of the shower, he walked passed the bathroom door and his body was automatically dried by a dryer that blew warm and gentle air onto his skin.


    Since he woke up from a coma, his body had become more sensitive to touch so he disliked the texture of regular towels on his skin. This dryer door was specially created for him. Everything was practical.


    Luna had chosen a set of clothes that suited his taste and placed them on the bed. Alaric then wore each piece quickly. The composition of the clothing threads was very precise and he liked the feel of the fabric on his body. Alaric Rhionen only wore things that were perfect, no more, no less.


    "Read my schedule today, Luna," Alaric commanded as he buttoned up his shirt and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Luna readily recited several appointments that Alaric had actually memorized and only wanted to double-check.


    "Meeting with Miss Sophia at 10 am; lunch with your parents; and haircut at 2 pm. After that, you are expected to meet the directors at Splitz''s office. Lastly, you''ll have dinner with the leaders of Rhionen Industries."


    "Hmm ... thank you." Alaric stared at his long hair that fell past his shoulders. Ugh ... From the beginning, he didn''t like his hair because it made him feel like a girl. Moreover, haircutting was a routine thing that he had to do once a week as his hair always grew long very quickly.


    "Our scientists are researching how to make your hair growth stop according to your wishes. They are optimistic that they will get good results soon," Luna added.


    "Hmmm ..." Alaric just nodded. Luna always knew what he was thinking. Alaric was happy that his assistant was a very fast learner. He felt very comfortable in her presence.


    Luna was a very efficient and fun digital assistant. She prepared everything perfectly and never interfered with her employer''s personal matters. While the other assistant ... hmmm, you could say she was the opposite.


    Alaric deliberately ordered two types of digital assistants with very different personalities. Luna was efficient in taking care of his daily needs, while Aleksis was sloppy and inefficient. She bothered Alaric from time to time so that his days would become a bit more colorful.


    The two assistants were named after the two most important women in his life. Luna was named after his mother, and Aleksis, after his beloved wife.


    During these four months, he had lived alone and only interacted with Luna and Aleksis. He almost never met other humans, except the doctors who helped him recover.


    He refused to see anyone for four months because he disliked his body condition which had yet to fully recover. He must never appear weak in front of anyone That was his principle.


    His foster parents, Ned and Portia Lewis, faithfully monitored his condition and waited. Today was the first time Alaric would be willing to meet them, and Ned and Portia were so delighted that they immediately organized a special lunch to welcome him.


    Sophia did not want to be left behind and immediately arranged for them to meet to discuss various projects that she knew Alaric would be interested in. This was why this morning Alaric got ready for the first time, dressed to leave his residence.


    "Breakfast is ready, Sir. You must eat a lot. Today you will be very busy."


    Luna''s sweet voice filled the room again. Alaric nodded and immediately headed to the dining room. The large dining table had been prepared, with various breakfast dishes that he liked neatly laid out. Two robot servants swiftly opened a chair for him and served him breakfast.


    This was the best robot servants available at the moment, and as usual, he was the first to test the new products to determine whether they were up to his standards or not. In a few months, this type of robot servants would begin mass production.


    Both robots would be sold as a unit and preorders had reached a very long waiting list. Integration with digital assistant systems like Luna would be presented in major cities in China. After the success in China, the system would then be offered to other countries.


    As an addition, robot servants to be sold later would be made to look like humans. This way, the owners would feel like they have personal servants and butlers at home.


    Alaric did not like robots that looked like humans, so he deliberately asked for his servants to be made into the form of ordinary, rigid machine robots, as if they were no different from vacuum cleaners or other machines. He felt comfortable that way.


    After finishing his breakfast, Alaric came out of the house and got into the automatic driverless car that Luna had arranged to take him to various destinations today.


    Two androids that functioned as his personal bodyguards were already waiting in the car which immediately drove smoothly to their first destination: the headquarters of the Meier Group at the center of London.


    "Good morning, Sir. Did you have a good sleep last night?" Aleksis'' voice could be heard inside the car. She was to take care of Alaric as his assistant whenever he was outside the house. She would be following him wherever he went.


    When it came to making schedules and arranging formal matters, Aleksis was no good, but she was very pleasant as she could always find ways to make Alaric laugh. In actuality, that was her real job: to make him smile.


    "Aleksis, please contact Sophia. Tell her I''m almost there," Alaric said, looking out the window. He liked what he saw.


    The world he had left had not changed significantly, but he knew slowly that a revolution was happening behind the scenes. Sooner or later, he would see that all cars in the streets had become driverless, all offices would be filled with robots and androids, and fewer humans would be walking down the streets.


    He would make sure of this through the meeting he would have with Sophia this morning and with Pavel and his four foster children in the afternoon. Hmm ... for them, he had been gone for a very long time, but for him, he only had not seen them for four months.


    Really, time was a strange concept.

 Chapter 486 - Such a Busy Day

    Aleksis, which was programmed on his watch, responded swiftly, "Yes, Sir."


    A few seconds later, Alaric heard Aleksis''s voice communicating with Sophia''s digital assistant, telling her that he was almost there.


    When the car carrying Alaric arrived in front of Meier Tower, Sophia greeted him joyfully, and the employees wondered why their boss had come down to welcome this new guest herself.


    "Welcome to Meier Tower." Sophia walked enthusiastically and was about to hug Alaric when the young man raised his hand to signal her not to touch him. Sophia was stunned and promptly threw Alaric a questioning look. "What''s the matter...?"


    "I don''t like being touched," Alaric answered calmly. He just nodded and walked into the building, followed by Sophia who was still in a daze.


    "Oh ... since when? I didn''t know you didn''t like body contact with others," Sophia said, trotting on her high heels to match Alaric''s fast pace.


    The girl was actually quite angry and felt a bit humiliated when she tried to hug him only to be avoided like the plague. However, she tried to convince herself that Alaric was still recovering and needed time to be friendly to her again.


    Besides, later in the afternoon, they would have lunch together with Ned and Portia. By then, the atmosphere between them should get better.


    They climbed to the highest floor and when they exited the elevator, it was directly to Sophia Meier''s private office which, according to the agreement they made four months ago, would soon become Alaric''s.


    It was time for Sophia to resign from the family business and take on a new identity. Naturally, she needed someone to replace her as the head of the group.


    Because her brother Alexei had become an ordinary human, Sophia asked Alaric to help her out. Especially since five years ago Rhionen Industries and Meier Group had started working together for their big projects. They were just waiting for Alaric to lead everything.


    Since he was announced dead and had disappeared from the face of the earth 6 years ago, Alaric Rhionen also needed a new identity. The deal with Sophia was a win-win one for both of them.


    "I don''t like being touched lately. I hope you don''t take it personally," Alaric suddenly said in a flat tone.


    He entered the door that had opened automatically in front of him and then casually sat on a large, comfortable sofa, facing a large floor-to-ceiling glass window displaying the skylines of London and its skyscrapers.


    "Hmm .. you were not like this before," Sophia commented. She sat next to Alaric and looked at her cousin attentively. "Well, as you wish, I will not take it to heart. We will discuss what has become our goal today."


    Sophia pressed a button and called all members of her board to go up to her office as the large meeting scheduled today was about to begin. She wanted to introduce her successor to all of them.


    Five minutes later, the directors and top management leaders of the Meier Group who had had been waiting for Alaric in the lobby this morning entered the owner''s office one by one. They took their seats at the large conference table in the meeting room.


    No one could take their eyes off of the young man who appeared to be standing nonchalantly at the end of the table. He was looking out of the window with great interest, completely ignoring their presence.


    Inwardly, they began to wonder whether this person would later replace Miss Sophia in leading the Meier Group.


    He looked so young.


    "Sir, all the guests are seated. They are waiting for you to chair the meeting," Aleksis said to Alaric. Her voice was programmed to directly access the communication system in Alaric''s ears, and could not be heard by those around him.


    The young man nodded and turned around. When he did, the directors who were in their mid-40s to 50s, were finally able to see his appearance closely.


    This man did look young, but there was something about him that made them all very impressed. His face was handsome and his appearance was completely different from anyone they had ever seen.


    Her platinum-colored hair made him look very attractive, plus his pair of purple-blue eyes were very bright. Yet when he looked at them one by one, those eyes were sharp, like an eagle''s. They felt as if they were facing someone much older and authoritative than them. His commanding presence was so powerful that they didn''t dare to look at him directly.


    The hands of some people trembled under the table. His presence was too strong for regular people like them.


    "Good morning, everyone. As I have said in one of the meetings last month, I want to resign from the business and enjoy life." Sophia started while staring at the directors one by one.


    She realized that their faces looked tense. Yet at the same time, the presence of her cousin fascinated them. Hmm ... Alaric did have the gripping aura of a leader. Sophia had some hope that she could follow Alaric''s journey from now on, by being by his side. Alas, she already had to retire.


    "Please allow me to introduce to you, this is my cousin who will start leading you from today. His name is Elios Linden and you will find that his leadership style is different from mine. You must be prepared to work harder because Elios has ideals far greater than mine. Under his lead, Meier Group will surely reach greater heights, and I will be monitoring vigorously from afar. " Sophia then turned to Alaric and invited him to take over.


    "Thank you for coming here today. I have read all your profiles and contributions so far." Alaric looked at them one by one. His face, as usual, looked calm and gentle, except for some reason, his expression was completely unreadable.


    When he spoke, the directors who looked much older than him felt as if they were being judged by an angel of the afterlife and that their bad deeds would be read to the world one after another. What a thrilling new boss, they all thought.


    They had never expected anyone in the Meier family to be so imposing. Gradually the confidence in their hearts grew. With a leader like him, Meier Group will definitely be far more successful than before.


    "The first thing I will do after becoming the leader of the Meier Group is to merge our corporation with Rhionen Industries. I want the legal team and other relevant departments to prepare all that is needed to accomplish this. Next week I want to hear about your progress."


    All the directors exchanged glances with each other, surprised at this sudden announcement. They knew that the Meier Group had long been working with Rhionen Industries for two of its major projects, but the possibility of a merger never crossed their minds.


    After the merger, that means ... So, who controlled whom? Rhionen Industries was currently much bigger than the Meier Group, which meant that Rhionen Industries would control the Meier Group. In the restructuring of the corporate organizations, there was a high chance that their positions would be taken over by people from Rhionen Industries.


    Was this true? Elios Linden just led the Meier Group and he would give up his position to people from Rhionen Industries? Why?


    Alaric who read their minds just smiled. He knew what was making his people worried.


    "I will have dinner with the leaders of Rhionen Industries tonight and discuss the details with them. However, one thing you don''t need to worry about is meeting a new leader.  I will be the leader for both."


    The faces of those present warped again, surprised. Elios Linden would also lead Rhionen Industries?


    Who was he really?

 Chapter 487 - Little Monkey, There You Are!

    Disregarding the tumultuous atmosphere that he had just caused, Alaric began the meeting by discussing the important things he wanted to convey. He did not have time to take care of trivial matters and explain himself to others.


    Sophia only watched as her cousin interacted with the directors. Afterward, she smiled proudly. She was very confident that Meier Group will become more well known in the next few months.


    She and Alaric had discussed this matter and they entered into an agreement to work together for the next 10 years. Sophia would enjoy life, have fun and use a new identity, and leave all the family matters to Alaric. She would only actively assist Alaric in the clan once he decided to take the position of the Alchemist clan leader.


    This afternoon, her cousin and she would have lunch with Ned and Portia and talk more about it. Sophia felt impatient. She was already dying to see what Caspar''s face would look like once his position as the clan leader fell into the hands of a purist like Elios Linden.


    When the meeting was adjourned, one by one, the director resigned from the meeting hall. At first, they wanted to shake hands with Alaric, but when they stood up, he had already raised his hand and showed them out. He truly didn''t want to be touched.


    After they left the meeting room, the directors immediately discussed what had just happened inside. All of them still felt shocked and seemed unable to believe the developments that they had just witnessed. The hottest topic of discussion was Elios Linden and all the mysteries surrounding his identity.


    In a short period of time, news and gossip about the new leader of the Meier Group reached the ears of all employees and even spread outside the group. Everyone could not wait to see how the new leader would lead the group.


    "See you at Ned and Portia''s place," Alaric said as he left Sophia. He wanted to tour around the town for some time in his car and look around. The lunch appointment was still an hour away.


    "Aleksis, where is the best place to enjoy some fresh air?" Alaric asked as he waited for the elevator to take him down to the ground floor.


    "Certainly not in London," Aleksis was heard laughing. "The level of pollution here is already very worrying."


    "I don''t need a smart-ass assistant," Alaric chided. "Just answer my question."


    "Ugh .. you''re really impatient. I''m not done talking," Aleksis sounded like a girl sulking. "People say the best place to enjoy fresh air in London is the park around the St. Laurent Hotel."


    Alaric knew the hotel chain, St. Laurent, belonged to the Schneider Group. They were known to be very concerned about the environment and the quality of service provided to their guests, which made all the St. Laurent hotels around the world become the first choice of the upper-class people to stay.


    While Alaric''s Meier Group and Rhionen Industries controlled the media, pharmaceutical, weaponry, and modern technology, the Schneider Group focused on investment, banking, infrastructure, transportation, and tourism.


    The two were only involved in one industry, namely space technology, and they could be said to be competing fairly and tightly to dominate this new trade. Alaric knew, if he really wanted to rule the world, he must first beat the Schneider Group.


    "Take me to the park near the St. Laurent Hotel," Alaric ordered. Aleksis readily set the destination of their car to the location desired by her master.


    When he got there, Alaric stepped out of the car as Aleksis had already arranged its own parking. The two androids escorting him walked casually to accompany Alaric by keeping a distance of several meters from him.


    At the moment, Hotel St. Laurent London was the grandest hotel in England and around it was a beautiful park, something that was very rare in many big cities of the world today.


    Alaric had to admit that the park was built with great detail and was providing a healthy and fresh ambiance for the people visiting it.


    When he walked near the fountain in the middle of the park, he stopped in his tracks after seeing that there were some beautiful bonsai plants arranged nicely near the koi pond. The sight made him remember a place he loved in Singapore.


    For him, the place stored many beautiful memories of him and Aleksis, even though he only briefly stayed there with her.


    Hmm ... he had to go back to gardening, he thought. His house now had a very beautiful garden, but there was not a single plant in there taken care of by himself. It''s time to go back to doing the things he liked.


    Alaric sat on a park bench and wallowed in his thoughts. At the same time, he was absentmindedly watching his surroundings.


    This was the world he left behind for several years. He had so many plans for this world. First, he had to reconfirm his position in Rhionen Industries and enter the Alchemist clan.


    "Uncle..."


    A girl''s voice knocked him out of his stupor. Alaric turned his head and found a little girl, around 4 years old, standing beside him. She had an agitated expression on her face.


    "What''s wrong, little girl?" Alaric asked in a soft voice. He subconsciously felt sorry for the child as she looked scared and agitated. "Are you lost?"


    The little girl nodded. "I ran away to avoid my mother because she is so scary. But now I can''t find her. I regret leaving..."


    Alaric stared at the beautiful girl with brown curly hair and witty appearance. Right now, her face was wreathed in worries, and her big round eyes were almost filled with tears. This made Alaric feel touched. He always had a soft spot for young children in his heart, so he smiled sweetly to calm the little girl down.


    "Hmm ... I will help look for your parents. Hold my hand, we will walk around this park." He attentively grasped the little girl''s hand and led her into the beautiful garden. To reduce her anxiety, he requested the little girl to talk about anything.


    "What is your name?"


    "My name is Jean-Marie, Uncle." the girl replied, her voice starting to calm down. She knew this man would help her find her parents.


    "What a beautiful name," Alaric praised. He did not mind holding Jean-Marie at all. Actually, because the little girl walked slowly, he even carried her on his shoulder. "If you''re at a high place you will be able to find your mother more easily."


    "Ahhh ... thank you, Uncle. I like it most when you carry me on your shoulders!!" Jean-Marie exclaimed joyfully as her body got placed upon Alaric''s shoulder. Her voice that was hoarse from crying turned cheerful and full of enthusiasm.


    What a wonderful child, thought Alaric in his heart. For a moment he remembered Aleksis and thought of their what-ifs. If the girl was still alive, they would definitely talk about having a child together. It would be nice to have an adorable little human being like Jean-Marie at home.


    Ugh ... he quickly got rid of that thought. Subconsciously he would always inflict pain on himself every time he thought of her and ended up missing her.


    Like he always said to his assistant, Luna, he knew that success would be his, but not happiness. So it would be better for him to let go of those such silly wishes and focus on his bigger goals.


    "Mummmyyyy .... !!" Jean-Marie started yelling with all her might in all directions, calling for her mother.


    "Psshh ... don''t make a scene in a public place," Alaric said. "This isn''t the jungle, okay. We can go around the park to look for your mother, and if you still haven''t found her, we can go to the information center so your mother would be notified."


    "Oh ... I''m sorry, Uncle ..." Jean-Marie realized that she was being too haphazard, and this beautiful garden was indeed not a jungle. Although she was free to act like a little monkey at home, it did not mean she could go around like a monkey in public places.


    "It''s okay. I''ll take you to the information center now," Alaric softly answered. However, before he could move, a voice rang from behind him.


    "Little Monkey! There you are!!"

 Chapter 488 - Little Monkey and Family

    Alaric turned to the side and found a handsome young man with an oriental-looking face approaching them with a big smile.


    This young man was wearing casual clothes and glasses which made him look like a student. Alaric was stunned. For a moment, he couldn''t help but feel like the other''s face was familiar. It was just that he could not remember where he had seen it.


    "Dadddyyyyy ...!" screamed Jean-Marie while reaching her hand towards her father. Jean deliberately wore casual clothes today. That way, no one would recognize him as the movie star Jean Pierre Wang who died several years ago in a ski accident.


    Jean walked with quick steps toward Alaric who was holding Jean-Marie, face showing how relieved he was that his daughter was fine.


    "Ssshh ... remember I told you this is not a forest," Alaric said in a gentle voice. In an instant, Jean-Marie became quieter and joined him in a whisper.


    "Daddyy ... sssshhh ... I''m glad you found me before Mommy..." whispered the little girl as Jean raised his hands to snatch her from Alaric.


    "You made your mother worried sick," told Jean to his daughter as held her in his right hand.


    "Mother was angry, so I ran away. I was just trying to save the fish from drowning." The girl pouted. "Poor fish ..."


    "Gosh ... Jean-Marie ..." Jean could never be angry with the little monkey, especially whenever she acted innocently like this. He realized that at the age of 4, there were still so many things the little girl did not know. Her world and her life only revolved around their home and villages around their home in Switzerland.


    The long journey they took this time was the first one Jean-Marie had ever since she was born. All this time, Marion isolated herself from the world and did not want to meet outsiders, much less travel. Their little girl was naturally affected, growing up naive to many things.


    However, Jean also understood his wife''s condition. Since she was still traumatized by what happened several years ago, he patiently waited for her and supported her in her road to recovery.


    His wait for years finally paid off since last year Marion agreed to go on trips to other places in Switzerland, and this week they even planned trips to three countries to broaden Jean-Marie''s horizon.


    Paris was the first major city they visited before London. After this, they would continue their journey to New York.


    Alaric smiled faintly as he watched the interaction between the father and daughter duo which, he felt was quite amusing. Jean-Marie was a very adorable child. He would never forget that the little girl''s nickname was Little Monkey. It was really funny but it also felt right as the little girl was too energetic.


    "Uhm ... thank you for helping my daughter. How can I repay your kindness?" Jean asked Alaric while giving him a grateful look. "Oh... sorry, if she had been troublesome."


    Alaric shook his head gently, "It''s okay. I just happened to pass by. You have a very adorable child. Take care of her well."


    Alaric waved his hand and hinted at the other party that he did not want to prolong the conversation. Before Jean could say anything more, he had already left. Aleksis quickly arranged his car to immediately pick him up in front of the park.


    It was almost time for his lunch appointment with Ned and Portia so he had to leave. As Alaric had already walked away, Jean who could only look at him in puzzlement.


    This person was very impressive, Jean thought to himself. Something in his mind was telling him that the man who had just helped his child was an Alchemist. But he did not want to appear rude by suddenly saying hello. This was why he kept his silence.


    Alaric who walked toward his car almost collided with a girl who was running towards Jean and Jean-Marie.


    As usual, his body reflexively avoided her so they did not touch. The girl glanced over her shoulder and then was stunned to see Alaric who was walking calmly towards his car.


    "Marion! I found the Little Monkey, she was afraid that you would get angry at her for saving the drowned fish," Jean said with a smile, amusement dancing in his eyes. He walked toward his wife who was still staring at the departing car carrying Alaric. A frown was on her face. Jean who saw Marion''s strange behavior nodded, "The person is indeed rather unique... I''ve never seen anyone like him."


    "Eh ..." Marion regained her consciousness and nodded toward Jean. "You are right."


    She didn''t scold Jean-Marie who had killed three fishes from the hotel''s fishpond by taking them out of the water. Her mind was on the man who had almost collided with her. It was hard for Marion to forget that face even though it had been nearly six years.


    She felt her mind had gone crazy because she felt like she was seeing Alaric everywhere. Last week when they were in Paris, she seemed to see people who also had faces similar to Alaric and this made her break out in cold sweat. She was almost hit by a panic attack.


    Marion knew she had not fully recovered from her trauma. But she forced herself and pretended that she was okay in front of Jean. She could not bear to make him worried. Her husband had been very patient with her and, for years, he waited for her to recover. Their trip this time should be a pleasant experience for her and their family.


    After going to Paris and London, they would go to New York to visit Terry. Marion did not want her family to be locked up forever living in their village in Switzerland just because she was traumatized and did not want to meet other people.


    Ugh ... she must be strong. She then continued to convince herself that all the images of the people she saw resembling Alaric were just her mind''s trick to traumatize her. She must have to defeat these negative thoughts and be strong for the sake of her family.


    That was not Alaric Rhionen.


    My imagination was absurd.


    I have to recover, for the sake of my family.


    Marion took a deep breath and kissed Jean lovingly before embracing his waist.


    "Uhmm ..." Jean closed his eyes to enjoy his wife''s intimate kiss. When he opened his eyes again, he smiled broadly and asked, "What''s this for?"


    "For your patience with me all this time," Marion answered softly. "I have a headache and need to rest. Let''s go back to the hotel..."


    "Of course, Honey. I also have to give Jean-Marie a very long talk about how drowning fish need not be saved," Jean said, looking at his daughter who was covering her ears with her hands and pretending she did not hear his words.


    The woman gave her husband a small smile. Together with the child that he was carrying on his shoulder, they walked back to the hotel.


    ***

 Chapter 489 - Wait... Aleksis?

    Alaric arrived at Ned''s magnificent mansion five minutes before his appointment with them. The butler respectfully greeted him and invited Alaric directly into the luxurious open-air dining room overlooking the large, lush garden on the side of the mansion.


    "Good afternoon, Son," Portia immediately got up and hugged Alaric. She kissed his cheeks, while Alaric kissed her hand respectfully. After he greeted Ned, he immediately received a glass of wine from his adopted father.


    They sat at the dining table and Portia was sighing incessantly. She then smiled happily upon seeing Alaric as healthy as ever. She kept staring at the young man lovingly.


    "It''s a good thing we listened to Professor Muller''s advice and waited until the artificial heart was successfully produced," Portia said emotionally. "Seeing you rely on life-support machines for years was truly heartbreaking ... After two years I almost gave up."


    Alaric nodded. He had already heard for the umpteenth time what happened after he was shot and proclaimed dead. The internal organs in his body were so badly damaged and even failed to work one after another.


    Medically he should have died the same day bullets rained on him, but his strong physical endurance made him last for a month, even with only a one percent chance of survival. But after one month his body could no longer keep going and was also giving up.


    That was why his subordinates announced his death, so there was a change of leadership in the company group, with his foster children taking over the projects that were his life''s goal. The announcement made the news of his death reach Portia''s ears. After that, Portia stubbornly forcefully took Alaric and made every effort to save his life.


    For several years Alaric was on the verge of death because his body needed life support machines just to stay alive. Apart from his brain, none of his organs could function properly without the machines.


    Portia loved her nephew as if he was her own child and, thus, she insisted on getting the world''s best medical experts to treat him. She even got the best scientists to make all the artificial organs that Alaric needed to recover completely.


    Last year, Alaric''s body had finally been freed from all the life support machines and began to adjust to his new organs. Then four months ago, he woke up.


    During his six-years-long sleep, Alaric felt like he was in a very long dream. There were already so many things that happened before he woke up, and now he felt like he had experienced many changes.


    For one, his body became more sensitive. He did not like having body contact with others. He increasingly disliked the existence of humans around him, only giving an exception to a few people. He also liked to be alone and didn''t care about his surroundings.


    This was the first time he met Ned and Portia after he woke up from a coma and they would be talking about many important things.


    "I''m not too late, am I?" asked Sophia who had just arrived. She brought with her a bottle of expensive wine and put it on the table. After that, she hugged Portia and kissed her on both cheeks.


    "Don''t worry about being late. You''re not. Sit down. We''re just about to start." Portia sat back on her chair and then beckoned her staff to start serving food.


    They began with an appetizer and talked about something light. Sophia told Portia that starting today,  after handing over her company group to Alaric, she was finally free and would enjoy a new life.


    "So what are your plans?" Portia asked with interest.


    "Hmm ... I want to go back to school. I think I''ll go to France and attend a fashion school there," Sophia shrugged. "But I will always be ready to help if you need my support in making Alaric the new clan leader."


    "Of course, but he must first be introduced to the clan members." Portia nodded. "We plan to do that later this year. At the New Year party in Glasgow, we will invite all the members of the clan and announce Elios as our heir."


    Alaric was silent upon hearing Portia call him Elios Linden. According to the woman, Elios was the name that Luna, his mother, prepared for him when she was pregnant with him.


    Her mother''s name meant Moon, and so she wanted her son to be the Sun (Elios). Linden''s last name was given to him because his mother was not married.


    Alaric liked his own name because it was the name he chose for himself when he was still a child. He found it in an ancient book in a library. However, if Elios Linden was the name his mother wanted for him, then he didn''t mind using it. Especially in his current situation that required a new identity to live. A new name was naturally needed for his current self.


    "Are we going to invite everyone?" Sophia asked. "I mean, the Schneider family and the others too?"


    Portia nodded. "Of course, as Caspar is the current clan leader, we must invite him and his family."


    "What about Lauriel?" Sophia asked again.


    He glanced at Alaric who looked calm and unaffected. They all knew that Lauriel was the young man''s father.


    However, if Alaric could stay calm after hearing his father''s name, not Portia. With an angry face, she snorted. "After what he did to his own son??? I won''t invite him. That will only make the situation awkward."


    "He doesn''t know I''m his son," Alaric commented casually. Wearing a deadpan expression on his face, he took a sip of his wine.


    "Alright, then do you want to tell him that you are his son?" Portia asked in a vexed tone.


    "I''m not interested," Alaric answered, still expressionless. "The relationship between us had been cut off when my mother left him. He is not fit to be a father."


    Portia gulped her wine down and nodded in agreement. "When I heard that he was responsible for your attack, I really wanted to find him and beat him senseless. But he could not be found. As usual, he disappeared from civilization."


    "Hmm ... how do you know it was Lauriel who attacked me?" Alaric asked her. He realized he had never asked this before. "Didn''t you say Rosalien told you?"


    "Yes, Rosalien met Lauriel when she was taken prisoner in Singapore. He told Rosalien his age, which made us think it was really him. After all, the characteristics of his group are the same as the members of the Wolf Pack, Lauriel''s team who have followed him for 200 years. Then there is Marion who is famous for her ability to change appearances. She must have disguised herself as your dead wife to lure you out. No doubt about it."


    "Did Rosalien tell you the reason?" Alaric questioned again.


    "Hmm ... We know that Lauriel was friendly with Caspar. Most likely he did it for Caspar. Rosalien mentioned two names. They are the reason why  Lauriel went after you, namely Kurt Van Derven, and Aleksis." Portia answered. "You can ask Rosalien yourself tonight."


    Alaric remembered that he had indeed caused the deaths of those two people. Aleksis had an accident on campus after almost being killed by Rosemary who became vengeful due to her family being slaughtered by Rhionen Assassins. As for Kurt, he killed himself when Alaric forced him to move Aleksis from the hospital in Singapore.


    Of course, Caspar would be very angry because the ones who died were his right-hand man, Kurt and Kurt''s daughter. Because he knew that he was facing Rhionen Assassins, he asked for help from the only person he considered capable of handling the assassination organization, namely Lauriel and his team.


    "If only Kurt did what I asked him to do, he wouldn''t need to die ... and if Aleksis just wanted to come with me from the beginning... Or if she just she didn''t care that much about her family... she would still be alive." Alaric murmured apologetically, "These are all a very bad mistake."


    Sophia looked frowned at the mention of the name Aleksis. This was the first time she had heard Alaric mention his ''late'' wife''s name.


    Wait ... Aleksis?


    Was this Aleksis the same child poisoned by her brother 24 years ago?


    She stared at Alaric with widened eyes.


    Was Alaric''s wife actually Caspar Schneider''s daughter??

 Chapter 490 - The Imposing Man

    Alaric felt that Sophia''s eyes were on him so he turned to his cousin and frowned.


    "Do you want to say something?" he asked Sophia. The girl gasped and quickly shook her head.


    "Uhmm ... no, I was just reminded of something, but it absolutely nothing important," Sophia answered. She tried to sound relaxed as she turned her attention to the wine she was holding. "Let''s drink ... this special champagne is made from grapes harvested in the year of your birth. It''s 100 years old too, and special."


    Ned nodded. A sommelier immediately brought a wine bottle opener and opened the cork. The sommelier then graciously poured a little into a glass to be tasted by the host. After Ned nodded in satisfaction, he poured for each of them into their glass.


    Portia led them into a toast by raising her glass, "For the next 100 years."


    "For our new leader," Sophia added.


    "For the future." Ned nodded.


    Alaric nodded slightly, "Thank you."


    Portia looked at her adopted son wistfully while finishing her glass. This was the first time she had met Alaric since he recovered and she felt that many things had changed. One of them was that Alaric now almost never smiled. It was regrettable because if he smiled, he would look very similar to his mother.


    Portia could only sigh. Maybe Alaric needed some more time to revive his cold heart. His body had healed as before, only his heart did not.


    They continued the conversation about their plans. It would be in a new year party where Ned and Portia would announce their new heir and show the world their open support for him to become the new clan leader.


    During lunchtime Sophia became distracted. She kept thinking about the name Aleksis, Caspar''s daughter. Was that child really dead? Ha, what a coincidence. Sophia hated her. That caused Alexei to be given Death and now her brother lived as a regular human.


    Although she and Alexei often fought, blood was still thicker than water. Sophia actually loved her brother very much and would often come secretly to Switzerland and watched Alexei from afar. Her brother now lived alone in a mansion on a hilltop with many servants.


    Sophia once stopped by and pretended to be a lost tourist, but Alexei didn''t recognize her at all. The feeling of losing her only remaining family was stifling Sophia''s heart, and her grudge against Caspar''s family burned again.


    Hmm ... from their conversation, it was clear that Alaric did not know that Aleksis was Caspar''s daughter, Ned and Portia was also not aware of this information. Sophia must thank Caspar for being very protective and not publicly announcing his children.


    Lauriel also certainly did not know Alaric was his son because if he knew, there was no way he would help Caspar kill his own biological child. Sophia felt the need to investigate Alaric and Aleksis'' past and learn why those two did not know what had happened to each other.


    Ha ha ha. It''s good that I hand over my family''s business to Alaric , Sophia thought happily, Now I have time to investigate Caspar''s family. There must be information that I can use against them ...


    "The lunch was great, thank you for inviting me," Sophia rose to her feet after finishing her dessert. "I have something important to do. It''s time to say goodbye."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded.


    "Alright. Then I''ll wait for you in Glasgow next month to prepare for the new year''s party," Portia said, hugging Sophia.


    Sophia gracefully walked out of the dining room. Her mind was busy coming up with various scenarios and possibilities. She could not wait to visit Caspar and find out what had happened.


    Hmm ... she had to make sure first that the man was not with his jealous wife though.


    ***


    After lunch, Alaric said goodbye to meet with the top management of Splitz. The media company was now led by Pavel.


    They planned to launch a new digital experience for its users so they want Alaric to test it first. Before going there he would cut his hair first because he did not want their attention to be focused on his long hair and his delicate, woman-like face.


    This was also the first time he would meet Pavel in years. Pavel was now 45 years old and married to an ordinary girl he met at a coffee shop.


    Their meeting was quite unique because they always came at the same time. The girl was a writer who sought inspiration by watching people pass by the shop every morning and exactly five minutes after she arrived, Pavel would be coming over to buy his coffee. After meeting for 365 days in a row, Pavel eventually asked her name and they started talking.


    Sande, the girl he married, did not know that Pavel was a former assassin. She didn''t even know that Pavel was the CEO of Splitz until he proposed to her a year later. They now had a 3-year-old son who sometimes went with Pavel to the office, becoming the employees'' beloved young master.


    Today, Max, Pavel''s son went with his father to the office, as Pavel was eager to introduce him to Alaric. Upon hearing of his boss''s arrival in front of the building, Pavel enthusiastically descended from his office into the lobby. With Max in tow, he happily greeted his boss.


    "Welcome, good afternoon, Sir. It is very nice to see you healthy," Pavel said, bowing deeply. The directors who followed him exchanged glances with each other, surprised but eventually also bowed. If their boss showed great respect towards the young man who had just come, then they also had to pay their respects too.


    Of course, inwardly, they were wondering who the guest was. They had never seen him before.


    "Good afternoon, Pavel. Is this Max?" Alaric asked, nodding towards Pavel''s son who didn''t look like his father at all. The boy reminded him of Mischa since they both had beautiful curly hair and a beaming handsome face.


    Pavel understood what he meant and nodded happily, "Yes, this is Max. He does look like his mother. Come on, Max, greet Mr. Rhi..."


    "Good afternoon, Max. My name is Elios Linden. Nice to meet you." Alaric chimed before Pavel could finish speaking his real name.


    Pavel immediately realized his mistake and nodded, "Yes ... this is Mr. Elios Linden. Max, say hello."


    "Good afternoon." Max greeted in a firm, pleasant voice. It could be seen that the personality of the small child had started to show. He was very pleasant, unlike Pavel who was quiet and had a tendency to be curt.


    "You''re very clever, Max." Alaric nodded and ruffled the boy''s hair. He then looked around. "Can we begin?"


    "Of course, Sir." Pavel hurriedly drove his men out of the way so Alaric could enter the main hall.

 Chapter 491 - Virconnect + Holodeck

    Since last year, a lot of media companies had been competing in presenting the latest and the best digital experiences for their users. Now people who lived far away from each other could connect using virtual devices and meet with each other as if they were in the same room.


    This became very popular with lovers in a long-distance relationship because they could finally spend more quality time with their loved ones. An increasingly global world made lovers and married couples of different countries become very common.


    With a Virconnect device, virtual connection service, couples separated by a great distance could have breakfast together to discuss their day and even go outside to run their respective activities.


    At night, they could get back together, eat dinner, watch a movie and sleep as if they were side by side. This all helped bring a closer personal relationship between people.


    This also saved time and effort. Now a birthday party could be held and invited guests from all over the world could be present virtually. It was really sophisticated!


    However, like all the other technologies, this new system had also its pros and cons. It was indeed true that personal relationships could now flourish more, but at the same time, people would become more used to shallow long-distance relationships.


    Coffee shops would be very rarely visited by patrons who wanted to enjoy a drink while socializing with relatives and friends. After all, they could do it from the comfort of their homes or wherever they were. They physically did not have to go to the cafe.


    The tourism industry would also experience a drastic decline because many individuals would no longer interested in traveling. If they could enjoy the beauty of the beach from the big screen of their homes, why would they go through the hassle, spending so much time and money coming to the beach by themselves?


    Due to global warming and pollution, beautiful beaches had become scarce. The cost of traveling there became very expensive due to the high maintenance costs. Only rich people still do the visits personally as they could afford the exorbitant costs of visiting the beaches themselves.


    Splitz was always a step ahead of the competition and now they were ready to launch their new Virconnect 4D service that would make people able to connect better virtually through their sophisticated systems.


    Humans would be able to share not only pictures, but also sounds, touches, and smells. This 4-dimensional technology that had not yet been launched had been researched for five years. This was the first day they would present it to Alaric.


    "Welcome, everyone." A man with glasses welcomed the Splitz higher-ups who entered the very large and empty hall. He gave each of them a special glasses and once they all wore it, he nodded to Pavel and immediately lit something on the wall. "This is Virconnect 4D. We have installed the device at Mr. Adler''s house and we are ready to connect with Mrs. Adler."


    A moment later, the large hall transformed into a luxurious living room connected to a large kitchen in Pavel''s house.


    "Mummy!!" Max exclaimed when he saw his mother in the kitchen humming while peeling an apple.


    "Hey .. Max, are you being naughty today?" Sande asked, smiling at her son. She rubbed Max''s hair and kissed Pavel''s cheek. She was not really here, but they could almost feel her touch.


    Alaric watched it all intently. This was his vision from ten years ago, a 4-dimensional virtual connection technology. They could feel like they were in the same room as Sande. A cat suddenly jumped behind her and dropped a flower vase to the floor.


    The people present were shocked because the sounds produced by the breaking glasses were as clear as if they were really in the same room.


    Some of them felt being sprinkled with water from the vase, and thus their shock deepened.


    "Crazy ... we can really feel the water," they commented to each other, disbelief in their tone.


    "Wait a minute, I want to make coffee," Sande turned on the coffee machine and took out a cup for herself. "I like drinking coffee when writing my novel."


    A moment later people could smell the delicious aroma of the coffee wafting over in the air. They were getting excited. This technology was truly amazing. Not only did it present sounds and images, but also odors and temperatures.


    This would definitely revolutionize the human lifestyle.


    "Thank you, Madam, we will close the connection now," said the engineer politely.


    "Alright, see you at home," Sande blew a kiss toward  Pavel and her son, then the room descended into darkness.


    "Good," Alaric commented curtly. "What about the holodeck? Is it finished?"


    Holodeck was the second product to be launched after Virconnect 4D. Just like the holodeck in the movie Startrek that aired decades ago, humans would now be able to enjoy a virtual experience on their personal holodeck. The price would indeed be very expensive but the benefits would definitely commensurate it.


    They would be able to create a holographic space based on their memories and experience any point in their past. They could also experience future fantasies. Like those people who consume ecstasy just so they could feel happy again like when they first fell in love, humans would now be able to revive those happy feelings using holodeck.


    The people whose lovers had died would be able to enjoy the experience of being back with those they loved whenever they wanted. Children who lost their parents would be able to return to the times when their mother and father were still alive and could chat with them.


    In addition, with a holodeck fantasy package, fans would be able to experience falling in love and having a loving relationship with their idol actor or musician. Splitz had begun campaigning for these two new products and the response from the community was extremely enthusiastic.


    It would be only a matter of time before they were launched. Today, Pavel deliberately invited Alaric to come and review the two technologies for himself, if the two were up to his standards or not. If Alaric gave his blessing, then Splitz would launch it.


    "The Holodeck Experience is also completed. You can try it." Pavel smiled widely as he handed a small headset to Alaric. "You can choose for yourself which memories you want to relive with the holodeck."


    He invited Alaric to sit in a very comfortable chair before wearing the headset on his head.


    "This is a memory extractor. In five minutes, it will extract the specific memory that you want to relive."


    "Hmm ..."


    As soon as the headset framed his head, Alaric felt a small needle pricking his head and making him sleepy. Hmm ... he would try to choose one of his few pleasant memories.


    Five minutes later, he removed the headset and sat facing Pavel. "Where are the controls?"


    "The control is in your chair, sir." Pavel motioned to the chair''s armrest adorned with several buttons and explained the function of each to him. "You can get started here."


    Alaric pressed the "START" button and set the experience he wanted. A moment later, the large empty hall had turned into a sea and they all seemed to be on the deck of a ship.


    Alaric got up from his chair and surveyed his surroundings. He felt as if he was really on his ship. He just turned off the engine and let his catamaran float above the waves and the wind. When he looked up, he saw billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy decorating the night sky. It was very beautiful.


    "Hey ... Please help me prepare dinner," Suddenly, a melodious voice sounded from behind him. He turned to the sound and found Aleksis rising from the kitchen below, carrying a picnic mat and some cutlery. The girl was very beautiful and looked exactly what he remembered.


    Alaric knew this was just a memory that Holodeck created for him, but he was still happy as he could see Aleksis again who seemed alive standing near him. For the first time today, he smiled.


    Before the scene could continue, he pressed the "OFF" button and the holodeck returned them to the large, empty hall.


    "Not bad," he said. "We can launch Virconnect 4D first, and then Holodeck at the end of the year, so the latter becomes a new year gift for many people."


    The directors present looked at each other. They did not expect this young man to nonchalantly decide the launching of Splitz''s new flagship product. He was not even a director or shareholder.


    "Of course, as you wish, Sir," Pavel answered swiftly.

 Chapter 492 - Nic and The Twins Scheme

    At Medici Castle, after the guests left in their vehicles, Caspar and Finland came to Lauriel to say goodbye.


    "It''s been a very nice party. The star of the party also thankfully came," Caspar commented with a laugh. "Uh, I don''t see Ned or Portia. They couldn''t come?"


    Lauriel was stunned. He turned towards Aleksis. "Uhm ... I forgot to tell you to invite Ned and Portia. Portia is Luna''s cousin. I''m sure they would have been happy to meet Nicolae. Oh my God..."


    "You didn''t invite them ??" Caspar shook his head, "I know for sure Portia would be very offended."


    "Ugh ... I told you I''m not good at throwing parties," Lauriel reasoned. "I will invite them to the next event."


    "Which next event will that be? Your son won''t be having his 100th birthday every year," chided Caspar.


    "Hmm ... who knows? Maybe at the wedding?" Lauriel answered, throwing Aleksis a meaningful look.


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" exclaimed Aleksis, astonished.


    "No ... no meaning at all. Don''t mind me," Lauriel chuckled. He took a glass of wine from the waiter who passed by and finished it in one gulp.


    His eyes discreetly fell on Nicolae''s figure who was sitting and chatting with the twins. He saw that they seemed to be getting just fine, even laughing very happily.


    He had kept the desire from six years ago when he first found out Nicolae was his son. But he really wanted to see Nic married Aleksis. Unfortunately Aleksis had fallen in love with someone else and even got married. Feeling heartbroken, Nic went away for years to heal himself.


    Lauriel believed there would come a time when Aleksis'' heart would heal. By then, she would open herself up to new people. When that time comes, who else would be a better choice than Nicolae? He loved Aleksis, he also loved her children.


    And her children loved Nicolae too. It was visible from the instant closeness that they had when they met today.


    Lauriel would be patient, but once that day arrives, he wanted to see Aleksis and Nicolae end up together.


    Aleksis realized what her godfather was thinking and instantly felt sad. What Lauriel was hoping was something she could not give. Until the day she died, she would not forget Alaric.


    Seeing how her two children were clinging to Nicolae, she felt guilty. She knew it was time to talk to Altair and Vega about their father.


    "Uhm ... I want to go home with my father and mother," Aleksis said, saying goodbye to Lauriel. Her clothes still felt sticky on her skin due to the wine the stupid guest intentionally spilled on her. She couldn''t wait to take a shower and change her clothes.


    "Don''t you want to stay overnight? The children seem tired," Lauriel commented. He pointed at Vega who was lying on Nicolae''s lap and Altair leaning his head against the man''s shoulder.


    "Eh ...?" Aleksis was shocked. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look, and found that her two children were already sleeping.


    She was very surprised ... 10 minutes ago, the two kids were still joking around with Nicolae. How come they could sleep so fast?


    She hurried over to them and apologized to Nicolae as her children had been quite a bother to the man.


    "Ouch ... sorry, my children have given you a hard time," Aleksis murmured apologetically.


    "Sssshh ... lower your voice," Nicolae said. He gestured to Aleksis not to make a sound. Using his lips, he signaled Aleksis to carry Altair who was leaning on his shoulder as he would be carrying Vega who was asleep on his lap.


    Since there was no other choice, Aleksis slowly raised Altair from the man and carried him. She walked alongside Nicolae into the castle. From a distance, the two look like a couple carrying their two sleeping children.


    "Where is your bedroom?" Nicolae asked when they got inside.


    "Eh ..." Aleksis shook her head. "I''ve never lived here. Uncle Rory doesn''t like this castle and rarely come here. I usually stay with him in his conservation in Kenya or other places, for example, his house in San Francisco and the farm in Colorado. He just came here this week because of you."


    "Oh, is that so?" Nicolae had no idea that Lauriel was not frequently staying in Medici Castle. All this time, during his adventures, he thought Lauriel was living here and often invited Aleksis and her children to stay over. "Sorry, I did not know."


    "It''s okay. I understand. Since my children are already asleep, I shouldn''t wake them up." Aleksis commented. "We can sleep in the guest room."


    "Yes, of course, there are plenty of guest rooms here," Nicolae called Luca and asked him to lead them to the best guest rooms.


    His family staff immediately guided them to the largest one overlooking the rose garden. There was a large and beautiful four-poster bed in the room and Nicolae immediately put Vega down there. Aleksis also laid Altair there and then thanked Nicolae.


    "It''s my pleasure, they are very lovely children," commented Nicolae. He then noticed that Aleksis'' clothes were stained with wine and frowned. "What happened to your shirt?"


    "Ugh ... there was a careless guest who spilled her wine on my dress. I actually didn''t bring a change of clothes. Maybe I should borrow a staff''s clothes here first ..." complained Aleksis.


    "You can take a shower and sleep in robe. I think there are some in the cupboard. Let the maid wash your clothes so you can wear it again tomorrow. Later in the afternoon, we can shop for new outfits," Nicolae suggested. "How about that? You can''t possibly sleep in those, right?"


    "Hmm ... you''re right. I will do as you advised." Aleksis nodded.


    "You can take a shower now and give your clothes to the maids. I will accompany the children until you return. If they woke up in a strange place and you are not there with them, I''m sure they will be worried."


    "Eh ...?" Aleksis stopped in her tracks when she heard what Nicolae spoke so casually. She then nodded and hurried to the closet to find a kimono which she then brought into the bathroom. Before crossing the doorway to the bathroom, she told the other, "... thank you and sorry, I keep bothering you."


    "I''m glad to be bothered by you," Nicolae replied with a thin smile.


    When Aleksis disappeared into the bathroom, Nicolae approached the two children who were lying in bed and whispered to them, "Pssshh ... Mummy has agreed for you two to stay overnight here. You can stop pretending to be asleep."


    Altair''s eyes opened, followed by Vega, and they both got up, giggling.


    "Ahhh ... I really like staying here," Altair softly whispered. "Tomorrow, let''s go to the Butterfly Hill, Uncle Nic. You promised."


    "Yes, of course," Nicolae responded, lifting his left pinky finger that Altair enthusiastically welcomed.


    "And we will learn to make pizza," Vega added. "I love eating pizza."


    "Yep, tomorrow we will be very busy. We also have to accompany Mummy in shopping for your clothes. If you want to stay here for a week, of course, we have to buy lots of clothes."


    "Awesome!!"


    Nicolae looked at the two children lovingly. After six years of trying to forget about Aleksis, he returned home only to realize that his feelings did not change at all.


    Earlier, when he embraced Altair and Vega for the first time, all his denial and defenses collapsed without a trace. He finally decided to stop avoiding his feelings. He would start fighting for Aleksis. Especially now that Alaric Rhionen was gone.


    One day, Aleksis'' heart would be healed and she would be ready for a new love. When that time comes, he wanted to be there for the girl.


    He decided to be here starting today and he would never leave again.


    He hugged Altair and Vega and kissed their hair. He would be very lucky to be a father to these two children. Even though they were the children of another man, he did not hate them. The only feeling that he had in his chest for these two children was bottomless affection.


    One day, once Aleksis was able to love him, even if she did not want to have children with him, Nicolae would not mind it one bit. Altair and Vega would be enough for him.

 Chapter 493 - Aleksis Decision

    When Aleksis finished bathing, she was surprised to see her two children awake and chatting with Nicolae.


    "You ...? Didn''t you guys already sleep? Why are you two suddenly awake?"


    Subconsciously, she tied the robe she had been wearing carelessly. Gosh ... She forgot that there was another man in the room. Over the years, she became accustomed to being alone with her two children, so every time she came out of the bathroom, she would just wrap herself in a towel or her robe would not properly be tied.


    Nicolae turned and gasped upon seeing Aleksis who looked so charming with her hair still wet. Her long legs glowed in the moonlight spilling over from the large window beside her.


    Oh, God ... Aleksis is getting more and more beautiful, Nicolae thought.


    "Uncle Nic ... hey .." Altair waved his hand in front of Nicolae who was still stunned. "Why are you frozen, uncle?"


    Nicolae repeatedly blinked before turning to him, "Uh ... right, sorry, I am just caught off-guard. Your mother is very beautiful."


    He scolded himself for not being able to act cool in front of the children. He also could not hide his feelings at all. Why was he so weak? Why didn''t he just say that he was daydreaming and was not aware of his surroundings?


    His face was red when he nodded towards Aleksis.


    "Uhm ... the kids woke up and was looking for you. I was telling them a story to entertain them," he replied, scratching his head that wasn''t really itchy. "I''ll get going now. Good night, kids. Remember, we''ll be going for a walk tomorrow, okay?"


    He hurriedly got out of the bedroom and excused himself. Aleksis, Altair, and Vega stared at his departing figure with differing emotions. Aleksis felt guilty, while Altair and Vega had that yearning look in their eyes.


    "Alright, now you two, go to sleep. Mummy will have her clothes washed first. Tomorrow we will all go home."


    She kissed her two children before rushing out to find a maid to wash her dirty clothes. Earlier, she had resorted to finding white wine to remove the red wine stains.


    ***


    The next day, when Aleksis woke up, she immediately realized that her two children had disappeared from the room.


    "Gosh ... where are those two kids?" she grumbled as she searched frantically for Altair and Vega. She looked behind the cupboard, in the bathroom, and all around her bedroom. When Aleksis left the room she saw that her clothes had been neatly folded in the small cabinet by the door. She quickly changed into those and looked for her children outside the castle.


    "Madame, are you looking for the young master and young miss?" asked a passing servant who saw the antsy mother. "They went hiking on that hill behind the castle to catch butterflies. They will soon be back for breakfast."


    "Oh, is that so? Thank you for letting me know." Aleksis nodded. Her heart began to calm down. I better enjoy a cup of hot tea to calm down, she thought.


    With calm steps, she headed towards the large dining room located in the middle of the castle. The place was overlooking a very beautiful artificial garden surrounded by walls enclosing two towers. Lauriel would usually spend the morning there whenever he was staying here.


    "Good morning, Uncle Rory," Aleksis greeted him as she kissed her godfather''s cheek. She then took a seat beside him. "The kids and Nic are out for a walk, aren''t they?"


    "That''s right. They came out very early. They will be home soon."


    Lauriel had just finished his sentence when from one end of the hallway, Nicolae appeared carrying Vega. Altair was walking beside him. They all looked so high in spirit.


    "Mummyyyy .... I was stung by a bee !!" Vega immediately complained when she saw her mother.


    "Gosh .. are you alright?" Aleksis asked, standing up and taking Vega away from Nicolae''s arms. She saw her daughter''s hand that had turned swollen from the bee sting and immediately stroked it.


    "I will give her medicine for insect bites. It should help for now," Nicolae said. He disappeared and when he returned five minutes later, a small ointment bottle was in his hand. After cleaning the bite wound on Vega''s, he gently applied the ointment. In the process, he didn''t forget to coax the girl so she would forget the pain.


    With a grateful expression, Aleksis watched him apply the ointment. She could see how much Nicolae loved her children even though they had just met.


    "Are you a doctor? You look so cool, like a real doctor!" exclaimed Altair who had been watching how calmly Nicolae treated his sister.


    Nicolae nodded, "Indeed, I am a doctor, but I am no longer working as one. I will only be a doctor for you, if you get bitten by insects or fall from a tree, you can count on me to treat you..."


    "Wahhh ... so cool !! We already have a family doctor at home, but he is not at all fun, unlike you. Doctor Parker is old and boring ..." complained Altair. He then turned to his mother, "Mom, let''s just replace Doctor Parker, I want Uncle Nic to be our family doctor ... Can we do that ??"


    "I also want Uncle Nic, to be our family doctor." Vega held her mother''s hand and begged like Altair.


    Aleksis felt pressured. "Uh ... we can''t, Uncle Nic is very busy. He has been traveling around the world for years. He was too busy to even go home. If you ask him to stay and be our doctor, I will feel bad for him. You shouldn''t ask weird things. Please. "


    The two kids frowned.


    "Will you go on an adventure again and leave us, Uncle Nic?" Vega asked with tears in her eyes.


    "I will be very sad if you leave." Altair softly added.


    Nicolae was dumbfounded seeing how much the two children liked him so much that they became sad when they heard he would be leaving. He could not bear seeing the adorable kids looking at him with sad eyes akin to the eyes of sad puppies.


    "Uhm ... if your mum asks Uncle Nic to stay, then I will not go again." Finally, in an earnest manner, Nicolae answered. "I will only leave if Mummy Aleksis wants me to go."


    He looked at Aleksis with a smile and nodded. He was determined to stay. He wanted to be there for Aleksis once her heart recovered and could love again. Of course, the decision was in the girl''s hands. Nicolae would not force himself to stay if Aleksis did not welcome him.


    Everything was now for Aleksis to decide.

 Chapter 494 - The Happy Family

    The girl looked at him with a complicated look. She understood what Nicolae meant and she realized that from the first time they met, he had been harboring a crush for her.


    His feelings did not change in years, not even after everything that had happened in the past.


    Now, he was not only in love with Aleksis, but also with her two children.


    Aleksis knew that her parents and Lauriel all hoped that she and Nicolae could be bound in marriage, but they would never force her.


    Nicolae also never forced his love for her. He remained faithful to her and gave her as much space as she needed to heal. He only hoped that one day she would open up her heart.


    Aleksis realized, everyone was right, that she would never find a man better than Nicolae. The man was very loving, very loyal, he had a kind heart and a pleasant and warm personality. He also had repeatedly proven himself ready to defend Aleksis even with his own life.


    She bit her lip and pondered for a moment. Her children needed a father figure, and Nicolae could be that figure. There was also the fact that he looked very fond of Altair and Vega. Her children also adored him.


    Aleksis then grasped that last night they had conspired with Nicolae so they would be allowed to stay here. After all ... it''s been almost six years since Alaric died. Aleksis must learn to let go and accept reality.


    "So..?" Nicolae repeated his question and looked at Aleksis intensely, "Do you want me to go, or do you want me to stay here?"


    Four pairs of eyes focused on Aleksis, waiting for an answer from her. Nicolae, Altair, Vega, and Lauriel were all waiting for the words to come out of her lips.


    Everyone hoped that the girl would say yes.


    Finally, Aleksis nodded slowly, "If Uncle Nic doesn''t mind staying here, I will be very happy."


    A smile immediately graced Nicolae''s handsome face. He was extremely glad to hear those words.


    Nicolae turned to Altair and Vega and nodded, "SInce  Mommy asked Uncle Nic to stay, then I will stay."


    The two children immediately cheered and hugged him in joy. Aleksis only looked at the scene with a complicated expression on her face. A moment later she looked away, to hide her tears which had started to stream down slowly.


    She was aware that her two children desperately needed a father figure but she kept it from them for six years by closing her heart to Nicolae. Aleksis knew it was time to move on.


    "After breakfast, we''ll go to town to shop for clothes," Nicolae said as he sat on the dining chair and signaled the servant to start serving food. He turned to Aleksis, "I hope you don''t mind staying here a little longer ... I would love to spend more time with Altair and Vega."


    Aleksis could only nod.


    The atmosphere at the dining table remained very lively because of Altair and Vega''s babble. Lauriel had never felt so happy being surrounded by people he loved so much. His heart that had been cold towards humans slowly softened. Even the servants could see that their master now seemed a lot warmer and friendlier.


    After breakfast, Aleksis and her children showered and went with Nicolae to the city to shop. They rode a convertible car and enjoyed the breeze along the way. They felt thankful that the weather was sunny. Nicolae drove his own car with Aleksis sitting next to him. The children were in the backseat.


    They immediately went to the boutique and bought a week''s worth of supplies for the mother and the kids. When he was in the girls'' clothing department, Nicolae enthusiastically chose some very beautiful dresses for the two children, and only then did he realize that Altair was actually a boy.


    "Uncle Nic, you don''t love me. You are only choosing clothes for Vega," Altair grumbled when Nicolae picked the tenth dress.


    "Uh ... Uncle bought this for you two," Nicolae replied in surprise. "Look, some of them are exactly the same, so you don''t need to fight over the same dress."


    Altair pursed his lips and turned to his mother. He cutely yelled in protest. "Mum, I don''t like wearing dresses."


    "Eh, Altair doesn''t like girls'' clothes, he''s a boy," Aleksis said, chuckling.


    "Wait .. what? So Altair is a boy and Vega is a girl???" Nicolae looked at Altair and Vega alternately. His face betraying his shock.


    He just realized that the two children were just very similar, but they were not exactly the same. Apparently, they were not identical twins. Since yesterday he had assumed Altair was also a girl because he was wearing a pink shirt, which only girls would usually wear.


    "Uhmm ... have you ever read about the constellations, Altair and Vega?" Aleksis asked him.


    Nicolae shook his head. He then looked at Altair in regret, "I''m sorry, I really didn''t know."


    "Yeah, that''s fine, but be clear now that I don''t want to wear a dress," Altair grunted again. Nicolae smiled and nodded.


    "Of course, you can wear whatever you like. I''m sorry, Uncle will grab some suitable clothes for you. In fact, we could have matching outfits..."


    Only then did Altair''s crumpled face smoothened into a grin. After shopping, they took their time eating lunch at a nearby restaurant. They also enjoyed a very delicious gelato. The sunny weather, good food, and the togetherness a family usually have made their hearts feel satisfied.


    Nicolae was grateful that his father organized his birthday party yesterday and forced him to go home. Otherwise, today he would still be wandering somewhere, alone, and living emptily by denying his love.


    Now that Aleksis had given him a chance, albeit indirectly said, he would do everything within his power to convince her that they should be together. He was determined to wait patiently and make Aleksis fall in love with him.

 Chapter 495 - Have Fun, Uncle Nic and Mom!

    Aleksis saw Nicolae looking a bit pensive as they sat in the terrace cafe enjoying tiramisu. And so, she could not help but ask.


    "Hey, what are you thinking?" Aleksis'' voice made Nicolae return to reality.


    As usual, the handsome man smiled warmly, "I was wondering when will be the best time for me to ask you out on a date."


    Altair and Vega raised their heads waiting for Nicolae to continue his words. They also wanted to know.


    "Oh ..." Aleksis looked down. She shouldn''t have asked, she thought. Now the situation had become awkward because they talked about something like this in front of the children.


    Nicolae did not continue as Aleksis also did not press him further. He understood that the girl was feeling awkward in front of her kids.


    "Uhmm ... it''s late, let''s go home. Remember yesterday, I promised to teach both of you how to make pizza," he remarked later after finishing his tiramisu.


    They returned to the castle. Afterward, Nicolae took Aleksis children to the kitchen to demonstrate to them how to make pizza. Altair and Vega were very happy because this would be a new experience for them.


    Aleksis was also delighted to see her children learn new things. It was a good thing that they were really enjoying their time at Medici Castle. That night they had a pizza dinner made by Nicolae and the twins.


    "Wow ... I didn''t know you could make pizza, and it tastes really good," exclaimed Aleksis. "I didn''t know you could cook."


    Nicolae shrugged, "I''ve been living alone for decades. Of course, I''ve got to be able to take care of myself."


    "Wow ... there are many people who have lived tens or even hundreds of years without being able to cook," she added. "At first I thought that all men are good at cooking, like my father. You know, we have been spoiled by the dishes he made. But then I realized, my father is a special case. Apparently, most men can''t cook."


    Aleksis glanced at Lauriel who had just coughed. Ugh ... This godfather of hers was part of the male population who couldn''t cook. Give him a knife, and he would be able to fight an army, but definitely not to cook.


    "Aha ... I''m happy because I remind you of Uncle Caspar. I really admire him," Nicolae said happily. "We are both doctors, and we also like cooking."


    Aleksis confirmed in her heart that even though Nicolae had a very similar face to Lauriel, his personality and habits were nothing like his father. He was a very warm person and his attitude to people was always sweet, the opposite of Lauriel who was cold and indifferent.


    Nicolae really reminded her of her father, Caspar Schneider. Her father was a very cordial and loving person. He never hesitated to express his love for his wife. Anyone within a ten-mile radius would see how much he loved Finland.


    Maybe this was the reason why Aleksis would try to give Nicolae a chance. People said a woman tends to fall in love with a man like her father. At least, if the father was the best one she knew. The longer she spent time with Nicolae, the more she felt like she was seeing her father in the young man.


    Come to think of it, Alaric actually had a personality and habits similar to Lauriel, Aleksis thought again. Even their style in clothing was similar. Then it dawned on her,  maybe that''s also why she fell in love with Alaric in the beginning.


    Alaric reminded her of her godfather, Lauriel, who taught her many things since she was a child and one of the people she admired so much.


    Aleksis involuntarily sighed. She did not understand why she always thought of Alaric, no matter the circumstances or time of the day.


    Just now, she was admiring Nicolae''s cooking, but somehow she ended up thinking about Alaric again ...


    I don''t know how long I will be like this.


    "Mom, tomorrow let''s have a picnic at the Butterfly Hill. Please?" All of a sudden, Altair requested. "Uncle Nic can make more pizza and we will pick berries. The view there is very beautiful."


    "Eh ... really?" Aleksis slightly widened her eyes. She thought for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, let''s have a picnic tomorrow."


    She then continued eating while trying to erase Alaric''s face in her mind.


    The next day when the sun had just begun to rise, Nicolae was already on a horse in front of the castle, waiting for Aleksis and her children to go out for a picnic. He brought a basket of food and drinks with him.


    He heard from Altair and Vega that they really liked horseback riding, so he deliberately planned to go to the picnic venue on a horse. There were even two servants bringing out two ponies for the kids.


    At exactly 10 am, Aleksis and her two children came out, as promised. But oddly, there was a frown on their faces.


    "Sorry, the picnic has to be canceled," Aleksis said, regret showing in her face. "Altair complained of headaches, and Vega has a stomachache..."


    "I''m going to rest and get medicine from Grandpa Rory. Mummy and Uncle Nic should just go with the picnic ..." Altair said quickly. "If you don''t go, the food will be wasted... Uncle Nic has prepared a lot of nice food for the picnic."


    "I just want to sleep. Mum, you and Uncle Nic must go on a picnic to Butterfly Hill on our behalf. You should take lots of pictures later..." Vega followed up.


    "But ...I want to be here, to take care of both of you."  Aleksis felt distressed.


    "No, Mum ... Please! Don''t you feel sorry for Uncle Nic who has prepared everything for this short getaway? Don''t be heartless..." Altair cleverly guilt-tripped his mother with his words.


    Ugh ... this kid is very good at manipulating people, thought Aleksis. Altair reminded her of herself when she was still a kid. She always had schemes up her sleeves.


    "Yes, alright ... I will go on a picnic on your behalf," Aleksis finally relented. She turned to Nicolae and said, "Sorry, only I can come, the children are sick."


    "It''s okay," Nicolae nodded, hiding the happiness in his expression. He realized the children were deliberately helping him out so he could be alone with Aleksis. Ah, you smart kids. I''ll give you lots of gifts later, he thought.


    "Have fun, Uncle Nic and Mom," Altair and Vega waved their hands eagerly as Aleksis walked toward Nicolae.

 Chapter 496 - Overlooking The Beautiful Valley

    "Sorry, only one adult horse can be used today. The others are still in the meadow," Nicolae said. He stretched out his hand and helped Aleksis to get on the back of the horse.


    "It is okay." Aleksis swiftly jumped up. A moment later, she was sitting elegantly in front of Nicolae. "You hold the picnic basket, let me handle the horse."


    "Hmm ..." Nicolae only hummed. He held the picnic basket in his right hand while his left hand handed the rein to Aleksis. Then he waved to the children before heading towards the Butterfly Hill.


    "You are very good at riding a horse," complimented Nicolae along the way.


    "Ahaha ... thank you. Uncle Rory taught me."


    They did not say much after. Aleksis realized it had been a long time since she had gone horseback riding. It had also been a while since she had fun without her two children.


    Subconsciously, she expanded her chest and took a deep breath. The air on this hill was still fresh. Something rarely found nowadays.


    Nicolae took a deep breath too, following Aleksis. A fascinating feeling arose from his chest when it dawned on him that their bodies were so close. Right now, he could even smell Aleksis'' natural scent which was similar to refreshing citrus.


    He had started liking Aleksis'' scent since the first time she hugged him on campus. That time, she thought he was Prince Siegfried.


    They arrived at the top of Butterfly Hill after an hour of pleasant riding. Nicolae kept his body from touching Aleksis who was sitting casually in front of him and controlling their horse. He did not want her to think he was trying to take advantage of her.


    Of course, he wanted to hug her body from behind and enjoy her scent more closely. However, he couldn''t do that lest it gives her a bad impression.


    "The kids are right, this place is beautiful," Aleksis commented after they arrived. She deftly jumped off the horse and raised her hand to help Nicolae get down.


    "Uhm ... I can go down by myself," Nicolae said while laughing.


    "I mean, give me the basket, so you can get down more easily," Aleksis pursed her lips. "Do you think you''re still a child so I have to help you down?! Gosh."


    "Oh ... okay. Sorry, I misunderstood you. I''ve been too full of myself... hahaha .." Nicolae answered lightly. He was not offended at all. He handed their picnic basket to Aleksis then jumped down from the horse. He then casually led the horse under the shade of an olive tree, then tied the saddle to one of its branches.


    Aleksis spread their picnic blanket under the shades and arranged their food and drinks neatly.


    "Thank you for taking me on this nice trip," Aleksis said as she sat relaxed on the blanket. Her eyes swept around, taking in the beautiful valley below them. "This is very fun."


    "Of course," Nicolae nodded while taking a seat next to Aleksis. He pulled out a small knife and began cutting apples. From time to time he would be giving slices of the fruit to her.


    Time passed like that. For a moment they sat just there, enjoying the apples without saying anything.


    "How have you been?" Nicolae asked after finishing one of the apples. He did not look at Aleksis. Instead, he kept his eyes on the valley.


    "You have no idea?" Aleksis asked in amazement. "I thought you were regularly asking Uncle Rory or Terry about how I was doing. Yesterday, I was very surprised. You actually didn''t know my twins are a pair of boy and girl."


    Nicolae shook his head softly, "Uhm ... no, I deliberately didn''t ask anyone about you. I''m sorry, it''s not that I don''t care about your situation, I just know you''re in good hands. I didn''t hear anything about you for the whole duration that I was away... "


    "Why?" asked Aleksis. She could guess the answer, but she still wanted to hear it directly from Nicolae''s own lips. "You were my only friend at that time. I trusted you, and we were very close. You helped me a lot when I ran away from home ... Imagine how sad I was because you just left like that."


    She bit her lip, remembering the suffocating experience from 5 and a half years ago when she returned to her parents'' house, and Nicolae then went away and disappeared for years.


    "I''m sorry," Nicolae finally turned to face her with a look of regret. "I''m not that strong."


    "Hmm ..." Aleksis nodded. "Okay, I understand."


    "You don''t understand, Aleksis ..." Nicolae sighed deeply. His voice turned hoarse. "I liked you from the first time I saw you. At that time, you were a shabby looking nerd girl. I didn''t know you were very rich, and even an immortal like me. It all just became a very pleasant bonus."


    Aleksis knew Nicolae liked her, even loved her. Because he was truly like her father, Nicolae was expressive of his feelings. But this was the first time she heard him spoke this directly to her.


    "I was confused when you thought I was Prince Siegfried ... and I was too late in finding out the truth. If I knew I looked like him, I would have definitely pretended I am him, I would claim that I am him." Nicolae smiled bitterly, "Then you would assume that Prince Siegfried was an immortal and you would accept me happily. It was like fate. Especially when I found out that my father ... turns out to be your godfather. Unfortunately, I was too late, you have found the real one and married him. "


    "Nic ... please, don''t say that. I was wrong because I thought you were him and had caused a misunderstanding between us." Aleksis took Nicolae''s hand and gently patted its back, "I know you are not a liar. So, even if there was an opportunity, you would not fool me and claim to be Prince of Siegfried. After all, you know you''re not. You''re too kind."


    Nicolae gave her a small smile. "I''m sorry that you have to face all the tragedies by yourself. I''m sorry that you lost the person you love, the father of your children."


    Aleksis nodded and bit her lower lip, trying not to cry. "It''s okay. It''s been a long time."


    "I now understand why at that time you mistook me for him. Alaric must have looked quite similar to me because as I can see, Altair and Vega do look like me. Their father must have quite a lot of physical similarities with me," he said again.


    Aleksis looked studied Nicolae''s face for a while. A few moments later, she nodded. "You''re right ... The first time I met him was when I was 12 years old. He looked very similar to the current you. That''s why I mistakenly thought you were him. But then, he actually got seriously injured in one of his assignments so his face became disfigured. He didn''t want to show me his face. I don''t know how he looks like after he got older. My children, too, would never know."

 Chapter 497 - Can I Hold Your Hand?

    Nicolae''s heart was struck by Aleksis''s explanation. They had never talked about the mysterious Alaric Rhionen before. Even when Aleksis stayed at his place for two months, Nicolae never asked her, let alone urged her to tell him about her relationship with Alaric.


    In his heart, he now felt more depressed. He now knew how sincere Aleksis'' love for Alaric was. The girl paid no attention to the age difference between them and did not even care if his face had been disfigured.


    He did not know whether, one day, Aleksis would love him that much.


    "I didn''t know your relationship with him was like that," he said quietly. "He sounds like a complicated person."


    Aleksis nodded. "He is indeed very complicated. I know my family will not be able to accept him, Aside from his shady background, he also held a huge grudge against humanity. At that time, I naively thought I would be able to change him. Unfortunately, the opportunity never came, and he died with that hatred and grudge still in his heart."


    "That means our similarity ends at the physical appearance," he remarked after listening to her. "I''m not complicated and I don''t hate humans. My father is like that, but I''m not like my father."


    "Right," Aleksis smiled for the first time. "You are yourself. I like Nicolae who is warm and always sweet. Please don''t ever change."


    "No. I will not," Nicolae answered firmly. "I will not change no matter what."


    "That''s nice." Aleksis snatched the knife from Nicolae''s hand. This time, it was her turn to peel the apples for them. "Do you want to drink wine?"


    "Uh, it''s not 12 yet," Nicolae answered, his tone hinting a bit of a surprise.


    "There are no children around here," Aleksis whispered mischievously. "Let''s open a bottle."


    Nicolae obediently plugged out the wine cork and poured half a glass for each of them.


    They drank wine while talking about his various adventures around the world. The stories seemed to have accumulated over the years. Wine made the atmosphere more pleasant. Soon the two of them were laughing heartily when Nicolae told her about Terry who had almost booked an empty plane to take them to Rome.


    "Ah, my brother really likes to do things in an exaggerated manner. That one instance is the example," Aleksis shook her head, laughing. "I still remember you guys were bitter enemies in the past. How does it feel realizing that the person you hated the most before is actually your best friend in cyberspace? Didn''t you feel weird?"


    Nicolae shrugged, "At first I did. But over time, I forgot that at one point in our lives, we have been enemies. Now, we''re simply good friends."


    "Ah ... how nice." Aleksis smiled. "By the way, Uncle Lauriel deliberately invited several beautiful and single girls from respectable families to your party. Did anyone catch your attention? We can invite them again for a new year party, a ball or something."


    Nicolae nodded, "There was. And I want to invite her to dinner with me next week."


    "Oh really? Which one?" asked Aleksis.


    "She''s from Germany. If I''m not mistaken, she''s Uncle Caspar''s daughter." Nicolae shrugged and then finished his wine. "Only, I don''t know if she wants to have dinner with me or not."


    Aleksis suddenly hit the young man''s shoulder who then giggled because he managed to tease her.


    "You are not being serious," she grumbled.


    "Who said so? I''m super serious, really." Nicolae put down his glass and looked at her intensely. In a very earnest voice, he asked, "Miss Aleksis Schneider ... may I have the honor to have dinner with you next week? Just the two of us?"


    "Aish ... what the hell is this? Of course, I will. You don''t have to look so pitiful," she answered.


    "I''m not pitiful," Nicolae defended himself. "I just want to sound earnest, because you accused me of not being serious."


    "Hmm .. okay. I won''t accuse you of that anymore."


    "Thank you." Hearing a positive answer from Aleksis, Nicolae then called out again. "Aleksis ..."


    "Yes?"


    "Can I hold your hand?" he asked in a hoarse voice.


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae in disbelief. The young man''s face seemed very solemn. Finally, waving her hands, the girl laughed.


    "Ahahah ... I didn''t expect you to ask me that." Aleksis turned towards the valley, avoiding Nicolae''s gaze. But she still answered casually. "Yes, you can."


    "Thank you." With a wide smile put on, Nicolae clasped his right hand around Aleksis''s left hand. In that position, the two of them then enjoyed the view of the valley together.


    ***


    A few months later, the world was just shocked by the announcement of the merger between two giant corporate groups. Since even before, they were already in control of various important industries in many countries, the sudden merger solidified their position as one of the most powerful corporations in the world.


    Meier Group and Rhionen Industries combined their various assets and even many of the projects they had worked on together, making them the largest corporation group in the world, based on the assessment of the most prestigious business magazine.


    Alaric was getting busier each day but he really enjoyed his work. After meeting with his four foster children and Pavel, he had begun to travel to various countries. This was to visit the various branch offices of his group and showed his face to the top management working under him.


    Within three months, Rhionen-Meier Industries launched various breakthroughs that shook the world. The corporation''s household digital assistant system that was tested in China had produced very encouraging results. This prompted various major countries to immediately propose collaboration with Rhionen-Meier Industries so that the system could be implemented in their big cities.


    In their estimate, within three years, all developed countries would be integrated into this new system, while the developing countries would follow within ten to twenty years.


    Virconnect 4D had also become very popular and Splitz had become the largest media company in the world connecting all people from all walks of life.


    To launch this product, Splitz held the world''s largest 4D music festival, presenting to the world that top artists and celebrity. Splitz account holders from all around the globe could access the event no matter where they were.


    The festivities lasted for one full day. The news then became so big that in just one day everyone heard about Virconnect 4D. The idea of attending festivals from where they were as if they were directly on the location really made people very excited.


    Now, they could come to concerts or watch theater performances without having to tire themselves with the trip. They no longer needed to go out of the house,  park their cars, or spend a lot of time on the road.


    In Virconnect they could also meet their friends in the same event, without having to be there physically.


    Before the market''s enthusiasm for Virconnect 4D had subsided, Holodeck was launched. Soon, due to this invention, Splitz was solidified as the largest and most influential media company in the world.


    It was only during the official launch of Holodeck that the directors of Splitz found out who Alaric really was. It was when he came as the new leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, of which Splitz was one of the numerous subsidiaries.


    "Gosh ... is he the new owner of Rhionen Industries?" They wondered to each other, now understanding why the young man''s attitude was so bossy and overbearing when he first came during Virconnect and Holodeck''s presentations. They never expected the big boss to be this young and mysterious.

 Chapter 498 - Its A Rubbish Award

    It was only during the official launch of Holodeck that the directors of Splitz found out who Alaric really was. It was when he came as the new leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, of which Splitz was one of the numerous subsidiaries.


    They never expected the big boss to be this young and mysterious.


    Alaric then soon became a topic of conversation among the high-class ladies who hoped to get a chance to meet him or, better yet, date him.


    "You are now on the list of the most eligible bachelors in the world after you came on top of the Forsythe''s 100 Most Influential Men, which was released last week. This time the list is the Ritz List''s version," commented Aleksis, his digital assistant, when Alaric was reading some files in his house after dinner. "Luna has already rejected hundreds of interview requests for you."


    "The most eligible bachelor?" Alaric furrowed his brows and spat out with a disgusted face. "What nonsense. I can''t be attracted to regular people."


    Before, Alaric had always disliked humans in general. But when he learned that he was actually an Alchemist, he became aware that he actually did not hate humans. He just hated ordinary people whom he thought were evil for loving warfare and destroying nature.


    The world of the Alchemists was a perfect and ideal society, so, for the first time, Alaric felt that he had found his true place. Alchemists had a perfect system; they were never in a rush to get married or have children, and they lived in harmony with nature, not at all interested in warfare.


    Alaric agreed with Sophia and Portia that Alchemists should set an example for ordinary people by getting out of their secret lives. Ordinary people should know who the real people behind the scenes were and understand how corrupt their own society was.


    Alaric snorted when he heard from Luna that he had become the number one or the most eligible bachelor in the world, the dream guy of so many women, at least according to many versions of business and lifestyle magazines.


    He did not have the slightest interest in women from the ordinary bunch. He thought they were not equal to him. Regular humans could have beauty and wealth, but none of what they possessed could buy class, he thought.


    Aleksis was an exception for Alaric. Of course, he made this exception because he loved the girl. In matters of love, humans would always make up various criteria to reject the ones they were not interested in. But if they truly loved someone, none of the criteria would matter.


    "What''s with that snorting? You''re the only person who doesn''t like getting awards," Aleksis chided.


    "It''s a rubbish award," Alaric remarked, continuing to read the document.


    "So you don''t want to come to the Ritz Gala year-end party in New York to receive it? It''s the most prestigious socialites event in the world. They deliberately invited you to attend and receive the award because they plan to use Virconnect 4D to broadcast the party for the first time." A while later, Aleksis'' voice then turned into a whisper, "Actually, Pavel''s digital assistant told me to persuade you to come because he said it would be very good marketing for Splitz."


    Alaric frowned, "Aleksis, you should be my assistant, not the assistant of Pavel''s assistant. Why are you on his side?"


    "Ugh ... because I want to see you appear on stage, and be admired by many people. Your place is there, not here reading documents alone." Aleksis'' voice sounded seductive, "Master is very handsome, I can''t wait to dress you up for the party."


    "Ish ..." Alaric just shook his head. "When is the event? You didn''t forget that I also have to attend the New Year party in Glasgow, did you? I can''t miss that one as it will be held by Portia."


    "This time I didn''t forget. The Ritz Gala event is on December 20 while Mrs. Portia''s New Year party is on December 31. This will be a good opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the whole world." Aleksis became very excited, "If you want to rule the world, they must know who you are."


    Alaric felt that Aleksis had a point. Portia and Ned planned to announce him to the entire Alchemist Clan at their new year''s party.


    But, of course, it would not hurt to first appear to the world through the Ritz Gala award event. That way, once it was time to be introduced by Portia, many alchemists would have already heard of him.


    They certainly would not expect the leader of the largest corporation in the world today to be an alchemist like them. That should benefit him if he wanted to get their support in becoming the clan leader.


    Hmm .. later this year he would be very busy.


    ***


    Terry sat on his chair, looking at the invitation in his hand with a very happy heart.


    Finally! After working so hard for many years and becoming one of the most respected business figures in New York, he got a special invitation from the Ritz Gala committee, made specifically and delivered directly by human couriers.


    After Caspar handed over his entire corporation to Terry last month and made him President of the Schneider Group, he finally made it to the list of the most eligible bachelors in the world. This reminded him of various ridiculous polls on campus when he was still competing with Nicolae in the past.


    Ha ha ha. Terry didn''t think he was still as competitive as before. Apparently he was. Even though he had, so far, never dated any woman and was preoccupied with work, getting on the list of the most eligible bachelors still gave him personal satisfaction.


    He could not wait to show off to Nicolae.


    Ah, he would show off to his best friend directly in the party using the new technology, Virconnect 4D. He noted in the calendar the date of the event and made sure to order his assistant to arrange his schedule well.


    He couldn''t wait for December 20th to arrive!


    ***

 Chapter 499 - Missing Jean

    Finland felt at a loss because it had been five years since Jean last came to celebrate the Christmas holidays with her family. In the past, every Christmas and end of the year, Lauriel and Jean would join the Schneider family, hurrying over from wherever they were to celebrate the holiday with them.


    However, for the past five years, Jean always only apologized and said that he couldn''t leave his family behind.


    "Why don''t you bring Marion and Jean-Marie here?" Finland asked one time. "You know I miss you so much ... I also really want to meet Jean-Marie."


    "I''m sorry, but Marion is still recovering. I can''t leave her," Jean replied apologetically. "I promise, once we can travel, we will visit you."


    But then five years passed and that promise was never kept. Finland felt even sadder. Maybe this was how it would always feel like when losing friends because they would be starting a new life with their spouses.


    She could not help but recall when Jean still had a relationship with Billie Yves. Back then, he still had time and space in his heart for his best friend. But now that he got married to Marion, his priority naturally became his wife, especially now that they had a child together.


    Entering the sixth year, Finland looked sadly at the invitation in her hand. She did not know whether to send it or not. She had no idea whether he would meet them for their year-end holidays.


    "Hmm ... there''s nothing else we can do," Caspar tod her when Finland complained to him. "Do you still remember when we just got married? At that time, you had to prioritize me and our children, more than Jean, even though you have been friends with him for much longer. He needed time to adjust to his position as an outsider. Remember, before we were married... he was an insider in your life. It''s not been easy for him. You must be feeling the same now, right?"


    Finland bit her lower lip. She realized, of course, Jean must have felt the same way when Finland got married and built a family with Caspar. He must have struggled a lot in searching for his place so as to not cause awkwardness between them as friends.


    Finland remembered the process had not been easy. Lauriel''s presence between them helped with the adjustment since he too was an ''outsider'' in the Schneider family.


    Finland didn''t expect for it to feel very painful, losing a friend who used to be so close to her and always sharing in her happiness and sorrows ...


    She was not jealous of Marion, absolutely not. But she really missed her best friend. When she heard that Jean got married, her chest became a little tight because she was not invited. It was painful not to be there on her friend''s big day.


    But then she remembered, 27 years ago, she also married Caspar in secret and did not invite Jean. It might have been due to Caspar''s identity as the Alchemist clan leader which had to be kept a secret, still, Finland felt like karma was now knocking on her door.


    She could only accept everything with a heavy heart and hope that one day, she would be able to meet Jean again.


    ***


    "Dad ... I want to go to New York next week," London said suddenly. He just arrived with Rune after spending a week at Aldebar''s place. He had been his uncle''s guinea pig for his latest potion invention. "Hi, Mom."


    He kissed Finland on both cheeks and hugged her before taking a seat on the sofa. The young man was now 23 years old and his handsome face was very similar to Caspar. He was only slightly taller than his father. If they walked along together in the city, other people would certainly think they were siblings.


    "Why do you want to go to New York?" Finland asked with interest, "Are you going alone or is Rune coming too?"


    Rune emerged from behind the door and immediately rushed towards Finland. He then laid on the couch with his head on his mother''s lap.


    "Gosh ... what happened to you?" Finland was surprised after seeing that Rune''s face was filled with weird brown spots.


    "Uhh ... this is caused by one of Uncle Aldebar''s new potions. He said the spots will disappear after a week. You should have seen my face three days ago ... Well, I looked like a cheetah." Rune answered nonchalantly.


    "Wait ... what?" Finland covered her lips in astonishment, "What did your uncle just make?"


    "He was testing a potion aimed to improve human''s ability according to the animals they choose. Last week, I told my uncle that I wanted to be as fast as a cheetah. He gave me a cheetah potion ... After consuming it, I turned out this way." Rune pointed a finger to the guy sitting next to Finland. "London wanted to have a sharp sense of hearing," he said.


    The mother turned her head to one side and saw that her older son now had longer and pointed ears.


    "Wait ... it will not be permanent, right?" Finland asked worriedly. "What''s with those ears?"


    "Cat ears, from one of the animals that have the sharpest hearing," answered London, laughing. "Take it easy, Mom. This is still in a preliminary trial, we have been given a very low dose."


    Aishh ... Finland really wanted to smack that eccentric brother-in-law of hers for always conducting weird experiments. After all, out of the 10 new potions or machines that he would invent every year, 9 of them would have no real use whatsoever for sure.


    "Hmm .. okay. Just tell Aldebar to watch out if all of that becomes permanent. I will lock up his lab and throw the keys to the Bermuda Triangle," Finland snorted.


    After checking that her two children were still physically healthy, she then sat down and asked them to tell more about what they did at Aldebar''s place.

 Chapter 500 - Going Back on Adventures

    "Uncle told us to come to the Ritz Gala next week to test one of his new inventions. He also asked us to acquire more information about that Virconnect 4D that will be used at the event," London added after narrating to his mother all the activities he and Rune did at Aldebar''s place, "Big Brother Terry will also be there to receive an award nomination. We want to see him. "


    Finland had heard about Terry making it to the list of the most eligible bachelors in the world. It was according to the Ritz List, the most prestigious lifestyle magazine in the world. As a mother, she was naturally very proud, even though she was one of those who thought that the list was ridiculous.


    "So, can we go?" asked Rune to their mother.


    Finland turned to her husband. She noticed that the man was busy checking pictures of food from the internet to find inspiration for today''s dinner.


    "Honey, will you let the kids go to the Ritz Gala this year?" she asked Caspar.


    Caspar lifted his face for a moment, his eyes leaving the picture of a dish that looked so delicious. He shrugged, "It''s okay, let them see the world. Anyways, the Ritz Gala is always held in our hotel, St. Laurent. London and Rune can just come there as the hotel owner''s son."


    "Wait, are you going to announce them as sons of the Schneider family?" Amazement was in Finland''s voice. "That''s a first."


    "Ah, it''s okay. They are males, no one will kidnap them," Caspar replied casually.


    "Wow ... it''s great! Thank you, Dad!" London and Rune exclaimed happily.


    The woman frowned, "Then, when will you announce Aleksis?"


    "As for Aleksis, I am still not willing to do it. I plan to announce Aleksis'' identity once she is married. So all the men out there will not be able to bother her as, by then, she would already have a husband." The Alchemist Clan Leader smiled to himself, "Later, I''ll just let Nicolae handle those men."


    Finland knew, from the start, that Caspar was extremely affectionate and overprotective of his daughter. But it made sense. Although Aleksis was not a weak girl and was always surrounded by personal bodyguards or even Lauriel, she was repeatedly attacked and was almost out of his hands once.


    Aleksis was kidnapped and given a poison that threatened her life when she was only 2 years old, then she was lost on the train, she was also kidnapped by a pair of human traffickers when she was 12, and when she grew up she suffered from a fatal accident that rendered her in a coma for several months.


    Caspar didn''t want to risk it anymore. He would have Aleksis stay in her parents'' golden cage forever if necessary. He did not want his daughter to be threatened again just because she was the daughter of Caspar Schneider.


    He would only release Aleksis once she had a husband who would protect her.


    Until then, Caspar would not let his guard down.


    ***


    Aleksis now absolutely had no objections to her golden cage or being under the protection of her affectionate father. To be exact, she no longer cared.


    She once wanted to see the world so much and asked for permission to study in Singapore to be away from her family for a year. Back then, she also wanted to find her Prince Siegfried. None of these meant anything to her anymore.


    Prince Siegfried, Alaric Rhionen, was gone. Now Aleksis'' life only revolved around her two children. She was currently busy taking care of Altair and Vega, ensuring that their days would be immersed in happiness.


    When Nicolae returned and entered their lives, Aleksis'' burden became increasingly light. The man was very happy to take her and her children on adventures. It began when Aleksis was fulfilling a dinner invitation from Nicolae, just the two of them. As they ate, they were also discussing various things that had gone by.


    Aleksis enthusiastically asked Nicolae the most memorable experiences he got from his travels around the world.


    "Hm ... a lot, but it seems, there is nothing too special. Didn''t you also often go on adventures with my father when you were a child? You never did again?" Nicolae asked in puzzlement.


    Aleksis shook her head. "No, after Altair and Vega are born, I couldn''t take care of two babies alone and go on adventures at the same time. My father had also been busy with the family business and my mother was helping him."


    "But now Altair and Vega have become older. How old are they? Five years old, right? You can already go and travel if you want."


    Aleksis looked away. Having children was the happiest thing in her life, but there were certain things that must be sacrificed to become a mother. As a woman with no partner, she must rely on herself to make sure her two children would be alright.


    She could surround them with countless staff and bodyguards, but it would still not feel the same. This was why she discouraged herself from going on adventures for the past five years.


    "Hey ... listen, if you want, well, you see, I plan to go to Iceland in December to see the northern lights. Do you want to go with me? With the kids? We can stay at the ice hotel."


    Aleksis almost spat out the wine she had just sipped upon hearing Nicolae''s words. She quickly remembered Kit Blue, the daughter of an ice hotel owner in Iceland.


    "Do you want to stay at the hotel owned by that arrogant girl who came to your party?" Aleksis questioned him sharply. Nicolae did not know what Kit did to Aleksis, so he didn''t understand why her pitch turned higher.


    "Arrogant girl? What did she do? Do you mean Kit?"


    "Ish ..." Aleksis took a napkin and cleaned her lips that got stained by red wine just now. "You go alone. I don''t like cold places."


    "Uhmm ... you really like cold places," argued Nicolae who knew all about her. "You like free diving in the Caribbean, you like hunting fish in the middle of the sea, you like playing with tiger cubs, you like playing with snow ..."


    The woman pursed her lips as she stared at Nicolae.


    "So what?" she asked in an indifferent manner.


    "I want you to go back to doing those things that you like. I want Aleksis to be the old Aleksis: cheerful, always happy, fearless, and love to live in the wild." Nicolae took her napkin from her hand and wiped it against her left cheek. There were still some red wine stains on it as a result of almost spitting her drink out in annoyance. "You''re still as careless. There''s still wine on your cheek."


    Aleksis turned silent when she heard Nicolae''s words. She obediently let the young man wipe her cheek. Nicolae was really caring and always thought of Aleksis'' interests. He could even guess that she really missed going on adventures, but was holding back because she was worried about her children.

 Chapter 501 - Adventure In Iceland (1)

    "I want you to go back to doing those things that you like. I want Aleksis to be the old Aleksis: cheerful, always happy, fearless, and love to live in the wild." Nicolae was really caring and always thought of Aleksis'' interests. He could even guess that she really missed going on adventures, but was holding back because she was worried about her children. That''s why he made her this offer. "Why don''t you and the kids go with me to Iceland to see aurora?"


    "I don''t want to stay at the ice hotel." Finally Aleksis answered, frowning.


    "Okay, we will not stay at the ice hotel, then." Nicolae nodded. "Hmm ... how about we also go to Trinidad? You haven''t been to the Caribbean in a while, right? My father gave me a treasure chest for my 100th birthday. It is buried somewhere in the middle of a deserted island in the Caribbean. We can bring the twins and go on a treasure hunt. I''m sure they would love that! What do you say? "


    Aleksis'' pair of blue-green eyes sparkled with joy. She held Nicolae''s hand tightly and exclaimed happily, "I would love that!! It would be really fun !!"


    Nicolae laughed softly at Aleksis'' excitement. Aleksis was an amazing young woman very much filled with enthusiasm and explosive emotions.


    Aleksis was still very young. She gave birth to her two children when she was not even 21 years old, which was very young considering that she was an Alchemist. Being a mother demanded her to grow up more quickly to show a calm and graceful nature in front of her children. However, at heart, she was still the excited young Aleksis everyone knew.


    "Why don''t we go in October, to celebrate your birthday?" Nicolae asked again.


    "I will be very happy," Aleksis answered happily.


    "All right. In that case, it''s been decided."


    The first adventure of Aleksis and Nicolae, together with Altair and Vega, was such a success that they couldn''t wait to plan their next adventure. Aleksis was really happy because she was able to be her old self: the carefree and happy girl in the nature she loved.


    Nicolae knew he was doing it not only for Aleksis but also for his sake. He had his own selfish reasons to invite Aleksis and her children on an adventure. He wanted Altair and Vega to like him more and get used to his presence.


    Lauriel gave Nicolae a hand-made pirate map which showed the directions to the treasure chest. The children''s astonished and happy faces upon finding the treasure chest Lauriel buried in the middle of nowhere was a reward worthy of Nicolae''s hard work organizing their journey and protecting the small family throughout their adventure.


    "Uncle Nic, can we come back here next month?" Vega asked cutely while trying on the various pearl and gold jewelry from the treasure chest. She looked like a cute little jewelry shop owner.


    Nicolae kept laughing at the innocence and cuteness of the little girl and took so many photos to send to Lauriel.


    "Hmm ... we can go on another adventure, but let''s go to another place. What do you think? There are so many amazing places on this earth." He turned to Aleksis, who was busy removing all the jewels from Vega''s head for fear that her daughter would be strangled by the gold necklaces. "Where are we going after this?"


    Aleksis looked up, "Eh? Are we going again?"


    "Only if you want to," Nicolae smiled as he took a photo of Aleksis sitting next to the treasure chest. He could not help but praise the girl, "You''re so beautiful."


    "Ahaha ... Uhm ... maybe next month we can go to Africa?" asked Aleksis. "I haven''t visited Uncle Rory''s conservation in Kenya for a long time."


    "It''s settled then, next month we will go to Africa." Nicolae nodded. He shrugged Altair and Vega''s shoulders. "Africa."


    "Wow ... how exciting, Uncle Nic !!"


    That November they traveled to Africa and stopped by in Turkey to ride a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, before returning to Stuttgart.


    Then, as planned by Nicolae, in December they would go to Iceland to see the Aurora.


    "But I don''t want to stay at the ice hotel," Aleksis said repeatedly.


    "Yeah, we won''t stay at the ice hotel." Nicolae did not tire of responding.


    "Then, where will we stay?"


    "I bought a house there, so we don''t need to stay in any hotel," Nicolae answered.


    "Eh? What ...? When?" Aleksis asked in amazement. "You bought a house in Iceland just for us to see the Aurora?"


    Nicolae nodded.


    Aleksis shook her head in amazement. Nicolae often reminded her of her father. The young man, just like Caspar, often did unexpected things for the people they loved.


    Since she had accepted Nicolae''s presence in their lives, Aleksis was always protected and pampered. Although their relationship was still limited to a close friendship and had not evolved romantically, deep down Aleksis knew that one day she would definitely accept the young man''s love and marry him and they would become life partners.


    "Alright ... then, Iceland it is."


    Nicolae arrived to pick up Aleksis and her children to leave for Iceland just when Caspar allowed London and Rune to attend the Ritz Gala.


    ***


    Iceland was one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights, also called Aurora Borealis. Aurora Borealis got its name from Aurora, the goddess of dawn from the Roman civilization, and Boreas, the Greek name for the north wind.


    On a clear and bright winter night in Iceland, people could enjoy Aurora Borealis dance in the night sky. Everyone who had ever seen it would agree that the lights were one of the most spectacular performances by mother nature.


    Aleksis had hunted the Aurora with Lauriel several times before and only managed to see it once and it was an unforgettable experience for her.


    That night, the entire clear night sky was adorned with billions of stars, and at the horizon in the north, there were flashes of green and orange lights dancing in the sky. The experience really took Aleksis'' breath away.


    Aleksis really wanted Altair and Vega to feel what she had felt that night. So, this trip to Iceland made her really excited. To provide the complete experience, Nicolae and Aleksis intentionally flew to Iceland on a commercial airplane belonging to the Schneider Group and mingled with ordinary people, as what she was made used to by Lauriel.


    Two bodyguards had been prepared to guard them from afar, to protect them in case something happened. Aleksis did not want her children to get used to a life of special treatments and so she was more stringent in asking her bodyguards not to show themselves.


    Especially since she was spending more time with Nicolae, who was very good at self-defense, she believed that it was safe even if their bodyguards were at a distance.


    They got off the plane at Reykjavik airport and were ready to start their adventure in Iceland.

 Chapter 502 - Adventure In Iceland (2)

    "Why doesn''t your father have a hotel in Iceland?" Nicolae asked curiously while waiting for their bags to be delivered by the flight crew. "Schneider Group seems to have hotels everywhere but here."


    "Oh, my father doesn''t like the cold," Aleksis answered. "He only builds hotels at places where he likes to go. He rarely goes to Iceland, since it is practically like the north pole."


    "Ah, what a shame. You like the cold," Nicolae commented. He noticed that Aleksis was still not wearing a coat and was casually walking around in her jeans and thin white shirt. Her body always looked good in any kind of clothes, and now, among the hundreds of girls passing by at the airport wearing their thick winter coats, she definitely stood out.


    Aleksis'' resistance to cold had always been amazing, on the contrary to Nicolae, who tightened his sweater and coat as he could feel the cold creeping in. The twins were also a little uncomfortable in the cold. Both of their faces were very happy but their bodies were shaking.


    "Are you cold? Let''s do some exercise to warm up." Nicolae told Altair and Vega. He then opened up his arms.


    "I want!" Vega exclaimed. She then jumped and placed her arms around Nicolae''s outstretched right arm and swung happily as if she was a monkey on a tree branch. She looked elated.


    Altair followed and swung himself onto Nicolae''s left arm.


    "I don''t want to walk. You must carry us like this," Vega said in a cutesy tone.


    Aleksis just massaged her forehead when she saw the scene. If Nicolae was kept busy by the twins, she had to be the one to carry all their luggage.


    After the airline officers handed them their two small suitcases, Aleksis took both suitcases and dragged them behind Nicolae, who had two little monkeys hanging on his arms.


    Terry had told Aleksis that Uncle Jean had a daughter who was a year younger than her children, and the little one always acted like a little monkey, and so she was given the nickname ''Little Monkey'' by her parents.


    Hmm ... do all kids nowadays act like monkeys? thought Aleksis, confused. She remembered that when London and Rune were still young, they didn''t act like monkeys at all. Both were especially fond of keeping and playing with their sheep.


    Aleksis could not imagine what would happen if one day Altair, Vega and the Little Monkey met ... Maybe they would turn the whole house upside down.


    "Hei, wait for me," she exclaimed as she walked after Nicolae, who had walked halfway across the terminal. Aleksis scolded herself for being daydreaming. "You walk so fast."


    Nicolae turned and smiled, and waited for her to come closer. The handsome young man lifting two five-year-old children on his arms made him the center of attention.


    Many girls admired how strong he was, as these little children seemed heavy already, but he carried them with ease.


    "Hey ... what are you doing here?" A crisp voice greeted Nicolae from behind. A girl in a fancy dress wearing a coat from the latest fashion hurried over to Nicolae. "I thought you look familiar when I saw you from afar - I couldn''t believe it''s really you. I had to come close to make sure. Halloo ... how long will you be in Reykjavik?"


    Nicolae turned and saw Kit Blue staring at him with sparkling eyes. "Oh, hi ... We''re on vacation. We plan to be here for a week."


    Aleksis arrived a few seconds after Kit Blue and her eyes glittered with annoyance when she saw the girl appear so unexpectedly.


    Why the heck doesn''t this girl just stay at her ice hotel? Aleksis thought in annoyance.


    "Darling, you walk so fast," Aleksis exclaimed suddenly. She had seen the adoring look on Kit''s eyes when she looked at Nicolae, and Aleksis immediately thought of a way to upset Kit. Aleksis smiled sweetly and walked over to Nicolae''s side, then she leaned her head against the man''s shoulder. "Eh .. did you meet an acquaintance? Who is she?"


    Nicolae felt his chest thump when Aleksis unexpectedly leaned her head on his shoulder. Wow ... he thought. He was very happy, and could not hide his elated expression.


    "Eh ... yes, it looks like it." Nicolae turned to Kit, "Uhm ... I''m sorry, what was your name again?"


    Kit, who was initially surprised to see Aleksis there, instantly turned red in anger when she realized Nicolae did not remember who she was.


    She really thought that she was beautiful and that she had left a good impression during their meeting at the Medici family castle.


    Apparently Nicolae instead asked for her name!


    Kit was really angry. Stomping her feet, she turned around and left without answering Nicolae''s question.


    "What is wrong with her?" Nicolae asked in confusion. "What a freak. She greeted me out of the blue but doesn''t want to introduce herself."


    Aleksis was stunned by Nicolae''s attitude. Apparently the young man really did not remember Kit at all, even though they talked long enough at the party that day.


    "You really don''t remember her," asked Aleksis. "She''s the arrogant girl I was referring to. Her father owns an ice hotel. You spent a long time chatting with her at your party."


    "Oh really?" Nicolae shrugged. "I do not remember."


    Of course, Nicolae did not remember, for in his eyes, there was only Aleksis. When Aleksis was around, how on earth could he notice or pay attention to other girls. They all didn''t mean anything to him.


    "Gosh ... alright." Aleksis only smiled slightly at Nicolae''s innocent answer. Apparently her frustration for the past months was meaningless. She kept asking Nicolae not to stay at the ice hotel in Iceland when Nicolae probably had no intention to do so.


    Nicolae didn''t even remember Kit!


    Aleksis just laughed silently. She could imagine how upset Kit must be today.


    "Kids, please get off Uncle Nic. I need his help with the luggage," Aleksis grumbled.


    "I''ll carry the suitcase !!" Vega and Altair exclaimed in unison as they jumped down from Nicolae''s arms. Before Aleksis could stop them, both kids had grabbed one suitcase each from her hands.


    "Why ... why are you guys taking the suitcases?" Aleksis asked in amazement.


    She was about to protest further when Nicolae slipped his left hand and held Aleksis'' right hand and walked out of the terminal towards their car.


    "Shhh .. leave them be. It''s okay," Nicolae said, tightening his grip.


    Finally, Aleksis obediently walked next to Nicolae, behind her two children who were already far ahead in herding their luggage.


    The romantic and handsome young man, walking with the beautiful girl in thin clothing, caught the attention of many people at the airport, but only briefly because they quickly entered their car and disappeared.


    ***

 Chapter 503 - Lets Make Another Children!

    Nicolae slipped his left hand and held Aleksis'' right hand and walked out of the terminal towards their car. The romantic and handsome young man, walking with the beautiful girl in thin clothing, caught the attention of many people at the airport, but only briefly because they quickly entered their car and disappeared.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Kit was upset all the way to New York. She couldn''t face the fact that Nicolae did not at all remember her at Reykjavik airport. Oh and that annoying girl was also there with her children!


    Ugh ... Nicolae''s father''s goddaughter was on vacation with Nicolae and had called him ''Darling''? Arrghghhh ...


    She opened her handbag and scanned the news about the Ritz Gala which would be held in three days. There were so many handsome men who would attend the gala, and of course, ''the most eligible bachelor in the world'' award would be the highlight of the long-awaited event.


    She would look for another man who was far better than Nicolae. Hmm ... Terrence Chan, President of the Schneider Group, was expected to attend because the prestigious event was held at his hotel. Kit remembered that young man was also present at Nicolae''s party. He would be the ideal target, thought Kit.


    Terry was an Alchemist, and he was very powerful because was in charge of the Schneider Group. If Kit could approach him and be on his good side, she would be better off than if she were with Nicolae.


    She was also aware of a mysterious figure who has suddenly topped the Forsythe''s 100 version of the Most Influential Men list. The man was Elios Linden and he was the leader of the largest corporate group in the world today. Since he appeared a few months ago with various breakthroughs and innovations, his name had skyrocketed and he was always a hot topic among the upper classes.


    Kit could not find his photo, but such a powerful man was certainly far more attractive than a handsome man who did not have the same level of influence and power, thought Kit. Hmm ... she would see if she could use her charm to lure Elios Linden.


    Huh ... wait and see. I no longer care about Nicolae Medici. There are so many other men who are far more powerful than him, Kit nagged deep inside. With some new targets in mind, she finally fell asleep in her first-class cabin. She had to get her beauty sleep and only thought about her plans once she landed in New York.


    ***


    "Your ears still haven''t returned to normal," Finland grumbled as she escorted London to the car that would take them to the airport. He was leaving for New York. "If next month you still have ears like a house-elf, I will kill Aldebar."


    London just laughed sweetly. His handsome face was always adorned with a pair of dimples when he smiled. But even his sweet dimples could not distract people''s attention from his pointed ears for being his uncle''s guinea pig. "It''s okay, Mom. I''ll tell people I''m actually an elf from Rivendell."


    Finland noticed that the spots on Rune''s face had greatly reduced. She could only see three spots on his neck. "Hmmm ... this can be covered with a scarf. Hopefully, when the event starts in three days you will have completely recovered."


    Rune nodded.


    "All right. You guys have fun. Send my regards to Terry."


    After her two sons left by car for the airport, Finland remained pensive for a while.


    She did not expect time to pass so quickly. It felt like only yesterday she had given birth to Aleksis, then London, and then Rune. Now her youngest child was already 21 years old. He was already grown up!


    Caspar, who saw his wife ponder, knew exactly what she was thinking about. He silently approached Finland and hugged her from behind.


    "Hmm ... the kids grow up so fast, don''t you think?" he whispered softly. His breath tickled Finland''s ears. "Soon they will all leave the house. It will definitely be very quiet."


    Finland nodded without saying anything.


    Caspar kissed his wife''s earlobe then lowered his kisses to Finland''s neck and then bit her gently. "Let''s make more children, Honey ... I''m not ready to see this house become quiet."


    Finland turned around and smiled at her husband''s candor. Caspar had always wanted to have many children, but the more logical Finland knew that three was the right amount. Their lives were perfect now.


    "When is this house ever quiet? Altair and Vega are always making so much noise," said Finland.


    "It won''t be long," Caspar argued. "Now they are often traveling with Nicolae. It''s just a matter of time. Soon they too will leave us to live with him. I think Aleksis and Nicolae will get married in a few years."


    Finland pondered again. She really liked Nicolae. The young man reminded her of her own husband. He would certainly be the ideal husband for Aleksis. They looked good together and Nicolae was never shy about showing his love for Aleksis.


    She was also convinced that in a few years Aleksis and her children would leave the house to live with Nicolae.


    Ah ... their house would indeed be very quiet then.


    "So?" Caspar asked again. He turned his wife''s body so that they were now facing each other. He gently touched Finland''s chin and brought his lips closer to kiss her lips. "Shall we make more children?"


    "You ..." Finland couldn''t continue her nagging because her lips had been claimed by Caspar and she was unable to say anything else. The kiss was hot and full of passion and soon they were lost in the euphoria that always aroused when the two made out. Even after being married for 27 years, they were still as intimate and passionate as they were the first time they met. The passion never subsided even though they made love almost every day. That''s how much they love each other.


    "Hmmm ... This does not mean I agree to have more children, okay," hissed Finland when Caspar finally let go of her lips.


    Caspar didn''t respond. He was already carrying his wife to their bedroom.

 Chapter 504 - Under The Aurora

    The arrival of the two ethereally handsome young men to Schneider Tower in downtown Manhattan attracted a lot of attention from the employees and guests who were there.


    London, who had started working at the Schneider Group headquarters in Berlin, had expected the treatment he would receive to be as such. He recalled the first day he entered the office. At that time, many female employees were incessantly stealing glances at him.


    Now he came together with his younger brother, Rune, who was much more attractive because of his beautiful blond hair hanging down to his shoulders and his pair of blue eyes that looked slightly narrow, which gave out a mysterious vibe.


    He appeared indifferent but looked very fashionable with the most expensive outfit from the household''s fashion houses. Rune was indeed rather flamboyant, a bit like his uncle, Aldebar. Even so, he still preferred natural looks, unlike Aldebar who liked wearing historical outfits from the Victorian or Edwardian era.


    "Good day. Mr. Chan is waiting for us upstairs," London said kindly to the receptionist in the lobby.


    "Good day, Sir. May I have your name?" asked the receptionist politely.


    London and Rune exchanged glances, then both shrugged. Their father had let them out and gave out their identities as the sons of the Schneider family. Therefore, London didn''t hesitate to mention his name.


    "I''m London Schneider. This is my brother, Rune Schneider."


    "Uhmm... How do you spell that?" asked the receptionist while typing on her computer.


    "L-O-N-D-O-N and Schneider like the name of this building," London answered patiently. "And this is my brother, Rune, R-U-N-E. His last name is also Schneider."


    "Like this building?" the girl repeated his words


    "Yes. This is my family''s building." London replied nonchalantly.


    The receptionist and her colleague looked at each other and immediately turned pale. "You... Are you really from the Schneider family?"


    "Yes.. Please give us access to the President''s office."


    "I... Well, right away, Sir." The receptionist swiftly called Terry''s assistant on the top floor and told him that there were two young people looking for the president.


    "Please let them in. Master has been waiting for them." The response from Terry''s assistant'' prompted the two receptionists to quickly escort London and Rune into the elevator and open the access for them to the top floor.


    After the two young men disappeared behind the elevator door, the two receptionists could only chuckle in admiration.


    "Gosh... Have you seen the sons of the company owners? They are very handsome!!"


    "Yeah, they don''t look like humans!"


    Upon their arrival on the 50th floor, they were immediately guided to Terry''s extremely spacious and luxurious office at the very end. The new president of Schneider Group immediately welcomed them at his door and brought them inside.


    "Welcome!" Terry brought out a drink and three glasses." The office hours will end soon, so it''s okay to drink now."


    London and Rune nodded. Each received a glass from Terry and drank its contents.


    "I heard they will be using the Virconnect technology to broadcast the show," London started. "Uncle Aldebar asked us to conduct research during the event so we can analyze some of the weaknesses of Virconnect."


    "Yes, I''m also interested in coming to the Ritz Gala because of the features of Virconnect," Terry smiled, "And of course, in order to receive the "Top Ten Most Eligible Bachelors in the World" award."


    London and Rune shook their heads, "Mom said it was just a ridiculous award."


    "Uh, it''s not ridiculous ..." Terry protested. "Mom only thinks it''s ridiculous because even though no matter how successful Uncle Caspar was, he was never nominated."


    "That''s not true," London rebuked. "Father has won this ridiculous award ten times since 2010. He never accepted it."


    TEN TIMES...


    WAIT, WHAT!?


    Terry''s competitive spirit was suddenly awoken. It was only his first time being nominated, and although Finland called it ridiculous, Terry still considered this award important. Especially after seeing his rivals who were nominated this year.


    He must not lose to the youngest president in the world, William Holmes of Malta; Niels, the crown prince of Sweden; Elios Linden, the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, and several other prominent figures in the world.


    Even if he didn''t win this year, he must strive to be re-nominated in the upcoming years for eleven times in a row so he could beat Uncle Caspar''s record.


    "Are you ready to look like proper gentlemen for the Ritz Gala?" Terry asked them. London and Rune only laughed.


    They discussed a number of things about work beforehand then returned to the penthouse at St. Laurent Hotel. While waiting for the important event to begin, London and Rune followed Terry to various high-profile events to introduce his younger siblings.


    Two days later, the Ritz Gala party finally came.


    ***


    After four days in Reykjavik and hunting for Aurora every night, Aleksis, Nicolae and the twins finally managed to see the extraordinarily beautiful Aurora Borealis.


    There were no words to describe her feelings when she saw the various bright colors running and chasing in the night sky for the second time in her life. They saw green and blue lights dominate the sky while they sat transfixed on the hood of the car as if bewitched by the aurora''s charm.


    "Oh my God, this must be the most beautiful aurora I have ever seen in my life," Aleksis softly whispered.


    Nicolae just nodded wordlessly. He had seen the aurora several times during his time walking on this earth for one hundred years. Once in Iceland, twice in Norway, and once in Finland.


    But for him, none of his experiences could be compared to the feeling that was now filling his chest to the brim. This was the happiest day of his life, sharing the most beautiful sight in the world with the girl he loved and the two children he considered as his own.


    He wished that time could be frozen and that this moment would last so they could be here forever.


    He could no longer contain his feelings as he slowly put his arms around Aleksis'' waist. Very gently, he hugged her and kissed her hair. The scent of citrus from Aleksis'' body had always fascinated him.


    "Aleksis ..." he whispered in a very soft voice, "marry me."


    Aleksis sat fixated in her place. She did not object when Nicolae hugged her because she had actually begun to feel cold after hours of being outside in sub-zero temperatures while only wearing a thin jacket.


    She knew that one day this question would come - when Nicolae would ask her to be his wife. Everyone already knew how the man felt for her. Everyone expected Nicolae to propose to Aleksis and for them to get married.


    But Aleksis did not expect Nicolae to ask for it so soon. They had only been reunited for four months after Nicolae returned.


    "You don''t have to answer now," Nicolae gently tidied Aleksis''s hair gently. "I just wanted you to know my feelings. I am a simple man who says what I think. And tonight, I thought of how I would be the happiest man in the world if you were to be my wife. I didn''t mean anything ¡­... I just revealed what'' is in my heart. You don''t need to answer it now or even in another ten more years ..."


    Aleksis closed her eyes and imagined Alaric whose face, until now, she never knew. She only saw Alaric''s face when she was twelve years old and that was fourteen years ago.


    When they were together, during their short marriage, he always covered his face with a mask and claimed to be badly disfigured. Aleksis'' memory was not as good as other people''s and now she could not imagine what Alaric''s face would look like if they were together.


    Whenever she saw Altair, she only hoped that her son would grow up quickly so Aleksis could immediately see her husband''s face in her son, to help with her longing.


    She was only with Alaric Rhionen for a very short time, even though she had been obsessed with the man for 8 years. They have had two children together, but apart from that, Aleksis and Alaric had had nothing since his death six years ago.


    Aleksis could not even visit his grave because Alaric was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the open sea.


    Here, beside her, now stood a young man who loved her dearly, and had been waiting for her for years, willing to do anything for her, even willing to protect her at the cost of his life. The same man who also treated Altair and Vega like his own children.

 Chapter 505 - Ritz Gala (1)

    Aleksis didn''t respond to Nicolae''s proposal at all that night. She didn''t want to carelessly decide when she hadn''t completely found her heart. She knew the Alchemists were married once an entire lifetime, and she didn''t want to hurt Nicolae by saying that she was willing to marry him even though she still couldn''t accept him.


    Nicolae said nothing more after that. He enjoyed looking at the sky while hugging the girl, while Altair and Vega sat embracing each other under a thick blanket. Nobody spoke until the aurora dance slowly disappeared in the darkness.


    "Let''s go home," Nicolae invited the three. He helped them get down from the car hood one by one. After everything was ready, he drove back to the beautiful house by the lake he had bought for their trip this time.


    Upon their arrival at home, they immediately rested and only woke up when the sun was right overhead. The savory smell of a delicious breakfast woke Aleksis, Altair, and Vega up from their slumbers.


    When the three of them came out of the bedroom, they saw that the breakfast table had served various kinds of breakfast dishes that made their mouths water.


    "Wow¡­ They look really good," said Aleksis. She and her two children immediately took their seats at the dinner table and prepared themselves for the sumptuous breakfast.


    "It was snowing just now," Nicolae said. "We probably won''t be able to go anywhere today."


    "It''s okay. I can teach the children to play Go or read books. We managed to capture the aurora last night, after all," Aleksis merrily replied.


    "Ah... I''m not very good at playing Go, but if you need a partner to play with, I don''t mind," Nicolae said.


    "Of course," Aleksis nodded.


    "I received a message from Terry to try out the new Virconnect 4D technology," Nicolae scooped the soup into each bowl and placed them in front of Aleksis, Altair, and Vega. After that, he poured coffee into Aleksis'' cup and fruit juice in the twins'' glasses. The three of them said thank you and began to eat breakfast.


    "The virtual connection technology? We''ve tried it," Aleksis commented, "Not bad. I heard that many people now prefer to have vacations through Virconnect rather than going out on their own."


    "Of course. Travels are expensive these days. Many would choose Virconnect as an alternative to save money." Nicolae nodded in agreement.


    Aleksis was aware that her family was undoubtedly wealthy and could have whatever they wanted in this world, so they weren''t interested in innovations such as Virconnect and Holodeck.


    Ordinary people who were not as rich as her family, on the other hand, had to feel satisfied with everything that was synthetic. Virconnect allowed them to experience things only the rich could do or enjoy.


    The rich would go on vacation to the real beaches and enjoyed sunbathing under the tropical sun, while ordinary people would see the beach through the traveler''s Virconnect channel and hope that the same sun they see one day could really give their skin the healthy tan.


    The future will be full of substitutes and all things synthetic. Human servants will be substituted by robotic ones, fresh meat will be substituted by artificial meat, and even dishes from organic vegetables will be substituted by canned vitamins and protein, as they were costly.


    "Many are making new businesses out of it. For example, they''ll also come to Iceland and sell the aurora package through Virconnect 4D. When they manage to find an aurora, like we did last night, guests who would like to enter their spaces on Virconnect and watch the aurora could pay the fees requested and get access to the same experience. Just imagine it. How nice would it be to be able to enjoy natural wonders like the aurora borealis in the other hemisphere without having to leave home and incur expensive costs to travel to Iceland?"


    "You''re right. It sounds interesting," Aleksis agreed. "Then why did Terry ask you to try Virconnect tonight?"


    "He wanted to show off, I guess. This time, he was nominated for the top 10 most eligible bachelors in the world..." Nicolae couldn''t hold back his laughter. "I know he''s a competitive guy, but this is a bit too far."


    "Do you think he''ll win?" Aleksis inquired. "Who are the nominations?"


    Nicolae took out his phone and researched the latest news. "Quite a lot... I don''t follow this news. The only reason I read it was because Terry kept sending me news links back and forth to show off." He lampooned. "There''s the world''s youngest president from Malta, the crown prince of Sweden, and the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which this year topped Forsythe''s 100 Most Influential Men because of his Virconnect product..."


    "The Virconnect we just discussed?" Aleksis questioned. "Wow, there are a lot of young world figures and bachelors with extraordinary achievements lately. I''m very impressed."


    "Yes. So do you want to accompany me tonight to stay up late to meet Terry at the Ritz Gala via Virconnect?" Nicolae asked. "I won''t be able to bear watching him show off by myself."


    "Hahaha..." Aleksis knew Nicolae was only joking. Nic had never objected to his best friend''s various showoffs. "New York is 5 hours behind us. When the Ritz Gala party starts, it''ll already be 1 AM. I can''t do that."


    Aleksis shrugged. She didn''t like parties and wasn''t interested to see Terry surrounded by beautiful girls and win ridiculous awards like "The Most Eligible Bachelors in the World". In this case, Aleksis and Finland have one view in common.


    "Hmm... Well, that means I''ll be going alone tonight." Nicolae nodded.


    ***


    December 20th was a very special and much-awaited day for the upper classes of the world, especially the girls who idolized the amazing men who ruled the world and gathered in the prestigious Ritz Gala, which had always been held annually for 50 years.


    Terry couldn''t stop grinning since the morning when he checked the preparations in the ballroom of St. Laurent Hotel to make sure the event would be a success tonight. He had managed to make Nicolae promise him to wake up at 1 AM in Iceland and join him at Virconnect to attend the Ritz Gala.


    Because Terry didn''t have a girlfriend, one of the reasons he urged Nicolae to come was to share the happiness. To whom else could he share his excitement over tonight''s nomination if it were not Nicolae? So, this was not merely showing off on his part.


    "Aleksis doesn''t want to come? That''s good. Let this be a men''s only event," Terry commented when discussing the matter over the phone. Inwardly, he was pleased to see the progress of the relationship between Nic and his sister. They''ve been on vacation together three times, and this third one. In Iceland, it must be quite special.


    Terry knew how beautiful and romantic Iceland was. It would be even more so if they managed to see the aurora. He wouldn''t be surprised if Nicolae proposed to Aleksis there.


    "Don''t forget to wear a proper formal outfit. I''ll introduce you to the beautiful girls I see at the event," Terry added.


    "I''m not interested," Nicolae murmured.


    How could he be interested in being introduced to another girl? It was just last night that he asked Aleksis to marry him.


    "I want you to get more acquaintances. People say one enemy is too many, but a thousand friends are too few. We should make new friends," said Terry. "Don''t tell me you closed yourself completely because you''ve proposed to my sister."


    Nicolae didn''t answer.


    "Gosh... So it''s true?" Terry coughed violently. "Then, what''s her answer?"


    "I didn''t ask her to answer right away," Nicolae replied. "She can answer whenever she wants. I have no time limit."


    Terry massaged his forehead, which suddenly felt very sore, "Alright then. Just wear bad ones and don''t look any better than I do so no one will notice you."


    Nicolae didn''t answer. Sometimes, he doubted whether Terry was really the president of Schneider Group. His behavior often didn''t reflect his position in power.


    Like today, Terry reminded him of a childish college boy who was excited to compete in trivial stupid things.

 Chapter 506 - Ritz Gala (2)

    Terry woke up unusually early on December 20th. He was so excited for tonight''s Ritz Gala that he hummed endlessly as he got ready. London and Rune, who saw his enthusiasm, could only smile.


    Amazingly, when they arrived at the St. Laurent, Terry turned indifferent, as if the nomination of the Most Eligible Bachelors in the World was meaningless to him. When several journalists came to interview him, Terry acted as if he didn''t care at all.


    "Psshhh, wasn''t he super excited at home?" Rune whispered to his brother.


    London just shrugged.


    As the owner of the venue, Terry was present at the press conference. He gave a little speech, followed by the chief organizer of Ritz Magazine.


    "I would like to inform you all of the presence of the two heirs of the Schneider Family," Terry added before ending his speech. He leaned his chin towards London and Rune sitting behind him. "Five years from now, they will be the ones to open the Ritz Gala. So I ask that you get used to their presence."


    The journalists seemed to be on fire. The Schneider Family was one of the most reclusive families in the world. As the owner of one of the largest business groups in the world, little information could be obtained about them. Even the detailed value of their wealth and family tree was very difficult to find.


    The Schneider family only appeared at highly important events, and the successor to the business and heir to the family name was only announced once every few decades. This was rumored to maintain the safety of the family members and so that they could still live like normal people.


    They learned from the tragedies that have befallen some of the richest families in the world, such as the Gettys, the Heinekens, and many more. John Paul Getty was a tycoon who collected his wealth through various businesses and dominated the oil industry in the United States. He was considered the sixth richest American of all time.


    One time, one of his grandchildren was kidnapped. His kidnappers asked for a ransom of seventeen million US dollars in 1973. That amount was equivalent to a hundred million dollars in 2018, which was after its inflation. Getty refused to pay the ransom because he assumed that if he paid the ransom for a kidnapped grandson, dozens of other grandchildren would also become kidnapping targets.


    The kidnappers eventually let go of his grandson, but he had become so traumatized that he got addicted to drugs and became disabled due to an accident until his death.


    The Heineken family, who became a conglomerate from their beverage products, also experienced the same thing. Freddy Heineken, the heir, was kidnapped. His kidnappers asked for a similar ransom, which was around a hundred million dollars in value in 2018.


    The ransom was paid and the kidnappers were later captured, but the abductee had suffered a deep trauma that was never healed.


    Murders and kidnappings were common things that wealthy families must always look out for. That was why no one was surprised to see how the Schneider Family took care of the privacy of their family members. Thus, the opportunity to see the two sons from the Schneider family firsthand made the journalists very excited.


    Within ten minutes, London and Rune''s faces had graced the various media and they both became trending on Splitz for several hours, before being replaced by news about the Ritz Gala.


    "Looks like you two have become quite famous. You better prepare yourselves then. Countless girls are going to be approaching you anytime and anywhere." Terry said to London and Rune after the press conference ended. "So, don''t go too far from me."


    London and Rune stood up when Terry introduced them. Both were not too worried because Caspar had prepared a strict escort for his two favorite sons. Jadeith himself would intervene to oversee security at the Ritz Gala tonight.


    At seven in the evening, the atmosphere in front of St. Laurent Hotel had become very lively. Thousands of people gathered to see the arrival of the important guests, which were the most influential people in the world, at this prestigious event.


    One by one, the most luxurious cars arrived, and out came the guests who were considered the most influential people in the world. Some of them were top politicians, country leaders, royals and nobles, world celebrities, and prominent business leaders.


    The invitation list was very short, and not everyone who was invited last year would be invited again the following year. Therefore, it was certain that only relevant people would be present. This was an arena for highly influential and extremely wealthy people to socialize directly. People said many businesses and political agreements could be established as a result of the meeting at the Ritz Gala.


    For people who weren''t in the circle, the opportunity to be involved, be it working on the event or covering it on the news, would be considered a big stepping stone for their careers.


    So many girls from the upper class would bribe the committee to be given entry or invitation to attend the Ritz Gala. This was because if they managed to do so, they would be able to meet some of the most influential and powerful men, who might be attracted to their beauty and charms.


    Kit Blue had paid a lot of money to get into this event, and she won''t stop until she gets one of the most influential men from the Ritz Gala. Her target now was Terry, Niels, the Swedish crown prince, or Elios Linden, the boss of the rising Virconnect application.


    She was dressed as beautiful as she could and arrived at the St. Laurent Hotel at exactly 7 PM. She got acquainted with several other girls who had similar goals. They seemed to compliment each other''s appearances, but at the same time, they were competing on who looked the most beautiful so they could snatch a man from the event.


    Terry and his siblings immediately attracted a lot of attention when they went down from the penthouse to the lobby, as the entire hotel was used for the Ritz Gala, whether it was the lobby, lounge, or the ballrooms.


    Everyone knew Terry was the current president of the Schneider Group and the two young men with him were the potential heirs to the Schneider Group.


    "Hey, Terry... How are you?" Kit hurried to Terry and smiled sweetly. Inwardly, she heartily laughed while glancing at the other rich girls who were with her. They all looked surprised to see that Kit had known Terrence Chan personally.


    Terry stopped walking and narrowed his eyes to remember who this girl was. He wasn''t surprised to find that this was another social climber who would pretend to know him just so they could approach him.


    "Umm, good evening, Miss. Have we met before?" he questioned Kit.


    The girl laughed merrily showing off her beautiful pearly white teeth, "We met at Nicolae Medici''s birthday party. I''m also an alchemist."


    She winked, gesturing that Terry should remember her because they were both from the Alchemist clan. After trying to recall for some time, Terry finally remembered who the lady in front of him was.


    He remembered how Kit pretended to accidentally spill wine on his sister, Aleksis'', clothes.


    He frowned and shrugged, "Sorry, I don''t remember."


    He then nonchalantly pulled London and Rune into the ballroom, leaving Kit, who was left alone, dumbfounded. For ten whole seconds, she couldn''t understand what had just happened.

 Chapter 507 - The Impressive Elios Linden

    When she finally realized Terry didn''t care about her at all and had disappeared into the ballroom, Kit''s face became very red. She was both embarrassed and infuriated. Only a few days ago, she was humiliated by Nicolae at the airport, and now, Terry pretended not to know her!


    They must have done it on purpose! she thought with hatred.


    There was no way that two people could completely forget a girl as beautiful as her, Kit inwardly said to herself. She was overestimating herself.


    Her hands clenched into fists as she turned to head towards the ballroom, only to find the other girls throwing gazes of ridicule at her when they saw her failure in approaching Terry.


    "You guys better watch out. Don''t think that I''ll accept the humiliations," she muttered angrily, "I will make you pay."


    The best musical performances and the best organic food that deserved to be served at the kings'' table were the two special highlights at this year''s Ritz Gala. Millian Landon, the chief organizer, seemed busy greeting one guest after another. She was the heir to the third generation of the Landon Family, who became affluent through the entertainment business in Hollywood.


    With joy, she immediately approached Terry when she saw the young man coming into the ballroom.


    "Good evening, Mr. Chan. As always, you arrived early. I''m happy to see the success of the preparations and I''m sure everyone will have fun tonight," she exclaimed happily as she signaled the waiter to come and bring refreshments for Terry and his two younger brothers. "Nice to meet you both, Mr. Schneider."


    London and Rune nodded. Terry chatted a bit with Millian before she finally excused herself to greet the other important people. As a part of the event organizers, Terry got a special seat separated from other guests, giving him more privacy.


    It was there that he brought London and Rune so that the two could connect with Aldebar and broadcast the event situation to him via Virconnect. Terry also wanted to invite Nicolae into his space on Virconnect so that the young man could see how exciting the event was.


    "Hey, I don''t think the party will be starting anytime soon," Nicolae grumbled when he finally connected to Terry via Virconnect. "I''m already very sleepy. Do you know what time it is?"


    "I know, you''re being fussy," Terry grumbled back. "Do you know how many tens of millions of people wish they were here to meet all these important people?"


    Nicolae just rolled his eyes at Terry''s words.


    "Let''s go around and greet the others," Terry invited, giving a signal for Nicolae to follow him.


    London and Rune stayed at the special table with Aldebar because their job that night was to observe the event and make an assessment on Virconnect''s success and find out what its weaknesses were.


    Actually, for the past ten years, Aldebar had been working on a project similar to this Virconnect technology. But before he could test it, Splitz had already launched this product.


    Aldebar''s curiosity was instantly piqued. He wanted to see the real ability of Virconnect in big events with his own two eyes. That was why he specifically sent his two nephews to observe, and if possible, later look for an opportunity to meet Pavel Adler face-to-face, the CEO of Splitz, or even Elios Linden, leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, of which Splitz was a subsidiary.


    "What do you think?" Terry asked enthusiastically as he and Nicolae had been walking around. As they walked, they occasionally greeted the people Terry knew. Countless numbers of girls from the upper class tried to approach Terry to talk with him, but Terry just smiled and avoided them politely.


    "The event was very lively," Nicolae said. "So when will the award be announced? I''m already sleepy."


    "Geez. You can sleep all year long, but the Ritz Gala is only held once a year." Terry just shook his head in despair at how difficult it was for him to impress Nicolae.


    He was determined to bring Nicolae to the lobby so the man could see how countless journalists were trying to get his news. With long strides, he signaled Nicolae to follow him out.


    "Hey, watch out!" Nicolae hurriedly warned when Terry was about to crash into someone as he eagerly stepped outwards while turning his head to Nicolae.


    Terry, who was shocked, stopped suddenly and he almost fell out of balance. However, the person in front of him was faster, already avoiding Terry to prevent their bodies from making contact.


    "Ugh... Sorry, I wasn''t paying attention," Terry apologized with a smile and extended his hand forward.


    He knew he was too excited and forgot to act elegant and indifferent as usual. This was also due to Nicolae''s presence beside him. Terry couldn''t pretend to act elegantly when he was with Nicolae, unlike when he was with other people.


    The man whom he almost hit just stood still in his place and watched Terry. He didn''t return Terry''s handshake and neither did he smile. Terry became stunned. He had met so many people from the upper classes, but he had never met this person before. He didn''t even know who he was.


    Who on earth was this person?


    For several seconds, the two looked at each other and didn''t move. Nicolae, who was behind Terry, also noticed and secretly admitted that the man''s appearance impressed him.


    He was a tall man with a sturdy body and elegant looks. He had ethereally attractive purplish platinum hair. When Nicolae looked closely, he noticed that the man had a pair of purple eyes. All that, coupled with his handsome expressionless face and apparent commanding presence made people unable to let their gazes off of him.


    Alaric realized that the man in front of him was Terrence Chan, Aleksis'' older brother who six years ago trapped him by pretending to pass on information that Aleksis was still alive and lost her memory, when in fact Aleksis who was in Singapore at that time was the fake one.


    Hmm... The Schneider family rewarded you by making you the caretaker of their business until their children become adults, Alaric thought, trying to contain the fury in his chest.


    His gaze then moved to the area behind Terry and found the figure of Nicolae whom he remembered as one of Aleksis'' close friends on campus who had disappeared after Aleksis died.


    For a moment, the two''s eyes met.


    .


    .


    .


    From the Author:


    Hello, Dear Lovely Readers! The story is getting intense, I know. We will soon enter the parts I am most passionate about in Volume 2. Let me give you a sneak peek on what we have in store.


    If you want to read advance chapters, feel free to buy the privilege. I intentionally make them very cheap... but you just cannot use fast passes to open the chapters. To work with this issue, I give discounts for the chapters - except for the first tier which is only 10 coins for 2 advanced chapters. For the other tiers though, I give 25% to 99% discount to open the chapters. If you purchase the highest tier, it means you can read up to 50 advance chapters and pay only 1 coin per chapter.


    The privilege is provided to satisfy your curiosity if you are dying to know what will happen next and you have some coins to spare... hahaha. This will also allow me to make little money to sustain the production since the editors and I spend around 1-2 hours per chapter and editors need to be paid for their hard work.


    English is only my second language and I don''t think it''s good enough to write a novel, so rather than having my readers twitch their brows endlessly in annoyance because of my lousy grammar, I chose to hire editors. I personally don''t make money at all. I get... personal satisfaction that the chapters get to you and they make you feel feelings. That''s the ultimate goal and not something that I can put monetary value in.


    I personally have long let go of my dream to make income from this novel since the views it gets are so little and not many people read this novel (I don''t know what''s wrong with maybe the synopsis or the cover or the title? Maybe if I changed the title to "My Lover is an Immortal CEO" or "The Immortal CEO''s Feisty Wife" it will get more attention? lol.. Just kidding.)


    I know not everyone can afford to purchase Privilege, (hey, we all have different priorities in life!) so don''t feel bad if you just read the chapters at a regular pace. I will make sure to keep publishing 2 chapters per day. I hope my editors can always find time amidst their busy schedules to help me. Crossing fingers!


    My prediction is that Volume 2 (Aleksis and Prince Siegfried) will end in Chapter 580 where we will close the story about Aleksis, Alaric, and Nicolae; and after that, we will continue to Volume 3 with "Proposal 101". The third volume is very light-hearted, funny, and heartwarming. I am sure you will enjoy it in contrast to the intense Volume 2.


    So, here is what we have in the next 50 chapters. :


    0508 Terry & Nicolae Meet Alaric


    0509 I Will Match The Donation


    0510 He is an Odd One


    0511 The World''s Most Eligible Bachelor


    0512 If Only Aleksis Came


    0513 New Year''s Eve Party


    0514 The Heir to Linden Family


    0515 He Always Felt Alone


    0516 Rune & Alaric


    0517 The Tea Invitation


    0518 Bad Impression


    0519 The Lonely Man


    0520 FOUR YEARS LATER


    0521 I''m A Doctor. My Handwriting is Notoriously Ugly!


    0522 Parents'' Blessings


    0523 In The Conservation


    0524 Philia - Eros - Agape


    0525 Letting Go Of The Past


    0526 Personal Invitation for the Wangs


    0527 The Unwanted Guest


    0528 Happy Birthday!


    0529 You Are A Very Lonely Man


    0530 Alaric and The Boy Who Sees Sounds


    0531 Alaric and Altair


    0532 Alaric Was So Confused


    0533 I''m Sorry


    0534 Who Are YOU?


    0535 I Will Never Let You Go


    0536 Is He... Alaric?


    0537 Alaric and Lauriel


    0538 The Moment Of Truth


    0539 Bitterness Filled His Chest


    0540 Bad Premonition


    0541 All Was Lauriel''s Fault


    0542 Father And Sons


    0543 The Sad Truth


    0544 True Love Means Letting Go


    0545 Alaric''s Wrath


    0546 Growing Old With You


    0547 Luna''s White Ring


    0548 You''re The Only Woman I Love


    0549 What Should We Do?


    0550 He Was Finally Home (R-18)


    0551 We Are Late. So Late! (R-18)


    0552 The Puzzled Guests


    0553 The Mysterious Bride And Groom


    0554 I''ll Kill You Myself


    0555 Here Comes The Bride


    0556 I do


    0556 The Match Made In Heaven

 Chapter 508 - Terry & Nicolae Meet Alaric

    Nicolae admitted that the man in front of Terry was very intimidating, but he wasn''t afraid at all. Without hesitation, he stared back at Alaric and the two looked at each other.


    "Welcome to the Ritz Gala." Finally, Terry took the initiative to break the ice. He didn''t want to be seen in the slightest conflict to maintain the reputation of the event. This prestigious event was held at his hotel, after all. Even though this guest in front of him looked super annoying, he must still act friendly. "My name is Terrence Chan. May I know who you are?"


    Alaric finally looked back at him and nodded. "Good evening, Mr. Chan. I know who you are. My name is Elios Linden."


    Alaric''s attitude was neither friendly nor curtly, making Terry at a loss of what to say. Finally, he nodded back and raised his hand to invite Alaric into the ballroom.


    "Please enjoy the program. Millian will see you soon."


    He then walked back to the lobby and Nicolae followed suit, leaving Alaric to be surrounded by a group of girls looking for new prey short after the two left.


    "That''s the number one man from Forsythe''s Most Influential Men this year," Terry whispered to Nicolae as they arrived at the lobby. "I didn''t expect him to be so young!"


    "Hmm..." Nicolae just nodded. He couldn''t forget the face and appearance of the person earlier. For some reason, he felt that the person was familiar. As for where that familiar feeling came from, he didn''t know.


    "Did you notice his appearance?" Terry asked again. He shook his head and tried to find the right words, "I''ve never seen an ordinary person who looks like that. He''s just like an Alchemist."


    Nicolae frowned. He felt that what Terry said was right. After contemplating for a while, he finally nodded in agreement, "Actually, I thought so too. Why don''t you ask Uncle Caspar? He might know him."


    "Hmm... You''re right." Terry massaged his forehead and hurried back into the ballroom. "I have to know if he really is an Alchemist or not."


    Nicolae just laughed at Terry shuffling. His best friend was very competitive. He had met the President of Malta, who was the youngest president in the world, today and Terry just laughed when he realized William was not handsome at all. Prince Niels of Sweden had also experienced premature baldness, so Terry didn''t feel that he had met any worthy rival.


    But the appearance of Elios Linden just now really annoyed Terry and made him want to defeat Elios. That was why now Terry decided to reenter the ballroom and observe his rival.


    Elios Linden got one of the most respected tables in the front part. There sat Pavel Adler and his wife, Sande, as guests from Splitz, and Rosalien, who came as the sole representative of Rhionen Industries.


    The other guests and the committee seemed very focused on Alaric''s table. This was because this year, Rhionen-Meier Industries and Splitz indeed became the talk of the world. In addition to his influence as the group''s owner, Alaric''s good looks and appearance were also of particular interest to most of the women present at the event and the tens of millions of viewers who attended the Ritz Gala from Virconnect''s space.


    As previously planned, the Ritz Gala event was opened for the first time to the public through the Virconnect facility, so people around the world could watch and see the excitement and how exclusive the event was. Tens of millions of curious people had purchased access to the Ritz Gala''s Virconnect space and enthusiastically attended the event.


    Even though these general visitors were given access, they were only given one-way access to see, thus unable to join and interact as Terry did to Nicolae. This ballroom wouldn''t be able to accommodate that many people, after all.


    At present, full access was only given to the award nominees so that they could invite their loved ones who couldn''t be present in person.


    Performances after performances were delivered by top artists. Then came the speeches, delicious dinners, and the award ceremony. Even the ceremony itself was very lively. A very famous comedian became the MC of the event and the audience was unceasingly made to laugh by his hilarious jokes.


    Throughout the event, Terry noticed how Elios Linden didn''t smile even once.


    "Is he deaf?" he said angrily. "He hasn''t laughed at all. He didn''t even smile. The MC is the best comedian the world has ever known!"


    Nicolae stared at Elios Linden for a long time and finally realized where he had gotten the familiar impression he had been feeling.


    Elios Linden seemed very indifferent to his surroundings and was very stingy with his smile, which reminded him of Lauriel, his father. Elios'' gestures and even his style of dressing reminded Nicolae of his naturally reclusive and reserved father. Both of them seemed to dislike the crowd.


    Nicolae finally smiled. He realized Elios was not a cynical nor arrogant person. He just didn''t like humans in general, and that wasn''t a crime. After all, Lauriel was like that too, he thought.


    "I think his hearing is fine. He just doesn''t like crowds," Nicolae said to Terry, "Not everyone likes to be the center of attention like you. Do you see how nearly all the eyes focused their attention on him? If I were him, I''d feel uncomfortable too."


    Alaric was well aware that he had been the center of attention since he first stepped into the St. Laurent Hotel building. Aleksis, his digital assistant, readily gave him information about all the people he met as well as those who were watching him from afar.


    "I''m so happy you''re the star of this party," Aleksis said in a voice filled with pride. "I bet you''re also the most handsome man here."


    Alaric just rolled his eyes at Aleksis''s words before responding, "You''re biased because you''re my assistant."


    Aleksis just laughed in amusement.


    "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Millian Landon, the chair of the organizers, had gone up onto the stage, drawing the crowd''s attention. The woman looked breathtaking albeit being in her 50''s, and she looked surprisingly charming when she spoke.

 Chapter 509 - I Will Match The Donation

    Her dazzling intelligence was evident from her fluency in weaving words and conveying many important things about the condition of the earth, which was increasingly threatened by global warming, and how the most influential people in the world could come together to take action.


    "We are very grateful to Splitz for generously providing the Virconnect 4D facility so that this year we can invite the world community to participate in environmental programs to save the earth through purchasing the Virconnect access to this event. The amount of money collected has reached thirty million dollars and we will donate it to three environmental organizations that are working in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save endangered animals, and reclaim small islands that are threatened to sink in the Pacific region."


    Everyone in the audience applauded in a very lively manner. It was true that the Ritz Gala event was opened for the first time to the public through the Virconnect facility with the noble aim of raising funds for an environmental rescue program.


    "I hope that the representatives from Splitz can go on stage and deliver their speech." Millian widely smiled and raised her hand to invite Pavel to go onstage.


    Pavel shook his head and pointed at Alaric, who sat next to him. For a moment, Millian looked surprised. She didn''t expect Elios Linden to talk because she had heard how much the man did not like crowds nor talking in front of people. But did the Splitz CEO say Mr. Linden was willing to talk? Was that true?


    When Alaric got up and walked with firm steps onto the stage, Millian held her breath in disbelief. Alaric had come.


    "Er... Hello, everyone. This is Mr. Elios Linden, for those of you who may have never seen him in person. He is one of our nominees for the World''s Most Eligible Bachelors. Last week, he was ranked first in Forsythe''s 100 Most Influential Men." Millian looked elated when Alaric arrived on stage. "He is also the new leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which is the parent company of Splitz, the manufacturer of the 4D Virconnect that we are using tonight."


    The audience spontaneously applauded. Confusion could clearly be heard from the crowd. They had certainly heard of the famous name of Elios Linden, but they had never seen him, nor have they ever suspected that he would look so young and striking.


    Noble girls, A-list celebrities, and girls from families of tycoons seem to be increasingly curious about his figure.


    Millian was about to reach out a hand to shake hands but immediately stopped herself. She remembered Aleksis, the man''s digital assistant, had told her that Elios Linden did not like to be touched.


    "Please say a word or two, Mr. Linden." Millian sweetly smiled and retreated back to give Alaric a chance to speak.


    "Thank you, Millian," Alaric solemnly started. He then turned his gaze to the people present and took the time until they were all quiet to continue speaking. His words were very well chosen and his voice was soft. The way he spoke left a deep impression on many.


    Alaric spoke softly and clearly about the damage that had occurred on earth and how he regretted that humans still had not found the best way to properly care for the earth.


    "As proof of my concern for the earth, I am committed to donating funds to the total amount of money collected from tonight''s event. The Ritz Gala and Virconnect have raised thirty million dollars for the environmental rescue program. This time, if you all spend money to contribute, however much the value becomes at the end, I''ll match the amount."


    He ended his impressive speech by challenging the audience, the most influential and powerful people in the world, to contribute to the program of saving the environment, and he would match it no matter how much money was raised in the end. This immediately caused a stir among everyone.


    A lot of the people present at the Ritz Gala were tycoons who could easily donate tens of thousands or even millions of dollars, yet Elios Linden casually said he would donate the same amount???


    How affluent was he?


    A guest immediately stood up and raised his hand to ask a question. After the mic was given to him, he immediately asked what was in the hearts of all the people present.


    "I just wanted to clarify if what I heard was correct. So if the total donation raised is 100 million dollars, then you will also donate 100 million dollars???"


    Alaric nodded with unchanged expression. "That is correct, you heard me right. I will donate whatever amount of money you can raise tonight."


    The whole ballroom was soon in an uproar. These people were all excited to hear Alaric''s unexpected answer. It wasn''t uncommon for rich people to say that they would match the value of donations at a charity to raise funds for a noble cause, but usually, the charity bidders aren''t opulent people like those who are currently present at the Ritz Gala.


    These opulent people can be provoked to contribute enormous amounts of money just to give Elios Linden a lesson and can even make him bankrupt. If he refused, then his name would be the object of ridicule from the upper classes for a very long time.


    "I want to donate a million dollars." Suddenly, Terry''s voice rose as he raised his hand. He was tempted to find out how serious Elios Linden was with his words.


    "Thank you, Mr. Chan," Alaric nodded and turned to Millian who hurriedly ordered her assistant to begin taking notes.


    The Swedish crown prince, Niels, also raised his hand and followed in Terry''s footsteps, "I will also donate a million dollars."


    Alaric nodded at him.


    Crazy!


    Elios Linden''s expression didn''t change at all. He was exceptionally calm, and that caused many to whisper to each other.


    It meant that he was serious with his words!


    One by one, the guests stood up and mentioned their contributions, ranging from ten thousand dollars to a million dollars. All were very curious to see how much money the donation would amount to and how Elios Linden would keep his words.

 Chapter 510 - He is an Odd One

    After half an hour, it was finally recorded that all donation pledges were in. Everyone held their breaths when Millian took the microphone to announce the results.


    "Uhmm... The total amount of money raised from Virconnect access payment by thirty million users to Ritz Gala is thirty million dollars, and the donation collected tonight from the attendees is... 174.5 million dollars."


    Millian''s voice trembled following her immense shock. She turned to Alaric and tried to say something, but no sound could come out of her lips.


    "Hmm... I will match the total value of the money raised, and that means I personally will donate 204.5 million dollars for the environmental rescue program." Alaric said casually as if that much money was only a dime for him. "I think with more than four hundred million dollars, we can finance more than ten environmental rescue organizations. Isn''t that right, Miss Millian?"


    "I... We certainly can, Mr. Linden," Millian answered haltingly, "We can finance forty organizations."


    "Very good." Alaric looked at the people who were still amazed and waved his hands as if their attitude was all excessive, "I very much love the earth, and I wanted to show how Rhionen-Meier Industries cares deeply about saving the earth so that it can be inhabited by people who are worthy of inhabiting it. Money is not a problem."


    He then came down from the stage followed by applause from the people who stood up and gave him a standing ovation. In Alaric Rhionen''s first appearance in public as Elios Linden, he had given a very deep impression, and in a short time, he had already become the subject of conversation everywhere and almost everyone who watched the event through Virconnect 4D was amazed by him.


    "This guy, he''s very impressive," Terry said. He must recognize Alaric''s strong charisma and commanding aura. "I don''t think he''s an ordinary human. I''m quite sure he''s an Alchemist."


    "I can''t agree more," Nicolae said. "The question is, why does he deliberately stand out among ordinary people? Shouldn''t an Alchemist try their best to not attract attention?"


    "I wonder about that as well," Terry murmured. His gaze never left Alaric, who was sitting quietly on his table while sipping wine. "He''s quite the odd one."


    After Alaric went down, the stage darkened and the atmosphere became quiet. The spotlight turned towards the center of the stage. Suddenly, they saw a ballerina bending down like a swan encasing her body with a pair of wings.


    The ballerina gracefully stood up and began to dance. She was exuding beauty and grace. Her appearance made everyone who set their eyes on her hold their breaths and not blink. They didn''t want to miss so much as a single second of her appearance.


    There was quiet whisper could be heard among the audience. Alaric caught words such as the world''s best ballerina, legendary dancer, dance genius, and the like.


    He observed the lady dancing on stage. He had to admit, she had extraordinary talent and every single one of her techniques was perfect.


    When she raised her hands, swung her legs, and soared, she was just like a heavenly goddess gracing the mortals with her presence as she set foot on earth.


    "This ballerina is a superstar from the Moscow Royal Ballet Group, named Eline Anastasia Mikhailova." Without being asked, Aleksis, his digital assistant, explained to Alaric. "Presently, no dancer is capable of matching her. That was why she was invited to perform at the Ritz Gala."


    "Hmm..." Alaric took a sip of his wine and attentively watched the beautiful view in front of him.


    Alaric Rhionen loved beauty and tranquility. He really liked gardening and enjoying the beauty of his garden. But his present self was not interested in anything. Only tonight did he feel his heart touched by beauty through Eline''s dance.


    "Pavel, Splitz can use Eline for the new Virconnect campaign. I think the product needs a touch of beauty," he said, turning his head to Pavel.


    The man he spoke to nodded. He told his assistant to take note of the order and later contact Eline''s manager after the event.


    Ten minutes later, the marvelous performance ended. Eline bowed her body to the audience as they one by one rose to their feet and applauded.


    "Thank you." When Eline finally opened her mouth and thanked the audience, people were even more amazed. Her voice was just as beautiful as her face.


    Before she got off the stage, Eline hurriedly took a rose from the usher and walked to Alaric''s table.


    Instantly, people watched Alaric and tried to guess what would happen. Eline graciously approached Alaric and stood calmly in front of him, her beautiful face smiling sweetly.


    "Thank you for caring about our earth and for being so generous on contributing to saving the earth initiatives. I personally feel very grateful..." Eline handed the rose to Alaric and bowed gracefully. "My family died from a forest fire a few years ago... I hope all the efforts we put in now can prevent the appearance of other victims."


    Her voice sounded very earnest and immediately invited the sympathy of many people. They knew the history of Eline, who was born to a poor family in a small mountain town in Russia. Global warming caused a fire to reach her village and killed her entire family.


    Eline grew up in an orphanage and managed to attract the attention of government officials who came to see her ballet performance. Since then, she began to open up a way to grow her talent and eventually become a superstar ballerina from Russia.


    "Thank you," Alaric answered curtly. He received the rose from Eline and nodded.


    Eline accidentally touched Alaric''s hand when she handed over the rose, so Alaric had to take a deep breath. He still didn''t like being touched, but he realized that scolding this lady in public would bring down her dignity, so he just looked away, took his glass of wine and finished its content.


    The scene of Eline approaching Alaric to hand over the rose immediately caught the attention of many and it soon became trending on Splitz. Many people talked about how harmonious the two people who were so beautiful and handsome were. Moreover, the names of the two also sounded similar. Elios and Eline.


    In the not-so-distant future, there would be a lot of news and gossip about the possibility of the two people falling in love and becoming lovers.


    Eline returned to the backstage with a happy smiling face, followed by envious and hateful gazes from numerous ladies in the ballroom who had hoped they would get a chance to approach Alaric.


    Obviously, Eline took advantage of the opportunity when she appeared to approach Alaric and shamelessly give him the flower.


    Every lady there wanted to be with Alaric, and every man wanted to be like him. He was a picture of perfection that people initially thought was impossible.


    Not only was his physical appearance very handsome and attitude-wise he looked like a confident and domineering alpha, everyone now knew who he really was. It was the impressive Elios Linden, the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, the largest corporate group in the world today!


    "Ugh... This guy is terrible," Terry grumbled. "This is his first time coming to the Ritz Gala, yet he managed to steal everyone''s attention. I won''t be surprised if he wins the World''s Most Eligible Bachelor Award."


    "Umm... He is indeed number 1 in Forbes'' Most Influential Men in 2045, which is far more prestigious than just the eligible bachelor''s award," commented Nicolae, "I don''t think the award presented at the Ritz Gala means anything to him."


    "You''re my best friend, arent you? Why are you defending him instead?" grumbled Terry curtly. Nicolae just laughed in response.

 Chapter 511 - The Worlds Most Eligible Bachelor

    Nicolae knew that Terry was actually a really intelligent and impressive guy. His friend was not only handsome but also smart. Not to mention how he had managed to lead the Schneider Group at a very young age.


    Anyone would agree that Terry should have been able to shine tonight. Unfortunately, Elios Linden unexpectedly came and grabbed all the attention.


    After several classy performances and the presentation of various awards, the time came for the announcement of "World''s Most Eligible Bachelor".


    Millian Landon stepped onto the stage and cheerfully smiled, carrying a list of nominations for men who were considered the most desired single men in the world today.


    This was the only non-serious award that the Ritz Gala had presented since twenty-five years ago to lighten up the formal atmosphere of the show, but the award that was initially presented only for fun was getting more and more prestigious and finally becoming the most eagerly awaited award at the end of the Ritz Gala event every year.


    Secretly, all the bachelors who were nominated wanted to get recognized as a man better than others.


    ***


    "This is the award I''ve been waiting for," Terry commented. Nicolae nodded with a smile.


    Millian read the names of the nominations one by one and each name that was mentioned will surely be followed by thundering applause. When Terry''s name was mentioned, he just raised his hand nonchalantly and nodded here and there, as if he didn''t care at all about his nomination.


    Nicolae could only shake his head because he knew very well how badly did Terry really want this award.


    "And this year, the Most Eligible Bachelor award goes to ..." Millian turned to Alaric''s table and her words stopped in mid-air.


    The winner''s name on the card in her hand had the name Elios Linden, but Alaric had just got off from his seat and had walked out of the ballroom indifferently.


    It would be a shame if Millian read his name as the winner and Elios completely ignored this prestigious award.


    Ugh ... Millian had to think about the reputation of the event she was holding and she had to think fast.


    Instantly her eyes fell on Terry who was sitting at his table with not just one, but four very handsome young men at once. If the camera panned at them, obviously people would be very excited because they could see such a beautiful view of the same table.


    Finally, quick thinking Millian raised her hand to raise the card without showing its contents and exclaimed, "Terrence Chan, President of the Schneider Group!!"


    Applause immediately thundering and all cameras were directed at Terry''s table. Girls held their breath because they had seen Terry sitting with London and Rune and there were Nicolae and Aldebar joining them through the Virconnect space.


    This can''t be real!! Five men at once! So handsome and charming, they all thought.


    The live audience and 30 million viewers from all over the world who took part in the program via Virconnect immediately became curious as to who the five guests were.


    Terry, who didn''t expect his name to be called, looked confused for a few seconds and then he stood up, still with a look of disbelief, walking toward the stage.


    "Whoaa ... the famous Schneider family turned out to have a lot of handsome men. We are very lucky to see them. Usually, the family is very reclusive."


    Such were the comments of so many people. A moment later the news about the good looking men from the Schneider family immediately became trending on Splitz.


    "Th ... thank you for the award," Terry said, still surprised. He had suspected that damn Elios Linden would win all the attention. But in fact, now it was he who won the award he wanted ...


    Terry was too surprised to give a touching speech, finally, he just raised his trophy and bowed slightly and then returned to his table.


    Nicolae was very happy because Terry finally got what he wanted. However, he still could not forget the mysterious Elios Linden. He still could not understand why an Alchemist appeared so open to people and attracted so much attention.


    He was determined to investigate Elios Linden as soon as he returned.


    Alaric sighed when he saw Milian go on stage to read the World''s Most Eligible Bachelor award and he immediately walked out. He did not want his name to be called a winner.


    Not only because he looked down on that ridiculous award, but he knew he was not a bachelor and shouldn''t be nominated at all. He was a married man and he still loved his wife very much.


    ***


    "Congratulations, Terry ... you have finally been named the world''s most eligible bachelor ..." Nicolae said with a laugh. "I will tell Aleksis that you finally defeated all the bachelors in this world. "


    "Ahaha, thank you." Terry nodded, "Thank you for coming. Good night then. I''ll leave Aleksis and my nephew and niece, with you."


    Nicolae finally closed the Virconnect connection and disappeared. When he turned off the application at his home in Iceland, he was interested in investigating Elios Linden immediately. Without delay, he immediately opened his tablet and began the search.


    "Hey, it''s already at 4 o''clock in the morning. Why aren''t you sleeping?" Aleksis'' voice made Nicolae startled. "Hey ... why do you look like that? Like seeing a ghost."


    Nicolae sighed and calmed his breath, "Gosh, if you don''t make any sound when you walk, I''m surprised, I thought you might be a..."


    "Hahaha ... who else would it be if it is not me? I woke up and felt thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to get a drink. How was the event?" Aleksis asked, sitting next to Nicolae. Her gaze had seen the name Elios Linden on the young man''s tablet. "Who''s that? Why do you want to work this early?"


    Nicolae shook his head, then closed the tablet. He will not work and do anything that will keep Aleksis awake. The girl needed her rest.


    "I''m going to bed. You go back to rest. Tomorrow the weather is clear, we can go down to the village and go to the farmers'' market. It must be fun." He ruffled Aleksis''s hair then pushed the girl''s body back to the room.


    "Hmm ... okay. But you should sleep too," Aleksis patted Nicolae''s shoulder and entered the room. When she turned to close the door, suddenly Nicolae had kissed her cheek and rubbed her head then went to his own room.


    Aleksis touched her cheek which Nicolae had just kissed and was stunned.


    She knew Nicolae had always treated her with respect and would not do anything she did not like.


    Over the past few months, Aleksis had seen how often Nicolae had to restrain himself from kissing her and refrain from hugging her. But yesterday Nicolae couldn''t hold back anymore and hugged her under the aurora while proposing to her. And tonight, he gave Aleksis a good night kiss on her cheek.


    Aleksis knew that someday she would accept Nicolae''s love, be willing to marry him and they would make love as lovers or husband and wife, but now, just a kiss on the cheek had already made Aleksis feel guilty.


    When will she be able to move on with her life and leave Alaric Rhionen as a part of the past? It''s not fair for Nicolae if Aleksis continues to put his love on a string ...


    Finally, after the door was closed, Aleksis could only beat his own chest while holding back her sobbing.


    If she did not have Altair and Vega in her life 5.5 years ago, she would have taken her own life, because life without Alaric was not truly living. This longing made her heart hurt and there is no cure to her pain.

 Chapter 512 - If Only Aleksis Came

    The Ritz Gala had been a hot topic for days and the whole world soon knew who Elios Linden was. All were amazed by his good looks, influence, and generosity to match the donation raised by the Ritz Gala and its guests to save the earth.


    He soon became a figure who was considered like a god. When people tried to find photos or records of his presence at the event, many were disappointed because Splitz had deleted and blocked all Elios Linden''s images from the internet.


    People who didn''t have the chance to see him became even more curious when they heard people''s stories about his unbelievably impressive appearance.


    "So it turns out Elios Linden is still young? Wow... it''s quite a surprise."


    "Yes, we saw him with our own eyes at the Ritz Gala through Virconnect 4D. There were tens of millions of people who also saw him. I''m not lying."


    "But why aren''t there any photos or recordings?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe because he likes privacy..."


    Alaric knew it was very important to instill the impression in the minds of the public about him, but he was not like the politicians who campaigned and plastered their faces on every billboard and magazine to become famous.


    Alaric wanted to exert his influence through his actions and reputation, not his face, which was why he was very strict about blocking his pictures from making rounds on the internet and various media.


    His great influence and the numerous news written about his actions, without any pictures of him, made people more curious about Alaric, making him turn into some kind of myth among the people.


    Elios Linden and Rhionen-Meier Industries were immediately famous as world leaders who cared for the earth and various forest replanting campaigns, reclamation of small island countries that were on the verge of being drowned, animal conservation, and many more of the like, making his name become increasingly respected and revered.


    ***


    Nicolae forgot about Elios Linden for a while because he was preoccupied with preparing for the new year''s holiday with the Schneider family. Terry and his two younger siblings returned for a year-end holiday in Switzerland with their family.


    Terry stopped by in Basel to meet his father, Marion, and their Little Monkey. He then proceeded to Grindelwald to be with Finland, Caspar, Aleksis and her twins, London, and the Rune. Lauriel and Nicolae also followed suit.


    Aldebar even joined them this year, making their holiday even more special. Finland was forever grateful for her friends and family who now filled her life with happiness.


    She could never forget her past as an orphan who grew up in loneliness. There was only one thing that made her sad, namely Jean''s absence. She only hoped that someday, Marion will recover completely. She also wanted to meet them so she could have her best friend back into her life.


    "We''re going to Glasgow on December 30th," Caspar said as they all gathered for afternoon tea together at his enormous library. "I don''t want to offend Portia by not coming to their new year''s party. Reportedly, they will announce their heir this year."


    Lauriel frowned at that. "They have an heir already? That''s fast."


    They remember that Portia and Ned were married twenty-four years ago after a two-hundred-year relationship. They didn''t expect that in such a short time, both of them would already have an heir.


    "I don''t want to lose either, I will introduce London and the Rune as my heirs there," Caspar said with a shrug. "We''ll see whose son is more handsome."


    Finland just patted her husband''s shoulder while laughing. Only she understood that Caspar did not mean what he said.


    "Portia didn''t invite me," Lauriel said, sipping his tea.


    "Maybe she was angry because you forgot to invite them to the party you were throwing." Caspar patted his best friend''s shoulder, "Or she just understood that you really don''t like crowds. Do you really want to come? Just come, they can''t kick you out if you do."


    Lauriel frowned, blatantly showing his dislike.


    "I don''t like crowds. It''s enough for me to attend this year''s party."


    "Alright, whatever you say."


    "I''d rather spend time with these children," Lauriel murmured as he stroked Altair''s head. The boy had been watching him attentively.


    "Haha... Alright. Then I, Finland, and London, along with Rune, will go." Caspar turned to Terry and Nicolae, "What about you guys?"


    Nicolae shrugged. He didn''t answer but it was clear that he preferred to be in Switzerland with Aleksis and her two children.


    Terry also shook his head. "I''m not your son. It must be awkward for me to come with you. Later, when my father and Marion can travel, I''ll come to the next clan event."


    Caspar understood what Terry meant. His presence would be a scandal if people knew that their clan leader''s wife had a son from another man, even though it was only limited to DNA and there was no romantic relationship at all.


    Eventually, it was decided that only Caspar, his wife, and their two sons would go to Glasgow to attend the New Year''s party at Ned and Portia''s castle.


    Caspar, who was always overprotective of Aleksis, still didn''t want to introduce his daughter to the public. He was afraid that Aleksis would be targeted again by evil people who would hurt his children.


    Better then, I''ll just wait after Aleksis and Nicolae get married , he thought.


    Aleksis herself actually did not care about her status. Since childhood, she had never been interested in the clan events and she understood how much her father loved her and protected her in every way, so she did not even think to ask to come to Portia''s New Year party.


    Though the situation would be very different, if only Caspar had invited his daughter, and introduced her to the public. Because at the Portia party, Elios Linden will be introduced as the heir of his adopted parents'' family.


    A married couple separated by destiny did not know at all that both of them were still alive and still loved their loved ones whom they thought had died.


    If only Aleksis came ...

 Chapter 513 - New Years Eve Party

    Caspar hadn''t seen Portia, Ned, and many other people from the important families in the Alchemist clan for so long. The last time was the year before Aleksis fell into a coma. Now they needed to brainstorm and discuss the clan''s succession.


    The truth was, Caspar no longer wanted to be the clan leader and he just wanted to focus on his family. But since there was no strong candidate to replace him, at the last meeting, he still had to hold power.


    Now he already had Nicolae and Caspar and thought Nicolae would be the perfect successor. Unfortunately, Nicolae did not seem to have the ambition to be a clan leader at all.


    As the heir of the Medici family, he should be able to easily get the support from clan members if only he came to introduce himself in important events like this, especially with Caspar''s full support.


    But now, Nicolae actually chose to spend his vacation time with Aleksis and the children rather than go with Caspar to Glasgow. Nevertheless, in his heart, Caspar felt happy, because it meant that to Nicolae, nothing was more important than Aleksis and the twins.


    At the appointed time, Caspar, Finland, London, Rune, and Aldebar left for Glasgow accompanied by their staff and personal bodyguards, including Jadeith.


    After they departed, Terry left Grindelwald and went to spend time with Jean''s family, while Aleksis and her children were invited to spend the new year holiday at Medici Castle.


    It was the first time that the Schneider family members spent their new year''s holidays separately.


    "It''s okay," Caspar commented while sipping his wine on the plane when Finland talked about it. "Terry does have to share his time with his father''s family. And Aleksis... Someday, she''ll definitely leave us to live with her husband. We should get used to it from now on."


    Finland could only sigh. She knew that Caspar was right, but it was saddening to be separated like this.


    "It''s okay, technology is getting more advanced now. We can stay together even if we are separated by distance, especially with the new popular technology, Virconnect 4D." Caspar tried to comfort his wife. He put down his wine glass and took Finland''s head and laid it on his lap. "Later, I''ll try to use Virconnect in Glasgow, and we can bring the twins or Aleksis with us."


    He caressed his wife''s hair. Soon, Finland felt calmer.


    They arrived in Glasgow the day before the party and used it to take a walk to see the beauty of the city. London and Rune, who had never been to the area, happily ventured around their hotel. Of course, they went with the supervision of Jadeith and a few bodyguards.


    Aldebar took the opportunity to have a drink with his best friend who lived in Edinburgh and intentionally came to Glasgow to meet him. Caspar and Finland rested while enjoying their time alone.


    ***


    The long-awaited moment finally arrived. The magnificent Lewis family''s palace looked like Rivendell, the land of the elves, that night when their guests arrived one by one. All of the perfect humans who were handsome and beautiful made the place as if it was filled with stunning elves.


    The host was the most beautiful female Alchemist and everyone ceaselessly expressed their admiration for her beauty. Finland also invited a look of awe because of her unique beauty due to the half Asian gene in her body.


    "Welcome, Caspar and Finland," Ned and Portia personally welcomed Caspar and his family as he was the most respected guest invited to the event. Portia hugged Finland and kissed her cheeks, then gave her hand for Caspar to kiss. "I hope you all had a pleasant trip."


    "Yes, everything was fun," Finland replied with a smile. "Happy new year."


    "Ah, not yet... The new year has yet come," Portia said as she led Finland into a luxurious hall with high ceilings covered by glass revealing a starry night sky. It was stunning. "Who are these two handsome young men?"


    She pointed at London and Rune who were following them.


    "Oh, please meet our two sons, London and Rune." Finland gave a signal to her two children and they immediately bowed and kissed Portia''s hand.


    The lady of the house was very impressed. "What handsome and polite children you have here. You''re quite lucky."


    Finland nodded and smiled. She and her two children followed Portia to sit at a special table prepared for the Schneider family, next to the host''s own table. Caspar and Ned followed while talking.


    "I''ll also introduce my son to you. Wait until he arrives. He''s been really busy lately, but he promised he''ll come." said Portia with pride in her voice.


    Finland nodded. He also wanted to see what Ned and Portia''s son was like.


    The party was very lively and the guests took advantage of the opportunity to exchange news and enjoy world-class entertainment prepared by the host.


    Aldebar''s presence was very welcomed by many guests, especially the girls who were still single. He had countless fans who idolized him and hoped that one day he would give his heart to one of them.


    He was the only bachelor left in the Schneider family and famously not interested in love, so for the girls, he became more attractive, because it made them feel challenged to win his heart.


    "Thank you for your presence." After the event took place midway, the host got up and gave a speech. He had seen Alaric''s presence at the entrance and walked towards the table of his adopted parents. Ned smiled and raised his hand for the attention of all. "We rarely throw parties, but this event is worth celebrating."


    When the atmosphere had calmed down and everyone''s attention was on Ned, the presence of Alaric, who was walking upright to him, immediately made the guests'' eyes fixed onto him. The young man was indeed very attractive, even with the Alchemists'' standards.


    His body was tall and sturdy, but his steps were soft and quiet. His platinum hair was now down to his chin, framing his gentle face like a woman, immediately making every girl hold their breath.


    Some of them came to the Ritz Gala either in person or via Virconnect 4D and immediately recognized him as Elios Linden, who was the event''s buzz. The atmosphere that had quietened soon changed with whispers about this young man who had just arrived.


    Caspar raised his face and looked carefully at Alaric, who was now standing very close to him, next to Ned whose table was next to the Schneiders'' table. He narrowed his eyes to pay more attention to the young man. He felt like he recognized him.


    This can''t be Ned and Portia''s biological child, he thought.


    "Good evening, Father. Sorry, I''m late." Alaric said to Ned. He knew everyone''s eyes were on him, but he didn''t seem to care. He elegantly sat next to Portia and kissed his adopted mother''s cheek and took a sip of his drink while watching Ned return to his speech.


    Ned gave a speech and thanked the guests, then finally arrived at the audience''s eagerly-awaited time. He introduced the young man who had just come and sat at his table.


    By now, most of the guests there had already known that Elios Linden was a very influential person in the world, but they had never seen him in any of the Alchemist events before. So there were so many people who were curious. They all wanted to know who he really was.

 Chapter 514 - The Heir to Linden Family

    "You may already know our adopted son, Elios Linden," Ned said as he glanced at his beautiful vast hall. "Eli is Portia''s nephew. His parents died in the last world war and Eli spent a long time wandering. He just returned home and we feel it''s time he took part in the clan more actively."


    The atmosphere immediately became noisy. The Linden surname was a fairly influential name in the past and they did not think the extinct family had an heir. Everyone surnamed Linden was dead, Princess Luna was the last one.


    People who saw Alaric at the Ritz Gala before did not connect him with the Linden family for this reason, but it turned out that Elios Linden was now acknowledged as a nephew of Portia ... which means ...


    Whose son was he?


    "Now I know who he reminded me of," Caspar said quietly. He turned to Aldebar. "Do you still remember Mars Linden?"


    "Linden''s youngest child who was sentenced to death?" Aldebar asked back. "It was a long time ago. Do you think this is his son?"


    Caspar looked at Elios from the side. The young man seemed to enjoy his wine while chatting a little with Portia and occasionally staring at Ned who was introducing him.


    The youngest son of the Linden family was never discussed by the Alchemists because of his terrible reputation. He was born long after his two older sisters and was spoiled by the Linden couple as their only son. Unfortunately, he was associated with bad people and eventually made an unforgivable mistake.


    The sentence for an unforgivable mistake was Death. Since then he was banished from the clan, never discussed again and no one thought they would one day see his descendants.


    "As I thought, people think you are Mars Linden''s son," Portia commented, looking at Alaric, "Let''s leave it at that. People don''t need to know who your real parents are. It''s better if they think of you as my son."


    Alaric nodded. They have talked about this before. For Alaric, his mother''s reputation was far too important and valuable to be tarnished by telling the whole world that she had a son outside of wedlock. For him, his own status was not important at all.


    Mars Linden was the youngest sibling of Princess Luna who had long disappeared since he was banished from the clan before World War I. He was not yet 50 years old at that time, still very young and very angry.


    Portia knew that Mars had finally committed suicide and Linden family kept it a secret from everyone. He did not leave any offsprings, but the rest of the clan did not know this. She then suggested that Ned introduce Alaric as Elios Linden, son of Mars Linden, the missing heir of the Linden family.


    Ned gave the signal and Portia then got up while embracing Alaric.


    "This is Elios Linden, our adopted son, and the heir to three families, Linden, Lewis, and Baden," Portia said to everyone and tapped Alaric on the shoulder. The young man bowed his head slightly and smiled for the first time. His smile made all the girls unable to take their eyes off of him.


    The heir to three influential families at once!!


    The guests immediately got up and clapped their hands. They were excited because everyone now understood what the purpose of Ned and Portia was to hold this party.


    Caspar was stunned by Alaric''s introduction to the clan. He immediately understood Portia''s intention to introduce Alaric as the heir of the three families. That means that Ned and Portia openly told all members of the clan present, that they would support Alaric as the new candidate for the clan leader position.


    He continued to observe the young man and try to assess whether Alaric was worthy of his position or not. Come to think of it, that young man was Nicolae''s cousin, and also Lauriel''s nephew. Both of them would be happy to know that there was another descendant of the Linden family who was still alive.


    He would tell Lauriel about this as soon as he returned to Switzerland.


    Kit Blue, who had been present with her family, had to hold the joy from bursting from her chest from the first moment he saw Alaric enter and realize that Elios Linden was, in fact, an Alchemist.


    "Father, after the ceremonial stuff is over, take me to the host''s table to greet them. I want you to introduce me to Elios. Aren''t you and Prince Ned childhood friends?" she said many times to her father, a pale-faced man who looked a lot like her.


    Lex Blue nodded, "Of course. Father will remind Ned to fulfill our agreement in the past. Now that he has appointed his heir, then it''s time we have a discussion about it."


    Kit''s face lit up. She knew her father and Ned were childhood friends and they had fought over the same girl, Princess Portia. But because Portia loved Ned, Lex relented. So that their friendship would not be broken, Ned and Lex make an agreement to someday marry their children.


    Finally, the day had arrived! And Kit can''t wait to have Elios Linden to herself!


    She would show off this to women all over the world, that she, Kit Blue, a princess from the Icelandic ice country managed to get the world''s most eligible bachelor!


    The triumphant smile of victory adorned Kit''s beautiful face.


    "My adopted mother and father are very kind. I am indebted to Ned and Portia for accepting me into their family, saving me from death, and now giving me a very respectable status." Alaric finally spoke up. As usual, his voice was calm and authoritative, hypnotizing the guests who were watching him. "I will not disappoint them. I will contribute to the clan and bring our people to the new heights because now I have decided to return."


    Everyone applauded again. They thought Alaric would continue with his words, but in fact, he was back in his seat. He did not say much, making more and more people curious.


    "Please enjoy the next meal and the show." Ned waved his hand and the people sat back and the waiters marched back and forth bringing food and drinks. A group of musicians came in and play very beautiful music, entertaining guests who enjoy a meal.

 Chapter 515 - He Always Felt Alone

    Caspar touched his wife''s shoulder and gave a signal to stand up. They then went to the host''s table and introduced themselves to the heir who had just been introduced. London and the Rune had disappeared with Aldebar so they were not taken along.


    "Congratulations Ned and Portia. You have an impressive adopted son." Caspar commented. He extended his hand towards Alaric, "My name is Caspar Schneider. This is my wife, Finland."


    Alaric immediately got up and welcomed Caspar but he refused to welcome Caspar''s handshake. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Schneider."


    Caspar frowned and the atmosphere momentarily became awkward because many people noticed the incident. The clan leader was refused for a handshake by Ned and Portia''s adopted son!


    "I''m sorry, I can''t properly say hello. I don''t like being touched." Alaric explained politely. His expression is a matter-of-factly and his honesty impressed Caspar. He finally nodded and smiled.


    "I''ve never heard of it before, but that''s okay. If you don''t mind, I want to invite you to tea with our family tomorrow at our hotel. I want to get to know you better," Caspar said kindly.


    He wanted to know what kind of person Elios Linden was. Whether he deserved to be the clan leader,  his successor, or not. Caspar did not want to carelessly reject or provide support.


    Alaric looked at Caspar for a few seconds and didn''t answer right away. This was the person responsible for his ''death'' six years ago. He no longer harbored anger towards Caspar, but at this time he was not willing to meet and make small talk with him.


    "Okay." Finally, he answered.


    "Sounds like fun." Suddenly, there was the crisp sound of a beautiful lady with long brown hair and purplish eyes from behind Alaric. Out of nowhere, Sophia came up with a sexy elegant dress and a big smile on her face. "You don''t want to invite me along?"


    Finland immediately got up and stood facing Sophia. During these decades, she still couldn''t forget what Sophia did to her and Aleksis years ago.


    "You will never be accepted at our place," Finland said in an ice-cold voice that made Alaric look up in surprise. He didn''t expect that there would be severe hostility between the two women.


    Caspar stretched out his arms and hugged Finland''s waist from behind. His attitude was very gentle and attentive to his wife, and he gently whispered into Finland''s ear, "Honey, don''t get provoked now. This is Ned and Portia''s party... We shouldn''t make a commotion. Just ignore Sophia''s presence."


    Slowly, Finland''s curt face turned flat and she finally nodded before sitting back in her chair.


    "Alright... I won''t go for it," she muttered. Finland took a deep breath and tried to ignore Sophia''s presence nearby.


    "Good. I know you can." Caspar kissed his wife''s forehead and nodded at Alaric, "See you tomorrow."


    Alaric nodded back. He watched Caspar''s wife for a few moments and tried to remember where he had seen her.


    Hmm... Even though he had tried his best and gathered his mind he couldn''t remember it at all.


    Finally, he returned to his chair and continued to sip his drink. Sophia sat beside him and chatted with Portia. Meanwhile, one by one, the guests came and greeted the host to simply give souvenirs or deliver greetings.


    Lex Blue came with his wife, Moira, and his daughter, Kit. They brought a fabulous Faberge egg gift, a legacy from the Blue family. Portia was surprised to see it.


    "Hey, this is a very valuable treasure. Why did you give it to us?" Portia asked as Moira put the beautiful Faberge egg on her table.


    "Ahh... No need to be so formal. We feel that this moment is very important to celebrate by exchanging gifts between our families," Lex commented casually. "We plan to spend a week in Scotland. After this party is over, I want us to meet and have a private chat. It''s been a long time since we exchanged news."


    Ned nodded, "Of course. You are our guests. Tomorrow, the east wing will be prepared to welcome you. Stay here while you are in Scotland."


    "Ah, don''t bother. We are staying in a nice hotel in the city center."


    "Nonsense. My house is yours too, Lex. We haven''t seen you in a long time." Ned tapped Lex on the shoulder and both of them laughed warmly. Ned''s gaze then turned towards Kit, who looked very beautiful in her blue dress. "Is this your daughter?"


    "Good evening, Prince Ned. My name is Kit," Kit Blue hurriedly spread her arms and bowed like a lady. "I haven''t been announced by father. I''ll be twenty-two this year."


    "Ah, you''re so young. Hmm... It seems like there are a lot of young people I don''t know about here," Ned nodded. "There are some old friends who already have children but haven''t introduced them to the public. Maybe it''d be good for me to ask each family who already have children to announce their heirs at the end of the event."


    "I agree. It''ll save time and strengthen the amity between all of us." Lex nodded. He then turned his gaze to Alaric, who didn''t even pay attention to them. "This adopted child of yours... Is he the son of Mars Linden?"


    Ned nodded. "This is the last descendant of the Linden family. Eli, meet my childhood best friend, Lex Blue from Iceland, and his family."


    Alaric raised his face and nodded towards them.


    "Hello."


    Lex looked rather offended because Alaric did not stand up at all and only stared intently at them. Kit ignored her father''s attitude. She hastily approached Alaric and gave her hand to shake Alaric''s hand.


    "Hi... Elios Linden, right? I also came to the Ritz Gala at that time. I''m glad we''re of the same kind. My name is Kit Blue."


    "Hello, Kit." Alaric greeted Kit Blue. However, he completely ignored her hand.


    Sophia, who saw their interaction, put a glass of drink into Kit''s raised hand and chuckled. "Here, have a drink. My cousin won''t touch you."


    "What... What did you say?" Kit looked really upset.


    She didn''t know who Sophia was and had been annoyed to see this new girl just sitting beside Alaric, and now seemed to deliberately mock her. Portia hurriedly calmed the awkwardness by standing and embracing Kit Blue''s shoulder.


    "I really like your dress. You look so beautiful." Praise from the most beautiful woman in the room was able to make Kit''s upset heart turn calm. She hurriedly smiled and returned the praise to Portia.


    "Ah... My beauty is nothing when compared to you, Princess..."


    "Now then, let''s us, ladies, chat near the cocktail table. I''d like to know you and your mother better."


    Kit immediately glowed. She was very proud because Portia was friendly to her. Alaric looked around the party and could only endure boredom. He didn''t like the crowd, and being here for an entire hour was very tiring for him.


    "I want to get some air," he said before leaving. He saw that among the alchemists who came to the party, on average, they brought their families. There were wives and children, and those who didn''t have a family came with a group of friends.


    Even Ned also appeared to have friends from his childhood who came to visit. Caspar also came with his family and seemed to have good relations with Ned and Portia.


    He suddenly felt alone again. He didn''t have any of these kinds of people. Portia and Ned were kind to him and loved him, but he didn''t really have friends. He always felt alone.

 Chapter 516 - Rune & Alaric

    "Hey¡­ You''re Elios Linden, aren''t you?" Suddenly, an eager voice from the door greeted him. Alaric turned his head and found the face of a very handsome young man with bright blond hair and narrow blue eyes.


    "Hmm..." Alaric nodded. He recognized this young man as the son of the Schneider family who came with Terry to the Ritz Gala.


    "My name is Rune Schneider, I really like the Virconnect product made by Splitz." Rune raised his hand to shake hands, and for a moment Alaric couldn''t bear to turn his hand away because he saw those beaming eyes.


    "Thank you." He finally responded to Rune''s handshake. "What do you like most about Virconnect?"


    "Umm... I like it because very little data is needed to access it. I think we can use Virconnect for more purposes if it can be installed on a smaller device." Rune answered enthusiastically. Without waiting for a response from Alaric, he outlined several alternatives to using Virconnect in addition to long-distance relationships between people on earth.


    Rune was a talented scientist who had followed in the footsteps of his uncle Aldebar, and this year, he had produced his first machine, a tool to accelerate plant growth. He was waiting for the Schneider Group to mass-produce it.


    He was very pleased to meet Alaric at this event because he admired many innovations of the group of companies he was leading and enthusiastically discussed one by one the things he liked about their products.


    Alaric listened in admiration. He knew that this boy was very young. He had heard that Caspar had married shortly before Ned and Portia, so his children would still be young. So young, yet he already sounded very knowledgeable and forward-thinking, he thought.


    "You sound very innovative. If you aren''t the son of the Schneider family, I would love to offer you work in my company," Alaric commented.


    "Why, why not?" asked Rune in surprise. "Do you hate my family?"


    "Don''t you need to take care of your family business as an heir to the Schneider family?" asked Alaric, who now looked at him in puzzlement.


    "Oh yeah, that''s right..." Rune was naive and didn''t think in that direction, leaving Alaric to only faintly smile. The children of the Schneider family are very pleasant, he thought.


    The two then talked further about various things, and for a moment, Alaric was comforted. Their conversation only stopped when Aldebar called Rune to come back inside.


    "Sorry, I have to go back soon. It was nice talking with you." Rune went back to greet Alaric and excused himself.


    "Ah, see you tomorrow then. I''ll be having tea with your father tomorrow," Alaric answered.


    "Good. See you tomorrow!"


    After Rune left, Alaric stood staring at the empty night sky. His lonely-looking posture attracted a lot of sympathy from the girls who had gathered outside and watched him since earlier time.


    After a while, because Alaric didn''t seem to be moving, several beautiful girls came to him.


    "Good evening, Eli. Nice to meet you." A tall girl who looked like a supermodel greeted him with a very beautiful smile. "My name is Shekina and these are my friends. We saw that you looked pensive."


    "I''m Lyana." The cute girl with a freckled face nodded next to Shekina.


    "I''m Alexandra." The last girl appeared from behind the tall Shekina, her small body immediately taking place in front of her friends while laughing.


    For a moment, Alaric was amazed to see how Alexandra had a pair of very beautiful eyes. Both her eyes had a mixture of gray and green, which was extremely rare. She also had heterochromia like Aleksis, and even their names sounded similar.


    Alexandra''s friends saw how Alaric was stunned and thought he was attracted to the girl. They whispered and giggled flirtatiously.


    "Ah... It looks like Eli likes Alexandra. Well, then we won''t bother you two." Smiling, Shekina dragged Lyana away, leaving Alexandra blushing in front of Alaric.


    Instantly, Alaric felt tired. He didn''t need interference at times like this, he thought.


    "Alexandra, nice to meet you. Sorry, but I have to go." He nodded at Alexandra and walked the other way.


    The girl he left behind took a few seconds to process what happened. And when she finally found her voice, Alaric was already far away.


    "Hey... Wait!! What do you mean by that?"


    Alexandra felt very disappointed. Earlier, when Alaric was staring at her with an awed look, she really thought the man was into her. She was already very happy when her friends thoughtfully left them alone.


    Ughhhh!!!


    Sophia, who was passing by, had seen what had happened. She only smiled to herself at how popular Alaric was, causing so many girls to try to attract his attention. Unfortunately for them, Alaric didn''t seem to be interested in any of them.


    While holding back her laughter, Sophia approached Alexandra and greeted her kindly.


    "Hi... Please forgive my cousin, he didn''t mean to make you misunderstand." At that time, Sophia also saw Alexandra''s two-colored eyes and remembered how Alaric was stunned when he saw this girl. Sophia narrowed her eyes and smiled very sweetly.


    Her guess was correct. Alaric''s wife must be the same Aleksis as she had thought. It must be Caspar''s daughter who had heterochromia, because just now, Alaric seemed to be reminded of her eyes when he saw Alexandra''s.


    Alaric''s dead wife was Caspar''s biological daughter. No wonder Caspar was hunting him to death.


    In her heart, Sophia was very happy to know that Aleksis was dead. The child had caused large losses to her family.


    And what pleased her more was the fact that Caspar didn''t know that Alaric Rhionen was Elios Linden. Had he known, he wouldn''t have invited Alaric to drink tea tomorrow.


    Sophia smiled faintly as she thought of the secret she had just discovered.


    "Princess Sophia," Alexandra''s voice woke Sophia from her reverie. "I''m fine, thank you for caring. I was just shocked."


    "Alright. Don''t take it to heart. Just enjoy the party."


    Alexandra nodded respectfully and went looking for her friends.


    Until the party ended, Alaric didn''t return. That made a lot of people disappointed, and they soon realized that he really didn''t like crowds.


    "Ugh... He really is his father''s child," Portia grumbled to Ned. "Both of them don''t like crowds and parties."


    "Let him be. After all, he has given us face by being present. Now let him rest." Ned kissed his wife''s forehead to make Portia smile again.


    "Hmm... I''m not angry. I understand him." Portia nodded. "I''m just sorry he doesn''t want to socialize with other people. You saw it for yourself how lonely he looked. I want him to have friends and, who knows, maybe among the many beautiful girls from our clan, he can find new love."


    "Hmm... What do you think of Kit Blue? Lex''s daughter. They''ll be staying at our palace tomorrow," Ned asked.


    Portia shrugged. "Kit seems to be too young, huh. I don''t know... It feels like her family is not of the same level as us. I know Lex is your childhood friend, but they''re from the lower classes."


    Ned sighed. "This is 2045, my dear. The period of nobles and royals has passed hundreds of years ago. Now money is the measure of one''s nobility. In my opinion, as the richest family in Iceland, the Blue family has a pretty good class."


    Portia didn''t answer. She admitted that Kit was very beautiful, well educated, and seemed to understand good manners. She didn''t openly reject Kit as her daughter-in-law, but she still didn''t feel that the girl was perfect for her adopted son.


    The party ended at 11 PM and the guests returned home excitedly. Alaric was again the subject of discussion, and many members of the Alchemists speculated that after Caspar had resigned from the position of clan leader (as he had stated several times), Alaric would rise to replace him.


    The girls were even more excited to talk about him.


    ***

 Chapter 517 - The Tea Invitation

    The tea ceremony with Alaric would take place at 4 PM. Since 3 o''clock, Caspar and Finland had been getting ready in the living room with tea and small cakes.


    They talked about the young man and discussed the possibility of Caspar supporting him to replace him as the clan leader.


    "Hmm... About the leadership, there''s no doubt at all," commented Caspar. "But here, the problem is the ideology he brought. You know the Meier family has always been the leader of the purists. Even Ned and Portia are also purists. If Elios changed the clan''s policies by pursuing a purist ideology, it will be dangerous for the clan''s future."


    "Oh... So, it was your goal to ask him to come. You want to know him better before deciding whether it''s right to leave the clan in his hands or not."


    "My wife is smart," Caspar smiled and nodded. "I already have another candidate, actually, but let''s see what kind of person Elios is. If he brings the purist ideology to the clan, I won''t be able to accept him."


    "Hmm... I understand." Finland looked at the clock and realized they still had plenty of time. "How about we try to contact Aleksis and the children? I really miss them."


    Caspar nodded. "I miss them too."


    He turned on Virconnect, and a moment later, a pair of cute adorable faces appeared in front of them.


    "Hi, Grandfather! Uncle Nicolae promised to make us a treehouse if we spent all summer with him at Medici Castle!" Vega exclaimed excitedly.


    "Oh, really? The treehouse sounds really cool." Caspar responded with a smile.


    "But Mom doesn''t want to spend all her summer with Uncle Nic. Then what do we do? Grandpa, please scold Mommy, please."


    Aleksis, who had just come out, had returned to her living room and was laughing at how her children were complaining to Caspar. She shook her head at them.


    "You naughty boy. I didn''t reject Uncle Nic. I only asked for time to think," she said to her two children.


    Caspar and Finland smiled at the mother-children interaction. As the grandparents of the two children, they were happy to see Altair and Vega looking more cheerful and seemed to be very supportive of their mother marrying their Uncle Nic.


    They listened to the twins'' stories about their vacation in Grosseto and their longing seemed to be relieved. Really, they have to thank this great Virconnect 4D technology!


    "Good evening, Uncle. Mr. Elios Linden has arrived," Jadeith suddenly entered at five to 4 PM and interrupted the warmth of the three generations of the Schneider family.


    Caspar waved his hand. "Please let him in."


    "Right away, Uncle."


    Alaric entered just as the shadow of Aleksis and her two children disappeared from the living room. Caspar immediately stood up to greet the young man and invited him to sit down.


    "Welcome, Eli. You already know my wife," Caspar waved, no longer shaking hands. Finland stood up and greeted Alaric.


    "Hello, my name is Finland Scheider. Nice to meet you."


    "Hello, Mrs. Schneider."


    When the three of them had sat down and began to enjoy the tea served, Finland watched their guest attentively. Alaric had a very unique face, in her opinion. Even by Alchemist standards, he was very interesting.


    His handsome face had delicate lines like a woman, contrasting with his masculine body and his domineering attitude.


    Finland had heard that the color purple was the signature of the famous Linden family, and this was the first time she saw a person who had a pair of purple eyes and purplish hair.


    For a moment, she thought of her own grandson, Altair, who also had a beautiful face like a woman''s.


    Ah... It would be nice if Altair would grow up like Elios Linden in front of her. He would definitely look very charming. Now the boy still looked like a girl, because his body and voice were still growing as a child.


    "I know the Lindens quite well," Caspar said, pouring tea into his cup. "Princess Luna, your aunt is my best friend Lauriel''s girlfriend."


    Alaric''s fingers, which were holding the cup''s handle, subconsciously tightened their grip. He didn''t show any expression on his face, but his ears were ready to listen to Caspar continuing his words.


    "Luna''s death really destroyed Lauriel. He has been away on self-exile for decades." Caspar took a deep breath. Finland, who saw how Alaric''s teacup had slightly shaken, hastily embraced her husband''s waist and gently shook her head towards him.


    "Honey, it''s not appropriate to talk about other people in front of our guests," said Finland in a soft voice. "Let''s just focus on Eli, okay?"


    Caspar smiled and nodded, "Ah... Apologies. I went out of topic. I don''t really know your father. Mars Linden was very young when he left home and passed away. I''m feeling sorry about how the last world war claimed so many good people, like Luna and the rest of her family. "


    Alaric was disappointed because Caspar changed the subject. He had wanted to hear about the relationship between his mother and father from the perspective of others. So far, he only knew what had happened from Portia and Sophia. He was somewhat surprised when he heard from Caspar that Luna''s death had destroyed Lauriel.


    All this time, he thought Lauriel didn''t really care...


    "Hmm... Yes, the last world war was truly terrible," Alaric took a sip of his tea. "I''ll make sure that doesn''t happen again."


    Caspar was interested in hearing his words. "Ideally so. How can you be sure it won''t happen again?"


    Alaric didn''t immediately answer Caspar''s question. Instead, he asked, "I heard your parents also died from a bomb attack in their residence during the Second World War?"


    "That''s right," Caspar answered.


    "Who do you think is at fault?"


    "Hmm... World War II happened because Hitler wanted to rule the world. At the same time, Japan also had the same desire."


    "For me, both the Axis forces and the Allied forces are equally guilty. The struggle for power and war between nations have been going on for centuries. Humans will never be satisfied before this earth is destroyed and there is nothing left to fight over." Alaric shrugged. "I''ll make sure that humans no longer fight over anything because I will rule over everything."


    Caspar frowned. "Do you want to become a world dictator?"


    "The world needs to be led by a dictator who has no personal interests. I absolutely do not want power for the sake of power itself. I just want to make sure everything works properly and that no one else can do anything to oppress other humans or ruin the earth." Alaric looked at Caspar very seriously. "It has been 500 years... Do you think that if we keep quiet, humans will be able to change on their own? The Alchemists have let them act too carelessly for too long. It''s been 500 years  and if you still won''t do anything for the next 500 years, there will be nothing left of our people, and this earth will not remain."


    Caspar sharply looked back at Alaric. He understood what this young man meant. He also felt that Alaric''s words were too arrogant for someone as young as himself.


    Rule the world to make it a better place?


    This young man is too idealistic and too explosive, Caspar thought.

 Chapter 518 - Bad Impression

    "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Caspar said his sentence slowly and firmly, so Alaric clearly noticed it. "That is what Baron Acton said. And what he said is thoroughly accurate. Power tends to damage people, and absolute power will corrupt people absolutely until there is no hope anymore. Although you are a good person, absolute power will damage you to the core. I really hope you don''t take that road."


    "You can''t stop me," Alaric answered with a shrug. "I have everything to realize my goals."


    Yes, of course, Alaric felt that he didn''t need Caspar''s support. He had begun to take over the media, technology, and even the automation systems in everyday life, which would soon be implemented en masse. He would be able to use all that to control humans.


    "Uhm... What you want to do outside our people is your business, but as long as I am the leader of the clan, I will not let you bring the Alchemists to rule other humans." Caspar put down his cup and looked at Alaric with a disappointed look.


    He had hoped to resign from the position of the clan leader if Alaric would be the candidate to replace him, as supported by all the big families. But after seeing Alaric''s arrogant attitude, he felt it was too dangerous to give the young man extra power with Caspar stepping down as the clan leader.


    This can''t be allowed, he thought. He must be able to persuade Nicolae to come forward in his place.


    "I understand," Alaric said expressionlessly. "I still respect you as the clan leader and will not argue. But in ten years, when the support of all the members of the clan has turned to me, you will not be able to do anything."


    Finland saw the tension between the two men and hurriedly lifted the plate of cookies in front of Caspar and Alaric, "Eh... Please taste the cookies. This is a special creation from the best chef in Scotland."


    Alaric nodded towards Finland and then stood up. "Thank you for your kindness, Mrs. Schneider. I must go."


    Without another word, he then went out.


    "Ugh... How arrogant! I didn''t expect Lauriel''s nephew to be that arrogant." Caspar grumbled.


    ***


    Alaric met Rune at the exit. The young man had just arrived with London after exploring the area around their hotel with two bodyguards who looked their age.


    "Hey... Eli, right? Are you leaving already? That''s quick," asked Rune in surprise. It was only 4:40 PM. According to him, their conversations shouldn''t have been finished so he would be able to meet Elios Linden after his father had talked with him. Rune didn''t expect Alaric to come out so fast.


    "Hello, Rune. How are you?" Alaric smiled at the young man.


    He noticed London, who stood beside Rune, and realized that London was very much like his father. And yet, Rune didn''t resemble anyone, not his father nor his mother. Maybe that''s what made Rune so fun, he thought.


    "I''m fine. We just went around and bought souvenirs and explored this area." Rune turned to his brother, "I met Eli yesterday and talked about many things."


    "Hi, my name is London." London raises his hat, greeted Alaric. "I''m Rune''s older brother."


    "Hello, London, nice to meet you." Alaric nodded towards London. "I have to go. Goodbye."


    The car arrived and Alaric rushed in, leaving the two young men looking at him in surprise.


    Alaric closed his eyes throughout the journey as he recalled the conversation with Caspar that didn''t end well. Caspar Schneider had mentioned that Lauriel was devastated by Luna''s death and had gone into self-exile for decades.


    If their conversation hadn''t ended badly, he wanted to ask Caspar to tell him where he could find Lauriel. Maybe he would even tell him his true identity. He wanted to meet Lauriel at least once to find out whether his father really suffered when his mother died.


    But it''s too late now. He couldn''t go back there to ask for that information. He and Caspar were both too stubborn and wouldn''t budge. Their views were too different.


    Alaric didn''t understand why Caspar was so soft. As the clan leader, he had so much power to determine which direction was to be taken by the clan.


    Why did he only continue to enjoy life in the shadows, having to hide away and take on a new identity every few decades? Why bother keeping their people hidden as if the Alchemists were criminals?


    Humans were the villains on this earth. Those who destroy nature because of their greed. Now, one-third of the earth had become an empty land that couldn''t be saved.


    The amazon forests which used to be the lungs of the world, there was only about ten percent left. And small islands that used to be in the hundreds of thousands, were now only in the tens of thousands. All because of human greed.


    The Alchemists were partly responsible for the evil deeds of humans because so far, they hadn''t taken active action to stop them.


    But that will change soon, Alaric thought.


    "The names of the two kids are familiar," Alaric murmured. "Do you know where I''ve heard those names, Aleksis?"


    "They are certainly familiar. Last week, they came to the Ritz Gala and were introduced as the heirs to the Schneider family," Aleksis'' voice could b heard from his watch.


    "Hmm... That must be it." Alaric nodded. "Call Luna and ask her to find Lauriel Medici''s whereabouts. I want information on where he can be found."


    "Yes, Sir."


    Fourteen years ago, when Aleksis was twelve and was rescued by Alaric in Singapore, the girl had mentioned the names of her two younger brothers, but Alaric didn''t remember them.


    Fourteen years was a very long time, and after waking up from a coma for almost six years, he still hadn''t fully recovered. Needless to say, he needed time to restore all his memories of the entire century.


    So when Aleksis said he must''ve heard the two names from Ritz Gala, Alaric didn''t think too much about it.

 Chapter 519 - The Lonely Man

    Alaric''s car drove smoothly to the Lewis family''s palace, and after arriving there, he immediately stepped into the West Wing where he was staying.


    "Sir, Lady Portia asked that you join us in the dining room after you return. We have guests staying at the East Wing." The butler welcomed him at the door. "It seems they are good friends of Master."


    "Thank you, Butler Han, I''ll be there."


    Alaric wasn''t into crowds or small talks, but he understood that Portia and Ned were trying to meet as many people from the Alchemists clan as possible to channel support for him when he stepped forward as the candidate for the clan leader position.


    In order to appreciate the efforts of his adoptive parents, he certainly wouldn''t mind simply attending and meeting these people. Not to mention, they were the ones in charge of all communication with these people anyway.


    After all... This was his people. This was his family in this world. Maybe he really should try to open up more. These people understood him best here, after all.


    "Good evening, Eli. Nice to meet you again," Kit Blue, who looked very beautiful in a short casual dress that showed off her long legs and skin that was as smooth as snow, immediately rose from the dining table and welcomed Alaric''s presence with a smile. She finally heard that Alaric didn''t like being touched, making her know better on how to behave.


    Alaric nodded at her. "Good evening."


    He was happy because Kit Blue seemed to learn quickly and knew how to behave. The girl didn''t seem offended by Alaric''s cold attitude and continued to be nice to him.


    She happily sat across the young man, next to her mother and father. Throughout the dinner, she seemed rather intelligent, following the various discussions of the parents at the dinner table on various topics of the world.


    This was not without practice. Kit Blue was prepared by her mother to make the best impression at this important dinner. She must be able to impress Portia, and of course, Alaric, so that the arranged marriage talks between Ned and Lex could take place without getting opposed by the two. That was why Kit made herself appear as presentable as possible.


    "Hm... Eli, since you guys have finished eating, please take Kit on a walk to look at our garden. She has never been here," Portia said after dinner. "I''m sure the chat between old people like us is very boring for you."


    Before Alaric could answer, Kit had risen to her feet and spread her arms. "The weather is very nice for winter like now, of course, this is a good sign."


    Alaric nodded and stood up. He knew his adoptive parents and the Blue family were about to talk about something without him, so he immediately walked out.


    The winter night sky this time was surprisingly bright. He could even see the full moon decorate the sky. Hmm...


    "Do you like astronomy?" Kit asked suddenly. She had noticed yesterday how often Alaric looked at the sky.


    Alaric nodded without turning his head.


    "Then you must come to Iceland. There, you''ll be able to see the sky perfectly, and if you''re lucky, you can even see the aurora. It''s absolutely beautiful," Kit continued. She was not at all offended by Alaric''s cold attitude.


    She knew she had to play her cards correctly. Being kind to this man and gaining his trust was far more important than just her hurt pride, Kit thought.


    She again remembered Nicolae Medici, who had humiliated her at the airport. He was with that shameless girl! Kit must be able to get back at them by getting Alaric, who was far better than Nicolae.


    Just let Elios Linden be cool, Kit didn''t mind. After all, his coldness was shown to everyone without exception, so Kit didn''t need to take it to heart. This wasn''t personal.


    What was important was, if her parents could convince Ned and Portia of their arranged marriage, Kit believed Elios wouldn''t refuse as long as Kit didn''t do things that would upset him.


    The man didn''t seem to have the ability to love a woman, and he would not care about romantic relationships, provided that Kit family could provide the support he needed.


    "If you''d like to come to Iceland for some sky-gazing, I''ll take you to the best place."


    Actually, the best place to gaze at the sky wasn''t the place itself, but the person you see the sky with. Just like how a home feels like home not because of the house, but the family inside.


    Home isn''t the place, but the people. Home isn''t the building, but the people we love to build the house together.


    For Alaric, with his wealth and power, he could easily go anywhere in the world to observe the sky. He could observe space with the commercial space program that was being started by many world technology companies, including SpaceLab, a subsidiary of Rhionen-Meier Industries. But for him, the best place remained on his catamaran ship six years ago when he was with Aleksis.


    "Thank you for your offer," Alaric said. Even so, he gave no indication of whether he would accept Kit''s offer or not. Kit still didn''t give up. She walked around Alaric and looked at him with a smile.


    "May I ask you something?" she asked.


    Alaric turned his head and looked back at him, "Please."


    "Hmm... Do you miss your parents?" As she uttered these words, she sounded entirely earnest. Because of that, for a moment, the young man was silent thinking about the answer. No one had asked this question directly to him.


    "Hmm..." Alaric closed his eyes and thought.


    Kit went awry and hurriedly apologized, "Sorry if my question was rude. I heard that your parents had passed away a long time ago and you had always lived alone before Princess Portia and Prince Ned found you. I can''t imagine what it would be like to live without a family. It must be very lonely..."


    Alaric opened his eyes and answered, "You''re right."


    Kit''s chest was thumping instantly. She didn''t expect Alaric to answer her questions, and his tone wasn''t as sharp as she had expected.


    Alaric was indeed very lonely! And that was why he became like this. His coldness was because of his loneliness... Kit inwardly thought.

 Chapter 520 - FOUR YEARS LATER

    In her heart, Kit cheered for herself. She would be a friend of this young man, she would accompany him no matter what happened, and make him feel that Kit was the only person who understood him. Kit could be so patient...


    "I''m sorry too..." She was so excited that Kit''s hand unconsciously touched Alaric''s hand to show sympathy. However, for some reason, this time, Alaric didn''t pull his hand away. He almost didn''t feel Kit''s skin touching his because surprisingly, that girl''s skin was even softer than silk.


    When the two of them regained their senses, Kit hurriedly pulled her hand away, "Ah... Sorry... I''m sorry. I just remembered you don''t like being touched."


    Alaric didn''t answer. He didn''t know whether it was because Kit''s skin was so delicate that he didn''t feel bothered, or it was because his body''s condition had recently begun to improve and was now able to receive touch.


    Alaric finally nodded slightly and excused himself, "I have a lot of work, I hope you don''t mind if I don''t take you back to the dining room."


    Kit Blue could only look at Alaric''s back, who left her to go to the West Wing of the palace. Even so, Kit was elated. She thought they were starting to get closer as he seemed to be willing to open up to her. He didn''t even avoid her when she touched him.


    Ah... Alright. You want to play hard to get... I don''t mind, Kit thought.


    Although she was very young, Kit had an intelligent brain. Thus, she knew that in order to get something valuable, one had to be willing to pay the price. Undoubtedly, the greater the value, the greater the price would be.


    And she was ready to do anything to get Alaric. She wasn''t in a hurry. The target was to win the man''s trust and be the only woman who could touch him.


    And when the time came, Kit would become his wife, affirming support for Alaric to become the clan leader. And together, they would rule the world.


    All these thoughts made her chest expand because of happiness. Kit returned to the dining room with a radiant face.


    ***


    FOUR YEARS LATER


    .


    That afternoon, Medici Castle looked festive by the laughter of two small children running around in the vast castle yard. Aleksis was sitting in a chair while reading and occasionally watching her two children.


    Really, time flew by so fast. It felt as though it was only yesterday that she gave birth to them, but now her two children were already over nine years old.


    Until now, the two''s appearances were still exactly the same. Even though they weren''t born as identical twins, Altair was still often regarded as a girl when they travel to the city.


    In a few years'' time, that will definitely change, thought Aleksis happily. Altair''s body will definitely grow taller and bigger than his sister so that they will eventually be easily distinguished, and he didn''t need to be constantly upset because he was often mistaken for a girl.


    Aleksis was looking forward to seeing an adult Altair. Her son must be very similar to Alaric. Aleksis will indirectly be able to see the face of her husband that she had been missing for the past ten years.


    Ah... Ten years passed like a dream. After such a long time, the wound in Aleksis''s heart was finally healed, and she began to return to her old self: a cheerful, carefree, and adventurous Aleksis. She often blamed herself for not being able to do much, since she was fighting depression after her husband''s untimely passing while taking care of her babies.


    Over the past four years, she had spent a lot of time with Nicolae and her children. The young man was always able to find an excuse to take her and the children adventuring. Aleksis believed, without Nicolae by her side, she would have sunk deeper in her sadness and depression.


    They had traveled around together to many beautiful places. They went to the Gobi Desert, crossed Thailand to Europe by train, adventured in the interior of the Amazon, saw an aurora for the third time, and went on various other exciting trips.


    Altair and Vega became very exposed to the outside world which was full of miracles and challenges. Without Nicolae, Aleksis knew she wouldn''t be able to bring her children to enjoy the beauty of nature and learn from the outside world alone, as she had with Uncle Rory.


    That was why Aleksis felt so grateful. She and her two children could do whatever they want, and Nicolae always took care of them. And now, since they often spend so much time together, the four had become almost inseparable.


    "Hey... What are you daydreaming about?" Nicolae, who appeared from inside the castle all of a sudden, curiously asked. He brought a stack of beautiful cards and put them on the table in front of Aleksis. He then kissed her cheek.


    The girl closed her eyes when Nicolae''s lips touched her cheek and smiled sweetly, "I''m watching the children. They''re so big now."


    "You''re right... Gosh... When I first met them four years ago, they didn''t even reach my knees," Nicolae reminisced.


    "Ah... You''re exaggerating. They were taller than your knees," Aleksis laughed heartily, "But they''re even taller now. What are these cards anyway?"


    Nicolae took a deep breath before finally pulling out a pen and a paper with a very long list.


    "Here''s the guest list..." Nicolae explained. He then continued in a casual tone. "Yes, I know it''s a lot. This is your fault because your father is the clan leader. We must invite every member of the clan from all over the world."


    Aleksis hit Nicolae''s shoulder and laughed. "We can elope if you don''t want a party."


    Nicolae was about to say something, but his voice didn''t come out. He immediately recalled that Aleksis and Alaric had married secretly and caused many problems for Aleksis'' family and the two of them.


    He didn''t want to make Aleksis experience the same thing, getting married without the approval of her parents. Although he didn''t really like a big wedding, Nicolae agreed with Caspar that this time, Aleksis'' wedding had to be massive and festive.


    Aleksis also suddenly remembered the same thing, and she became silent. Still fresh in her mind, those impulsive moments when she asked Alaric to marry her at Sky Bar. That same night, they got married in a 24-hour chapel in Sentosa.


    At that time, she didn''t think she would only be a wife for less than a month. And now, it''s been almost ten years that she lived alone after Alaric died.

 Chapter 521 - Im A Doctor. My Handwriting is Notoriously Ugly!

    Aleksis would be marrying Nicolae next month, yet again, she was reminded of Alaric today. Her eyes looked down, not daring to look at Nicolae due to her guilt of thinking of another man in front of her future husband. Nicolae, who saw her getting awkward, immediately distracted the girl by kissing her hair.


    "Hmm... My wife is very beautiful today." He then sat next to Aleksis as if nothing had happened. "So, let''s split the job. I''ll read the names, and you''ll write them on the cards."


    Aleksis smiled at Nicolae''s understanding attitude and nodded. "Alright... But I''ll be the one to read, and you''ll be the one to write. Your handwriting is much better than mine."


    "How come? I''m a doctor, you know... My handwriting is notoriously ugly." Nicolae scratched his head that didn''t feel itchy at all. Aleksis shook her head and took a pen and a paper to prove that her writing was worse than Nicolae''s.


    The two looked at each other.


    "Gosh, your handwriting is indeed ugly," Nicolae commented. "Mine too. I''m afraid these people will feel offended if they can''t read their own names on the invitation cards."


    Even though it was the modern times and most people chose to send e-invitations or e-mails, the Schneider family always chose to use traditional handwritten invitations because it showed the prestige of their family.


    High-class and opulent families maintain a tradition of sending invitations like this because they look personal, classy, ??and luxurious.


    That was why both of them were also following the old family tradition, writing their own invitations for their wedding party next month. Unfortunately, both Aleksis and Nicolae were both "gifted" with such handwritings.


    "How about we ask Vega and Altair to do it? Their handwritings are much better than mine," Aleksis commented, "We can give them a reward after."


    Nicolae chuckled at Aleksis'' suggestion and nodded, "Okay. They''ve been whining non stop asking for a puppy. I can give that as a reward for them taking care of this invitation."


    "Puppy?" Aleksis was stunned. She suddenly missed her long-deceased dog. Little Prince Siegfried died of old age two years ago, and she and her children were aggrieved because of that.


    Ah... Yeah. It''s been two years, maybe it''s time to give a new dog to Altair and Vega.


    "Alright, good idea." Aleksis nodded. She then called Altair and Vega, who were digging something in the yard. "Hey... Kids, come here. What are you two doing?"


    "Chasing a rabbit, Mom," answered Vega enthusiastically. "We just saw two!"


    "Oh... Would you like to have a new puppy?" Aleksis asked with a smile.


    "What? Puppyyy???" The two children exchanged glances. A moment later, they sped towards Aleksis, leaving their rabbit chase behind.


    "I''ll get you whatever puppies you want if you sit here for an hour and help Dad write something," Nicolae explained when the two children arrived in front of him.


    "Is that true???" I want it!!! "Vega had jumped happily towards Nic who just arrived." I want a Great Dane!!"


    "I want a mini-bulldog like Little Prince Siegfried," Altair voiced, clinging to Nicolae''s arm.


    "Why? Do you miss Little Prince Siegfried?" Nicolae asked attentively. Altair nodded. Nicolae stroked the boy''s head, who then also nodded. "Alright. We''ll look for a dog that resembles Little Prince Siegfried later. But you must help Mom and Dad to take care of the wedding invitations. We both have awful handwriting."


    The twins didn''t think twice and immediately agreed. They picked up the pens and invitation cards and began to work while Nicolae read the names of the invitees.


    Aleksis just looked at the three while smiling. Her children had started calling Nicolae "Daddy" since Aleksis finally accepted Nicolae''s proposal last summer, after four years of thinking about it.


    She still remembered how excited Altair and Vega were when she and Nicolae invited them to dinner together and told them that Mommy Aleksis and Uncle Nic would get married, and Nicolae would soon officially become their father.


    Vega even had tears in her eyes as she approached Nicolae and sobbed in his chest, while the more restrained Altair only hugged Nicolae for a long time.


    "From now on, if you don''t mind, I want you to hear you call me Dad... What do you think?" Nicolae asked, stroking the hair of the two children in his arms.


    Vega''s cries grew louder at Nicolae''s request and the entire front of his shirt was wet with her tears.


    That was when Aleksis was convinced that her decision to accept Nicolae''s proposal was the best decision. She could vividly see how her children were very happy to accept Nicolae into their lives.


    After informing their children of Aleksis and Nicolae''s decision to get married, the couple told their family.


    Caspar only heaved a sigh of relief and Finland immediately embraced Nicolae as a sign of gratitude for being so patient in waiting and convincing her daughter.


    She knew that it was impossible for another man to be as patient as Nicolae in dealing with Aleksis and waiting for ten years for her to open her heart to him. Finland was relieved and happy, knowing that Aleksis would finally find happiness with a man who loved her so much.


    "Congratulations, you''re finally going to get married too," London hugged his sister with overflowing happiness. He then put his arm around Nicolae''s shoulder. London was now 27 years old and his attitude was very mature, no longer as childish as when he and Rune often teased Nicolae with their silly attitude. He had led the Schneider Group office in Berlin to replace his father.


    Rune also congratulated the couple. "I have a wedding present for you. A baby translator machine. You ''ll be the first parents to know what''s inside the baby''s head before they can speak! I''ve been researching this for three years."


    Rune already had his own lab in Aldebar''s residence. He was given the freedom to experiment with anything, so he had started making small machines. And just like Aldebar, nine out of ten of his machines had no clear use.


    Aleksis laughed and brushed off her overly excited brother''s head. "Sssh... We''re not married yet. We haven''t thought about babies either."


    "We''re not in a hurry," Nicolae added. He and Aleksis exchanged glances and smiled. Both could read each other''s minds and agreed to avoid the topic of having children as long as Altair and Vega were still small.


    "Well then..." Rune looked a little disappointed, "I''ll think of another present."


    "Hey... It''s okay, you don''t need to give us anything, sweet brother," Aleksis exclaimed. "We already have everything."


    Aleksis was right. Even if she didn''t receive any inheritance or gift from his father and Lauriel, which was unlikely, she wouldn''t lack anything being Nicolae''s wife, because he had accumulated sufficient wealth during his 104 years of living in this world.


    He was still the best hacker in the world, in addition to his position as the heir to the legendary Medici family. They could live in luxury for hundreds of years to come.

 Chapter 522 - Parents Blessings

    "Alright... Then, do you already have a plan as to when and where the wedding will be held?" Caspar asked attentively. "Here or in Medici Castle?"


    "Preferably in Medici Castle, as we plan to stay there after the wedding," Nicolae answered. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    Caspar shook his head. "It''s okay. But since I''m still the head of the clan, you still have to invite everyone and the party has to be festive. Later, I''ll make the list so that no one else is left out like that time."


    Caspar remembered how at the last party they held, Lauriel had completely forgotten to invite Portia and Ned, his late girlfriend''s cousins. If Nicolae got married and they weren''t invited once again, he could imagine how furious they would be towards Lauriel.


    "Okay, Uncle. Thank you." Nicolae turned to Aleksis as if asking for her approval. After seeing the girl nod, Nicolae explained the details of their plan. "We want to get married in the fall, the day after Aleksis'' birthday."


    Nicolae had always wanted a wedding in the fall because the blue Medici Castle looked captivating when the leaves turned orange, yellow and red, giving a contrasting look around the castle. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for a lively garden party.


    "Oh... That sounds good." Caspar nodded. "Congratulations. I''m delighted to have heard this news."


    Caspar considered the moment of Aleksis and Nicolae''s wedding as a good opportunity to finally introduce his daughter to the public. He realized that he had been hiding Aleksis for too long, for the sake of his daughter''s safety. But now, there was Nicolae, who would accompany and protect Aleksis, so Caspar didn''t need to worry anymore.


    It would also be a good time to introduce Nicolae as a candidate for the new clan leader. Lately, Caspar had begun to feel anxious. He had heard a lot about the actions of Elios Linden, who was getting increasingly famous and influential.


    Caspar realized that now, it wasn''t just the purists who were showing support for Ned and Portia''s adopted son. Some members of the Alchemist clan who were liberal had begun to consider the ideology brought by Elios Linden, that, for the benefit of the earth, it was time for the Alchemists to show themselves as immortals who had ruled the earth for hundreds of years.


    The Alchemists clan members who hadn''t been so lucky in life began to feel tempted by the possibility of obtaining a higher status than ordinary people and control of the earth as part of Elios Linden''s leadership that he began campaigning.


    In Eli''s ideals, he would become the sole ruler of the earth, overseeing the governments of countries that became under his control through the automation technology system that they used from the Rhionen-Meier Industries.


    Alchemists throughout the world would be an extension of their hands to regulate people to live according to the rules which were applied in Alchemist societies.


    At first glance, all of these looked ideal. Humans would no longer be able to do anything that would damage nature. They might not even get married and have children as long as they hadn''t gone through various tests and examinations to ensure that their marriage wouldn''t end in divorce and no child will be born unplanned by their parents.


    Basically, if Eli succeeded in realizing his ideals to control humanity, all the habits and cultures of the perfect Alchemist society would be enforced into human society.


    Unfortunately, ordinary people and Alchemists were very different, so the ideal structure and rules of the Alchemist society will be difficult to be imposed upon humans. And Caspar was aware that if there were classes and castes in society, where ordinary people would become second-class citizens and the alchemists became first-class citizens, there would be chaos and slavery.


    Imagining it really made Caspar shudder. He really hoped that Nicolae would be able to replace him and prevent Elios Linden from gaining absolute power as the head of the Alchemist clan. If that were to happen... the world will have a terrible dictator, he thought.


    Alright... This wedding will become a very decisive moment. We have to make preparations with the best we have.


    ***


    After obtaining the blessings of Aleksis'' parents, Nicolae and Aleksis came to Lauriel, who was at his animal conservation in Kenya. The man looked immensely moved when he heard the good news. He didn''t even hide the tears that slowly dripped from his pair of blue-green eyes as he hugged Aleksis and lifted her up into the air.


    "My daughter... My beloved child... I''m so happy to hear that!" Lauriel whispered incessantly. "I''m glad you found your happiness..."


    Nicolae realized that his biological father loved his future wife more than him, his own son, because Lauriel had helped raise Aleksis as a baby, and even witnessed her birth.


    He only smiled at the sight of his father''s emotional burst. He knew that Aleksis'' happiness was very important to Lauriel, and if Nic were to hurt Aleksis, Lauriel wouldn''t hesitate to kill him with his own hands.


    Right after lowering Aleksis to the ground, Lauriel approached Nicolae and tapped his shoulder, "You take good care of Aleksis. Don''t let me hear you make her cry, not even once."


    "Ahahaha¡­ Who''s the biological child and who''s the child-in-law here?" Nicolae jokingly questioned. "Take it easy, Father... I will protect Aleksis with my life. I won''t let a single drop of her tears fall."


    "Good." Lauriel smiled with satisfaction.


    "Oh by the way... don''t forget to invite Ned and Portia to your wedding party. Father completely forgot to invite them back then. You must also meet your mother''s family. Portia is Luna''s cousin," Lauriel said before he entered the kitchen. A moment later, he came out with a bottle of the best champagne and three glasses. "Let''s toast to this happy day."


    The three of them cheered happily and sat on the veranda watching the sunset while talking about the wedding that would be held a month later. The efficient Kara helped arrange everything, so the bride and groom could sit quietly and just focus on the invitation.


    "We plan to have a wedding on Sunday, October 3rd, the day after Aleksis'' birthday," Nicolae said, explaining their plans. "So on Saturday, we can have a family gathering first. I think it''d be a good time to introduce ourselves to all the relatives."


    "Good idea," Lauriel answered. He kept smiling all night long. Lauriel, who was usually quiet and cold, looked to be in great joy this time. He kept hugging Aleksis, who was sitting next to him, and ruffled her hair like when she was little. "Gosh... Aleksis is all grown up now, and will even be a bride soon."


    Aleksis was eminently touched to see the enthusiasm of her godfather. She just realized how important it was for Lauriel to attend and bless their wedding. She felt guilty because ten years ago, she had gotten married to Alaric in secret, which later resulted in tragedies that hurt the hearts of so many people.


    She felt a little more relieved that her marriage to Nicolae was approved by both of their families and proceeded as it should. Now that she had children of her own, Aleksis felt that Alaric would be hurt and sad if any of his children married secretly and didn''t involve him in their lives.


    Really, back then, Aleksis had been too young and selfish, only thinking about herself.

 Chapter 523 - In The Conservation

    "Don''t you want to venture out?" Lauriel asked after they had dinner. "The scenery around the conservation is very beautiful at night. I''ll be heading to bed early. You guys just have fun, okay..."


    Lauriel must''ve deliberately said he wanted to go to bed early to give the couple some time alone. Aleksis and Nicolae didn''t bring the twins to Kenya because they were taken by Rune to be his guinea pig, just as how he and London used to be their uncle Aldebar''s guinea pigs when they were younger.


    Nicolae and Aleksis looked at each other and smiled faintly at Lauriel''s words.


    "We''re fine, really. We can spend lots of time together another time," Nicolae said to her father, "We have a lifetime to spend together."


    Lauriel looked at Nicolae with a meaningful gaze.


    "My son, I used to think that I would have time forever with your mother because, as an Alchemist, I always feel that time is in our hands. That was my biggest mistake, which I regret to this day." Lauriel took a deep breath, remembering how short the time he had with his girlfriend, Luna. "We don''t know what will happen in the future, so enjoy and appreciate your every experience... A wise man once said, ''Yesterday is the past. Tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift, and that is why it''s called the present.''"


    Nicolae was stunned. It wasn''t that he didn''t appreciate the time he spent with Aleksis, it was just that he didn''t feel compelled to rush in everything. He knew that Aleksis had accepted his love and that they would get married soon.


    Aleksis'' children also regarded him as their own father, just as he had regarded them as his own children. Everything had been going as he wanted them to go.


    Another month, and they would become a real family. Nicolae didn''t feel rushed at all. He had never even kissed Aleksis on the lips or slept with her, even though they had many opportunities.


    Let everything happen naturally and at the right time, he thought.


    However, the words Lauriel had just spoken truly struck his heart. He didn''t know what would happen in the future. Lauriel, who had lived for almost six centuries, certainly wouldn''t speak carelessly. He only shared his own experiences, and he didn''t want Nicolae and Aleksis to have any regrets.


    "I understand..." Nicolae uttered with a smile. He then rose and pulled Aleksis'' hand to go outside with him. "Let''s heed Dad''s words."


    Aleksis only laughed softly in response, but still obediently followed Nicolae''s steps out.


    "We''ll be taking a walk, Uncle Rory," Aleksis said before disappearing behind the door. Lauriel just nodded with a smile. He entered his room and continued to drink his wine.


    He was feeling quite blissful at the moment, so he wanted to celebrate by drinking alone.


    ***


    Nicolae saddled a dashing stallion and brought it to where Aleksis was standing. The girl swiftly got on the horse and Nicolae soon followed suit.


    "Let''s go all the way to the east gate, if we go any further, I''m afraid we''ll meet a lion," Aleksis informed as she stamped on the horse''s saddle.


    "Whatever you say. You know this area better than I do," Nicolae casually responded as he wrapped his arms around Aleksis'' waist. He allowed Aleksis to take control of their horse while he hugged her and made sure they wouldn''t be bothered by mosquitoes or dust and leaves flying over their bodies.


    "You''re funny," Aleksis voiced out of nowhere. "Since we first rode together the first time, you''ve always let me take control. I noticed that other men would usually take control and their women just followed."


    Nicolae laughed at her words.


    "Ah, that''s because other men don''t have wives who are good at riding horses as you are. Between the two of us, you''re better at controlling horses, so I''ll just gladly follow. Wherever you take us, I''ll be by your side, accompanying you. I''ll ensure that you''re always safe and not bothered by anyone. " Nicolae tightened his arms around Aleksis''s waist, "Just like how our married life will be. I''ll always abide by your wishes. Your wish is my command."


    Aleksis'' face turned red when she heard Nicolae''s romantic words. The man always knew how to make her feel like the most beautiful, the most powerful, and the most important woman in the world.


    Aleksis turned and looked at Nicolae with a faint smile on her face. Nicolae was her best friend for the past four years, and she was relieved to finally be able to make the decision to accept his proposal. A true married couple is life partners, and she felt Nicolae would be a good life partner for her.


    Aleksis realized that she was fortunate to be able to marry her own best friend. During this time, Nicolae had always proven to be there for her and loved her unconditionally. His love for Aleksis and the twins was as deep as the immeasurable ocean.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Nicolae mischievously asked. "Did you just realize now how handsome your husband looks?"


    Aleksis pinched Nicolae''s hand on her waist and pretended she hadn''t heard him. Of course, she acknowledged how handsome Nicolae was. It was evident from the numerous girls who wanted to be his girlfriend when he was introduced at the Medici party four years ago.


    No, scratch that. When Nicolae was still a student at St. Mary University, he also became an ideal husband candidate according to a popular poll voted by the girls on campus. And whenever Aleksis and Nicolae walked together while on vacation or just went down to town to have lunch together, he would undoubtedly attract the attention of many women.


    However, one''s physical appearance was never important to Aleksis. Even when she married Alaric, it wasn''t because of his physical appearance. Even then, Aleksis thought the man she loved was a man who looked older and had a disfigured face. She fell in love with Alaric because of his kindness and their compatibility together.


    Although Alaric repeatedly said that he was the Demon King, Aleksis was able to see the depths of his heart and find a sincere and idealistic man who had never experienced familial affection. Aleksis knew all that Alaric needed was love, and Aleksis was ready to give it to him.


    Unfortunately, fate wasn''t on their side. Both of them were only given a short time to be together and now Aleksis must be ready to bury her memories with Alaric deep in her heart and open up new memories with Nicolae and their new family.


    "What do you think?" Nicolae''s soft voice moved Aleksis from her reverie. The girl just sighed and shook her head.


    "We''ve arrived near the East Gate, so we should turn back now," she said apologetically.


    "Oh¡­ Is that so? But we don''t have to go home now, do we? The weather is very nice, and the full moon also makes our surroundings look very beautiful. We can sit on that rock and talk. Who knows, we might meet other animals later. Earlier over there, I saw a pack of deer heading here," Nicolae answered.


    Aleksis glanced around and saw the herd of deer Nicolae was referring to. "Ah¡­ There are also giraffe herds."


    "Yes. We''ll be safe as long as we don''t go over the fence," Nicolae said. Without waiting for Aleksis to answer, he jumped down and stood beside their horse, raising his hands to help Aleksis down.


    "Hey, I can get down myself," Aleksis sulked.


    But Nicolae still did not lower his hands. "I know you can go down on your own and ride your own horse, but I still want to help you. Let me help you."


    Because Nicolae still did not lower his hand, Aleksis finally rolled her eyes but she jumped into the arms of the young man, chuckling. She knew Nicolae was just looking for an excuse to hug her, so he offered to help Aleksis get off the horse.


    Instead of letting Aleksis down properly, Nicolae carried the girl in his arms, inches from the ground. "Hmm ... I like the scent of your body, from a long time ago."


    Aleksis'' face turned red at Nicolae''s praise. She could only smile and rub Nicolae''s long, disheveled hair which looked just like his father''s, which made him look very charming.


    "Thank you. Shhh .. now put me down," Aleksis whispered. "I''m embarrassed about being watched by dozens of giraffes."


    Finally, Nicolae lowered Aleksis and walked towards the boulder he meant. He readily helped Aleksis to climb to the top of the rock and sat on it watching the wild animals around them that looked very alive even though it was nighttime.


    Lay in the meadow on their right, were dozens of rabbits jumping here and there, and owls roaring in the distance.


    Both Nicolae and Aleksis loved nature. Aleksis had been adventuring with Lauriel since she was a child, and Nicolae gained his love of nature when he traveled around the world for more than 5 years when he tried to heal his broken heart.


    Now after waiting ten years, he finally managed to get his ideal girl. Ten years ago, Nicolae had never dreamed that one day he would be able to enjoy such a romantic and heartwarming atmosphere with Aleksis in the open like this.

 Chapter 524 - Philia - Eros - Agape

    Aleksis closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze that caressed her long hair. Indeed, the atmosphere was very pleasant and romantic with the moonlight as the only lighting.


    Hmm... She remembered that a long time ago when she was little and first came to this conservation, she couldn''t sit still at all. She would run around and do things that would make Lauriel shake his head.


    Ah... If she wasn''t mistaken, she once chased a rabbit here and there and sat on a big rock that looked alike to this one.


    BAM!


    Suddenly, Aleksis turned to her right and left several times and realized that this was indeed the rock that was in her memory. How could she forget?


    Her heart beat faster. Slowly, her eyes turned to the left and looked for something on the rock.


    Oh... It''s still there, she thought sadly.


    Aleksis unconsciously took a deep breath. Her mind returned to fifteen years ago when she was a teenager. At that time, she was still naive and obsessed with Prince Siegfried. She had carved her name and Prince Siegfried''s with a knife on this large rock.


    And just now, she realized that the carving of their two names was still there. Her chest felt tight. For some reason, she was always reminded of Alaric wherever she went, even though in a month she would marry Nicolae. Now, her future husband was even sitting with her enjoying the moon.


    She closed her eyes and tried to forget the two names carving. She had to take Nicolae home before he saw them. Aleksis knew she had to protect Nicolae''s feelings.


    "Aleksis..." Nicolae''s voice suddenly broke the silence and shocked Aleksis.


    "Yes... What''s up?" Aleksis asked, turning her head to the side. She found Nicolae looking at her without blinking. Aleksis waved her hand in front of Nicolae''s face, who immediately smiled and shook his head. "Hey... Why aren''t you blinking?"


    "It''s okay. I was just thinking," Nicolae said to her.


    "What were you thinking of?" Aleksis inquired, instantly forgetting the carving that had made her worry. Seeing Nicolae behaving unlike his usual self made her worry.


    "Aleksis... Do you love me?"


    Nicolae''s sudden question surprised Aleksis. So far, Nicolae had never openly asked her this.


    Nicolae expressed his love several times to her and even proposed to her one night while they were on holiday together in Iceland, but the young man never asked for an answer from Aleksis.


    He never even gave a time limit for Aleksis to answer his proposal, and Aleksis herself decided to answer it four years later.


    Aleksis looked closely at Nicolae and frowned, astonished at the question, "Why are you suddenly asking that? I wouldn''t be marrying you if I don''t love you."


    Nicolae nodded, "Of course. But there are three types of love in this world. Eros, Philia, and Agape. What love do you love me with?"


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae and immediately understood his meaning. She touched Nicolae''s cheek and answered honestly, "I love you with Philia. You are my best friend, my brother, and my family."


    Nicolae nodded and touched Aleksis'' hand which was rubbing his cheek, "That''s enough for me. Thank you."


    Aleksis saw Nicolae''s pair of blue eyes glittering and she wondered why he would suddenly ask such a question one month before they were about to get married.


    "How about you?" Aleksis asked afterward.


    Nicolae pulled Aleksis''s right hand from his cheek and kissed it while closing his eyes, and so his words sounded very solemn, "I love you with Eros, Philia, and Agape. I love you with all types of love there is in this world."


    "Nico..." Aleksis''s voice choked up. She didn''t doubt Nicolae''s words and believed that if there were a thousand ways to love someone in this world, then Nicolae would love her in a thousand ways...


    "Aleksis..." Nicolae opened his eyes and stared straight at Aleksis, "I know it''s not easy for you to continue to live and build a home with me at the moment. I know you''ve been thinking that you have to force yourself to forget the past in order to move forward. I want you to hear it directly from me now: you don''t need to do that. "


    Aleksis'' eyes rounded in surprise, "What do you mean?"


    "What I mean is... Please, don''t be too hard on yourself. I know you have an immense amount of grief because you feel that you have to protect my feelings,  your parents'' feelings, and your children''s feelings... You want to make all of us happy because we want to see you happy, and so you force yourself to recover and move on as if everything that happened in the past can be forgotten just like that..."


    Aleksis bit her lip, holding back her grief. Nicolae truly knew her exceptionally well. He even understood her deepest feelings.


    "After all, I really have to go on with my life, right?" Aleksis asked in a bitter voice. "People who are always stuck living in the past will never be happy."


    "That''s true. But as I said, you don''t have to forget the past to move toward the future. After all, Altair and Vega exist because of your past..." Nicolae wiped the tears from Aleksis'' pair of blue-green eyes streaming down to her cheeks. "I don''t want you to feel that you have to forget Alaric Rhionen to move on and continue your life living with me. He''s your first love. That''s a fact, and I''ll never take that position from him. But from now and forever, I want to be your last love. I''ll make you happy and wait until you love me with Eros, Philia, and Agape."


    Feeling touched, Aleksis covered her lips. Her voice faltered when she tried to speak, "You... have you seen the carving?"


    Nicolae nodded. "I saw it a long time ago. I can guess you carved the names of the two of you there when you were little. I can''t bear to see you acting awkwardly just because of some carvings on a stone... I don''t think it''s necessary."


    "Nico..." Aleksis softly whispered. She knew she was very, very lucky to marry this man, who loved her in every way and understood her as he understood himself.


    "One more thing..." Nicolae continued, "I want to be honest with you from the start, so you don''t have to play a guessing game and keep this as a burden because you''re afraid to convey your wishes to me."


    "What is it?"


    "I don''t want to have a child from you. I already consider Altair and Vega as my own. I don''t want to share my love with other children."


    "Nic..." Aleksis was rendered speechless, unable to voice out anything other than repeatedly calling Nicolae''s name. Her mind went blank and she felt like she was no longer on earth. For a moment, her body staggered.


    "Aleksis..." Nicolae got up and pulled Aleksis into his arms, trying to calm the girl so she wouldn''t cry anymore, "Sshh... Don''t cry. Father will kill me if he finds out you just cried because of me..."


    "N... No, I''m not crying because of you... but..." Aleksis increasingly stammered between her sobbing, "These aren''t tears of sadness, but happiness..."


    Nicolae rubbed the girl''s hair and kissed the top of her head. "Okay... As long as it''s a cry of happiness... It''s okay. I won''t be able to forgive myself if you cry because you''re sad."


    Aleksis raised her face and looked at Nicolae with a solemn face. "Thank you..."


    "What for?" Nicolae seemed to hold back laughter, "After we get married, you''ll be my wife. Whatever I do for you is done for me too. Your happiness is also my happiness. You don''t need to thank me."


    Aleksis finally nodded and slowly began to smile. Nicolae had always known how to make her forget her sorrow.


    "Nico... I''m happy." Finally, Aleksis said a sentence that she knew would stop Nicolae from worrying.


    If Aleksis was happy, Nicolae would be happy too.


    "Hmm... I''m glad to hear that," Nicolae whispered.


    He touched Aleksis'' chin and brought his face close to her, then closed his eyes as his moist lips gently kissed Aleksis'' lips.

 Chapter 525 - Letting Go Of The Past

    Aleksis closed her eyes and enjoyed the taste of Nicolae''s lips on hers. Although they had been together for years and Aleksis had accepted Nicolae''s proposal to be his wife, the man had never kissed her like this. This time was the first.


    Maybe Nic remembered Lauriel''s words which advised him to savor the moment and enjoy being together as much as possible, so tonight Nicolae decided to pour out his love openly to Aleksis.


    He had expressed his love to the girl, making peace between himself and their future with Alaric Rhionen and Aleksis'' past. He knew that Alaric had a place in Aleksis'' heart that he could never and would never want to replace.


    And for the sake of his love for Aleksis and her children, he had decided not to have any biological children with Aleksis, because he didn''t want to share the affection he wanted to give to Altair and Vega alone.


    The gentle kiss gradually became more passionate and soon the two were hugging and caressing each other. Aleksis knew that no one understood her better than Nicolae, and she felt grateful for her future husband''s understanding. She welcomed Nicolae''s outpouring of love and accepted him with an open heart.


    Aleksis felt that her steps would be lighter if Nicolae held her hands as they walked together, without her having to forget her memories with Alaric.


    Both of them broke free when a young giraffe approached them and rubbed his head against Nicolae''s shoulder.


    "Uhm... We better go home. It''s already quite late now," Nicolae whispered as he loosened his arms. He kissed Aleksis''s forehead, clasped his hand on hers, and guided her back to their horse.


    The journey back to the bungalow went on in silence.


    ***


    The wedding preparations took place very quickly and efficiently. The bride and groom only needed to take care of the invitations by writing their own names on the card that had been prepared, and for that, they had asked for Altair and Vega''s help, as the kids had learned calligraphy from Aldebar. Their writings were much better than their parents'' even though both of them were still very young.


    "Ahh... Mommy is very proud of you. You guys write very well," Aleksis complimented them after thirty cards had been written. There were still over a hundred left. She could only massage her forehead while reading the long list of names.


    "Hmm... The next invitation is for Uncle Jean." She exchanged glances with Nicolae, "Do you think they''ll come? They haven''t been here for the past ten years. I''m sure my mother misses him a lot."


    Nicolae nodded, "I''ll ask Terry. Hopefully, he can persuade his father to come. I heard Uncle Jean has a daughter who''s almost the same age as our children. It''d be terrific if they could meet. You know for yourself that it would be very unlikely for us to see little children from the Alchemist family attend our wedding."


    Aleksis always felt her heart tremble warmly whenever Nicolae referred to Altair and Vega as their children or his children. For the past four years, she had seen how much Nicolae was taking up a fatherly role for her twin children, and their relationship was very close to the point that they almost became inseparable.


    "I sincerely hope Marion comes too," Aleksis quietly uttered.


    She remembered that Marion was the last person to see Alaric alive. She was hoping that, someday, Marion would want to sit down and talk to her about the events that happened that night so Aleksis could slowly let go of everything and move on.


    "I hope so too, Honey." Nicolae nodded. He took his cellphone and quickly called Terry.


    Aleksis saw Nicolae get up and move away to call Terry. She wondered why Nicolae didn''t talk to Terry in front of her.


    "Mom, I''m tired. I''ll rest first, okay?" Altair waved his hand and put down his calligraphy pen. Vega followed. Their glittering puppy eyes made Aleksis unable to say no and she finally nodded.


    "When will we get the puppy?" Vega asked her.


    "Well... later on. Wait for all the invitation cards to be sorted out," Aleksis replied with a smile. She looked back at Nicolae, who looked serious on the phone. What could possibly make him look that serious? Aleksis could only wonder.


    She continued to write the guests'' names on the invitation cards and tried to make her writing as good as possible, albeit it being difficult.


    Finally, Nicolae finished his call and returned to Aleksis, who was staring at him in puzzlement.


    "Why did you call him in secret like that?" Aleksis bluntly questioned. "Are you up to something with Terry?"


    Nicolae just smiled and nodded. "If I told you, the surprise won''t be fun anymore."


    Aleksis hit his shoulder, "You planned a surprise for me, but you intentionally did it in front of me so I become curious. You''re really too much."


    Nicolae just shrugged and mysteriously smiled. He hugged Aleksis from behind and his hand held the pen in Aleksis''s right hand. "I''ll help you write. Who knows, maybe if we combine our two hands - our bad writing can be a little better."


    "Hahaha... How is that possible?"


    Nicolae didn''t listen to her protest.


    "Sophia Meier... Who''s this?" Nicolae asked as he read the name on the invitation card.


    Aleksis'' face suddenly turned red with anger and she subconsciously threw the card away. "I don''t want this snake woman invited! She separated me from my father because of her lies, and her brother once even poisoned me to the point that I was dying. Your father almost sacrificed his life to save me."


    "Oh... right," Nicolae remembered which Sophia Aleksis was referring to. He had heard the story of what happened when Aleksis was two years old. Ten years ago, he actually wanted to take revenge for what the Meier family did to Aleksis, but then Aleksis had an accident and fell into a coma, diverting his attention.


    He just remembered again that he had planned to punish Sophia and Alexei. Now, he wouldn''t let them go free just like that.


    "I don''t want to see the snake woman''s face at our wedding," Aleksis snorted.


    "No, of course not." Nicolae nodded and crossed out the name from the list. In his mind, he made a mental note to take care of Sophia, Alexei, and the Meier family after their wedding.


    Next, there were the names Ned Lewis and Portia Baden. He remembered Lauriel specifically asking him to invite the two.


    "This is my mother''s cousins. I must invite them," Nicolae told her.


    Aleksis nodded, "Of course."


    They continued to write the names on the invitations while Altair and Vega returned to chasing rabbits.

 Chapter 526 - Personal Invitation for the Wangs

    Nicolae immediately rose from his chair when he saw Terry casually walk out of the arrival terminal at Basel Airport. The two hugged each other and laughed aloud.


    "Thank you for coming," Nicolae said, patting Terry on the shoulder. "I know you''re busy."


    Terry waved his hand with a big smile, "Ahh... I''ll always have time if it''s for my sister. By the way, because you''re going to marry Aleksis, it means you have to respect me as your brother-in-law. Even though you''re older, in this family hierarchy, I''m now above you. "


    Nicolae just rolled his eyes hearing how Terry was still, as usual, trying to win from him. Even after ten years, his best friend was still very competitive.


    "Don''t be chatty. There''s still a long way to go," Nicolae grumbled.


    Both of them got into the driverless automatic sports car which had been arranged to take them to Jean and Marion''s newest address. Nicolae wanted to invite both of them personally, so he asked Terry to help him persuade Jean and Marion to come to his wedding.


    Nicolae knew that Finland, her mother-in-law, really missed her best friend, Jean, and Aleksis really wanted to meet Marion to get clarity about Alaric. Therefore, Nicolae really hoped that the couple would forget all the past problems and would be willing to come.


    ***


    Jean, who was writing a script in his study, heard the sound of his dogs barking noisily from the front of the house.


    "I''ll be the one to open the dooooor... I''m already all grown up!!!"  Jean-Marie, who was reading a book on the couch while accompanying her father to work, jumped off and hurriedly ran to the front door to open the automatic gate so the car could enter the yard.


    Jean got up and came out of his study to see who was coming. Marion, who was sunbathing in the backyard of their house, came forward to see who their guests were.


    "Good afternoon, Little Monkey. You haven''t been naughty today, have you?" Terry exclaimed in a joyful voice as the car stopped in the yard. He immediately got out to get Jean-Marie, who greeted him at the door.


    His sister was now eight years old and very beautiful. Her face really resembled Terry, as they both inherited the appearance of their father, Jean.


    Her eyes were a bit narrow, but they were shining brightly. Her curly brown hair hung down, reaching the level of her waist. At a glance, one wouldn''t have thought that this beautiful and elegant little girl was very agile and couldn''t stay still.


    Nicolae was elated when he saw Jean-Marie. He could imagine this child would be able to befriend Altair and Vega if they meet later.


    "Why is she called Little Monkey?" Nicolae asked in amazement. He couldn''t imagine a girl this cute as a monkey.


    "Uhmm... You''ll see," Terry answered with a chuckle. He hugged Jean-Marie and lifted her into the air. "I missed you so much. After this, you should come with me to New York... So that your mom and dad can be alone and give us more siblings¡­ hehe."


    He winked at Jean, who just smiled and glanced at Marion. Meanwhile, his wife only rolled her eyes.


    Jean invited his guests in, and a moment later, they were relaxedly sitting in lawn chairs while enjoying sparkling wine.


    "It''s been a long time," Jean voiced to Nicolae with a pleasant smile in his face, "How''s everything?"


    "Everything''s good. I even came here to deliver the invitation in person. I really hope you''ll come." Nicolae pulled a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Jean. "Aunty Finland really misses you¡­ She really wants you to come."


    Jean read the invitation with a frown. Ah... The invitation to the wedding between the son of the Medici family and the daughter of the Schneider family.


    "You... and Aleksis?" Jean asked, raising his face. A smile curved upon his face. This was indeed good news. Marion looked at Nicolae with a complicated look.


    "Yes, that''s right. Aleksis finally accepted my proposal, and we''ll get married in three weeks. We hope you''d be willing to come and give your blessings." Nicolae then pointed to Jean-Marie, "And take Jean-Marie too... My children would be delighted to meet her."


    Marion opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Her voice was stuck in her throat.


    Aleksis and Nicolae are getting married?


    Looking at the young man in front of her made her recall that Nicolae was Lauriel''s biological son. The twin brother of Alaric Rhionen, who died ten years ago, and his body was thrown into a gorge by Marion.


    Subconsciously, she bit her lip. Nicolae looked very mature and kind, and it seemed that he and Aleksis would build a happy home together. Maybe it was time for Aleksis to move on.


    Marion must be able to act as if nothing had happened. She should assume that Alaric Rhionen never existed, that Lauriel''s son was only Nicolae, and he would soon marry Aleksis. That''s all for the better... What''s important now is that Nicolae will make Aleksis happy, so she could forget about Alaric.


    Marion also had to move on from what happened five years ago. That would be much better than continuously being haunted by guilt.


    If Aleksis succeeded in moving on and starting a new life with Nicolae, Marion must also be able to forget the traumatic event and move on. She could just think that Alaric Rhionen never existed.


    If Lauriel didn''t know, Aleksis didn''t know, and everybody went on to continue their lives well, then this problem would one day disappear like the wind.


    "We''ll come," Marion said after struggling with her own feelings for a few moments. Jean was surprised to hear his wife''s words.


    "Are you serious? Don''t force yourself if you don''t want to come," he gently said. "Nobody will blame you."


    Marion slowly shook her head. She raised her face and smiled, "I''m glad to see that Aleksis has found her happiness. My husband and I will come with Jean-Marie to give you our blessings."


    "Oh... Alright. Thank you!" Nicolae didn''t expect it to be this easy. He had thought he would need to rely on Terry to persuade his father. It turned out that Jean left all the decisions in the hands of his wife, and when Marion agreed to come, everything was immediately solved.


    Maybe Marion had recovered from the trauma of ten years ago, Nicolae thought.


    "Should we come on the 2nd at the family event or the 3rd on the wedding day?" Jean asked, reading the schedule on the card he was holding.


    "We''d be very happy if you could come on the 2nd. We''ll be celebrating Aleksis'' birthday as well as an intimate little event for the family. The 3rd will be the wedding day, and there will be a great number of guests present, so it''ll be difficult to find family gathering time there."


    Jean nodded happily, "Alright. We''ll come."


    He exchanged glances with his wife. He was ecstatic to see Marion''s confirming smile.


    Ah... He was truly ecstatic. Marion finally wanted to go back to meet her friends. Jean really missed his best friend and Finland''s children. They must have grown up by now!


    He remembered the last time he met London and Rune, they were both still teenagers.


    The atmosphere at Jean and Marion''s house became warm and pleasant. They talked for several hours before, finally, Nicolae and Terry excused themselves to return to Grindelwald to visit Aleksis.

 Chapter 527 - The Unwanted Guest

    At 5 PM, both of them arrived at the Schneider family mansion''s yard, welcomed by Aleksis who had just been experimenting with baking.


    "Hey... good afternoon. You came on time. I just made brownies," Aleksis commented as she saw Nicolae''s car entering the yard. She waited for the man to get out of the car before hugging him.


    "I have a gift for you," Nicolae came out with a large bunch of lavender in his hand. "I managed to find a few left in the field. Autumn is almost here, so it''s hard to find wild lavenders like these."


    Lavender was Aleksis'' favorite flower, so she was really delighted to see Nicolae bring a big bunch for her.


    "Thank you. I''ll put it in a vase. You should sit down..." Aleksis kissed Nicolae on the cheek and took the lavenders from his hand. A moment later, she was back with a large flower vase with the lavenders in it.


    She was happy to see her older brother, Terry, who was super busy and they spent that evening talking over a bottle of wine.


    ***


    Alaric never cared about the gossip circulating about him. For the past four years, he had always focused on his work and his goal of world domination. Other things besides those were insignificant to him.


    So when all the entertainment news re-linked him with the famous superstar ballerina Elien Mikhailova, he didn''t take any action to deny nor confirm.


    Since EIien became a Virconnect ambassador three years ago and had always been present wherever there was an event sponsored by Splitz, people thought it happened because the ballet superstar had a special relationship with Elios Linden.


    Elien''s management was very pleased with all the publicity she gained because of the gossip, while Splitz''s management thought this was good for the image of their boss, who was often seen by the public as a cold man who disliked people.


    Since the leaking of several documents last year about various Rhionen-Meier Industries (RMI) programs that significantly reduced employment for humans and made it difficult for humans to compete with AI systems, various movements around the world had begun to protest the presence of Rhionen-Meier Industries in their countries.


    Every day, there were demonstrations in front of the RMI representative offices demanding that they cancel the latest automation system, which was almost a common sight. Alaric never cared.


    This week, he was in New York dealing with various RMI projects in America. When his car entered the entrance to the RMI parking lot in the basement, he saw several hundred people protesting in front of the building carrying various banners and boards containing their protest statements.


    "What''s this demo again?" he asked Aleksis.


    "Hmm... This is from the largest supermarket chain company in America. They''ve reduced their workforce by eighty percent because our automation program has helped them save very much by making it more efficient. The union organized protested to all of our branches in America."


    "Hmmm... What fools," Alaric muttered softly. The guilty party was the supermarket chain company that had fired many of its employees without providing adequate compensation, but instead, they blamed RMI for providing an automation system that made them lose their jobs.


    The guilty ones, according to Alaric, were those lowly employees who didn''t have any other useful skills, which could have given them better occupations, those which machines wouldn''t be able to replace.


    The guilty ones were parents who had children without being able to guarantee that their education and skills would provide for their livelihood.


    The guilty ones were societies that allowed humans to breed without being able to take responsibility for their lives on this planet.


    And so on.


    "Good morning, Sir. You have a guest this morning," the receptionist on the fiftieth floor informed when he saw Alaric coming out of the elevator. His face looked radiant as if he felt that he was the bearer of good news that would surely make Alaric happy.


    "Guest?" Alaric frowned. He wasn''t expecting anyone. "Who?"


    "She said it was a surprise." The receptionist opened the door into Alaric''s room and stood up with a wide smile, hoping for praise. Alaric rarely came to the office in New York, so he was hoping he could to make a good impression on his boss.


    "Good morning." A crisp voice greeted Alaric from inside his room. A moment later, a gorgeous lady rose from the sofa. "I heard you were in this city, so I decided to stop by..."


    Alaric looked at Elien, who was standing with her best look, gazing radiantly at him.


    The receptionist had closed the door, giving the big boss and the girl who was rumored to be his girlfriend time to be alone together. In his heart, he felt very happy to be the bearer of good news. The boss''s lover was waiting for him inside to surprise him.


    "What''s wrong?" Alaric asked, putting his phone on his desk.


    "Sir, would you like some coffee? I can prepare it for you," Elien moved to the coffee table and began to fetch a cup and pour coffee for Alaric. She deftly delivered the coffee and handed it to Alaric.


    Alaric took it and put it on the table.


    "I''m sorry I came without notice. I just wanted to surprise you because I heard that you were in New York." Elien stood in front of Alaric, very close to him. Her face was very bright and happy. "I wanted to say thank you."


    Alaric said nothing, he waited for Eline to finish her words. The girl looked a little disappointed because Alaric did not respond to her words, but the smile on her beautiful face didn''t change.


    "Thank you for allowing my career to rise to such heights. Thank you for all the support and trust you''ve given me to be a part of history, to be a Virconnect ambassador."


    Alaric nodded. "Okay."


    Elien looked at Alaric with a complicated look, "Uhm... I don''t know how I can repay you."


    "There''s no need. I think the world needs to see beauty, and the beauty of your dance makes this world a better place," Alaric answered. He was indeed a man of high artistic taste, and when he first saw Elien''s appearance at the Ritz Gala, he considered the girl talented enough to be supported and be the face of Virconnect.


    Elien beamed at Alaric''s words which she regarded as a compliment.


    "Th... Thank you..." Unknowingly, because she was overly ecstatic, she approached Alaric and held his arm, "You''re incredibly kind. I''m honored."


    Her face instantly blushed.


    "Elien..." Alaric took his cellphone and typed something. "You may go now."


    Elien looked flustered. She nodded hastily, "Yes, I know you''re busy. Sorry for disturbing you this early."


    She pulled a card out of her bag and placed it on Alaric''s desk. "Later, when you''re free... I''ll be honored to be able to show my gratitude to you."


    She then walked out and smiled as she bowed once more before disappearing behind the door.


    Alaric glanced at the card on his desk and sighed. It was an access card to the Presidential Suite at one of the luxury hotels in New York. He nonchalantly swept the card with his hand until it fell into the trash can.


    "She''s gone too far this time," Aleksis commented from Alaric''s watch. "She''s getting bolder over the years. She even openly tempted you to sleep with her. Who does she think she is??"


    Alaric ignored Aleksis''s words. He sat in his chair and began to read some of the reports that came from his staff, which were to be brought to a meeting with the US president over lunch.


    "You always leave gossip about you and Elien out there, so she''s getting bolder."


    "Aleksis, I must concentrate on reading this report."


    "Ugh..." Aleksis still complained incessantly, but Alaric ignored her.

 Chapter 528 - The Wedding Invitation

    After reading the report and making a few notes for half an hour, Alaric rested and stretched his body.


    "Aleksis, it''s rare that you haven''t made me coffee," he said. Usually, after half an hour, the assistant would automatically arrange for the coffee machine to have a cup of fresh coffee for Alaric. But almost 40 minutes had passed and he still hadn''t smelled the usual scent of coffee.


    "Sir, Lady Portia said she needed to talk to you." Aleksis ignored Alaric''s question.


    "Hmm... What''s up?" Alaric asked.


    "How would I know? I''m not programmed to read people''s minds," Aleksis grumbled


    Alaric just shook his head when he heard that. He then pressed the Virconnect button on his desk, and a moment later, he saw the magnificent living room in the Lewis palace he was extremely familiar with.


    "Good afternoon, Mother. My assistant said you needed to talk?"


    He could see Portia''s expression. She looked as though she was shocked, angry, disappointed, and surprised all at once. Portia isn''t usually like this, he thought.


    "I just got a wedding invitation." Portia''s voice trembled when she showed an exquisitely carved card in her hand. Alaric became even more curious because of Portia''s strange attitude.


    "Then?" he asked patiently.


    "This is the wedding invitation for the son of Lauriel Medici and daughter of Caspar Schneider!" Portia exclaimed in irritation. "Does Lauriel have a child with another woman?"


    Alaric was stunned to hear Portia''s words.


    His father... had a son besides himself?


    "I didn''t know the clan leader had a daughter," Alaric commented when he heard the news of the wedding. "When I met his family four years ago, they only brought his two sons."


    "Maybe their daughter was too young to be announced," Portia shook her head impatiently. "Who she is doesn''t matter. But if Caspar''s daughter really marries the heir to the Medici family, Caspar would be able to get support to transfer his position to the child. The Medici family has a powerful influence because of their history. In this case, you''ll have difficulty getting full support..."


    Portia was still grumbling while Alaric dissolved into his own reverie. This was unexpected at all. He hadn''t cared about Lauriel when he heard that his father had withdrawn from the world after his mother died.


    Alaric couldn''t forgive Lauriel who refused Luna''s pregnancy on the grounds that he wasn''t ready to become a father with his life as an adventurer, causing Luna to decide to return to Germany to stay at her sister''s place.


    I don''t need a father like that, he thought.


    All possibilities for Alaric to change his mind had been lost when Lauriel actually hunted him down, resulting in his ''death''. The only reason Alaric didn''t take revenge was because he couldn''t find his reclusive father.


    After four years, his revenge gradually eroded into ignorance. He didn''t care about anything else in this world except for his work and his great goals.


    "So what will you do?" Portia''s question moved Alaric from his reverie.


    "What do you want?" Alaric asked in return.


    "It''s stated in the invitation that the event will be held at Medici Castle... Meaning you can be sure Lauriel will be there. I want to meet him. I want to beat him up for what he did to you."


    "Hmm..."


    Ned appeared behind Portia and tried to calm her down. "Don''t throw a tantrum in someone''s house. Lauriel didn''t know Eli was his son."


    Alaric only faintly smiled at his words. There was no way Lauriel didn''t know, he thought. He remembered the moment he poured out his heart and opened all his secrets to the fake Aleksis. That damnable woman knew who he really was. She must''ve told Lauriel what happened after they killed him.


    During this time, Lauriel didn''t look for him nor showed any remorse. And now, he even announced a son from another woman.


    His desire to have revenge that had cooled down and turned into indifference, slowly re-ignited in his chest. Lauriel never wanted him - not because he wasn''t ready to be a father, but because Lauriel didn''t want him. Evidently, he could be a father to his son from another woman.


    Alaric felt that he had allowed this injustice to continue for too long. Lauriel must accept the consequences of his actions to Luna and Alaric. Alaric would expose everything that happened, so people know what kind of person Lauriel really was.


    "Alright, I''ll come," Alaric finally answered.


    "Good." Portia took a deep breath. "The event will be held in two weeks. We''ll come on the 2nd, when the bride will celebrate her birthday with relatives, before the wedding on the 3rd."


    "I''ll come directly to the wedding and humiliate him in front of all the guests. I''m not a relative, there''s no way I''ll attend a family event," Alaric said nonchalantly.


    Portia looked at him wistfully, then nodded. "Alright. I can''t force you to come to a family event."


    "Hmm..." Alaric nodded in understanding. "See you in Italy."


    After the connection ended, Alaric sat in his chair for a long time. He''d finally meet face-to-face with his father and his stepbrother. For decades, he had always thought that he was alone.


    Unexpectedly, ten years ago, he found his relatives, then later found out that his father was still alive. And now, it turned out he also had a brother.


    He still had a family.


    But for some reason, he still felt alone.


    "You look sad," Aleksis commented. "Maybe you should come to the family event and fix your problems with your father."


    "Shut up, Aleksis." Alaric turned the off button on his watch. He wasn''t in the mood to hear his fussy assistant''s voice.


    ***


    Sophia was furious when she heard the news of the wedding which was going to be held at Medici Castle. She wasn''t invited at all.


    "Aaaahhh!!! Dammit!! You want to humiliate me by not inviting me to an event attended by all members of the clan?!!" She screamed while throwing her phone against the wall. It broke into pieces, but Sophia became even more furious.


    "Don''t think I''ll stay silent being humiliated like this..." she hissed, clenching her fists. After closing her eyes and calming her breath for a few seconds, Sophia finally began to think calmly.


    Aleksis was actually alive, and she was going to marry another son of Lauriel¡­


    They didn''t know the girl was still married. Alaric didn''t know his wife was still alive.


    She frowned as she tried to think of the best way to hurt the people of both the Medici and Schneider family.


    Alaric certainly still loved his wife, and it could be seen from his cold attitude towards all women. Meanwhile, Aleksis turned out to have moved on, fell in love with Lauriel''s other son, and was even going to marry him.


    Sophia could imagine how angry Alaric would be, feeling cheated. With his ruthless character, Sophia was sure that Alaric would bring chaos and forcefully take his wife.


    Hahaha... Aleksis wouldn''t be able to marry her new boyfriend.


    And Lauriel would be humiliated.


    Caspar would be humiliated.


    On the wedding day, every guest would be able to see how shameful they were, because there would be no wedding¡­


    Ughh... Just watch!


    I''ll come even if you don''t invite me because I want to be there to witness all those chaos...


    Her eyes were still filled with wrath, but now her lips had a thin, wicked smile. She really wanted to see the commotion at Medici Castle tomorrow. It should be quite a show...

 Chapter 529 - Happy Birthday!

    October 1, 2049


    .


    Whenever Alaric really missed Aleksis, he would enter the Holodeck to reminiscent his time with the girl. Sometimes, he would play Go Game with Aleksis and repeatedly defeated her.


    Another time, he made a fish tartare that looked pathetic, and the girl would mock his homemade food. Alaric wasn''t talented in cooking. Sometimes, he would work on his bonsai plants while Aleksis sat sweetly watching him.


    He had always loved sitting and reading a book on the marble stairs behind his house while Aleksis sat on his lap and Little Prince Siegfried slept lazily beside him. At other times, they would sail and look at the night sky together.


    He didn''t want to use the fantasy features in Holodeck because he didn''t want to be trapped like the many others who used Holodeck to escape from reality. Like celebrity fans who fantasize about dating their idols, addicted to relationships that weren''t real.


    No. Alaric wasn''t that weak. He only used Holodeck to refresh his memories of the moments of being together with the only girl he ever loved. He often deplored the fact that they were only together for such a short time, causing him to have little time to create more memories with Aleksis.


    Ever since he heard about his brother''s wedding, he had increasingly been thinking about Aleksis. He imagined that soon his brother would marry the girl he loved, and they''d have children and build a family.


    That would never happen to Alaric. The girl he loved was gone, and he knew in his whole life, he would never fall in love again.


    If his brother was similar to him, maybe his brother really loved the woman he was going to marry, and his life revolved around her.


    "Aleksis... If only you knew how much I miss you..." He whispered in a voice of despair after turning off the holodeck that night. He realized he had repeated all his memories with Aleksis hundreds of times. Sometimes, he could even feel himself going crazy.


    What good was all his power and wealth for - without the only person he loved? Alaric thought at the time.


    Like lightning, suddenly, a realization dawned upon him after he turned off the Holodeck.


    He was only living for his ideals until now, taking revenge on the people who killed his mother.


    And now, his ambition was almost achieved.


    Then what?


    After dominating the world, what else would he pursue in this life?


    Why can''t he move on and forget about Aleksis? Why can''t he look for other goals to achieve?


    Why was his whole life filled with hatred?


    He sat pondering while enjoying a glass of wine in his study, trying to think of what he would do in this life once he ruled the world.


    There was none.


    After everything landed in his hands, the world would become boring and he would eventually become lonely, as people at the top always were.


    Maybe, after changing the world and making sure that humans would live better and would no longer endanger their fellow humans and nature, he would be able to resign completely to death.


    "Master, you''ve been sadder lately." The highly efficient Luna calculated the frequency of her master using Holodeck, noting that Alaric was increasingly having trouble sleeping, and for the past two weeks had spent a lot of time alone in his study enjoying more wine than usual.


    "You''re right." Alaric nodded. He sighed and played an ancient song that he discovered accidentally a few days ago. "Listen to this."


    Immediately, a ballad song playing from a band that originated in the 1980s was heard. The song titled "Tomorrow" from Europe was very simple, but it was filled with sadness.


    Will you be there beside me


    If the world falls apart


    And will all of our moments


    Remain in your heart


    Will you be there to guide me


    All the way through, I wonder will you


    Walk by my side, and follow my dreams


    And bear with my pride, as strong as it seems


    Will you be there tomorrow


    Will you be there beside me


    As time goes on by


    And be there to hold me


    Whenever I cry


    Will you be there to guide me


    All the way through, I wonder will you


    Walk by my side, and follow my dreams...


    "You''re a very lonely person," Luna commented after the song was finished. Her tone was flat because she was programmed to have zero emotions, unlike Aleksis, who was programmed to be expressive.


    Alaric just smiled faintly at such blunt and unsympathetic sentences from his digital assistant. He then turned off Luna and turned on Aleksis.


    "Aleksis, do you think I''ve become sadder recently?" he asked his more humane assistant.


    "That''s right. Since two weeks ago, you were having a harder time sleeping, you drank more, and used Holodeck more often..." Unlike Luna, Aleksis''s tone was sympathetic. "Seeing you like this makes me worry."


    "Why are you worried?" Alaric asked, trying to shake off the bitter thought that in his life, surrounded by such extraordinary power and wealth, there was only a computer beside him that understood him and worried about him.


    "Because you''re a very lonely person..." Aleksis whispered in a choked voice, "Even though you have a family."


    Alaric was stunned by Aleksis''s words.


    He didn''t feel like he had a family.


    Ahh¡­ Maybe what his assistant meant was his father and brother.


    But they didn''t know that he existed¡­


    Or maybe they didn''t want him¡­


    "Are you not eager to see your father at all? To resolve the problems between you two? If I recall correctly, you tried to look for him several times but were unsuccessful. Why not meet him when the opportunity arises? You know he''ll be at Medici Castle tomorrow for the birthday party - and the day after tomorrow for the wedding."


    Aleksis continued to speak as usual without interruption, incessantly convincing Alaric to come to the family event.


    "Aleksis, can''t you be quiet?"


    "Sorry, Sir."


    Alaric finished his wine and sighed. For once, he finally admitted that Aleksis was right. He really needed to face his father and hold him responsible for all the suffering he had experienced.


    ***


    October 2, 2049


    .


    Aleksis woke up because of the savory aroma of food. When she opened her eyes, she saw three faces staring at her from above with three pairs of beautiful sparkling blue eyes.


    "Happy birthday!" All three exclaimed in a choir-like unison.


    "Hey... You guys wake up so early," Aleksis blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the morning light coming from behind the big window curtain in her room.


    When she saw the tray in Nicolae''s hand containing breakfast, the bouquet of flowers in Altair''s hand, and a large teddy bear in Vega''s arms, Aleksis suddenly got up and sat on her bed. She was extremely touched because Nicolae and her two children deliberately made her birthday so special.


    "Happy birthday, to our Sleeping Beauty," Nicolae put the tray of food on her bed and kissed her. "The kids and I woke up very early to prepare everything."


    "Thank you..." Aleksis whispered. She received the flowers from Altair and kissed her son''s cheeks. Then, Vega''s jumped to her bed and put the teddy bear beside Aleksis. "Aahhh... My child, the bear is almost taller than you are..."


    Aleksis ruffled Vega''s hair and kissed the top of her head. She felt very touched because she was surrounded by her beloved family.


    "Come on, you''ll need a lot of energy, because today, we have a lot of guests," Nicolae whispered as he sat beside her. "Or would you like me to feed you?"


    "Hush... I''m still healthy," Aleksis grumbled. She hurriedly ate her food. "Mmmm... so delicious!"


    The three of them chatted while accompanying Aleksis as she ate in her bed and discussed today''s important events. They were about to meet her extended family and make preparations for the wedding party the next day.


    "After we get married, will you move to my room or will I be the one to move here?" Nicolae suddenly asked, "We forgot to talk about it."


    Aleksis looked around and shrugged. "I can move to your room. This is just a guest room, after all. There''s no need to bother you to move here."


    "Ah, I''m glad to hear that." Nicolae gave a big smile and nodded. "Later, you can design it however you want."


    Aleksis nodded and continued to enjoy her meal.


    Gosh¡­ There''s only one day left. Today is her birthday. Tomorrow, she''ll be marrying Nicolae. Four years had passed, just like that.

 Chapter 530 - Alaric and The Boy Who Sees Sounds

    Alaric decided in the last moment to head to Grosetto a day early. He didn''t have the chance to tell Portia and Ned about his plans. He didn''t even know whether he would actually meet his father when he arrived at Medici Castle.


    Lauriel didn''t know how Alaric looked like, so there was no way he would be able to recognize him if Alaric didn''t deliberately introduce himself. He could still come as Elios Linden or anyone else he wanted, as the people in Grosseto didn''t know him.


    He arrived in Grosseto when it was still noon, while the family event was going to start in the late afternoon. He had come too early.


    Was he too excited to come here that he arrived so quickly?


    Alaric shook his head. It was true. All his life, he had never known his parents, and now, for the very first time, he was going to meet his father.


    He couldn''t find any words to describe what he was feeling, nor did he know what he was supposed to say to his father when that time came, the time when he would meet face to face with his father and ask everything he had always wanted to ask.


    The car stopped at the foot of the valley. He got off to admire the panorama. This place was immensely awe-inspiring, especially when it was autumn, like how it was at the moment. He wanted to have a stroll and admire his surroundings before going to the castle area. He wanted to know what kind of environment his father''s family was living in.


    Hundreds of years ago, his mother must have come here often with his father when they were still together. The present panorama and the panorama at that time must''ve only changed a little, he thought. The valley down there, its trees, and the small forest, it must''ve looked similar to what Luna and Lauriel saw when they were young.


    This should have been his home.


    Alaric slowly walked along the path. The feelings rumbling in his head were difficult to describe with words. This was the castle owned by his father''s family, and for some reason, knowing that made him feel sad.


    He didn''t need this castle, nor any of the Medici Family''s wealth. He himself was already one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.


    He knew that there were things that couldn''t be bought with money, including family and love, and he didn''t have both. Sometimes, this fact made him feel like he was the poorest person in the world.


    The only thing he had was his ambition and his dream to rule the world under his feet.


    "Whoooooo....!!!!"


    Instantly, he was woken up from his reverie when he heard a joyful scream from his left.


    Among the orange trees along the forest''s end of the forest, he saw a little girl having a lot of fun chasing butterflies. Her platinum hair went down to her shoulders. She was probably around nine or ten years old. She had a very casual appearance; she wore a pink short-sleeved shirt with white short pants and white shoes.


    Actually, her appearance was quite strange, considering how cold the temperature already was that autumn, but it seemed that the child wasn''t bothered at all even though her clothes were more appropriate to be worn in summer.


    Alaric quietly watched the little girl play with the butterflies that were flying among the orange trees. It turned out that she was just chasing them so they would fly - she didn''t really want to catch the butterflies. Alaric was momentarily fascinated. The whole sight in front of him looked like a beautiful painting.


    He was curious as to who this child was, roaming so far to the end of the forest. It seemed impossible that she came from the surrounding villages because from what he had seen, the security around the castle was very tight.


    Was this the child of one of the families who arrived early for the party? Then why wasn''t she wearing a party get up?


    Could this be the host''s relative? Hmm... This is the most reasonable explanation, he thought.


    Who are you related to, Little girl? The groom... or the bride?


    He was so mesmerized by the child that he didn''t move a single muscle for ten entire minutes. He had never seen an Alchemist child before. This child looked like Tinkerbell, the little fairy, he thought. So beautiful and agile, jumping there and here.


    When the little girl noticed that someone was watching her, she stopped chasing the butterflies and curiously gazed at Alaric.


    "Hello," she said in a very friendly voice. Alaric was momentarily surprised to hear the little girl''s voice. Indeed, her voice was still high-pitched like a child''s voice... but when Alaric listened carefully...


    The child walked toward Alaric and narrowed his eyes before enthusiastically asking, "Do you also like butterflies???"


    This was not a girl. This child was a boy!


    For a moment, Alaric felt cheated by the boy''s appearance; he was wearing a pink T-shirt and white shorts, after all. Moreover, his beautiful hair grew all the way down to his shoulders, making him appear like a girl in a glance. Alaric didn''t expect that this child was actually a boy.


    After he spoke, Alaric noticed that his attitude was actually very relaxed and light, just like a boy, and not at all feminine and gentle like girls in general. He only looked like a little girl, but his attitude was of a little boy.


    Uhm... Except when he was busy chasing after the butterflies earlier.


    Subconsciously, a smile etched on Alaric''s face. He nodded, "Yes... The butterflies are very beautiful. I enjoy watching you chase after them."


    The boy''s blue eyes went round when he heard Alaric''s voice. He gave the signal for the man to speak again, "Can you repeat your words earlier?"


    Alaric was confused by this unusual request. Did this child have hearing problems? However, he couldn''t resist his angelic and sweet plea and finally repeated his sentence.


    "Yes... The butterflies are very beautiful. I enjoy watching you chase after them."


    "WOWWW!!!" The boy immediately jumped happily. He immediately pulled Alaric''s hand and took him to the orange trees, where dozens of butterflies were flying. "Try talking again... Just say whatever. You may even say the alphabet, A to Z. Whatever it is, as long as you talk..."


    Alaric frowned in surprise. Out of curiosity, he finally obeyed the strange request of the child and recited the alphabet repeatedly.


    He only hoped that none of his men would catch him obeying the silly request of this child. He then repeated the alphabet several times until the child was satisfied.


    Every time Alaric spoke, the strange child would look very amazed. He would spread his arms back and forth, and circle with joy. He looked very happy.


    "WOW... Lavenders everywhere!! It''s like summer!! Butterflies and lavenders!! So beautiful!" he cried repeatedly.


    After repeating the alphabet three times, Alaric finally couldn''t contain his curiosity anymore. He then stopped talking.

 Chapter 531 - Alaric and Altair

    "Ouch... Uncle, why did you stop??" asked the boy with a very disappointed face when Alaric finally stop talking.


    "You have to tell me what we''re doing. I feel like a fool, chanting my ABCs," Alaric said firmly. "I won''t continue unless you tell me what''s going on."


    "Oh..." The boy then pulled Alaric to sit on a fallen tree branch and sat next to him. "Have you heard of Synesthesia?"


    Alaric thought for a short while, then nodded, "It''s a neurological disorder that makes a person''s senses work simultaneously. For example, when a person hears a particular sound, the person may see a specific shape, picture, color, or even taste a certain taste."


    "Ah... So you know." The boy smiled broadly as he brushed his hair, "I can see sound. Every sound I hear has its own shape. For example, the sound of the wind is blue. The sound of our car horn is shaped like leaves. My mother''s voice is like strawberry... And well... when you were talking, I saw beautiful lavender... Just like summer!! I''ve never seen a voice like lavender before, that was why I asked you to keep talking while I chased butterflies. Oh, if you can see what I see... You''ll definitely pass out in awe. My surroundings are filled with lavender fields and hundreds of butterflies..."


    Alaric widened his eyes at this strange kid''s explanation. He knew about Synesthesia, but this was a rare condition. He had never met anyone who had it before.


    Inwardly, he felt somewhat resentful, because it turned out, his voice was said to look like lavender.


    What look was that? Not at all manly, he thought.


    He cleared his throat and tried to say ABC several times with a deeper voice. "A-B-C-D-E... ABCDE... What does my voice look like now? What shape do you see?"


    "LAVENDER!!! It''s so beautiful!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.


    Finally, Alaric gave up.


    He was a very masculine man. He had always associated himself with dragons. He had long held the highest assassin level in Rhionen Assasins, and he had trained countless men and women to become greatly skilled at killing. He even met a little girl who insisted on calling him ''Prince Siegfried'' because of the scary dragon tattoo on his right chest.


    If this child said that his voice had a shape like a dragon, he would be happy to continue chanting ABCs to please this child. But since the boy continued to say that it looked like lavender, Alaric irritably closed his mouth and tried not to speak at all.


    "Uncle... Please talk agaiiinnn... Lavender is my mother''s favorite flower..." the boy persuaded a few times. But Alaric shook his head and sat frozen, refusing to say a word.


    Lavender? Humph!


    "Uncleeeee.... !!!" Not discouraged, the boy suddenly attacked Alaric''s waist and tickled him without hesitation.


    Jeez...!!


    Alaric, who had no idea that this child would be so blunt with a stranger, didn''t expect that he would be tickled in such a way that he couldn''t protect himself from the attack. He couldn''t help but laugh out loud due to the child''s tiny fingers dancing on his waist.


    "Hahahahhaa... Ouch... Enough¡­!! Stop it¡­!! AHAHAHA... You... Don''t you know who I am? Huh!! You... hahahhaa... stoppp... !!"


    As an adult, he couldn''t hit the child to escape. So as a last resort, he tried to get up and get as far as possible from the child to avoid his tickling, while laughing out loud.


    The boy looked very satisfied, and after two minutes, he became tired and stopped. He then patted Alaric''s hand and smiled broadly, "I like your voice, Uncle."


    For a second, Alaric was stunned. He just realized that he hadn''t laughed in a very long time.


    He then smiled to himself and ruffled the boy''s hair gently. He was grateful because today, this boy made his heart feel light and happy.


    "What''s your name, boy?" he asked.


    The boy smiled mischievously. "I''ll say my name, only if you talk for five minutes. I want to see lavender again."


    Smart kid, Alaric thought, at this age he already knew how to haggle.


    "All right. If you tell me what your name is, I''ll talk for five minutes so you can see lavender again," Alaric nodded in agreement.


    But the boy smiled even more mischievously. "I only accept payment in advance."


    Alaric massaged his temple. This child was truly a businessman! He just negotiated his price and was now asking to be paid in advance. Alaric became even more impressed.


    "All right. I''ll talk for two minutes in advance, and I''ll do the rest after you tell me your name."


    "Three minutes," the boy said again. Alaric shook his head then stood up and pretended to leave. The boy hurriedly called out to him, "Alright, Uncle ... two minutes."


    Alaric sat down again and took out his cellphone and selected a news article from the internet and then started reading it, "This is better than the alphabet."


    The boy nodded and happily looked at his surroundings as soon as Alaric started reading his article.


    The boy was really enjoying the surrounding scenery as if he were indeed surrounded by lavender fields. After two minutes of talking, Alaric stopped. He looked at the boy and raised one eyebrow.


    "Now it''s your turn," he said.


    "All right," The boy smiled triumphantly, "My name is Altair."


    Alaric froze in place when he heard the boy say his name.


    He remembered that he and Aleksis both liked the constellations of Altair and Vega. They made love for the first time under the stars witnessed by the stars Altair and Vega. It was one of the few happy moments he had experienced in his life.


    At that time his heart was filled with love that was so warm and made him forget all the bitterness of life he had ever experienced. When their bodies are united and Alaric pours his love towards Aleksis, his little heart hoped the girl will become his family.


    In his head at the time, when he entered Aleksis with great care and love, he imagined that one day they would get married and have children who would make their lives complete. He really wanted to have a family with that girl.


    Furthermore, he even thought that if one day they have a child, they will name him Altair if it''s a boy, and Vega if it''s a girl.


    Ten years ago, in London, when he had just left Aleksis behind, he often thought about talking to her about having children after he returned to Singapore.


    Unfortunately, he never met again with Aleksis after his departure at that time. They were only given such a short time to be together, and Aleksis was immediately taken from him.


    Now, hearing the child in front of him introduce himself as Altair, he could only smile wryly, thinking how fate was mocking him.


    "You have a really nice name," he praised Altair, making the boy smile broadly at his words.


    For a moment both of them looked at each other and Alaric saw his reflection in the pair of Altair''s eyes.


    .


    [1] Synesthesia = anomaly in the nerve that associates sound with other sensory catches, such as the sense of sight and taste. There are several types of Synesthesia, but the most common is the ability to see shapes or colors when hearing a sound.


    When listening to music, for example, people who have the condition of Synesthesia can see a variety of colors and shapes both real and abstract.

 Chapter 532 - Alaric Was So Confused

    Alaric, when hearing the child in front of him introduce himself as Altair, could only smile wryly, thinking how fate was mocking him.


    "You have a really nice name," he praised Altair, making the boy smile broadly at his words.


    For a moment both of them looked at each other and Alaric saw his reflection in the pair of Altair''s eyes.


    If only fate didn''t take Aleksis from his side, maybe they too could have a son like this.


    That thought made him even sadder. He almost looked as though he was mourning in front of Altair. Finally, he took a deep breath and decided to stay away. If he were to be with this child any longer, he would be reminded even more of his own misfortune and how fate was playing with him mercilessly.


    "Aren''t your parents looking for you?" he asked after a while.


    "Ah... Well, I''ve asked permission to play here while waiting for our puppy to come. They know I''m here anyway..."


    "Puppy?" Alaric asked with interest.


    "Yeah... Daddy said we could have a new puppy if we helped write on the invitation cards. And our puppy will be coming today." Speaking of it, Altair''s face glowed with joy and happiness. As if it was contagious, Alaric also smiled.


    "I''m glad to hear that. You''re lucky. I''ve never had a pet," Alaric said. He only kept plants because they wouldn''t die if they''re often left behind, he thought.


    This child seems to have a very happy family.


    "Whoa... What a pity. You can play with our puppy when she comes." Altair held Alaric''s hand sympathetically. "We have a very cute dog, but he died of old age, so now Daddy is giving us a new one."


    "Hmm... Thank you. I''ll stop by when your dog has arrived later," Alaric said with a smile. He held the boy''s hand in return. For a moment, they held hands like that, without feeling awkward in the slightest.


    "Uncle, are you a guest here? I''ve never seen you before," Altair voiced.


    Alaric nodded. "I came too early, so I''ll just take a little walk around here."


    "Ah... Okay. There''s a lake over there if you liked fishing. There are lots of butterflies over here, and next to it, there''s a small forest with lots of rabbits."


    "Thank you. I''ll be going first then." Alaric let go of his hand and nodded towards Altair. He then walked away from the child, putting his hands into his pockets. He didn''t want to linger any longer, as he was afraid that he would become increasingly fond of the child.


    Altair only stared at Alaric''s back, which was getting farther from him. His head tilted to the left watching the man''s movements and, a moment later, a smile graced his face. Altair realized that the uncle was just like him.


    At first glance, one would think that he was a woman because his face had delicate lines, but his tall, sturdy body looked undoubtedly manly and masculine.


    Of course, that uncle must have often been mistaken for a woman when he was little, just like me, Altair inwardly thought, nodding. But now, as an adult, of course, people would no longer mistakenly thought he was a woman because of his tall and sturdy body. Meaning that, later, when I become an adult, I can look like him. Really manly and handsome!


    That thought made Altair happy, humming as he walked back to the Medici Castle.


    ***


    Cars started arriving at the main entrance in the castle yard and one by one the Schneider family members entered the castle to celebrate Aleksis'' birthday before she got married tomorrow. Flora and Louis came first and they brought some of the best bottles of wine and a bouquet of flowers, followed by their two children, Garnet and Alexandrite together with their respective wives.


    Kara and Jaedith welcomed their arrival at the door with happy faces. Kara, who had been in a relationship with Jadeith for several years, was very happy because she could finally meet and be introduced to Jadeith''s parents. They immediately embraced each other and talked warmly.


    The luxury car that brought Ned and Portia arrived soon after. Aleksis, who had heard about their arrival, hurried out of the castle to greet them personally.


    "Welcome, Aunt Portia ... Uncle Ned ..." She bowed like a perfect lady and, for several seconds, Portia was momentarily stunned to see her.


    Aleksis wore a red dress that wrapped perfectly around her beautiful body and showed off her long legs. Her beautiful face did not need any makeup at all, and it made her look so modest yet so charming.


    Her thick honey-colored hair extended beautifully on her back, and it framed her face perfectly. Even Portia, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the Alchemist clan, was impressed to see her.


    "Good evening," Portia smiled sweetly, staring at the beautiful woman with the perfect manner in front of her. "What is your name?"


    "My name is Aleksis Schneider, I''m my father''s daughter," Aleksis replied with a friendly smile. "Caspar Schneider."


    "Oh ..." Portia and Ned looked at one another in surprise.


    Right at that moment, the car carrying Alaric arrived in the yard and stopped right next to Ned''s car. Alaric, who had seen his adopted parents standing at the entrance, immediately went out of the car to approach them.


    "Father, Mother ..." He greeted them. Portia and Ned turned toward him, and only then did Alaric see the girl who had been talking to his adopted parents.


    Instantly he stopped in his tracks and stood fixed in his place. His body froze and Alaric could not take his eyes from the girl.


    "Eli ... you came too," Portia smiled at him. "This is Aleksis Schneider, the bride. Lauriel''s future daughter-in-law."


    For a brief moment, Alaric thought that he was in his Holodeck space because suddenly Aleksis was standing in front of him. His eyes instantly became foggy.


    Meanwhile, Aleksis had noticed the newly arrived man and she was immediately impressed.


    Was this the famous adopted son of Portia and Ned? she thought. She heard the man call them father and mother before.


    "I will look for Uncle Rory so he can come and meet you. He will be very happy." Aleksis nodded kindly and invited her guests inside.


    Not only her face ... but her body ... and her voice too ... they all resembled Aleksis''.


    Alaric was so confused.

 Chapter 533 - Im Sorry

    "Please come in, everyone. Uncle Rory is very sorry because he forgot to invite you to his party a few years ago. He is indeed not very good at throwing parties. Auntie Portia, I hope you would forgive him ..." Aleksis welcomed them in with a cheerful expression.


    Uncle Rory?


    Alaric''s head instantly became heavy.


    Portia and Ned nodded and followed Aleksis into the castle. Their first impression of the girl was very pleasing and Portia''s annoyance at Lauriel had diminished a little from hearing her explanation.


    "Then where is your future husband?" Portia asked her. Now she was curious to see Lauriel''s son who was getting married tomorrow. She wanted to know what kind of person he had chosen to be his heir.


    "Oh ... Nic is in the back, I''ll call him too ..." Aleksis called for the staff who immediately brought drinks and served it to the three guests before she excused herself. "I''ll be right back. Please relax and enjoy drinks. Father and mother are almost here too."


    When she disappeared behind the door, Alaric''s consciousness returned, and tears started welling up in his brilliant purple eyes.


    His brain had stopped working, but his legs subconsciously ran after Aleksis'' shadow, as if they had their own mind. The girl had been standing there. She had disappeared behind the door.


    This was not a dream!


    This was not a fantasy feature on Holodeck!


    He was at the Medici Castle and he just saw Aleksis in flesh...


    Aleksis who was going to call her Uncle Rory ...


    Uncle Rory who was apparently Lauriel himself ¡­


    Lauriel was Alaric''s biological father.


    "Eh ... Eli, where are you going?" Portia asked, confused. However, Alaric didn''t reply. He didn''t even turn his head.


    His only focus was to look for Aleksis. He couldn''t bear to lose her again!


    When he arrived outside, Alaric found himself in an empty alley. Aleksis had disappeared from his sight.


    "Where is Aleksis ...?" he asked urgently to a passing servant. The girl was surprised for a moment but quickly pointed towards a building across the garden. Alaric immediately ran that direction.


    "Uncle Rory ... Auntie Portia has arrived. Are you in the library?"


    Alaric heard Aleksis'' voice calling for Lauriel when he arrived by the library door. He closed his eyes, absorbing her beautiful voice that he had been deeply missing for years. His brain immediately linked all the pieces of information stored in his memory and now he understood what had happened.


    This was indeed the same Aleksis ¡­


    This was HIS Aleksis.


    Now he understood why Aleksis had to keep her identity a secret. Not because she was the illegitimate child of Kurt Van Der Ven ... but because she was an Alchemist.


    Now he understood why Caspar was so angry and chased after him, assuming Alaric was responsible for the accident that had befallen Aleksis ... Caspar was the girl''s biological father.


    Now he understood that Lauriel, his father, was Uncle Rory, Aleksis'' godfather ... and the reason Lauriel wanted Alaric Rhionen dead was for the same reason as Caspar ¡­ Lauriel held him responsible for Aleksis'' accident because his people slaughtered the Black River mafia group ten years ago ...


    These were all very bad misunderstandings ...


    And these misunderstandings had separated him from Aleksis for ten years.


    Aleksis must have thought that he had died, just as he thought Aleksis had died ...


    So, after ten years, Aleksis was finally able to move on and tomorrow she would marry another man...


    The lonely man, who always thought he was alone, couldn''t stop the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.


    "Uncle Rory isn''t here, apparently," murmured Aleksis. She placed her hands on her waist and tried to think about where Lauriel was now.


    "Aleksis ..." A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her, calling Aleksis''s name so solemnly, as if offering a prayer. "Are you Aleksis Makela ...?"


    Aleksis raised her face and turned toward the voice. Her forehead frowned because she thought that for some reason this voice sounded very familiar.


    "Aleksis Makela? Are you Aleksis Makela?" asked the man once more in an urgent tone.


    Aleksis was stunned to see the young man in front of her looking at her emotionally. The man looked very impressive in his casual party get up, custom-made for him. His attire was adorned with various badges and emblems of noble families from the Lewis and Baden families, and other families unknown to Aleksis.


    Oh, wasn''t this Ned and Portia''s famous godson? Why did he chase me here? thought Aleksis, confused.


    She had only briefly caught a glimpse of him because her mind had been distracted by party preparations and searching for Lauriel. Now that he was standing tall in front of her, and since Alaric was slowly closing the distance between them, Aleksis could observe him better.


    This person had a very unique appearance, Aleksis thought admiringly.


    The man''s hair was platinum blonde. It was kept a bit messy and it framed his very handsome face perfectly. His face was beautiful and had perfect symmetry lines. His pair of brilliant purple eyes looked closely at Aleksis, and it made the girl feel a little awkward.


    "Do I know you?" Aleksis asked in confusion. She had never met this man before, but there was something about him that felt familiar. "I don''t think we''ve met before ..."


    "Is your name Aleksis Makela? I''ve been looking for you for a long time ..."


    "My name is Aleksis Schneider. Why are you looking for me? Do we know each other?" Aleksis asked. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see the man better. Since the man did not answer her question, Aleksis finally nodded, "I ... have indeed used the name Aleksis Makela before."


    "Oh ..." The man was stunned; he was lost for words as Aleksis confirmed his question. He stared at Aleksis for a long time, and subconsciously a smile etched on his face. "You''re so much more beautiful now."


    "Thank you ..." Aleksis began to feel very uncomfortable. She knew that she was beautiful since her beauty had caused many problems before. She had no intention of lingering with strangers who praised her for her beauty just when she was about to get married. "If there is nothing important to discuss, I must return to the reception room."


    She bowed slightly like a noble lady and walked past Alaric to get out of the library.


    "You can''t marry that man ..." Suddenly the man''s voice came from behind her again. There was an urgency in his tone. "You already have a husband."


    Aleksis stopped in her tracks. She turned around and looked at the man sharply. Only now did she notice that his purple eyes were very familiar.


    Did ... did this person know Alaric? How did he know that Aleksis was married?


    "Who are you, really?" Aleksis asked in a trembling voice. "My husband is dead."


    The man bit his lip to hold back his emotions, and shook his head slowly, "I''m sorry ..."

 Chapter 534 - Who Are YOU?

    I am so sorry...


    I''m sorry for hiding my identity from you when we first met ...


    I''m sorry for not knowing how to behave when I requested information about your whereabouts from Kurt, thus causing his death ...


    Forgive me for thinking that you really are gone. Four years ago, I even stopped looking for you...


    Alaric continued to apologize for all the things he considered his mistakes, for all the things which caused him to separate from Aleksis for ten years. However, it was now too late for self-blame. The lost time would never return.


    Aleksis looked closely at the man''s face and tried to remember where she had seen him. She could not remember. Yet people with a face as attractive as this, there was no way she could possibly forget.


    "Who are you?" asked Aleksis once more.


    Before the man could answer, a beautiful girl entered the library and approached him. Sophia arrived just before the party began. Not long after, she learned from Portia that Alaric was behaving strangely as he looked for the host''s daughter.


    Not wasting time, she hurriedly went after Alaric to the library. She was eager to witness the chaos that would soon ensue. A faint smile bloomed on her face when she found Alaric and Aleksis facing each other awkwardly.


    "Hey, you''re actually here. Aunt Portia is worried about you since you still haven''t come back. She asked me to look for you." She took Alaric''s arm and turned to Aleksis, "Do you know each other?"


    Alaric quickly broke free from Sophia''s grip. "That is none of your business."


    "Who are you two?" Aleksis asked again in a probing tone.


    "Oh, sorry, we didn''t have time to introduce ourselves. We''re waiting for the program this evening to start. I''m Sophia Meier, and this is ... my cousin."


    Aleksis was stunned. When she heard the name of the woman before her, she subconsciously stepped back as if she was distancing herself from an enemy. Alaric felt puzzled by her attitude.


    "How dare you to come here!!! Your brother almost killed me 28 years ago!" Aleksis hissed in hostility, "You are not welcomed in our house!"


    "What did she mean by your brother almost killed her?" Alaric asked Sophia in a voice as cold as ice. "What did your brother do to Aleksis?!?"


    Sophia felt cornered and subconsciously stepped back, trying to avoid the gaze of the man who seemed ready to kill her with a single blow at any moment. She knew that Alaric was a cold person, but Sophia never knew he could be this scary. She had never seen him sporting this kind of expression.


    Aleksis watched the two with a thudding chest. The more she heard Alaric''s voice, the more she felt it was familiar. She hadn''t heard this voice for a long time ...


    But Aleksis didn''t know his face at all. Who was this person really? Her heart wondered. Ugh ... if Sophia didn''t come, she would have forced the man to confess his true identity to her.


    "What''s with the commotion here?" Suddenly a young man in casual clothes entered the library. His face was very handsome. He had long hair that was tied carelessly using a blue string. His eyes that were dark blue and reminiscent of the deep ocean was currently narrowed at the tense atmosphere among the three people at the place.


    On Nicolae''s raised right arm was Vega who was clinging happily like a koala. She smiled broadly while swinging, showing how strong her pair of tiny hands were, that she could casually hold her weight like that.


    Her beautiful face, platinum blonde hair and witty blue eyes looked very similar to Altair''s, so Alaric immediately thought the child was Altair.


    Oh ... this is the kid chasing a butterfly this afternoon, thought Alaric.


    He said my voice was like lavender.


    Subconsciously, his face that was filled with wrath just now immediately got wreathed in smiles.


    "Hello Altair, nice to meet you again," Alaric said, smiling kindly to the little girl. He could see the resemblance between the child and Nicolae who was holding him. He immediately assumed that the two were father and son.


    What a lucky man, he thought. To have such a cute child...


    While Aleksis looked surprised to hear Alaric calling Vega Altair.


    Ah ... of course, this man had met Altair but did not know that he had a twin sister.


    "Daddy Nic, I want to go down." Suddenly Vega whispered to Nic''s ear. Before the man could respond, Vega jumped down from Nicolae''s arm and walked toward Alaric with light footsteps.


    Vega then pointed to Alaric''s right arm and gave a signal for him to raise it. With astonishment, Alaric obeyed. Unexpectedly Vega jumped up and put her arms around Alaric''s, then swung like she did when she was hanging on Nicolae''s arm.


    Cheerful laughter filled the library. Alaric had never seen a child so cheerful and agile in his entire life. This child had been running around chasing butterflies this afternoon and now he was dangling like a monkey, treating an adult man''s arm like a tree branch. He had so much energy, thought Alaric exasperatedly.


    Alaric subconsciously laughed following Vega''s contagious laughter. He realized the child had made him laugh twice today. This was something that had never happened before.


    His chest was filled with warmth. In his heart, Alaric really wanted to have a child like this little one.


    Aleksis hurriedly approached Alaric and signaled Vega to get down from Alaric''s arm. "Honey ... you can''t be rude to our guests."


    Nicolae went to Alaric and spread his arms to receive the little girl. "Honey, come here."


    Alaric reluctantly swung his arm to hand him Vega over who was hanging there. Nicolae received the girl from Alaric with a complicated look. He had never met this man before but he immediately felt disturbed when he saw the way the other man looked at Vega and Aleksis.


    "What''s going on, Aleksis?" Nicolae asked again. He wanted to know who the two strangers were. As far as he could recall, they only invited the Schneider family, Terry''s family, and also Ned and Portia. These two people were completely unfamiliar to him.


    "There was no commotion, Nic. They are guests who came together with Auntie Portia and Uncle Ned." Aleksis rushed to Nicolae and Vega''s side. Nicolae reflexively stood in front of Aleksis as if to protect her from any possible danger.


    "Please forgive this little one, my child has been too spoiled by the whole family," Aleksis apologized for Vega''s mischief while massaging her forehead. She then slightly bowed to Alaric who was staring at her, barely blinking.


    The man looked stunned after hearing Aleksis'' apology. His smile slowly vanished. His heart was truly shocked and for a moment he frowned like he was in pain. Wait a minute ...


    Child? Is this Aleksis'' child ...?


    He thought this was the son of the man who just came.


    But, just now, Aleksis referred to the child as hers.


    Did this mean the newcomer and she were the parents of this child?


    Was this man her future husband?


    Alaric immediately realized that the girl was now no longer the Aleksis he got acquainted with and married ten years ago. Everything he knew about her was wrong. He had assumed Aleksis was an ordinary human, when in fact she was also an immortal like himself.

 Chapter 535 - I Will Never Let You Go

    Alaric immediately realized that Aleksis was now no longer the girl he got acquainted with and married ten years ago. Everything he knew about her was wrong. He had assumed Aleksis was an ordinary human, when in fact she was also an immortal like himself.


    And now, ten years later, the girl already had a child and was going to marry another man. He looked for Aleksis to stop her from marrying Nicolae. But now, when he saw them appear before him and realized how happy their little family was, he felt so evil and selfish, as if he suddenly appeared before her only to ruin her happiness.


    But ... but what about his own happiness?


    Aleksis disappeared 10 years ago, and he did terrible things to look for her. It led to the death of Kurt Van Der Ven, her father''s right hand. For ten years, he thought Aleksis had died. For years he searched for information about her grave without success, until finally, he gave up ...


    All that made him suffer and underwent 10 years of misery.


    Yet here was Aleksis, seemingly leading a happy life with someone else ¡­? She even had a child with another man?


    Alaric didn''t know how he managed to stop himself from going berserk and killing everyone in the library at the time. Or maybe ... maybe it was because he couldn''t bear to see Vega''s adorable face staring at him with her witty eyes. He was still thinking the child was Altair.


    Alaric closed his eyes and frowned in extreme pain. After taking a deep breath once, he then opened his eyes, looked away and walked out of the library with long strides. He did not pay any heed to the confusion shown by the people he left behind.


    "What is up with him?" muttered Nicolae in puzzlement. Aleksis did not respond to his question. She just stared at Alaric''s back, which went even further and further away.


    His voice sounded familiar. From the looks of it, his body also looked very familiar ... Who was this guy really? Her heart kept asking herself.


    Subconsciously two drops of tears flowed down her cheeks. Not long after, she could no longer hold her feet from running after Alaric. She must know ...


    She must make sure ...


    "Aleksis!" called Nicolae. He and Vega looked at each other in surprise. Both of them rushed after Aleksis.


    Sophia looked at everything that happened with a smirk. Finally ... the moment she had been waiting for had arrived. Soon everything would turn into chaos.


    At present, only Sophia and Alaric were aware of what really happened. Apart from the two of them, no one knew that Alaric Rhionen was Aleksis'' husband and he was still alive. That woman must be chasing Alaric in confusion, Sophia thought while wearing a satisfied expression.


    ***


    Aleksis'' tears flowed even harder when she arrived at the garden next to the library but did not find Alaric. The man had walked very fast and now disappeared from her sight. Frantically, she ran towards the lake, hoping Alaric would be there so she could find him.


    Nicolae and Vega arrived a little later as the man had to adjust to the slow pace of the young child walking with him. When they arrived at the garden, they did not see anyone. In the end, they decided to walk towards the main building, looking for Aleksis.


    ***


    Alaric was very angry and had to exert all his sanity to not destroy all the objects around him as he walked with long strides towards the lake. Today, his world had been turned upside down mercilessly. He suddenly learned that the only girl he loved was not only still alive, but also as immortal as he was.


    Unfortunately, Aleksis was already moving on and having a new life without him. His heart was conflicted. There was the feeling of relief because Aleksis was still alive, and the feeling of hate because he felt cheated, also feeling of guilt because he himself disappeared for 10 years, and the feeling of jealousy towards seeing Aleksis happy with another man.


    He did not know how to act. He did not know whether to tell Aleksis who he was and ask her to return to him, or consider each other dead and forget about the past. He was very jealous ... Aleksis already had a child with her future husband ...


    Alaric looked at his reflection in the lake and he was shocked by how flat his expression was. His mind was already churning like a volcano ready to erupt, yet for some reason, his face looked cold and unaffected.


    He subconsciously touched his cheek as if to make sure the person in the reflection of the lake was him. He felt upset because he felt that he could not even recognize himself.


    There was the sound of footsteps approaching and the sound of broken branches being trampled behind him, but Alaric did not budge. He did not care for anyone who came near him.


    "You ... haven''t answered my question," came Aleksis'' soft voice from behind him. Alaric just stayed where he was, not turning his head. He didn''t expect that the girl would follow him here.


    With all his might, Alaric refrained from turning around and staring at the girl he loved. He knew his mental state. He was very depressed but he did not want to vent his frustrations at Aleksis.


    Aleksis walked closer. When she arrived right behind Alaric and their bodies were almost touching, Alaric could hear her panting. He took a deep breath several times, and then finally turned around. That was just when Aleksis took another step forward. Thus, his action caused Aleksis'' front body to touch Alaric''s.


    They felt like sparks flew between them in an instant. Both Alaric and Aleksis sighed in surprise as their eyes met.


    Alaric''s defense collapsed and, without being able to control himself anymore, he brought Aleksis in his arms and embraced her as tightly as he could. By then, his common sense disappeared to God knows where. He kissed the top of her head longingly.


    Aleksis was stunned and for several seconds could not move. She felt that this person was very familiar. His voice, his body, and now his arms made Aleksis feel so peaceful. A crazy thought suddenly got into her mind and she was unable to get rid of it...


    What if ...


    What if he is ...


    Alaric?


    "Wa.. wait..." Aleksis finally found her voice and she tried to escape from the man''s arms. "You have not answered my question yet."


    But as she looked up and stared into his pair of brilliant purple eyes, Aleksis realized she did not need an answer. She just remembered that she hadn''t seen Alaric''s face since they first met again in Singapore ten years ago. When he told her that his face was disfigured, she unconditionally believed him... And she herself also assumed that Alaric was an ordinary human who was aging.


    She never thought the possibility of Alaric being an Alchemist like her.


    The girl''s eyes went round and her lips opened, yet she could not say anything. Her chest started to pound so hard.


    This was indeed Alaric!


    Meanwhile, all the flames of anger in Alaric''s chest seemed to have been washed away by extremely cold water after staring at Aleksis'' blue and green eyes and finding love there. These eyes had not changed after ten years, still looking at him with so much affection.


    Alaric felt very touched.


    She was still the same Aleksis from ten years ago.


    He brought his face closer to hers. He immediately kissed the girl''s slightly open lips. His cold lips claiming hers as he panted out of excitement.


    He relinquished the longing that accompanied his loneliness for ten years when he thought he was all by himself. He let go of the feeling of longing which tormented him for years when he was filled with regret for not being able to say goodbye.


    "Aleksis ..." he whispered with a hoarse voice. He then kissed her again. The girl closed her eyes and enjoyed the downpour of Alaric''s affections for her. Her mind went blank.


    She was afraid that all of this was just a dream, that after she woke up, Alaric would disappear from her side. It was because of this that Aleksis insisted on not opening her eyes. As his tongue entered through her lips and explored her mouth, Aleksis responded lovingly.


    "I don''t care what happened in these past ten years ... I will never let you go," Alaric whispered between his kisses.


    Although Aleksis was with another man and already had a child with him, Alaric did not care. Aleksis was his and his alone!

 Chapter 536 - Is He... Alaric?

    "I don''t care what happened in these past ten years ... I will never let you go," Alaric whispered between his kisses.


    Although Aleksis was with another man and already had a child with him, Alaric did not care. Aleksis was his and his alone.


    They missed each other so much, therefore all the sadness of ten years that they had borne in their hearts just couldn''t help but overflow. There was no way for them to hold back.


    It took a long while before Alaric stopped his kisses and loosened his arms to look at Aleksis with great compassion.


    The two stared at each other with astonishment and wet eyes. None of them were able to utter anything. There was too much to say but not a single word could represent how happy they were feeling.


    When Aleksis moved toward Alaric, she subconsciously whimpered in pain. Aleksis just realized that her feet were aching. When she rushed after Alaric, she had taken off her shoes that weren''t made for running, so now her feet had several wounds from various branches and gravel which she had stepped on along the way.


    "Oh .. your feet are injured .." Alaric who heard Aleksis gush in pain hurriedly knelt down on one knee and examined her feet. "Why did you take off your shoes?"


    He then remembered that the girl was wearing elegant footwear that would have bothered her while running after him. She got hurt because of me, Alaric thought wistfully.


    Before she could protest, he swiftly raised Aleksis up and carefully placed her on a fallen tree. After that, he examined her feet attentively.


    "The wounds are small but aplenty... It''s not advisable for you to walk." He gently cleaned Aleksis'' feet with his shirt''s sleeve and then kissed her knees. "I''ll carry you."


    The woman smiled, secretly thinking to herself that Alaric had not changed at all. The man had always treated her like a princess and was still doing it now.


    She nodded with tears in her eyes, unable to say anything.


    They then stared at each other, with Alaric kneeling at Aleksis'' feet and hugging her knees. For a few moments, none of them said anything.


    "Aleksis ..." Alaric finally let out his voice. "Come home with me."


    Only then did Aleksis remember, Medici Castle almost became her home because she had almost married Nicolae. The date of the wedding was supposed to be tomorrow.


    No, this was not her home. Her home was with Alaric. She must go home with her husband who had now come to pick her up after ten years of separation!


    Aleksis nodded. "We must meet my father and Uncle Rory and tell them everything. I don''t want to do things in secret like before and make them worry."


    Alaric remembered that her Uncle Rory was Lauriel, and that the man was his own father.


    "Your father doesn''t like me. We met four years ago. Lauriel might be the same as him. We will meet them, but if they don''t let you go, I will force them to hand you over to me," said the man firmly. "I''d rather die than part from you again."


    "Ssh ... don''t say that." Aleksis hurriedly covered his mouth with her small hand. "How do you know that my father and Uncle Rory won''t like you?"


    A moment later, Aleksis recalled that her father previously expressed dislike of Ned and Portia''s adopted son and thus realized that Alaric was right. The thought immediately made her chest tighten.


    And, oh ... Uncle Rory really wanted to see her married to Nicolae. Of course, he also won''t like Alaric who had only come to cancel the wedding.


    Aleksis could only bite her lower lip. What should she do??


    "Your Uncle Rory is my father, Aleksis ... I don''t think he likes me either." Alaric''s statement surprised Aleksis.


    "Wait ... your father? How did you know he is your father?" she asked with her eyes round. "How¡­?"


    It took her some time to recall Alaric''s story about his mother who died in Romania after giving birth to him. Princess Luna also died in Romania ... Was Alaric also the son of Uncle Lauriel from Princess Luna??


    Oh, God..!! Who would have thought that she had actually fallen in love and married Lauriel''s other biological son!


    "I only learned that he was my father when I met Portia. She told me everything. Lauriel did not want children, that''s why my mother left him and went to Germany before she finally died while saving herself - and me - in Romania."


    Alaric''s story made Aleksis'' heart very sad. She could already imagine how sad Luna was when she fell pregnant with him and gave birth in the middle of a city attack during the war.


    "Lauriel knew I was his son when he ''killed me'' ten years ago. I told everything about me to his crew who disguised herself as you to trap me... He was never sorry and did not look for me. I had already forgotten my grudge on him. But, if he won''t allow me to take you home, I will not hesitate to kill him."


    Aleksis pursed her lips in shock. She did not know this story at all.


    She didn''t know who to believe ...


    She knew Alaric would never lie to her.


    Yet at the same time, Lauriel could not have deliberately killed his own son. There was no way he would hate Alaric if he knew the man was Luna''s son.


    Aleksis still remembered how moved Lauriel was when he found out Nicolae was his son with Luna.


    "We must meet them and talk ..." Finally, Aleksis decided.


    "All right. I''ll follow your wishes." He nodded in agreement. He then rose to his feet and lifted Aleksis up from the fallen tree. "However, let me clean your feet first in the lake. So that the wound can be treated immediately."


    Without waiting for her reply, he carried her to the edge of the lake and sat her on his lap. Then with his free hand, he cleaned Aleksis'' feet. The girl could only stare at him with both bewilderment and gratitude.


    "Uncle Rory has good wound medicine, I''ll be fine," she said to him.


    "I know," he replied.


    "Thank you."


    "You''re hurt because of me. It''s only natural that I take care of you," Alaric said.


    His words touched Aleksis and prompted her to lovingly kiss Alaric again. She could never have enough of this man''s lips.


    Both of them got caught in euphoria again as Alaric returned her kiss passionately. He had not been with any woman in the past ten years. Nobody was able to awaken his cold heart, no matter how beautiful and kind they were. Only Aleksis could make him feel in love.


    Lost in the passionate kiss, the couple was not aware of Lauriel''s arrival. The man was very surprised upon seeing Aleksis in the lap of a stranger, kissing him lovingly.


    "Aleksis! What are you doing here?" Lauriel loudly called out to force apart the two people who were in love. He walked towards them quickly and pulled Aleksis'' shoulder away from Alaric. "Who is he?"


    Aleksis was very surprised by Lauriel''s presence. Her godfather''s face was filled with wrath. She got up and reflexively shifted her body to stand in front of Alaric. It was as if she was trying to shield away the man she loved from Lauriel.


    "Sshh ... Honey, you don''t need to protect me. I can deal with it myself," Alaric whispered. When he spoke to her, as always his voice sounded very gentle. Although he had now changed, becoming a cold person with a terrible reputation, his attitude towards Aleksis did not.


    "Aleksis ... who is he?" Lauriel asked in a hoarse voice. He had been looking for Aleksis because he heard from a servant that his goddaughter ran towards the lake crying. He was really worried. But then, he was very surprised to find Aleksis alone with an unknown man by the lake and even kissing him, even though tomorrow she would marry Nicolae.


    He knew she was a good girl who had never opened her heart to another man. This was why seeing her suddenly being intimate with a man who was not Nicolae made Lauriel very angry.


    But when the couple turned to him and he saw how protective Aleksis was of the young man, his heart began to tremble. Don''t tell me that this is¡­


    Is he... Alaric?

 Chapter 537 - Alaric And Lauriel

    But wasn''t Alaric Rhionen dead?


    And ... even if he was alive, shouldn''t he, as a normal human being, be very old by now?


    Questions after questions raged in his mind. Lauriel was really eager for the answers.


    "Uncle Rory ... I can''t marry Nic ... My husband is still alive," replied Aleksis. "I''m sorry."


    "Aleksis ...?" Lauriel approached her, trying to reach Aleksis but Alaric brushed his hand away harshly.


    "I am telling you, if you take another step, I will not hesitate." Wearing an ice-cold expression on his face, Alaric pulled out his gun.


    Aleksis was surprised by the fact that Alaric pulled out a gun in front of his own father. She reflexively brushed off her husband''s hand and rebuked him, "Alaric, you can''t do that to your father!"


    Aleksis'' words stunned Lauriel.


    "Fa ... father?" He frowned trying to make sure he had not misheard. "What did you say just now?"


    Alaric lowered his gun and sighed. He then rubbed Aleksis'' hair lovingly and whispered to her ear, "Let''s get out of here."


    The girl nodded. She felt that this was not the right place to talk properly. Alaric easily lifted her up and walked away from his father who was still standing by the lake.


    Yes. Lauriel was still rooted in his spot even though he could see the two people going further and further away.


    In an instant, a beautiful face that he had forgotten for a long time crossed his mind. Luna''s image which he had buried for a long time in the deepest part of his heart now resurfaced in his memory.


    The man who was with Aleksis had a pair of purple eyes ... and he also possessed a face that had smooth and delicate lines similar to that of a woman. All of these reminded him of Luna, his deceased girlfriend.


    Did ... did Luna give birth to another child?


    "Wait...!!" Lauriel ran after them.


    Lauriel''s hand fell on Alaric''s shoulder when he caught up to both of them. His touch was gentle, there was no hint of hostility, so Alaric finally stopped and looked at him.


    "Is ... is ... Luna ...?" Lauriel could not finish his sentence. He was too emotional and no words could convey what was in his heart. He was very shaken. He could see himself in the young man before him. Even without DNA testing, he knew this young man was his biological child, his flesh and blood.


    Alaric was stunned after seeing Lauriel''s eyes were filled with tears. His face was showing deep sorrow.


    "Luna is my mother," the younger of the two men answered shortly.


    The two looked at each other. In such close proximity, Alaric could see how sad his father''s blue-green eyes were. His heart began to feel moved. He didn''t expect Lauriel to be this sad upon meeting him.


    "Do you know who your father is?" Lauriel asked in an urgent voice. He suspected this young man was his child, but he had to hear it directly from Alaric''s mouth.


    "My father is Lauriel Medici," Alaric answered in a firm tone. "But I know you don''t want me, so I''ve never looked for you."


    Lauriel was surprised by Alaric''s words.


    "How can you say that?" Lauriel felt his chest tighten seeing the hate in Alaric''s eyes. He felt surprised but happy because he actually had a second child. However, at the same time, his heart was breaking from remembering what happened 10 years ago ...


    He finally understood why Alaric thought that he didn''t want him.


    It must be because of that incident from ten years ago ... If he was really Alaric Rhionen ... then, it meant that ten years ago, Lauriel had ''killed'' his own son.


    "Ten years ago ..." Alaric''s words stopped midway. He did not continue since he could already see that Lauriel knew what he wanted to say.


    "I ... I did not know ..." Lauriel whispered in shock. His voice that had just trailed off was tinged with hopelessness. His steps staggered as his knees softened as his entire body lost strength. Aleksis, who saw Lauriel looking so shocked, quickly escaped from Alaric''s arms and went to her godfather''s side.


    Seeing Aleksis about to hold Lauriel''s unsteady body, Alaric quickly went over to embrace Lauriel so that he would not fall.


    The woman had never seen Lauriel so vulnerable and depressed. This incident might have been a great shock to him. She could only stare in place as Alaric held Lauriel''s body. The two men looked like they were hugging.


    Lauriel didn''t hold back and put his arms around Alaric''s back so he could hug him tightly. He was not ashamed even though Alaric was trying to get away. Lauriel stubbornly kept him in his embrace.


    "Please forgive me ... Please forgive your father, my son..." Lauriel cried out repeatedly. He no longer needed an explanation. Stories could wait. "I didn''t know ... I didn''t recognize you. I''m very sorry ..."


    After a while, Alaric stopped breaking free and allowed Lauriel to hug him tighter. His mind became frantic though. He had no idea why Lauriel behaved this way. He was ready to kill anyone who would prevent him from bringing Aleksis away, including his own father.


    But his father suddenly hugged him and cried. A big and tough-looking man with a reputation for disliking humans was now crying on his shoulders without feeling ashamed ...


    After a few minutes, Lauriel finally calmed down and relaxed his arms. He then looked at Alaric carefully.


    "Are you Alaric Rhionen?" he asked softly. Alaric nodded. Lauriel took a deep breath and questioned again, "Then are you aware that I was responsible for your death ten years ago?"


    Alaric nodded. His face was no longer full of anger. "I have gotten over that. Now I know you did it because of Aleksis. I would have done the same for my child."


    Lauriel frowned and shook his head, "When did you discover that I am your father? Why didn''t you look for me?"


    "Ten years ago, you didn''t look for me even though, by then, you must have already learned that I am your son," answered the younger man in a flat voice. "Aunt Portia told me everything. You didn''t want my mother''s pregnancy, so she returned to Germany and was caught in the middle of a war. She died after giving birth to me. I, then, lived alone for decades. I didn''t know anything and had to endure loneliness on my own... until I met Aleksis."


    "I wanted you ... I really love Luna. At that time I did not know she was pregnant. She only told me by letter but by then, it was too late. She had already left. When I arrived, everything was already gone¡­ and destroyed, so I thought she died in a city attack in Germany." Lauriel shook his head and pressed on his aching chest, recalling the horrific event from more than a hundred years ago. "I was not aware that she managed to escape to Romania and gave birth there ... Had I known, I would have searched for you all to the ends of the earth."


    Alaric began to falter at Lauriel''s explanation. Maybe there really was a misunderstanding between Lauriel and Portia... that led to him hearing the wrong story. The man in front of him seemed completely devastated when he talked about Luna.


    "Ten years ago you learned that I was your son ... but you still didn''t look for me," Alaric finally said. "I told everything to that girl ... The girl you ordered to disguise as Aleksis to trap me."


    Lauriel frowned, trying to digest Alaric''s words. What did that mean ...?


    Did Marion know ...??


    "Marion said nothing to me ..." Lauriel replied in confusion. "Ever since that mission, she didn''t want to see me. If she knew, she should have told me ..."


    Aleksis finally understood what happened.


    Marion must have discovered that Alaric was Lauriel''s son. The incident traumatized her because she felt responsible for the death of her friend''s child.


    That must be why Marion went into seclusion for ten years.


    The incident terrified her too much ...


    "Uncle Rory is telling the truth ..." Aleksis took her husband''s hand and held it, trying to calm him down, "Marion never said anything. She has been hiding for ten years. We didn''t know ¡­ None of us knew."


    Seeing Lauriel''s grieving face, and feeling Aleksis''s soft grip on his hand, Alaric''s heart stirred.


    Maybe Lauriel really didn''t know ...


    Alaric closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them and finally nodded. "Okay."

 Chapter 538 - The Moment Of Truth

    Alaric''s answer made Lauriel feel relieved.


    "Do you really believe me?" he asked in a shaky voice. His face showed relief and he began to smile when he saw Alaric nodded reluctantly. "I really want you both. I didn''t know about any of you for almost a hundred years ..."


    Alaric frowned at his father''s last sentence. He did not understand what Lauriel meant just now. Both?


    Aleksis immediately realized, just as Lauriel did not know Alaric was his son, Alaric did not know that when he was born, he had a twin brother.


    "My mother died after giving birth to me ... What do you mean - both?" Alaric asked in confusion. "Did anyone claim to be my mother''s child to you?"


    Aleksis and Lauriel looked at each other. They didn''t understand either. What was clear was DNA testing had been done and Nicolae had been proven to be Lauriel''s flesh and blood.


    "Nicolae ... met Uncle Rory in Singapore ten years ago and the DNA tests showed that he is Uncle Rory''s son. Nobody knew Uncle Rory had a child before the incident until Nicolae got injured and needed a blood transfusion ..." Aleksis explained. "He didn''t claim anything..."


    Alaric shook his head. "This is impossible. My mother died after giving birth to me, no other child was born. I have proof. She asked the midwife to cut her hair so she could give it to me ... I also often visited her grave."


    Aleksis remembered the locket Alaric had given her. It contained his mother''s hair. She subconsciously touched her neck. Unfortunately, the locket was long gone.


    Lauriel was stunned. Long ago, he had taken a leather string necklace from Aleksis'' neck which he later passed to Marion. He indeed remembered that there were a few strands of purple hair inside the locket...


    He just realized that he actually had held Luna''s hair in his hand.


    Oh God ... he was close to finding out his son''s existence!


    "The necklace is gone," Lauriel said in a very apologetic voice. "But even without Luna''s hair, I believe you. We don''t need a DNA test to know you''re my son."


    Alaric was silent. He still could not digest Lauriel''s words, that there was another man acknowledged as his father''s son. And this person was allegedly not the son of another woman.


    Apparently, there was never any other woman ...


    Did he really have a brother? If that''s the case ... it meant that his brother also had lived for almost a hundred years alone, without knowing who he was.


    He remembered the loneliness and confusion he experienced at the early stage of his life. Everyone else he knew grew old and died ... while he alone remained the same, appearance-wise, unchanging. But deep within, he was falling into darkness.


    Alaric finally took a deep breath. He did not know what happened which led to his mother giving birth to two children. It was also a puzzle how these two children ended up living separately, but he could see from Lauriel''s eyes that his father was not lying about this.


    "Honey ..." Aleksis grabbed Alaric''s right hand and held it gently. "I think I know what happened. Nicolae told me that he was raised by the hospital doctor who helped your mother in her delivery in a hospital in Romania. This took place before the airstrike. The doctor said Nicolae''s mother died after giving birth, that he only managed to save the newborn baby. Years later, when Nicolae looked for his mother''s tracks, he could not find her grave. Maybe ... maybe his mother did not pass away when they left the hospital in the middle of the airstrike. You told me, at that time the hospital staff was evacuated ... there was only a local midwife who helped your mother. This midwife was the one who then took you to the orphanage..."


    Lauriel felt his chest tighten when he heard that Alaric was born after the hospital got destroyed by an airstrike and grew up in an orphanage. He could not imagine how hard life must have been for his second son, surviving alone ... without the love and protection of his parents.


    At least Nicolae was raised by a doctor who gave him a loving family.


    Oh, my poor child, Lauriel thought bitterly. No wonder he grew up with hatred in his heart and then became involved in the underworld. Later on, he was even known for his animosity toward humans.


    His child''s resentment towards humans was far more extensive and deeply rooted than anything Lauriel had ever felt. For a moment he realized how similar this young man was to him. They were both aloof, despised humans, and no strangers to violence.


    Lauriel looked at his lost child with teary eyes. From the moment Alaric was born, bitterness and hardships surrounded him. Lauriel had heard about his son''s actions as Alaric Rhionen and now as Elios Linden. Aware of what he all went through, it was now easy to see where all the anger and resentment had come from.


    Alaric involuntarily clenched his fists in anger. He was again reminded of how terrible the fate experienced by his mother was just because those damnable humans started a war!


    Aleksis saw that Alaric''s body suddenly started trembling in rage. She hurriedly embraced her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Sssh ... I know you''re angry ... but it''s all in the past now. Please, don''t let anger consume you any further. Keeping resentment and hatred in your heart will only hurt you. Please, Honey, don''t be angry ... I''m scared to see you get angry like this..."


    As if hit by a very cold splash of water, Alaric fell silent. His balled fists then slowly fell down, loosening. He did not want to scare his wife.


    Alaric took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. Afterward, he hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "I''m sorry ... I''m just upset. I won''t be angry in front of you again."


    Lauriel could only look at the scene in front of him in awe. Aleksis and Alaric appeared very compatible. It seemed that no matter how angry his son was, Aleksis could easily calm him down. Anyone could see that toward Aleksis, Alaric only had a great love for her. He would do anything for her.


    Ah ... and aren''t they already married?


    Tears welled up from the senior alchemist''s eyes again. He realized that Altair and Vega looked very similar to Alaric, although at first glance they could pass as Nicolae''s biological children.


    Now everything made sense. The two kids were his own grandchildren. They were Aleksis'' children with Alaric. The latter was his biological child, Nicolae''s brother. Nicolae and Alaric were fraternal twins.


    Oh ... how good the universe had been to him ... Lauriel was given two perfect children. One son inherited Luna''s personality but was born very similar to him in appearance, while the other was born physically very similar to Luna, yet the personality seemed to have been gotten from him.


    He would never have to mourn his misfortune again for not having a family. He had been blessed beyond measure with perfect children. He even had two extraordinary grandchildren ... His life was finally complete.


    Extreme happiness caused his sight to become blurry.

 Chapter 539 - Bitterness Filled His Chest

    "We better go back and meet everyone," Lauriel said to them. "I''m sure so many people will be happy to hear the news ..."


    Alaric turned to Lauriel and for a moment he was silent. He did not want to go back and meet anyone. For him, his wife was enough. But then, he remembered that Aleksis already had a child with her future husband. Of course, the conditions were now rather complicated so he couldn''t simply bring his spouse home. With a heavy heart, he nodded.


    "The wedding must be canceled," he said firmly. "Aleksis is my wife. I will take her home no matter what."


    Lauriel nodded in agreement. Although he was very sad when he remembered Nicolae who loved Aleksis so much, it was still a fact that his goddaughter was married to Alaric. Her husband was still alive. And the two of them even had children together ... Of course, it would be impossible to force a marriage between Aleksis and Nicolae.


    They had to tell the whole family about this.


    "Is ... my brother''s name Nicolae?" All of a sudden, Alaric asked Lauriel. It just crossed his mind that his wife repeatedly mentioned that name before. His thoughts fell on the young man who used to be with Terry and Aleksis in Singapore.


    Was that Nicolae really his brother?


    It meant that they had almost met several times.


    "That''s right. Your brother''s name is Nicolae," replied Lauriel. He looked so moved when the words left his lips. Nicolae had a younger brother, because Lauriel had two sons. It was so far from his previous life. He used to explore the earth in solitude, feeling alone.


    Ever since he met Aleksis in San Francisco, his whole life changed for the better. This goddaughter of his made him find a purpose in life and no longer want Death. She also found his two missing sons. The first one was when Aleksis was studying in Singapore, and the other was because she was obsessed with him and had searched for him for eight years.


    Without Aleksis, Lauriel would still be alone. And now, not only had his two sons returned, but she also gave him two extraordinary grandchildren.


    Lauriel loved this girl more than his own life ...


    "But you should let me carry Aleksis inside so that people would not be surprised. At the same time, I would treat her wounds," Lauriel persuaded Alaric in a soft voice. "We shouldn''t create an unnecessary commotion."


    "Uncle Rory is right," Aleksis said. Her family and relatives who came had no idea that Alaric Rhionen was still alive. They would be surprised if they see her in the arms of a foreign man when she was supposed to marry Nicolae tomorrow. "Honey ... let''s go in and explain everything slowly, okay?"


    Since Aleksis said so, Alaric could only nod. He handed her to Lauriel who then carried her like a princess. They walked lightly back into the castle, followed by Alaric.


    "Aleksis ..." Lauriel whispered shortly before they reached the entrance. "Thank you."


    The girl looked at her godfather with teary eyes and bobbed her head, "Uncle Rory ... my husband is still alive. Alaric is your son ... I am very happy."


    When they entered the hall, the entire extended family were chatting with each other while waiting for them to share their news and enjoy a meal with them.


    Nicolae was the first one to see his father coming while carrying Aleksis. Together with Vega, he hurried over to them.


    "Hey, what happened to Aleksis?" He was about to take Aleksis from Lauriel, but the latter shook his head and brought the woman to a large, comfortable sofa. He then placed her there.


    After ordering a servant to bring medicine, he began to rinse Aleksis'' feet with water and wiped them with cloth. A while later, he officially began the treatment. Only then did they see that the girl''s feet were covered in small wounds as they had ran over sharp gravels and bush branches while chasing after Alaric.


    Finland, Caspar, and everyone present could only stay still because Lauriel gave them a sign that he should not be disturbed while treating his goddaughter.


    Meanwhile, Nicolae was having a bad feeling as he still had not forgotten that his father arrived followed by a handsome young man with a unique appearance. He could not be mistaken. He saw that young man talking with Aleksis in the library earlier.


    "What''s wrong with Mommy, Daddy Nic?" Vega asked in concern.


    "Mommy is hurt, let Grandpa treat her first, don''t disturb them," Nicolae answered with a hint of reluctance in his tone.


    When he looked closely, he realized that the man giving him discomfort was the famous Elios Linden. He remembered seeing him at the Ritz Gala with Terry.


    Why is he here? Does he have anything to do with my mother''s family? Nicolae secretly wondered to himself.


    His astonishment grew when he saw Lauriel letting Elios Linden come near him. No words of reprimand were even said when the young man sat next to Aleksis even though Lauriel clearly gestured to everyone that he should not be disturbed.


    What exactly happened? What was the relationship between them ...?


    At the same time that Nicolae was lost in his thoughts, Alaric was watching Vega who was in Nicolae''s embrace, holding a small dog. Ah ... the dog in her arms looked like Little Prince Siegfried a lot. Was that the same dog?


    Hmm ... the boy said his dog died of old age, that his father would give him a new dog.


    Maybe this was the new one.


    Alaric''s chest tightened. He unconsciously turned to Nicolae and looked at him enviously. His brother had a child with Aleksis ... Their child was very smart and adorable.


    "Gosh ... what happened to Mommy??" suddenly there was a crisp voice coming from the door. Altair, who had just arrived with London, entered.


    "Mommy is okay, my feet just got hurt a little by some gravel," explained Aleksis in a soft voice, trying to appease her children. "I''m being treated now. So, don''t worry."


    Alaric turned to where the voice came from. He then immediately froze in place. He had to squint several times before realizing that this new child was wearing different clothes from the one in Nicolae''s embrace with a dog. He wore a white shirt made of silk and casual light blue trousers that made him look like a little prince.


    On the other hand, the child carrying the dog was wearing loose tops in light blue, paired with white shorts and elegant blue sandals.


    There were two of them?


    His brow wrinkled and his eyes were immediately filled with questions.


    Altair noticed that Alaric was sitting next to his mother so he immediately greeted him in a crisp voice. "Hi ... Uncle Lavender, are you also a guest at my mother''s birthday party?"


    "Today ... is your birthday?" the man softly asked his wife. He did not know that it was today.


    In various documents found by Pavel about Aleksis, the date of birth written there was fake.


    Aleksis nodded slowly.


    "Oh ..." Alaric was speechless.


    He didn''t even know Aleksis'' real birthday. The thought made him feel so complicated again.


    Even though Aleksis was his wife, the facts could not be denied ... they had only been together for a week, so he did not know much about her, including her real birthday.


    However, Nicolae ... ten years ago he was already with Aleksis and had spent a lot of time with her. This even included celebrating birthdays together. The man had also been accepted by Aleksis'' family. He was friendly with Aleksis'' brothers and was on good terms with her parents ... and already had two adorable children with her...


    Bitterness filled Alaric''s chest as he realized that he had lost ten precious years ...


    No matter how great his wealth and power were ... he would not be able to turn back time and restore the lost opportunities.


    Although Aleksis still loved him, the facts could not be denied. For the past ten years, she had been in a relationship with Nicolae because she thought he was gone.

 Chapter 540 - Bad Premonition

    Seeing Alaric''s sad face, Aleksis almost hugged him, but she soon realized that there were many people paying attention to them and they were waiting for an explanation about what had happened. She had no choice but to restrain herself.


    She also caught a glimpse of Nicolae looking at them in confusion. The man was very kind. Even though he was Aleksis'' future husband, he did not forcefully approach when Lauriel asked not to be disturbed. He patiently stood in the corner with Vega who was in his arms.


    "Your wounds have been treated. Tomorrow you should be able to walk like before." After a while, Lauriel finally said.


    "Thank you, Uncle Rory," replied Aleksis.


    "Thank you," Alaric also nodded. He still didn''t have the heart to call Lauriel father.


    Now the awaited moment arrived. The moment of truth.


    Lauriel stood up and glanced around the hall. He then gave a signal for everyone to come closer. With faces full of questions, they gathered around them one by one, taking the various comfortable chairs nearby for themselves.


    Caspar and Finland''s gaze was immediately affixed on Alaric who was situated next to their daughter. Both of them recognized Elios Linden from four years ago, but they had no idea why he was sitting beside her.


    Nicolae stepped forward and approached Aleksis. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and asked softly, "What''s going on here?"


    Aleksis could only hold his hand and rub the back of Nicolae''s hand slowly. The man was her best friend, somebody who almost became her life partner. If her husband had not appeared today, she would be married to Nicolae tomorrow...


    "Nic ..." Aleksis couldn''t find her voice when she spoke. She just paused while holding Nicolae''s hand. He remembered how badly broken-hearted he was ten years ago. Learning about her marriage to another man had made him decide to leave for more than five years ...


    Of course, the truth that would be revealed today would be very hard on him. The two of them had been together for four years and were almost married ... but now she would have to leave him again since there was no way she could marry him. This was why Aleksis subconsciously kept her grip on his hand.


    She hoped to at least reduce Nicolae''s sadness from the news that way, by showing him that she was still his best friend and would always be there for him.


    Alaric saw the anxiety from Aleksis'' eyes and tried his best to refrain from showing negative emotions. He did not want to make her worried once he became angry in front of many people because his wife touched the hands of another man. He could only look away and take a deep breath.


    Lauriel noticed everything though and felt sorry for his two children. Who would have thought they would fall in love with the same woman?


    "I have important news to announce..." he began. Portia and Ned looked at him. They could guess what he would be saying. It seemed Lauriel already knew that Alaric was his son, they thought.


    Everyone looked attentively at Lauriel.


    "In 1945, Luna and I talked about the future and then had a fight about something. Luna wanted to settle somewhere whereas I still wanted adventures. At that time she misunderstood my words and thought I didn''t want to stay with her to build a family. At that time, the world was hit by the second world war. I just wanted to wait until the world became peaceful again.


    She then left me to be with her family. At that time, I didn''t know she was pregnant. I just found out from the letter she left me but by then it was too late for me to catch up. Endo and Neo had been trapped in Manchuria and their lives were in danger ... so my priority was to save my people.


    I thought Luna would be safe in Germany ..." His voice began to crack due to grief, but Lauriel persisted in his explanations. "But then, there was an airstrike in the city and her family''s house was destroyed. I also thought Luna died with everyone ... You guys know what happened afterward."


    Caspar nodded, "You were devastated and decided to disappear for decades."


    Lauriel took a deep breath, "I didn''t know Luna managed to escape to Romania and gave birth to a boy there who was then treated by a hospital doctor and raised as his own child ..."


    Nicolae bobbed his head. He could not bear to hear the same story from his father again. It was making him very sad, "Father... you do not need to continue, we already know what occurred."


    Lauriel shook his head. "I didn''t know that Luna gave birth to our child, so for almost a hundred years I lived miserably, without knowing that my flesh and blood was out there, growing without the love and protection of his parents ..."


    "Uncle ..." whispered Aleksis. She could see that her godfather''s pair of blue-green eyes were starting to glaze over. Lauriel was a man famous for being cold and tough, but today Aleksis witnessed him looking so fragile and sad several times.


    "I met Nicolae ten years ago in Singapore and learned that he was my missing child ... But I did not know that after the doctor at the Romanian hospital took Nicolae from the hospital, and rescued him, Luna was still alive and managed to give birth to another child."


    Instantly, there was a cry of surprise from everyone present. Even Portia never thought that her cousin gave birth to twins. Sophia widened her eyes. This was not a development that she had expected.


    Finland pressed her lips in astonishment. She looked at Alaric who was sitting next to Aleksis and immediately wondered whether the young man was the child Lauriel was talking about.


    "This second child grew up in an orphanage and experienced a very hard life ..." Lauriel''s eyes glistened as he looked at Alaric, imagining how difficult it must have been for him to defend himself against the odds. It was in the midst of difficult times after the war and he was alone.


    Alaric did not appear to be affected. He only stared at his father with a deadpan look. He was not used to showing his feelings. He had only been provoked earlier so his emotions showed, but now he had returned to his calm and unaffected self.


    He was touched by Laurel''s sad and devastated expression, but it was hard for him to judge whether his father really did not know about him ten years ago or if this was just all an excuse. This was why he didn''t react at all.


    Meanwhile, his father''s words deeply surprised Nicolae. He never thought he had a twin brother.


    He looked at Alaric who was sitting next to Aleksis. His mind immediately made crazy guesses ... Was this man ... his biological brother?


    Who was he really? Why did it seem like he and Aleksis were in a special relationship?


    "Father ..." called Nicolae. He suddenly felt that Aleksis tightened her grip on his hand, so he turned to the girl, "Aleksis ...?"


    Nicolae suddenly had a very bad premonition.

 Chapter 541 - All Was Lauriels Fault

    "Sorry, we''re late." Suddenly Terry''s cheerful voice rang from the front door. "Someone is sulking and has run away from home and it took us hours to find her."


    He entered while carrying Jean-Marie on his shoulder. The little girl looked sullen. "I already told you I didn''t want to go anywhere without my beaaaaaar ..."


    "Uh, Little Monkey, we already have 5 dogs at home, okay ..." Terry grumbled. "There is no place for bears."


    The serious atmosphere permeating the room immediately dispersed due to Terry''s arrival. He was with his younger sister. Nicolae released his hand from Aleksis'' grip and hurriedly welcomed his best friend whilst bringing Vega with him.


    "Hey ... welcome, Jean-Marie ... Why is your face so sour? Please meet Vega. You can play with the dog while waiting for your bear, okay..." he said kindly.


    Terry lowered Jean-Marie so she could meet Vega. Nicolae crouched down in front of the little girl to hug her.


    "Uncle Nicolae ..." whimpered Jean-Marie. On her face was still a frown as she kissed Nicolae on the cheeks. She then looked at Vega and the puppy in her arms and held out her hand, "Hi ... I''m Jean-Marie Wang."


    The little girl''s name stunned Finland. Ah ... this must be Jean and Marion''s daughter. Her eyes promptly searched the door, hoping to see Jean walking through from there.


    Sure enough, it wasn''t until a minute later that the friend she had been dearly missing appeared by the door. Before she could say anything, she already found herself rushing over to him.


    "Gosh, Jean ... how have you been? I miss you so much !!" cried Finland in an emotional voice. For ten years she never saw Jean. Even now, she could not understand why he had to join Marion in isolation when he did not really have any problems with Finland and her family.


    She often contacted Jean and invited him to meet, but he always refused, which made her very sad. After all, she had no idea what was happening. Now, seeing Jean reappear before her after ten years made Finland unable to hold back her tears.


    Jean returned Finland''s hug and rubbed her back. He could not give any excuse even though a decade already passed.


    "I''m sorry ..." That was all he could say.


    Marion then appeared behind him. She was still as beautiful and cool as ever, but her eyes now had some hints of melancholy. Her husband''s reunion with Finland made her stunned, and she felt guilty because she realized that she was the reason why Jean could not meet Finland and her children whom he loved so much.


    Marion''s gaze swept across the room and when her eyes fell on Lauriel, her heart trembled. She gathered her courage from within and braved walking towards her former leader. After a decade, it was time to make peace with and face Lauriel and Aleksis. She tried to act okay.


    "Marion ..." Lauriel greeted the woman coldly. He immediately remembered his second child saying that ten years ago he told Marion everything and that he should have known that Alaric was his son.


    The fact was that Marion never said anything ... He was never informed of such important information.


    "Lauriel ..." Marion replied calmly. "How are you?"


    Lauriel''s expression darkened as he realized that even after ten years Marion still wanted to lie to him. His voice hinted exhaustion when he confronted Marion. "What happened ten years ago in Targu Mures?"


    The woman stiffened in an instant. She never thought that Lauriel would suddenly ask her that. What was this?


    It was then that Alaric, who had been hidden from Marion''s view behind Aleksis'' body, rose to his feet. Now she could see the young man who had made her have nightmares for years ... He stood in front of her, looking at her with an icy expression in his face.


    "You ... you''re still alive ...?!" Marion''s muffled screams shocked her husband and so he immediately approached her.


    "What''s wrong? What happened?" Jean asked, putting his arms around Marion''s shoulders. He then turned and saw Lauriel who was looking at her with disappointed and angry eyes. Beside him stood a young man Jean didn''t know.


    Briefly, he felt like he had seen this young man somewhere, but he could not remember where.


    "Marion ... how did you have the heart to hide such important information from me?" Lauriel asked in a voice barely restraining anger. His eyes glistened even though he was trying to hold his emotions back.


    The one being asked immediately felt her chest tighten. It became difficult for her to breathe. With some difficulty, she pounded her chest so she could gasp for air.


    "Ahh .. ah ... I ... I can''t breathe ..." Her eyes were filled with panic as she staggered and tried to find a grip.


    Jean who was very worried hurriedly helped her to sit and unbutton her shirt.


    "Shhh ... calm down ... calm down, Marion. I''m here ..." He tried to help his wife but her condition did not improve. Tears welled up from her eyes as she tried to breathe and at the same time, hold back tears.


    Jean suddenly regretted coming to this event. He and Marion should have stayed at home. He was willing to not meet Finland or everyone else as long as Marion was okay.


    "I attacked and killed my own son and didn''t know his whereabouts for ten years ... because you lied to me!" In the end, Lauriel could no longer restrain his emotions and punched the pillar beside him out of frustration.


    Tears dripped down from his eyes as he recalled the event. Vivid in his memories was how the person they had shot disappeared and how Marion said Alaric Rhionen had fallen into the gorge. However, he was certain that even if the person had been injured or died when he got shot, it was impossible for the body to fall into the gorge by itself ...


    Now he realized that it was Marion who pushed his son''s body down the gorge... maybe it was to prevent him from knowing that he had just killed his own child.


    Marion took several breaths and with Jean''s help, finally managed to calm herself. She then looked at Alaric who was standing and staring at her coldly. Her heart immediately sank. She would never be able to forget that face. Alaric often visited her in her nightmares.


    Subconsciously, her tears flowed profusely. She remembered Alaric getting hit by a barrage of bullets. Before falling to the ground, the young man gave her a look filled with disappointment ... In the last few seconds, before he closed his eyes, he must have realized that he got deceived by Marion who had disguised as Aleksis.


    "You ... are ¡­ Alaric Rhionen ..." Between her sobs that could no longer be held back, the woman inhaled. "I''m sorry ...  please forgive us ..."


    Everyone present was immediately surprised by her apology.


    "Why did you hide this information, Marion? I''m so disappointed in you!" Lauriel hissed while suppressing his anger and sadness at the same time. "You threw his body down the gorge so I wouldn''t find him... Why?? How could you?!"


    Lauriel approached Marion and shook her shoulders with deep disappointment. Jean who saw Marion being scolded immediately brushed Lauriel''s hands. He then pushed the man with all his strength until he staggered backward.


    "DON''T TOUCH MY WIFE!" The former actor snapped, no less angry than the other man. "You can''t treat my wife like that. She''s no longer a member of your crew!"


    "Marion threw away my son''s body back then and all this time, she has been hiding the truth... I was too late in finding his whereabouts for ten years ... You have children, right? How would you feel if, for a decade, your child was taken away from you without your knowledge?" Lauriel shouted at Jean.


    His disappointment at himself came out loud. It took over him because he had actually abandoned Alaric all his life. He felt guilty and angry with himself for what happened.


    "She did it for you, jerk!" Jean could not stand the other blaming his wife. He pulled Marion to his chest and looked at Lauriel with fire in his eyes.


    "She hid the truth because YOU killed your own biological child ... Marion was afraid you would blame yourself and that it would destroy you, just like when your girlfriend died. Marion loved and respected you so much that she threw Alaric''s body down the cliff so that you would never know that the man you attacked and killed by yourself is your own son!!"


    Jean became as emotional as Lauriel. He had endured suffering for ten years too, due to Marion''s traumatized condition, and he was not willing if Marion had to endure all the blame just because his wife wanted to protect Lauriel.


    "You know, my wife took that sin alone ... For ten years, she was traumatized and constantly living in fear because she had to keep all these secrets to protect your feelings!! Don''t you dare blame her for what happened !!"


    Lauriel was instantly rooted in his spot due to Jean''s words. He felt devastated because it turned out that once again, he was the ultimate source of all his griefs.


    If only he had not said the wrong things to Luna and followed his girlfriend''s wishes to settle down somewhere and raise a family, she would not have left him and died in the war ...


    Their children would not be separated and lived alone for a hundred years ...


    He would not have caused Alaric''s death...


    And Marion would not need to hide the heartbreaking truth...


    This is all my fault, Lauriel reflected bitterly ... I am responsible for everything ...

 Chapter 542 - Father And Sons

    Portia pressed a hand on her chest trying to hold back her sadness. Now, she could see that Lauriel really did not know what happened to Luna and Alaric. Lauriel''s face was filled with deep sorrow and she understood that he felt very sorry.


    Alaric looked alternately between Altair and Vega. His heart ached, thinking that if ten years ago his father had not targeted him and caused his ''death'', Aleksis would not have had a relationship with Nicolae and bore two children for him ...


    Even though he finally learned that Lauriel really did not know what had happened at the time, it was still very difficult for him to forgive him ...


    Meanwhile, Nicolae was frozen in his place ... What he just heard surprised him greatly. However, as he was an intelligent person, his mind immediately connected every piece of information he had received. He then came to a conclusion.


    The stranger was his missing brother ...


    And he was also Alaric Rhionen ...


    He was Aleksis'' husband whom everyone thought have died ...


    And he was also Altair and Vega''s biological father ...


    In an instant, Nicolae''s face turned pale and his head hurt.


    Lauriel who was still blaming himself sat down and buried his face in his hands. His whole figure seemed to be drowning in deep sorrow.


    "Uncle Rory ..." In the end, Aleksis could not bear to see Lauriel so devastated so she took the initiative to approach him. She saw that Nicolae was still shocked. As for her husband, it seemed very difficult for him to forgive his father. She forgot her feet were still injured so her body staggered and pain assaulted her when she attempted to approach Lauriel. "Ouch ... my feet ..."


    "Sshh ... don''t walk yet." When he heard Aleksis whimpering, Alaric swiftly walked over to her, wanting to carry her so she would not have to walk. However, she gently brushed his hand and then continued to approach Lauriel by walking on her own.


    "Uncle ... Uncle Rory ..." Lovingly, Aleksis hugged her godfather who was grieving. She cried on his shoulders. "Uncle ... everything was a matter of the past now. We''re all fine. Please stop blaming yourself ... You didn''t know. Ignorance is not a sin ... Uncle, please don''t mourn anymore ... We are all here and we are all fine now..."


    The atmosphere became solemn, only Aleksis'' sobs could be heard. After all, everyone now grasped what took place before Luna died and ten years ago when Alaric Rhionen was declared dead.


    Marion, who had finally managed to pull herself together, took a deep breath and slowly sauntered towards Alaric. The man was silently standing behind Lauriel and Aleksis, watching as the two their hearts out, the former in a restrained manner that was still comparably tragic as the latter.


    "Alaric ..." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "I was the one you met at Targu Mures last time. I disguised as Aleksis to entrap you. We did it because of a misunderstanding. We all thought that Aleksis was pulled into danger because of you when she became involved with you. But then, I heard from you, that you really loved her very much and that you two were already married. ¡­ That''s when I realized it''s all a terrible mistake. I tried to prevent Lauriel and my friends from coming after you¡­ However..."


    Marion''s explanation did not make Alaric budge. His chest was filled with hatred because it was still fresh in his memories of how this girl deceived him. But, on the surface, his face still looked the same, indifferent.


    "My confusion grew when you showed me Princess Luna''s hair that is in this locket ... I immediately realized that you are Lauriel''s son and so I panicked. I didn''t want you to know that it was your father chasing after you ... I didn''t want you to hate your father. I can''t imagine how devastated he would be once he discovered that his own son hated him because of this misunderstanding. This is why I kept it a secret and planned to wait until I could meet Lauriel in person."


    Marion took Aleksis'' necklace out of her bag, and handed it to Alaric, "Unfortunately, it was already too late. They thought you were a bad person and that you wanted to hurt me so they shot you down from the helicopter.


    I panicked and was also heartbroken. I checked all your vital signs and assumed you were dead... I couldn''t bear to imagine how broken Lauriel''s heart would be if he found out that he killed his own child ... Maybe that time, I simply could not think clearly so I took a shortcut. I threw you down the gorge and hid this necklace ...


    You didn''t know how badly Lauriel changed in a hundred years... Your mother''s death impacted him so much that he almost punished himself with Death. I only didn''t want that to happen ... I''m sorry ... I am the one who should be blamed ... not Lauriel. He doesn''t know anything ..."


    Alaric finally received his wife''s necklace back with a trembling hand. He previously thought he would never be able to hold his mother''s hair in his hands again. He opened the locket and pulled out a strand of purple hair that was very similar to his own, a drop of tear ran down from his eyes to his cheek.


    "Mother forced the midwife who helped her give birth to me to cut her hair before she died ..." Alaric said quietly, "Maybe, back then, she had a feeling that one day, I will need it to prove my identity. Unfortunately, I actually never needed it ..."


    Upon seeing Alaric pulling out his mother''s hair from the locket, Nicolae instantly felt touched. He had no memento whatsoever in his person and did not know anything about his mother. However, he was cared for and grew up in a happy family.


    He could already guess how Alaric''s life had been. He was alone and had to fend for himself since he was without parents and relatives to protect him. His life must have been so hard and terrible that he later entered the underworld.


    Nicolae came to understand who Alaric Rhionen really was.


    He spent years investigating Rhionen Industries and Rhionen Assassins, and concluded that the man truly resented humans ...


    Now he knew why.


    He then realized how similar Alaric was to Lauriel ¡­ It was leaving him no leeway but to believe that he and Alaric were brothers.


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to relieve the pain in his head. He understood how difficult Aleksis'' position was right now as she continued to hold his hand. He also could relate to his father''s sadness ...


    He could also foresee that there would be no wedding tomorrow. After all, the woman he loved, who, for ten years, had filled his heart, had and was still married to his own brother.


    He knew that soon they would talk about his brother and Aleksis'' reunion. He would have to be the bigger man and return her and her children to Alaric Rhionen, the woman''s real husband and the father of the twins.


    Nicolae observed Alaric and realized that even now, the other man had no idea that he was the father of Aleksis'' two children. It could be seen from his cold and awkward attitude towards Altair and Vega.


    Oh, my poor brother... said Nicolae to himself while taking a few deep breaths. His head still felt very painful and his whole body was heating up. He closed his eyes and let himself be lost in his thoughts. He knew he had to make an important decision.

 Chapter 543 - The Sad Truth

    "Altair ... come here," Nicolae opened his eyes and spread his arms so the little boy could come closer. Vega who was in his arms looked a bit surprised by the man''s action. However, Altair simply approached and Nicolae who was crouching down waiting for him immediately hugged him. "My lovely children. Daddy wants to tell you something."


    The faces of the two very similar-looking children were full of question marks.


    "What''s up, Daddy?" Altair asked, innocently blinking his eyes.


    "You and Vega were born on the same day from Mommy Aleksis. You know about this, right?" Nicolae asked them gently. The two nodded. He then smiled broadly, hiding the sadness in his eyes. "Daddy Nic was also born on the same day as your father. We are from the same father and mother, just like how you two are also from the same father and mother."


    The two pairs of eyes went round and their lips uncontrollably let out muffled sounds.


    "Really ... Is that true??" Altair asked in surprise. He was very shocked finding out that he and the man he considered his father all this time actually had blood relations with him.


    Alaric who was watching the scene from the sideline was also stunned by what he heard from the conversation between Nicolae and his two children.


    What did he say?


    "That''s right. Daddy Nic and your father are siblings. Daddy Alaric had to go far away for a few years because he went through hardships, but now Daddy Alaric is back. You have to cheer him up because he really misses you two ..." Nicolae said. He stood up and took Vega in his left hand and Altair in his right. "There he is, over there ..."


    Alaric froze in place. His mind refused to work when he saw Nicolae walking towards him with the twins whom he had just realized were looking very similar to himself in tow ...


    Didn''t they inherit his hair and face ...? And Altair, wasn''t his face and appearance like Alaric''s spitting image? Why did he fail to recognize his own children and even think that they were Nicolae''s children ...?


    When his twin brother arrived right in front of him, the two men stood face to face with each other. Alaric remembered that he had seen Nicolae several times in some old footage when he was with Terry and Aleksis in Singapore. Four years ago, he also remembered seeing him at the Ritz Gala with Terry.


    Now he could understand why it was so easy for people to distinguish that Nicolae was Lauriel''s son. The young man''s face took after their father. Alaric was now aware that despite being twins, their appearances were different. He was born resembling their mother, while Nicolae looked like their father...


    About his two children, although at first glance they looked like Nicolae''s children, in reality, they both took after Alaric...


    Oh God ... he just realized that Aleksis had been living and raising their two children, Altair and Vega, in ten years alone, with Nicolae as a father figure for them.


    And oh ... their children''s names were Altair and Vega!


    Alaric recalled that night on his ship, more than ten years ago ... when he and Aleksis made love for the first time ...


    "Uncle Lavender ..." said Altair, smiling. He reached out to grasp Alaric''s left hand, "Lavender is my mother''s favorite flower."


    Alaric stood rooted in place. He could not move because too many emotions welled up in his chest. He could not calm his heart down...


    This adorable child was his son with Aleksis. This afternoon the child said his voice was like lavender ... and lavender was Aleksis'' favorite flower.


    Nicolae let go of his two children and moved toward the still dumbfounded man. Unexpectedly, he hugged his brother very tightly. Alaric could only stare without knowing how to respond...


    "Nice to meet you, Alaric. Hello again ..." Nicolae said softly.


    Over a hundred years ago, they had been together for nine months within their mother''s womb. After Nicolae was born, he and Alaric were separated and only managed to reunite again today. Four years ago when Nicola accompanied Terry at the Ritz Gala, they only bumped into each other, yet even that was only through the Virconnect facility.


    Alaric, who normally didn''t like being touched, felt his chest warmed as Nicolae hugged him. Their bodies were of the same height and physically very similar. It felt so right when they were in each other''s embrace. It was as if they were the same person.


    After a while, Nicolae loosened his arms and gently knocked his forehead onto Alaric''s before looking into the man''s eyes. "Brother..."


    Alaric''s usually cold eyes slowly began to glimmer as he nodded slowly and murmured, "Nicolae ..."


    He suddenly froze in place again because Nicolae crouched down and pulled his hand, prompting him to follow.


    "Altair ... this is your father, Vega ... this is your father ..." Nicolae said to his two children.


    Vega narrowed her eyes and reluctantly looked at Alaric. She subconsciously hid behind Nicolae. Earlier, in the library, she only clung onto the arms of this stranger because she thought he was an ordinary guest. However, just now, Nicolae told her that the man was in reality, her biological father. Vega couldn''t help but look awkward.


    Altair also looked doubtful. He liked this Uncle Lavender, but he didn''t know how to behave now that it was revealed that this person was his father ...


    "Daddy ..." Vega whispered a moment later. "I''m scared..."


    Upon hearing his daughter''s words, Alaric immediately felt that his throat became dry. Why were his own children afraid of him? Was he really that terrible?


    "That''s not what she meant ..." said Nicolae hurriedly to Alaric in an apologetic manner, "Vega often mixed up fear with confusion or worry."


    "Father was gone for a long time ..." Vega said finally in a shy voice. Tears began to well up from her eyes. "Father doesn''t love us. I''m afraid he will leave us again. I want Daddy Nic... Daddy Nic never leaves..."


    Alaric felt his heart getting broken by Vega''s explanation. He realized that during these ten years he had lost a lot of time. He even had no idea that Aleksis had given birth to his children.


    If he knew ... even if he had to die, he would try his best to find them and protect them.


    But he never knew ...


    Aleksis immediately approached them without caring about her injured feet.


    "Honey ... it''s okay ... don''t worry, Mommy is here ..." she said while hugging Vega. She knew her children were greatly shaken by the shocking information. Aleksis wanted to stop Nicolae and Alaric from making Altair and Vega even more confused. "We can talk about this later ... now you just come with Mommy, alright?"


    Vega freed herself from her mother and insisted on hugging Nicolae, "I only want Daddy Nic..."


    Aleksis sighed. Sadness crossed her face. She could not force the little girl to let go of Nic. She turned around and looked at Alaric apologetically. The man looked back at her with teary eyes. He shook his head softly.


    "It''s okay," he said softly. He helped Aleksis stand up and then hugged her. "It''s okay, Honey. It''s my fault. I wasn''t in their lives from the start ..."


    "But you didn''t know ..." whispered Aleksis sadly. "Give them time."


    "I understand," Alaric answered. For him, nothing else mattered in this world, apart from getting his Aleksis back. The children were just nice bonuses. He never knew that he had two kids with his wife. He was very surprised. He felt his chest churn in excitement when he found out that the two adorable children were his own flesh and blood ...

 Chapter 544 - True Love Means Letting Go

    For Alaric, nothing else mattered in this world, apart from getting his Aleksis back. The children were just nice bonuses. He never knew that he had two kids with his wife.


    He was very surprised. He felt his chest churn in excitement when he found out that the two adorable children were his own flesh and blood ...


    But the feeling of euphoria disappeared soon since reality hit him cruelly. His children had never felt his presence as a father and so they had considered another man as such.


    Although his heart ached because they could not yet accept him, he must tolerate this fact since he was not in their lives for ten years. He must be fair and let Nicolae be the father chosen by his children. He could not force his way in.


    True love means letting go. He would never force his kids to love him back ...


    "Uncle Lavender ..." Aleksis and Alaric were shocked when they heard Altair, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Are you really my father?"


    Alaric faced the boy and nodded. "I believe so..."


    "Ah ... alright." Altair stretched out his hand again and took Alaric''s right hand.


    "You ... you don''t reject me?" Alaric asked in amazement. "You''re not afraid of me?"


    Altair shook his head. In fact, he was happy to find out that the uncle he had met this afternoon was his father. He could see himself in Alaric and felt an instant connection between them.


    He was very happy because after he grew up, he knew that he would grow strong and handsome like his father. It wouldn''t matter if right now he looked like a girl. My father must have looked like me when he was young too, he thought.


    Tears welled up from Alaric''s eyes as he knelt and hugged Altair very tightly.


    "Oh ... my son..." he whispered in a hoarse voice.


    For the first time in several years, Alaric let his emotions fully show. He hugged and then kissed the boy''s cheeks.


    This was his son, conceived by his love with the only woman he loves. If fate had not separated them, Alaric would have done everything for Aleksis and his children, including sacrificing his life.


    Unfortunately, he was separated from his family without knowing this important information ...


    He didn''t know ...


    He did not know that he was not alone ...


    "I''ll talk to you for as long as you want. I''ll make you see lavender whenever you want." Alaric promised with a smile. Within a very short span of time, his face that was cold and always wearing a flat expression began to show happiness and a variety of other expressions at once.


    Altair smiled widely and spread his arms.


    "I see lavender..." he whispered into Alaric''s ear. "It''s like summer."


    His father smiled and nodded. He then looked up and stared at Aleksis deeply. His lips silently mouthed ''thank you''.


    Aleksis smiled and nodded, before suddenly dashing to her husband and kissing Alaric.


    Aleksis felt so happy that she could no longer hold her feelings. Alaric closed his eyes and enjoyed Aleksis''s kiss on his lips. He had never been so happy in his life.


    "Uhmm... I can''t breathe..." Altair, who got sandwiched between the two, voiced out.


    His parents were immediately awoken and hurriedly broke free. Aleksis bashfully smiled, as she was the one who took the initiative to kiss Alaric in front of everyone.


    Now that the problem had been resolved with Lauriel, Nicolae, and her children, she felt extremely relieved. She couldn''t hold back and pulled herself closer to Alaric as if she didn''t want to let go anymore.


    "Hmm... I didn''t expect things to end this way..." Portia suddenly spoke up. She had been paying attention to what was happening and could only press her chest. She recalled the events ten years ago when she first met Alaric in Glasgow. At that time, she noticed how Alaric barely ever smiled.


    Portia only saw the young man smile once when he received a phone call from his wife. Now, Portia saw the same smile of happiness on her adopted son''s face when Aleksis was by his side, and the lady understood that this girl was indeed the same person who had once made Alaric happy.


    Alaric seemed happy only when he''s with this girl, Portia thought. She observed Aleksis and thought of how the girl was perfect. She was beautiful, her manners were flawless, and moreover, she was the daughter of Caspar Schneider.


    Portia couldn''t think of another girl who could match Aleksis in terms of beauty and heredity. She then remembered Kit Blue and a number of other girls she had wanted to match with Alaric. Now she understood that none of them had even half of what Aleksis had.


    Everyone turned toward Portia and tried to guess what she was going to say. Portia''s opinions inevitably held importance, as she was a noble''s daughter from the most respected family. Not only that, but she also held great influence within the clan.


    "Neither did I," Caspar responded to Portia''s words. "I''ve met Eli, and we''ve had our disagreements on numerous things. Today''s events are completely beyond my expectations."


    Alaric looked at Caspar without blinking. He knew that Caspar meant the mindset of those who contradicted the Alchemist clan. His hand on Aleksis''s tightened as if he was ready to run away with her if Caspar were to refuse to give his blessing.


    "This is all because you didn''t announce your daughter," Portia grumbled. "You only announced your sons. If I knew you had a daughter, I could''ve known earlier that my daughter-in-law was still alive."


    Caspar frowned and pointed at Sophia, who was sitting next to Portia, "I hid my daughter to protect her. Don''t you know that Alexei, Sophia''s brother, kidnapped and poisoned my daughter, almost bringing her to death''s doorstep? I only prevented malicious people like them from disturbing her. I''ve almost lost my daughter several times already. It''s only natural that I become more protective of her."


    "Sophia?" Portia turned to Sophia, who suddenly turned pale. "Alexei did that? Did you know about it?"

 Chapter 545 - Alarics Wrath

    Portia was shocked to hear Caspar''s remark about how Alexei almost killed Caspar''s daughter. And Sophia knew about Aleksis'' identity from the beginning?? She can''t help but feel rage in her heart. She loved Alaric like her own son and she couldn''t stand seeing him suffer like this.


    "Sophia?" Portia turned to Sophia, who suddenly turned pale. "Alexei did that? Did you know about it?"


    Sophia looked away, trying not to return Portia''s sharp gaze.


    "Sophia knew that Aleksis is my daughter. Has she never told you?" Caspar asked in puzzlement. He looked both disappointed and upset. Sophia clearly knew that Aleksis was his daughter, as she had also been the one who told Alexei about Caspar''s daughter. "Sophia, I forgave you for pitting me and Finland, but it looks like you still haven''t changed!"


    Alaric was very surprised to hear that his cousin had deliberately hidden this important information from him. He was also furious when he learned that Aleksis was almost killed by Sophia''s brother.


    He let go of Aleksis''s hand and moved quickly to get Sophia. His right hand then grabbed the girl''s neck and lifted her into the air.


    "Your brother wanted to kill Aleksis? And you knew about Aleksis from the beginning, but deliberately hid it from me. Why did you do that, Sophia?!" he asked in a deep voice. He had never been this angry.


    Everyone was very surprised to see Alaric''s reactions. Sophia reached out and kicked in panic, trying to free herself from Alaric, but he was too strong for her. Fear immediately crept up in her mind. She knew what her cousin was capable of.


    She realized Alaric could be cruel and now thought that she should have escaped quickly because sooner or later, they would find out about her role in this misunderstanding... But earlier, she had been too shocked and had no time to escape.


    "Aghhh.... he¡­ help... me..." Sophia''s pained and suffocated voice shocked everyone there. For a moment, they couldn''t do anything. Fortunately, Nicolae quickly approached Alaric and pulled his hand to release Sophia.


    "Alaric, don''t... Please stop this. Your children are watching. You shouldn''t frighten them..." he firmly reminded. He grabbed his brother''s shoulder and exerted pressure so Alaric''s arms slowly dropped and released Sophia''s neck.


    The girl fell to the floor and coughed while holding her neck. She was frightened. She had just escaped such danger, and the experience exhausted her.


    Nicolae restrained Alaric, who was still furious and patted his shoulder in an attempt to try to calm his angry brother. Alaric slowly controlled himself and silently stood still, sharply staring at Sophia.


    "Sophia... You deliberately hid this... How could you?" Portia asked in a disappointed tone. "I really didn''t think you would do this to your own cousin..."


    "This is all because of Aleksis..." Sophia whispered, trying to catch her breath. "Because of her, my brother was sentenced to death... I don''t have anyone else now..."


    Lauriel walked toward Portia and held her hand, "Portia... I was the one who sentenced Alexei to death. He tried to kill my goddaughter, and he also set me up using Luna''s name. Caspar was still kind enough to let Sophia take Alexei to Switzerland and live quietly there, not lacking anything. If you want to be angry because of what happened to Alexei, you can be mad at me, but don''t involve Aleksis."


    Portia sighed. She indeed harbored resentment towards Caspar, since her nephew, Alexei, was sentenced to be an ordinary human. But she didn''t know what the background of the event was that Alexei was punished because Sophia had been lying to her all this time.


    "Alexei didn''t do that in order to avenge Famke''s death, as was said in the trial at that time. Instead, Famke was instructed by Alexei himself." Caspar added. "Sorry if you''ve been misunderstanding all this time. I don''t want to bring up old problems, so I didn''t feel the need to discuss them."


    Portia nodded.


    "I understand now." She turned to Aleksis and waved her hand. "Come here, child. Let me see you carefully."


    Aleksis walked over to Portia and slightly bowed, "Auntie Portia."


    "Hmm... I''m glad to have met you today." Portia smiled and stroked Aleksis''s cheek with a motherly gesture, "I hope you and your children are willing to visit us often in Glasgow. Our house is always too quiet."


    Aleksis smiled and nodded. "With pleasure, Auntie."


    Alaric, who had calmed himself, walked over to Aleksis and put his arm around her waist. "Mother, I''ll bring Aleksis to visit Glasgow. Don''t worry."


    "Great." Portia nodded at Lauriel and Nicolae, "I hope you''d also be willing to come visit once in a while."


    Lauriel and Nicolae nodded as well. However, Portia was Luna''s favorite cousin, and they had a very close relationship.


    For a moment, Lauriel and Alaric''s eyes met. Now, Alaric could be more sympathetic to his father, because he already felt how sad he was when he found out too late that he had children and lost so much time which could have been spent with them¡­


    He realized, if he loved Aleksis and their two children and was willing to sacrifice anything to protect them, surely Lauriel also had the same feelings towards him and his brother¡­


    If only his father knew about them from the start...


    Alaric was now convinced that Lauriel would do anything for them, and he would never let his children live alone and struggle to defend themselves in this harsh world¡­


    But his father didn''t know¡­


    "Father... I''m sorry," he said suddenly. His voice surprised Lauriel, who didn''t think Alaric would call him father.


    Alaric released his embrace on Aleksis and approached his father. He seemed reluctant at first, but Alaric then embraced Lauriel and buried his face in his father''s shoulder.


    Lauriel was rooted in his place. He was surprised because of how sudden it was. He didn''t expect that Alaric would accept him and call him father.


    "My son..." Lauriel whispered in a choked voice after he had awoken from his daze. He patted his son on the shoulder and returned Alaric''s hug more tightly. "Welcome home. I''m so glad you''re home now."

 Chapter 546 - Growing Old With You

    "Who wants to try a new drink made by the House of Aldebar?" Suddenly, Aldebar''s cheerful voice came from behind the door.


    The emotional atmosphere didn''t last long. From behind the entrance, several servants brought trays of various drinks, and Aldebar entered, followed by London and Rune, who came with wide smiles.


    The three of them seemed rather surprised to see how emotional the atmosphere of the room was because they were previously busy doing something in the kitchen and missed the news.


    "What did you make?" Terry asked. He grabbed a glass from the servant''s tray and immediately inhaled the smell of the drink in his hand. "Smells normal."


    He then downed the drink as though he had been trapped in the Sahara Desert for years.


    "That''s a new potion from Uncle Aldebar''s experiments. For every gulp, the person who drank it will look ten years older," London explained with a laugh.


    "What...?!" Terry hurriedly spat out the remaining liquid in his mouth. Unfortunately, he had already swallowed almost everything from the glass. His face immediately showed panic. "Jeez... What kind of experiment is this? Why do you always invent useless things?"


    Aldebar, whose taste in clothes seem to be getting more ancient as more time passes, was wearing medieval clothing from the middle ages. He raised his hand with a grin.


    "We, as Alchemists, will never know how it feels to grow old because our bodies are perfect. I used to often be curious about how it feels to be old and imagined how couples grow old together like in romance novels. Aren''t you guys curious as to how it feels?" he asked everyone.


    Slowly, he saw them beginning to nod in agreement.


    "Well, that was why I deliberately created this potion for entertainment at parties. It just so happens that today is my dear niece''s thirtieth birthday. As you can see, Aleksis still looks just like when she was 20."


    Alaric, who had released himself from his father, was now standing next to Aleksis, whispering affectionately into her ear, "Your uncle is wrong. You''re even prettier than you were ten years ago..."


    Aleksis smiled at Alaric''s words and squeezed his hand. "Thank you..."


    Aldebar took a glass of his party refreshments from the servant''s tray and dramatically lifted it to his mouth, "I''ll drink two gulps, and you''ll be able to see me getting twenty years older."


    Terry paled when he heard Aldebar''s explanation. He glanced at a mirror on a nearby wall and saw how his face was beginning to wrinkle.


    Dammit! Why did I thoughtlessly drink a glass just now? He cried in his heart.


    Aldebar put down his glass and pulled Terry''s hand to position Terry next to him. "You can see that in a few minutes, we''ll get older according to the amount we consume."


    A minute later, muffled exclamations could be heard. Aldebar now looked like a middle-aged man, while Terry''s hair became white and his face wrinkled. He looked like a grandfather who was almost a hundred years old.


    "Gosh... Your invention this time is not bad," Caspar voiced. "Have you made the antidote?"


    Aldebar nodded. "The red potion is the aging potion, while the white one is the antidote. If you''re bored of being old, you can return to your original appearance."


    Terry hurriedly grabbed a glass of white potion and gulped it down.


    "Eh... Is it okay to empty it like that?" he asked after it was too late.


    He cursed himself who was always in a hurry. Fortunately, he wasn''t so unlucky this time, as Aldebar nodded and confirmed.


    "You can drink the white one as much as you want. There won''t be a problem."


    Huff... What a relief. Terry immediately stood in front of the mirror and waited for his appearance to revert. Sure enough, two minutes later, his appearance was back to normal. The people present were excited to try Aldebar''s new invention.


    "Would you like to know how it feels to grow old with me?" Caspar affectionately asked as he took two of the red potions and handed a glass to Finland. His wife nodded and smiled brightly.


    They looked at each other lovingly and drank them at the same time.


    One gulp. The two seemed to grow ten years older.


    The second gulp. They were becoming twenty years older.


    The third gulp. Now Caspar and Finland both looked like a middle-aged couple.


    "Ahahaha... You''re still as beautiful," Caspar commented in admiration. "You haven''t changed. Still as beautiful. I''m so lucky!"


    They drank the fourth gulp, and now, they looked like a couple in their 60s. Without realizing it, both of them laughed.


    Jeez, so this is how it feels like to live like ordinary people who grow up and age together...


    Caspar brought his face to his wife''s and kissed her lips with affection. "I''ll love you forever, even if we become old and wrinkled."


    The others also idly drank Aldebar''s new potion and tried to see what they would look like if they were to age. Only Lauriel and Alaric weren''t interested. Lauriel realized he was almost 600 years old, and he didn''t want to imagine how he would look like if he was like a normal, aging human.


    While Alaric thought that Aldebar''s invention was stupid, he was polite enough to stay silent. He only waved his hand and refused when the servant came to offer the potions.


    "You really don''t want to try it?" Aleksis asked, a little disappointed. She personally found her uncle''s new invention very funny, but it seemed that Alaric didn''t like it at all.


    Ah, well... Alaric was indeed a very serious person, just like Uncle Lauriel, she thought.


    "Do you want to drink this aging potion with me?" Suddenly, Nicolae came over to Aleksis with two glasses of the red potion. He had seen how much Aleksis wanted to drink the aging potion, but she didn''t want to pressure Alaric.


    Alaric, who saw Nicolae coming with two glasses of the red potion, immediately became jealous. He stood in front of Aleksis and took the glass, "I want to drink it with Aleksis..."


    Nicolae shook his head and took back the glass from Alaric and gave it to Aleksis, "You''ll have a lifetime to be with Aleksis, so please give this one moment to me."


    He deeply gazed at Aleksis and his brother, and he realized that Nicolae really needed to be given time to be alone with Aleksis and get closure on their engagement.


    Nevertheless, during Alaric''s absence, it was Nicolae who filled Aleksis''s life, and they became so close that they had decided to get married.


    Being self-aware, Alaric finally nodded and walked away from the two. Nicolae then raised his glass and clinked it to Aleksis''.


    "How much do you want to drink?" he asked in a humorous tone. Aleksis was stunned to see Nicolae''s attitude so warm and cheerful, although she knew for certain that the young man must be feeling deep sorrow and heartbreak.


    "Let''s have a gulp at a time..." Aleksis whispered.


    Nicolae nodded. He gestured, and the two took the first gulp. Now both of them looked like a couple in their 30s.


    Aleksis gestured and they took the second gulp. Now both of them looked like a couple in their 40s.


    "I really wish I could be with you forever, and grow old together..." Nicolae silently uttered. "But it looks like we''re not meant to be together. No matter what I do, I''ll never be able to be with you."


    Aleksis lowered her head. She understood that Nicolae wanted to use this moment to say goodbye. Aleksis was aggrieved to lose her best friend¡­


    But she realized that Nicolae would be even sadder if he were to continue staying here and witness the woman he loved with another man, even though it was his own younger brother.


    His sadness would multiply, because the children whom he considered as his own children will also return to their biological father.


    "I''ll definitely need a very long time to recover and heal my broken heart..." Nicolae said again. "But I''ll always wish you happiness."


    "Nico..." Aleksis raised her face and looked at Nicolae with tears in her eyes, "I''m sorry..."


    Nicolae gestures and they took the third gulp.


    "No need to apologize. Luckily, Alaric came at the right time. Imagine if he came tomorrow when we''ve already got married... You''ll have two husbands," he said in amusement. His face then turned serious, "Although I don''t mind, other people will criticize us."


    "Nico...! What are you saying." Aleksis hit Nicolae''s shoulder while laughing. Even in this situation, Nicolae could still joke.


    Now they both looked like a couple in their 50s.


    "You''re still beautiful... Geez, my brother is so lucky!" Nicolae exclaimed, shaking his head. He gestured, and they took the fourth gulp.


    "Thank you for being so mature and understanding, by giving us your blessings," Aleksis then voiced out. "The children and I are forever indebted to you. All that we''ve experienced together during these four years will also be stored in my heart as very beautiful memories..."


    "Me too. These four years are the best times of my life. I''m really happy I could spend them with you..." Nicolae''s voice turned emotional. "I''ll always remember it..."


    The music played, and the atmosphere became more solemn. Nicolae put his glass next to Aleksis''s glass on the table and hugged her.


    "Do you want to dance to this one song with me?" he offered.


    Aleksis nodded. Both of them slowly danced to the music while chatting softly.


    This was something they often did after Aleksis accepted Nicolae''s love last summer. Now, they were dancing together for the last time, because after today, Aleksis would go back to being someone else''s wife.


    .


    .


    Author''s Note:


    I am so... so sad for Nicolae. But this is for the better.


    To be honest, when I first wrote this volume, I pictured the Male Lead to be Nicolae. He was the lost child, he was the really nice guy, he was loving and warm... he was supposed to be PRINCE SIEGFRIED. But, over time, as I wrote the character more, somehow the personalities seemed to contradict each other that I really didn''t see him being the same person anymore.


    And so, Alaric showed up out of nowhere and swept the female lead off her feet and their chemistry was so strong that it just felt right for her to ask him to marry her. She was so sure. He was so sure. So they impulsively got married in the 24-hr chapel in Sentosa, while I was left stunned at the unexpected development.


    I wasn''t so sure about their relationship. I still wanted her to give Nicolae a chance since he was the perfect guy I had in mind. Alaric was a villain and he was too broken to love someone properly. So I gave them time to be apart to find what they really wanted in life.


    I let Alaric meet his evil family side, Sophia, to give him a chance to meet someone like himself, I gave him the chance to rule the world if he wanted to. I let countless women threw themselves at him after he became Elios Linden... but he never flinched.


    Meanwhile, I let Aleksis find herself and grow up because I thought her obsession with Prince Siegfried was unhealthy since she had loved him since she was 12. Surely it''s only puppy love because she was too young, right?


    I let her find herself and sent Nic to accompany her on the journey of self-discovery (after he worked on his broken heart) and let them spend 4 years of quality time together. I let them date as adults with mature emotions. I let her see how perfect Nicolae was, just how I picture him in mind.


    But she never truly loved him. She only finally said yes, because, after 10 years, she thought it was time to let go, and her kids needed a father.


    So, you see... even the author has no real power over the characters of this story. I could only create the characters (sometimes they even come out of nowhere - like Alaric), I can also create the background, add some problems, but once the ball is rolling, what happened will be determined by how each character respond according to their personality and behavior.


    So, I guess, now it''s safe to say that Alaric and Aleksis are meant to be together, and I will have to find the perfect girl for our perfect Nic.


    A little spoiler, Nic will finally meet her by chance in Volume 3 and they will have amazing chemistry and such deep connection. I haven''t finished writing their story, so I cannot say much at this point. But you have to be patient since their story is just a side story in Volume 3 and will come and go throughout the volume.

 Chapter 547 - Lunas White Ring

    Aleksis stared at Nicolae lovingly, like a girl to her best friend, whom she loved dearly. This was the only man she would have ever considered marrying, when, after 10 years of trying, she could finally let go of her husband.


    The four years they had together will always be there, in her memory. They were family and spent so much time together. Nothing can take that away from either of them. Just how Nicolae expressed it in an emotional "I''ll always remember it..."


    When the music played and the two hugged for one last time, Aleksis and Nicolae finally danced their last dance together. Tomorrow they were supposed to dance as husband and wife, and today, they danced to say goodbye.


    It was solemn, respectful, and bittersweet.


    Alaric could only watch Nicolae and Aleksis dance from afar. His heart felt sad for his brother, who from his observation, really loved Aleksis. If it was another man, he certainly wouldn''t sympathize at all and would, by all means, expel him.


    But Alaric realized that for the ten years he was absent from Aleksis''s life, it was Nicolae who was by her side. His heart felt wronged, thinking of how the time Nicolae spent with Aleksis was actually far longer than Alaric and Aleksis'' time together, which was only one week.


    However, his little heart was very grateful, because all this time, it turned out that Aleksis still loved him. If the girl had turned to another heart, which would have been very reasonable, considering that Alaric had only been with her for a week before being separated for ten years, Alaric didn''t know if he would be able to watch the girl he loved build a family with another man.


    If he had arrived late and Nicolae had already married Aleksis... and also had children from her, it would have been easier to cancel their one-week-old marriage rather than separating Aleksis from Nicolae.


    Thinking about this, he could only take a deep breath and down a glass of wine.


    I need a stronger drink than this, he thought.


    Lauriel, who saw Alaric''s anxiety, came over to his son and invited him to sit together. He was about to discuss tomorrow''s event, which was originally prepared for Aleksis and Nicolae''s wedding. It certainly could no longer be held now.


    "Come here..." Lauriel talked to him gently, patting the chair next to him. He then gave a sign for the waiter to bring whiskey and two glasses. He also felt that he needed a stronger drink.


    Alaric obediently sat next to him and received a glass from his father. The two of them sat together watching the party''s excitement, and they both smiled. They both didn''t like crowds, but this time, both of them could tolerate it because they were surrounded by close relatives.


    "Tomorrow, almost all of the clan members will come to witness the wedding," Lauriel said as he gulped down his whiskey. "We have to do something."


    "Aleksis isn''t allowed to marry Nicolae," Alaric sternly stated. "I''ll take her away."


    "Aish... you''re so short-tempered," Lauriel commented. "Your face is like Luna''s, but your nature is very similar to mine. But even I''m not as short-tempered as I used to be."


    He smiled proudly when he said that. It was true, he soon realized that although Alaric''s face was very similar to his girlfriend, the young man''s nature was truly inherited from him. Even now, people passing by could see that their outfit styles and the way they sat were similar.


    Alaric smiled wryly. He had also realized the same thing. "I just want to be strict. There will obviously be no wedding, and there is nothing to talk about anymore."


    "That''s not what I meant..." Lauriel waved his hand. "You and Aleksis were married in secret, right? Why not just get married tomorrow and announce it in front of all the clan members? Wouldn''t that be better?"


    Alaric was stunned by Lauriel''s words. He didn''t think about it at all.


    Publicly marry Aleksis?


    He soon realized that the simple wedding they had had ten years ago in the 24-hour chapel in Sentosa was completely unfit for a woman as precious as Aleksis. The girl deserved the most magnificent and the grandest wedding, where everyone gave her blessings and wishes for her happiness... and Aleksis could be the queen of the day that many people admire.


    "Tomorrow, all of the guests will still come. It ''d be strange if they only came to have a feast..." Lauriel continued.


    Alaric cast his gaze at Aleksis, who was still dancing and chatting with Nicolae, and he finally nodded. "I can''t decide for myself. We should ask Aleksis what she wants."


    Lauriel nodded in agreement. Finally, after the song ended and the people who were dancing separated from their dance partners, Lauriel invited Aleksis and Nicolae to sit together with them. He also invited Finland and Caspar to discuss the future of their children.


    "Here, take the antidote," Nicolae offered, handing Aleksis a glass of the white potion. He then drank the antidote from his glass. A few minutes later, the two returned to their original appearances. Caspar and Finland also did so.


    "This is the first time I find Aldebar''s invention useful," Caspar commented with a laugh.


    "Tomorrow''s party will definitely be festive with Aldebar''s party refreshments," Finland nodded in agreement.


    "Uhm... Speaking of tomorrow''s event, we should discuss what to do with the wedding initially prepared for Aleksis," Lauriel then said. Finland and Caspar looked at each other.


    "Hmm... Yes, it obviously seems that Aleksis will marry Alaric in front of the clan. We can''t continue her marriage to Nicolae," Caspar turned to Nicolae with a sympathetic look, "You don''t mind, do you?"


    The young man in question only shook his head, "I agree with Uncle. Now it''s up to them."


    He looked at Alaric and Aleksis alternately.


    "I''ll leave everything to Aleksis," Alaric said firmly. "I don''t want to decide for myself."


    Now all eyes were on the girl. Aleksis'' eyes glittered with emotion as he nodded, "I want to remarry Alaric..."


    Alaric nodded in agreement and gently squeezed her hand. Although he didn''t like crowds, he would yield if it was for Aleksis and their wedding.


    "If that''s the case, I don''t think there''s anything to worry about," Caspar turned to Alaric and profoundly looked at him, "Since you''re already married, of course, I must accept you as my son-in-law. But this doesn''t mean that I agree and accept your views concerning the clan''s future."


    Alaric nodded, "I understand."


    "Alright... We should finish Aleksis'' birthday party and rest so we can prepare for the wedding tomorrow."


    Alaric immediately remembered that he didn''t even know that today was Aleksis''s birthday, and felt down again.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t bring any presents for you. I didn''t know today''s your birthday," his hand on Aleksis'' hand held more tightly as he apologized. "I promise you, I won''t forget your next ones."


    "Ah... It''s okay. It''s my fault for faking my data anyway," Aleksis sweetly smiled as she lovingly stroked Alaric''s cheeks.


    "Uhm... Hold on, I have something for you," Alaric suddenly said. He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and showed her a leather string with a small white ring around his neck. He took off the string and put the ring in Aleksis''s palm. "Do you remember, you gave this to me eighteen years ago. You said this was your most precious possession..."


    Aleksis was amazed to see that the ring Lauriel had given her as a gift, which she later gave to Alaric eighteen years ago, was still kept by the man.


    "Gosh¡­ Do you still keep it? I thought it was already gone..."


    Alaric shook his head, "I kept it, and so far, this ring has been my most valuable treasure, because I got it from you. Now I want to give it back to you. This beautiful ring should be worn by someone as beautiful as you are..."


    Alaric smiled warmly, something he almost never did, and put the ring on Aleksis''s ring finger. "It fits perfectly..."


    Lauriel''s muffled cry astonished the two, causing them to look up. The man''s face was showing how shocked and moved he was.


    "That''s... That''s Luna''s ring, I gave it to her..." Lauriel said. "I found the ring on the hand of a girl who died in her family mansion''s ruins, which were left from a bombing, and for a hundred years, I thought she was the deceased Luna. I gave the ring to Aleksis because I love her and no other girl deserves to wear Luna''s ring... It turns out Aleksis actually gave it to you years ago without my knowledge..."


    Alaric and Aleksis were both surprised to hear Lauriel''s explanation. It turned out that all along, Alaric had kept his biological mother''s ring. And now he was giving it back to the girl he loved.


    It was very touching... All this time, his mother''s ring had been with him for eighteen years.


    This is indeed fate, he thought.


    "Now mother''s ring has returned to the right owner," Alaric then said, kissing Aleksis''s right hand, where he had just put on the ring. "I''m truly happy."


    Nicolae and his parents could only look the other way when Alaric and Aleksis could no longer hold back and landed a kiss on each other''s lips. Both were deeply moved and longed for each other because of the long separation.


    "Ahem... Our conversation is over, then. We just need to get ready for the wedding tomorrow," Lauriel finally said.


    Everyone nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 548 - Youre The Only Woman I Love

    It must be fate. Lauriel saved Aleksis before she was born and loved her like his own daughter. Years later, the girl was the one who brought his long lost family back together.


    Aleksis found his first son, Nicolae, and married Alaric, his second son. She also gave Luna''s ring to Alaric when she was twelve and received Luna''s hair from the man when she was twenty. Both were given as a token of love for each other.


    And now the circle was complete. They have finally been reunited. Today was truly the happiest day in Aleksis'' live. The man she loved, her godfather that she admired, and her best friend were all connected in a beautiful web surrounding her.


    She wouldn''t wish for anything else in life.


    Being in familial warmth, Aleksis'' birthday party went on merrily. She received various beautiful gifts from her cousins, brothers, and uncles. But of course, they all knew that the best gift for Aleksis that year was Alaric''s return to her life.


    "It''s already late. It''s about time we go back to the hotel. We''ll come here again for the wedding tomorrow," Portia said after dinner. She turned to look at Nicolae and invited him, "Why don''t you come with us to the hotel? We haven''t had any chance to talk with you. I really want to hear your story."


    Nicolae nodded. He knew that Portia had good intentions by inviting him to spend the night in their hotel. It was so Nicolae wouldn''t have to feel awkward in Medici Castle, as the wedding preparations that had initially been for him were now to be for Alaric.


    "I''ll go with Aunt Portia and Uncle Ned to town. We''ll come back here tomorrow," Nicolae told his father. He then nodded to Alaric, "You can sleep in my room while getting ready, or just choose one of the guest rooms that you like."


    Alaric nodded but remained silent.


    Some guests went to the city to rest in their respective hotels, while others stayed in the east wing of the castle, which was reserved for guests and relatives.


    "Who do you want to sleep with tonight? Mommy or Grandma?" Finland asked her two grandchildren.


    Vega and Altair happily rushed to Finland and exclaimed, "Grandma!!"


    "Good for you. Mommy needs to sleep peacefully so she can get ready early for the wedding tomorrow," Finland patted the two.


    Alaric only looked at the enthusiasm of his two children with a little jealousy. He really wanted to sleep with his children, but it seemed he still had to be patient because they were still unused to him. Aleksis, who saw his expression, immediately took Alaric''s hand and invited him to approach their two children.


    "Okay. Remember, don''t be naughty, you two... You can sleep with Grandma tonight." She kissed Altair and Vega''s cheeks and hugged them. She then signaled Alaric to do the same.


    The man crouched down and hugged Altair, who returned his hug warmly. Vega was still hesitant, but Alaric didn''t compel her. He just stroked his daughter''s head and allowed them to go with Finland.


    "It would be better for the bride and groom to have a rest so you won''t be exhausted tomorrow. Don''t stay up late." Finland reminded both of them before leaving while holding Altair and Vega''s hands.


    Aleksis was stunned to hear her mother''s words. Her cheeks turned red. She knew what Finland meant. Since meeting her husband again today, the longing she had been holding for ten years was indeed difficult to contain. Indirectly, her mother had just advised the two of them to just rest and not vent their deep longing and desires towards each other.


    Just now, the two of them kissed in front of their parents after talking about the wedding, because they felt so much longing for each other.


    "The tradition is that bride and groom are not to meet each other before the wedding day," Aleksis whispered into Alaric''s ear. The man just shrugged.


    "That doesn''t apply to us because we''re already married," he said in an uncaring tone. "I want to spend every second with you. I don''t want to be away from you again..."


    Aleksis swallowed. She glanced around and realized that people had deliberately left the two of them alone. Her relatives knew how long they had been separated. They had the right to be reunited.


    "Uhm..." Aleksis finally nodded after thinking for a while. She also didn''t want to be away from Alaric, even for one second. "Let''s just rest in my room then."


    A smile adorned Alaric''s face when he heard Aleksis'' words, and he kissed her on her lips. He then ordered Aleksis, his digital assistant, to arrange for staff to get his clothes from the hotel and all other necessities.


    "Who''s that?" Aleksis asked when she heard Alaric speaking to his watch. Alaric just smiled and put his arm around her waist.


    "My digital assistant. I made it based on your personality because I''ve always missed you." He then stopped walking and turned his body towards Aleksis, "I''m glad that I''ve met the real Aleksis now. I don''t need it anymore."


    "Hey... Is that so? Are you really going to discard me after everything?" grumbled Alexis, his digital assistant. "I''m angry."


    Alaric pressed his assistant''s off button and shook his head towards Alexis, pretending not to hear his digital assistant''s voice. "You don''t know how happy I am today."


    They walked hand in hand to Aleksis'' room in the west wing, conversing in quiet voices about how they were for the ten years they hadn''t met.


    "I can''t wait to show you Altair and Vega''s photos and videos," Aleksis whispered excitedly while she keeping her voice quiet. She didn''t want to attract the attention of the servants passing by.


    "I can''t wait to see them," Alaric voiced out, feeling touched. He really wanted to see everything about his children and Aleksis while he was gone. The feelings of happiness in his chest were indescribable. "I think it''d be better to wait until we go home. You can share it with me through Holodeck. I want to see everything and be part of the experience."


    Aleksis had heard about the technology, but she had never tried it. "Ah... That''s one of the products of your company, right? I''m happy to be able to share that experience directly with you."


    Alaric faintly smiled and nodded, "You might not know this, but I created Holodeck just so I could repeat my memories with you because I missed you so much. I''m glad you''ll be able to use it to share memories with me."


    Aleksis was stunned to hear her husband''s honest statement, a wave of emotion bursting into her heart. She stopped walking and hugged Alaric for a long time.


    "Thank you for always loving me so deeply. Thank you for having no other women in your life," Aleksis whispered to Alaric. She was grateful that during the ten years they were separated, Alaric didn''t open his heart to anyone else, so when they were reunited, they could both return without burden.


    She couldn''t imagine how it''d be if Alaric had a relationship with another woman or even married her. It would be complicated for them to get back together, just like how it was when Aleksis almost married Nicolae.


    "How could I possibly be with another woman?" Alaric whispered, kissing the top of Aleksis''s head. "You''re the only woman I love in this world."


    Again, they emotionally kissed in the alley connecting the hall to the west wing. The servants who passed by pretended not to notice and immediately rushed off, not wanting to ruin the two''s moment.

 Chapter 549 - What Should We Do?

    "You''re the only woman I love in this world," he said, and from her eyes and her deep longing, he knew he was also the only man she had ever loved in this world. Both had endured such painful separation and now they would never want to be apart anymore.


    They kissed passionately in the alley connecting the hall to the west wing, not caring for anyone anymore. The servants who passed by pretended not to notice and immediately rushed off, not wanting to ruin the two''s moment. And when the two lovebirds were done, they kissed again.


    The married couple who had been separated for so long, finally, intimately held hands as they went to Aleksis'' room, like lovers who had just fallen in love for the first time. Their gazes were only on each other, and anyone who saw them could feel how great the love between the two was.


    Earlier, they had to refrain from showing their love and longing for each other. Their reunion was too sudden, so they had to care for the feelings of Aleksis''s family, who knew nothing about Alaric and even came to Grosseto to attend her wedding to Nicolae.


    They also had to think about Nicolae''s feelings. The man must have felt heartbroken because the woman he loved and was going to marry turned out to have been married to his own brother, and Alaric, whom everyone thought had died, was still alive.


    Now that their family members had returned to their hotels or went to the east wing, Aleksis and Alaric could freely hold hands and kiss whenever they wanted to. The servants were also understanding enough to give them privacy.


    "Welcome. Sorry, my room is a mess..." Aleksis opened the door to her spacious room and invited Alaric to enter. "The children sometimes come to sleep with me, so a lot of their belongings are scattered here."


    Alaric nodded with a smile. His own house was very neat and tidy, but he wouldn''t mind if it were to become messy because of the presence of the two children. Instead, he couldn''t wait to see his house become messed up and filled with Altair and Vega''s laughter and tears as they both live and grow up with him.


    Aleksis cleaned up the scattered toys and books and arranged them in the cabinet. She then sat on a sofa and patted the side, inviting Alaric to sit.


    "When did you arrive in Grosseto?" she asked when Alaric sat next to her, "I didn''t know you''ve met Altair before."


    "Hmm... This afternoon. I arrived early and went sightseeing around here. I met him when he was chasing butterflies." Alaric smiled as he recalled his first meeting with Altair, when the child tickled him to speak so Altair could see lavender. "Uhm... He said my voice looks like lavender..."


    Touched, Aleksis tilted her head and smiled, "Aww... really? Lavender is my favorite flower."


    Alaric nodded slowly. Soon, his face turned gloomy, "I didn''t know your favorite flower. There are so many things that I don''t know about you, like your birthday, your favorite food... what makes you sad and what makes you happy... "


    "Shh... Don''t say that. None of that matters. We have a lifetime to know about each other''s little things. I''m a very simple person..." Aleksis framed Alaric''s face with both hands and lovingly gazed at her husband, "I''m sad when you''re not present, and I''m happy when you are. Very simple, isn''t it?"


    Alaric was stunned. He recalled the events from ten years ago when he had just met Aleksis and was touched by how much she loved him so deeply and unconditionally.


    He had never felt so loved by anyone. In the end, the defenses he had built for decades to not open his heart to any woman collapsed, and he had let himself fall in love with Aleksis.


    He didn''t even think twice when Aleksis asked him to get married. For the very first time in his lonely life, he found someone who understood and accepted himself the way he was.


    And now, that person had returned to his life after being gone for ten years.


    They stared at each other for a long time, satisfying each other''s longing for their beloved''s face. Aleksis affectionately stroked Alaric''s cheeks, her face showing a look of awe.


    "You''re so¡­ handsome. I never expected you to be this handsome..." she whispered. "I thought you were an old man with a disfigured face."


    Alaric closed his eyes to enjoy Aleksis''s caress on his face. He let her trace every line and curve of his smooth and handsome face.


    "Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for not caring about how I look... I''m the luckiest man in the world," he whispered. He then opened his eyes and looked at Aleksis with an apologetic look. "If I could turn back time, I''d like to be honest with you from the start, so that we don''t hide from each other and misunderstand, so all the complications never occur..."


    "So do I... I''m really sorry. If I had known from the start that you were Uncle Rory''s son... He would definitely be happy, and we could''ve immediately gotten his blessings..." Aleksis uttered in an apologetic tone. "Now that everything has passed, it doesn''t matter anymore. What matters is that you''re here with me, and we won''t ever part again."


    Alaric nodded and pulled Aleksis to his chest. "I won''t let that happen."


    He was elated when he felt Aleksis''s heartbeat resonate with his own. Aleksis'' breath slowly began to become irregular, and Alaric realized that his wife felt a deep emotion because she had received zero intimacy from him for a very long time.


    He loosened his hands and gently lifted Aleksis''s chin, and kissed her lips. Aleksis closed her eyes and enjoyed Alaric''s lips on hers for the umpteenth time that day, which somehow didn''t feel enough.


    She emotionally returned her husband''s kiss as tears ran down her cheek. She really missed his body holding her tight, she really missed his lips kissing her, and she really missed Alaric''s nice scent and the pleasant touch of his skin.


    Alaric was never attracted to other women, no matter how beautiful and sexy they were. Not even to simply satisfy his sexual needs. As one of the most famous ''bachelors'' in the world who had unimaginable power and wealth, he had become the target of countless women who were competing to charm him.


    Some women even shamelessly spread rumors of their closeness. But truth be told, his cold and hard heart was too difficult to open to love.


    He preferred to work and take care of the various future plans he had prepared for the world to take his mind off unnecessary things.


    Some of the girls who were swarming around in his life even thought that he was gay, so he wasn''t attracted to the opposite sex. Elien Mikhailova, who had repeatedly tried to subtly invite him to sleep with her, almost thought Alaric wasn''t sexually attracted to women.


    Nobody in this world was perfect, Elien concluded. People who looked so handsome, rich, and powerful like Elios Linden must have their shortcomings behind all their perfections...


    Maybe he didn''t like the opposite sex. Or maybe he was actually impotent. That''s probably why he never cared about me, Elien thought.


    Elien had no idea how wrong she was. Alaric was attracted to women, but he only loved one woman in the world. And just as his love didn''t come so easily, it didn''t go so easily either. Although he thought Aleksis died ten years ago, he couldn''t divert his feelings to others.


    Now, seeing how the woman he loved had returned to his life and had even become more beautiful over the past ten years, Alaric couldn''t contain the turmoil of his long-held passion deep within him. He also felt that Aleksis'' body missed him as much as he missed her.


    The kiss with Aleksis became more passionate and full of excitement as his tongue entered her mouth. From then on, his every move was filled with lust. A moment later, the two just found themselves intertwined on the sofa with passion and desire engulfing them.


    "Uhm ... baby ..." Alaric whispered between his kisses on Aleksis'' neck which made her arch her back and moaned in a sultry voice. The feeling of his hot breath on her skin was making her lose her mind. His husky voice sounded very sexy as he asked her in a teasing tone. "Your mother advised us to rest, but I really ... really miss you .. What should we do ...? I will do as you say ..."


    .


    .


    >>>>>>


    From the author:


    Aw... I feel immense happiness seeing how Alaric finally found his love and be happy again.


    By the way, I first wrote this novel on February 18, 2019. Tomorrow, it will be exactly one year ago. Even though I went hiatus for 4 months and switch to Indonesian, the fact was this novel was initially written in English and this was the original version.


    I wanted to write about immortal people because I was inspired by Altered Carbon, the TV show on Netflix. It tells a story about people in the future who can live for hundreds of years by preserving their core and just clone their bodies to look young forever. It''s an awesome show. Very dark though.


    In the beginning, I only wanted to write about Finland and Caspar. It was a simple story about a poor girl who met a prince. A Cinderella cliche, you know. The world-building is even simpler than Cinderella, there was no castle, no stepmother and ugly sisters, etc., it shared the same universe as us.


    She was just a regular career woman, working hard to make ends meet, like most of us. The places used as the setting for this story were made as close as possible to the originals, I didn''t even need to rack my brain for it... hehe.


    But as the story progressed, it changed a lot from my original plan. The story which was supposed to start in 2018 and end in 2019 just kept moving forward that suddenly we are already in 2049.. ahahaha. How did that happen?


    After Caspar and Finland''s story ended, suddenly Aleksis and her brothers became too interesting not to write about. So I wrote about her and added her prince charming (which was supposed to be Nicolae, but later Alaric showed up out of nowhere).


    Uh oh.. by the way, thank you so much for your patience with their love story. Alaric and Aleksis were separated in chapter 336 in November 16, 2019 and only reunited in chapter 533, published in February 11, 2020.


    You have endured for three months and 197 chapters for their reunion. Well done!


    The waiting was painful, but I hope the reward was worth it. From chapter 533 onward, only good things will happen. There will be some face slappings and heartwarming scenes all the way until the end. Volume 2 will end in chapter 580, including 3 extra chapters about Lauriel and Luna.


    So, what''s next? A year ago, I didn''t know I could write this much. But I guess, never say never! After Volume 2 ends, I will continue with the story of London Schneider. He is quite a funny guy and I am sure you''ll love him to bits.


    Again, thank you for reading and supporting this book. Tomorrow, let''s celebrate its one year anniversary by reading not one but TWO steamy chapters... bahahaha.

 Chapter 550 - He Was Finally Home (R-18)

    Aleksis stared at Alaric lovingly. She wouldn''t even blink if possible. Oh, how much she loved and missed this man. Their kisses just now were far from enough to satisfy her desire for him. She longed to make love with Alaric and have him inside of her.


    How fate was so cruel to give them only one week to be together, before separating them for ten years and deprived them of the intimacy belonged to them as husband and wife.


    And now... having her husband back into her life, Aleksis would not even let go of his hand.


    "Honey... I want to make love to you." Alaric looked at Aleksis deeply with eyes filled with yearning and desire. "What do you want us to do? I will do as you say."


    Aleksis also remembered her mother''s message, but then felt that her mother was being unfair. Finland had Caspar on her side and they could make out and make love anytime. This was why it was easy for her to advise her daughter to restrain herself. But if she had also been separated from Caspar for so long, like Aleksis and Alaric who had been separated from each other for ten years, she would definitely not say such a thing.


    This longing was so intense. Aleksis couldn''t help it anymore ¡­ It felt like torture. There was only one cure for her craving, and that was - Alaric.


    She shook her head slowly as she closed her eyes, "I ... want you ..."


    Alaric smiled thinly and bit her neck softly, "I want you too," he whispered in a hoarse voice.


    After getting her approval, Alaric promptly continued his attacks. He kissed every inch of her skin and deftly removed her clothes that were blocking his next actions.


    He then caressed, kissed, sucked, and stimulated his wife''s sensitive spots, and he did so with great expertise. Aleksis enjoyed all of these while looking at her husband''s face lovingly.


    She loved Alaric''s handsome face and continued to admire it. They used to make love with her not being able to see his real face. Thankfully, now as her husband explored her body and satisfied her endlessly, Aleksis could enjoy his touches and show of love while looking at his face. She could feast her eyes on his good looks and mysterious smile.


    The experience gave her a sensation that was far more thrilling than when they made love ten years ago. Aleksis was no longer as green as before, so she also knew how to show Alaric how much she loved him.


    Slowly but surely, she unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time. Her hands were not idle after that. She felt his broad chest and hard stomach that had muscles seemingly chiseled in perfect proportion.


    Alaric smiled happily seeing his wife also taking initiative. He let Aleksis strip his clothes one by one, just as he also removed her clothes. A couple of moments later, they could already incessantly see and admire each other''s beautiful bodies in full glory.


    "Hmm ¡­ you have such a beautiful body ..." said Aleksis shyly, tracing Alaric''s chiseled stomach with a hand until it descended to the triangular muscle on his pelvis. "I am so lucky..."


    Alaric was very happy to hear the praise. Only her opinion mattered to him. He kissed her again and then carried her to the bed since the sofa was too small for their lovemaking.


    He gently placed Aleksis on the soft mattress and continued to fondle her. They kissed, caressed, touched, and felt each other lovingly, making sure that each touch would bring pleasure after pleasure. When their desire went through the roof, Alaric positioned his body on top of Aleksis and slowly entered her wet honeypot. Her overflowing love juices proved just how much she was yearning for him to be inside of her.


    The moment his big and rock-hard manhood entered her, both Alaric and Aleksis felt a jolt from the pleasure that kept sending electricity into their brains. From that moment then, they were high in ecstasy. It was ten years'' worth of love, pain, and longing, bottled up inside which now burst out freely to find solace and release.


    "Sweetheart ... my love... I ... I really miss this ..." he whispered in a hoarse voice as his manhood found comfort in and out of her core. He moved slowly, in such a manner as though each encounter between their bodies was sacred. He was so grateful and felt blessed to have this woman back into his life.


    Aleksis did not pay attention to his voice any longer. She could not respond anyway because her mind was all over the place. She was taken to a high place by his kisses, caresses, and outpouring of love. He made her taste waves after waves of pleasure with just the touch of his skin, his hands, mouth, and tongue which incessantly worked to satisfy her.


    The euphoria that she felt did not subside for a long time. She was simply trapped in seventh heaven because Alaric also kept satisfying her with his throbbing manhood which expertly explored her core. It reached her G-spot too many times that she lost count. Only her endless moans could be heard which made the man even more eager to make her orgasm one after another.


    During their passionate lovemaking, she repeatedly whispered his name and called him out lovingly. He could swear that was simply the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.


    They made love for hours until Aleksis could no longer make a sound because she was exhausted by the waves of pleasure that did not cease for a long time. Only then Alaric stopped his action. He knew that his wife was equally tired and satisfied, so he decided it was time for them to sleep.


    He pumped rapidly for a few minutes and then released his seeds in Aleksis'' womb, hoping they would soon have another child. After that, he gave her one last kiss before lying down next to her. He was still panting as he clasped Aleksis'' hand and placed it on top of his chest.


    "Thank you, Honey ... You made me the happiest man in the world ..." he whispered.


    Aleksis looked at him with teary eyes and nodded, "I''m also the happiest woman in the world ..."


    When the two of them closed their eyes while smiling, it was almost morning.


    ***


    The sun was already quite high up in the sky but the couple who had just reunited after a long separation was still asleep in their bed. Alaric had not been able to sleep well for a long time. Even his two assistants were constantly worried about his health due to it. But today, he fell asleep peacefully. It was not only because he had worked hard last night, but also because he felt very comfortable sleeping while hugging his wife.


    "It''s already late, soon, guests will arrive," Finland said, repeatedly turning her head toward the west wing of the castle, hoping to see the shadow of her daughter walking out from there and marching into the hall. "Could we have a party without the bride?"


    Caspar just shrugged and laughed softly, "No. But never mind ... just let them rest. What''s important is for them to be out this afternoon to meet the guests."


    Lauriel, who had just arrived, heard the conversation between his two friends. He smiled and said, "Let it be. Just think of this event as a clan meeting. After all, they are already married. We shouldn''t force Alaric and Aleksis to attend a party against their will just so we could save face."


    Lauriel knew that like him, Alaric didn''t like crowds, and as a father, he didn''t care if the guests would be disappointed once they arrived only to find out that there would be no wedding. He never really cared about what others would think.


    "Hmm ... is that so?" Caspar asked. He turned to his wife, "We also never had a wedding, right? We suddenly got married and only announced it at Aldebar''s birthday party. Why don''t we treat this party as a good occasion to hold our wedding?"


    "Gosh, Caspar, you!" Finland exclaimed, hitting her husband on the shoulder, "We''re old now. We''ve been married for more than 30 years!"


    Caspar laughed, contented that he managed to tease his wife. He hugged Finland and then landed a tender kiss on her lips. Lauriel just rolled his eyes at them and then went looking for Altair and Vega who were playing with their new puppy.


    "Hmm ... did you already give her a name?" Lauriel asked, stroking the back of their new mini-bulldog, which at first glance looked very similar to Little Prince Siegfried.


    Vega looked up and nodded, "We named her Aurora."


    "Ohh ... very nice." Lauriel praised.


    He then sat down and put Vega on his lap while talking to her about trivial things. Altair sat beside him and put the puppy on his lap. Lauriel kept smiling as he looked at them.


    Long before, he already loved the two children as if they were his own grandchildren. Yet, fate was very wondrous. They were actually his biological grandchildren from the goddaughter whom he loved so much and his biological son who had been missing for over a century.


    ***


    Alaric finally woke up when he felt Aleksis moving slightly in his arms. Several times, he opened and closed his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened.


    When he turned sideways and found Aleksis''s body all curled up, with her head leaning against his chest, he instantly remembered everything - from what took place yesterday afternoon, to when they ended up in Aleksis'' room, making love until it was almost morning.


    Oh .. this is not a dream!


    He smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the scent of fresh citrus from Aleksis'' body that he had always been missing.


    He was home.


    Aleksis was his home. He had finally returned.

 Chapter 551 - We Are Late. So Late! (R-18)

    Alaric tried to stay still so as to not wake up Aleksis who looked very soundly asleep. He decided to continue lying down to enjoy the warmth of her body in his arms.


    A couple of moments later, he caught sight of the digital clock on the wall which was telling him that it was already 2 o''clock in the afternoon. Hmm ... the wedding party should have started by now. Why didn''t anyone come to wake us up? he wondered.


    He then smiled when he realized that the rest of his family had tacitly let him and Aleksis rest.


    His family ...


    Ah, that was a word that was very foreign to him, but very soothing.


    Alaric remembered that for almost a hundred years he always felt lonely. The feeling persisted until he met Aleksis. Then again, they immediately got separated since back then, they were both thinking that the other had died. After that, like a broken kite, Alaric returned to being alone.


    He did enjoy the attention and affection from Portia who adopted him as a son, but it was not the same. He still needed time to be able to accept Ned and Portia as his family.


    But yesterday, not only did he meet his wife again, but he also met his biological father who turned out to love him very much. He also met his brother, Nicolae, who was so kind. The man even encouraged him to be happy again with Aleksis. Ned and Portia had also settled their misunderstanding with Lauriel. It all ended with everyone at peace with each other ...


    Ahh ... and Alaric also had two very cute kids! He now felt like he was the luckiest man in the whole wide world. He was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men under the sun today, but all of that meant nothing¡­ compared to this woman and their beautiful children.


    And ... later, he and Aleksis would have more children to fill their home with happiness and joy. He would ask her to give him many children to compensate for all the loneliness they had experienced so far. He would make sure that their home would always be filled with the happy laughter of their children.


    Ah, Altair and Vega clearly inherited his appearance. Since that was the case, he hoped that their next offspring would resemble Aleksis. He really wanted to see a little Aleksis running around them ...


    All these thoughts made him smile so happily.


    "Uhmm ... good morning," Aleksis opened her eyes and greeted him. When she saw his smile, her lips also arced up as she asked, "How was your sleep?"


    Alaric did not answer. He kissed Aleksis'' forehead and closed his eyes.


    "Hmm ... what time is it?" Aleksis asked again. Alaric even tightened his arms, still not answering. Aleksis then looked at the clock on the wall and was immediately stunned. "Oh my god!! It''s 2 o''clock in the afternoon!!!"


    Her reaction made the man laugh. Aleksis was dumbfounded. She very rarely saw Alaric laugh, so the sight instantly became something special for her. She was mesmerized to see her handsome man look very happy.


    "Your expression is very funny," Alaric finally said. "I slept well. I woke up a long time ago and realized we were late. It seems like everyone is deliberately letting us rest."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis covered her face with both hands. "I''m so embarrassed ... I don''t know if I will be able to show my face in front of everyone again."


    Alaric sat on the bed and rubbed his wife''s head lovingly. "It''s okay, I''m here. I''ll accompany you."


    "Ugh ... the party started with chit chats and a pre-wedding feast at 2 pm, we should take a shower and get ready now. We can still appear before the main event." Aleksis got up and pushed aside the blanket that covered their bodies. However, when she was about to get out of bed, Alaric suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her body into his lap.


    "Uhmm ... I don''t care about the guests," he whispered in a husky voice as he moved their bodies so that he was on top of her. Then his lips moved around kissing Aleksis'' lips and neck vigorously before he nibbled on her earlobes and licked them very softly in a teasing manner.


    When he saw Aleksis'' beautiful body under the blanket, his desire returned and he felt no need to hold back. After all, they were already late. Another hour or two wouldn''t make much of a difference.


    "Gosh ... we ... ahh ... have to ... ahhh ... have to take a shower," Aleksis tried to protest, but her impudent lips were letting out joyful moans as Alaric pressed her on the bed and parted her legs with a mischievous smile on his lips.


    He caressed her back lovingly and gave her breasts so much love by kneading and sucking them alternately. At the same time, he positioned himself to enter her. When his manhood thrust inside her core, she no longer cared about being late. As he showered her with kisses and pumped inside her core her vigorously, Aleksis was brought to the seventh heaven for countless more times.


    ***


    Guests had arrived, making the atmosphere within the Medici Castle garden look very lively and beautiful. Everyone present was very handsome and beautiful. They wore beautiful clothes from various ages and periods according to their individual tastes.


    For a long time, there had been no wedding among the Alchemist clan members so they were all very eager to witness an event that might only happen once in centuries, a wedding between the two most respected families within the Alchemist clan: the Schneider family and the Medici family.


    Some people who had been invited to Nicolae''s birthday party 4 years ago had guessed it was the heir of the Medici family who was about to get married, and that caused a lot of heartbreak among the girls of the clan who had been hoping to captivate his heart.


    But the daughter of the Schneider family felt like a mystery that really made many people curious. They knew that Caspar and his wife were married 31 years ago but they had never announced their children until four years ago and they were never known to have a daughter.


    What did she, the girl who had conquered the heart of the heir of the Medici family, Nicolae Medici, look like?


    Even before Aleksis appeared, there were already so many people very curious to see her.


    ***

 Chapter 552 - The Puzzled Guests

    "I don''t like crowds," Alaric complained as he washed Aleksis'' back inside the large marble bathtub in her bathroom. "Can we just run away?"


    As a punishment for making them late, Alaric took responsibility for bathing the two of them. Yet Aleksis immediately regretted giving him such work because it turned out that Alaric was deliberately slowing them down.


    "Jeez ... you did it on purpose, huh?" she grumbled, turning her head to face Alaric who was now looking at her with his pair of purple eyes that glimmered like a puppy''s. For a moment Aleksis was stunned. She had never seen this side of him before.


    Gosh ... how could her husband be so adorable, she wondered in amusement. Wasn''t Alaric famous for being so cold and indifferent? But in such a short time, Aleksis saw him smile, laugh, and now he was even teasing her by pretending to sulk.


    She really liked this new Alaric.


    "We ... are too late, Honey," Aleksis persuaded him, her hand caressed his face, which was sporting a rather sullen expression. "I promise, this is the last one. After this party, we can live in solitude and we don''t have to meet anyone else. There would only be you and me and the children."


    Finally, Alaric relented and ten minutes later, they were back in their room, preparing to attend the wedding their family had prepared for them. Alaric''s clothes and other necessities had been delivered to her bedroom so he immediately dressed up.


    He looked even more dashing in the casual party get up adorned with various badges and emblems from the Linden, Lewis, and Baden families. His face looked moved when he noticed a Medici emblem and badge in his clothes. It must be Lauriel who pinned it there.


    Ah, yes ... he was actually a royal from the Medici family. Now he had found his family.


    The bride and groom were not supposed to see each other until the wedding day, but both of them refused to separate even if only for a brief moment. Because the two were already married, they did not feel the need to follow traditions.


    Aleksis also refused the help of the servants to help her dress up, so she wore her wedding dress with the help of her husband who happily buttoned it up and put on her shoes for her.


    It was almost four o''clock in the afternoon when the two finally walked out of the room, ready for the occasion as they strode forward arm in arm.


    "The young miss is out," a servant reported to the Schneider couple who were enjoying wine with Lauriel, Ned and Portia. The five of them almost gave up expecting their children to come out and attend the wedding party prepared for them.


    "Gosh ... finally," Portia exclaimed, looking amused. She looked around the garden and saw that the guests who were eating and drinking while chatting happily. "I think the guests are very nervous."


    Finland just sighed. "Luckily we have Aldebar''s party refreshment, a lot of people are entertained ..."


    Aldebar''s party refreshment had indeed become very popular among the Alchemists who had never had an idea of how it was like to get old. In the last hour, many drank it and had fun showing each other how they would look like if they were to age and get wrinkles, like ordinary humans.


    ***


    Nicolae and Terry soon became the stars of the party the moment they arrived. Many people recognized the handsome Terry as the current president of the Schneider Group who had already repeatedly won the World''s Most Eligible Bachelor award. Since Nicolae was already taken, all the girls wanted to be his girlfriend instead.


    "Why did Nicolae come together with Terry to this party?" Many people wondered about the Medici heir''s unusual entrance. "Isn''t he the one getting married today? Why is he not appearing with the bride?"


    A group of beautiful girls who had been watching them summoned their courage to intercept the two dashing men.


    "Good evening, Nicolae and Terry ... how are you?" Alexandra asked, representing her friends.


    The girl was very beautiful. She had a sexy slender figure with curves in all the right places. Her long hair which resembled honey in color, at first glance, would make her look like Aleksis. She had a pair of brilliant heterochromatic eyes, a combination of green and gray colors, rendering Nicolae in a daze. Alexandra blushed at the man who was staring at her with a complicated look.


    Terry immediately elbowed his best friend and whispered, "You''re giving her false hopes. Don''t look at other girls like that."


    "Ah ... well, how is it your business?" Nicolae ignored him. He knew the only reason he was paying attention to the girl in front of him was that she resembled Aleksis, but he did not feel the need to deliberately avoid Alexandra because she looked like the girl he loved. He nodded at the woman and smiled, "Good evening. Sorry, we don''t know your names yet."


    Alexandra exchanged glances with her friends. They giggled flirtatiously and flashed sweet smiles at each other, "Uhm ... my name is Alexandra, and these are my friends, Shekina and Lyana."


    Oh, even her name is similar, Nicolae thought, shaking his head. Terry also realized what was happening. This girl, Alexandra must have thought Nicolae liked her. Yet in actuality, Nicolae was just amazed upon seeing someone appear rather similar to Aleksis.


    Terry was not at all interested in his younger sister''s look-alike. But the one named Shekina seemed pretty decent, he thought. Shekina looked very beautiful and her body was tall and slim, like that of a supermodel. Physically, she was exactly like the type of girl he liked.


    "Hi, Shekina, nice to meet you," Terry said, gesturing to the waiter to bring them drinks. He didn''t bother to greet Lyana, who had freckles, and Alexandra whom he saw attracted to Nicolae.


    "Ahh, thank you ..." Shekina smiled as she took the glass of wine that Terry passed to her. The latter fetched her the drink from the tray of one of the servants.


    The five of them now stood together under several rose trees that were filled with flowers. They enjoyed drinks together, accompanied by the envious gazes of many other girls who regretted not approaching Terry and Nicolae first.


    "Uhmm ... is this really a wedding?" Shekina asked after their small talks. "I don''t understand why from the very beginning of the party, none of the hosts looked like they had prepared a wedding ... there isn''t even a word about the marriage ceremony at all. It''s quite confusing ..."


    Terry only gave his best friend on his behalf and then responded to the girl who just spoke. "Uhm ... actually we also don''t know whether there will be a wedding or not. The bride and groom are missing."


    "What?" The three girls looked very surprised.


    "Wait, you guys are from the Schneider and Medici families, right?" Lyana asked, looking confused, "I thought you were the one getting married. Does the Medici family have other sons? Or did the bride run away so the party is going to be canceled?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "No, it will not be canceled. You must be patient. Terry was just joking. The bride and groom are getting ready."


    "Oh ..." The three girls still appeared puzzled. They had originally thought that Nicolae was going to be the groom. However, he instead came over as a guest, which meant that either the wedding was going to be canceled, or it was actually not for Nicolae ...


    Did that mean the Medici family have another son?

 Chapter 553 - The Mysterious Bride And Groom

    The girls were not the only people who were puzzled. Most people in attendance thought Nicolae Medici was the groom since they knew he was Lauriel''s son, the only successor of the Medici family. But now, he was standing in the party as one of the guests.


    Was he not the real groom?


    Then why the invitation said it was the wedding between the son of the Medici family and the daughter of the Schneider family?


    Who was this daughter? Why was she ever announced? And who was the son that was about to marry her if it was not Nicolae? Was there another son in the Medici family?


    Who was he? How mysterious!


    Both the bride and the groom were like pieces of a puzzle that were making everyone curious.


    Meanwhile, Kit Blue, who was sitting with her father and mother, looked very agitated. She had seen Ned and Portia among the guests but she had not seen Elios Linden.


    He was supposed to come with Ned and Portia, wasn''t he? Or was he not invited?


    But that should not be possible!


    It had been a long time since Kit met Eli and she really hoped that this time she would get another chance to speak with him. Maybe after this wedding, her family could once again urge Ned and Portia to formalize her engagement with Eli. Kit had been waiting for four years and her patience was running thin.


    Kit finally could not take it anymore and forced her mother and father to approach Ned and Portia who seemed to be having a conversation with the host family.


    "Good evening, Lord Ned and Lady Portia," Kit bowed like a royal princess before Ned and Portia, smiling sweetly. "I hope you are both well."


    Ned nodded at Lex and his wife. Portia also smiled and hugged Kit. "We''re fine. How have you been?"


    "We''ve been good too." Kit then looked around her, pretending that she just noticed the situation, "Hmm ... is Eli here, Lady Portia? We haven''t seen him around."


    Portia raised one of her eyebrows and almost grumbled about the guy in question in front of the Blue family since he seemed to be taking his sweet time to make an appearance, but she held back. "He''s already here. He should be out soon."


    "Ohh ... I can''t wait to see him!" Kit exclaimed enthusiastically.


    The girl''s voice caught Lauriel and Finland''s attention. They realized that Kit had feelings for Alaric but did not know that the young man she liked would formalize his marriage this afternoon.


    "I remember you," Lauriel commented, "You also came to a party at this place four years ago, didn''t you? At that time, I was announcing my son, Nicolae."


    Kit turned to the man and nodded. "That''s right, Lord Lauriel. How''s Nicolae doing? I met him several years ago at Reykjavik airport together with ... what''s her name, the girl who has twins ..."


    "Oh, you mean Aleksis?" Lauriel asked.


    Kit Blue immediately frowned. She really didn''t like remembering the lowly girl who had taken Nicolae away from her.


    "Oh, is her name Aleksis? Sorry, I''m not used to remembering the names of servants," Kit said apologetically. "Yes, maybe she''s the one."


    "Servant?" Finland frowned and turned to Kit Blue''s face, giving her a look of dislike. "You said, Aleksis is a servant?"


    Her voice sounded very cold and it shocked Kit. She hurriedly apologized, because she did not want to offend the host. "Ahh ... I''m sorry, Mrs. Schneider. I just came to that conclusion. At that time she was serving guests and arranging the servants."


    "Of course she catered to guests, because she''s the lady of the house," grumbled Finland. She was very annoyed hearing her daughter subtly insulted. Her impression of the girl before her just reached an all-time low. "She''s not a spoiled brat who could only order people to do things for her."


    Portia patted Finland''s shoulder to calm her down. "Please don''t get offended... this child is stupid, forgive her ignorance. Let''s welcome Aleksis. They have arrived."


    She pointed at the front door of the castle where they could see several servants signaling that the bride and groom were ready. Caspar and Lauriel looked at each other and smiled broadly.


    "They are indeed a strange pair. Alaric should have waited for his bride in front, while the bride would march in the aisle with her father." Lauriel commented.


    "I thought they wouldn''t ever come out," Caspar replied with a laugh. "But, alright. At least, the wedding can proceed."


    He gave a sign and Aldebar who was on a small stage in the center of the beautiful garden immediately nodded. He ordered the musicians to get ready and start playing the wedding march. It redirected the guests'' attention to the wedding again.


    "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. We, from the Schneider and Medici families, are very thankful because you all so graciously allotted us some of your time to witness our children''s wedding." Aldebar seemed very happy seeing that most of the guests were enjoying the party refreshments he made. "Actually, our children have been married for quite a long time, so today''s event is just a feast to celebrate their wedding and to announce it publicly ..."


    The guests immediately showed a deep interest in what Aldebar announced.


    The supposed bride and groom were already married? Why hadn''t they heard of it before? They didn''t even know that the Medici and Schneider families had other children.


    Caspar signaled Nicolae, Terry, London, and Rune. They all nodded back at him. The four young men immediately moved to take their place as the groomsmen.


    "Please, excuse us. We''re getting ready for our part," Terry said, bowing slightly to Shekina and her friends. Nicolae just waved to them and followed his friend towards the front of the stage.


    In the original plan, when Nicolae was still supposed to be the groom, Terry, London and Rune would be the groomsmen, but now, the situation changed. Alaric was the one going to marry Aleksis. Nicolae could only take the role of the best man for the groom, his own brother.


    When the four handsome young men lined up neatly before the stage and the musicians began to play wedding songs, the guests promptly realized that the wedding was about to begin.


    The garden within the Medici''s vast and very beautiful castle had been prepared exquisitely for the wedding. At the center, there was a small stage with a beautiful pergola adorned with thousands of roses and lavender flowers that they still somehow managed to find in this early autumn.


    There were dozens of musicians making a semicircular arc behind the pergola. Hundreds of party chairs were arranged into two rows on the left and right side of the beautiful aisle decorated with flower petals. Candles and lanterns were spread throughout the garden, making the atmosphere very romantic.


    Kara and Jadeith came in with Altair and Vega. They approached Finland, and then together with Ned and Portia they moved to sit in front of the wedding altar, on the side meant for the bride''s family.


    The twins themselves already attracted so much attention from the guests. People were wondering why they were sitting with the host and who their parents were.

 Chapter 554 - Ill Kill You Myself

    "Let''s all take a seat, the main event will start soon," Portia said to the Blue family members who were still standing there, puzzled. Reluctantly yet curiously, Kit and her parents followed them, sitting and waiting for the event to officially commence.


    Kit was still trying to look around to find Elios Linden. Disappointed, she finally gave up and sat down next to her mother. There was a frown on her immaculate face.


    Caspar and Lauriel then entered the castle, meeting up with Alaric and Aleksis who were getting ready behind the huge wooden door.


    "Alaric can get out now, you just wait up there with your brothers," Caspar said. "Later, we will bring Aleksis out."


    Alaric exchanged glances with his wife and then nodded.


    "Hmm ... who will walk Aleksis down the aisle?" he asked Caspar and Lauriel. He knew Aleksis was Caspar''s biological daughter, but she was also Lauriel''s goddaughter. He wanted to know who, between Aleksis''s two fathers would take her to the altar.


    "Of course the two of us. We''ve talked about this," Lauriel answered. "By the way, even though you are my son, you must know that Aleksis is still my favorite child. Nicolae already knows this, but maybe you don''t. I have to warn you from now on, if you ever make Aleksis cry, I''ll kill you myself."


    His father''s words stunned Alaric. He just realized that Lauriel loved Aleksis more than his own children.


    "Father, just take it easy, if I make Aleksis cry, I will kill myself before you do," he answered casually. He then kissed Aleksis on the lips and lightly walked out the door. Aleksis was extremely shocked and could only cover her lips with the back of her hand. She couldn''t help feeling shy since she was kissed suddenly in front of her two fathers.


    Caspar looked annoyed but he could not do anything. Whether he liked it or not, the reality was that Alaric was now his son-in-law and Aleksis, his favorite child, was really in love with that man. He could only press his chest with a hand, hoping that Aleksis'' presence in Alaric''s life would change many things about him, especially the mindset, that were making Caspar object to him as his son-in-law.


    He and Lauriel looked at Alaric''s back. They saw the man walking quietly down the aisle created between two rows of chairs, steadily advancing towards the stage where the wedding ceremony would take place.


    They could hear muffled sounds from the guests who had seen Alaric nearing the center stage. Head after head looked up. The faces of the guests were then instantly filled with surprise.


    Wasn''t this ... Elios Linden? The heir to the Linden, Lewis, and Baden families¡­ and the very owner of Rhionen Meier Industries?


    Instantly the atmosphere at the garden party became intense. People began to exchange whispers with one another. Why was he walking on the aisle?


    Some people thought Alaric was a guest who arrived late and was heading to his chair in the front to sit with Ned and Portia.


    But then, they saw the Medici family''s badge and emblem also embedded in his clothes. His expressionless face and purple eyes couldn''t hide his happiness.


    Everyone attentively watched him strode calmly forward. They tried to guess where he was going, the chair next to Ned ... or the stage where the wedding rites would be held.


    Simultaneously, cries of surprise reverberated throughout the place when the guests saw Alaric walking toward the stage, approaching Nicolae. The latter embraced him with a smile, followed by Terry, London, and Rune.


    Alaric then stood tall at the groom''s place, completely ignoring the guests'' faces that were all filled with questions and shock. Many women were sporting a mix of surprise and disappointment on their faces, because they just realized the famous Elios Linden was, in fact, the groom they had all been waiting for this afternoon.


    Ever since Alaric appeared and stood at the groom''s place, incessant whispers and exclamations from the guests flooded over.


    What they just witnessed was really very shocking!


    Who didn''t know Elios Linden today? For the past few years, he had been predicted as the new clan leader candidate. This was despite knowing how much Caspar disliked him for the purist views that he brought forward about the future of the clan.


    Most of the men present wanted to be him, whereas most of the women wanted to be with him. His lonely and mysterious figure made him some kind of living legend that always attracted people''s attention.


    His presence certainly surprised so many people. Even men who were usually not very interested in personal stuff began to ask questions and subsequently found out what really happened.


    Portia and Ned had already expected this commotion to occur the moment they learned the true relationship between Alaric and Aleksis was. Of course, they could not do anything. All of this must be set straight and now was the right time.


    "Is that ¡­? That''s Eli, right?" exclaimed Kit in a muffled voice. She widened her huge eyes and stared at Alaric and Portia alternately, "Didn''t I see wrong? Lady Portia ... what does all this mean?!"


    Portia only nodded and didn''t answer Kit''s question. She was busy watching Alaric, secretly feeling moved to see Luna''s two sons still alive and now, even standing together. The older of the twins was ready to take Alaric to the altar.


    If only Luna was still alive to watch this day, she would have been very happy, Portia thought as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.


    "Lady Portia...!! Why is Eli getting married?!!? Why aren''t you answering me?!" Kit almost screamed hysterically as she tried to get an answer. "Auntie..!! You have to give me an explanation!"


    She certainly knew Elios Linden well but her mind refused to believe that he was truly the young man standing in front.


    Lex was also surprised by the sudden turn of events but he was rational enough to know that he could not allow himself to be humiliated by his daughter. Therefore, he immediately snapped at Kit.


    "You shut up! Don''t make a fuss here," he whispered firmly. He apologetically looked at Portia and signaled his wife to calm Kit down.


    The girl was stunned by her father''s attitude. She was almost never scolded so this instance made her devastated. With a shaken heart, she could only stare at Alaric, aware that she would not be able to do anything.


    Dammit! How could he do this to me? We were supposed to get engaged, but all of a sudden, Eli is marrying another woman! Kit cursed in her heart.


    She looked back, hoping to see who the damnable woman was. She wanted to see who managed to snatch the man that she was going after. Huh ¡­ and this must be a political marriage. Yes, that must be the case. Lex said several times that Eli was an ambitious man. It would not be surprising for him to marry Caspar Schneider''s daughter to get his support as the clan leader ...


    F*ck f*ck f*ck! Dammit!


    Kit bit her lip until it almost bled. She was very upset. Some of the guests also thought the same thing and secretly joined in thinking that this was the actual truth, that Elios Linden deliberately married Caspar Schneider''s daughter in order to smooth out his path in becoming the clan leader.

 Chapter 555 - Here Comes The Bride

    Alaric''s sharp ears caught the various made-up rumors and hypotheses circulating among the curious guests, but he didn''t care in the slightest. In his opinion, what people think was at all not important.


    The musicians began to play the wedding march so everyone realized that the bride was coming out soon. Finland gestured to Kara and the girl immediately led Altair and Vega out of the row of chairs. She gave the two kids a basket full of flower petals each.


    "You stand at the end of the aisle and start throwing flower petals once Mommy walks past, okay ..." Kara whispered. Jadeith arrived later with their dog, Aurora, who had been given a beautiful purple ribbon.


    "Aurora will walk in front of you," Jadeith said as he signaled the two to get ready.


    The guests then saw a pair of twins who looked so similar but different in gender appearing. They looked very impressed by the beauty of the two. For a moment, they felt as if the faces of the children were familiar, but they just couldn''t recall where they had seen them.


    Alaric smiled at Altair and gave an okay sign with his hand. Towards this, the boy immediately replied with a happy nod. Vega just smiled shyly. The girl still needed time to process how her mother, Aleksis, was not going to marry Daddy Nic, and that today, her so-called biological father would be the one standing next to their mom at the altar.


    Alaric understood Vega''s heart. He knew she was still confused so he could only hold back his feelings. Faced with his daughter''s reluctance, he continued to be patient.


    The castle door dramatically opened and the bride came out. Her entrance immediately made those present let out a few muffled cries. The two most respected men in the Alchemist clan were escorting her!  Caspar Schneider, the current clan leader, was on her right, while Lauriel Medici, the most senior Alchemist among them, was marching with them on her left!


    The bride looked extraordinarily beautiful, wearing a simple gown wrapped around her body from her bosom all the way down to her ankles. Her honey-colored hair was styled into a beautiful bun above her head, with fine silky lace covering her head and shoulders.


    From afar, people could see a pair of bright eyes emitting two colors, blue and green. They looked very beautiful, very similar to Lauriel''s famous eyes. For a moment, the guests were confused by her appearance.


    Was this girl the daughter of the Schneider family or the Medici''s? Why did Lauriel walk her down the aisle? Why did Caspar never announce this daughter before?


    Questions after questions raged in their minds. As Aleksis walked closer to the two beautiful children in front throwing flower petals, who were actually following a mini-bulldog puppy wearing a purple ribbon, the guests could see her more clearly. Everyone could not help but admire her beauty.


    She might even be more beautiful than Portia Baden, the one famed as the most beautiful woman in the Alchemist clan when Luna Linden passed away. Ah ... no wonder Eli fell in love with her, people thought.


    The ladies watching the spectacle from their seats were forced to admit that the bride was very beautiful. As for the many male guests there, those who were still single deeply regretted not getting a chance to know her earlier when she was still single. Why was such a beautiful girl never been taken to clan events and introduced to the public?


    When Aleksis walked down the aisle with both her father and godfather, following Altair and Vega who were spreading flowers, they instantly became the focus of everyone at the party. Kit Blue and her parents were the only people who looked very shocked and upset at the same time from seeing her.


    They never thought the girl who would marry Alaric would be this impressive. Kit remembered as well that Aleksis was clearly the one she mistook for a servant before. She was very upset knowing that the servant girl was actually Caspar Schneider''s daughter.


    She remembered how Lauriel introduced Aleksis as his goddaughter. With her arrogance, Kit thought Aleksis was an ordinary girl taken in by Lauriel out of pity because he felt sorry for her who had become a single mother at her young age...


    And oh ... those two children! Kit pursed her lips in shock. She just realized how similar Altair and Vega were to Elios Linden!


    Were they his children? They looked so much alike! Then what actually happened? Did this mean Eli and the damnable girl used to have a relationship where they have children as a result? Ohh ... God, apparently she was too late!!


    Kit unceasingly cursed her bad luck. She could only watch as Aleksis walk down the aisle gracefully until she arrived beside Alaric and as the man intimately embraced her waist.


    Whispering sounds could still be heard here and there, as people could no longer hold back their curiosity. No one could stand watching this excitement in silence. Everything that happened was beyond shocking. And very unexpected!


    At first, the guests were confused because they thought there would be no wedding. Then they learned that the couple was only late. But then, they were presented with surprise after surprise which made them unable to immediately process what was really going on.


    It turned out that Elios Linden was a member of the Medici family, and he was going to marry the daughter of the Schneider family.


    Apparently, the Schneider family had a daughter!


    "I don''t understand what''s going on," Shekina whispered to Lyana and Alexandra, "Is Elios Linden going to be married?"


    "Yes, have you seen his wife? Her appearance is quite similar to Alexandra''s," Lyana commented enthusiastically. "Now I understand why Eli looked at you at that time with a strange look ... You must have reminded him of that girl."


    Alexandra could only bite her lip and look away. She also realized the same thing, and she also remembered that Nicolae had also given her that same look. Obviously, Eli and Nicolae only noticed her because she looked similar to the daughter of the Schneider family... !!


    No girl liked being compared or likened to others, and Alexandra was no exception. With annoyance, she looked away and tried not to pay attention to the happy couple in front there.


    Ugh ...


    At the same, the bride and groom were finally ready on stage, standing side by side. Alaric''s right hand caught Aleksis'' left one and interlocked fingers with her.


    "You''re so beautiful ..." he whispered in a tender voice that made Aleksis blush. She felt his face with her free hand and looked at him lovingly.


    "Thank you ..." she answered with a smile. They looked at each other intimately. Alaric could not hold back anymore and landed a gentle kiss on her lips. His actions elicited muffled sighs from those who never expected that they would show their love so openly like that.


    Wasn''t Elios Linden famous for being cold and introverted? Why did he look so warm and affectionate just now? His face was adorned with a broad smile when he lightly kissed his bride in front of so many people. And he did this even before the wedding procession began.


    The majority of the guests simply could hardly believe their own eyes.

 Chapter 556 - I Do

    The incoming surprises experienced by the guests seemed to still be ongoing. Caspar took a position in front of the bride and groom while Lauriel moved to the side and held Altair and Vega''s hands in each of his own and brought them to sit beside Finland.


    The music went slower before completely coming to a halt. The atmosphere turned quiet. Caspar coughed and started speaking. His voice was confident and charismatic, causing everyone present to become silent, paying close attention to him.


    "Welcome to all our guests, relatives, and friends who have taken the time to share happiness with our two families in Grosseto this afternoon. We are very happy because it is time for us to announce our daughter, Aleksis Lillywyn Makela Schneider, who was born thirty years ago from my wife, Finland Makela Schneider, and me.


    Aleksis has become the source of our happiness from the day she was born, and I love her very much, so much that my selfishness doesn''t want the world to see her.


    Everyone who has become a father will certainly understand how I feel when my beloved daughter grew up so fast, and then comes the day you hate so much - when she has to leave home and build her own home..."


    At this point, Caspar began to look emotional. Lauriel really understood how his friend felt, because to him, Aleksis was also like his own daughter. He watched as Aleksis was born and grew up to adulthood, and his love for her actually outweighed even his love for his own biological children.


    Even Alaric, who only just found himself the father of a boy and girl a day ago, was now unconsciously turning his head to Vega, who was sweetly sitting on Lauriel''s lap. He couldn''t imagine having to let Vega go to marry the man of her choice in a few years.


    Instantly, he understood Caspar''s reluctance to see Aleksis married to him. As a father, of course, Caspar wanted the best for his beloved daughter, while since the beginning, Alaric and Aleksis''s relationship was colored with so many problems, coupled with the conflict between him and the Schneider family.


    Alaric was reminded of the incident ten years ago when Kurt Van Der Ven was killed in front of him because Alaric forced him to move Aleksis from Singapore. He could imagine Caspar''s anger and the dilemma Aleksis faced after she woke up from her coma to find Kurt dead and Alaric allegedly killed by her father''s orders...


    Oh, Vega... Please be kind to this father of yours. Don''t let yourself fall in love with a man who will later make your life difficult, Alaric inwardly begged as he was watching his daughter.


    Ugh... He''ll hide his children from the public as much as possible, as Caspar had been doing. Yes, just let Altair and Vega live at home and stay hidden from the public. Likewise with the children who''ll be born after. He would be a father more selfish than Caspar had ever been.


    To prevent is better than to cure, he thought.


    All of the guests looked moved seeing how the clan leader, who had always seemed warm and relaxed, now was dominated by emotions and novelty. Aleksis looked at her father with teary eyes. She knew that it was very hard for Caspar to accept her marriage to Alaric, seeing how each and every part of her husband''s past was stained and he had a worrying perspective on the future.


    Caspar was naturally forced to accept Alaric as his son-in-law because Aleksis really loved the man, especially since they''ve also had two children together. The next reason was Lauriel, his best friend. If not for all of them, of course, Caspar wouldn''t have given his blessing even if he were to die.


    Caspar resumed his words in a trembling voice. "When Aleksis was two, she met her husband who was traveling around Thailand. Alaric saved her and looked after her until Aleksis met her godfather, Lauriel.


    When Aleksis was twelve, she met her husband again in Singapore. Alaric rescued her again from the hands of the kidnappers, a human trafficker ring, and looked after her so he could return Aleksis to us. After that event, Aleksis always thought of Alaric and wanted to meet him again.


    When Aleksis was twenty, she sought out Alaric to Singapore, because my daughter thought Alaric was her first love. They finally met and Alaric rescued her again, Alaric looked after her again... and they fell in love with each other.


    They didn''t know each other''s family backgrounds, nor did they know of the fact that Alaric was the biological son of Lauriel Medici, Aleksis'' godfather, who was thought to have died before his mother, Princess Luna, gave birth to him. And that caused a lot of serious problems that eventually separated them for ten years..."


    At this point, muffled cries of surprise were heard from everywhere. The guests seemed shocked and moved to hear how Aleksis and Alaric met, and the fact that Alaric was actually the son of Lauriel and his beloved Luna.


    Nicolae emotionally patted his brother''s shoulder, while Lauriel seemed to be trying hard to calm himself. He always felt sad when he remembered how there was such a misunderstanding that caused Aleksis and Alaric to be separated ten years ago. And he himself, Alaric''s father, had contributed to the ten years the two were separated because he had attacked Alaric and resulted in his ''death''.


    If he had known... he would''ve been able to hug both his children, Nicolae and Alaric, instead of attacking Alaric ten years ago.


    "To be honest, I''m a selfish father. If I could help it, I would never give my daughter to anyone, even until my death... But today I realize, that for nearly thirty years, Aleksis and Alaric have been connected to each other by fate that always brings them together and stubbornly tries to unite the two. Even though they were separated for ten years, their great love for one another made fate reunite them..."


    Caspar looked at Alaric with a fatherly look, "As a father, I can finally let Aleksis go, because Alaric has always been able to prove himself to be a perfect protector and guardian for Aleksis. Therefore... I want to take this opportunity as Aleksis'' father to give my daughter to you, and as the leader of the Alchemist clan to acknowledge your marriage, which had taken place ten years ago. "


    Alaric was amazed when he heard Caspar''s every word. He didn''t think his heart could be so touched by the sincere words spoken by his father-in-law.


    On one hand, Caspar shared his feelings as a father who was very worried about his daughter. But on the other hand, he also expressed his relief at seeing his daughter find a partner who could be trusted to accompany and protect her.


    Many of the girls present were moved to hear the love story of the bride and groom that Caspar briefly conveyed, and some became even more curious to know the full story, and of why the couple only announced their marriage before the Alchemist clan after ten years.


    "As the current leader of this big family of the Alchemist clan, I, Caspar Alexander Sebastian Heinrich von Schneider, hereby unite you, Alaric Lionel Elios Linden Medici and Aleksis Lillywyn Makela von Schneider, as husband and wife acknowledged by humans, Heaven and Earth, and every element in the universe." Caspar turned to Alaric, "Do you, Alaric, accept and love Aleksis as your only partner to live this life, with all her strengths and weaknesses, and promise to protect, look after, and make her happy just as you would for yourself?"


    "I do," Alaric answered calmly. He looked at Aleksis lovingly as he swore his oath.


    Caspar continued, this time turning to Aleksis.


    "Do you, Aleksis, my beloved daughter, accept and love Alaric as your only partner to live this life, with all his strengths and weaknesses, and promise to protect, look after, and make him happy just as you would for yourself?"


    "I..." Aleksis tried to answer, but her voice was trembling violently. Tears almost trickled down her cheeks.


    She still couldn''t believe that after such long periods of grievances, she could finally reunite with the man she loved. And now, they could both stand in front of her father, who officiated their relationship.

 Chapter 557 - The Match Made In Heaven

    Alaric gently wiped his wife''s eyes and whispered some words of love into her ears. He did this to ease the tension Aleksis was feeling. A few moments later, she finally nodded and voiced out, "I do..."


    Caspar smiled and stroked his daughter''s head. "Hereby, with the Heavens and Earth and every element in the universe as witnesses, I officially proclaim you two husband and wife. Let the love between you two, as the bride and groom, be everlasting in the neverending flow of time. May you live forever in endless happiness until death do you part. Now and forever."


    "Now and forever!" chorused all the guests to give their blessings, all done to show that the husband and wife were now acknowledged by the whole clan.


    Beautiful music rang as Caspar placed his staff on top of Alaric''s head, then Aleksis''. Following that, he hugged the two.


    "I leave my daughter to you," Caspar said firmly. Alaric nodded. The emotional clan leader continued, "If you make Aleksis cry ..."


    "I know, Uncle, if I make Aleksis cry; you, my father, my brother and Aleksis'' brothers will kill me," Alaric answered, almost laughingly.


    "Don''t forget about me," said Aldebar behind Caspar, "I will kill you slowly using my special torture device."


    "Father and Uncle, can you stop threatening my husband?" retorted Aleksis, who started to get annoyed.


    Her solemn feeling had changed into resentment as she witnessed how Alaric had been repeatedly threatened with death... She knew her family was very reluctant to let her go, but that didn''t mean they should continue to threaten him, right? Ugh ¡­


    "All right, I was just joking," Aldebar said with a shrug.


    "Not me. That wasn''t a joke on my part," Caspar shook his head. "I have never joked when it comes to Aleksis'' safety and happiness."


    "Alright, Uncle, I understand," Alaric answered patiently.


    He knew that there were so many men who loved her very much and were ready to defend her. Therefore, he must prove to all of them that he would be a good husband to her. He would prove to them that she wouldn''t be treated any lesser than when she was still the only daughter of the Schneider family.


    Alaric smiled at his furious wife and tightened his grip of her hand to calm her down, then he looked back to Caspar. "Now, can I kiss my bride?"


    Caspar seemed unwilling but finally nodded. Alaric smiled broadly and immediately pulled Aleksis to his chest and hugged her. He lovingly landed a hot kiss on his wife''s lips.


    Both of them embraced each other and closed their eyes, enjoying the touch of their bodies and the wonderful feeling on their lips. Their synchronized heartbeats sounded like joyful music because finally their marriage was formalized before their families and also recognized by the whole Alchemist clan.


    "I love you," Alaric whispered when the kiss ended. "I can''t wait to go home with you."


    Aleksis nodded softly. "I love you, too."


    Alaric pulled her again to his chest and kissed the top of her head several times. Then when the orchestra played a very beautiful piece of music and Billie Yves performed her legendary song, "You Are Enough", he led her into a dance.


    They danced together while the guests looked at them in awe.


    The groom and bride were both so beautiful even for the Alchemists'' standards.


    They looked like a match made in heaven, thought the people as they watched Aleksis and Alaric gazed at each other lovingly, whispering words of affection as if there was no one else around them.


    After the bride and groom finished the first dance, the guests also stepped forward and joined in the dancing. Chairs were moved to the side so the space for dancing became more spacious. Caspar invited Finland to dance since he knew Billie Yves was her favorite singer.


    Because Jean also really liked Billie''s music, he pulled Marion by the hand to follow their steps. Billie was his girlfriend for many years but after they were married, his wife was no longer jealous of her and was able to enjoy her music with Jean.


    "Wait a minute, I want to ask a favor first," Marion said to Jean. He approached Altair and whispered something to him. Altair nodded and then walked over to Jean-Marie who was wearing a frown on her face.


    "Jean-Marie, do you want to dance with me?" He held out his hand to the girl. On that instant, Jean-Marie''s face brightened and she nodded. Both of them followed Jean and Marion to the dance floor while laughing.


    Seeing that people started to come down, Lauriel went to the newly wedded couple, asking Aleksis'' hand from his son. Alaric was actually reluctant because he did not want to share his wife with anyone, but because Aleksis signaled him to obey his father''s wish, he finally retreated and then sat down beside Vega who was watching his mother while holding her puppy.


    "Uhm ... Vega, do you want to dance with father?" he asked his little girl. He was aware his children were used to calling Nic as Daddy so he did not want to force them to give him the same endearment.


    Vega looked at Alaric for a while before shaking her head. Alaric nodded. He had expected it.


    "It is okay." He took a deep breath, trying hard not to show his disappointment.


    Alexandra, Shekina, and Lyana came toward the groomsmen and invited them to dance.


    "Come on ... don''t let these ladies be disappointed," Terry said happily. "Nicolae, you take Alexandra and London, you go with Lyana."


    He elbowed Nicolae and London. Without waiting for their replies, he led Shekina to the dance floor.


    To not appear impolite, Nicolae forced himself to bend slightly to Alexandra and extended his hand forward. Alexandra accepted it. Then the two of them followed Terry and Shekina on the dance floor.


    London smiled at Lyana and extended his hand too. For a moment Lyana seemed mesmerized since the young man''s smile made his dimples look very cute. His face also looked exactly like his father''s.


    "It''s my first hearing that Lauriel has two sons," Shekina commented as she matched Terry''s steps, who guided her in the dance. "There are so many surprises in the party this time."


    Terry nodded, "We just found out yesterday. You won''t be able to imagine how surprised we were..."


    "Oh really? How come you only found out yesterday? Wasn''t the invitation sent last month? About how Aleksis would be married to ..." Shekina suddenly stopped speaking. She looked stunned, turning to Nicolae who was dancing with Alexandra. She then pressed her lips together. "Gosh ..."


    Terry frowned, "What''s wrong with you?"


    "If you just found out that Lauriel has a second child ... it means that ..." Shekina shook her head and looked at Nicolae one more time, "It means... that Aleksis was supposed to get married to Nicolae today ... but because Aleksis reunited with her husband ... who turned out to be Nicolae''s brother ...their wedding was canceled¡­"


    Terry was stunned, "Jeez ... why are you so smart? I''m just saying that we only found out yesterday that Lauriel has two children. How did you manage to jump to that conclusion right away?"


    Shekina pursed her lips, "I know I am beautiful, but I''m not dumb, okay .."


    Terry sighed, "That''s true, but please don''t gossip about this piece of information. Nicolae, the bride, and the groom have suffered enough already."


    Shekina nodded. But she glanced at Nicolae once again, looking sorry for him. What a pity, the groom was left behind the day before the wedding and even had to be his brother''s best man...

 Chapter 558 - Kit Was Inciting Trouble

    Meanwhile, Alexandra, who was dancing with Nicolae, was not saying much. She was still upset about her resemblances to the bride. She was suspecting that was the reason why Nicolae treated her well.


    Her frustrations only grew because Nicolae did not seem to care that she was pouting. Halfway the song, she finally could not stand it anymore.


    "That Aleksis ... her eyes are unique ..." she said suddenly. "I have always been praised for having a unique pair of eyes, but it turns out there are other people who have something similar. Your father, Lauriel is one example, and Aleksis, the bride, is another."


    Nicolae looked into Alexandra''s eyes and nodded, "That''s right."


    "I remember four years ago, Eli looked at me for a long time, and I thought he liked me. But it was now apparent that he is indifferent to me. That made me very confused. I only found out the answer today. I think at that time I reminded him of Aleksis," Alexandra said again.


    "Is that so?" Nicolae asked. This was something he did not know. But upon deliberating a bit, he had to acknowledge that at a glance, Alexandra looked similar to Aleksis. Also, when viewed closely, her unique eyes could really remind people of the other woman.


    "Yeah.  And that is enough to upset me ..." Alexandra complained.


    "Why would you be upset?" Nicolae asked, clearly not understanding.


    "Yes, of course, I could only be upset. People will always compare us, and maybe those who can''t get her will approach me as a rebound or a substitute for her. Nobody likes being a rebound," Alexandra replied curtly.


    She gave Nicolae a probing look as if she wanted to force the man to come clean to her, to make him fess up that he indeed approached her because she looked like Aleksis.


    Nicolae was not naive so he immediately understood what Alexandra''s words meant. He did smile, but his words sounded far from sweet.


    "Aleksis has inner beauty and other great qualities that go far beyond her physical appearance and a unique pair of eyes. I''m sure that even if there are women who physically resemble Aleksis, they will never be able to imitate her personality. A woman''s beauty is only skin deep. Love requires more than physical attraction."


    Just then the song ended and Nicolae bowed slightly before leaving Alexandra. The girl was stunned and was left rooted in her place. Nicolae''s words that were spoken so softly made her feel like something heavy was pressed on her heart.


    So that means I''m just physically similar to her but without her inherent beauty? Her mind was filled with anger. After that, she stomped her feet and returned to her chair with a crumpled face.


    Alexandra was not the only guest present filled with resentment at that party. Ever since she saw Alaric walk down the wedding aisle and shock everyone as he took the position of the groom, Kit Blue had been wallowing in anger and jealousy.


    She did not expect that her four years of waiting would end up in vain. She felt that she had been patient enough. She repeatedly came to various events held by Elios Linden and his family to support the man''s ambition, namely to become the clan leader, replacing Caspar Schneider, but now ... he actually forsook her and married the daughter of the Schneider family...


    No, he actually married that damnable girl from ten years ago ...! How insolent!


    During the past four years, Kit had managed to remain patient because she knew Eli disliked body contact with other people. She was the only one he could touch. This made the girl not at all worried that one day he would find another girl to marry. It should have been going the way she wanted.


    Her father and Ned Lewis had already discussed an arranged marriage between her and Eli. Portia Baden had even slowly accepted her as her potential daughter-in-law. Sooner or later, Kit was supposed to be engaged to Eli and then be married to him.


    After all ¡­ Wasn''t that damnable woman supposed to be with Nicolae now? Weren''t they together all this time? They also seemed very affectionate in Reykjavik... Why was she getting together with Eli now???


    Throughout the wedding procession and dances, Kit only kept throwing Alaric a hateful look as she incessantly sipped on the drink she took from the tray of a passing waiter. While drinking, she also noticed the interaction between Alaric and Vega, then recalled that four years ago, she met Nicolae and Aleksis with their two children at the Reykjavik airport.


    Hmm ... she tried to connect the dots from everything that had occurred. Her intelligent mind then drew conclusions. This was all very embarrassing, she cursed inwardly.


    "Ugh ... How dare you play me like this ..." she repeatedly hissed. "I will make you pay for this insult."


    After the fifth wine glass, Kit began to lose her common sense. She walked over to the musicians and then took the microphone. The music had just ended and Aldebar was about to take the microphone to greet the guests again, but Kit moved faster than him.


    "Hey, what do you think you are doing?" Aldebar asked in puzzlement. Kit raised her hand to drive Aldebar away. Then with a curt face, she raised the microphone in front of her lips.


    "I want to congratulate the bride and groom who look very happy ... Congratulations on the wedding." She pointed at Alaric, who had just stood up to take his wife from Lauriel''s hand after they finished dancing. "Alaric ¡­ Lionel Elios ... who knows what your true name is ..."


    Instantly, the place became quiet and everyone watched Kit. Lex seemed to be walking toward his daughter, but Kit hurriedly shouted at him.


    "Don''t come closer !!!! I have to express my feelings, otherwise, I''ll go crazy!! If you force me to shut up, I''ll kill myself ... !!!"


    She smashed her glass against the handle of the microphone and then pointed the sharp shard at her neck, making everyone scream.


    "What do you want?" an icy voice broke the silence.


    Alaric''s voice stunned her. She looked at Alaric with teary eyes. "I ... I''m just too disappointed in you. You gave me hope for four years. My father and Uncle Ned already discussed our engagement, Auntie Portia invited me to Glasgow several times because she liked me... But today, you suddenly married another woman ... Do you think that''s fair to me?? How could you do this to me? Why did you give me such an unpleasant surprise? Do I mean nothing in your eyes?"


    Almost immediately, whispers from the guests filled the place. Long ago, they had heard several rumors about the relationship between Elios Linden and Kit Blue from Iceland. Now as they listened to the girl''s revelation, they felt sympathy for her.

 Chapter 559 - A Lesson for Kit Blue

    Aleksis also looked stunned. She never knew how Alaric had been doing all this time. As she didn''t really follow the news outside, this had been the first time she heard about how Kit was supposed to be engaged to her husband. She turned to Alaric and asked for an explanation.


    "Is what she said true?" Aleksis asked in amazement, "Are you engaged to her?"


    Alaric shook his head. "Ned and her father have an agreement that they will marry their children if they have a son and daughter. She is just trying to find an opportunity to get a powerful man to become her husband. I never gave her the hope she was claiming."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis looked at Kit who was now reduced to tears. "Poor her ..."


    "She doesn''t deserve your pity," Alaric grumbled. He put his arm around Aleksis'' waist and pulled her towards the castle. "Don''t give her an inch, she would ask for a mile."


    Seeing how Alaric ignored her completely and was even about to leave, Kit became even more enraged.


    "I can''t believe a man like you can be so naive! Even though you got married to her ten years ago, that doesn''t mean you have to go back to her... Marriage can still be voided. She has forgotten you. Why do you want to go back to a woman like her who stained herself by sleeping with another man? I saw her and her children go on a vacation to Iceland with Nicolae, your own brother. And guess what? They were very affectionate! She doesn''t deserve you ... !!!" screamed Kit. "Why don''t you just let her marry your brother and free yourself so you can start anew? She left you before and was preparing to start a new life with Nicolae. Why don''t you do the same?!! Her children don''t even consider you their father ... They are calling Nicolae their father ... You have no place in their lives!"


    She knew the only way to attract Alaric''s attention was to say evil and hurtful words. If she couldn''t get that man, then she won''t just let them be happy. She must at least embarrass them!


    Everyone was very surprised by Kit''s words and whispers and rumors began to be heard here and there again. They looked at Alaric and Nicolae alternately. They finally realized that the wedding they were attending actually contained many surprises.


    Kit''s revelation made the guests aware that the wedding today was actually prepared for Aleksis and Nicolae... not Alaric. Gosh ...


    Alaric, who had never bothered at all about Kit, was finally baited. He did not care about himself at the slightest. Even if people insult him, he wouldn''t flinch even once. But when Kit did that to Aleksis¡­ and she even mentioned their children, he immediately flew in rage.


    At first, he had zero intention to announce his children''s identities, because, like Caspar, he wanted to protect them until they were adults. But this foolish girl actually mentioned his children... She was really unforgivable!


    All of a sudden, the sound of a microphone falling and shards of glass scattering on the small stage where Kit had just been standing reverberated. It was immediately followed by people screaming at the top of their lungs.


    Apparently, before Kit could even finish speaking, Alaric had already moved quietly towards Kit and within a few seconds, he was there, grabbing her neck with his right hand while lifting her into the air. His steps were very light so the girl was not able to react at all. ;


    The female guests were greatly shaken by the sight whereas the male guests were shocked to see Alaric lifting Kit''s body by gripping her neck mercilessly. They could also see that while the girl kept trying her best to escape, her attempts were proving futile.


    "I will not forgive anyone who says bad things about Aleksis, or our children," Alaric said in an icy voice. He turned his gaze around as if giving warning to everyone who attended. His eyes were telling that he also would not hesitate to do the same to them if they tried to copy Kit''s actions.


    "My daughter...!! Please let go of my daughter!!" screamed Moira Blue. She ran toward Alaric. Using his free hand, he had resisted her so strongly that she got slammed hard onto the ground. Lex hurriedly helped his wife stand up. He immediately approached Ned and asked his childhood friend to order Alaric to set his daughter free.


    "I am warning you," Alaric said once more before throwing Kit to the ground. The girl coughed while holding her painful neck as she tried to catch her breath again. Her face was filled with terror!


    She never expected Alaric, who was all smiles today, looking so warm at his bride and relatives, to do that. He was actually still as cold as before. He looked really scary when he grabbed her neck without mercy. His face seething in anger emitted a murderous aura. He was simply like the demon king that descended on earth.


    Kit did not know that Alaric used to be a cruel and unforgiving assassin. He could easily estimate how many seconds it would take to strangle someone in Kit''s position, so he could release the girl right before her soul left her body.


    Alaric was not stupid. He did not want to commit an unforgivable sin in front of many people, at least not now that he had just reunited with his wife and children. He must stay alive to be able to protect his family. Prosecution or any serious charges from his kinsmen was the last thing he currently wanted.


    Moira immediately ran toward Kit and helped her get back to her feet. Both of their faces were filled with terror. Caspar could only sigh, seeing all that. He did not like Alaric''s cruel actions, even if he knew the younger man did so to defend Aleksis. He decided to talk with Aleksis and ask her to further restrain her husband so as not to cause a commotion like this again in the future.


    "Honey ... you made a lot of people scared," whispered Aleksis who had approached Alaric and clasped his hands, "You shouldn''t take that kind of trash talk into heart."


    "I told you, I don''t care if it''s me, but I won''t forgive anyone who says bad things about you. I won''t change." Alaric shook his head firmly. He looked around and said in a voice audible to everyone present. "This is just a warning from me, an example, so that no one would dare think they could insult Aleksis Schneider Medici, my wife. I''m still the same Alaric Medici and Elios Linden, cruel and unforgiving. Don''t ever mess with me."


    He then approached Lex Blue who stood there looking at him with an angry expression put on. Alaric pointed at him and said in a firm voice. "You must educate your child better. From now on, all Rhionen-Meier Industries services and businesses will have no whatsoever relations to all your businesses. I will block all cooperation involving your companies."


    Rhionen-Meier Industries was the largest corporate group in the world today and their businesses spanned so many fields. Being blocked from their businesses, of course, was something terrifying for any company. It was certain that the companies that suffered that fate would slowly die. After all, every business and aspect of human life today relied on one or more services from the RMI group.


    It was understandable that the threat made Lex''s face pale. He staggered and almost fell if not for Ned who hastily held his body.


    "Eli ..." said Ned in surprise. "Please forgive them ... Kit is young and stupid. She didn''t mean any harm."


    But Alaric did not care about them at all. He had walked away while embracing Aleksis'' waist.


    The people present could now see that Alaric was still the same as the Elios Linden they knew. He was still cold and uncaring, and they had even just seen the cruel side that had not been seen previously.


    When they all saw Alaric smiling and acting sweetly, even casually kissing and being intimate with Aleksis in front of a large crowd, many people were surprised, thinking what they were seeing was very different from the persona they used to hear about him all this time.


    But now, they realized, he was only warm to Aleksis and his family. At first, almost everyone thought he had changed, but the events just now made them aware that he was still the same as before.


    These thoughts made many people concerned, tacitly agreeing that they should take care not to make this man angry. They were horrified by the consequences they would have to endure if they made such a scary man angry the way Kit just did.

 Chapter 560 - Alaric and Nicolaes Agreement

    Lauriel could only shake his head as he watched the events that had happened so fast. All of a sudden, the atmosphere became tense. He didn''t know that Alaric could be that ruthless when angered ...


    Caspar who could read his mind immediately nodded at him, silently agreeing with his sentiments. ''He is just like you'',  he said without a sound.


    Ah ... maybe he is like the old me, Lauriel thought. He had always been a quiet person and didn''t like to talk much. He also rarely got angry, but once his anger was provoked, he would always make sure that everyone would tremble in place.


    Now he was a lot calmer and not as ruthless. Come to think of it, he hardly got angry in the past ten years, except yesterday when he saw Marion who had lied to him about Alaric for a decade.


    He now hoped that time could make Alaric become softer in nature and happier with Aleksis and their children. After the wedding, there were still many things to be discussed. The clan leader candidates, the various RMI automation projects that were worrying Caspar, and many more.


    After the incident with the Blue family, Alaric was in no mood to linger around so he invited Aleksis into the castle, leaving the guests relieved when they saw him disappear from sight.


    Lex and Moira angrily brought their daughter home. They ignored Ned who tried to calm the situation down.


    "Never mind ... you saw how that child looked for trouble on her own," Portia commented. She paid no more attention to the Blue family and immediately approached Vega and Altair who seemed amazed by what they just witnessed. She knelt before the two children and calmed them down. "Kids ... you don''t need to be afraid. Your father was angry because you and your mother were insulted by someone. He will never be angry at you."


    Altair nodded first, followed by Vega.


    "But Daddy Nic is never angry," the little girl said suddenly.


    "Hmm ... Daddy Nic and your father have different personalities. But I''m sure Daddy Nic can also be angry if someone says bad things about you."


    Vega looked down sadly. She remembered how her mother did not end up marrying Nicolae. Portia noticed her sad expression and could not help but sigh deeply. She could see that the situation between the father and daughter pair was quite complicated. She could only hope that they would not experience prolonged grief.


    Nicolae came closer and lovingly carried Vega in his arms. "What''s wrong with you, Little Princess? Is anyone bothering you?"


    Vega buried her head on Nicolae''s shoulder and cried. "I want to stay here ... We should have moved here, right? Why aren''t Daddy Nic and Mommy getting married?"


    Nicolae who was still in the process of forgetting his sadness due to the cancellation of his marriage to Aleksis, now felt his heart being broken into little pieces. He also loved these two children and had imagined a lifetime with them.


    "Hmm ... you can always stay here. This is your father''s home too. Vega, you just talk to your father, Alaric ... Daddy is sure he would want to live here with you," he said to her softly. "Daddy will also visit often."


    Vega didn''t reply and continued to cry. Even Altair, who was starting to accept Alaric as his father, was now sad. It was a fact that for the past four years Nicolae had spent a lot of time with them, going on adventures with them, and looking after them.


    Indeed, the situation had become sad and complicated for many people ...


    ***


    The party finally ended and the guests all left. Yet for the Schneider and Medici families, things were still far from over. They gathered in the large reception hall and talked about Aleksis and her children, more specifically about their family arrangement.


    "Finally, it''s over," Finland sighed, sitting on the comfortable sofa in the hall and taking off her shoes. "Now we only need to discuss technical issues after the wedding."


    Alaric who was sitting next to Aleksis nodded. "Actually, I want to bring Aleksis and the children with me."


    He saw how Vega hugged Nicolae tighter and his heart clenched in sadness. He hoped that one day his daughter would be able to love him the same way she loved Nicolae. However, he knew it would take time. For now, he could only endure the longing and pain.


    "Aleksis and I talked about it and we have reached a decision ..." Alaric turned to Aleksis who nodded softly, "I know it will be very difficult for the children to part with Nicolae right away ... therefore I hope he would let Altair and Vega stay over this year. Aleksis and I will visit every month, trying to get them used to my presence ... Next year, we will talk again. "


    Everyone was very surprised by Alaric''s decision. Nicolae lifted his face, not with a look of surprise but p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. He was very happy since he would at least not be separated from Altair and Vega so suddenly.


    Since yesterday, his heart was feeling pain from imagining how he would have to separate from the woman he loved and the children whom he had long considered his own. One year transition should be able to give him enough time to slowly let them go.


    The decision to let him spend more time with Altair and Vega was quite wise, because at least, they could say goodbye to each other properly. However, the same could not be said true for Aleksis. If Nicolae had to slowly let go of her, surely it would feel even worse, because he was sure that if he often met the girl, his love would never subside.


    "I agree," Nicolae said quickly. He kissed Vega''s hair and whispered to her, "Ssh ... you can stay with Daddy Nic. You don''t have to feel sad anymore, okay, Darling?"


    "Hmm ... well then ¡­ I agree." Lauriel nodded in satisfaction, "I figure, you are not in a rush to go away, right? We have only met yesterday. Please stay here, even for a week. There''s a lot I want to talk about with you."


    "I also want to invite you to Stuttgart," Caspar said, following Lauriel''s words, "We also want to know you better."


    Alaric also nodded. He knew to marry Aleksis meant he had to accept her family too, which meant he also had to improve his bad relationship with Caspar.


    Finally, it was decided that for a week Alaric and Aleksis would remain in Medici Castle to spend time getting to know his father''s family, after which they both would go visit the Schneider family in Stuttgart, while Altair and Vega would remain in Grosseto with Nicolae and Lauriel.

 Chapter 561 - Where Do You Want To Live?

    It was a beautiful morning, not only because the falling autumn leaves could be seen flying softly from the window, but because after ten years, Aleksis was finally able to wake up feeling Alaric''s presence by her side without having to fear it was only a dream.


    After the wedding and the brief meeting between the families, the two spent the night m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e. Then they chatted the rest of the time away to vent off their longing. Amidst that, they were also exchanging news. Their hearts were content with each other.


    Then they fell asleep in a very comfortable position. Alaric had not been able to sleep very well for a long time. Yet this was already the second day that he had slept soundly because Aleksis was in his arms.


    When the woman woke up in the morning, she could not bear to move, because she was worried that her husband who was sleeping so peacefully would wake up. This was why she simply decided to stay still and enjoy Alaric''s breath on her hair, and the man''s heartbeat in her ear. Aleksis was insatiably staring at his face and body which she thought to be very beautiful.


    She couldn''t help thinking, Alaric hid his appearance and made her think that he was an older looking man who was also disfigured, when in fact he was very handsome.


    In her heart, Aleksis thought that even though Alaric was ugly, she would not mind it one bit, because all this time, it was not his physical appearance that made her fall in love with him. All her life, she was surrounded by physically fit and beautiful people. Not even Alaric''s power and wealth could shake her will, because Aleksis also came from a very rich and powerful family.


    Hmm ... come to think of it, although Alaric hated people and could be really cruel, it was actually his kindness that first made Aleksis fall in love with him. He had a gentle heart and he never thought twice about helping people who were troubled. So, even though she had heard about Alaric''s terrible background, she still thought positively that someday Alaric would change ...


    After they were reunited, Aleksis really hoped to see some changes in him because she did not want their children to see their father destroying humankind as he had originally intended.


    Hmm ... such a gentle person, does he still want to eradicate most humans? Aleksis thought as she watched Alaric''s face, which looked very peaceful.


    The man''s eyes suddenly flew open and looked right into the woman''s face, making her blush.


    "Hey .. good morning, Honey. We did not oversleep anymore, did we?" Alaric asked, rubbing her head which was leaning against his c.h.e.s.t.


    Aleksis answered his question by shaking her head. "Haha ... no. I will be very embarrassed if we are to be late again."


    "Hmm ..." The man kissed his wife''s forehead and tightened his arms entrapped her. "Is there an event today?"


    "Nothing important. Uncle Rory only wants to invite you and Nicolae to go fishing in the lake. If you don''t mind, you can accept the invitation. The kids and I will be having a picnic at Butterfly Hill. Aside from these, nothing else. We just need to relax and enjoy the holidays."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded. He also wanted to spend time with his father and brother.


    They had agreed to spend a week in Grosseto to get to know each other better and, of course, to re-establish the correct relationsh.i.p.s as father and son. It was also to give Altair and Vega a year with Nicolae, a transition period per se.


    This was indeed a very difficult decision for Aleksis and Alaric because up to this date, she had never been separated from her children. As for Alaric, he simply wanted to be present in Altair and Vega''s lives as soon as possible, but for the sake of the two children and also for Nicolae, they both relented.


    Altair and Vega had to learn to accept that their mother was reunited with their biological father. But since it would not be an easy process, they were given time, a year to be exact, to be with Nicolae.


    "I hope you both don''t give Daddy Nic too much trouble ... Your father and I will come to see you once a month, but whenever you want to meet us, you just need to contact me. We will come," Aleksis said when they were on a picnic on Butterfly Hill, explaining their plans going forward.


    Altair and Vega just nodded. They were old enough to understand the dilemmas their parents were facing. This was why they tried to be as understanding as they could.


    "But Mommy, you won''t leave us, right?" Vega asked in a low voice. Aleksis hurriedly embraced her daughter and shook her head.


    "No, Honey ... I really want to be with you both... but if I stay, I will feel bad for Daddy Nic, because I know that Daddy still can''t forget me. So we gave in. Father Alaric also gave in. He doesn''t want to force you to go with him ..."


    Finally, Vega nodded, albeit reluctantly, "Alright, Mom. I understand..."


    ***


    A week passed just like that. After spending time every day with his family, Alaric slowly warmed up as a person. He always smiled around Aleksis or their children. He really looked like a totally different person. It was to the point that even Lauriel was having a hard time believing how much Alaric had changed from his time at Grosseto.


    Suddenly, he remembered his old self who had also turned happier after meeting Aleksis. The girl was truly the source of happiness for so many people. Lauriel was really happy that she was married to his son which meant that she didn''t need to be shared with outsiders.


    During the week spent together, the bond between Nicolae and Alaric as twin brothers became stronger and their relationship became very close. Only, toward Aleksis, Nicolae could not behave as usual. He tended to avoid the woman and everyone could understand the reason. He still could not recover from the pain incurred by the fact that she didn''t get to marry him.


    Nicolae became very relieved when Aleksis and Alaric finally left for Stuttgart to visit the Schneider family. Alas, he would not have to see her being with Alaric constantly.


    ***


    In Stuttgart, Aleksis and Alaric were welcomed by her family. Caspar found that he and Alaric had a lot of things in common. This included, but not limited to their love for privacy, their love for Aleksis and how they did anything for the girl''s sake. These similarities gradually brought the two men with different backgrounds and views closer to each other.


    Alaric also spent a lot of time with Rune who liked him a lot due to his wealth of knowledge in technologies. They frequently discussed a lot of the latest inventions and technologies that interested them both.


    "I love your family," Alaric whispered to her on their last night in Stuttgart.


    "Oh, you do?" Aleksis asked, "Actually you and Dad are quite similar in many things. I''m glad you can respect and accept each other."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded. "I will think about what your father told me. I will not necessarily cancel all my automation projects, but I will try to find ways for all the features we provide to instead help humans to become better creatures so that they become more worthy of inhabiting this earth. "


    Aleksis could only sigh at his words, "I hope for the best... I don''t want to see war or people doing evil anymore. Unfortunately, I don''t think you can force your way on humans. They won''t learn and instead think of you as a dictator who wants to rule them. Nobody likes dictators. All you can do is to make them aware of their own mistakes so they would want change. Make it so they will recognize that change is good for them. "


    Alaric did not answer. He knew Aleksis was right.


    "Where do you want to live?" Alaric asked as he and Aleksis got off the car that took them to the airport. "Sorry, I forgot to ask. I''m too excited about living with you forever. I forgot that I have houses all over the world."


    Aleksis just laughed at his boasting. "I like our home in Singapore, but I know you are a busy person and have a lot of work to do, so I will go wherever you go."


    "Hmm ... alright." Alaric nodded, "I will slowly reduce my workload and hand it over to someone capable. But in the meantime, I need to take care of something in England."


    "Alright. I can come with you to England, and we can also stop by Glasgow and visit Aunt Portia," Aleksis answered.


    "Great idea." Alaric helped her board his plane. They then sat side by side while waiting for the plane to take off. "I have to attend the big celebration for the fourth anniversary of the launching of Virconnect. The event will be very lively. I want you to come with me."


    "My p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e," answered Aleksis smilingly. "Hmm ... will you introduce me to everyone as your wife?"


    "That''s right," he said. He remembered the various gossip that had associated him with Elien Mikhailova and the other famous girls. He needed to kill the gossip at once. Previously, he was too lazy to care about them, but now that Aleksis was back in his life, he did not want his wife to be misunderstood. "But my name outside is now Elios Linden, so in public, you will be Mrs. Linden."


    "Ah ... I would love to be Mrs. Linden," Aleksis said, kissing Alaric''s lips lovingly. "I love you, Mr. Linden."


    "I love you more, Mrs. Linden." Alaric warmly kissed his wife back. He ignored the shocked faces of his staff on the plane who, for the first time, got to see their big boss kiss a woman openly.


    They never even saw him as much as held a woman''s hand before, but today they saw him kiss his wife so lovingly, without caring what other people think.

 Chapter 562 - Getting Used To His Lifestyle

    Upon arrival in London, they immediately drove to the mansion where Alaric had previously spent most of his time. When getting into the driverless car from the airport, for the first time Aleksis felt that her husband''s lifestyle was different from what she was used to.


    Usually, Aleksis would use a human driver, otherwise, there would be Nicolae taking her and the children wherever they wanted to go.


    Her family was very rich and could afford to employ many humans, especially at this period of time when most families were already using computer systems and automation to help with their daily work.


    But Alaric did not employ human staff as he did not like to be surrounded by many people. It was not because he was not wealthy enough. When Aleksis entered the door that opened automatically, she looked surprised since there wasn''t even a single person in the house. There were only a variety of robots and android staff (artificial humans) who welcomed them respectfully.


    "Welcome, Madam Aleksis ..." Luna''s happy voice could be heard as she greeted the new lady of the house.


    Aleksis turned her head trying to find the origin of the voice. Alaric just smiled seeing her rather confused.


    "That''s my digital assistant, Luna. She is in charge of the whole house and arranging my schedule. You''ve met my other digital assistant in the car. Aleksis arranges other stuff, mostly those I do outside." He explained.


    "Oh ¡­ that''s very funny. You named your two assistants after me and your mother," Aleksis said, smiling.


    "Because you two are the only women I care about and respect," Alaric answered curtly. He spread his hands and invited Aleksis to follow him to tour his residence. "Let me show you the interior of this house."


    "Hmm ... alright," said the woman who then welcomed Alaric''s grasp. Together, they walked around the large and quiet mansion. In the middle of the residence, there was a beautiful outdoor garden with a small waterfall at the center that made the atmosphere look so peaceful.


    "You don''t keep any bonsai here?" she asked.


    "Hmm ... there''s no time," he said. "Maybe, later, I''ll go back to creating bonsai if my workload is successfully reduced."


    They sat in the garden enjoying the light breeze of air as they watched the stream of water and beautiful fish swimming in the pond. A robot servant came serving hot tea and cakes without being asked to.


    "Wow ... the system you have here is very efficient," exclaimed Aleksis. "Without being asked, everything is made available."


    "It requires programming in great detail, and the system uses neural learning to learn the habits and preferences of the residents of this house. After a few days, they will be able to follow your habits and preferences."


    "Ah ..." Aleksis nodded. She finally understood and experienced for herself why the RMI''s automation system was widely used in human societies. The system was very efficient and could save a lot of time and money.


    "You don''t like it?" Alaric asked. He knew that she was accustomed to being served by humans because her family did not like everything that was robotic. They claimed it was because there would be no human touch in their interactions.


    "Hmm ... not that I dislike it. I just need time to get used to it." The woman looked around. This house really felt very quiet. Why did Alaric shut himself in such a quiet place? Wouldn''t that make him sad? she wondered.


    "I can hire a human staff if you want. All you have to do is say it. I''ll do anything for you," he said again.


    "Hmm ... alright." Aleksis nodded. "I think this house is too big and quiet. That''s all."


    Alaric smiled at his wife''s words. He brought his lips close to Aleksis''s ear and whispered, "Therefore, we must make many children. If we only have two, this house will still feel lonely. I want us to have more children after Altair and Vega..."


    Aleksis suddenly blushed at Alaric''s suggestion since she considered it too straightforward. She turned her head away to protest, but her lips accidentally touched Alaric''s lips. The man swiftly took that opportunity to land a hot kiss on her lips.


    "Hmm ... you know how lonely my life has been." Alaric whispered in between his kisses on Aleksis'' moist lips, "I don''t want to be lonely anymore."


    Aleksis could only close her eyes and enjoy his overwhelming love. She returned his kisses and soon their tongues were exploring each other''s mouth, claiming their breath away. Not long after, they had quickly undressed each other and made out more passionately.


    At that time, Aleksis was relieved that there were no other humans in the house because she and Alaric could make love anytime and anywhere without having to worry about being seen by other people.


    They made love on their seats and then soon moved to the comfortable sofa in the living room. After that, they proceeded to Alaric''s bed in the main bedroom.


    An efficient robot servant took their clothes from the garden and put them in the washing machine.


    ***


    When they finished their vigorous lovemaking session, hot drinks were already provided on the bedside tables complete with a new set of clothes. Aleksis was really impressed by the efficiency of the system at her husband''s home.


    "I love your house," she whispered, kissing Alaric''s lips before leaning her back against the headboard. "The system is efficient, and the decoration is elegant. I know your taste is better than mine."


    "This is your home too," the man said, leaning his back as well on the headboard like she did. His hand held Aleksis'' hand, as if he didn''t want her to disappear from sight after they had made love. "You know, after we got married, I actually placed the mansion''s deed in Singapore under your name. So will all my assets. Everything mine will be yours."


    Aleksis was stunned. She could not help but hug him tightly. "Ahh .. that''s not necessary, but thank you."


    Alaric smiled and ruffled his wife''s hair like he used to do. "Of course it''s necessary. If I die, I want to make sure my wife and children are secured. I know your father is rich, but I am responsible for your lives."


    Aleksis touched her hair that turned messy from his actions and frowned. "You are still like before, you love to mess my hair up ... I''m 30 years old now ... I''m no longer a kid!"


    "Eh ...?" The man was dumbfounded by her protest. He realized that he really liked tousling her hair because she looked so cute when protesting like this. "You want me to be responsible? Alright ... I will wash and style your hair as usual. Will you forgive me then?"


    Alaric''s words managed to rouse a smile on Aleksis'' face. She nodded and immediately dragged her husband out of bed to the bathroom so that they could wash up.


    Alaric kept his promise to wash her hair and massage her head as they bathed together in the huge bathtub. He then happily dried his wife''s body and hair and styled it until it looked beautiful again.


    They made out afterward all day and enjoyed the moment together without any interference from anyone else. Aleksis felt that she would slowly get used to his lifestyle this way.

 Chapter 563 - Big Boss Is Bringing A Woman To Office

    "So?" Alaric would ask every morning as they have breakfast, and each time Aleksis would answer by shaking her head. It would always be followed by her husband''s disappointed sigh. "Why don''t you want to check it?"


    "Jeez, you ... it''s only been two weeks," Aleksis said after the third day.


    Alaric scowled and she could no longer bear to look at his expression, so she burst out laughing.


    "It''s been almost 3 weeks, huh," Alaric said in a protesting tone. "We met again on October 2, on your birthday, and that night we made love until morning, don''t you remember? You got pregnant with Altair and Vega on the first try."


    Aleksis pressed her lips together while laughing, "How did you know that it was from the first try? For almost a week, we did ''that'' every day ..."


    "I just know ..." The man replied, stubbornly.


    She rolled her eyes and smiled. However, she knew that Alaric was right. When they first made love, she was secretly hoping to have his child. That was why she did not prevent Alaric from releasing his seeds inside her. At that time, she had a hunch that if she fell pregnant, it would help her force her family to accept the man she loved.


    Ten years later, all of her dreams came true. They reunited as husband and wife with the blessings of their two families and even had two lovely children.


    From now on, their lives together would only be filled with happiness and love.


    "Honey, the best time to find out about pregnancy is one week after I am supposed to have my period, so the results can be more accurate," Aleksis said. "I don''t like to check every day like a fool. It''s better to be patient and wait."


    "So have you missed your period?" Alaric asked in a probing tone.


    She nodded, "Yes, but it''s only been a few days. I want to wait for a week."


    "All right ... I''ll learn to be patient," Alaric finally said. He finished his breakfast and then prepared to leave for the office. "I''ve been on leave from my job for almost three weeks. It''s time to go back to the office and take care of various things. Tonight, there will be a big party as a celebration for Virconnect''s fourth anniversary."


    "Ah ... it must be fun. The event is held in the St. Laurent Hotel''s ballroom, right?" Aleksis asked as she stood up. Two robot servants immediately cleared the dining table. "Isn''t it better for me to wait for you there? If I go to your office, I''m afraid I''d distract you from work."


    "You never disturb me," he said. "Come on ... you can accompany me in the office all morning, then you can go to St. Laurent after we have lunch. I will have to attend many meetings in the office starting at noon."


    In the end, Aleksis relented. She wore a casual summer dress, which looked beautiful as it wrapped around her beautiful body. She wasn''t wearing any makeup at all. Alaric was always amazed seeing that Aleksis had a very high resistance to cold and did not feel the need to wear an autumn coat even though the temperature outside had dropped to ten degrees Celsius.


    They walked hand in hand towards the car and departed along with two android guards that were tasked with ensuring their safety.


    At RMI Tower, their appearance instantly garnered attention and rumors. Alaric never came to the office with a woman, except for those few times with his cousin Sophia, who had now resigned.


    Even more surprising was that Alaric casually walked in without ever releasing his grip on her hand. Their gestures seemed very intimate.


    They must have a special relationship, the people around eventually concluded.


    Even though none of their employees dared to stare at them for a long time or asked about Aleksis, news about them soon spread throughout the building like a forest fire.


    Aleksis make herself comfortable in Alaric''s room by sitting casually and reading a book. Before lunch, she even managed to check on her children in Grosseto by using Virconnect 4D, all while Alaric was taking care of the things that required his attention.


    They then had lunch together in his room. Only then did he order a trusted staff to take Aleksis to the St. Laurent Hotel.


    "I also invited Rune and London to the event tonight. They should arrive this afternoon. You can meet and chat with them," he said before taking Aleksis away.


    "Ah, how nice of you! I will contact them." Aleksis kissed Alaric and then left his room, "I''ll go first. See you tonight."


    The woman left her husband''s office and used the elevator to reach the lobby on the ground floor, all while following the staff assigned to escort her. As soon as the elevator door opened, she almost collided with a beautiful girl hurrying to get into the elevator without waiting for those inside to come out first.


    "Hey! Use your eyes, please!" the girl snapped at Aleksis. She looked upset and in a rush so when she saw Aleksis, whom she considered slow in coming out of the elevator, she became angry.


    "Hmm ... you should wait for the people to get out first, then enter," Aleksis said, shaking her head. "Why are you so impatient?"


    The girl narrowed her eyes at the other woman sharply. "Do you know who I am?"


    Aleksis turned to the staff behind her, "Do you know who she is?"


    The staff hurriedly bowed and whispered. "She''s Elien Mikhailova, one of the ambassadors of our Virconnect products since three years ago, madam."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis looked at Elien and wondered why Splitz wanted a woman so arrogant like her to represent them.


    "So now, do you know who I am? If so, move aside," said the female ambassador coldly.


    Aleksis just smiled and shook her head. She didn''t even care about Elien and continued walking out. For her, Elien was just one of the so many women in the world who always treated themselves like its center.


    She knew she could never be friends with petty women like her who were regarding her as an enemy, and she had actually given up. Now she no longer had intentions of making friends with people like them or acting kindly to them.


    Elien was very upset and worried. She heard from her informant within RMI that Elios Linden brought a woman into his office today so she became very restless.


    In the past four years, she had always been rumored to be the candidate for Mrs. Linden because Eli had never had a girlfriend and she was frequently present at various events involving RMI and Splitz.


    As Virconnect''s ambassador, she had become very famous and was always associated with the owner of the RMI Group. Now she felt that her position was suddenly threatened because a strange foreign woman entered Eli''s life.


    She had to know what happened and who the other woman really was. If she could, she would get rid of her, like how she had gotten rid of many models and celebrities who had tried to steal Elios Linden from her.


    ***

 Chapter 564 - Eliens Scheme

    That afternoon Alaric had a meeting with the higher-ups of Splitz. It was followed by a short reception in a large conference room on the highest floor of the RMI Tower. The events were attended by several Virconnect global ambassadors.


    There was the most famous band in the world today from Asia - namely Rainfall, Elien Mikhailova - the ballerina superstar who had been the longest ambassador of Virconnect since its launch, and some of the world''s most well-known athletes and movie stars.


    Pavel approached Alaric with his staff members discussing the details of the program later tonight. He had just heard that there would be two special guests from the Schneider Group and he wanted to confirm what Alaric was actually planning.


    "Oh, never mind, I just want to invite my two brothers-in-law to this important event," Alaric said casually. Pavel''s eyes could only widen. Confus.e.m.e.nt registered in his face. He could not understand what his boss'' words meant.


    "Aleksis is the daughter of the Schneider family." Since Alaric could no longer stand seeing Pavel frowning and sporting a very confused face, he finally told him what had happened. "At that time, you got the wrong information. Aleksis is not Kurt Van Der Ven''s daughter, but the Schneider family''s."


    "Oh ..." Even though he was beginning to understand where his conversation with Alaric was going, Pavel still felt confused. In his mind, Aleksis, who had infatuated his boss ten years ago, already died. "I still do not understand."


    Alaric did not want to continue talking. In any case, once Pavel saw Aleksis at the event tonight, he would understand that she was still alive and she had returned to Alaric. And that would make London and Rune''s presence at the Virconnect''s anniversary event acceptable.


    This was also in line with Alaric''s plan to kill all the gossip out there about him being together with other women. In addition to introducing Aleksis as his wife, he would also announce her as the only daughter of the Schneider family, so that no one would look down on her and assume that she only married him because of his wealth and influence.


    They must know that Aleksis did not need anything that other women were going after because she herself came from a very affluent and respected family.


    "Good evening, Sir," Elien quickly took the opportunity to bring Alaric a drink after he finished talking to Pavel. Today the girl looked a lot prettier than usual. She wore a short dress, showing off her beautiful curved typical of a ballerina. "I am glad you took the time to attend the event tonight."


    Alaric was sending an SMS, asking about Aleksis news in St. Laurent, when Elien approached him with two drinks in her hands.


    "Hmm ..." Alaric took one of the glasses from Elien and nodded.


    "Cheers for tonight''s event?" asked the woman in a melodious voice.


    "Cheers!" Alaric then sipped his wine. He loved reading news from Aleksis about how she had already met up with London and Rune and was chatting with them in the penthouse.


    The ballerina who felt that she was totally ignored could only press a hand on her c.h.e.s.t and force a smile. She then moved away from Alaric. She looked at her watch, seemingly thinking of something.


    "Hmm ... the aphrodisiac should work in another hour, just as Eli leaves this office for St. Laurent Hotel," Elien murmured to herself.


    While chatting with the guests and other RMI officials, Elien never stopped sneaking a glance and paying attention to Alaric''s condition, hoping to immediately see the drug she had mixed in the man''s drink taking effect.


    Elien had bribed a secretary on the 50th floor to find out Alaric''s schedule today and she knew he would be going to St. Hotel. Laurent at 5 pm. It should be an hour from now, when Alaric was scheduled to go there, that the medicine would start working.


    Her heart was fluttering as she couldn''t wait to carry out her plan but she tried to calm down and smiled at everyone around her who were admiring her beauty.


    At 5 pm, Alaric looked at his watch and signaled that he would be leaving soon. The staff and guests immediately bowed their heads slightly as a sign of respect when he waved his hand and left the meeting room.


    Fifteen minutes earlier, Elien had already left before Alaric, rushing towards the St. Laurent Hotel. She had to get there before him so her plan would succeed. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to get Elios Linden. If she couldn''t do it in a gentle way, then she must do it by force.


    In the car, Alaric began to feel his body getting hot. He had never been sick before, and he knew there was no way he would get sick. After knowing that he was an Alchemist, he knew that people like him had never suffered from any illness.


    This must be poison ... or unwanted drugs, he thought irritably.


    He tried to remember who might have spiked his drink today. He knew that as the controversial RMI leader, there were many people who hated him and wanted his death. So he was very careful about his life and what he ate and drank.


    Hmm ... he didn''t receive any drinks from strangers, only from Pavel and ...


    He frowned, trying to remember whether that female ambassador had behaved strangely towards him before. It was to determine her motives for doing this.


    How insolent of that girl! Alaric never thought such a gentle-looking girl could do something as disgusting as this.


    Sweat began to run down his forehead and his body felt even hotter, even though the temperature in the car was only 15 degrees celsius, Alaric had to take off his coat and unbutton several buttons on his shirt. Ugh ...


    Slowly but surely, he began to feel d.e.s.i.r.e creeping upon his c.h.e.s.t which began to feel tight. He also felt his lower body throbbing.


    He hurriedly called his wife. "Honey, where are you now?"


    "Hey ... I''m still at the penthouse. What''s the matter?" Aleksis asked happily.


    "Uhm ... I''ll be right there."


    "Oh, okay. Be careful on the road."


    While Alaric was still on his way, Elien arrived at the St. Hotel. Laurent and hurriedly went to the receptionist''s desk.


    "Hello, my name is Elien Mikhailova. My assistant has booked the Presidential Suite for tonight," she said, handing over her ID card as proof of her identity.


    The check-in clerk smiled and returned her ID card, "This is unnecessary, Miss. We know who you are. Your assistant already prepared everything and left the keys for you."


    She handed an access card to Eilen with a flattering smile.


    "Thank you. Oh, by the way... Mr. Elios Linden is on his way here. He is not feeling well. Please take him directly to the Presidential Suite so I can take care of him," Elien softly said in a sweet voice.


    The check-in clerk seemed surprised by her words, but Elien had already gracefully entered the elevator which would take her to her booked suite. The two receptionists could only exchange glances and whisper about the rumors circulating about the famous Elios Linden and Elien Mikhailova. They did seem to be in a relationship!


    The proof was, today they heard for themselves that he would stay with Eilen in their hotel''s Presidential Suite. Impatiently, the two looked forward to Elios Linden''s arrival. The man was, after all, known to be a private person, and very rarely appeared in public.


    This would be a very juicy gossip.

 Chapter 565 - The Failed Scheme (R.-.1.8)

    When Alaric arrived at St. Laurent, the staff immediately welcomed him respectfully and escorted him to the Presidential Suite.


    "Hmm ... why are we going to the 55th floor?" Alaric asked in puzzlement when he saw that the staff did not press the button to the highest floor, the 60th floor.


    "Eh ... aren''t you going to the Presidential Suite to meet Miss Mikhailova?" asked the staff in a confused tone.


    Alaric''s face instantly turned red in anger. His guess was correct! The damnable girl had been so desperate that she mixed something in his drink and was now waiting for him in the Presidential Suite to set him up.


    Unfortunately, he had no time to take care of her for now. He must immediately meet Aleksis.


    "Penthouse!" he snapped in impatience. Sweat dripped down onto his temple so he unhappily unbuttoned his front shirt, hoping for the elevator to arrive at the 60th floor immediately.


    The terrified staff didn''t ask again and immediately opened the access to the 60th floor and took Alaric there. After the elevator door opened, he hurriedly pressed the doorbell. His d.e.s.i.r.e was becoming unbearable.


    He stood in front of the door, tapping his finger on the wall, hoping that his wife would come out to greet him immediately.


    "Hey¡­ You''re here!" Aleksis opened the door with a big smile. Before she could even let Alaric enter, her husband had ambushed her and claimed her lips greedily. "Hmmphh ... wh ... what is ... hmmpphh ... this ...?"


    Alaric''s behavior which she thought to be different from usual really surprised her. Alaric should have known her two younger siblings were in the penthouse and they should not do anything vulgar in front of them.


    Aware of this, Alaric still didn''t hold back at all, not caring about London and Rune who were sitting in the living room, staring at him with mouths agape.


    "I ... I really want you," Alaric whispered in a hoarse voice. He continued his attacks on Aleksis'' neck and showered her with hot kisses and delicate bites that kept leaving love marks on her delicate skin.


    Using his left hand, he held his wife''s hands over her head and pushed her to lean against the wall, then like a wild animal he continued his actions, giving the girl hot kisses, bites and licks, which started from her lips, going down to her neck, nape, shoulders, then toward her b.r.e.a.s.ts. His right hand kept groping on her body incessantly.


    "Y ... YOU TWO... OUT ... !!" hissed Aleksis between her m.o.a.ns as she faced Alaric''s attacks which were all leaving her helpless.


    "Gosh ... what had just happened?" asked Rune, patting his c.h.e.s.t, trying to cough as he and London arrived in front of the elevator. The door to the penthouse closed behind them. "Crazy!"


    "Shhh ... it''s none of our business. It''s theirs. Anyway, they are husband and wife.." London covered his brother''s eyes with both hands.


    He was endlessly shaking his head trying to forget the scene just now. He knew that Aleksis and Alaric loved each other very much and that they had only been reunited for three weeks after being separated for so long. It was normal to be lovey-dovey after their reunion, but it was still hard to accept that his sister''s s.e.x.u.a.l life was this full of passion.


    They hurried down to the restaurant on the 50th floor and spent time drinking and chatting there.


    [When you''re done, please call us.]


    London could only send an SMS to his sister. In his heart, he hoped that Alaric and Aleksis'' activities would not last all night, because as far as he knew, all the rooms and suites in this hotel had been fully booked due to the big event that would be held by Splitz tonight. He did not want to look for rooms in another hotel while their belongings were still in the penthouse.


    ***


    After her two brothers disappeared from the penthouse, Aleksis began to feel relieved. She did not mind m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e with her husband now, as she herself would never be satisfied m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e with him.


    She was just shocked and embarrassed since her two younger brothers at that time, were in the penthouse and had watched Alaric attack her mercilessly.


    Aleksis suspected that someone had given Alaric an aphrodisiac with the aim of set him up. Fortunately, he had succeeded in coming to her and instead vented his d.e.s.i.r.e to her.


    Aleksis patiently and lovingly soothed Alaric and guided him to calm down and continue their lovemaking in the usual way. She returned Alaric''s kisses and pulled him into the bedroom before pushing Alaric''s body onto the bed and pressing on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "Shhh ... no need to hurry. We should enjoy it well, Honey..." Aleksis persuaded as she unbuttoned Alaric''s shirt and helped her husband to take off his clothes. He constantly touched her body and then peeled off the thin summer dress that she was wearing.


    He looked very impatient, but because he still had his reasons and could listen to her persuasion, Alaric tried to hold back his d.e.s.i.r.e even though his face looked red because he really wanted her. They kissed again and struggled on the bed.


    "It feels so hot ..." Alaric whispered in a hoarse voice before biting the upper part of Aleksis'' b.r.e.a.s.t which was exposed after her dress came off, "Can you lower the air conditioner''s temperature?"


    Aleksis who had very high resistance to cold did not mind at all. She ordered the system to lower the temperature to 10 degrees Celsius. After that, Alaric finally looked comfortable. He kissed Aleksis again and positioned himself above the woman, swiftly stripping off her remaining u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r.


    Seeing Aleksis'' beautiful body lying before him, Alaric smiled. For a moment, his reason returned as he traced his wife''s body from neck to toe.


    His c.a.r.e.s.sing of her entire body was then followed by his insatiable lips with his tongue kissing, s.u.c.k.i.n.g, and biting which left countless love marks throughout the girl''s skin that was previously covered in clothes.


    Aleksis had already lost her mind and could only m.o.a.n and whimper as Alaric continued his exploration that made her arch her back many times before he entered her.


    ***


    Elien was puzzled because it almost 6 pm yet Alaric was still not delivered to the Presidential Suite. She had specifically ordered her assistant to prepare everything. The suite was equipped with food and drinks to restore their energy after a few rounds of lovemaking. She knew just how strong the aphrodisiac she had given Alaric earlier was.


    In addition, her assistant had also installed various cameras in each corner of the room. If Alaric did not want to be responsible for having s.e.x with her, she could threaten the man''s reputation with the footage of their s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e.


    But after waiting for over an hour, Alaric still did not appear. Did something happen to him on the way? Elien worried endlessly.


    She finally called the receptionist and asked what happened.


    "What??? Mr. Linden asked to be taken to the penthouse??" The famous ballerina almost screamed at the answer she got from the hotel staff.


    Damn it, she grumbled. She forgot to take into account that as a very wealthy man, Alaric might have rented the penthouse of this hotel as a place to stay after the event.


    No wonder he asked to be taken to the penthouse ... She paced back and forth in the suite trying to think of what to do.

 Chapter 566 - The Perfect Couple

    After pacing back and forth in her suite trying to think of what to do, Elien finally decided to go to the penthouse.


    If Elios Linden was alone there, she could still take the opportunity to seduce him. All she had to do was tell the receptionist that the arrangement between them changed and that she was expected there.


    Elien hurried down to the hotel''s lobby and approached the receptionist. There was a sad expression on her face.


    "Good evening ... I''m sorry, Mr. Elios Linden was waiting for me at the penthouse, but I lost the keys he gave me..."


    The check-in staff who met Elien seemed surprised by her explanation.


    "Hmm ... I can''t give you the key because there is no order to let you in," the officer answered.


    "Oh, but he is waiting for me there ... You know, he will be very angry if you don''t let me go up." Elien then frowned, "Is ... is there someone who has gone up before me? For example, someone claiming to be me?"


    The staff just shook her head patiently. "Nobody went up to the penthouse, Miss. The penthouse could not be rented out to anyone because the hotel owner is using it."


    "Oh ..." For a moment Elien was stunned. This explanation was not what she was expecting. The owner of St. Laurent Hotel is the famous Schneider family. Right, somebody from that family would be attending the event.


    She just never thought that they would stay in their penthouse in this hotel. She assumed that Elios Linden was renting the penthouse in the St. Laurent for tonight''s event. If he was not, then why did he go up there? Did he have a relationship with the hotel owner''s family?


    "Is that so? Then, can you call up to make sure that Mr. Linden is there and that he is fine? He said he is ill. I was just worried because I could not contact him ..." Elien replied, with no intention to give up.


    The staff could not refuse this request so she called the penthouse. After a few rings, no one picked up the call.


    "Not picked up! Don''t tell me something really happened to him ..." Elien urged again, "Please let me go up there!"


    "Sorry, we can''t disturb them. Unless we get a direct order from the Schneider family, I can''t let anyone go upstairs. Good night, miss."


    Elien knew she could not force the hotel staff to obey her wishes. They were not Splitz nor RMI employees. This was a hotel owned by the Schneider Group and she had no connections with them. Annoyed, she finally returned to her suite.


    After arriving, she called someone and reported her failure.


    "I''m sorry, my plan failed because Eli went to the penthouse ... I couldn''t force my way in, the hotel staff wouldn''t let me ..." she said in a trembling voice. "I''m afraid ... he''ll suspect me. What should I do?"


    "Ugh ... you incompetent bitch! For years, you kept promising that you will be able to get Elios Linden and all of his wealth!" The voice on the other end of the phone was violent and filled with anger. "You are so useless! You must pay your debts as soon as possible, otherwise, you will face the consequences yourself!"


    "Please ... I''ll do anything ..." Elien tried to beg, her mind worked furiously to find a solution. "As long as I manage to escape his suspicion, I can still find another way. Please help me this time ..."


    Elien begged repeatedly so, in the end, the voice on the other end of the telephone gave her one last chance.


    ***


    Alaric opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was almost 8 pm. Aleksis laid in his arms. They both were exhausted from their intense love-making activities. He tried to recall what happened and then took a deep breath.


    Ugh, whenever he thought about the aphrodisiac Elien used to spike his drink with, his anger couldn''t help but surge. If Aleksis wasn''t here, he would have vented his d.e.s.i.r.e onto other women, and this would have caused him a lot of problems. He might become angry enough to go back to killing people.


    He kissed Aleksis on the forehead to wake her up. Even though it was too late, he still had to come to tonight''s celebrations. It was very important for him to introduce Aleksis. He had to do this to not only stop all the gossip circulating on the outside but also to give a lesson to the damnable woman who tried to set him up.


    Elien didn''t know what punishment awaited her.


    "Hmm ... shall we go now?" asked Aleksis, who had also opened her eyes. Alaric nodded. He got up from the bed and pulled her by the hand into the bathroom so they could clean themselves.


    Aleksis still hadn''t asked him what happened. She had confidence that her husband would tell her everything when the time was right.


    "Wait a minute, let me order food first so that later after bathing we can immediately eat. My stomach is grumbling after working hard for hours," said the woman who was still blushing, remembering their hot activities just now. Alaric nodded.


    She then pressed a button beside the bed and ordered food from the operator. Because she already knew what dishes Alaric liked, she ordered all the food for her and her husband. She then followed Alaric to the bathroom and washed up with him.


    After bathing and changing clothes, the two waited for the food to come while chatting about what had just happened. Alaric did not explain in detail because he did not want Alesis to hear the disgusting things a woman could do to climb the bed of someone as rich and powerful as him.


    "What is clear is that the person responsible will receive the punishment accordingly," he said firmly.


    The doorbell then rang. Aleksis immediately turned her head towards the door to welcome the hotel staff who came with a food cart filled with dishes she had ordered. For a moment, the hotel staff looked stunned, blinded by the sight of them.


    Aleksis and Alaric did look very impressive. The two staff members had never seen such a good-looking couple. The man had a unique appearance and a very handsome face. He was tall and had a sturdy body, with platinum purplish-colored hair and a pair of brilliant purplish-blue eyes.


    They had never seen Elios Linden firsthand but knew his physical characteristics from the news and stories that had spread worldwide. This was why they could immediately conclude this was the person in question, especially considering that Splitz was indeed holding an important event at their hotel''s ballroom tonight.


    The woman ... oh, what a perfection she was, they thought in amazement. Aleksis was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She had a slender body and a pair of beautiful long legs, her hair was honey-colored and her eyes, each of which had two colors, blue and green, looked like gems that were brightly shining.


    They did not know who this lady was, but they could guess that she had something to do with the Schneider family since the penthouse was only accessible to the hotel owner''s family.


    "Thank you," said Aleksis, smiling as she escorted the two staff out of the penthouse.


    "If you have anything else you need, please contact us again, Miss."


    "Madam," Alaric corrected them. "Call her Madam."


    "Oh ... all right, Sir and Madam ..."


    After the door closed, the two staff looked at each other as they waited for the elevator door to open.


    "Who do you think those two are?" asked the first one to his friend. "I''ve never seen anyone so beautiful like them."


    "You''re right, even the man''s face is beautiful like a woman''s. I can look at them for a long time without getting bored."


    "How strange, why are they not famous?"


    "Hush ... that guy, if I''m not mistaken, based on his appearance, is Mr. Elios Linden, from RMI ... it''s the company group that oversees Splitz. Tonight, Splitz is holding an important event in our ballroom."


    "Oh ... I think you''re right. Then who is that girl?"


    "I don''t know ... But Mr. Linden told us to call her, Madam ..." They looked at each other, "... that woman is his wife? Maybe she''s a newcomer model ... or ..."


    "It''s possible ... They look so good together."


    When the elevator door opened, the two promptly entered. Yet their conversation did not end and the subject was still the special guests in the penthouse.

 Chapter 567 - Mrs. Aleksis Linden

    While eating, Aleksis checked her phone and read the messages from her brothers. She immediately felt guilty and ashamed for driving them out for hours.


    [We''re done now. You can enter.] Finally, she replied to London and looked up at Alaric while coughing a little.


    "Uhmm ... London and Rune will be here soon. Do we need to tell them what really happened?"


    Alaric nodded. "They need to know so they can prepare for things like this in the future. After all, there are a lot of bad people out there. Even if you do good, there will be people who will take the opportunity to take advantage of you. They must always be ready, or else they can become the next victims."


    Aleksis could only sigh. She knew how much Alaric disliked people in general, and today''s incident only further upset him. She just hoped that he would slowly be able to change.


    She could only grab his left hand and squeeze it softly. "Do you want to drink wine? I''ll pour it for us. Red wine or white wine?"


    "Red, please ..."


    Aleksis took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and poured it for both of them. They then continued eating quietly.


    Just after they had finished their meal, there was a knock at the door. London and Rune entered the penthouse. Their expressions were suggesting as if nothing had happened.


    "Uhm ... about what happened just now ..." Aleksis turned to Alaric, hoping the man would explain the situation. The man just raised his hand and gave a signal for them to listen. He then took his cellphone and called Pavel.


    "Pavel, this afternoon someone put an aphrodisiac into my drink while we were having a meeting at the office. I was careless because I was busy taking care of something. I want you to find the person responsible and bring them to me."


    "Sir, I was just about to tell you that," Pavel answered in a troubled voice. "Elien didn''t show up at the celebration. After we tracked her cellphone down, we finally found her tied up in this hotel suite. It looks like she was caught by a criminal to be the bait to entrap you."


    "Where is she now?" Alaric asked.


    "She is still in the Presidential Suite. When she was discovered she was hysterical and very agitated. The doctor is examining her now," Pavel answered. "Will you be going there?"


    "No need," he answered nonchalantly. "I''ll meet you at the event."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "A girl is locked up to bait you out?" Aleksis asked in puzzlement, "Do you know who that person is?"


    Alaric just shrugged. He finished his wine and patted London and Rune on the shoulders before saying to them lightly, "You guys come with me to learn how to deal with problems like this."


    "Then, are we going down to the ballroom now?" asked the woman. "Isn''t it too late? It''s already 9 PM."


    "They will not end the program without me," Alaric answered calmly. He tucked Aleksis'' loose hair behind her ear and then took a beautiful hair clip from his pocket and put it on her, "This will make your hair no longer messy."


    "Ahh ... thank you," Aleksis kissed her husband with a very happy face. London and Rune pretended not to see the intimacy between their sister and brother-in-law.


    After making sure everything was arranged, Alaric then took Aleksis out of the penthouse, followed by his two brothers-in-law. "Let''s go down."


    The four of them descended to the ballroom on the 3rd floor. While inside the elevator, Alaric took the time to write a short message to one of his trusted men.


    [Mischa, I want you to investigate Elien Mikhailova. You must still have a lot of contacts with underground organizations in Russia.]


    [Yes, Sir] The reply from Mischa came a minute later.


    The four who arrived at the entrance of the ballroom were very good-looking people so they immediately garnered the admiration of the ushers and organizers of the event. Most of the staff recognized their big boss. Still, the three other people who were with him equally attracted a lot of gazes since no one could recognize them.


    "Welcome, Sir." A senior manager hurriedly welcomed Alaric and his small group, then invited them in, respectfully leading them to a special table at the front. There sat Pavel and Sande and two other Splitz top management officials.


    He held her hand as they walked and would occasionally turn his head with a smile and conversed with her in a low voice.


    Even the top management people who had met Alaric several times before had never seen him smile!


    But this time he looked so warm, so open, and his smile looked genuinely happy. It was as if he was not their boss who was famous for being cold and ruthless.


    What was this? Everyone wondered in confusion. Had he really changed? Did that girl make him change?


    Who exactly was she? And who were the two young men who were walking with him?


    Various speculations soon rose among the guests, all about Elios Linden, the girl with him, the two handsome young men following them, and Elien Mikhailova who had not been seen around since the beginning of the event even though she was one of Virconnect''s most important ambassadors.


    "Wait, I think I''ve seen that man with black hair before," someone whispered to his friend at the table that had just been passed by the small group. "He is the heir to the Schneider family. London Schneider! I''ve read the news about him in our media."


    "Wow ... really? I didn''t know Mr. Linden had a good relationship with the Schneider family. I have always thought they are business rivals."


    "Sshhh ... we don''t know anything about Mr. Linden other than that he is the owner of RMI and that he inherited the two groups through a secret agreement. We don''t know who is behind him ..."


    "Ahh .. you''re right. Tonight is really full of surprises !! We can witness his grandeur firsthand, and at the same time invite the Schneider family members. This will be great news."


    "But I''m more curious about the woman walking next to him. She''s so beautiful! I''ve never seen such a beautiful girl ..."


    "She should be our Virconnect ambassador."


    "That''s right ... so beautiful ..."


    "Much more beautiful than our current ambassadors ..."


    "Right, that Elien Mikhailova ..."


    "I heard that Elien was Virconnect''s ambassador because she had a special relationship with Mr. Linden four years ago. They first met at the Ritz Gala, right?"


    "Right. Do you think the boss will replace her with a new model because they broke up? Looks like he now has a new girlfriend..."


    "I don''t know ... We''ll see."


    "But I haven''t seen Elien either ..."


    "Maybe she was not invited so she couldn''t come ..."


    "Well, if that''s so, it''s a pity for her... After Mr. Linden got bored with her and found a new woman, she was just thrown away ..."


    Alaric''s sharp ears heard all the gossip and rumors so his face turned red with anger. He unconsciously covered Aleksis'' ear using his hands and whispered to her, "Don''t listen to those cheap gossips, let me take care of everything."


    Aleksis nodded. She believed in him.


    Elien Mikhailova¡­ When she heard the name, her mind flew to the arrogant girl she met in the RMI Tower elevator this noon and then understood why she was being so arrogant. Of course, she felt like she was getting special treatment since she was considered to be Elios Linden''s lover.


    Aleksis subconsciously looked at her husband from the side, trying to judge whether there was even the slightest truth in that rumor.


    Hmm ... if Alaric did not give Elien special treatment to at all, would that woman be so bold and act arrogant to somebody she just met at RMI Tower earlier? There must be at least something between them.


    All sorts of thoughts ran in her head. But she just kept them to herself and decided to make her own judgment later. They soon arrived at the table of honor prepared for them. Pavel, his wife Sande, and the two Splitz directors immediately stood up, warmly welcoming Alaric and his small group.


    "Good evening, Sir." There was respect in the way the four greeted them. Except, Pavel''s voice suddenly stopped midway when he saw Aleksis walking beside Alaric. For a moment, he was so dumbfounded and his face was filled with questions.


    "Y ... You ...?" Pavel unknowingly pointed at Aleksis and stammered, "M-Miss Aleksis ...?"


    "Madam." Again, Alaric corrected another person who called Aleksis Miss. His voice had hints of annoyance which strangely made the girl smile. It seemed like the man really disliked hearing others constantly addressing his wife as Miss. He purposely emphasized his next words, "Mrs. Aleksis Linden."


    "Ohh ..." The four people at the table of honor looked at each other before letting out a cry of surprise.


    "Mrs. Linden ..." They then greeted Aleksis with respect.

 Chapter 568 - We Are Not Running A Charity

    "Good evening, everyone. Nice to see you all," Aleksis said with a sweet smile. Pavel was still stunned seeing her.


    He couldn''t forget her because ten years ago, Aleksis was the cause of the countless problems that befell his boss. She even caused Alaric to ''die'' and only woke up from a coma six years later.


    He saw that Aleksis was getting more beautiful and her aura appeared to be imposing. Although her face still looked like a 20-year-old girl, her body was becoming increasingly more beautiful and womanly, and her attitude became more m.a.t.u.r.e, reminding Pavel of Alaric himself.


    Although Alaric always looked young, his imposing attitude and aura felt as though he was older than Pavel himself, who was now nearly 50 years old.


    He silently wondered whether Aleksis and Alaric were people of the same clan. He remembered that Rosalien used to say that the people who were after Alaric were someone like him, as their leader claimed to be 570 years old.


    "This is my wife, Aleksis Linden from the Schneider family, and these are her brothers," Alaric said afterward, to the four''s surprise.


    London and the Rune politely greeted them and introduce themselves.


    "Good evening. I''m London Schneider," London amiably greeted them.


    He still maintained his family''s privacy as usual, but once or twice, he would appear in the media with Terry. So now, his handsome face had begun to be recognized by the upper classes of the world.


    "I''m Rune Schneider," Rune told.


    The people at the table realized that the heirs of the Schneider family indeed came as honored guests of their event tonight.


    They were very impressed to learn that the girl who became the wife of their big boss turned out to be the daughter of the Schneider family. They couldn''t believe how the members of such a reserved family were really attending this event together tonight. Undoubtedly, this was because they have a close relationship with Mr. Elios Linden. And, of course, they also admired the girl''s beauty and elegance. Truly a match made in Heaven.


    After a brief introduction, they all sat down and enjoyed the snacks and refreshments that were available at the table. Pavel, as the only person who knew Alaric and Aleksis''s history ten years ago, finally couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked his boss what had happened.


    "I don''t understand..." Pavel voiced as he sat beside Alaric. "Sir, isn''t Miss... er, Mrs. Aleksis informed to be dead at the time? I spoke to the director of the hospital myself."


    Alaric looked at Pavel and answered his question in three words, "The Schneider family."


    Of course! Only a family as powerful as the Schneider family would be able to hide Aleksis from the Rhionen Assassins and make the hospital director of those of Stamford Hospital''s level issue a death certificate even though the girl was still alive.


    It turned out that the enemy they faced was the Schneider family!


    Then... ten years after... did they finally get back together? And Aleksis'' brothers came here... Did this mean that their relationship had been approved by the Schneider family?


    Did this mean that RMI and Schneider Group will start being on good terms?


    When exactly did Alaric meet again with Aleksis? Was it when he disappeared from the office for three weeks yesterday? Oh... so many things happened in such a short amount of time!


    Pavel was forced to swallow all of his questions. One thing for sure was that he was very happy to see that Alaric could finally be happy.


    After he found Sande and fell in love with her, then married her and had children with her, Pavel felt how wonderful it was to have a mutually-loving life partner and a family to go back to.


    In his heart, he had always hoped that one day, Alaric would succeed in forgetting his love for Aleksis and finding another woman to anchor his heart.


    That was why when he saw the beautiful and gentle Elien Mikhailova at the Ritz Gala, he thought Alaric could begin to pay attention to other women, especially when Elien was later appointed as an ambassador of Virconnect and was sponsored by Splitz to become a world superstar far more famous than before.


    Pavel didn''t think that even after ten years, Alaric''s love for Aleksis was still burning, and tonight, he finally came to this important event with her. It turned out that Alaric somehow managed to find the girl...


    And apparently, they both had lived happily.


    Ah, hopefully, they can have children soon, Pavel thought to himself. He felt it for himself how much happier his life became after Max was born. He believed that his boss would be happier if he and his wife later have children of their own, like himself and Sande.


    As though he just read Pavel''s mind, Alaric leaned his head and asked his former assistant how Max, his son, was. "You didn''t bring Max?"


    "Ah, no, sir. He has to go to school tomorrow. This event is too late for him."


    "Hmm..." Alaric nodded. "When our children come home next year, you can bring Max to our house so they can get acquainted and play together."


    "Eh...?" Pavel could hardly believe his own ears. "Children...? Did you just say¡­ children?"


    "Right." Alaric proudly smiled, "I have twins. They''re very similar to me. You can see for yourself later."


    Pavel secretly pinched himself really hard. He truly thought he was dreaming. It felt like everything that had happened in the past ten minutes wasn''t real.


    This must be a dream, right? Mr. Alaric Rhionen looked warm and kept smiling. He also came to bring his wife who should have died ten years ago. And the two young men from the Schneider family couldn''t possibly be present at the Splitz event... And... he even said that he had twins... hahahaha.


    His hand was immediately struck with pain when he pinched himself, and Pavel soon realized that he wasn''t dreaming.


    Meanwhile, on the stage, the Rainfall Band, who was the ambassador of Virconnect for Asia, was getting ready to perform. The MC went on stage to greet the guests, especially the people of high standing from Splitz who were already present.


    "Will Elien appear in the show tonight?" Alaric casually asked. Pavel shook his head.


    "She is still in a hysterical state, sir, it seems that it will be difficult for her to perform a dance."


    Alaric''s face looked murky. "She was paid to work. If she doesn''t appear tonight, tell her that her contract will be canceled."


    Pavel and the directors at the table looked surprised at Alaric''s orders. They knew that Elien had been kidnapped and locked up in a suite to trap Alaric, and her current mental state was depressed. Despite that, she was forced to perform dancing at the Virconnect celebrations tonight?


    Isn''t that a little inhumane? they thought.


    "Are you blaming Elien for what happened tonight?" Pavel cautiously asked. "She was in a very pitiful state when we found her..."


    He whispered to Alaric to explain what had happened, not wanting the two women at their table to listen.


    "When we found her, she was tied to the bed... n.a.k.e.d. It was clear that those who wanted to set you up made her a bait. She was really depressed and frightened. She kept crying when we found her..."


    "Is she still in the suite?" Alaric nonchalantly questioned, "Call her here. I need to hear it from her directly."


    Pavel couldn''t argue. He immediately wrote a text message to a staff member who was accompanying Elien in the presidential suite above and ordered him to bring Elien.


    A moment later, the phone rang. It turned out that his staff called Pavel.


    "Sorry, sir. Miss Elien is really traumatized and can''t get out of the room," the staff said. "We can''t possibly force her to come in this condition..."


    Alaric took Pavel''s call and scolded the staff, "Force and drag her here if necessary. If I don''t see her in this room in five minutes, you can go straight home and never go back to the office. Pavel will take care of your severance pay."


    "Eh... Sir... Mr. Linden? Yes, Sir. We''ll be there soon."


    The phone call was hurriedly hung up.


    Alaric handed the phone to Pavel and grumbled, "We are not running a charity, Pavel. The people we employ must do their job."


    Pavel slowly nodded.


    Hmm, this really isn''t a dream, he thought. Alaric was still as cold and cruel as before, and he only changed around Aleksis.

 Chapter 569 - Alarics Order

    This really isn''t a dream, he thought. Alaric was still as cold and cruel as before, and he would only change around Aleksis.


    One thing that was certain was that he and the two directors at the table heard that Alaric considered Elien as nothing more than an employee working for Splitz as Virconnect''s ambassador. They mistakenly thought that Alaric had a special relationship with her.


    Especially now that they''ve seen for themselves how impressive their boss'' wife really was.


    Five minutes later, two staff members rushed into the ballroom while half-dragging Elien Mikhailova, who seemed very reluctant to keep going. People could see her frustrated face and trembling body and could only wonder what was happening.


    "Why are you treating me like this? Don''t you know who I am?!" Her protests were heard many times, but the two staff members were more afraid of Mr. Linden''s anger than the scolding of a paid company artist like Elien, so they ignored the girl''s protests and continued to pull her across the ballroom to Alaric''s table.


    Numerous guests who were enjoying the musical performance of the Rainfall Band were distracted by the sight of Elien, and they immediately started talking about what really happened.


    Again, many suspected that poor Elien had now been rid of because Elios Linden had a new lover, so even the Splitz staff began to treat the girl terribly. The surrounding people cast pitying glances at her.


    When Elien finally arrived in front of Alaric, she immediately dropped herself in front of the man and burst into tears.


    "Sir... I''m sorry... I couldn''t get away because those people were so frightening..." Her voice was filled with fear and worry. "I was locked there to trap you... Luckily, you didn''t get caught. Otherwise, the guilt will kill me..."


    Alaric frowned and said in a cold voice, "I don''t need any explanation from you. You were called here because your job is to do a dance performance as Virconnect''s ambassador. I don''t want to hear any reason. If you can''t do your job, Splitz will look for someone else who can. "


    "Eh...?" Elien looked extremely surprised. Alaric didn''t care about her condition and was even forcing her to dance? She raised her face and saw Alaric staring at her with a look of disgust.


    Did... Did Eli really suspect her? Elien''s c.h.e.s.t palpitated in fear. Right now, all she felt was the d.e.s.i.r.e to run away from there...


    But the two staff members who had forced her to come here were holding her shoulders and wouldn''t let her go.


    "Are you suspicious of me...?" Elien asked in a bitter voice as if she was aggrieved for being thought to be conspiring with the malicious party who tried to set Alaric up. "I... I do like you, but that doesn''t mean that you can look down on me... that I would stoop so low just to get in bed with you..."


    The Rainfall Band finished singing their last song and the MC returned to the stage.


    Alaric pointed at the stage and looked at Elien with an icy glance, "Are you going to perform now or not? I am not a patient man and I have never asked anyone twice."


    Pavel gave instructions to his staff who immediately approached the MC and said something. Biting her lips, Elien finally nodded while wiping away her tears. She stood up and raised her head, trying to look strong. She''ll dance, and she''ll immediately go backstage and run away after she finished her performance.


    Who is this person? She thought in astonishment.


    Her eyes looked at Aleksis with both surprise and hate. Could this girl be the one rumored to have joined Alaric in the RMI office¡­?


    Is this the new girl who will replace me? Elien bitterly thought.


    Upon hearing Alaric''s saying that they would look for someone who could do their job well, Elien immediately felt cornered. She felt that she was apparently insignificant and could be replaced easily.


    And now seeing such a beautiful girl sitting next to Alaric, she assumed she was a model that caught Alaric''s attention and he would make her the new Virconnect ambassador. Just like how she previously caught Alaric''s attention at the Ritz Gala, causing her to be appointed as Virconnect ambassador until later her career became far more advanced than it was ever before.


    "What dancer is she?" Aleksis asked Alaric, looking at Elien attentively.


    The girl''s words made Elien even more upset. She had been the face of Virconnect for more than three years and was well-known as a ballet superstar, and yet...


    She felt very humiliated because the girl sitting beside Alaric was asking who she was as if she thought of Elien as someone unimportant. Elien didn''t know that Aleksis really didn''t follow and didn''t care about entertainment news, so she didn''t know who Elien Mikhailova was.


    "She''s a ballerina. You''ll see for yourself, she''s quite talented," Alaric answered in a soft and caring voice, which stunned Elien. In all these years, she had never heard Elios Linden''s voice sounding so warm and caring.


    She just realized that all along, it wasn''t that Eli was unattracted to women or have a cold nature, it was just that he didn''t like the women around him, including Elien herself.


    Turns out he could actually be warm and gentle towards a woman...


    Steeling her heart, Elien rose and walked towards the stage. The MC welcomed her and interviewed her a little before she performed her dance.


    "Good evening, Ms. Mikhailova. You look very beautiful tonight... How are you?"


    Elien just nodded and didn''t answer. She didn''t answer the MC''s other questions either. She only nodded or smiled with a depressed face. She could see that many guests were looking at her with pity.


    She''ll continue to exploit their pity for her so they think Elien was being treated unfairly and was going to be rid of because Elios Linden had a new lover.


    "Uhm... Okay, just remain quiet, I won''t force you. Are you ready to dance?" the MC asked in the end. Elien nodded. "Alright... Ladies and gentlemen... here is a short performance, entitled ''The Sun in Winter'', which will be performed by Ms. Elien Mikhailova!"


    Accompanied by the thunderous applause of the audience, very beautiful music could be heard as Elien slowly took her position in the center of the stage.


    Even though she felt uneasy and annoyed at the same time, Elien was still a very talented ballerina superstar, and soon, her captivating dance mesmerized and hypnotized all the guests present.


    "She''s pretty good," Aleksis said to Alaric.


    "Right. You know that I love beauty. That''s why I appointed her as Virconnect''s ambassador three years ago," Alaric shrugged.


    Aleksis understood her husband''s intentions. Alaric really liked Elien''s talent without any other frills, just like how he liked the koi fish in his pond and the bonsai plants in his home garden. But the people, who didn''t know Alaric well, thought he cared for Elien as a woman, including Elien herself, so she became arrogant.


    Thinking about this, Aleksis finally smiled. Alaric was still the same as before. He only thought of humans based on their functions, and now, to him, a person like Elien was nothing more than a source of beauty to be a decoration for Virconnect products, like bonsai.


    She felt a bit guilty because she had thought about the closeness of Elien and her husband.


    "I heard she was locked up in the suite by someone with malicious intentions to set you up. Is that true?" Aleksis asked again. She began to shudder. If she hadn''t been there, maybe Alaric would have repeatedly waved his passion to the ballerina...


    Alaric nodded. "The person responsible will soon receive their punishment."


    His eyes swept onto the stage. For a moment, his eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

 Chapter 570 - The Virconnect Award

    When Elien finally finished her performance, the mesmerized guests immediately stood up and applauded in a lively manner. She gave a beautiful deep bow and glanced towards Alaric''s table.


    Ugh... I don''t want to go back there, she thought.


    Elien knew she had lost. The longer she stayed, the worse her fate would be. She had to leave immediately. At this point, she didn''t care about trapping Alaric anymore, as it was clear that the man now had a new woman and he could easily get rid of Elien.


    While biting her lip in annoyance and frenzy, she turned towards the backstage. Just as she was about to escape, she froze. Two men in black were waiting for her beside the stage. They looked dangerous.


    "Your job isn''t over yet." One of them coldly stated. Elien trembled in fear.


    "Wh... Who are you guys?" She stammered.


    "Mr. Linden ordered us to keep you here. Your job isn''t over yet."


    "Oh..." Elien immediately felt her shoulders slump. She couldn''t resist when the two men roughly pushed her back to the table beside the stage, where the artists who worked for Virconnect sat. She knew it would be very difficult for her to escape now.


    Ugh... She had to think of a way to escape this situation.


    The MC returned to the stage and read the nominations of the most popular Virconnect users of 2049. There was a group of travelers who climbed the Himalayas and shared their climbing experiences and the situation on the peak of Everest, which was very thrilling. There was also the most lively music organizer of the year who presented five bands from five countries at once in one virtual venue.


    The other finalists were an astronaut who shared his experience of landing on planet Mars, a solo traveler who shared his experience of seeing the most beautiful Aurora Borealis in Finland, and a married couple who doc.u.mented their lives living on different continents for three consecutive years with the help of Virconnect.


    "And the ''Virconnect User of the Year'' award will be given to..." The MC took the card from the usher and read the name of the winner. "Lee and Blythe Wilson, who doc.u.mented the three years they were living their long-distance married life in Beijing and London. Congratulations to the winners!"


    A standing ovation was immediately heard in the audience. The program was also broadcasted via Virconnect access throughout the world, and currently, there were hundreds of millions of pairs of eyes following it through the Virconnect rooms in their respective homes.


    At the beginning of the event, the names of the nominations were announced and their videos were shown one by one to get votes from viewers around the world, and it turned out that the couple''s story touched the hearts of many. When the event was almost over and the votes were calculated, the votes they won were ahead of all the other finalists.


    This was quite surprising because it was different from the predictions of the guests who were attending in the ballroom. At first, they thought the experience of landing on Mars was thrilling, or the event of watching the most beautiful Aurora Borealis would be a favorite choice for Virconnect users who watched this event from home.


    However, it turned out that most people feel more touched to see the struggle of the husband and wife pair who had to live apart for three years and managed to intensely maintain their love through the virtual connections with Virconnect.


    Lee and Blythe went up on stage with touched expressions and the two were immediately congratulated by the MC.


    "Congratulations, you''ve won the ''Virconnect User of the Year'' award this year. Can you tell us a little about why you were forced to live separately for three years?" The MC asked.


    Lee nodded. "I got a job as a scientist in Beijing, but my mother was seriously ill, so Blythe had to take care of her, thus unable to come with me. With our lives apart and my job in Beijing, I was only able to go home in London once a month to see her. But thanks to Virconnect, we were able to keep in touch every day as if we were living together. We only needed to adjust a little due to the eight-hour time zone difference. "


    "Ahh... that is amazing. You two are very inspiring." The MC seemed very moved when Lee explained their story. "I heard that you''re now living together again. Is that true?"


    Lee''s face immediately expressed melancholy. Tears welled up in his eyes as he answered, "My mother died last month... Now Blythe has no more reason to stay in London. In the end, she followed me to Beijing."


    Instantly, the whole room''s atmosphere became melancholic too. To prevent the mood from dragging on, the MC hurriedly spoke, "Ahh... I''m glad to hear you guys have reunited after living apart for three years. To complete your happiness, Virconnect will give you the grand prize, which will symbolically be handed by Mr. Elios Linden, the first source of inspiration for Virconnect and also the owner of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which is the parent company of Splitz. We are truly fortunate because Mr. Linden is willing to be present in the midst of his very tight schedule! Let us greet Mr. Elios Linden!"


    All of the guests stood up and applauded hearing Alaric''s name. The young man rose from his chair, waved, and walked onto the stage. He looked just as cold and indifferent as he had always been.


    He received a giant card containing a symbolic image of the winner''s prize of one million dollars from the usher and handed it to Lee and Blythe, who looked very emotional winning such a grand amount of money.


    "This is to start your new life together," he told them.


    Both of them nodded happily. They had been given instructions backstage not to touch Mr. Elios Linden because he was famous for his dislike of being touched, so the two only nodded respectfully to Alaric and didn''t attempt to shake his hands.


    You can imagine how surprised they were when Mr. Linden suddenly stretched out his hand to shake theirs.


    Lee and Blythe looked at each other. The MC also looked surprised. The MC hastily encouraged Lee to return Alaric''s handshake followed by Blythe. Both of their faces were very shocked and for several seconds still looked stunned.


    "Th... Thank you, sir..." Lee stuttered. He couldn''t believe that tonight, he shook hands with the most influential person in the world today.


    Alaric just nodded. He liked the couple because he was touched to see them doing everything they could to keep their love even though they had to be separated by distance for years.


    He also sympathized because Blythe diligently and lovingly cared for her mother-in-law, who was seriously ill for years.


    Others should follow this pair''s example, he thought. With that, surely there won''t be any divorce and useless lives on this Earth.

 Chapter 571 - The Beautiful Linden Family

    After Lee and Blythe got off the stage, Alaric signaled the MC to step down and he took the microphone from his hand.


    "Good evening. As you all know, I''m Elios Linden. I first founded Virconnect ten years ago and after a long period of research, this product was finally launched four years ago.


    "There are already hundreds of millions of experiences shared every day at Virconnect, experiences from the most extreme places in the world, the most shocking events, and even space travel. But one of the most important things, more important than wealth, beauty, and extraordinary experiences experienced by humans... is the relationship between families, which is the main reason many people use Virconnect."


    Alaric''s words sounded hypnotizing to his listeners. Aleksis was moved because she knew how important family was to Alaric, who had been living alone and lonely.


    "I''m happy because Virconnect has succeeded in becoming a liaison between lovers, husbands and wives, parents and children, and siblings and friends. I hope that in the future, the relationsh.i.p.s between humanity will be closer and we can become a species that develops towards the better. There will be no more war and misunderstanding because mutual understanding and inner closeness can now not only be fostered by relying on physical encounters."


    People who saw him were fascinated to see how such an intelligent-looking handsome man hypnotize hundreds of millions of people who were watching him speak from their Virconnect room and in the ballroom with casually-spoken words.


    "Because this is a special moment, and we were just celebrating for a married couple who managed to keep their love for three years despite living far apart with the help of Virconnect, I want to take this time to introduce my own family."


    Instantly, the ballroom was filled with muffled exclamations. The online Virconnect room was immediately filled with hundreds of thousands of comments from people who expressed their surprise that Elios Linden would introduce his family. He had always been known to be very mysterious and introverted, but he''s going to open up and introduce his family tonight? This is really a big surprise!


    The people present felt extremely lucky to be able to see this historic event firsthand.


    "Because this isn''t something I want to share with the hundreds of millions of people around the world who are joining through Virconnect, I request temporary access disconnection. I will only introduce my family to the guests who are present in person..."


    Alaric gave a signal with his right hand and a staff member turned off the Virconnect broadcast so that participants who watched from their homes could only see the replay of the Rainfall Band''s performance before them.


    Meanwhile, in the Ballroom of St. Laurent Hotel, Alaric got off the stage and walked to his table, approaching Aleksis who looked rather surprised. She didn''t think that Alaric would introduce her massively like this. There were almost a thousand guests present at the ballroom and they were all important people from the media and the upper classes.


    Everyone stared at Alaric who helped Aleksis get up from her chair and tenderly held her hand, leading the girl up onto the stage with him. Now all the guests present could see clearly how beautiful the girl who came with Alaric was, and they could only be amazed.


    "Everyone, allow me to introduce you to my wife, Mrs. Aleksis Schneider Linden. She''s the only daughter of the Schneider family, and we''ve been married since ten years ago. As you all know, the Schneider family is very low profile and they''re very protective of their privacy, and so am I. That''s why you don''t hear much about us in the media." When Alaric began to introduce his beautiful wife to the guests, everyone present, without exception, looked astonished.


    Elien, who heard Alaric''s words, almost immediately fell from her chair in shock. She didn''t expect that the woman she had snapped at the elevator door... wasn''t an ordinary model who became Elios Linden''s new lover... but his own wife!


    God... Why did nobody know of this? She was secretly embarrassed by her behavior for the past four years, thinking that Alaric was attracted to her and even openly trying to seduce Alaric several times.


    Even if Alaric''s wife was not as beautiful as Aleksis, she was actually a daughter of the highly regarded Schneider family!


    Elien was nothing compared to her.


    And it turned out... not only was the woman immensely wealthy and was from a distinguished family, but her beauty also far exceeded all the most beautiful women these people have ever seen, even among singers, artists, movie stars, and top models.


    Soon, the people who had been gossiping about how Alaric had a special relationship with Elien corrected their words. It was impossible for someone as important and powerful as Elios Linden to be attracted to an ordinary woman like Elien if his wife was the beautiful Aleksis Schneider.


    The guests were also amazed to see how Alaric''s attitude changed 180 degrees when his wife had joined him on stage, compared to when he had stood there alone. His present attitude was warm, his person felt more approachable, and he even smiled!


    "Aleksis and I currently live separately with our children, because they''re now in Italy at my father''s house, while Aleksis and I will travel the world to complete my work for next year, but thanks to Virconnect 4D, we can always see our children there." Alaric smiled. The people there could see his happiness radiating as he talked about his wife and children.


    Really, their cold and ruthless boss now looked like a completely different person right now.


    Alaric gave a sign with his right hand, and the designated staff immediately turned on the Virconnect connection. Suddenly, the guests were brought into a beautiful living room, like in a magnificent palace with expensive and antique furniture.


    "Hello..." A boy with long hair came out from behind the sofa carrying a book and greeted them. Again, there were muffled exclamations because people could see how the boy almost had the exact same appearance as Alaric. Even his platinum blonde hair that stretched to his chin and his beautiful face was very similar to the RMI boss.


    "Ahh... You contacted them tonight? How come I wasn''t told?" Aleksis asked with a smile. She was elated seeing her children''s faces.


    "I wanted to surprise you," Alaric softly whispered into his wife''s ear.


    Vega then emerged from behind the cupboard and more muffled squeals could be heard. This child was very similar to the first child, but they could see from her nightgown that she was a girl.


    The guests had noticed that Alaric had two children whose faces were very similar to him. They immediately believed that he had been married ten years ago and now had two twins. What a beautiful family!


    "Hello, Mommy. Hello, Father... Grandfather said we could sleep late because you wanted to talk to us," said Altair, waving his book. "I want to sleep after Father reads the continuation of the story for me, and I want to see lavender again."


    "Alright," Alaric answered with a smile. He pulled out a small book from his pocket and opened it. The storybook was titled ''Prince Siegfried the Dragon Slayer''. "Sit nicely on the couch, I''ll continue reading."


    Alaric invited Aleksis to sit on the couch provided for them on the stage, and the guests could see Altair and Vega sitting while hugging each other on the beautiful couch at Medici Castle, attentively listening as their father read the story to them.


    Aleksis unconsciously leaned her head against Alaric''s c.h.e.s.t while watching her children listening to the story, also seeming to enjoy Alaric''s voice in her ears. She felt really happy.


    Many guests present pursed their lips because they were touched and amazed to be able to witness such a rare moment. Elios Linden, who was famous for being cold and very reclusive, shared his moment of togetherness with his wife and two children, becoming a very beautiful picture before the guests. And for the first time, they could see how the cold man now looked warm and happy.


    "Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, Mommy." Altair and Vega waved back and disconnected from the Virconnect connection.


    Alaric and Aleksis looked at each other and smiled. They were always very happy to see their children. Even Vega also began to show a warmer attitude to her father lately.


    Shamelessly, Alaric kissed his wife''s lips and embraced her into his arms.

 Chapter 572 - Punishment for Elien Mikhailova (1)

    The public display of Alaric''s affection to his wife following the moment Alaric shared the warmth of his family with the guests touched the many present, making them shed emotional tears. Really, the impact of Virconnect on human life since it was first launched four years ago was enormous.


    The communication revolution created by Virconnect was often equated as when Alexander Graham Bell first invented the telephone in 1876, which became the forerunner to the connection of people throughout the world without having to be nearby.


    The telephone revolutionized human life when its presence enabled people in different parts of the world to talk to each other over telephone lines.


    Then, the internet made people more connected with more sophisticated levels and allowed long-distance video calls to give people the opportunity to get closer to each other through sound and images.


    Finally, Virconnect 3D allowed humans to share three-dimensional videos with each other as if they were in the same place, and this product was later refined with Virconnect 4D, which cut the distance to zero.


    With Virconnect 4D, whoever or wherever they were, as long as there were an internet connection and Virconnect device with them, they would be able to find and share life together in four dimensions, as if they were in the same place, felt the same temperature, the same gusts of wind, and the immensely realistic sound made it as if all their senses felt their presence in their destination.


    After the discovery of a cancer cure, Virconnect became the most important product of the 21st century that changed human life, and this made Rhionen-Meier Industries and its owners the most influential corporation and people in the world today.


    The closed and mysterious figure of Elios Linden was slightly opened to the public tonight, and they were very impressed to see that behind his indifferent and cold exterior, there was enormous love and warmth for his beloved family.


    When Alaric took his wife back to their table, the Virconnect access connection to the public was reestablished, and viewers at home could see the figure of the two people leaving the stage. However, they couldn''t see their faces, so it made hundreds of millions of people very curious.


    Unfortunately, they also couldn''t see photos of the two because the guests who were present were forbidden to take photos of Alaric and Aleksis and share them with any media. With its sophisticated blocking system, Splitz could also immediately erase Alaric or Aleksis'' photos if they were circulated.


    Alaric immediately inspired many who were present, and the impressive Linden family became trending on Splitz that night. There was news everywhere about the Linden family, Elios Linden and his beautiful wife who was the daughter of the Schneider family, and their twins, spread in various media with very romantic and impressive news content.


    Terry, who was reading the news at his home in New York while relaxing, was stunned to see the running text on his computer being about the romantic and inspiring Linden family. Unconsciously, he smiled to himself and as he also felt happy for his sister.


    Nicolae, who had been watching from the side of the living room in Medici Castle of how Alaric sat on the couch with Aleksis leaning on his c.h.e.s.t, then recited a chapter from a storybook to his children, could only stand transfixed in his place.


    He knew that his brother loved Aleksis and their two children. He could only take a deep breath while pressing his c.h.e.s.t. It was suffocating, precisely because he knew exactly what Alaric was feeling at the time.


    He too, loved Aleksis and the two children, just like his own biological children...


    After the Virconnect connection was severed, he immediately entered the living room and warmly greeted his nephew and niece.


    "Father has read you a story, so now it''s time to go to sleep..." He carried Vega on his right arm and took Altair, who was already beginning to yawn. "Daddy Nic won''t read you a story because your father already did it earlier."


    "But Daddy Nic still has to accompany us until we sleep before Daddy Nic can go out." Vega sulked.


    "Of course, Princess," Nicolae firmly answered as he ruffled the girl''s hair and kissed her forehead.


    That night, Virconnect''s fourth birthday celebration was closed with great fanfare and the guests returned home with a deep impression. Alaric had received the report he had requested from Mischa and he had decided to settle it that night.


    He wanted to show London and Rune, his two brothers-in-law, how to deal with a similar problem. After all, they were immensely wealthy and would be very influential in the future, so such tricks and traps were certainly be something they should be aware of.


    "Pavel, can you send Sande home alone? I still need you to take care of something tonight," Alaric said after the program was over and the guests began to leave the ballroom.


    He pointed at Elien, who was sitting huddled in fear at her table. The other artists had left the place, but the two scary men who had been guarding her didn''t allow her to move an inch.


    "I want to punish the person responsible for tonight''s events," he said coldly.


    Pavel looked surprised, but he didn''t argue. He said something to Sande then kissed her cheek before letting his wife go. He then told the two directors who were sitting at their table to go home and not have to take care of what Alaric would do to Elien.


    "Go to the penthouse first, Honey. I want to clean up something here for a minute." Alaric squeezed Aleksis'' hand and helped her up. He didn''t want Aleksis to see what he intended to do to fix the problem.


    "Uhm... is..." Aleksis was speechless. She could guess that Elien Mikhailova must have been involved in the incident that made Alaric take an aphrodisiac this afternoon, and she knew that Alaric would make the girl pay for what she had done.


    She glanced at the beautiful girl and took a deep breath. Aleksis didn''t want to interfere in Alaric''s business in front of other people because she was worried that people would consider her husband losing prestige in front of his wife, but she also hoped that Alaric wouldn''t kill anyone anymore, as he had done when Aleksis was almost kidnapped by the Black River mafia group in Singapore.


    At that time, he mercilessly ordered his assassins to slaughter the mob until no one was left and that event made Rosemary Lin hold a deep grudge against Aleksis and wanted to kill her on campus... which then resulted in Aleksis''s accident, causing Alaric and Aleksis to be separated for ten years.


    Violence will only beget violence and resulted in new grudges, she sadly thought. Aleksis didn''t want Alaric to attract enemies who can threaten their lives in the future, especially now that they''ve already had two children who really needed his presence.

 Chapter 573 - Punishment for Elien Mikhailova (2)

    Finally, the girl could only nod and kiss Alaric''s cheek gently to excuse herself. As her lips touched her husband''s cheek, she whispered, begging Alaric not to kill Elien. "Honey, please don''t kill anymore... I''ll be waiting for you at the penthouse."


    She then nodded to Pavel and her two younger brothers before stepping out of the venue. Three burly bodyguards swiftly welcomed her and escorted her up to the penthouse.


    Alaric gave a signal and the two staff members who guarded Elien immediately brought the girl before Alaric, who was sitting relaxedly in his chair. London and Rune just stood there staring at the scene in front of them. Pavel, who was well acquainted with his boss, immediately understood that Alaric knew what had happened and who was responsible for all the embarrassing events earlier this evening.


    "Pavel, try to tell my two brothers-in-law what happened earlier and how you found this woman in the Presidential Suite," Alaric demanded while sitting cross-legged, seeming relaxed yet so intimidating.


    He deliberately didn''t bring London and Rune to the Presidential Suite because he didn''t want them to see first-hand the place that was almost a witness to the depraved act of the woman who deliberately set him up. It would be better for them to hear what happened from Pavel.


    "Uhm... Elien was missing for hours, and when we tracked down her phone, we found her locked up in the presidential suite, n.a.k.e.d and tied to a bed, ready as a bait to trap you, who had been given an aphrodisiac this afternoon... she looked very hysterical and frightened, so we thought she was a victim, "Pavel said.


    "We found a variety of video recording equipment in the suite, ready to record the moment you came there and have s.e.x with her to defame you." He continued.


    London and Rune looked at each other with embarrassed faces when they heard Pavel''s explanation. They then remembered their own father, who was also a man who was immensely wealthy and powerful, and Terry, their eldest brother... had they also experienced such traps? How scary!


    "I was wrong because I was careless this afternoon, giving her the opportunity to put aphrodisiac into my drink. You know I''m very careful and I don''t take drinks from strangers. Apparently, this female fox used our working relationship to secretly give me aphrodisiacs." Alaric briefly explained, glaring at Elien who was forced to kneel on the floor in front of him.


    The girl shook her head while crying.


    "I... That''s not true, Sir. I wouldn''t dare..." she wept in a pitiful voice. "I was framed... I didn''t know the drink had aphrodisiac in it..."


    "The secretary you bribed to leak my schedule confessed everything," Alaric took the glass of wine from the table and sipped it in a nonchalant manner. "The check-in clerk confirmed that your assistant booked the Presidential Suite and entered before you arrived, I suppose... he installed all of the cameras."


    "No... N-No, Sir... you''re misinformed... it wasn''t me... I''m just a victim..." Elien''s weeps sounded more poignant. "If you don''t believe me, try asking the hotel staff... There were bad guys who entered the suite after and caught me..."


    Elien knew it was impossible to expect mercy from anyone, so she finally shamelessly knelt and kissed Alaric''s shoes.


    "Please... Sir, I admit I was wrong. I''m in love with you and I really want to be with you, but I cannot possibly do such a deed... I booked a presidential suite here because I wanted... I wanted to flirt with you once again... But I didn''t think that there would be bad guys who would take advantage of my feelings for you...


    They tricked me saying you were sick and were heading to the suite, so I prepared to wait for your arrival... I was stupid, I really thought you would come of your own accord... But when they came, beat me up, and tied me to the bed... I realized you were being framed... I felt devastated... because I didn''t want you to fall into their trap... I would kill myself if I caused your reputation to be tarnished..."


    Elien ceaselessly begged in tears to the point that Pavel, who had long since come out of the world of assassins, could feel his heart begin to soften, unable to bear seeing such a sight. But Alaric''s heart was still ice cold. He nonchalantly slapped Elien''s face which was trying to kiss his shoes, causing the girl to fall back and scream in pain.


    "Maybe if you had played the show more convincingly, I would trust you. Unfortunately, your game was too plain," he said in a sharp, piercing voice. "If you had allowed those ''bad guys'' to beat you to death, your pretense would''ve attracted more sympathy. Too bad you loved your face and body more and only allowed yourself to be tied¡­"


    Elien held her aching head and her expression was now filled with terror. She already realized that it was impossible for her to lie to Alaric...


    "I... I... It wasn''t me... You must believe me..." She was still trying to defend herself, but her voice was now very weak and inconclusive.


    "The Russian Mafia who paid you to trap me will receive their punishment... They don''t know who they''re dealing with this time," Alaric calmly stated. His appearance had returned to look as peaceful and breezy as before. He remembered that Aleksis didn''t want him to kill people anymore, so he set his emotions so that he would not be overcome by anger. "I actually feel offended. My worth was only 30 million dollars to you... the worth of your gambling debt to them. You should''ve asked for more."


    London and Rune were still watching everything before them unfold with palpitations. They understood why Aleksis was asked to leave first. Alaric didn''t want his wife to witness such an intense situation. Moreover, it seemed that Alaric was still not done.


    "Pavel, do you have waterproof markers?" Alaric then asked. He put down his empty wine glass.


    Pavel nodded and ordered a staff member to pick up the markers requested. Alaric took the marker and walked over to Elien. With quick movements, he drew a line on her wrists and ankles, then tossed the markers away.


    "I won''t kill you, but I''ll make sure the mobsters who hired you know that you''ve revealed all their secrets to me, so they''ll punish you." He shook his suit and walked away, "They''ll know where they have to break your arms and legs."


    Alaric patted London and Rune''s shoulders, signaling that they should follow him out of the ballroom. Meanwhile, Elien, who had just realized what the four marker lines meant, immediately screamed in horror. She tried to go after Alaric, but the two bodyguards were holding her, rendering her immobile as she could only roar hysterically.


    After Alaric came out, they let her go. Elien immediately ran away, stumbling in her steps. She had to immediately hide so as to not become the target of the Russian mafias who would soon go after her as soon as they''re hunted by the assassins sent by Mischa. The mobsters would think that Elien was the one who uncovered the secrets of their crime, so they would look for her to get revenge.


    Alaric kept his promise to Aleksis. He didn''t kill Elien. He would let the Russian mafia punish the girl for him.


    On the way back to the penthouse, he clicked his tongue in pity. The Russian mobsters didn''t know that Elios Linden was the former leader of the Rhionen Assassins.


    Even though he had disbanded his group, he could still easily send the world''s best killers to eradicate them.

 Chapter 574 - Who Was The Real Mastermind?

    London and Rune simply followed Alaric''s steps. They already knew Alaric''s violent background, and this time, they witnessed how he handled the problem. Luckily, he had listened to Aleksis'' words and didn''t kill Elien with his hands.


    However, they could surmise how terrible the retaliation against Elien from the notorious Russian mafia would be, and the two hoped they won''t see news about it in the media.


    "This world is cruel," Alaric said as they stepped into the elevator to the penthouse. "You mustn''t show mercy to your enemies or anyone who had the intention of doing harm to you and your family. Once you show mercy, they''ll repeat their actions."


    London and Rune nodded.


    Alaric immediately saw Aleksis when they arrived at the penthouse. "Are we going home now? All my businesses are settled."


    Aleksis nodded. They said goodbye to London and Rune before immediately heading home. On the way, Aleksis wanted to ask what had happened and what he did to punish Elien, but she was reluctant to bring up the bad things. Alaric, who seemed to be able to read her mind, personally told her what he did to punish Elien.


    "I don''t want any secrets between us. All this time, I was gossiped with several women, including the girl earlier. I have nothing to do with them, but I also didn''t think it''s necessary to straighten out every gossip circulating. For me, all of those don''t matter." Alaric said, tugging Aleksis''s hair behind her ear. For some reason, his wife''s hair was often disheveled. "But after your return, of course I won''t let those cheap rumors continue to spread."


    "Then why did she do it?" Aleksis asked in puzzlement.


    "Since a long time ago, the woman lived a very expensive lifestyle. She was also addicted to gambling, which lead to a huge debt to the Russian mafia. She was then used by the group of people who wanted to hurt you by setting the trap earlier..."


    Aleksis pursed her lips in surprise. "That group of people wanted to hurt me? What did I do wrong to them?"


    Alaric pulled Aleksis to his c.h.e.s.t and calmed the girl. "Don''t worry, I''ve taken care of everything. Do you still remember the Blue family? They wanted to take revenge for what happened at our wedding last time. They paid the Russian mafia to do everything, including using Elien, whom they thought had a close relationship with me. Their goal was, of course, to stain my name and hurt you. Unfortunately, they''re dealing with the wrong person. They don''t know who I really am."


    Aleksis remembered Kit Blue, who was almost choked to death by Alaric and her father, who were furious. Apparently, they couldn''t stay silent and tried to get revenge.


    "What did you do to them?" Aleksis questioned. She looked right into her husband''s deep purple eyes. "You won''t kill the Blue family, right?"


    Alaric softly chuckled. "No, I won''t get my hands dirty. Mischa will meet the head of the mafia group and ask him to choose, their own lives or the lives of the Blue family."


    "Oh..." Aleksis understood what Alaric meant. He would let the mafia group itself take care of the Blue family. "Thank God... I don''t want you to kill people of our kind. You know that the punishment for an unforgivable mistake is Death."


    "I know." Alaric kissed Aleksis to calm her down. "I won''t do anything that would separate us ever again."


    Aleksis felt calm hearing his words. She closed her eyes and leaned against her husband''s c.h.e.s.t, enjoying his slow, peaceful heartbeat, before gradually falling asleep.


    When their car arrived home, Aleksis was still asleep. Alaric knew his wife was really exhausted because of their intense lovemaking earlier, including the stress from knowing how there were people who tried to set up her husband, it was no wonder Aleksis immediately fell asleep in the car.


    He carefully carried Aleksis past the automatic door and immediately took her to the bedroom and laid her on their bed. He loosened his wife''s clothes then covered her after making sure the room temperature was as cool as she liked.


    Alaric then cleaned himself in the bathroom and sat in his office checking the news related to the Virconnect celebrations that night for a while. He was very happy to see so many positive news about his family and how all of those made his reputation go uphill. He was getting increasingly popular. At this rate, he would even be able to become the president if he wanted to.


    After making sure everything was fine, he returned to the bedroom, took off his clothes, and slipped under the duvet, laying himself down while hugging Aleksis.


    With his eyes closed, he thought about how happy his life was at the moment. He could sleep hugging the woman he loved every night, see her face when he woke up in the morning, and spend every moment with her. He would never be bored.


    He was no longer interested in becoming a ruler. Let humans take care of themselves. He couldn''t care less about them now. It would be better for him to take care of his family and make sure that they would always be safe and happy.


    ***


    Two days later, the world was shocked by the news of Elien Mikhailova being found assaulted by an unknown party. Her arms and legs were broken. She was deliberately left alive to experience worse sufferings than death, because even though her arms and legs could heal, she wouldn''t be able to dance anymore.


    Living without being able to do the only thing she could do was too unbearable for the ballerina. A month later, she was found dead, having committed suicide in the hospital where she was being treated.


    The Russian mafia group Mischa visited was very surprised. They didn''t expect that the ex-assassin from the Rhionen Assassins, who used to be very famous in the underworld, would suddenly come to raid their leader''s house.


    He brought three of his colleagues from the Phoenix level who happened to be in Europe. They ransacked the group''s headquarters before threatening their leader to take responsibility by killing the Blue family.


    In just one week, all the hotels and buildings belonging to the Blue family were bombarded by unknown people. The police failed to find the culprit and Lex was too afraid to tell the police that they had hired the services of the Russian mafias before this.


    Finally, for the sake of his family''s safety, Lex took his wife and daughter to hide. Nobody heard anything about them since then.


    ***

 Chapter 575 - Sophias Fate

    Alaric brought Aleksis to his castle in Targu Mures and showed her the main building. This was the castle he built decades ago, and he had put his mother''s grave here. Ten years ago, he brought the  fake Aleksis here and told all his secrets, which ended in him being shot and injured so badly that he only had a 1% chance of recovery.


    He was very grateful that his foster children were very loyal and continued to care for him until Ned and Portia took over.


    "I really like this place," Aleksis commented. "I like all your houses... I told you, your taste is better than mine when it comes to houses."


    Alaric nodded. "I also like my mother''s house in Yorkshire... I''ve never taken you there yet. The palace is very old-fashioned, but it''s very beautiful."


    Aleksis remembered that Sophia was Alaric''s cousin on her mother''s side. She wanted to know what Alaric''s decision was regarding Sophia, as she always tried to do harm to them.


    "I don''t want to see Sophia at all. Even though she''s your cousin, she''s not welcome in our house," Aleksis said half sulkily.


    "I agree. If I were the clan leader, I would''ve sentenced her to death," Alaric replied. "Unfortunately, your father was still merciful. I don''t think your father did anything to her."


    "RMI is the merging of Meier Group and Rhionen Industries, right? How could you merge your corporation?"


    "At that time, I didn''t know Sophia was so mean to you. I agreed to take over her family business and take on my new identity, while she went to enjoy life. She should be back in 16 years to take her share. Alaric''s eyes glittered as he smiled faintly. "But given what she did to you, I don''t think her company will be enough to make up for it."


    "You... won''t return her family business?" Aleksis widened her eyes in disbelief. "She''ll fall into poverty!"


    "That''s none of my business." Alaric shrugged. He casually walked to the large window stretching from the floor to the ceiling and commented on the autumn leaves hovering in the wind. "The view outside is great. Do you want to go for a walk?"


    Aleksis approached Alaric and hugged his waist. She was glad that Sophia would get what she deserved. Being poor would be a more painful punishment for the evil girl. Aleksis was determined to never discuss Sophia in their home ever again. To her, Sophia Meier was dead.


    "I want to go out with you," she whispered affectionately.


    Alaric turned around. They were now facing each other. He kissed Aleksis'' lips for a long time before taking her hand and walking out to enjoy the autumn scenery around his castle. It looked so beautiful as though it came out from a painting.


    ***


    After spending three days at Targu Mures, Alaric invited Aleksis to visit RMI''s headquarters in Bucharest. That tallest building in Bucharest has a residence on the top floor, which was once called the most expensive building in the world because of its security, which was considered to be tighter than the White House. This was because in the past, Rhionen Industries, was part of the Rhionen Assassins, which had many enemies.


    From the penthouse on the top of the building, they could look around the city of Bucharest with a 360-degree view. Aleksis was comfortably sitting in front of the large window that was showing the beautiful view.


    "You''ve visited three of my houses. In London, in Targu Mures, and here in Bucharest," Alaric approached Aleksis, who was admiring the view through the window while carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses, then sat beside her. "Which one do you like the most?"


    He poured wine into their glass and handed one to Aleksis. The girl accepted it, and after taking a sip, she seemed to think. "Hmm... They''re all really beautiful. Your taste is always good. But even until now, I still can''t forget your mansion in Singapore."


    "Hmm... Is that so? We can stay there in winter."


    "I like it..."


    "Oh, by the way... I invited Mischa to have dinner here. He must be happy to meet you," Alaric said afterward.


    "Ah, yeah... How is he now?" asked Aleksis interested.


    "He manages RMI in the head office here. The office is below," Alaric answered.


    "Oh... I still remember him. You used to ask Mischa and Takeshi to take care of me while you were away." Aleksis smiled as she felt the nostalgia.


    "Takeshi is now in Singapore. You can also meet him if we go there."


    "I''ll be happy to."


    Alaric planned to return the control of his businesses to his four foster children because he wanted to reduce his busy schedule to spend more time with Aleksis and their children.


    That was also one of the reasons he invited Mischa to dinner, and later, he would also invite others to discuss the same thing. He would only supervise remotely and make important decisions once a year.


    After seeing how peaceful and pleasant Caspar''s life with Finland was because his business affairs were handled by Terry and London, Alaric felt that the lifestyle like that of his father-in-law''s wasn''t bad and was worth emulating.


    Mischa arrived precisely at six in the afternoon., bringing the best wine from his personal collection. His appearance didn''t change much after the ten years Aleksis didn''t see him. It was just that now, he liked to wear black clothes. He was no longer as flamboyant as he was before - when he often wore bright-colored clothes like pink and light blue.


    For a moment, Aleksis was stunned to see Mischa, now 36, in front of her. Mischa looked older than his foster father, but his good looks were still the same as before.


    "You... You look different now..." Aleksis commented while hugging Mischa warmly. "You don''t look like a gigolo anymore..."


    "Eh, what did you say?" Mischa wanted to protest, but he didn''t dare when he saw his foster father raising an eyebrow. In the end, he just shook his head. "My taste has changed, that''s all."


    "Actually, Mischa wore black clothes as a sign of him mourning for my ''death''. Mischa was always the closest to me. After six years of constantly wearing everything in black, he became used to it and couldn''t return to his old self," Alaric commented.


    "Oh..." Aleksis was stunned to hear that. She only realized now how much Alaric''s foster children loved him and were loyal to him.


    "Thank you," Aleksis whispered to Mischa in an emotional voice, almost crying. "If you hadn''t desperately taken care of him... I wouldn''t have been able to reunite with my husband. Thank you..."


    Mischa nodded while smiling. He was happy seeing how Aleksis brought happiness back into Alaric''s life.


    When he heard that they also had children, Mischa looked emotional and congratulated the two many times. He knew their two children would have a happy life because he experienced first-hand how Alaric was a good father figure.


    "I hope I can one day meet your two children, Sir," he voiced, raising his glass. "A toast for Altair and Vega."


    The three of them toasted and drank happily. The dinner was warm and only ended two hours later.

 Chapter 576 - What Is Wrong With Aleksis?

    After Mischa came home, all what''s left from dinner was immediately taken care of by the robot servant, so they could relax.


    "I feel so stupid," Aleksis said out of nowhere as they were already in bed preparing to sleep.


    "Eh, why do you feel stupid?" Alaric asked in puzzlement.


    "Uhm... I remember when we were in Singapore, on the night before we were married, you actually told me about how your mother died while giving birth to you in Romania... I should ''ve been able to connect everything and find out sooner that you''re Uncle Rory''s son... "Aleksis looked at Alaric with an annoyed face.


    "Nicolae told me that he was born in a hospital in Romania in the midst of war and his mother died after giving birth... He has a home in Romania, and so do you. All of the clues were there... Why did I not think in that direction?? Ten years were wasted because of my idiocy..."


    "Shhh... Don''t say that. You weren''t at fault. I never told you that my mother died because of the war... You never would''ve imagined that I was born in 1945. If I had told you that information in more detail, surely you would have been able to connect everything... You weren''t the one at fault. I am. I''m at fault for covering up my identity from you, even though we were already married. I should have trusted you..."


    Alaric hugged Aleksis and gently patted her back to comfort her. "Now isn''t the time to discuss who''s at fault. That''s in the past. What matters is that we''re now back together. But... if you insist on knowing who''s at fault, I''m the one to blame¡­"


    Aleksis suddenly burst into tears in her husband''s embrace. "You weren''t at fault... but I was. I should have trusted you from the start. I looked for you for years, but after we met, I tricked you by pretending to be an ordinary person. You didn''t even know my real birthday..."


    "Ouch... What am I supposed to do? I never blamed you, and I don''t want you to blame yourself. You did the right thing. You shouldn''t carelessly tell the secrets of the Alchemist clan to strangers, especially when you''re the daughter of the clan leader..." Alaric started to get confused because Aleksis didn''t stop crying.


    To him, what they were talking about was very trivial, but why was Aleksis so sad?


    "I caused Uncle Rory and my father to go after you. I also caused Uncle Kurt to commit suicide, leaving his son to be fatherless... You were almost dead and was in a coma for six years, unable to see the birth of your own children... You also couldn''t be in their lives for ten years... In fact... even though you''re a very loving father... they can''t accept you easily as their father... All because of me..."


    Aleksis continued to cry.


    Alaric finally gave up. He lifted the duvet and invited Aleksis to sit on the couch to calm down. He felt that something was wrong. Aleksis shouldn''t cry over such trivial matters. Moreover, he had repeatedly stressed that Aleksis was innocent.


    "Honey¡­ What''s wrong? Why are you suddenly so sad? Is there something you didn''t tell me?" Alaric gently asked. He stroked the crying girl''s back.


    After sobbing for a long time, Aleksis finally looked at Alaric with an aggrieved face and a pair of glistening eyes.


    "I became emotional because here in Bucharest, I saw how close you are to Mischa even though he''s not your biological child..." Aleksis softly said.


    "I still don''t understand..."


    "When I just woke up from the coma and learned that I was pregnant with our children, I ran away from home and lived with Nicolae at his home in Bucharest. At that time, I was furious at my father and Uncle Rory because they were the ones who caused your death... I just wanted to run far away, and Nicolae helped me. He was my only best friend at that time... and I stayed in his place for three months..."


    "Oh..." Alaric only knew of this now. He now understood why Nicolae loved his children so much. Even since they were still in the w.o.m.b, Nicolae had helped care for the two children. There was a feeling of jealousy in his c.h.e.s.t, but he tried to suppress it. "Then...?"


    "When I saw Mischa tonight, I remembered how kind you''ve always been to your four foster children, and Mischa''s love and loyalty to you really showed how good you are as his father figure... and that made me sad... because you should''ve had the role of father to Altair and Vega since ten years ago..."


    "I still don''t understand why that would make you sad... I can still be a good father to Altair and Vega forever. I have a lifetime to catch up on the time lost. I don''t mind..."


    "I also don''t know why I''m sad... What''s clear is that thinking about what happened ten years ago and my pregnancy when you weren''t there made me unable to stop crying," Aleksis shed tears again.


    "If that makes you cry, then don''t think about it. Just think of something else..." Alaric was still trying to persuade his wife. "Or do you want to read a book? How about watching a comedy movie?"


    Aleksis shook her head. She just buried her face in her husband''s embrace and continued to cry. She later stopped crying from exhaustion and fell asleep on Alaric''s l.a.p.


    He felt really confused. He didn''t know why his wife suddenly became so moody, just like a woman with PMS.


    Ah... He just realized that they hadn''t been together for more than three weeks, so as a lover and husband, he hadn''t seen Aleksis being moody as a sign of her having in her PMS. Maybe this was what was happening.


    He looked at Aleksis. She was sleeping on his l.a.p with a peaceful expression. He smiled to himself. It''s fine if he had to be inconvenienced like this once a month if it''s for Aleksis. He just had to get used to it, he thought.


    He carefully lifted Aleksis back to the bed then laid down beside her, hugging her. He was relieved to see that Aleksis finally stopped crying and was able to sleep, although his little heart was a bit disappointed because if Aleksis had PMS, it meant that his wife would soon have a period, indicating that she wasn''t pregnant.


    Okay, then we can try again, he thought - trying to console himself.


    ***

 Chapter 577 - Finally Happy

    Alaric noticed that during those few days, Aleksis had indeed become very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e. She was easy to cry, but also easy to feel touched. When Alaric brought her a bunch of flowers from the balcony of their penthouse, the girl pursed her lips in tears and her eyes glistened.


    "The flowers are beautiful... you''re really thoughtful. I''m so lucky..." She then kissed Alaric and hugged the flowers to her c.h.e.s.t. Irresistible tears dripped down her cheeks.


    There was another time when Alaric tried to cook something for her. Aleksis was moved to tears again because she knew Alaric couldn''t cook. "This is soooooo good... You learned to cook for me..."


    Eventually, Alaric became accustomed to them and no longer worried about seeing Aleksis cry over little things. He just laughed and hugged his wife instead of trying to tell her to stop crying. For some reason, whenever the girl cried, she just looked even more beautiful and sparkling. Even Alaric himself couldn''t explain it.


    He didn''t like it when his wife was sad, but since he knew there was nothing he could do, he could only accept it. Plus, Aleksis actually looked even more adorable, so he didn''t really mind. After all, PMS usually only lasts a few days, he thought.


    After three days in Bucharest, they flew to Yorkshire to meet Lauriel and Nicolae, who came to bring the twins to visit the Linden family palace, and especially the grave of Luna Linden, their mother.


    After learning that Luna was buried near the Linden family palace in Yorkshire, Lauriel needed several weeks to prepare his heart to visit the grave of the woman he loved.


    During the past month, he isolated himself and cried ceaselessly. He was indeed happy to find his children, but their presence tore open the old wounds from when Luna left him forever.


    Nicolae and Alaric were born on the day Luna died. Luna died to give her children life.


    Now, Lauriel was finally ready, and so he decided to gather his children together so they could talk about their mother.


    ***


    Alaric and Aleksis arrived an hour after his father and brother. Lauriel and Nicolae welcomed Alaric and Aleksis with warm hugs and a glass of wine. Altair and Vega seemed elated to meet their mother, but Aleksis could see that they remained healthy and happy while staying with Nicolae. This touched her, causing her to cry again.


    "Thank you... You''re so kind to my children, you took really good care of them..." She said to Nicolae, sobbing, causing Nicolae also feel confused. He turned to Alaric and mouthed a question, silently asking his brother what was happening.


    P-M-S, Alaric said also without a sound.


    Nicolae was flabbergasted. He looked at Aleksis for a long time and then looked at Alaric.


    "Stop drinking wine..." he said as he took the glass of wine from Aleksis'' hand. The girl frowned and pursed her lips.


    "Why? I''m thirsty," she protested.


    Nicolae hurriedly took the glass and poured juice for Aleksis and handed it to her. "Just drink this, it''s healthier."


    Aleksis wanted to protest again, but instead, her tears streamed down.


    "Uhm... I know you''re a doctor, but it won''t hurt for a woman to drink wine when she has PMS," Alaric said, trying to defend his wife.


    He hurriedly got up and hugged Aleksis. That was what he usually did when he saw his wife crying because he knew that no matter how hard he persuaded, her crying wouldn''t subside unless Aleksis stopped herself.


    Nicolae frowned and shook his head. "I''ve seen Aleksis having PMS for four years, so I know how she acts when she has it... and it''s not like what you expect. How long has she been like this?"


    Alaric shrugged, "Over a week..."


    "PMS only lasts for a maximum of two days. And so far, Aleksis has never been s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and prone to crying when she has PMS... Usually, she gets angry and buys shoes."


    Alaric was actually annoyed to hear that his brother knew Aleksis'' habits and life more than he did, because they were indeed together for longer, while he had only reunited with his wife for a month. But he refrained from appearing annoyed in front of Aleksis.


    Alaric frowned as a sign of not understanding. "But from what I read, these all seem like PMS symptoms."


    "Similar doesn''t mean the same," Nicolae said again. "Believe me, I''ve been with Aleksis for years..."


    "What is this then?" Alaric asked in confusion. "Could it be...?"


    A moment later, his eyes widened.


    He released Aleksis from his arms and brought his face close to Aleksis''s, so that their noses almost touched.


    "You ... Are you pregnant?"


    Aleksis frowned. "Says who?"


    "Have you checked it yet?" Alaric asked, almost shouting. He was just that enthusiastic.


    Aleksis shook her head. "Not yet. I forgot because you didn''t ask again."


    "I didn''t ask again because I thought you were having a PMS and would soon get a period... Besides, I didn''t want to upset you by asking the same thing over and over again..." Alaric looked tense. He turned to Nicolae. "Do you think she''s pregnant?"


    Nicolae nodded slowly and forced his lips to smile, "This is similar to when Aleksis was pregnant with Altair and Vega. She was very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and easily moved. She would cry every day until the second trimester."


    Alaric was very moved when he looked at Aleksis''s face and realized that Nicolae was right. No wonder Aleksis looked even more beautiful lately. People say pregnant women will look more beautiful than usual.


    Of course... they''ve been together for more than a month, yet Aleksis hadn''t gotten her period yet, now she was even showing signs of pregnancy...


    Alaric''s happiness couldn''t be described with words. He was about to lift his wife into the air because of it, but he was also worried about the condition of Aleksis''s body that he only kissed her and stroked her stomach with joy.


    "I''m so happy..." he whispered many times.


    Aleksis was immensely moved to see how Alaric''s eyes were brimming with tears. She cried again. Alaric didn''t try to persuade her. He just let the girl cry on his c.h.e.s.t. She''ll stop when she''s tired, he thought.


    "Mommy, why do you keep crying?" Vega asked in surprise.


    "Mommy is crying happy tears, you don''t need to worry," Nicolae said. He congratulated and hugged his brother, then hugged Aleksis. "Congratulations, you''ll become parents again..."


    Lauriel only watched the scene in silence. He remembered that Luna left him because she thought Lauriel didn''t want her pregnancy, and that was the beginning of all their suffering. Aggrieved, he slipped out and walked towards the small forest behind the Lindens palace and looked for Luna''s grave.


    He found it easily because the grave was beautiful and it stood out among the trees filled with autumn-colored leaves. Lauriel emotionally walked closer, approaching it before kneeling at the edge of the grave.


    "Luna, my wife... it''s been a long time, huh..." he whispered as if Luna was there and could hear him. "Please, forgive me."


    He sat there pondering for half an hour and was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he wasn''t aware of the arrival of Nicolae, Alaric, Aleksis and their two children.


    "Father... Mother must be glad we reunited," Nicolae said, patting his father''s shoulder.


    Lauriel nodded. He slowly pulled Aleksis''s hand and the girl knelt beside him. Lauriel then hugged Aleksis and ruffled her hair.


    "Thank you, Aleksis, my dear child. Thanks to you, I didn''t choose Death. Thanks to you, I found my children, Nicolae and Alaric. You also gave us Altair and Vega... and a new grandchild soon." Lauriel smiled, feeling moved. "The Lindens and Medicis are indebted to you."


    "I''m also a member of the Linden and Medici families now, Uncle... I''m really happy to be a part of your family," Aleksis replied. "I love you so much."


    Alaric knelt and hugged his wife.


    "Thank you," he whispered. He knew all of Lauriel''s words were true.


    Without Aleksis, they would have lost their father 30 years ago. Nicolae and Alaric would never reunite with their father. Alaric''s love for Aleksis was already massive and burning, but today, his love was growing even bigger.


    They sat together at Luna Linden''s grave and talked about the past and the future. The atmosphere between them felt really emotional and reverent.


    After more than a hundred years, Lauriel and his two children finally gathered again in front of Luna''s grave.


    After more than a hundred years, the three lonely men finally found their happiness.


    ----------- Volume 2 Ends here ---------

 Chapter 578 - Extra Part: Lauriel & Luna (1)

    230 YEARS AGO:


    The Lindens were renowned for their very festive parties and grand celebrations. As one of the most prominent noble families in England, an invitation from them meant great honor for those who would receive it. Thus, this current party stirred great curiosity since the invitation was evenly distributed to members of the Alchemist clan.


    Usually, someone needed to come from a family with decent nobility status to be eligible to attend the Lindens'' party. However, since this is a special occasion, for their second daughter''s birthday party, Lord and Lady Linden generously sent invitations to all who entered the clan registry, regardless of their status. As long as they were alchemists, they were invited. It wouldn''t matter if one was from a noble family or not.


    The invitations were distributed two years prior, ensuring that all clan members spread throughout Europe and those adventuring in the oceans and other continents would receive it at least some time before the party and be present on time.


    Luna Linden was famous for her beauty. But until now, only a handful of people managed to see for themselves why it was the case. Few could prove that the youngest daughter of the Lindens truly had such beauty since she rarely made a public appearance.


    She was almost never present at fancy parties held by her family so even if she ran into the clan members somewhere in the world, they might never think that she was Luna Linden.


    And since she was actually a mischievous lady, she helped spread rumors that the Lindens'' youngest daughter was actually ugly, with some facial defects because she got kicked by a horse when she was still a child. She spread around that her physical flaws never recovered.


    Luna knew that her 200th birthday party, which her parents organized, was not only to celebrate her birthday but also to find her a match from among the many Alchemist bachelors. Her sister got married when she was only 80 years old and already had two a.d.u.l.t children. In comparison, Luna never even had a boyfriend even though she was already nearly two centuries old.


    It was not because she was less beautiful. On the contrary, she was one of the most beautiful girls in their clan consisting of physically perfect people. Those who had seen Portia and acknowledged her beauty would still certainly agree that Luna was even more beautiful than her.


    Luna just had no elegance or bearing a noble daughter should have. She preferred riding horses and playing with swords than doing some embroidery or dressing up.


    Once, when Luna was 100 years old, she managed to force her parents to allow her to travel around the world. Obviously, some knights followed and protected her in secret because Luna, with her gorgeous beauty and long, purple hair, was very attractive.


    That decision became the one her parents regretted the most because since then, she had gone on more adventures, only returning home once in every ten years to visit her mother. She was too delighted to wander around and go on trips to distant lands.


    When she neared two-century-year-old, Lord and Lady Linden finally realized that she was not young anymore and decided to find a match for her. It was the reason why the grand birthday party was held. Luna could not refuse as she had promised her mother that she would attend her own birthday party.


    "But you can''t just force me to marry somebody I don''t like. I am willing to meet the man who comes along, but I can''t guarantee that I''ll fall in love with him. I don''t want to get married without love," Luna replied in her letter to her mother.


    She hurriedly wrote it with a quill while munching on a chuck roast. She was sitting in a small inn in the port city of Southern France when she decided to write back to her mother.


    It was almost dusk and the courier office was going to close soon. She had no time to look for a courier tomorrow since the ship she would board on her way to Porto would be leaving in the morning.


    She decided to spend a few months in Porto. Then, she would go to Lisbon before returning to her parents'' castle in Yorkshire. She should still have enough time to enjoy life outside a little bit.


    Lauriel just rolled his eyes in annoyance at Esso, Neo, Endo, and Petra who had been constantly talking about the big party the Lindens would be holding. They had been at it since last month. He complied with their request to travel to England to attend the party, not knowing it would become torture for him.


    He never thought that for a whole freaking month, these guys would continue to discuss how beautiful Princess Luna was and whether they would be able to captivate her heart or not.


    "Can you be quiet?" Lauriel asked, finally getting annoyed. A grass flower was tucked between his lips. He had been trying to catch some sleep since noon, but the four young men who were with him were too excited about the party talking incessantly near his coach. Who would be able to sleep with so much noise? "I heard that the face of the girl you all are clamoring about is hideous because when she was little, she got kicked by a horse."


    "Jeez ...! Nonsense ... Someone said she is much prettier than Princess Portia, her cousin." Esso protested.


    "Perhaps if she didn''t get kicked by a horse, her face would be as beautiful as Portia''s," Lauriel commented in a sluggish tone. "But as of now, it is a fact that her parents invited all male alchemists who are still breathing to come to this party. This indicates that her family is desperate and wants to marry her off to anyone who will dare to."


    "Ah ... I don''t mind even if Princess Luna''s face is ugly and disfigured... I''m sure there are so many precious things belonging to her that are far more valuable than her physical appearance," Neo said with a grin, "Her family is very respectable and extraordinarily rich¡­ If she wants to marry me, I will retire from working for you to search for treasures around the world."


    His friends laughingly agreed with him. Lauriel couldn''t help but shake his head. The four young men were adventurers who had followed him for decades and he really liked them.


    Of course, if any of them would be fortunate enough to marry a noble''s daughter and would want to retire to enjoy a luxurious life, he would gladly support them.

 Chapter 579 - Extra Part: Lauriel & Luna (2)

    Lauriel was the oldest son of the Medici royal family in Italy but he did not consider his family background important. He could easily come to parties hosted by other noble families, unlike his men who came from ordinary backgrounds. Unfortunately, he was not someone who enjoyed mingling with the crowd.


    He spent more than 200 years traveling around the world, leaving his family in Grosetto. He would usually only return home once every few decades.


    This time, he was only willing to come to the Lindens'' Party for his men who had never attended a royal party in their lifetime. He had to make sure they would not appear embarrassing since they barely knew table manners.


    "Alright ... Whoever succeeds in marrying that girl Luna, I will give you a wedding gift, the Black Bart''s treasure c.h.e.s.t that I hid in the Caribbean. I don''t want you to marry a noble daughter empty-handed." Lauriel said, "But I don''t want to hear that name again until we arrive in Yorkshire."


    His men were very impressed with his generosity and so they zippered their mouths while occasionally letting out happy giggles. Finally, Lauriel was able to enjoy a peaceful nap for the rest of their journey to the Lindens'' castle.


    ***


    Lady Emma Linden let out a muffled scream when she saw Princess Luna come out of her room with an appearance unbefitting of a noble daughter. She was especially alarmed since they would be hosting the biggest party in the history of the Alchemists.


    "What the hell is that? Why are you covering your face with a mask???" Lady Linden asked with disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e as she held her daughter''s back. "You must appear as beautiful as possible so that the noble sons who will come will see that you are fit to be a good wife. Imagine! Andrew Flamel, Ned Lewis, and Caspar Schneider will come ... Maybe even Lauriel Medici too. Don''t you want to win their hearts??? "


    "I know Caspar, he''s a playboy who likes to play with women. Ned always likes Portia, and I know Portia likes him too since they met at the clan''s festival in Scotland. Andrew Flamel has a bad character, and everyone knows that Lauriel Medici hates the crowds; he will not likely to come to the party. So those remaining are only ordinary men who don''t need to be impressed," Luna answered simply. "Besides ... if I get married to an ordinary man, I have to make sure they love me because of my personality, not because of my physical appearance or my family''s wealth."


    Luna then put a wolf-head-shaped mask on her face and walked out with light steps. Lady Emma could only sigh in annoyance while rubbing her forehead. She snapped her fingers and it didn''t take long for a servant to hurriedly approach her with a tray containing a glass of red wine.


    "Oh, God ... I hope Luna will be able to find her future husband tonight," Lady Emma hissed before gulping her wine down.


    Luna walked nonchalantly among the guests. She did not feel the need to be elegant as she was sure that nobody would recognize her given her ordinary appearance and wolf head-shaped mask.


    She would not really attend her party all night with some disguise, as she did not have the heart to upset her mother. However, as a girl who was urged to immediately look for a prospective husband, she felt that she must first know the true nature of the male guests present at her party. It was best to do so while they could not recognize her yet.


    If she immediately appeared as the host''s daughter, she was worried that they would all just behave themself in front of her and hide their true colors. What if behind their masks, they were actually bad-mannered or perverse?


    She had to admit that her mother had a very classy taste. Everything in the place was so classy and grand, starting from the decoration, to music and other entertainment, as well as the food and beverages served.


    This time the guests were far more than usual as her parents even invited guests from various circles. More than 500 people were present. It was such a large number.


    In a rather dim corner, Luna saw Portia sitting with Ned, talking to him with a blissful face. Her cousin''s hair was very similar to hers, purplish platinum in color. The difference lies in length. Her hair was a little shorter as she was a very active girl, while Portia kept hers long. This cousin of hers must be spending two hours a day just to care for her hair. She barely had the time to do that.


    In the middle of the room, at the center of attention of almost all the girls in attendance, was Caspar Schneider, the son of the clan leader, who always had different girls in his arms. The young man was a famous womanizer and Luna really could not wait to see him receiving his karma one day womanizing too much.


    Ugh ... Andrew Flamel seemed to be enjoying his drink with Alexei Meier. They seemed to be talking very seriously. Luna loved her nephew, but she did not want to greet Alexei while he was talking to Andrew Flamel. She decided to just come forward next time.


    "Boss Lauriel, please! At least wait for the host''s daughter to show up. I would love to have a bet with you and win a treasure c.h.e.s.t."


    Lauriel? This man could not be Lauriel Medici, right? Luna thought. To her knowledge, Lauriel really hate places and gatherings like this.


    Was Lauriel also interested in marrying her so he went ashore and came to the Lindens'' party?


    Hmm ... very interesting.


    "Alright. What do you want to bet on?" Lauriel asked in a nonchalant voice.


    "I bet that Princess Luna is beautiful. If I lose, I will work for you without pay for 20 years," Petra said firmly.


    Lauriel laughed. "Hmm ... okay. I say that the girl''s face is like in the rumors spreading out there. Her face is ugly from being kicked by a horse. If I lose, you will get a Black Bart''s treasure c.h.e.s.t so you can propose to her."


    The man was not at all serious about the bet. He just called Luna ugly so that he would lose the bet and would have to give Petra a treasure c.h.e.s.t. He did not want his companion to come to the Lindens empty-handed.


    However, Luna did not understand what he meant. She regarded Lauriel''s words as an insult, especially since he said it in an amusing tone. She wanted to make Lauriel bear the consequences.

 Chapter 580 - Extra Part: Lauriel & Luna (3)

    Luna was watching the five merry men with an annoyed face behind her mask. On one hand, she was happy that the rumors she helped spread herself worked, but on the other hand, somehow she felt irritated that even Lauriel Medici cared about looks.


    Lauriel was not at all serious about the bet. He just called Luna ugly so that he lost the bet and could give a treasure c.h.e.s.t to Petra. He did not want Petra to come to the Lindens empty-handed.


    However, Luna did not understand what he meant. She regarded Lauriel''s words as an insult even though he said it in an amusing tone. She wanted to make Lauriel get the consequences.


    "Alright, Mr. Medici ... you just lost a treasure c.h.e.s.t there ...." Luna murmured softly. She pursed her lips and promptly walked back to her room with long strides.


    "Where are you going?" asked her mother who passed by her in the hallway, "The party will start soon."


    "I want to change clothes," she said quickly.


    Half an hour later, she came out of her room wearing a beautiful long purple dress. Her beautiful hair was partly styled in a bun above her head, the rest was left to roll down her back. She walked with graceful and steady steps. Her beautiful face was almost glowing when she stepped into the hall.


    The place suddenly turned silent. Every guest immediately noticed her presence. Lauriel''s table was one of the quietest ones after the five men who were enjoying their wine turned to the entrance and laid eyes upon the most beautiful girl they had ever seen.


    Luna smiled sweetly and raised a hand to greet the guests, "Good evening everyone, thank you for coming to my birthday party ...."


    Her gaze swept over to Lauriel and his group''s table. She was immediately stunned. She recognized Lauriel from his clothes. But earlier, she had only seen his back from behind.


    Now she could see Lauriel''s face and Luna had to admit that his appearance was very impressive. The young man was very handsome and had a big, tall body and a pair of very unique blue-green eyes.


    These blue-green eyes were now staring at Luna with an unchanging expression. It was as if Luna was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A feeling of annoyance slipped into the girl''s heart as she realized that while the eyes of all the men in the room were at her, Lauriel particularly did not look impressed.


    Is the Medici heir gay? Did the long adventuring at the sea make him numb to women? Luna thought irritably. In the end, the girl became impatient. She walked over to Lauriel''s table and stopped in front of him.


    "You''re Lauriel, aren''t you?" Luna asked, looking straight into the man''s eyes. Lauriel was somewhat surprised but he just nodded. She slightly turned to Petra before looking back at Lauriel, "You lost the bet so you also lose one treasure c.h.e.s.t. As you can see, my face is not disfigured from being kicked by a horse."


    Lauriel raised his eyebrows in surprise, so did Endo, Neo, Esso, and Petra. They could not understand how the girl could find out about their bet. Before they could ask questions, Luna had already turned around and left them, joining her mother in the middle of the hall.


    The five men looked at each other, trying to digest what had just happened.


    "Gosh ... Boss Lauriel ... it seems that Princess Luna likes you ...." Petra exclaimed, "I won''t propose to her then since it''s obvious that she likes you. But I will keep the treasure c.h.e.s.t because I won the bet."


    Lauriel turned to Luna who was not looking at him at all as she was busy talking with her mother, her sister, and Portia. The girl was very beautiful. When she stood in front of Lauriel and looked straight at him bravely, his heart trembled. She had a very carefree and indifferent attitude that was far from the arrogance of most noble daughters.


    "Boss ... what do you think of Princess Luna?" Petra asked again. "She''s beautiful ...."


    Lauriel sipped his wine and shook his head, "You know my rules, Petra. I won''t allow women on the ship. I don''t want to stop adventuring and marry anyone now. And, no woman can live inside the ship anyways. So, you already know the answer."


    When Princess Luna first met Lauriel at her birthday party, she had already fallen in love with him and was determined to pursue him. Lady Linden and Lord Linden actually liked Lauriel as he was a very famous and reputable bachelor, but they knew his reputation better than their precious daughter.


    They knew this young Medici heir would not stop adventuring just to get married and settle down somewhere to build a family. They were worried that Luna would be heartbroken if she continued to chase Lauriel.


    However, Luna was no ordinary girl. Upon learning Lauriel''s strict rules on his ship where no women would be allowed on board, she boldly disguised herself as a man and asked to join The Wolf Pack as a new member. This way, she could always be close to Lauriel.


    Luna was tough and very skilled in fighting. In fact, she was even better than the majority of his men, so she managed to approach Lauriel and lived beside him for decades as part of The Wolf Pack. This was until one time, her disguise was exposed by Caspar, the womanizer.


    In the end, Luna was forced to leave as Lauriel firmly refused to have a woman on board and that jerk Caspar could recognize a woman''s body no matter how one tried to hide hers.


    Luna felt like her love was hopeless and was already thinking to be single forever since she could not fall in love with another man. But, then suddenly Lauriel came to Yorkshire to get her. The man finally realized he had fallen in love with her after she left him.


    Until the last moment, Lauriel still did not want to be married and settle down somewhere. Luckily, Luna was equally adventurous and was willing to follow him all over the world. They only parted ways when the second world war broke and a misunderstanding made Luna thought Lauriel didn''t want the child she was carrying.


    The pain and suffering that followed were haunting Lauriel for over a century.

 Chapter 581 - Back To Singapore

    The next day Alaric wasted no time having the biggest hospital in Yorkshire check Aleksis'' pregnancy.


    Although Nicolae himself was a doctor, he was reluctant to offer to do this to his brother''s wife. Who knew how many years it would take him to be able to act casually in front of Aleksis again.


    After returning from the hospital, Alaric announced proudly to the whole house that he would become a father again. Aleksis was six weeks pregnant and they happily began to prepare for this.


    Lauriel and Nicolae celebrated the good news by drinking champagne, while Alaric and Aleksis only drank juice. However, none of them minded, as this pregnancy was what they really wanted.


    "Every time my mother becomes pregnant, my father would stop drinking alcohol for nine months," said Aleksis while reading the hospital''s report. "Do you think you can do that?"


    Alaric shrugged. "That''s how it should be, right?"


    "Alright ... sounds like you''re ready," Aleksis replied with a smile.


    Alaric looked at Aleksis for a long time. A smile then appeared on his face. At first, it was just a small curve, but then, that curve increasingly grew wider, greatly puzzling Aleksis.


    "What''s wrong? Is there something on my face?" She asked.


    Alaric shook his head. He looked very happy. "Not at all. I just remember ... it''s already six weeks, meaning ... this pregnancy is the result of my hard work last month in Grosseto when we just reunited. I am correct. We succeeded on the first try."


    Aleksis rolled her eyes. Seeing that Alaric was really proud of his unusual ability, the woman then laughed. "How do you know? We''ve been doing ''that'' every day ..."


    Her face then reddened. She was a m.a.t.u.r.e and married woman, but every time she talked about their s.e.x.u.a.l intimacy, she still could not help but blush. When the realization dawned to her, she instinctively hit her husband on the shoulder before laughing shyly.


    "Uhmm ... how many children do you want to have?" Aleksis asked him. She knew Alaric was eager to expand their family as he had been feeling very lonely for a long time. Especially now that he was forced to ''share'' his children with his twin brother. It must have been quite painful that instead of him, it was Nilocae who had become a father figure to Altair and Vega. Even when they reunited, he could not force the two children to follow him and leave Nicolae.


    "Hmm ... if it will be up to me, I would, of course, want for us to have many children. But I don''t want to be selfish. So, let''s just have as many children as you want. Each time we make love, if we really want to have more children, it will definitely happen. If only one of us wanted it, then there wouldn''t be another kid. How about that?" Alaric asked her back.


    "I think that will be for the best," Aleksis replied with a happy smile.


    The two then shared an intimate kiss. In the corner, Lauriel and Nicolae were forced to turn away from the scene and looked into the distance outside the window as they talked about the yellow and orange leaves that were making the trees in autumn look very beautiful.


    ***


    Lauriel decided to stay longer in Yorkshire with Nicolae and the two children. They wanted to be as close as possible to Luna''s grave after being separated for so long. As for Aleksis and Alaric, they left for Singapore.


    Aleksis had stated several times her d.e.s.i.r.e to return there in order to reminisce their first meeting. Alaric was more than happy to grant her wishes.


    He knew Altair and Vega still preferred to stay with Nicolae and Lauriel, so he let his children stay in Yorkshire while he brought Aleksis to Singapore.


    They landed at Changi airport at nightfall. Aleksis was surprised to see Takeshi picking them up on the runway with two cars. The young man from before was now a m.a.t.u.r.e man in his late 30s. He looked very neat like an ordinary businessman.


    "Gosh ... Takeshi, you look so grown-up," she exclaimed.


    The man just nodded and smiled respectfully. He heard from Mischa that his foster father''s wife was the same woman who had once been his responsibility to protect in Singapore with Mischa. That was ten years ago. He had already been informed that like Alaric, she was also not aging, but he was still stunned when he saw her in person.


    After ten years, Aleksis'' face still looked as young as ever, even more beautiful. In his heart, he felt happy because his foster father found such a woman, who was also an immortal.


    Since he had already known Alaric for three decades, Takeshi was aware that his foster father also did not age. Although the man had never discussed it with them openly, they knew he was a special human being who could stay young forever.


    "Would you like to come home with us for dinner?" Aleksis asked Takeshi when they finished exchanging greetings. "You have to tell me how you''ve been."


    "Sure, Madam. I will come to the mansion tomorrow. If I''m not mistaken, Master wants to invite you for dinner at a special place tonight," Takeshi replied.


    Aleksis turned to Alaric. "Where''s the special dinner?"


    "At Sky Bar, the place we first met when you broke into my company''s party," Alaric said, smiling faintly. "I remember that''s also where you proposed to me."


    "I did NOT propose to you, okay..." she argued. "I was only claiming a wish from you. You told me you would grant one wish for me, no matter what it is."


    Alaric just laughed and nodded in agreement. Recently, he learned that he had to agree to whatever his wife said, so she would not break down and cry due to her pregnancy hormone that was making her a bit too s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e.


    He helped his wife into the car then patted Takeshi on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow night."


    "Yes, Sir." Takeshi waved his hand and waited for Alaric to first get into the back seat before driving the car away from the airport towards the Continental Building.


    Per his foster father''s order, Takeshi reserved the entire Sky Bar so that Aleksis and Alaric could enjoy dinner without being disturbed by anyone. After they arrived at the Continental Building lobby, the two immediately took the elevator to the 99th floor.

 Chapter 582 - Reminiscing Old Times

    After Alaric and Aleksis exited the elevator, they entered the Moonshine Restaurant and walked along the aisle of the entire restaurant before taking the escalator leading to the Sky Bar on the 100th floor. As they passed by, the guests enjoying their meal at the Moonshine Restaurant raised their heads and watched the two newcomers.


    They knew that the Sky Bar was closed for that evening since many of them failed to gain entry there and had to be satisfied with a dinner at the Moonshine. So when Aleksis and Alaric passed by and casually took the escalator, the astonished guests promptly realized that the two were the VVIP guests who had booked the entire Sky Bar.


    At first, they thought the Sky Bar was closed for a corporate event or a high-class socialites function, but it was actually reserved for these two people. This fact caused a stir among the diners present.


    Both Aleksis and Alaric were very good looking so they immediately captured all the attention. The guests in the Moonshine Restaurant also immediately guessed that the couple was very wealthy and influential since they were able to get the entire Sky Bar just for the two of them.


    "Excuse me ...." A very curious guest finally called one of the waiters to probe. "Is the Sky Bar really closed or not? We are supposed to eat there, but it is said that the whole Sky Bar is not available. So why are those two people going up there?"


    The waiter could only shake his head with a smile, "Uhm ... the Sky Bar was really closed for tonight, Madam. That is the owner of the building. They needed privacy so they reserved the Sky Bar."


    "Oh, is that so? But this building should be a property of the Schneider family ...." The four guests at the table exchanged looks with each other. "Are they....?"


    The waiter nodded. "You''re right. That''s Mrs. Aleksis Schneider Linden and her husband Mr. Elios Linden."


    Astonishment immediately flashed across the faces of the four. The news about Elios Linden and his family became trending for the past week, since the celebration of Virconnect''s fourth anniversary at that time.


    They never thought they would be able to see the legendary couple for themselves tonight!


    "Wow ... they''re actually in Singapore now. So cool!"


    "It turns out the gossip is true. Elios Linden is very handsome and his wife is also extraordinarily beautiful. The people who came to that party really did not exaggerate it."


    "Oh, do you see how romantic they are as they walked while holding hands? Even though people said they have been married for quite a long time, they still looked so smitten with each other!"


    Alaric and Aleksis enjoyed their dinner in the Sky Bar in a calm and romantic atmosphere, completely unaware that they had become a hot topic discussed by the guests downstairs.


    They definitely had a very romantic dinner. The waitresses and managers of Sky Bar who recognized the couple were only able to admire them from afar as they quietly discussed how intimate the couple was.


    The fact that the couple didn''t order wine immediately convinced them that their VVIP guest was pregnant, and the waitresses could only whisper to each other, discussing how the couple''s children would later undoubtedly become good-looking because of the good genes they inherited from their parents.


    "I still remember the first time I met you in this Sky Bar, when you disguised yourself as a waitress," Alaric commented as he sipped his tea, looking at Aleksis with an amused face. "What the heck were you doing at that time? Climbing such a high wall..."


    "At that time, I was too lazy to go from the first floor. Besides, if I just directly came to Sky Bar, the waiters would recognize me without a disguise." Aleksis also smiled. "What were you thinking when you saw me at that time?"


    Alaric rolled his eyes, trying to recall the nostalgic memory of ten years ago. "I don''t remember exactly, but I thought you were too beautiful to be a waiter."


    "Ahh... I was impressed because you were really kind at that time," Aleksis honestly told. "I didn''t expect you to be the Prince Siegfried I was looking for. I got into a fight with Pavel and he almost threw me off the hundredth floor... crazy."


    "You can''t blame him. Pavel suspected you were a corporate spy. You acted suspiciously at that time."


    "Yeah... but I had to thank him. If it weren''t for Pavel, I would have believed what you said, that you, my Prince Siegfried, had died..." Aleksis pursed her lips as she slowly burst into tears. "How could you do that to me... pretending to be dead and breaking my poor little heart..."


    Alaric had expected that Aleksis was going to cry again tonight, as she looked fine all day. It had almost been two weeks that he had to deal with such a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e wife who would cry her eyes out, so he was already used to it. Instead, if Aleksis didn''t find a reason to cry for an entire day, Alaric would actually be surprised.


    "I''m sorry. It was really heartless of me at that time," Alaric replied without trying to defend himself. Certainly, he had a firm reason why he had deliberately avoided Aleksis and pretended to be dead years ago when he knew she was looking for him, but tonight, he didn''t feel the need to argue with his wife.


    "You also rejected my feelings twice..." Aleksis grumbled again. "You were so mean to me then¡­"


    Alaric rejected Aleksis when they first met, as he didn''t want to play with her feelings. He didn''t want to open his heart to anyone at that time, after all. He couldn''t bear to lose the loved ones who would leave him when they grew old and died. And he didn''t know that Aleksis was an immortal like him.


    Again, he nodded and didn''t argue.


    "You''re right. I rejected you because I was afraid of falling in love with you... I admit it. I''m just an ordinary man who makes a lot of mistakes and I was stupid." He just smiled. "I''m lucky you didn''t just give up. I can''t imagine how my life would be without you."


    Aleksis was finally satisfied. She didn''t complain anymore, so they were able to peacefully enjoy their dinner. They returned to Alaric''s mansion in Bukit Timah after dinner. He had rarely visited this place in the past four years and like all his other residences, the mansion had been equipped with a sophisticated AI system so that they no longer needed servants.

 Chapter 583 - Happy Days In Singapore

    As soon as they arrived at the mansion, Aleksis immediately ran into the back yard and saw the bonsai garden that she liked.


    "Ah ... I love this place," she whispered blissfully. "I want to stay here during the winter."


    Alaric nodded. He did not mind it. Living anywhere made no difference for him. However, if Aleksis really loved living here, he would certainly be pleased to grant it. For him, his home was any place wherever Aleksis would be.


    "We can stay here until March if you want. We would return to Europe and enjoy the beauty of spring. Our children can also come here if they want to."


    "I am so happy!" Aleksis kissed her husband with a very contented feeling. After feeling satisfied by walking around the magnificent bonsai garden, she walked into the library. Alaric was able to guess what the woman wanted to do.


    Sure enough, Aleksis enthusiastically took out a set of Go games and pointed some white stones to Alaric. "Wanna play a set with me? I''ve practiced a lot in the past ten years."


    "Sure. But it''s very late now, why don''t we just take some rest? We can play as much as possible tomorrow." Alaric immediately corrected his words when he saw tears welling up in his wife''s eyes. "Uhm ... okay. We can play a set then."


    Inwardly, Alaric was determined to give in so that their game would quickly end.


    Aleksis put a Go board on the table and a moment later, they were already working on each other''s stones. Aleksis took the black stones and Alaric had the white ones. After almost an hour of playing, Alaric began to relent. He was very good at playing the games so he could play badly without arousing any suspicion. Several times, he pretended to nag at the wrong step and made Aleksis smiled triumphantly.


    "Jeez ... your skills had improved a lot. I admit defeat ...." said Alaric to her. He scratched his head and put on a frustrated face. Aleksis jumped happily, as Alaric conceded defeat. Her competitive spirit was indeed very high and this was the first time she won a go game against Alaric, so she fluffed in happiness.


    "Yeahhhh!!!! Finally, I defeat you ... After practicing for 18 years ...." Aleksis smiled victoriously. She was still as competitive as ever. "Oh, my hard work has finally paid off ¡­ I am so happy."


    And she burst into tears again.


    Alaric could only sigh. He knew that Aleksis was now very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e due to her annoying pregnancy hormone, but there was nothing he could do. In his heart, he complimented Nicolae, who had dealt with Aleksis for three months when she ran away from home and lived with him while pregnant.


    "Your hard work is definitely bearing its fruit, and you deserve a prize for working so hard. I will keep my promise and grant your wish if you defeated me," Alaric said, tidying their Go set. "What do you want?"


    "Uhm ... I don''t know what I want now. Can I save this request for the future?" Aleksis asked between her sobs.


    "Sure ... sure." Alaric ruffled her hair after putting the Go game box back in the cupboard and pulled Aleksis'' hand from her seat. "It''s 1 o''clock in the morning. Should we go to bed?"


    Finally, Aleksis nodded. They went to bed. As usual, Alaric hugged his wife from behind. When Alaric almost fell asleep, Aleksis turned and faced him.


    "Honey ...." she whispered.


    Alaric opened his eyes and looked at Aleksis with a bewildered gaze, "Yeah?"


    "I''m so annoying, right? I hate myself for being so s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and easily crying my eyes out ...." Aleksis whispered again.


    "You''re not annoying. After all, Nicolae said it is only until the second trimester. It wouldn''t take long," Alaric said firmly. "Go to sleep now, okay."


    "Please don''t leave me if you find me too annoying ...." Aleksis sulked, still insisting that she didn''t want to sleep.


    Alaric looked at his watch and sighed. It was already 2 o''clock in the morning.


    "Certainly not. You''re not annoying at all, Honey." He then persuaded Aleksis by whispering, "You know that if I made you cry, there are many people who would line up and get ready to kill me. The first person in line is me. So please don''t think of such silly things anymore."


    "Hmm ... alright." Aleksis finally nodded and snuggled back while pulling Alaric''s hand to her c.h.e.s.t, so he could hug her from behind.


    Alaric made sure that the woman was really asleep and there were no more questions before he dared to close his eyes.


    Until the second trimester ... hmm, that means four more months living like this, he thought of it before falling asleep.


    ***


    .


    "Do you really not want to know the gender of your next child, Sir?" Aleksis-Digital repeatedly tempted Alaric who was busy reading something on his tablet.


    "For the tenth time today, I said no. If you still bother me, I will deactivate you until my child is born," Alaric said firmly.


    The digital assistant sounded displeased. "Wouldn''t it be great if you could find out what gender it is? So Master and Madam can prepare the baby stuff according to the d.e.s.i.r.ed gender. I would love to purchase for baby girl''s needs."


    "It''s 2050, boy or girl is the same. There''s no point in shopping for baby gears now. With my wealth, there''s nothing that I can''t provide for my child after he or she is born." Alaric did not even look up.


    "Who are you talking to?" Aleksis asked. She had just entered the study with her left hand carried the flowers she had just picked from the backyard of their mansion and clutched a vase in her right hand.


    "My annoying assistant. I don''t know why I still haven''t turned it off," Alaric grumbled.


    "No, I like Aleksis Digital. She''s not annoying," Aleksis said with a smile.


    "Thank you, Madam." Aleksis Digital responded to Aleksis. "By the way, you''re very beautiful today."


    Aleksis turned to Alaric with a big smile. "See, she is cool."


    "I call you beautiful every day, aren''t my words enough?" said Alaric, finally raising his face. For a moment, he seemed to fix his eyes on his wife, and then a big smile tugged on his lips. "She''s right ... today you''re even prettier than ever."


    Aleksis seemed to blush at his compliment and her reddish face just amazed her husband.


    Alaric put down his tablet on the desk then approached Aleksis and hugged her waist. "This must be a reward for my bad luck for a hundred years, now I''m blessed with the best woman in the world."


    He kissed her, starting from her nape to her neck and then to the side of her neck. He immediately turned her body to face him, lowered his head, and then passionately kissed her lips.

 Chapter 584 - The Happy Couple

    He kissed her, starting from her nape to her neck and then to the side of her neck. Then, he turned her body to face him, lowered his head, and then passionately claimed her lips.


    Aleksis placed the flowers on the table and put her arms around his neck in response to his passionate kiss. Their hands then groped under each other''s clothes and almost stripped their clothes to go further when they suddenly heard a light cough.


    "Good afternoon, Sir. Your guests have arrived."


    In the middle their making out, Luna''s voice moved Alaric and Aleksis so they reluctantly let go of each other.


    "Sorry, I have to take care of something." Alaric rubbed his wife''s cheek and kissed her once more. He then led her to sit on the couch while he activated the Virconnect connection and received his guests for a meeting in his office at RMI Tower.


    Over the past few months, Alaric hardly came to the office. He delegated a lot of work to his trusted people and everything that he could do remotely, he would do them through Virconnect connection, like this meeting with his board of directors.


    Aleksis sat in a corner while arranging flowers in a vase. She occasionally glanced at Alaric while the man was working. During the last few months, she had seen many changes in her husband. For some reason, he was holding back some high-level projects that could replace human workers more efficiently even though they have been launched by RMI.


    Currently, they seemed to be setting up an independent education program that everyone could have free access to. Aleksis was happy to see that Alaric became compassionate after he became a father and showed more sympathy toward workers who had to lose their jobs when they got replaced by machines so they could no longer support their children.


    He still insisted that humans needed to get special certification before being allowed to have children, but now he was not too upset to talk about it. All these changes made Aleksis very happy. She knew that basically Alaric was a kind-hearted man, and she wanted people out there to see the same things she had seen so far.


    Alaric''s reputation as a cold and ruthless man for the past few years was already too attached to him and Aleksis bitterly realized that people would need far more time to realize and acknowledge the changes in her husband.


    ***


    After the meeting was over, Alaric invited Aleksis to venture out on his new catamaran ship. They went sailing almost every week while they were in Singapore.


    Just like Lauriel who took p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in the middle of the sea, where there was only he, Aleksis and fishes swimming in the sea and birds flying in the sky, Alaric also loved to spend his time at sea with Aleksis and their future child.


    They just sat back and relaxed, talked or played, completely feeling carefree. Aleksis was already five-months into her pregnancy and her emotions have changed for the better lately. There was no more crying in their homes every day like that of her first few months. They definitely now had a more peaceful life.


    "It''s already five-month," Aleksis said suddenly, turning to look at Alaric who was peeling some boiled eggs and taking some fresh vegetables from the refrigerator.


    Alaric raised his face and nodded. "Yeah. So what?"


    "You still don''t want to know the gender of our children?" Aleksis asked.


    "Children??" Alaric immediately stopped. "Is it twins again? What did Doctor Sam say?"


    Her face lit up and for a moment Aleksis felt guilty for encouraging her husband''s expectation.


    "Uhm ... I''m just kidding. I don''t know either. I still ask the doctor to hold it back from me, really. I am sorry ...."


    "Oh ...." Alaric nodded, and then he continued slicing vegetables and peeling boiled eggs. "I thought you meant it."


    "I don''t know either," Aleksis said in a coquettish voice. "Just like you, I want it to be a surprise. Jeez ... we are such old fashioned people, huh. In this age, we still want to make it a surprise."


    "I am indeed old-fashioned," Alaric replied with a grin. His hands swiftly sliced ??the vegetables on the cutting board and put them in a bowl. "Did you forget what year I was born?"


    "Ahahaha .. you''re right." Aleksis watched Alaric dishes looked better. Her face was radiant in happiness.


    Last week Aleksis grumbled that she yearned for her father''s cooking. The next day she saw Alaric chatting with Caspar through Virconnect about Aleksis'' favorite dishes because he wanted to spoil his wife with his own cooking.


    His dishes now looked much nicer than 18 years ago, Aleksis thought. She watched intently as Alaric finished preparing their dinner. Although she wanted to help, Alaric forbade her to meddle in it. Aleksis had once tried to help him before and ended up almost burning their house as she forgot  leaving a heated pot on the stove.


    "You just sit nicely on the bed, I''ll bring over the dinner in bed for us," Alaric patted her hand that mischievously tried to taste the salad that was almost ready. "Don''t try it now. Let it be a surprise for you."


    "Ugh ..." Aleksis finally complied, grumbling all the while. She sat on the bed in the cabin and tapping her legs impatiently. She glanced toward the kitchen over and over again to see if Alaric had finished.


    Ten minutes later her husband arrived with a tray of cutlery, Caesar salad, and a cooked meal that he heated in the microwave.


    "Wait, I''ll get drinks for us." He placed his tray on a small table beside the bed then hurried out and returned a few minutes later with two glasses of fresh juice. "Let''s eat."


    Aleksis was very happy to be pampered by her husband like that. They had dinner lit by romantic candlelight and talked about trivial things. After having dinner and had their dishes removed, they sat on the bed looking at the night sky from the opened roof of the ship, revealing billions of stars in the sky.


    "You know, one of my subsidiaries, SpaceLab, is developing new technology to explore space more efficiently," Alaric said, pointing to the sky. "One day, I want to invite you to see the sky and stars as close as possible."


    Aleksis looked at Alaric with admiration. "I will look forward to when it is here."


    They stared at each other and then enjoyed looking at the sky together. When they both looked at one another, Alaric kissed her lips for a long time.


    "I can''t wait to live forever with you and share this life with you," he whispered.

 Chapter 585 - Killian Makela

    Lately, Finland had been feeling increasingly lonely. For several months, their house was so quiet as Rune had decided to move out to live with his uncle, Aldebar. It would be easier for him to carry out the most recent project that they were working on together by staying with Aldebar.


    Meanwhile, London had moved to Berlin, spending most of his time there, focusing on the family business. Ever since London met Lyana at his sister''s wedding in Grosetto, he began to hang out more with her.


    Lyana was a contemporary art artist and she had a fun personality. Both of them immediately got along. Their opinions matched very well as when it came to various photography and fine arts, they shared the same interests.


    The budding artist had a small design studio in Berlin. Whenever London was not busy, he would often visit her and they would have a drink together, chatting about stuff. London and Lyanna had become good friends and had a platonic relationship as there was no romantic feelings between them.


    London, which had only had Rune and his sister Aleksis as his friends, growing up, began to enjoy life outside the golden cage created for them by his parents. He frequently hung around the young people in Germany, going along with Lyana, who was quite popular there.


    "I am just a normal artist. No one in my community knows who I really am. Next week, I want to invite you to meet more people at the party that Stephan Zimmerman will be throwing. He is an influential art collector. Arguably, he is also one of the most eligible bachelors in Germany. But ...."


    Lyana narrowed her eyes to look at London from head to toe. "You can''t claim to be the owner of Schneider Group. You have to use an alias and disguise your appearance a little bit. I don''t want you to be surrounded by some gold-diggers who only want your wealth. Who knows what they would do to pursue you. Gold-diggers can be quite scary."


    London shuddered at the thought. He was immediately reminded of something from a few months ago when he came to Virconnect''s fourth-anniversary party. His brother-in-law, whose drink was spiked with aphrodisiac, fell into a trap and almost had s.e.x with a gold-digger.


    Since then, London had been cautious and did not want to get caught in the same scheme. That was why he felt comfortable making friends with Lyana as she already knew about his real identity and never seemed to try anything inappropriate unto him.


    "Okay, I understand," he nodded. "I can use my middle name and my mother''s last name. I''ll have an alter ego. In the business, I will be London Schneider, but outside of that, I can be an ordinary person hanging around regular people."


    "Now, that''s a great idea. That way, you can filter out people who only want something from you and those who sincerely want to be your friend." Lyana smiled in satisfaction. "Well, then... we have to prepare a story for you. If someone asked who you are, we could just say... oh, you''re an electrician or something ... ahahahaha."


    London frowned and thought for a moment. "Hmm ... I can be a poor photographer struggling to sell my work to the media. I can buy a cheap camera, or I can be a sheep farmer. When I was little, my brother and I raised a herd of sheep in New Zealand ... hahaha."


    "Hmm ... pretending to be a photographer makes more sense than being a farmer. Then what name will you use?"


    "My middle name is Killian, and my mother''s last name is Makela."


    "Woahh ... you have a nice name there. I like Killian Makela." Lyana nodded. "Now, now, look at your appearance ... Even though you''re doing great avoiding the media, I''m sure one or two people have seen your pictures on the internet. Maybe you can wear ugly glasses and outdated outfits...?"


    London rolled his eyes. "The glasses are fine, but where should I get outdated outfits?"


    Lyana burst into laughter. She lightly tapped his head in exasperation. "I know you are a rich kid, and you have been living in a golden cage all your life, but I never thought you were this pathetic. Don''t you know such stuff? We could go to a thrift store downtown. I am sure I can help you find an ugly outfit there. Don''t worry. Next week on your next visit to my studio again, I would have prepared some outdated clothes for you. Most photographers and artists are usually poor. You should look more convincing."


    London nodded happily. It seemed that this friend of his always had brilliant ideas. He couldn''t wait to meet many new people at the party and start using his alter ego as Killian Makela.


    Indeed, it would be very nice to meet many people and make friends with them without having to worry whether they would only like him for his wealth.


    ***


    "What are you doing, Sir?" Jan Van Der Ven asked in puzzlement as he watched London check himself in the mirror while adjusting his glasses to look right on his face. Since early this year, Jan had started working for London as his assistant, but this was the only time he saw his boss acting strangely.


    His eyes had also caught an old camera on top of his boss'' desk. Gosh ... What in the world was he planning this time?


    "Hmm ... do you know Stephan Zimmerman?" asked London, squinting his eyes. He just realized that he looked good wearing glasses. All this time, he never knew because, as an Alchemist, he would never have problems with his eyesight and require the use of glasses.


    "Hmm ... I''ve heard of him," Jan said, shrugging. "He''s a rich spoiled brat who loves partying and has a bad reputation."


    "Bad? As far as I am concerned, he is an art collector. Lyanna will take me to a party hosted by Stephan so that I could mingle with the young crowd of Berlin."


    "Hmm ... I went to school with his brother. They are a typical arrogant rich family who tends to look down on others," Jan replied in a disgusted tone.


    London was stunned by his assistant''s words. "Really? Has his brother ever mistreated you?"


    Jan chuckled. "No. I was fine. My family is just as rich as they are; his brother can''t possibly target me. But I don''t like the way he treated the teachers and those scholarship students. He has been very arrogant."


    "I see ...." London nodded. Obviously, Jan wouldn''t be bullied by any rich kids at school as the Van Der Vens were quite a well-respected family in Germany. Before his father, Kurt, died, he was the leader of the Schneider Group, getting the role passed down from his grandfather, Stanis.


    Since Jan was young, he had been prepared to be a confidant of the Schneider family like his ancestors, so he was provided only with the best education.


    Everyone in Germany knew of this fact, that Jan Van Der Ven would someday play a pivotal role in the Schneider family''s business like his father and grandfather. People even knew his face better than London Schneider''s as his young boss had always been very private.

 Chapter 586 - Thats L

    "So, what does he have to do with all these?" The assistant asked him while pointing to the camera. "I cannot see the connection between an old camera, glasses, and ... Stephan Zimmerman?"


    "Hmm ... Lyana advised me to disguise myself as regular folk. She said if people found out that I am the owner of the Schneider Group, there would be a bunch of gold-diggers trying to curry favor to me. So, I plan to come to Zimmerman''s party as a poor photographer, Lyana''s best friend from America."


    Jan nodded. "That makes sense. Do you want me to go to that party with you, Sir? I am quite familiar with the people from the upper class. I can tell you whom you should avoid like a plague, and who you can be friends with."


    London squinted his eyes and smiled at the man''s offer. "Huh, that''s good. I only know Lyana there. It''ll be fun if you could come along as well. Can you get an invitation to the party, or should I ask Lyanna to get one for you?"


    Jan just laughed softly. "Of course, I can. I know almost all the upper classes in Germany, I can easily get invited anywhere."


    "Great. But you can''t call me ''Sir'' there. Otherwise, my disguise will be useless," London said firmly.


    The assistant nodded with a smile. He liked this boss of his as he always treated him like a younger brother. Their age only differed by two years, so when they first met, they got along very well instantly.


    As a member of the Van Der Ven family, Jan also knew the secrets of the Schneider family who were immortals and could stay young forever. Ten years from now, once London ''disappeared'' from the public, Jan would be the one to take over his position in the company group.


    "All right, Sir. Then what should I call you?" Jan finally asked.


    "Hmm ... I''ll use the name Killian Makela. Don''t forget that."


    "Okay."


    ***


    That afternoon, London stopped by Lyana''s studio to take the clothes from her for his disguise. Lyana gave him a set of outdated clothes that she got from the homeless shelter downtown, and she was laughing so hard when she saw London transform into a poor photographer.


    "Ahahaha ... never mind gold-digger, even poor girls won''t go near you," Lyana commented while she looked at London from head to toe in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Hmmm ... even though you are still very handsome, you do look very poor."


    "Alright ... Shall we go now?" He asked her.


    Lyana nodded. "Let''s just take my car, so we won''t attract people''s attention like when we used yours."


    "Jan will meet us at the party. You still remember my assistant, right?"


    "Yes, sure. Well ... Jan must be careful in there because the girls will desperately go after him." Lyana reminded him. She then smiled to herself. "Hahaha ... those girls don''t even know which one is the real deal."


    London smiled and nodded. Well, Jan did come from a wealthy family, but his wealth was nothing compared to that of the Schneider family. London certainly hoped that Jan would not be tricked by some gold diggers. However, he was not too worried because he had already known Jan for so long, and he believed that his assistant was quite smart and would know how to look after himself.


    London and Lyana drove her VW to the magnificent Zimmerman mansion in downtown. That evening, the mansion''s large courtyard was packed with various luxurious cars, and the guests went up the mansion stairs in their best outfits.


    Nearly all who came were young people from wealthy families in Berlin and nearby cities. Some were artists and celebrities from the communities that Stephan was a member of.


    Before coming to this party, London had looked up some information about Stephan and discovered that the 30-year-old man was a quite influential art collector. He was a patron of several talented artists who became famous under his patronage.


    With his help, those poor aspiring artists had managed to reach a level of success where their works became sought-after by art collectors and various galleries throughout the world. Besides working in the fine arts industry, he also owned a media and entertainment company that promoted some talented singers and musicians in Europe.


    When Lyana entered the large hall in the mansion, she immediately pulled London close to her. "Don''t stay far away from me."


    London nodded. He was fascinated to see so many people attending the party. Stephan seemed to be very good at organizing parties. The variety of entertainment provided was very enjoyable and impressive. He also served dishes from world-class chefs. It reminded London of the festive parties that her uncle, Aldebar, often held.


    "Good evening, Stephan," Lyana hurriedly pulled London to the middle of the hall when she saw Stephan sitting casually while talking to some beautiful girls.


    "Hey ... Lyana, my favorite painter. How are you?" Stephan greeted Lyanna and kissed her cheeks. "Who do you bring with you?"


    "I am with a photographer who helped me with my new pictorial book. This is Killian Makela. He is very talented and wants to have a chance to get to know many potential clients ...." Lyana tapped London''s shoulder. "This is Stephan Zimmerman, the host I told you about. He knows a lot of rich people who might need your services."


    "Hey ... good evening, Stephan. My name is Killian."


    Stephan fixated his eyes at London when he heard the man greet him, "You''re the only lower-class person who doesn''t call me ''Mister.'' I like you."


    London immediately realized his mistake. Ah, right ... Right now, he was posing as a guy from a poor background. People would surely expect him to be respectful towards such people like Stephan. But since he was still a child, he had been used to being treated as the young master, so he naturally treated Stephan like an equal.


    "Ah, I''m sorry for being rude. I''m from America, so I''m not used to formalities," London shook his head slightly.


    "It''s okay. I don''t like formalities either." Stephan patted his shoulder and got him a drink from the tray on the table beside him. "Let''s have a toast for this chance meeting."


    "Thank you." London received the glass from Stephan and had a toast with him.


    "You come at the right time. The new star will be performing. She is actually the reason why I am having this party." Stephan put on a big smile after sipping his drink.


    He pointed to the small stage in the center of the magnificent hall. London and Lyana followed his direction, and instantly the lights in the room were dimmed, and the stage was illuminated by some gorgeous blue lights.


    When all the lights turned off, leaving only the spotlight on the stage center, there were muffled sounds heard among the guests. Suddenly, a girl appeared at the center of the stage and picked up a microphone. She was the most beautiful girl London Schneider had ever laid his eyes on.


    "Only love can hurt like this ...." A soft whisper came from her pink lips, and then she closed her eyes dramatically. When her eyes opened again, her lips began to sing a melodious song that hypnotized anyone who listened to it.


    "Who is she?" asked London instinctively. He could not take his eyes off of the beautiful girl who was singing on the stage and lulled all the guests. No one dared to speak, for fear they would miss out on her singing.


    Her charm reminded London of sirens, the half-fish magical creatures from Greek mythology who can hypnotize sailors with their mystical singing so that the sailors will be tricked and drowned in the storm.


    "That''s L," Stephan said, smiling faintly. "My soon-to-be superstar."

 Chapter 587 - The Most Materialistic Girl In Germany

    "L?" London was dumbfounded. He looked at Stephan intently, thinking he did mishear the girls'' name.


    "Her name is Elle, but she prefers to write her name only with the letter ''L''. She is a bit eccentric," Stephan looked at him. "Do you like her?"


    London lightly coughed at Stephan''s blunt question. "*Cough* ... what do you mean - I like her? I was just asking her name."


    "Hmm ... forget her," Stephan said, looking at him with a slightly mocking look. "She is out of your league. Plus, she only wanted to go out with very wealthy and powerful men. Even if a guy is merely rich - as in not super-rich, she won''t give him so much as a glance."


    "Oh ..." London was stunned to hear Stephan''s explanation. He sighed and involuntarily glanced at L, feeling disappointed.


    "I''m not even exaggerating. L specifically asked me to make her famous so she could find a very wealthy and powerful husband, and she would settle with an old man if she has too..." Stephan smirked and glanced at L on stage, following London''s gaze. "You are looking at the most materialistic girl in Germany."


    Ah, what a shame. L turned out to be one of the gold diggers who were after men''s wealth. Even though London was a super-rich guy himself, he did not want to be in a relationship with a girl who would only pursue him for his wealth.


    Ah¡­ that''s too bad.


    Stephan looked at London, who was still subconsciously staring at L on the stage, and he gave out a faint smirk.


    "Do you want me to introduce you to her?" he asked.


    London involuntarily nodded. L had just finished her song and was now bowing to the audience who were clapping incessantly and calling out her name in praises.


    "Wait¡­ what?" Lyana hurriedly hit his shoulders. "Didn''t he just say that L is the most materialistic girl in Germany right now? Your ears are working fine, are they not?"


    Only then did London wake up and hurriedly wave to Stephan to cancel his approval just now, but Stephan simply shrugged. He had signaled that L come to their table.


    And all of a sudden L was standing in front of London. The girl was throwing him a sharp gaze with her pair of beautiful black eyes. London had never seen eyes as black as hers, and, just like that, he was bewitched by L that he couldn''t even blink. L turned out to be so much prettier when seen up close.


    "Who is this?" L asked, touching London''s chin gently, still staring at him.


    "This is Killian, from America. He just arrived in Germany and wants to find a job. Do you want to be photographed?" Stephan asked with a mocking smile towards London. "I haven''t seen his work as a photographer, but Lyana highly recommends him."


    "Are you a photographer?" L asked with a smile. She took off London''s glasses and studied his face carefully. She gently felt the young man''s cheeks, then rubbed his hair. "Why not just model? It''s definitely an easier way to make money."


    London cursed himself for being unable to do anything under the influence of L''s gaze. He had met many people in his life, but no one could charm him to where he was unable to move - like this beautiful girl in front of him did.


    L had a small frame but obviously a big personality. Her every movement was elegant and charming. She had light brown hair and a stunningly beautiful face with some freckles that made her look so young. London was 25 cm taller than her, but somehow he felt small in front of this girl.


    Oh no! Suddenly he became anxious. He couldn''t let his disguise uncovered. What if they recognized him from somewhere without his glasses?


    London immediately ruffled his hair and took the glasses back from L''s hand.


    "I ... I can''t see without my glasses," he murmured.


    "You''re very handsome without your glasses. You should model, you know." L narrowed her eyes at London as if trying to asses his potential. "I can be your agent and sell you to a lot of media. And, as the one who discovered you, I will only charge a 50% management fee."


    That''s daylight robbery! London could only complain about it inwardly. Everyone knew an artist''s management fee was never more than 20%, thought London, realizing that L was indeed money-hungry.


    "I''m not interested in being a model," London said earnestly. "But, I want to photograph you."


    "Is that so? Let''s see how good your skills are ..." L smiled broadly and immediately posed in front of London. This beautiful girl really knew how to work in front of the camera and, in just one minute, had changed poses 20 times. Every single pose looked amazing.


    London, who hurriedly pulled out his camera when he heard her cue, didn''t expect to get so many beautiful photos of the most interesting girl he had ever met.


    Ah, well... it''s a shame that L was just another gold-digger, he thought, feeling disappointed again.


    He then showed the results of his shots to L and Stephan, who both nodded in satisfaction.


    "Well, you are indeed talented. You can come to my office tomorrow to discuss some projects for the artists I plan to promote," Stephan said to him. "If you make me happy, I can give you enough work to live well in Germany."


    Because he was posing as a photographer who needed a job, London had no choice but to agree with Stephan''s offer.


    The four of them then sat and drank wine while chatting at Stephan''s table. The beautiful girls who were hovering around him had been told to leave.


    "What do you think? Are you happy with the party I''m throwing for you?" Stephan asked L as she sipped her wine while checking their surroundings. "You can meet the ric.h.e.s.t people in Germany at my party. At the moment you are not yet famous enough to catch a very wealthy man, but with my help, next year you will be able to get whomever you want. You can even find a young one,  no need to marry an old and ugly tycoon."


    London almost spouted his wine when he heard what Stephan just said. He turned to L, who was contemplating something over her drink. She only nodded at Stephan''s words.


    Geez... Stephan wasn''t lying. She did want to catch a super-rich man!

 Chapter 588 - Let Go Of Me!

    London almost couldn''t believe his own hearing when Stephan just casually talked about finding super-rich men for L to marry, and L just nodded in agreement.


    OMG... Stephan wasn''t lying. L was indeed the most materialistic girl in Germany!


    Gosh. These two were so open about their plan in front of London and Lyanna. Inwardly London felt more and more disappointed because L nodded and smiled in response to Stephan''s words.


    "But before you become theirs, I want to have you for myself first," Stephan said while his hands crawled on L''s t.h.i.g.hs under her fitting black dress. The man''s grin looked disgusting.


    "Stephan ... I told you I''m not that kind of woman," L brushed Stephan''s hands away from creeping up her t.h.i.g.hs. Her black eyes stared at Stephan seething with anger. "I told you we would share the results after I married the man I wanted."


    "I change my mind," Stephan said, staring at L with a devious smile. "Tonight, you''re so beautiful, and I want to cancel our agreement. I don''t need the money ..."


    "You need the money to finance your expensive lifestyle! Your father has cut you out of his will, and it won''t be long until people know how poor you have become," hissed L. "I only use your connection to find a super-rich and powerful husband. The agreement between us is mutually beneficial. When I get the money, I will finance your company so that you can escape the shadow of your parents."


    London coughed violently when he heard what L said. Listening to the conversation between these two conniving people made him really upset. Why were they talking casually in front of him and Lyana about such things? Were they not ashamed?


    "What happened to you?" L asked, narrowing her eyes towards London. "You can''t drink?"


    "Uhm... it''s not it." London''s face turned red. He was shocked because Stephan and L were conspiring to get some super-rich man into marrying L. This reminded him of his brother-in-law, Alaric who, a few months ago, was almost framed by a woman using an aphrodisiac.


    Thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.


    "Then why are you coughing?" L asked him curtly.


    "Uhm ... what are you planning to do? Will you and Stephan trap some rich men to marry you? Are you not worried that I will expose your plans?" he asked back in astonishment.


    L and Stephan looked at each other, then both of them laughed out loud.


    "Who will believe your words? Stephan is a rich guy with a good reputation, and as you can see, I don''t need to trap anyone to marry me." L stood up and bowed slightly like a princess in front of London as if showing off how beautiful she was. "This month alone, I''ve turned down proposals from ten rich men."


    "Oh ... then what did you mean by getting a husband earlier?" asked London curiously. He was a little relieved because it turned out that L didn''t mean to trap a man with aphrodisiac as he had just imagined.


    "Ugh ... are you that naive? I want to be a really famous celebrity so I can up my dating profile and enter the circle of the super-rich and powerful. Stephan will help me become famous, so I could achieve my goal. I don''t need ordinary rich men to propose to me. My standards are much higher than that."


    "Then, what are your standards? How rich is rich enough for you?" asked London curiously.


    "Uhmm ... I don''t know, maybe as wealthy as Jan Van Der Ven, or Terrence Chan, the President of Schneider Group? Or Crown Prince Niels from Sweden ..."


    London could only swallow hard when he heard the blunt answer from the girl. So, based on her standards, actually, if he disclosed his identity now, he could easily get her attention, because obviously, the girl was only targeting men as rich and powerful as he was.


    "Uhm ... is wealth more important to you than love?" he asked softly. "What if those super-rich men mistreated you?"


    "Well, nobody''s perfect," L said with a shrug. "I have to take the good with the bad. If I had to choose between a nice man who loves me very much, but poor, and a super-rich man who treats me badly... then I would always choose money."


    "Why is money so important to you?" London asked again.


    "You must be living under a rock all your life... In these modern times, love has become obsolete. Love can''t pay the bills. So, of course, money is important." L pursed her lips. She looked adorable when pouting, and London was very tempted to land a kiss on the girl''s red lips.


    But he restrained himself by thinking how this girl was a gold-digger who would only want him for his money.


    "Just to get this straight. So, if I am rich, will you want to marry me?" London asked again. L shook her head with a faint smile.


    "Absolutely not. I will only marry you if you are super-rich. Just rich is not good enough," the girl replied, shrugging nonchalantly.


    London massaged his forehead. That is true. He forgot that L only wanted super-rich men.


    "Hm .. okay. You are beautiful, no question about it, but if I am a super-rich guy, I would not necessarily want to marry YOU. If all you can offer is just your beauty, what is the added value to me? There are so many beauties in this world. A woman''s beauty will wear off after ten years. Let''s say, if you were an investment, you could tell that your beauty is a bad investment. Its value will only diminish over time, unlike property, which will become more and more expensive. Spending money on a woman''s beauty is like spending money on a car. You won''t get your money''s worth."


    L narrowed her eyes, staring at London with a dangerous glint in her black eyes. Everything that this man casually said had offended her.


    "You are right. There are so many beauties in the world, but there is only one me," L hissed. "But, you know what? You''re just a smart-ass. If you really understand investment as you just said, you wouldn''t be sitting here begging for a job as a photographer."


    London was not offended by her words at all. Ah, he actually preferred if she was talking harshly to him, but honestly, rather than acting all nice and trying to curry his favor, because she knew he was a super-rich man.


    The funny thing was, seeing how L pouted her red lips, he became even more fascinated and wanted to continue to annoy L so that she would get mad.


    "Who said I become a photographer because I am poor?" London asked again nonchalantly. "I love this job. I don''t need much, so I don''t have to make a lot of money."


    L folded her arms across her c.h.e.s.t and finally looked away. She no longer wanted to be bothered by him.


    "Whatever then. Selfish men only think about themselves. If you have no ambition to move forward, being successful and rich, then you deserve to live alone forever. Don''t drag a woman into poverty with you!"


    L folded her arms across her c.h.e.s.t and finally looked away. She no longer wanted to be bothered by him.


    "Whatever then. Selfish men only think about themselves. If you have no ambition to move forward, being successful and rich, then you deserve to live alone forever. Don''t drag a woman to go into poverty with you!"


    Lyana could not help but laugh at their quarrel. In that table, Lyana was the only one who knew London''s secrets, and L''s criticism against London just now had made her amused. She could not wait to see how long London would stand being insulted as a poor person.


    Huh, if L knew who London really was, she would be shocked, Lyana thought.


    Stephan tried to grope L''s t.h.i.g.h again. "Never mind him ... Why the hell are you wasting your time caring about his opinion? You should only care about me. I promise you can get what you want in a few more months. But ... you know what you must do."


    "Stephan! I told you I''m not that kind of girl!" L brushed his hand off in anger, but this time he didn''t want to accept her rejection. He gripped her hand and squeezed it tightly until she was in pain. "Let ... let go of me, you a**hole!!"


    Stephan pulled L onto his l.a.p and grabbed her chin harshly. "You arrogant bitch! You can be who you are today because of me. I''m not Killian that you can look down on!"


    "Let me go!!" L still insisted on breaking free, but Stephan was much stronger than her, and now he tried to forcefully kiss L.


    With a scornful expression, she tried her best to get away from him, but her face was gradually getting closer to him. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, and her lips pursed with hatred.


    Finally, as L realized that she was physically weaker than Stephan, she shut her eyes, unwilling to look at the man who was forcefully trying to kiss her.


    BAM!!

 Chapter 589 - The Fight Ensued

    Suddenly there was a loud sound of something being punched, and Stephan''s grip suddenly broke free. L opened her eyes in astonishment and saw Stephan lying on the floor with bleeding lips, while London stood with a face filled with fury, and it looked like he had just hit someone.


    He still clenched his fists in front of his c.h.e.s.t. For two seconds, L was stunned to see that the man whom she had criticized earlier actually defended her from Stephan, who wanted to harass her.


    "Thank you ...." She murmured softly and rubbing her wet eyes, then she immediately ran out of the hall.


    Lyana still pursed her lips in surprise. She saw several security guys coming to approach London, but her sharp eyes had caught sight of a man who pretended to be drunk. The man blocked them by stretching out his leg so that they all stumbled and fell off.


    "Hey!! You''re dead, man!!" scolded a security guy who just tripped and hit the floor hard. He got up and was about to hit the drunk man, but the man staggered and appeared as if he accidentally managed to avoid the blow. Out of curiosity, the security guy tried to strike the drunk man again but his fist only hit the air.


    The other security guys tried to help their friend, but suddenly five big men came out of nowhere and stood beside the drunk guy. They immediately attacked the security officers. A fight ensued, and soon the party turned into chaos.


    "Jeez ...." Lyana turned to look at London, who only shrugged. The girl realized that despite being in his disguise, London''s bodyguards always tagged along with their boss and made sure that he remained safe and sound wherever he was.


    When London punched Stephan earlier, they immediately moved to wreak havoc so that the security guys could not even lay their hands on London. Ugh ... how did it turn out this way? Lyana thought. It''s all because of a girl!


    "Stephan ... please forgive Killian. He is from America and is still a bit naive ... he didn''t mean to hit you ...." Lyana hurriedly helped Stephan to his feet. She had to make things right between the two men; otherwise, London''s bodyguards could finish off the whole house, and Lyana would face the negative consequences.


    Stephan looked at London with narrowed eyes as he rubbed his bleeding lips.


    "Huh ... you have guts too ... You dared to hit me ...." Stephan hissed. He looked around and grunted when he saw his people getting into a fight with some guests, while L had disappeared.


    "You shouldn''t force a woman. No means no," London said. He regretted coming to this party already.


    "Tsk... you''re still defending her even though she''d already insulted you," Stephan chided. "Do you like L? She''s just a gold-digger! You''re not even her type."


    London rolled his eyes. He had heard over and over again about how materialistic L was and now he was getting bored. So what? After all, he was not interested in pursuing L. Even though L was beautiful and she had a sweet voice, her thirst for wealth was enough to make London stay away from her.


    Beauty meant nothing to him as an Alchemist. All Alchemist people are good-looking and physically perfect, and it is not something considered as one''s added value.


    "Stephan. I''m sorry I hit you, but I don''t regret doing it. I think you''re being a jerk just now," London finally said. "I am not interested in L. So it has nothing to do with her."


    Before London finished his words, Stephan had hit his shoulder and made the man staggered. His body was strong enough that the punch didn''t really hurt him. When he was about to strike back, Lyana immediately took him in her hands and held London back.


    "Ouch ... guys, you both are being outrageous! It''s not the time for men to fight because of a woman!" The girl snorted. She then whispered quickly into London''s ear. "Please forgive Stephan this one time, okay. The guy is a jerk, but he has great power in this city. If you look for trouble with him now, you will never be able to make friends here as regular people. Unless you want to appear as London Schneider and disclose your identity. That''s your choice."


    Lyana then pressed Stephan''s c.h.e.s.t hard. "You had hit him back, right? Now it''s even, okay? I don''t want to see my two friends fight because of women. If you guys insist on fighting, I don''t want to have anything to do with you anymore!"


    The two young men rolled up their sleeves with darkened faces. For a few moments, they looked at each other in hatred. Finally, Stephan gave in and he put on a faint smile on his lips.


    "You are cool, man. A poor guy who dared to call my name without formalities, and just now, you even dared to hit me. Hmm ... Americans are indeed different from us here ...." He then stretched out his hand. "I will do as Lyana said and forget what happened just now."


    As London and Stephan had made peace and sat back down, the fight in the middle of the room between London''s bodyguards in disguise and Stephan''s security guards slowly died down. London''s bodyguards realized that their boss was no longer in danger, so they dispersed themselves.


    Stephan then buried the hatchet as if nothing happened and immediately called the beautiful girls that once swarmed around him to give him company while he enjoyed drinks.


    "As a sign that I don''t hold grudges against you, let''s drink," he snapped his fingers and, a moment later, a waiter came with a tray of two glasses. Stephan calmly poured wine into each glass and handed one to London. "Cheers!"


    London slowly relaxed and sat quietly in his seat. Stephan was indeed resounding his reputation. He was arrogant and a bit of a jerk, but he was basically not an evil man, London thought. He enjoyed his wine along with Stephan and then put the glass back on the tray.


    Lyana was relieved to see that they seemed to have reconciled.


    "Huh ... you guys make me worried just now," she grumbled. She patted London''s shoulder and talked about many things, trying to break the ice. London and Stephan slowly began to act polite towards each other.


    London began to feel calm after the drink. He slowly felt drowsy, and soon Lyana''s voice turned to fade from his hearing.


    ***


    London opened his eyes slowly and, for a good one minute, he couldn''t remember what happened. His mind seemed to not work properly. He dizzily tried to sit up and realized that he was lying on a large, comfortable bed.


    Where am I? He thought, feeling irritated.


    Even though he had removed his shirt, he still felt terribly hot and there was some tightness in his c.h.e.s.t. He immediately pulled the duvet covering his lower body and threw it to the floor.


    It was then that he saw someone lying next to him who was previously covered by the duvet.


    Gosh ... wasn''t this... her?


    He instinctively swallowed hard. L looked very beautiful while she was sleeping peacefully like an angel, with her lips slightly open.

 Chapter 590 - I Want To Forget All This (R.-.1.8)

    Ughhh .... what was going on??


    London knew something was wrong with him but he didn''t know what it was. His consciousness only functioned at 50 percent. His body felt hotter and something in his lower body felt very uncomfortable.


    Oh, my God! Could this be....??


    He tried to turn his face sideways so as not to see L who looked so beautiful with her mouthwatering s.e.xy body...


    The girl moved slightly in her sleep, and her s.e.xy dress was revealed at the c.h.e.s.t showing part of her perky b.r.e.a.s.ts. Instantly London was affixed in his place, unable to move.


    Gulp.


    He tried his best to restrain himself, but he was only a normal man who could not resist the effects of aphrodisiac that was somehow mixed in his drink.


    London gently touched L''s face and then stroked her hair, which was flowing smoothly down her shoulders. He had never seen a girl as beautiful as this creature lying next to him ...


    His c.h.e.s.t instantly felt tightened when suddenly a pair of L''s black eyes opened and blinked, and stared directly at him.


    "Mmm ...?" a soft whisper came from the girl''s pink lips, immediately driving London crazy. He did not understand why everything about L could make his brain refuse to work. L held London''s hand which was touching her hair and then smiled. What a beautiful smile she had!


    The girl then pulled London''s hand so suddenly that the man''s body fell on top of her and, as she closed her eyes, she kissed London''s lips - while the man froze in place, unable to resist.


    "Ugh ..."


    London''s last defense finally collapsed when L''s lips touched his and their bodies pressed so intimately. He felt how smooth her skin was and how her body was so soft like a marshmallow.


    His common sense left him, then he spontaneously got up and held L''s head with his free left hand and then kissed the girl''s lips passionately. He had never felt lips so soft and sweet like hers. L who was also under the influence of aphrodisiac welcomed London''s kisses with the same enthusiasm.


    She then wrapped her arms around the man''s neck. Her lips let out m.o.a.ns incessantly that made London go crazy. The man continued showering her with kisses and fondling every inch of her body. His lips and tongue passionately s.u.c.k.e.d and bit her lips, and then descended down to her neck, her shoulders, her nape, and finally, her partially exposed b.r.e.a.s.t.


    London pulled down the straps of the girl''s dress until it revealed her entire upper body in all its glory. The man swallowed his saliva as he pulled the dress down through her legs and left her only with lace u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r to cover her modesty.


    L did not protest at all when London stripped her from her dress, leaving only a tiny u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r that made her s.e.xy body look even more seductive. The girl bit her lower lip, looking extremely alluring. Her eyes were filled with l.u.s.t as she stared at him and c.a.r.e.s.sed his c.h.e.s.t.


    Her m.o.a.n was getting louder, and her breath started to pant more heavily. L''s hands now moved mischievously, tracing London''s broad, sturdy shoulders and c.h.e.s.t. Slowly L''s hand moved down to London''s hard stomach and continued her grope lower... and lower.


    "Ahhh ..." London bit his lip and closed his eyes, enjoying L''s hand stroking his manhood and, a moment later, the girl sat up and then tried to unbuckle London''s belt to remove his pants. London opened his eyes and stared at L with eyes filled with d.e.s.i.r.e.


    "Hmm ... let me help you ..." he said with a smile. L was clearly no expert in this type of activity. He kissed L again and then deftly took off the rest of the clothes that covered his and her lower bodies.


    Once they were both n.a.k.e.d, London positioned his body above L better so as not to crush her petite frame. Instinctively, he wanted to protect L so that she would not suffer when his larger and heavier body pressed on hers.


    London fondled L passionately and the girl responded with the same enthusiasm. Both of them were not using their common sense at all. They were entirely controlled by l.u.s.t triggered by the aphrodisiac they both took not long ago.


    It didn''t take long for both of them to drift in dangerous lovemaking. When London first entered L, he could see the girl wince in pain, but he was unable to stop his actions and devoured her even more ferociously. Fortunately, after a while, L''s face flushed red and soon her face started showing p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.


    They made love so many times that both London and L ran out of stamina and finally could only lay in bed weakly in each other''s embrace. London consciousness was only working at 20 percent, but before he fell asleep he was thinking that had never been this happy before,


    ***


    London was the first to wake up when his cellphone alarm rang from the nightstand beside the bed. His body felt fresh but it took him ten seconds before he realized what had happened.


    His head was filled with horror when he woke up and immediately realized he was lying in bed with L, n.a.k.e.d.


    He hurriedly took the duvet from the floor and spread it to cover her body, then took his clothes that were scattered on the floor.


    Oh, my God ... How could this happen to me??


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!" The girl''s scream cut through the silence and shocked London. L sat on the bed with a face filled with horror as she realized what was happening. She pulled the duvet covering her body up to her shoulders.


    Before L screamed, London thought that he had been framed to sleep with L because she knew his secret identity, that he was London Schneider, the son of a wealthy Schneider Group owner.


    For several seconds there, he thought L wanted to trick him to marry her since he was super-rich and powerful. But, seeing how shocked and horrified the girl was... London realized that L was also a victim like himself, and now he could only feel sorry for the girl.


    He quickly got dressed and approached L, sitting on the edge of the bed.


    "Someone framed us ..." he said softly. London''s tone of voice was filled with guilt.


    Ugh ... he didn''t know how he could be so careless that he could be framed like this. If he wasn''t careless, L would not be a victim. He tried to reach out his hand to calm L.


    "DO NOT TOUCH ME!!" screamed the girl. Her eyes were filled with tears and her lips pursed with an expression of hatred. London was becoming increasingly guilty.


    "I promise to look for the person responsible and punish them properly," London spoke gently, trying to coax L. The girl looked at him sharply trying to judge whether London was also a victim like her or the man had anything to do with this plot.


    Finally, L realized that London was also framed just like her. The girl bit her lip so hard that she bled and then burst into tears. London wanted to calm her down, pull L into his arms and wipe her tears, but he realized that she must really hate him now. Therefore he just stood still in his place.


    "I ... I''m sorry, I didn''t take good care of myself so something like that could happen ..." London said quietly.


    L burst into tears, ignoring London for half an hour. After her tears were almost dried, the girl seemed to be struggling to pick herself up and wipe away the tears that wet her face and hair. A moment later, only teardrops were seen falling down her cheeks. The sob was gone. L seemed to try so hard to hold back from crying.


    "Don''t look here ..." she hissed at London. The man understood that L wanted to wear her clothes, so he immediately turned around and focused his attention on the wall in the opposite direction.


    Two minutes later he could feel L moved and got down from the bed and then walked towards the door. He hurriedly turned around and approached the girl.


    "Where are you going?" he asked worriedly.


    "Get out of here," the girl answered shortly.


    "Let me take you home ..." London said earnestly. "I''m sorry ... for ... what I have done to you ... I should have been more cautious and not let anyone tricked me like that ..."


    Inwardly London wanted to call his bodyguards and scold them for being negligent and causing him to be in this situation. L looked at London for a long time and then sighed. Tears still trickled down her cheeks and, for some reason, the sight made London''s heart ache.


    "I don''t want to see you ever again. Don''t follow me. You must forget what happened today. If it wasn''t you, Stephan would have used someone else. I should have known he would have done this disgusting thing..." L said bitterly.


    "Wh ... what? Stephan?" Instantly London''s c.h.e.s.t was filled with wrath and his face looked red with fury, that L even became afraid when she saw him. The girl took two steps back and had to hold on to the wall.


    London, who realized he was making L scared, hurriedly change his expression to look neutral. "Don''t be scared of me ... I won''t hurt you. In fact, I will make sure Stephan pays for what he had done."


    L shook her head, "I want to forget all this ... let me go."


    She walked forward and opened the door.


    "L ..." London tried to follow her, but L''s sharp voice stopped him.


    "I don''t want to see you ever again. Don''t. Follow. Me."


    The girl hurriedly ran out and slammed the door behind her.


    London could only stand rooted in his place.

 Chapter 591 - He Had Hurt Her

    Although L insisted that London must not follow her, the man did not have the heart to let her go home by herself. He hurriedly chased L outside. When he came out of the room, he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place.


    Hmm ... once he looked around, he realized that he was still in the Zimmerman''s mansion, where the party was held last night.


    F*ck!


    He didn''t know how he could let his guard down last night and was unwittingly caught in Stephan''s trap.


    Ugh ... he should think about it later. Now he must run after L.


    London ran down from the second-floor corridor to the first floor, and by randomly guessing his direction, he headed for the large hall downstairs.


    SL.A.P!!!


    He could hear a loud slapping sound when London opened the door and entered the hall. L just ran out of the room after throwing a slap with all her might to Stephan''s cheek as he smirked mockingly at her.


    "Elle!!! Wait!!" London hurriedly chased after L. He didn''t take any notice of Stephan. He decided that he would deal with him later. London just couldn''t let L go alone in that vulnerable state she was at. He was afraid that something would happen to the girl.


    London opened the door that L had just slammed and ran after her. The girl ran across the garden in front of the luxurious mansion and was soon already outside the gate. A taxi with an android driver was already waiting for her.


    London managed to touch her hand when she reached the taxi, but he lost her as L brushed his hand off and quickly opened the cab door and then went in.


    "Let''s go!" hissed the girl. She wasn''t even looking at London at all.


    The man could not help but watch the taxi leaving while he rubbed his forehead. Well, at least L had gotten into a cab, so it would be safer for her rather than if she went out alone on the road.


    "Good morning, Sir." Suddenly two neatly dressed men approached London. Dave and Marc were two members of his protection team who were still guarding him last night at Stephan''s party. Why were they here now? London thought, feeling irritated.


    "Hey, you ...! Where were you last night!? Something happened and..." London couldn''t continue his words. He felt ashamed if he had to tell them what had happened between him and L last night. Finally, he just glared at them and crossed his arms. "Where have you been?"


    "We have been here since last night waiting for you, Boss. After the fight, things settled down and you were drinking and got drunk with Mr. Zimmerman. You even slept on the couch, and Miss Lyana couldn''t take you home. We didn''t dare to offer to bring you because we were afraid of ruining your cover. Mr. Zimmerman then offered to let you rest at his house as his guest. So, we decided to keep guard here and make sure you are safe."


    London was stunned at hearing that. His bodyguards could not possibly tell him a lie. He did not remember drinking so much that he got drunk ... He was usually able to control himself.


    "There''s no way I could get drunk ... Last night someone spiked my drink," said London.


    Dave and Marc looked at each other, and their faces turned undoubtedly upset. "We have no idea, Sir ... you and Miss Lyana drank wine from the same bottle. We also observed you from afar, no one put anything into your drink, we never let our guard down..."


    Ah, Lyana. If it''s true that Lyana drank from the same bottle and she was okay... then...


    Stephan put the drug in his glass BEFORE pouring in the drink!


    Dammit!


    London remembered that he felt drowsy after drinking. It turned out that Stephan had planned everything when he pretended to make peace with him. Considering how smooth he was at it, Stephan must have been used to doing this kind of malicious plots.


    Last night Stephan poured drinks for the two of them and handed London a glass that he had already spiked with a sleeping pill to make London drowsy so Stephan could have an excuse to welcome the man as his guest and let him sleep in the guest room.


    Once the party was over and all the guests already left, Stephan gave the aphrodisiac while London was sleeping.


    That was why Lyana and his bodyguards were not suspicious at the least. When they checked his condition, they were convinced that London was indeed sleeping like he was drunk.


    Once London was trapped, they must have done the same thing to L and let the two of them wake up together under the influence of the aphrodisiac.


    London clenched his fist and hurried back into the mansion to look for Stephan. The two bodyguards immediately followed him from behind.


    "STEPHAN!!!" London snapped as he slammed the door into the hall open. Stephan was sitting on the couch, stroking his cheek that L had slapped hard earlier. He instantly raised his face when he heard London shouted his name. The man furrowed his eyebrows when London stormed into the room.


    "Heh ... why are you yelling at me at my house?" Stephan snapped back at London. "You should thank me and kiss my feet as I give you the chance to sleep with the girl you like ... hahahaha."


    "You''re a lowly piece of sh*t" London quickly moved closer to Stephan and grabbed his collar. "You don''t know who I am..."


    Stephan frowned. He had just noticed that London''s accent began to change. Last night, London spoke German with an American accent, but now he had completely lost his American accent. Stephan started to wonder and question if the man in front of him was indeed an American. Something now telling him that the guy was just putting an act.


    "You ... who are you?" Stephan finally asked. He already saw two tall, tough-looking men with a murderous look enter the front door.


    "Why did you do it?" London asked in anger. His hand was still gripping Stephan''s collar while the man struggled to free himself.


    "I want to teach that bitch a lesson, okay? She acted as if she is all that and thinks too highly of herself ... I just wanted to set her straight and make her understand that she is just a nobody." Stephan gritted his teeth as he answered London''s question. "Her v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y was taken by a poor photographer... Ha. It must have been very devastating for her..."


    "You ...!!" London''s eyes shone dangerously when he heard Stephan''s words.


    In 2050, being such a modern time, to most people, v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y was just something trivial. Still, apparently, it was very important for L, so Stephan cruelly snatched it away from her with the most horrific way she could imagine.


    He had hurt her.

 Chapter 592 - Rage

    London was furious when he heard how Stephan undermine L and intentionally hurt her by using him. His emotions mixed between anger and guilt. He was now feeling very guilty towards L.


    Under the control of the aphrodisiac, he could not restrain himself and acted more gently to make the girl more comfortable in their first s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e ... He acted like a beast toward her. Now, he couldn''t turn back time to stop L from going through the painful incident.


    He felt so remorseful.


    "You''re a piece of sh*t, Stephan!"


    F*ck f*ck f*ck...


    He was a gentleman and raised with good values by his parents, but today he had been swearing nonstop.


    He couldn''t hold back anymore, and he punched Stephan so hard that the man immediately fell down on the floor with a bleeding face.


    "Help me!!! Hey ...." Stephan curled up on the floor, protecting his face and shouted for help while London came at him with his kick. A few seconds later, several servants and security guards stormed the hall. Dave and Marc had quickly pulled out their guns and threatened them.


    Those who wanted to help Stephan immediately stopped in their tracks. They did not dare to move an inch.


    "Why don''t you help me?? Dammit!!" Stephan cursed at his men, but they did not dare to step forward. Dave and Marc looked very intimidating.


    Finally, Stephan managed to get up from the floor and ran off upstairs. London ran after him quickly, but Stephan managed to hide in his room and locked the door.


    "Open the door!! Damn it ... open it..!!" London kicked the door over and over again, but he could not break the large, thick door. After trying and failing several times, he finally bent down and rested on his knees while getting out of breath.


    Hmm ... he can deal with Stephan later. Now he had to make sure that whatever happened in the bedroom last night had not been recorded so Stephan could use it for even more nasty plans.


    He saw a large messy bed and a duvet spread on the floor. Immediately his mind flew to the girl. The scent of her body was somehow still lingering in this room. He could never get enough of it.


    The fragment of memories of what happened last night slowly flashed back in his mind in more vivid images. He began to remember L''s gorgeous body and their sweet kisses and her seductive m.o.a.ns. He thought of how wonderful the moment when their bodies tightly pressed together... when he entered her tight womanhood... and when they reached climaxes many times together.


    He had never slept with a woman before because, as an Alchemist, he was in no rush to experience romance and s.e.x.u.a.l adventures. After all, he was not like his father, who could just sleep with any women and left them afterward.


    L was his first s.e.x.u.a.l experience, and he did not expect that the girl would leave such a deep impression on him. Although they had only met briefly and the girl had turned him down, refusing to give him any chance just because he was ''poor'', somehow London was missing her terribly.


    Was this because they had s.e.x? His feelings for the girl last night were merely admiration for her beauty and sweet voice, but this morning they had turned into something more beyond that.


    He also felt very guilty towards L. London took a deep breath; he then went into the room and thoroughly examined every corner. He must ensure that his s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e with L was not recorded, and even if there were any recordings, he must immediately destroy them.


    Dammit! London''s intuition was accurate. He found several hidden recording devices behind the TV and on each bedpost.


    He had to call his sweeping team and make sure there were no remaining hidden cameras and recordings left.


    "Jan!" London pressed Jan''s telephone number to talk to his assistant. He quickly asked him. "Where are you?"


    "Hey, Sir. Good morning! You are awake! It''s still very early." Jan said in a sleepy voice. "Gosh ... it''s only 7 in the morning!"


    "WHERE ARE YOU?" asked London once more. "Why didn''t I see you at the party last night?"


    "Well, I came late because my mother fell ill and I had to take her to the hospital. I already sent a message to your cellphone. When I arrived, you were sleeping in Stephan''s guest room. It would be weird if I went along, asking to sleep over too, right? So I told Dave and Marc to guard outside in the car."


    "Ugh ... dammit," London gritted his teeth. He did not remember how many times he had cursed this morning. He was a polite man who rarely swore. He did not read Jan''s message from last night; he might be too busy drinking with Stephan when it reached his phone. "Send the sweeping team to Zimmerman''s mansion and meet me at the penthouse. I have an assignment for you."


    "Sure. See you later, Sir." Jan never asked twice if London told him to do something. Efficiently, he promptly contacted London''s security team and told them to go to Stephan''s mansion.


    When London walked downstairs into the hall, Marc and Dave still stood there while threatening the staff.


    "You guys wait here, the sweeping team will come soon. I''ll leave first."


    London raised his hand, and Dave hurriedly threw the car keys at him.


    London caught the car keys and walked out in a hurry. Outside the gates of the Zimmerman mansion, he saw the black BMW that Dave used was parked nicely under a tree. He entered the vehicle and drove the car away. He must immediately do something.


    But first, he needed to take a cold shower and cool himself down. His c.h.e.s.t was still burning with rage.

 Chapter 593 - What A Strange Woman

    London soaked in cold water for almost an hour to cool himself off. He still could not forget L. His mind returned to the image of how sad the girl looked when she was leaving.


    Gosh ... why can''t he get rid of L''s image from his mind?


    After he finished taking a bath and freshened up, he immediately contacted Lyana and tried to get her story of what really happened last night. He wanted to make sure that his bodyguards were innocent.


    "Hey ... good morning. How was your sleep last night?" Lyana asked lightly while biting an apple. "You don''t have the habit of sleepwalking, do you?"


    "Why didn''t you wake me up?" asked London trying to hold back his annoyance. "You know it''s a strange place for me, you shouldn''t have left me alone."


    "I''ve tried. For God''s sake, you slept so soundly on the host''s couch. I was embarrassed for bringing with me such a shameless guest..." Lyana stopped chewing her apple. She had only just realized the unusual tone of her friend. "Was there something wrong?"


    "I was framed ... Stephan gave me and L aphrodisiac and we did it ..." London clenched his fist. "Did you drink the same drink as I did last night?"


    "Gosh ... you''re not joking?" Lyana sounded very surprised. "I drank from the same wine bottle as you did, and I never saw Stephan mix anything into your drink. Even when we took you to the guestroom, I made sure you really slept. There was nothing suspicious ..."


    "Hmm ..." London realized that his guess was right. He was given sleeping pills in the wine glass and only after he slept that he was given the aphrodisiac, to avoid Lyana''s suspicion. He would know for sure after seeing the recording in the room.


    "So what happened then?" urged Lyana.


    "I will punish Stephan for his actions, and I will look for L to make sure she is fine."


    He then hung up, not wanting to share too much about what had happened to Lyana.


    Half an hour later, Jan arrived as per London''s order. The man was drinking espresso when his assistant arrived.


    "Did you take care of Stephan Zimmerman?" London asked him, raising his face to see Jan''s presence.


    "He was just arrested by the police on charges of s.e.x.u.a.l assaults. There were three victims filed the reports together. I have sent lawyers to help the victims. Stephan will go to prison for a long time," Jan replied. He sat on a chair across from London and poured himself a coffee. "The cleaning team has taken care of all the recordings from his house. Dave and Marc also made sure the staff there would not dare to open their mouths."


    "Hmm ..." London finished his coffee and then stood up. "I''ll look for L, to her house. Can you send me the address?"


    Jan was stunned by London''s words. He hadn''t heard exactly what had happened, but seeing London''s attitude like this, he could have guessed. Did London have s.e.x with L and now wanted to take responsibility for the girl? But why? After all, he''s also a victim, right? Personally, he thought London should not be excessive.


    "I''ll send the address shortly. I''ll ask our information sources first," Jan finally said. "Is that all?"


    London pondered briefly. He still remembered how L seemed to hate him and did not want to see him again.


    "Buy the biggest entertainment company in the country and launch L to be a superstar, as her wishes." London narrowed his eyes and looked at Jan with all seriousness. "I also want to know all the information about L, besides her home address."


    "Uhm ... okay." Jan recorded all of London''s instructions on his tablet and nodded. He then called several people and five minutes later the address of L''s apartment had been sent to London''s cellphone. Jan then closed his tablet and reported to London. "The entertainment company I am eyeing will be acquired tonight. Tomorrow I will send someone to meet Miss L''s manager."


    "Hmm ..." London hurried out of the penthouse and went down to the lobby on the ground floor. In front of the building, a fancy car was already waiting for him. He got in and told his driver to take him to an apartment complex in the southern part of the city.


    He deliberately asked to be dropped off in the next building and walked to L''s apartment building. He did not want to be caught by L or anyone he knew, getting off a very fancy car. He still wanted to maintain his identity as a poor photographer because, at this time, he did not want to take the risk by coming as London Schneider.


    On his cellphone, there was L''s phone number, sent at the same time by Jan along with the girl''s address. London did not want to contact L by phone because the girl would suspect him, because she would remember that she never gave her number to him.


    Finally, when he arrived in the lobby of the building, he could only ring the bell to the girl''s apartment unit, trying to contact her. However, until a dozen times, the bell was ignored. London began to feel anxious.


    He wrote something on a piece of paper and then put it in the mailbox of L''s apartment unit. He hoped that when L went down to get her mails, she would be able to read London''s note and be willing to contact him.


    "I want you to keep an eye on L in this building, and make sure she is fine. If you see her coming out, let me know immediately," London told Marc and Dave who followed him to the building where L lived.


    The two bodyguards just nodded.


    ***


    London read all the information sent to him with great interest. It turned out that L was still very young. She was only 19 years old and grew up in an orphanage. Her parents were unknown, possibly dead, and she was sent to the orphanage by a distant relative. Since she was still very young, she was famous for having a beautiful voice and two years ago won the national singing competition.


    She just recently moved to Berlin and began to enter into the upper-class social circle with the help of Stephan Zimmerman. London remembered from L''s way of talking about Stephan, it seemed like the girl knew Stephan was a jerk. So, why was she still hanging out with that guy?


    Was L so desperate to get into the upper class even though she had to go through someone like Stephan? Or was she just using him as a stepping stone to finding a better ladder to climb?


    All of these questions were very disturbing for London. For one, he began to understand why L insisted on looking for a super-rich man marry. Maybe she got tired of living a hard life since moving out of the orphanage and now wanted to change her life.


    But why should the men be super-rich? This was too specific and felt over the top. Getting a husband who was just rich, should have been a massive improvement compared to her previous life as a poor orphan.


    London still remembered L''s harsh and somewhat arrogant attitude. It did not seem right if a smart woman like her would want to rely on other people''s wealth. Someone proud like her usually enjoyed working hard and not depending on other people.


    Many of L''s mannerisms reminded London of his mother, Finland. But, contrary to L, his mother actually never wanted to rely on other people''s wealth and always refused financial assistance by anyone, even by her best friend Jean and then by Caspar, who later became her husband.


    After being married for a long time and having three children together, finally, Finland began to feel comfortable considering her husband''s wealth as hers too.


    Really, L was a strange woman. London couldn''t seem to wrap his head around her.

 Chapter 594 - Jan, Have You Gone Mad?

    London was shocked when he heard the report from Dave regarding how L hadn''t come out of her apartment for three days. He was worried because he felt that for those three days, L must have felt so depressed and sad for her to not even go out to shop or eat. It was only once that she was willing to open her door and see someone, which was her manager who came to bring food. L didn''t want to meet anyone else after.


    Finally, on the fourth day, the girl was said to have come out in neat clothes and went to the office of Brilliant Mind Media, the entertainment company that London had just bought.


    "How does she look?" London promptly asked when he heard the report via telephone. "Does she look sick? Sad? Or what?"


    "Her face looks pale and she became thinner," Dave said. He was watching the girl''s movement from his car.


    "Hmm... Meet me in the Brilliant Mind Media''s office," London instructed. He then hurried to change into a cheap shirt he had received from Lyana a few days ago. The girl gave him three sets of simple clothes that could help him disguise himself as a poor person. Of course, he didn''t forget to take off his expensive watch and replaced his leather shoes with simple sneakers.


    That''s great, L, he thought. After being down for three days, the girl had managed to chin up and went to work as if nothing had happened. People who didn''t know anything would think that the girl was okay, but London knew better. Her thin and pale appearance must be caused by her keeping all the anger and pain to herself.


    He took a taxi to the Brilliant Mind Media building and hurriedly asked to meet with the marketing director whom Jan had briefed about his arrival.


    "Good afternoon. I''m Killian Makela. Director Jan requested me to come for a photography contract with Luxe Magazine," he told the receptionist. The girl immediately looked up his name on the guest list and nodded. She opened the elevator access and asked the staff to take the young man to the tenth floor.


    London knew that on this floor, there''s a Luxe Magazine division that specializes in organizing artists under the management of Brilliant Mind Media. He had asked Jan to arrange for L to speak with one of Luxe''s ??editors to promote her as soon as she signed an exclusive contract with Brilliant Mind on the twentieth floor.


    London was used to working efficiently. If he wanted to, he could boost L''s career, who was still a newcomer singer, to be a superstar in a matter of weeks. But to avoid suspicion, he gave a 4-month timeline for Jan to take care of it.


    London only needed to talk to her brother-in-law who a few months ago terminated Elien Mikhailova, one of Virconnect''s ambassadors who tried to set him up to sleep with her. With Alaric''s orders, Splitz could appoint L as the new Virconnect ambassador. The girl would soon be famous all over the world and would be able to do whatever she wanted.


    At least that way, London could lessen the guilt he felt, by giving L what she had always wanted: Fame.


    "I''ve heard what happened, and I understand why you want to help her. But do you really need to come in person?" Jan asked as he phoned London, who was waiting in the lobby of Luxe Magazine to meet a staff member who would discuss the shooting project with him.


    "I just want to see for myself and make sure she''s fine. She didn''t want to leave the apartment except for work and I still don''t know how she''s doing," London said.


    "Dave or Marc can follow her and send pictures of her to you. You still don''t need to come in person," Jan paused, before poking London with his real question. "Sir, do you like her?"


    "Eh... What did you say? How could I possibly LIKE her? I''ve only met her once," London promptly stated. "I just feel sorry for her, okay. I don''t want her to be traumatized and have her career ruined. This is the least I can do for her."


    "So, you really don''t like her?" Jan asked once again, trying to confirm London''s words.


    The young man shook his head, "No, I..."


    His words stopped. Speaking of the devil.


    Today, L looked very beautiful. She was dressed in a turquoise formal dress that wrapped her body beautifully, displaying every curve in perfect proportion. Her shoes also had some accents of turquoise that made her appearance very fashionable and enchanting.


    London almost dropped his phone when he saw L walking towards him. Fortunately, he soon awoke from his daze and managed to catch his phone before it hit the floor. L squinted at London''s nervous behavior, while her manager tried to hold back her smile and pinched L''s waist, her chin pointing towards London.


    "Look at that man... he''s acting so awkwardly in front of you. Hilarious." She whispered into L''s ear.


    The girl faintly smiled at her manager''s words. But as their steps drew near, she suddenly recognized London. Instantly, her smile disappeared, replaced by a hostile pout.


    "Don''t mind him," she hissed as she quickened her pace past London, who could only stare at L as she entered one of the large rooms that read "MEETING ROOM".


    Ugh... it seemed like L was serious when she said she didn''t want to see London at all. The man could only sigh.


    Alright... he managed to see L with his own eyes and confirm that the girl did look fine. So, his business in the building was done. He would let Jan take care of the rest and ensure L''s career would rise as she wished.


    "I saw her, and she''s fine... I''ll go back now," London finally said after picking up his phone and calling Jan again. "Her body looked thin and her eyes were a bit swollen, but her attitude was still as annoying as usual, so she should be fine..."


    "Oh, come on..." Jan grumbled at London''s words. "Do you want to continue going undercover and work for Luxe Magazine so you can meet her again or is this the last one? If this is the last one, I''ll pick you up so we can immediately go to the meeting with the directors at Schneider Tower. If you still want to stay there, I''ll postpone the board of directors meeting."


    "You want to postpone the BOD meeting just so I can pretend to be a photographer for Luxe Magazine and meet L again? Jan, have you gone mad?!" London couldn''t believe his ears when he heard Jan.


    "Killian?" A flamboyant man came over to him with some folders in hand. "My name is Eddie. What a coincidence, you''re here. Our main photographer needs help from an assistant for this afternoon''s photoshoot. The schedule was suddenly updated for a new artist of Brilliant Mind. Can you get to work today?"


    London was stunned by Eddie''s words. "New artist? Who?"


    "Her name is L. She''s a good singer, but she isn''t yet famous and our boss really likes her. He wants to immediately give her coverage after the contract is signed."


    "L?" London immediately turned off his phone call and nodded. "Sure! I can start working today."


    At the other end, Jan, who was just about to say something, could only inwardly cuss when his boss suddenly turned off his phone.


    Ugh... This meant that he had to immediately send an email to every member of the board of directors, who were supposed to come today, to inform them that the meeting was canceled.


    "Why doesn''t he just admit if he likes her," Jan grumbled as he pressed the SEND button.

 Chapter 595 - Gossip

    London soon met the marketing director and chatted briefly about his experiences. Because Jan personally sent him to Luxe, he was treated well by Emil, the marketing director.


    "You seem to know Director Van Der Ven well," Emil commented as he received London in his office. "He asked me to treat you nicely."


    London could only awkwardly smile at Emil''s blunt words. "Well, we were friends when we were little. He helped me a lot."


    "Hmm... Is that so? Alright. Coincidentally, we have an urgent photo shoot for a new artist who was recommended by Director Van Der Ven today. Our photographer, Nick, needs help, and we can immediately hire you."


    "Thank you." London smiled at Emil''s explanation.


    The marketing director then looked at the camera hanging around London''s neck and shook his head, "We provide better cameras here. You can go with Eddie to the storage room and choose a good one. We''ll have three sessions. Two indoors and one outdoor. Nick will take the indoor sessions and you can help him see the style he likes. For the outdoor session later, you have to do it yourself. Nick is unwell, so he won''t be taking outdoor sessions for a while."


    "I understand," London nodded. Inwardly, he was grateful because he had studied photography seriously since childhood, so his ability wouldn''t be inferior to professional photographers. If the shots were bad, of course, his cover could be exposed easily.


    After discussing some other details, London immediately excused himself and followed Eddie, who would become his supervisor in Luxe Magazine. The man took him to a special room. There, he was invited to choose a camera and the lenses he liked, which was far better and more expensive than the camera he was carrying.


    "I know many arrogant photographers will say that ability and talent are far more important than expensive equipment, but the fact is, good equipment will make talent shine even more." Eddie expanded his arms and proudly showed all the expensive cameras on the shelves. "I''m sure you''ve never touched a camera as expensive as these before."


    London just put on a flat face and shook his head, "I see them quite often..."


    "In commercials and magazines, right? But have you held one with your own hands? Well, today, your dreams are coming true. You can touch them and choose which one you''ll use for this afternoon''s photoshoot." Eddie proudly remarked.


    London only nodded in the end. He didn''t want to argue with Eddie just to show that he wasn''t acting corny and star-struck around those expensive cameras. The truth was, he would always have the latest and most expensive equipment in his house, even before the products were launched.


    He casually chose the same camera as the one he had in his collection at home, which he often used to take pictures of his adorable nephew and niece, Altair and Vega. "I''ll take this one and those three lenses."


    "You have good taste," Eddie commented. He narrowed his eyes and looked at London carefully. "You seriously don''t want to touch the other cameras? You''re not interested in the others?"


    In his heart, Eddie felt a little disappointed. All this time, new photographers he brought to the camera room would act like someone who had just fallen in love at first sight and acted rather corny. Their camera and lens collection was undoubtedly tempting for most photographers, but this new person somehow seemed indifferent.


    "I don''t dare touch the others. I fear I might break them," London casually uttered to shake off Eddie''s suspicions.


    He knew his acting as a poor person still needed a lot of practice. While it may be true that he wore cheap and simple clothes, but his attitude was still that of a rich person''s. Because what could make a person look poor was not only attire but also attitude.


    London, who grew up in an immeasurably wealthy family environment, had a very elegant and very confident attitude. This was because his family had everything, and everyone respected them.


    London didn''t know what it was like to build a career from the bottom and have to establish good relations with people to be accepted in a new environment. All the people he met would automatically be very respectful to him. He also immediately entered his father''s company as a leader, so he was used to ordering and commanding others, not vice versa.


    "Hmm... I understand. You can go straight to the studio and get acquainted with Nick, who will take two indoor sessions today. He''ll give you lots of clues," Eddie said after a brief silence.


    "Yes!" London came out of the camera room and walked towards the studio Eddie had appointed.


    For some reason, it seemed fate really liked to tease him. On the way, he again met L who just came out of the meeting room and was going to the dressing room.


    The girl rolled her eyes and immediately looked away as soon as she saw London.


    "Iisssh..." London could only inwardly sigh. L simply ignored his existence. Even though all this time, wherever London went, he was always admired by beautiful girls trying to attract his attention.


    It wasn''t that London looked bad. On the contrary, he undoubtedly had a handsome face. He was even more handsome than the male models going in and out of Luxe''s ??office today. It was just that his cheap and old-fashioned clothes coupled with his oversized glasses made him look like a nerd.


    Ah, maybe this is how it feels like to be ignored because you''re not rich, London thought.


    He was beginning to feel suspicious. Perhaps the girls who had been trying to attract his attention were only acting that way because they knew he was rich.


    Could it be that if they thought he was poor, they would also ignore him, just like how L had ignored him?


    Maybe good looks and manners were already of no value to modern women... Perhaps, it was only wealth and power they care about.


    "Hey, what are you thinking about?" An eccentric-looking middle-aged man patted his back and half dragged him into the studio. "Are you my assistant for this afternoon? I''m Nick."


    London was immediately moved from his reverie and nodded. "Hello. My name is Killian. I was asked by Emil to help you today."


    "For the new artist?" Nick put his bag in a drawer, then began setting some lights and signaled for London to help him adjust the equipment.


    "Uhm... that''s what he said," London agreed. He hurriedly put down his bag and camera and followed Nick''s actions, installing various equipment that would soon be used for the shooting session.


    "It''s rare to have a photo session scheduled so suddenly. I want to know how pretty this new artist who slept with our boss is," Nick commented in a slightly annoyed voice.


    "What... What makes you say that?" Suddenly, London''s c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger. Nick just accused L of sleeping with the boss to get a photo session advanced. "Don''t slander someone you don''t know."


    "Why, are you so close with her that you''re defending her?" Nick asked in surprise. "I''m just telling the truth. Our boss used to be a womanizer. He still has that reputation. After his third divorce, he seemed to have learned his lesson to not play around with women. Now, all of a sudden, there''s a new artist who immediately received various promotions as soon as she got contracted... Of course, this will raise suspicions that she is sleeping with the boss."


    London immediately stopped his work. He didn''t think Nick would have such a low opinion of L. Before being bought by Schneider Group, Brilliant Mind Media was indeed owned by a middle-aged man who was a notorious pervert in the entertainment industry.


    The purchase of this media company was also carried out suddenly and wasn''t yet announced to the public. Not even the employees knew that their company had changed owners. So, they naturally assumed that all the facilities that L was enjoying now were due to her relationship with the old pervert who was BMM''s previous owner.


    London had deliberately asked Jan to keep the company''s change of owner a secret so as not to arouse suspicion. He didn''t expect that it would hurt L.''s reputation instead. He had no idea that things would turn out this way.


    "Do you think L has a relationship with our boss?" London questioned Nick, trying to confirm what he had just heard. "Will other people think the same?"


    Nick shrugged. "Of course. All of this is too good to be true. I heard that the girl is stunning and is still very young, not even 20 years old. Our boss is famous for being a fan of young girls like her."


    "I''ve heard her sing, and her voice is magnificent. If you hear it yourself, you''ll feel as though you''re hypnotized," London was still trying to defend L.


    "Tsk tsk tsk... How naive," Nick uttered. "I know you wish that such a young girl was innocent and had a positive image, but let me tell you something. Talent and hard work alone are not enough. Everyone in the entertainment industry has to do something dirty to be famous. That''s the way it is."


    Bastard, London inwardly cursed. He hoped L didn''t hear the nasty gossip about her, otherwise, she would feel devastated.

 Chapter 596 - You Forgot To Blink

    L must haven''t heard these rumors. She must still be feeling happy because her manager suddenly told her that she got an exclusive contract from the biggest entertainment company in the country because the owner was very impressed after seeing her performance at Stephan''s party.


    L naturally thought all this was really because of her talent. When she heard people gossiping about her sleeping with the owner of Brilliant Mind Media, London could imagine how the girl would feel hurt.


    Dammit, I have to get Jan to announce the purchase of BMM so people don''t get the wrong idea anymore, London thought.


    He typed a short SMS to Jan to announce the purchase of BMM by the Schneider Group. So, the rumors about L sleeping with the previous BMM owner wouldn''t become a snowball effect that would damage her career.


    [Alright] Jan shortly replied. He was able to guess what was happening and immediately arranged for them to have a press conference to announce the acquisition of BMM by Schenider Group tomorrow. He would personally be present and give the statement.


    Ten minutes later, a few studio assistants came to help Nick and London set the lights and discussed a little about the shooting concept that Nick wanted. The hairdresser and stylist arrived shortly after. At precisely 2 PM, L and her manager entered the studio, and the first photo session was ready to take place.


    "Hi..." London greeted L, who had just entered the room. The girl wore blue attire with glam makeup that made her look radiant. For a moment, London pursed his lips in disappointment. He actually preferred to see L without makeup, like when they passed each other in the hallway. Her face was only covered by a very thin layer of makeup. She looked natural, but still very beautiful.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" L questioned. She didn''t like London''s unhappy expression when he looked at her makeup-covered face.


    London was stunned. He didn''t expect that L would talk to him. After passing each other several times with the girl ignoring his existence, he thought that L would also ignore him this time.


    But the girl actually asked him a question when he least expected it. London didn''t know why his heart felt so happy just because that annoying girl spoke to him.


    "Are you talking to me?" London asked to confirm.


    "Who else would I be talking to? Didn''t you greet me first?" L rolled her eyes as if she regretted asking this guy a question just now.


    "That''s true, but you can''t blame me for not reacting in time. You''ve been ignoring me all this time," London said in an attempt to defend himself. "I thought you didn''t want to talk to me anymore."


    L glared at London''s answer. Instantly, the man regretted refuting L.


    "I''m trying to forget what happened between us, okay?" the girl hissed. "You think this is easy for me? It seems as though you''re everywhere I go. So, finally, while in the dressing room, I pondered for a long time, and I''ve decided..."


    "Decided what?" London asked in surprise.


    "I''ve heard about how you''re working here now."


    "You said men should work and have ambitions," London reminded her.


    "Right. I''m glad to see you beginning to have an ambition. But this means I''ll meet you often, even though I don''t like it. So instead of torturing myself and constantly avoiding you, I should try to face reality and acknowledge your existence." L narrowed her eyes and intently stared at London, "But if you bring up what happened then... I''ll kill you."


    London was stunned. This girl always talked big, he thought.


    But on the other hand, he was relieved that L was m.a.t.u.r.e enough and decided to accept the fact that she and London were victims of Stephan''s actions, and she didn''t blame London for what happened. In fact, she no longer avoided the man.


    London was amazed because within only four days, L was able to sort her heart and move on by immersing herself in work. Inwardly, he could hardly believe that a girl as smart and as wise as this girl was only nineteen years old. This meant she was eight years younger than himself.


    "I won''t bring up the incident," London nervously said. He raised a hand solemnly, giving his promise to L.


    He also didn''t want to remember the embarrassing incident. Even now, when he saw L standing gracefully in front of him, his mind subconsciously drifted to the events of four nights ago.


    Suddenly, the image of her beautiful body laid innocently in front of him came to mind. Subconsciously London gulped when he remembered how her delicate skin touched his body... and how her s.e.xy and big b.r.e.a.s.ts which clung to London''s c.h.e.s.t felt so bouncy and...


    Slap!


    London had to slap his own cheek so that the beautiful images would disappear from his mind. He was a well-educated gentleman, and his mother taught him to be respectful towards women. But, for some reason, when he saw L standing near, his brain suddenly became perverted and kept thinking of various o.b.s.c.e.n.e things he wanted to do to her.


    "What''s up with you?" L asked in surprise. The people in the studio had also all stared at London. He was looking pathetic with his right palm slapped on his right cheek.


    "Uhm... nothing... I just slapped a mosquito," he said halfheartedly and pretended to scratch his cheek that wasn''t itchy. London hurried over to Nick, who was looking at his computer and taking some photo tests.


    L, who saw London''s strange behavior involuntarily covered her c.h.e.s.t with both hands. Her cheeks turned red. She guessed that London was picturing her n.a.k.e.d body just now, because the man''s eyes rested on her c.h.e.s.t right before he slapped his own cheek...


    Ugh... men! She inwardly cussed.


    ***


    The shooting of the first and second sessions went very smoothly. L was truly a professional artist, even though her career was still relatively new. She never made a mistake and moved naturally from one pose to the next ones like it was a walk in the park.


    Nick had a hard time choosing four from the best photos because almost all of L''s photos he took looked amazing. Usually, with other models, he would need to take hundreds or even thousands of photos to painstakingly choose two or three good ones. But with L, he had difficulty choosing because they were all fantastic.


    "She''s very natural in front of the camera. What a photographer''s ideal model," Nick whispered to London. "I regret not taking the outdoor session for her. The results will definitely be even better."


    London hoped that today''s session would change Nick''s thought of how L slept with the company owner to get her contract and promotion.


    That''s technically what happened though... L did sleep with London, and London was now the owner of Brilliant Mind Media. And he also helped L''s career because they slept together, but...


    Sigh... Why is it so complicated? London thought, feeling irritated.


    It could be said that the gossip circulating was true. It was just that they were gossiping the wrong person. The boss of BMM was now London, not the old geezer.


    Whatever it was, he didn''t want L to be a victim for the second time because of malicious gossips. So if Nick changed his mind about L, London hoped other people would do the same. They would see how L''s own talents and abilities made her fit to be a superstar.


    "So you agree she''s indeed talented?" London asked with a smile. "You should hear her sing. You''ll like her even more."


    "Really? Many say she has a mesmerizing voice, but I don''t believe it," Nick said with a shrug.


    "That''s right, her voice is mesmerizing. Just like a siren, the sea fairy," London voiced. "Try looking up videos of her singing on the internet."


    "You like her, don''t you? You always defend her," Nick commented, looking at London with a mischievous smile.


    "What, me? No way. I''ve only met her twice," London denied, shaking his head vigorously. "Besides, she''s annoying. I can''t possibly like such an arrogant and annoying girl."


    His gaze involuntarily wandered to L, who was sitting in the dressing chair. Her curled-up hair was now being styled by the hairdresser to fall down to her shoulders.


    London remembered how her hair felt so smooth like silk and had a distinctive scent. He seemed to be able to smell her scent from twenty meters away.


    Nick waved his hand in front of London, "You forgot to blink."


    "Eh..." London hurriedly blinked and pretended not to hear Nick''s words before looking back at the monitor to choose a photo.

 Chapter 597 - Londons Plan

    He pointed to a few photos on the monitor and turned to Nick. "Are you going to use these photos? I really like the poses. If you''re not going to, I''d like to use these poses for the outdoor session later."


    "You changed the subject," Nick said with a smile. Even so, he didn''t pursue the matter as he shook his head. "I won''t be using those. You can use them."


    "Thank you," London sincerely said. He noted something in his notebook before talking with some of the studio staff to discuss matters regarding the next photo session, which would take place in a park not far from the building.


    "Sorry I can''t come," Nick told. "The doctor said I shouldn''t be exposed to too much sun."


    "It''s okay," London responded, giving a thumbs up. Eddie was going to accompany him in the outdoor session. London had never done a professional photo shoot for a magazine before, after all.


    When everything was ready and they were about to leave for the park, Nick gathered everyone and gave a few pointers. Of course, he also didn''t forget to praise L who, according to him, was very professional.


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation, L. You''re very pleasant. We can finish our work earlier this way," Nick commented while patting L''s shoulder. He then pointed his chin towards London. "The next session is an outdoor session, with the concepts already discussed at the meeting earlier. Killian will take care of you. I should go rest now."


    L looked stunned hearing Nick''s words. She didn''t think Killian would work by himself in the next session. But the girl didn''t protest. She just slowly nodded.


    ***


    Their group arrived at the park in three cars. London, Eddie, and the shooting assistants were in the first car, L, her manager, and the stylist were in the second car, and London''s bodyguards, who followed him in secret, were in the third car.


    The concept of the outdoor session was Welcoming Spring. There were so many flowers beginning to bloom, welcoming spring in the park. London didn''t know which was more beautiful, the flowers or L.


    This time, the girl only wore light makeup, so her appearance was more natural and her short dress made her look more relaxed and pleasant. London felt elated, because to him, L looked the most beautiful when she looked natural.


    After the equipment was set up, they immediately began working.


    London felt very grateful that he chose to disguise himself as a photographer because it allowed him to be near L and direct her style. Sometimes, he would deliberately touch the girl''s chin and direct her to look at a certain angle, or hold her hand and ask her to hold a flower, or straighten her shoulders.


    L wasn''t dumb. She knew the photographer really enjoyed his work, and it wasn''t only a few times did the girl roll her eyes while obeying London''s orders to look this way or that way, put her hands to her waist, or brush her hair...


    Eddie frowned when he saw how the photographer''s face was always filled with smiles and eagerness to work.


    "You''re really talented. All the photos I took were really good," London praised her after the photo session was over. "Do you want to see the results?"


    L shook her head, "No thanks. I have to go. I believe in your skills."


    "Oh..." London nodded with a smile. However, in his heart, he was disappointed. "Alright. Thanks for your cooperation."


    L reciprocated his nod and immediately left with her manager, Pammy. London ordered the photoshoot assistants to clean up the equipment and bring them back to Luxe''s ??office while he reasoned that he wanted to have some coffee before returning home, parting ways with them.


    "Bring the camera to the office as well and give the photos I took to Nick. Yes, let him choose the photos from this session. I want to warm up my body by drinking some coffee," he said before he went.


    Going for coffee was only an excuse for London because he wanted to go home with his two bodyguards who were waiting for him in the car. After walking to the end of the park and making sure no one saw him, London hurriedly get into the BMW car Dave was driving.


    "Let''s go home," he said when he got into the car and sat in the rear seat while enjoying cold drinking water.


    Dave nodded and drove the car to London''s penthouse at the St. Laurent Hotel.


    "Ouch... Why does my face hurt like this," London complained after gulping down the water. He stroked the sides of his jaw and realized he had been smiling incessantly until his face unconsciously became numb.


    What''s wrong with me? He inwardly asked himself in astonishment. He recalled when Jan and Nick accused him of having a crush on L and how he denied it many times.


    Did he really like that girl?


    Impossible!


    They''ve only met twice, and L was always rude toward him. While it may be true that the girl slowly lessened her annoying attitude, it didn''t change the fact that L was very materialistic, and London had to protect himself from gold-diggers who only wanted his wealth.


    If London really liked L, he should wake up and see that the girl wasn''t suitable for him and he should never see her again.


    After all, even if he did feel responsible for L for having s.e.x with her, he had compensated the girl by giving L what she wanted, which was to make her very famous.


    He still remembered how L only wanted to be famous so she could enter the upper-class circle and capture the hearts of super-rich men. By giving her what was essentially her life dream, it goes without saying that London didn''t need to take any more responsibility.


    ***


    The next day, as promised, Jan held a press conference to announce that Schneider Group had bought Brilliant Mind Media. The move indirectly killed the nasty rumors among BMM employees that the new artist that the company signed was the boss'' mistress.


    The respectable and reclusive Schneider family''s reputation was too great that no one dared to make any accusations or gossips that some inappropriate things happened between the Schneider family members and any artists.


    People learned from experience when there were rumors for years about a relationship between Elios Linden, the boss of RMI, and a Virconnect ex-ambassador, Elien Mikhailova. Years later, the rumors were proven to be false, since he had actually been married to the eldest daughter of the Schneider family for ten years. Now, they didn''t dare gossip about the owner of Schneider Group with L.


    "It''s settled, Sir. They should know by now that BMM is a subsidiary of the Schneider Group." Jan informed London in his office during lunchtime. "It did create a scene at the press conference. The purchase of BMM was quite surprising to many."


    "Hm." London nodded. "After this, don''t forget to include L in some of the international events that we sponsor."


    "I''ve prepared them. She''ll be opening for Rainfall Band in their European tour, starting next month. Anna has arranged everything," Jan said as he took the last strawberry from the fruit plate in front of him. "In the meantime, we''ve got the best team to prepare her first album. We''ll make L the second Billie Yves."


    London remembered Aunt Billie, who was now enjoying her retirement in Australia, taking care of her two children with Neo. Ah, Jan was right... No singer was more famous and legendary than Billie Yves. If L could enjoy popularity like Billie''s, then London would be satisfied and consider his efforts to help L enough.


    Until then, he would continue to monitor and make sure L would get what she had always wanted: to be a superstar.


    Then he''ll slowly back away and let the girl follow her own path.

 Chapter 598 - I Must Be Out Of My Mind!

    "Sir... SIIIR..." Jan waved his hand in front of London''s daydreaming face. The young man flinched and glared at Jan, who held the position as HR Director in the Schneider Group even though, in reality, he mostly worked as his assistant for his personal and professional life.


    "Why are you shouting at me like that?" London questioned him with a frown. "I''m not deaf, you know."


    Jan cleared his throat and glanced to the left. It was only then London realized, Fritz Himmel, the Finance Director, had been looking at him attentively. His expression showed that he had been trying to ask for London''s opinion for some time already.


    Gosh, he was attending the board of directors meeting, yet his mind was nowhere near his shell.


    "So, what do you think, Sir?" Fritz asked again. "I can repeat my presentation if you need me to. You looked like you had a lot in your mind. If you''re feeling unwell, I won''t mind postponing my report, and we can reschedule the next meeting."


    London hurriedly waved and nodded.


    "Everything''s okay. I agree with you." He stood up and took his suit from the chair. "Send the rest by email. I have to go."


    How outrageous! He had never been daydreaming like this in the middle of a business meeting before. He was really embarrassed thinking about what would happen if the rumors about him reached his father or older brother, Terry.


    Everything was fine before. The meeting went well and their discussion was very productive. Then, suddenly, he received an email from Nick with an attachment of ten photos which he selected from the photo sessions they did three days ago.


    As soon as London opened the email attachment, he was enchanted by the ten photos featuring the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.


    His attention to Fritz Himmel''s presentation was reduced to fifty percent when he began observing L''s beautiful curves in the photos and admire her fierce yet charming pair of eyes.


    Slowly, his attention to Fritz''s presentation dropped to thirty percent...


    Twenty percent...


    And finally, zero percent.. as he scrolled down to see more photos.


    His mind''s focus on Fritz Himmel''s presentation: ZERO PERCENT.


    His mind''s focus on L''s pictures: ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.


    Dammit! It looked like London was finally forced to admit that he did like L. Never had his attention been so distracted by a woman before.


    After the incident at the meeting just now, London realized he had to resolve this problem immediately. Otherwise, he would be Terry''s laughingstock when his brother heard about what happened. That was why he chose to end the meeting and go out to look for L.


    "Meeting is over," Jan stated to the other directors as he ran after London, who was already walking out of the conference room. He quickly caught up with his boss''s footsteps and made an intelligent guess about what London wanted to do. "Are you going to look for L and confess your feelings for her?"


    London turned to Jan and frowned. "Smart-ass. I just want to confirm my feelings. It doesn''t mean that I truly like her. Why should I confess something that I am not sure about?"


    "Eh...? Then how are you going to confirm your feelings for her if you are not going to confess?" Jan asked in surprise.


    "I need to see her and find out whether what I''m feeling is a romantic attraction towards a woman or just feeling pity, that is all," London replied.


    "Ah, alright. Do you need L''s schedule for today?" Jan asked again. He opened his tablet and quickly checked a doc.u.ment. "At the moment, she''s at home writing some songs. Later this afternoon, she''ll have dance practice in the studio until 7 PM; then dinner with the prospective producer for her new album at Medusa Restaurant."


    "Then I''ll go to her home," London voiced, already with a decision.


    He was sure that this time L would be willing to see him if he came to her place. This was because the last time they met, the girl no longer ignored his existence.


    "Good luck," Jan commented, subtly patting his boss''s shoulder.


    London just nodded in response before leaving. A moment later he frowned.


    Good luck with what? He inwardly asked.


    Good luck with getting back to normal?


    Good luck with getting to know my true feelings for L?


    Good luck with getting on a date with her, or what...?


    London arrived at L''s apartment ten minutes later. He decided to ring the bell to L''s unit and waited for an answer in the lobby.


    "Who is it?" From the intercom, L''s voice could be heard. London hurriedly answered.


    "It''s me, Killian Makela. There''s something I want to talk to you about."


    L looked at London''s figure from the lobby camera connected to the monitor on her door and sank into contemplation for a few moments. Finally, she pressed the OPEN button, and the elevator door immediately opened for London to go up to the eighth floor, where L''s unit was located.


    Apparently, his guess was right. L was willing to let him in and see him... London just didn''t expect it to be this easy.


    He was already at the door, yet he didn''t know what to say.


    Suddenly, the door swung opened and he saw L standing in the doorway, a book in her hand. Her eyes seemed to be assessing London from head to toe. A moment later, the girl''s lips curved up into a faint smile.


    "Come on in," she invited him. And like a meek kitten, London followed her inside. L pointed at the sofa in the living room, which was cream-colored, and invited London to sit. "Sit down, I''ll be ready in half an hour."


    Then she went into her room and didn''t come out again.


    London could only sit on the sofa with confusion. What did L mean by saying she''d be ready in half an hour?


    He hadn''t told her about his purpose of coming here yet.


    "The kitchen is to your left. If you''re thirsty, get yourself a drink from the fridge." The girl''s voice came out from inside the bedroom. London became more confused. He thought L was indeed strange. He still couldn''t wrap his head around her.


    "Thank you, I''m fine," London replied to her.


    He then began to observe his surroundings and decided to look around L.''s apartment. The unit was small, but it was neatly arranged and looked very feminine. L was indeed a feminine girl, London thought to himself. This was reflected in the choice of bright colors in her decoration and furniture.


    Oh, right... It''s only natural for her taste to still be a bit childish. She''s still really young, after all, London thought. He compared this apartment to his elegant dark-themed penthouse. Everything was arranged by a professional designer according to his taste.


    Unlike L''s, his taste was refined.


    For example, London will never put a pink table in the corner of the room like the one in this unit.


    Gosh, that color... London thought exasperatedly.


    To him, the pink table was somehow very disturbing. London couldn''t imagine how he would object if L insisted on having pink furniture in their home when they got married. How scary!


    London suddenly coughed violently.


    He couldn''t believe how his mind just wandered that far.


    Wait... what was I thinking?! When we got married? I must be out of my mind!

 Chapter 599 - The First And Last Date

    He couldn''t believe his mind wandered off that far to the future. This was only their third meeting. London didn''t even know if really he liked the girl or not. He actually came here to confirm his feelings for her.


    The pink table at the corner gave L a minus score in London''s mind. Jeez... There was no way he would sacrifice his classic abode for a girl who would force him to put a table with such a ridiculous color in his home.


    He then walked towards the kitchen and saw that her small kitchen looked like it was used a lot for cooking.


    Hmm... Did this mean L can cook?


    Wow... The negative score from the stupid table was compensated by L''s ability to cook. The count now returned to neutral.


    London then looked at the balcony and found that there were some well-preserved potted plants. He nodded in satisfaction. Women who could cook and care for plants made him happy. The score was now 1-2.


    1 negative point for the pink table.


    2 positive points for cooking and gardening.


    The score had changed to positive.


    Ha.


    "Alright, I''m ready." L finally came out of her bedroom, and London, who turned his head to look at her, immediately froze in his place.


    L was wearing a lovely red knee-length dress. Her hair was tied to a simple ponytail, her face was almost without makeup, and her feet were adorned with red strappy sandals matching her dress, making her look very girly.


    The score was now 1-12.


    1 negative point for the pink table.


    2 positive points for cooking and gardening.


    10 positive points for such an enchanting appearance, plus, her lips finally showed a smile.


    "You are... so beautiful," London involuntarily uttered praise.


    "Thank you," L responded. She pulled London''s hand out of her apartment and pressed the elevator button. "So, where are you going to take me on this date?"


    "Eh...?" London was surprised to hear L.''s question. "What do you mean?"


    L pursed her lips. "Aren''t you here because you wanted to ask me out on a date?"


    "I..." London frowned. He couldn''t understand where she was coming from. "What makes you think I came to ask you out on a date?"


    "Jeez..." L placed her hands on her waist, and her smile disappeared. Her voice turned cynical as she said, "You came here looking like a million-dollar, even to the point of wearing a fake watch, to impress me. What else could you be aiming for if it wasn''t to ask me out on a date?"


    London glanced at his watch and immediately realized that, because he was in a hurry, he hadn''t even had time to think about changing his appearance before coming to L''s apartment. He was still wearing the expensive clothes he always wore to the office, with leather shoes and the world''s most expensive watch on his wrist.


    His clothing brand couldn''t be seen, but the super expensive watch adorning his wrist would have exposed his secret if L hadn''t thought he was wearing a fake watch.


    He covered his watch with his right hand and slowly nodded, "You''re right. I do want to ask you out on a date."


    L crossed her arms across her c.h.e.s.t and narrowed her eyes to look at London attentively. "So I''m right, aren''t I? Why did you pretend not to understand what I was talking about?"


    "I didn''t expect you would just agree to go on a date with me," London confessed.


    L pursed her lips. "I agree to go out with you, but only this once. This will be the first and last time."


    She pressed the elevator button again and gave a signal for London to enter as soon as the elevator door opened. Obediently, London joined her in the elevator.


    After they were inside and the elevator was slowly heading down, London finally asked. "Why is this the first and last date?"


    L shrugged. "Because I don''t want to fall in love with you."


    London was stunned to hear L.''s words. The girl didn''t want to fall in love with him?


    Why did she suddenly bring up the world ''love'', out of nowhere?


    "Hmm ... is that so?" he asked, glancing at L. "Why is that? Am I not good enough for you?"


    L shook her head. "It''s not that you''re not good enough for me, but you''re not the person I need."


    "Need? So you determine whether or not to love a man based on how much you can use him?" London asked again. He was disappointed again, even though he knew from the beginning what kind of girl she was. "You''re very pragmatic."


    "At least I''m honest," L shrugged. "So, where are we going for our date? ''


    London thought for a moment. St. Laurent Hotel had a very romantic restaurant because it had a beautiful hanging garden and, at this time of day, there weren''t too many people coming for a meal


    His own residence was located in the penthouse on the top of the building, and he could easily manage the access there. All he had to do was ask Jan to coordinate with the restaurant manager to treat him as if he were an ordinary guest.


    "It''s a secret," London replied with a smile. The elevator door opened and he reached out to hold L. The girl took his hand and the two walked hand in hand towards the BMW car driven by Dave.


    L stood quietly for a moment, and then she looked at the car and London alternately. Finally, she shook her head and then went inside through the door that was opened for her. They drove to the St. Laurent Hotel in silence.


    Upon their arrival, the restaurant manager, Hadley, immediately welcomed London and L and directed them to the best outdoor table overlooking the hanging garden.


    "Welcome, Mr. Makela. Your table is ready." Hadley invited them to sit, and a moment later, London and L already held a glass of champagne each.


    "Are you impressed?" London asked her, raising his glass and smiling at L.


    The girl looked at him for a long time and finally shook her head.


    London became confused. Why was it so hard to guess the way her mind worked? He frowned and asked again what L meant by shaking her head.


    "You don''t like it?" This time he couldn''t hide the disappointment in his voice.


    "I like it, but I think this is too extravagant and not sensible on your part. I don''t like men who are unreasonable and spend their money just to impress others. I know you''re not a rich, so, why are you acting like you are a big shot to take me out on a date? I wouldn''t say no if you asked me to eat at a burger joint in a riverside park while watching the boats, for example."


    L clinked her glass to London''s glass and sipped her drink. She looked at their surroundings and was oblivious to the beauty of the hanging garden, which had always invited guests'' admiration.


    London really didn''t get it. Why was it so hard to impress this girl?

 Chapter 600 - L Has A Good Taste

    "I thought you only want to date a super-rich man ... So, why did you want to go out with me?" asked the curious man.


    L looked at him with a look of surprise as if London was a primary school student asking simple questions that all elementary students should know the answer to.


    "The fact that I am willing to go out with you now does not mean I want to date you, okay? I only gave you a chance because I don''t have the heart to let you down after seeing how hard you tried. You braved coming to my house; you dressed up, and basically you made the effort. So, of course, I have to respect it. I also think we need to talk about ''that''. So, after this, we can move on and forget the unfortunate events that already happened," L finally responded. "Do you understand now?"


    London nodded. "So ... you accepted my invitation because you only wanted to talk. And for you, the place is not at all important. It could be anywhere. We can even do it by the river while eating burgers because... for you, this is actually NOT a date. You are not willing to give me any chance to develop any feelings for you."


    L nodded. "I''m glad you understand. I can''t bear to see you spend this much money on nothing. So, to help you, I won''t order food. Let''s just drink something cheap and talk."


    London could only nod slowly.


    Actually, if you think about it, L was a nice girl. On the one hand, she knew Killian Makela was a poor man who was trying desperately to impress her, but because Killian did not have much money, L deliberately did not want to squeeze him dry by ordering expensive food.


    But, on the other hand, that meant she did not want to give a chance to Killian to impress her. She did not consider Killian as a man who would be relationship potential.


    Thinking of this, London could only swallow hard. At first, he had thought about just opening up his secret to L, and told her the fact that he was actually super-rich and that the whole building where they were now sitting enjoying champagne was his.


    But because L did not want to give him a chance, he was discouraged to disclose his identity.


    "Alright ... let''s just drink." London nodded in agreement. "And talk."


    "You may begin." L took a sip of her drink and looks at London. "You said you want to talk. You go first."


    London was amazed to see the attitude of this girl who was eight years younger than him. L who was still 19 years old could sound very m.a.t.u.r.e when she was talking like this.


    "I know you don''t want to bring up what happened ..." Finally, London began to talk. "But I just want to make sure you are fine, after ... after that incident. However, I was raised by my parents to be a good man, and I deeply regret what happened to you ... I want to be responsible and will make sure the culprit will get proper punishment."


    L looked at London attentively. "That''s not necessary. Stephan was already sorted. Apparently, there are other victims who came forward and with the help of a great lawyer, they make sure he will never get out of prison. Poor people like us will not be able to do anything, so just be thankful that someone has already handled it."


    If L knew that London was responsible for ensuring that Stephan went to prison, she would not have spoken like this.


    "You seem to be very allergic to poverty and poor people," commented London. "I''ve never met anyone so determined to get rich as you are."


    "Everyone must want to be rich. Those who say no are hypocrites." L shrugged.


    "There are two ways to become rich. The first is by your own effort, being successful by working hard and starting from the bottom. The second is because of inheritance. You were born into a rich family, and everything has been provided in a silver spoon for you since you were born, you just have to take it." London took a sip and looked thoughtful. "One day I could become rich too, as long as I work hard. So, why don''t you want to give me a chance?"


    "I don''t want to marry someone because of their potential. I want to marry someone because of who they are," L. answered. "I''m just trying to be honest with myself and others."


    "I do not understand." London stared at L attentively. This girl in front of him was truly an interesting creature.


    "Hmm .. let me put it this way. If I fancy a romantic man as a husband, but the man I am currently dating is not romantic, I cannot marry him with the hope that one day he will change and become a romantic guy. That means I am not accepting him as he is. I only accept him because I put my hope in his potential to someday change and become a romantic."


    "Oh ... so?"


    "Likewise, if I want to marry a rich man, but I am dating a poor man, with the hope that someday the poor man will turn rich. That means I do not love him as he is, with his poverty, but because I hope one day he will get lucky and become rich ... Why pretend like that? I am always honest from the beginning. I set the conditions for anyone who wants to approach me. I told everyone that I do not want to live a hard life."


    "Hmm ... makes sense." London nodded. "So, because I''m poor, you won''t give me any chance to approach you at all?"


    L shook her head. "I''m sorry. You''re very kind, and you are also quite attractive. I''m afraid that if I give you a chance, I''ll fall in love with you and forget my own principles."


    The man''s eyes shone when L said he was very kind and also quite attractive.


    You have a good taste, L. London subconsciously smiled smugly.

 Chapter 601 - Improvement

    "You really think I''m kind? And you also think I''m quite attractive? So, basically, the only thing lacking from me is wealth?"


    "Correct."


    "What if I could become wealthy in one year, would you want to be my girlfriend?"


    "Hm ... maybe. We''ll see another year." L shrugged nonchalantly.


    "If so, will you wait for me for a year so that I can maximize my potential and become super-rich? If I don''t manage to become as wealthy as you want, then you can leave me, and I won''t complain at all," London said with a smile. He felt very happy with the direction of their conversation.


    If L was willing, London would have one year to think. He could reveal his identity or not, depending on their interactions for the next year. He needed to see first whether L was the right woman for him or not. If he felt that L was the right woman for him, then he would tell her the truth after one year.


    If not, then London would disappear from L''s life without ever revealing his identity as one of the wealthiest people on earth today.


    Who knows, maybe during the next one year he could even actually change the girl''s mind. All he needed was time.


    "You want to be super-rich in one year?" L asked, frowning. "You''re very confident, huh?"


    "All you have to do is say whether you will agree or not."


    "All right. Besides money, I also like confidence. I hope you really can become super-rich and powerful ... so you will have a better life. I can wait if it''s only one year," L finally replied.


    London smiled wider. "I will prove to you that in the next year I will become a super-rich man and we will be able to buy whatever we want here, not just cheap drinks."


    "Okay."


    "Cheers!" London clinked his glass to L''s. They then sipped their drinks together.


    "By the way, why are you so persistent in pursuing me?" L asked him. She looked at London attentively.


    "Uhm ... because ..." London swallowed and tried to find the right words. "Because I feel responsible for you. But I don''t know how to show that responsibility on my part. You don''t even want to give me a chance because I''m poor. So, the only way is to fulfill the first condition you set, which is to become super-rich. Then later, we can decide what we should do. "


    "Hmm ... thank you. I was not wrong. You really are a kind man ..." L took a deep breath. She then finished her drink and stood up. "I don''t blame you for what happened that night, we are both victims. But if I can be a motivation for you to have an ambition and improve your life, then I''m fine with that. I hate lazy people who don''t want to make the effort. I hope you will succeed and get what you want. "


    "Where are you going?" asked London.


    "Go home. I''ve listened to what you wanted to say. I already told you that I''ll wait for a year. I will be swamped for the next year anyway. I need to prepare my new album and start my career at Brilliant Mind Media. I won''t have time to date any men."


    London hurriedly rose to follow her. "I''ll take you home."


    "It''s okay, I can go by myself. Besides, I have a dinner appointment with my producer at Medusa Restaurant. Goodbye." L tiptoed and kissed London''s cheeks then walked out of the restaurant.


    The man just stood rooted to the spot. L''s kiss on his cheek still felt warm five minutes after the girl left.


    Hmm ... what were they talking about just now? He didn''t really remember.


    What was clear was that L said London was a kind and attractive man. L also said she was willing to wait for him to prove that he could become wealthy in one year before she looked for another prospective wealthy husband.


    This meant that London would have one year to test his feelings for L and make a decision.


    This is not a bad deal, he thought.


    Jan saw his boss''s mood improve during the week, and he suspected something had happened between his boss and the aspiring singer.


    "So?" he asked, pouring coffee for himself and London as they were discussing several reports in London''s office at the Schneider Tower.


    "I like the reclamation project," commented London, lowering the doc.u.ment he was reading.


    "That was not what I meant, Sir. But how is your relationship with Miss L going?" Jan asked curiously. "Last time I checked, you canceled a BOD meeting last week to see her and then asked me to book a table for you in the Moon Restaurant of the St. Laurent with Hadley. That means you took her there. Have you confessed your feelings for her?"


    "What feelings...?" London narrowed his eyes at Jan''s words. "What do you mean? We were just talking."


    "You still haven''t told her your true identity?" Jan asked again.


    "Not yet. I have a year to do it." London shrugged with a thin smile. "I don''t like to be rushed. Besides, we will keep her busy for the whole next year with various promotional programs and events to launch her career."


    "Hmm ... is that so?" Jan nodded.


    They went back to discussing the various reports that came in and Jan tried to suppress his curiosity about his boss''s private life and did not ask any more questions about L.


    Over the next month, London enjoyed life with two completely different identities. When there were Brilliant Mind Media activities involving L that needed a photographer, he would be Killian Makela. He swiftly drove to the BMM building, changed clothes in a car with a simple shirt and took off his watch, then put on his glasses and walked into Luxe''s ??office to work as a photographer.


    On normal days, he would live and work as London Schneider, who maintained his strict privacy. His interaction with L had also improved. The girl had stopped treating him like air since their last conversation at the Moon Restaurant.


    Like today, after finishing an outdoor photoshoot, L handed over a bottle of water to him. The girl saw London''s forehead sweating from the heat and knew he was thirsty.


    "Huh?" For a moment, the young man was stunned.


    "Water?" L stared at the man as if he was dumb. "WA-TER. Aren''t you thirsty?"


    "Ah.. thank you!" London accepted the drink and took a sip. He was elated because L''s attitude had changed a lot now compared to the first time they met.


    He liked her more and more.

 Chapter 602 - Butterflies In Their Stomachs

    London accepted the drink and took a sip. His heart was overflowed with joy. L changed so much, he thought. He never knew she could actually act friendly like this.


    "You''re welcome." L drank her water and then sat next to London. "You''re a talented photographer, everything was very efficient and fast."


    "You''re also a very talented model, working with you is fun," replied London. He wasn''t lying. L was talented as well. She could work 20 flawless poses in one minute.


    "Thanks. I practice." L only smiled a little.


    Seeing how L look so relaxed while sitting next to him - and considering her attitude toward him had improved a lot, London finally decided to take a chance and asked her to go out. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"


    L turned to him and shrugged. "OK, but it shouldn''t be in a fancy place. I don''t want to make you broke."


    Inwardly, London cheered happily. L said yes!!!


    "All right. We can eat burgers by the river like you said the last time." He smiled broadly. "The river is only ten minutes away on a bicycle."


    He pointed to an electronic bicycle terminal at the end of the park. L pondered for a while, then finally nodded.


    "I''ll tell Pammy not to wait for me," she said.


    "And I will send the crew back to Luxe with the equipment and submit today''s photos to Nick."


    London was thrilled because L was finally willing to have dinner with him. After saying goodbye to the crew, he pulled L''s hand towards the bicycle rental. After he made the order in the application on his cellphone, he removed a bicycle from its terminal and immediately climbed onto it. London gave a signal for L to be his pillion.


    The girl shook her head but complied with London''s request and climbed on his pillion.


    "Hold on ... I don''t want you to fall," London said with a smile. He pulled L''s right hand and placed it on his waist.


    L just rolled her eyes but, again, she didn''t complain. She also wrapped her left arm around and hugged London''s waist according to the young man''s request.


    It was such a beautiful day. The weather in early spring was still chilly but none of them felt the cold. London''s heart was especially warm when he saw the two tiny hands wrapped around his waist.


    He intentionally slowed the pace of his bicycle. He did not feel the need to arrive by the river quickly. After all, they would only eat burgers, right? Nothing urgent there.


    As a result, they finally arrived by the river half an hour later. Normally, the journey would take only ten minutes. London really enjoyed the slow-ride with L''s tiny hands hugging his waist and feeling her warm breath on his back.


    He did not want the journey to end. But unfortunately, he could not find a longer route to go to the river.


    "Ah ... we have arrived," he said when they arrived near the river half an hour later. He parked the bicycle in the designated spot and pulled L''s hand towards the burger stall. "What burger do you want?"


    L pointed at the menu and London ordered for both of them. While waiting for their burgers, L excused herself to the buy drinks and returned five minutes later with a bottle of wine and two paper cups.


    "You buy the food, I buy the drink," said the girl, holding up her wine bottle.


    "Eh, no. If it''s just wine. I can still afford it," London said in amazement. "I''m a guy, I should pay."


    L chuckled at London''s protest. "Don''t worry about it. It''s only natural that we share. You take care of the food and I take care of the drinks. We both can share."


    London was again amazed at L''s attitude. This girl now looked like a normal girl who didn''t mind sharing responsibilities and splitting bills. Did this mean L had changed and was no longer looking to date only super-rich men?


    Ah, if that''s the case, London would feel very happy. However, he felt more content if he was with a girl who didn''t want him only for his wealth.


    When their burgers were ready, they found a nice location by the river banks and sat there. It was a perfect place to observe the passing boats while enjoying the beauty of the river. London poured wine for the two of them and they then ate while chatting.


    It was very nice.


    In fact, you could say ... romantic.


    Flowers seem to be blooming everywhere in spring. So many couples also seem to enjoy this beautiful riverfront area for picnics even though the temperature was still rather chilly.


    London never thought that eating a burger with a beautiful girl while sitting on the grass, enjoying wine in a paper cup and looking at the view on the river could feel so beautiful.


    Maybe this is what a poor person feels like, he thought. They can still feel happy even though they don''t spend a lot of money. Before, London could not imagine something like this, because he was accustomed to everything fancy in his life.


    "You look happy today," commented London. He was referring to L''s change of attitude toward him.


    L nodded. "I am happy. This week I will finish recording my first album. Next week I will be opening the Rainfall concert in this city, then joining them in various countries in Europe. Once the tour with Rainfall is concluded, I will be ready to launch my album. At the same time, my various advertising contracts will be launched as well. Six months from now you will see my face everywhere ... "


    "It''s great. You could say, six months from now you will have your dream of becoming a famous artist," said London. "Congratulations."


    L turned to him and looked at London with a faint smile. "Six months from now, our worlds will be very different. That''s why now I want to have dinner with you before we become worlds apart."


    "Why?" London was astonished. "After you become famous, you don''t want to know me anymore?"


    He felt disappointed. Earlier, he thought L had changed.


    "That''s not what I meant," L smiled and took off London''s oversized glasses and smoothed his hair. "I will be very busy and we will not get many opportunities to meet. By the way, if you want to be super-rich, you have to look the part. First, you should remove these ugly glasses and tidy your hair."


    Ahh ... London felt so relieved to hear her. It seemed like L had indeed changed.


    "Then, thank you for going with me to dinner here. I am having a good time. Good luck with your career. I will support you from afar," said London later.


    "Thank you. I also hope that you can become a rich guy like what you wanted," L replied.


    They stared at each other for a few moments. Somehow, the atmosphere turned romantic after the conversation. They sounded like two people in love, making a promise to support each other. It gave London and L butterflies in their stomachs.


    The man slowly leaned forward to kiss L, and the girl involuntarily closed her eyes.


    They kissed for a long time.

 Chapter 603 - Is This Love?

    After the kiss, they stared at each other for a few moments. London put down his paper cup on the grass, followed by L. Accidentally, their hands touched when the two cups were placed together.


    When L''s hand touched his hand, London''s c.h.e.s.t was palpitating because when their skin touched, he could feel how L''s skin was smoother than silk, and for a split second he was enchanted.


    The man did not let go of his hand, leaving it on the grass like that. L also did not seem to move her hand away. For almost one whole minute, they both sat in that position, while trying to hold back their c.h.e.s.ts from pounding hard.


    Finally, sensing her approval, London leaned forward to kiss L. The girl involuntarily closed her eyes. Waiting for the touch of London''s lips on her lips.


    They kissed again for a long time.


    As their lips touched, images of the incident from one and a half months ago suddenly filled his mind. They became more vivid as he remembered how their bodies became one when they made love, how her smooth skin touched his, how her lips tasted so sweet, and how her plump b.r.e.a.s.ts felt so soft...


    He now even remembered the scent of her hair back then. It was exactly like her scent today, which soon engulfed his nostrils and filled him with d.e.s.i.r.e. His hands slowly moved up and stroked her hair lovingly.


    Alright ... he finally admitted to himself the truth. There is no more denying his feelings.


    It seemed Jan was right. London really liked this girl


    Because L welcomed his kisses and did not resist his hand c.a.r.e.s.sing her hair, London became even bolder. His hands slowly descended to her shoulders, then to her back, and finally hugged her waist.


    L''s body was soft like a marshmallow and she had a feminine figure with a tiny waist. London found her to be very alluring. If they were not in a public place, he might already carry her to somewhere quiet to fondle her and make love with her again. The temptation was very strong.


    Fortunately, his common sense was still working, and he could restrain himself. London didn''t want L''s reputation to get tarnished if they were caught by netizens or journalists who recognized who she was.


    Finally, with a heavy heart, after a while, he ended the kiss and released his arms from her waist.


    "I ... like you very much," London said softly, staring intensely at L. "If the only way to get to your heart is by becoming a rich person, then I will become rich so I could be with you. Please wait for me. When you become famous, I will become rich enough for you."


    "Okay."


    London had decided. He will disclose his identity to L, once the girl managed to fulfill her dream to become a famous singer.


    They sat side by side on by the river without speaking anymore until it got dark.


    "Can I take you home?" asked London as they then packed their bags and prepared to go home. L nodded.


    They took a taxi to L''s apartment and before the girl entered the building, London hurriedly asked for her number.


    "I can contact you, right?" asked London. "I already have your phone number, but I want to ask permission to contact you before I just randomly call ..."


    "You can contact me," L replied with a smile.


    "Thank you. I''m going to Singapore for a week, taking my niece and nephew to meet their parents. I''ll call you from there."


    "I didn''t know you had a niece and nephew," L commented.


    "Ah, I do. They are twins. One day I will bring them to meet you. You will like them."


    "Ah, okay. I like kids," L said with a smile. "I''d love to meet them."


    Don''t worry, L. If you like kids, we will have cute kids after we get married, London thought when he heard L''s words. A smile was on his lips.


    At this point, London no longer denied his feelings. He really liked L, and slowly he started to think about how his life would be if he spent it with that girl.


    "Aren''t you leaving? What''s up with that stupid grin on your face? I have to go upstairs," L waved her hand in front of London''s face who was already daydreaming about marrying L and having kids with her.


    "Eh ... that''s right, I have to go." London awkwardly stepped back. L went into her apartment building and closed the door behind her.


    London walked a block to the left and then stopped. Not long after, the BMW car driven by Dave stopped and Marc came out to open the passenger door for his boss.


    London got in the car and continued to daydream throughout the trip.


    His interaction with L had improved so much, even before they had kissed and acted like lovers by the river today. All the while, L still not knowing that London was a man from a super-rich family.


    That means, actually L had started to change and wanted to give him a chance. Ah ... he can''t wait to tell about L to his sister when they meet later in Singapore.


    London knew, although the two children now lived with Nicolae, Alaric''s twin brothers still didn''t feel comfortable leaving for Singapore to take Altair and Vega himself. Nicolae still couldn''t face Aleksis casually because he had loved the girl for almost ten years and a few months ago they almost got married. Especially now that Aleksis was currently pregnant with her third child with Alaric, it would become more awkward for them to see each other.


    His must still be very sad to see the girl he loved was now with another man and was expecting another child together. Even though the other man was actually his own brother, whom he loved dearly. It still hurt.


    Inwardly London felt very grateful he and Rune did not meet and fell in love with the same girl.


    Ah, L was only 19 years old while Rune was 25 years old, and he himself was 27 years old. Rune was now at the age that he could also fall in love, like what London was experiencing now. If by chance, Rune also met with L, there is a possibility that they would fall in love with each other too.


    No way! He couldn''t let Rune meet L at all. The girl was too beautiful, and anyone who saw her could easily fall in love with her. And London imagined it would be so easy to get her attention if Rune claimed to be a Schneider.


    The thoughts scared him so much. So, he took out his phone and contacted Rune.


    "Hey, where are you?"


    "I''m still at Uncle Aldebar''s home. I am working on the baby translator machine for Aleksis. Why?"


    "Don''t go to Berlin over the next week."


    "Why?''


    "Because I won''t be in Berlin," answered London.


    "Why? How strange."


    "Just don''t go to Berlin whenever I''m not there. Period."


    He then hung up. He did not want Rune to come to Berlin and accidentally met L and fell in love with her. Anyway, what happened between Alaric and Nicolae should never happen to him and Rune!


    London massaged his temple. He did not understand why he suddenly became this paranoid, even to the point of not allowing his brother to go to Berlin. He was worried that Rune would meet L and snatch the girl from him.


    Gosh ... how strange.


    Was this love?


    He could only shake his head. He had never experienced this before.


    Who can he talk to about this? His sister, Aleksis? His brother, Terry?


    Should he talk to Nicolae?


    Crazy! If he did that, it would be like rubbing salt over the poor guy''s wound. Nicolae had suffered enough, London thought.


    Then, maybe he could talk to his father, Caspar Schneider?


    Bahahahaha ... no way! He couldn''t let his father know. Caspar would give him a long lecture about love.


    Then, who could he talk to about love?

 Chapter 604 - Trip To Singapore

    When it came to love, actually, London could make the men around him as role models. His father loved his mother deeply, and 31 years ago transformed himself 180 degrees. He changed from a womanizer who often hurt women into a loving man who was loyal to just one woman.


    Lauriel also loved his girlfriend, Luna, who gave birth to two twins before she passed away in the middle of the war. For over one hundred years after her death, Lauriel still remained loyal to Luna and never shifted his love to another woman.


    Then there was Nicolae. He loved Aleksis for ten years and faithfully waited for her to open her heart when Aleksis thought Alaric, her husband, died ten years ago.


    Nicolae even loved Aleksis'' two children and treated Altair and Vega as his own. When he and Aleksis were about to get married, Nicolae even said that he did not want to have a biological child from her. He was adamant, not wanting to share his love with other children.


    And of course ... Alaric, Aleksis'' husband who met Aleksis ten years ago and married her after only four days of courtship.


    After going through a tragic separation for ten years, Alaric and Aleksis finally reunited. Everyone could see how deep the love they had for each other.


    Come to think of it, if London really wanted to ask about love from a man''s perspective, Alaric would be the right choice, London thought finally.


    He would ask his brother-in-law, why did Alaric fall in love with Aleksis in the first place. What made him so sure that Aleksis was the woman he wanted to share his life with forever ...


    Alright. London finally decided that he would talk to Alaric and ask for his advice.


    ***


    "Are you happy to meet your mother and father?" London asked his niece and nephew who were now almost ten years old. The two kids wore casual clothes, and each carried a bag containing their books and tablet so they could study while they were traveling.


    They left for Singapore on London''s private jet. Along the way, the twins chatted about their winter experience with Nicolae in Bucharest and how he taught them various hacking techniques.


    "We are so happy. For the past 5 months, I have only met Mother and Father through Virconnect. I really miss them," Vega said while sitting on her uncle''s l.a.p.


    "Do you only miss Mommy Aleksis or also your father?" asked London, trying to probe Vega''s feeling. He stroked his niece''s beautiful platinum hair. He knew Vega took it the hardest when Alaric returned into their lives. She was really close to Nicolae and had already considered him as her father.


    "I miss them both. I can''t wait to see father," Vega replied with her cute smile. "Father always reads a book for us before we go to bed every night, even though it''s already dawn in Singapore."


    Ahh ...


    London now understood.


    Apparently Alaric''s sincerity and affection for his children could finally touch his kids'' heart, Vega in particular. They knew that when their biological father read a book for them before they slept in Europe at 9 pm, it was already 3 am in Singapore.


    That means Alaric deliberately woke up at dawn every day just so he could continue this routine for his children.


    Ah, London was moved when he heard it. He can imagine how much more Alaric''s gesture touched his children''s heart.


    No wonder Vega was starting to soften. London could see her love for her father from her beaming eyes and the way she talked about Alaric. Inwardly, London was impressed by his brother-in-law''s sincerity.


    Now he was convinced that Alaric was the right person to talk to and consult about his feelings for L.


    ***


    The reunion between the parents and the twins was very touching. Alaric picked Altair, Vega, and London at the airport, while Aleksis was waiting for them at home, resting.


    London was moved to see how Vega sped toward her father when she saw Alaric in the distance.


    Ahh ... apparently Alaric has won the heart of his daughter too, thought London. He is also happy for them.


    "I miss you, Father..." Vega whispered as Alaric lifted her body into the air and then kissed her. He then carried the little girl on his shoulders. As a child of nearly ten years old, Vega was actually too big to carry on his shoulder, but Alaric just ignored it. Vega happily hugged her father''s neck and giggled.


    Altair happily hugged her father and took Alaric''s hand, to walk hand in hand into the car.


    "Thank you for bringing my children here," Alaric said, smiling at London. "Let''s go home, Aleksis is waiting at home."


    They happily left for the mansion. London couldn''t help but notice how happy the twins were.


    In the past, before learning that Alaric or Elios Linden was actually his sister''s husband, London had already admired the man. Alaric was an imposing man with so many achievements. When they first met at the Ritz Gala, London already liked Alaric. So, when he found out that the man was his brother-in-law, and the father of the twins, London became increasingly fond of Alaric.


    He was delighted to see Aleksis and Alaric were finally happy together. Their children had also accepted Alaric''s presence in their life. Now, their family was getting ready for the arrival of a new child.


    It''s about time that they feel happy. This family had suffered enough, thought London


    Aleksis was happy to see her brother and two children. They hugged each other and immediately sat in the backyard to chat over drinks. They enjoyed the beauty of her husband''s bonsai garden while exchanging news.


    "Wahhh ... your tummy is so big already," exclaimed London in a happy voice. "How far are you into your pregnancy? Five? Four more months?"


    "That''s right, four more months. We are so excited!" Aleksis smiled as she stroked her stomach.


    "Could the next one be another set of twins?" London asked curiously. "I think, now you look just as big as you were when you had Altair and Vega."


    "Really?" Aleksis and Alaric exchanged glances. If they did have another set of twins, both of them would be very happy.


    "Yeah, from what I remember, you were this big ... hahahha ..." London said with a laugh. "Why don''t you just find out? Don''t be old school about it. Find out about the gender and if it''s another twin or not."


    Aleksis pursed her lips. "You can say that because you are not the one who will become a parent. Later, when you have children of your own, you might also choose to keep your child''s gender secret. Knowing the gender before the baby was born, to me, feels like knowing the contents of the gift in the box. But we cannot open the gift. I don''t like the feeling."


    "Ahahaha ... okay, I understand. I am still very young. Maybe in a hundred years, I will decide to have a child." London shrugged. "By the way, this garden is very nice."


    Aleksis smiled proudly at that. "Alaric loves bonsai. All the plants here are his works of art."


    "Ah ... you''re indeed talented. I''m impressed. Apparently, there are so many things I don''t know about you, brother-in-law," London uttered, hitting her brother-in-law''s shoulder. Alaric just smiled.

 Chapter 605 - Alarics Advice

    After dinner, Aleksis accompanied her children to sleep in the room. London then took time together with Alaric in the living room to enjoy a drink and chat.


    He was eager to ask Alaric what he thought about of love, and furthermore, asked for his advice, what should London do to L, considering the girl did not know his true identity.


    "I am very happy for you," London said as he and Alaric sat talking. "Aleksis has a very good husband."


    "Thank you." Alaric nodded. "Actually, I''m the one who was lucky to get Aleksis."


    "Hmm ..." London again was intrigued to want to ask further. "Actually, what made you fall in love with my sister? Indeed, my sister is very beautiful, but I don''t think that''s the reason you love Aleksis so deeply."


    "You''re right," Alaric answered. "I initially rejected your sister''s love several times because I did not want to open my heart to love. At that time I did not know Aleksis was an immortal like me. I was terrified of losing her if she got old and then died, and I would be left alone in this world. "


    "You rejected my sister''s love several times?? I didn''t know this story ..." London was surprised. He then remembered that in the early days L was also mean to him and clearly refused him, but then her attitude changed. Did L also experience what Alaric experienced? L actually wanted to reject London but now finally changed her mind?


    If that''s true, it actually means that during this time L tried to refrain from falling in love with London, but then her heart melted, just as Alaric''s heart was melted by Aleksis.


    "Ahahaha ... of course, Aleksis will not tell anyone that I once rejected her. Maybe for her, it was embarrassing," Alaric said with a smile. "But I admit, if Aleksis gave up and stopped chasing me, it would have been my loss. Now I can''t imagine my life without her."


    "Hmm ..." Inwardly, London imagined L''s feelings that changed from curt to loving and one day the girl would also confess that she could not imagine her life without London.


    Imagining that made him smile so happy.


    "Why did you want to know?" Alaric asked, looking at London curiously. "Are you in love?"


    "Jeez ... I''m just happy for you guys. How could I be in love? I''m still so young," London shook his head vigorously. His face turned red because he was just imagining L''s beautiful face.


    "What is her name?" Alaric asked.


    "Her name is Elle," London replied quickly. He only realized two seconds later that he just told Alaric that he was in love with L.


    "How long have you been in love with her?" Alaric asked.


    London took a deep breath. He finally realized that it''s better to be honest. "I do not know."


    He slowly told all the events that had happened and hoped Alaric would not lecture him like his father. Fortunately, his brother-in-law only listened to his story without interrupting in the slightest.


    Several times he nodded. "Hmmm ... it''s tough."


    "So what do you think? I don''t know my own feelings, whether I really like her or partly because I want to be responsible for her. I only have a year to make a decision."


    "Hmm ... you know, she was the first woman you slept with. After all, there was a physical and emotional connection between you both. Maybe that''s what clouded your feelings for her." Alaric can only shrug. "Just do it for a year and see what happens. I think in time you will know what you want."


    London could only sigh. "I wish I know what I want."


    "I only needed a few days to know that Aleksis was the only woman I wanted in this world. Even when we were separated, after I woke up from a coma and lived my new life, I was never attracted to other women," Alaric said in reminiscent. "But for everyone, the process is different. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. My father took a really long time to be sure that he did love my mother. After my mother left him, then he realized that he loved her and went to chase her to England. But even after they were together, my father still wasn''t sure he wanted to build a family with my mother. That was what made my mother leave him, until finally she passed away in Romania. My father still loves her deeply to this day."


    "Hmm ... that''s right," commented London. He also already knew the story.


    "For my father, love took a really long time, but after he was certain with what he wanted, you can see for yourself that even after a hundred years, he still loved my mother deeply. For my father, love didn''t come easily and didn''t fade easily. His love burns slowly but deeply. For others, it might be different. Some people can fall quickly and forget easily." Alaric patted London''s shoulder warmly. "You have to find out for yourself what your story is like. It''s not necessarily the same as anyone else''s."


    London nodded. He preferred to be someone who didn''t fall in love easily, but once he did, his love would burn passionately for a long time. And he hoped L was like that too.


    "Hey .. the kids are already asleep. You guys seem to be talking very seriously," commented Aleksis who suddenly appeared from behind the door.


    London became nervous. He tried to study the expression on his sister''s face, to see whether Aleksis heard his conversation with Alaric or not.


    Pfew ... apparently not.


    "We are only having a man-to-man conversation. Nothing interesting," London said nonchalantly. He signaled Alaric to keep his story a secret and the man just nodded faintly.


    Alaric then spread his hands and gave a signal for Aleksis to come and sit on his l.a.p.


    "Sit here," he said gently. Aleksis nodded and immediately sat on her husband''s l.a.p.


    "The kids are asleep. They were asking for you, but I said you needed to do something with London." Aleksis whispered affectionately to her husband''s ear. They looked at each other and smiled. Then speak in a low voice about trivial things, completely disregarding London who was sitting nearby.

 Chapter 606 - What Did I Do Wrong?

    Aleksis and Alaric were never shy with their public display of affection and people close to them could now already got used to it. Initially, when London and Rune saw their sister and her husband showed intimacy, they would just roll their eyes and rush out.


    But now, London no longer felt embarrassed seeing the intimacy of his sister and brother-in-law. Now that he, himself, was in love, he could appreciate their closeness as a couple.


    London realized that when a man fell in love, they could be really sweet towards the woman they love. Now, he could understand why Alaric could look at his wife with so much love, as she did to him.


    His mind flew back to L and imagined that it was him who was sitting on the sofa and he spread his hands, signaling L to sit on his l.a.p.


    And when L sat on his l.a.p, London would be able to touch her delicate skin, smell her fragrant hair, and feel her body that was soft like a marshmallow ...


    Ugh .¡­


    The man suddenly felt his body stiffen and became uncomfortable. Something was throbbing on his lower body, from just thinking about how L would sit on his l.a.p. He hurriedly excused himself from Alaric and Aleksis to rest in the guest room.


    Once he was in the room, London immediately entered the bathroom and soaked his body in cold water to relieve his discomfort.


    ***


    After he calmed down, London finally got ready to sleep. It was 11 p.m. in Singapore, which meant 5 p.m. in Germany. He then took his cellphone and decided to call L.


    He really wanted to hear the girl''s voice. The last time they met was two days ago and he had asked her permission to call her. So, he should be able to call now, right?


    RING...


    RING...


    RING...


    His c.h.e.s.t was pounding for some reason while waiting for L to pick up his phone call. He was thinking, if L was not busy and her mood was good, London would invite her to connect through Virconnect 4D and talk to her side by side. He couldn''t wait to see the girl.


    After the tenth ring, the call was still not picked up. London began to feel anxious.


    Was L busy?


    He then contacted Jan to find out her schedule.


    "Jan, do you know what L is doing now?" he asked quickly, not even giving Jan time to say hello.


    At the other end of the phone, Jan could only roll his eyes and cough a little. As a director at Schneider Group, he felt that his responsibility had far exceeded his job description.


    On the one hand, he was actually the Director of HR division who was responsible for the fate of tens of thousands of employees in Europe and is highly respected. But on the other hand, he was in charge of taking a schedule of a mere aspiring singer.


    London only trusted him with this task just because his boss did not want others to know he was in love with L. So, Jan was the one who had to take care of all his boss'' personal affairs.


    "Ahem ... wait a minute ..." Jan coughed and then checked his notes. "She has nothing to do at the moment. Ms. L should be resting at home now."


    "Oh ..." London was puzzled. L had nothing scheduled today. It means that she should be able to pick up calls from London. "She didn''t pick up my calls earlier."


    "Maybe she couldn''t pick up your call because she is in the toilet, or taking a shower?" Jan asked. "That happens, you know."


    "Ah, you''re right. I''ll try to call her again in half an hour," London said. "Thank you."


    He then put his phone on the bedside table and waited for up to 30 minutes. Then he called L.


    RING...


    RING...


    RING...


    Until the twelfth ring, L still didn''t pick up London''s phone calls.


    Wait.... she can''t possibly still in the toilet, right? London became more puzzled.


    Or maybe she was having a stomachache or even diarrhea? He immediately became anxious. Hurriedly, London called Jan back.


    "Jan, would you please send Marc or Dave to check on L''s condition. L has been in the toilet for too long, she still hasn''t picked up my calls," London said quickly. "If she is ill, tell them to take her directly to the hospital or get her a doctor."


    "Wait... what?!?" Jan could not believe his own hearing. "Are you asking Dave or Marc to come to Miss L''s apartment and check her toilet to find her and take her to the hospital just because she hasn''t picked up your phone call?!"


    Jan was really tempted to slam down his cellphone.


    "I''ve called her many times, but she didn''t pick up the phone. Didn''t you say she was in the toilet?" asked London in surprise.


    Jan cleared his throat several times and cursed inwardly. He remembered his boss being an intelligent young man with a really high IQ, but for some reason, since the past few weeks, it seemed like his intelligence level had gone down so dramatically ...


    "Wait a minute, Sir. I''ll make sure something first." Jan finally hung up and called L''s number himself.


    London who was waiting in Singapore became restless while he tried to wait for news from Jan. He was afraid that L got sick, or something bad happened to her, so she could not pick up his calls.


    Jan was a very efficient assistant. Three minutes later he had called London again and explained what had happened.


    "Sir, I just called Miss L and she was at home, reading a book. She is not ill or experiencing bad things. You may calm down."


    "Oh, is that so? All right. Then I''ll call her again," said London. He hung up on Jan.


    Alright ... L was apparently fine. London could not wait to hear the girl''s voice.


    RING...


    RING...


    Twelve rings and then... nothing. L still didn''t pick up phone calls from London.


    Didn''t Jan call L and the girl picked up? So, she must be okay ...


    Then why didn''t she pick up my calls?


    Did she....?


    Finally, London could only sigh. His c.h.e.s.t suddenly felt tight. Now he realized, that L intentionally did not want to take his calls. Even though two days ago she had given him permission to call, today she didn''t want to talk to him.


    What''s the matter? What did I do wrong?


    Why is it so difficult to understand this woman???

 Chapter 607 - Unexpected Development

    After calling so many times without getting a response, London finally realized that he still couldn''t understand L. Hadn''t their relationship improved? Why this treatment? When they met two days ago, everything was friendly and fun. They had dinner together by the river in a loving atmosphere and even ended up kissing. L then allowed him to call her.


    But now it seemed like they were back to zero, and everything was a mess. L clearly avoided him and did not want to talk to him. London did not know what his mistake was and why L was not willing to talk to him? He really wished she would explain why she was avoiding him.


    If he were now in Germany, London would rush to L and ask her directly what had happened. But unfortunately, he was in Singapore. It was more than 10,000 kilometers away from Germany


    He was almost tempted to return to Germany immediately, but his common sense reminded him not to do it. He had just arrived in Singapore and had not seen his sister for a long time. He loved Aleksis and really wanted to spend time with her and her family. It would be a waste if he went straight home without spending time with them.


    Finally, with great difficulty, he restrained himself and did not contact L again while he was in Singapore. That''s not at all easy.


    He had to settle with receiving reports from his people that L was still healthy and not lacking in anything. He reminded himself that his original mission was to help the girl achieve her dream of becoming a famous singer. When he made that decision last month, he thought he was doing it because he felt sorry for L. He just wanted to support her career from afar. After L achieved success, London would slowly disappear from her life.


    His plan shifted midway because he realized that he was harboring feelings for her, and she seemed to reciprocate. It would only make sense to go back to his original plan of helping L''s career if she no longer responded to his feelings, right?


    Then London should only support L''s career without expecting something to happen between them. He should stop thinking that L will change and accept his love for who he was.


    London did not know if he could handle being played like this by L if he continued to chase the girl. One day L could be rude to him; then, on another day, L can turn friendly and give him hope, even allowed him to kiss her; and two days later, she would just ignore him.


    London really didn''t like how L played with his feelings and today he was starting to get tired. Finally, he decided to stop pursuing L. It was a decision he made with a very heavy heart.


    He was a wealthy and respectable man and could get any girls he wanted. He shouldn''t let his heart be played by an ordinary woman like L.


    Even if he wanted to help L because he felt guilty for what happened between them two months ago, he could just compensate her by helping her career.


    With that in mind, London finally spoke to Alaric. He requested his brother-in-law to allow L to become one of Virconnect''s ambassadors. London knew Alaric loved beauty and he sold L by showing Alaric how beautiful her voice was. He thought since Eilen Mikhailova was banished from Virconnect because of her despicable act, Virconnect could use a new ambassador to replace her.


    Alaric just smiled thinly at London''s request. He then nodded. "I believe in you when you said her voice is beautiful. You should talk to Pavel so he can manage everything."


    "Ahh ... thank you very much," London exclaimed in a thankful voice. "I owe you one."


    Alaric just nodded. He observed his brother-in-law. He felt that he had found the answer to the London question last week when the man had just arrived in Singapore.


    At that time, London asked whether his feelings for L were pure love or only guilt for having slept with her under aphrodisiac influence.


    In Alaric''s opinion, although London was not yet fully aware of his own feelings, the young man was truly in love with L. This was not just guilt. He could see how London really did everything to make L happy. He even asked Alaric to allow L to became a Virconnect ambassador. Such an opportunity would surely make the girl became a superstar.


    ***


    When London finally returned to Germany, he gave serious thought to determine whether he would contact L or not.


    The girl had refused to answer his calls many times and London felt a little hurt. Finally, he decided to try to forget about L and in no way try to ask the slightest news from Jan.


    The man tried to occupy himself with work and even visited his brother Terry in New York to spend time together. Whenever he was reminded of L, he would choose to drink wine alone or talk to his brothers to cheer himself up.


    ***


    One afternoon, while watching the news on TV, London saw coverage on Rainfall, a very successful band, who was on tour in Europe. Their opening act was a very talented rookie artist. The Rainfall concert series ended this week and they were very satisfied with the enthusiasm of the audience.


    London realized that the said rookie singer was L. She looked so charming and after many performances sharing the stage with Rainfall, she became the talk of the town. Her first album would be released this week and London heard how the public''s enthusiasm was already so high on her.


    Inwardly, he felt proud of the girl''s achievement. L was indeed very talented and she deserved all this success. London only helped give her a chance, but without her own talent, all that would be useless.


    L''s face suddenly appeared on the screen and London could only stare at the beautiful face. L then appeared singing with her usual, enchanting voice, and for a few minutes, London let himself be swept away by her voice.


    L had become famous, and now she was public property, he thought. Soon, the girl would have more connections. She would be able to climb that ladder she had always wanted to climb and entered the upper-class society. And finally, she would meet a super-rich and powerful man to marry. In the future, the news on TV will show who was the wealthy man who managed to capture L''s heart and marry her.


    Ugh ... that thought made London nervous. In this world, only a few people were on the same level as him in terms of wealth. If L didn''t ignore his calls last month, London was ready to reveal his identity to the girl. He was willing to open his arms and accept L for who she was. He didn''t even care if she was materialistic. His wealth would be hers anyway because London had realized his own feelings for L.


    But now, since L already rejected him, London must not be foolish and get carried away. The girl had played him too many times and he must know when to stop.


    He closed his eyes and enjoyed the song L was singing to the end. When the atmosphere became quiet, he took the remote and replayed L''s appearance just now.


    Too bad, L didn''t return my love, he thought sadly.


    He listened to the song many times. Finally, he turned off the TV and returned to checking several reports that needed his attention. Unfortunately, he lost his focus when he listened to L''s voice earlier. Now it was the girl''s voice that was ringing in his head.


    "You are vile, L. Why are you still messing up my life if you really don''t want to accept me?" London muttered to himself.


    He would never get the answer because L did not want to talk to him and refused to see him.


    His head was filled with various questions when suddenly the phone rang and he could hear Jan''s voice on the other end of the phone. His voice sounded anxious.


    "Sir, we have bad news. Miss L went missing!"


    "Wh ... what? What happened?" asked London in surprise. He hurriedly rose from his chair and gripped his cellphone firmly. "How can she be missing?"


    "Pammy, her manager, said Miss L was ill and she needed to rest in the mountains for several months according to the doctor''s orders. But she wasn''t in the villa in Switzerland that Pammy mentioned and we couldn''t find her anywhere."


    Instantly London felt his c.h.e.s.t tightened. What''s wrong with L? Why did she disappear? Were there bad people after her?


    "Call Pammy immediately and force her to tell you where L is."


    "Yes, Sir."


    London hung up the phone anxiously. He contacted Carl, the Schneider Group''s head of intelligence, who was his source of information whenever he needed it.


    If something happened to L, he must know. No matter what, L was an artist signed by Brilliant Mind Media, a subsidiary of the Schneider Group. The girl''s safety was his responsibility.

 Chapter 608 - Ls Secret

    For an hour, London could only pace in his place while waiting for news from Carl. He was really worried thinking about how L was doing. As long as he hadn''t gotten information from Carl, he wouldn''t be able to sleep.


    At midnight, his cellphone rang, and Carl''s awaited voice could be heard.


    "How is she?" London quickly asked.


    Carl gave his report briefly, and London''s heart almost stopped. He didn''t think that it actually happened.


    "Thank you, Carl. I''ll see her soon." His eyes fell on his watch, and he realized that it was almost midnight. He couldn''t possibly come at this hour, else it''ll interrupt L''s rest. "Please send someone to look after her there. I''ll come early tomorrow morning."


    "Yes, Sir."


    London hung up and pondered for a long time.


    He couldn''t sleep at all that night and could only sit in his office drinking wine.


    ***


    At six in the morning, he had changed into modest clothes, took off his watch, and wore his sneakers and climbed into the ordinary car he had ordered for Carl to prepare. He drove himself to the address Carl gave.


    At seven in the morning, he arrived at a small house in the suburbs. As soon as he stopped his car in front of the gate, he saw a black BMW moving away. He knew it was the security team sent by Carl for L last night, and now, they were giving him privacy.


    London took a deep breath. He then got out of his car and knocked on the door several times. After a few minutes, there was a woman''s answer as the gate slightly opened.


    "Good morning. Who might you be looking for?" A woman in her forties asked from behind the door.


    "I''d like to meet Miss Elle. This is really important," London voiced, showing his sweetest smile. His handsome face and a sweet, sincere smile quickly conquered the housekeeper''s heart. Thus, the woman invited this guest to enter.


    "Who''s that, Lola?" A melodious voice could be heard from inside the house.


    Before the housekeeper could answer, London had put an index finger on his lips, gesturing Lola to not notify her of his arrival.


    "This is a surprise..." London whispered with a sweet smile. Lola looked happy because she could take part in giving the lady a delightful surprise. She then nodded and invited London in. "Thank you, Lola. I haven''t seen her in a long time. I want to surprise her."


    He quickly entered the house and walked towards where the voice came from. In the living room of the small house, he saw a woman sitting on a sofa, staring at the small garden beside the house, which was filled with tulips.


    "Elle..." London called out when he was near the girl. L suddenly looked at him. Her expression was a mixture of surprise, shame, and anger. She looked at London with a sharp look.


    "I never allowed you to enter," she curtly spoke.


    London didn''t mind L''s temper this time. He walked over to the girl and knelt in front of her. "I know my presence here isn''t wanted. But please listen to me..."


    "I have no reason to listen to you," L tried to get up, but her hand was held by London, holding her in her place.


    "PLEASE LISTEN TO ME THIS ONCE."


    L was stunned to see London raise his voice to her for the first time. She stayed where she was and looked at London.


    "What do you want?" The girl asked after a short pause.


    "I already know what happened. You''re pregnant and you don''t want this child because it will interfere with your plans... That''s why you''re hiding. You are planning to give birth to the child to give it up."


    London''s line of sight fell on L''s stomach, which was already beginning to protrude slightly. If he didn''t miscalculate, it meant that at this moment, the child in her w.o.m.b was already in the fourth month. Two months ago, when he was in Singapore and L suddenly refused to pick up the phone, it was because L just discovered that she was pregnant. This pregnancy was the result of their actions at Stephan''s party.


    L naturally felt that she had to completely cut ties from London so that the man wouldn''t know that she was pregnant with their child. London could imagine how hopeless L felt at the discovery. Also, her neatly-arranged plans of releasing an album, touring with Rainfall, and even becoming a star for Schneider Group would all be a mess if she got pregnant and gave birth to that unwanted child.


    After going through various considerations, L decided to pretend to be sick to secretly give birth to her baby and give it up for adoption. Later, she could return to her previous life as if nothing happened.


    Unfortunately, L didn''t know who she was dealing with this time. London easily discovered what was happening and found her with the help of Carl. In fact, even if L wanted to hide at the end of the world, London would still be able to find her.


    L''s pair of black eyes, which were usually fierce, were now filled with tears.


    "So, you already know..." The girl sobbed in a low voice. "Then you must know that I have no other choice."


    London, who almost got angry, could no longer be harsh on L. His heart was really weak against her tears.


    "Why don''t you have any other choice?" London softly asked. "You don''t have to endure this alone. I''m also at fault and I''m willing to be responsible. Since the first day, I''ve always been there for you. Why do you have to hide this from me?"


    L shook her head in grief. "I don''t want you to know. I had already guessed you would ridiculously offer to marry me as a solution."


    "I wouldn''t..." London then fell silent. He wanted to say that they didn''t know each other that well for him to offer to marry L. As an alchemist, marriage was a lifetime commitment for him. He couldn''t marry L just because they were stuck sleeping together and the girl became pregnant with his child as a result.


    But now, when he saw the beautiful girl in tears and remembered how there was a child in her w.o.m.b, London''s own flesh and blood, the young man now felt that the decision wasn''t a bad choice at all.


    It wasn''t hard to imagine marrying this girl and raising their children together. He already loved L, and he wanted to marry her, with or without her pregnancy.


    London finally sighed and nodded. "You''re right. I''ll take responsibility and marry you, then take care of you two. I won''t go back on my words."


    L repeatedly shook her head and her tears streaming down even more, "I don''t want to marry you. Please don''t force me to... I don''t want to marry you just because I''m pregnant with your child. This is an unfortunate incident. We were set up. You don''t have to take responsibility. I''ll just consider myself unlucky."


    The words L said just now was really hurtful to London. He didn''t think a woman could be as heartless as L was. He looked at her with a gaze of disappointment.


    "So, you don''t want to marry me because I''m poor?" He asked in a low volume.


    L slowly nodded. Her face was filled with an expression of regret. "I''m sorry. You''re a good man, but I can''t accept you."


    London was really disappointed to hear that. Even after everything, L still hadn''t changed. She was still extremely selfish, only thinking about herself and not about the child in her w.o.m.b.

 Chapter 609 - Londons Decision

    London was really disappointed to hear her words. Even after everything, L still hadn''t changed. She was still extremely selfish, only thinking about herself and not about the child in her w.o.m.b.


    "Alright... then what do you want? You don''t want to marry me... Instead, you want to give birth to the child for others to adopt?" London questioned afterward.


    L nodded. "I just need to hide for five months. If my agency finds out, they''ll throw me away, and I''ll lose everything ...


    "Who will adopt this child?" London asked, trying to contain his anger. Even so, his voice still sounded calm.


    "Pammy will take care of everything," L quietly answered. "I don''t want to know who they are. I don''t want to get in touch with this child once it''s taken away from me."


    Every word that L said seemed to have been purposefully done to stab London''s c.h.e.s.t and hurt him very cruelly. He couldn''t believe that L was such a cruel and selfish woman.


    "If you don''t care about who will be taking care of the child, you should just hand it to me," London said in a cold voice. "I''ll take care of it and raise it if you really don''t want it."


    "What do you mean?" L was puzzled.


    "What I mean is... I''ll reveal your secrets and get you dumped by Brilliant Mind Media. The Schneider Group will also terminate your contract, and even Virconnect will cancel everything... if you don''t follow my request," London uttered cooly.


    "Wh... what do you want?" L looked at London with disbelief. She tried to stand up, but London held her back.


    "You must stay with me during your pregnancy until our child is born. After that, I''ll take care of it and you can return to your career and forget about us. If you refuse, I''ll immediately contact the Schneider Group and tell them everything." London''s voice didn''t sound as sweet as how it usually was. "You''ll lose your career right this instant."


    He was truly hurt because of L''s action. She wanted to give his son to a stranger to cover up everything that happened to her. If London hadn''t immediately found out what happened, maybe he would have been too late, and his child would have been handed over by this selfish woman to others.


    If L wasn''t pregnant with his child, maybe London would have punished her and banned her from the Schneider Group because she had hurt him many times.


    Meanwhile, L looked at London with a hateful look and pursed lips. She felt blackmailed. Her feelings for London, which had been mixed with guilt, was now turning into hate. She didn''t like being forced and blackmailed to follow others'' wishes.


    But now, she realized she had no choice but to obey the man''s request. If she refused, London would snitch on her to the Schneider Group, and her well-planned career would vanish without a trace.


    In the end, she reluctantly nodded. L then looked away, as she wasn''t willing to look at London at all.


    "Lola, please prepare her stuff. Miss Elle will be traveling with me," London called Lola. The woman complied with London''s request, and within half an hour, London had led L out of the house and into his car.


    Earlier, while waiting for Lola to prepare L''s luggage, London had spoken to Jan on the phone and told him what happened. Jan sounded a bit surprised, but as usual, he didn''t say anything and immediately prepared what London had asked for.


    London asked him to prepare a simple but comfortable apartment in the center of the city so that he could move there and take care of L during her pregnancy. After what L did this time, he wouldn''t let her know his true identity as London Schneider.


    London would leave his penthouse and stay in that simple apartment with L and make sure the girl didn''t do any harm to his child. He''ll pretend to live in that simple apartment and wait until L gave birth. And after he took his child, he would let L go and live her life as she wished.


    London wouldn''t even revoke the contracts and facilities that Schneider Group had given to the girl. After L left his life, he would never want to see that girl again. He also wouldn''t let his child know that the mother was a selfish woman who wanted to throw her own child away.


    Those negative thoughts filled London''s head as he drove toward the apartment Jan had prepared for them. He didn''t say anything to L along the way. The girl also just looked away and stared out the window, completely ignoring him.


    "Please come in, this is my home," London said as he opened the car door and invited L out. He took the girl''s luggage from the trunk and pulled her hand towards the elevator. They went back to their previous silence on their way up to the thirtieth floor.


    After the elevator opened, he invited L to walk to the unit located at the end of the hall. As a gentleman, he opened the door for her with a passkey from Jan.


    When L entered the modest apartment, she was stunned to see the comfortable and warm-looking arrangement.


    Is this where London lived? She inwardly asked.


    It was also London''s first time entering this unit. In his mind, he praised Jan''s taste and efficiency. The apartment was quite spacious and had two bedrooms. The setting was minimalistic and comfortable, which overall made it look decent.


    "There are two bedrooms here. You can stay in the large bedroom with a balcony. I''ll take the other room." London told her. He put L''s luggage in the room he meant. "I''ll provide everything you need. You don''t need to go outside if you want to stay at home. If you want to go somewhere, just tell me. I''ll take you there."


    L slowly nodded. "I understand."


    "I''ll be at work from morning to evening. Sometimes, I can take time off, but basically, you have to tell me whenever you need me. Don''t hide anything from me and don''t do things behind my back, because I''ll surely know." London lifted L''s chin and sharply looked at her. "Remember, I won''t be hesitant to report you to your agency if you try to escape from here. You can go wherever you want, but you must tell me beforehand."


    "I won''t leave without a word," L said. She snorted in annoyance because of how London seemed to have a great deal of mistrust.


    "Very good." London took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to hold back his feelings.


    Last night, when Carl told him what had happened, he was taken aback. He couldn''t sleep, thinking about this all night. He was still 27, very young among his people. But now, he would become a father.


    He would even become a single father because the child''s mother wasn''t interested in taking care of the child with him.


    This made him feel suffocated.

 Chapter 610 - London and Ls Agreement

    After pondering for a long time, he finally made the decision to take as much responsibility as he could. He would try everything in his power to give the best for his child. But things beyond his control, like L''s attitude and the girl''s decision to leave the child... he could only leave them to fate.


    He would make an agreement with L to arrange their lives together for the next five months, only until the child was born. He would make sure his child would get all the best, which was only right for a descendant of the Schneider family.


    Unfortunately, he was already disguised as a poor person, so he could only invite L and his future child to live in a simple place like this modest apartment. L would suspect him if he were to take her to the penthouse. He couldn''t think of an appropriate reason as to why he could live in such a luxurious residence.


    He also didn''t want L to suddenly accept his proposal and be willing to marry him just because of his wealth.


    No way! Even though he fell in love with that curt girl, London had to still use his common sense. L clearly turned him down. There was no guarantee that she won''t leave London and their child after she had drained his wealth, even if the girl married him.


    Tsk...!


    So L must never know of London''s true identity.


    London was determined to get used to living in this simple place for several months. He could handle it at least until the child was born. He had arranged for a doctor to come to check on L''s condition once a week and a housekeeper to come three times a week. He didn''t dare use a robot servant because its price would make L suspicious.


    He would look for excuses to get bonuses and other stuff before buying various expensive things for this apartment.


    After seeing her luggage placed in the bedroom, L then went in and closed the door. She didn''t step out of the room even until night came. In the end, London became impatient and knocked on the door to make her come out.


    "If you don''t come out, I''ll call Jan Van Der Ven. I have his number," London threatened her impatiently.


    "Why do you want me to come out?" L curtly asked.


    London pointed his chin to the dining room. "You haven''t eaten all day. I''ve prepared food."


    "I''m not hungry." L uttered, crossing her arms to her c.h.e.s.t.


    London shook his head. He then took a doc.u.ment from the drawer and handed it to her.


    "I don''t want to have to constantly threaten you to have you obey me. We better make an agreement. If you don''t violate any of the provisions I made, you can leave after five months and start a new life."


    L received the doc.u.ment and read the contents. She frowned as she scanned the points written there. It all made sense, but she was used to living alone and didn''t like to be told what to do, so she instinctively wanted to argue. But seeing London''s stern face, she finally gave up on the idea.


    "Where should I sign?" She asked with an impatient tone. London handed her a tablet and a stylus.


    "I printed it so you can read it easily, but the agreement must be signed electronically. Sign here," he pointed the end of his tablet with the stylus to where she was supposed to sign.


    L nodded. She took the stylus and jolted down her name at the very bottom.


    A few of the points were that L must always tell London of her whereabouts. She was free to go anywhere, but she couldn''t leave without telling London about her plans and activities. L also had to eat regularly and take care of her health. Doctors would be brought in once a week and an assistant would help clean the house three times a week.


    L may choose to give birth naturally or by cesarean. Everything would be borne by London and confidentiality would be guaranteed. Point 20 was multiple choice.


    If L chose to give up the child, then she wouldn''t be allowed to look for and bring up the child at any time. If L chose to take care of the child, a new agreement would be made to regulate custody between the child''s father and biological mother.


    "Why is point 20 a multiple choice? You know I don''t want this child," L commented. She only saw the point after jolting down her name.


    London looked at her with a complicated look. "You may choose A or B. Don''t decide hastily."


    L was stunned to hear that. She looked away as if she didn''t care about point 20. "I won''t change my mind."


    She then handed back the tablet to London, but the young man saw L hadn''t checked her choice for point 20.


    "Alright, since we made an agreement, you have to eat now. I''ve prepared everything. I''ll be going first." London pointed to the dining table and walked to the door. "Don''t wait for me, I''ll be home late."


    L just looked at London, who went outside without saying anything. She gently stroked her stomach, and a drop of tears rolled down her cheek.


    London walked to the elevator. His c.h.e.s.t still felt suffocating from anger. L still stubbornly said that she really didn''t want the child. London was irritated. He had never met such an annoying person in his entire life. Ugh... He didn''t understand why he could fall in love with a woman like that.


    While waiting for the elevator door to open, he pulled out his cellphone and checked the camera display in the dining room to make sure L was really eating.


    He deliberately installed a camera in the dining room and living room so he would be able to check on L any time. There were no cameras in the girl''s private room though, as London didn''t want to violate someone''s private area.


    Ugh¡­ I was right. She was not in the dining room. Annoyed, he checked from the camera in the living room.


    Ding!


    The elevator door opened, but London didn''t step inside. His gaze was fixated on the view of the living room. He saw L standing still in the living room, still where she was when he left. The girl was covering her face with both hands. She appeared to be sobbing, feeling aggrieved.


    He hurriedly walked back to his apartment.


    KNOCK KNOCK.


    He knocked twice before entering by pressing the passkey. Although this apartment was his own ''house'', he now lived with other people. London was trying to be polite by knocking before entering.


    "I left something," he reasoned. He raised his face and saw L staring at him with the usual guarded expression. There was no sign of her previous sobs.


    You''re good at acting, huh... London thought. He had obviously seen L cry just now. But in just a few seconds, when she heard a knock on the door, she had cleaned her face and pretended nothing had happened.


    London went into his room and took something before getting ready to leave.


    "Why haven''t you eaten yet?" He picked up his cellphone and pressed Jan Van Der Ven''s number, then showed it to L. "I told you I have Jan Van Der Ven''s number. I just need to call him, and tomorrow, you can say goodbye to your career."


    L stomped her feet and immediately stepped into the dining room and ate her food with an unwilling expression.


    London just shook his head and went out of the apartment. What a stubborn girl, he thought.

 Chapter 611 - Why Is It So Difficult to Understand Women?

    En route, London did a lot of reflection. What should he do with the child? He was still very young and inexperienced in caring for children. All this time, he only had a nephew and a niece that he loved. But it went without saying that taking care of them was different from taking care of his own children.


    If Altair and Vega were naughty, London would just have to hand them over to Aleksis, their mother, before going back to having fun with Rune or going out with Terry.


    Meanwhile, to whom could he hand his child to if his child was naughty? Even the child''s biological mother didn''t want it.


    What should he do with a child who had to be separated from the mother even though the child still needed b.r.e.a.s.t milk to grow properly? London hadn''t told anyone about this. Not even Alaric.


    He only told Alaric the chronology of his meeting with L when he met his brother-in-law in Singapore two months ago. At that time, he didn''t even know that L was pregnant with their child when Stephan tricked them.


    Ugh... his mind wandered to L, who was sobbing in the living room earlier. He didn''t know that she could be so talented, pretending as if she didn''t care when London came into the room.


    London was curious. What made L so sad? Was she sad because she was forced to live in the apartment with him? Or was she actually sad because she had to leave the baby after she gave birth to it?


    Why was it so hard to guess her thoughts?


    London returned to his penthouse and took some personal items he would need to take to the apartment. After all, he would be staying in this modest apartment more than he would in the penthouse, so he had to prepare himself.


    Jan arrived half an hour later and brought the reports they were supposed to discuss at the office today. London skipped the meeting since he was busy bringing L to his new apartment.


    "I know you don''t read your emails every day since you''re busy, so I just brought the report here." Jan put the doc.u.ments on the table and sat on the sofa as if he were at home.


    London turned to Jan and nodded. "Thanks. I''ve been rather busy today. Do you want to have a drink with me?"


    He walked to the cabinet with wine and took a bottle of red wine. Jan nodded and voluntarily fetched two glasses for them. He then took the bottle of wine from London''s hands and poured the contents into their two glasses.


    "So, what do you want to do now?" Jan asked in a sympathetic voice. He was actually amazed by how responsible his boss was. Even though the events that happened that night weren''t his fault, he still tried to do what he could to improve the situation.


    Actually, if London had slept with an Alchemist, these events wouldn''t have happened. In their perfect society, a child would only be conceived if both parents, the father and mother, d.e.s.i.r.ed a child.


    This was a perfect birth control system genetically passed down to every Alchemist descendant. If London had instead been tricked into sleeping with an Alchemist girl, the girl wouldn''t have been pregnant if London didn''t d.e.s.i.r.e such.


    Of course, he didn''t know the girl and didn''t love her, so there was no way he would d.e.s.i.r.e a child from someone he hadn''t known.


    Unfortunately, this system among the Alchemists didn''t apply to ordinary people. Humans couldn''t resist reproduction by their d.e.s.i.r.es alone. If a woman was ovulating when she had unprotected s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e with a man who had healthy s.p.e.r.ms, then pregnancy was certain to occur. These pregnancies were not always wanted nor planned.


    "Now? I made an agreement with L for the next five months. She''ll be living with me so I can watch over her and make sure our child is born healthy. After that, she can go anywhere she wishes. I won''t stop her."


    "Have you talked to Mrs. Schneider? She might be able to talk to Miss L," Jan suggested.


    "My mother? She''s currently in Asia. I don''t feel comfortable talking about this over the phone or Virconnect. I''m sure if I tell her, Mom will want to beat me up with her own hands..." London could only sigh and sip his wine. He didn''t mind being hit by his mother, but he couldn''t bear to see his mother''s disappointed face.


    He didn''t want to disappoint his beloved mother, who had always been proud of him.


    "Mrs. Aleksis will give birth next month, right? You can meet them in Singapore when Mrs. Aleksis gives birth and talk to your family. I''m sure the birth of a new grandchild will be the right moment to inform them of the presence of the next grandchild. Everyone would be in a happy mood then... "


    Ah, yeah... Aleksis was now eight months pregnant. She"ll give birth very soon. This actually made London anxious.


    This meant that he only had one month to tell his parents what happened between him and L, and oops... that he would be a father at the age of 27.


    No, he will have his 28th birthday next month.


    And he will soon become a father.


    He took a deep breath.


    "I''ll take your advice and tell my family next month. In the meantime, please reduce L''s involvement in events. She must not perform too often, so her absence wouldn''t be noticed by the public. I don''t want her to be stressed out by people''s responses. Five months is a long time."


    Jan took out his tablet and showed its contents to London.


    "Actually, I have a plan to display Miss L for the next few months on formal occasions about once or twice a month, while her pregnancy still isn''t obvious. Because if she suddenly disappears on the grounds of falling sick, the public would raise questions and be suspicious," Jan voiced. "I know that Miss L chose a shortcut by running away the other day because she was afraid of being found out. But if she was told that her contract was changed and she didn''t need to appear in public often, maybe she would become more confident."


    "You think so?" London asked. In his heart, he actually would rather lock L up in the apartment and not let her go at all, but he knew how L was even more fond of her career than her own child.


    "She can still perform at the May Festival next week. She had withdrawn her participation because she claimed to be sick, but I convinced Pammy to tell her to perform."


    "You talked to her manager yourself? Why should you bother?" London asked in surprise. "You''re the director of the Schneider Group. Your position is too high. You should''ve asked a manager from Brilliant Mind Media to contact them. She could be suspicious."


    Jan could only inwardly lampoon. No other people must know about the boss'' personal business this time, so it had to be his direct responsibility.


    "I just made sure everything went the way you want it to."


    London thought for a moment and finally nodded. "Okay."

 Chapter 612 - All Women Love Flowers

    London agreed that L needed to go out and attend several events so as not to arouse suspicion. He still remembered how the girl was rumored to have slept with some industry big wigs at the beginning of her career. What if rumors about her being pregnant and giving birth also spread? This would undoubtedly also be bad for her career and reputation.


    London couldn''t risk the girl feeling stressed. Although L was really annoying, she was pregnant with his child. Over the next five months, London must ensure that she was well, both mentally and physically.


    He read a book about pregnancy this afternoon. He found that the baby in the w.o.m.b could actually feel what their mother was feeling. The mother''s mood would affect the baby''s physical and mental development. So, in order to keep their baby happy, London must keep L happy.


    Dammit... he just remembered that L was crying when he left.


    He had to think of a way so that she wouldn''t be sad. He didn'' want their child to experience the sadness of its mother from inside the w.o.m.b.


    "Jan, I have to go home now. There''s something I have to do. We''ll meet at the office tomorrow." He took his bag of personal belongings that he had prepared, then put the doc.u.ments from Jan under his coat. "Clean up the glasses before leaving."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After London left, Jan looked around the luxurious penthouse and shook his head. "Too bad, such a beautiful and luxurious penthouse like this would be abandoned for the next five months... tsk tsk."


    ***


    London took the time to buy flowers before returning to his modest apartment. When he parked his car in front of the building, he realized that his bodyguards'' BMW was still at the end of the block.


    Hmm... It must be hard for them to keep watch from the car every day, he thought. It would be better if Marc and Dave could live nearby so they could protect him more easily. Having that thought, London then dialed a number and called Jan.


    "Jan, please buy two units to the right and left of my apartment now. Dave and Marc will have to live near me for the next five months to make security easier."


    He immediately hung up without waiting for Jan''s answer. He hurriedly entered the building and went up to the thirtieth floor, where his unit was located.


    KNOCK KNOCK.


    After London knocked twice, he opened the door with the passkey. Upon entering the unit, he saw L sitting on a couch while reading the contract London had given her. The girl''s face tilted up to see London. Her expression was flat. She no longer looked angry, but she was still not friendly.


    "Good evening," London greeted her in a gentle voice. He still remembered how L cried today and now he could no longer be angry at her.


    Really, his heart was too weak towards this girl.


    "Hi..." L looked at London attentively. "I thought you said you will be back late. Are you done with your business?"


    "My business finished early," London answered with a shrug. He put his bag on the table, then took out the flowers from behind his back and handed it to L. "These are for you."


    L was surprised to see such a scene unfold before her eyes. "Wh... What''s this? Why are you giving me flowers?"


    "All women love flowers, right? You don''t?" London asked back.


    L creased her forehead and hesitantly accepted London''s flowers. "Th... thank you."


    London had seen her eyes glisten, but L had quickly looked away, hiding her face behind the flowers she held.


    "You''re welcome. I''m doing this for my child. I want our child to be happy in there," London said afterward, pointing at L''s tummy. "And the only way to have that is to make YOU happy."


    He put a piece of paper and a pen next to L. "I don''t really know you, so I don''t know what you like and what you don''t like. Could you please write about them there? I''ll try to do what you like, and avoid what you hate. You can count on me to make sure you''ll only experience the things you like for the next five months, and I''ll do everything I can to prevent the things you hate from happening..."


    He then took his bag and entered his room. After London''s room door was closed, L, who was stunned, lowered the flowers from her face, revealing her eyes, which were already in tears.


    She then took the piece of paper and the pen with trembling hands before hugging them to her c.h.e.s.t. Her tears were gradually flowing down as she silently cried while stroking her stomach lovingly.


    In his room, London could see the scene through the camera recording on his phone.


    He couldn''t help but wonder. Why was L still crying? He had gone home early and brought the girl flowers. He had also explained that he would do everything that the girl liked.


    Then why was she still crying? What else should I do? London pondered, massaging his forehead.


    Why are women so difficult to understand?


    Why did L not want to cry in front of him and always pretend to act strong?


    Should he ask Rune to change his research on a baby translator machine into a machine to translate women?


    Ah... Maybe he should. He''d contact Rune tomorrow.


    After he showered and rested for a bit, he went out of his bedroom and prepared dinner for them. L wanted to help, but her mood was so bad that she ended up ruining the dishes with too much salt.


    "Uhm... next time, please let me do the cooking." London shook his head and forced a smile. "I know pregnant women''s hormones can mess up with their moods, and messed up mood will affect the cooking. I want you to eat well. I don''t need you to do the work."


    L could only nod. They finally ordered takeout and ate in silence.

 Chapter 613 - Dont Get Caught

    London was awakened by the sound of the alarm that he had been using for the past three months, namely L''s voice singing Billie Yves''s famous song "You Are Enough", which he found on the girl''s website.


    Ugh...!


    He hurriedly got up and turned off the alarm on his phone when he regained his senses and remembered that the owner of the voice was staying in the next room.


    How embarrassing, if L found out that her voice was London''s alarm ringtone. Fu. He had to change his alarm.


    London rubbed his eyes and opened his phone settings to change the alarm ringtone, but he soon realized that it wasn''t actually the alarm that was ringing.


    He set the alarm for 8 o''clock in the morning, and it''s only half-past eight at the moment.


    His head spontaneously turned towards the door of his room. His ears perked up, trying to listen to the singing voice coming from outside his room.


    Ah... Apparently, the owner of the voice was singing live in the living room of this apartment. London closed his eyes and enjoyed the beautiful voice of the siren for ten minutes. He was extremely impressed, just like when he first saw her singing at Stephan''s party.


    When L stopped singing, London finally got up from his bed and rushed out.


    "Good morning," he greeted L, who was standing in front of the balcony and enjoying the morning air. The girl turned her head and blushed.


    "Did I wake you up? Sorry... I was too happy. I just read an email from Pammy. She said that the company was worried about my health and gave me a break for several months. My performing schedule was significantly reduced and I only need to appear once or twice for the next two months. My upcoming appearance is the Summer Welcoming Festival next week, so I have to practice... "


    London was stunned to hear L speak so enthusiastically about her work. He had never heard her talk so much before. Apparently, her heart was indeed happy.


    "Good luck," he said in the end.


    "Thank you," L said. "Eh... I didn''t disturb your sleep, did I? I won''t sing in the morning anymore... so you won''t be disturbed."


    At that moment, the alarm on London''s phone went off very loudly. It was exactly 8 o''clock, and the melodious voice of L singing "You Are Enough" filled their living room.


    L widened her eyes in surprise. "What''s that?"


    London didn''t answer. He hurriedly turned off the alarm and entered his bedroom.


    It took L a few seconds to realize what was happening. She pursed her lips while staring at the door of London''s room, which the owner had just closed.


    A smile was plastered on her face. She just learned that her singing voice was used as an alarm by the handsome young man. How cute!


    She walked into the kitchen and took the flowers London had brought her last night and put them in a large vase in the living room. Instantly, the brightness of the late spring felt immensely real in their living room.


    Meanwhile, in his room, London hurriedly changed his alarm and deleted L''s song from his phone. He was really embarrassed, L had learned that he used her voice to wake him from his sleep.


    It seemed that he wouldn''t be able to show his face in front of her again.


    Ugh... dammit. It was almost 9 o''clock in the morning and he had to go to the office. However, he didn''t want to come out of his room and meet L. He was still embarrassed, and he still couldn''t find a reason for the incident earlier.


    At 9 o''clock, a few knocks on his door could be heard.


    "You haven''t prepared breakfast for me. I''m hungry," L told him. "I can''t use the old-fashioned stove in this apartment."


    Ugh...!


    Of course, London thought in annoyance. He then left his bedroom and immediately entered the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast, which consisted of eggs, sandwiches, and salad. Every ingredient was organic and only the best products were used.


    Ten minutes later, he was serving everything at the dinner table. L came to the dining room and sat next to him, brewing tea.


    "Eh, what do you want to do? Don''t touch the hot water!" London exclaimed, worried. He hurriedly took the teapot from L''s hand and took over the work. "Let me do it."


    "Aish... I''m just pregnant. I''m not disabled," L said, pursing her lips. "You''ve prepared breakfast, so let me make the tea."


    "No need... I can still do it," London stubbornly insisted.


    Shortly after, the two had a fight over who should make tea and share responsibilities, forgetting about the alarm incident.


    In the end, London won. He made two cups of tea for them and the two then had breakfast together.


    "Do you still work at Luxe?" L asked out of nowhere. London was surprised to see L interested in his work.


    "Why do you ask?" London asked in return.


    "The salary there is definitely not enough to rent an apartment here. The apartment is indeed simple, but the location is in the town center. The rent is definitely expensive," L commented.


    "Oh, I work at Luxe only as part-time. I have another job," London shrugged. "You taught me to work hard and have ambitions. You aren''t the only one who wants to be rich."


    "Then what do you do now?" L asked, staring intently at London. "If you get involved with the mafia or commit crimes, I need to know so I can prepare an alibi if you get arrested."


    London was stunned to hear L''s words just now. Involved with the mafia? Commit crimes?


    "Do I have the appearance of a criminal?" London irritatedly asked. "How can you accuse me of that?"


    "Under this building is a black BMW that''s always monitoring. I remember seeing that car when you took me to the restaurant at the St. Laurent Hotel. I''m not a fool... There are mysterious people watching you. You also have more money than just the salary of a freelance photographer at Luxe, to be able to rent an apartment here. There''s no way your job is legal."


    London was astonished. This L turned out to be hard to fool.


    "What makes you think I''m related to a criminal?" he asked, astonished.


    L shrugged, "Because you seem so determined to get rich, by all means. In this day and age, the only way to get money quickly is by illicit activities."


    London sighed. He didn''t think his value in L''s eyes was so low that the girl thought he was working with criminals to make quick money.


    "Ugh... I''ll be going first." London tried to divert the conversation. He then finished his breakfast and washed his eating utensils before leaving. He had to attend several important meetings today. "Today''s lunch is in the refrigerator. You just have to warm it up in the microwave. I''ll go home before dinner."


    "Be careful," L stood up and escorted him to the door. The beautiful girl hesitated for a moment before patting London''s shoulder and whispering softly, "Don''t get caught."


    London raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about me?"


    L didn''t answer and closed the door. London could only be stunned to see the door close in front of him without hearing any answer.


    This means that was L worried about him, right?


    This is progress.


    It''s small, but it''s still progress compared to yesterday, London thought.


    Unconsciously, a smile appeared on his lips as he pressed the elevator button to go down to the lobby.


    Oh yeah... he had to tell Dave and Marc to hurry move to the two apartments next to his unit to be able to protect him more closely. And they also had to replace the damned car.


    How could an ordinary woman like L know they were watching her? Dave and Marc were too rash.


    That... or L was just too smart.


    Inside, London was happy. He read that the intelligence of a child would be inherited from their mother. Seeing how intelligent L seemed, it must mean that their baby would also be smart.

 Chapter 614 - Only The Mentally Impaired...

    "Jan, do you think I look like a criminal?" London asked in his office, turning himself to face Jan. The assistant frowned. He didn''t understand.


    "What do you mean, Sir?" Jan asked in puzzlement.


    "Just answer my question. If people who don''t know me see me a few times, would they think I''m involved with the mafia or other criminals?"


    What kind of question is this? Jan thought in annoyance. London didn''t look like a criminal no matter how you look at him. His appearance was really neat and impressive. He wore expensive clothes and limited editions from head to toe. Only the best things were suitable for a man of the Schneider family.


    London usually went to his penthouse first to change clothes from the cheap shirt he wore when he left his apartment. There, he drank coffee from his favorite coffee machine and read various economic news before driving into the office. After returning from the office, he would stop by the penthouse to change back his clothes before returning to the apartment.


    So Jan didn''t understand the meaning of London''s question today, since his boss appeared as usual. He didn''t feel anything strange.


    "Does this have something to do with Miss L?" Jan asked in return. "Personally, I don''t think you resemble a criminal at all. Only a mentally impaired person would..."


    He was silent. There was no way he could call the girl his boss fancied, the mother of his boss''s future child, a mentally impaired person.


    In the end, Jan only coughed and changed the subject.


    "Will you come to the May Festival?" he asked. He pressed the remote in his hand and the projector wall immediately displayed a short video of the festival''s advertis.e.m.e.nts in various media.


    London paid attention to advertis.e.m.e.nts featuring various arts and music performances on three different stages in a city park near the Berlin Wall monument.


    Since ten years ago, this festival had become a show eagerly awaited by many and was held free of charge by the Schneider Group as a form of contribution by the largest group of companies in Europe to their home countries.


    London had only been to the event twice, which was the first and the second. He enjoyed the show with Rune, his brother, and Jan. He was only 19 years old at the time while Jan and Rune were teenagers. They mingled among other spectators. At that time, his father returned to lead the Schneider Group after the death of Kurt Van Der Ven.


    London became busy with his studies, Rune with his research, and Jan started college. He was being prepared to take care of the Schneider Group, like how his father used to. This meant that he had missed eight festivals so far.


    "Sounds like fun," London uttered with a nod. He recalled the fun experience in his teenage years with Jan and Rune having fun at the festival. This was the first time they secretly drank alcohol without their bodyguards'' knowledge.


    "I have to come as the Schneider Group''s representative," Jan shook his head with a slightly apologetic expression. "I can''t come with you. Unless..."


    "Unless what?" London inquired


    "Unless you come with me as the leader of the Schneider Group."


    Jan''s words made London suddenly think mischievously. L will be performing at the festival, and she had never met London Schneider. It would certainly be interesting if he could tease L by sending flowers to her after she performed. He would write on her card that the flowers came from London Schneider, the owner of the Schneider Group itself.


    He wanted to know how L would treat a tycoon who seemed to be paying attention to her. He wouldn''t meet her up close to avoid L recognizing him, but if L were to see him from afar, he would be able to use his true identity as London Schneider. He and Jan would sit in the VIP area, away from the audience and the performers.


    "Alright. I''ll come as the leader of the Schneider Group," London said after a brief pause. A faint smile adorned his face.


    "Ah, perfect. The people will surely be excited if a member of the Schneider family personally attends the festival. Nobody from the family has come to this festival for a very long time. The last time was five years ago, which was when Mr. Terry came." Jan informed with an excited look.


    "Well, I guess I''m too old to attend the festival and jostle with ordinary viewers. I''ll just join the VIP section," London commented. He contemplated for a while before reaching for his phone.


    He dialed the number of his younger brother, Rune.


    "What''s up?" Rune asked from the other end of the call.


    "Do you have something to do next week?" London promptly asked.


    "A lot. Like you, I''m also busy," Rune answered. "I really need a vacation."


    "What are you working on?"


    "Still on a baby translator device. Why?"


    "Oh..." London recalled his plans of asking Rune to make a translator for women''s cries. "Has it worked?"


    "Almost... I just need a baby to test it before I make a better prototype."


    My baby can volunteer, London thought.


    Ah no. He mustn''t let his baby become a test subject for Rune and Uncle Aldebar''s unguaranteed machines. He won''t take that risk. If the child were to find out, the child would accuse him of not loving him later on.


    "Do you still remember the first Welcoming Summer Festival, or also known as the May Festival, ten years ago when you, Jan, and I came to watch Aunt Billie''s concert and we secretly drank alcohol for the first time?" London asked.


    Rune laughed at the other end. "Hahaha... Yeah, I still remember. You threw up last time... Eww."


    "How cheeky. I don''t want you to say a word about that embarrassing incident at all. Remember, you swore an oath to keep it a secret." London massaged his forehead. "I want to invite you to come to the May Festival next week. I also have something to discuss with you."


    "Of course, I''ll come. Is that all?"


    "That''s all. I''d like to talk to you about something important. See you next week."


    "See you next time, Mr. Rune!" Jan exclaimed before London ended the call. He wore an enthusiastic look. He also wanted to meet Rune, who had been really busy with a variety of research lately. And the fact that members of the Schneider family would be attending the upcoming festival would undoubtedly make it more interesting.

 Chapter 615 - Three Sets of Shirts

    Jan was very happy to hear that London decided to attend the May Festival, and brought his brother along. Jan and Rune were of the same age and they were quite close when they were younger. however, after he attended university and Rune became so busy with his research, they hardly had time to meet.


    London and Rune''s presence would also bring something fresh to the festival. The Schneider family was known to be really reclusive. Even though they sponsored the festival, their family members almost never attended the event.


    Showing up now would mean a lot to the performers because they would feel that their hard work was supported and noticed by that family.


    Jan really needed to immediately notify his secretary to update the festival''s news.


    "Hmm... it''s already 5 PM. I have to go home." London stood up and tidied up his bag. "You''ve bought the two units next to my apartment, right? Have Marc and Dave moved there?"


    Jan nodded. "As you ordered, they''re staying there watching over Miss L. The car has also been replaced."


    "Good. I''ll stop by the penthouse to take a shower before heading back to the apartment. Oh, by the way, please ask the chefs at St. Laurent Hotel''s restaurant to prepare food for me to take away. I''m not in the mood to cook." London then rushed out of his room.


    "You cook?" Jan murmured in amazement. Even so, he did everything his boss ordered him without protest.


    London left for the penthouse with Leon and Dean, his other two bodyguards, because Marc and Dave were in the apartment to watch over L.


    ***


    KNOCK KNOCK


    London knocked on the apartment door twice, just like what he always did, and entered with the passkey. He put the flowers next to L, who was busy writing on a notebook as though she was memorizing something.


    "These are for you. And I brought special food. There was an important event at the place I went to, and there was plenty of leftover food. I was allowed to take some of them home." London lifted the food package in his right hand. "It would be a shame to waste such good food..."


    L received the flowers from London with hesitation. She didn''t expect to be given flowers every day. Which woman didn''t like to receive flowers? London knew that L wasn''t an exception.


    "Yesterday''s flowers are still good," L commented while pointing at the vase she put in the living room. "Why would you buy me more flowers?"


    "I know. But these flowers were also free, really. They were from the event I attended," London shrugged. "It would be a shame to throw them away."


    He didn''t care if L were to look down on him because he seemed to bring her only leftover goods. He had to find an excuse as to why he could bring her things like flowers and fancy food almost every day.


    However, surprisingly, L didn''t look offended at all, nor did she mock him for bringing ''leftovers''. The girl just nodded and put the new flowers in another vase. She then arranged the food that London brought at the dinner table, and they immediately sat down for dinner together.


    "How was your day?" L asked, pouring water for London and herself.


    "Hm¡­ It was quite busy," London answered. "How about you?"


    "I was also busy. I have to practice for the performance at the festival as well as possible. I''ll go to the studio with Pammy and rehearse with the band tomorrow."


    "Oh, okay." London nodded. "What about the list I gave you for what you like and dislike yesterday? Have you finished writing them?"


    L nodded slowly. "I have, but..."


    "But what?"


    "I don''t think you need them... These are too much already. I''ll be fine for five months. I''m not a fragile ceramic in need of special handling," L said, pursing her lips.


    "That will be my decision to make," London dismissively answered.


    L looked at London with a complicated look. "You''ve spent enough money on me. I know you don''t have much..."


    "So what?" London questioned, staring back at L, who seemed to be doubtful. "How do you know I don''t have much money? And what does that have to do with you?"


    L frowned. "If you want to look after this child, you have to start saving. Don''t spend your money on unnecessary things. Raising a child is very expensive, you know. It was only now I realized how poor you really are. I was about to wash our clothes with the washing machine, and I noticed you only have three sets of shirts. Are you aware of that? All this time, those three sets of shirts are all you have...! How could I have the heart to take money out of you?"


    "Eh...?" London realized that L''s words were valid. He looked at his simple shirt. He did only have three sets.


    He hid most of his actual clothes in the penthouse. Everything was of expensive brands in limited editions, and there were a lot of them. Sometimes, he would only use an item once before it disappeared behind a pile of clothes or throwing it away. Rows of luxury clothes just filled a large walk-in closet in his bedroom. As for simple clothes, he only had three sets.


    London then held L''s hand with a displeased expression. "Why did you have to wash them? I told you there will be someone who will clean three times a week. Let them do their work. I don''t want you to be tired. Our child also will be tired if you are..."


    L was left speechless, hearing London''s words just now.


    Wasn''t she talking about how London should save his money considering how poor he was and how he only had three sets of shirts? Why was he instead getting upset because she washed their clothes?


    What a weirdo, L thought, pouting.

 Chapter 616 - Could You Take Me To Studio?

    L was left speechless, hearing London''s words just now.


    Wasn''t she talking about how London should save his money considering how poor he was and how he only had three sets of shirts? Why was he instead getting upset because she washed their clothes?


    What a weirdo, L thought, pouting.


    Seeing L pout like that made London freeze in place. This girl had tiny natural pink lips that looked extremely adorable when she pouted or sulked.


    Maybe this was L''s charm. As far as London had seen, the girl rarely smiled if she weren''t photographed. But because she was a very professional artist, L could change poses and smiled twenty times a minute during a photoshoot.


    But in her daily life, as long as London could remember, L almost never smiled. Her expression was usually either flat or cold. Many considered her elegant and a little prideful, but L never cared about their opinions.


    Unconsciously, London stared at her pouting little lips and became stunned. For some reason, the images of that night''s events reappeared in his mind. He remembered the tiny lips m.o.a.ning and whimpering very s.e.xily when they made love under the influence of aphrodisiac.


    His hand on L''s relaxed when he swallowed and looked away. Ugh... he almost kissed those cute pouting lips.


    "The point is that you don''t have to work at home to clean up or do the laundry. I''ve hired someone to do it thrice a week. Just focus on your practice and your health."


    He finished his dinner early and rushed to his room to rest.


    London knew that living with L for the next five months would be hard because he had to hold back more than usual with her around him. He couldn''t deny his feeling of love for L, and together with his feeling of love was s.e.x.u.a.l attraction towards the girl.


    As a visual person, he often imagined how L''s body would look without any garments on. Her petite body had the perfect curves in all the right places. Even her stomach, which was now protruding, made her even more attractive in London''s eyes, considering that the woman was pregnant with his child.


    When he went to bed last night, he even had to take some pills to help him fall asleep. His mind kept wandering to the girl sleeping in the room next to his and imagining L laying in his arms and sleeping with him. He imagined how they were in each other''s embrace, closing their eyes while feeling the sound of their heartbeats flowing in rhythm.


    Ugh... He scolded himself for not being able to hold back his feelings for L. That girl wasn''t the right woman for him. L was too materialistic and too selfish.


    London felt a dilemma in his current position. He had to fight his feelings when he was living with L, but he also didn''t want to leave L alone without him during her pregnancy. He wanted to protect L and his child in her w.o.m.b. He wanted to make sure the child was developing perfectly and without problems until its birth into this world.


    Seeing London finish his dinner and go to his room, L could only sigh. Her gaze was on the flowers in the vase and on the delicious food on the table.


    In her heart, she felt touched because she was treated so well by this man. They had known each other for four months, and the longer they were together, the more L could see how well London was treating her. She had never met a man as good as he was.


    L wasn''t a prudish or naive young woman who couldn''t see how the man looked at her with a pair of affectionate eyes laced with l.u.s.t every time they were together. She knew London really loved her, and this made her feel uneasy.


    If the situation was different, L might''ve run away far away from this man so her feelings for him wouldn''t go deeper. But the problem was that she was pregnant and she had no choice but to stay here and let London take care of her.


    If living with L became a certain kind of torture for London, it was the same for L.


    ***


    The next morning, London woke up again to the sound of singing from the living room. For some reason, he never got tired of hearing L''s voice even though she repeatedly sang the same song.


    She would sing three songs for the festival. One was a very famous song from Billie Yves, which was also Finland''s favorite song. His mother was Billie Yves'' biggest fan. The other two song were L''s own songs from her new album.


    When London left his bedroom to prepare their breakfast, he was surprised to see that there was already warm food on the table.


    "I warmed up the leftovers last night in the microwave. You only ate a little last night," L commented. She folded the yoga mat she had just used and put it in her room before joining London at the dining table. "I have to practice with the band and background dancers today. Can you take me to the studio?"


    "At what time?" London asked while making tea in a pot for both of them.


    "One in the afternoon."


    One in the afternoon¡­ London remembered that he had a meeting with lunch with the directors of the investment division at that hour.


    "Alright," he simply replied. Jan could represent him at the meeting. He could meet those directors anytime he wanted, but the opportunity to take L to work didn''t come often.


    "Thank you."


    L received a cup of tea from London and took a sip. They then ate breakfast in silence.


    At nine in the morning, London said goodbye before he left for work and promised to return at 12 noon for lunch together before driving L to the studio. It was a nice day for both of them.


    ***

 Chapter 617 - London Schneiders Logic

    Lately, whenever London wasn''t busy with work, he would spend a lot of time reading references about pregnancy and babies.


    There was so much information that he thought to be very interesting and he had never cared about before. For example, the gender of the baby can be known after five months of gestation. So, he couldn''t wait for the next month, when he would be able to find out the gender of his future child.


    In contrast to his brother and sister-in-law, who didn''t want to know about their child''s gender before they were born, London was very curious.


    This was a very thrilling experience for him because he really didn''t know what to expect. He didn''t like a situation where he didn''t have enough preparation and knowledge to handle it. That was why he read so much and tried to find as much information as he could.


    "Jan, did you know? A child''s intelligence and height are actually inherited from their mother," London commented, lowering the book he was reading when Jan entered his room carrying a stack of doc.u.ments.


    "I didn''t know," Jan answered. He then placed the doc.u.ments on London''s table and shrugged, "Your child will be short then. Miss L is only 157 cm tall, after all"


    London glared at his assistant''s blunt remark. He didn''t need another to tell him that for him to know. He himself was quite tall, being 183 cm and very proportional, but if the height of the child is dependent on the genetic construction of the mother, then his child from L will indeed be short.


    In his heart, he hoped his child would be born a girl. This was because a short petite girl would actually look cute and adorable, but a short boy might grow up feeling inferior.


    "I regret telling you now," London grumbled after hearing Jan''s words just now. He placed the book on the table and examined some of the doc.u.ments that Jan had just delivered and jotted something down on some of the numbers written there. "I''ve reviewed these two reports and written down my opinions. You can bring these to the lunch meeting. I have to go somewhere."


    "Yes, Sir."


    Jan didn''t need to ask to know that his boss''s business must have to do with L.


    ***


    As he promised L this morning, at 12 noon, London arrived at their apartment to take L to the studio.


    KNOCK KNOCK.


    "Are you ready?" he asked L, who was grooming herself in front of the mirror. He was puzzled to see how murky her face looked. L turned to him and weakly shook her head.


    "Ugh... I can''t find clothes that can cover my stomach..." she complained.


    Indeed, after four months of pregnancy, the bulge in L''s stomach began to be visible. Her body was small and slim, so even the smallest changes would be clearly visible, and this included the bulging of her stomach.


    Her pair of black eyes began to be moistened with tears.


    London couldn''t bear to see it. He took the variety of clothes L piled on a chair and examined them one by one to see which was the most appropriate to wear and could conceal her pregnancy. After a period of examination, he lifted a loose bohemian-styled dress.


    "How about this one? The dress is loose and it looks casual. If you layer it with a jacket, people won''t be suspicious," he patiently informed.


    L narrowed her eyes and examined the dress London lifted for a few moments. Finally, she nodded and reached out to take the dress.


    "Ugh... but this dress will make me look fat..." she complained. "All the dancers supporting my show are slim and s.e.xy. I''ll look like a sack of rice in the center."


    "Aish... Are you going to sing or do a fashion show? What matters is that people don''t pay attention to your stomach," London told. "Your voice makes you unique and everyone likes you because of your beautiful voice."


    L pursed her lips at London''s words, but she obeyed. She carried the loose dress into her room and changed her clothes. She left the room ten minutes later in the casual bohemian-styled dress and a jacket that covered the shape of her stomach.


    "I have to buy clothes like this for the festival performance in a few days," L said afterward. "I''ll look fat..."


    London could only roll his eyes at the girl''s complaint. In his eyes, L had a gorgeous body. She would always look beautiful no matter what she was wearing. He didn''t understand why L was fussing about her appearance so much.


    "Wait a minute, I have to get something in the room," London said after they finished lunch and prepared to leave for the studio.


    He then went into his room and called Jan.


    "Jan, you know that L will sing at the festival accompanied by dancers and musicians, right?" he asked before Jan could say hello.


    "That''s right," Jan replied. "What''s wrong?"


    "Please tell Brilliant Mind Media to provide only fat dancers and accompanying musicians to accompany L. They should each weigh a minimum of 100 kg, if possible."


    "Huh? Why? Your orders today are very specific. I can''t understand the reason," Jan scratched his head, trying to understand his boss''s logic behind such a strange request.


    Where were they supposed to look for dancers and musicians weighing at least 100 kg? And what for?


    "L feels fat among the usual backup dancers and it was enough to stress her. I can''t let my child in her w.o.m.b feel stress too. I can''t make her thinner during her pregnancy, can I? So the only way is to make the people around her fat."


    London hung up and hurried out to take L to the studio.


    In his office, Jan was still rooted in his place with his phone pressed to his ear and a gaping mouth. He didn''t know what to say. His boss just hung up on him.

 Chapter 618 - Youre Not Objective!

    London dropped L in front of the studio. He didn''t come down. Outside, Pammy was already waiting for L and accompanied her inside.


    "There''s a slight change in schedule. We should wait inside," Pammy informed while holding L''s hand. She nodded towards London to express her gratitude for taking her artist to the studio.


    London nodded in return and drove away. On the way to his penthouse to change attires before returning to the office, he smiled to himself. He imagined L''s surprise when she found out how the backing dancers and musicians at the festival were all plus-sized. Their presence would surely make her look as slim and s.e.xy as she wanted.


    Too bad he wouldn''t be there to see her smile.


    Come to think of it, L was indeed stingy with her smiles. London could only remember L smiling when she was being photographed or interviewed on television. The girl had never smiled naturally in front of him...


    Except when they were... ahem... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e.


    His face turned red at the thought of the incident.


    Dammit. If this kept up, how could he possibly concentrate on working? Every time he remembered L, he would remember that event. The research said that men think about s.e.x every five minutes, and London had to admit it. He never thought about s.e.x explicitly, but ever since he was with L, he often thought of her beautiful body and s.e.xy m.o.a.n when they made love.


    Focus, Mr. Schneider! You still have to think about various things that are far more important! For example, how will you take care of your child after L leaves, and most importantly... how will you tell your family about the child!


    Ugh...


    When he changed his clothes at the penthouse, London remembered L''s comment about him only having three sets of clothes. That made L conclude that London was actually dirt poor.


    Uhm... his lips smiled remembering that. It turned out that even though she seemed cold and uncaring, L was actually quite concerned about him. If L didn''t care about him, how could she notice that London only had three sets of clothes?


    He buttoned up his expensive shirt then sat in his office chair while opening his laptop. He had better buy some cheap clothes so he wouldn''t seem too suspicious.


    He opened a marketplace website and searched for clothes, then sorted them from the lowest prices.


    Hmm... he found a few clothes that looked quite decent and were cheap. He clicked buy then checkout. The clothes he ordered would arrive by express delivery to his office later in the evening. He would then bring his new clothes home after work.


    After he finished shopping, he returned to the office cheerfully.


    ***


    "How strange..." L said suddenly.


    "What is?" London asked while driving without taking his eyes off the road. He just picked L up from the studio, and now, they were on their way home.


    "Earlier, my training schedule was changed last-minute, and all my regular dancers couldn''t come. Their schedules clashed with another singer''s concert. The company had to find another team of dancers to accompany me... How strange." L shrugged, looking confused.


    London faintly smiled at that. He knew that Jan Van Der Ven had a magic touch. Whatever he asked for, Jan would always be able to carry them out well and efficiently.


    "You don''t like the new team of dancers?" he asked while glancing at L.


    "That''s not it, I like it. They''re nice, and..." The girl smiled a little, "They''re fatter than me... I''m no longer the sack of rice."


    London almost couldn''t believe his own eyes. L smiled!


    It looks like she''s happy with her new team of dancers.


    Ha. I knew it, London thought happily.


    Inside, he praised his intelligence and quick wits.


    Anyway, he won''t let L be stressed, which would also stress their child. If it was just changing the dance team, it was basically nothing to him.


    "I''m glad to hear that," the young man nodded.


    When they arrived at their apartment, L asked London to bring her shopping bags from the trunk. Pammy had placed the shopping bags in the trunk when she was taking L to the parking lot. London only noticed now how numerous L''s shopping bags were after he opened it in front of the apartment building.


    "What are these? Groceries?" London questioned. "When did you buy all these?"


    He shouldn''t be surprised, considering that L was well-known as a materialistic girl, of course, she would love shopping.


    "While I was waiting for the new schedule, I took the time to go to an online marketplace and bought a few clothes for the upcoming festival," L commented. "I also bought you a few clothes, so you don''t just keep wearing the same clothes all the time. They hurt my eyes¡­"


    "Eh... what?" London was stunned to hear that. He looked at the shopping bags in the trunk and saw that some of the brands were indeed men''s clothing brands. One or two bags actually included men''s clothing brands that were quite expensive. "You bought me clothes? Why?"


    "I told you, my eyes hurt seeing you wear the same clothes all the time..." L shrugged.


    London widely smiled. "You''re not doing this to thank me? Or because you started liking me?"


    L rolled her eyes. She didn''t answer and immediately entered the elevator to the 30th floor.


    London was elated because it turned out that L was so concerned about him. She even bought him clothes after she scolded him for having only three sets of shirts yesterday. He opened the shopping bags and saw that L had a pretty good taste.


    If they get married, he''ll leave it to her to pick clothes for him every day!


    He happily took out the ten shopping bags from the trunk of his car. He walked with difficulty carrying them to the elevator. Ah, he remembered that he also bought some cheap clothing sets from the marketplace this afternoon. He hurriedly took out the shopping bag containing the clothes he had bought and threw them into a trash bin.


    He couldn''t let L know he also bought a few clothes...


    "Eh... Boss, let me carry them for you," Dave, who appeared from behind the elevator door, exclaimed. Without having to be ordered to, he brought all the shopping bags to the thirtieth floor. London told him to put all the shopping bags in front of his apartment door. After he did so, Dave immediately left. London didn''t want L to catch him asking someone else to bring things for him.


    After knocking twice, he opened the door and entered carrying the shopping bags one by one. There were two shopping bags with clothes for him, and the rest were for L herself. Tsk tsk...


    "Thanks," L said, taking her things and bringing her clothes to her room. She returned a moment later wearing a new set of clothes. It was a loose blue dress with a model of ancient Greek women''s dresses. "What do you think?"


    London smiled. L looked so beautiful in that dress.


    "Lovely," he said honestly.


    "Hmm..." L returned to her room and came out ten minutes later, wearing a yellow dress. It was a sunflower-patterned bohemian-styled summer dress. "How about this one?"


    "Beautiful," London reiterated his admiration. L looked bright and cheerful in this dress.


    "Hmm..." L frowned before returning to her room and coming out ten minutes later in another new dress. "How about this one?"


    Wow... this pink dress really took London''s breath away. The dress had a low cleavage and accentuated L''s s.e.xy collarbone and neckline, making her large b.r.e.a.s.ts look even more charming.


    "Rea...lly¡­ lovely," Again, London gave his honest opinion. He had to swallow his saliva when he couldn''t take his eyes off L''s beautiful bosom poking out from under the dress''s low cleavage.


    "You''re not objective! Everything is lovely and beautiful! How am I supposed to know which one I should wear to the festival??"


    The girl raised her voice and entered the room with a frown.


    God... London wanted to pinch that temperamental girl. L looked beautiful in any dress, and London had only expressed his honest opinion. Still, L instead grumbled and accused him of not being objective.


    Sigh...


    Why is it so hard to convince L that he''s telling the truth?

 Chapter 619 - I Dont Want To Meet Your Family

    London patted his c.h.e.s.t and put his belongings in his room. After bathing, he rushed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.


    Although he didn''t particularly like cooking, London could do it if he had to. This was because since he was little, he had watched his father, who loved working in the kitchen, prepare delicious food for their family.


    This seemed to be a useful skill when he was in the situation he was in right now.


    "Dinner''s ready, let''s go to the dining room," he said as he knocked on L''s bedroom door.


    L emerged from behind the door and nodded. She followed London into the dining room, and they ate quietly.


    "I''ve finished the list of things I like and things I hate," L told him after she finished her meal. She took a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to London.


    The young man nodded and examined the contents of the paper from L. Hmm... there were five things she liked and two she hated.


    "Are these all?" he questioned. He thought L would write so many things that she liked, but there were only five. "You like ice cream in the summer, flowers, beaches, pink, and teddy bears. Everything is quite simple..."


    L only shrugged.


    London examined the two things L hated. "You hate loud noises, and you hate being lied to... These are also quite simple. I didn''t think you''d be this normal."


    "What did you say?" L glared. "You thought I was an abnormal creature???"


    London hurriedly touched the girl''s hand and c.a.r.e.s.sed it gently to ease L''s temper. What a short-tempered girl. "Ahahaha... I was joking. You''re a very normal girl. Sorry, I was just surprised by this finding. I thought an extraordinary woman like you would be very high maintenance and troublesome. But this doesn''t seem to be the case. You''re very easy to care for."


    In his heart, he confirmed that although L had a certain reputation, and her attitude could be quite annoying at times, she was actually quite nice and not troublesome. She never complained about where they lived, nor what they ate every day. In the several days that they''ve been living together, L also had never asked for anything or deliberately caused trouble for London.


    She followed their agreement by taking care of her health and notifying London of all her activities. She also asked for pickups when she needed them, not trying to leave quietly or doing stupid things behind London''s back.


    Overall, London considered L an easy girl who never troubled him.


    Hmm.. in fact, she also hadn''t had any cravings or do anything weird due to her pregnancy. What a low maintenance girl!


    "I''m easy to care for because I''ve learned to be independent since I was a child at the orphanage," L said to him. She crossed her arms across her c.h.e.s.t.


    London was stunned by L''s words. It was the first time he heard the girl talk about her past being raised in an orphanage.


    "You grew up in an orphanage? Since at what age?" he asked in a soft voice, trying not to offend L. "Did they treat you well in there?"


    L looked at him tiredly. It seemed that she didn''t like to talk about her past. "I entered the orphanage when I was 8 years old. I lived there until I was 16 years old. After winning a singing competition, I started working as a singer in cafes and lived independently."


    London remembered, when he was 16 years old, he was still acting like a child and often made mischiefs with his brother, Rune. But L had been taking care of herself and working to make money since she was so young. The man was moved to hear about L''s past.


    "You didn''t go to school?" London asked again.


    L shook her head. "I didn''t have time. But one day, I will catch up and study with a private teacher, so I could get a university degree and be an educated person."


    "Oh ..." London nodded. In fact, it was easy for him to get L'' continue her education. He would call all the professors of science that she wanted to give her private lessons.


    "How about you?" L asked suddenly.


    "Me?" London pointed at himself. He didn''t think L would be interested in asking about his past.


    "Are you from America? Lately, your American accent had disappeared, you adapt quickly," L. commented. "You didn''t grow up in an orphanage, did you? How was your life? Why did you get stranded here in Germany?"


    "Oh ... I wasn''t raised in an orphanage, you''re right. I have a very happy family. My father and mother are still alive, I also have an older sister and a younger brother."


    "Oh, the one who lives in Singapore?" asked L.


    "You still remember her? Right. My sister is in Singapore now, while my younger brother is in Switzerland. Next week he will come here. Maybe you can meet him," London said with a smile.


    "Hmm .. I don''t know. I''m not sure I have the face to meet your family. After all, we agreed that after this child was born, we would go our separate ways. I think the less people know about our relationship, the better," L said in response to London''s words .


    "Our relationship? What relationship do we have?" asked London, pretending not to understand.


    L just rolled his eyes and snorted. "You know what I mean. Don''t pretend to be stupid. Now we are connected by this child. As soon as he is born and I leave here, the relationship will automatically end."


    London sighed. "I understand."


    Both of them did not say anything more. Talking about their child seems to be a nail in the coffin that killed off every direction of the conversation.


    London then cleared their cutlery and washed it in the sink. L offered to help but was refused by the young man.


    "You just rest. The practice must have made you tired. Let me take care of it," he said as he pushed L''s body back into the living room.


    L obeyed and finally walked to her room to rest.

 Chapter 620 - Grateful For The Rain

    London cleared their plates quickly and then entered his room too. He then took out a bottle of whiskey and a glass, and then enjoyed a drink on the balcony of his room while pondering.


    His conversation with L tonight was quite profound. The girl even wanted to share a little about her past.


    Remembering L''s life, which was quite hard since she was in the orphanage and then living independently since three years ago, London became touched.


    It felt like he wanted to make up for all the hardsh.i.p.s of life that the girl had experienced. Unfortunately, L did not want to give him a chance at all.


    He stared at the dark sky that was adorned by thick clouds, while his heart was restless thinking about L and their child. After finishing a glass of whiskey and swallowing a sleeping pill, London felt sleepy and went to sleep.


    He had only slept for one hour when suddenly he was startled by the screeching sound of thunder from outside. Ugh ... the weather forecast indeed said it will rain tonight. He got up and went to his cupboard to take the noise-canceling earphones so he could get uninterrupted sleep.


    Wait... What was that?


    His sharp ears heard the faint sound of crying near his room.


    Instinctively his legs rushed out of the room and knocked on L''s bedroom door.


    "L ... are you all right?"


    Now he could hear her cry more clearly. London became very worried.


    "I''ll open the door ... I need to check your condition."


    Fortunately, L did not lock the door to her room. London easily opened the door and he hurried inside.


    The scene in front of him was heartbreaking.


    L was curled up in the corner of her bed while hugging a pillow with a horrified look.


    "Hey .. hey, what''s wrong with you?" London hurried over to the girl. L lifted her face with a pair of teary eyes, making London very surprised. "Gosh... what happened?"


    London''s question was immediately answered when the thunder roared once more and L cowered in fear.


    Was ... was the sound of thunder that scary for her? London thought in puzzlement.


    London felt confused. He had never seen an a.d.u.l.t so frightened by the sound of thunder. L reminded him of Little Prince Siegfried, his sister''s cute dog. He was always cowering in fear as heavy rain came accompanied by lightning and thunder.


    "Sshh ... don''t be afraid ... I''m here ..." London was touched to see L that way. The girl who was usually cold and temperamental now looked very vulnerable in front of him. His masculine instinct was up and ready to protect the girl. "I''m here ... don''t be afraid."


    He slowly hugged L and rubbed her head gently. L looked at him with a thankful look.


    "Thank you ... the thunder is so loud .. I don''t like it ... It sounds... like ... gunshots ..." the girl whispered haltingly.


    "Hmm ... you''re right. Don''t be afraid. I''ll be with you here until the thunder stops." London embraced L tighter. The girl then slid her head into London''s c.h.e.s.t as if seeking refuge in him.


    This made the man''s c.h.e.s.t palpitated. He could smell the sweet scent from L''s hair, so close to his nose. And the girl''s breath felt warm on his c.h.e.s.t. Then, he could feel her body that was as soft as a marshmallow now clung tightly to him.


    London''s body stiffened, and his mind began to imagine beautiful things with L. Still, with determination, he tried to get rid of those thoughts. L was really scared. It would be inappropriate for him to even think about s.e.x at a time like this, he told himself.


    In his heart, he thanked the rain for falling so hard, accompanied by lightning and thunder that scared L. At least tonight, he could feel her body again in his arms.


    "Go to sleep, okay ... I will protect you ... Don''t be afraid," he whispered to coax L. She nodded and instinctively hugged him when the thunder sound was heard once again.


    Finally, that night L slept in London''s arms. Although the man could not close his eyes to sleep even for a second, he was delighted because he could hug the girl he loved all night long.


    When morning came, London finally became drowsy, and he fell asleep when the sun appeared on the horizon. L woke up when he was just falling asleep. She needed a few moments to remember what happened last night, and why London was in her bed, hugging her.


    She remembered the events with the heavy rain and lightning, and how London had come to make her feel safe. After thinking for a while, she finally inched up slowly so as not to wake the young man. L got out of bed carefully. She then looked at the handsome man who was lying on her bed. Her expression seemed complicated.


    Very slowly, she then brought her face closer to London''s face and kissed his forehead. L then put on her robe and walked out of the room with gentle steps. After L closed the door behind her, London opened his eyes slowly, and he touched his forehead that L just kissed.


    A smile was etched on his face.


    L just took the initiative to kiss him!


    He really must thank the rain for this.


    London slowly took his cellphone and typed an SMS to Jan. He deliberately did not call because he did not want L to know that he was actually awake. He did not want the girl to chase him out of her room. He really liked it sleeping on her bed.


    [Jan, how far are we with our weather control research?]


    [Sir, it''s only 7 in the morning. My brain is not in the office yet] Jan replied five minutes later.


    [As soon as your brain goes to the office, please send me the report.] He pondered for a moment then wrote the next message. [If Professor Purdee has succeeded in his experiment to control the weather, I want you to immediately tell him to send rain to my area.]


    A faint smile graced London''s face as he laid his head on Elle''s pillow and closed his eyes to continue his sleep. Hmm ... the bed still felt warm after L slept on it, and he could smell the girl''s scent she left on her duvet.

 Chapter 621 - He Felt Sorry...

    A faint smile graced London''s face as he laid his head on L''s pillow and closed his eyes to continue his sleep. Hmm ... the bed still felt warm after L slept on it, and he could smell the girl''s scent she left on her duvet.


    He felt so sleepy after staying up all night to make sure L was safe, and sleeping on the girl''s bed now felt like a well-deserved reward for his hard work the previous night. Ugh... if only L was willing to marry him, he would love to sleep here every night. He finally fell asleep with such thoughts playing in his mind.


    London woke up at 10 am when his nose smelled cooking in the air.


    Hmm ... who is cooking? Is it L? Didn''t she say she didn''t know how to use the stove here? thought London in puzzlement.


    He was very unwilling to leave L''s bed, but he realized it was already time to wake up. He lazily exited L''s room and found the girl cooking in the kitchen.


    "Why ... why are you cooking?" he asked astonished.


    L was chopping vegetables when he came. She replied without turning her head, "I''m hungry. You didn''t wake up."


    "Aishh ... I''m sorry, let me take over from here." London hurriedly took the knife from the girl''s hand and took over the job to cut the vegetables. "You just sit nicely. What do you want to eat?"


    "Anything, I''m not fussy." L shrugged.


    London frowned. "Uhmm ... do you have any cravings or something? It''s been over four months, right? If there''s anything you want ... whatever it is, I''ll try to find it for you."


    L pursed her lips and shook her head.


    "I''m fine. I just hope there will be no more thunder like last night. That was really terrible ..." The light in her eyes looked dim, and cold sweat appeared on her temples. "Thank you, for taking care of me last night..."


    The words L said in a weak voice touched London. Apparently L was really scared last night. He remembers, if he didn''t mishear, L said the sound of the thunder was like gunshots in her ears.


    Did L ever experience something traumatic related to gunfire that now she really hated loud noises? London could only keep the questions to himself. L definitely won''t explain.


    "I already told you, for the next five months, I will make sure you and our baby are fine," London answered with a shrug.


    "It looks like it will rain again soon ..." L grieved after eating and she looked out the window, seeing so many dark clouds in the sky. London remembered the message he had sent to Jan and hurriedly took his cellphone.


    [Professor Purdee''s weather control research has been successful. Thunder is immediately sent to downtown.] Jan had replied to his message a few hours ago.


    What?! Professor Purdee''s research was successful ??


    Indeed Jan must have magic hands, London thought. NO MATTER WHAT he asked Jan to do, his assistant would deliver!


    London looked outside through the balcony and squinted his eyes at the sight of some dark clouds in the sky. In the distance, he had seen lightning struck and thunder roared softly.


    Soon the lightning will move toward this direction, and so will the thunder, he thought. He turned to the side and saw L walking to the balcony following him with a pale face. The girl had also seen how the weather worsened, and she clearly looked scared.


    Gosh... This morning London was acting like a selfish idiot. He only thought of his own interests and asked Jan to contact Professor Purdee to send heavy rain with lightning and thunder to their area to scare L so he could hug the girl again.


    But now, when the expected thunderstorm shortly arrived and he saw how scared L looked, suddenly his c.h.e.s.t was filled with guilt.


    Ah, why was he so selfish?


    [Jan, I didn''t expect Professor Purdee''s research to be this advanced. L doesn''t like lightning. Please make sure there will be no thunder at all in our area from now on. Also, you have to check the weather forecast anywhere L. will go to. Make sure that wherever she is, she would never hear the sound of thunder again.]


    Just as he pressed the SEND button, a bolt of huge lightning flashed near their apartment building and a second later there was a deafening thunder. L spontaneously hugged London and cried in his c.h.e.s.t. She was very terrified!


    For some reason, London no longer felt happy when L hugged him because she was terrified. He actually felt very guilty and every sob coming out of the girl made his heart feel wrenched. His front shirt was soaked wet by L''s tears in just a few minutes.


    "Sssh ... I''m sorry ..." London whispered softly. "I am so sorry..."


    He could not cancel the thunderstorm that had been sent. So, for half an hour he was forced to endure the feeling of suffocated, watching L being tortured by her fear of thunder as she was burying her head in his c.h.e.s.t.


    This was not what he wanted. He felt genuinely sorry.


    L didn''t deserve this, he thought. His mind went to the time when L showed that she cared about him, evidenced by L''s concern about him when she found out he only had three sets of clothes. L was never fussy, and she was not demanding like most other materialistic girls.


    Why was she so scared of loud noise like thunder ...?


    Did something happen to L when she was young before she was sent to the orphanage? Did she ever witness a shooting incident that left her traumatized?


    Thinking about how an 8-year-old child witnessed such a terrible event, made London''s heart feel moved ... He was determined to heal L''s heart from whatever traumatic events that hurt her in the past.

 Chapter 622 - He Must Have Mistaken Me For A God

    Jan could only press his forehead when he received the latest message from London. Now he had to make sure that wherever L went, there wouldn''t be any rain.


    ''This boss of mine must have mistaken me for a god or something,'' he thought irritably. This latest order was indeed particular and complicated. Gosh, if L knew what London was doing for her sake, maybe her still heart could feel touched a little, thought Jan.


    He was used to London''s strange behavior since they were still teenagers. After his father died, Jan entered boarding school, but on every school holiday, he would spend his time with London and Rune in their home.


    The relationship between the Van Der Ven family and the Schneider family had lasted for generations. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather ... all have become the confidants for the Schneider family in the real world, managing the business and all their family affairs.


    Jan is very fond of London and had enjoyed being his assistant for the past two years. He knew that London had never been in love. So, his behavior lately had convinced Jan that his boss was truly enchanted by L. The man fell hopelessly in love with the girl. Unfortunately, given L''s attitude, Jan understood that his boss''s love was unrequited.


    Too bad.


    ***


    After the rain stopped and the atmosphere calmed down, L finally locked herself in her room. London could only let her be and went to work. The important thing was that he knew that L was fine and that he could monitor her from afar through the cameras in the apartment. He also could rely on his trusted bodyguards, Dave and Marc, who lived next to his apartment.


    He was late for some important meetings. Even though he had told Jan to represent him, London still had to come and listen to the results of the meeting and made some decisions. After that, he had to attend another meeting with a different division. What a busy day.


    After the meeting with the investment division ended, he took the time to check the condition in the house while enjoying a cup of tea in his office. His face smiled when he saw L practicing yoga in the living room. He was relieved because it seemed that L had recovered and was able to go back doing her usual activities.


    The girl looked very s.e.xy with tight yoga outfits that accentuated her beautiful curves while she practices. The bulging in her stomach had started to be visible, and London could not take his eyes off of from L''s stomach.


    There was a feeling of emotion in his c.h.e.s.t when he remembered that in the girl''s belly, there was a developing fetus who would soon be born as his child.


    I hope my baby is a girl, London thought several times. He imagined how beautiful his child would be when she grew up, just like her mother.


    "You are smiling," Jan said, coming in after knocking on the door but London was too busy watching the screen to notice his presence. "Is there something funny?"


    London raised his face and shook her head. "There is nothing funny."


    When Jan was about to tilt his head to see what his boss was watching on his laptop, London hurriedly closed the screen. He was not willing to let Jan see L practicing yoga.


    "What''s the matter?" grumbled London while glaring at his assistant.


    "I''ve got several reports here that need your attention," Jan replied casually. He placed some doc.u.ments on his boss''s desk and immediately left.


    "Jan ... hey, wait a minute!" London suddenly remembered something. "I need your help again."


    Jan turned and looked at London attentively. "About Miss L?"


    "What else would it be?" London shrugged. "I want to know what happened to her from the time she was still a child in the orphanage ... There are several things about her that I''m curious about."


    After what happened with the thunder earlier, London began to see L from a different perspective. He felt that behind L''s temperamental attitude and her determination to pursue a career to become a famous person, and then look for a super-rich husband, there must be something in her past that made her that way.


    "Yes, Sir." Jan nodded and raised his thumb, then came out.


    London could only hope that someday L would open up to him and tell him what really happened. His attitude towards the girl was getting better. He no longer felt disturbed even though L treated him indifferently or with an uncaring attitude.


    London still brought home flowers every day and treated L well. He hoped that with consistency and patience, L will be able to slowly change her mind.


    Unfortunately, L was too stubborn. She was still cold and indifferent toward London.


    ***


    The days passed peacefully and suddenly it was the day of the May Festival


    That weekend was very sunny and the air was not too cold because it was nearing the end of spring. London was fiddling with his camera and L was getting ready to go to the festival.


    L readied herself in front of the mirror, and she liked her appearance. Last night she tried a variety of different dresses. After being angry at London who always said that she was beautiful wearing this dress, lovely wearing that dress, and charming in the other dress, she finally decided to ask the opinion of her followers on Splitz.


    L wore three different dresses and asked her fans to choose the best dress to wear at the festival. Everyone commented that she looked beautiful and radiant. Of the three dresses she wore, the choice finally fell on a pink dress with a low neckline that showed off her long s.e.xy neck, getting the most votes by her fans. Now she was grooming herself with the pink dress and her face looked very happy.


    "My performance at the festival will be broadcasted this afternoon on Splitz and tomorrow I will be announced as the new Virconnect ambassador ..." L said enthusiastically. "Pammy is amazing! She managed to get so many important contracts for me."


    London just listened while nodding. He did not feel the need for L to know his part in boosting the girl''s career. He was already very happy to see L''s happy face as she told him about her career and the new contracts she was getting.


    "I am glad to hear that." London just smiled. "What time do you want to be dropped off at the festival?"


    "You don''t need to take me there, Pammy will pick me up. There is something I need to discuss with her before the show. I don''t want to bother you. Pammy will come in fifteen minutes."


    "Hm ... okay. But if there''s anything, please let me know."


    London deliberately did not insist on taking L to the festival. He must meet his younger brother, Rune, who was waiting for him in the penthouse to go together. He must tell Rune what happened and ask for his help to tell their parents.


    The longer he delayed telling them the news, the more difficult it would be for him to do it.

 Chapter 623 - May Festival

    London deliberately did not insist on taking L to the festival. He must meet his younger brother, Rune, who was waiting for him in the penthouse to go together. He must tell Rune what happened and ask for his help to tell their parents.


    The longer he delayed telling them the news, the more difficult it would be for him to do it.


    [Jan has accompanied me here. What time do you want to come?] Rune asked via SMS.


    [Soon.]


    London waited until Pammy came and picked L to go to the festival, then she left the apartment. Marc was waiting for him in front of the building in his BMW. Dave left as soon as L and Pammy left. He was assigned to keep L safe.


    London arrived at his penthouse by lunchtime. He found Rune and Jan busy chatting in the dining room while enjoying lunch dishes prepared by several chefs from St. Laurent Hotel.


    "Jeez ... what happened to you?" Rune asked as he watched London''s unusual appearance. As he recalled, his brother was very fashionable and always wore high-quality clothing, but today he appeared with a simple shirt and jeans and a pair of sneakers. He almost did not recognize his brother.


    "How are you?" London paid no attention to Rune''s words, immediately hugged his brother, and then sat down on the dining chair. "There''s something important I want to talk to you about."


    "Does it have something to do with your strange appearance?" asked Rune, guessing. He narrowed his eyes and turned to Jan. "Do you know what is going on?"


    Jan nodded but then shook his head. "I can''t say."


    "All right. Apparently, you started to play secrets with me," Rune chuckled. "I am curious."


    Rune and London, although they were brothers, were not alike. London had black hair and blue eyes, and was the spitting image of his father. Rune looked very similar to Aldebar, their father''s brother.


    His hair was golden that fell down to his shoulders. His blue eyes have a slightly slanted shape and give off a mysterious vibe. If London and Rune sat together, no one would think that they were siblings.


    At first glance, one would think that the Rune was an eccentric-looking model and relaxed attitude. He did not look like a serious scientist, even though his daily life was always engaged with technology and research.


    London cleared his throat and down his wine until before telling Rune what had happened.


    "I will not keep it a secret from you. You will soon have a nephew OR niece."


    Rune looked disappointed when he heard London''s words.


    "Jeez... I thought you would tell me something crazy. I already knew that one." He rolled his eyes and snorted. "Why do you think I am trying to make the baby translator machine?"


    London was stunned to hear that. "You... you knew???"


    "Of course! Aleksis will give birth in two months. Have you forgotten it?" asked Rune.


    London and Jan looked at each other.


    "That''s not what I meant ..." Finally, London sighed. "I mean it was me ... I will have a baby."


    Rune had never been so surprised in his entire life.


    Finally, slowly London told him what had happened and Rune seemed to take some time to understand well what his brother was telling him.


    "Today, you can see her," London concluded. "She will perform at the festival."


    Rune nodded. "Congratulations. I don''t know what to say ... apart from that."


    "Thank you."


    The three of them left for the festival at 5 pm and headed directly to the VVIP section. Of the three stages where performances were held at Hyacinthe Park, the center stage was the largest and was being prepared for the main show.


    At the front of the stage, there was a special VVIP section provided for distinguished guests such as mayors, government officials, and officials of the Schneider Group who have sponsored the festival for the past 10 years.


    They entered the VVIP section from behind the stage and immediately sat down in the space provided. The arrival of the three most important people at the Schneider Group invited much attention because, so far, the Schneider family was too busy to attend the festival.


    The MC enthusiastically announced their presence after the performance of the Starlight dance group, and all the spectators who were present immediately applauded happily.


    They were very grateful, thanks to the support of the Schneider Group, the people in Berlin could enjoy world-class art and music performances for free every year.


    "You guys are trending on Splitz," Jan commented, checking his cellphone. "Do you want me to block the news? Don''t worry, your faces can''t be recognized."


    London shook her head. "No need."


    He had checked several news stories containing photographs and videos of his presence at the May Festival and was satisfied to see that his appearance there was not very similar to Killian Makela.


    The clothes he was wearing were very fashionable and looked expensive. He also wore cool sunglasses, and his hair was styled with gel so that it looked sleek and neat. Unlike the simple Killian Makela, with his disheveled hair and oversized reading glasses.


    One obvious similarity was only the reddish color of his lips, but he wasn''t too bothered. All the men in his family had red lips like women''s and he could not do anything to cover them.


    "Whoaa... you are famous," commented Rune while observing some news about them. "Many say you''re handsome ... tsk tsk tsk ..."


    London just laughed at his brother''s words, which were spoken in rather sarcastic tones. They talked about various performances that filled the festival while enjoying the champagne provided by the committee.


    At six in the afternoon, it was time for L''s performance. London immediately elbowed Rune and Jan, who were chatting, to be quiet and pay attention to the stage. The sun had begun to set and the atmosphere that afternoon was romantic against the background of sunset. A beautiful melody from an acoustic guitar started L.''s appearance


    One by one, dancers and background singers went on stage accompanied by musicians who took their places. London was delighted to see the dancers and musicians who accompanied L did look fat. So, when L entered, she looked very slim and charming. A happy smile adorned her beautiful face while chanting You Are Enough.


    Seeing the girl''s smile while singing his favorite song, London joined in. He felt everything he did had succeeded in making L happy, and that was all that mattered to him.


    L looked very beautiful in a pink dress that fell to her ankles, and she stepped gracefully towards the center of the stage. Her voice, as usual, hypnotized anyone who listened to it. The atmosphere became completely silent because everyone''s attention was on her.


    Rune turned to the left and saw his brother staring upstage with eyes that barely blinked.


    "She is okay," commented Rune.


    "Ssssh ..." London involuntarily covered his brother''s mouth. "Don''t talk when L is singing."


    Rune was gasping for air and immediately escaped from his brother''s hands. "You''re already obsessed."


    But he said nothing more during the time L sang her three songs. He admitted inwardly that L was indeed a talented singer. Maybe she was even just as gifted as Billie Yves herself who, for decades, became a world legend.


    "Rune, please help me, give this flower to her. Tell this flower is from me, then let me know how she reacts," pleaded London as L was about to finish her third song. He pointed to the bouquet of roses he had asked for the committee to prepare for him.


    They had talked about this at the penthouse, and Rune was willing to help his brother. They both want to know how L''s attitude if ''London Schneider'' showed admiration for L.


    "All right ..." Rune nodded. He took a bouquet of flowers from the chair beside him and then prepared to walk to the stairs up the stage. Once L finished her song, he will go on stage through the VVIP access. He will show L that his brother was interested in her. This was also London''s plan to boost L''s popularity.


    The media will be excited to talk about L if, as a newcomer, she seemed to attract the attention of the Schneider family. Tomorrow, when she was announced as the new Virconnect ambassador, L''s popularity would ill skyrocket. Her dream of becoming a very famous artist will soon come true.


    In five more months, after she gave birth and was ready to return to the entertainment industry, it would be very easy for her to claim back her career.

 Chapter 624 - Agreement With Terry

    "Thank you ..." L ended her third song to very lively applause from the mesmerized audience. She bowed respectfully and was about to get backstage when suddenly the crowd cheered like crazy. When she raised her face, a handsome man with long blond hair rose onto the stage from the VVIP section while carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.


    L''s c.h.e.s.t suddenly pounded. She saw Pammy from the side of the stage looking shocked and pressing her lips. The MC and the dancers who accompanied her also looked impressed. Everyone knew who the handsome young man who just got up from this VVIP section.


    Rune Schneider!


    Earlier the MC had excitedly announced the presence of Jan Van Der Ven and the two Schneider brothers at the festival this time.


    No one thought Rune Schneider would go on stage and gave such huge flower arrangements to a newcomer singer like L!


    "Congratulations, your performance was breathtaking," said Rune with a warm smile. He handed the flower in his hand to L. "This is from my brother. He is your number one fan."


    He pointed at London, and his brother raised his hand with a smile. L was stunned when she heard him. She did not know what to say. Finally, she just nodded and accepted the flower awkwardly.


    The atmosphere of the evening that was getting dark and London''s very different appearance made L, of course, could not recognize the young man as Killian Makela. Even though the man lived in the same apartment with her, gave her flowers every day, and cooked dinner for her.


    For a moment, L was confused on how she should behave. She did not expect that such a wealthy and powerful man to show admiration for her openly like this. At this moment, she was only a newbie.


    Finally, she just bowed slightly towards London and then went backstage.


    "Whoaaa... it''s so unexpected! It turns out that Mr. Rune Schneider came to the stage to give L flowers himself! It was amazing. Earlier, L''s performance was breathtaking. Worthy of getting this beautiful flower..." commented the MC enthusiastically.


    Rune went back into his chair and elbowed his brother.


    "I already gave your flowers to her. Weird... she didn''t even say thank you," he grumbled.


    London only smiled faintly. He didn''t need L to thank him.


    ***


    "Let''s go home," said London to Rune and Jan after L disappeared behind the stage. The three handsome men then got up and said goodbye to the executives around them and exited the VVIP area through the backstage.


    The actions of these three important people were immediately understood by the audience and everyone around the world, who watched the program through the Virconnect program, as a firm statement that the three of them came to the festival just to watch L perform.


    This immediately caused an uproar among the audience. The reaction was even greater than when Rune went onto the stage and handed the flowers to L.


    "Wow ... the newbie singer must be so special...! The Schneider family came just to watch her perform ...!!!"


    "Indeed, the artist just now is very beautiful and talented ..."


    "She just released an album, right? Wow ... I am curious to hear her other songs ..."


    L was stunned to read all the positive comments from the people on the internet on her performance just now. Pammy, who was sitting beside her, looked elated.


    She also did not expect her artist to get the attention of people at the same level as London and Rune Schneider. She now understood why it was so easy for her to get many advertising contracts from the Schneider Group for L.


    Lest London Schneider really admired L!


    "This is amazing ... The Schneider family is known for being very private, but today they openly show their support to you ..."


    "You think so?" L asked doubtfully. She did not feel as happy as Pammy because, as she recalled, she had never met a member of the Schneider family. So how could they like her?


    "Of course! They went home as soon as you finished performing. That''s a sign they only came to watch you sing. I won''t be surprised if later Mr. Schneider himself will come to see you and ask you out on a date," Pammy exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do you still want to watch or want me to take you home now?"


    "Hmm ... I''m not feeling well. I just want to go home," L said, shaking her head weakly. "You can take the flowers. It''s so big, I can''t carry it for long."


    Pammy laughed and signaled an organizer staff to help bring the flowers to her car.


    ***


    London only watched from afar as L and Pammy got into the manager''s car and left the festival arena. He saw the large flower arrangement that the Rune gave L was placed in the back seat, while for L''s own expression, he could not read it.


    He did not know whether L was happy to receive flowers from London Schneider or if she just acted normal. Ugh ... why is it so hard to read your expression, L? He thought exasperatedly.


    "Let''s go back to the penthouse and talk." Rune grabbed London''s shoulder and pulled him into Marc''s waiting car. The three of them got into the car and drove to the penthouse.


    [Hey ... my brother looks like he is falling in love.] Suddenly an SMS was sent from Terry to London''s cellphone.


    Gosh! What is this??


    He hurriedly typed a reply. [What are you talking about?]


    [I''m not blind. Just now, the news about the Schneider family was trending on Splitz. Are you in love with the newbie singer?]


    [Jeez ... I only gave her flowers.] London replied.


    [You NEVER gave flowers to anyone.] Terry said. [You are being over the top this time ...]


    [Why is that?] Asked London confused.


    [Aleksis had climbed over me by getting married first. Don''t tell me now you are doing the same thing. Don''t you think about my feelings? What would people say if my two younger siblings get married while I, your older brother, is still single? My reputation will be tarnished!]


    London just rolled his eyes, reading Terry''s complaint. It was Terry''s own choice that he still did not want to find a girlfriend!


    Why are you blaming me now? London thought in annoyance.


    [Nicolae is much older than you, and he is still single. He has no problems with it whatsoever. Just follow Nicolae, who has high self-confidence and doesn''t care about what people say.] London decided to ignore Terry. He hurriedly added [I will help you find a girlfriend, but don''t tell Mom and Dad. I want to deliver the news to them myself next month.]


    This afternoon he was bored and idly searching for some interesting news on Splitz and found an article about the May Festival in Berlin sponsored by the Schneider Group. There was one interesting point there about a young and beautiful singer who seemed to attract the attention of one of the heirs of the famous Schneider family.


    Who knew he would be lucky. At first, he only sent an SMS to London to tease him. But now, judging from his reply, London was truly in love with the singer.


    In his heart, Terry was happy to see his brother happy, but of course, he didn''t want to say the truth. That''s why he pretended to be offended that his two younger siblings had found love while he was still single.


    After thinking for a while, he smiled very ignorantly and returned the last text message to London to disturb his sister.


    [I won''t tell your father and mother, as long as you promise, your first child must be named after me.]


    London almost choked on reading the last text from his brother. Terry was too much, he thought in annoyance. Unfortunately, he was helpless. He was really not ready to face his parents if they find out about his relationship with L.


    [Okay, if it''s a boy I will name him after you. If my first child is a girl this agreement is not valid.] Finally, he replied with pursed lips, then he turned off his cellphone.


    My baby must be a girl, he told himself.


    ***

 Chapter 625 - Marry Me, Elle (R.-.1.8)

    London, Jan and Rune had a great time in the penthouse, talking about many trivial things like when they were teenagers. Come to think of it, the last time they were together in such a relaxed atmosphere was four years ago. At that time London had not taken over the German office from his father. Now he was busier with work and did not have time to relax with his brother and best friend.


    They chatted and drank wine until midnight. London drank a little more than usual because he was nervous. Terry already knew he was in love with L, and soon he would have to tell the rest of his family.


    The most difficult part was, of course, telling them about what had happened between him and L ... that in a few months, he would become a father.


    During this time, he did not show his worries in front of Jan, let alone in front of L. Still, the fact was, London secretly thought a lot about the hard times that he would go through after L actually left.


    "You drank too much. You''d better let Marc drive you home," Jan said, handing London his coat from the coat hanger. His boss seemed to be getting drunk. It was almost midnight.


    "Uhmm ... wait a minute, I must not forget something," blurted London. His mind was still functional enough to remember that he was posing as a poor photographer. So, before going home, he had to change his fancy clothes into ordinary shirts and sneakers.


    He entered his room and came out ten minutes later in his simple outfit. Before he left the penthouse with Jan, he suddenly remembered something else.


    "Uhmm .. I forgot to buy flowers for L. I will just take flowers from the balcony," he muttered in an unclear voice. He walked to his large penthouse''s balcony and pulled out some tulip plants that adorned the balcony''s edge beautifully. "Okay, now I''m ready to go home. Please call Marc to help me walk."


    Rune was just shaking his heads. He was very familiar with his brother''s nature and was not surprised to see that, even though he drank too much and could barely walk home, he still remembered to bring flowers to L. Rune knew that this time his brother was truly in love.


    After seeing Jan and Marc take London away, Rune then sat in the study while flipping through a thick book that was stored in a cabinet.


    "Maybe this potion can help," he murmured softly.


    ***


    London was still sober enough to open the door to his apartment with a passkey and go inside. Marc left him at the doorway and hurried into the adjacent apartment. London blinked and tried to hold on to the wall so he wouldn''t stumble as he walked toward his bedroom. On the living room sofa, L was lying down, hugging a small pink pillow.


    London hung his coat on the coat hanger by the door and then approached the sofa where L was sleeping. His consciousness was only at 20 percent and he simply took off his shirt and trousers and lay down on the sofa, behind L and hugged her.


    This must be a dream, he thought. L had never slept on the sofa because the bed in her own room was very comfortable.


    Ahhh ... London immediately recalled his last experience, sleeping while hugging L when the girl was frightened by the thunder. His lower body began to feel uncomfortable and immediately there was a huge longing to touch and hug L''s tiny body.


    While he was in such a sweet dream, he will make the best out of it to sleep while hugging L.


    With a happy heart, London kissed L on the cheek and his arms wrapped around her body to hug her from behind. As his hands moved, his left hand accidentally touched L''s b.r.e.a.s.ts. His mind, which was no longer sober, clearly instructed that hand to squeeze L''s c.h.e.s.t.


    Hmm ... so soft, it felt like so soft like a dough, he thought.


    His right hand then moved and joined in the fun too. His heart became increasingly filled with warmth. It felt like L''s b.r.e.a.s.ts'' size was now bigger than what he remembered last time. Was it because of the pregnancy?


    Wow ... this dream felt very vivid! It even took into account the fact that L was pregnant.


    Hmm ... were the size of her other body parts also getting bigger? London wondered. Out of curiosity, he shifted his hand towards L''s butts and squeezed them.


    Oh my God ... so s.e.xy!


    This wet dream felt so real, London thought, smiling broadly.


    In the past, when he had an e.r.o.t.i.c dream, he never remembered the girl in his dream. But somehow, this time, everything felt so vivid and real and he just knew that the beautiful girl he was holding was L.


    Maybe this was what it felt like to fall in love ... he thought again.


    Even a wet dream would feel real because his mind had a target object to obsess about. In his head, there was always only the figure of L. Even when he was dreaming, L also became the main character.


    "Hmm ..." L let out a s.e.xy m.o.a.n from her lips as London''s hand squeezed her butts and mischievously slipped inside her pajamas.


    Wow!!! Even her m.o.a.n sounded real ... London thought.


    L''s m.o.a.n was enough to make the young man''s brain stop working and he spontaneously shifted his body to be on top of L''s body, and greedily claimed her pink lips to stop her m.o.a.n.


    Success!


    L no longer m.o.a.n.e.d. Her lips opened slightly and immediately claimed by London''s lips and his tongue then rushed in. He explored L''s mouth and kissed her lips passionately. His lips and tongue went down to her neck, then her shoulders, and her nape...


    Ah, how funny ... How could I dream of you wearing pajamas? London thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Usually when he dreamed of L, the girl would wear a s.e.xy outfit with low cleavage that showed off her plump b.r.e.a.s.ts. Her beautiful legs usually would be clearly visible from under her sheer dress.


    Hmm ... but come to think of it, L was always pretty in anything, even pajamas! London''s mind grew even more sordid as he imagined the body behind the pajamas. Slowly he moved his hands to unbutton L''s pajamas one by one ...


    L opened her eyes slightly and her lips curved up in an alluring smile. Her eyes looked inviting and made London even bolder with his action. He unbuttoned the pajama top to the bottom and then deftly took it off from L''s body, showing off her s.e.xy upper body. Her pair of plump b.r.e.a.s.ts immediately displayed before him made London unable to swallow.


    He kissed the twin peaks alternately. His lips and tongue then slid down, kissing and s.u.c.k.i.n.g one of L''s b.r.e.a.s.ts wholeheartedly while his hand kneading the other one, and he switched between them often.


    L seemed to like what London was doing and her lips occasionally let out soft m.o.a.ns that made the young man almost go crazy. After a while, he then helped L took off what was remaining fabric on her with one hand, without ever pausing in stimulating her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    After all the clothes on her body were removed, L''s slightly protruding belly appeared, along with every perfect curve of the rest of her body. L''s body now looked even much s.e.xier than what London once remembered.


    Lovingly, his lips then kissed the girl''s stomach, as if greeting his baby inside of her, then his lips descended ... down to her core which was now wet with so much love juice that invited London to explore it.


    The young man immediately felt hungry and greedily he then enjoyed the feast that was presented before him. His tongue and lips worked together perfectly in giving satisfaction to L''s core. The girl m.o.a.n.e.d incessantly as her back arched over and over again when she was hit by o.r.g.a.s.m one after another.


    That''s when London took off his boxer and freed his manhood which had longed for L''s warm and tight womanhood for months. It went inside naturally and easily as it remembered how it felt when they made love when they were under the influence of aphrodisiac.


    Aahhh ... His back arched for a few seconds as his manhood entered L''s warm and wet honeypot. He naturally looked for the most comfortable position and pumped in and out repeatedly. Both bodies then moved in harmony with the comfort and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e they felt together.


    L opened her eyes and smiled sweetly. Over and over again, she bit her lower lip between her sultry m.o.a.ns, each time London''s body moved forward and pushed his manhood inside her core.


    Seeing the girl he loved smiling, London smiled too.


    This was truly a beautiful dream! One of a kind!


    He bent forward and kissed L''s lips without stopping his pumping. For some time, they moved in harmony, chasing peaks in heaven. London''s movement then became faster and more aggressive until finally he and L reached the peak together.


    For a few seconds, both of their bodies stiffened and then trembled together. London reflexively held his weight with his elbow so as not to hurt L''s tiny body. He then kissed the girl lovingly.


    "I love you, Elle ... You''re the mother of my child, you are always in my dreams ..." he whispered in a hoarse voice. "Marry me, Elle ..."


    "I can''t ..." The girl''s murmured softly, before she fell asleep again.


    "I am very wealthy and powerful, Elle ... I can give you whatever you want, I can make your dreams come true. You can use me. I don''t care ..." whispered London again. "Use my body, my family, take advantage of my wealth and my power ... They''re all for you ..."


    He whispered many times but L did not listen because the girl had fallen asleep. Her energy was drained and her body went limp after having s.e.x with London just now. While the man''s head was full of dopamine released by the brain and gave him a feeling of euphoria and happiness.


    "I love you ..." London whispered as he slowly rested his head on L''s c.h.e.s.t, his hands wrapped around her waist, then he also fell asleep.

 Chapter 626 - The Biased Doctor

    Sunlight came in through the large window in the living room and brushed the faces of the two people who were sleeping while hugging on the large living room couch, without a single strand covering their bodies.


    L got up first and frowned when she felt a human body sleeping next to her, and even brazenly hugged her waist.


    "YOUUU PERVEERRTTTT!!!!" screamed the girl immediately as she got up and tried to escape from London''s arms. Her efforts were in vain because London embraced her so tightly.


    But her scream that shook the sky woke the man up.


    "Aah ... where?? Who? Where is the pervert?" London opened one eye and tried to collect his memory.


    Only when he regained consciousness, followed by a headache due to a hangover, did he realize what had happened.


    "Oh my God ... !! That wasn''t a dream ????"


    He hurriedly got up and spontaneously released L''s body. His eyes were filled with horror, while L was staring daggers at him.


    Why does it have to happen again ... ??


    Both seemed equally frustrated.


    "I ... I''m sorry ... I drank a lot last night ..." London stammered. "I thought last night... it was just a dream ... because ..."


    He swallowed hard.


    Oh my God..


    He didn''t expect that yesterday they would have s.e.x again under the influence.


    He vaguely remembered how L welcomed his action. The girl opened her eyes, smiled, even m.o.a.n.e.d s.e.xily when they made love as if she was enjoying it all ... If L rejected his move, of course, London would automatically stop. He would never force himself to L. L seemed to remember the same thing too.


    The girl bit her lip frantically.


    "Why ... why didn''t you come home and why didn''t you give word??" the girl hissed. "I was worried sick. Your cellphone was also dead ... I couldn''t sleep all night worrying about you, so I took sleeping pills. And then ... then ..."


    L fell silent and again bit her lip.


    London was now aware of what was happening. L took sleeping pills and waited for him on the couch, while he later came home drunk, and then ... it happened again.


    Some sleeping pills did have side effects like what happened to L, sleepwalking. People who consumed them could wake up and do things without them knowing. Some slept while walking, others made love in their sleep, and etc.


    London now also realized that last night he had unknowingly pulled out some tulips from the balcony with their roots. Now the flowers and soil were all scattered and dirtied the floor. While L was still staring daggers at London.


    "I''m sorry ... I''m sorry ... I was really not unconscious. I promise this won''t happen again ..." At high speed, London entered his room and then came out with a blanket and covered on L''s body.


    He hurriedly put on his clothes and moved quickly to clean the dirty living room, while L entered her room with an annoyed face and cleaned up.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    "L ... Breakfast is ready." He knocked on the door of L''s room and stood in front of the door waiting for the girl to come out.


    "I don''t want to eat." L''s annoyed voice came from the room.


    "Er ... remember you already signed the agreement. Point number 2 says you have to eat regularly and take care of your health," protested London. He cleared his throat several times. "I just read a book, it turns out that when you are pregnant you must not take medicine casually, let alone sleeping pills. You shouldn''t do it. I''ve called the doctor to check your condition. He will arrive in half an hour."


    L immediately came out of her room with a frown.


    "Whose fault was it that I took sleeping pills yesterday?? Why didn''t you tell me if you were going home so late? I was afraid something bad might happen to you!! Your phone was dead too!!!" blurted the girl, hitting London on the shoulder, and then complained to herself because her hand hurt.


    The young man hurried over and rubbed L''s hand. "Ouch ... your hand hurts? Here let me treat it .."


    He put L''s hand to his lips and kissed her hand lovingly and then patted it gently. L only looked at him with twitched eyebrows.


    "Don''t be so attentive," the girl said then, pulling her hand away. She then moved to the dining table and crossed her arms on her c.h.e.s.t.


    "I am doing it because I care... Even blind people can see that I care about you. I do everything for you." London followed her to the dining table, then sat across from the girl. His face looked so bright. "You tried to call me but my phone was turned off? I''m sorry, I accidentally turned off my cellphone because my brother was so annoying and I was avoiding his calls. I forgot to tell you that I would be back late because I was meeting my friends at St. Laurent Hotel."


    L took the waffle and poured maple syrup over it, pretending she didn''t care about London''s explanation.


    "Er ... but you called me because I came home late ... does that mean you were worried about me?" asked London in a delighted voice. On his face was clearly a feeling of joy.


    Apparently, behind L''s curt attitude, the girl was indeed worried about him. And last night ... when they made love, L also welcomed his initiative subconsciously. This means L actually also liked him, right?


    Maybe behind her cold, uncaring attitude, L also liked London but she was to proud to show it.


    This thought made London beamed in happiness.


    "Who was worried about you," hissed L. She ate quickly, not wanting to give the man further attention. The young man followed her move and ate with a stupid grin on his face.


    Okay. He made a mistake earlier. He tried to propose to L with conditions that were far from ideal. He could fix it. He would propose to L again after he returned from Singapore, and he would ask Jan for help to prepare everything.


    After they finished breakfast, the doctor, they had been waiting for, arrived. He immediately reprimanded L for carelessly taking sleeping pills during her pregnancy. The doctor also scolded London for his failure in taking care of her properly.


    "I understand, I won''t do it again," said L. SHe then turned to London. "I don''t want the incident last night to happen again. In my opinion, you have also failed to take good care of me. That''s why I feel there''s no point in staying here."


    London was stunned to hear L.''s words. He didn''t think L would react so harshly just because last night he turned off his cellphone.


    Of course, he knew L was safe, because he placed two of his personal bodyguards to always watch over and look after the girl. If anything bad happened, they certainly could have contacted him via Jan Van Der Ven.


    Ah ... but L didn''t know that.


    "I''m sorry ... I won''t do it again." London held L''s hand and begged the girl to change her mind. "I won''t drink anymore. I''ll make sure things like yesterday won''t ever happen again."


    London remembered that his father and brother-in-law, Alaric, didn''t drink wine and all other alcoholic beverages to accompany their respective wives while they were pregnant. London did not feel the need to do it, because after all L wasn''t his wife. But now he saw how L would appreciate the initiative, so he hurriedly made a promise to her.


    He also felt guilty if he would lose self control again like last night and slept with L. Although the girl might not reject him, it didn''t mean that she wouldn''t feel upset the next morning. Like today.


    He really shouldn''t risk L to get stressed and angry. It was not good for their baby.


    Dr. Muller looked at the two alternately and nodded. "You should both put aside each other''s egos and work together to make sure your child is healthy and born well. Right now, it''s best if the parents live together."


    London saw Doctor Muller winking at him, L did not notice the interaction of the two men and was busy with her own thoughts.


    Ah, Dr. Muller was the personal physician of the Van Der Ven family and he knew the situation that happened between the Young Master of the Schneider family and his ''girlfriend''. Then of course he would provide biased medical advice, to benefit London''s position.


    "Miss, I will give you lots of vitamins and healthy food recipe books. Next week I will come again to check you further. In a few weeks, we will be able to find out your baby''s gender."


    London was very happy to hear that. Whoaa ... in a few weeks he will know whether he will be forced to give his son the name Terry or he can choose another name on his own. Ha.


    "Thank you, Doctor. Let me take you out." He carried Doctor Muller''s bag and invited him out.

 Chapter 627 - Which Mr. Schneider Are We Talking About?

    L seemed to think for a while. She then went into her room and changed into a loose dress and a long coat. Fortunately, the weather was still a bit cold so she could still wear a coat to conceal her pregnancy.


    Next month the weather would be too hot and she would no longer be able to leave the house by hiding her protruding tummy with a jacket or coat. She decided he had to finish all her business before that time came.


    "I want to go to Splitz''s office. They will announce me as Virconnect ambassador tonight," L told London, who was checking his messages and e-mails on his phone.


    "Now? Why didn''t you tell me from a few days ago?" he asked in astonishment.


    "You don''t need to take me. Pammy will pick me up."


    At that moment, there was a knock at the door. L immediately opened it and invited Pammy who was waiting at the door. The manager brought a very large flower arrangement.


    "I brought flowers from Mr. Schneider yesterday. You forgot about them in my car," Pammy commented as she walked in and then placed the flowers on the table.


    London put on a happy grin to hear Pammy''s words. It turned out that L didn''t care at the slightest that London Schneider showed interest in her. She even left his flowers in Pammy''s car.


    "Mr. Schneider?" He pretended to ask in a curt voice. "Which Mister Schneider are we talking about? Why did he give you flowers? Does he like you?"


    Pammy answered London''s question with a proud expression. "Mr. London Schneider. His younger brother said Mr. London Schneider is Miss L''s number one fan! That''s so nice, isn''t it?"


    L seemed embarrassed to see the reaction of London who was surprised.


    "Hmm ... that means your wish is slowly coming true ... Now you''re famous, and there''s a very wealthy man who likes you," murmured London, staring at L with a sharp look. "You must be very happy now."


    L looked down, didn''t reply to London''s words. She took a very large flower vase and poured water into it and helped Pammy arrange the flowers from London Schneider in the vase.


    "Let''s go now." She then pulled Pammy''s hand and walked out of the apartment.


    London could only sigh. He still can''t read L and couldn''t understand what the girl was thinking.


    ***


    After that night''s events, not many things happened. The relationship between the two was still civil but London felt that L kept her distance. London realized that it was his own fault. If he wasn''t drunk back then and slept with L, maybe the girl would have no reason to stay away from him.


    Now, even though he took care of himself and no longer drank wine nor other alcoholic drinks at all, L already didn''t trust him.


    After she became Virconnect''s ambassador, and how the May Festival made her the trending topic in Europe for days, because the Schneider family came just to see her performance, L''s popularity soared and she became one of the most famous budding singers in Europe.


    On the one hand, L was happy to get her wish. But on the other hand, she became increasingly cooped up at home. She could not come out without fear of being recognized, coupled with the condition of her growing belly, she could not go anywhere.


    This made her stressed and depressed. Meanwhile, London had to go to Singapore to visit Aleksis, who was about to give birth.


    "I have to go to Singapore, for maybe one or two weeks. I can''t leave L alone with her condition," the thought frustrated him a little.


    ***


    That morning, as usual, London woke up by the sound of L singing. He smiled to himself for a few moments, then opened his eyes. It''s been a month and a half that he stopped using his regular alarm.


    Why listen to L''s recorded voice as his alarm if there he could have the original next to his room, singing every morning. London felt very lucky!


    If only this could go on forever, it would be very nice, he thought.


    Ah, by the way... this reminded him of his failed proposal. He must make up to it with a decent proposal worthy of L. He had thought about it and decided that tonight was the best time.


    Later in the day, Doctor Muller would come back to check L''s condition, and they had agreed to find out the s.e.x of their child today. He would then invite L to a special dinner, then propose to her in a romantic way.


    And....


    He will make L give him an honest answer by mixing Veritaserum in her drink. Rune gave him an early gift by making Veritaserum so that London could find out L''s true feelings about him. Rune and Uncle Aldebar had both confirmed that the ingredients are safe for pregnant women.


    Last month, when his proposal failed, London got the feeling that L actually L liked him and most likely want to marry him. He could see it from how much the girl actually cared about him. L was just too proud to show her true feelings.


    If he proposed to her again, and do it properly, he hoped L would accept him. If L was willing to marry him, then all their problems were solved. London did not need to be stressed thinking about the reason to invite L to Singapore.


    Once L accepted his love, he would immediately reveal his identity as London Schneider, the heir to the wealthy and powerful Schneider family.

 Chapter 628 - You Tricked Me!

    When she finished exercising and went into the dining room for breakfast, London was looking at her with a grinning face. L narrowed her eyes because the man was staring at her with such happiness that she felt uncomfortable.


    "Don''t look at me like that. I''m not food, okay..." the girl blurted. "You look like you want to eat me."


    London gulped and hurriedly averted his gaze from L. It''s true, he did look at L like a hungry person.


    L''s body looked very s.e.xy, wrapped in a yoga outfit that showed off all her curves perfectly, especially her growing belly. L''s pregnancy was now at 5.5 months and for some reason, she just looked even more beautiful and glowing.


    "Uhm, sorry. I am just super happy," London answered happily. "Today, we can find out the gender of our child. I can''t wait!"


    "Oh ..." L looked at her stomach and then looked away. She did not respond to London''s excitement and continued eating her breakfast in silence.


    "You don''t like it?" asked London curiously. L still didn''t want to answer.


    At that time, London was feeling so anxious to mix veritaserum into the maple syrup that L was eating with her waffle, so that for once L would be honest with him and said her heart''s content. After months of knowing the girl, to this day London still couldn''t understand L. She also didn''t seem to want to open up to him.


    However, London was a normal man who had limited patience. He did not know how long he could accept being treated this way by L.


    After breakfast, he then went to work. As usual, he stopped by the penthouse to change his clothes. He would exercise first in his private gym and swim in the infinity pool, showered and then go to his office feeling refreshed.


    ***


    At 3 PM, London returned early because Dr. Muller would come to check on the L''s pregnancy. As usual, he came home with flowers. The flowers weren''t always expensive and large. Sometimes, he would only carry a stalk or pick a few flowers from his penthouse balcony. He didn''t want L to be suspicious of him for always bringing her flowers from the flower shop, as L considered him poor.


    "I''m home," London said, putting his bag on the sofa. He then sat next to L and studied the book she was reading. "Have you eaten?"


    L nodded.


    "Have you eaten your vitamins?"


    L nodded again.


    "Is the book interesting?"


    L nodded again. Not once did she take her eyes off the book.


    "Hmm... the weather is good today, don''t you think?"


    L nodded yet again.


    Seeing the girl only nod every time he spoke, a mischievous idea appeared in London''s head. He took out his cellphone then started recording a video.


    "Do you like reading?"


    L nodded.


    "Do you want to marry me?"


    L nodded again.


    "Ha! You can''t change your mind now!" London happily exclaimed. He smiled triumphantly and approached L to show the video he had just taken©`when he asked L to marry him and the girl nodded.


    Instantly, the girl''s face turned red and her eyes revealed how shocked she was after watching the short video on London''s cellphone. Annoyed, she slammed down her book and tried to take London''s phone.


    "Hey!!! You''re cheating!! I didn''t say yes!" She exclaimed in a high pitch. "You tricked me!!"


    London just laughed as he held his phone high above her head. L''s body, which was 25 cm shorter than his, was currently jumping with all her strength and flailing to no avail.


    "You nodded and accepted my proposal. You can''t take it back now..." London said, passing his phone from his left hand to his right, repeatedly teasing L who didn''t seem to be giving up.


    Having failed to jump to reach the phone from London''s hand, the girl became more determined. She then dr.a.p.ed her arms around the young man''s neck and began to climb up his body.


    "Hey... hey... what are you doing? Aren''t you afraid, climbing with such a big belly?" London promptly asked in surprise. He tried to hold L''s body from falling. In the end, one hand was forced to hold the girl''s waist while the other kept his phone away.


    L was desperate and continued to hang on London''s waist while reaching out. London, who was trying to prevent L from falling, finally lost his balance. They both fell on the couch.


    "My phone!!" London exclaimed as his phone fell to the floor with a ''thump''. He hurriedly tried to get up from the couch and reach for his phone, but L had hugged him with all her might and wouldn''t let go.


    For a while, they struggled, holding each other so the other wouldn''t be able to get up to retrieve his fallen phone. This effort of holding each other back unconsciously caused them to embrace each other very tightly.


    "Eh...?"


    They suddenly fell silent and looked at each other with rounded eyes. L''s body was above London''s. He could feel L''s soft b.r.e.a.s.ts above him, her breath blowing on his cheeks, and L''s arms around his neck.


    "I... I..." London swallowed. He really wanted to kiss L''s half-opened red lips, while L looked at him with a surprised expression. But he didn''t want L to hate him for taking the initiative without the girl''s permission, again. He could only swallow his saliva because his throat now felt really dry.


    L''s body smelled really nice, he thought. He swallowed another time.


    L was the first to return to her senses. She coughed and rose from London''s body and looked away. She entered her room and closed the door. London could only watch without being able to do anything.


    ...He almost kissed L...

 Chapter 629 - Finlands Advice

    L left her room when Dr. Muller came. After all, she still had to fulfill her promise of maintaining her health and seeing the doctor according to schedule. This time, Dr. Muller brought a portable ultrasound device, wirelessly connected to the ultrasound machine at the hospital so they could see their child''s gender.


    "Are you ready?" Dr. Muller asked. London nodded. L still remained quiet.


    "Oh God... please don''t let my child be named Terry..." London murmured repeatedly. "Please don''t let my child be named Terry ..."


    "What are you saying?" L scowled at him. "Who''s Terry?"


    "Eh, nobody. My annoying brother. You don''t need to know." London shrugged.


    "I didn''t know you had a brother," L voiced.


    "You never asked," London answered. He turned to Dr. Muller. "Please, Doctor. I can''t wait."


    Dr. Muller nodded. He told L to lie on her bed and expose her stomach. Dr. Muller then put the gel on L''s stomach and also moved the detector over it. While moving the sonogram detector, he showed the ultrasound image on the tablet to London.


    "This is a 4D picture. You can see that this is the head, it''s already formed. These are the hands and feet... those are the fingers... and this is the heart." Dr. Muller turned to London and smiled, "Your child is a girl. Congratulations."


    London involuntarily exhaled in relief. Ahh... thank God. He would have a daughter like L! He was elated.


    Without realizing it, tears formed on both corners of his eyes as his hands touched the tablet and watched the results of the baby''s sonogram.


    "What small hands..." London murmured in a low voice.


    L looked at London''s moved expression without blinking.


    "Would you like to see the sonogram results, Miss?" Doctor Muller offered.


    L expressionlessly shook her head. She then closed her eyes and refused to speak. Her attitude astonished Doctor Muller, but London hadn''t given it much thought.


    He suspected that L deliberately didn''t want to see the results of her child''s sonogram because she didn''t want to waver. He knew that L was still determined to go and leave their child with London, so she didn''t want to have an attachment to the child.


    His c.h.e.s.t felt tight thinking of the possibility of how his proposal later tonight would be in vain because L rejected him.


    After finishing the consultation and making sure everything was fine, Dr. Muller then excused himself. London and L just sat together in the living room in silence. London''s head became heavy and his heart was filled with sadness after he saw the results of his child''s sonogram.


    He knew he loved his child, but only when he saw the results of the ultrasound directly as if he just met his child before birth, did he feel such a great affection, which he had never felt for anyone so far. He loved the fetus even more than himself.


    He knew that his child would really need a mother. He almost cried imagining how sad his child would be when she found out her mother had left him for her career and for the sake of marrying a very rich man.


    "You... you don''t want to see the results of our child''s sonogram at all?" London quietly asked. He turned to L, who was sitting next to him. His hand held up his phone, which had the ultrasound images of their child.


    L shook her head. "I understand what you''re trying to say. Sorry, I won''t change my mind. I don''t want this child."


    London took a deep breath, disappointed. His confidence weakened seeing L''s stubborn attitude. He was afraid to give Veritaserum to L and hear the harsh reality that L didn''t want to marry him and care for their child.


    He wasn''t ready to accept a negative answer. Not today.


    Talking with L always felt like facing a wall.


    "I''ll leave first. There''s a matter of urgent business I have to attend to. You don''t have to wait for me. I''ll go home tomorrow." London finally got up and took his jacket. "I''ll send dinner for you."


    He needed to calm down and not meet L first. His c.h.e.s.t felt too tight and he almost revealed his identity to her.


    Just imagining how his daughter would feel sad and hurt because her biological mother had left her made London almost ignore his logic and tell L everything about him.


    That can''t happen.


    "Where are you going?" L asked, seeing London walk to the door.


    "I want to meet my friends and calm down. You don''t have to wait for me. I won''t turn off my phone," London answered without turning her head. "Don''t worry, I won''t drink either."


    He then went out and closed the door behind him.


    London left for the penthouse accompanied by Marc, who was waiting for him in the lobby. When he arrived in his penthouse, he just sat there pondering for the night.


    Suddenly, he felt homesick for his mother. When it was almost morning, he decided to contact Finland via Virconnect.


    "Mom..." he uttered as the space in front of him turned into a beautiful veranda facing the sea. Finland and Caspar were relaxing by the infinity pool overlooking the beach. London immediately recognized the villa where his parents were as the villa on the F Island.


    "Hey... isn''t it already dawn in Germany? Why haven''t you slept yet?" Finland attentively asked. She squinted at London''s unusual appearance. London hadn''t had time to change his clothes, and this made his mother wonder because his clothes were very simple. His face also looked disheveled and sad. "Do you have a problem?"


    At first, London didn''t want to tell her, but because his mother kept pushing, finally everything that had been weighing his shoulders for the past few months were spilled.


    Caspar seemed to be rooted to his spot, while Finland pursed her lips with a very surprised expression. Both of them were shocked. For them, London was their little baby. It was only yesterday that this second child of theirs was born, and now, he suddenly brought the news that he would soon become a father...


    This was as surprising as when they learned that Aleksis was married to Alaric Rhionen and was pregnant with her child ten years ago.


    "Oh... London..." Finland could only repeatedly mention her child''s name. She didn''t know what to say.


    "I don''t know what to do, Mom..." London complained with moist eyes. "I tried my best, but she''s still stubborn. I think the only way is to tell her my identity. If she knows I''m rich, she won''t need to look for another man..."


    "No... don''t do it. It''ll only work for the short term. You don''t want to marry a woman who only wants your wealth. You also can''t force her to stay for your child if she doesn''t want it..." Finland shook her head hard. "I think you need to be far from her now so you both can think."


    "Hmm... I want to go to Singapore in a few days, but I still can''t find an excuse to take her with me."


    "Don''t. You don''t have to bring her to Singapore. You better come here yourself. Let her experience two weeks without you. If she feels lost, she''ll understand that you matter to her. While you can also clear your mind without her." Finland raised her hand as if to stroke her son''s head. "Come quickly, I miss you so much."


    London was stunned. Away from L for two weeks?


    He could have arranged for L to stay in the penthouse and get services and escorts to ensure her safety and health for when London wouldn''t be in Germany. Jan could report everything every day.


    Ugh...


    He realized that what made it hard to leave L in Germany for two weeks wasn''t her pregnancy, but rather his own selfishness. He actually didn''t want to be separated from L.


    He was used to waking up to L singing beside his room.

 Chapter 630 - Date Night

    London finally decided. His mother''s advice sounded good and he felt that he needed to calm his mind, away from L.


    After a short nap, London called Jan to tell him his plans. He deliberately didn''t invite Jan to Singapore because even though he considered Jan as family, the fact that his father had committed suicide because of the Rhionen Assassins made him still unable to forgive Alaric and be kind in front of him.


    Jan loved and respected Aleksis and the rest of the Schneider family, but his views on Elios Linden, aka Alaric Rhionen, hadn''t changed. Everyone understood that well and gave them distance. So like now, London didn''t invite Jan to come with him.


    "Jan, I want you to make up a reason for to L move to the penthouse while I''m away to Singapore for two weeks. I don''t want her to stay in the apartment alone while I''m not there," London said as soon as Jan arrived. He had just finished swimming and was enjoying his morning coffee by the pool when his assistant arrived.


    "Make up a reason for Miss L to stay at the penthouse?" Jan scratched his head. "Why not make up a reason for her to come with you to Singapore? Atlas Corp hasn''t had a new ambassador for a long time, and last night, I thought of how we can appoint Miss L to be their ambassador and give her the chance to try a private plane to Asia. That can be a reason to come with you there. "


    London smiled at his remark. "A very good plan, but I''ve changed my mind. I don''t think I want to bring L to Singapore to meet my family. I don''t need extra stress right now. Let her enjoy her life without me... I will too."


    "Alright, if that''s what you want." Jan scratched his head.


    Moving L to the penthouse will be easy, but thinking of the excuse was going to be difficult. What should I do? Call it a gift from the company? Or...?


    "Sir... this is more troublesome than bringing Miss L to Singapore," he complained after a long thought.


    ***


    When he returned home in the afternoon, London decided to invite L to talk. He had to tell the girl that he was going to Singapore.


    "Do you want to eat out with me tonight?" he asked while handing a bunch of flowers to L, who was sitting reading on the sofa. L raised her head in surprise.


    "You know I can''t go out like this," she grumbled. She pointed at her large tummy as if protesting at London''s suggestion being inconsiderate of her situation that she needed to hide her pregnancy from the public.


    "You can disguise as someone else. Just wear a wig and glasses, people won''t recognize you as Elle," London pulled a beautiful wig out of the bag he was carrying. "I''ve thought about it. You will be stressed if you cooped up inside the house all the time, like this."


    L seemed to think for a moment. She examined the wig London brought then faintly smiled.


    "Alright... I will go with you."


    She entered her room and got ready. London liked to see L smile even though it was very faint. He felt the girl actually liked to be invited out by him, and only pretended to be curt.


    L came out of her room half an hour later with blond hair that she styled into a small bun over her head and glasses that made her look completely different. She still looked beautiful, but her appearance became much more m.a.t.u.r.e.


    "As I thought, you look very different," London commented. He was happy L wanted to eat out with him. He hoped that if this worked, she would want to go out with disguises more often in the future so that she won''t feel lonely in the apartment.


    They left for St. Laurent and had a romantic dinner at the main restaurant. As usual, Jan had informed the staff there that London didn''t want to be recognized, so they treated him like a regular guest.


    "Welcome. We''ve prepared a table for Sir and Miss. Please follow me," the on-duty manager welcomed them at the door and immediately led them to the most private table at the end of the room.


    "Why are we eating here?" L asked after they sat down. "This is one of the most expensive restaurants in the city."


    "Don''t worry, I got a 50% discount voucher. I photographed this restaurant for a magazine last week, so they gave me a decent voucher," London whispered, smiling. He flipped through the menu and immediately made his choice.


    "You''re very quick in choosing the menu," L, who just opened the second page, remarked. "As though you are a regular in this restaurant."


    "Ah, not really. I just happened to have eaten here before, so I know what I like."


    "Hmm... is that so? Then what''s your recommendation for me to eat?" L asked, looking at London


    "Hmm... for pregnant women, I can recommend this dish, as it has lots of vitamins and protein." London pointed to a dish on the menu and helped her order it.


    "Thank you." L took a sip of her drink and looked around. "This place is great. I''ve only eaten here a few times. I know it''s very expensive."


    "Well, it''d be a shame if I don''t use the discount voucher..." London just shrugged. "You want to find a rich husband, so of course you have to start familiarizing yourself with the food and lifestyle of the rich."


    L looked at London and frowned, not giving a word of reply.


    The food they ordered then arrived and the two ate silently. London was tempted a few times to put Veritaserum in L''s drink when she went to the restroom, but he realized that he couldn''t ask the question now, because if L didn''t want to answer but her lips were forced to answer honestly, she would be suspicious.


    He had to find a way to get an honest answer from L without raising suspicion. Now wasn''t the time yet.


    "L... I have to go to Singapore for two weeks. My sister will give birth soon, and my whole family will be there," London said when their dessert finally arrived.


    "Oh... when?" L asked after a very brief pause.


    "As soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow."


    "So sudden..." L looked rather sad to hear that. "Have you bought your ticket?"


    London didn''t need to buy a ticket and could go anywhere at any time because he had a private plane. But L didn''t know that.


    "I have. This has been planned a long time ago." London finished his dessert and cleaned his lips with a napkin. "I want to take you, but I can''t bear to see you on an economy class commercial plane, and as far as I remember, you don''t want to see my family."


    "Hmm... you''re right." L shrugged. "I''ll stay here then. I''ll ask Pammy to stay with me while you''re not around."


    "That''s a good idea. I''ll also give you Lyana''s number. She''s my friend. You can ask her for help if anything comes up."


    "Okay."


    Actually, Jan had arranged for L to be asked to move to the penthouse, but London didn''t want to discuss it with L. Let it be a surprise after he left, he thought.


    They chatted for a while after they finished eating, then decided to go home.


    "Do you enjoy eating out like that?" London asked on their way home. L only nodded and didn''t answer. London also nodded. "That''s good. I''m happy if you''re happy. That means Lily is happy, too."


    "Who is Lily?" L asked in surprise.


    "Our child. Her name is Lily. I''ve decided on her name once I knew she is a girl." London broadly smiled whilst staring at L''s protruding tummy. "Hello, Lily..."


    L looked stunned. "You can''t just name her Lily..."


    "Why not? She''s MY daughter. Who else has the right to name her if not me?" London asked in surprise. "You''re not planning to keep her, don''t tell me you want to give her a name?"


    They didn''t talk to each other again until they arrived at the apartment.

 Chapter 631 - Family Gathering

    "Elle..." London held L''s hand when they just entered their house.


    "What''s wrong?" L asked, looking at London in surprise.


    "I''ll be gone for two weeks starting tomorrow, so please let me be with my daughter tonight... I''ll definitely miss her dearly..." London whispered in a low voice. He squeezed L''s hand and his gaze fell to the girl''s stomach.


    Just then, L''s stomach slightly moved and formed a wave, as if the baby in the w.o.m.b heard her father''s words and welcomed him with joy.


    L looked at her stomach. She was stunned to see the movement of her stomach. In the end, she could only nod.


    L went into her room and closed the door, leaving London, who was still rooted in his place. Ten minutes later, the girl opened the door and returned to her room. "Come in."


    It took him a few seconds to understand what L meant. A smile broke out on the young man''s face as he hurriedly changed his clothes to home clothes and followed L into her room.


    L had already laid on her bed and turned off the lights. London climbed to the bed next to L and kissed the girl''s stomach.


    "Sleep well, Lily. I''ll be gone for two weeks starting tomorrow, so don''t be naughty in there," he whispered. London then laid down next to L and hugged her stomach happily.


    Ah, if only they could continue like this.


    ***


    London was really reluctant to get up and leave. Apart from L''s bed being very comfortable, he also felt sad having to leave L and Lily in Germany. But he recalled his mother''s advice and hardened his resolve to go.


    "I''ll be gone for a maximum of two weeks. If you miss me, or if you think Lily misses me, don''t hesitate to contact me via Virconnect." London paused for a moment before approaching L and kissing her stomach. "I''ll be going first."


    He then turned and walked out the door without looking back. L only stared in silence. After the door closed, she stroked her stomach and softly sighed.


    ***


    The two men were very attractive to the passengers of the Singaporean Airlines flying with them. Both of their faces were similar and they looked extremely handsome with long blond hair down to their shoulders, making people think they were adventurous siblings.


    One had disheveled hair but was neatly dressed, while the other had neat hair tied with a red ribbon but was dressed casually. Nicolae was wearing ripped jeans and a white shirt with a thin overcoat and black boots with a backpack on his back.


    Meanwhile, Lauriel looked neat and elegant as usual but still looked light and relaxed. Unlike Nicolae, he didn''t have a bag on him. Even just at first glance, people would remember the soothing angelic figure when they saw Lauriel passing by. His appearance was very charming.


    "You''re walking so fast," Lauriel commented to Nicolae, who seemed to be in a hurry. They were crossing terminal 1 of Changi airport.


    "I miss my children," Nicolae promptly answered. "Don''t you miss them? They''ve been gone for a few months..."


    Lauriel just laughed at Nicolae''s enthusiasm. He understood his son''s feelings, but in his heart, he still thought that Nicolae''s feelings wouldn''t be as light as they seemed. However it may be, for ten years,  he had loved Aleksis and considered her two children his own until Alaric suddenly came and took them all back nine months ago.


    Now, they were about to meet again in Singapore and looked forward to the birth of Aleksis and Alaric''s next child. It was certainly not easy for Nicolae.


    They walked quickly while chatting, not noticing that everyone''s eyes were on them.


    "Senior Nicolae!!!"


    Nicolae''s steps halted when he heard someone calling his name. He looked sideways and saw a woman in her early 30s appear to be waving excitedly. He squinted his eyes trying to recognize her, but he couldn''t remember where he had met her.


    In the end, he waited until she was near him and greeted him enthusiastically.


    "Senior Nicolae, you haven''t changed at all! How amazing! You must have a secret to staying young. Your appearance is still the same as before."


    "Uhm... sorry, I don''t remember who you are," Nicolae shook his head apologetically. "Please kindly refresh my memory."


    "Ahahaha... it''s okay. It''s been a long time, after all. I''m Cindy. We were on the same campus and you were a teacher assistant in the class I attended."


    "Oh... how are you?" Nicolae nodded. He still didn''t remember, but he didn''t want to spend too long talking to Cindy. His heart was already flying wanting to meet his children soon. "Sorry, I''m in a hurry. See you around!"


    Cindy was just stunned. She was just about to answer that she was doing well and wanted to ask more questions about Nicolae, but the young man had politely resigned.


    Nicolae realized that because he used to live in Singapore for a long time and he was very famous at that time, for people to recognize him in a public place like this was inevitable. That was why he rarely visited Singapore. He didn''t want to be recognized too often.


    His visit this time was arguably important because he wanted to meet and pick up his two children who had been living with their biological parents for several months. He and Alaric had agreed that Nicolae would return with Altair and Vega after their younger sibling was born to reduce the hassles of their parents while taking care of the new baby.


    In addition, he also really missed his brother. After learning that Alaric Rhionen was his twin brother, the connection between Nicolae and Alaric became so strong that they became very close. The only obstacle between them being together often was the fact that Aleksis, the girl Nicolae had loved for ten years and almost married, turned out to be Alaric''s wife.


    For the past nine months, they still had to try to protect their feelings, and Nicolae still couldn''t act as if nothing had happened in front of Aleksis. Nevertheless, he still tried.


    Lauriel and Nicolae got into the automatic car that was ordered to pick them up and arrived at the Linden mansion at sunset. The sound of two children playing welcomed Lauriel and Nicolae when the gate opened and the car brought them inside.


    "Hey... welcome," Aleksis, who was lying on a recliner while listening to music, rushed out when she heard Luna''s voice announcing the arrival of their two guests. Alaric, who was reading some of the reports sent by Takeshi, also left his job and hurried to greet his father and brother.


    "Long time no see," Lauriel hugged Aleksis and almost carried her into the air, but decided not to after realizing that Aleksis''s already-very-large stomach wouldn''t be so comfortable to lift. "I missed you so much."


    "I also missed you, Uncle Rory," Aleksis replied, kissing Lauriel''s cheeks.


    Alaric hugged Nicolae and patted him on the back. "How''s the trip?"


    "Everything''s fine. I met my father in Rome and decided to come here together," Nicolae released Alaric then turned to Aleksis and kissed her on the cheek. "You became prettier. Did my brother feed you well?"


    Aleksis laughed and nodded. "Really well. He even started to learn cooking. Now, he already knows how to use a knife other than to fight..."


    Lauriel and Alaric looked at each other and coughed. The two were very similar. Both of them couldn''t cook, and only knew how to use a knife as a weapon and not to cut vegetables all this time. Nicolae was more similar to Caspar, Aleksis''s father, who was also a doctor and liked cooking.


    "I want to try tasting the food then," Nicolae said with a laugh.


    "Aish... my wife is praising me too much. I can only make salads and the simplest dishes. I''m not as talented as you are," Alaric commented as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Altair and Vega, who had arrived in the courtyard, immediately jumped and hugged Lauriel and Nicolae one by one. They were very happy to see their foster father and grandfather after several months of separation.


    "Please come in, Madam and Sirs. Dinner is ready," Luna''s voice greeted them politely.


    "Ah, yes... that''s my assistant. You came on time. Let''s eat first and talk later." Alaric said. "If we eat late, a certain woman will turn into a grumpy goblin."


    "Eh... I''m not like that!" Aleksis protested while hitting her husband''s shoulder. Alaric just laughed and kissed his wife without answering.


    They walked hand in hand into the mansion''s dining room overlooking the bonsai garden in the back.


    "My father and mother are already near Singapore. They''re currently on holiday on F Island. They said that they''ll be here this weekend. My brothers, London and Rune, will arrive tomorrow. Terry will also come next week." Aleksis informed them about everyone. "I''m so glad we can all get together."


    Aleksis was happy because soon, in addition to having the family she loved gather, she and Alaric would also be able to meet their new child. Doctors had predicted that the birth would occur within the next few days. Everyone couldn''t wait for the arrival of the latest grandchildren of the Schneider and Medici family.

 Chapter 632 - Man To Man

    After dinner, Nicolae excused himself to return to his apartment on Robertson Road. Although he rarely came to Singapore, he still kept his apartment there. Now, he had decided to invite Altair and Vega to live with him in his place.


    "We can go sailing tomorrow if you want to. Mommy is already too big and can''t be too active, so you''ll just go with Daddy Nic," he said, helping to unpack the two kids'' belongings in their rooms.


    Altair and Vega looked at each other and secretly smiled. Nicolae didn''t notice that his two children were plotting to plan something, gladly carrying Vega''s bag on his shoulder and held Altair''s hand in his right hand.


    The three said goodbye to Aleksis and Lauriel then left for Robertson Road escorted by Alaric.


    Alaric deliberately joined because as usual, he wanted to read stories to his children before going to bed and spend time with his brother without Aleksis.


    "I''m glad you came here. Thank you," Alaric commented when they arrived at Nicolae''s apartment. He helped his children tidy up their belongings in the room then told them to clean themselves before going to bed.


    "I wouldn''t miss this for anything," Nicolae answered with a smile and patted his brother''s back.


    Physically, these two men were very similar, only differing in face and hair color, even causing Vega and Altair, who just came out with a toothbrush in hand, to be momentarily stunned. They rarely see their fathers together like this.


    "Too bad Father and Daddy both love Mommy," Vega whispered to Altair. "We have to find Daddy a new girl soon, so they can get together like this more often."


    Although they were only 10 years old, Vega and Altair were very smart. They knew what had happened between their parents, and they could also see that Nicolae and Alaric cared for each other from their interactions. Unfortunately, the two men couldn''t meet often because there was still a sense of indecision caused by the presence of Aleksis in their life.


    In the hearts of Vega and Altair, who really loved their Daddy Nic, both of them really wanted to see Nic happy. They also wanted Nicolae to slowly forget his love for their mom and find a new woman to love.


    "Hey... have you guys finished brushing your teeth and washing your face?" Alaric scolded as his two children stood in amazement at the door. Altair and Vega hurriedly shook their heads and fled to the bathroom.


    Nicolae only laughed at their interaction. He really missed the two children.


    "Have you prepared a name for your next child?" Nicolae asked, taking a bottle of wine from the cabinet. "Oh... I forgot you don''t drink during Aleksis''s pregnancy."


    He looked awkward and wanted to return the wine bottle to the cabinet, but Alaric stopped him.


    "It''s okay... I''ll drink this once. This is a special occasion. Besides, I need to calm down. The next few days will be very tense..."


    "Oh, is that so?" Nicolae took two glasses and poured wine for them. "This isn''t the first child, so it won''t be as difficult as the first time she gave birth when the birth canal had never been opened."


    "Hmm... I don''t understand. This is already 2050 and humans have had civilization for thousands of years, yet women still have to endure pain in childbirth. Diseases such as cancer already have a cure, but why is the pain in the process of giving birth still there?" Alaric complained. "I can''t bear to imagine Aleksis going through such pain..."


    Nicolae could only sigh. Ten years ago, when Aleksis gave birth to the twins, he wasn''t there to witness the event. At that time, he was still very heartbroken and chose to travel around the world.


    From what he heard, the process of the birth of Altair and Vega was quite long and painful, he couldn''t bear to have Aleksis experience it again.


    "I feel so selfish. Just because I want a child from Aleksis, she has to experience so much pain..." Alaric sipped his wine until it ran out. He clearly looked frustrated at the thought of the birth that was expected to occur in a few days.


    "Hmm... there are some birth procedures that aren''t too painful, like the water birth. And I''m sure if you accompany her from beginning to end, calm her, hold her hand, and support her, she won''t feel too much pain," Nicolae said soothingly. "Besides, you''re not the only one who wants this child. Aleksis, too..."


    "Hmmm..." Alaric only let out a long sigh. "I think just one child is enough. I don''t want Aleksis to experience another pregnancy and birth..."


    Nicolae knew that one of the reasons Alaric really wanted a child from Aleksis was because he had to share his first two children with Nicolae. Alaric wasn''t there in their ten years of life and he missed the days of birth and growth of his children because they had been separated for ten years.


    Sympathetically, Nicolae embraced his brother''s shoulder and nodded. "Alright... have you prepared a name?"


    Alaric nodded. "Alaris if the child is female and Aleric if the child is male..."


    Nicolae wanted to roll his eyes at the two names, but he managed to hold back. He knew that Alaric and Aleksis''s first two children were named after their favorite constellations, which both happened to begin with the letter A ©` Altair and Alpha Lyrae (Latin names from Vega). Now apparently, the husband and wife wanted to name their children with a combination of their names.


    Alaris and Aleric are both combinations of the names Alaric and Aleksis.


    "Nice name," Nicolae commented, coughing a little.


    Alaric saw his reaction and frowned. "Do you think we''re overdoing it?"


    "Uhmm... no, no. It''s right for your child to be given the combined name of your names. The child was born out of love," Nicolae replied hastily. He then pointed to the twins'' room and told his brother to immediately read a story to his children. "Altair and Vega are going to bed. Don''t you want to read them a story?"


    Alaric nodded. He put down his glass then went into their room with a storybook. When the door closed behind him, Nicolae continued to look at the room and shook his head.


    "Alaris... and Aleric," he murmured. He then finished the wine in his glass and walked to the balcony and looked at the sky.


    Alaric read a story to his children and waited for them to sleep before returning to meet Nicolae.


    "Are you really going to take them sailing?" he asked.


    Nicolae nodded. "I can use your ship, right?"


    "Of course. I''ll leave my children to you. Don''t forget the day after tomorrow. My father, mother, and brother-in-law will arrive too. They''ll definitely want to meet the twins."


    "Of course," Nicolae went back into the living room and poured wine for themselves again. "Sit here for a while. You''re not in a rush to go home, are you? Father is  accompanying Aleksis in the mansion."


    "No." Alaric received the glass of wine from Nicolae and clinked his glass to his brother''s glass.


    They sat drinking in silence for a while until Alaric started talking.


    "Nicolae... I haven''t had time to thank you, because all this time, you''ve been protecting Aleksis and my children."


    "Hmm?" Nicolae looked up and looked at Alaric. They had never talked between man-to-man about Aleksis since Alaric''s abrupt arrival, which was the day right before Aleksis and Nicolae''s supposed wedding, which was canceled in the end.


    "I know you love her very much..." Alaric sighed deeply. "If I could give Aleksis to you, I would do it... But I can''t. I can''t live without her in my life."


    Nicolae didn''t answer. He understood very well how Alaric was feeling. He too, for the past four years, had felt the same way. His life revolved around Aleksis and he had regarded her as his wife, and he did everything for Aleksis''s happiness. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.


    Although he voluntarily parted ways from Aleksis, his broken heart needed a very long time to recover.

 Chapter 633 - Aleksis Request (17 ++)

    Nicolae could only gulp down the wine and didn''t answer. He didn''t want to pretend to have forgotten about Aleksis in front of his brother.


    "I still need time." In the end, that was all he said.


    Nicolae didn''t like being alone. That''s why he had recently enjoyed living with his father and now with the twins. If he was alone, he would often think of the four years he was together with Aleksis, and that''s not good.


    He remembered that he waited for Aleksis to accept his proposal for more than three years. Nicolae sometimes imagined how it would have been if he had been a little more aggressive and asked Aleksis to accept his love back then. They could have been married now, and the child who would be born soon would be his child.


    If Alaric returned when Nicolae had already married Aleksis, then inevitably, Alaric and Aleksis''s marriage would be annulled because of his ''death''.


    He remembered all the things they went through together. Their adventures with the twins to the Caribbean, to Africa, to Asia, to Iceland to see the aurora, and when he proposed to Aleksis...


    To be able to forget all that, Nicolae needed time.


    He used to tell Aleksis that she could continue to live with Nicolae without having to forget her memories with Alaric. Alaric was Aleksis''s first love, and Nicolae hoped to be her last one.


    But now, he couldn''t apply the same advice for himself. How could he move forward in his life without forgetting his memories with Aleksis? Aleksis was still alive and had married his own brother. They would always meet on the family events. He must forget everything they had in the past, and it would take time, effort, and great patience.


    Alaric himself felt sad when he heard Nicolae''s words. He knew Nicolae still needed time, but how long? Their father had been in mourning for the death of their mother for over a hundred years, and his heart was still not recovering. Will Nicolae also take this long to move on?


    Alaric could only hope that Nicolae would find a good woman someday, the one who could take Aleksis'' place in his heart.


    "I understand," he said finally. "I just want you to know that I''m grateful, and I will never forget your kindness to my family."


    Nicolae nodded. He looked at Alaric with a complicated look. "...Aleksis and I haven''t done anything. I loved her, but I wasn''t in a hurry, so I haven''t done anything to her..."


    Alaric smiled and patted his shoulder. "I know."


    There was no secret between him and Aleksis. Since they reunited, Alaric and Aleksis had agreed to be open to each other in all matters. They had experienced the consequences of covering up their identities almost eleven years ago, and as a result, various problems had arisen, which led to their ten years of separation. At that moment, he didn''t know Aleksis was an alchemist, and neither did Aleksis know of his identity.


    Alaric had known that Aleksis and Nicolae were in a relationship for four years before he returned. He knew how Nicolae really looked after and protected Aleksis and his two children just like he would for his own family. Alaric also learned about his brother''s proposal under the aurora and various plans that Nicolae and Aleksis wanted to do before his return.


    He was very sympathetic toward his brother and didn''t want to add to Nicolae''s suffering.


    They continued to drink and chat for a while before Alaric finally excused himself and went back home. At the mansion, he was greeted by his wife, who was apparently still awake and had been waiting for his arrival.


    "Hey, why haven''t you slept yet?" Alaric asked when he saw Aleksis greet him at the door. "It''s already midnight."


    "I can''t sleep," Aleksis confessed. "What about the children?"


    "All good. They seem happy to be living with Daddy Nic again," Alaric answered with a smile.


    If there was no awkwardness between Nicolae and Aleksis, it would have been very easy to ask Nicolae to live near them so that the children could divide their time between their two families. Unfortunately, that was currently impossible.


    "Hmm¡­ I''m glad they''re happy." Aleksis pointed to her stomach. "Soon, we''ll be busy with this child, so you won''t be too sad if Altair and Vega are with Nico."


    Alaric nodded. He kissed Aleksis''s stomach lovingly then hugged his wife. "I can''t wait!"


    He then took Aleksis to their room to sleep. After chatting for a while, the two laid down and prepared themselves to sleep.


    "Uhm... I can''t sleep," Aleksis complained after a few minutes trying to close her eyes. She then turned to face her husband, who was almost asleep. Alaric opened an eye and frowned.


    "Should I give you a massage? Are you feeling unwell?"


    "Uhmm..." Aleksis suddenly smiled mischievously. "The doctor said having s.e.x at the end of pregnancy will help speed up the birth of the child. Didn''t you say that you can''t wait for me to give birth?"


    Alaric coughed at Aleksis''s blunt words. He did feel his wife''s libido during the last few months of her pregnancy had increased quite a lot.


    Of course, as a man, he was very happy to satisfy his wife. But as a father, facing Aleksis''s pregnancy and the birth of his child for the first time, he was worried that something unexpected would happen to the developing fetus in her w.o.m.b if they had i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e when Aleksis almost gave birth.


    "Uhm... we''ve done it almost every day," Alaric was still coughing, trying to suppress his laughter at Aleksis''s suggestion. "The doctor said you''ll give birth in the next few days... Is this okay?"


    "Do you want me to give birth faster or not?" Aleksis questioned, insisting. Her lips were pouting because her request was not fulfilled. Alaric, fl.u.s.tered seeing his wife''s behavior, immediately kissed her lips and pressed with enthusiasm.


    "I do... of course I want that..." he whispered into Aleksis''s ear before gently biting her ear softly. His kiss slowly fell to Aleksis''s neck and down her back. Slowly, he lowered Aleksis''s nightgown to reveal a smooth, s.e.xy upper body. Because of her pregnancy, his wife''s b.r.e.a.s.ts had become bigger, making her look even more beautiful.


    Carefully, he alternately kissed and s.u.c.k.e.d her pair of b.r.e.a.s.ts while his hand c.a.r.e.s.sed Aleksis''s whole body. He then took off his wife''s nightgown and his own clothes. His lips went down to his wife''s stomach and under her stomach, before finally playing in Aleksis''s womanhood, making her m.o.a.n with joy.


    After Alaric was satisfied playing, he entered Aleksis from the side to avoid hurting her already enlarged stomach.


    "Ahh... ahh... I love you..." Aleksis m.o.a.n.e.d endlessly. Alaric only smiled faintly and kissed her while continuing to pump slowly so the two of them reach their peaks with a slow rhythm. They weren''t in a hurry and enjoyed the process wholeheartedly.


    "I love you too, and our child," Alaric whispered after they both had an o.r.g.a.s.m and stopped this routine activity that never bored them. He helped Aleksis clean up and they went back to sleep. This time, Aleksis could close her eyes, and her face was adorned with a smile. Alaric only shook his head seeing his wife''s behavior.


    A few more days after their child was born, and they would no longer be able to make love for almost two months until the postpartum period was over. So, he could understand why Aleksis seemed to want to compensate before that time arrived.


    He also knew that having a baby in their home meant that their dynamics would change. He heard that the baby would sleep as he or she pleased and wake up as he or she pleased. They might lose a lot of valuable hours of sleep. But he didn''t mind at all.


    In fact, he couldn''t wait for the arrival of those times. He still felt very sad because he lost ten years with Altair and Vega. He didn''t want to miss the next one at all.


    His soon-to-be-born child will enjoy a hundred percent of affection and attention from their father, Alaric Rhionen.

 Chapter 634 - The Twins plan

    "Good morning, Daddy..." Altair and Vega greeted Nicolae when they entered the dining room and found him sitting while reading something on his tablet.


    "Hey, good morning. Breakfast is ready. Let''s eat first." Nicolae put down his tablet and handed the cutlery to the two.


    Pancakes and syrup were served on the table. The twins immediately placed some pancakes on their plates and ate with enthusiasm, while Nicolae only drank coffee. His mind was still bothered by the fact he was in the same country as Aleksis, and this made him lose his appetite.


    "We''re going to leave for the ship at 10 a.m.," Nicolae told Altair and Vega before going back to pouring coffee for himself.


    The two children had a mischievous look as they exchanged glances with a smile. Nicolae, who saw their expressions, frowned. He suspected the two children were up to something.


    "What did you two do?" His deep voice gave a naturally authoritative pressure.


    Vega, who was closest to him, hurried to Nicolae and sat on his l.a.p. She put on her cutest face and a pair of sparkling eyes. This scene reminded him of their little dog, Aurora.


    "Daddy... let''s just go to the harbor after lunch..." She repeatedly blinked her eyes, causing Nicolae to think that something got into her eyes.


    "What''s wrong with your eyes?" he asked, astonished. He then became suspicious. He knew Vega was deliberately acting her cutest in front of him because she had something she wanted. "What are you doing?"


    He narrowed his eyes and brought his face closer to Vega''s smiling face. Vega didn''t answer, only pointing to Altair.


    "Why... Why me? That was your idea!" Altair said in amazement. "You even created the account."


    "What account?" Nicolae asked, confused. Both Vega and Altair only coughed, not wanting to answer.


    Out of patience, Nicolae put his hands on Vega''s waist and tickled her until she screamed in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Aahhh... okay!!! Daddy won!! I''ll taaaalk..." she exclaimed, laughing.


    "That''s how it should be." Nicolae put Vega down from his l.a.p and crossed his arms to his c.h.e.s.t. "So, what did you do? Be honest."


    "We didn''t do anything bad, Daddy. We just made a lunch appointment with a beautiful auntie for Daddy," Vega finally answered.


    "Wait... what do you mean?" Nicolae asked, caught off guard. He believed his ears had misheard her.


    Vega coughed a little and took a tablet out of her bag, which was hung on a chair. She and Altair surrounded Nicolae and showed the contents of the tablet.


    "We created an account for Daddy on an online dating website..."


    Nicolae massaged his forehead when he heard Vega''s innocently-spoken words.


    "Aren''t you too young to enter this site?" he asked worriedly.


    "Umm... Daddy taught us to hack, so an age barrier like that is nothing..." Vega defended herself. "Seriously... Daddy, you are missing on a lot. There are so many beautiful single young women out there... We just want to see you happy."


    "You guys..." Nicolae could only sigh. He couldn''t say anything. When he saw Vega''s gloomy, even almost crying face, he couldn''t bear to scold them. He took the tablet from the girl''s hand and examined its contents. "When did you create this profile?"


    "A few days ago... Surprisingly, not many wanted to be with Daddy at first. Maybe they thought you are a con artist because you are too perfect. I wrote the truth, that Daddy is young, very handsome, works as a doctor. I even included some of Daddy''s best-looking photos. Nobody showed interest," Vega explained.


    Nicolae rolled his eyes. Any sane person would consider his profile to be that of a scammer''s or a con artist''s because of how perfect his profile seemed. A handsome and established young man had to find a partner through a dating website? Of course, people would be suspicious.


    "In the end, I changed the profile to a photo of when you were drinking Grandpa Aldebar''s party refreshment at that time..."


    Nicolae remembered Aldebar''s party beverage at Alaric''s wedding added ten years with every gulp. He didn''t think his two children would take pictures of his ''aging look'' at that time.


    He observed the dating site profile Vega was on and saw his photo. Indeed, it was a picture of him when he was seen in his 40s after gulping Aldebar''s party refreshment twice. He was still handsome, only looking much older.


    "Then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "After we changed your photo, a lot of women started showing interested. They thought Daddy was an old bachelor who was having trouble getting a girlfriend because you were too busy working..."


    Nicola coughed at her blatant statement.


    "I''m not having trouble getting a girlfriend..." he denied.


    "But the truth is that Daddy have never dated anyone so far..." Altair retorted.


    "That''s because..." Nicolae paused.


    He couldn''t argue.


    How could he glance at another woman? His whole heart was still fixated on Aleksis'' image.


    Vega and Altair looked at him with pleading looks.


    "Daddy... we want to see you happy..." Vega said in a quiet voice. "You have to meet other women..."


    "Today, there''s a beautiful and kind auntie who said she''s willing to meet you for lunch. Please... at least you should meet her first," Altair continued.


    Finally, after taking a deep breath, he nodded weakly.


    "All right. But just this once," he said.


    "Ummm... three. Just three times..." Vega said quickly. "We''ve made appointments for you to meet three different people..."


    "Let''s just count this as our birthday present from you..." Altair added. "We had our birthday two weeks ago and haven''t received a present from you, Dad."


    Nicolae really felt cornered. He regretted taking these two from their parents.


    "I already prepared gifts for you..." he complained. "I was going to give them to you on the ship..."


    Altair and Vega looked at each other and smiled. They knew Nicolae could never refuse their request. Daddy Nic was too weak to face his two favorite children.


    "Now... Daddy, you should go take a shower and change into neat clothes. Don''t wear ripped jeans again. We''ll take you to the restaurant later and we''ll wait in the car."


    Nicolae sighed.


    London and Rune arrived at the airport almost at the same time as Terry, so they decided to wait for their eldest brother to arrive and return to the penthouse.


    While waiting in the lounge, Rune tried to ask his brother about his current situation with L.


    "So?" he asked in a probing tone.


    "So what? There''s no progress," London stated.


    "You haven''t given her the Veritaserum? Don''t you want to know what''s in her heart?"


    "I do, but I haven''t found the right moment. L would be suspicious if I suddenly asked a variety of strange questions and she felt compelled to answer. I have to play it well," London furiously said.


    "If you actually know how to play it, you wouldn''t be in such a situation right now," Rune scoffed.


    Annoyed, London immediately chased after Rune wanting to hit his head, but Rune had deftly escaped out of the lounge.


    Their bodyguards only shook their heads seeing their two young masters who had grown up behaving like children every time they were together.

 Chapter 635 - Lunch Date

    Nicolae incessantly sighed as he checked himself in the mirror. He only had two pairs of jeans that weren''t ripped jeans and one formal suit, so it was actually not that difficult to choose what to wear for this lunch date. Just take the suit and one of his jeans, and he was done.


    It''s just that... he hadn''t been dating for a long time. Last year, he still went out on dates with Aleksis, but their relationship was already so close that he didn''t need to dress up and deliberately wore formal attire. He knew Aleksis liked him the way he was.


    Ugh... Cold sweat trickled down Nicolae''s forehead as he thought about Aleksis.


    He must forget the woman he loved because Aleksis was Alaric''s wife, his biological brother''s wife.


    Even Altair and Vega understood that Nicolae had to find another woman to anchor his heart so he could forget their mother.


    "All right, Daddy is ready. What do you think?" Nicolae asked as he came out of his room and asked for the opinions of his two children.


    Vega and Altair squinted their eyes, then nodded in approval.


    "Daddy, you look so handsome. That auntie will faint because she didn''t think she''ll be so lucky to have lunch with such a handsome man." Vega giggled. She then pulled Nicolae''s hand out the door. "Let''s go. It''s bad to make a woman wait."


    Nicolae knew his children had deliberately booked a table at the Sky Bar for the date this afternoon. In addition to being a very exclusive place that could impress her, they will also find it easier to wait for Nicolae to finish because they only need to go to the penthouse and wait with their uncles.


    "Uncle Terry, Uncle London, and Uncle Rune are all waiting for us at the penthouse," Altair told him. "Daddy should just go straight to Sky Bar later, we can go up by ourselves."


    "You... you guys are still little. Let me take you there," Nicolae refused.


    "No need, Uncle Rune will meet us in the lobby," Altair replied.


    Nicolae finally relented. He got out of the taxi with his two children then walked into the lobby of the Continental Building.


    For a moment, he was stunned in front of the building. He remembered the events ten years ago, when he was still posing as a student in Singapore and met Aleksis, then met Terry. So many things had changed in such a long time.


    Now, he returned here with the two children he considered his own kids. The twins who were very similar to his brother, who had become the enemy hunted by his family ten years ago.


    "Welcome," Rune greeted Nicolae and his nephew and niece. He looked even more serious than the last time Nicolae had met him. He carried Vega and guided Altair''s hand eagerly. "You guys are here. What a coincidence. I have a new invention that needs a little test validation... hehehe..."


    Vega and Altair chattered to Rune about their lives in Singapore and how they cleverly hacked the age restrictions on an a.d.u.l.t dating website and created a profile for their father, who hadn''t dated women for a long time.


    "Wow... you guys are very scary," Rune commented. "Uh, remember, your Uncle Rune don''t need to find a partner. I am happy living alone."


    He glanced at Nicolae, who rolled his eyes in an attempt to hold back his unhappiness.


    "I''m happy living alone, too," Nicolae said, looking at his children in annoyance. "If it wasn''t because you two had your birthdays, I wouldn''t have relented like this... Only three times. Three times."


    Altair and Vega didn''t feel discouraged at all. They knew Nicolae could never refuse whatever they asked, so the two felt that they could do anything. Both of them knew better that Nicolae was NOT happy living alone. That''s why they were now trying to find him a partner.


    Before Nicolae met Aleksis, he had never wanted to have a serious relationship with any woman and kept his distance, because he didn''t know he was an alchemist who could live forever.


    But now, he didn''t need to be afraid to establish a love relationship with anyone, including ordinary people, because Aldebar would provide the immortality potion for the woman of Nicolae''s choice, so they could be together forever.


    It was time for Nicolae to open his heart. People said the best way to forget a woman was to look for another, even a few women if necessary, so his wounded heart could slowly recover and be ready to receive new love.


    Altair and Vega just wanted to see their father happy.


    Reluctantly, Nicolae stepped out on the 99th floor and headed to Moonshine Restaurant, while Rune and his nephew and niece proceeded to the 100th floor, heading for the penthouse.


    A waiter welcomed Nicolae at the entrance of Sky Bar and invited him inside. Apparently, the twins had booked the best table with tall glass walls, which gave a view of the entire city of Singapore from a height of 100 floors. His date hadn''t arrived yet because Nicolae arrived ten minutes early.


    He ordered prosecco and decided to look at the scenery. After he was bored, he did something on his tablet. He looked at the situation in Darknet and checked for new developments.


    Nicolae had ''disappeared'' from Darknet for several years now. He no longer accepted hacking jobs from anyone. His position as the number one hacker had been taken over by another hacker who was just as mysterious.


    This new hacker went by the name ''Goose'', and lately, this hacker had begun to be the subject of discussion in Darknet. This was because ''Goose'' unraveled the crimes of some high-ranking officials in big countries, which involved s.e.x trafficking.


    However, this hacker didn''t want to be called a good hacker. This was because ''Goose'' also accepted shady jobs to track down and destroy people''s reputations according to order.


    When he was reading in a forum about the behavior of Goose, Nicolae became interested because there were some people who said they were eager to see who was better, Wolf, Nicolae''s pseudonym, or Goose. This week, there was even a collection of betting money for anyone who managed to reveal the identity of the other.


    One million dollars? That''s crazy! Nicolae inwardly shouted.


    The contest which had such prize money attracted many in the underworld who were eager to see the battle between Wolf and Goose.


    If Goose found Wolf, then the money will belong to Goose. Meanwhile, if Wolf managed to find Goose first, then he will be considered the winner and was entitled to get one million dollars.


    "Tsk tsk..." Nicolae shook his head. He didn''t expect his identity to attract enough people to bet. He didn''t need money nor did he like betting, so this kind of competition didn''t interest him.


    But... what if Goose was interested?


    Hmm...


    Nicolae examined the data himself and breathed a sigh of relief. He covered his tracks well. No one would ever find him. After all, he had retired. He just wanted to live a quiet life in Grosseto as the heir to the Medici family and take care of his two children, and maybe look for a partner to accompany him to live quietly someday.


    "Good afternoon..."


    "Yes?" Nicolae asked in amazement.


    "Mmm... I have a lunch appointment with someone. The waiter said the table was here, but I don''t see anyone else. Is it possible that you''re mistakenly sitting at my table?"


    Ah. Nicolae immediately realized. This must be his lunch date. The girl thought Nicolae was mistaken sitting on the table because she must have expected to meet an old man in his 40s, while Nicolae clearly looked young.


    "Sanna?" Nicolae asked later. "I''m Nico. Sorry, I''m actually sitting here, and I''ve been waiting for you."


    The girl called Sanna widened her eyes. Her mouth repeatedly opened and closed, but no sound came out.


    She was ready to meet an old man as a date; a man who was too busy working, thus having no time to find a wife. But the truth is... the young man in front of her was very handsome, very young, and looking so impressive.


    There must be something wrong.


    Such a perfect man registered on a dating website to look for a girlfriend? Impossible!


    He''s so handsome... Why did he lie with his picture? What was the meaning of this? Did he want to make me fall into his trap with his charms?


    The girl''s legs became shaky as she reluctantly sat down in the seat Nicolae politely pulled out for her.


    Oh God... This must be a serial killer who is looking for a victim, Sanna thought in panic. She smiled awkwardly and quickly typed a message on her phone.


    [Help me. I think my date is a serial killer.]


    ***

 Chapter 636 - Sanna And Marie

    "It doesn''t seem to be going well," Vega complained. "Look at that auntie''s face. It''s really pale. What do you think they''re talking about?"


    "Ugh... We should have put a bug in Dad''s shirt," Altair complained. "We could''ve heard what they''re talking about..."


    Ahem!


    Suddenly, a coughing sound came from behind them. The two children jumped in shock before looking back.


    "Ugh! Uncle, please don''t surprise us like that," Vega grumbled while touching her c.h.e.s.t. Her heart was beating really fast.


    "What are you two doing?" London questioned when he saw his nephew and niece standing tiptoed over a large potted plant at the edge of the swimming pool, peering behind the wall that separated the penthouse and Sky Bar.


    He then went up to the pot and tried to see what Altair and Vega were watching.


    At the side of the Sky Bar''s glass wall, he saw Nicolae sitting with a beautiful girl.


    Oh! Apparently, the twins deliberately booked a table that could easily be seen from the penthouse so they could watch their father''s lunch date.


    "How is it?" London whispered to the two in a conspiring voice. "Is there any progress?"


    Altair and Vega, who thought they would be scolded, breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, Uncle London was as interested as they were.


    "We still don''t know. The beautiful auntie''s face immediately turned pale as soon as she arrived even though Daddy hadn''t done anything strange..."


    "Hmm..." London squinted his eyes, trying to see the situation better. Physically, Nicolae and Sanna looked good together. Many Sky Bar guests were quietly paying attention to them because they were feasts for the eyes.


    Inwardly, London was also pleased that Nicolae managed to find another girl to love. But why does this girl look pale? He couldn''t guess what was happening.


    Sanna gulped her prosecco nervously and her uncomfortable attitude was clearly read by Nicolae. He had been trying to get her to talk, but the answer was always short and unclear.


    "Uhm ... did I make you uncomfortable?" Finally, Nicolae asked attentively. Sanna only smiled slightly and shook her head.


    "It''s okay ... It''s just that you look different from your picture. I''m a little surprised, that is all," Sanna answered honestly.


    "Oh ... sorry, my children are naughty," Nicolae answered while coughing a little. "They intentionally chose my photo from the worst possible angle."


    Instantly Sanna''s face looked drawn and the pale color on her face disappeared.


    "Children? Do you have children?" she asked him.


    Nicolae nodded. No matter what, he would always be honest from the start that he already had two children to whoever woman he would meet. Indeed they are not his biological children, but those women didn''t need to know the details.


    "Yes, I have two 10-year-old children," Nicolae answered.


    Sanna''s face instantly brightened. "Oh, I see..."


    She then smiled and, for the first time, Nicolae realized the girl had a very attractive pair of dimples.


    "You look happy to hear that I have kids..." Nicolae commented. Sanna''s attitude attracted him. The girl nodded shyly.


    "Ah ... yes, I should be honest from the start. I have an Electra-complex ..."


    Nicolae was stunned to hear Sanna''s honesty. No wonder such a young and beautiful girl like her agreed to meet Nicolae who was described in his profile as an older man in his 40''s. Apparently Sanna had Electra-complex, a psychological disorder that made her attracted to an older male figure in place of her father.


    The opposite of the Electra-complex is the Oedipus-complex in men who liked older women because they reminded the men of their mother.


    Nicolae swallowed hard and gulped down the prosecco until it was gone.


    Now he understood why Sanna was happy to hear that he already had children because it meant his fatherly image still fit the girl''s criteria.


    He did not know how to behave in front of a girl who openly claimed to like older men.


    Nicolae was psychologically and emotionally very old. He would be 105 this year, but his appearance would never change, always looked young like this.


    "Uhm .. I see," Nicolae said with a smile. "So, you like older men. They say women suffer from Electra-complex because they didn''t get the love of their father when they were young. Is that true?"


    Sanna just shrugged. "Maybe. I never know my father. He left my mother and me when I was 5 years old."


    "Hmm ... I''m sorry to hear that," Nicolae replied.


    Nicolae did not have the time and interest to heal a woman''s heart that was searching for compensation for her father''s love and affection. So, even though Sanna looked beautiful and kind, Nicolae did not intend to have a serious relationship with her.


    He would only be nice to her until this lunch date was over, and prepare for the last two dates. After that, he would keep an eye on Altair and Vega so that they could no longer trick him to go on ridiculous blind dates like this.


    He, Nicolae Medici, was able to find a woman to date on his own. Ha.


    "Hmm ... yeah, that''s fine." Sanna shook her head while smiling. "How about you? Why did you go on a dating website? I don''t think someone like you will have a hard time finding a girlfriend."


    "I actually don''t," Nicolae replied, massaging his forehead. "My children were playing on me. Sorry, if you become involved. We should just finish our lunch and get this date over with. I don''t want to bother you any further ..."


    "Oh, is that so?" Sanna''s face looked disappointed. She then nodded and gave a sign to the waiter to bring the menu. "Then, let''s order food."


    "Well, I agree."


    They then ordered food and said nothing more. Nicolae appreciated his children''s good intentions to find him a girlfriend, and he would go to the three blind dates they had arranged for him, but he would not take any of the women seriously, because he did not intend to find a girlfriend.


    Later, once he was ready, he would find the right woman by himself.


    Dish after dish was served and both enjoyed their lunch. Sanna and Nicolae were polite to each other, but nothing more than that. Nicolae had already stated that he really didn''t want to ''bother'' Sanna any further, which meant he had no intention to take their date to the next level.


    Sanna was a smart girl and she understood the cues given. As a woman who had self-respect, she certainly would not force herself on Nicolae, even though she was already attracted to the young man.


    When they were enjoying dessert, suddenly, a voice came from the door calling Sanna''s name.


    "Sannaaaaa ... where are you? Are you all right?"


    Sanna immediately covered her lips and turned her head towards the sound.


    "Gosh ... Marie!" She hurriedly got up from her chair and excused herself to Nicolae. She quickly approached the newly arriving girl and pulled her out. "Why are you here?!?"


    "What? You''re welcome, by the way. You asked me to save you from the serial killer. I immediately called your cellphone as we planned if you met a perverted man or you didn''t like your date, to pretend to say that your father got into a car accident and is being treated in the hospital so you can leave. But after calling you many times, you still didn''t pick it up. I was scared to death, you know! I thought the killer has abducted you!! Luckily he hasn''t had time to do anything!"


    Sanna just realized that her cellphone was turned to silent mode so it wouldn''t interfere with her lunch. She didn''t remember that she and Marie made a deal to save her from a bad date.


    She would text Marie and later her best friend would pretend to call her to tell her that her parents were sick or got into an accident. That way, Sanna could escape from her horrible date. Nicolae''s charm had made Sanna forget about Marie altogether.


    As a result, now her best friend had to come to the Sky Bar to make sure she was okay.


    Good, God!


    "The serial killer? You meant me?"


    Nicolae''s astonished voice behind them made the two girls shocked to the core and immediately looked at him.


    "Ah ... no... I mean ..." Sanna looked very guilty, while Marie only narrowed her eyes and studied Nicolae closely.


    "Are you not a serial killer?" the girl asked Nicolae. "If you''re not one, then you don''t need to feel offended."


    Nicolae was astonished at Marie''s words. He watched the girl who now instead casually placed her hands on her waist.


    Marie was a very cool girl. She wore a white tank top with ripped jeans and red boots. Her long brown hair was braided in two and her beautiful face was adorned with cute freckles with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. Her expression made Nicolae want to pinch her nose because he was exasperated by her.


    "What if I am? And what if I''m not?" Nicolae asked back. He crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t.

 Chapter 637 - Misunderstanding

    Nicolae was astonished at Marie''s words that were so shocking. He did not expect the two girls to suspect him of anything just because he was so perfect. He watched the girl who now instead casually placed her hands on her waist and stared at him in a probing look.


    Marie was a very cool girl. She wore a white tank top with ripped jeans and red boots. Her style actually reminded Nicolae of his everyday appearance. This girl looked rather quirky and her expression made Nicolae want to pinch her nose in exasperation.


    "What if I am? And what if I''m not?" Nicolae asked back. He crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t and smiled at Marie.


    Sanna felt uneasy and hurriedly took hold of Nicolae''s hand and tried to persuade the man to forget what he had just heard.


    "I''m sorry, this friend of mine, she was just joking. It''s just a misunderstanding." Sanna then turned to Marie, "It was my fault. He can''t be a serial killer... He has two kids."


    Marie frowned and looked at Nicolae from head to toe with a look of disbelief.


    "You just believe what he said?? Oh, Sanna, you are so naive," Marie said impatiently and in a voice so fast almost without punctuation that Nicolae suspected the girl had forgotten how to breathe.


    "You forget that the most famous serial killers are handsome and charming. Ted Bundy for example ... They will deliberately display a certain persona to attract the sympathy of potential victims. By claiming to be a single parent, he managed to attract your sympathy, right? Just look, if I hadn''t come, maybe tonight you would have been r.a.p.ed in an empty building''s bas.e.m.e.nt and become his s.e.x slave for a year before he kills you and throws your body into the sea to become shark food to get rid of the evidence."


    Sanna and Nicolae''s faces were both filled with horror at Marie''s silly accusations. Nicolae, who had been patient enough, finally could only shake his head and raise his hand.


    "Whatever you say. I don''t need to prove anything to you ..."


    Sanna was still trying to coax him and held Nicolae''s hand apologetically.


    "Please, forgive my friend ... she''s a fan of conspiracy theories .." she whispered. "She didn''t mean it."


    "If he really has kids, let him bring his kids here, then I''ll believe him!" blurted Marie. "Don''t you feel suspicious at all? This person claimed to be older, but he still looks like a student, and now he also claimed to have two children as well. How could you believe everything he said?!"


    "Aaaahhhhhh ...!!!"


    Right at that moment, there was a scream and the sound of falling objects.


    "Ouchhh...."


    Nicolae, who was very familiar with Vega''s voice, immediately turned his head and ran to the direction where the sound came from. His face looked very relieved when he saw London lying on the floor while Altair and Vega were on top of his body.


    Apparently the two children fell from the wall and landed on their uncle''s body who had fallen first. Nicolae was very relieved that Altair and Vega were unharmed. He hurried over to them.


    Earlier, London and his nephew and niece were just trying to climb up the wall and sneak into the Sky Bar to eavesdrop further because they saw the commotion between Nicolae and the two girls.


    However, due to his loss of balance, London fell first and Altair and Vega fell on top of him.


    "Gosh ... What are you all doing here???" Nicolae asked in amazement. He helped Vega and Altair get up and ignored London who stretched out his hand to ask for help.


    "Hey, why didn''t you help me?" London protested.


    "You are an a.d.u.l.t, okay. You should have set a good example ..." Nicolae grumbled.


    "What now? We''re just relaxing at the penthouse. We didn''t do anything wrong," said London. He pulled his hand in disgust because Nicolae refused to help him up.


    "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Nicolae asked while crouching down in front of Vega. "Anybody hurt? What were you two doing just now? Are you peeping on me?"


    Vega looked away and refused to return her father''s gaze, pretending to look the other way as if nothing had happened. Her waist was a bit sore from falling, but it wasn''t as painful as what her uncle felt.


    "Uhm ... we were worried about you because it seems like those two aunties were accusing you of something," Altair, who was more honest, finally spoke in a low voice. He raised his face and glared back at Nicolae. Apparently Sanna and Marie had walked over to them.


    "Eh .. who are they?" Marie asked in surprise. She pointed at the two children who were so alike and a handsome young man with black hair who was marching on the floor while rubbing his bleeding elbows. "Who is this?"


    Nicolae turned, "These are my two children. Sorry, they were worried about me and followed me here."


    "Where did they come in from?" Marie asked, frowning. "I didn''t see them from the door."


    London had stood up and brushed the dust off his shirt. He then coughed a little and hurriedly pulled Altair and Vega''s hand to immediately escape from Sky Bar through the front door.


    "We must hurry to the lobby ... Don''t mind us. Congratulations! Do continue with your date," he exclaimed.


    And within ten seconds, all three had disappeared from view.


    Nicolae, Sanna, and Marie could only look at each other.


    "Uhm ... do you all believe me now? Those were the two kids I told you about, and the other one is my brother-in-law." Nicolae exclaimed. "Sorry, if you girls have misunderstood me and I''ve wasted your time. Excuse me, I have to check the condition of my children."


    "Wait!" Marie voiced suddenly as Nicolae walked past her to the door.


    "What now?" Nicolae asked, turning his head. "I''m busy, you know. I have to prepare the bas.e.m.e.nt in an empty building to keep my next s.e.x slave."


    Marie pursed her lips and reached out. "I''m sorry, okay? I was just worried about my friend. You can''t just trust people easily nowadays..."


    Nicolae studied Marie''s face who looked apologetic but her ego was too high to admit her mistake.


    "So, do you trust me now?" he asked her.


    "Ugh ... yes," Marie answered reluctantly. "I''m sorry."


    "If you do believe me and sincerely want to apologize, you must prove to me that you are not scared that I will kidnap you and take you an empty building''s bas.e.m.e.nt."


    Marie bit her lips and finally nodded. "All right. What do you want?"


    "Meet me at the Marina Bay Harbor tonight, near the empty warehouse on dock 4, if you really are really sincere, you can prove it yourself whether I will kidnap you or not."


    "Ugh ..." Marie turned to Sanna and her friend quickly nodded.


    "Come on, just do it," Sanna whispered.


    "You are crazy!" blurted Marie curtly. "What if I''m really kidnapped? Aren''t you feeling sorry for me?"


    "So, you still think I''m a kidnapper?" Nicolae massaged his forehead. "Gosh ... You really are hopeless. Alright. I''ll just go then. Nice to meet you both. Goodbye."


    Nicolae shrugged and walked casually, leaving them with his hands in his pocket. He wanted to rush to the penthouse and scold his two children and London.

 Chapter 638 - The Surprising Call

    Nicolae did not wait for an answer again, immediately left the Sky Bar and went down to the Moonshine Restaurant and walked to the elevator then went up to the 100th floor to enter the penthouse.


    When he arrived there he was astonished because he did not find the people he was looking for. Only Rune and Terry were there and they looked at him with questioning eyes.


    "What''s wrong? Why is your face like that?" asked Terry, who was relaxing by the pool.


    "Where are London and the children?" Nicolae asked quickly. His gaze looked at every corner of the penthouse but could not find them.


    "They said they were going out to buy ice cream," Rune answered casually. He squinted at Nicolae, who looked so neat. "Jeez, what did you get hit with? I''ve never seen you dress up like this."


    Nicolae just rolled his eyes and sat on the sofa while opening his cellphone and calling London.


    "Where are you guys? Tell the kids I won''t be angry because you guys were snooping, but they have to buy me ice cream too. I''ll wait." He then hung up before London could reply.


    Nicolae sat on the sofa, massaging his forehead, thinking about what had just happened during the fateful lunch. He shuddered at the thought of having to go on two more dates with women who might be more annoying than Sanna and Marie.


    Actually if you think about it, Marie wasn''t actually wrong. She was just being cautious. Of course, she didn''t want bad things to happen to her best friend. Nicolae would be like that too if he had a friend who was going on a blind date with someone.


    Hmph ... alright. Let''s see if Marie will come or not to dock 4, he thought.


    Half an hour later, London and the twins returned to the penthouse. They acted as if nothing had happened and gave ice cream to all the men who were waiting at the penthouse.


    "Hmm ... I heard you had a lunch date with a beautiful girl. How was it going?" Terry asked Nicolae while enjoying his ice cream. He winked at his niece and nephew and signaled that he praised their ability to find a date for their father.


    "Just ask your brother directly. He was also there earlier, snooping," Nicolae grumbled, glancing at London, who pretended not to hear his words. He refused to explain further.


    Nicolae then opened his tablet and researched his profile on the dating website then hurriedly fiddled with the contents. The photo was replaced with the most recent photo. He also edited his profile. He did not want to be considered cheating for the second time if he met the next woman.


    Nicolae then entered the inbox and told the next two women that he had been tricked by his family to create an account on a dating website and that he was not actually looking for a date, but to appreciate them, he would still come to the promised blind dates.


    The notification in the inbox suddenly rang and he read a message from Sanna apologizing on behalf of Marie for the misunderstanding that had occurred and prayed for Nicolae to get his happy ending.


    [Thank you] Nicolae only replied curtly. [Tell Marie, I''m still waiting for her to prove for herself whether I''ll kidnap her or not.]


    At 2 pm he then signaled Altair and Vega to pack their belongings and prepare to leave for the ship with him.


    "Where are you going?" asked Terry, London and Rune together when they heard Nicolae''s instructions to Altair and Vega.


    "We want to sail," Nicolae answered curtly. "Why?"


    "I want to come too. It''s been a long time since I went fishing," Terry said. He immediately jumped into his room and came out with a bag five minutes later, and shamelessly invited himself to the holiday Nicolae and his two children had planned for themselves.


    "We have nothing to do today. We also want to come," Rune added.


    "All right," Nicolae replied. He could only relent.


    Finally, the sailing plan for Nicolae and the twins was ridden by their uncles who immediately changed into casual clothes and left with them.


    Three hours later, the four a.d.u.l.ts and two young children were enjoying the beautiful sunset from the top of the ship deck in the middle of the ocean.


    Altair and Vega gladly wait on the fishing rods while their uncles chatted while enjoying wine.


    Until the night was getting late, Nicolae did not get any reply from Sanna about Marie, whether Marie would come to dock 4 or not. Nicolae finally could only shrug and draw the conclusion that Marie did not want to come.


    ***


    The next morning when they were all asleep inside the two cabins on the ship, really loud rings on four cellphones at the same time, forced them all awake. All the men were still really sleepy.


    "Geez ... so noisy .. Who the hell is calling this early?" Terry grumbled as he grabbed his cellphone on the small bedside table. He was about to nag the impudent caller when he saw the caller''s ID was Finland Schneider.


    What is so urgent that mom is calling this early? he thought to himself.


    London rubbed his eyes and studied the caller ID on the screen of his cellphone: Caspar Schneider.


    While Nicolae, who slept while hugging Altair, immediately sat on the bed and subconsciously took his cellphone. He opened one eye and saw that his father was on the phone. As soon as he received the call, Lauriel Medici''s enthusiastic voice was heard from the other end of the phone.


    "Where are you guys? Hurry and come here. Aleksis is about to give birth!!!"


    "Wow!!!!" Subconsciously Nicolae screamed in surprise. He had to apologize for shocking Altair and Vega. "Gosh ... we have to go home now. Apparently, your mom will give birth soon ..."


    He hurriedly jumped out of bed and washed his face. When he went to the wheelhouse, Nicolae found that London was already there and prepared to bring the ship back to the pier.


    "Did you know what happened?" he asked in a nervous voice. London nodded nervously.


    "We have to go home soon. Damn ... this is too sudden. The baby should have been born in a few more days..." Nicolae grumbled. He was nervous but happy at the same time. He was very happy for his younger brother, who will soon become a father again. This time, Alaric would be able to enjoy the delivery process and took care of his child from the day it was born.


    Terry and Rune also looked as excited as Nicolae. Rune clearly looked the happiest, because his baby translator was done and he wanted to test it on his newest niece/nephew.


    The journey back to pier felt so slow and the four would-be uncles'' c.h.e.s.ts palpitated along the way. They all hoped that their nephew/niece would not be born until they arrived at the Bukit Timah mansion.


    Aleksis had chosen water birth procedures at home so that they all immediately headed to their family mansion once they arrived on land.


    "Don''t go to the mansion. Aleksis has been taken to the hospital," Lauriel called again when they were on their way.


    "Why ...? Didn''t she want to give birth at home? Why suddenly took her to the hospital?" Nicolae asked in confusion.


    "Yes, she did, but just now, the doctor examined her condition and suggested that she should give birth at the hospital. The doctor considered water birth as inappropriate for Aleksis'' current condition."


    "What condition?" Nicolae asked. Lauriel did not answer. Aleksis'' shrill scream was deafening from the other end of the phone and then the call was interrupted.


    Hmm ... Nicolae''s mind went to work. As a doctor, he could guess why Aleksis couldn''t do the water birth procedure at the last moment and had to move to the hospital.


    "Gosh ..." he could only massage his forehead and look at the twins who were looking at him questioningly. He coughed and explained, "Looks like you will have twin siblings."

 Chapter 639 - The Twins

    Aleksis'' three brothers could only hold their breath at Nicolae''s words. They remembered the events of ten years ago when Aleksis gave birth to Altair and Vega. The delivery was very complicated and difficult.


    Not only because her baby was twins and the birth canal was never opened so the process became very long and painful, but Aleksis was also overcome by deep sorrow because she thought her husband, Alaric, had died.


    The whole family united to provide support, except for Nicolae who was still broken-hearted and was wandering to the end of the world, trying to forget his love for Aleksis. The thought that today Aleksis would give birth to another set of twins made Terry and his two younger brothers became pale and uneasy.


    Indeed, this time Aleksis was overwhelmed with happiness and her husband also accompanied her, but it did not necessarily reduce their stress.


    "I hope Aleksis is okay," Terry murmured, almost like saying a prayer.


    London and Rune nodded. London instantly remembered L he left in Berlin. Two days had passed and the girl hadn''t contacted him at all. Ugh ... didn''t L think about him at all?


    Finally, he held back his ego and typed an SMS to L to ask how she was doing.


    [How are you today? Are you okay? Any complaints? My sister is giving birth now and I''m thinking of you.]


    He stared at the screen of his cellphone before pressing the SEND button. Ah ... he wasn''t sure L would reply to his message.


    BEEP ... BEEP.


    London did not expect at all that two minutes later his cellphone would beep and on his screen, there was an incoming message from L.


    Jeez !! L replied to my text!


    London was surprised, happy, and at the same time excited. A smile immediately adorned his face as he opened the message.


    Unfortunately, a few seconds later, his smile disappeared and turned into a frown.


    [Are you crazy?? Why are you texting me this late at night?!? I was asleep! Now your text woke me up and I can''t sleep again.]


    He could even imagine L''s resting-bitch face and pursed lips when writing her message just now.


    Ah, that''s true. London was guilty. He totally forgot the 7-hour time difference between Singapore and Germany. It must still be 1 am in Berlin now, and the text earlier did disturb L''s sleep.


    [I''m sorry.]


    He hurriedly sent a reply and turned off his cellphone.


    The car had stopped in front of the hospital and the four men and two children immediately jumped out and ran through the hallways to the east wing where Aleksis was being treated. Along the way, the six people drew a great deal of attention from hospital employees, patients and visitors who were astonished to see the extremely good-looking young alchemists.


    A whisper of admiration was heard here and there but the six people did not have time to pay attention. Their focus was entirely on where Aleksis was being treated and was giving birth to her children.


    In the east wing, they were immediately directed to the VVIP ward which was half-closed to provide privacy for Aleksis and the Schneider and Medici extended family. In the luxury lounge, Caspar was anxiously pacing while Lauriel still looked calm.


    Even though Caspar himself was a doctor, he was still only a father who was very worried about his only daughter who was risking her life to give birth to her babies. Lauriel was also agitated and anxious, but because of his calm and relaxed nature, he managed to display a deadpan expression on his face.


    "Twins again??" Nicolae asked hurriedly when he arrived at the lounge. The question was addressed to his father, who could only nod.


    "Did you already know the genders?" asked London who was just as curious.


    "The doctor did not want to tell us, to comply with the parents'' demands. But it looks like we will all find out soon," Lauriel replied.


    They all could only stand nervously looking at the door to the delivery room. The room was silenced, so they could not hear the sound of what was happening there. Only Alaric and Finland accompanied Aleksis in the delivery room.


    For half an hour, everyone who loved Aleksis dearly could only wait nervously in the lounge. No one spoke because they were all anxious. So, when the door finally opened, everyone almost jumped in surprise.


    "Gosh... they''re here ..." murmured London, pointing to the door that slowly opened and they could then see Alaric coming out holding a baby in his arms. His face lit up with happiness and Terry could have sworn he saw the eyes of the former most feared killer in the world were wet with tears.


    Alaric smiled broadly and proudly showed off his baby with Aleksis to the rest of his family.


    "This is the first one ..." he said in a hoarse voice.


    Everyone spontaneously swarmed around him and tried to see the newborn baby, but they were all careful not to touch it and make the room crowded. The baby in Alaric''s arms looked very small and his face was still full of wrinkles, but his hair was very thick brown. He was sleeping peacefully.


    "Is it a boy or ...?" Rune did not continue his question and hoped that Alaric answered right away.


    "A boy. He just cried so hard. But soon afterward, he just went to sleep ..." Alaric answered.


    Nicolae knew his brother intended to give the name Aleric to his baby if it was a boy. So, this baby is ... Aleric?


    "Hey, this is the second baby!" exclaimed Terry. "Uhmm ... there are only two, right? Or is there more?"


    London immediately hit his shoulder. "Hush ...!"


    Terry just laughed. They all now swarmed Finland and they saw that the baby in her arms looked identical with his sibling in Alaric''s arms.


    Meaning this time the babies were exactly the same because they were identical twins!


    "This is the second baby. This is also a boy ..." Finland answered before they could ask. "They are cleaning Aleksis up and she will be ready to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed the twins for the first time. You only have five minutes to admire your new nephews."


    "Both of them are boys? Wow ..." Everyone looked at each other excitedly. Seeing Alaric filled with happiness, all his family members could only join in smiling and feeling happy for him. They knew he really wanted a child from Aleksis and that he was such a doting father.


    They were delighted to see that Alaric and Aleksis'' home would soon be filled with the tears and laughter of two babies that would make them both tired but happy at the same time. Altair and Vega happily and in awe watched their two younger siblings.


    "Since both are boys, will you still use the name you prepared beforehand?" Nicolae asked curiously. He still disliked the names his brother chose before and he really hoped his brother would reconsider.


    Alaric nodded and exchanged glances with Finland.


    "Because they are both boys and they look very similar to my mother-in-law ... we have decided to name these children Ireland and Scotland Medici ..."


    "What...??" Everyone present in the lounge could only look at each other, they were at a loss for words.

 Chapter 640 - A Gift For Alaric

    Everyone present could only nod at the unusual choice of name. They were already familiar with Finland and London, so maybe they would also be able to get used to the names Ireland and Scotland, right?


    At least this was still better than their previous name choice, thought Nicolae who immediately made a personal note to give a birthday gift in the form of the book "1000 Baby Names" to his brother in August, just in case Alaric and Aleksis would have more children in future. They seem to be bad at naming kids.


    One by one, the members of the happy family were then given the opportunity to see and greet the two newest babies of the Schneider-Medici family. Although Ireland and Scotland still look wrinkled, they could see that these two babies will grow into handsome boys because the lines of their faces looked perfect and beautiful.


    Moreover, both of them had adorable thick hair. Everyone who saw them wanted to ruffle their hair like what people usually do to Aleksis, the mother.


    "Alright ... it''s time for b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding," Finland said, chasing away those people who were still so eager to see and tease the two sleeping babies. She then entered the delivery room with Alaric with each baby in their arms.


    Lauriel and Caspar looked very moved. It was they who look the most emotional when they see their two grandchildren present. Lauriel who was not there when Luna gave birth to their two children in the middle of the war always became sad when he remembered her. He was very touched because, from his youngest son, he now had four beautiful grandchildren.


    Meanwhile, London was reminded of L and he could only sigh at the thought that in a few months it would be his turn to hold his baby. Unfortunately, his happiness would not be perfect because once his child was born into this world, L would leave.


    As if reading London''s mind, Caspar coughed and then gave a signal for his son to tell the family about his own child.


    "London, maybe you should also tell the others about the fifth grandchild of the Schneider family who will soon be born," Caspar said, nodding.


    London could only say yes and, finally, he briefly shared what had happened 6 months ago between himself and L.


    "Gosh! You too will have a baby?? Are you serious???" Terry exclaimed in surprise. He had just heard this news and did not expect his brother to be involved in such a serious problem.


    "Yes, but I have checked her gender, my baby would be a girl, so she will not use your name," London said quickly, crashing Terry''s hopes of using his name on his brother''s first child as per their agreement. London then added. "I don''t want that to happen either, but there is no use crying over spilled milk. Right now, I just want to do my best for my child."


    Nicolae and Lauriel looked at each other. They still thought of London as a teenager from 10 years ago who was still childish, but suddenly this boy would soon become a father too.


    Nicolae could only pat London''s shoulder. He did not know what to say. Rune shook his head and Lauriel sighed.


    Caspar coughed. "It''s been decided. Your mother and I had a chance to talk about this for quite a long time. If the girl leaves, let us take care of your baby, so you can concentrate on working or taking care of your personal life. It''s good to have another baby in the house. You know, your mother doesn''t want to give me another one."


    Terry, London, and Rune simultaneously rolled their eyes at Caspar''s words. Of course, they understood how their mother felt awkward if she had to give birth again after her children became a.d.u.l.ts.


    Finland came from ordinary people who could not simply follow the lifestyle of the Alchemists who could have another child one hundred years after their older kids were born. They also felt rather awkward to imagine having a baby sister or brother from their mother at this age.


    "Really? Mom and Dad, you want to help me take care of Lily?" London asked in a hopeful tone. "I will need help in the first few months or a year, but after that, I hope to be able to take care of my child alone..."


    Caspar nodded. "Of course."


    London hugged his father gratefully. At first, he thought his parents would be very upset and even wanted to hit him, but they were very understanding and helpful. He was touched.


    "We are going to Germany next month, after helping Alaric and Aleksis here," Caspar replied, patting his son on the shoulder.


    ***


    A week later, the whole family held a small party to celebrate the birth of Ireland and Scotland Medici, as well as to celebrate the Caspar and London''s on July 7.


    Jean and Marion, together with their Little Monkey, flew from Switzerland to share their happiness. Takeshi also took the time to stop by at the celebration to honor his foster father.


    Aleksis sat in a soft garden chair with her two healthy and handsome babies, each laid down in their own basket. Her husband was always by her sider.


    "Today is a very important day," Alaric said, raising his glass when everyone was ready to toast. "My father-in-law, Caspar Schneider was born 470 years ago, my brother-in-law, London Schneider was also born on the same date, 28 years ago. Last week, our two youngest children were also born, and on July 7 each year, constellations Altair and Vega meet in the sky. As you know, Altair and Vega are my wife''s and my favorite constellations, so our first two children are named Altair and also Vega. This is such a special day for us."


    Everyone raised their glasses.


    "This is a good day," Lauriel commented. "It''s a happy day."


    "Cheers!"


    They clinked at each other''s glass and then drank together to celebrate the Alaric and Aleksis'' happy day.


    "Hey ... sorry I''m late." Suddenly Aldebar''s voice came from the door. He had just arrived in Singapore and rushed to the mansion, just as they were having a toast. With a happy face, he held up a box in his hand. "Does anyone want a party refreshment I made to celebrate this happy day?"


    Everyone just laughed, seeing his arrival. They remembered Aldebar''s party refreshment that he first introduced on the day of Alaric and Aleksis wedding 10 months ago in Grosseto. One sip of the drink could make people age ten years.


    "No, thank you." Alaric coughed a little. He welcomed Aldebar warmly. "Thank you, Uncle, for taking the time to come."


    "Hahaha .. I''m just kidding. The contents of this box are not my party refreshment, but a gift for you." Aldebar''s face instantly became serious.


    "A gift for me?" Alaric frowned. He did not expect anything at all.


    Aldebar cleared his throat and handed the box in his hand.


    "I''m giving this as a combination of your wedding gift, new-born baby gift, and your birthday present next month. I''ll just give them together." He looked intently at Alaric. "I know you have four foster children who are very loyal to you, and you love them very much. They also contributed greatly to caring for you desperately eleven years ago when you were injured, even though your survival chances were only 1 percent. That''s why you finally recovered... and then being able to reunite with my beloved niece, Aleksis ... Without them, you might not survive those ordeals, and Aleksis is still mourning to this day, and Altair and Vega will never meet their biological father."


    Alaric nodded slowly. He still did not understand the meaning of Aldebar''s words.


    "It is true."


    "In this box, there are four vials with immortality potion for your foster children," Aldebar said. "As a token of our gratitude, from the Schneider family to them, and my gift to you. We, the Schneider family, know how to pay our debt. By drinking this immortality potion, your four foster children will be able to enjoy immortality, the same as we of the Alchemists. I give this to you, so you could give it to them. The choice is in their hands, whether to receive the gift of immortality with you or not."


    Instantly the atmosphere became silent. All were surprised to hear Aldebar''s words. Alaric could not believe his own hearing.


    Slowly his eyes became foggy as he approached Aldebar and hugged him.


    "Thank you," he whispered softly. "Thank you, Uncle Aldebar ..."

 Chapter 641 - The Enchanting Song

    All those present were very surprised to see the gift given by Aldebar to Alaric. Only Caspar, who didn''t seem surprised. He just smiled and nodded at what was happening.


    Finland turned and paid attention to her husband. Inwardly, she could guess Caspar had planned this with Aldebar in secret, then gave it as a surprise to Alaric. Finland really felt touched.


    When she imagined how ten years ago there was a big misunderstanding between Alaric and Caspar that made them hated each other, she felt tired. Fortunately, now, they had all changed.


    She especially saw a massive change in Alaric. After finding his wife and two children, even his father and brother, the man no longer resented humans.


    Indeed, there were still many things that he didn''t like about people, like the way most people treat nature and the way they are in society. But, he was no longer taking active action to get rid of humans who he deemed unfit to live on this earth.


    RMI also canceled a number of projects that would directly make it difficult for ordinary people to compete with machines, all of which showed that Alaric had apparently become more tolerant and patient.


    This was the reason Caspar now liked his son-in-law and not only gave him the blessing to live with his only daughter, but also his blessings for Alaric to someday replace him as the clan leader. He knew Nicolae was not at all interested in taking the role.


    After Alaric received the box containing the immortality potion and let go of his embrace from Aldebar, Aleksis took Alaric''s hand and squeezed it gently. They looked at each other and smiled.


    Aleksis understood the excitement felt by her husband, and she wanted to show her support.


    She also really liked Mischa and Takeshi since they met ten years ago. She still hadn''t had a chance to meet Kai and Rosalien, but Aleksis believed she would also like Alaric''s other two foster children.


    Alaric then turned to Takeshi and held out his hand, giving a signal for Takeshi to come closer. "Come here."


    "What''s wrong, Sir?" Takeshi asked politely. He had heard Aldebar''s words, and his c.h.e.s.t was now pounding because he could guess that Alaric had called him to hand him the immortality potion. He walked toward Alaric respectfully.


    "You''ve heard Uncle Aldebar''s words for yourself. Do you want the gift of immortality with me?" Alaric asked, looking at Takeshi with a warm smile. Takeshi remembered his foster father rarely smiled, but now he did change and even looked happy.


    "I ... this is huge and unexpected, Sir," Takeshi confessed. "I need to think about it."


    Alaric understood him. Not all humans wanted immortality. He had heard that it took Finland several years before deciding to accept the immortality potion. That''s why Aleksis and London were not born as pure alchemists, they had to drink the same potion when they were both young.


    "Of course, take as much time as you need to think. I invite you with Mischa, Rosalien, and Kai to come to our house next month to celebrate my birthday and, at the same time to give this gift of immortality to each of you."


    Alaric always felt at ease being alone and did not want to be close to anyone because he was afraid that everyone close to him would die and leave him alone. Now, he had a large family and relatives who filled his heart with affection.


    Even his four foster children would now have the opportunity to live as immortals with him, if they wished. He sometimes felt the need to pinch himself and ensure that his life now was not a dream.


    After receiving the gift from Aldebar, the party resumed with an atmosphere full of warmth. Alaric and Aleksis had decided that after their children were old enough to fly, they will move to Yorkshire and stay there for a long time. They would only return to Singapore when winter arrived, so they don''t have to be bothered by snow.


    While everyone was busy chatting and drinking, London looked at his watch. After making sure that it was not too early in Germany, he decided to contact L to ask how she was doing.


    He knew that L was currently staying in the St. Laurent Hotel suite at the company''s expense. Jan succeeded in getting their apartment building manager to issue a pest control letter. So, inevitably L was forced out of their apartment while the whole building was isolated to be sterilized from pests.


    Brilliant Mind Media provided a suite in the most expensive hotel in Berlin for two weeks for L with guaranteed security and confidentiality. The girl could live peacefully without London, so he didn''t have to worry about L''s situation in Berlin after he left.


    At first, London really wanted L to stay in his penthouse. Still, he realized that Jan would have difficulty moving L there without revealing London''s identity. That''s why he accepted Jan to move L to the suite, which was good enough because everything was provided in the hotel. It was also quite close to the penthouse itself.


    [I am okay. Still staying in the suite because our apartment is being sterilized from pests. It''s not good for the baby.]


    L''s reply came in ten minutes later and made London very happy. He then decided to call L so he could hear her voice.


    "Hey ... I''m glad to hear you''re fine. I''ll be home in a few days." London moved into the library to find privacy when he talked to L.


    "Hmm ..." L only answered with an unclear murmur.


    "Ah ... but I really miss Lily. Can I see you? Can you turn on Virconnect there? I want to see Lily." London hurriedly added. "If you don''t mind."


    "Hmm ..."


    "All right. Send the Virconnect account number in the suite, let me contact you. I also want to see what suite you live in now," London said excitedly.


    Ten seconds later, he received Virconnect''s contact from L, and he excitedly contacted the girl via Virconnect. He really wanted to know what kind of suite Jan provides for his future baby''s mother. If it''s not satisfactory, London will have a reason to scold Jan.


    Ah, he also really wanted to see L and be near her, even though only virtually. Five minutes later, his Virconnect call was connected. He saw L sitting by a piano in a beautiful large living room decorated with large floor to ceiling windows with brightly colored curtains.


    "Ahh ... the place looks very nice," said London. "Do you like staying there?"


    L nodded. "I like the piano. I can practice singing here often."


    "Oh ... what song are you practicing?" asked London, walking over and observing the piano. "New song?"


    L looked up at him and nodded.


    "Yes. I just wrote it. I can sing it for you." L pressed a few keys, then after a short warm-up, she began playing the piano skillfully, and her lips began to sing an enchanting song.


    Her voice was clear and rich. She sounded ten times more enchanting than usual. London stood stunned with a pair of rounded eyes, listening to L''s song with his body transfixed. L made London look enchanted by her amazing voice.


    London was not aware that the library door was being opened slowly, and one by one, his family members were peeking. When L started singing, suddenly everyone in the garden was fascinated. They were curious to hear such a beautiful voice and decided to see where it came from.


    Finland, Caspar, Lauriel, Terry, and Rune watched London, who was rooted in his place while listening to a gorgeous girl playing the piano and singing. They could guess who the girl was from London''s attitude towards her and from her growing belly.


    Was this the girl that London liked?

 Chapter 642 - Finland & L

    After the song ended, L lifted her face and watched London, who was still standing transfixed behind her.


    "Do you like it?" she asked in a shy voice. "I''m bored, so I write a lot of songs. It''s not good to just stay at home, without being able to go anywhere."


    London was moved. He understood L. The girl must be feeling trapped inside the house without being able to go anywhere because of her pregnancy. Apart from the stress caused by her unwanted pregnancy, she also worried about her reputation as a newcomer artist that was at stake if anyone recognized her out there. She was worried about the stigma of being pregnant out of wedlock at such a young age.


    London felt guilty when he thought about it. L wouldn''t suffer this fate if it wasn''t for him. Although L repeatedly said that London was innocent and this was entirely Stephan''s evil deeds, still, as a good man, his conscience was nudged. Only three and a half months to go, and it will all be over.


    "I will come home soon ..." he finally said. "Hang in there ..."


    L nodded slowly. To lighten the atmosphere, she looked around the library where London was, and immediately her face was filled with admiration.


    "Where are you? This place looks very majestic..." L commented, pointing to a cabinet filled with books and other furniture that clearly showed the luxury of the library in the Alaric and Aleksis mansion. "That looks like a picture of wealthy people''s house in a magazine."


    London forgot that he was still posing as a poor man. He was just wearing glasses and ruffled his hair to make it look messy, but he forgot that the room where he contacted L looked really grand.


    "Oh ... this is my sister''s house. I told you I was here to visit my sister, who had just given birth. This is their home. Did I tell you about her? My sister married a very wealthy man. That''s why this house looks amazing."


    London hurriedly looked for the most plausible reason for L not to be suspicious. That''s when L saw someone peeking through the door.


    "Who is there?!!" she cried, pointing her index finger toward the door and standing from her seat. London turned to look in the direction L indicated, and his face was immediately filled with shock. He could see long brown hair disappearing behind the door.


    "Gosh ... wait, let me check," he said quickly. He hurriedly walked out the door to check who was just peeking at his conversation with L.


    When he arrived outside, his eyes went round to see Finland, Caspar, Terry, Rune. Lauriel, Nicolae, even Alaric, and Aleksis, who each carried their baby, seemed to flock in front of the library with guilty faces.


    "What are you guys doing here?" he whispered in panic. "What if L saw all of you? She doesn''t know who I am yet!"


    If L saw Terry and Rune ... London was done for.


    The two men had become quite well-known, and he was sure L will recognize them. Also Alaric. Although maybe L didn''t know his face, London was sure the girl would definitely be suspicious and start inquiring. It would not be difficult for her to guess Alaric''s identity because the man had a very unique appearance.


    "We heard a beautiful voice singing, so we were curious to know where it came from," Finland hurriedly defended everyone. "Is that your girl?"


    My girl? London was annoyed at the question. I wish!


    "She was suspicious. Who among you would want to volunteer to come inside for me to introduce to her?" asked London, frowning. "Otherwise, she will become even more suspicious."


    Finland smiled broadly at her son''s words. "Let me do it. After all, I will be the one to raise your child later. It would be great if I could meet the baby''s mother first. I want to know what kind of person she is, that she has made my son suffer like this."


    Without waiting for London to answer, Finland immediately pulled her son''s hand back into the library. When she saw the two of them coming, L immediately stood up from the piano chair with a surprised face.


    "Who ... who are you?" she asked with a frown.


    Finland, who was still holding London in her hand, smiled broadly. "My name is Finland. Nice to meet you."


    L turned to London to ask for an explanation. The young man could only scratch his head in confusion. He did not know what his mother wanted to suddenly enter like this.


    He certainly couldn''t introduce Finland as his mother, right? They looked like they were of the same age, and L would think he was crazy if he told her that the woman who was holding him now was his biological mother.


    "This is ..." London turned to his mother, asking for help.


    Finland smiled broadly. "Honey, why are you so quiet like this? You never told L about me? You also don''t want to introduce me to her, even though you guys are talking on Virconnect, so I have to peek to find out what kind of woman would bear your child..."


    L''s face immediately turned pale when she heard Finland''s words. She looked at London with a hurtful look. Then, L directed her eyes to Finland. "Who are you?"


    "I told you my name was Finland. I have wanted to meet you for a long time ... Killian has told me about an incident that happened between you two, and he asked me to help him take care of his child after the baby was born. He told me that you don''t want this child. Because I really love Killian, I certainly can''t say no to him. I will help him with all my might."


    "Oh ... have you known each other for a long time ...?" L asked quietly.


    "That''s right. You could say, we''ve known each other for life. We are very close." Finland replied again. "We also love each other and always support each other ..."


    London was amazed at L''s unusual expression. The girl did not look cold and indifferent like usual, but instead, she seemed quite angry.


    Hey ... was L jealous? he thought.


    He turned to his mother and L alternately and quickly realized that his mother was helping him by pretending to be close to him to make L jealous.


    If the girl had no feelings for him at all, of course, L would not be bothered to see London close with other women. Especially because Finland was a gorgeous and elegant woman. Many women would feel inferior around her.


    Now L''s face looked red, and she seemed to hide resentment and hurt feelings. Wasn''t this a sign that she really was jealous?


    Subconsciously, London''s lips gave a thin smile. He then whispered something to Finland, and they both laughed softly.


    "Mom, you''re trying to make L jealous, right? Aww... You''re so cool. Thank you, I love you," whispered London.


    "Then now let''s pretend to laugh affectionately, and you can hug my waist," Finland replied.


    Both of them looked at each other in amus.e.m.e.nt and laughed affectionately. London happily embraced his mother''s waist while glancing towards L.


    L, who saw the two people looking very affectionate with each other, became even angrier.


    "I haven''t signed point 20 yet!" L said suddenly. Her lips puckered in disgust, and she stomped her feet. "Don''t expect you can take my child without my consent."


    Her words were addressed to Finland.


    "What did she mean by point 20?" Finland asked London.


    "Oh ... that''s ... The last point in our agreement, which states that ..."


    Point 20 was a multiple choice. L could choose to leave and will never contact London and her child after giving birth to the baby. Or she could stay and took care of her baby with London and shared parental rights.


    L did not tick the choice when the agreement was first made.


    London looked at L and tried to read her mind. What exactly did the girl want? Will she really cancel the agreement and take care of their child? Did she do it on purpose out of jealousy, or did she really want the child?


    London really hoped that Uncle Aldebar and Rune have a machine to read women''s minds. It was very difficult for him to understand L.


    "Why did you suddenly say that?" London asked her finally. "It''s been almost 2 months, and you always insist that you don''t want the child. Why did you suddenly say something different today? Please don''t be inconsistent. You make me confused ..."


    L bit her lip, and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

 Chapter 643 - Shocking News!

    L was seen at war with herself. Her face showed a variety of mixed expressions between anger, sadness, and despair. London could not bear to see it. He was always weak toward L. tears. No matter how annoying the girl was, he loved her.


    "What happened to you?" London asked again.


    L looked at him for a long time before she shook her head slowly, wiping her tears, and suddenly she turned off the Virconnect connection.


    Instantly there were only London and Finland in the magnificent library. Both looked at each other in confusion.


    "She''s mad at me..." London murmured to himself. He should have known L would have reacted to an extreme. That girl was not someone who can be fooled.


    "Do you think she''s jealous?" Finland asked her son. London did not answer. He did not know for sure.


    Meanwhile, one by one, their family members entered the library and surrounded London.


    "Wow ... what happened?" Caspar asked in amazement.


    "Are you two fighting?" Rune looked at his brother in surprise.


    "Gosh ... she is so beautiful, how on earth she wants to be with you?" grumbled Terry.


    He had seen L''s pictures several times in the media but only recently had he peeked and seen L''s appearance at close range. The girl looked like an angel with her distinctive beauty. She was so much more beautiful than the pictures. Even though she was pregnant, she actually looked even more glowing and charming.


    London could only hit his brother''s shoulder with disgust. Terry''s words seemed to rub salt over his wound. How could his brother tease him like that? Obviously, L didn''t want to be with him and always refused when London asked her to marry him...


    "Maybe that could be a reason for you to give her the veritaserum and force her to tell you the truth about what she really wants," Rune told London.


    Aldebar, who listened to their conversation, seemed to understand what was happening. As a new guest, he missed many stories and only heard about what happened to London and L from Rune.


    "Rune is right. If you have got her to be honest with you and turns out that L really doesn''t love you, I can make a love potion for her... hihihi, so that she would fall in love with you and agrees to marry you," Aldebar joked.


    Everyone was staring at him with a reproachful look. Considering Aldebar was 230 years old and was still faithfully single, without ever being close to a single woman, no sane person would believe his love potion.


    "Wait a minute ..." London took his cellphone and tried to contact L. He didn''t like the way L had suddenly hung up the call. That confused him. Until twenty rings, L still did not also pick up the phone.


    "She didn''t pick up? She must be really jealous," Finland commented as she ruffled her son''s hair. "I will come to Germany in two weeks to see you. Hopefully, when that time comes, L will give you clarity."


    London did not reply. Somehow, he felt uncomfortable. He then contacted Jan.


    "Jan, it''s me. Something just happened and it looks like L is angry. Can you please check the situation?" asked London hastily. Jan, who was used to his boss''s behavior, just said yes and hung up without asking any questions.


    "Come on, let''s go back to the garden," Caspar said, giving a signal to everyone to stop meddling in his son''s business. "It''s my birthday, and London''s birthday too, we haven''t blown any candles!"


    Finland just pinched her husband''s waist when she heard Caspar''s words. Her husband was 470 years old today. There was absolutely nothing special on his birthday, and it did not need to be celebrated with cake and candles.


    Slowly the atmosphere was back to being cheerful again, and they continued chatting while eating and drinking until evening came. London was the only one who couldn''t enjoy the party because he was still thinking about L. He had never seen L''s eyes as sad as today.


    Did L really keep her feelings inside and was jealous of Finland''s presence? Was it true that L wanted to take care of her baby? London really couldn''t wait to talk directly to L. If they met in person and talk to each other, L won''t be able to avoid him like that.


    These thoughts made him unable to focus at the party. Only his body was in Singapore, but his mind had drifted to Germany.


    ***


    A call from Jan came when London, Rune, and Terry were on their way back to the penthouse. It made London very surprised.


    "Miss L had secretly left the suite. We were looking for her whereabouts. I''m sorry, Sir. I couldn''t watch her properly," Jan reported in a regretful voice.


    Gosh! What does a girl who is six months pregnant want by going out alone?? London thought anxiously.


    "Have you contacted Pammy? What did she say?" asked London quickly.


    "I did, Sir. I immediately interrogated Pammy. Even Pammy was just as surprised as we were. She didn''t know where Miss L went. Pammy couldn''t contact her at all."


    Instantly London''s head became dizzy. Did his actions make L so angry that she decided to run away? If that was true, he was feeling regretful.


    "Rune, you should go home alone, I have an emergency in Germany and must return as soon as possible." London turned to Rune, who sat next to him. "I will go straight to the airport."


    Rune could already guess the problem being faced by his brother and only shrugged. "Okay. I will take you to the airport and then go back to the penthouse. Good luck."


    Terry just patted his brother''s shoulder in support. London did not respond. He only massaged his temple and tried to think.


    Oh, L ... where are you going? he asked himself.


    He did not even feel the need to stop by the penthouse first, London immediately decided to fly back to Germany. Jan had arranged for his flight so that London could go home right then and there.


    Some of the flight crew were waiting for him at the airport when London arrived. The pilot and co-pilot were the last to arrive. They hurriedly greeted him and prepared for the flight.


    Both of them were enjoying a nice vacation and basking in the hotel pool when suddenly they were told to prepare to fly right then and there. They suspected that there must have been an emergency. So, without much consideration, they immediately changed their clothes and drove to the airport as soon as possible.


    After the plane took off, London got a more detailed report from Jan, and his c.h.e.s.t became heavy.


    "Pammy finally said that in the last few weeks, Miss L often received flowers from a mysterious man." Jan''s voice sounded a little hesitant. "Ms. L said something that the person was an old friend, and she was very pleased to be able to see him again. Pammy suspected that the person was very wealthy because he sent so many expensive gifts to the agency''s office for Ms. L."


    "L has a mysterious fan who was also her old friend?" London swallowed hard. "Do you know who that person is?"


    Not yet. I''m still investigating. Pammy was starting to suspect, maybe Miss L ran away with that person. Pammy said that L talked to him several times over the phone, and yesterday she met him secretly in a cafe."


    "Which cafe? I want all the CCTV footage. I want to know who that person is!" London slammed down his cellphone after hanging up the phone call.


    He did not expect that, during the last few weeks, L was talking to another man behind his back. Who was this man?


    If L really ran away with him, it showed that L trusted that person so much that she would reveal the secret of her pregnancy. This meant, London could be sure their relationship was not simple. London felt so anxious. He was not willing to let L go and took his child to be with another man.


    He would not allow it!

 Chapter 644 - Happy Birthday

    When London landed in Berlin, it was almost midnight and he immediately rushed to the penthouse. Jan was waiting for him there and prepared all the photos and videos from CCTV that he had obtained.


    "Do you know who she met at the cafe?" London plopped himself on the sofa and received a tablet from Jan containing all the things he wanted to know.


    Jan nodded and pointed at the tablet screen. They immediately saw the scene of L entering a cafe, disguised herself wearing a blond wig and sunglasses. A handsome young man stood up to greet her and they embraced for a long time. In fact, from the looks of it, L appeared to cry on his shoulder.


    Who was this person really?


    London''s heart ached at the sight. L and the man looked close and L even cried several times in front of him.


    "I looked into it and found out that the man is a medical student in London. I don''t know what that has to do with Miss L, but one interesting thing about that person is ..." Jan took a breath before continuing his words, "He is the heir to the tycoon Swann family. His name is Daniel Swann, he is usually called Danny. "


    "What?" London was shocked. A future doctor who came from a wealthy family background?


    Was this the person L wanted to marry? Judging from all angles, he met all the requirements.


    He looked at the handsome face of Daniel Swan on the screen of his tablet with a heavy c.h.e.s.t. The man could get any woman, but why was he after L? Did he not care that L was pregnant with another man''s child?


    "Yes. I''ve checked his background a number of times ... Danny isn''t just anyone." Jan cleared his throat. "Do you want to come, sir?"


    Although Danny''s family was wealthy, but when compared to the Schneider family, London could feel proud, they were still far more affluent and more powerful than the Swann family.


    The Schneider family history had spanned for centuries and they were very powerful. Especially now that they had such good relationsh.i.p.s with the Lewis and Baden families who were actually the power behind the monarchy in Europe.


    If L was looking for a husband who was both wealthy and powerful, there would be no other man who could rival London Schneider.


    Do I really have to disclose my identity to her? London was upset.


    Once, he almost revealed his identity to L when he was drunk and slept with the girl for the second time. At that time, he did not care if L wanted to use him and his family''s wealth. Luckily, that didn''t happen.


    Now, he was grateful that he did not do it. It turned out that L had been seeing another man, and who knew how far their relationship was now?


    His heart broke, thinking about it, and he just sat in his chair, deep in thoughts.


    "What do you want to do, Sir?" Jan asked. "Will you forget Miss L?"


    London shook his head. "I do not know."


    After they were silent for a long time, Jan finally excused himself. He must go home and rest because tomorrow he would have to take care of so many things. Seeing his boss in such a condition, Jan guessed he would be very busy tomorrow.


    London tried to chase away his sadness by drinking whiskey but for some reason, he was even more reminded of L. His mind was filled with L''s face just before she broke Virconnect connection this afternoon. The girl''s face looked sad and hurt.


    Had he and his mother gone too far with L? They did not have any bad intentions. Finland just called him dear and pretended to be close to him. In the eyes of outsiders, they might even look intimate like lovers, but because they were actually a mother and son, what they did was actually completely normal.


    Finland had always been warm and affectionate toward her children. She loved them greatly from the day they were born. For her, hugging and kissing her own children was normal.


    But maybe the scene was too hurtful for L so she could not stand seeing it and hung up. Her actions were completely unexpected.


    Was L really jealous? Did L already have feelings for me?


    London''s c.h.e.s.t was filled with longing for L and for Lily. He missed the girl''s scent; he missed her voice and her face.


    His mind was only working at 60%, but London still remembered that the only place he could feel her presence was in their apartment.


    Hmmm ... even though this apartment was modest, London liked staying here, more than in his luxurious penthouse. All because L was staying there too.


    Waking up early every day by the sweet melody of her singing was a luxury far more valuable than anything else in this world, he thought sadly.


    He knew he could no longer hear L''s singing waking him up every morning.


    When he arrived by the door, he used the passkey to open the door and entered his apartment.


    SLAM!


    BAM!


    "Thief!!! Get out of here!!"


    "Ouch ... Ouch, it hurts ... Wait... !!!"


    As soon as he stepped in, suddenly, there was a shrill scream accusing him of being a thief, followed by countless beating using a lampshade by an unidentified person.


    "Hey... you?"


    He was shocked because the body he grabbed turned out to be tiny and soft like a marshmallow. This body also oozed a really nice scent, one that made him high with joy. "L???"


    He threw the lampshade that L had used to attack him and hurriedly carried the girl to prevent her from attacking further, then he immediately turned on the light.


    As soon as the light was on, he found that indeed L who was in his arms and looked at him in shock.


    For a few seconds, the two stared at each other with round eyes.


    "You ... are you here?" asked London in surprise. He did not believe in his own eyes. L also frowned in astonishment.


    "You ALWAYS knock twice before entering! You didn''t knock this time, so I thought you were a thief!" the girl said angrily.


    London certainly didn''t knock as usual because he thought L wasn''t in their apartment. After all, why was she here? Wasn''t L running away with Danny Swan?


    "I didn''t know you were here," he admitted inaudibly.


    "Where should I be? Shouldn''t I stay here until this child is born?" L snorted and looked away.


    "Mmm ... I''m sorry. I thought you were very angry with me, so you ran away," London walked to the sofa still with L in his arms. He then put the girl down very carefully on the couch and crouched down before her. "Earlier you scared me so much that I went straight home ..."


    L studied London''s fancy clothes and remembered that the young man was attending a party. He was still wearing the same clothes from this afternoon.


    Gosh ... did he fly here directly from the party in Singapore? Her heart was touched.


    "You .. you flew here right away from your sister''s party?" the girl asked quietly.


    "That''s right... Good thing I could still get a ticket," London lied. He immediately realized that L was observing his fancy clothes. "Uhm ... actually, it was not only a party for my sister but also my birthday party and my father''s. We were both born on July 7 ... That''s why I dressed like this."


    "Oh ..." L just nodded.


    London felt very relieved. Apparently, L did not run away. He doesn''t know what happened after L broke off the Virconnect connection, but it was clear that L was now here, in their humble apartment.


    He was glad that he had decided to go straight to Germany. At least he could show L his sincerity.


    "L ..." London stood up and approached L with great emotion. "I''m glad you didn''t leave."


    L glared at him. "You promised me not to drink."


    Instantly London was stunned. He had been drinking because he was sad when he thought L just left him. Yet since the incident at that time, he had promised not to drink alcoholic drinks during L''s pregnancy. His face was immediately filled with an expression of guilt.


    "I''m sorry .." He did not try to find excuses and admit his mistakes.


    L put her hand on London''s lips and shook her head. "Because it''s your birthday today, I understand. Don''t apologize. Happy birthday."


    London was stunned to hear L.''s words. His c.h.e.s.t was suddenly filled with warmth and he could no longer hold back his feelings. London touched L''s hand on his lips and kissed her little hand.


    "Thank you..."


    He then brought his face closer and kissed L''s lips gently. L didn''t turn down his advance and let him claim her lips.

 Chapter 645 - She Must Be In A Really Good Mood!

    On his 28th birthday, there was nothing more he wanted in this life. As a young man from a very affluent and powerful family, everything he wanted could be easily obtained. However, this time he felt delighted when L wished him a happy birthday and let him kiss her.


    As a normal man, he certainly did not waste the opportunity to kiss the girl he liked, as intimate and as long as possible. If L still hadn''t run out of breath or hit him, London wouldn''t end his kiss...


    The kiss slowly became more and more passionate. L also seemed to enjoy the meeting of their two lips. London gently thrust her tongue through her lips and began to explore the girl''s mouth, while his hands c.a.r.e.s.s L''s hair lovingly.


    Slowly his hands moved down to rub L''s shoulders and beautiful back. L''s body felt so soft and had become some kind of opiate that made London addicted to touching it.


    He was just about to go down further when L''s hand stopped his action.


    The girl held his hand and looked at him with tears in her eyes, making London very surprised. He didn''t know why L suddenly cried.


    "Hey ... what happened? Did I hurt you?" he asked in confusion.


    L shook her head slowly and broke away from London''s embrace. Without saying anything, she kissed the man''s cheek and then walked away and disappeared behind the door to her room. London stood alone in the living room with a burning passion while his head was filled with confusion.


    Why was it so difficult to understand L? He could not understand what had just happened. L welcomed his initiative, but when he wanted to go further, L actually cried, when she could have just refused his advances. It was as if ... L actually wanted the same thing as London, but she held back because of something, and it made her sad.


    Was it true? Or maybe London was too excited because she welcomed his kiss?


    L was still as confusing as ever.


    London finally could only take a few deep breaths and calm the throbbing in his c.h.e.s.t before he went into his room and soaked in cold water for a long time.


    "Happy birthday," he muttered to himself.


    ***


    The next morning, the sweet voice that London had longed for came from the next room, waking the man up from his sleep with a smiling face.


    This was the best alarm in the world!


    He remembered what happened last night and immediately heaved a sigh of relief. L apparently did not run away, but instead, she returned to their modest apartment. She also didn''t seem angry with London; she even let herself be kissed. And... if the girl''s self-control was worse, they might have gone back to sleeping together.


    Ugh ... imagining L''s beautiful body made London drool.


    He patted his own head several times and tried to remove the dirty thoughts from his head.


    Oh, my God ... He still remembered the last time he saw that beautiful body was a month ago. Even though he was drunk at the time, he could still remember every curve on L''s body and how she felt and tasted.


    Ahh ... who knows when he will be able to see the heavenly creation again. Until then, he must take good care of his memories of L''s s.e.xy body. He wanted to keep remembering her beautiful body with the perfect curves all in the right places, and the s.e.xy m.o.a.n she let out when she was m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e to him.


    Unknowingly London actually wiped the corner of his lips from drool.


    Ahh ... thinking about L now made him hungry. He hurriedly got out of bed and went out to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He had to make a special breakfast to celebrate their reunion again after being separated for ten days.


    And later in the afternoon they could have lunch outside or have a picnic. He knew that L was not comfortable staying inside for so long because of her pregnancy. London wanted to take the girl for a walk.


    July 8th was Friday, so it was still a workday, but as the owner of the company, of course, London could come and go to the office as he pleased. He could find an excuse to invite L to eat out.


    He was whistling happily as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen, and when he finished, he called L to get out of her room.


    "Let''s eat breakfast, don''t let Lily starve," he said happily.


    L came out of her room, looking fresh. She had just showered and looked very beautiful and fragrant. London must exert all his sanity to not ambush the girl to sniff and kiss her like a pet dog that had not seen his beloved master for a long time.


    "Thank you," L nodded and showed her very rare smile. Ahh, L must be in a good mood, London thought happily.


    He was still curious about Danny Swan and what was his relationship with L. He was also actually feeling impatient. He wanted to discuss what exactly she had decided about point 20 of their agreement. He remembered, yesterday when she saw Finland''s presence, L suddenly said she would not give away her baby after she gave birth to her.


    However, London knew better to hold back his curiosity and find a better time to talk to L. Today, he did not want to ruin the rapport between them. Questions can wait, he thought.


    Tomorrow we can start discussing the topic, he said to himself. He did need clarity, but he was not in a hurry.


    They then ate breakfast in silence, but the atmosphere was neither cold nor awkward. London knew that L was not a cheerful nor talkative person. He always enjoyed peace with the girl.


    "Why did you come back to this apartment?" asked London as the two of them worked together to wash dishes. "Isn''t this building being infected with pests and must be sterilized first?"


    L only shrugged. "I think it was already over. A few days ago, I was passing by the area and saw the pest-cleaning sign was gone."


    "You were passing the area? Where were you going? I thought you just stayed in the hotel suite and rested. Was there any work schedule?" London asked, trying to sound normal. He knew that L had left secretly a few days ago to meet Danny Swann. He wanted to know the reason why L was leaving.


    "I was bored at the hotel, so I decided to go for a walk. There was no work scheduled. I didn''t dare to go out for work and expose my pregnancy," answered L.


    "Oh ... were you going out alone? Why didn''t you ask for Pammy to go with you?" London asked again.


    "I''m just pregnant, not disabled, okay. I can still go alone without having to bother other people constantly ..." grumbled L. "Pammy still has a lot of work to do."


    "Oh ... I see. Then where did you go? Did you go to a nice place? Do you want to go there again today? I can take you," replied London calmly. "I still take time off from work, and today I can be with you all day."


    Actually, London could accompany L all day, all week, all month, even all year long if L wanted him to, but of course now he couldn''t do it without revealing his secret identity. L would be suspicious if London didn''t go to work but still had money.


    Then, what''s worse was that L will think that he was a lazy man who did not want to work. Therefore, for now, London would only pretend to take time off from work to accompany L.


    "I only drink tea in a cafe," L replied with a shrug. "But I really miss picnics by the river or in the park ..."


    "Aha! Then today you, me, and Lily will have a picnic by the river!" London was very eager to plan this impromptu picnic. He also missed going on a picnic with L like that one time ...


    L just smiled at London''s enthusiasm and nodded.


    Great! Today L had smiled twice, thought London. She must be in a really good mood!

 Chapter 646 - I Want To Stay, But I Cant

    While preparing their picnic gear, London hurriedly contacted Marc to bring his old car to the apartment. Last night he drove his most luxurious Mercedes from the penthouse to this apartment because he didn''t think L would be there.


    But this afternoon, since they were going on a picnic to the river, of course, L would wonder why his regular car was not in the parking lot.


    At 2 pm, they were already sitting nicely in the car and driving toward the park by the river where they had a picnic and ate burgers the last time. London was so happy that he could not stop humming along the way. Even L was having a good enough mood that she wasn''t bothered by the constant humming of the untalented singer beside her.


    L herself wore a curly blond wig, wide summer hat, and sunglasses to disguise her appearance. She should not be caught by fans on a picnic by the river looking extremely pregnant with an unknown man.


    Paparazzi and gossip columnists could mercilessly attack her, and the career she had built painstakingly could be destroyed just like that. She could not take risks.


    Once he finished parking his car, London hurriedly opened the door for L and helped her get out. The girl''s body was now too large and troublesome to move comfortably. That was why London tried as much as possible to help her by making things comfortable for L.


    As soon as the car door was closed, he immediately held L''s waist with his right hand, while his left hand carrying a picnic basket. From afar, people who see them walking together would assume that the two were a loving married couple.


    "Be careful," said London, leading L to the most beautiful riverbank. It was located under a shady tree and had very thick grass. Colorful wildflowers looked beautiful around them. London and L could also see boats passing by with an unobstructed view.


    London immediately spread their picnic blanket and arranged the food and drinks neatly and then helped L sit slowly under the tree. As her back leaned against the tree, there was a sigh of relief from L and her face seemed to brighten.


    London read in many books about pregnancy that on six months in, usually pregnant women would experience a lot of discomforts, such as aches, swollen feet, frequent urination, cramps, and some others.


    Therefore, he repeatedly asked L if she was comfortable, if she craved something, whether her back or legs hurt, or if she wanted to go to the toilet. At first, L still replied politely that she was okay, but apparently, her patience ran out so fast after London kept asking her how she was doing every five minutes.


    "Can''t you keep quiet, hmm? I''m not deaf, okay... Why do you keep asking the same questions over and over again?" hissed L, who had been hoping she could close her eyes, enjoy the fresh air and the breeze.


    Her indulgence was interrupted by London''s voice asking if she was okay every five minutes, "Does your back hurt? Do you want to go to the toilet? Are your legs cramped?" etc. He sounded just like a broken record.


    London could only frown at L''s scolding.


    "Sorry for being too considerate," he replied. "I am a first-time father, okay. So, all the processes have really made me frustrated. I''m just trying to make you feel as comfortable as possible by reducing all the unpleasant things that many pregnant women experience. I''ve read so many books about pregnancy ..."


    L could only sigh when she heard that. She placed her hand on London''s lips and deliberately covered his mouth so he would stop talking.


    "You. Talk. Too. Much," said L. "I appreciate your good intentions, but this is too much. If I needed anything, I''d tell you. You don''t have to ask me such questions."


    London touched L''s hand, which covered his mouth and, shamelessly, kissed her hand. "Sorry, but I don''t believe you will tell me the truth if you need anything. You have been hiding things from me all this time."


    L gasped at London''s words. "Hiding things from you? Like what??"


    London coughed, "First, you hid your pregnancy from me. If I hadn''t looked for you myself, I would never have known. Do you want to argue with that?"


    L bit her lip and shook her head slowly. She acknowledged that London was right.


    "Now ... that''s just the first. The second one..." London looked at L deeply, "You''re not honest with me about what you want about point 20. You''re inconsistent and confused me ..."


    L stared back at London for a while, and then looked down. "I''m sorry."


    "Sorry for what? Because you are inconsistent? Or are you apologizing because you still want to leave? I don''t know ... Please talk truthfully to me. Think of it as a birthday present for me."


    L raised her face again, and this time she lifted her hand and touched London''s face gently. Subconsciously the young man closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch of L''s fingers on his face.


    "Killian ... I really want to stay, but I can''t. Sorry if I change my mind again." L whispered in a choked voice, almost crying. "I thought about it all night long and realized I would be selfish if I showed up before Lily after I left her. So, I thought it would be better if she didn''t know me at all. I think Finland is a very nice girl and she also looked like she is fond of you. You are a good man, you deserve a woman who can make you happy. "


    "Wait ... what? I don''t understand." London suddenly opened his eyes and looked at L with a surprised look. "You mean you changed your mind and still want to leave Lilly after giving birth, and you give up your child to be cared for by another woman??"


    L was holding back her tears and nodded. "Don''t tell Lily that her mother left her, she will be heartbroken. It''s better if Finland claims to be her mother from the start ..."


    "You mustn''t say something like that! It''s so hurtful to hear." London wanted to shake L''s body and forced her to think logically and use her heart, but he did not want to hurt her. How could L have the heart to leave her baby behind? "Lily can hear you. She must be very sad right now ..."


    "I''m sorry ... I am so sorry..." L whispered in a bitter voice. She stroked her belly with affection, and finally, the tears that she had been trying to hold back started streaming down her cheeks, and she sobbed.


    "What''s the matter, L? Please tell me what happened? I want to help you ... But if I don''t know anything, then I''m helpless ..." persuaded London, holding L to her c.h.e.s.t. "Let me help you ..."


    L did not answer at all. But she also did not try to escape London''s arms and cried her tears in the man''s shirt. After ten minutes, she finally calmed down and tried to organize her emotions.


    Meanwhile, London continued to rub her back, trying to make L feel that she was not alone and that London was always willing to be her place to lean on.


    "Are you okay now?" London asked gently. L finally nodded. She had stopped crying and tried to tidy herself up.


    "Thank you," said the girl in a low voice.


    "Can I ask you something? You said you really want to stay ... but you can''t. Does that mean ... you actually want to stay with me, marry me and raise Lily together ... but you can''t?" London asked her carefully, trying not to make L cry again, but he was very curious. He really wanted to understand L.


    L stared at London for some time, hearing his question, and finally, she nodded slowly. "That''s right, I can''t."


    "Why can''t you marry me?" London asked again, still as gentle as before.


    L took a deep breath and seemed to struggle with herself before finally, she looked away and answered in a sorrowful voice. "I can''t ... because I already have a fiance."

 Chapter 647 - Are You Spying On Me?

    For a moment, London seemed to lose his mind when he heard L''s statement that she already had a fiance. That is impossible! They were only separated for 10 days ... When did L suddenly find a fiance? Did she mean Daniel Swan? How could it be? They only met a few days ago.


    "You''re lying ..." London finally said. "You only said that so I will stop chasing you. If you really don''t like me that much, why did you have to lie like this?"


    He looked very disappointed. London didn''t expect L would have the heart to lie to him like this. The girl looked at London with tears in her eyes.


    "I''m not lying. You know how much I hate liars the most ..." she said firmly.


    Both stared at each other deeply. London tried to find a trace of lies in the girl''s eyes, but he did not find it. Did this mean, L was really telling him the truth?


    But how could he believe that L suddenly had a fiance? This was too sudden.


    "I will only believe you if you say it after you take this truth serum ..." London finally said. "It''s time we both open up to each other. If you are honest with me, I will be honest with you."


    He took out a small bottle from his pocket and showed it to L.


    "What is this?" L frowned.


    "My brother is a scientist, and he made this veritaserum, or the truth serum. It is safe for pregnant women. I just happened to bring it with me ..." London looked for an excuse. "It seems like we''ve both been hiding a lot of truth from each other."


    L looked at the veritaserum bottle and London alternately. "You don''t believe me?"


    London shook his head. "Like I said, you hid a lot of truth from me all this time. I don''t even know anything about you."


    L bit her lip. "If ... if I took this medicine, will you believe me? Will you stop chasing me?"


    London nodded. "I will believe whatever you say."


    L took a deep breath and grabbed the bottle from London''s hand and hurriedly gulped down half of its contents. She wiped her lips and then looked back at London. This time her face looked very serious. "Ask me anything."


    London was stunned to see L without hesitation drinking the truth serum. In his head, he could only think of the question of whether L really was engaged or not.


    "Do you like me?" London asked, feeling hopeful.


    L looked at him for a long time, then nodded slowly. "I do."


    With only those two words, L managed to make London''s heart flutter. The man smiled happily to hear that.


    "Do you really have a fiance?" he asked again, hoping that L would answer honestly, that it was only an excuse on her part.


    L nodded. "I do. I''m engaged to be married to someone else."


    BAM!


    It was summer in Germany, the sky was very clear and the weather was perfect, but London''s heart, which was initially filled with warmth, suddenly became cloudy. He could not believe L''s words, but he knew veritaserum did not lie. His head felt hurt.


    "Is it... is it Daniel Swan ???" he asked in a bitter voice. He did not think in such a short amount of time, L found a wealthy man who was interested in her. She immediately accepted the man''s proposal and became engaged to him. London was really disappointed.


    Apparently, money was very important for the girl. L still hadn''t changed.


    L''s face that was filled with sincerity suddenly looked shocked. Subconsciously she backed away from London. Her eyes went round when she heard his words.


    "How... how did you know about Danny?" she hissed. Her confusion quickly turned into anger. "Are you spying on me ...?!?"


    Only then did London realize his mistake.


    L was completely oblivious to the fact that London was always watching her every movement with the help of his security team, Jan Van Der Ven, and even cameras in their apartment. But now London just blew his own cover.


    "No ... that''s not what I meant ..." His hand reached out, trying to touch L, but the girl brushed off his hand angrily. She hurriedly got up and walked with difficulty, because her big tummy already felt too heavy for her. She was desperately trying to leave


    London immediately got up and ran after her. "Elle !! Wait, I can explain everything...!"


    On the one hand, London felt guilty for spying on L, but on the other hand, he was also angry, disappointed, and jealous. How could L get engaged to someone she just met? Whereas he had been chasing the girl for months. And L was currently pregnant with his child ...


    L did not look back at all. She was outraged. L never expected that London, whom she thought was a good man, had been watching her every move. This was a huge violation of trust! She knew exactly how careful she was when she went out in disguise several days ago to meet Danny.


    If London found out, it could only mean that the man was deliberately spying on her, or he sent someone to follow her. Now, L actually became suspicious, lest London actually did not even go to Singapore as he confessed.


    After all, how could that man appear 12 hours after they spoke through Virconnect? Singapore and Germany were at least 10 hours'' flight away. Even if he could directly buy tickets on the spot, which would be extremely expensive, he still needed an additional minimum of 4 hours for check-in, going through airport security checks, and boarding, not to mention the time required to travel to and from the airports.


    L did not know London had a private jet that made it possible for him to travel anywhere in the world quickly without having to experience the hassles of check-in and airport security checks like regular people.


    "Elle ... wait for me ..." London tried to hold L''s hand, but the girl suddenly turned around and pressed her index finger right on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "I am indeed engaged to Daniel Swan. Please don''t chase me anymore. I told you, I don''t like being lied to the most. I thought you were a good man whom I could trust, but now I realized you have been spying on me behind my back ..." She looked away and continued her steps. Her voice sounded as cold as ice when she raised her right hand and, without turning her head, warned London not to follow her. "Don''t. Follow. Me. Again."


    When he heard such cold words, London could only be rooted in his place. He could still hear L pick up her cellphone and call someone.


    "Danny .. it''s me, please pick me up at the apartment." The call was brief, but it was enough to make London''s heart bleed. He was very disappointed because L openly asked Danny to pick her up.


    After he got his senses back, London hurried to the parking lot and drove his car to the apartment. He tried to reach the apartment before L arrived so he could prevent the girl from leaving. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the way to the apartment, blocking the traffic, so he only arrived there half an hour after L.


    "Elle ... I''m sorry ..." London quickly opened their apartment door and tried to explain to L what was his reason for spying on the girl. It was all because he wanted to protect her and ensure her safety! That is all.


    He was stunned when he arrived in the living room and saw L stood there while holding something in her hand. His heart sank when he saw what it was...


    It was the camera that he installed in the living room to monitor L''s situation at home while he was working. He wanted to always make sure that L ate well, rested properly, and enjoyed a good life. Sometimes, he would watch L relaxing or singing in their living room if he was missing her in the office.


    "You ... liar," L hissed, and her face was filled with rage. "Did you also put cameras in my room? In the bathroom? Are you a pervert???"


    "No... it''s not it ... I didn''t do it ... Well ... the reason why I installed this camera is ..." London stammered. He did not expect things to be so chaotic in just one day. Just last night, L was being so nice to him and even accepted his kiss. "I didn''t install a camera in your private space... I just ..."


    That''s when he knew he had lost.


    Right now, he was caught red-handed with a camera as evidence in L''s hand. It would be very difficult for him to make the girl believe him.

 Chapter 648 - Panic

    Suddenly someone knocked on their apartment door. L slammed the small camera in her hand and immediately opened the door. London was shocked when he saw Danny for the first time.


    The young man looked very handsome, far more good looking than the faint image in a hidden camera video he saw on Jan''s tablet last night.


    Danny Swan looked neat with expensive outfits from head to toe. His face was handsome and serious. When he appeared in the doorway, his expression looked worried.


    "Marianne, are you all right?" he asked L and quickly hugged her. The girl shook her head and broke away from him.


    "Please take me away from here," L said in a tired voice. Her tears have dried, and she didn''t want to cry anymore.


    "Marianne?" London was surprised to hear that name. He did not understand why Danny called L by another name. Was this some kind of role-play between lovers where they pretend to be someone else?


    "Please don''t chase me anymore. I''m afraid of you. You''re not the person I thought you were ..." L said, staring intently at London. "I thought you were a good man ... But..."


    "You''re wrong. I''m not a bad person. I''m watching you because I want to take care of you, that''s all ..." London was still trying to coax L, "I have no bad intentions. Please remember carefully, besides watching you .. did I do anything bad? Did I ever? "


    L was stunned and looked at London without being able to reply. In her head came various images of how London had treated her so well.


    She remembered how the man immediately exclaimed that he was willing to take responsibility when he found out about her pregnancy.


    She also remembered how every day, without missing a day, London always brought flowers for her because he knew every woman liked flowers, he also cooked healthy food for her and always made sure she ate well and took her vitamins.


    The man was only absent from giving her flowers and preparing food in the last ten days because he said he was in Singapore visiting his sister. If indeed, what he said about going to Singapore was true.


    He might be good to me, what he did was unforgivable, L thought while biting her lip.


    What she hated the most is being lied to. And that''s where London mess up. Not only did he lie to her, but London also spied on her. At present, it was very difficult for L to trust him.


    "I don''t know who you really are ... if you are truly a good person or if all these are just a scam..." L finally said in a hoarse voice. "You claim to be a photographer, but it turns out you have a relationship with the mafia .. You treat me well, but at the same time, you also spy on me and control my life ... You scare me."


    London was stunned to hear L.''s words. He didn''t think everything he did for L would only end like this. All just because he wanted to cover up his identity ...


    "Elle ... or Marianne ... whoever you are ... Please, listen... I can explain everything." London walked toward L slowly while reaching out his hand. "I promise, from now on, I will be honest to you ..."


    L crossed her arms on the c.h.e.s.t. "Nothing prevents you from being honest earlier."


    London glanced at Danny. "I will tell you the truth. All about me ... but not in front of him."


    "Danny is my future husband. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of him," L replied in a cold voice.


    Danny walked to L''s side and held her hand. "Marianne, let''s go. We don''t need to linger here. Remember, you can''t be stressed."


    His eyes were full of affection, and it made London feel like being stabbed in the c.h.e.s.t. He felt hurt. Danny and L''s relationship looked very close. They didn''t seem like people who had only met each other for a few days. Moreover, Danny clearly called L by another name. Had they known each other for a long time?


    Suddenly he felt as if he was a stranger among this couple, the third wheel.


    "Why can''t you be stressed?" asked London quickly. "Does this have something to do with your pregnancy? Why didn''t you say anything to me?"


    "Killian," L raised her hand, stopping London from approaching her. "If you have something to say, please say it now. I''ll wait. If not, I''ll leave. I''ll let you know when Lily is born so you and Finland can pick her up."


    London felt his c.h.e.s.t tighten. He really wanted to tell L his identity at this time. If L knew who he really was, she would surely be able to understand why London did it all.


    But he won''t be able to do it in front of a stranger like Danny Swan. The secret about his family, about the Alchemists, is not for just anyone to know.


    Finally, he could only shake his head. "Sorry, I can''t do it."


    L suddenly cried and hit him. "You''re too much. Even until the last moment, you still don''t want to be honest with me !!"


    "I ... I ..." London did not avoid her punch at all. He received blow after blow from the girl''s tiny hands. He did not feel pain in his body due to L''s beatings. It was his heart that was hurt, seeing L was going away because of a small mistake he made so that he could keep her safe.


    Suddenly L''s hand that hit London''s c.h.e.s.t stiffened, and the girl g.r.o.a.n.e.d in pain. Her face became as pale as cotton, and a second later, she had slid to the floor. Her body would have fallen to the floor hard if London had not hurriedly caught her.


    "She fainted ..." murmured London in panic. Danny immediately chased L and tried to pull the girl''s body from London''s l.a.p. He was kneeling on the floor with L''s head in his arms.


    "You stress her out!" denounced the young man. He tried to dismiss London''s arms to release L, but London did not budge. Finally, Danny grabbed London''s shoulders and forced him to let go. "Let her go. Marianne has a heart condition!!"


    "What ... what did you say?" Instantly a great panic struck London. He did not know L had a heart problem. In that case, her condition was now very dangerous. She did not just faint.


    With great concern, he hurriedly got up and carried L''s body in his arms. Danny chased him immediately and tried to snatch L away from him.


    "Where are you going? I''m a doctor! I can treat her... !!" exclaimed Danny.


    London immediately shouted for the two bodyguards who had been on standby in the adjoining apartments while he waited for the elevator door to open.


    "Marc, Dave ... you take care of this man. I will take L to the hospital!"


    DING


    The elevator door opened, and London immediately entered. Danny, who tried to get in, was caught by the two big and sturdy men who showed up as soon as London called to take care of him.


    "Wait ... who are you guys?" Danny was shocked to see the two intimidating men. He tried to break away from them but his efforts failed. Angry, Danny tried to kick and hit, but he was not a match for Marc and Dave. "Let me go! If my bodyguard gets here ... They will beat the crap out of you!!"


    Meanwhile, in the elevator, London noticed L''s pale face in his arms. He was worried sick, especially now that L''s pregnancy had entered the third trimester, her condition was very vulnerable.


    When the elevator door opened, he immediately walked out to his Mercedes, which was still parked in front of the apartment building. When he was about to put L into the back seat, he was shocked by the liquid seeping from under the girl''s dress.


    Oh, God...


    Was this amniotic fluid? Will she... will she give birth? But she was only 6.5 months in...


    Oh, God...


    Please... don''t take my child.. Please, let her live ...


    London''s tears were flowing down hard as he hurriedly placed L in the back seat, as gentle as possible, then contacted Jan.


    "Jan ... L is going to give birth. I am heading to the hospital. Please prepare everything. This is very urgent."

 Chapter 649 - The Hardest Times

    Jan, who was in a meeting with his small team, was shocked when he heard his boss over the phone. He hurriedly called off the meeting and drove everyone out. Within a minute, he had contacted all the people he needed.


    Alex, who was always reliable, had tracked London''s whereabouts in three minutes. He immediately set all the traffic lights from where he was until the hospital to green so that London''s journey would not be halted at all by a red light.


    The head of the Berlin Metropole Hospital, which belongs to the Schneider Group, was contacted by Jan and hurriedly ordered three main doctors and nurses to wait at the hospital entrance and set up an operating room.


    Everyone worked as fast as possible because Jan firmly said that a Schneider family descendant''s life was at stake.


    The atmosphere in the hospital immediately became tense and busy. The East Wing of the hospital was hastily prepared to welcome the sudden arrival of the VVIP patient.


    London arrived at the hospital within ten minutes. He realized that Jan had arranged for his journey to be smooth because all the traffic lights had miraculously turned green. Inwardly, he made a mental note to give a lot of bonuses or a month''s vacation to his loyal assistant.


    Hmmm ... maybe a very big bonus ... London knew he would be distressed if Jan left him for a month for vacation.


    Okay, okay, Jan deserved a bonus AND vacation, he thought again. But maybe only three days.


    Well. A year''s worth of salary as a bonus and three days off, he finally decided.


    "She has a heart condition," London hurriedly explained. "The point is you all have to check everything, don''t miss. Save her! Save the baby!"


    Usually, the doctor will ask the family to sign a letter of approval for any medical procedure, but since this was London Schneider and they also could not find L''s family, then they immediately took action according to his request.


    Jan arrived ten minutes later. He dashed in the hospital hallway to the operating room where L was being rescued by doctors. He saw London sitting weakly on the sofa, cupping his face in his hands as if praying for L to be safe, as well as the child in her w.o.m.b.


    Jan just touched his boss''s shoulder gently, to let him know his presence, without asking any questions. He knew, at a time like this, it would be better if he waited and did not bother London with unnecessary questions.


    Feeling the touch on his shoulder, London raised his face. He took a deep breath, and his face looked very haggard.


    "She is only 6.5 months in ..." he whispered frantically. "If the amniotic sack was not ruptured, the doctor could still keep the pregnancy. L will be told to bed rest for several months until her pregnancy is old enough and then she will be assisted to give birth normally. . "


    Jan nodded several times, indicating that he understood what was at stake. A baby could be born prem.a.t.u.r.ely if all of their body parts were complete.


    He had read about the case of a six-month-old baby in the w.o.m.b who was born prem.a.t.u.r.ely and had survived, but that was a miracle. Even eight-month prem.a.t.u.r.e babies would still have a hard time to survive ... Now... Lily was only 6.5 months..


    The chances of surviving were very small.


    Jan''s c.h.e.s.t also felt heavy, as if it was his child who was fighting for her life. Jan was very close to London. He had also been involved in the life of the fetus since London first told him about L''s pregnancy. He also helped and made sure everything about the baby was okay. He also had been waiting for Lily to be born into this world.


    The sadness he felt was not much different from what London was feeling. They both sat waiting anxiously. After fifteen minutes, finally, the anxious Jan got up. He looked for a doctor to ask about the situation in the operating room.


    A doctor who waited in the observation room was willing to answer all his questions because, after all, Jan was an important person in the Schneider Group.


    "We are still trying to keep the baby inside for as long as possible by replacing the amniotic liquid with a synthetic one. We can not get the baby out by Caesarean section because of the condition of the mother. We are worried that her heart is too weak, and this could lead to her death. Currently, we are trying to wait for Miss L to recover first. After she was strong enough, we will be able to induce her and help force a normal birth. Miss L also turned out to be allergic to anesthesia ... we couldn''t operate on her. "


    Jan was stunned to hear the doctor''s statement. It was truly heartbreaking.


    "How long can we wait?" he asked in a choked voice.


    "If for 24 hours Miss L cannot improve, we think we should give up on her baby. This is a matter of life and death of the mother," the doctor replied in a flat voice.


    As a doctor, he was used to delivering bad news to patients and their families. For decades, he had trained himself not to involve emotions and could appear calm in front of them. Today was no exception.


    "Twenty four hours?" Jan repeated the doctor''s words as if asking for confirmation. The doctor nodded firmly. Jan then sighed and patted the doctor''s shoulder. "Please do your best. Prioritize the safety of the mother."


    Jan knew that London would be very heartbroken if his daughter died. Still, he also knew his boss well and knew that London would definitely choose L''s safety if he was forced to choose. Moreover, L was forced to be involved in such a situation. It wasn''t her choice to be pregnant.


    After all, with these conditions, even if Lily was born safely, it was very likely she would become disabled. Lily might choose not to be born, rather than living a sad and miserable life ...


    Before returning to the lounge where London was waiting, Jan immediately took his cellphone and contacted everyone from the Schneider family he knew to let them know what had happened. He believed London was too panicked to tell his family what happened.


    Jan was sure, at such an alarming time, London would really need the support of his family.


    "Oh God! What happened?" Finland''s anxious voice was immediately heard on the other end of the phone when Jan called her.


    It was past midnight in Singapore now, and Finland knew that it was impossible for Jan to contact her at a time like this unless something bad happened with her son.


    "I''m sorry to call so late at night, Madame ... But this is very important." Jan then briefly told her what happened.


    "It''s okay. Please help London there. We will come soon," Finland hurriedly hung up.

 Chapter 650 - Dont Forget to Breathe

    After L''s condition was stable and she was moved to the ICU. London and Jan were allowed to come inside to see her. Because he was self-aware, Jan let London enter alone. The young man had to wear sterile hospital scrubs before he was allowed to enter.


    "Sir, you can rest inside and accompany the Madam. The bed is large enough," Doctor Muller said as he invited London inside.


    London had absolutely no intention of correcting the doctor. People in the hospital really thought L was his wife because they knew that the baby in her w.o.m.b that they had to save was a Schneider.


    "Please come in, Sir. I''ve prepared everything. Don''t worry," Jan smiled soothingly. London knew that his assistant was very reliable, so he followed Jan''s words.


    In the magnificent patient room, L was lying weakly in the large bed with several tubings connected to the machines, helping her breathe, giving medicine and fluid and food intake, and keeping the baby in the w.o.m.b for as long as possible.


    L was still unconscious. London limply sat by the bed and emotionally clasped L''s hand. He had never felt as scared as he was tonight. His mind was filled with anxiety, thinking of the possibility of Lily or L dying.


    Such feelings of helplessness, unable to do anything when a loved one is fighting for their life, are the most terrible feelings in the world. He didn''t know why the situation could change so quickly, how it turned into something completely unexpected.


    Just yesterday, he returned from Singapore and his relationship with L improved. But the next day, everything went awry because L caught London monitoring her all this time. He was also still confused with L''s true identity. Why did she seem to have a pretty close relationship with Danny Swan? Why did the young man call her Marianne?


    Earlier while waiting outside, he had discussed everything with Jan and asked his assistant to find out more detailed information about L''s actual past.


    "Sir, I''ve found where Danny is," Jan said earlier. "He used his family''s connections and contacted every hospital in Berlin to find Miss L''s whereabouts. He also contacted the police. The Berlin Metropole Hospital kept the secret of Miss L''s whereabouts here, but the Swanns were very stubborn. They insisted on checking the hospitals themselves with the police one by one. "


    "Jan, couldn''t you take care of something so trivial?" London asked in an annoyed voice. His patience today was extremely thin because his mind was busy thinking about L''s fate.


    "Rest assured, Sir. The issue has been taken care of, but if this continues, within a few days, they''ll probably be able to guess that the Schneider family is behind all this. I just want you to know from now on and prepare yourself," Jan calmly explained.


    "I don''t care. Let them know that I, London Schneider, have been protecting L and will continue to ensure her wellbeing. Let''s see if they''ll still be stubborn after they know the truth."


    "Yes, Sir."


    Jan was busy all night coordinating with the Public Relations and security department as well as keeping in touch with Finland and notifying her of the developments in the hospital. He could hear the anxiety on the faces and voices of the Schneider family members who were speaking with him.


    Meanwhile, in the ICU room, London was still sitting on the edge of the bed holding L''s hand. He said nothing, only looking at L''s heartbreaking pale face. He also stroked L''s stomach several times as if to encourage Lily to stay strong.


    At two o''clock in the morning, he suddenly felt his hand squeezed and London immediately woke up from his uncomfortable sleep. His head was on his left arm, while his right hand was still holding L''s.


    London hurriedly looked up to see L. Turned out the girl had just opened her eyes, seemingly confused.


    "Where... where is this?" She asked weakly.


    "Umm... in the hospital." London hurriedly fixed his sitting posture and tried to put on a smiley face. "You''re fine, but you scared me."


    L looked at him with a face full of questions. "Why are you scared?"


    "I didn''t know you had heart condition..." London said softly. "Why didn''t you tell your obstetrician? You''re also allergic to anesthesia... Luckily, the doctor hasn''t had time to do the surgery yet."


    "Hmm..." L didn''t answer. She just swept her eyes throughout the room. Her face looked surprised at how big and luxurious the room was. She then turned to London with a confused face. "Where''s Danny? He brought me here, right?"


    London shook his head. He really hated hearing Danny''s name mentioned, but he realized that he can''t stress L right now.


    "This hospital is a facility owned by the Schneider Group..." London said. "The owner himself made sure you get the best care."


    Hearing his words, L''s face was filled with horror. "God! Doesn''t this mean they know? They know about my pregnancy... I''ll definitely lose my career..."


    Tears welled up with her immense worry. London hurriedly sat beside her and tried to calm her down.


    "Shhh... it''s okay. They don''t mind that at all. Do you remember London Schneider once gave you huge flowers? He''s your number one fan. He doesn''t care about your pregnancy, your past, or anything¡­ He just hopes that you''ll get well again." London intently looked at L. "He personally asked... for you to try your best to recover."


    L deeply looked into London''s eyes. Her face, which was originally filled with worry, slowly began to calm down. She tried to sit, but the young man prevented her from doing so.


    "I want to see my condition..." L blurted out in a voice that was barely audible. "I can''t feel my baby..."


    "She''s fine..." London lied. "The doctor just told you to have a bed rest. It''s already past midnight. Go back to sleep... I''ll accompany you."


    "I haven''t forgiven you for spying on me and lying to me..." hissed the girl.


    London nodded. "I know. Let''s talk about it tomorrow, okay? You should rest for the time being so Lily can rest too. If you''ve recovered, I''ll let you scold me however you want. I admit my wrongdoings. I''ll do whatever you want me to do to make up for them. "


    His sincere words moved L''s heart, and she slowly closed her eyes.


    London still held L''s hand with his right hand. After seeing L try to sleep, he put his head back on his left arm and tried to sleep while sitting on the sofa with his head on the bed.


    Suddenly, L opened her eyes again and looked at him with a wistful look. "I''m scared..."


    London raised his head and sat up straight again. "Why are you scared?"


    L didn''t answer. She tightened her grip on London''s hand. "I can''t sleep..."


    London looked at the side of the large hospital bed beside L and tried to make an outrageous request. He didn''t know whether his request would make L drive him away or not, but he had to try.


    "Can I hug you to sleep?" he gently asked her.


    L slowly nodded and closed her eyes again. London immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He then took off his shoes and climbed into the bed and laid himself beside L. Slowly, he reached out his arms and hugged L''s stomach from the side.


    His breath seemed to stop when L turned toward him and put her head on London''s broad c.h.e.s.t. The young man hardly dared to breathe.


    "Mmm..." L opened one of her eyes and frowned. "Don''t forget to breathe. You can''t die before I do."


    London nodded slowly and began breathing carefully.

 Chapter 651 - The Arrival Of The Schneider Family

    Although London''s head was still filled with a million worries about L''s fate, being allowed to lie down beside L and hug her made him feel a little calmer as if he could ensure the safety of L and their child by holding her tightly.


    Even the grim reaper wouldn''t be able to take L from him without a fight.


    He won''t give up so easily. Since he first saw L at Stephan''s party, he had fallen in love with her.


    He also loved their child wholeheartedly since he found out L was pregnant with his child. At present, for London, there was nothing more important in this world besides the two.


    L, who previously had trouble sleeping, quickly relaxed and closed her eyes, falling asleep after a few minutes. Her head snuggled to London''s c.h.e.s.t and subconsciously looked for the most comfortable position, while London himself tried not to move to avoid waking L up.


    He couldn''t sleep at all that night. He repeatedly kissed L on the forehead and took deep breaths.


    ***


    L woke up when the sun was high outside the hospital, but due to the darkened blackout curtains, the atmosphere in the ICU room where she was treated was still dark.


    "Good morning." London''s warm voice could be heard from above L''s head. It only then did the girl realize that the young man''s head was above her because she slept while hugging the him, even putting her head on London''s c.h.e.s.t.


    L blinked several times and tried to collect her memories. Her body felt like it was crushed and her c.h.e.s.t still ached like it did yesterday. She soon realized that her weak heart was throwing another tantrum.


    Last night, she had briefly woken up and talked to London, but not much because she soon returned to sleep. This morning, she felt they would be able to talk more...


    Alas...! She felt that her lower body was wet. Confused, L touched her clothes. She immediately panicked.


    "Wait... what''s this? Why is my body wet?" She asked worriedly. "Is my baby okay?"


    London knew that L''s amniotic fluid had seeped out a little and made her w.o.m.b very vulnerable. Doctors were still trying to delay the birth for as long as possible, since the gestational age was still very young, only 6.5 months.


    They even tried to replace the missing amniotic fluid with synthetic amniotic fluid, but after 15 hours, L''s condition remained unchanged. They only gave nine more hours until they had to force L to give birth to the baby, whether alive or dead.


    "It''s amniotic fluid. It just seeped out a little, that''s fine," London tried to calm her down. "I''ll call a nurse to help you change."


    L became more panicked. She wasn''t stupid. Even though she was young, she knew what it meant when the amniotic fluid was seeping out. The baby in the w.o.m.b can''t stay in the w.o.m.b any longer and must be born.


    "But... but Lily hasn''t even reached the proper month..." L began to sob. "She''s still 6.5 months old... She won''t survive..."


    He was always weak against L''s tears, but today, his defense collapsed with nothing left, and his heart was broken seeing L lamented Lily so poignantly.


    Didn''t L repeatedly say she didn''t want this child? She also said many times that she would leave once she gave birth to Lily and would never appear again. And even just yesterday, L made it clear to him that she would go with Danny and told London to pick Lily up with Finland as soon as she gave birth to the baby.


    If L really didn''t want this child... why was she crying like this?


    Did she change her mind? London could only ask himself.


    London hugged L without saying anything. He knew at a time like this, any words of consolation had no meaning.


    Some doctors and nurses rushed in when they heard L''s cry. They then checked L''s condition and discussed something among themselves.


    "Her conditions are still the same as yesterday," Doctor Muller, who was still on standby overnight at the hospital to ensure this VVIP patient got the best treatment, informed. "Madam, please don''t be stressed. Everything will be fine."


    Gently, Dr. Muller explained a number of technical things which, in essence, attempted to calm L down. They were trying to find the best way to ensure that Lily would be born safely.


    After a few reassuring explanations, L became calmer. Two nurses swiftly cleaned L and changed her hospital gown with a new one, while London was asked to take a break or look for breakfast so his body''s condition wouldn''t drop from taking care of L all night.


    "All right... I''ll be out for a minute. I''ll be back soon," he said reluctantly.


    London squeezed L''s hand gently before going out. At the door, Jan was waiting for him with a cup of hot coffee. There were two dark circles around his eyes, and London realized that his assistant hadn''t slept all night either.


    He gratefully patted Jan''s shoulder.


    "Your family has landed. They''re on their way to the hospital." Jan gave his first report of the day.


    London was surprised to hear that. He completely forgot to contact his family because he was too panicked yesterday, only having L and Lily in his head. He forgot to contact his father, mother, and brother.


    He was almost moved to tears and almost hugged Jan, who was so understanding. His assistant had contacted his entire family in his stead!


    "Who will be coming?" he asked afterward.


    "Your parents, brothers, and Mr. Aldebar and Mr. Lauriel," Jan replied.


    Ah! That''s almost every member of his family!


    London knew Aleksis and Alaric certainly couldn''t come because their two babies were only two weeks old and couldn''t be taken to travel. Meanwhile, Nicolae may have to take care of Altair and Vega.


    "There''s also... Uncle Aldebar?" London immediately remembered that his uncle was the owner of the immortality potion. If L drank the potion, her body will become perfect. She won''t have any heart diseases or allergies, which had been the barrier keeping doctors from having Lily born by Caesarean section.


    He knew that it would only be given to ordinary people who married an alchemist. L wasn''t his wife, so she wasn''t entitled to receive the immortality potion. But... this was a very urgent matter. London would try to persuade Aldebar to make an exception just this once.


    When London was busy with his thoughts, there were the sounds of footsteps of several people in the hallway in front of the lounge where he was, and before long, the faces of his loved ones were seen entering the lounge.


    "How''s it going?" Finland asked in a worried voice. London, who had never thought that his family would arrive so quickly, had unknowingly rushed towards his mother and cried on Finland''s shoulder.


    "Mom... I''m glad you came..." he whispered repeatedly.


    Finland rubbed her son''s hair affectionately and nodded. "Of course, we have to come. You''re my son. We have to support you."


    Caspar patted his son''s back then entered the observation room to talk to the doctor in charge. As a well-known surgeon who had been in this profession for decades, Caspar was a very skilled doctor. He wanted to be directly involved in the process of saving his granddaughter.


    All the staff, doctors, and nurses around them could only stare at this group of beautiful youths in awe and wonder. They all wondered, who were these impressive people?

 Chapter 652 - Ill Look For An Alchemist Wife

    In order not to attract too many people, the east wing of the hospital was finally sterilized from visitors and other patients. Only certain people on duty could roam there.


    Nevertheless, the presence of a group of beautiful people had already become the talk of the hospital among those who had seen them. Rumors that they were members of the Schneider family soon spread among the present visitors and hospital staff. They wondered who was sick for the whole mysterious family to come to visit.


    Terry, who was busy searching for news about himself on the internet for the most popular executive nomination in 2050, suddenly chuckled. He repeatedly tapped his tablet and examined various photos in the website column that contained news about him.


    "My photo''s already uploaded to the gossip website. How are they so fast?" He grumbled. He showed Jan, who was sitting beside him, nodding from his sleepiness. "Looks like this was taken from the lobby earlier. Call the director of the hospital''s HRD so they take care of their security."


    Jan tilted his head to look at what Terry was referring to and immediately understood. Terry''s real resentment wasn''t on the photo itself, but rather the angle of taking, which was not right and didn''t display Terry''s good looks as he wanted.


    Jan remembered that Terry had been photographed by the paparazzi a number of times when he was stirred up on a date with some models, but Terry didn''t nag because his appearance in various photographs taken in disguise looked dashing and charismatic.


    "This doesn''t seem to have been taken by a professional photographer or paparazzi," Jan said, squinting and examining the photos. "The quality is bad and the angle is not good. Surely they are only taken by hospital visitors who happened to recognize you, Sir."


    "That''s right," Terry said. He agreed with the part that the picture quality was poor and the angle was not good. Huh... his face in the photos looked swollen and his eyes were closed. Untalented people shouldn''t touch a camera, he thought in irritation.


    "We can''t do anything if the pictures are taken by visitors. This hospital only prohibits the presence of photographers and journalists. Patient visitors have the right to bring a phone and take photos as they please." Jan explained patiently. "We can only jam the internet signals so visitors can''t post anything to the media."


    "That''s better," Terry agreed.


    "That, or you can visit the hospital formally after taking shower and changing clothes, so the visitors and staff can meet you in person and take better quality pictures together," Jan added.


    Terry looked stunned for a moment and looked at him with a bright face. "Hmmm... you''re right, too. It would be better if I appear officially, so as to allay suspicions and gossip about why the Schneider family suddenly came here."


    He wanted to ask the location of the nearest VVIP room so he could take a shower and change clothes when the hospital director came walking towards him from the lobby.


    "Good morning, Sir," William Gerber greeted Terry with respect. Among these new arrivals, he immediately recognized Jan Van Der Ven and Terrence Chan. After greeting Terry, he nodded at Jan. "Can I help you, Sir?"


    "We want to have an official visit later this afternoon. Can you please make the appropriate preparations?" Terry promptly requested.


    "Of course," William smiled kindly. "Do you need anything else? Have you all had breakfast?"


    Jan nodded. "Earlier, the hospital staff prepared everything. We''ll eat after taking shower and changing."


    In the large lounge where they were resting, there were now many comfortable large sofas, a luxurious dining table, and several rooms for resting and bathrooms. Even so, nobody was thinking of taking a shower and changing clothes or having breakfast because they hadn''t gotten the latest news about L''s condition.


    "I rushed here as soon as I heard about the Schneider family. Well then, I will come back before lunchtime so we can arrange an official visit."


    He then excused himself. Terry decided to take Jan''s advice, cleaning up to look fresh and changing into formal clothes. Since his presence was already known, he felt better if he also used this opportunity to appear in the media for support of the most popular executive in 2050 nomination he was aiming for.


    "Please also take a shower and change clothes..." he grumbled to London, who was sitting in a corner of the room while sipping his coffee slowly. Terry frowned at London''s crumpled appearance. "You''re still wearing the same clothes as the one you wore at Aleksis''s party in Singapore, don''t you realize?"


    London looked at his own body and realized that his brother was right. Ugh... He was embarrassed remembering how he had hugged L all night with clothes that he had worn for two days.


    When he turned to Jan wanting to ask something, Jan had handed him a small suitcase.


    "There are clothes and other necessities in this suitcase. I stopped by the penthouse this morning," Jan said.


    "Hm... thank you."


    London then followed Terry into one of the available rooms and cleaned himself up. When he came out with a neat appearance, his eyes immediately caught the sight of Aldebar, who had followed Caspar and Lauriel into the observation room.


    "Uncle...!" He hurriedly approached Aldebar. "I have something to talk about..."


    Aldebar raised an eyebrow. "What''s wrong?"


    "Uncle... I beg of you, can you give me the immortality potion for L? I don''t know how to make her condition better and Lily safe."


    His voice was filled with panic and worry. Aldebar deeply gazed at his nephew.


    "I heard she doesn''t want to marry you... You''re aware that according to the Alchemist rules, you can only ask for immortality potion once, right?" He deliberately said his sentence slowly as if to emphasize his intention so London would rethink his request. "The next time you meet an ordinary person you wish to marry... you won''t receive another potion."


    London shook his head firmly. "I won''t ask for another potion. I''ll look for an alchemist wife."


    "You should think about it carefully..." Aldebar crossed his arms to his c.h.e.s.t.


    It was easy for him to make the immortality potion, and he had the right to choose certain people to become immortals. Until now, he had given the immortality potion to fifteen formidable knights he met to be his bodyguards, and together with him, they maintain the safety of the potion and its formula.


    But specifically for couples who come from ordinary humans, rules are rules. A clan member can only receive the potion of immortality once for their partners. This rule was made so the Alchemists act more wisely and thoroughly think about who they want to spend their entire lives with. Exceptions are only given to children born outside the clan.


    "Uncle... didn''t Father receive the potion twice? At that time, Father gave one potion to his ex-fianc¨¦e before he met Mother." Out of nowhere, Rune came over and joined the conversation. "After they got married, Mother also got a potion from Uncle Aldebar, right? What exceptions did Father receive at that time?"


    Aldebar turned and smiled. "Oh... your mother drank the potion that was supposed to be my quota. You know that I don''t intend to get married. So when your father came to Germany and said that he finally fell in love and couldn''t live without your mother... of course I had to help him."


    "Oh..." London and Rune looked at each other in surprise. They had never heard of this story before.


    London still didn''t waver. He had absolutely no objection to giving his quota of the immortality potion to L. Without this potion, L wouldn''t be able to give birth to their child, and if that happened, he would have no more reason to live. Why would he need to live forever if he had to bury his child before she could even be born?


    "I''ll look for an Alchemist wife or Ill never marry," he replied stubbornly.


    Aldebar finally nodded. "Alright then."

 Chapter 653 - Londons Regret

    Aldebar pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and pointed it at London with a mischievous smile.


    "I already made it."


    London gasped. He didn''t think his uncle had made immortality potion for L even before he asked. Then what for did he deliberately talk so much to London about thinking about everything carefully?


    "Huh? Uncle..." He was astonished. "What if I hadn''t asked for it earlier?"


    Aldebar only pointed at Terry, who had just come out with his best look. The young man looked unquestionably handsome with a clean white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and pants that matched the suit he had dr.a.p.ed over his shoulder.


    "I asked for it," Terry said nonchalantly. "I''m sure you''d be too panicked to think clearly. If you don''t want to marry that singer, I don''t mind marrying her. She''s very beautiful and s.e.xy."


    Terry was only joking, but he deliberately put on a serious face to tease his brother.


    London didn''t know whether he had to be angry or grateful when he heard the words of his brother, who was sometimes annoying. In the end, he could only scratch his head and nod.


    "It''s okay... I''ll give my potion quota to L. After all, she''s Lily''s mother. Even though we''re not married, I don''t want Lily to lose her mother."


    "I understand." Aldebar took a cup of coffee then sat relaxed on the sofa. "We''ll wait for your father and Lauriel."


    London nodded. He looked toward the observation room. His father and Lauriel had been inside for almost an hour. Aldebar went out first because he wasn''t a doctor or a medical expert. He only came to see what help he could provide based on the various machines and medical devices available at the hospital.


    After waiting for ten minutes, the two people he had been waiting for finally came out.


    "How is it, Dad? Uncle Lauriel?" London anxiously asked.


    "Her condition is terrible," Caspar said. "Her stress level is really high. I''ve never seen a teenage girl with that much stress. On top of that, the condition of her heart isn''t good either."


    Of course, L is stressed, London bitterly thought. The girl was an orphan who struggled to live alone and had to pursue a career in the cutthroat entertainment industry, coupled with suddenly being set up, causing her to have to get pregnant at the age of 19 years old. Let alone a girl at such a young age, even a woman ten years older would feel stressed.


    That was one of the reasons why he loved L so much even though she was always being mean to him. London believed that behind her curt attitude, L hid a fragile heart, but she always tried her best to look fine.


    In many ways, L reminded him of his own mother. Maybe people are right when they said sons would be attracted to women who are like their mothers, and daughters would be attracted to men who were like their fathers.


    Finland joined her husband and hugged his arm.


    "Is the baby still healthy?" she softly asked. At present, of course, the baby was everyone''s priority. She was a descendant of the Schneider family, after all.


    Roughly speaking, if London hadn''t continuously defended L and wanted her alive, the doctors could f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y deliver the baby via cesarean section and immediately take action to treat prem.a.t.u.r.e babies, then let the baby continue her growth in the most sophisticated incubators presently existing.


    Cesarean section was very simple, but with L''s heart condition and her allergies on anesthesia, she could easily die on the operating table.


    London didn''t want to choose one. He wanted both of them alive.


    "She''s healthy, but she doesn''t have much time," Caspar answered.


    "I asked for the immortality potion from Uncle Aldebar," London explained. "If L is given the potion, her illnesses and allergies will all disappear, right? Then she can be operated on, right?"


    Lauriel answered Caspar. "The immortality potion needs time to take effect, while the baby must be born today. I can give medicine to strengthen her heart."


    "Oh..." London could only nod without saying anything.


    That means L would be induced and forced to give birth normally because she still couldn''t be operated on. London knew that Lauriel was one of the best medicinal experts in the world, but he didn''t know how effective his medicine was for dealing with weak heart problems.


    If the medicine from Lauriel didn''t work, L could die during labor¡­ Ugh...


    Oh God... he really regretted having caused L to stress and finally became like this. If he hadn''t forced L to speak truthfully about her fianc¨¦ and hadn''t keep protesting about Daniel Swann yesterday, L would not have been forced to give birth at 6.5 months in...


    "This is all my fault..." he could only mutter bitterly. Why was he so impatient and jealous?


    Flashes of images of the girl began to fill his mind. The first time he saw L singing on a small stage at Stephan''s party, he had fallen in love with her. Her voice was enchanting, and her beautiful yet sad face left a deep impression on London.


    He never regretted that damned night when Stephan tricked him with L, although he personally hoped the moment he first made love with L was done consensually in full consciousness, based on mutual love.


    When he learned that L was pregnant with his child, London had determined that it was fate. He and L would be united forever by a bond that would never break, namely their child. And in his heart, he hoped that he and L would be able to be together in a real love relationship. But there was no crying over spilled milk. It couldn''t be changed back.


    That''s why he pursued L and wanted to take responsibility. He even secretly granted all her wishes. L wanted to be a famous singer? London bought the biggest entertainment company in Europe. L liked flowers? He made sure L received flowers every day.


    He hoped that over time, L would be able to accept his sincerity and fall in love with him, then both of them and their children would be able to live happily. During this time, he also saw L''s attitude slowly change and she became increasingly sweet to him.


    He remembered, in Singapore, he and his mother teased L by trying to make her jealous. L was furious... and he felt happy, thinking that L was jealous because she had fallen in love with him, although then he became frightened because he thought that L had left him because she was angry.


    Apparently, L didn''t run away with Danny as expected. Instead, she returned to their apartment. L also had started to be nice to him. He remembered, even though L was curt and temperamental, she never lied or used London.


    She also wisely didn''t blame the young man and forced him to be responsible for Stephan''s evil deeds. She didn''t kill their baby, but she didn''t force London to be responsible either.


    Before London found out about her pregnancy, L had tried on her own to care for her baby until she was born before handing the baby over for adoption because she knew she wouldn''t be able to raise her. She also never complained and always accepted what London had given her.


    Even her curt attitude wasn''t too annoying. She only said truthfully that she couldn''t marry London because she already had a fianc¨¦.


    Seeing the close relationship between Danny and L and how the young man even called L by the name of Marianne... it seemed like they had known each other for a long time. Danny might even be the key to knowing L''s mysterious past...


    London should have been more understanding and waited until after their child was born to discuss their relationship: he, L, and Danny together.


    He realized that as a child from a very wealthy and powerful family, he was accustomed to easily getting everything he wanted. It was the constant rejection from L that made him curious and kept trying to get the girl.


    When London heard that L was engaged to another man, his patience immediately ran out and he promptly wanted to make L his. Danny''s presence made him panic and become impatient... and caused him to urge L yesterday.


    Now, he could only regret and hope the medicine from Lauriel was effective enough to help L during childbirth. Besides that, there was nothing they could do. Even the immortality potion would be useless if L died while being forced to give birth.


    "Help the mother of my child, Uncle..." London held Lauriel''s shoulders and gripped him tightly. He wasn''t ashamed to let his tears flow in everyone''s presence.


    He knew he was guilty. If L died due to childbirth... he wouldn''t know how to explain it to Lily.

 Chapter 654 - Breakfast In The Room

    Lauriel understood what''s in London''s heart. He lost the woman he loved because she died during childbirth. More than his own sadness, he knew how much his son Alaric had lived in self-hatred for almost a hundred years because he considered his birth caused his mother''s death.


    He didn''t want anyone to experience what he and his children experienced. That''s why he wholeheartedly helped London and his child.


    As a medicine expert who had a hundreds of years experience and knew various miraculous plants, Lauriel had kept a lot of knowledge about the best ways to cure human ailments. Even Caspar, a modern doctor, highly respected Lauriel''s knowledge and never felt that he was more capable.


    Lauriel earnestly nodded. "I need a few hours to prepare the medicine."


    "I can accompany you to look for medicinal ingredients anywhere, so hurry..." London pleaded, his voice filled with hope.


    "No need. Just stay with her inside and make sure she feels calmer. A positive attitude has a huge impact on recovery. I can find all the ingredients I need by myself," Lauriel answered.


    "I''m coming with you, Uncle Lauriel" Rune hurriedly got up from the sofa and took his jacket. "I''d like to learn about new medicines."


    "Okay." Lauriel gave a signal to Rune and the young man immediately followed him.


    "We''ll be gone for a while. You guys should eat breakfast first so no one will get sick from exhaustion..." Lauriel ordered.


    He then walked out with Rune. They chatted a bit about L''s diagnosis and how Lauriel thought of the best treatment for her.


    London only drank coffee before re-entering L''s treatment room. His parents let him take care of L and his daughter while they had breakfast with Terry, Aldebar, and Jan. Inside, Finland felt proud because her son grew up to be a good and responsible man. She hoped L could see London''s sincerity and his dedication so far and wanted to change her mind.


    Even though L was engaged to Danny Swan, they can still break off the engagement. Even married people can get divorced, can''t they? What more if they''re only engaged. It would be better if Lily grew up with complete parents, she thought.


    Finland let London do what he thought was best regarding L and his daughter. At the dining table, the Schneider family only enjoyed breakfast in silence. There wasn''t much to talk about as long as L and Lily''s condition hadn''t improved.


    ***


    When London entered L''s room, he saw a new nurse coming and bringing breakfast to L. Even though L received nutrition through the infusion, she still felt hungry and asked to be brought food.


    "Let me do it," London hurriedly took the tray from the nurse''s hand and placed it carefully on the bedside table. He then sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed L.''s hand. The girl''s closed eyes then opened slowly.


    "Hmmm..." she muttered in an unclear voice when she saw London was back beside her.


    "The nurse has brought food. Let me feed you..." London offered. He asked the nurse to help him and the nurse immediately pressed the button to adjust L''s bed so that she could sit.


    L''s lips opened slightly as if to say something, but said nothing in the end.


    She only nodded and didn''t protest when London took a spoonful of congee and raised the spoon in front of her lips. She obediently opened her mouth and ate whatever London gave her.


    The first bite was eaten very slowly. London patiently fed her the congee and L accepted it without saying anything. Likewise for the third spoon and so on.


    "Thank you..." London said quietly, rubbing a little congee stain on the edge of L''s lips after she finished eating it.


    L raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why are you thanking me? I should be the one saying that..."


    London shook his head. "I''m thankful you''re not bothersome. Taking care of you is really easy and fun..."


    He smiled then put aside the bowl and peeled an apple.


    "You..." L seemed stunned to hear London say his words so lightly. She felt that she had troubled everyone because of her illness ever since she was a child. That was why she was determined to be independent so she could take care of herself as soon as possible.


    When she got a job as a singer and could make money on her own, she immediately left the orphanage. She then worked as hard as she could to make a name for herself and took part in various singing competitions and every audition she could find to get the chance to perform and make lots of money.


    She didn''t care about the assumptions of other artists who hated her because she had a lot of fans, and her reputation as a materialistic girl never shamed her. She was just being honest about her wishes. She wasn''t a pretentious girl who pretended to look simple and innocent but stabbed people from behind.


    But now... that simple, obnoxious young man said she wasn''t bothersome and was very pleasant to take care of...?


    Subconsciously, tears fell down her cheeks as she looked at London''s hands, which were deftly peeling apples for her. She hurriedly wiped her tears when London faced her with a big smile showing a plate of apple slices.


    "Here''s an apple for you!" He took a slice and popped it into L''s mouth, staring at her unblinkingly. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something strange on my face?"


    L shook her head. She took a bite of the apple and chewed it slowly. London smiled even wider. He was happy to see that even though she was sick, it seemed that L''s appetite was still good.


    Ah, he remembered. L indeed has been eating a lot recently. This must be because her pregnancy has gotten big and Lily needs a lot of nutrition.


    Lily must eat a lot, London inwardly told himself.


    He saw that although L ate a lot, her body was still considered slim for a woman who was 6.5 months pregnant.


    Only her enlarged stomach stood out. Her face, hands, and feet only looked a little chubby... and it made her even more adorable.


    "Well, you have eaten all the apples. I still have pudding and cakes," London said later. She had already eaten most of the apple slices on the plate, with only two left.


    L just nodded.


    "Ahh... does this mean you want pudding or cake? Or both?"


    L nodded again.


    "Oh..." London didn''t know what the meaning of L''s nods was. In the end, he gave the pudding first. L accepted it with a smile.


    My... London was almost stunned because he couldn''t remember the last time he saw her smile. Looks like L''s mood has greatly improved! He almost jumped from all the joy. Luckily, he was able to hold back.


    After the pudding was eaten, it turned out L still wanted to eat the three cakes. London was amazed to see that almost everything on the tray had been emptied and moved into the girl''s stomach.


    "Uhmm... I didn''t know you could eat this much," he said quietly, scratching his head in amazement. "Have I not fed you enough all this time?"


    L ate far more than usual today. London was now afraid that he hadn''t prepared enough food all this time and L had to hold herself back in front of him and didn''t ask for more because she felt ashamed.


    "No, do you think I''m a cow being fattened for slaughter?" L''s smile suddenly disappeared and was soon replaced by her signature scolding whenever she was grumpy to London. "This morning, I was really hungry because I haven''t eaten yesterday afternoon. Have you forgotten, huh?"


    "Oh, yeah, that''s right. I''m sorry." London breathed a sigh of relief.


    Thankfully, it turned out that he had been giving L enough food.


    He happily squeezed her hand then put away the tray of food while whistling and handed it to the nurse who had just been staying in the corner pretending not to see the interaction between the patient and the handsome boss of the great Schneider Group, and could only bite her fingers seeing how carefully and lovingly London Schneider was pampering the artist she often saw on television.


    Oops... if she hadn''t been reminded by her superiors to maintain patient confidentiality, she would have been spreading the news about the relationship between these two and how romantic they were.


    "Eh... why are you so stunned?" London had to wave his hand to the nurse''s face several times to get her attention. "Please take the tray out."


    "Eh... I... Yes, Sir." The nurse immediately snapped to her senses, and with an embarrassed face, she immediately took the tray from London''s hand and left the room.

 Chapter 655 - Dont Be Inconsistent

    After only the two of them were left in the treatment room, London sat back on the side of the bed and tidied L''s blanket. None of his actions escaped L''s observasion.


    "My uncle is preparing medicine for you. Hopefully, you''ll get better in a few hours," he said while holding L''s hand.


    "Your uncle?" L frowned. She had met many doctors all her life, and there wasn''t much they could do.


    There were only two possibilities for her to fully recover, namely a heart transplant from a deceased human donor, or a synthetic heart transplant.


    Until now, there hadn''t been a suitable human donor and her ranking to obtain organs was still too low, while she still didn''t dare to opt for a synthetic heart because there were still many controversies surrounding its safety.


    L had worked hard to be where she was now, she didn''t want to die just because of an unsafe artificial heart.


    "My uncle is a medicine expert. You''ll meet him later," London explained.


    He was about to tell her about his father who was also a doctor, but he was afraid that L would be shocked and angry again because she thought he was lying. Therefore, he decided to keep his father a secret for a while.


    He also deliberately asked his father not to appear around L because he would have difficulty explaining who Caspar was to the girl, since Caspar looked so much like him. He and his father had similar faces, black hair, brilliant blue eyes, even the same dimples. His father was only slightly taller than him.


    His mother was told to avoid being seen by L because he was afraid that L was still angry when she saw the woman who she thought had a special relationship with London hanging around the hospital. After he learned about L''s health condition, London didn''t want to take any risks and make the girl angry or sad.


    He also regretted his fad with his mother two days ago. Everything that happened was like the ripple effect, where one event influenced the next ones.


    If he hadn''t made L angry with jealousy, the girl wouldn''t have run back to their apartment, which made London rush back to Germany, and was followed by their argument over Danny, then L finding all the cameras he had installed... eventually the girl fell ill and was now forced to give birth faster...


    Ugh...


    "What are you thinking about?" L promptly asked. She noticed the dark circles around the young man''s eyes and realized that London hadn''t been wearing his glasses for two days. "Can you see without your glasses?"


    London wanted to answer ''I''m wearing contact lenses'' when he realized L didn''t like being lied to. In the end, he just scratched his head and nodded.


    "I lost my glasses... I can''t find them," he answered truthfully. A moment later, he thought of something. "By the way, do you prefer for me to wear glasses or not?"


    L frowned again. "Is my opinion important? Whether you wear glasses or not is none of my business."


    At that time, London felt an impulse to pinch L. This girl, why can''t she be sweet for long? She was sweet for a while, and now her grumpy attitude was back.


    "Hmm... it''s important for me," London tried to hold back and disregard L''s silence. "If you think I look better without glasses, I won''t wear them anymore."


    L finally squinted to observe London for a few moments. She then grabbed the young man''s face and turned it left and right, then nodded in satisfaction. "No need to wear glasses, then. This is better."


    London smiled and nodded. "Alright... I won''t wear glasses anymore."


    L only shook her head seeing London''s patience. She had always been rude to him on purpose, but somehow, it never seemed to work. The young man always behaved as if L had never been annoying.


    In the end, L crossed her arms across her c.h.e.s.t and watched London attentively. She wasn''t ashamed of looking at a man with such probing eyes.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" In fact, London had become awkward because for some reason, being stared like that by L made him feel as though he was being stripped. He unconsciously crossed his arms across his c.h.e.s.t, as if protecting himself from being stripped n.a.k.e.d.


    "Hmm... why does my opinion matter to you?" L asked firmly. "I''m nothing to you."


    "You''re wrong. You''re Lily''s mother, of course, you''re someone to me," London quickly reacted. "Therefore, your opinion is important."


    "But I told you I''ll go once she''s born. I don''t want to hurt her if she found out her mother left her... It''s better if she never knew about me and what happened between us." L continued to stare at London unblinkingly. "If Finland really loves you, she certainly won''t mind claiming to be Lily''s mother so that this child won''t be hurt..."


    Ugh... why is the discussion back to this topic? London inwardly complained. He was exhausted. Besides, he hadn''t slept and hadn''t eaten, his head wouldn''t be able to take it if they argue again.


    London took a deep breath and raised his hand, signaling L to stop her words.


    "P... please... Can we postpone this discussion for just two days? I can''t discuss this topic anymore. Please, just give me these two days, until Lily is born and your health recovers... After that, I''ll grant whatever you wish for. I''ll follow your every word."


    L finally nodded slowly. "Forgive me."


    They then fell silent. The atmosphere was ruined because of that one topic. London finally turned his head towards the door, not seeing L again. He was afraid that his patience would run out if he remembered that L was still insisting to leave previously.


    After ten minutes of empty silence, L finally touched his shoulder.


    "What''s wrong?" London asked without turning around.


    "Where''s Danny...?" L slowly asked him. "Didn''t he contact me? He must be worried."


    Ugh... hearing L mentioned another''s man name in front of him, London finally couldn''t take it anymore. He stood up and walked toward the door.


    "I don''t know. I haven''t met him since yesterday. I immediately brought you here and didn''t go anywhere else," he replied curtly.


    He wasn''t lying. He really didn''t know where Danny Swan was. Jan knew, and London deliberately didn''t ask Jan. He didn''t care about Danny Swann.


    "Eh, where are you going?" L asked in a worried voice when she realized that London was leaving him. "Wait a minute...!"


    "I want to sleep..." London answered casually. "I haven''t slept since yesterday."


    L immediately remembered the dark circles around London''s eyes and she realized that the young man hadn''t slept all night, even though he was lying down beside her. Was London unable to sleep because he was too worried?


    L''s c.h.e.s.t became heavy and filled with guilt.


    She had been troubling this young man excessively, but since earlier, London actually said that L wasn''t bothersome and taking care of her was a pleasant thing.


    "Why do you have to go out to sleep?" L asked. She then hurriedly added, "There''s a bed here..."


    Her words stunned London. He turned his body and looked at L with a look of confusion, exhaustion, and sadness.


    "L... please, don''t be inconsistent like this to me... I''m going crazy..." he softly pleaded. "You sometimes act so sweetly that it makes me think you love me too. If you do, you make my heart fly to the seventh heaven. But then you''ll be cold and annoying... and say things that hurt me... so I don''t know how to make of that... "


    L bit her lip.


    London was right, and she was aware of that.

 Chapter 656 - Finally... Asleep.

    "I''m sorry for being inconsistent... Really, I didn''t mean it..." L looked at London with a pleading look.


    "But you always did it. I really don''t know what you really want..." London uttered with a mixed expression. L had never seen him so disheartened like today. Guilt slowly crept in her heart.


    "I''m also tired of this situation, but please... you said we don''t have to discuss this topic for two days, right?" L continued. "I can''t always do what I want... I also have to fight with myself. I can''t explain it to you... it''s too long of a story, and if we discuss it, I''m sure we''ll only argue again..."


    "What are you not telling me, L? If I don''t know anything, how am I supposed to help you?" London asked. He was getting desperate.


    He remembered asking his younger brother to make a translator machine for women''s cry, but Rune said countless scientists had tried to since centuries ago, and until now, nothing had worked.


    He often had to pull his hair when he thought about L''s annoying and inconsistent attitude like today.


    "I don''t want to discuss it now..." L answered softly. "I don''t want to argue with you. If you force me to tell you who I am and why I do this and that, then you also have to tell me about the various things that you''ve hidden from me. About your relationship with the mafia group, about how you monitored me and installed a camera in our apartment, about your suspicious departure to Singapore... "


    London suddenly felt his back turn cold. He wasn''t willing to discuss them all. He was afraid that L would become stressed and it would worsen her condition. Therefore, he hurriedly nodded. "I also don''t want to discuss it now..."


    "I agree with you. Let''s forget what happened and make peace. For these two days, I don''t want to argue with you. It''s not good for Lily." This time, L didn''t wipe the tears dripping down her cheeks. "Also... if I die because of childbirth, I don''t want you to remember me as a girl who sucks and always pisses you off..."


    London hurriedly approached L and sat on the side of the bed. He put his hand on her lips and shook his head. "Sssh... I don''t want to hear you mention those words."


    He knew the possibility of that happening was very large. It was 50% if L took the medicine from Lauriel and the drug can indeed treat her, if not... then she won''t survive. Without the medicine from Lauriel, L''s chance of survival if she were to be forced to give birth to her baby was close to zero.


    He forbade anyone from telling L about it, but he couldn''t prevent L from thinking about it herself. The girl knew her body well.


    If her illness didn''t relapse, she would be able to be aided in giving birth normally with safety, but her condition was now too weak and her baby couldn''t wait any longer.


    "I''m not a fool, Killian," L quietly uttered. "I can guess what will happen... I''m just being realistic."


    "I won''t allow you to talk about death. If you do, I''ll leave." London finally stood up and was about to leave L. The atmosphere had become too heavy for him.


    But L had pulled his hand.


    "Please don''t leave..." the girl said half-pleading. "Just two days? You said we shouldn''t fight for two days. I agree. I agree. You''re right. I''m sorry for being unreasonable. I''ll change. Just two days."


    London sat back on the side of the bed and looked at L. He could see the sincerity in her eyes. Finally, he nodded.


    "All right, for these two days, I want us to be kind to each other," he said later.


    "I promise." L showed her pinky finger and smiled.


    Heesh, London was really weak-hearted. He couldn''t take it when L gave him her rare smile. He hooked his pinkie to L''s. "I promise too."


    "Hmm... you said you haven''t slept yet, right? Try lowering this bed''s level. If I''m not mistaken, it''s the button on the left here..." L then wiped her tears and told London to reset her bed level. Obediently, the young man did it.


    "Done," he said when he finished. Seeing the big bed was and how L only took one side with a wide empty space next to her, he could immediately feel the palpitations in his c.h.e.s.t. "Then?"


    L stared at him with a look as if to say, ''Are you stupid? Didn''t you say you''re going to sleep? This bed is so big, so you can sleep next to me!''


    But because they had promised to be nice to each other, L tried to smile and patted the left side of the bed and said in a soft voice, "Just sleep here. The bed is quite soft, really."


    For a few seconds, London was rooted in his place. He guessed right. But earlier, he didn''t dare to believe his own hearing. L told him to lie down to sleep beside her! And her attitude also became sweet!


    L took a deep breath seeing London not moving. In her heart, she was complaining about how slow he processed his thoughts, but her lips didn''t say anything.


    "Not sleepy anymore?" She asked with a smile.


    "Eh, yeah, I''m really sleepy..." London hurriedly answered. He didn''t want L to change her mind again.


    He took off his shoes and loosened his belt then unbuttoned his shirt so he could sleep more comfortably, and then immediately climbed into the bed, lying beside L.


    As a gentleman, he kept his distance and deliberately didn''t touch L''s body. His body looked tense as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.


    L turned and looked at London, who was lying beside her. She could only shake her head. She knew the young man couldn''t sleep.


    With a thin smile, L finally left London like that. She was sure that this sleeping pose of his wouldn''t last long.


    L wasn''t stupid. Her guess was correct. Ten minutes later, London, who was pretending to be fast asleep, moved as if he involuntarily approached L''s body.


    The girl just rolled her eyes and held back her laughter.


    Two minutes later, London turned around and his hands ''involuntarily'' swung around and hugged L''s stomach, which was now pressed against his body.


    L rolled her eyes again, but she wasn''t angry at all. She touched the young man''s hand and held it, then closed her eyes.


    L pretended not to hear the young man''s heart beating faster and faster and he panted. She pulled London''s hand and held it to her c.h.e.s.t.


    Ugh... London, who was pretending to be asleep, could only bite his lips when he felt his hand touch her soft b.r.e.a.s.ts. He had to use every bit of his sanity to not move his hand and squeeze those peaks.


    They had just made peace and promised to be good with each other for the next two days. He didn''t want L to get a reason to be angry with him again.


    L was sick and Lily was in a critical condition. Now wasn''t the time to think such perverted thoughts¡­! he continued to scold himself.


    London knew that his attempt to sleep had been in vain. He could only curse in his heart.


    "Sorry if I made you unable to sleep..." London suddenly heard L''s voice in the middle of the silence between them. London held his breath at her words. He realized that L had realized that he couldn''t sleep.


    "Umm... it''s okay," he answered awkwardly.


    They didn''t say anything more. L continued to hold London''s hand on her c.h.e.s.t and the comfort she received from the young man relaxed her, and she finally fell asleep.


    L''s regular breathing and her slow heartbeat in a beautiful rhythm to London''s ears finally succeeded in hypnotizing the young man after half an hour, and he also fell asleep.

 Chapter 657 - The Delivery

    Lauriel arrived three hours later with a box of two small bottles of greenish and clear liquid. He had borrowed a laboratory in the hospital and worked there with Rune''s help after obtaining all the materials he needed.


    The clock showed 12 noon and the doctor was still observing L''s condition and her pregnancy. When they found London and L were sleeping in the room, they let the two rest and tried to do the examination as quietly as possible.


    After getting the latest analysis, Dr. Muller then came out to Jan to discuss the next step. They believed the baby in the w.o.m.b had to be f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y born in a few hours.


    "We don''t know what to do in this situation." He looked very haggard and sad. L''s current situation was the condition least expected by any doctor in the world, choosing a mother or child to be saved. "Madam''s condition has improved a little, but we''re not sure of the percentage of her success in giving birth normally. Her heart isn''t strong enough... Meanwhile, if it''s a cesarean, we don''t dare to do it."


    Patients who were allergic to anesthesia could experience anaphylactic shock attacks which can result in death if the doctor insisted on giving him or her an anesthetic injection before surgery.


    Jan turned to Lauriel, who had just arrived, and tried to ask for his opinion.


    "What''s your opinion, Sir?" he asked.


    "We can treat her first," Lauriel said curtly. "I''ve made the medicine for her to take now. Can you give this to her?"


    He handed the bottle of green liquid to Dr. Muller. The middle-aged man received it with a confused face.


    "What... medicine is this?" he asked in surprise. "Is there a certification from the Ministry of Health, or...?"


    Lauriel just laughed and shook his head. "The longer you delay, the more dangerous the patient''s condition will be. It''s better not to ask too many questions. Give the entire contents of this bottle to her."


    Dr. Muller somehow wasn''t offended being treated like that by a man who appeared to be so young, even though he himself was almost 60 years old. When Lauriel looked at him, Doctor Muller felt as if he was dealing with someone who was very authoritative and immediately felt like he was small.


    He didn''t ask again and nodded respectfully at Lauriel then went to the patient room.


    ***


    London opened his eyes when he felt L''s body move. He heard a sigh and hurriedly got up and sat on the bed.


    "What happened to you?" he asked in a very worried voice.


    L seemed to be trembling, holding her stomach. Her face showed an extremely vivid expression of enduring severe pain, but she tried her best not to scream.


    "My stomach... It hurts so much..." Her tears flooded unbearably.


    London hurriedly got out of bed and put on his shoes then ran out of the room. He almost bumped into Doctor Muller, who was about to enter a patient''s room with two nurses.


    "Doctor... L complained that her stomach hurt..." he said worriedly, shaking the doctor''s shoulder.


    "Fine... fine, Sir." Dr. Muller half-ran toward L and signaled the nurse to hold the medicine bottle in his hand. He then checked L''s condition, and after five minutes, he looked at London with a face of regret.


    "The Madam has just experienced a contraction and the baby is getting weak.  She must be induced immediately."


    "Wait, has my uncle given the medicine to L?" London quickly asked. He had seen the medicine in Dr. Muller''s hands. "Let''s treat L first. Hurry...!!"


    Doctor Muller was about to say something, but seeing London''s undoubtedly firm expression, he signaled the nurse to give the medicine to the patient.


    "Come on, have a drink... this medicine can strengthen your heart..." London whispered as he sat on the side of the bed and held L''s hand. "Lily must be born immediately... The doctor will give you an induction..."


    L only cried while taking the medicine given to her. She knew she would be forced to give birth to her baby much earlier and that frightened her. She was afraid to die, but she was even more afraid of her child dying¡­


    The peaceful state she felt after breakfast lasted only briefly. The real horror would already begin.


    "Uhmm... the medicine is very bitter..." she almost vomited the medicine she had just taken, but the nurse had given her water to relieve her nausea.


    "Hold on... you''ll be fine..." London squeezed L''s hand. Trying to hide his anxiety, he tried to give a soothing smile.


    Because they couldn''t wait anymore, the doctor finally gave an induction to L through the IV. They hoped that within fifteen minutes, the expectant mother would contract enough to incite birth.


    "Do you want to come and wait in the delivery room or see from outside?" Doctor Muller then asked.


    "I..."


    London hadn''t had time to answer when L pulled his hand and nagged him.


    "Don''t you dare leave me alone in the delivery room...!" the girl voiced, pursing her lips. "I won''t forgive you. If I die, I''ll haunt you forever..."


    "Sshh... what are you talking about? Of course, I''ll accompany you inside..." London shook his head. He bent down and kissed L''s lips gently while stroking her hair. "I''ll always be by your side..."


    For a moment, L was stunned. She didn''t shy away when London kissed her, and instead, she closed her eyes and put her hands around his neck. For a moment, they closed their eyes and pressed their noses together.


    "I''m scared..." Finally, L confessed while crying again. "I don''t want to die..."


    "Trust me, you''ll be fine..." London opened his eyes and looked right into her wet eyes.


    He knew that L really hated being lied to, but over the past few days, he had become smarter at lying to her. He was also scared of L failing to be saved... He didn''t know whether the medicine from Lauriel was effective and was given on time or not...


    But London was unable to tell the truth to L. He was afraid that L would become more stressed.


    If L could survive and their child also survived, he was willing to accept all of L''s anger for being lied to. He would receive any punishment for his lies... but let it be a problem tomorrow. Right now, what''s important is the safety of L and Lily...


    "You''ll be fine, all right. We have the best doctors in the world, and you just took a heart booster medicine made by the number one medicine specialist... I''ll also accompany you there. We''ll face this together..."


    Drop by drop, L tears flowed even harder. She finally nodded and kissed London back before releasing her hand.


    "All right... if you want to come in, please change into sterile clothes and go to the delivery room. We''ll prepare you for the delivery process."


    The doctors and nurses immediately took L out of the room with the hospital stretcher. They would immediately assist the birth process in the delivery room. Before following them, London hurriedly met his family in the lounge.


    "L will give birth now... They''ve given her an induction... I''m going to the delivery room..." he exclaimed in a gasping voice.


    He was really panicked and scared. His words sounded unclear. Without waiting for his family''s response, he hurried back inside and ran along with the group of nurses and doctors who took L to the delivery room.

 Chapter 658 - The Difficult Labor

    Finland never imagined that in just two weeks, after waiting for the birth of Aleksis''s new baby, her family would now experience the birth of another baby.


    She and Caspar only learned what had happened between London and L a few weeks ago, and they were totally unprepared. As she was busy with that thought, London suddenly came out of the patient room screaming that L was about to give birth.


    Everyone immediately went after him to the delivery room.


    If the situation was different, Finland would like to come inside to help with what she could as the mother of the prospective father who was panicked and would need someone to calm him down.


    Unfortunately, L would be suspicious if she saw her presence in the delivery room. Therefore, Finland was forced to sit in the lounge in front of the delivery room with the others.


    Caspar hugged her shoulders and tried to calm his wife. He rarely saw Finland worry like this, and that made him feel uncomfortable. Since they were married, for him, the happiness and wellbeing of his family were the main priorities of his life. He would do anything to eliminate the look of concern or anxiety from their faces.


    "Shhh... he already knows what to do..." Caspar quietly said in his wife''s ear. He then sat on one of the couches and pulled Finland into his l.a.p. "Let''s wait. I''m worried too, but I believe the medicine from Lauriel will work."


    Finland only took a deep breath. She let her husband hug her waist, while she continued to stare at the door of the delivery room with a worried face.


    Jan, Terry, and Rune sat together with a disheveled appearance. They were also equally worried about the fate of their new niece. Meanwhile, Aldebar and Lauriel chatted quietly in the corner of the room.


    ***


    In the delivery room, London tried desperately to organize his heart and appear calm in front of L. The girl was incessantly crying, screaming, and cursing, even clawing at him several times because of the extreme pain caused by the induction earlier.


    Her stomach felt tortured with excruciating pain, as though a giant hand was squeezing the contents of her stomach without mercy. The pain came at shorter intervals and kept becoming more and more painful.


    "I... I can''t take it anymore..." she cried many times. Her face winced and she bit her lip, trying to hold back the pain. Her hand clawed at London''s arm, trying to hold his hand.


    "Hang in there, Madam... the opening is getting bigger. We''re in opening five now. You just need to follow the instructions and regulate your breath..." Dr. Muller instructed L in a calm voice. He was amazed because the patient whose heart was weak didn''t faint after reaching such a high level of pain.


    He showed L how she must regulate her breathing and guided the girl to divert her attention from pain by thinking about positive and beautiful things.


    "Breathe in... and now breathe out... Breathe in again..."


    London continued to hold L''s hand and pretended to be calm in front of the girl. With his left hand, he wiped the sweat that flooded L''s face.


    "We''re almost there..." He kept cheering for L. "Think of the beautiful things... what do you want in this world?"


    L inhaled and slowly exhaled. The contraction had just ended, and she could finally rest for a while. The girl turned toward London with wet eyes and a disheveled face.


    "I... I want to live..." she whispered softly. She was almost out of strength.


    "It''s now opening seven..." Doctor Muller said with focus. He gave a signal to the nurse to add the induction fluid. "Add the dose so the opening can immediately reach opening ten. The patient almost passed out."


    The nurses skillfully carried out the doctor''s orders.


    Five minutes later, there was a loud screaming piercing the sky when L felt the induction fluid work. Her entire stomach and lower abdomen felt as though they were being beaten up and squeezed by a giant hand.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." L stretched and curled up, trying to hold back the pain in her body with tears streaming down her cheeks.


    Tears also flowed down London''s eyes because he didn''t know what to do to relieve the pain experienced by a woman who was giving birth. He looked at Doctor Muller with a despair in his eyes.


    "Can''t she be given some pain relief? I can''t bear to see her like this..." he urged Dr. Muller. "She can pass out anytime..."


    Dr. Muller just shook his head. "The opening is now complete, she can just push the baby out. Epidural is on the list of anesthesia that makes the patient allergic. We can''t take any risks."


    Seeing L''s extremely pitiful condition coupled with her ceaseless screams and cries, made London feel helpless and aggrieved. He knew that childbirth was a struggle between life and death for women, but witnessing the woman he loved experience it really made him feel as though he was also experiencing such excruciating pain.


    He recalled that two weeks ago, his brother-in-law, Alaric, had complained about how women still had to feel the pain of childbirth in 2050, when all technology had advanced so much.


    As if women were condemned to experience pain, which according to scientists was equivalent to experiencing twenty bones broken at the same time, just for the sake of passing down human descendants on earth.


    He now understood why fewer and fewer women were willing to give birth in modern times. Even though there were various delivery techniques and surgeries to remove the baby from the w.o.m.b, there would still be pain experienced by the mother.


    He could only stare at L with respect and unfounded affection. The girl, who was only 19 years old and had a hard life, didn''t abort her baby when she found out she was pregnant due to someone else''s crime. Even though she didn''t want to get pregnant and have children, L still held on until the end.


    And now, she had to fight against extreme pain with her weak heart condition and without pain relief medication...


    London really felt the highest respect to this annoying grumpy woman who had filled his heart without leaving even a little space for another...


    He squeezed L''s hand and cried with her.


    "Be strong, Honey... L... I''ll continue to be with you here... The doctor said the opening is complete... You just have to push as strong as you can... and we''ll soon meet Lily..." he whispered into L''s ear. He had crouched down and placed L''s hand on his c.h.e.s.t.


    L bit her lip so hard that she bled and nodded. She closed her eyes and followed the doctor''s orders to inhale, exhale, inhale...


    "Long inhale... and now... exhale while pushing as hard as you can!"


    With her eyes closed, her lips bleeding, and tears running down her face and hair, L pushed with all her might for the last time.


    "Aaahhhhhhhhh¡­" L''s high-pitched scream could clearly be heard, and silence came after.


    "Her head has come out... her shoulders have come out..." Dr. Muller quickly but gently pulled the body of a very small baby from between L''s legs and gently placed her on the baby table.


    London was confused between coming to her baby or staying with L because the girl fainted after exerting her strength one last time.


    "Sir... would you like to see your child? It''s a girl," Dr. Muller''s words immediately piqued his curiosity. He stood up and approached the table where Lily was lying.


    He could only stare like a fool at his baby girl, whom he had been waiting for for months. This baby was very tiny and looked clean, unlike other babies he saw in books, covered in sticky liquid and looking like a wrinkled monkey baby. Lily did look wrinkled, but not at all like a little monkey, he thought.


    Ahh... my daughter is special.


    "Because your baby is micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e, we won''t cut the umbilical cord right now so her body can still benefit from the placenta. We''ll wait a few more minutes..." Dr. Muller explained. He then put Lily on her fainted mother''s c.h.e.s.t and the little baby immediately curled up on her mother''s body. Her every movement was very smooth and slow.


    The baby was still too small and weak. Her eyes were still closed and her newly formed heart could only pump very slowly. London hoped Lily did not have any organ damage because she was born too early. So far, he saw that all her limbs had developed properly.


    He continuously rubbed his wet eyes. When the doctor finally handed him the scissors to cut his child''s umbilical cord, London received it while trembling.


    After the umbilical cord was cut and Lily was wrapped in a cloth, she was immediately put in an incubator for prem.a.t.u.r.e babies.


    "We''ll take your baby to the NICU room with her incubator, so Sir and Madam can see her later. Let the nurse clean the patient for now." Dr. Muller gave made a gesture and a nurse immediately pushed the carriage with Lily''s incubator out, while two other nurses moved to clean L and the delivery room.


    London nodded. He went out to clean himself and changed his clothes before immediately waiting in the hallway in front of the delivery room. As soon as the stretcher brought L out, he walked to escort her. When the bed was pushed back to the treatment room, he walked along to accompany her, with his hand still holding L''s unconscious hand.


    After witnessing in person how difficult the labor process was just now, London became reminded of his own mother. He made a mental note to later come to his mother and say thank you for giving birth to him.

 Chapter 659 - London - L - Lily

    Such a large patient room has been converted into a NICU room for the Schneider family''s newest baby at the request of his father. There, there was only one baby who got the best and most sophisticated machines in the world to care for micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e babies at that time. The baby was Lily Schneider.


    London didn''t want Lily to be placed with other babies in a regular NICU room because that would make it difficult for his family to see the baby. He also didn''t want Lily to be put in the NICU room alone because he was afraid that his child would be lonely.


    When London arrived with the medical staff pushing the bed with L into the treatment room, he saw that Lily''s small body had been laid in an incubator with all the life support system that surrounded her.


    All her organs were already formed but were still too weak to function normally. The little baby even needed help to breathe properly. Her eyes were still covered with bandages because they were still too s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to lights, and a tube was inserted through her nose to help her breathe.


    The sight was really stifling.


    London approached the incubator and studied the note attached there. There was the name Lily, and she was recorded as 24cm tall and 700g in weight.


    Really small, he thought sadly.


    Newborn babies were usually between 3 kg and 3.5 kg in weight and could reach 50 cm in height. He remembered holding his newborn nephews, all of whom were small because they were born twins, but at least their sizes were still more than double Lily''s body size.


    "She hasn''t cried yet?" he asked Doctor Muller, who was reading several medical reports submitted by other doctors. "Shouldn''t babies cry when they''re born?"


    "Normally, a 26-week-old fetus can already cry, but your baby just won''t cry. It''s not a problem though. She has taken a big breath and the fluid in her lungs has come out. There''s nothing to worry about." Dr. Muller smiled soothingly. "It seems that your child prefers to sleep rather than to cry. You''re very lucky."


    London just sighed at that. He didn''t feel lucky at all. He preferred to see his child screaming and crying, to give a sign that she was alive and that she was healthy.


    Seeing a baby so small, covered with various life-support devices, and lying still unmoving and without a sound made him very sad. He listened attentively to Dr. Muller''s explanation.


    Although the doctor said that Lily had a very good chance of survival, he didn''t lie and remained forthright that the baby would need to continue growing outside the w.o.m.b in an incubator for at least two to three more months.


    Many babies born prem.a.t.u.r.ely survive and could be healthy like normal babies. But Lily was included as a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby, or even younger than the prem.a.t.u.r.e level of 7.5 to 8.5 months of gestation.


    Even though all her organs had been complete, the chances of micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e babies to survive and live healthy without health problems or disabilities were very small because their bodies at birth were still too weak to function perfectly.


    The youngest prem.a.t.u.r.e baby in the world in history was the daughter of a woman named Courtney Stensrud, who was born safely at 21 weeks 4 days of gestation, or four and a half months, weighing less than 400 grams when she was born.


    This baby was called a miracle baby because she managed to be born safely at such a young gestational age. The chance for a 21-week-old fetus to be born safely before was close to zero. After spending a period of care in the NICU room for months, the baby could finally grow normally without any organ damage or defects.


    London hoped that Lily would also be able to recover and grow healthy like that miracle baby. He would exert all the wealth and power he had to ensure Lily would get only the best care in the world so she could grow healthy.


    His eyes looked melancholic when he watched Lily almost without blinking. He no longer listened to Doctor Muller''s words.


    "All right .. we''ll give you some time to calm down. Doctor Alice will come in half an hour to check on Madam''s situation and teach her how to pump her b.r.e.a.s.tmilk for the little miss," Doctor Muller continued.


    Prem.a.t.u.r.e babies have to drink b.r.e.a.s.t milk so that their weak bodies could develop. Even if the mother can''t produce b.r.e.a.s.t milk, the hospital must somehow find a b.r.e.a.s.t milk donor to provide it for the baby.


    Dr. Muller then excused himself, leaving only two nurses who checked all the equipment and recorded various readings on the medical devices. Five minutes later, they also excused themselves and left London with L and Lily.


    L was still unconscious. London then sat on a chair by the bed and held the girl''s hand uncontrollably. He didn''t know exactly how he felt. Sad, moved, worried, and scared...


    He was scared that Lily wouldn''t survive and L would leave him just like that.


    For some reason, he felt that if anything happened to Lily, he would be hit with multiplied grief. The loss of his child and the woman he loved at the same time would truly be a blow he could never recover from.


    Tears flowed down slowly as he was imagining the worst possible scenario.


    For some reason, when he closed his eyes, Lily''s little uncrying face seemed to loiter in his mind, making his tears stream down even harder. Then he realized he had cried uncontrollably while cupping his face in L''s hand, which he had been holding.


    He had sobbed for around five minutes when L''s hand slowly moved and rubbed his cheek.


    "Uhm... you''re awake?" London raised his wet face and immediately put on a smile. He remembered he shouldn''t make L worry.


    "Why are you crying...?" L asked in a weak voice.


    "Oh... this..." London hurriedly wiped away his tears. "I... I was touched. I didn''t expect... the delivery process would be so intense and suspenseful... You''re really amazing..."


    L frowned. She began to be able to tell when London was lying and when he was telling the truth, but this time, she didn''t want them to argue. Gently, her right hand rubbed the young man''s face and wiped his tears.


    "You look ugly when you cry," L mockingly commented. Even so, her face held a faint gentle smile. She was truly touched.


    "Hmm... I look ugly, don''t I? It''s okay..." London replied. He kissed L''s hand and held it to his c.h.e.s.t. "Do you still feel sick?"


    L shook her head. "No. Everything feels so relieved. I don''t feel any pain in my stomach anymore. Just a little pain in..."


    She didn''t continue her words as her face turned red. London hastily changed the subject. He did not want to embarrass L.


    "Everything is going well. Soon, Doctor Alice will come to teach you how to pump b.r.e.a.s.t milk, because prem.a.t.u.r.e babies have to drink their mother''s milk so they can grow healthier..." He paused again. He and L still haven''t talked about whether L would leave or not after giving birth to Lily. Finally, London took a deep breath and looked at L with a pleading look. "Our agreement is still valid for two days... You won''t leave before two days have passed, right?"


    L looked back at him then nodded. "No..."


    London breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank God..."


    Before he could say another word, the door to the room was knocked and Doctor Alice entered the room.


    "Good day, Sir and Madam. I''m glad to see that you''re awake and healthy again. I''ll guide you on how to produce milk so baby Lily can drink immediately." She gave a very friendly smile.


    "I''ll get out first then..." London nodded at the two and walked out. If L was his wife, of course, he would stay inside to see how his wife learned to pump b.r.e.a.s.t milk and b.r.e.a.s.tfeed. But because L didn''t want to marry him even after he had asked many times, he knew he had to leave immediately.


    He really hoped that after L saw her baby, the girl would change her mind, and her maternal instincts would kick in and she wouldn''t want to part with Lily.


    He hoped that L would fall in love with their little baby and decide to stay.

 Chapter 660 - The Tearful Day

    When London left the treatment room, he was immediately welcomed by his worried family. They already knew that the childbirth was successful, and both the mother and baby were safe, but they didn''t yet know how London was.


    "Mom..." As soon as the young man saw his mother, he couldn''t hold himself back anymore and immediately hugged Finland. His shoulders shook as he cried in his mother''s arms. "I''m sorry if I was ever presumptuous and naughty... Mom, you really sacrificed a lot while you were giving birth to me..."


    Finland could only pat his back with affection. Maybe children would realize just how much love their mothers have for them only when they experienced labor or when they saw their wives giving birth.


    As Alaric said, for thousands of years, humans gave birth to children, and technological advances have been so sophisticated, yet it still couldn''t completely eliminate the risk of death and pain when women give birth to their children.


    That was why, in modern times, along with the rise of the emancipation and women''s movement to fight for equal rights to men, more and more women chose not to have children.


    Women who hadn''t had to experience the process of conceiving and giving birth could focus one hundred percent on their careers and businesses so that they become successful in both fields.


    Since 2040, several awards for important business people or influential figures in the world had been pinned on women leaders, who then encouraged many other women to follow in their footsteps.


    Japan and Singapore were two of the few countries in the world that were starting to feel the effects of the decline in babies born to regenerate their citizens. The populations of the two countries were getting older, while there were only very few new generations born.


    Today''s Japanese population was predominantly elderly, so they had increased incentives for couples to have children and even gave various gifts and benefits to women who were willing to give birth.


    Seeing L''s misery during Lily''s birth today, even London now had no dream of wanting another child in the future. For him, Lily was enough. He just wanted Lily to be safe and grow healthy. He didn''t want to have more children.


    "Sssh... Mommy is here. Everything will be fine," Finland whispered, tiptoeing and kissing her son''s cheek. She then hugged London very tightly. "I love you very much."


    The young man then sat on the sofa and leaned his head against his mother''s shoulder and began to tell her what had happened. Everyone present was listening carefully.


    "Hmm... you can''t tell L who you are if she doesn''t want to accept you and marry you. She isn''t part of us and mustn''t know the secrets of the Alchemists," Caspar made a decision. As the clan leader, he must think of everyone''s interests. "Later, if you become the clan leader, you''ll understand."


    Aldebar hadn''t given London the immortality potion he made for L. He was still waiting for Caspar and London''s decision.


    His nephew nodded. "I understand. Uncle, thank you for making the immortality potion for L. I can''t oppose Dad''s decision."


    His face looked really sad. He must be ready to take care of Lily alone with his parents if L insisted on leaving.


    Lauriel coughed. "I''ve made a potion for your child, so she would grow well, and she can be healthy. This potion can be mixed with the milk she drinks. The entire contents of the bottle must be finished in two days."


    He handed over the bottle containing the clear concoction which he had brought earlier this morning along with the green liquid bottle given to L before delivery. London hurriedly accepted the bottle and embraced Lauriel with gratitude.


    "Thank you, Uncle Lauriel. Earlier, the medicine from Uncle succeeded in strengthening L''s heart during labor, so she survived. I''ll make sure the doctor gives this medicine to Lily..."


    He now believed that Lauriel was indeed the best medicine expert in the world. Even the great doctors in Germany from yesterday were helpless. They couldn''t think of a way to help L without endangering her life, yet a bottle of potion from Lauriel could make such a big difference.


    London was truly indebted to Lauriel!


    "Then... when can we see Lily?" Rune impatiently asked. He had brought his baby translator machine, and he wanted to directly test it on a baby.


    "Later, wait for L to sleep," London said apologetically. "I don''t want her to see you guys. She might become suspicious."


    "Hmm... well then, we''ll wait patiently." They nodded.


    "Do you want to go home? Everything''s fine now. The doctor said L can be discharged from the hospital tomorrow or the day after tomorrow while Lily must be treated at the NICU for three months." London explained again. "I plan to build a NICU facility at my home or in the penthouse and bring doctors and personal nurses to care for Lily for the next three months. I can''t possibly keep her in the hospital."


    Jan immediately raised his hand. "I''ve contacted several vendors providing medical devices. They''ll deliver all the equipment we need tonight. Tomorrow, the contractor will renovate the guest room all day, and the NICU room will be already available in the penthouse the day after tomorrow."


    "Thank you, Jan..." London nodded deeply. Jan could always read his mind.


    Terry frowned at their interaction.


    "You should work for me, Jan. I can offer you a higher salary," he grumbled. His assistant, Lee, wasn''t as swift as Jan. Terry had repeatedly persuaded Jan to move to help him in New York. Still, Jan always refused because he wanted to live close to his mother, who was getting old and was currently living alone in Berlin.


    "Sorry, Sir. You know I can''t leave my mother," Jan smiled as he shook his head slowly toward Terry.


    "You''re a mommy''s boy," Terry chided. But he didn''t force Jan or persuade him any longer.


    "Alright... then we better go home now. We can come back here and visit Lily when L is asleep tonight." Caspar decided.


    He couldn''t go into the room and see his granddaughter because his face was too similar to London''s, and that would cause L to be suspicious. Finland also couldn''t enter because L certainly remembered her as the woman who made her jealous.


    Meanwhile, Terry was quite famous as a member of the Schneider family since his face graced various media lately for the popular executive nomination in 2050.


    London thanked them for their presence and support and allowed them to return to the Schneider family''s residence in Grunewald. He felt guilty seeing how they hadn''t rested well and cleaned up after hurriedly flying from Singapore to see him. He hoped when L was sleeping tonight, he would be able to show off his baby to every member of his family.


    After they returned home, London also sent Jan home. His assistant was very busy with work and had been helping him nonstop since yesterday afternoon. He felt truly grateful.


    London then entered the room where L and Lily were. He wanted to give the medicine from Lauriel to the doctor, so Lily could drink it with b.r.e.a.s.t milk.


    When he arrived at the room, London realized that the doctors and nurses were gone. This meant that they were done pumping for b.r.e.a.s.t milk. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    When he was about to approach L in bed, the young man was surprised.


    "L...? Where did you go?" London immediately panicked.


    He didn''t see the girl in her bed.


    What happened? Didn''t L promise to give me two days?


    His c.h.e.s.t felt suffocated.


    He staggered toward L''s bed when the corner of his eye suddenly recognized L''s figure huddled near Lily''s incubator.


    Ahh... L didn''t go. London sighed in relief. He sauntered toward the girl, and the closer he was, the more he could hear the muffled cries.


    It turned out that L was sobbing while holding the incubator''s legs. Her hair and upper clothes were damp with her tears.


    London was stunned as his steps froze.

 Chapter 661 - Ls Decision

    Seeing Lily''s pitiful condition and L sobbing, London couldn''t hold back his sorrow. He knelt down and hugged L from behind, burying his head in her back.


    L, who noticed the man''s presence, then looked at him and spontaneously rubbed his head. Nobody could understand what they were feeling besides each other. As parents of the same baby, both of them felt the same grief and anxiety, that Lily wouldn''t survive.


    They then cried silently to each other. London''s tears had wet L''s clothes on her back and a few minutes later, he broke away from her with a guilty face.


    "Sorry, I wet your clothes," he said reluctantly. All his life, he didn''t remember ever shedding tears this much.


    L was still wearing a hospital gown and she didn''t seem to care at all about her appearance. Her hair and the upper part of her gown had been wet from her own tears.


    Hearing an apology from London, she just shook her head and pointed to the cupboard in the corner of the room.


    The man understood what she meant and immediately got a new gown from the closet. L then got up from the floor and slowly sat in the chair next to the incubator and stared at Lily, who was still lying and unmoving inside.


    London approached her and handed her a new dress. "Here, wear it.."


    "Help me take this one off first..." L whispered. She unbuttoned the dress and stretched out her hand. London reflexively helped the girl take off her hospital gown. After L''s wet clothes came off, he unfolded the new gown he had taken from the closet and slowly helped L wear it.


    As a normal man who often had o.b.s.c.e.n.e thoughts in his mind about L''s n.a.k.e.d body, strangely, London couldn''t think dirty at all this time. He was only touched to see L''s body, which only hours ago struggled to give birth to their child.


    L''s face and skin still looked pale, while her stomach was still rather large and her b.r.e.a.s.ts were swollen, but her whole self at that time looked beautiful in London''s eyes, in a way that wasn''t perverted. For some reason, he also didn''t understand it.


    "You''re not embarrassed by me helping you dress?" he asked, astonished.


    L pointed at the buttons on her c.h.e.s.t and London swiftly helped her to button them. After everything was done and London had put L''s wet clothes into the basket in the corner of the room, L fashioned her hair into a small bun and sat quietly on the sofa.


    "What should I be ashamed for?" She questioned in a weak voice. "You''ve seen me in my most terrible condition. Nothing else can make me feel embarrassed in front of you..."


    London nodded with a faint smile. He liked L''s logic. The times when women give birth were the most vulnerable and ''terrible'' times for a woman. If a man had seen her in such a situation, surely there''s no other situation that can be worse than that.


    London didn''t want L to become embarrassed and shy after London watched her scream, howl, claw, sweat, push while getting a baby out of her v.a.g.i.n.a. For him, all those experiences were very suspenseful and made him feel high respect towards women. With that, of course he hoped L wasn''t ashamed herself. He didn''t mind doing anything for her.


    "You''re right," he agreed.


    In London''s dictionary, L was always right.


    The two of them then sat together on the sofa, watching Lily. As London glanced at L, who was sitting next to him, he saw that her face seemed to be filled with intense feelings. He recognized the expression of worry, fear, and awe at the same time.


    His heart expanded slightly. Something in his head said that L had changed her mind. It seems that L had fallen in love with their child...


    When he saw L''s eyes moisten at Lily and was about to cry again, London hurriedly hugged her.


    "Sshh... don''t cry anymore. Lily will be fine... She just need to be treated at the NICU for three months..." he said soothingly.


    L turned and looked at him with a pair of sorrowful eyes.


    "I know. I''ve heard everything from Doctor Alice..." she took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. "I know what Lily''s condition is like. She must always drink milk to stay healthy."


    London nodded. His heart began to hope even more. "It''s true."


    "I''ve made my decision. I won''t leave Lily to anyone. I''ll take care of her and make sure she stays healthy..." L said in a trembling voice. Even so, there was no trace of doubt there. She then continued her words firmly while looking at London with a sharp gaze. "I won''t let her stay with you in the apartment because you won''t be able to pay for all her needs..."


    London reflexively released his arms and looked at L with a look of disbelief.


    What did L mean? Did she want to take Lily away and raise her with Danny Swan???


    London, who had never been angry with L no matter how grumpy and annoying she had been, was suddenly filled with enormous rage. He had never been this mad with anyone.


    How dare you... to take my child away from me, he inwardly excoriated.


    "Do you think all Lily needs is money???" London tried hard to contain his anger.


    L looked undaunted. She still looked at London sharply.


    "Lily needs the best treatment and the cost isn''t small! Can you pay for it with your salary as a photographer?? If you want to take care of Lily, I won''t let you get involved with the mafia and get dirty money!" L firmly reprimanded. "Your apartment is also too small and can''t accommodate the various medical equipment needed to care for Lily..."


    "What will you do?" London asked in a high voice, gritting his jaw and staring at L with fury. "You want to take Lily away from me?"


    "I can''t let Lily be treated at this hospital''s NICU... People will recognize me if I go to the hospital every day to see her. I''ll ask Pammy to buy a big house and prepare a NICU room at home for Lily so I can take care of her and b.r.e.a.s.tfeed her at home¡­" L told in an equally high pitch. "Once I get paid for all the ads from Schneider Group and Virconnect, I''ll be able to fund all of Lily''s needs..."


    London was struck by the words of L.


    Oh... he just realized that actually L wanted to buy her own house and prepare a NICU room for Lily at home... just like what London currently wanted to do...

 Chapter 662 - Marry Me

    "What will you do?" London asked in a high voice, gritting his jaw and staring at L with fury. "You want to take Lily away from me?"


    "I can''t let Lily be treated at this hospital''s NICU... People will recognize me if I go to the hospital every day to see her. I''ll ask Pammy to buy a big house and prepare a NICU room at home for Lily so I can take care of her and b.r.e.a.s.tfeed her at home¡­" L told in an equally high pitch. "Once I get paid for all the ads from Schneider Group and Virconnect, I''ll be able to fund all of Lily''s needs..."


    London was struck by the words of L.


    Oh... he just realized that actually L wanted to buy her own house and prepare a NICU room for Lily at home... just like what London currently wanted to do...


    He stared at L with a look of disbelief.


    "So..." He gulped. "So you mean... you''ll bring Lily to stay with you... because... you want to take care of her yourself...?"


    L glared at London''s confused face which she thought looked stupid because he repeatedly asked what she had just said.


    "Didn''t I tell you before? Your apartment is too small to care for a sick prem.a.t.u.r.e baby... If you want to see Lily healthy, you have to get rid of your ego and follow my wishes. We can no longer live in your place and rely on your income as a photographer. I will buy a proper house for Lily. If you want to take care of Lily, you have to move in with me..."


    Ahhh... London just realized what L meant.


    It turned out that the girl still thought that London was poor and, because his income as a photographer wasn''t enough, he was involved with the mafia to get dirty money.


    L stressed that she was unwilling if Lily was to be cared for and raised by dirty money, which was why she insisted to take Lily away and live with her in a new home that she would buy with her own money... and London was only allowed to come if he promised to cut ties with the mafia...


    A smile was slowly painted on London''s face as he looked at L with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Why... do you always think that I''m involved with the mafia?" he asked. His anger had disappeared entirely.


    L frowned. "I already told you, right? You''re always being followed by two suspicious men... and you lied to me several times about your work and your location. Like two days ago, you claimed to be in Singapore, even though..."


    London pressed his lips, trying to hold back his laughter. Dark clouds that was overshadowing his heart had been replaced with a rainbow. L was indeed grumpy, annoying, and always claimed to be very materialistic, but not once did she ever demand material things from London. She always accepted whatever was given to her without complaining.


    And even until the end, she still thought of London as a poor photographer who, in order to meet the needs of his child, fell into the underworld and worked for the mafia...


    London acknowledged that L''s imagination was quite lively. Unfortunately, the girl was mistaken about his true identity.


    "Why are you laughing? Is there something funny? Am I like a clown to you?" L asked, getting annoyed because of London''s behavior, which she thought was quite odd.


    London shook his head slowly. "I''ll cut off all ties with the mafia, throw away my ego as a man, and move to a new home with you, for Lily''s sake..."


    He then raised his hand as if he had sworn an oath that he would obey all L''s requests.


    He was happy because L wanted to take care of Lily and was even still thinking about asking him to move in together.


    He wouldn''t ruin the atmosphere by revealing his identity now and making L go on a rampage because London was apparently still lying to her. He''d find the right time to tell L who he really was.


    "Hmm... that is good," L snorted as she lowered London''s hand. "I''ll ask Pammy to come here tonight so she can find a suitable house and take care of the NICU''s room at home for Lily tomorrow..."


    He continued to stare at L with a happy expression and a pair of eyes resembling a puppy who had just been given a bone as a gift. His barely-blinking stare made L feel awkward.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? That''s not good, you know..." the girl grumbled as she cupped her hands to London''s eyes. The young man just smiled broadly while holding L''s hands.


    London lowered L''s hands from his eyes and put them on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "You make me very happy. I''ll go wherever you want to go. As long as you don''t separate me from Lily, I''ll do anything," he said earnestly. L just looked away and turned her gaze to Lily.


    "L..." London brought his face closer to hers.


    "Hmm?" L didn''t turn her head.


    "I love you..." London whispered in a happy voice.


    L didn''t answer.


    "Marry me, L..." London said again.


    This time, L turned around and both of her eyebrows twitched. "What are you saying?"


    "Marry me..." London repeated his words without hesitation.


    L pursed her lips.


    "As I recall, you''ve proposed to me three times, and not once did you do it right. No flowers, no rings, not even getting down on one knee... Hmph... And you''re still surprised why I never accepted your proposal?" She grumbled.


    Once again, London realized his mistake. L was right. His last proposal was so chaotic; he did it during a hangover due to drinking too much wine, and they both were n.a.k.e.d.


    Of course. L was always right.


    Now he felt ashamed of himself. How could he say that he loved L and wanted to marry her... yet never seriously tried to propose to her!


    Of course, L would always reject his proposal!

 Chapter 663 - L And Londons Agreement

    "So if I bring flowers with me, a ring and get down on one knee, you will accept my proposal?" London asked, feeling hopeful.


    All he had to do is send an SMS to Jan and tonight everything can be prepared, he thought.


    L looked at him for a long time and then shook her head.


    "Why do you want to marry me so much? We don''t even know each other until the day when you found out that I am pregnant with your child. I am a conservative person. I only want to get married once in my life. Although I set so many conditions for the man who wants to become my husband, I, of course, will be loyal and devote my life to him, just as I demand that he devote his life to me ..." said the girl firmly. "If you just want to marry me because of Lily, forget it. This is 2050. People today are not married just because they have children together."


    "But I''m also a conservative like you, really. My whole family ... even my extended family only got married once for life, and we are all very faithful. We only have one partner in life..." London argued. "I want to marry you for so many reasons, so many that I won''t finish mentioning everything even until nightfall came."


    For the first time that day, L smiled thinly at London''s words which she considered over the top. She covered her lips with the back of her left hand, to conceal her smile. This made London happy because he saw that L had begun to improve.


    "Aren''t you a sweet talker, huh?" the girl commented, rolling her eyes.


    "I mean everything I said," voiced London again.


    He no longer knew how to convince L that he really loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with L and Lily. When he first saw L at Stephan''s party, he had admired her beauty and the beauty of her voice. Love? Not yet ... it wasn''t that serious back then.


    But after they had lived together for more than two months, because he forced L to come with him so that he could help her during her pregnancy, slowly he fell in love with L. Listening to L''s voice singing every morning when he woke up was a luxury in his life. In his opinion, it was far more valuable than anything in this world.


    Ahh .. if he could sleep next to the owner of that angelic voice every night and wake up next to her every morning ... London''s life would be perfect.


    "Hey, you''re daydreaming again," L scolded him, moving London from his reverie just now. The young man was fantasizing if he could sleep with L every night and see her every morning when he opened his eyes for the first time. The fantasy felt so beautiful that he was almost drooling.


    "Ehh ... sorry," London smiled. "I''m just thinking about how I can assure you that I meant everything I said."


    "You can begin to show your good intentions to live a decent life and no longer get in involved with people from the underworld," L. commented. "You should also be more ambitious and look for a job that makes money. For Lily''s sake, I am willing to bear all our costs over the next few years. But I don''t want to marry a man who is not capable. You have a maximum of three years to have a higher income than me ... "


    London''s face was beaming at L''s words.


    "So ... you mean, once I have more money than you, I can propose to you and you will accept it? Of course, I will do it right ... with flowers, huge diamond ring, down on my knee, accompanied by an orc.h.e.s.tra, and et cetera and et cetera... " said London hopefully.


    He had heard how his father proposed to his mother. Ahh .. he could also be romantic like his father.


    "Hmm ..." L didn''t say yes, but she also didn''t say no, and that was enough for London. He became even more excited.


    Actually, he wanted to ask L about Danny Swann, and why he called L by using the name of Marianne at that time. He was also curious to know what their relationship really was.


    But seeing L in a good mood, London did not want to ruin the situation and provoke a new argument. He thought L would definitely tell him what he needed to know.


    "Well ... I will find a good and high-paying job. Yesterday, I heard that there are many vacancies at the Schneider Group headquarters," London voiced.


    "Hmm ... that''s good. It''s a huge company group, and if you work well, your career could advance. Actually the agency who signed me is also under the Schneider Group. They treat me very well."


    "Yes, all your medical treatment and facilities in this hospital are provided by the Schneider Group. I heard the owner is very nice, he is also handsome ..." said London, glancing towards L.


    The girl frowned at London''s words.


    "Oh, by the way... you did say that Mr. London Schneider provided all of these facilities ... I have never met him. I don''t understand why he is this good to me." L pressed her forehead trying to think of a plausible reason.


    "He said he was your number one fan," London said. "Didn''t he watch your performance at a welcoming summer concert back then?"


    L shrugged her shoulders. "I only saw him from afar. We never met in person. Hmm ... in that case, after I was discharged from the hospital I must thank him, or at least send him flowers."


    "I can help you send flowers to his office at Schneider Tower, I will apply for a job there tomorrow," London said hurriedly.


    "Thank you. Sorry I bothered you," L nodded. "I don''t know what flowers are appropriate, you choose."


    "Will do." London smiled mischievously.


    He would receive flowers from L! Of course, he was very happy.


    Although he will be the one buy the flowers tomorrow, still, the flower is a gift from L as a sign of gratitude.


    "I want to rest, my body is very tired. When Pammy comes later, please wake me up." L then got up from the sofa and went back to bed. London only looked at the girl who was lying down and resting.


    To pass the time, London finally decided to open his tablet and tidy up some of his office work. He also told his family to come to the hospital at 9 pm after L fell asleep. He wanted to give them a chance to see Lily.


    Before they came, he had also coordinated with Jan to stop by to see him at the hospital because he wanted to discuss their next plan, since L wanted to buy a house and move there to be able to take care of Lily better.


    London had instructed Jan to find a nice house in the Grunewald area, where his family''s home was located. Jan had to buy the house and then put up signs that the house was for sale. Tomorrow or the day after, if he and L look for a house to buy, he will direct L to look around the house in the Grunewald area.


    "Okay, sir. I happen to be talking to Alex. He can help you find the house you asked for," Jan said by telephone. "I''ll come to the hospital after dinner."


    London nodded in satisfaction. As always, Jan was reliable.

 Chapter 664 - Finding A New Home

    L got up twice before dinner to pump her b.r.e.a.s.tmilk with the help of a lactation counselor. During that time, London left the room and entered one of the VIP rooms in the hospital wing and rested or worked. L managed to pump a lot of her b.r.e.a.s.tmilk, which was then stored by nurses to be given every two hours to Lily.


    London spent his time reading or chatting with his family over the phone while L was pumping in her room. At 7 pm, he then accompanied L to have dinner together in her room, on the beautiful dining table prepared especially for them.


    When the appetizer arrived, London was a little surprised because he saw L''s big appetite, even though she was no longer pregnant. When London asked if L was really hungry, the girl answered with a glare.


    "So what if I eat a lot? Are you worried that I''ll get fat?" L grumbled while stabbing the steak on her plate with a fork with all her might, and made London stunned. He winced as if the fork was stabbed at his hand. "B.r.e.a.s.tfeeding makes women lose a lot of energy. If you want your baby to starve, I''ll eat a little."


    "That''s not what I meant," London rolled his eyes. He even forgot that L was very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e about her weight during pregnancy. Of course, now she is still grumpy because of that issue. In his heart, London actually made a mental note to ask Jan to make sure the house he chose would have a large kitchen and several large refrigerators to store food. Finally, he just nodded, "I like it when you eat a lot. I was just surprised ..."


    While saying so, he cut up his own steak and put it all on L''s plate.


    "What will you eat if you give everything to me?" L asked in surprise but did not protest the gesture. She took a piece of meat and chewed it with a happy face.


    "I can eat fruit," London said, peeling an apple on the table.


    They then continued to eat dinner calmly. After the hospital staff cleared their dinner, the two then sat down to rest. Lily has been fed with milk mixed with medicine from Lauriel. London was very happy to see that his child was fine.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    The door was knocked and Pammy, who looked very worried, entered the room. She was escorted by staff directly from the lobby. Jan had ordered that all staff working in the east wing of the Metropole Hospital maintain the confidentiality of the VVIP patient being treated there. They all must report to him if there were any visitors or suspicious people.


    That''s why Pammy was escorted to go to L''s room so that she wouldn''t ask anyone about the hospital. She would be shocked to see that the entire building on the east wing was vacanted only for L.


    London didn''t want Pammy to tell L everything because, later, L would get mad at him again for lying to her. London actually really wanted to be honest to L. However, he still respected his family, more than his love for L. He could not reveal his family''s secrets to strangers. He will wait until his relationship with L got better before he could tell her everything.


    Moreover, they have a child together. Even if L did not want to marry him, he would still give the immortality potion to L. So that Lily could stay with her mother for life. They did not have to be separated by old age and death - if L really wanted it.


    But he couldn''t disclose his identity so casually and give the immortality potion just like that. He really hoped that when he moved with L to a new home, which was close to his family''s home, the relationship between them would improve.


    "Pammy! You''re coming ..." exclaimed L happily while getting up from her reclining position. London hurriedly helped her to set the bed to be in a sitting position.


    L looked at him with a grateful smile, then waved to him. "Thank you, now please leave Pammy and me. I have something to discuss with my manager."


    London nodded. He greeted Pammy then walked out.


    If L needed to talk to Pammy to discuss her plans, London also needed to talk to Jan to discuss what they need to do. In the lounge where his family was waiting, London decided to sit back and read the latest news and occasionally open his work e-mail.


    There were so many things he needed to catch up with over the past ten days while he was in Singapore. He also should study all these reports tonight before returning to work tomorrow.


    "Did you have dinner?" Jan''s voice greeted him from the doorway. London turned and nodded. His face looked happy.


    "I had dinner with L," he replied. Indeed, he only ate an apple, but at a time like this, he was also not really hungry. "What did Alex say?"


    Jan took a seat next to London and handed his tablet to his boss. "There are two nice houses that are suitable for raising children. But one needs more renovation, while the other one... the owner is currently abroad."


    "What about the house whose owner is abroad?" asked London in surprise. He examined the pictures in front of a large house that looked very beautiful, had a large yard and shady trees. The building also looks quite classic. He really liked the house.


    "They are in New Zealand. It is still early there, 4 am. I have not been able to contact them," Jan replied.


    "Usually, houses for sale are managed by their property agents or lawyers. Why not just contact them?" London asked again.


    Jan coughed a little before he answered his boss''s question. "Ahem ... because this house is actually not for sale. They are traveling around the world. There are only three staff working there now. I want to call the owner to talk them into selling the house. This cannot be done through an agent."


    "Oh ..." London just understood what was happening. He saw the house Jan meant and he liked it. Even though the owner had no intention to sell, if they were offered a lot of money, he was certain that they would change their minds.


    "How about the other house? It''s okay to do some renovation. It doesn''t really matter, as long as the house is good," said London, finally making a decision. According to him, it was too much trouble to have to wait for the owner to wake up in another part of the world just to talk them into selling their house. "The other house is also pretty good. It has a nice garden in front of it, where we could plant flowers. L really likes flowers."


    Jan cleared his throat again. "That house isn''t actually for sale either. I have to contact the owner first to find out how much they want to move out tomorrow."


    London just laughed. He realized that Jan had been with his family for too long, so he knew very well what he had to do. In his family''s dictionary, there is nothing they want in this world that they cannot get.


    If London Schneider wanted a house in Grunewald, even if there were no houses for sale there, he would make the owner of the house he wanted to sell his house by giving them an offer they could not refuse.


    "All right ... then just wait for morning in New Zealand," London finally said. Jan nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 665 - Miss L, Youre So Lucky!

    The two then discussed various company issues and London listened to all of Jan''s reports and gave his opinions. London knew that as soon as he returned to work, there would be a lot of things to take care of. He had left his responsibilities too long since he took a long time off when he traveled to Singapore and then accompanied L to give birth.


    "Oh, by the way. Jan ... I found a very good plan to win L''s heart," London said before Jan excused himself. The man''s face looked very happy. "L finally gave me the green light. She gave me three years to make more money than her, then I could propose to her."


    Jan did not understand the direction of this conversation.


    "There''s no need to wait three years, you have made more money than she ever will since you''re a baby," Jan said.


    London waved his hand. "She said I had to find a good job with high pay. So I told her that I would apply for a job at the headquarters of the Schneider Group. That way I could go to the office every day, without her suspecting ... I won''t be even lying, will I? I do work at the Schneider Tower. Later, every six months, I will get a promotion until, finally, my salary will be greater than her income as an artist."


    Jan had known London for most of his life, but still his boss''s statement this time surprised him.


    "How long do you plan to become Killian Makela? Why don''t you tell Miss L that you are a very wealthy man? You are actually exactly the type of guy she really wants. I don''t understand all these hassles." Jan could only shake his head.


    Suddenly a muffled sigh from behind them made Jan and London jump from their seats and hold their c.h.e.s.ts. They were shocked just now because they thought there were only two of them in the lounge.


    Pammy was staring at both of them with eyes as round as saucers. L''s manager was very shocked. Her mouth was agape and her hand was pointing at London but no voice could come out of her lips.


    "You startled me..." Jan grumbled. He calmed his heart which was beating so fast and sat back in his chair. "Don''t sneak up on people or entered a room like a ghost. Make some sound, will you?"


    Pammy was still trembling in her place. "I''m ... sorry, I deliberately didn''t make a sound, Mr. Jan, because I don''t want to disturb Miss L and her baby. They are resting."


    The manager walked slowly toward them and then looked at London with a look of disbelief.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" asked London in surprise. "Is there something on my face?"


    "Are you... Mr. London Schneider?" Pammy asked in a voice that sounded like a squeak. She was still in shock but forced herself to ask the question. She must confirm this man''s identity.


    "Did you hear everything?" asked London. He didn''t expect Pammy''s hearing to be very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and could hear his conversation with Jan just now.


    Pammy nodded.


    Jan and London could only sigh in unison. After a while, Jan raised his hand and gave a signal for Pammy to sit in the chair next to him.


    "Pammy ... Do you know that Brilliant Mind Media is under the Schneider Group?" he asked, crossing his arms on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "I do, Sir..." Pammy nodded again, respectfully.


    "Do you know that I can make you the supervisor for the artist management division, or double your salary?" Jan asked again. Pammy nodded again. "If you obey my orders and not reveal all these secrets to Miss L, I will double your salary, or you can lead your own division. Whatever you choose ..."


    Instantly Pammy''s face beamed in excitement. "I will not say anything ..."


    "Good. Mr. Schneider is in a very difficult position and he hasn''t been able to reveal his identity to Miss L. Do you understand what I mean?"


    "I understand, Sir," Pammy glanced at London and her shocked face now turned into a smile.


    Ahh ... L was so lucky! She found herself a man from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world. What''s even crazier is ... L didn''t even know it! Pammy thought.


    Pammy felt excited because she was trusted to hold such great secrets. She promised in her heart to keep this secret well. Pammy didn''t want to break the trust placed on her by the Schneider family!


    "Good that you understand," this time London spoke up. He was still standing with his hands in his pockets, looking very cool.


    And, oh ... this handsome man was not only cool but also very wealthy, Pammy thought happily.


    Pammy always liked it if L dated this photographer. According to her, Killian was a good man who rarely exists. Unfortunately, L wanted to look for a very rich prospective husband.


    But now, after knowing the true identity of Killian, Pammy cheered happily in her heart. She was sure, once L learned that Killian Makela was London Schneider, she would certainly be able to accept him easily. It''s only a matter of time.


    "I promise not to divulge your identity to Miss L." Pammy raised a hand as if swearing an oath. "What''s your next plan? Miss L invited me to discuss her plans for after she is discharged from the hospital. Ms. L wants to buy a house."


    "What a coincidence. We were just discussing that." London nodded at Jan, and his assistant immediately showed pictures on his tablet. Pammy looked very impressed to see the luxurious and beautiful houses.


    "Wow ... is this the Grunewald area? It must be very expensive ..." Pammy exclaimed in admiration. "How much is it? If it''s too expensive, Miss L won''t be able to afford it. I have her financial records, so I have to check what kind of house she can buy."


    Jan shrugged. "We don''t know the price yet, because I haven''t talked to the owner."


    "But the house is for sale, right? Usually, we can just look for the property details on the agent''s website ..." Pammy said as she pulled out her cellphone to open the website in question.


    Jan just laughed seeing Pammy was about to look for info on the price of the house.


    "This house is not for sale, so I want to ask the owner first, how much money they want to sell this house to us," he said in an amused tone as if buying a house that was not for sale is a very common thing to do and Pammy should know about it.


    The woman could only open her mouth without being able to say anything. She never heard someone wanted to buy a house in Berlin''s most elite area without caring whether the owner wanted to sell or not.


    Is this how wealthy people live? If that''s true ... wow, now Pammy understood why L insisted on looking for a wealthy husband.


    Ugh, if only Pammy herself were young and s.e.xy like L, she might have demanded the same from her partner.


    She would find a very rich man to marry ... so she could just look around to find a beautiful house she liked, and her man would ask the owner to sell their house.


    Ohh .. Miss L, you''re so lucky! Pammy whispered to herself.


    "So, what should I do?" Pammy asked doubtfully.


    "I''ll talk to the owner of this house in a few hours. Tomorrow, when the house has been purchased, I will tell you the details so that you could show Miss L the house listing. If she liked this house, we will make it look like she is the one who buys the house. You will let me take care of ''the purchase''." Jan explained his plan to Pammy, who could only nod.


    "Uhm ... Miss L also wants to make a NICU room for her baby at home ..." Pammy said again.


    "I have prepared everything. Medical supplies will be sent tomorrow and the guest room will be renovated to become the NICU room. You just wait for everything." Jan waved his hand as if to say building a new NICU room at home is just a small feat.


    He is really efficient, Pammy thought admiringly.


    Jan was indeed very efficient. He made sure everything went smoothly. He cleverly involved Pammy in their plans, so that it would be easier for them to arrange L''s work schedule, and so that she wouldn''t be suspicious of things they would do. They need to ensure L got the most beautiful house and Lily the best medical treatment.

 Chapter 666 - The House Is Haunted

    After listening to all the instructions from Jan and London, Pammy then left. As she walked to the lobby and then into the courtyard of the building to take a taxi to her apartment, Pammy kept watching her surroundings.


    She just realized that some mysterious-looking people were patrolling and doing security work in some parts of the hospital.


    Ahh .. this must be the security team of the big boss from the Schneider Group, she thought. She then remembered how L had complained several times that she suspected London of working with mafia groups or the like because she often caught London meeting or being followed by two mysterious-looking people.


    Now Pammy realized that L might have been actually seeing London Schneider''s bodyguards, but the girl misunderstood and thought they were a gang of criminals.


    Having that thought, Pammy suddenly felt a headache. She squeezed her temple while ordering a taxi through an application and changed her original destination from her apartment into a bar in the city center.


    She needed to drink something strong to clear her mind, no matter how weird that sounded. What a strange night!


    The Schneider Group owner actually lived in a simple apartment with L for two and a half months? And to this day, L did not know that the man who had proposed to her three times was an extremely extraordinary man. What was funny was that London was actually a wealthy man she had always wanted...


    Crazy!


    This is insane!


    ***


    The Schneider family was finally able to visit the newest granddaughter when L was fast asleep. They entered her room in twos and watched the little baby with love and admiration.


    Caspar and Finland entered first, then followed by Terry and Rune, then Aldebar and Lauriel. They chatted in a low voice with the proud father as he showed off his baby to the eager visitors.


    Caspar examined the baby''s health records and assured London that Lily would be fine. With painstaking care, Lily would be able to have a normal and healthy body like her two cousins, who were only born a week before.


    Finland almost did not want to leave the treatment room because she really wanted to stay longer with her youngest grandchild. Seeing Lily in an incubator with all the tubing and life support devices, really broke her heart.


    But she realized that the other family members also wanted to see Lily and they couldn''t linger while L was sleeping, so she finally reluctantly left with Caspar.


    When it was Terry and Rune''s turn, they just stood there admiring Lily from the incubator. Rune must be patient because it turned out Lily still did not want to cry. So, his baby cry translator still had to wait to be tested. While Terry was still trying to convince London that girls can also use the name Terry.


    "Seriously ... my name is Terry from the male version of ''Terrence''. If you use Thery, the feminine version, she can still be called ''Terry''," he said in a whisper. London just rolled his eyes. He could not believe his brother was so persistent in being the namesake for his newest niece.


    "If you want to have a child named Terry, why don''t you find a wife and make your own babies?" London grumbled.


    Hearing that, Terry just looked away. He still didn''t want to find a partner. He was still very young. He was only 34 years old!


    He would not look for a serious girlfriend until he was at least a century old.


    After ten minutes, London was forced to dismiss Terry and Rune because he was afraid they would only cause a scene and disturb L''s sleep.


    The last ones to visit Lily were Aldebar and Lauriel. London incessantly thanked them. It was with the help of these two uncles that Lily could be born safely, and L also did not experience more severe problems with her heart.


    As a scientist and medicine expert, the two examined Lily''s condition, just like Caspar did. In a low voice, they then discussed how Lily could be cared for so that she would grow well, and her health improved.


    Lauriel also promised to make some more medicine for L so that the girl could become healthier even though she might not be going to get the immortality potion.


    Lauriel knew that a sick mother would not be able to fully care for a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby who needed so much attention, so he thoughtfully tried to help improve L''s health.


    London felt very grateful and moved by his family''s support. Without their help and support from the start, he may have experienced tremendous pressure when faced with the situation where L, who had to give birth to their baby in a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e condition.


    After they returned home, London decided to rest and recharge his energy because he would have to do so many things tomorrow. L would be discharged from the hospital, and then they have to ''find'' a new home.


    ***


    L also did not expect her condition to improve so quickly. Although she was sad to leave Lily in the hospital for a while, she wanted to immediately find a new home for them to live. So that she could provide better treatment for her child in their own home.


    Because L was already very famous, they decided to go back to the apartment at night. L also disguised herself by wearing a hooded jacket and big glasses to hide from paparazzi and fans who might recognize her.


    They arrived at the apartment at 8 pm. Pammy came to bring pizza for dinner. While the three of them were enjoying pizza, Pammy gave L her report about some interesting houses she found.


    "I think this house in Grunewald is the best. The location is in the most elite part of Berlin. The ric.h.e.s.t people in Germany live there, so it would be very good for your association and networking," Pammy commented while pointing to a folder containing photographs of houses in Grunewald. Those were the pictures Jan showed London the night before.


    This morning, Jan managed to buy the house from the owner who was on vacation in New Zealand. They were happy to sell their home when Jan mentioned a fantastic price that they could use to buy a small island in Asia.


    "Hmm ..." L looked at the photos of the house and repeatedly clicked her tongue in admiration. London was right, the house suited L''s taste. The girl didn''t even bother to look at the other listings. Her eyes seemed to glow when she saw the large garden, lush trees, swing under the trees, a swimming pool, and spacious verandah. But then she frowned, staring at Pammy in confusion. "This house is perfect ... but I can''t possibly have enough money to buy it. I''m not that rich yet!"


    Pammy and London exchanged glances. They had guessed this before, and they had prepared the answer.


    Pammy then coughed a little. "Uhm ... actually this house is sold for cheap because the owner is in a hurry to get rid of it."


    "Why?" L asked curiously.


    "Uhm ... because... this house ... is haunted."

 Chapter 667 - Fell In Love With The House

    "The house is haunted?" L rolled her eyes at Pammy''s explanation. "Gosh ... this is 2050. Does anyone still believe in ghosts?"


    Pammy coughs softly, "The owner is very old-fashioned and believes in ghosts ... But that is an advantage for us because they just want to quickly sell it. I happened to get information from an insider. If other people know this house is sold so cheaply, I''m sure they will flock to buy it."


    L seemed to have trouble trusting Pammy''s information, but she had fallen in love with the house and was eager to have it. So, her heart refused to listen to her logic. Besides ... how could Pammy lie to her? What for? This was not something you can joke about.


    "Why don''t we just go tomorrow and see what the house looks like," London suggested. He had remained silent as though he was not involved at all and knew nothing about the house. "Photographs are often deceiving, you know. Just go see it in person tomorrow. If you liked it, you could decide to buy it. Didn''t you say you want to move to a new house immediately because this apartment is too simple?"


    Pammy coughed at London''s words and hurriedly drank the water in her glass.


    She still couldn''t get used to the fact that the young man sitting next to L was the owner of the Schneider Group himself. The guy must have been accustomed to the most luxurious things the world could offer. But for some reason, he seemed happy to just live in this simple apartment and now ate pizza casually with them, these ordinary people.


    "What happened to you?" L asked in surprise. She patted Pammy''s shoulder, trying to help her not to choke from drinking too fast while coughing.


    "I''m fine," Pammy hurriedly shook her head and glanced toward London. She must not reveal this man''s secret, so Pammy was very attentive to all her words, so she would not have a slip of the tongue.


    Pammy had worked very hard and never had the opportunity to lead her own division. She will not waste this opportunity to advance her career.


    ***


    The next day, London accompanied L to see the house Pammy showed her the previous night. L''s manager was waiting for them at the location.


    When London''s modest car arrived in the Grunewald area, L was constantly in awe. She liked seeing the green and beautiful residential complex, wide roads, and so many beautiful mansions.


    At the very end was the biggest and most beautiful mansion, belonging to the Schneider family. London was delighted to hear the sound of admiration from L''s lips as he deliberately drove his car past the mansion.


    When the car was running past the mansion, L''s head still looked back, trying to see how the beautiful gate and the shady trees around the estate.


    "Wow... if we lived in this complex, we would be neighbors with the Schneider family," L murmured in amazement.


    "That''s right," London nodded, trying to hide his smile behind a deadpan expression. "I heard that the Schneider family is very kind and humble."


    "Really? I''ve never met them in person, but I''ve heard they are very reclusive. So, not much is known about them, and they rarely appear in public." L shrugged. She then remembered that in the music festival some time ago she had met Rune Schneider, who gave her flowers from his brother, London Schneider. "Oh, by the way.. when do you want to apply for a job with the Schneider Group? Please bring a thank you flower to Mr. Schneider too."


    "Tomorrow morning," London answered with a smile. He was very happy because L would give him flowers. "But, you must write on the card yourself."


    "Okay." L nodded. Her eyes were not directed at a minimalist white house decorated with ivies on one wall and surrounded by a tall gate. So many flower plants were visible from behind the gate.


    "We''ve arrived ... this is the house ..." L murmured as if to herself.


    They got out of the car and entered through the gate that opened automatically. Pammy was waiting for them in the living room with a staff member who worked in the house.


    "Welcome, L. The owner is currently abroad and asked us to look around for ourselves and contact him when we make a decision," Pammy said.


    L nodded. Her eyes could not lie. She had fallen in love with the house the first time she saw the picture. She happily followed Pammy and the staff around the house and checked the situation.


    There were three large bedrooms, one sitting room, a dining room, a massive kitchen with nice sunlight because it had sliding glass doors from floor to ceiling. They could be opened to the side to provide an open area vibe and directly overlooking the flower garden.


    There was also a study with two beautiful desks and single sofas. It was suitable for work and leisure at the same time. On the side, there was a terrace with comfortable rattan sofa and a medium-sized swimming pool, equipped with sun loungers. At the end of the swimming pool, there was a gazebo with a swing from the real rattan, which must be very expensive.


    Everything was perfect!


    "I like this place," L whispered to Pammy. "When can we buy it? I want to immediately renovate one of the rooms to become a nursery."


    Pammy nodded, "Since the owner is in a hurry, we can get this house today. The sooner we pay, the cheaper it will be."


    "Today? Ah ... how lucky! Please take care of the purchase and immediately find a contractor to renovate a little room next to the study, then contact the medical equipment supplier and consult with Doctor Muller to arrange what medical devices we need to take care of Lily here."


    Pammy opened her notebook and wrote down all L''s wishes. "Okay, L. I''ll take care of everything soon. In a week, everything will be ready."


    "Thank you, Pammy."


    She turned to London, who was watching her attentively, then pulled the young man''s hand to follow her toward the room she wanted to turn into the NICU room.


    "I want to put Lily in the NICU room here. You can stay in the room next to this room. I''ll take the room over there," she said, pointing to and fro.


    London nodded. "Thank you."


    "Tomorrow, the contractor will renovate a little part of Lily''s room. Do you also want to renovate your part of the house? Maybe you want to change the design? Not too much, though, just a little. I want you to feel comfortable here, "L said again.


    She remembered that London had always tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible when she lived in the man''s modest apartment. So, she wanted to do the same.


    London was stunned to hear L''s words. He was deeply moved because L, though curt and sometimes temperamental, was quite understanding.


    The two rooms in this house did look quite feminine, and he didn''t really like having to stay in a room that looked more suitable for girls.


    At first, London would not complain at all. However, L apparently realized that the room next to Lily''s room was not suitable for an a.d.u.l.t man like London, so she offered to have it renovated a little.


    Finally, London nodded with a faint smile. "I''m quite happy if the paint can be changed from pink to white or gray."


    "All right. I''ll tell Pammy."


    After both of them agreed and felt satisfied with their new home, London brought L back to the hospital to visit Lily. They also needed to deliver the b.r.e.a.s.tmilk that she had pumped at home to store in the NICU refrigerator as a supply for their child.


    "How lucky ..." L murmured as she thought back to the beautiful house she had just ''bought''.

 Chapter 668 - The New Home

    They arrived at the hospital, and as usual, L had to cover herself with a hat, sunglasses, and a scarf that covered half of her face. Her face was plastered on a large Virconnect billboard across the street as London parked his car in the hospital courtyard. The billboard just went up today. If L didn''t cover her face, surely everyone would recognize her right away.


    The East Wing of the Metropole hospital had been reopened to the public when they arrived, so L was not suspicious and did not know that during her stay there, she was the only patient in the east wing.


    The Schneider family had just finished visiting Lily when London and L arrived, and they almost passed each other in the lobby. Fortunately, Rune called his brother in time so that he swiftly complained of hunger and invited L to lunch at the hospital cafe first.


    Seeing the man looking so sad and starving, L finally relented and accompanied him to eat a sandwich in the cafe while she secretly drank tea.


    After making sure that his family had returned home, London accompanied L into Lily''s room. Their baby was still awake, and as usual, she got fed using the tube because she still had not been able to suck on her own. Her eyes were also covered by a blindfold because she was very light s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e.


    Doctor Alice shared with them a report on Lily''s latest condition and asked the two new parents not to worry. Lily''s health had improved, even far exceeding the expectations of her own doctors.


    London believed all of that was the result of the medicine Lauriel gave to his daughter. He felt so indebted to Lauriel.


    They sat in Lily''s room and waited by her side for several hours, without saying anything. Their feelings could not be described in words. London realized that Lily''s very difficult birth made him and L bonded. Now, they had a closer relationship than before.


    They were both filled with fear and sadness due to Lily''s condition. Now L felt that the only person who understood all of her worries is London, and vice versa.


    London still had a lot of questions about L''s past and what was her true relationship with Danny Swann. Still, he didn''t want to risk making L stress and affect her b.r.e.a.s.tmilk production for Lily. Therefore, he could only hold back.


    He even ordered Jan to distance himself from Danny, so that his tracks wouldn''t be found by Danny Swann. He was afraid that Danny would tell L that the man who had been with her was actually London Schneider himself.


    He would give L time to settle her matters with Danny. In the meantime, he would improve his image before the girl: he must ''find a job'' and within three years make more money than L so that L would finally accept his proposal.


    ***


    Because L just gave birth, her body was still weak, and London always forbade her from doing any work. She could only rest and pump. That was all.


    All of the renovation matters were handled by London, while Pammy took care of the financing. Thus, L was not involved in the work of preparing the new house. Pammy only consulted her opinions occasionally by phone about a few trivial matters.


    That''s why she had no idea that in just four days, Pammy told her that their new home had been completely renovated and was ready to be inhabited.


    "Are you serious? It''s only been four days, no??" L asked in surprise.


    Pammy, who delivered the good news, only glanced at London, who was sitting next to L while sipping his tea. "Killian is very efficient, and he helps a lot. Everything could be done faster."


    Ah, Pammy wouldn''t miss the chance to bootlick the big boss here and there, so that L became impressed. She knew that London was quite generous in giving gifts to employees who worked well.


    London just smiled and raised his eyebrows proudly when he heard Pammy''s praise. Jan was a very efficient and helpful assistant, but without his instructions, obviously, Jan would not be able to successfully complete this project in just four days.


    So, yeah... he had the right to take the credit ... hehehe.


    L looked at him while frowning. "You know anything about construction?"


    London nodded. "Yes, I once worked on a construction project ..."


    Yes, Schneider Group had built resorts, hotels, offices, even big infrastructure. Of course, as the owner of the group, he could take credit for the success of the construction projects carried out by his company.


    "Oh ..." L could only nod in understanding. She thought Killian Makela was really a hard worker who was not ashamed to do any work, including being a photographer, a construction worker, even working for the mafia, for the sake of earning money.


    She liked hardworking men who were not choosy with work. She had also said that she would only consider marrying London if he succeeded in earning more money than her by doing honest jobs.


    "Do you want to see the house? You can move in tomorrow," Pammy said enthusiastically.


    L looked very touched. She nodded without making a sound. She happily took her coat and put on her shoes to go to Grunewald.


    London drove them there. On the way, he repeatedly glanced at L, who sat next to him.


    For some reason, the girl''s happy face warmed his heart. He really hoped that L liked all the changes and renovations he ordered Jan to do to their new home.


    To avoid L getting suspicious, he also asked Pammy to take some money to buy the house and pay for renovation from L''s account and put it in a new account under the name of Lily Schneider.


    If L checked her book and found that her money stayed intact, she would surely ask questions and, eventually, all their deeds would be exposed.


    When London''s VW arrived in front of the beautiful house, the automatic gate immediately opened, and they went inside. After parking the car in the courtyard, London opened the door for L, and the two of them admired the yard, which looked very neat. It was filled with various flowers that bloomed beautifully in summer.


    L could not hide her admiration. They examined the beautiful terrace. It was equipped with a simple coffee table and a couple of chairs to sit in the afternoon. They could enjoy tea and talk while looking at the garden.


    When they entered the living room, L covered his lips in surprise when she saw a grand piano sitting nicely in the corner of the room. It was positioned near the large glass door overlooking the swimming pool. There was a dark blue velvet curtain that made the piano corner look classic and luxurious.


    L turned toward London with wet eyes. "There''s a piano here ... From where?"


    "Oh ... we found this piano in the storage while the house was being renovated. The old homeowner said this was an old piano belonging to his grandmother that had never been used because his family was not into music." Pammy hurriedly explained.


    This was another lie that they inevitably had to do. London remembered how happy L''s face was when they talked through Virconnect last week when he was still in Singapore. At that time, L was playing the piano in the hotel suite he was staying at. She looked so happy because she could compose a song while playing the piano to ward off boredom.


    London loved the piano sound and L''s singing. Therefore, he wanted her to be more creative and make more beautiful works. So, he gifted the best piano he could find to the woman he loved.


    And oh ... L also liked to sing every morning. London couldn''t wait to hear L''s beautiful voice every morning to wake him up from his sleep.


    L hurriedly sat on the piano stool and tried the keys.


    Ting


    Ting


    "This is great !!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. She then looked at the piano brand and almost immediately collapsed. "This ... this is one of the extremely rare Steinway pianos ... !!"


    London pretended to be surprised to hear her.

 Chapter 669 - You Must Not Drink

    He knew it was one of Steinway''s legendary pianos, the equivalent of Stradivarius violins. L only deserved the best, so London ordered Jan to find the piano for L. For him, money was not an issue.


    Jan immediately mobilized his contacts to check various auction houses and museums to find the best grand piano that could make even Chopin in tears when he saw it.


    They found the piano in a music museum in London, and Jan easily convinced the museum director to sell it to them at a fantastic price. As compensation, the Schneider Group would also lend Billie Yves''s music collection to be displayed at the museum for five years.


    All his efforts and resources were paid off when he saw L moved to touch the piano and then happily played La Campanelle from Liszt. The girl''s happiness made London happy too. He and Pammy stood enjoying L''s spontaneous performance until finished, and then both of them clapped. L was indeed very talented!


    L blushed. She was delighted with the unexpected surprise at her new home.


    "You''re very lucky," Pammy said. "The piano is still in good condition. We just needed to clean it."


    "Why, thank you!!" Because she was very happy, L hugged Pammy and London alternately. The man only gave a happy grin, although he held L for a bit longer when the girl hugged him.


    "Do you still want to see the rest of the house? There are still many good surprises we found in this house. You must like them," he said to L.


    The girl nodded excitedly. London then held her hand and pulled the girl to walk with him to go around from one room to another.


    "This is the living room. We also found this Persian rug in the storage. They did not like the design and intended to dispose of it with other items. Luckily, we had a chance to see it before they did. Then the crystal chandelier, I happened to find it in a flea market shop when I was looking for furniture for my bedroom ... "


    The crystal chandelier that adorned their living room was made of Swarovski crystals, which could cost regular people an arm and a leg, but because London said he found it in a flea market shop, L thought the crystal chandelier was just an imitation.


    Thus, as they entered room after room, Pammy and London could make it seem as if they were getting all of these items for free or very cheap second-hand goods.


    "This is great ... I can''t wait to bring Lily here ..." L said in a hoarse voice.


    The house also had a pavilion containing two rooms for staff, and they will hire nurses to stay there to help taking care of Lily while she was still in NICU care. After Lily grew normally, they decided to take care of the baby themselves.


    They continued their tour to L''s room, which was arranged beautifully with classy and elegant items. As always, London and Pammy would convince L that they found everything at a low price.


    L was delighted with her new home. She repeatedly toured the rooms and shook her head in disbelief at her luck.


    "I really like this house," she whispered over and over again.


    London and Pammy exchanged glances and smiled meaningfully.


    "Then, can we move tomorrow?" asked London. "I just need to carry my suitcase, I have no valuables to bring from my apartment."


    L nodded. "Me too. My stuff could fit in one suitcase."


    "Well ... if you are satisfied with everything, I will leave you two here. I have work to do in the office," Pammy said, smiling faintly. She knew that she should let the big boss alone with L to enjoy their new home.


    "What are you doing?" L asked in surprise.


    "We must celebrate your new home ..." London raised a glass and signaled whether L wanted to drink with her or not. After seeing the girl nod, he happily poured champagne into two glasses and handed one to L.


    "I''m so lucky," L said again. She then clinked her glass to his. "For our new home."


    London nodded. "For peaceful days without a fight."


    L, who felt insinuated, only pursed her lips at his words, but she did not argue. The two drank together for the first time after L was pregnant - and London promised not to drink alcohol.


    "Uhm ... this is really good." L commented, "I forgot how good the taste is."


    When the drink in his glass ran out, and London was about to pour more, L hurriedly stopped him.


    "Hey, that''s enough!"


    "Why?" asked London in surprise. When L stared at him with narrowed eyes, he suddenly recalled an incident from two months ago when he drank too much and got drunk, and L took sleeping pills. They accidentally had s.e.x under the influence again. Ahh ... maybe L didn''t want that to happen again. He hurriedly nodded. "Ah ... that''s right... I just remember the mistake. I''m sorry."


    "That''s right. You''re a pervert, and I can''t trust you," grumbled L. "I have just given birth. I am going through the puerperium period until the next six weeks."


    L''s words stunned London. He tried to digest what she meant.


    Did this mean that when L''s puerperium period was over, London could make that mistake again?


    He shook his head in confusion, trying to force his brain to immediately digest what L meant to say.


    Seeing the young man stunned, L just patted his cheek while shaking her head, then took the glass in London''s hand.


    "You still have to drive us home. Don''t drink anymore." She kept their glass and champagne bottle in the kitchen after putting a lid on it.


    London was still rooted in his place when L returned from the kitchen and pulled his hand to go out.


    "Come on, don''t just stand there. We need to visit Lily at the hospital and then pack our things to move here."


    London was still pensive when he got into the car and drove toward the hospital.


    After they arrived and he had just finished parking his car in the courtyard of the building, then he asked L in a doubtful voice.


    "So after the puerperium period is over ... can we?"


    L just rolled her eyes and pulled London''s hand out of the car into Lily''s room.


    "You pervert," she grumbled softly, but this time L''s usually grumpy face was no longer adorned with a frown.

 Chapter 670 - The Last Dinner

    Moving to a new home was usually troublesome and stressful for most people, but this was not the case with London and L. London could pack very quickly because most of his stuff was in the penthouse.


    In this apartment, he only kept a few simple pieces of clothing that he wore to trick L into thinking that he was a poor man, and three sets of nice clothes gifted to him by the girl some time ago.


    He only needed to pack for half an hour, and before dinner, he was ready with his luggage. L did not have a lot of personal belongings, so she also finished packing her stuff belongings in a matter in an hour.


    Most of her clothes for shows were stored in the Brilliant Mind Media office, so she didn''t need to bring them home. When L placed her suitcase in the living room, London was astonished.


    "You''re a woman, aren''t you? Why are there only so few items?" he asked.


    "I''m used to moving around, so I don''t want to be weighed down with things. It''s troublesome," L answered. "In the orphanage, we only had a few things, and I could fit all my worldly possessions in one trash bag when I moved out."


    "Trash bag?" London widened his eyes. He was very surprised to hear L''s words, which were delivered in a flat tone. "Why didn''t they give you a suitcase?"


    "Do you know how much a suitcase costs? At the orphanage, there were a lot of orphans to care for. It''s cheaper to give us trash bags because they can hold all our stuff."


    "Oh ..."


    London was stunned to hear that. He had no idea that life in an orphanage was so sad. He could only stare at L with a complicated look.


    If he had met L ten years ago when she had just entered the orphanage ... he would have saved L from that situation.


    Unfortunately, at that time he was still a teenager himself and his family was also having problems because his sister, Aleksis, fell ill for a long time due to an accident. Later, they even learned that she was pregnant and gave birth to twins, which made all the family''s attention fall on her.


    Inwardly, London felt very sorry for L because the girl had struggled alone at such a young age. He shuddered to imagine that if L were trapped into sleeping with another man, maybe L would have had a very bad luck. The man might not be as responsible and kind as London.


    He really wanted to ask L why she could enter the orphanage, where were her parents or relatives, why did she live alone? But he was afraid to ruin the atmosphere. London could only hope that L will one day trust him and tell him everything.


    For that reason, until now, he was still holding back. Jan was still trying to investigate who L really was and why she was sent to the orphanage, but all records from the orphanage were lost due to fire, and no data was available online.


    Therefore, Jan was still trying to find people who have worked there and gather information. However, although London refrained from questioning L about her past, he did not hold back from showing support and affection for the girl.


    He slowly approached L and hugged her very tightly. The girl was initially surprised to see his actions, but she did not protest nor break away from his arms.


    "I''m sorry you experienced all that ..." whispered London, rubbing L''s head on his c.h.e.s.t. "I cannot do anything about your sufferings in the past, but I will make sure you will never suffer again in the future."


    London finally let go of his arms, and for a moment they both stood facing each other awkwardly.


    "Uhm ... the two of us have finished packing things. Do you have anything else to bring?" asked London then.


    L shook her head.


    "Hmm ... maybe ..." She spoke and then fell silent.


    "Maybe what?" asked London curiously.


    "Hmm ... it just feels a bit sad to leave this apartment ..." L commented eventually.


    London agreed with L''s opinion. He spread his gaze to the ceiling, around the room, and took a deep breath of air.


    No matter what, they had a lot of memories in this simple apartment.


    He always woke up to the sound of L singing every morning. He also prepared their breakfast and dinner in the kitchen of this house.


    And also ... this couch was where they had s.e.x passionately, even though they were both under the influence at that time ... But still, London could still remember a little of what happened.


    Ahh .. there were a lot of beautiful memories here.


    He could only hope that in their new home, they would be able to make many good memories too. London couldn''t wait to turn over a new leaf with L, especially since she was being nicer to him now.


    "Do you want to eat dinner like usual ... for the last time?" asked London then.


    L looked at him for a long time, then nodded.


    Without saying a word, both of them immediately headed for the kitchen, and London deftly took out the ingredients from the refrigerator.


    "What do you want to cook?" asked L.


    London mentioned the names of two of his favorite dishes, which were rather difficult to follow and made L dumbfounded.


    "Don''t say it. You just have to eat," London commented while laughing when he saw L repeatedly trying to pronounce the name of the dishes. "Those are Italian."


    "Oh ..." L nodded in understanding. "Where did you learn to cook? How can you cook such delicious dishes?"


    "Oh, I learned from my father. He really likes cooking. In my home, no women could cook, because my father spoils them with delicious food .. hehe," answered London with a broad smile. He was very proud of his family.


    L''s face looked really jealous. "Looks like you have a really happy family..."


    London nodded. "That is so. We love each other very much. Do you want to meet my family? They will be very happy to see you ..."


    If L wanted to meet his family, London would tell her who he really was. L seemed to think for a long time when she heard London''s offer. Meeting this man''s family? As what?


    "I don''t know ... I don''t know if I want to meet your family. We are not related," Finally, the girl just shrugged.


    "Why ... why did you say that? You''re Lily''s mother ... of course, they will be happy to meet you. Don''t you want to meet my parents?"


    "What ... do they know about Lily and me????" L''s face immediately turned pale. "What did you say to them?"


    "Eh ... I didn''t say you are a famous artist ... don''t worry. Even if they know who you are, they won''t divulge your identity."


    "You don''t know, there are people who would sell gossip to entertainment media for money ... Can you guarantee they won''t talk to anyone?" L asked worriedly.


    London wanted to laugh at L''s worry. His family is VERY WEALTHY. They don''t need to sell any gossip to make money. But he understood her perspective, so he just laughed and raised his right hand, as if attesting that his family would not betray L.


    "I promise, your secret is safe," he chirped.


    "Hmm ... well, if you say that." L then took a knife and vegetables and helped to slice them next to London. "If indeed they can be trusted ... maybe we can invite them to come during Lily''s first birthday celebration ..."


    London smiled very broadly to hear that.


    "Great idea!"


    He landed a kiss on L''s forehead because he was very happy to hear L finally wanted to meet his family. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued to mix the spices to cook their dinner, while L helped him cut the vegetables.


    Both of them looked happy, cooking together in the kitchen. It was actually a rare sight since most of the time they often looked like a cat and a mouse who were always arguing. Maybe, the feeling of nostalgia, due to leaving the apartment to move to a new house, made L and London feel closer to each other.

 Chapter 671 - Londons Fantasy

    They ate dinner in silence, but the atmosphere felt warm. London knew that L was not a talkative girl. In the past, for some reason, he thought cheerful and talkative girls looked attractive, but now he was very happy to enjoy dinner in silence with L.


    The girl would not speak unless it was necessary, so every word that came out of her lips became precious, and nothing was in vain. If she was happy, she would show it, just like when she was angry or sad.


    As far as London knew, he never heard L gossiping about her fellow artists or complaining about things. It sometimes made him curious because he wanted to know what was really going on in her mind.


    Ugh ... unfortunately, no matter how much wealth he had, London must still resign to the fact that all men in this world were fated to never understand women. No device or machine could translate the contents of women''s hearts that men could buy.


    His younger brother, Rune, had emphasized that inventors and scientists had been trying to create machines or systems for translating women''s language or thoughts for decades or even centuries, to no avail. So, they consciously did not continue the silly effort and accepted the fact that women were indeed difficult to understand.


    When they had their dinner lit by candlelight, London repeatedly stole glances to see L''s face and tried to guess what was on her mind. Unfortunately, he still couldn''t tell.


    "I wonder ... why it hasn''t rained for a long time ..." L said suddenly. "I miss smelling the scent of the ground when it was touched by rain."


    "Eh ...? You mean, petrichor?" asked London. "The scent you smell when the rain touches the ground doesn''t come from the ground, but it is a reaction of the petrichor bacteria with rainwater."


    "I know," L replied. "I just miss the rain. It''s been a long time. I also hope the rain will come soon so that the flowers in our new home garden can grow well."


    London just remembered that he had ordered Jan to control the weather so that there would be no rain wherever L was in. He still remembered how L was frightened when she heard the sound of thunder at that time ...


    He involuntarily coughed because he almost choked on his food. At this rate, L could get suspicious, he thought. If she didn''t experience rain for a year at all, the girl would be confused.


    "I''m sure it will be raining tomorrow," London said, sipping his orange juice.


    "How can you be so sure?" asked L. "I just checked the weather forecast, and it will be dry the whole next week."


    ''I''m sure because I can control the rain'', London said to himself inwardly.


    "Uhm .. I''m just making a lucky guess," London answered casually. "Why? Do you want to bet? If it really rains tomorrow, I will win and deserve a prize. If tomorrow, it doesn''t rain, then you win."


    L only snorted to see how London look very confident. She believed more in technology and weather forecasts from experts. It''s been accurate for decades.


    "Okay, we can bet. If I win, what will I get?" asked L.


    "Hmm ... if you win, I am willing to be at your service for the rest of my life ..." answered London, grinning.


    "Ish ..." L rolled her eyes but didn''t protest. "If you win?"


    "Uhm ... if I win, will you be my wife?" London hurriedly corrected his words and cleared his throat when he saw L glared at him. He remembered that L already gave him three years. He must not force his luck and risk L to change her mind. "Uhm ... if I win, I will get a kiss."


    It seemed like a kiss was a reasonable gift to L, because she only snorted, but didn''t say no.


    Inwardly, London cheered happily. If L wasn''t sitting beside him, he would have been dancing happily. He was so happy to imagine that tomorrow he would be able to kiss the temperamental girl. She had made him fall head over heels.


    He took his cellphone and hurriedly typed a message for Jan.


    [Tomorrow, please send rain to Grunewald. Just a short drizzle is enough to water the flowers in our garden. No thunder, please.]


    He hurriedly kept his cellphone in his pocket when L turned to him and tried to see what he was doing.


    "Who are you texting?" L asked, frowning. "Is the message so important that you have to take out your cellphone while having dinner with me?"


    London knew his actions just now could be considered rude. He wasn''t supposed to use his cellphone while eating, let alone having dinner with other people. But he also knew that if he didn''t rush to send the message to Jan, tomorrow he could forget something that important.


    He did not want to risk losing the bet and losing the opportunity to kiss L. Now, his eyes fell on L''s pink lips. She was now frowning, and her eyes were staring sharply at London.


    Ahhh ... tomorrow he would enjoy that s.e.xy pout...


    "Uhm... I''m sorry, it was urgent. I''m afraid that I would forget about it if I didn''t immediately send Jan the text," said London. For some reason, L''s eyes seemed to penetrate into his brain and read his mind. He was terrified that L would find out that he was lying.


    Gosh ... what should I do? He already knew that L really hated being lied to, but from day to day, London actually piled lies over lies to the girl.


    He had lied about his identity, his family, the facilities L received at the hospital, that magnificent new home, expensive items at home which he said were obtained from secondhand shops, such as her rare Steinway piano and Swarovski crystal chandelier in the living room ... and now he was also lying about the rain.


    He really hoped he would not have to lie again once they lived together in that new home. Slowly he would find the right time and ways to start being honest to her and tell everything that happened.


    Or ... maybe... he could just wait to come clean and disclose all his lies in front of L when Lily was old enough to defend him from Mommy L.


    Yes ... he could even imagine the scene in his head.


    He would apologize to L and confess his sins. When L went berserk and wanted to scold him, London would take cover behind Lily''s body. Their three-year-old daughter would protect him from Mommy''s wrath. And Lily would persuade her mommy not to scold Daddy.


    L wouldn''t have the heart to say no to Lily. Their cute and adorable daughter would make her heart melt, and inevitably she would be forced to forgive London.


    Then, London would propose to L with flowers, a massive diamond ring, accompanied by a cool orc.h.e.s.tra. Then L would accept his proposal because London had proven that he had more income than L.


    Then they will get married, and finally live happily ever after.


    Ha ha ha...


    The wonderful fantasy was destroyed when L hit his shoulder. "Hey ... I was asking, are you done eating or not? I want to do the dishes."


    "Eh ... Yes, I have." London had only just realized that L had been waving at him to try to attract his attention, but he was too busy imagining their future that he didn''t pay attention. Finally, the girl was forced to hit him. He hurriedly lifted their dinner plates and brought them to the sink. "I''ll do the dishes. You get some rest ..."


    L squinted at London suspiciously. She wondered what exactly London was thinking, to make his face look so happy. She remembered the man smiling after sending a text to someone.


    Was he sending a text message to another woman? Was their conversation so pleasant that London became dreamy and smiled to himself? L''s heart began to feel uncomfortable.

 Chapter 672 - Honey...

    L just sat watching London, who looked extremely happy washing their dishes. She glanced over and over at London''s cellphone on the table, and her face became murky.


    L often saw the man look happy but not like this, she thought.


    When London was putting the bowls in the dishrack to drain the plates while singing and was not looking her way, L saw a message coming on the cellphone''s screen. Her brows furrowed when she saw the name on the screen.


    FINLAND S


    [Honey, I left some clothes for Lily at the hospital. Please take them with you when you bring Lily home.]


    Instantly L''s c.h.e.s.t palpitated. She was enraged to see another woman acting so caring toward their baby... or even to their baby''s father.


    Her face turned red, and her hands crossed to her c.h.e.s.t. London, who had just finished arranging the clean plates in their place, was stunned at L''s fierce expression.


    He immediately wondered what else he had done in five minutes he was washing dishes that made L look at him with narrowed eyes and a dangerous glint in them?


    "Why is your face like that?" asked London quietly. Inwardly, he quickly recalled the chronology of events that had taken place since they cooked together, followed by the peaceful dinner, and now this. Why did L suddenly seem angry, huh? He couldn''t think of any.


    L turns her chin toward London''s cellphone on the table. The man took his cellphone and immediately smiled knowingly. Ah ... apparently, his mother had sent him an SMS, and L had seen it.


    "What''s wrong with her gifting clothes for Lily? We should appreciate people''s good intentions when they give Lily gifts."


    L seemed to really dislike Finland ... Did this mean she was jealous?


    That thought made London very happy.


    People say jealousy is a sign of love!


    Was this a sign that L had started to fall in love with him ???


    "Did you and that wench had a relationship in the past???" L snorted while in a curt voice. "Why do you keep asking me to marry you over and over again, but still let another woman call you ''Honey''?"


    London was puzzled. L''s logic was correct. But also wrong. First, Finland was not another woman. She was the first woman who had the right to call him ''Honey''. Second, it was only done one way, because London did not call his mother ''Honey''. His father could throw a tantrum if he dared to call his mother ''Honey''.


    "Why not? You still don''t want to accept my love anyway," London defended himself. "Or are you jealous and want me to call YOU ''Honey''? If that''s the case, I don''t mind. I can call you ''Honey''."


    "Good night, Honey!" exclaimed London from the kitchen. "Sleep well."


    He listened carefully, ready to wait for the door to slam as a sign that L was angry.


    There was no sound of any door slamming.


    Hehe ... Does this mean I can call her ''Honey''? thought London.


    ***


    London got his punishment because the next morning, he did not hear L''s beautiful voice singing to wake him up from sleep.


    Iishh ... L was really good at holding grudges, he thought bitterly. He had not set the alarm for a long time because he knew that L would always practice her singing at the same time every morning, and her voice had become a natural alarm for the man.


    But this morning, it seemed like L was deliberately didn''t practice her singing to punish London. The man finally woke up when the clock showed 11 am.


    Gosh ... he had never woken up this late.


    He hurriedly washed his face and left his room for the kitchen. L was sitting on the sofa with her arms folded on her c.h.e.s.t.


    "Have you had breakfast?" asked London attentively. L nodded. London then sat next to him. "Then, why pout?"


    "You said there was a job interview today at the Schneider Group. Why did you wake up so late? You''re supposed to have an interview 4 days ago, but you postponed it to renovate the house. They were very nice to give you the chance to reschedule the interview. How could you just waste it???" grumbled L while raising an eyebrow.


    Ahh ... London almost forgot that he had to ''find a job'' to prove to L that he could support their family, and L gave him a maximum of three years to earn more money than her.


    He could only scratch his head. "You''re right ... the interview is after lunch, really. Don''t worry, I''ll go."


    "Don''t forget to send a thank you flower to Mr. Schneider." L pulled a small blue card from the book beside her on the sofa. "I have written the thank you note. Please buy nice flowers."


    "Fine ..." London took the card and read its contents. L did not talk much, and apparently also didn''t write much. She only wrote as needed.


    [Thank you, Mr. Schneider, for your help all this time. I will work hard.]


    The note was quite short and without flowery words. Hmm ... London would be very happy if L pressed her lips to kiss the card after wearing lipstick, so he could see her s.e.xy lips printed there.


    He kept the card in his pocket and returned to his room. He saw that L was ready, so this meant that he also had to take a shower and get ready to leave. They would move to a new home, and then he would go for his job interview.


    Fifteen minutes later, he was out of the room looking neat and handsome.


    "I''m ready. Shall we go now, Honey?" asked London to L, who was still sitting on the sofa with her suitcase on the table. L nodded and stood up; then she walked towards the door. The girl was wearing a beautiful blue summer dress with matching strappy sandals.


    L''s body shape during pregnancy almost didn''t change, only her belly was growing, and her face, feet, and hands became rather chubby, but she maintained her s.e.xy figure.


    Now that she had given birth to Lily, her stomach had slowly returned to being flat. The previous pregnancy only left her with a slightly chubby face, which, according to London, made her look even cuter.


    "You''re so beautiful. Is that a new dress?" asked London. He took L''s suitcase from the table and pushed the handle with his right hand, while his left hand pushed his own bag. L didn''t reply. She just shrugged.


    They walked together to the elevator and down to the lobby. In front of the building, London''s VW car was still parked in its original place. He placed their two suitcases in the trunk then opened the door for L before he entered the driver''s seat.


    Before he started the car, London unconsciously stared at the apartment building with a feeling filled with nostalgia.


    He and L lived in this modest apartment together for almost three months. Somehow it felt like it''s been a long time.


    All right ... now it''s time to start a new page, in a new home, he thought.


    He looked sideways and discovered that it seemed like L had similar feelings to him. The girl was also staring at their apartment building with an unreadable expression on her face.


    "Let''s go," she said finally, moving London from his reverie.


    "All right, Honey..." London glanced at L while starting the engine. Since last night he idly called L with the nickname ''Honey'', to find out how long would L let him call her ''Honey'', until she would get angry again and told him to stop.


    But until now, L still didn''t protest his calling her ''Honey''. She wasn''t angry at all either ...


    "Honey, you are so beautiful today ..." London, who felt her approval, finally did not hesitate to use the call that he had always wanted to use for L.


    The girl turned her gaze to the car window, ignoring London''s flirty remarks while the guy was driving with a happy face.


    "Honey, after we finish cleaning things up at home, we should have lunch outside ..."


    "Honey, after I take you to the hospital, I''ll go to the Schneider Group office for a job interview."


    "Gosh, Honey, look at that guy breaking the red light! That''s too much."


    "Can I turn on the radio, Honey?"

 Chapter 673 - Good Luck!

    "Ahh ... Honey, you have such good taste. This house is indeed beautiful," commented London as he unloaded their suitcases from the trunk and pushed them into their new home.


    The door to the house opened automatically because he had installed a facial recognition scanner in the home system so that when it saw L or him, the door would open instantly.


    London placed L''s suitcase in her room and his own in his room. After arranging his personal belongings in the cupboard, he then went out to meet L, who was sitting on the piano bench and was trying some keys.


    London did not want to disturb L while the girl was enjoying her music. He just stood in the corner and watched L touch the piano keys one by one lovingly.


    Ahh ... three more years, when he could ''prove himself'' to L, and the girl was finally willing to accept his proposal, he can imagine those long, beautiful fingers would be touching his body like L touched the piano.


    He wouldn''t mind it if L played his body like the girl played the piano. Hmm ... from head to toe ...


    Until then, London must not be jealous of a piece of musical instrument. He must be patient.


    The young man stood quietly with his eyes observing L. The girl then decided to play La Campanella, then continued with Etude from Chopin.


    L''s skills in playing music are astonishing. London himself studied music as a child with private music teachers, but he did not have enough interest to continue his musical activities as an a.d.u.l.t.


    Because he used to play music, London asses how big was L''s talent in music and how long she had practiced. The girl must have started practicing music when she was very young, judging by her very m.a.t.u.r.e technique and how easily she played such difficult songs.


    After the second song was finished, L then realized London''s presence in the living room. She immediately stood up and tidied the creases on her clothes. London applauded and walked toward her.


    "That''s wonderful... you''re so amazing! I hope Lily gets your talent in music ..." commented London with a radiant face.


    He was pleased because his line will be continued by a girl with many talents. Lily will inherit her mother''s beauty and musical talents; and her father''s abundant intelligence and wealth. Lily would grow into a perfect girl!


    Inwardly, he felt grateful because, at that fateful night, Stephan didn''t set him up with evil or ugly girl, or a girl who just wanted his wealth, or a boring girl who had absolutely no talents or personalities. If that happened, London would be trapped with a woman and child that he might not want ...


    "Shall we have lunch at a nearby cafe? After that, we can go to the hospital," he said, patting L on the shoulder gently. L nodded. She walked out of the house, followed by the man.


    Their schedule today is to go to the hospital to visit Lily and a ''job interview''. When L was waiting for Lily there while pumping, London would go to Schneider Tower to attend the interview for his job application. Then, he would return to the hospital and pick up L, along with an ambulance, who would take Lily home with two nurses. The nurses would stay with them and help care for Lily for the next three months.


    When they were about to get into the car, L''s steps suddenly halted, and she casted her gaze throughout their large garden. The lush trees on the left side provided shade in the courtyard, and the flowers on the right created bright colors to their minimalist home.


    "What is wrong?" asked London in surprise. "Is there something wrong?"


    L smiled faintly and pointed to the sky. "It''s not raining today."


    London had said that it would rain today, while L insisted that based on the weather forecast, there would be no rain this week.


    When L lost the best ... London could kiss her.


    This time it was the man''s turn to smile. He deliberately asked Jan to send rain tonight, after they finished bringing Lily home, then get ready to sleep. It will rain later in the evening, at exactly 10 pm. L would never guess that she would lose the bet since the weather all day had been sunny.


    He would get a kiss for winning the bet. And since the kiss will happen at night, it won''t be interrupted by anything. They have finished carrying out all their plans and now just need to rest. The kiss would be a pleasant way to close the day.


    Imagine if the rain fell now ... He would have to kiss L at this time, and they would be in a hurry because they had to leave for lunch immediately and go to the hospital.


    "I''m sure it will rain tonight ... You must be a little patient." London opened the car door for L then went inside. He just smiled to himself, imagining how tonight he would be able to enjoy L''s adorable pink lips.


    L just frowned, seeing London''s cheerful face along the journey.


    They ate at a restaurant near the hospital before visiting Lily. L was still disguising her face with sunglasses and covering it with a wide scarf; so no one could recognize her. She and London sat in a hidden corner and ate quietly.


    After lunch was over, London drove L to the hospital to accompany Lily. He stayed there for half an hour before finally saying goodbye to go for his ''job interview'' at the Schneider Tower.


    "I''ll go now, Honey. Wish me luck so I could get the job," he said with a smile. L just rolled her eyes to hear London constantly and boldly calling her ''Honey''.


    But when the man almost got to the door, there was a small sound from behind him. "Good luck."


    London turned and smiled very broadly. L wished him luck, then, of course, London would succeed!


    "Thank you," he said happily.


    He really saw a lot of changes in L since Lily was born. In his heart, he hoped their relationship would get better. He hoped L would accept his proposal soon, and they could formalize the relationship as husband and wife.


    At this rate, he may not need to wait three years to marry L.

 Chapter 674 - Then, What Are Your Plans?

    London was welcomed by Marc and Dave in the hospital lobby. They always followed him wherever he went and always kept a good distance between them. After seeing that London was walking alone and L was with him, they became relaxed and joined their boss.


    "Marc, we''re going to the office. There are so many things I need to do. Dave, you stay here watching over my family. Alex will send a team to help you here. As always, please report to me if anything happens." said London to his two bodyguards. Marc and Dave nodded and immediately did as they were told.


    Upon arrival at the Schneider Tower, London immediately called Jan, and the two discussed all that needed to be taken care of. Work matters came first, then his personal matters.


    "Sir ... I still don''t understand why you have to go through all these hassles. Miss L is obviously looking for a man like you to marry, why not just tell her honestly? I''m sure she won''t reject you if you openly profess to be London Schneider .." Jan said again.


    "Hmmm ... I''m afraid she will get more stressed, and her heart condition will get worse... or even worst, she will hate me because I have lied to her a lot ..." voiced London.


    "Mmm .. maybe you can try to find the right time to do it. Maybe have a romantic dinner, then when the mood is perfect, you can slowly tell her everything," Jan tried to find a solution. "After all, what you''ve been doing all this time is for her own good. You never did anything bad to her..."


    London pondered at Jan''s words. Finally, he took a deep breath. "You''re right. Maybe I''ll look for the right moment to open up to her."


    Jan nodded happily. "Good luck."


    "Hmm ... Don''t forget to send rain at 10 pm tonight," said London again.


    "Of course, Sir."


    Ahh ... London might try Jan''s advice. He will prepare a romantic candlelight dinner... then asked for his kiss after winning their bet ... then, well... when the atmosphere felt right, he would tell her who he was.


    He can''t wait for the night to come. But at the same time, his c.h.e.s.t was pounding too. What if the right time didn''t come?


    How long could he continue to keep his lies to L?


    ***


    After returning from work, London found time to visit his family at the Schneider Mansion, which was located near L''s new home. His mother was happy to see him and forced London to have dinner at home with the family before he returned to the hospital.


    "You''ve been busy these past few days. When can we sit down and talk again? I am also dying to see Lily ..." Finland complained to her son.


    "I''m sorry, Mom. I did mess things up. I promise I will fix this problem as soon as possible with L." London looked guilty. "Once you lie, it''s very difficult to get out of this circle of lies ..."


    Finland could only shake her head when she heard him. She understood that London was initially involved in a situation like this because he was only trying to socialize with regular people. All this time he was only surrounded by wealthy or immortal people or people who had never experienced hardship at all in life.


    She was actually happy that her son wanted to experience life as an ordinary human being so that he could be more sympathetic to people outside their family.


    Finland now had lived her life as an Alchemist longer than she did as an ordinary human, but she still remembered what it was like to live a difficult life, experienced illnesses, and various life problems that the Alchemists never felt.


    Unfortunately, London''s journey was not smooth because he was tricked by a bad person and ended up sleeping with an ordinary girl. One situation led to another, and now he ended up having a child with her. From the start, their meeting was marked by dishonesty because London had to hide his identity.


    This reminded them all of what happened with Alaric and Aleksis. Their story was tinged with misunderstanding and separation that led to deep sadness and suffering because they kept their identities a secret.


    But in the case of London and L, fortunately, they were able to ensure that L was not an alchemist who kept her identity a secret like Alaric. Evidenced by her medical records stating L did indeed suffer from congenital heart disease, and she was allergic to anesthesia. An Alchemist would never experience such problems at all.


    Now they only need to find out who she really was and what happened in L''s past to find out more about the girl.


    "Then what are your plans?" asked Rune, who was interested in his brother''s case.


    He also wanted London to be honest with L so that they, as his family, could freely visit Lily. The baby might soon be able to cry, and Rune cannot wait to test his latest machine.


    "I will take her to a romantic dinner tonight, and find a way to reveal everything ..." London said, finally.


    "Aww, good luck," commented Terry, who had just come out of his room with a small suitcase. "I''m going home to New York. Let me know the progress."


    London nodded. He hugged his brother before taking him off to the airport. He knew that Terry was very busy but, for them, family was everything. That was why Terry left his job for two weeks and visited Aleksis in Singapore and then go to Germany to support London. But of course, he could not linger and had to return to take care of his work in New York.


    Aldebar and Lauriel had left two days ago. They also still had things to deal with. Aldebar would give a speech at the world scientists conference in a few days, and Lauriel was about to meet Nicolae and his two grandchildren who were leaving for Grosetto.


    London spent several hours at his family''s mansion and coaxed his mother who kept complaining because she could not meet her granddaughter. Later, he went back and picked up L from the hospital.


    "I promise, I''ll deal with L as soon as possible," said London, kissing her mother''s cheek and getting into the car. His father, who was painting on the veranda, only nodded with approval.


    ***

 Chapter 675 - I Win!

    The process of moving Lily to the house took place quite smoothly and quickly. Within two hours after London arrived at the hospital to pick up L and their child, everything had been taken care of. At 8 pm, Lily had been lying comfortably in her incubator in the private NICU room at her parents'' house.


    L and London both felt touched because they were finally able to reunite with their baby in their own home, and did not need to go to the hospital every day.


    After Lily was given b.r.e.a.s.tmilk and her vital signs were checked, the two nurses who took care of her took their leave to arrange their belongings in their respective pavilions.


    Starting at 10 pm, they would work alternately to watch Lily in the NICU room, so that the baby''s parents could rest.


    "Hmmm ... I''m glad Lily has come home," L whispered, staring at Lily, who lay still in her incubator. "I want to hold her and kiss her ..."


    London understood L''s feelings because he was feeling the same way. Right now, they could only keep that d.e.s.i.r.e for themselves. As long as Lily was still a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby and her body was still very weak, they couldn''t hug her.


    They have to be patient and wait for several months.


    "Do you want to have dinner now?" asked London, getting up from his seat. "I want to tell you about the job interview while having dinner with you."


    L nodded. "Hmm ..."


    The two then walked out of Lily''s NICU room and entered the kitchen. London brought food from the Schneider Mansion and heated it in the microwave. He was sure L would like his father''s cooking.


    "Sorry, I didn''t make our dinner. I had a chance to stop by my relatives'' house, and they were cooking my favorite dish, so I thought, why not just bring some of it here ..." he said as he arranged the food at the dinner table.


    L nodded. "It''s okay. I know you''re busy today."


    She helped London organize their plates and cutlery, and a moment later, they were already seated at a dining table filled with sumptuous dishes.


    Their dining room had large sliding glass doors and overlooked the swimming pool. The door was now opened and they could see the atmosphere outside. There was still so much light outside.


    The sun in the summer set around 9 or 10 pm so their dinner this time was lit by the beautiful sunset. However, London still lighted candles on their dining table to create a romantic atmosphere.


    "I think I aced the interview. I am confident about the result. They told me that they would contact me no later than a week to let me know whether I got the job or not," London said after finishing the main course and taking out a chocolate cake from the fridge as the dessert.


    "Hmm ... that sounds good," L. replied. She took a piece of chocolate cake and enjoyed it quietly. London was happy to see L in a good mood.


    They then enjoyed chocolate cake and dessert wine to end their first dinner at their new home. At precisely 10 pm, when dinner was almost over, London looked at his watch and counted silently.


    10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,


    "Three ... two ... one ..." He turned his gaze out and a mischievous smile curved upon his lips.


    "What are you looking at?" L asked, looking puzzled.


    London didn''t answer, and L also didn''t urge him to answer. The girl had seen drops of rain pouring down on the garden before them. The water ripples adorned the swimming pool beautifully.


    Jan was always on time. The rain requested by London was sent precisely at 10 pm.


    L involuntarily got up from her chair and walked out. She closed her eyes and smelled the rain outside. The petrichor bacteria in the ground produced the distinctive scent when the rain came, and she loved it.


    It was very easy to make L happy, the man thought. Look at her happy face, and her rare smile adorn her face just because it was raining ...


    "Ahh ... this is really fun," L said in a happy voice.


    She opened her eyes and turned to speak to London when suddenly the girl remembered the bet they made yesterday.


    Unconsciously her hands touched her slightly open lips, and her face turned red. L''s face clearly ill.u.s.trated that she had remembered their bet yesterday, and she realized that she had lost. Her beautiful face and sparkling black eyes looked surprised.


    Gosh ... whatever self-control London still had within him, had gone the moment he saw L''s adorable expression. He walked close to L''s body and looked into her eyes with his sparkling blue eyes.


    "I win," said the young man in a voice that could not hide his joy.


    L did not reply. She looked down, and her cheeks flushed red. London felt his temperature rise just by seeing L blushing, and his l.u.s.t crept in, but he held back with all his might.


    He cannot do more than just kissing L. That girl just gave birth ...


    London gently touched L''s chin and lifted it, then slowly lowered his face to kiss L''s half-open lips.


    The kiss was very sweet, gentle and lasted long enough. If he didn''t remember that they needed to breathe, London would certainly never let go of L''s lips. He seemed to never have enough of her lips or their kisses.


    His tongue explored L''s mouth and she let out soft m.o.a.ns several times from her lips which immediately made London realize that he had to end it.


    If he waited until another ten seconds, maybe he could succ.u.mb to his l.u.s.t and carry L to his bedroom to do indecent things to her.


    When their lips parted and their faces were only a few centimeters away from each other, London looked at L lovingly, while the girl stared back at him with a complicated look.


    Then, unexpectedly, a moment later a faint smile crossed L''s lips.

 Chapter 676 - Londons Confession

    "Eh ... you are smiling? What did I do wrong now?" asked London. He was rather confused. From L''s response, he felt that L also enjoyed their kisses as much as he did, but he had no idea L would give him a smile, even though it was a thin one.


    Is there anything interesting or funny? he thought in astonishment.


    L nodded. She released herself from London''s embrace and then walked to the dining table and poured for herself another half a glass of dessert wine. She gracefully stepped onto the terrace and sat in a comfortable patio chair, enjoying the romantic view of the rain while sipping her wine.


    "What ... what''s so funny?" asked London, still puzzled. He also poured himself a glass of dessert wine and stood next to L''s chair. She was solemnly watching the rain. After a while, L was finally willing to answer his question.


    Her face looked flat as she turned towards London and raised her wine glass, then answered in a flat voice. "You win ... and get your prize, a kiss. While actually, had I won, your punishment is to be with me for the rest of your life."


    It took London two seconds to digest L''s words, and then when he understood what she meant, he almost flushed his own head with the wine from his glass.


    Ughhh ... London Schneiderrrrr you are dumb.


    DUMB.


    Actually, if L won, it would work in London''s favor, because he could shamelessly follow L forever ... on the grounds that he lost the bet.


    Ahhh .. why didn''t I think that far? he cursed in the heart.


    Just because a small gift, a kiss, he was so easily tempted. In fact ... the opportunity to be with L all his life was far greater than a kiss. In their case, losing for London would be better than winning.


    Wise people clearly said, "Woman is always right".


    How could he forget something so important?


    In this bet, he should have let L be right with the weather forecast. He should have let L win their bet. He could still bring rain the next day ... It didn''t have to be tonight.


    The saying also said, "A happy wife is a happy life". So if he could keep L happy, of course, she would be very pleasant to live with and thus make their home happy.


    Ah ... anyway, there is no use crying over spilled milk. London was determined that if he managed to marry L, he promised he would never again forget this very important proverb.


    Woman was always right, and a happy wife will make the husband happy.


    "Uhmm ... can we make another bet?" asked London in a gloomy voice. He should at least try to get a chance to correct his mistake just now.


    Hearing London''s words, L actually looked at him with a disapproving look. "You want to set a bad example for your child by getting addicted to gambling?? Betting is also gambling, you know!"


    "Ugh ... yeah, you''re right ..."


    And London was at a loss for words. Tonight he was the one to win the bet, but somehow he was feeling like the loser. His mind became foggy and he could no longer think about maintaining the romantic atmosphere like before they kissed.


    If this continued, how could he reveal his secrets to L? He wanted to tell her that he was actually an immortal and would look young forever. He also came from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world ... and if L married him, L would be able to enjoy it all.


    L would be given the immortality potion so that she could stay young forever like London, and she would be able to live with their daughter without having to experience aging and illnesses. And of course, if she married London, everything that belonged to him would be hers. Whatever she wanted in this world, she would get them.


    His head felt heavy when he thought about how he had ruined the atmosphere. He should have been able to reveal all his secrets and be honest with L, had he not ruined his chance.


    "I''m just kidding, really ..." he blurted out while finishing the wine in his glass. "I will not set a bad example for Lily."


    L turned to him again and nodded. "Good. We shouldn''t get used to betting. It''s a bad habit."


    "Hmm ... you''re right," London replied.


    In his dictionary, L was always right, and he promised to always lose in their future bets. That, if L ever wanted to have another bet...


    "I am having a throbbing headache. I''ll go to sleep now," said London, touching L''s shoulder. "Don''t stay out too long. You''ll catch a cold."


    L nodded.


    "Good night," the girl said without turning her head. Her attention was taken up by the rain outside.


    After cleaning up their plates, London then entered his room. He lay down and tried to close his eyes. That was a good opportunity, to be honest with L, but he messed it up. Why was it so hard to find the right moment? He complained to himself.


    His mother''s sad face came to his mind. Finland was so eager to meet Lily and come visit London as often as possible. But because London was still keeping his identity a secret, it would be difficult for Finland to come.


    Not only was L still jealous of her, but also she wouldn''t believe that Finland was actually London''s biological mother because her face and appearance still looked like a girl in her 20''s.


    After tossing and turning in bed and trying to close his eyes without success, London finally gave up. I can''t keep going like this. I must tell the truth to L, he thought.


    He had promised his mother to fix the problem tonight. He could not continue to let his family meet Lily in secret. For how long could he keep everything a secret? Lily also had the right to get to know her father''s side of the family ...


    Finally, he got out of bed and went out of his room to confess to L. He had to finish everything tonight. London still L in the same place. The girl sat facing the pool with half a glass of dessert wine in her hand while she was watching the rain.


    London decided to reveal everything.


    "L ..." London tried to find the right words to convey his heart''s content. He stood very close to L''s chair and started talking.


    "I''m sorry for lying to you all this time ..." His voice began to get emotional. He encouraged himself to accept L''s anger for being lied to all this time. "I lied to you about my name, my family, about this house, about the facilities in the hospital ... about ... so many things. It all started because of my intentions to try living like a normal person ... Our first chaotic meeting prevented me from being honest with you ... But I want to stop all those lies now ..."


    London took a deep breath and continued his words. He wanted L to hear everything in full before he gave the girl a chance to answer. So he hurriedly explained everything.


    "My name is actually London Schneider. I am the owner of the Schneider Group. I make sure you and Lily got the best treatment at the hospital. I also work with Jan and Pammy to give you this house. I did everything because I love you and Lily. I just wanted to give the best to you both .." He swallowed hard. "I''m not an ordinary human either. I''m from the Alchemist clan. We are immortals and we look young forever. Ten years from now, even a hundred years from now ... my face won''t change.


    Do you remember Finland that makes you jealous? She is not my friend ... but my mother. Now she is almost 60 years old ... but as you can see, she still looks so young ... This rain? I requested it. I asked Jan to send rain here at exactly 10 pm so that I could win the bet. I''m sorry ... for lying to you ..."


    London finally poured out everything in his heart, and for some reason, the headache he was feeling was starting to dissipate.


    Now he could only wait for L''s response ... and accept her wrath.


    London''s stood still in his place with a thumping c.h.e.s.t, waiting for L to turn to look at him with a pair of glaring eyes because she was angry.


    He was ready.

 Chapter 677 - What Magic Is This?

    Surprisingly L did not turn around even until five minutes after London had confessed his sin. The man''s c.h.e.s.t palpitated. Was this because L was so angry that she needed time to calm down before venting her wrath?


    "L ... please say something..." said London in a piteous voice. He touched L''s shoulder with trembling hands.


    "Eh?" L immediately turned her head and looked at London with rounded eyes. "Why aren''t you sleeping? Didn''t you have a headache?"


    L''s soft and attentive voice made London''s heart struck by great fear. Did L deliberately act nicely toward him before unleashing her wrath like the calm before the storm?


    The calmer the atmosphere, the more terrible the storm will be.


    "I ..." London swallowed hard.


    L hurriedly placed her wine glass on the table beside her chair and stood up. She touched London''s forehead and checked his temperature.


    "Are you sick?" asked the girl. "Can''t sleep? Hm ... you don''t have a fever ... but your face looks very pale ..."


    She c.a.r.e.s.sed London''s face and stroked his hair attentively.


    London didn''t understand what magic was this...


    "I can''t sleep. I thought about everything carefully and, finally, I realized that I ..." London was in the middle of his words when L suddenly pulled his hand to walk back toward his room.


    "You must not be sick for long. I need your help to take care of Lily and this house ..." L murmured. As soon as they arrived in London''s bedroom, she pushed the man''s body onto the bed and pressed his c.h.e.s.t with her tiny hand. "You wait here. I''ll get the medicine that Doctor Alice gave me. It is very effective for headaches."


    How strange ... very strange ... thought London. He did not understand what had just happened. Why isn''t L mad at him?


    Was L teaching him a lesson?


    London still wondered and couldn''t answer his own question, when L returned to his room with a pill and a glass of water.


    "Drink ..." L said firmly while sitting on the edge of the bed. London was about to refuse because he was actually not sick. But seeing the serious look on L''s face, he could not object.


    Finally, he took the pill and handed the glass back to L.


    "L.. I want to..." London stopped mid-sentence as L looked at him with a frown.


    "What did you say?" She said. And suddenly, as if aware of something, the girl sighed.


    "What''s wrong?" Now it was London''s turn to be confused.


    "Ahh ... I forgot I was still listening to music," the girl said. She pulled her beautiful loose hair to the back of her ears and took out small wireless earphones from her ears. She put the two earphones in her pocket then looked at London deeply. "What did you say? The medicine was bitter? Sorry, well, all drugs are bitter. If you are sick, you have to take it. Hmm ... by the way, I had never seen you sick before..."


    "I''m not sick," said London in a choked voice. He just realized that apparently, L did not hear any of his confessions.


    That''s why the girl was not angry at all.


    Ouch ... what do I do? Do I have to repeat my confession?


    London was conflicting. Doing it once already felt so terrible. He did not know how he could repeat all his words spoken on the veranda.


    "You are obviously sick, your face looks pale," said L. She shook her head with a motherly expression that reminded London of his mother. The girl touched London''s cheeks attentively. "You don''t have to pretend to be strong in front of me. Humans must have weaknesses and limited physical capacity. I know you have worked very hard to take care of all of our renovations and our move here. They must have made you very tired, to the point that finally fell ill like this. I''m sorry that I haven''t had the chance to thank you properly."


    London was stunned to hear L.''s words.


    This is not a dream, right?


    Secretly he pinched his own waist.


    He looked at L with a look of disbelief.


    "I know that I''ve been very temperamental and sometimes curt to you ..." L continued her words in a very soft voice. London didn''t even know L had this kind of soft side in her. The soft side of L was apparently very sweet and made her look more feminine and beautiful. London''s ears perked up, trying to catch every word L said to him. "I''m used to taking care of myself, and can''t trust others. I know it''s a bad habit ... but I can''t change it easily. Since in the orphanage, I have to always be selfish and only think about myself because other people won''t help me."


    "L ... you can trust me ... I will do anything to make you happy ..." London said in a low voice. Every time he heard L talk about her life in the orphanage, he felt so bad.


    "I know ..." L smiled and touched London''s hand and patted it softly. "While I was sitting outside, I thought a lot about us, and how much you''ve always helped me without complaining. I''ve never met anyone like you. You''re a hard worker, you''d do anything for Lily and me, and you also keep all your words. I don''t think I''ll ever meet a man as good as you in this world."


    London swallowed hard at L''s words. His c.h.e.s.t was pounding.


    "Therefore, I want us to turn over a new leaf. I will forget everything you did in the past, about how you were following me and your connection to the mafia or whatever it is. Let it be a part of the past. I believe in you and I know everything you did was for my good and Lily''s sake. I will also break off my engagement with Danny Swann. He and I have a past relationship that I cannot explain now, but I promise to explain it someday. "


    "You ... you are going to break off the engagement with Danny Swann?" London''s voice was full of hope. He was happy as a button to hear this statement.


    L nodded. "When I decided to choose Lily, I decided to stay. That means I will stay with you and Lily."


    "Oh, L ..." London rubbed his teary eyes. He was very touched.


    "Why did you suddenly make that decision?" asked London in a voice filled with novelty.


    "This is not a sudden decision. I''ve been thinking about it for five days," L. answered. "You''re a good man, you''re also a good father. I''d be lucky to be able to live with you and Lily."


    "Wait a minute ..." London got out of bed and hurriedly got down on one knee before L. "You mean ... you ... you want to marry me?"


    L rolled her eyes, but this time she smiled.


    "As usual ... you can''t do it right. No flowers ... no ring," said the girl pretending to sulk. "You..."


    London knew that L was willing to accept his proposal. He didn''t know what happened, but clearly this time L gave a clear sign that she was willing to spend her life with London and Lily ... and she was ready to marry the man.


    "I''ll get the ring ready as soon as possible ..." London whispered in a voice filled with happiness. He got up and pulled L to his c.h.e.s.t and hugged her tightly. He then cupped her face and landed a passionate kiss on L''s s.e.xy lips. "Thank you..."

 Chapter 678 - Honesty Is More Precious Than Gold

    London had never felt as happy as he was that night. The girl who made him fall madly in love was finally willing to accept his proposal! He almost wanted to climb the roof of their house and shout toward the Schneider Mansion to tell the rest of his family, and the world, that L was willing to marry him!!


    L, who was materialistic, even accepted him without knowing that London was actually very wealthy...


    Imagine that!


    This really moved him.


    He kissed L solemnly as if the girl''s lips were a sacred piece that he must treat with respect. He only let L go after the girl pushed him hard that he fell back onto the bed.


    "You must rest now! You can''t be sick for long ..." said the girl.


    London was astonished to see the change in L''s attitude. Wasn''t L very sweet and so attentive just now? Why now back to being temperamental?


    "How could you treat a sick person this way?" complained London. If L was nice to him because she thought he was sick, then he would keep pretending to be sick.


    His face frowned, and the man made a sound like he was in pain. L, who was about to leave the room, finally turned to approach him and sat on the edge of the bed.


    "Where does it hurt?" asked the girl. "Didn''t you take medicine? You didn''t look sick when you kissed me."


    "Hmm ... maybe that''s the cure. When we kissed, my headache dissipated..." said London looking at L with his puppy eyes, hoping for her to feel sorry for him.


    "It''s weird. I''ve never heard of such a thing," L grumbled. "That must be just an excuse."


    "No ... I''m honest, Honey. My headache was gone, but now it''s back again ... Maybe if you rub my head, the pain will disappear," London whimpered shamelessly. Finally, L was forced to rub his head. The man enjoyed it with his eyes closed, and a smile shamelessly decorated his face. His lips made ''hmm'' sound many times. "Hmmm ... you must have a magic touch. L is indeed an amazing woman ... hmmm ..."


    L just rolled her eyes at London''s effort to flirt, but she wasn''t angry.


    London really enjoyed lying on his bed with his eyes closed, while L sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his head.


    Finland still treated her children affectionately until they were older. So, it was normal for them to lie on their mother''s l.a.p and told her about their day while she rubbed their heads until they fell asleep,


    London was thrilled to think that he would get such affection from his wife. L was indeed the perfect woman for him!


    "Honey ... please stay with me here until my headache disappears, okay?" London opened one eye and looked at L hopefully. "You''re already willing to marry me ... There is nothing to stop you from staying here with me, right?"


    L shook her head and patted London''s forehead as if the grown man was a kid caught stealing candy. "I can''t stay here. You''re a pervert and can''t be trusted."


    "So, once we are married, do you want to accompany me here?" London asked again.


    Okay. He would immediately ask Jan to prepare a wedding tomorrow. Early tomorrow morning, if necessary.


    L turned her gaze around London''s room and clicked her tongue several times.


    "Your room is nice, but it''s not big enough. I don''t want to stay here."


    "Oh ..." London immediately sat on his bed. "Then I''ll move to your room! When do you want to get married?"


    "Give me a month. I''ll break off the engagement with Danny first and settle a few things," she said finally.


    One month!


    For a long time, London lamented silently.


    He looked at L and tried to read her. "L ... I''ve seen that Danny Swann and as far as I know he comes from a well off family. Why ... why did you change your mind? Besides Lily ... is there anything else that made you choose me?"


    He really wanted to hear L say that L had fallen in love with him, and love had opened L''s eyes that now she understood how love was more precious than wealth...


    L looked back at London deeply and then answered. "Killian ... I have been living with only one goal in life ... that is to get my revenge. I don''t care how, but I have to become strong, rich, and powerful. Because my power is limited, I will shamelessly borrow people''s powers. You know that I''m notorious for being materialistic ... It was because I realize, as a weak and poor woman, I don''t have the power and wealth to take revenge. I only have my beauty and body ... so that''s what I will use as a weapon to get my revenge, by finding a really wealthy and powerful man who can help me ... "


    "Revenge ...? To whom?" asked London attentively. He felt tense because, for the first time, L was willing to open herself up to him.


    Now he understood ... the reason why L was so determined to find a very rich husband ...


    It turned out that L was holding a grudge against someone.


    "I want to take revenge for the people who killed my whole family ..." L said in a flat voice. She looked away, and her eyes seemed to gaze far to the distance. "My life was terrible and full of suffering because it was filled with vengeance. But after I saw Lily ... I realized that revenge would only eat away my life and I will never find happiness."


    "L ... who did it? Who killed your family?" London asked again, his voice sounded tense. He now remembered L''s fear of thunder, which she said sounded like a gunshot. Did her whole family was shot by bad people?


    L entered an orphanage at the age of eight ...


    This means that her whole family was killed when she was very young ...


    For some reason, London felt pain in his c.h.e.s.t. He was imagining that L had to go through all that suffering, and lived a lonely life filled with a vengeance ...


    "That''s not important right now ..." L sighed softly. She then turned to London and rubbed his cheeks. "Lily makes me want to forget my vengeance. I don''t want anything else in this world. I just want to raise her. With you. I don''t want any rich men to help me get revenge anymore. I now wish to live quietly. You make me realize that a quiet life is far more important than anything. Even though you are poor, you always make sure Lily and I can live well. I really appreciate it. Sorry for intentionally being so annoying and bitchy toward you. I just wanted to drive you away. I thought you would give up if I continued my charade... but you never give up. "


    London was stunned to hear L''s words.


    Meaning, actually, all this time, L was deliberately acting bitchy and annoying in front of him...


    Because L wanted London to stop chasing her...?


    "L ...? Did you really do all those... on purpose?" London couldn''t believe his own hearing.


    L sighed. "You''re a good man. People like you are rare. So far, all the men I''ve met are liars or jerks. You''re different. You''re responsible, you''re honest and hard-working. You''re also very patient with me ..."


    London admitted that he was indeed responsible and hard-working, and also patient. But honest... Ah ... he hadn''t been honest with L.


    "L ... actually I ..." London decided to confess his sins again to L because he didn''t want the girl to misunderstand again.


    However, before he could finish his sentence. L had pulled his neck and kissed his lips intimately.


    London closed his eyes and enjoyed L''s kiss. His mind went blank. It was the girl''s first initiative to kiss him. Usually, it was London who initiated any intimacy between them, but now ... L kissed him first! London was stunned.


    When he was about to return L''s kiss L more passionately, the girl had escaped from his arms. L looked at him deeply as her hands cupped his face. L''s face looked solemn.


    "I am a very simple person, Killian. I have never demanded material from you, I never will. For me, wealth is not really important. But if you lied to me, I will never forgive you. Honesty is the most valuable treasure a human can have. It is more precious than gold."


    Instantly London''s throat pained when he heard L''s words just now.


    Earlier, he almost confessed and come clean with all his lies to L.


    "What were you trying to say?" L asked, puzzled to see London''s expression on his pale face.


    "Uhmm ... I was about to say ..." London swallowed.


    "Yes?"


    "I wanted to say that I love you ..."


    Damn damn damn ....


    Now, how can he come clean and reveal all his secrets to L? He had lied to her too many times!

 Chapter 679 - You Pervert!

    L seemed amused to see how London was never tired of expressing his love to her. She pushed London to lie on the bed and rubbed his head. Her beautiful face had become serious again.


    "Let''s go to sleep quickly, so tomorrow you will feel better. I need you to take care of Lily all day. I have important business to attend," L said firmly.


    "What business? Can I come with you?" asked London in surprise.


    He suspected this had something to do with L breaking off the engagement with Danny Swann.


    "I can''t tell you now," L. answered. "I don''t want you involved."


    "Don''t want me involved? We''re getting married, I''m your husband, of course, I have to get involved," London said stubbornly. He immediately became worried about letting L finish her business alone.


    L looked at him sharply.


    "We are not married yet." His words sounded flat. "I am indebted to Danny''s family. There''s no way I could bring you to them to break off the engagement? That is rude. I''m not an ungrateful person."


    "Oh ..." London finally nodded.


    It means his guess was right.


    He understood the reason L did not want to take him along. So, finally, he relented. Tomorrow he will order Marc to observe and protect L. Let Marc be his eyes and ears around L.


    London was relieved that L was really going to cut ties with Danny. He will trust L to do things her way, and he would not interfere.


    "Alright ... I''m fine. You should rest," London said to her. He did not want to keep L with him longer with his imaginary headache. He knew L also needed to sleep.


    He shuddered when he realized that him pretending to be sick was also another lie.


    What a bad habit! He must stop lying to L.


    "Are you really feeling better?" L asked him. She wanted to be sure.


    London nodded. He took off his shirt and placed it on the bedside table, then covered his body with the duvet. "I''m going to sleep now."


    "Hmm .. okay." L picked that shirt from the table and brought it with her to be put in the washing machine. "Then, sleep well. I''ll pump milk for Lily and put it in the refrigerator, then I''ll sleep."


    Instantly London''s ears became erect. He opened one eye. "Do you need help?"


    L just threw a pillow to the man''s face and went out of his room, complaining. "You pervert ...!"


    "Why ...? What did I do wrong? I was just offering to help?" London shamelessly caught the pillow that nearly struck his handsome face and held it to sleep.


    Hmm ...


    He felt so lucky. What great timing. L asked for a month to clear up her business. She would break off her engagement with Danny Swann and then meet his family.


    Meanwhile, London would order Jan to investigate the Swann family and find out all information about L''s past from them.


    London must find out who killed the family of the girl he loved and caused L to suffer. Although L had given up her revenge, London couldn''t just let the culprit go free.


    No one ... no one who touched his family could live peacefully without getting a punishment.


    He only needed to wait another month ... after all L''s business was done (with London helping her quietly from behind), he would propose to the girl properly. He would do it exactly like what L wanted, with thousands of flowers and the most expensive diamond ring in the world ... with an orc.h.e.s.tra, witnessed by all of his family members.


    And ... ah, wouldn''t L''s puerperal period also be over by then?


    Thinking about that made London giggle happily. It was really the perfect time to hold a wedding.


    That night London slept with a grin on his face.


    ***


    The next day, L excused herself to go finish her business. After the girl left, London immediately coordinated with Marc and Allen, who were tasked with observing and protecting L from afar. While he chose to work from home so he could be close to Lily.


    He will not violate L''s trust by leaving Lily at home with the nurse while L was away. He put on sterile scrubs over his clothes and entered their private NICU room where Lily was being treated and brought his tablet with him.


    After the nurse finished cleaning Lily and gave her milk, London sat on the couch and turned on Virconnect so he could talk to Jan and discuss work and other things.


    "How is Miss Lily?" Jan asked when their Virconnect lines were connected.


    "Fine. She is home now. So far, her condition is fine," London answered. He felt delighted when other people greeted him by first asking how his daughter was doing.


    Ah ... maybe that''s what all parents feel, he thought. He made a mental note to ask how his staff''s children were doing when he returned to the office. They must be delighted that he asked about their kids.


    "Ah, thank God. All the doctors and hospital staff involved have signed the confidentiality agreement, so they won''t dare to divulge about Miss L''s situation and about the Schneider family," Jan continued his report.


    "That is very nice." London looked thoughtful for a moment. He remembered how L told him a little about her past. He wanted Jan to immediately find out what really happened. "Jan ... please, investigate the Swann family, and find out who is around them. Search for information all the way back to 10 years ago. I suspect they have a close relationship with L."


    "Yes, Sir." Jan recorded London''s request on his tablet. He then tilted his head and looked at London attentively. "Is there anything else?"


    "I also want you to help me prepare the most romantic proposal. You can make this an internal contest within our creative department. Later, the most interesting idea will be chosen, and the winner will get a big bonus. Remember, money is not an issue."


    Jan was stunned to hear his boss''s words. He did not need to ask who the proposal was for because he could guess the answer. Who else if not the artist.


    As she recalled, since London met L 7 months ago, he had never talked about any other woman. So ... it must be L.


    After discussing various work and personal matters, London hung up so that Jan could return to work. London looked at the clock and counted that he still had a few hours before L returned.


    Therefore, he decided to visit his family''s mansion at the end of the road. The weather was very sunny, and their residential area was indeed beautiful, making him want to enjoy the moment on foot.


    He missed his father''s cooking. He also missed his mother''s hug. London wanted to come to them to complain that he failed to reveal his secret to L, again. It means his family still had to wait for their chance to be officially introduced to L and come to visit Lily.


    "Please, take care of Lily, okay. I need to go outside for a moment. I''m only going next door," London told Diana and Jean, the two live-in nurses who would be staying in their home for the next three months to take turns caring for Lily.


    "Very well, Sir," said Diana and Jean respectfully.


    London came out of the gate and walked towards the Schneider Mansion. He was not worried about leaving Lily for a while because he trusted the two nurses.


    Besides, he had also set up hidden cameras that Dave was watching all the time. If anything happened, he would be able to act immediately and save Lily.

 Chapter 680 - I Tried, But I Cant

    Rune was busy fiddling with something on a garden bench when he saw his brother enter their mansion''s courtyard. He raised his face and smiled broadly.


    "So, what happened? I heard from Jan about the rain last night. Did your plan work?" he asked in a cheerful voice.


    London just frowned and shook his head. "Not even close. Somehow it''s very hard, to tell the truth to L. Even though I''ve tried."


    "What happened?" Rune asked attentively. London, who was close to his youngest brother, was always open to Rune. Without hesitation, he told him about the problem. He was not sure that Rune would be able to help, but there was no harm in telling his younger brother to lighten his burden a little.


    Runes only shook his head in response to London''s story. He understood his brother had missed the right moment to open up about his true identity to L.


    L had already had a certain view of her brother, and the girl had made it clear that she didn''t like being lied to. All his brother''s virtue as a responsible, hardworking, and honest man would just vanish if L felt that she was lied to.


    Uhm... hardworking? Wait... London hardly ever pulled a finger, though. All the ''hard work'' was done by his staff and people who worked under him.


    All his lies, even if they were small and not fatal, would acc.u.mulate and made L doubt his character. As soon as L found out about London''s lies, he would assume everything the man was doing was a lie, and she didn''t know which ones were the truth, and which ones were lies.


    The consequences must be horrifying!


    "You must come clean to her as soon as possible ..." said Rune. "I''ve never had a girlfriend, but I know that women don''t like being lied to. The longer you wait, the worse it will get."


    "You think I don''t know that?" London grumbled. "I have tried to be honest with her twice. TWICE. The first one, I was really unlucky. I had poured out my heart''s contents, but apparently, she was not listening. She was listening to music through her earphones. Then, after she said she was willing to marry me, I tried again to tell her who I was ... but ... you know, she said very firmly that she would never forgive me if I ever lied to her. For her, lying is a grave offense. I can''t risk making her upset and stressed. L is b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, and Lily still in critical condition ... Do you understand my point of view? I can''t harm both of them."


    "Then how long will you cover your identity?" asked Rune in surprise.


    "I will wait for the right time. At least, after Lily becomes healthy and can drink the immortality potion. I will tell the truth to L when she is in a good mood. As long as she is still thinking about the Swann family and her parents'' killers ... I can''t rest."


    L would be devastated because she felt cheated. She might get furious. London could accept L''s anger and suffer the consequences. He was willing to be hated or punished or even beaten if that could make L satisfied, but he was still horrified by what happened last week. L was furious when he learned that London was monitoring her and installed a camera in their apartment.


    The incident made L angry and stressed so that Lily was born much earlier. London did not have the heart to make L experience a similar situation, so he was always cautious now.


    He was willing to wait until L was ready to accept the truth until Lily was healthy and their family situation was safe. As an Alchemist, he was never in a hurry.


    "What if it takes years until L is ready to accept your honesty?" asked Rune curiously.


    "I have no problem with that. L is still very young herself. She is not yet 20 years old ... even if I need ten years to wait for her to be ready, I think it''s okay ..." London answered in a confident voice.


    "If it''s longer than that?" Rune asked again.


    "What do you mean?"


    "For example, what if it took more than ten years?"


    London finally pondered on his brother''s words. If it reallt took more than ten years, it would certainly be very difficult for him to hide the truth. His appearance would look really young, even though he would age. In ten years, he would be close to 40 years old.


    Ugh ... He couldn''t wait more than ten years.


    "You didn''t go to the office today?" Suddenly Caspar''s voice came from the mansion''s doorway. London immediately turned toward the voice and came to his father.


    "No, Dad. I am working from home today. L is out taking care of something. I was looking after Lily, but I decided to stop by here for a moment. I miss you guys." London replied while hugging his father. "Are you still in Germany until next month?"


    "Depends," Caspar answered lightly. "A few months ago, your mother and I went to Indonesia. It turned out your mother really likes Bali. So I promised her that I would bring her back there for another honeymoon. Actually, we intended to return there next week. But if you have an important event, of course, we can postpone it. "


    London was used to seeing his mother and father traveling to exotic places in the world for their ''nth honeymoon. He no longer frowned when he heard his father discuss intimate matters with his mother.


    In fact, he could now imagine himself and L honeymooning once a year following in the footsteps of his parents, once Lily grew up. It must be really fun!


    "Oh ... you want to go to Bali? It''s okay ... as long as you come back next month. I''ll get married," London said with a grin.


    His father raised an eyebrow and joined in with a big smile. "Ahh .. so the singer has accepted your proposal? That''s great!"


    Finland, who had just come from the living room, had heard her son''s words about him getting married. Her face was radiant.


    "Whoaa... that is such good news! Where are you going to get married? We can do it in our castle in Stuttgart, or do you want to do it somewhere else? You can choose anywhere. Oh my God.. I can''t wait to help L choose a wedding dress ..."


    Seeing how his mother was really excited, London''s c.h.e.s.t immediately felt heavy again. His mother would certainly want to be involved in his wedding. But how? He still couldn''t tell L everything


    "Uhm ... we still need to wait for that, Mom ... I''m sorry." London looked at his mother with regret. "I still can''t tell L everything."


    "Oh ..." Finland exchanged glances with her husband. A look of disappointment was clearly seen on her face.


    "I''m sorry, really. I''ve tried ..." London could only bow his head sadly. "But I can''t risk making L stressed. I''ll try again later ..."

 Chapter 681 - Cooking Is A Statement Of Love

    London''s family finally understood the reason for the young man to withhold the truth from L. He was trying to find the right time, and they didn''t want to add to his burden. They knew he would work hard to solve this problem.


    "I have never heard anything like this happened before. Some rich guy has to pretend to be poor to get a woman. And for him to tell her the truth, to reveal that he was actually very wealthy, turns out to be very difficult," commented Rune with a laugh. His family was discussing London''s problem while enjoying high tea together. "It''s a complicated problem, but it''s funny."


    "I feel sorry for L. Imagine, the people around her know who I am, but she doesn''t," uttered London.


    "Who else knows about your identity?" asked Rune.


    "Hmm ... Jan and you all know it. Lily too, that''s for sure. I often whisper to her what happened." London''s eyes always looked sparkle with happiness when mentioning his child. "Then Pammy, L''s manager also knows, all the doctors who handled her at the hospital, and the two nurses who are staying with us now to care for Lily, they also know ..."


    Rune was astonished at his brother''s words. He was reminded of the time when he was playing tricks on London by secretly sticking a paper that said, ''I JUST FARTED'' on his brother''s back when they were little.


    Everyone who saw the writing on the paper laughed at London all day, but because London did not see the note, he did not understand why they were all laughing at him.


    Gosh ... this felt exactly like that! Imagine how L would feel later when she found out that everyone around her knew about her husband''s secret, but she didn''t. Of course, she would feel like a laughingstock, because she was like a fool who didn''t know anything.


    "Gosh ... Brother, your life is terrible. I don''t want to be in your shoes then." Rune could only shake his head. "Good luck."


    ***


    London was back at his house when L returned. The girl''s face looked tired. London could suspect that L''s meeting with Danny did not go too well.


    Marc even sent photos of L from his observation spot. Her face looked sad and upset while talking to Danny while the man''s expression looked hurt.


    Unfortunately, Marc could not read lips, so he did not know what they were talking about.


    [You must learn to lipread then. Go look for a good lip-reading teacher.]


    With annoyance, London could only make the bodyguard learn how to read lips, so that next time, when he was sent to follow L again, he would be able to give a more comprehensive report.


    London really wanted to know what upset L so much. But seeing L''s tired expression and her resting bitch face that said ''do not disturb'', London decided he wouldn''t mention it at all. He did not want to make L even more annoyed if she had to remember what happened between her and Danny Swann.


    Therefore, he tried to distract L from things that made her upset by inviting her to eat.


    "Hey, you''re home, Do you want to eat dinner now, Honey?" he asked softly. "I can prepare it."


    L''s forehead creased when he called her ''Honey.'' She felt London never called her by name since she allowed him to call her ''Honey.'' London seemed to really enjoy this new nickname.


    L''s mood was terrible, but she didn''t have the heart to respond curtly to London''s attentive words. Finally, she could only nod without saying anything. She then followed London into the dining room and saw the man preparing the ingredients and immediately got ready to cook.


    "We can start using an automation system from RMI for this house. If you start your job, your energy and time will be used up for work. I don''t want to see you doing trivial things like cooking ..." L commented suddenly.


    "Why...? I cook because I am happy to see you eat healthy and delicious food," London answered with a smile. He had never done such ''trivial'' work for anyone else.


    In the penthouse where he lived, he also had an automation system and robot servants who did everything. But specifically for L and Lily, he would gladly set aside time and energy, just like his father Caspar had always done.


    His father was a very busy man who had many interests and activities, moreover, in addition to being a businessman, he was also the respected clan leader. But 30 years ago, he decided to focus his attention only on his family. For the man, cooking for his family is a statement of love, which he gladly did every day.


    Enjoying his father''s cooking and their togetherness at the dining table was part of London''s beautiful memories of his childhood. So, he wanted Lily to experience the same thing.


    That''s why he made it a habit to cook delicious food for L, and later for Lily, once their daughter could eat solid food.


    "I love doing it. For me, cooking for you is a statement of love," London answered with a smile. He pinched L''s nose with a mischievous expression, trying to improve the girl''s mood. "Don''t tell me, you don''t like my cooking? Isn''t it delicious?"


    L shook his head slowly. "It''s delicious ... I''m just not used to it."


    "Oh ... in my home, my father loved cooking for us. We grew up enjoying his food every day. My siblings and I often helped him while learning new recipes from him. You could say, moments in the kitchen and at our dining table with my family were the times I always remember with a happy heart." London explained.


    L looked pensive to hear that. "Your family seems very pleasant ..."


    "They are..." London suddenly felt like he was getting a breath of fresh air. He knew how he would be able to tell his identity to L. He would often talk about his family to the girl. Slowly, L would feel as if she knew them and felt close because London often talked about his family. London continued, "If you help me chop vegetables, I''ll tell you about my family ..."


    L finally nodded and smiled slightly. She approached London and took the vegetables from his hands. "You could ask me to help you cook."


    "You''re a s.e.xy assistant. Of course, I''m happy to be assisted by a girl as beautiful as you," said London, who would never miss an opportunity to compliment and flirt with L.


    L just hit his shoulder, but the girl smiled. Which woman didn''t like being praised by a handsome man? In this case, L was just a normal girl.

 Chapter 682 - Dinner With L

    L finally nodded and smiled slightly. She approached London and took the vegetables from his hands. "You could ask me to help you cook."


    "You''re a s.e.xy assistant. Of course, I''m happy to be assisted by a girl as beautiful as you," said London, who would never miss an opportunity to compliment and flirt with L.


    L just hit his shoulder, but the girl smiled. Which woman didn''t like being praised by a handsome man? In this case, L was just a normal girl.


    After helping London in the kitchen, L realized that she actually enjoyed cooking dinner together. While cutting vegetables and preparing simple dishes, they chatted slowly about London''s family.


    The man told her about his sister who was very beautiful and now lived in Singapore with her husband. He told her that his sister had two pairs of twins.


    "Ahh ... I can''t imagine giving birth to twins like your sister! Delivering one baby was already very painful and difficult ..." L commented when she heard it. "Your sister is a great woman!"


    London also shared about his brother who was a workaholic and lived in New York. This brother insisted that London name his child after him.


    "Terry? I don''t like the name ..." L said when she heard his story. "Even if our son is a boy, if you plan to name him Terry one-sidedly, I will divorce you!"


    London only grinned at L''s words. He raised his hand as if making a solemn vow, "I promise I will never name our child one-sidedly ..."


    "It''s good if you understand," grumbled L.


    While stirring the soup in the pan, London then talked of his youngest brother, who liked to experiment and had created a baby cry translator. L''s face looked very happy to hear that.


    "Really? Tell your brother to send one here. We will need it soon as Lily is able to cry ..."


    "Yes ... I''ll ask him to send one later," answered London. He took one spoonful of soup and blew on it until it was not too hot and then showed it to L''s lips. "Honey, try tasting this soup. Is it good?"


    L tasted the soup and nodded happily. "It''s delicious. Now, I''m hungry."


    After all their dishes were done, the two then sat at the dining table and enjoyed dinner together. The atmosphere felt so warm and pleasant. However, L refused when London was about to pour wine into her glass.


    "Why? Didn''t the doctor say it''s okay to drink a little while b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding?" asked London in surprise.


    L shook her head. "I was agitated after my meeting with Danny, so I drank a glass in the hotel bar. I can''t drink any more tonight, I haven''t pumped my milk. I don''t want Lily''s milk to contain alcohol. You know I have to wait at least two hours before I could pump after drinking wine."


    "Oh ..."


    London looked at L with a loving look. Women made so many sacrifices once they become mothers, he thought. In addition to many who sacrificed their careers, women who chose to give birth to their children must also sacrifice losing their beautiful figures.


    Very few lucky women could return to having a slim and s.e.xy body after they give birth, especially if they gave birth more than once. Not to mention, their bodies would be decorated with stretch marks due to their swollen abdomen and legs during pregnancy.


    Besides that, pregnant and b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding women must pay close attention to what they eat because it would affect their fetuses and babies.


    B.r.e.a.s.tfeeding women should not eat spicy foods, because babies who couldn''t stand spicy would be in pain when the milk they drank contained the spicy taste. In addition, intake of alcoholic beverages such as wine must also be limited; a b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding woman could only drink a little and wait two hours before b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding so the alcohol wouldn''t affect the milk they produced for their babies.


    Seeing how a young, beautiful, and successful girl like L sacrificed it all, for the next two years, for the sake of their baby, London became moved.


    For a moment, he just stared at L without blinking. This made L wonder and waved her hand in front of his face.


    "Hey, what''s wrong with you?"


    London finally shook his head and smiled. He pulled L''s hand to his lips and kissed her hand lovingly. "Nothing. You must eat a lot, okay..."


    ***


    London didn''t know what happened between L and Danny. What was clear was that L gave him bad news during their dinner. She could not marry London immediately, and she refused to tell him the reason.


    "I don''t understand. Why does it change again? You said before you only needed a month to clear up your business ... Why do we need to wait six months now? Did the swan threaten you? I could go to him and teach him a lesson," London said irritably. "Is it really because of him?"


    "I don''t want to discuss it now. Please. My head hurts thinking about it."


    "If he really threatened you, I would go to him ..."


    "Killian! Do you want to listen to my words or not?" Suddenly L stood up and held London''s hand. "You. Must. Not. See. Him. I don''t want him to know who you are."


    "Eh ... why is that? Why do I have to hide?" asked London in confusion. He is not shameful. There was no reason for him to be afraid or hide from others.


    "Because I don''t want you to be involved, okay? Do you understand why it burdens me so much?" said L. "For me, Lily and you are a part of my personal life. I don''t want to share you with the public. If you look for him, he will know your identity ..."


    London frowned. He began to understand what was happening.

 Chapter 683 - Ls Mysterious Past

    "Wait a minute ..." He touched L''s hand. "Did he threaten to spread to the public that you were pregnant and gave birth to a child out of wedlock? Is that your concern? You''re afraid he will find out who I am, and where we live?"


    Finally, L nodded slowly. "He refused to break off the engagement. He said if I insist, he will spread the news that I was pregnant and giving birth. You know how bad it is for my career."


    "I don''t understand where is the problem? We just need to announce that we are married," London replied.


    "We can''t ..." complained L. "You know I can''t lie. I hate lies. You want me to violate my own principles?"


    London sighed. He really liked L who had integrity, but for this kind of situation, he hoped L didn''t mind lying.


    Just this once...


    "Okay .. well, if you say so. What if people know? In modern times like now, things like that are common." He tried to argue again.


    "Not with me. My career has just begun, and now I am quite famous. You can imagine how damaged my image will be. I''m still 19 years old ..." L cupped her face with both hands and began to cry. "They won''t care if I''m just a victim. My career will be destroyed..."


    "Honey ... your career won''t be ruined ... You''re very talented ..." London became confused when he saw L start to cry.


    "My career will be ruined ... and I won''t be able to finance this house and care for Lily ..." L cried even more wistfully. "You know how expensive all Lily''s treatment costs are ... I can''t possibly bother my agency all the time. You know how much I owe Mr. Schneider a great deal of gratitude. He has been so kind to me, and I pay him back with a scandal!"


    L was now sobbing.


    London understood L''s concern. The girl was scared that her career would be ruined because of a scandal if the news about her being pregnant and giving birth outside marriage to spread out.


    The scandal could be twisted to make her look like she was a s.l.u.tty teenage girl who did not deserve to be a role model for the younger generation.


    For L, her career was very important because she relied on her income as an artist to support their family because she still thought London was poor. The man claimed to have just had a job interview, and the results would only be announced in a week.


    So now, you could say London was still unemployed in L''s eyes. So, of course, she was worried about her life and Lily if her career was ruined ...


    Ugh ... thinking about it made London want to hug L tightly and whisper to her that she didn''t need to worry anymore about anything in this world. He, London Schneider, would provide everything ...


    But for now, he was forced to hold back.


    He could only hug L and say, "Okay ... you calm down first. We''ll talk again tomorrow. I''ll help you think about it."


    L still cried for another half an hour before finally she nodded and broke away from London''s arms.


    "I''ll pump first and say hello to Lily, then go to sleep. Good night," the girl said in a weak voice.


    "Good night, Honey." London nodded and let L go to her room.


    He then cleaned up their dishes and then entered his room. There, he called Jan and asked him to immediately find out all the information about Danny Swann.


    "I want to know everything about him. I want to know how many shoes he has, what he ate this morning, whoever he has made angry ... EVERYTHING." London was furious at Danny, who had upset L to tears. He wanted to know what was the reason for the man not to release L.


    After he knew everything about Danny, he would use that information to find ways to pressure Danny to let L go, without having to intervene as London Schneider.


    "Very well, Sir. Oh, by the way... I have found some interesting information about Ms. L''s family ..." Jan said later. "The report just came in from Allen."


    "All right, I want to hear it." London sat, crossing his legs in his office chair and listened to Jan''s explanation.


    "Allen investigated all the acquaintances and people associated with the Swann family for the past 20 years. It turns out that the patriarch of the Swann family, Danny''s grandfather, had a friend. They used to serve in the military together. They had an agreement to do matchmaking between their kids. Unfortunately, their children are both males, so the arranged marriage is then passed on to his grandson... "


    London was very interested in hearing this information from Jan. Could this be what L meant as her engagement?


    "Then?" He asked impatiently.


    "Their grandchildren happened to be born male and female. Actually, the first grandson was supposed to be in that arranged marriage, but he died as a child by drowning. So this matchmaking was passed down to his younger brother, Danny."


    "Let me guess ... the granddaughter of the other family is ... L?" London asked curiously.


    "You''re right, Sir. Miss L is the first child of two siblings. Her little brother died in the shooting 10 years ago, along with their parents." Jan explained. "I am not sure what happened, but I found this data when investigating De Maestri family in France."


    "Jan ... I''m exhausted. I can''t follow bit by bit information ... Can you explain everything in full?" pleaded London in a voice that showed he was getting annoyed.


    Jan cleared his throat. "I''m about to explain everything, Sir. Please, be patient a little ..."


    "Hmm ..."


    "So, Allen investigated all families related to the Swann family and found that 20 years ago, this family entered into an arranged marriage agreement with the De Maestri family. The De Maestri family lived in Paris. But suddenly a tragedy befell the family. The whole family was slaughtered by strangers. Mister De Maestri and his wife, together with their youngest child, were killed, while their daughter disappeared. The police suspected that it was an act of revenge by criminals who were sent to prison by Mr. De Maestri. He was a judge, a very respectable one, and a lot of criminals hated him ..."


    London immediately felt a pain in his c.h.e.s.t. He could imagine how L witnessed the murder at a very young age. She had to live on her own and suffer alone until she ended up in an orphanage. She later had to take care of herself since she was 16 years old.


    Did L know who killed her family? Why did she hold such a grudge and want to marry a very wealthy and powerful man to help her get her revenge?


    Why was she not saved by the Swann family after the murder?

 Chapter 684 - L Wants A Puppy

    London immediately felt a pain in his c.h.e.s.t. He could imagine how L witnessed the murder at a very young age. She had to live on her own and suffer alone until she ended up in an orphanage. She later had to take care of herself since she was 16 years old.


    Did L know who killed her family? Why did she hold such a grudge and want to marry a very wealthy and powerful man to help her get her revenge?


    Why was she not saved by the Swann family after the murder?


    Questions after questions filled his head as he thought about everything.


    London was relieved that he could slowly find out about L''s past. Even though he was devastated to learn that what she was experiencing was far more terrible than what London had expected.


    L watched her family massacred, and she had to live a miserable life alone ... until finally, she could become an artist and made money.


    Nevertheless, still ... even though L was now living comfortably, London knew the trauma and suffering of her past must still haunt the girl.


    He hung up after listening to Jan''s report more thoroughly. He was determined to handle everything and oversee it himself so that L could find her family''s killers and take her revenge properly.


    He would also take care of Danny Swann and his family to let go of L voluntarily ... if not, they would get the consequences.


    He then walked out of his room and looked for L into the NICU room, but he did not find her there. Maybe L was already sleeping, he thought.


    He then walked to L''s room. When the renovation process took place last week, he made sure that L had the most beautiful and comfortable room with all the best quality furniture.


    When the door to the room opened slowly, he could see L lying on her beautiful bed, seemingly trying to close her eyes. Still, it was clear she could not sleep peacefully.


    She kept tossing and turning. The girl was obviously restless and stressed. London knocked twice and entered. L opened her eyes and saw London enter her room, but she didn''t protest.


    "You can''t sleep?" asked the young man in a soft voice.


    "What do you want?" L asked in a weak voice.


    "I want to make sure you sleep peacefully. You don''t need to think about the Swann family, okay? I won''t add to your burden. I won''t look for him," London said soothingly.


    Jan would look for him, and London would wait for the results patiently.


    "Thank you ..." L replied. She closed her eyes again.


    London climbed to her bed and hugged him. He did not ask permission because he knew that L would not allow it, but he also knew that L would not kick him out. He was sure, at a time like this, anyone would need someone to lean on. Hugs from loved ones could undoubtedly reduce the feelings of sadness or resentment.


    His guess was correct. L didn''t push him away. The girl even closed her eyes in his arms, and slowly her breathing became regular.


    ***


    "I got the job!" said London happily after he pretended to take a call from the Schneider Group office. "I can start working tomorrow."


    L, who was sitting leisurely on their living room couch, writing a new song in her notebook, looked very happy to hear the news. She rose from her seat and hugged London happily.


    "Congratulations!" She let go of his arms and looked at him curiously. "How much is the salary?"


    London immediately coughed. He did not remember the standard salary for a mid-level employee at a multinational company. He forgot to ask Jan.


    "Uhmm ... not bad. It''s a surprise. Anyway, at the end of the month after I receive my wage, you can see the amount ..." he said hurriedly.


    "Hmm ... okay. But I want a gift because you finally got a job," L said again. Her eyes were filled with happiness. "I want a puppy."


    London also loved animals and, as a child, he even raised a herd of sheep with his brother Rune.


    He read that it would be good if a child grew up with pets because they would be happier in life. He had not raised any animals for years because of his busy schedule.


    "Why do you suddenly want a puppy?" he asked L.


    "I will be lonely when you go to work every day. I can''t go back to work immediately because my body shape hasn''t returned to normal .. Journalists will gossip about me if they saw me in this condition. In the meantime, I still have to avoid the public ..." L''s eyes seemed to glaze like a puppy. "I recently remembered that I had a dog when I was little, and I miss it."


    "Oh ..." London hurriedly hugged the girl before her tears fell.


    He did not know whether this was caused by her hormone because she had just given birth, or L had truly changed. It''s been a long time since she was being annoying.


    Seeing her with such puppy eyes, no man would have the heart to refuse L''s request.


    "Alright ... we can go to the shelter this afternoon if you want," London finally said with a smile. "But we must always make sure the dog does not enter the NICU room."


    There are so many critical medical devices to care for their micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby. They must not let the dog mess them up.


    "Of course, I will watch him closely. Thank you ..." L smiled and kissed London''s cheek happily.


    The young man just shook his head with a heart filled with warmth. How easy it is to make L happy, he thought. She was happy with the rain, a puppy...


    How low maintenance is this girl? London was pleased because L was not a demanding and troublesome girl.


    In fact, even if L asked him to move mountains, London could easily grant it. Especially this ... It''s only a puppy.


    ***

 Chapter 685 - Naughty Yves

    London kept his promise, and the next day he took L to the shelter to choose a puppy from there. There were so many cute ones, and if she didn''t have such good self-control, they would have adopted all of them.


    She kept saying, "Ohh... how cute! Oh my God... this one is adorable. Gosh, I love that one!!"


    The man just smiled happily from the side. He let L play with so many dogs and puppies while he watched her looking like a kid. He realized that L lost so many years, where she was supposed to enjoy life as a child. She was robbed of her family and her childhood.


    The thought made him so angry. He had a lovely and happy childhood with his siblings. He wished L could have had the same.


    After two hours of playing with the puppies and struggle to choose the one, she finally got herself a beagle puppy. She kept smiling all the way back to their home. When she smiled, London unconsciously smiled too.


    "I''m so happy!!"


    London was stunned by L''s cry when he just got out of the car. She was carrying the beagle they had just adopted from a shelter, and her face looked radiant. He had never seen L shout and laugh like that.


    "I''m happy if you''re happy," the young man replied. He took the beagle from L''s hand and strap his collar. "What will you name it?"


    L knelt beside him and stroked their beagle. "Hmm ... I''ll name it ''Yves''. Because I''m a big fan of Billie Yves."


    London hiccupped when he heard L''s words. He was not sure that Auntie Billie would be glad that her name was used for a dog. But he did not say anything. He could only hope that Auntie Billie would forgive L when they met ...


    "That is such a nice name ..." he said while holding back his hiccups. He had settled the puppy''s leash and handed it to L. "Do you want to take him for a walk in the garden? Let Yves know our house."


    L nodded. She took Yves''s leash from London''s hand, but before she could touch it, Yves had seen a squirrel outside of their gate that had not yet been closed.


    With all his strength, the jolly and healthy dog ??had jumped and run after the squirrel.


    "Hey! Yves !! Stop!! Where are you going??" L, who was startled, had to hold on to London so she wouldn''t fall. After her shock was gone, she hurriedly chased after her dog.


    London was stunned for two seconds before realizing what was happening. He immediately ran after L, who ran after Yves, who ran after the squirrel. The scene was very interesting because a beautiful dog was chased by a beautiful girl, followed by a handsome young man.


    The squirrel ran energetically to the nearest tree in front of the gate of a large mansion. It immediately climbed the tallest branch it could reach. Yves stood under the tree and kept barking to scare the squirrel.


    L, who finally arrived, leaned forward, resting on her knees, breathing heavily. London, who came after L, immediately tried to catch Yves. Unfortunately, the dog was faster than him, and he dashed toward the mansion''s gate.


    BING...


    "Eh ...?"


    London was stunned when he arrived in front of the gate to catch Yves, suddenly the gate opened automatically.


    Damn damn damn ...


    He forgot the Schneider family''s mansion was equipped with an automatic facial recognition system. The gate would open automatically if a family member arrived. As he approached the entrance to catch their naughty beagle ... the gate recognized his presence and automatically opened.


    L who walked up to the front of the gate looked as surprised as London.


    "The gate opened..." the girl said in surprise. London immediately grabbed L''s hand and tried to pull her away, but L had already seen what was inside the courtyard of the grande mansion.


    "Who is it?"


    Rune turned to look and found Caspar walking while holding an apron. He was cooking something, and they could smell something delicious in the air. London and L also looked in the same direction.


    London could only freeze on the spot when he realized his brother was in front of him and L, while his father was walking toward them.


    Cold sweat ran down his back.


    L involuntarily squeezed London''s hand, which was holding hers, and her voice sounded surprised.


    "Killian ... That''s Mr. Rune Schneider ..." Her other hand was pointing at Rune.


    London was still frozen in his place, not knowing what to say. His mouth agape, but no sound came out. He could only look at his brother with a look of despair.


    It''s over ...


    L would find out everything today...


    L pulled London''s hand and walked over toward Rune, who was just as surprised to see them.


    "Sir ... Mr. London Schneider?" L asked in a doubtful voice. She looked at Rune and Caspar alternately and immediately patted her forehead. "I am very pleased to meet you. I saw you at the summer festival with Mr. Rune. Thank you for all your help so far ..."


    L hurriedly greeted Caspar with a radiant face.


    "Eh ...?" London was stunned by L''s attitude. Apparently, she thought his father was him. Rune also looked confused.


    Caspar warmly greeted L and patted her shoulder. "I''m happy to meet you, Miss L."


    "I''m the one who is very happy," L said shyly. Sh then pulled London closer to Caspar and forced him to greet Caspar. "Killian, this is Mr. London Schneider, he is the..."


    A moment later, L seemed transfixed. She looked at Caspar and London alternately. Her face was filled with confusion.

 Chapter 686 - The Schneider Family!!

    She just realized the similarities between London and Caspar. Her eyes went round, and she whispered in London''s ear.


    "Oh, dear ... did anyone ever tell you that you look a lot like Mr. London Schneider?" L looked very confused. "You can pass off as brothers ..."


    London did not know what to say.


    "Uhm ... maybe because very few people have seen the Schneider family in person ... so they don''t know," whispered L again. "Gosh ... this is a scary coincidence ..."


    Caspar and Rune looked at each other, not understanding what L was whispering to London. Finally, the young man smiled awkwardly and greeted Caspar.


    "Uhm .. nice to meet you, Sir. My name is Killian Makela ..." He then turned to L. "Honey, it''s rude to whisper in front of other people."


    "Eh .. right, I''m very sorry. I was just surprised, Killian looks very similar to Mr. London Schneider ..." L nodded politely.


    Only then did Rune understand what was happening. He then cleared his throat and patted London''s shoulder, chuckling. "Ahh ... that''s right. Miss L has sharp eyesight. Killian does look very similar to my brother, London Schneider ..."


    Caspar also understood what was going on and immediately participated in covering for his sons.


    "Ahahaha ... that''s right, we do look alike. Hey ... this is really a pleasant coincidence. Do you want to have tea with us? I just made a delicious cake." He spread his arms to welcome the two guests to follow him to the nice outdoor dining table in the garden where he had put some dishes.


    And just like that ... London''s fear disappeared without a trace.


    L apparently did not connect the dots, how London''s face was so similar to his father''s. The girl thought the resemblance was uncanny, but it was merely a coincidence.


    Happily and gratefully, the girl followed Caspar to the garden and looked at the dishes available with enthusiasm.


    "Did you cook all these? Wow ... that''s incredible ..." said L as she plopped herself on a chair. London followed and sat next to her. His face looked very relieved. Rune secretly pinched London''s waist when he sat next to him and gave him a meaningful stare. London pinched him back when L wasn''t looking.


    "I am assisted by my beautiful wife ..." Caspar said happily. He turned to the side, just when Finland came with a tray of cookies. "Honey, we have a guest."


    "Hello ..." Finland''s steps suddenly halted when she saw L and London. "Why ... are you here?"


    "Good evening, Mrs. Schneider. We just moved to this area, and our naughty dog ??ran all the way here." L hurriedly got up from her chair and approached Finland. She then took the tray from the lady''s hand. "Here, let me help ..."


    "Oh, why, thank you .." Finland answered in an awkward voice. "Have we met before?"


    L looked at Finland for a long time and then shook her head, "Hmm ... I don''t remember. Maybe you saw me on television or on the internet. I''m a singer ..."


    Finland patted her forehead and laughed softly, "Ah ... that must be it. I feel like I''ve seen you somewhere. Maybe it''s on television. You''re very famous, right?"


    "Ah ... not really, I''m still a newbie," L replied with a smile. She looked at Finland again and tilted her head while remembering something. "Uhm ... but now that I think about it, maybe I''ve seen someone who looks like you. Killian, isn''t Mrs. Schneider similar to your friend? What''s her name?"


    "Hmm ... really? It doesn''t seem like it ..." London pretended not to understand what she meant. "Maybe only the hair is similar ... but apart from that, they look nothing alike."


    "Hmm ... is that so?" L nodded. "Well, then.. it means we have never met. I''m sorry that we trespassed suddenly like this ... Yves is very naughty ..."


    She patted Yves'' head. The puppy was now sitting on her l.a.p and yawn.


    "Yves?" Finland seemed very interested. "Who is that?"


    "Oh ... it''s the name of our dog. I''m a big fan of Billie Yves, so I named our dog Yves ..."


    Finland''s eyes sparkled. "Are you a fan too?"


    "Do you like her too? Ohhh.. this is a very pleasant coincidence. I really like the song from her first album. I think it''s really amazing. When I was lonely at the orphanage, I often listened to the song ..." L said enthusiastically.


    "You ... you lived in an orphanage?" Instantly Finland was filled with pity when she heard L''s words. She looked at L with a motherly look, and, suddenly, Finland hugged her very tightly. "I''m sorry to hear that ... I hope you are well..."


    L, who did not expect to be embraced by the wife of the wealthiest and most powerful man in the world, was very touched. Her face turned sad, and, for the first time, London saw L looking so fragile.


    L has not felt her mother''s love for a long time since her family was killed 11 years ago, and Finland''s motherly embrace suddenly tore down her walls. Subconsciously, L started to sob.


    "Thank you ... Madam ... I''m fine now ..." she whispered softly.


    "Ahh ... I''m glad to hear that." Finland let go of her arms and pulled L back to her seat, this time beside her. "If there''s anything, you just come here. Our home is open to you."


    "Thank you ... Mr. Schneider has helped me so much. I heard about the facilities provided for in the hospital during my delivery," L nodded at Caspar gratefully. She wiped her tears in a hurry. She did not want to turn the atmosphere at the dining table sad. "I haven''t had the chance to thank you in person. I just had a chance to send flowers through Killian."


    London hurriedly nodded. "Yes, last week I send a thank you flowers to Mr. Schneider''s office."


    "Ah, that''s right... Thank you for the flowers," Caspar replied with a smile. "Come on, please try the cakes my wife and I made. I hope you like them..."


    L gratefully accepted a piece of cake from Caspar and ate it. She repeatedly praised the man''s cooking and made Caspar very happy.


    Finland chatted a lot with L about music. L was very impressed when she heard that Mrs. Schneider had met Billie Yves in person.


    "Yes, Billie is an old friend of our family. Maybe someday I can introduce you to her ..." Finland answered happily.


    "Oh my God ... that would be a dream come true for me ... I never dream that I could meet Billie Yves! Gosh... She has retired from the music industry for five years. She is very extraordinary ..." voiced L excitedly.


    Hearing that, suddenly, London was thinking of a new tactic to reveal his identity to L. Maybe he could come to her and bring Billie Yves with him when he confessed to L ... He was sure that L couldn''t possibly be angry in front of her idol.


    Ha ... alright. I''ll talk to Auntie Billie soon, he thought happily.

 Chapter 687 - Investigating Ls Past

    The high tea went very pleasant. London was happy to see how much his mother and L had in common, and they soon became close. He could also see how his father and younger brother both liked L, seen from the way they talked to her, and kept adding tea to her cup and cakes to her plate.


    Ahh ... it would be wonderful if L already knew that they were all my own family, thought London with a grim face.


    Ugh ... he really had to contact Auntie Billie, invite her to sing at their wedding, and that''s when he would be able to introduce his whole family.


    Yes, that''s a good plan.


    The fun event finally ended, and with a heavy heart, London and L excused themselves while taking their naughty dog ??home.


    "What do you think of the Schneider family?" asked London when they arrived at the gate of their house. He pressed the gate remote and entered with L inside.


    L seemed impressed. "I didn''t expect them to be so friendly! For people as wealthy as them, they were really humble and pleasant. I often meet people who are not as rich, but they are so pretentious."


    "Oh, is that so?" London nodded happily. He already had one less problem if L and his family liked each other. Later, after he disclosed his identity to L, he wouldn''t need to worry that L wouldn''t like his family.


    Moreover, her mother''s wish to visit Lily could be fulfilled immediately, because L had invited the Schneider family to visit their house sometime.


    "I will start working today. Are you busy this week?" asked London as they both had breakfast at the dining table that morning.


    "I just practice my singing at home," L answered. "Next week I am scheduled to appear on TV. The show would be broadcasted live, so I have to attend a rehearsal this weekend."


    "Alright ... if you miss me, don''t hesitate to call," London said with a big smile. L just rolled her eyes.


    L''s mood had improved lately. Her busy days allowed her to forget the various problems that surrounded his life, and this made London happy. He still had to take care of the Swann family and L''s family secretly. He did not want L to be bothered by these things, so he did not mention the two things at all.


    He deliberately asked Brilliant Mind Media to immediately find an opportunity for L to appear on a show to make the girl busy. They quickly complied. In addition to singing on a TV show next week, L would also be involved in a new Virconnect campaign with a world-famous band, Rainfall.


    London would go back to his work as usual. L, who saw him going to the office every day, thought that London had gotten a job as an HR assistant manager in one of the Schneider Group''s subsidiaries.


    London still stopped by the penthouse every day to change clothes to suit his status, and sometimes he would choose to work from the penthouse if he wanted to get more privacy.


    This afternoon, after London attended various meetings that needed his attention, he had lunch in his room. Jan accompanied him while explaining to him all the latest developments in L''s family case. Unfortunately, there weren''t many clues available about the murder case because it happened a long time ago. So many pieces of evidence were missing.


    "Do you know why L was not helped by the Swann family after the murder?" asked London, looking at the old photos Jan had collected about L''s family. He was touched to see the judge''s family and his wife and two children in one of the pictures.


    L was maybe around six years old, and her younger brother was still a baby in their mother''s arms. The murder occurred about two years after this photo was taken, he thought. The happy faces in the picture did not show a notion that death would come quickly.


    "The Swann family was devastated when they learned of the murder, and the family flew directly to Paris from London to find out what happened. They could not find Miss L, or her name at that time was Marianne De Maestri. They thought she was kidnapped, and the Swann family could only offer big prize money to anyone who could find her. After five years of no news, they finally gave up."


    "Hmmm ... the news about the prize money to find L might not reach Germany here. It seems like L was either kidnapped or someone took her to Germany to avoid the killers ... Clearly, L herself or that person couldn''t contact the Swann family. Or, it could be that they didn''t know the relationship between these two families ..." London guessed.


    He really wanted to ask L what happened in full, but he didn''t want to make L sad. He was determined to solve all these problems without involving L at all. He must be able to mobilize all of his resources to help L.


    "There is someone who knows the underworld in Europe from years ago. He might know who was responsible for the murder. You can ask ..." Jan stopped his words mid-sentence.


    He intended to mention Alaric Rhionen, but it was still difficult to say the name without feeling a hint of anger in his c.h.e.s.t. Eleven years ago, Alaric Rhionen and Rhionen Assassins were responsible for the death of his father.


    Although the incident happened due to a misunderstanding and the Schneider family had always treated him so well, coupled with a few months ago, Alaric himself had apologized to him personally, it was still difficult for Jan to forgive him.


    London instantly understood what Jan wanted to convey, and he nodded. He did not want Jan to be furious and his mood worsened. "I know what you mean. I''ll ask him."


    Jan nodded, then, as if there was nothing wrong, he continued the discussion. "The Swann family learned that Ms. L was still alive when he saw her in Virconnect after Miss L became one of the ambassadors. Maybe after that, Danny tried to contact Miss L and finally told her about her family and the engagement between them ..."


    "Ugh ... that means it only happened 1.5 months ago," said London, looking annoyed. "I met L first. That swan can''t take L away from me just because of a ridiculous agreement between their grandfathers. Try to find out what is the reason why Danny insisted on not wanting to break off their engagement. I''m curious. There''s no way he would want to accept a woman who was pregnant with someone else''s child with no-frills ... Looking at his face, he was not an angel at all."

 Chapter 688 - Lily Is Crying!

    Jan nodded in agreement, "My provisional guess is his grandfather''s will. What surprised me is that in the will his grandfather recently made, it was written that if Danny married Miss L, all of his grandfather''s inheritance would fall into his hands. But if he refused, then the inheritance will be divided in two for him and Miss L.


    It is likely that his grandfather deliberately arranged so that Danny would marry Miss L if he wanted to get his inheritance as a whole. If he was not willing to marry Miss L, then the old Mr. Swann wanted to ensure Miss L''s life was secured."


    Inwardly, London felt sympathetic toward Grandpa Swann, who cared so much about L, but he did not want L to receive money from other people. Everything he owned would soon belong to L too, and he thought the girl didn''t need additional small change, which would only give her a headache.


    "All right, Jan. You did an excellent job. I want you to find out all of Danny Swann''s weaknesses, and all the scandals I could use to blackmail him into leaving L alone. Please also buy the De Maestri family home in Paris and renovate it. I want to restore her parent''s home and give it to L as a birthday present for her later."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After Jan left, London wanted to contact Alaric, who was still in Singapore to consult about L''s family murder case but, suddenly, a phone call from L diverted his attention.


    "Hey ... what''s up, Honey? Do you miss me?" asked London in a happy voice. L recently started often calling to talk about trivial matters. Maybe the girl was indeed feeling lonely at home.


    "No," L replied in an annoyed tone. But quickly, her voice turned happy. "You won''t believe this! But today, the nurse removed Lily''s eye cover. She said Lily is longer very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to light."


    "Ohhh ... I''m glad to hear that. Is she okay?" London asked happily.


    "She''s okay. I''m so happy... Lily was crying today!" L''s voice sounded very enthusiastic. "Finally, I could hear the sound of my daughter crying ... God, I''m so happy ..."


    London was moved to hear it. Lily had been treated for almost a month at home and they could see so much progress in her growth. Every small change or even the most subtle development became a big thing between the two of them that they always talked about joyfully.


    Really, Lily''s presence made the bond between London and L very strong. Outsiders may slight the cry of a baby, but, for both of them, it was a gift because they knew her crying indicated that their baby was healthy, and she slowly grew like a normal baby.


    "We can now use a baby cry translator device," L exclaimed enthusiastically. "You have to ask your brother to send it."


    "Of course, I''ll do it," London nodded, though he was aware that L would not see him nod. "Is there anything else you want?"


    "Uhm ... nothing. I just wanted to let you know that Lily was crying today..."


    "Thank you. I''m so glad to hear that," London paused before continuing. "I love you, L."


    L didn''t reply to London''s statement of love, but he didn''t force her. He knew that L was still awkward or ashamed to say that she also loved him. It is okay. Action speaks louder than words.


    The fact that L chose to stay and not leave after Lily was born had become a testament for London Schneider that L also loved him and their baby.


    As a famous artist who was still very young and had a long bright future, it was very easy for L to start a new life. She could just pretend that she never gave birth and live her life without scandal at all.


    All she had to do was forget about Lily and London and continue her life as if nothing had happened. However, instead of choosing such an easy life, L was willing to stay and care for Lily, whose condition was so bad.


    L worked hard to make money to pay for Lily''s expensive care so she could be healthy because L did not realize that the man who lived with her was one of the wealthiest men on the planet.


    L patiently gave him three years to try to build his career and make more money than her to support her and Lily, then she would be willing to marry him. In fact, L was now willing to ignore that deadline and marry London as is.


    Who won''t feel touched to get such a nice woman like L? Although outwardly, the girl sometimes could be annoying and temperamental, London knew her heart better, and L''s personality made him fall even more in love with her.


    If it wasn''t for Danny Swann that jerk, we would have been married this week, thought London in annoyance.


    "I will ask my brother to send a baby cry translator, don''t worry," London said again. "Anything else I have to remember?"


    "Nothing. What time are you coming home?"


    "As usual, at 6 pm. Do you want me to bring you anything?"


    "It''s okay. I just thought of having dinner outside. It''s been a long time since we went out. I''m getting bored at home."


    "Oh ... just a minute," London suddenly remembered that it was supposed to be his ''payday'' today. He could make it an excuse for inviting L to eat out. "Good idea! Want to eat at the Blue Sky restaurant in St. Laurent? As an employee of the Schneider Group, I get employee discounts ... hehehe."


    "Yes, please. Will you come and pick me up first, or do we meet there?"


    "I will pick you up."


    "Alright ... I''ll wait."


    After he hung up, London hurriedly called Jan to his office.


    "What''s the matter, Sir?" Jan asked casually, with his hand in his pockets. He was already accustomed to his boss'' behavior who often suddenly needed him, so he was always relaxed even when London asked him to do things at the last minute.

 Chapter 689 - Alaric Is Upset

    "What''s the matter, Sir?" Jan asked casually, with his hand in his pockets. He was already accustomed to his boss'' behavior who often suddenly needed him, so he was always relaxed even when London asked him to do things in the last minute.


    "Hmm ... L and I will have a romantic dinner at the Blue Sky Restaurant in St. Laurent tonight. This is a good opportunity to propose to her properly, don''t you think? Do you still have the ring I asked for last time?" The man''s eyes shone happily as he told Jan his plan.


    In the past, when L gave the signal that she was willing to marry London, the man immediately contacted Jan to prepare the perfect proposal.


    Jan bought a beautiful and ridiculously expensive ring. He also held an internal contest among their creative division staff to get the most romantic proposal scenario.


    Of the various scenarios that came in, there was one that they found very interesting. London immediately ordered Jan to prepare the event should the opportunity arise at any time.


    Like today!


    Ha.


    This time, his fourth proposal must succeed, thought London with a happy heart, L wouldn''t reject him this time.


    "But the ring is too expensive, Sir. Miss L will be suspicious." Jan commented as he returned to London''s room with a box contained a ring studded with a huge light blue diamond. "Why don''t you use an ordinary ring for the proposal. Later, after you get married and disclose your identity, you can give her the real ring?"


    "Can''t you manipulate the state lottery this month? I could claim that I get a lot of money from winning the lottery?" London asked casually.


    "Uhm ... It''s too over the top and too much of a coincidence. Plus, she would blame you for buying a lottery." Jan shook his head. According to him, his boss has been spoiled all this time because all his wishes could be granted easily, so that sometimes he thought of such absurd things. "Otherwise, you could say that you used up your entire salary to buy Miss L this ring. Maybe she would appreciate it more?"


    London nodded. "You''re right. If I said I won the state lottery, L would beat me up for sure. She already said she doesn''t like me gambling."


    "Miss L is very wise," Jan said with a sigh of relief.


    "Okay, then, prepare everything ... I will propose to L after dinner at St. Laurent later ..."


    Jan nodded respectfully and said goodbye to take care of the proposal scenario approved by London. The proposal would be very romantic and fun ... He can''t wait to see the outcome.


    After Jan left, London decided to contact his brother-in-law and consult him about L''s family murder case from years ago. Jan was right. If anyone knew about the underworld in Europe from a long time ago, that person would have been Alaric Rhionen and his assassins.


    Even though he had retired from the underworld, but his connections were still far greater than London, who had never been in contact with criminals.


    "How are the twins?" London asked enthusiastically as the Virconnect connection brought him to his sister''s mansion in Singapore. He saw Alaric staring at him, smiling broadly with a tiny baby on his c.h.e.s.t, fast asleep.


    Gosh .. that cold Alaric Rhionen can smile? London''s heart was thrilled to see how much his brother-in-law had changed.


    Alaric''s appearance and his baby were very contrasting. The man had a pale skin and platinum hair, while his son looked somewhat tanned with dark brown hair and a slightly oriental face. For a moment, London was astonished. His new nephew was more like his mother, Finland, than Alaric and Aleksis, the parents.


    "You look like you''re carrying your neighbor''s child ..." London commented bluntly.


    Hearing his brother-in-law''s casual words, Alaric immediately turned off his Virconnect connection.


    "Hey ... why did you turn it off?" London tried to contact Alaric again but his call was always rejected. The young man could only shake his head. "Why should you be angry? I''m just telling the truth?"


    "Why didn''t you think before you talk? You must have been hanging out with Terry for too long," she grumbled to her brother, who had accidentally hurt her husband''s feelings.


    For Alaric, his children were his most valuable possessions. However, he was ''forced'' to share his first two children with Nicolae because he was not present during the first ten years of their lives and they had looked up to Nic as their father figure.


    His second children was arguably a consolation for this lonely man who disliked humans. Of course, he felt offended when his biological child, whom he loved deeply, was said to be the neighbor''s child.


    Although London was just joking, and maybe other people would think that it was funny, for Alaric, his words were unacceptable. That was why he refused to talk to London.


    "Gosh... I''m so sorry, I was just talking nonsense. I didn''t mean to ..." London swallowed. He should have known better. Nobody could talk carelessly in front of Alaric Rhionen.


    Alaric was not someone who had a sense of humor like his brother, Nicolae. After all, he was a cold-blooded assassin and had wanted to kill most of humankind.


    Quietly London felt cold sweat flooding his back. It was only when Aleksis looked at him with a sharp look that London realized his mistake. He was too talkative, not remembering how s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e Alaric was about his children.


    Now that you think about it, London himself would be angry if he was carrying Lily and people suddenly said Lily looked like his neighbor''s in Grunewald. Ahh... that''s so true.


    "Aleksis... please tell Alaric that I and my big mouth apologize. I was just saying nonsense. I won''t do it," London said solemnly. "By the way, how are Ireland and Scotland doing? What can they do already?"


    Aleksis smiled. She showed off Scotland in her arms and c.a.r.e.s.sed her son''s head affectionately.


    "Scotland and Ireland can already laugh and smile. They are so cute. We often lose track of time because we are playing with just the two of them. It is so much fun!"


    "Ahh... how lucky," London pondered at his sister''s words. He was eager to hear Lily laughing. He also desperately wanted to hug her just like Aleksis and Alaric were now doing to their children. "Today, Lily''s eye cover was finally removed, her eyes aren''t s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to light anymore. I''d love to hug her..."

 Chapter 690 - Alarics Advice

    Aleksis was sad to see her brother''s gloomy expression. "That''s good progress. Lily will be healthy soon. Time goes by really fast when you have children, really."


    London nodded in agreement. "Later, when Lily is healthy, I''ll take her to Singapore so she can get acquainted with her two cousins."


    "Actually, we plan to go to Germany in two months... We can meet there too," Aleksis replied. She then sat on the sofa, next to her husband who no longer looked angry. Aleksis patted Alaric''s hand gently and turned to him while discussing their flight plans back to Europe. "We''re going to Europe to meet Alaric''s foster children and give them their immortality potions. Isn''t that right, Sweetheart?"


    Alaric nodded.


    "In two months, the children will be old enough to travel. The long journey can be comfortable for them," he replied.


    "Oh... that''s very good! Let me know the exact dates so I can welcome you in Berlin," London exclaimed happily. "I really want to introduce L and Lily to you."


    "Of course." Aleksis nodded. "By the way, what did you want to ask when you were contacting Alaric via Virconnect just now?"


    London immediately felt bad. His purpose of contacting Alaric was to ask for information regarding  L''s family murder, but he had unintentionally offended his brother-in-law''s feelings. He was too ashamed to trouble him now.


    "Does this have something to do with that singer?" Alaric asked, staring intently at London.


    Because he had asked about it straightforwardly, London couldn''t move in the end. Leaving aside his hesitation, he finally told Alaric and Aleksis everything that had happened then asked for their opinions.


    "Hmm... murders that are carried out so openly are usually only done by the mafia or people who deliberately want to spread fear. We used to do it smoothly. Most of our victims were made as if they were in an accident or committed suicide." Alaric then shrugged, "A murder of a family of judges so openly, it should be either done by amateurs or they deliberately did it to make a statement. My guess is the mafia."


    "Hmm... I''ll find out whether L''s father had ever handled cases related to the mafia during when he was alive." London nodded.


    "You can contact Mischa to ask for help with that. She still has a lot of connections in the underworld," Alaric said. "He''ll be more than happy to help."


    "All right, thank you..." London nodded. "And... sorry for earlier."


    Alaric just snorted lightly.


    The Virconnect connection was then turned off.


    In Singapore, Aleksis could only shake her head at her husband''s attitude.


    "You know, people will make comments like that without us being able to prevent them. It would be better to be more relaxed about our children..." Aleksis commented. "You can''t possibly kill people who offend Ireland and Scotland now, can you?"


    "Why can''t I?" Alaric replied in a monotone voice.


    Aleksis just laughed. She knew her husband was joking with his style that always looked dead serious. "Hush... the children shouldn''t hear you talking about killing people. Let''s put Scotland in his bed. Now it''s your turn to prepare the children''s bath."


    Alaric nodded. He moved very slowly and put the baby in the crib next to Aleksis then kissed his wife and walked to the bathroom.


    ***


    After listening to Alaric''s explanation, London decided to contact Mischa. As usual, he wouldn''t ask Jan to do this task because it was associated with former members of the Rhionen Assassins. He knew that Jan still harbored hatred towards them. That''s why London deliberately contacted Mischa himself.


    "Hey... coincidentally, I have a conference in Berlin next week. We can meet to discuss it. I''ll try to find out from my connection in Paris," Mischa said casually. He had never met London officially, but Alaric had told him about the needs of his brother-in-law, and Mischa was eager to help.


    "Thank you very much," London nodded. "I''d love to meet you if you come here. See you next week."


    Mischa waved and ended the connection.


    Ugh... London really hoped to find a bright spot in the murder case of L''s family. He wanted to be able to please L by revealing the mystery that happened in her past so that she would be able to make peace with her life and start a new life with him.


    After clearing things up, London coordinated with Jan to prepare his proposal. As soon as everything was settled, he went home to pick L up to eat together at the Blue Sky Restaurant.


    "Hey... wow, you''re ready. So beautiful!" London exclaimed in awe when he saw L in their living room already looking beautiful in a blue summer dress. At a time like this, L''s body shape was almost back to normal and her every curve made London''s imagination go crazy. "I''ll take a shower first then..."


    He had to swallow hard and rush into his room to wash up and change into nice clothes. He must look as handsome as possible tonight. He mustn''t take the slightest risk.


    "Let''s go," he said happily after making sure he looked good in an expensive white shirt and light gray suit. His appearance looked casual but elegant. For a moment, L stared at him.


    "You look different," L commented


    "Oh, do I?" London did realize that compared to when they first met, London''s appearance now was almost like his normal self. He no longer wore his sunglasses, and his clothes had begun to be fashionable again. He wanted L to slowly get used to his real self, that''s why he no longer intentionally made himself look poor. "Do you prefer the current me or the old me?"


    L just shrugged and didn''t answer. She put on her shoes then walked out of the house to the VW London car parked in the yard.


    [Jan, we''ve moved there. Is everything ready?] London hastily sent a text to Jan to coordinate.


    [Everything is ready, Sir. The most romantic proposal of the century will start soon.]


    Ahh... just wait, L. Tonight, you''ll no longer be able to refuse. I''ll propose to you properly, London thought happily.

 Chapter 691 - You Will Run Out Of Money

    London''s feeling was like spring as though countless flowers were blooming inside when he drove to St. Laurent Hotel. He repeatedly glanced at L, who was sitting next to him. She looked stunning!


    L was still covering her identity with oversized glasses and a scarf that hid half of her face, but London had no objection. Inwardly, he was also unwilling if people enjoyed L''s beauty. Are they not satisfied enough seeing her on television and the internet? Hmph!


    He also knew that as an artist, L didn''t want to get involved in new gossip, especially if the Swann family, who hadn''t let go of her, knew she had dinner with another man.


    L had warned London not to let Danny know about his identity because it would cause her trouble, so naturally, he wouldn''t refuse L''s request to keep their relationship a secret this time.


    He couldn''t wait for all these problems to be over, and he would be able to make L completely his. He would show off the girl to the whole world.


    "Why are you grinning?" L asked him. She finally realized the handsome driver had repeatedly stolen glances at her while grinning to himself. "When you''re driving, you have to look ahead. Do you want us both to die because of an accident and Lily to become an orphan? How dare you!"


    "All right, Your Majesty. I didn''t mean it," London answered casually. He knew that L was right, and he wasn''t resentful when he was rebuked so. "Thank you for always reminding me. I hope you''ll always be by my side and reprimand me whenever I make a mistake."


    L was stunned to hear those sweet words. Instead of being upset, this man thanked her for reminding him.


    "Hmm..." In the end, L could only look away. Her cheeks had turned reddish in color. She blushed because London always managed to tease her.


    Although London desperately wanted to see L''s blushing face, he didn''t dare invite new scolding. Therefore, he focused on the road and the vehicles around them.


    "Welcome, Sir... Please, come in."


    Once the car stopped in front of the hotel lobby, a valet attendant was ready to take the keys from London''s hands and brought the car to the parking lot. Meanwhile, the on-duty manager readily welcomed the two VVIP guests and escorted them to the 50th floor.


    "Wow... Are we welcomed by the manager himself?" L whispered, astonished. London only nodded with a big smile. He grabbed L''s hand with one hand and put his arm around her waist.


    "Come on. I''ve booked for a special table for us." He whispered back.


    L was astonished when she followed his steps towards the beautiful Blue Sky Restaurant. The venue was divided into two, an indoor and an outdoor section.


    From the outdoor section, which was decorated with infinity pools and a few tables, one could see views of the entire city, and, usually, it had to be booked well in advance because it was the most exclusive location for dining in Berlin.


    When they passed through the restaurant''s indoor section, L could see dozens of pairs of eyes, restaurant guests, watching them, and she immediately knew the cause when they arrived outside.


    "What''s this?" L asked in confusion. "Did you book a special table for us?"


    "This is a gift from the company," London said. "I told you we''re neighbors with the Schneider family."


    "Oh..." L just nodded with a confused face.


    She immediately understood why the guests in the indoor section were looking at them with astonished faces. The guests must have known that the outdoor section had been deliberately vacated, and when they saw a couple heading there, they immediately guessed that the outdoor area had been prepared for L and London.


    Arriving outside, they sat at the only table outside with beautifully-arranged silver cutlery and candles, which looked very romantic. Two servants were eagerly waiting for them and opened the chairs for both of them.


    "Please, Sir and Madam. We have prepared the best menu for you tonight. Please order what you like." The restaurant manager bowed slightly and handed the menu to them with respect.


    "Thank you, Charles," London said, winking. The manager smiled back, then excused himself. He arrived shortly after with a group of mini-orc.h.e.s.tra, who took place on a small stage not far from the VVIP guests'' table.


    Everything that happened made L keep her eyes wide without blinking.


    "Hey... let''s order the food you like. If you keep staring, your eyes will pop out," London chided with a small laugh.


    L blinked her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. The girl still couldn''t control her surprise.


    London was elated, seeing L immensely impressed. Ha. This is nothing compared to what I can do and give to you, he thought.


    London smiled at L''s confused face and repeatedly brushed her hair with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. Waiters came to take their food orders, and while waiting for the dishes to come, they enjoy a refreshing drink and appetizer.


    "This is all too much. It must be very expensive..." L said many times. "You will run out of money."


    "No, don''t worry... I received an employee discount, and for this special table, it was given as a gift. I didn''t spend much money, really." London tried to emphasize. "But even without those discounts, I''ll always try to give the best for you."


    "Hmm..." L gulped her mocktail with a frown still on her face.


    When their food arrived, the orc.h.e.s.tra group had begun to play romantic music to accompany both of them on their dinners.


    A breeze that blew softly brought the music to the indoor area, and the guests inside could guess that the couple who were eating outside was enjoying a very special dinner.

 Chapter 692 - L, LOOK UP!

    L and London were served by two staff members who were very efficient and repeatedly brought delicious and classy food and beverages to their table.


    "Do you like the dish?" London asked after the main course was finished.


    In front of them now was ice cream that was served beautifully with gold flakes, which was the most expensive dessert in the world and was only available in this Blue Sky Restaurant.


    "The food is delicious, thank you," L nodded. After some time, L finally could enjoy the food and act normal.


    A very romantic atmosphere made the mood extremely relaxing. They were eating while talking about trivial matters, and London was happy to see L''s face filled with a smile.


    "I''m glad you like it. If you want, we can eat here anytime..." London said again.


    Hearing this, L just rolled her eyes.


    "Sheessh... eating here costs a lot of money. You better save your money for something more useful." The girl hurriedly continued. "I''d rather eat your cooking at home."


    L''s last sentence made London''s face radiant. He was so happy to hear her compliment. It really showed that L was actually not a gold-digger like what she had made people think of her.


    "Really? I''m glad to hear that! I''ll cook again tomorrow, and we can have a romantic dinner at home." He got up and pulled L''s hand gently so that the girl stood up. When L stood, he pulled her close to his own body and gave the girl a heartfelt hug. "Whenever L compliments me, I feel very happy!"


    L smiled and patted London''s back. "Ahaha... don''t overdo it like this. We''re in a public place."


    "It''s okay... they''re not looking, really," London told her. He looked sideways and nodded with a happy smile.


    Sure enough, when L turned her head and looked around, all the music players and waiters were looking away or pretending to talk among themselves.


    The girl could only frown.


    "Heh...?"


    "Enough. Rather than thinking of others, you better come with me. I have a surprise for you." London loosened his arms, then grabbed L''s hand and pulled her to the end of the outdoor terrace. L was surprised again because she saw a hot air balloon waiting for them there.


    "What''s this?" She asked in surprise.


    "I booked a hot air balloon trip to show you the whole city of Berlin," London said with a big smile. "I''m sure you''ve never seen it from above."


    L shook her head. She was still shocked.


    A staff member came to help them up, and soon, they were already in the basket. In the center was a small table with two chairs, an electric candle, and two champagne glasses with a bottle of chilled champagne.


    The staff members swiftly installed the gas lamp and heated the air inside the balloon. Slowly, their basket rose to the air. Five minutes later, the two were already 200 meters above the ground. L''s face seemed to still be recovering from shock as she held London''s hand because the height made her somewhat afraid.


    "Ssshh... don''t be afraid. Hold on to me... The view from here is beautiful..." London whispered, hugging L from behind.


    L nodded. She felt safe in his arms, especially after seeing their air balloon basket was tied with a rope to a large pole in the Blue Sky Restaurant so that they would not get carried away by the wind.


    The view of the city below them looked amazing. Her c.h.e.s.t, which had been palpitating uncontrollably, began to feel calm. She began to notice the scenery below them, and the top of the hotel building they had just left. For several minutes they didn''t say anything as they enjoyed each other''s presence.


    London felt elated when he hugged L from behind. He was also nervously waiting for L to see his next surprises. He wouldn''t want to be the one to spill it for her.


    "Eh... what''s that?" L pointed down in surprise. The outdoor terrace where they had eaten now had turned dark. Instead, she could now see the light from numerous candles lit on the floor, which formed a sentence that could be read from the air.


    L, LOOK UP.


    "What''s that?" she asked in surprise.


    "It says, ''Look up.''" London nodded. He pointed at the stars above them.


    L furrowed her brows and looked at the man''s index finger, and immediately, she gasped in surprise.


    The sparkling stars in the bright night sky suddenly seemed to spin and dance, then several hundred stars united and formed a sentence.


    L, WILL YOU MARRY ME?


    No. They''re not stars... but hundreds of drones with flickering light controlled to form letters!


    L widened her large eyes and looked at London with half-open lips.


    The man had let go of his arms and was now down on one knee. He pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket.


    "My beautiful L, my kind L, amazing L... Please, forgive me for never being able to propose to you properly. But this time, I want to do it right..." London opened the box and showed a beautiful ring with a huge blue diamond. "Honey, I can''t live without you. I''ve been thinking about this for a long time. Will you marry me?"


    She had expected that London would propose to her, which could be seen from his overly-happy gestures, but she had no idea that his proposal would be so romantic and awe-inspiring.


    Dinner alone in the most exclusive area at the Blue Sky Restaurant, the fantastic dishes prepared by chefs from the highest Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe had been a shock to her. Add to it a romantic trip in a hot air balloon, and those romantic gestures with candles and drones.


    And now... a ring with a diamond so big?


    L swallowed and couldn''t resist when London put the beautiful ring on her ring finger. She was still in awe and at a loss for words.

 Chapter 693 - The Proposal

    "Now... I''ve done it right, right?" London asked her with a beaming face.


    L looked at the ring in her ring finger then looked at London alternately.


    "This... must be very expensive," she said, confused. "How much did you spend on it?"


    "I just wanted to give you my best..." London said quietly. He suddenly felt uneasy. L''s tone didn''t seem as happy as he had hoped. "Why? You don''t like it?"


    "How much?" L asked again in an urgent tone.


    "Uhm... it costed a month my salary..." London finally told. The diamond was worth a month''s salary as the boss of Schneider Group, or one million euros, but he would let L think what he meant was his salary as an assistant to the HR manager, which was only a few thousand euros.


    L shook her head, and her face seemed disappointed.


    "I can''t believe you still don''t understand until now..." She took the ring from her finger and handed it back to London''s hand.


    Now it was London''s turn to be shocked and unable to control his reaction.


    "I don''t get it." He didn''t want to accept the ring and tried to put it back on her finger, but L firmly refused.


    "You already have a child. How long do you want to live as if you are single and have no dependents? Why do you still spend money on useless things? Are diamond rings edible?


    Don''t you know that there are a lot of fake diamonds in the market? Diamonds are only expensive because of their rarity, when in fact, they aren''t rare. Diamond businesses take many diamonds from conflict mines in Africa, which took many lives.


    You must have heard about blood diamonds, right? Those businesses hid most of their diamonds so that they remain scarce in the market and will stay expensive!"


    London was stunned by L''s scolding. He knew all of that, but he didn''t think L knew either, and it turned out that she hated diamonds because they took so many victims.


    "This isn''t a blood diamond from conflict areas..." That was all he could say to defend himself.


    "That''s not the point," L grunted impatiently. "I don''t like diamonds. Diamonds are overrated even though it has no real value. Did you know on the planet Neptune, the rain was diamond? It''s just carbon hardened, nothing special. I''m really disappointed you chose to spend your first salary on something as useless as this."


    London could only swallow.


    "So... does this mean..." He tried to deny this fact, but L''s eyes that looked at him with disappointment gave him her answer. "You won''t accept my proposal?"


    L didn''t reply. She only took a deep breath. After a while, London Schneider finally heard his most-hated sentence. "I''m sorry."


    "I no longer know how to do it. It seems like I''ve done nothing right," he complained. "Why is it so hard to please you?"


    "I''m honored because you bother doing all this. I want to accept it... but I can''t. It''s too much, and I''m disappointed that you spent your money on something as unnecessary as this diamond ring. Why don''t you think about the future and save your money for Lily''s needs?" L shook her head in disappointment. "I understand that you received a discount at the restaurant, even for this air balloon... but don''t tell me you also got a discount for the ring? That is impossible."


    London bit his lip. He didn''t understand L''s thoughts. He never knew any woman who would refuse a beautiful diamond ring. L was truly one of a kind!


    Why can''t she be like other women who''ll cheer with joy when given expensive things? Didn''t L herself claim to be a materialistic woman? Why is nothing that I do considered right in her eyes? London felt cornered.


    "L... I really didn''t get a discount for the ring..." In the end, London took a deep breath and put the ring in L''s palm. "But I also didn''t spend my money on this ring. What I''ve spent for you all this time¡­ was still nothing. I can give you far more expensive things... In fact, whatever you want in life, you name it, I can to give them to you."


    L looked at London with narrowed eyes. She didn''t know the direction of this man''s conversation.


    "I don''t understand..."


    "L, Honey... I''m sorry. I can''t hold it in any longer." London looked at L deeply. "My name is actually London Schneider. I own the building where we had dinner, and so many other properties, as well as various companies under the Schneider Group... and many more. I love you.


    I''ve loved you for a long time now. I love you because you''re unique and so much fun. I love you because you make my life so colorful. I love you because you''re the mother of my child. I love you for various reasons that I can''t say one by one because they''re so many...


    I just want to marry you and raise Lily together with you. I no longer know how to declare my love properly, because I proposed to you three times, and they all ended up in chaos... If the latter fails too, I''ll become traumatized and no longer know how I can go home and meet Lily to give her this bad news that her mother again refused to marry her father..."


    "What did you just say?" L frowned and tried to listen carefully as if her brain wasn''t working properly. "I don''t understand. I think I have misheard you."


    "No, Honey... you didn''t mishear me."


    L''s body suddenly went limp, and she staggered. London quickly hugged her so she wouldn''t fall.


    London hurriedly ordered the staff members to lower their hot air balloon and immediately carried L down as soon as they landed.


    "Call the doctor!" he exclaimed while taking L out of the Blue Sky Restaurant accompanied by confused gazes of the restaurant guests. L was unconscious after London revealed his identity because she was shocked.


    The man became overwhelmed with guilt. He repeatedly cursed himself for having selfishly told a secret that, from the beginning, he knew could cause L to be shaken just because his proposal was rejected yet again.


    "To what floor, Sir?" the manager asked respectfully.


    "The top floor. I want to go to the penthouse," he said quickly.


    "Right away, Sir."


    During the trip to the penthouse, London''s c.h.e.s.t was filled with anxiety. He wouldn''t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to L because of his actions.


    Oh God... how could I face Lily if L gets in trouble because of me... he thought anxiously.


    He laid L on his bed and immediately waited for the doctor who had been called earlier. Not even ten minutes later, a doctor in his 40''s had come and examined L''s condition thoroughly.


    "How is her condition, Doctor?" London anxiously asked.


    "Madam was too shocked. I''ll give her a sedative so she won''t be too restless when she regains consciousness later." Doctor Schaffer gave the intended drug to London then excused himself. London could only sit on the edge of the bed while holding L''s hand worriedly.


    He immediately called the nurses and told them that he and L wouldn''t go home tonight because L had fallen ill and told them to look after Lily and report everything to him.

 Chapter 694 - Is This Your House?

    L only opened her eyes at 1 a.m. because she felt her c.h.e.s.t hurt. She felt her head spin and her right hand held very strongly by a man who was very worried. London fell asleep while waiting for L to regain consciousness and he awoke when he realized L was pulling her hand.


    "Uhm... you''re awake?" he asked in a very relieved voice when he saw L had opened her eyes and was looking at him with a frown.


    "Where am I?" L asked. She scanned her gaze and realized she didn''t recognize the room where she was now.


    "You''re in the penthouse, in the St. Laurent Hotel building," London answered softly. "This is where I lived before I met you."


    L instantly remembered everything that had happened, and she unconsciously got out of bed and pulled her hand free from London''s grasp.


    "Who are you...?" L asked in a confused tone. She was immediately reminded that before she passed out, Killian claimed to be London Schneider to her, and claimed he owned this building along with many other properties, including all companies under the Schneider Group.


    She also remembered that they were neighbors with the Schneider family in Grunewald.


    Wait... wasn''t there where she saw London Schneider with Killian together?


    Why did Killian have to claim himself as someone else?


    "I''m London Schneider," London repeated his statement.


    Although in his heart he had thought to retract his words and acted as if L misheard him when they were in a hot air balloon so the girl wouldn''t be shocked, he realized that one day, the truth would be revealed and L would be more hurt if he lied to her for longer.


    L frowned and looked at him closely. The poor girl still thought her brain wasn''t working properly so she misheard him.


    "I want to go home..." Finally, L looked away and rose from the bed. For a moment, she was stunned to see how luxurious the room she was in, but then she hurriedly got rid of that feeling and got out of bed. "Where are my shoes?"


    "Wait a minute, I''ll get it..." London held L''s hand and prevented her from getting out of bed barefooted. "Wait here, the wooden floor is very cold for your feet."


    He went outside the room and returned with L shoes and patiently put it on the girl''s feet. L was stunned to see the man who claimed to be the owner of one of the largest corporate groups in the world putting her shoes on for her. She tried to prevent him, but London didn''t heed her refusal.


    "Thank you for your help, Sir. Apologies, I want to go home now." After her shoes were already put on, L immediately stood up and bowed slightly towards London.


    The young man was very surprised to hear L talking to him very formally. At that time, more than anything else, he would prefer it if L was angry and shouted at him because she felt deceived, but the girl instead kept a distance and acted very formally.


    "L... it''s me. Why do you have to call me ''Sir''?" he asked, trying to hold L.''s hand. The girl stared at his hand with a complicated look and slowly pulled hers off.


    "Mr. Schneider is the boss of my agency... I can''t be impudent by acting casually," L replied in a flat voice. She bowed again and walked away. London wanted to hold her hand, but it was in vain.


    "L... please don''t go. I have a lot to talk to you about..." London went to catch up to L''s steps and followed her out of the penthouse. He was eager to lock the door and keep L here, but his common sense still worked. He couldn''t hold that girl against her will.


    "My head hurts... can we talk tomorrow, Sir? I''ll come to the office..." L replied in a weak voice. She pressed the elevator button to the ground floor.


    "If you''re sick, don''t go home alone, let me take you there."


    L didn''t answer, but when the elevator door opened and London pulled her hand to the lobby parking lot and opened the door to his Mercedes, L didn''t try to escape. Apparently, she didn''t want to attract the attention of the people around them.


    The journey to their home in Grunewald only lasted for 15 minutes, but the deafening silence and freezing atmosphere between the two made the trip feel like it lasted forever.


    Once the gate opened and the car entered the yard, L squeezed her bag and got ready to get out of the car. When the car stopped and parked, L opened the car door and immediately got out, even though she usually let London open the door for her. This made London unable to do anything but shake his head.


    "Why don''t you wait for me to open the door for you?" the man asked in a tired voice. It was almost 2 am, and he needed his rest.


    L turned towards him and shook her head awkwardly. "I don''t dare to trouble you, Sir. Thank you for taking me home."


    She walked again, and before her hand opened the front door, her steps suddenly halted.


    This house was so beautiful...


    The rare piano in the living room was also amazing...


    And the crystal chandelier that London said to be fake...


    Only then did L realize the possibility of everything about this house was also a lie. She now understood that although her income as an artist was quite high, she wouldn''t be able to buy a house as luxurious as this in the most expensive residential area in Berlin.


    Her intelligent mind immediately assumed that her manager, Pammy, was also involved in all of these charades. She turned to face London, not opening the door, her tears streaming incessantly as her hoarse voice asked for confirmation. "This house... is it yours?"


    L realized that there was no way she could afford to buy a house this expensive with such luxurious furnishings. Even the rare Steinway piano was definitely not an unused item found in the storage... and all the life support devices for Lily...


    Why was she so stupid, thinking she had been so successful and able to get everything, even saying to a London Schneider that she would support their family for three years until the man was able to earn more money than she.


    How embarrassing...


    "L, please, don''t cry... I didn''t mean to fool you. I just wanted to give you what you needed..." London persuaded. He could never bear to see L cry.

 Chapter 695 - Where Is L?

    What London couldn''t bear to see the most was L crying, but whatever he did couldn''t stop her cry. L sobbed wistfully and this made London confused and sad at the same time.


    He didn''t know what to do.


    "L... if you want to be angry, be angry with me. You can hit me... I''m the one guilty of deceiving you. It was all accidental at first, but then it became really difficult for me to tell you the truth." London walked over to L, who was still standing in front of the door with tears in her eyes.


    The girl looked at him awkwardly. It could be seen in her eyes that L was experiencing inner conflict. She didn''t know how to behave to the man whom she thought was a poor young man who happened to be the father of her child, and it was only this evening did she found out that he was actually the wealthiest and most powerful man in Germany, maybe even in all of mainland Europe.


    "I... don''t know how to behave," the girl finally whispered. "I need time to think."


    London nodded. "I''m not in a hurry. You need to rest. We can talk tomorrow morning."


    He opened the door and invited L inside. The girl obeyed and immediately walked to her room. London only stared until the girl disappeared behind the door of the room, then he went to his own room and sat on his bed.


    Tonight was really exhausting. He felt confused when he saw L''s attitude, but at the same time, he was also relieved. Finally, he managed to drop the heaps of lies that had weighed him all this time.


    Now all that remained was to wait for the morning to come and convince L to accept him as he was.


    ***


    When he woke up, the sun was already high. London opened his eyes and blinked while trying to recall his memories. Hmm... He felt something was missing because this morning, he didn''t hear the sound of L singing to wake him up.


    Gosh! Elle!


    He immediately remembered what happened last night. He had told L his true identity and shocked the girl. L fainted and then wept bitterly when they arrived back at home.


    London hurriedly got up from the bed and wearing only a robe, he ran out looking for L. He had to know why L didn''t sing as usual this morning.


    "Have you seen Madam?" he asked the two nurses who were working in Lily''s room. Both of them shook their heads.


    Their responses made London feel uneasy. He immediately ran back to his room and dialed L''s number.


    One ring.


    Two rings.


    L still didn''t pick up her phone.


    Damn it, London exasperatedly cussed inside. He shouldn''t have left L alone last night. He wondered what''s on her mind now.


    He then called Marc. His bodyguard was always watching his house day and night, so he should be able to tell him where L went.


    "Yes, Sir. Good morning." Marc''s cheerful voice came on the other end.


    "L disappeared. You have to find out where she went!" London hurriedly exclaimed.


    "Miss L..."


    "I don''t care how but you should bring her back here." Impatiently, London immediately hung up the phone without giving Marc a chance to ask questions. His bodyguard had been with him for a long time, right? He should have known what needed to be done.


    Restlessly, he massaged his head. L... why do you have to go? he thought sadly.


    He decided to wait for news from Marc while drinking coffee on the terrace of their house. After the third cup of espresso, his heart was beating faster and he was getting even more worried.


    Amazingly, it took Marc a long time to call back. Didn''t he just need to look at the CCTV footage and find out when L went and which way, then check all the traffic cameras throughout Berlin and track L''s current location?


    How difficult was it to do such an easy thing? At a minimum, he should be able to tell his employer the latest news, where L was now, before trying to find her directly.


    London was just about to enter the house and get the next coffee when the gate opened automatically and Marc entered carrying a woman who was struggling on his shoulder while pulling on a beagle''s leash.


    "Let me go! You bastard!! Heyyyy... Let go!!!"


    The coffee cup in London''s hands immediately fell and shattered on the floor when the young man saw Marc''s arrival. He hurriedly stepped forward and scolded his loyal bodyguard.


    "What is this?" he asked in surprise.


    Marc lowered L, who had been struggling and hitting Marc''s back with all her strength. "I brought Miss L home according to your order."


    As soon as L set her feet on the ground, she stomped her feet in anger.


    "Oh, so this was your order, huh? You told people to kidnap me, is that so????? You think just because you''re rich and powerful, you can do whatever you want? Is that so????!!!"


    With a hand on her waist, she glared at London, pointing.


    "I..." London was still in shock because it turned out that L didn''t go far but was just taking Yves for a walk around their residential complex, and Marc just ''kidnapped'' her by force to fulfill his boss''s orders to take Miss L home.


    "Why are you silent? Cat got your tongue?" L questioned, a hand still on her waist. "You can imagine how shocked and scared I was when this giant of yours kidnapped me...!"


    London was amazed to see L angry at him. He knew he was wrong. Now he remembered that Marc had wanted to say something when he called him, but London hastily hung up.


    It must have been Marc''s intention to say that L was just out with Yves... but London didn''t give him a chance to speak at all.


    And now, L was angry because she was forced to go home.


    "L honey..." A relieved smile carved on London''s lips as he stormed L and hugged her tightly. "I''m so happy to hear you got angry at me. You don''t know how much I miss your temper. Please just scold me if I make a mistake, don''t cry. I can''t bear to see you cry..."


    L was stunned to hear the words that the man said with full sincerity. For a moment, her body froze in London''s arms. Yves''s leash slipped from her hand, and the agile beagle would have escaped out of the gate if Marc hadn''t hurriedly caught it.


    Being self-aware, Marc then tiptoed while carrying Yves out the gate, giving privacy to his boss.


    London, who was about to scold him, then changed his mind. Indeed, he was the one who was guilty of wrongly giving orders to Marc.


    Ah... what matters is that L is now back in my arms, he thought.

 Chapter 696 - Hello, Im London Killian Schneider

    He loosened his arms from around L and looked at her deeply. "I''m sorry. I was really worried you left me because of last night''s events. Because of panic, I asked Marc to look for you and take you home..."


    L rolled his eyes and snorted. "I didn''t say you could hug me."


    London hurriedly took his hands off L''s body and took two steps back. "Sorry... I got carried away."


    L looked away and walked past him into the house. London hurriedly followed in her steps.


    "Why didn''t you practice singing this morning? I didn''t hear your voice, so I woke up late, and when I looked for you all over the house, I didn''t find you. You don''t know how panicked I was..." London was complaining to L like a child complaining to his mother about his terrible school report scores.


    "I didn''t practice singing because I was afraid of waking you up. You just slept at dawn, how could I make you lose your rest time," L replied as she walked into the house, not paying any heed to London, who was walking after her.


    "Oh... then why didn''t you pick up your phone? I called you a dozen times, but you didn''t pick up."


    "I dropped my cellphone on the road while chasing Yves. He found a rabbit hole and decided to hunt," L answered. She had arrived in front of her and opened the door.


    "Oh... I''m sorry. I thought you didn''t want to talk to me anymore, so I panicked..." London still followed L like a child following his mother.


    At that moment, L finally turned around and held the young man''s c.h.e.s.t with her right hand. "Where are you going? This is my room."


    London looked around and realized that she was right.


    "Ahh... right, we''ve arrived at your room." He nodded.


    "You have your own room, why are you coming with me here?" L asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You''re right. I''m in the wrong room..." London scratched his head. "I''ll take a shower then. Let''s meet in the dining room for breakfast. I want to talk to you."


    L took a deep breath and finally nodded.


    "All right. I''ll see you later." London hugged L quickly before she could escape. Then he hurried to his own room.


    London decided to take a quick shower and change his clothes. This time, he chose his best outfit. He hadn''t worn his glasses for a few months since L said she liked him more without glasses, but yesterday, he was still wearing simple cheap clothes, and not his normal clothes, which were cool and expensive.


    Now, because his identity was revealed, he felt that there was nothing left to hide. After grooming himself in the mirror and feeling satisfied with his appearance, London exited his room while humming happily. He headed to the kitchen and immediately took an apron to start cooking a delicious breakfast for him and L.


    His joyful humming stopped immediately when he saw L enter the kitchen and stood looking at him in shock.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there anything strange?" London asked in confusion. He had never seen L''s expression this awkward.


    L shook her head. With awkward steps, she took the spatula from London''s hand and pushed his body to the side.


    "Let me cook," the girl murmured in a voice barely heard.


    London frowned. "Why are you acting weird like this? Don''t I always cook our breakfast all this time?"


    "I''ll do it," L replied. She ignored the man and took over cutting the vegetables and onions and took the eggs from the fridge.


    "L... why are you acting so weird?" London was finally forced to take back the spatula from L.


    "Let go..." L didn''t want to just let go of the spatula. She deftly tried to take it back.


    "I''ll do the cooking... Your cooking isn''t good," London protested, trying to hold on to the newly seized spatula.


    "I''ll do it...! You shouldn''t do housework..." L was still trying her hardest to pull her spatula back.


    Both parties weren''t willing to budge. London himself was very surprised because it turned out that in L''s tiny body, there was so much energy when she tried desperately to pull the spatula from him.


    "Alright... you win!" After thirty seconds of struggling over that silly object, London finally relented and let go of his spatula


    He forgot that the pull of his great strength and release suddenly would make L slam back. With wide eyes, L pulled the spatula to her c.h.e.s.t and she immediately realized that her body was pulled back very quickly due to the force of her own strength. In just a second, her body would hit the table hard.


    "Elle...!!!"


    London, who saw the effects of his actions, reflexively pulled L so she wouldn''t slam back and hit the kitchen table which was made of very hard teak.


    Instead, L''s body was pulled back toward him, and now, it was London''s turn to slam back, crashing into the kitchen counter with L in his arms, and that damned spatula struck his face.


    "Ouch..." He could only bear the pain as his waist hit the kitchen counter made of hard marble and his face was hit by a spatula.


    Ugh... it''s fine, as long as L isn''t hurt, he thought. He wouldn''t be able to forgive himself if L hit the kitchen table and was in pain because of his mistake. Sigh... we shouldn''t have fought over a mere spatula, he thought exasperated.


    "Ouch... I''m sorry..." L hurriedly got herself off of London and examined the young man''s waist. She knew for sure that it hurt to hit the marble counter like that. "Does it hurt a lot? Should I get some ice to compress it?"


    London removed the spatula, which was still on his face, and threw it on the floor. He then complained and massaged his waist, which was feeling sharp pain.


    "We shouldn''t have fought over it, it was silly," he grumbled softly.


    "How can I let you do all that..." L blurted out, defending herself as she hurriedly brought ice from the freezer which she had wrapped in a napkin. "You''re..."


    "Who am I?" London asked, frowning.


    "You''re not supposed to do housework... What will people say later?" L asked again in a desperate tone, as if London was a stupid student who didn''t want to admit his ignorance.


    "I''ve been preparing breakfast for us for almost five months together. I didn''t see you having a problem with it before. Why did you suddenly change?" London asked in surprise as he compressed his waist with the ice L gave him. "Do you really hate my cooking and only now you want to be straightforward? Does my cooking not taste good?"


    "Sir... that''s not it..." L became at a loss for words. "You''re the young master of the Schneider family..."


    "So? Is being the young master of the Schneider family such a bad thing in your eyes? I''m so confused. For the past few months, I''ve found it so hard to get your love because you think I''m poor, but surprisingly, our relationship was good. Now, after you know I''m actually rich, you treat me strangely. What am I supposed to do then? Can''t you act as usual to me? I''m London Schneider, but I''m also Killian Makela. I''m still the same person."


    "I don''t know how I should behave to you, okay..." L looked cornered. "I didn''t know who you are..."


    London realized L was right. He was the one who caused misunderstanding and confusion between them. He still hadn''t introduced himself properly to the girl.


    He nodded and after fixing his posture, he raised his right hand and invited L to shake his hand.


    "Miss L... would you like to start over with me? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is London Killian Schneider. Makela is my mother''s family name. I sometimes use it when I''m in disguise. Nice to meet you."

 Chapter 697 - He Commands You To Kiss Him

    "Miss L... would you like to start from the beginning with me? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is London Killian Schneider. Makela is my mother''s family name. I sometimes use it when I''m in disguise. Nice to meet you."


    L was stunned to see the hand that was offered for her, but then hesitantly reached out her right hand and returned London''s greetings.


    "Hi... my name is Marianne De Maestri... but I haven''t used that name in a long time. You can call me L," the girl said in a low voice.


    London shook L''s hand and squeezed her fingers gently. His face was decorated with a big smile.


    "Now, how about we both work together to prepare breakfast, and then we can sit and eat while talking so we can get to know each other. What do you think?" he asked in a cheerful tone.


    L finally nodded slowly.


    London released L''s hand and handed the spatula to her. "You can use the spatula. I''m willing to let you have it because it seems like you really like it."


    He laughed when he saw L accept the spatula while frowning. L said nothing, only going back to prepare the fried bacon and boiled eggs, while London prepared a bowl of salad and fruit slices for them.


    "Instead of fighting over who has to do what, we better work together to do it, okay?" London voiced, happily pinching L''s nose. She snorted. L was about to get angry because her nose was pinched like that, but she immediately refrained.


    She remembered that the man in front of her was not an ordinary man. She realized she couldn''t behave casually toward him now.


    "Hey... why are you silent?" London immediately realized what was happening and he felt uneasy. It would be really awkward if L treated him with respect as a young master from a wealthy family, even though the girl was still behaving normally and didn''t hesitate to nag him yesterday. Why the heck can''t L act as usual?


    They then sat opposite each other at the dining table facing the breakfast dishes they had prepared just now. L poured a cup of tea for both of them.


    "L... don''t be awkward to me. Please..." London was beginning to regret revealing his identity to L. If he had known how awkward L''s attitude to him would be if she knew he was a Schneider... of course he would choose not to disclose his identity forever.


    L gazed at him with a complicated look. She just bowed while finishing her breakfast, not answering. The atmosphere of this breakfast became awkward with L''s silence.


    "L... do you still consider yourself working for Brilliant Mind Media?" London asked in the end.


    L looked up in surprise, but she then nodded. "Yes, I do."


    "Then you still have to obey the orders from the owner of Brilliant Mind Media, right?" London asked again. "Whatever he asks you to do, will you consider it a duty?"


    L swallowed hard, seeming to get annoyed, but she restrained herself and nodded slowly. "Yes."


    London rubbed his lips with a napkin when he finished his breakfast. His eyes were now staring straight at L with a very serious look.


    "In that case, the owner of Brillant Mind Media now commands you to kiss him."


    L''s face suddenly turned red. The resentment she had been holding up immediately spilled out and couldn''t be held back anymore. She stood up and scolded London.


    "What did you say?? So that''s how you behave as a company boss, huh? How many artists have you told to kiss you like this? You pervert! Do you think you can fool around with women just because you''re rich and powerful???"


    She angrily took the spatula from the pan and slapped it on London''s shoulders. The man was grinning to see her provoked. London was happy to see L angry, but he didn''t think she would beat him up with a spatula. His shock only lasted for two seconds because he had swiftly evaded and took the spatula from L''s hand.


    "L... don''t be so fierce, else Lily will grow up imitating your temper later..." London teased as he pulled the girl into his arms.


    L tried to escape, but London didn''t let her escape this time. He hugged L tightly and tried to calm her down.


    "Honey... please, don''t be angry... I''ve never asked any artist to kiss me... only you. I''m not such a man," he said firmly. "But if you keep rejecting me, I can''t guarantee that my fragile heart won''t look for another beautiful artist in Brilliant Mind Media to help console my broken heart..."


    "You...!" L was still trying to hit London, but her hands had been held by the young man, and London deftly pinned L''s two hands to the dining room wall with his right hand while his left hand held her shoulder.


    "L... be honest with me. Do you want me to find another artist to kiss me or are you willing to do it?"


    Both of them had felt their hearts beating irregularly.


    "So... which one is it?" London asked again. He knew that L had fallen in love with him, seeing how jealous L was of Finland at that time. And now, her attitude was immediately inflamed when she thought of London asking to be kissed by another artist. London knew L only needed to be forced to open up with her feelings.


    "I can be Killian Makela, London Schneider, or anyone. But it''s all just a name. I''m still the same person. I''m still a stupid man who''s always happy to hear you sing. I''m still the father of Lily, your child; I''m still the same man who''s so happy to hold your hand and kiss your lips; I''m still the same man who can''t imagine life without you..."


    L was stunned to hear the love confession for the umpteenth time. Her body went limp and she no longer revolted. She looked at London with a confused look.


    "I... I don''t want you to kiss another woman..." Finally, L''s low squeak could be heard. Her face flushed red.


    London smiled at the girl''s confession.


    "Then... who can I kiss?" he asked in a stern voice.


    L pursed her lips and looked away.


    "Watch out, if you dare kiss another woman..." L hissed.


    Before she finished, London had pulled L''s chin gently toward him. Looking down, he kissed L''s pouting pink lips.


    London knew that as a man, it was time for him to take the initiative because L wouldn''t want to be straightforward with her feelings. He pressed L''s lips lovingly and held the girl''s head with his left hand.


    L didn''t resist the man. After a while, she reciprocated London''s kiss, from initially hesitating to be more confident. London was filled with joy when he realized that L welcomed his kiss.


    He excitedly broke through the girl''s defenses and explored L''s mouth with his excited tongue. Soft m.o.a.ns escaped their lips as they both were engulfed in a fiery passion.

 Chapter 698 - Opening Up

    Both of them kissed passionately for a long time and only stopped when the sound of an incoming call suddenly came from London''s phone. L immediately moved and hurriedly escaped from London''s arms by pushing the man back.


    "Someone''s calling you..." The girl blushed and pointed at his phone on the table.


    Sheessh... With annoyance, London moved to the dining table and took his cellphone to find out who among his staff would not get their annual bonus this time because they presumptuously called him when he finally had the chance to kiss L.


    "Honey..." A woman''s voice came on the other end of the line.


    "Oh... hello, Mom. Good morning.." London''s frustration soon disappeared when he found out that the person who called him and disturbed his intimacy with L was his own mother. L seemed to perk up her ears when she heard London mention his mother. She became uncomfortable as if the mother of the man she was dating caught them kissing on the porch.


    "I... I''ve finished my breakfast. I''ll pump some b.r.e.a.s.t milk then," L said with a murmur. She then hurriedly left the dining room and entered her own room.


    London could only nod. He poured himself a cup of tea and continued talking with his mother. It turned out that Finland really wanted to visit Lily and was asking when she could come.


    "I''ll ask L first, Mom. I''m sure L won''t mind, but I have to talk to her about this first. After all, Lily isn''t just my child, so I have to ask L as her mother."


    In the large mansion at the end of the road, Finland took a deep breath. She was very happy to see her child grow up to be a responsible man who respected women.


    Although London was very wealthy and powerful and was accustomed to getting everything he wanted, he treated L equally and didn''t necessarily make his own decisions about their child.


    "Okay, go ask her. Let me know as soon as possible." Finland then hung up.


    London knocked on L''s door and asked for permission to enter.


    "Ten more minutes. I''m still pumping b.r.e.a.s.t milk," L answered from inside.


    "All right. I''ll wait in Lily''s room then. There''s something I want to talk to you about. This is really important."


    "Okay."


    London knew that it was about time he and L talked and discussed their relationship. One secret had been revealed, so it was time for the other secrets to be revealed, for the sake of Lily and for their family.


    One thing for sure, Lily was a descendant of the Schneider family, so when she grew up, she would definitely become an Alchemist who wouldn''t age. L must decide, whether she wanted to live forever with London to raise their daughter and watch Lily live forever or if she chose to be an ordinary human being who would age and die, and eventually leave Lily.


    He deliberately chose Lily''s room as the place for them to talk so L wouldn''t get angry if she felt lied to again. London knew no matter how angry L was, she wouldn''t dare to make a fuss in front of her baby.


    I''m so smart, London praised himself inwardly.


    He entered Lily''s room and sent the nurses out. While waiting for L to come, he tried to talk with Lily. After being treated for a long time, Lily had begun to look healthier. Her weight had gone up to almost 2 kg and her eyes were no longer covered, making her look like an ordinary prem.a.t.u.r.e baby.


    As usual, Lily spent most of her time sleeping and she still received milk intake through the tubes because she couldn''t suck by herself. Dr. Muller, who visited her a few days ago, said that Lily''s progress was extraordinary and that in a few weeks, they would be able to hug and hold her and get her used to drinking b.r.e.a.s.t milk directly from her mother. London couldn''t wait!


    "You''re very beautiful," London praised his sleeping child. "Other babies look like little monkeys when they''re born, but you''re different. To me, you''re the most beautiful baby girl in the universe. I can''t wait to carry you. Get well soon, okay, Sweetheart..."


    He picked up a children''s fairytale book then sat next to the incubator and chose a short story. He began to read.


    "A long time ago, in a kingdom in a faraway land.."


    She didn''t remember much about her family. In fact, before meeting Danny a few months ago, she had no memory of what her father and mother looked like until he showed a picture of the De Maestri family.


    But lately, she vaguely recalled the memories of her loving father carrying her to bed and reciting fables to her before she slept on the night of the murder.


    L really missed her father.


    After reading the short story in the fairytale book for Lily, London put the book back on the shelf. Only when he finished putting the book did he notice L''s presence in the doorway. He immediately approached the girl and led her inside.


    "Sit down. There are a few important things I want to discuss with you," he said in a soft voice. L nodded. She sat on the soft couch near the window and looked at London questioningly.


    "I''m listening," she said.


    London softly cleared his throat and began the conversation. "I''m sorry for covering up my identity from you all this time. As you now know, I come from a wealthy family..."


    "Very wealthy." L corrected. "The wealthiest in Europe. The fifth wealthiest in the world."


    London coughed and waved his hand. "Something like that. I don''t have many friends because my life has been pretty closed-off. You know the reputation of my family who never opens themselves to the outside, right? My father did it to protect us. My father''s intentions were good, but that made me and my siblings not have an adequate social life. When I met you the first time, I just decided to look for friends from among ordinary people, who wouldn''t deliberately be good to me or be friends with me just because of my family''s wealth. That''s why when we met at Stephan''s party, you thought I was a poor photographer."


    L nodded. "I still remember."


    "When we were trapped by Stephan, I really wanted to take responsibility. At the very least, I wanted to make sure that your life would be fine after that. I didn''t want Stephan''s crime to ruin your life. I wouldn''t let that. That''s why I bought Brilliant Mind Media to help your career."


    L stared at London with a look of disbelief. A moment later, she let out a disappointed sigh and covered her face with both hands.


    "Oh, God... why am I so dumb? No wonder a lot of gossips, saying I slept with the boss, kept circulating. So this is why..."


    "L, that''s not it... That''s wrong. Don''t listen to those cheap gossips. You''re very talented, I''m your number one fan. With or without my help, you''ll surely be famous one day. It''s only a matter of time. I helped you become famous faster, but everything has always been from your own effort. The people aren''t stupid. If you''re not talented, they won''t accept you." London moved to sit next to L and touched her hands, which were covering her face with a look of despair. "Please forgive me, I just wanted to help you. I did it selflessly, purely because I felt sorry for you."

 Chapter 699 - Youve Met My Family

    L raised her face and looked at London with an aggrieved expression. One the one hand, she could understand the sincerity of the young man in front of her, but on the other hand, she felt disappointed with herself, because it turned out that her career hadn''t been the result of her own efforts.


    "Does Pammy know?" L asked quietly.


    "She only found out two months ago when she caught me and Jan talking in the hospital. She''s innocent. I forced her to help me."


    "Hmm..."


    "I really just wanted to help you because I felt guilty, Honey. But then, after we met again several times, I felt something different for you. I''ve never been in love with another woman, only to you. I felt this was my destiny when I realized you were pregnant with my child.


    I was determined to be responsible for you both. That''s why I prepared everything for you and Lily." London explained again. "Because you were still rejecting me, I couldn''t reveal my identity to you."


    "Are you afraid I''ll only accept you because of your wealth?" L asked. "I know, I do have that kind of reputation. I''m indeed materialistic... I now understand why you kept your identity as London Schneider a secret. You have to protect your family''s wealth from materialistic gold diggers like me."


    London smiled at L''s words. He shook his head slowly. "I don''t mind if you''re really materialistic and wanting my wealth, although now I know you''re not really materialistic like you claim to be.


    As I told you, when you were hospitalized, after you fainted, I was willing to be used by you. You can use my body, my wealth, the influence of my family has, whatever it is. I don''t mind. Besides, if we get married, my wealth will also be yours anyway. So, I have absolutely no problem with that."


    L was astonished to hear that. "Eh... what? You kept your identity a secret not because you''re afraid of gold-diggers like me?"


    "No. It''s not like that at all." London gave an increasingly mysterious smile. "I kept my identity a secret because only the woman who wants to marry me can know who I really am. This concerns the secrets of my family and our whole clan."


    "I don''t understand..." L became very confused.


    London pulled L''s hands into his l.a.p and squeezed them gently. "Honey, are you willing to live forever with me and Lily?"


    London tried to hold back his laughter when he saw L''s confused expression. He became exasperated and pinched her little nose. "Are you confused?"


    L nodded slowly. Her black eyes seemed to be filled with questions.


    "I''ll tell you everything because you''re Lily''s mother. Please listen with an open mind and don''t interrupt me. After I''m done, you can think about it properly and give me an answer."


    "What answer?" L asked in surprise.


    "Later. You''ll find out yourself." London held L''s hand with both of his hands and squeezed it softly as the story began. "Are you ready to hear the craziest story you''ll ever hear in your life?"


    Finally, L nodded. "Okay."


    "Honey, my family is actually a part of the Alchemist clan. I''m now 28 years old, but as you can see, my face looks a little younger than my age. Ten years from now... even a hundred years from now, my face won''t change, because..." London uttered the next sentence slowly while watching L.''s reaction. "My family are immortals. At least until now, no Alchemist has aged or died of illness."


    "This joke of yours isn''t funny..." L chided after London finished his sentence. The girl''s voice sounded disappointed. "I thought you would say something important and serious, but you''re just joking. Why don''t you take me seriously?"


    "Sssh... you''re so disobedient, eh? I already told you not to interrupt me."


    "I didn''t interrupt you. You''ve stopped talking just now."


    London massaged his forehead. "You get what I mean. I''m not done talking yet. You don''t believe me? Do you think I''m just joking? Now ask me how old my father is."


    L shrugged. "About 50 or 60 years old..."


    "You didn''t ask. You concluded it yourself."


    "Ugh... all right, Sir. How old is your father?" L finally asked, relenting.


    London smiled and looked at L very seriously. "My father is 470 years old now, almost 5 centuries-old... But my father isn''t even the oldest human being on earth today. There''s Uncle Lauriel. He''s now nearly 600 years old. They''ve been living for a ridiculously long time.


    All their lives, my father and Uncle Lauriel have explored every corner of the earth, so they know a lot of things. They also mastered a lot of languages ??because they''ve explored the earth and learned new cultures all their lives."


    L was still shaking her head. "If it''s true that your father is so old, why are you still young?"


    "Well... My father used to be a womanizer. He changed his women once a month. Anyway, my father used to be a jerk. He was a changed man after meeting my mother. They met around 30 years ago and immediately fell in love. As a result, my sister, Aleksis, was born. Then came myself and Rune."


    L frowned at the name Rune. Subconsciously, her lips sighed in surprise. She remembered meeting Rune at the Schneider family mansion a few weeks ago. Immediately, her memory went back to the man who looked very similar to London there. She remembered that at that time, she thought that the man was London Schneider.


    Wait... if this man sitting next to her was the real London Schneider, then... who was that guy from back then?


    L''s lips half-opened when she was about to ask London, but she couldn''t find her voice.


    "You must remember now. You''ve met my father and mother." London seemed to be able to read L''s mind and immediately confirmed her suspicions.


    L half-screamed, pressing her lips with both hands. Her eyes went round so big.


    Gosh! Then... the young man and woman she called Mr. and Mrs. Schneider at that time were... the parents of the man beside her?


    Why did they look so young?


    Is... London really telling the truth?

 Chapter 700 - I Mustve Gone Crazy

    "You must remember now. You''ve met my father and mother." London seemed to be able to read L''s mind and immediately confirmed her suspicions.


    L half-screamed, pressing her lips with both hands. Her pair of round eyes widened.


    Gosh! Then... the young men and women he called Mr. and Mrs. Schneider at that time were... the parents of the man beside her?


    Why do they look so young?


    Is... London really telling the truth?


    After struggling with her own thoughts for a few minutes, L finally realized that London had no reason to lie to her for this kind of thing.


    Her c.h.e.s.t was pounding. L felt shocked as she panted. Seeing L looking stressed, London hurriedly pulled the girl''s head into his arms. He calmed L by whispering soft words so the girl would be less stressed.


    "Uncle Lauriel is the best medicine expert and he gave the medicine for your heart when you were about to give birth to Lily to strengthen your heart so you''d be able to give birth normally. Right now, your heart condition has improved, so you don''t need to worry about getting sick again. I won''t let you get sick. Calm yourself. Come on, inhale," he said in a soft voice. "Now... exhale..."


    L followed London''s words and regulated her breath carefully. She just realized that, indeed, her condition had improved recently. She had no idea that she was given medicine for her heart. All her life, even the best doctors could do nothing to help her. But now... she really felt that her body was much healthier.


    She remembered that Lily''s birth was a very dangerous moment for her. She could have died! But she managed to get through it all and gave birth to Lily normally. Something that should be impossible according to Dr. Muller''s words.


    "Honey, not only the best treatment, if you''re willing to marry me and live forever with me and Lily, you''ll receive an immortality potion as a wedding gift. You''ll stay young all your life and there will be no illness that can bother you. Alchemists have perfect cells that constantly regenerate, so we''ll never get sick or experience aging. Your heart disease will be cured, you will be able to stay with me and Lily forever until someday we decide it''s time for us to die. The decision is in our hands."


    Everything she heard was indeed very shocking, but the way London delivered it calmly and in order somehow managed to make L believe him and not shocked like she was earlier. L felt her c.h.e.s.t no longer pounding hard, and her feelings began to calm down.


    This is really too good to be true. She pinched her hand and realized she wasn''t dreaming. Wasn''t she really lucky? This man beside her loved her so much, did so many things for her, and was even willing to lie to protect her feelings. And now... this man even offered her an immortality potion.


    Which human didn''t want to live forever young?


    L lifted her face and looked at London with tears in her eyes. "What about Lily?"


    "Lily is my child, so she''ll surely get the immortality potion and live as an Alchemist with me. She''ll also be young forever." London stared back at L and wiped the tears that started to well up in her eyes. "Do you want to be able to live forever, taking care of Lily with me?"


    L pursed her lips trying to hold back her tears. "Why me? What did you see in me? You offered me so much... but I have nothing to repay you with. Between us, I have brought nothing into this relationship."


    London only realized that L felt pressured because now, she knew her position of having nothing. Even her career that she was proud of was also a gift from London Schneider himself.


    "You brought Lily into my life. That''s equivalent to everything I brought into this relationship," London said quickly. "Even if I trade the whole world, I won''t be able to give birth to Lily myself."


    "So my contribution is just giving birth to a child for you?" L asked with tears still in her eyes. "Any woman will be able to give birth to children for you if they sleep with you. That''s nothing special. I''m sure there are thousands of women out there who want to be your wife and give birth to your children. Why did you choose me?"


    "That''s not what I meant. It''s not like that at all. You''re precious to me not only because you gave birth to a child for me. But more than that. You made my life complete. Before I fell in love with you, my life was ordinary. After you and Lily were present, it felt as though I found something that can finally make me happy. With you by my side, I don''t need anything anymore. Your singing every morning makes me very happy, even our fights keep me entertained¡­ My life has been very colorful ever since you were in it, and I don''t know how I''ll be able to live without you."


    "What makes you love me? If it''s because of Lily... you can be trapped to sleep with another woman and if she''s pregnant with your child, you''ll also feel responsible and the cycle would repeat. I don''t want to imagine it," L murmured in a barely audible voice.


    "What did you say just now? I didn''t hear it..." London frowned.


    "I asked you... what makes you love me? I have to know whether you''re sincere or if it was purely because you feel responsible for me and Lily." L''s gaze was fixated on London.


    Really, this is too good to be true for an ordinary girl to be able to meet such a perfect man? Not only was he handsome and came from a wealthy family, but he was even immortal. He and his entire family. This man''s perfection made L fearful. She was afraid she wasn''t good enough for this man.


    "Why am I in love with you?" London frowned and looked thoughtful. "I don''t know either. You''re short, irritable, you can''t cook..."


    "What did you say????" Involuntarily, L got up with her hands on her waist. London only smiled. This girl is so easily provoked, he thought. L looked really upset. "I just asked you what made you fall in love with me. It doesn''t mean you can insult me, okay! You think I don''t already know I''m short, bad-tempered, can''t cook, and so on??? I don''t need to hear that from you, Jerk!"


    London laughed. "What did I say? You''re very irritating sometimes. But I still love you. I must have gone crazy."


    L was stunned. She just realized that he was just teasing her to get her to react, and she now understood that London was not serious with his words.

 Chapter 701 - Shocked Again

    "Anger is bad for your heart and blood pressure, you know," London commented in a teasing voice. He pulled L into his l.a.p without paying heed over the girl''s protest. "Now you know I''ve gone crazy. The question now is, are you willing to spend your whole life with this crazy man?"


    L finally gave up and looked at London with a complicated look. After a while, she nodded, very slowly.


    "I didn''t quite catch that. What did you say?" London asked her while frowning.


    "I''m... willing," the girl answered, pursing her lips. Her voice was barely audible.


    "You can''t change your mind after this," London said solemnly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket then showed it to L. "I recorded your answer just now."


    "Gosh...! You''re too much. I won''t take back my words. Ugh..." L tried hard to refrain from taking London''s phone from his hands. "Why are you so happy to make me angry?"


    "Hahaha... sorry. You''re really cute when you''re angry. I can''t help it..." London just laughed. He used to consider that a beautiful woman was a woman who was graceful and lively. But ever since he met L, his taste had really been turned upside down. He liked L''s quiet nature and how she often cussed when London bothered her. He felt that he would never get tired of teasing this girl and making her angry.


    "Ugh..." L just rolled her eyes and tried to escape from London''s l.a.p. "Put me down. I can sit by myself, I''m not a child."


    "If you''re not a child, why are you so short?" London continued to ask her, still not satisfied teasing L.


    "Damn, you! I''m short because of genetics, okay! My mother is Japanese!" L replied furiously. "Don''t tell me you like me because I''m like a child. Are you a pedophile?"


    Hearing L''s harsh words, London immediately shuddered and hurriedly put L next to him. "No way on earth am I a pedophile! Don''t speak carelessly. I put you on my l.a.p because I love you. If you don''t like it, all you have to do is say it."


    "I''ve told you a while ago. Your ears look like they''re having problems," L snorted. "A tycoon who can''t buy better ears."


    London looked at the girl in amazement. His lips smiled happily and his hand then pulled L''s hand and held it very tightly. "I''m glad you''ve returned to being yourself. I don''t like you acting awkwardly to me and calling me Mr. Schneider. I prefer L this way. This L is adorable!!"


    L was stunned. She already realized the same thing. From last night, since she found out who London really was, she didn''t know how to behave towards the man, so she treated London formally, even going so far as to call him Sir. She didn''t dare to be insolent to a man who was so rich and powerful.


    But London didn''t stop teasing her and provoking her emotion, so L finally couldn''t hold back her emotions and got angry again. But now, she realized that London had been deliberately making her angry so L would no longer be awkward.


    "You deliberately did that..." L blurted out in a protesting tone, but she wasn''t angry. London nodded. L then bowed her head with rosy cheeks. "Damn you."


    "Haha... I''m glad we resolved the problems between us." London kissed L''s cheek "I''m calm now. L is already willing to come with me and Lily. We''ll build a happy family together."


    "Then when do you want to meet my family?" London then asked. "I mean, you did meet them before, but that wasn''t official. You even thought my father was London Schneider. You were jealous of my mother too."


    "Jealous of... Eh? Hold on..." L looked at London with a face full of questions. "Finland? She''s your mother? She and Mrs. Schneider are the same woman?"


    London nodded. "Right. Sorry. At that time, we deliberately made you jealous because I was curious since you always rejected me."


    Instantly, L held her head in panic. "God... Oh God...! My attitude towards my mother-in-law was really bad at that time. Oh God... what should I do??"


    "Hahaha... it''s okay. My mother is a nice person. She really likes you. She can''t wait to come here to meet you and visit Lily." London patted L''s head gently. "Don''t be embarrassed in front of her. My mother is very kind. If you''re willing, I''ll invite my mother here. She can help you by giving advice as a mother because she has experienced raising three naughty kids. You''ll see, we all grew up to be good people."


    L seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before nodding. "Of course... your mother is always welcome to come here."


    "Good. I''ll call my mother soon and let her know the good news."


    London took his phone and called Finland. "Mom, I''ve talked to L. She said you can come here anytime to visit Lily. When will you come here?"


    There was a squeal of joy from the other end of the line and London was forced to pull his phone away.


    "I''m so happy! I''m going there now!" Finland immediately hung up the call and hurriedly looked for Caspar in his office. "Honey! Let''s go next door. I want to visit Lily!"


    London and L could feel Finland''s excitement, and the two just looked at each other with smiles on their faces.


    "Your mother seems very pleasant," L commented


    "Indeed. She''ll also be your mother soon. So no need to be shy when you''re with her, okay..."


    "Uhm... about that," L then looked doubtful. Her mind returned to Danny Swan''s threat to reveal her secrets to the public if she broke the engagement. "Technically, I''m still Danny Swann''s fianc¨¦. I can''t marry you... yet."


    "No need to think about it. Let me take care of everything. Danny just insisted on staying engaged to you because his grandfather gave that condition to him. If he marries you, he''ll get all the inheritance from his grandfather. If not, then half of the inheritance will fall into your hands."


    "Is... is that true? I didn''t know..." L was upset to hear London''s explanation. She didn''t expect Danny to keep such bad motives behind his good treatment.


    "Well, it looks like Grandfather Swann is very kind to you. He only thought of your welfare by making those conditions."


    "I don''t need the inheritance. Danny can take everything. That bastard! I thought he was looking for me because he cared for me... Ugh..!" L pursed her lips trying to hold back her annoyance.


    "You don''t need to worry anyway. Leave Danny Swann and your family''s murderer to me. I''ll make sure everything''s settled before our marriage." London crossed his arms across his c.h.e.s.t and looked at L very seriously. "Now the question is... when do you want us to get married?"


    "Why are you asking me? Am I getting married by myself?" L uttered.


    "Well... I can get married anytime, the sooner the better. But I understand that women sometimes have their own unreasonable thoughts. So it''s better if I leave it to you to decide everything." London suddenly tapped his own head as if he remembered something. "Oh yeah... You''re a fan of Auntie Billie Yves, right?"


    L frowned and nodded. "Right. Why?"


    "Just a minute." London took his phone and called Billie Yves, who was in Australia. "Hello Auntie Billie, good evening."


    "Hi London, dear, how are you?" There was the crisp voice of Billie Yves from the other end of the call.


    "I''m going to get married soon, Auntie. It just so happens that my wife is a big fan of yours. Are you willing to come to our wedding and give your blessing? And also sing a song or two if you can... hahahaha."


    L''s pair of eyes widened when she heard London''s conversation on the telephone.


    No way.


    No way!!


    "Wahhh... congratulations! I am very happy to hear that. When''s the wedding? I will clear my  schedule."


    London turned to face L, who was still stunned beside him. "Auntie Billie asked, when is the wedding?"


    L tried to make a sound, but other than bleating and hiccuping... no words came out. She was too shocked knowing that her idol was on the other end of the phone.

 Chapter 702 - The Schneider Family Is In Her House!

    London stared at L as if he was unaware that the girl was very shocked to hear her idol''s voice on the other end of the phone.


    "What happened to you?" he asked in astonishment.


    L could only shake her head, still unable to speak.


    "Hm... okay, I''ll call you later, Auntie. My wife seems to have something stuck on her throat, so I''ll get her a drink first."


    Billie Yves just laughed and agreed. "All right, go help her first. Later when you''re already certain of the right date and time, I''ll come. See you."


    "Thank you, Auntie. See you."


    After London hung up the phone, it took five minutes for L to calm down before she could speak normally.


    "How can you call Billie Yves Auntie? You two sound so familiar with each other!" L voiced, seemingly a little faster than her usual pace. "And... and... she, hasn''t she retired for a long time? Nobody knew where she went to seclusion..."


    London just laughed lightly at L''s shock. "Auntie Billie and my family are quite close. She used to be in a long term relationship with one of my uncles, you might remember, his name was Jean. After they broke up, the relationship between our families remained good. Besides, my mother really liked Auntie Billie and has been a big fan of hers since a long time ago. Well, just like you¡­"


    "Oh really?" L was still doubtful hearing that.


    "That''s right. Because of what happened between us, 25 years ago, Auntie Billie also receives a bottle of immortality potion, so she always looked young. She resigned from the music industry a few years ago as well as a way to dispel people''s suspicions of her youth."


    "Oh..." L then remembered about herself. "Then... if I drink the immortality potion and come with you, I''ll also have to withdraw from the entertainment industry one day?"


    London nodded. "That''s right. You can only pretend to look young for some time, you can''t maintain that excuse forever. Sorry. We can''t possibly disclose our clan''s secrets to the outside world. Other people will be suspicious if they see you continue to look like this, without ever getting old."


    "I understand." L nodded. She took a deep breath and looked closely at London. "I think this is worth it."


    "That''s right. That is also one of the reasons why the Schneider family is very closed and doesn''t appear in public quite often. Very few people know about our true appearances."


    "Hmm... makes sense. I''ll protect Lily that way too."


    "Exactly." London once again had a mischievous grin when he stole a kiss from her. "I''m so happy. You don''t know how uneasy I had been in the past few months trying to figure out the best way to tell you all my secrets."


    "I understand, it''s definitely not easy." L nodded in confirmation.


    "You know, I was ready to keep this secret for years until Lily has already grown up," London continued.


    "Why wait for Lily to grow up?" L asked, not understanding.


    "Of course so that when I reveal my secrets, I can hide behind Lily''s body so you can''t scold me... hahahaha..." London laughed with satisfaction.


    He knew himself well enough and no doubt that if he was pressed, he wouldn''t hesitate to take such devious methods. L certainly wouldn''t be able to scold London if Lily protected him.


    "You... !" L wanted to look angry, but her lips were smiling. She wasn''t at all angry.


    Seeing L''s attitude, which began to soften, and how she didn''t mind at London''s silly plan of wanting to use Lily, the man felt he had the upper hand. He was about to steal another kiss when his phone suddenly rang.


    Ugh! He wanted to see who else of his staff dared to disturb him when he wanted to kiss L like this.


    "We''re in front of the gate. Please open the door." Finland''s voice from the other end of the phone immediately made him jump.


    Ah... Again, it turned out that it was his mother who called.


    "Wait a minute, Mom." London kept his phone and turned to L. "My parents have arrived. Are you ready to meet them?"


    L looked nervous. She hurriedly tidied her clothes and hair and regulated her breath, then nodded. "Y... yeah."


    "Let''s meet them." London then got up and took L to walk out of Lily''s room to their yard.


    In front of the gate, London pressed the remote then opened the gates of their large house, revealing three a.d.u.l.ts who stood idly while carrying boxes of cakes and flower bouquets.


    "Hey... good afternoon. Come in." London approached Finland and hugged his mother. Her eyes were moist as she patted his back.


    "Gosh, honey... I''m so happy, your problems are finally solved now. I can''t wait to meet Lily," Finland said in an emotional voice.


    L only stared at the sight. She could now properly see how close the mother-child relationship between London and Finland was. For a moment, she felt sad and jealous because she didn''t have a mother. Her eyes became rather wet.


    After Finland released her arms from London, she smiled sincerely and approached L. "L? You''re not going to hug me?"


    L stuttered at the words of the young and beautiful woman before her. It was hard to believe this woman had three a.d.u.l.t children.


    "I... I... er, uhm, I don''t.. uhm..." L swallowed. She didn''t know how to behave.


    "Come here. Give me a hug, too. From now on, you can think of me as your own mother. You are the mother of Lily, my granddaughter, so you''re also my child. If London bothers you or is doing weird things, don''t hesitate to tell me so I can teach him a lesson." Finland smiled broadly then hugged L very warmly.


    Finland''s warm treatment to her made L feel touched. She hadn''t had a mother for a very long time, and so far, she had been accustomed to taking care of herself. She almost forgot what it was like to have parents. Finland''s warm and motherly attitude finally made L''s defense collapse and she cried on the woman''s shoulder.


    "Sshhh... don''t be sad. You already have a family from now on. We''re here. You''re not alone anymore," Finland whispered while stroking L''s hair.


    She already knew from London that L was an orphan who lived alone and had experienced many hardsh.i.p.s since childhood. As someone who had had the same fate, she understood how it felt. Because of that, she tried her best to make L feel welcomed.


    "Thank... thank you..." L whispered while sobbing.


    "Sshh... you don''t need to thank me. Now, let me introduce you to my family. This is my husband, Caspar, and that is my youngest son, Rune. We live at the house down the road. You and London can visit anytime."


    L bowed slightly when she was introduced to Caspar and Rune.


    "Good afternoon, Uncle, Rune... Nice to meet you," he said quietly.


    "Don''t be too formal. You can call me Dad too. I hope you haven''t had lunch yet, because I brought a cake with the latest recipe and I''ll be cooking lunch for us this afternoon," Caspar said, giving the flower bouquets he brought to L and hugging her.


    "Th... thank you," L replied in a choked voice. She immediately remembered that London had told him about his father, who loved cooking. Is this the father that London was referring to? Gosh. How perfect this man is. Really handsome, kind, and likes cooking, she thought.


    As if he could read L''s mind, London immediately pulled the girl out of his father''s arms. "Ahem... I know my father is very handsome and his cooking is also very good, but you mustn''t fall in love with my father. My father belongs to my mother. You must be satisfied with his duplicate, which is me."


    L rolled her eyes furiously when she heard London''s words. "What are you saying? Nonsense!"


    She hit London on the shoulder, but the young man had caught her hand while laughing.


    "Sshh... you don''t want to have a bad reputation in front of your in-laws, right? Don''t be so quick-tempered. You know I''m just kidding. Hahaha... Now here, meet my brother, Rune. He''s a scientist who often creates various useless machines."


    Rune nodded with a big smile. "Yep, that''s me. Nice to meet you again. I brought Dad''s food in this box. We better go to the kitchen immediately and put it on the dining table."


    "Ah, yes, of course. Please come in." L hurriedly handed the flowers in her hand to London and received a box filled with cakes from Rune. She then invited her guests into the house.


    She still couldn''t believe what was happening.


    The whole Schneider family was now in her house!

 Chapter 703 - Jealous

    "Hmm... your house is quite nice," Caspar said when they arrived inside. He pointed to the Steinway grand piano in the living room. "Hmmm... I remember when I was in France and invited Chopin for tea. Do you know Opus 31? He created it while he was still in Paris and I was one of the first people to hear it. The boy was very talented."


    "Chopin? You mean, Frederic Chopin? That Chopin, the piano maestro?" L asked with a shocked expression. She still wasn''t used to hearing Caspar talk about great men in the past as if they were his next-door neighbors.


    "That''s right, that Chopin. Before he dated George Sand* and moved to Marseille, I often invited him to play the piano at the parties I was throwing." Caspar shrugged. "He was very talented. Too bad that child didn''t live long. I heard he died of tuberculosis at the age of 39."


    L nodded. "That''s right. Wow... I didn''t expect you ever to meet a legendary musician like Chopin."


    Caspar just smiled lightly. "Well... that''s one of the perks of people who have lived for centuries. One thing I regret is that I''ve never met Mozart during his lifetime. When he was alive, he didn''t get the appreciation that he should''ve had, and his life was impoverished. He was appreciated by people only after he died. Too bad. He was only 35 years old at the time. He died buried in debt."


    "Well, I''m also very sorry that such a talented person didn''t get a chance to enjoy his efforts." L nodded in confirmation. "I like reading history, and I read that Mozart was very talented. When he was 14, he visited the Vatican and listened to the musical composition of Gregorio Allegri''s Miserere, which was kept secret by the Vatican for centuries. But with just listening to it once, Mozart could memorize all the notes correctly and rewrite the composition without any mistakes."


    Caspar laughed at that. "Well, it''s just a legend that hasn''t been proven yet, but I won''t be surprised if it''s true. Mozart made his first musical composition at the age of 5."


    When Caspar and L exchanged stories about classical music and the names of the legendary composers they liked, London and Rune could only stare at the two in surprise.


    "Sshh... you studied piano too when you were little, why didn''t you show off your ability in playing the piano to impress L? See, from the way she looked at Dad, L seems to be falling for our father," Rune whispered nonchalantly.


    "Shut up!" London was furious to hear him.


    He knew his father was a really cool guy. Even he admired his father, but he wasn''t willing to see the girl he loved watching his father with a half-adoring look now.


    "Ahem... my dad knows many people," London said, holding L''s waist in front of his father. "He was also known to be a womanizer. If he had never met my mother, I don''t know... maybe he would still be changing girlfriends once a month even until today."


    Caspar, who understood his son''s intentions, only laughed and held his wife''s waist and took her to his l.a.p.


    "Well, London is right. Luckily, my wife is a very understanding person and she is willing to accept me for who I am. You, Miss L, are very lucky, because my son has no experience with women. You are his first love. He''ll treat you well."


    London coughed at Caspar''s words. He didn''t think his father would be his wingman. Ah, his father is the best!


    "All right... if L doesn''t mind it, we can hear her play the piano and sing to us later. Now, who wants to visit Lily?" London asked after he successfully relieved his embarrassment because his father had praised him.


    "Come on; I want to see Lily." Finland broke away from Caspar and took L by the hand. "Come on, Honey, show me where Lily''s room is."


    L nodded. She placed a box of cakes on the table and took Finland to Lily''s treatment room. With happy hearts, the five of them entered the NICU room and were careful not to make a scene as they stood around Lily''s incubator to admire the baby.


    "Hmmm... she''s sleeping. If you look at her condition, Lily is already like a normal baby. Her body is still small and frail, but everything looks well developed, and she is healthy." Caspar took Lily''s latest medical records and examined them. "You might be able to hug her next week."


    "Yes, Dr. Muller also said that. How did you know?" L asked in surprise.


    "My father is also a doctor," London explained. "He was a very skilled surgeon. He and Uncle Lauriel were also in the hospital while you were being treated when you gave birth to Lily."


    "Oh, really? That''s great! Owhh... I didn''t know the Schneider family is this impressive. I thought you were great in business." L looked at them all with real admiration.


    "My brother isn''t even interested in business. He is married to science." London turned to Rune. "Did you bring the baby cry translator machine?"


    Rune nodded and took a small box from his pocket. "This is similar to a baby monitor, but it''s connected directly to my server. There are various predictions of the meaning of a baby''s cry. Later, the meaning of the cries will be automatically sent to the application installed on the phones of the baby''s parents''. You can find out if your baby is hungry, angry, sad, and so on. You guys, please try and let me know the results."


    "Wow... how cool!" L exclaimed. She accepted the small machine gratefully. "It''s very useful. You''re amazing!"


    "Ssshhn.. don''t praise him now. We don''t know yet whether this machine will work or not," London warned. He didn''t want L to have high expectations and later be disappointed. "Rune''s invetions are well-known in our family. Together, he and Uncle Aldebar often make weird machines without clear usage, and nine out of ten of them don''t usually work."


    L looked at London while crossing her hands on her c.h.e.s.t. "What''s the matter with you? All you did so far was saying all the bad things about your father and your brother. That''s not how you should behave as a good son and a brother. If I have a father or a brother, I would praise them as high as the sky in front of others. You don''t know how lucky you are to have a family like them."


    Finland and Caspar only smiled seeing London stunned, rendered speechless as L scolded him. But in this case, they agreed with L. London shouldn''t talk down about the men in his family every time L praised them.


    "I know what the boy is doing," Caspar whispered into his wife''s ear. "He doesn''t want the girl to like the other men in our family."


    Finland nodded. "I didn''t know London has a problem with self-confidence like this. He wasn''t like this before."


    "Well... he had never been in love before." Caspar and Finland only exchanged glances and smiled meaningfully.


    "Enough, enough. I think my son just doesn''t want you to praise other men in front of him. Please, forgive my young son. He was just a little jealous," Caspar pulled London and patted his head. "Isn''t that right?"


    London pursed his lips and finally nodded slowly. "Please don''t like my father or brother..."


    "You..." L massaged her forehead and shook her head. "How could I like them that way?"


    "You were complimenting my father and my brother, but as far as I remember, you never once complimented me," London quickly defended himself.


    Seeing London stand, sulking, his mother and father rolled their eyes and decided to leave the NICU room while pulling Rune with them. "We''ll be going to the dining room to get the cake."


    They knew it was time to give some privacy to the young couple.


    .


    .


    [1] George Sand''s real name was Armandine Aurore Lucille Dupin, an eccentric French writer who still had a familial relationship with the French king. George Sand took the pen name of a man and often dressed as a man. She was Chopin''s serious lover for ten years until the time of his death.

 Chapter 704 - The Happy Family

    After he saw his family leave, London looked at L intently. "You''ve never told me a single word of praises. I also don''t know if you do love me, so it''s only natural that I''m feeling insecure and jealous. I am worried you''ll like my brother... or another man.


    You haven''t met my relatives and my family friends. There''s Nicolae; he is super handsome and smart. There''s also Uncle Lauriel who''s impressive and he is the leader of the Wolf Pack. Even my brother-in-law''s foster sons are awesome too. There are so many good looking men out there, I''m afraid to introduce you to them all..."


    L stared at London with a look of disbelief. "Jeez... Are you serious? Are you that jealous? I''ve never even been close to a man other than you. I''m only 19 years old and I''ve never even had a boyfriend. You''re the only man in my life right now."


    "I know you''re willing to marry me, but I don''t know if you would do it because of Lily, or because of the immortality potion, or because of my family''s wealth. I don''t mind if they all become part of your consideration in making this decision, but I also want to know... if I really have a place in your heart."


    L looked at London trying to dive into his heart, and she soon realized that this man only wanted to hear about L''s true feelings about their relationship.


    "You are forcing me to confess," L finally grumbled. "I''m not used to this..."


    "Try it. I really want to know how you feel about me..." London pleaded.


    L finally took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Really, L wasn''t good at talking at all. If she needed to express what was in her heart, she would be able to pour it better in the form of songs or music.


    Now, when she was ''forced'' to confess her feelings, she didn''t know how to say it.


    "Hm... if I don''t say it in words, will you be able to know how I feel for you?" L finally asked.


    London nodded. "You can try."


    "Alright..." L took another breath. An awkward smile appeared on her face as she walked over to London and pressed her body against his. Then, she slowly tiptoed and wrapped her arms around London''s neck and pulled his face down.


    London didn''t think that L would take the initiative to kiss him like this. He bent his body slightly and hugged L''s waist, helping the girl kiss him more easily.


    Hmmm... I think L doesn''t need to express her feelings in words, this will do... London thought happily when L''s warm lips touched his. He opened his lips slightly and bit her lower lip gently before he thrust his tongue inside her mouth and explored it passionately.


    Both of them closed their eyes and enjoyed the meeting of their lips. This was the first time L took the initiative to kiss London, and the man loved it. When they finally broke free from the kiss, London pulled L''s body into his l.a.p then kissed her again on the sofa. They made out without a sound for fear of waking Lily up¡­


    The two spent up to ten minutes, making out in Lily''s room until, finally, Rune''s voice from behind the door moved both of them.


    "Do you want to join us for lunch?" he asked. "We are ready."


    "Yes, just a moment!" London hurriedly got up from the sofa and smoothed the creases in his shirt. He also helped L get up and buttoned up her shirt that had been the victim of his perverted hands. Ugh, if Rune didn''t come, maybe they would have gone too far.


    "Come on, Honey ... my family is waiting in the dining room," he whispered.


    With blushing faces, they both entered the dining room and found Finland, Caspar, and Rune sat facing a table filled with cakes.


    "You can enjoy cakes while London and I make simple dishes, okay." Caspar pulled his older son by the shoulder into the kitchen. "You guys just chat here."


    "We just had a late breakfast, Dad. I''m still full," London confessed.


    "You can''t do that to a guest. Your mother is hungry," Caspar said, ignoring his son''s protest.


    "While you''re preparing lunch, I''ll entertain everyone with music," L said with a big smile. "I want to show you how happy I am to receive you in our home."


    "Ah ... Do you want to sing for us? I am so happy to hear that!" London kissed L on the cheek and pulled his father into the kitchen. "Then, I''m excited about cooking lunch!"


    "I''ll make tea," said Rune.


    He took a teapot and a tray with three cups. Five minutes later, he had followed L and Finland into the living room. On the table, there were various cakes they had brought from the Schneider Mansion. Finland enjoyed the cake while watching L play the piano and sing one of her newest songs.


    For a moment, Rune stood enthralled with the teacup in his hand. Now he understood why his brother was so crazy about this girl. When she was singing, L, who was already naturally beautiful, seemed to transform into an enchantress. Her beautiful voice and the aura that surrounded her could really make people stop in their tracks.


    Rune saw how much his mother was fascinated by L''s performance. No wonder people often compared L to Billie Yves. Both have the same level of charms, he thought.


    While L filled the house with her beautiful singing, Caspar and London cooked lunch for them with a happy heart. Father and son chatted about London and L''s plans going forward because now London had got confirmation that L wanted to marry him.


    "L is still thinking about the right timing. But I think wedding in autumn will be perfect," London said while cutting vegetables. "I''ll invite Aunt Billie Yves. L is her big fan."


    "Hmm .. L likes Billie too? She reminds me of your mother a bit," Caspar commented.


    London just shrugged. Sometimes L did remind him of his mother, but he didn''t mind. He loved his mother very much, and if people thought he was in love with L because she reminded him of his mother, then he wouldn''t care.

 Chapter 705 - The Wedding Plan

    Lunch was served 30 minutes later, and the Schneider family immediately gathered in the dining room which had sliding glass doors overlooking the swimming pool and the lush garden. The view was refreshing.


    The atmosphere at the dinner table felt warm, and L became moved because, for the first time in years, she felt like she had a family.


    "Ahh ... it''s a shame Aleksis isn''t here," Rune commented as he filled the bowl with his father''s soup, which he loved so much. "All our family members are here, except her..."


    "We can contact Aleksis later after lunch, I would like to see Ireland and Scotland," Finland said, smiling happily. "We can use Virconnect and talk to them."


    "Ah, good idea!" exclaimed Rune. He hurriedly finished his lunch so he could immediately contact his sister in Singapore.


    "Who are Ireland and Scotland?" L asked, whispering in London''s ear.


    "Oh ... those are my nephews. They were born a week before Lily. You will like them," London answered. He then remembered something and immediately added. "Anyway, later, no matter what happens, you must not say anything about their appearance, why they don''t look like their parents - especially the father. My brother-in-law could be offended and you will lose the Virconnect contract."


    L frowned. "What does my Virconnect contract have to do with him?"


    "Ahem ... My sister is married to the RMI boss. RMI is a group of companies that oversees Splitz. As you know, Virconnect is a product created by Splitz. Actually, it was my brother-in-law who initiated it."


    L widened her eyes and covered her lips in surprise. When she thought nothing could surprise her anymore today... she heard this from London. The Schneider family kept giving her shock after shock.


    "Your sister .. married to ..." L swallowed. "The famous Elios Linden?"


    "Yes. Elios Linden was actually the new name he has been using after his death. We always call him by his real name, Alaric. Alaric Rhionen, but now he also uses the surname Medici. So, he is a Linden, but also Rhionen.. and Medici. It''s confusing, really."


    L seemed confused with all of London''s explanations. How could someone die but was now still alive? She did not understand.


    "What is wrong?" asked Finland, who saw London and L whispering to each other. "What are you talking about?"


    "Uhm, it''s okay. I was asking about ..." L was having trouble explaining what she meant. "Uhm...:


    "I was advising L not to mention anything about why Ireland and Scotland don''t look like their parents. She could lose her Virconnect contract. The thing is, the other day, Alaric was angry at me because I jokingly said people might think he was holding his neighbor''s kid." London shook his head. "I honestly thought he has changed and now has a sense of humor; apparently, I was wrong."


    "Ugh ... that is not funny. What if someone says that Lily looks like Jan and not you? You wouldn''t like it, right?" Finland shook her head too. "Don''t speak recklessly next time."


    "Yes, Mom. I learn my lessons the hard way. I will not do it again," London replied quickly.


    They continued eating while chatting. It felt really warm. L, who was the most quiet of them and just nodded once in a while, did not contribute too much to the conversation. Not only because she naturally was not a talkative person, but her mind was also preoccupied with the various information she received today.


    The Schneider family turned out to be part of the Alchemist clan who were immortals. Billie Yves was also an Alchemist. Then, London''s brother was married to the owner of the legendary RMI Group. Ugh ... how shocking! L felt like she was surrounded by extraordinary people. For some reason, she felt so small when she was sitting in the same dining table as them.


    After they finished lunch, the family gathered in the living room and activated the Virconnect connection. Soon they saw a large bedroom where Aleksis and Alaric slept with their two babies. Right now, it was already evening in Singapore because of the time difference, and the couple was ready to get their babies to sleep.


    "Hello, Dad, Mom, London, and Rune," said Aleksis, holding Ireland in her arms. Alaric sat on the edge of the bed while carrying Scotland, who was already lying fast asleep on his c.h.e.s.t. He just waved to them.


    "Gosh... I miss you so much. I want to see Ireland''s face again," Finland approached Aleksis and saw Ireland up close. A big smile appeared on her face. "He is so cute when he is sleeping!"


    That''s when L understood why London told her not to comment on the two babies. Ireland and Scotland seemed very cute but, indeed, they didn''t look like their parents. Both had dark brown hair and slightly oriental faces, very similar to the grandmother.


    Ah ... Lily is so lucky to have two cousins ??who were only one week older than her, thought L happily. They will grow together and have a close relationship.


    L slowly smiled. She was happy for Lily, who would have a big family who doted on her very much. She would even have very close friends in her cousins. Lily would get all the best the world had to offer. Her life would be far better than her lonely mother, who had to raise herself.


    Subconsciously, L rubbed her wet eyes. She felt luck had finally come to her life.


    London, who saw L wipe her wet eyes, immediately realized what she was thinking. He pulled the L into his arms and rubbed her head. He didn''t say anything because he didn''t want to make L feel awkward.


    After she was done showing off her children to her father and mother were missing Ireland and Scotland, Aleksis did not forget to greet L. "Hi, you must be Elle. Nice to meet you."


    The girl looked up when she heard her name called. For a moment, she was stunned and did not know what to say. Finally, she just nodded.


    "My brother told me a lot about you when he visited me in Singapore. I can''t wait to see you in person." Aleksis smiled sweetly, and finally, L''s awkwardness disappeared. She did not expect London''s sister to treat her really warmly.


    "Thank you." L nodded again.


    "So when is the wedding?" Aleksis asked, staring at her brother. "We will come to Europe next week. Why not just get married then? So we can gather together."


    London pointed at L with a shrug. "It''s up to L. I''m easy like Sunday morning. I can even get married tomorrow."


    L hurriedly elbowed London, who spoke so casually. "What''s wrong with you? I told you I must break off my engagement with Danny Swann first."


    "We can take care of it as soon as possible," said London. "I''m working on it. You just trust me. What''s important now is what you want."


    L looked thoughtful for a moment before finally answering. "Before Lily fully recovered, I don''t think I would have the heart to do anything. How about we wait until at least Lily comes out of the incubator, and we can care for her like a normal baby before we throw a wedding?"


    Everyone looked at each other when they heard L''s words and then nodded in agreement.


    "Then, we can get married in a month or two. By that time, Lily would already be healthy, and we could take her to Stuttgart for the wedding. It is now September. I don''t think winter is the right time to get married. We should do it sooner, maybe October or November at the latest. What do you think?" London opened her cellphone and checked the calendar. "October 22 or 29 is the weekend. We have six weeks to prepare everything."


    He looked at his father and asked for approval. Caspar nodded. "It''s a good idea. I''ll talk to Kara to arrange everything in our castle."


    "And I''ll ask Jan to take care of other things," London said eagerly. He then turned to L and asked for her opinion. "What do you think, Honey? Do you agree? In a few weeks, as soon as Lily is released from the incubator, I will take you to my family''s castle in Stuttgart."


    "Wait... your family... have a castle?!" L felt surprise after surprise she had received throughout the day just never ended. There was always new information from the Schneider family that made her at a loss for words.

 Chapter 706 - Busy Day

    "Eh, do you have a castle?" L felt shocked since the surprises she had received throughout the day just never ended. There was always new information from the Schneider family that made her at a loss for words.


    "It''s our family''s castle for generations. I can''t wait to introduce you to my whole family. You will be happy to meet them."


    "Mmm ... that sounds good." L nodded.


    "Okay, then everything''s fine." London smiled happily and immediately got up to call Jan.


    "What''s the matter, Sir?" Jan asked politely.


    "Jan, L finally accepted my proposal, and we want to get married in the third or fourth week of October. How are your tasks progressing?" asked London.


    "I''ve got some useful information about the Swann family for you. I''ll send the report tomorrow," Jan answered efficiently.


    "Then, how far are we on renovating the De Maestri family home in Paris? Have you taken care of it too?"


    "The house has been purchased and is now under renovation. It should be ready by next week."


    "Perfect. I will give L her parents'' house as a wedding gift. So if you can, please finish it quickly."


    "Yes, Sir. I''m on it." Jan then added. "Is there anything I can help you with the wedding?"


    "Yes, of course. Please coordinate with Kara to arrange the wedding and invitation. We have decided to get married in Stuttgart."


    "Very well, Sir. I will contact Miss Kara."


    "Perfect."


    Such a warm atmosphere finally had to end when it became really late in Singapore, and the couple people with their newborn babies had to get some rest.


    "We are very pleased to meet you, L. Hopefully we can meet next week or sometime before the wedding," Aleksis said before ending their session.


    "Oh, by the way, is there any development on the issue you were investigating?" Alaric''s asked suddenly. His question was directed at London.


    "I have talked to Mischa, and he will find out what really happened. He will come here next week and we will discuss many things, including the case," London explained.


    He still kept his words as general as possible, not mentioning anything about the murder. He didn''t want L to know he was investigating the case. He wanted to make it a surprise for her.


    "Hm ... that''s good." Alaric nodded. "I will follow up through Mischa then."


    "Thank you for your help," London said hurriedly. He did not want to be considered ungrateful, but he still felt reluctant to talk to Alaric for a long time. He still remembered how he had offended his brother-in-law yesterday.


    ***


    Since the first family visit, the relationship between Finland and L had become very close. Finland stopped by to visit Lily almost every day, and on weekends L and London would visit the Schneider family mansion to talk and eat together.


    London also deliberately made L busy with their wedding preparations so she wouldn''t get bored staying at home for a long time. Kara came to Grunewald a few days later. She talked with Finland and L about the wedding to suit L''s taste.


    Days passed very quickly, and London was satisfied with how things went. Today he woke up with a happy heart because L was back to practicing her singing in the morning. They also both rejoiced because Doctor Alice would come to visit and do a final check later today. She already said that maybe they would be able to hug Lily today.


    In the evening, London would also have dinner with Mischa. They would talk about his findings. Mischa said he knew who was responsible for the murder of the De Maestri family. London couldn''t wait to know!


    ***


    "Are you ready?" asked London, squeezing L''s hand. She looked quite nervous. He knew the girl couldn''t wait to embrace Lily. He was feeling exactly the same.


    L nodded slowly. They both watched Doctor Alice do a final check and read the analysis of Lily''s condition with a beaming face.


    "Everything''s fine. Just look, her eyes now open and Lily is smiling. You have to get closer so she can see you. The babies her age couldn''t see far. Her peripheral vision now is still less than one meter," said doctor Alice.


    She signed to the couple to approach the incubator. Enthusiastically, London and L approached the incubator and looked at their baby closely. Sure enough, Lily''s pair of gray eyes seemed to blink several times to focus on them. Involuntarily, L held her breath and covered her lips.


    "Oh my God ... Lily is staring at me," she whispered, holding London''s hand very tightly.


    Doctor Alice smiled at the two young parents'' reaction and she then removed the life support equipment from Lily''s body. Afterward, she took the little baby out of the incubator.


    "Do you want to carry her now?" she asked them. L silently nodded in agreement. Doctor Alice then handed Lily slowly to her mother''s arms. "Great... after this you hold her and get her used to you, we will train Lily for b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding directly from her mother, okay. During this time, she was accustomed to getting b.r.e.a.s.tmilk intake from a machine, so that her s.u.c.k.i.n.g reflex has not been trained. Training her will take some time."


    "Thank you, Doctor," L whispered in a very low voice.


    Her tears welled up when Lily was already in her arms. L''s body was shaking a little. She never thought the experience of holding her child for the first time would feel this overwhelming. London could only watch L and Lily with adoration.


    He felt there was nothing he wanted on this earth besides the two girls before him now. L and Lily make his life complete. He didn''t want anything else.

 Chapter 707 - Lily Is The Best!

    Her tears welled up when Lily was already in her arms. L''s body was shaking a little. She never thought the experience of holding her child for the first time would feel this overwhelming. London could only watch L and Lily with adoration.


    He felt there was nothing he wanted on this earth besides the two girls before him now. L and Lily made his life complete. He didn''t want anything else.


    "Do you want to carry Lily?" L asked, turning to London. The man nodded eagerly. He received Lily from L''s arms and, just like the girl, the novelty immediately enveloped him. Lily''s body was still very small, but she was not as fragile and small as the first time she was born, which weighed less than 700 grams.


    This beautiful little baby looked very clean and expressive. Her pair of eyes stared intently at her father as if trying to memorize her father''s face in her heart.


    "Ahhh .. you''re so beautiful. So beautiful!" London praised his daughter many times.


    When he remembered how Lily''s delivery process was so complicated and difficult, and how beautiful his child was now, London knew he didn''t want L to give birth to another child. He didn''t think he would be able to share his affection for other kids. Lily is the best! He didn''t need another one.


    "Just watch ... you will be the most pampered daughter in the whole wide world," he whispered. "I will give you whatever you want. From now on, your father lives only to serve you, Little Princess."


    He now understood how Caspar and Lauriel felt towards Aleksis. He realized why they loved his sister so much. Apart from the fact that Aleksis was the first child for both, daughters were indeed special. Girls would always get a special place in their fathers'' hearts.


    "Lily rarely cries," L commented worriedly. "At first, I thought it was because she is still micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e and not strong enough to cry, but even now, she is still so calm and rarely cries. I don''t understand. Is this some kind of disorder?"


    Doctor Alice just shrugged and chuckled. "That''s okay. Really. You and your husband are blessed because the little one is very calm. Babies only cry when they are hungry, dirty, drowsy, or feeling uncomfortable like too hot or too cold. So if she lives comfortably and never lacks anything, of course, she has no reason to complain ... hahaha."


    "Hmm ... is that so?" L nodded, although her face still looked doubtful.


    "That''s right. You have nurses here who help taking care of her, clean her, and change her diapers whenever needed. She can sleep comfortably in the best temperature, food for her is always available, and she is never lonely because Sir and Madam are there for her. I think any baby will also be this happy and not complain if they are loved in such a way." Doctor Alice tried to convince L not to worry.


    L and London exchange glances. They were happy to know that according to Doctor Alice their child is a happy one.


    "Now, I will help you to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Miss Lily, so we can train her to suckle," Doctor Alice added.


    London nodded and handed Lily back to L''s l.a.p. "Then I''ll leave you two here."


    "Where are you going?" L asked. She was puzzled to see London about to leave the room.


    London could only scratch his head. "Uhm ... you want to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily, right? I better not be here. I don''t want you to feel awkward."


    L just rolled her eyes. "Why should I feel awkward? I''m going to feed a human being. Is that something to be embarrassed about? Besides, you''d better be here and take notes on whatever instruction Doctor Alice will tell me. So you can help me if I''m having a hard time."


    Doctor Alice nodded. "That''s right. Husbands should understand the process of b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding well. Later, if the mother is unable to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed, due to illness or if she has to go out of town for business, the father can feed their baby using a bottle."


    "Ah, alright. I understand." London nodded. He then sat across from L and looked paid attention to the instructions given by Doctor Alice and how L took out her b.r.e.a.s.t and started b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily.


    The man was truly surprised at himself. For the first time in life, he did not feel aroused when he saw a beautiful woman''s b.r.e.a.s.t displayed in front of him. He acknowledged L''s b.r.e.a.s.ts since giving birth and b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding did look VERY BEAUTIFUL, but this time he really didn''t have dirty thoughts in his head about L''s s.e.xy body. He was just feeling impressed.


    It''s hard to believe that a human can grow a small human being in their tummy and gave birth to it. Now, the same human could also produce food that will make the little human grow healthy and bigger. As a man, he would never know the feeling. So, he could only admire.


    Lily narrowed her eyes and looked at her mother''s b.r.e.a.s.t with an inquisitive expression. Her small hands moved to play with her mother''s b.r.e.a.s.t but her mouth did not seem interested in s.u.c.k.i.n.g milk from there. L must repeatedly place her n.i.p.p.l.es in her baby''s mouth before Lily finally tried to put it in her mouth and suckle.


    "It works!" L heaved a sigh of relief after ten minutes of trying, finally Lily started s.u.c.k.i.n.g milk from her b.r.e.a.s.t. The expression of relief from L is the same as the expression of relief from London, who now did not need to worry that his child will starve after leaving the incubator.


    "You did it!" London held up one of his hands that L responded with enthusiasm. As new parents, both of them feel very happy to have successfully passed a new milestone together.


    Lily finally came out of the incubator and was now able to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed directly from her mother. From now on, their baby would live normally.

 Chapter 708 - Who Killed The De Maestris?

    Both of them were very happy because after Lily realized that s.u.c.k.i.n.g on her mother''s b.r.e.a.s.t would give her milk, the baby became excited and continued reflexively trying to suckle.


    "How long do I have to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed?" L asked Dr. Alice.


    "Usually not for long. Babies have tiny stomachs. She will automatically release her mother''s n.i.p.p.l.es after she feels full, so you don''t need to guess. But one thing to note here, because their food intake is minimal, babies will quickly get hungry. You have to be ready to feed her every two hours."


    "Including at night?"


    "Including at night. Indeed, it would be very tiring for the mother if you have to get up many times at midnight to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed. So, in this case, the father can help. Mother can pump b.r.e.a.s.t milk and put it in the refrigerator as usual. Later, if Miss Lily woke up in the middle of the night, Sir, you can take the turn in feeding her using the bottle. I''ll teach you both how to sterilize the bottle and warm the milk before giving it to the baby."


    London turned to L. "It''s okay, I took note of everything. Later we can set it in our digital household assistant settings. You and I don''t have to do everything ourselves."


    L nodded in agreement.


    Before this they had talked about their lives in the future. After Lily was healthy, they would not need the two nurses who had been taking care of their baby. They would use an automation system from RMI to take care of their household. And later, after the two were married, they would also employ some staff to help take care of the house and their daily needs.


    Although London did not mind doing as much household chores as before, L really did not feel comfortable seeing a young master from the Schneider family doing housework like that. So, finally, to please L, London agreed to employ staff in their home in addition to using an automation system.


    "Jan will send someone to take care of all the medical devices here, and we can make a proper nursery for Lily. In the meantime, I have placed a baby cot for Lily in your room," London said after sending their guests out of the gate. L nodded. She was still carrying Lily, who was fast asleep on her arms. L''s eyes were still wet because they were touched to see the baby was now healthy and normal.


    "Thank you," said L.


    "Want to eat dinner early? I''ll have to meet someone later. Maybe I will be home late. You don''t have to wait for me."


    "Okay."


    L put Lily on her cot, which was placed next to her bed in the room, and then followed London to the dining room. There, the man had prepared a special dish he had taken from his father''s mansion.


    "My father was trying a new recipe, he said, so I want some of it sent here," he said, smiling broadly.


    L joined in the smile. She was now familiar with the dynamics of the Schneider family and welcomed the food delivery from the next-door mansion. They then had a happy dinner while discussing trivial things.


    "I''m going now. Don''t wait on me, okay," said London after finishing washing their plates.


    L nodded. She sent the man to the front door and then closed the door after Marc came to take London in his Mercedes, and they immediately left.


    L was secretly feeling moved because, for months, London had lived a simple life and driven an old VW car just so that L did not know his identity. Now he didn''t need to pretend to be poor anymore. This week, L started to get used to seeing the man being assisted and driven everywhere by several tall, well-built, intimidating personal bodyguards like Marc and Dave.


    ***


    At the penthouse, Jan had been waiting for London. They sat drinking wine while discussing the Swann family and the De Maestri family. Mischa would arrive at 9 pm, and they wanted to have enough information before finding out who was the culprit behind the De Maestri family''s murder.


    "The agreement between the two families initiated by their grandfather. When both their children turned out to be boys, they decided to pass down the arranged marriage agreement to their grandchildren. Unfortunately, the Swann family''s first grandson died when he was a child, so his younger brother took over to marry Miss L." Jan sipped his wine while thinking. "We already know this. But the reason why Grandpa Swann forced to give up half of his assets to Miss L, remains a mystery."


    "When was the will made? Was it after the death of the De Maestri family or before? If so, it is rather unusual, because they certainly thought L had died or gone missing. You said they searched for L for many years without results, right?" asked London, frowning.


    "Uhm ... the will was written before the murder, Sir," Jan said. "Grandpa Swann died before Miss L''s parents were killed."


    "Oh, is that so? So Grandpa Swann knew nothing about the murder." London narrowed his eyes, trying to think. "How big is their family wealth?"


    Jan shrugged. "Compared to your wealth, it''s nothing. But for ordinary people, the Swann family is considered wealthy. They are among the ten ric.h.e.s.t families in England."


    "Hmm, if so, their wealth is quite tempting for most people." London looked at Jan thoughtfully. "Is it possible ... they deliberately wanted to murder all the De Maestri family members so that the agreement became invalid and L cannot get half the Swann family''s wealth?"


    "It could be like that, Sir. Danny Swann wouldn''t need to marry Miss L, and he can also take all the inheritance for himself because Miss L was dead. At least that''s what they have in mind." Jan stared back at London intently. "In your opinion, do you think the Swann family have anything to do with the murder? His grandfather decided the arranged marriage, and it could be that the younger generation in the family doesn''t want to do it. The only way to escape the unwanted marriage arrangement is to get rid of the bride."


    "Damn it! If that''s really what happened. I won''t forgive them. That''s too much!"


    His head was throbbing because he felt outraged. He didn''t have the heart to imagine how little L was so frightened and traumatized to see her family slaughtered, just because of the inheritance that she didn''t even want.


    Really, humans were greedy creatures and could be crueler than animals when it came to money. Had it not been for the inheritance, L would still be living happily with her family. She would still have her parents who doted on her, and the younger brother that she loved deeply.


    "Let''s wait for information from Mischa. He will be here shortly." London took the wine and poured himself a glass. "We can find out who the murderer was and force them to spill who hired them to do it."


    Not long after, there was a knock on the door. A staff announced the arrival of the guest London had been waiting for.

 Chapter 709 - Information From Mischa

    Mischa entered with casual steps after the door opened. His appearance looked neat with an all-black attire. His beautiful wavy blond hair was tucked neatly behind his ears. He was still as handsome as when he was in his 20s.


    Lately, he also deliberately cut his hair to look more formal, but it couldn''t hide the carefree expression that always made him look young. Mischa never wore flamboyant outfits anymore. The only thing that still distinguished him was the windcatcher ornament on a leather string that still hung around his neck.


    As one of the leaders of the RMI Group, he was also used to great wealth, so the magnificent penthouse he entered didn''t impress him at all.


    "Good evening," he said, greeting London who rose to greet him.


    "Hi, Mischa. Please sit down." London invited his guest to sit on one of the comfortable sofas in the living room. "Wine?"


    Mischa nodded. Jan immediately poured a glass for the guest and, soon, the three of them were already sitting relaxedly, enjoying wine while discussing the purpose of Mischa''s visit tonight.


    "Thank you for coming. I know you are very busy," London said gratefully. "Alaric said you still have a solid connection to the underworld."


    Mischa just smiled at that. "Hmm ... perhaps. I do need help from there from time to time, so I don''t cut ties at all. In this life, A thousand friends are too few; one enemy is one too many."


    "You are right." London nodded. "So has there been any information about which mafia group wanted Judge De Maestri dead? Are there criminals who wanted to retaliate on him?"


    Mischa shook his head. "They deliberately carried out the murders openly to divert the attention of the police. Usually, the mafia is the one who kills their enemy openly like that, so whoever is behind it, they want the police to think that the De Maestri family was killed for revenge."


    "So it''s not true?" London felt his head throb again with anger. He had a feeling that his guess was right. The one who killed the De Maestri family was someone who did not want L to inherit half of the Swann family''s wealth, not a criminal who was sent to prison by the judge.


    "No. They tried to divert the police''s attention that way, and it seems the police was fooled. Eventually, they could not find the right clues because, from the beginning, they had set the wrong target for the investigation," Mischa answered. "I managed to find out which assassin group accepted the job eleven years ago."


    For a moment, London felt his c.h.e.s.t palpitating while waiting for an answer from Mischa. He knew Rhionen Assassins was the best assassin group at that time before they were disbanded.


    Did the murder of the De Maestri family have anything to do with Rhionen Assassins?


    As if reading London''s mind, Mischa just shook his head with a faint smile.


    "We have nothing to do with the judge''s murder. It seems like anyone who wants the De Maestri family dead, cannot afford Rhionen Assassins."


    "Pfew ... thank God. I can''t imagine if you guys are involved. I have to be fair to L and take her revenge on you," London said in a relieved voice. "That will make us enemies."


    "Don''t worry. We have been disbanded for almost 11 years. Besides, we have a bigger goal for the world, not to get pennies from murders," Mischa commented with a small laugh. "So, I have found the assassin group hired by the mastermind behind the De Maestri family''s murder, and I took my own initiative to force them to tell me who hired them. I hope you don''t mind."


    London shook his head. Of course, he didn''t mind. As long as he could get the information, he couldn''t care less Mischa obtained it. Inwardly, he was happy that he did not have to intervene on his own to face the hitmen.


    "Thank you. If you have already intervened, I don''t need to get my hands dirty," commented London.


    "I recorded it for you so that you could hear from them yourself, who hired them to kill the De Maestri family."


    They saw a man being tortured in an electric chair. Every time he refused to answer, his body would be electrocuted. And when that happened, he always screamed his lungs out. His whole body was bruised and covered in blood, and all his clothes were damp.


    "Sorry, the video is rather brutal," Mischa said in a chuckle.


    London could only swallow to see the handsome man with a cheerful expression looked so calm when he was talking about murder and torturing the killer. This man is truly a cold-blooded ex-killer, he thought.


    He trembled slightly when he remembered his brother-in-law was the same as Mischa, maybe even worse because he was the leader of Rhionen Assassins. London still didn''t understand how a killer can change, like Alaric.


    And luckily Alaric changed ... otherwise, he knew that the rest of his family would never give their blessing to Aleksis to reunite with her husband.


    "Don''t pretend to forget about the De Maestri family''s murder. It only happened eleven years ago. You are not that old, so you can pretend to be senile." Mischa''s voice came from the video. "I have plenty of time and I don''t mind playing with you for the next three days. You will feel pain so great that you would beg for death, but death will never come. The choice is yours. Do you want to die tonight or three more days ..."


    "Kill me now!!" the man in the electric chair shouted like a crazy person. "I do not remember anything..."


    "All right. You just love being tortured for days, don''t you?"


    Mischa gave the signal, and his men turned on the electricity again, causing their captive to squirm like fish brought out of the water. His mouth began to foam when the and his face looked twisted when they ended the electrocution.


    The look of despair now filled the man''s face. He had already realized that his captors would not give him an easy death.


    The interrogation and tortures proceeded for another few minutes, and finally, the man gave in.


    "Fine ... all right... please, just kill me. I will tell you who hired our group to kill the De Maestri family at that time ..." he whispered in a weak voice.


    "Good. I''m listening." Mischa crossed his arms to his c.h.e.s.t and waited. "Once I verified your statement, then I will give you death."


    "Ugh ... we ... we were hired ... to kill the entire De Maestri family by ... by ... John Wendell. He promised a fee of two million dollars, but because the girl escaped, he only paid one million."


    London and Jan looked at each other. They never heard of John Wendell. Who was this guy?


    "Hm ... good. I''ll check your statement," Mischa said.


    "I''m not lying. John Wendell wants the little girl to die. That''s why he held a contest to find her dead or alive for a million dollars."


    London frowned. Didn''t the Swann family hold the contest? What did this have to do with John Wendell?


    Mischa''s voice still came from the video. "Really? So the main target is actually the daughter of the De Maestri family? Has anyone managed to get that one million dollar bounty?"


    "Yes.. yes. One of my men found her tracks in an orphanage in Germany. John Wendell ordered him to burn the orphanage to kill the child." The captive now closed his eyes in pain. "Please, you just check on the internet for news about the fire on the orphanage a few years ago."


    At this point, the video stopped. London did not want to watch more. He had heard the information about the fire in the orphanage from Jan.


    The killers deliberately set fire to the orphanage to get rid of L. Fortunately, when it happened, L was attending a singing competition, and she didn''t become a victim.


    He couldn''t imagine what would have happened if L was in the orphanage when it was set on fire. London would never have met her, and there would be no Lily. The thought made him shudder.

 Chapter 710 - Let Me Take Care Of Lily

    "Jan, you have to investigate who John Wendell is and why he..." London''s voice stopped when he saw Jan''s expression. "What''s wrong? Why is your face like that?"


    Jan shook his head slowly. "I just remember reading the name Wendell somewhere. I just checked the reports you asked me to collect. I''ve already found out who he is."


    "Then?"


    "Danny Swann had a childhood friend named Caroline Wendell. Before he found Miss L, this Caroline was his girlfriend." Jan opened his tablet and showed a picture of Danny with a woman. They both looked very intimate in the photo. "I can conclude that the Wendell family wants to marry their own daughter to the young master Swann, so they think the only barrier, Miss L, must be removed."


    "What information did you get about this Caroline Wendell?"


    "She is also a medical student, two years his junior. It seems that the girl always follows Danny. She always went to the same school as Danny Swann, from middle school, high school, to university. That''s why they became close and started a relationship a few years ago. If I''m not mistaken, they planned to get married after Danny graduated as a specialist. The Swann family had their own hospital in London. But it seems their relationship ended a few months ago, when Danny Swann contacted Miss L."


    Mischa shrugged while smiling. "Well, you''ve got your answer."


    "Ughhh... those bastards!" London felt furious. He could surmise that wealth was the reason for either the Wendells or the Swanns to kill L and her family. "I want them to pay for what they did."


    "Unfortunately, Rhionen Assassins has retired. Otherwise, I''ll be happy to help you," Mischa uttered. "Your sister would kill me if I gave even the slightest hint to Master to revive Rhionen Assassins."


    London could only smile bitterly. He certainly wouldn''t use the ways of people of the underworld. With the present situation, expecting the police to investigate this case and bring the mastermind to justice would prove to be quite difficult.


    This case was deemed expired and the bad guys were left to deny all the statement from the assassins who had been tortured by Mischa to confess.


    At this time, according to him, it would be best for him to handle it himself.


    "Jan, try to find out what the Swann family''s business is and give me the report tomorrow. We''ll destroy their business and make those filthy people unable to touch even a dime of the wealth they''ve been striving to get. I also want you to investigate further whether Danny is involved or not. I want everything done before the wedding."


    "Yes, Sir."


    They finished their drinks and finally decided to go home.


    "Thank you for your help, Mischa. If you have time, I hope you''ll come to my wedding next month. We will hold the event in Stuttgart. I believe it''s not far from Bucharest," London said as he escorted Mischa to leave.


    The man just nodded.


    "Thank you for the invitation. I''ll try to come. By the way, On October 3, Master and Madam will also celebrate their wedding anniversary in Targu Mures. Your wedding date is quite close to theirs," he commented.


    "Ah, that''s right. No wonder my sister said they''re going to Europe this week. Their wedding anniversary is next week." London then remembered about Aldebar''s gift to his brother-in-law, the four immortality potions for his foster children. He wanted to know if Mischa already knew that. "Did you know that Alaric received some special gifts from Uncle Aldebar?"


    Mischa nodded and smiled. "I did. I am very grateful. Master gave us time to think carefully, and we''ll all meet to make the decision next week."


    "Ah, all right. I hope you guys are willing to join our clan. I''m happy to have more family members," London said. Of course. If Alaric''s four foster children received the immortality potion, the number of clan members would increase. At present, they were very few in number because members who were married to outsiders weren''t many, and they also didn''t like having children.


    Mischa and his three foster siblings would also become members of the Schneider family indirectly because Alaric was married to Aleksis. After joining the Medici family through the marriage, they would naturally also have a relationship with the Linden family.


    When Alaric was adopted by Ned and Portia''s, they also became relatives with the Lewis and Baden families. Indeed, the Schneider family is now very influential.


    Mischa only nodded without answering. He then disappeared behind the elevator. After Mischa left, London still gave a few more instructions to Jan before the two returned to their respective homes.


    Ah... home. Since living with L, London had hardly ever stayed in his penthouse, even though most of his personal items were still there. He realized that it was time for him to make his and L''s house as his permanent residence. He, therefore, decided to order Marc tomorrow to arrange for his belongings to be moved to Grunewald.


    When he arrived home, London immediately headed to L''s bedroom to make sure L and Lily were all right. There, he found that L was awake and was currently nursing Lily.


    "Hey... it''s already 11 p.m., why aren''t you asleep?" he asked as he approached them. "After you finish b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily, let me take care of her, okay? You have to rest; otherwise, you''ll be tired and unable to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily properly tomorrow. Do we still have some milk supply in the refrigerator?"


    L nodded. Her face looked very grateful. "How was the meeting? You came home late."


    "There are a few things I have to take care of. This is work-related. I''ll also leave early in the morning to do many things tomorrow. I''ll ask my mother to stay with you here, and Rune will help receive a team from RMI to install the digital household assistant system we ordered."


    "Hmm... all right," L nodded. She seemed to be trying hard to resist her sleepiness, but Lily was still eagerly s.u.c.k.i.n.g milk from her b.r.e.a.s.t. L couldn''t bear to stop the baby. "Oh, yeah... Pammy called me earlier. I was asked to perform with Rainfall next week. We went on a tour together, so the program promoter asked me to come again and perform because Rainfall will receive an important award. I can''t say no."


    "Oh really? When''s the event?"


    "If I''m not mistaken, it''s next Friday."


    "All right. That can be arranged." London nodded. Even though he actually didn''t want to see L go out and sing for others, he realized that L was an artist, and she had her passion. For L, singing was her calling, and London didn''t want to extinguish the girl''s enthusiasm and creativity, so he must understand that L''s career was very important to her.


    After Lily finished s.u.c.k.i.n.g milk and fell asleep, L put her back on the cot and laid down on her bed.


    "Thank you for taking care of Lily. How about you just sleep here tonight so you''ll be able to hear Lily wake up and ask for milk?" L asked, pulling the blanket. "If you''re not used to it, it seems you won''t be able to hear Lily''s voice from her baby monitor."


    London seemed stunned to hear L''s offer. His face immediately lit up.


    "Ah, good idea. I agree," he replied excitedly. He immediately climbed into L''s bed and tried to slip into her blanket. L, who was shocked, reflexively pushed the man''s body with all her strength.


    THUD!


    "Ouch..." London voiced in pain. He didn''t expect L to push him, so unprepared, he fell to the floor with a thud. "Why did you push me?"


    "We''re not married yet. What do you want to do by getting into my bed?" L scolded. "What I meant is for you to sleep on the sofa next to her."


    "Oh..." Only then did London understand what L meant just now. Ah, that''s right. It was indeed his fault for being too excited. With a low grumble, he got up from the floor and immediately laid down on the couch beside Lily''s cot.

 Chapter 711 - Everyone Is Here

    London finally felt the downside of being a new father. That night, Lily woke up 5 times because she was hungry and once because she pooped. He didn''t think such a tiny baby''s body could produce so much waste. Luckily, he had practiced changing a baby''s diapers well, so he didn''t have too much trouble.


    What made his task difficult was the fact that his sleep was a complete mess. He had only slept for an hour when the sound of weak crying from his side would make him wake up.


    His phone connected to the baby translator machine indicated that Lily was hungry, so he hurriedly carried Lily so the baby would stop crying then tiptoed into the kitchen to warm a bottle of milk.


    Lily initially refused to drink the milk from a bottle, but because of her father''s persistence, the baby finally relented and s.u.c.k.e.d the milk from the bottle. While drinking, her eyes never left her father''s face, and her nimble hands rubbed his cheeks as he stared back with a look of admiration.


    After ten minutes of drinking milk, Lily would lie comfortably and unconsciously release her lips from her milk bottle. Her sleepy father would wake up immediately and take her back to her room and lay her very carefully in the baby cot.


    London would go back to sleep, and two hours later, just as he was about to sleep, Lily would cry again because she was hungry. After the third time, London had moved almost automatically like a robot when he carried Lily into the kitchen and prepared her milk. Lily would repeat this routine nearly every two hours.


    Inwardly, London was grateful L only gave birth to one child. He couldn''t imagine the inconvenience experienced by Alaric because he had to take care of the twins at once. It must be really tiring, he thought. No wonder his brother-in-law now didn''t want to take care of his business and handed over everything to his four foster children.


    ***


    "You didn''t sleep last night?" L asked when she woke up in the morning. She noticed the dark circles under London''s eyes. "Was Lily very troublesome?"


    London opened one eye and shook his head. "Not at all. Lily is the sweetest baby in the world."


    He then went back to sleep.


    L just giggled when she saw him go to sleep. She then took Lily from her bed and took her out to sunbathe. With Lily sitting on her l.a.p in the middle of their garden, L sang a number of songs with her beautiful voice. Lily seemed to really enjoy her mother''s voice. Her gaze never left L''s face.


    London, who heard L''s voice from outside, felt like he was being lulled. His sleep became increasingly deep.


    He just left for the office when it was very late. His mother and Rune had come to help at his home. They had ordered digital household assistant system. In addition, he also needed help to cook fresh and healthy food for L so she could produce enough b.r.e.a.s.tmilk for Lily. That''s why he was very grateful that his family''s mansion was very close to their home.


    ***


    In his large room, London was scrutinizing Jan''s report on the Swann family''s business and the collection of information about Caroline Wendell and her family.


    "John Wendell was a close friend of Danny''s father when he was still in college. His family actually still came from a nobleman lineage, but they were poor, so they weren''t respected by other people. His father spent all his family''s wealth on gambling. John was insulted by many of their relatives because his family fell into poverty. Maybe that''s why he wants to target the Swann family''s wealth by uniting their children so he''ll be able to restore the honor of the Wendell family," Jan commented.


    "Hm... it could be." London nodded. "People like him would normally like to approach rich and powerful people to use them. What''s John Wendell''s job?"


    "At present, he''s one of the directors of the hospital owned by the Swann family. What do you have in mind?" Jan asked attentively. He knew from his boss'' expression that London was thinking of a plan to avenge L by punishing those who had wronged her.


    "Find a way to work together with their hospital so we could pave a relationship. We can set up Berlin Metropole Hospital and get their hospital to partner, or whatever. You know better. People like John Wendell will certainly be happy to have ties with the Schneider family. Don''t rush, don''t let them suspect we have any intention towards them. You can slowly approach the two families. Later, I''ll hold a big event and you can invite them. We''ll make John Wendell think I''m interested in his daughter. "


    Jan''s eyes sparkled when he heard his boss. This was really a good plan. If John thought London Schneider was interested in Caroline, surely he would consider the Schneider family more valuable to pursue than the Swann family. He would definitely throw the Swann family away.


    Along with the process of their investigation, London and Jan would be able to find out whether Danny and his family was involved in the murder of L''s family, or if it was purely John Wendell''s plans and actions.


    If Danny and the Swann family were involved, it would be very easy to punish them. London would make them all go bankrupt and go to jail easily. But if the Swann family was really not involved, then they, too, were victims, and London would be guilty of condemning them.


    He felt no need to rush since he would marry L soon, and they had started their lives together in peace. He didn''t want to rush to take reveng for L. Vengeance done carefully and well-planned would be far more satisfying than just simply punishing the culprit.


    "Take care of the cooperation I was referring to. Give me a report every day on how far the progress has gone."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After taking care of a lot of work that he had neglected for these past few weeks, London returned to his penthouse. He asked Leon and Dean, two of his bodyguards, to help bring his personal belongings from the penthouse.


    He had planned to make his house with L in Grunewald their primary residence. Later, after he and L got married, he would move to L''s bedroom and use his present room as a walk-in closet for their clothes and personal items.


    ***


    When he arrived back home in the afternoon, London was surprised to see that an unexpected guest had found herself stopping by Grunewald.


    "Hey... when did you come?" London asked, smiling broadly and hugging his sister, Aleksis, who was sitting relaxed on the terrace with Finland and L over tea. "Where are the children?"


    He looked around and immediately realized his father was rocking Lily in his arms while making strange faces to make the little baby laugh. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, because Lily couldn''t laugh and just looked at him with a frown.


    Meanwhile, at the corner of the garden, Alaric could be seen sitting in a recliner in the gazebo while holding Scotland on his c.h.e.s.t. His hands stroked the head of his baby, who was fast asleep, while Rune sat next to him reading a book to Ireland. The baby boy could be seen yawning widely numerous times.


    "Wow... everyone''s here. I''m so happy..." London murmured in a voice that couldn''t contain his happiness.

 Chapter 712 - Family Dinner

    London was really happy to see his whole family present at his home. He saw that his sister also received L well and they were able to get along fast. He then went towards his father and took Lily from Caspar''s arms.


    "Hey... Little Princess, what are you doing today?" he asked, cradling Lily in his arms. "Did you drink a lot of milk?"


    Of course, Lily didn''t answer. She only stared closely at her father and repeatedly narrowed her eyes, wondering.


    Caspar only smiled at his son''s behavior. He understood how it felt when his children were very small. Ah... he couldn''t believe they''ve all grown up. Aleksis and London already had their respective children. He secretly felt a feeling of remorse filling his c.h.e.s.t when he saw his wife and children looking happy around him.


    His life had very much changed compared to when he was still alone and was never serious with a woman. It turned out that now, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of having multiple lovers couldn''t be compared with the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of having his own family and flesh and blood.


    "We''re stopping by briefly before we continue our trip to Targu Mures. Alaric wants to take the children there. We''ll also celebrate our wedding anniversary there." Aleksis explained when they all gathered for dinner. All three of their babies were fast asleep in the bedroom.


    "Are Altair and Vega coming? Aren''t they currently with Nic? Does that mean Nic will also come?" London curiously asked. He knew that at the moment, his nephew and niece were living with Nicolae. Everyone understood Nicolae still couldn''t forget his love for Aleksis completely. Telling Nicolae to come to the wedding anniversary of his brother and Aleksis would be an ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e thing to do


    "Yes, they''ll come. My father will take them to Targu Mures," Alaric said. He understood what London meant. Although he loved his brother very much, he also didn''t want Nicolae to come to the wedding anniversary of him and Aleksis. Now, everyone hoped that one day Nicolae would be able to forget about Aleksis and find new love.


    "Oh... so the children are in Grosetto now?" London asked.


    "That''s right."


    L turned to London and asked with her eyes. She didn''t know who they were talking about. London then whispered to her so L wouldn''t miss the conversation.


    "I haven''t told you yet? My brother-in-law has a twin brother. His children are very close to his brother, and they''re currently living with Nicolae. I''ll introduce them to you at our wedding later. You''ll definitely like my family."


    "Oh..." L nodded in understanding. She couldn''t wait to meet her future husband''s extended family, which was also Lily''s extended family. So far, everyone she met was very nice to her. She wanted to know about his other relatives.


    When dinner time arrived, they all agreed to move and had dinner at the Schneider family''s mansion. Caspar prepared a special dinner with the help of his two children. Alaric, Alesksis, and L helped set up the dining table and drinks, while Finland watched her three grandchildren, who were still babies.


    Dinner took place warmly and they talked about various things. L couldn''t really follow their conversation because she didn''t know most of the people they were talking about. London tried to introduce his relatives to L, but he knew that before L met them in person, she wouldn''t be able to really understand.


    "Thank you for dinner. As always, Dad''s cooking is really delicious," Aleksis praised after they finished dinner and relaxed in the lounge while enjoying wine. "I''m glad we stopped by even if it''s just to enjoy my favorite dish."


    "When are you going to Targu Mures?" Caspar asked. "Your mother and I also miss Altair and Vega, so we''ll follow you there."


    "We''ll leave in two days. Just come, we will hold an event for the family," Aleksis said happily. "Alaric''s four foster children will also come."


    "We can''t come, sorry... L is still busy with Kara working on the wedding preparations. I''ll wish you a happy wedding anniversary now," London stood up and hugged Aleksis and Alaric alternately.


    L, who saw him like that, also rose from her chair and hugged Aleksis.


    "Happy anniversary, Sister-in-law... Thank you for stopping by and meeting us here."


    Aleksis was amazed to see how L really respected her and could only pat her on the back.


    "Ah, it''s okay. I''m delighted to be able to come here and meet you in person, as well as see my beautiful niece. Good luck with the preparations for your wedding. I''m sure your party will be more successful than ours..." Aleksis chuckled, remembering the events of last year when she almost married Nicolae, and at the last moment, her groom was replaced by Alaric.


    "I''ll tell you about it later," London whispered into L''s ear. "Uh, you might also want to say hello to Alaric and thank him for the Virconnect contract. Don''t touch him, he doesn''t like to be touched."


    "Ah, right. Thanks for reminding me," L thanked, nodding.


    "Oh... before we leave, I also want to say thank you to brother-in-law. Thank you for allowing me to become a Virconnect ambassador. This opportunity really helped me advance my career in the music industry."


    Alaric just nodded and smiled slightly. "It''s okay. I heard you''re very talented, and Virconnect needs to be represented by the best people in the field."


    Alaric knew that he didn''t need to tell L that the Virconnect contract was given to her because London had asked him to. He just nodded and didn''t saying anything more.


    "We''ll be going home first then. Lily still has to get used to sleeping in her own bed. I''m afraid that if she stays here for too long, she''ll experience confusion." London took Lily from the guest room and carried her after excusing himself to his family. His father, mother, and siblings accompanied London and L to the mansion''s door.


    In the yard, Marc was waiting for them in a car. When he saw them, he opened the car door for both of them. Although the distance wasn''t far, he knew it would be safer if he took his boss home by car rather than let him walk.


    After London and L returned home, they put Lily in bed and showered before getting ready for bed. Seeing London so exhausted, L offered to take care of Lily for the whole night when their baby woke up.


    "It''s okay, I can take care of Lily and feed her tonight," London said, taking a blanket to put on the sofa where he slept yesterday.


    "No need. I see you''re tired. There must be lots of things that keep you busy all day. We can take turns. I''ll give Lily milk tonight, you can take your turn tomorrow," L said


    "Uhm... but I like sleeping in this room with you two. I don''t mind, really," London said. He was only allowed to sleep on the couch, but the comfort he felt knowing that he slept in the same room as L and Lily really made him happy. It felt like he didn''t want to go back to his own room after last night.


    "If that''s your objection, you can still sleep in this room," L said with a smile. "I''ll let you sleep here on the condition you tell me about your family. I don''t want to come to family events, not knowing anyone."


    "Ah... right. Of course, it would feel awful not understanding who is who." London nodded. "Then prepare yourself. I''ll tell you who my family and relatives are so you can get to know them."


    The man took his tablet then opened a folder containing numerous photos. "I can show you their photos and tell you who they are."


    "Ah... thanks. I really need it." L climbed into her bed and patted the area next to her. "Sit here and show me."


    London was amazed at L''s attitude. Did his eyes see wrong? L told him to get into bed???


    "Come on, sit here, and show me." L said, patting the area next to her again. "As long as you don''t think of anything perverted, you can sleep here."


    Without needing to be told twice, London immediately climbed into bed and sat next to L. He was very happy to see that L had become more open to him. She had called Aleksis and Alaric as sister-in-law and brother-in-law, and now she didn''t really mind if London wanted to sleep in her room. She even offered a place for him beside her.


    He kissed L on the cheek then showed the pictures on his tablet to the girl. His voice sounded soft and clear as he told her about each of his family members whom L had never met before.


    "Well... this is my father and mother, you''ve met them. This is my brother, Terry. He''s my mother''s son with Uncle Jean. This is Uncle Jean and his wife..."


    L paid attention to every name and picture with their respective stories with great interest. Ah, the Schneider family is really interesting, she thought. After listening for a while, she became sleepy in her place. London''s storytelling voice made her feel that she was being lulled, so even though L had offered to look after Lily, L actually fell asleep first.


    London didn''t mind at all, because L hugged him when she fell asleep. He liked the comforting scent of L''s body and her smooth skin when she touched him. What made him rather annoyed was the fact that he couldn''t touch L at all and do all sorts of perverted things to her. Refraining at a time like this was a struggle quite onerous for every normal man.


    Ahh... he really couldn''t wait to get married to L and be able to do things which now he was holding back so painfully.

 Chapter 713 - You Wont Win

    The Triple L family finally had very peaceful days. L, who was preoccupied with practicing with the Rainfall Band for their performance in the global music award show, felt truly grateful that she lived close to the Schneider family so she could leave Lily with Finland when she went out to practice.


    "Do you want me to pick you up from the studio this afternoon?" London offered that morning at breakfast together.


    L shook her head. "No need. I know you''re busy."


    After learning the true identity of her future husband, L realized that all this time, London must have abandoned a lot of work because he pretended to be poor. Gosh! He even dia full month gig as a part-time photographer at Luxe Magazine just so he could work with L in various photoshoots.


    "I''m not busy, really," London shrugged. He hurriedly wrote a message to Jan to cancel all meetings after 3 pm.


    "Did you just send an SMS to Jan to clear your schedule?" L raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to peek at London''s phone. She had met Jan two days ago and heard a lot about London''s behavior so far.


    In the end, L even found out about the accompanying dancers and musicians who were completely replaced at that time to find dancers and musicians who weighed at least 100 kg to accompany her to perform at the welcoming summer concert so L wouldn''t feel bad about her gaining weight.


    L felt very touched, but at the same time, she massaged her forehead because she just realized how powerful this man sitting next to her was. Whatever he ordered must definitely happen. L had never found anyone like this.


    "I did tell Jan to cancel all my appointments after 3 pm," London raised his face and smiled mischievously at L. "Don''t you see, I''d anything do for your sake?"


    L just rolled her eyes and continued eating.


    "I''ll have finished practice at 2 pm and immediately have a photoshoot with Rainfall in Luxe Magazine. So if you want, you can pick me up there," L finally said.


    "All right. I''ll pick you up at Luxe. By the way, I miss the magazine office too. I have a lot of good memories of the times I took your photos there," London smiled broadly. He was a little nostalgic remembering the first weeks when he was still trying to catch up to L and was disguising himself as a photographer there.


    "Eh... did the magazine know you were going undercover at that time?" L promptly asked. "Or were they unaware?"


    London shook his head. "No. What for? They''re not important to me. I don''t need to tell them everything."


    "Oh... okay. Then how would you pick me up?"


    London shrugged. "I''ll pick you up as Miss L''s boyfriend. That''ll be okay, right? Or are you ashamed to have a poor photographer as a boyfriend?"


    L narrowed her eyes with a dangerous gaze. "What do you mean? You know I don''t care whether you''re rich or poor! Do you really think I want to marry you only because you''re rich?"


    Ah, it seemed that L still felt s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e when they talked about London Schneider''s true identity. She sometimes worried that people would think she accepted London as her husband because he was the heir of the Schneider Group. Even though, before London revealed his identity, L had accepted the man''s love.


    "Geez... don''t be offended, Honey. I''m just kidding. Ouch... it feels like my day isn''t complete if I don''t see you get angry at least once." London hurriedly got up and hugged L from behind her chair. He kissed the top of the girl''s head and whispered tenderly. "I know that you accepted me not because of my wealth, but because I''m handsome, charming, and is always happy to spoil you."


    "Ugh... so you want me to get angry every day? Is that it? So you want me to get high blood pressure?" L pursed her lips and snorted in annoyance. "I want to change and keep my temper. You said it isn''t good for Lily to copy my temper, didn''t you? But why are you still teasing me to make me angry??"


    "Ohh... so cute. So cute." London instead laughed happily and kissed L''s pouting lips. "All right. I''m sorry. I won''t provoke you with such s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e things again. I''ll pick you up at the Luxe Magazine office this afternoon, okay?"


    "Hmm," L just nodded. She was too tired to answer.


    "Ahh... I''m so happy!" He kissed L again and immediately excused himself to leave. "See you later this afternoon!"


    London finished his breakfast and left for the office after Marc picked him up in his car.


    ***


    "I''ve made an offer of cooperation to the Swann family''s hospital in London. They enthusiastically declared that they wanted to meet directly with our representatives. Berlin Metropole Hospital''s reputation and the Schneider Group''s name were enough to make them interested." Jan submitted his report after lunch.


    London nodded. "We don''t need to rush. You can invite them to come to the medical conference next month and get them acquainted to discuss this collaboration."


    "All right, Sir." Jan took note of all of London''s orders on his tablet. "Would you like to have a reception after the conference? I mean, to invite Caroline Wendell..."


    "Great idea."


    "I''ll make the preparations then." Jan smiled. He could imagine how disappointed Caroline Wendell and her father would be. They would think London Schneider was interested in Caroline, and in the end... found out he only did it to take revenge for L.


    "Have you canceled all my meetings today?"


    "Yes, Sir. By the way, why did you cancel all the work matters for this afternoon? Is there an important event?" Jan asked curiously.


    London smiled and didn''t answer. Jan could only guess that this had something to do with L. In the end, he didn''t ask any more questions and left his boss to do a lot of things alone in his room. At exactly 3 pm, London immediately left the office. He didn''t want to be late to pick up L.


    "Marc, let''s stop by the florist to buy flowers for L," he said eagerly.


    "Yes, Sir."


    Marc could see that his boss''s mood was very happy. Along the way to Luxe Magazine''s office, he hummed one of L''s most famous songs. Marc remembered his master''s orders, and when he saw a flower shop, he decided to stop by. London chose a beautiful bouquet of flowers and continued on to Luxe''s ??office. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived.


    "Wait for me in the parking lot. I''ll only be a minute." London came out carrying flowers and entered the Luxe Magazine building. Chloe, the receptionist who still recognized him as a part-time photographer several months ago, immediately stood up to greet him with a smile.


    "Hey... good afternoon, Killian. Long time no see. Do you have an appointment with Nick?" he asked kindly.


    "I want to pick up Miss L," London said in a proud voice. He showed the flower in his hand. The receptionist looked confused, seeing his actions.


    "Wait a minute... Are you also a fan of Miss L?" She then shook her head with an apologetic face. "Ouch... sorry, Killian. You won''t be able to win the competition."


    "Eh? Why won''t I win?" London asked in confusion. "What do you mean, Chloe?"


    Chloe coughed, then leaned her face and whispered to London. "Ssshhh... Miss L is being pursued by the Rainfall Band''s lead singer. You won''t be able to win against the vocalist of the most famous band in the world today. Forget it... just give up."


    Instantly, London''s face turned red, and his c.h.e.s.t felt hot.


    What? The Rainfall ''s vocalist? Could it be that they deliberately asked L to appear together at the awards ceremony as an excuse... So that perverted man can get close to L?


    London suddenly felt jealous.

 Chapter 714 - L and Rainfall

    "Are they being photographed by Nick?" London quickly asked.


    Chloe nodded. "Yes, as usual. There will be an article about them next week."


    With a c.h.e.s.t filled with jealousy, London went straight into the photo studio without waiting for Chloe to usher him in.


    "Hey..! Where are you going? You can''t just go in!"


    But the girl''s attempt to stop him was in vain. London had disappeared behind the elevator.


    He still memorized the structure of this building and the rooms in it. He knew the photoshoot had to be held in the studio on the 3rd floor. While walking to the studio, he tried to remember what the vocalist of the Rainfall Band looked like to calculate whether the man deserved to be his rival or not.


    Hmmm... he rarely paid attention to entertainment news, but at least he knew Rainfall was the most famous band in the world today and its members consisted of 5 handsome young Asian men. The members were from Japan, Korea, China, and two were of Asian descent born in America.


    The band was very quickly becoming famous. In addition to being exceptional at their musical abilities, the members were also very handsome. The vocalist was renowned for having an extraordinary vocal range. So you could say they had everything: good looks, great talent, and qualified musical abilities.


    Their agency was also the best agency in Asia that was able to amazingly launch their career globally. Not surprisingly, Rainfall was now the idol band with so many fans, both men and women. Their concert tickets were always sold out in just minutes.


    Ugh... London wasn''t a fan of music. He only liked L''s music and voice. He wasn''t at all interested in the others. But now, he hurriedly searched for videos and more complete information about Rainfall Band while heading to the photo studio.


    "Ugh... damn it," he hissed in disgust. On various front pages of the internet, he actually found a variety of entertainment news about Kitaro, the vocalist who was rumored to be close to L. Photographs from the Rainfall concert from earlier this year when L was opening their tour were scattered everywhere.


    And... oh, there was a video of when the two of them were doing a duet, singing a song in perfect harmony. Both of their performances were amazing!


    Kitaro had a very beautiful vocal. He could casually reach L''s high notes while singing the song together. For a moment, London was stunned.


    Dammit. I can''t be amazed by their performance! London grumbled to himself. I''m not a fanboy!


    London arrived in front of the studio ten minutes later, and he unconsciously examined his appearance in front of the glass wall beside the door. Hmm... he looked handsome as usual.


    When he was satisfied, he knocked twice and went inside.


    In the studio, he saw L being surrounded by five handsome young men who all smiled broadly. Pammy seemed to be standing beside Nick, looking at the photos on the computer screen, while Nick was busy giving instructions for the models to pose as he wished.


    "Hey, Nick. How are you?" London greeted Nick, who immediately looked at him. He didn''t forget to blow a kiss at L, who was staring at him with an amused expression.


    "Hey, Killian, you haven''t been here for a long time. You''re still alive? I tried looking for you to ask for help alongside me for a big project several times, but it was really hard to contact you," Nick grumbled as he approached London and patted his shoulder.


    "I was busy. Some big things were going on, and I couldn''t come." London could only give an excuse so Nick wouldn''t be suspicious of him. "How are the photos?"


    "Good. As always, they''re all very professional. L and Rainfall are my favorite models." Nick praised as he glanced at L. He then whispered into London''s ear. "Do you still like that singer?"


    London nodded and smiled proudly. "Of course, I still do. Do you think I''m a womanizer who hops from one heart to another easily?"


    Nick just shook his head. "It''s not like that. I mean, how long have you liked her? It''s been almost nine months. If your affection for her is a fetus, it must have been born as a baby now. I think it''s time for you to look for a person better suited for your level. L is already too famous. Just take a look, at least two people from the Rainfall band are also into her."


    "Wait... what? Who?" London was getting even more annoyed. He only heard that Kitaro liked L. Now, there were more members of Rainfall who also liked L? Why are there so many? Did he have to lock L in the house and stop her from going out so L wouldn''t be liked by other men out there? L is indeed too beautiful. Did he also have to tell L to look ugly like Aleksis previously did so men wouldn''t want to glance at her?


    This is hard!


    "The drummer, who''s wearing the blue headband. It''s so obvious how he''s always acting awkwardly in front of L," Nick commented. "His name is Lee."


    The guy named Lee, which Nick was referring to, did look very cool. His appearance was casual with a white shirt, torn jeans, and a blue headband. He grew his black hair to his shoulders, and his handsome face seemed to have a mix of several races, which made it difficult to ascertain his true nationality. At least one of his parents must be of Asian descent and the other Caucasian.


    "Who do you think L likes among all of them?" London asked, holding back the jealousy in his c.h.e.s.t.


    Nick just shrugged. "Ah, as usual, L is too indifferent to her surroundings. Maybe she doesn''t even realize that those men like her. But I''m sure that if Kitaro or Lee keeps trying, L will slowly, but surely melt."


    "Try? what do you mean?"


    "Well... take her to dinner or a date, or go for a walk. You''ll see."


    Nick''s words upset London. He approached L, who was having her hair done by a makeup artist while preparing for the final photoshoot.


    "Hey, honey..." he said with a cheerful face while handing over the flower he brought to L. The girl looked up and smiled as she accepted it.


    "Thank you."


    Before London could speak further, Kitaro came to L and patted her shoulder.


    "So tomorrow, we have a few hours before the awards ceremony. Do you want to come with us for a walk?" he asked. He was stunned to see the flowers in L''s hand and commented. "Wow... it''ll be a good idea to use flowers in the next photo session. The color purple suits you very well."


    He lowered his head and smelled the flowers'' fragrance until his face was so close to L''s. London spontaneously pulled Kitaro''s shoulder away.


    "Eh... how dare you smell these flowers?! I brought it only for L. You can''t smell them too!" London said in disgust.


    Kitaro stood facing London and frowned. "What are you doing? This is the flower from the set, right? Who are you? An assistant photographer?"


    "Honey, you won''t be traveling with this rotten band tomorrow, right? I''ll be busy all day, and my family will leave for Targu Mures. Our baby needs you at home..." London said, staring at L with an innocent look. "Will you be at home tomorrow?"


    "Eh?" Kitaro looked stunned at London''s words. "What did you say? Baby?"


    London was about to smile arrogantly and answered, ''Yes, L and I have a child'' when he saw L''s pair of eyes were filled in horror, as she stared at him with a pale face.


    Jeez! London forgot that L had been hiding her pregnancy.


    If people found out, L would soon be the target of gossip, and her reputation as a talented artist and good girl would be tainted.


    Ugh... He wanted to smack himself in the face. He wasn''t supposed to disclose L''s secret like this...


    It was all because London was too jealous of these damned Rainfall band members!

 Chapter 715 - Im So Dead

    Kitaro turned to L and looked at him as if asking L to explain her relationship with this man who had just arrived. "L ... is that true?"


    L was not an actress, and she couldn''t act even if her life depended on it. She couldn''t pretend that London was just kidding. Her lips pouted and tears began to well up in her eyes.


    "How could you ..." she whispered angrily, as she ran out of the studio looking hurt.


    I''m dead ... London thought with a worried heart. I''m so dead.


    He really did not mean bad. He only wanted to get rid of the five handsome young men who surrounded L by showing his ownership of L subconsciously.


    Ah, humans are in some ways like animals. Just like dogs or cats who marked their territory with urine, men sometimes do annoying things to show ownership of their women in front of other men. One of them is like what London Schneider accidentally did just now.


    "Hey, I''m just kidding. I mean fur baby. FUR BABY! Did you forget Yves, your beagle?" London hurriedly tried to remedy the situation by mentioning L''s beagle. Unfortunately, it was too late, because L''s own attitude now made people in the studio wonder whether she did have a baby secretly.


    Pammy tried to smile at everyone and nodded in confirmation. "Miss L does have a beagle. She just adopted it. Please don''t misunderstand her. There''s nothing to gossip about."


    L had left with tears in her eyes and left her bag in the studio. London, who felt guilty, immediately took L''s bag and followed her out.


    He found the girl in front of the elevator door about to enter the elevator down to the lobby.


    "Hey .. wait for me! I''m sorry, that was just a joke. How come people over there don''t have a sense of humor? I told them I meant the furbaby, Yves, our puppy..." He tried to coax L. "I didn''t mean to tell them... I''m sorry. "


    "Your joke is not even remotely funny!" snapped L. "I thought you, being older, would have a more m.a.t.u.r.e attitude. Apparently, I was wrong. You make me feel frustrated."


    "Can we just talk about it in the car? You can scold me to your heart''s content. But don''t attract attention here. You will make people question us."


    L did not reply. She pretended not to see London and stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to the lobby. In the elevator, London handed L''s bag to the girl. They didn''t talk to each other on the way down to the first floor and out the lobby.


    Chloe, who saw them coming out together, initially wanted to say hello to London and L, but seeing L''s murky face, she finally refrained herself. Inwardly, she wondered if Killian Makela really managed to date the famous singer as he claimed earlier?


    Wow ... this is really a big scandal!


    After they left the lobby, London took L''s hand and led her to the waiting car. At first, L wanted to refuse but because she was afraid of attracting attention, she was finally forced to comply.


    "I''m sorry. Earlier, I had a slip of the tongue. I was very jealous." London looked at L intently. The car was moving towards Grunewald. "I hope you can forgive my errors. Pammy also tried to help. I''m sure everything will be fine. You just have to take a picture with Yves and post on Splitz, surely, the fans will think that what I mean is Yves."


    "Why did you do it? I can''t pretend that what you said earlier was a joke ... I can''t lie!" L looked back at London with a frustrated face. "I won''t let you come to pick me up anymore. I don''t want the gossip to grow because of your blunder earlier. You don''t know; there are lots of other artists who hate me! They think I''m getting popular too fast and they accused me of sleeping with a big wig at the agency. They will be like vultures that will be happy to see me fall from grace ..."


    L buried her face in her hands. She cried and this made London feel even more guilty. Oh, God... why did it turn out this way? He hated seeing L cry the most but now he was the one who made her cry.


    "Who dares to gossip about you? I''ll take care of them," London said firmly. "I will not let anyone bully you."


    L raised her face and looked at London with an expression of despair. "You think, just because you have a lot of money, you can do anything? There are things that cannot be bought with money and one of them is reputation. You can delete the news in the media; you can direct public opinion ... but the people out there are not stupid. Once they have planted seeds of suspicion or disgrace, they will keep on remembering it."


    London was forced to admit that L was right. What had happened today anyway? Wouldn''t sooner or later L also have to acknowledge Lily''s existence? Why not do it now?


    "Honey, this is modern times, our society doesn''t care about such things anymore. You also won''t be able to hide Lily forever. Someday you have to announce her, otherwise, she will be sad." London held her hand and rubbed it to calm her down. "I can just announce to the public that you are my wife, and Lily is our child. What do you think?"


    L bit her lip and looked at London as if she was saying something very crazy.


    "You mean lying AGAIN? We''re not married yet! And I don''t want you to appear as London Schneider and announce to people that I slept with you and became pregnant with your kid. They would connect the dots and assumed that I got my career because I sleep with you. How could you do that to me?"


    London now felt cornered. Why was L acting so idealistic? She didn''t even want to lie that they are already married.


    Ah ... maybe because L''s father was a judge, who raised her with integrity and honesty. With this in mind, London felt ashamed that a girl nine years younger than him has higher integrity than himself.


    "You get your career NOT because you slept with me. We both know that ..." London then offered a new solution. "I ... I understand that you don''t want to lie. Well, I won''t lie. We can be honest and say that you are my fiancee, and we will get married soon."


    His words are meaningless because L had now become hysterical. "They will also accuse me of dating you because you are rich! Later, they will undoubtedly say I deliberately got myself pregnant to force you to marry me."


    "You are not after my wealth. We both know, it was I who always pursue you, and you were the one who always rejected me."


    "They don''t know that, and they won''t care either. The media will distort the facts according to their own version."


    "Uhm ... I can take care of that. I happen to know who owns the biggest media company in the world ..." London said. "Take it easy. We can take care of it later. What''s important is to calm down. We will take action to ensure that all the gossip will not come out."


    L looked away, hearing his words. Her head was dizzy, and she did not want to talk much.


    "L .. You''re not going to cancel the wedding, right? The preparation is almost completed. Don''t reconsider the wedding just because we have a small problem today.." persuaded London again.


    L did not answer. She just closed her eyes and tried to organize her emotions. London rubbed her hands and did not press her. The journey to the house went in silence.

 Chapter 716 - Bad Mood

    After they arrived home, L immediately locked herself in her room. London was forced to let her be because he knew that it was his fault. That night he was forced to go back to sleeping alone in his room.


    As he lay in bed, London thought a lot about what had just happened. He did not know why he was easily upset when he saw L with other men, even though Nick told him L never cared about those men.


    Maybe, as long as he and L hadn''t formalized their marriage, he would always worry that L might change her mind and find another man who was better than him.


    He knew that it was not easy to win L''s heart, and before he got complete ownership status as her husband, he must not be complacent. He hated himself for being this jealous because, ultimately, it would affect his relationship with L.


    He longed to be as relaxed and confident as his father. Their appearances were very similar, so why couldn''t he act more like Caspar?


    When London complained to his father over the phone, Caspar just laughed.


    "Uhm ... you and I are different, Son. I''m 470 years old, while you haven''t even reached thirty. Self-confidence and maturity come with experience. But you shouldn''t want to be someone else. If you''re like me, maybe now you would be dumping your twentieth girlfriend and will look for the new one. We are not the same, and you are no worse than me."


    London pondered after hearing his father''s words. Come to think of it, his father was right. L was his first love. He had never been in love with any girl before, and he was not sure how to be a good boyfriend or husband.


    L also had never been in a relationship with any man. Maybe they were both were still too young to marry and commit themselves in a relationship.


    London finally had to admit the truth that he had been trying to keep all this time: Lily was actually the main reason why they were planning a wedding.


    He was a gentleman who took responsibility for what he did. So, when L was pregnant with his child, he decided to marry L and take both the mother and child under his wing. If London was honest, if L wasn''t pregnant with Lily, maybe their situation now would have been very different.


    Without Lily, L wouldn''t even think about marriage, considering the average age of women getting married today was 35 years old. Pursuing a career and education had been women''s main goals for the past two decades. Of course, L would want to focus on herself and her career, he thought. She was only 19 after all.


    Before Lily came in the picture, even London himself never thought about falling in love and getting married. He was still too young. The average Alchemist clan members only started looking for a serious partner when they reached at least one hundred years old. What happened with L was totally unexpected in his part.


    Maybe... he and L really needed to rethink everything.


    ***


    That morning L didn''t practice her singing as usual. London knew that every time L was upset or sad, she didn''t sing in the morning. So every morning when he didn''t hear L''s voice, London would know that L was having a bad mood.


    He woke up when the sun was already high, without L''s singing which became his morning alarm. He only slept at 3 am and kept tossing and turning in bed. It was a horrible night. He decided to take a shower immediately and get ready.


    When London came out of his room, he found breakfast was already available at the dining table, while L was sitting on the terrace, nursing Lily, and sunbathing at the same time.


    Ah, their digital household assistant system must have prepared everything. London tasted the food at the table and nodded in satisfaction. He then walked out to meet L and Lily.


    "Good morning, L. Have you had breakfast?" asked London after he arrived near the two girls. L raised her face and shook her head.


    "I''m waiting for you," the girl answered in a flat voice. "Do you want to have breakfast now?"


    London nodded. He stretched out his hand and L understood that the man wanted to take Lily. Lily was drowsing and was unaware that her food source had been taken away and her tiny body had moved to her father''s arms. She was breathing softly when she fell asleep on her father''s shoulder.


    London carried Lily lovingly and kissed her over and over again. Lily smelled like milk and lavender! He can never have enough of her. Once they reach the dining room, he placed her on a special basket next to his chair in the dining table.


    "When will you leave for the awards ceremony?" asked London, opening the conversation after the two had eaten in silence for ten minutes. "Are you going straight to the stadium?"


    "The event starts at 7 pm," answered L.


    "You didn''t answer my question," London replied. "Are you going straight to the stadium, or do you have other plans before the award?"


    "What do you mean by your question? Are you accusing me of going to meet Rainfall before the award ceremony?" said L. "Are you still not satisfied after you made upset yesterday?"


    "That''s not what I meant. I just wanted to know. It''s an honest question. I''m sorry that yesterday I slipped about Lily in front of them. I''ve ordered the media team to bring up the news about you adopting a puppy. That should be able to ward off gossip about you having a baby."


    L did not respond to London''s words and returned to eating in silence.

 Chapter 717 - I Cant Keep Doing This

    "Are you still angry?" London asked again.


    "I''m just tired. That''s all." Finally, L replied.


    "I was thinking a lot last night," London stopped his breakfast and looked gravely at L. "I don''t know why I''m so easily upset and jealous when I see you with other men. I don''t like myself for doing it. After thinking for a long time, I realized ... it happened because I feel insecure."


    "What do you mean, you feel insecure?" L asked in surprise.


    "Our relationship makes me feel insecure, L... I tried to be honest, and finally, I realized that the relationship that we have is only going in one direction. It''s been one-sided most of the time. I was always after you and want to marry you, and you always rejected me... That''s why I feel insecure. You don''t love me, while I love you so much."


    "That''s not true. I''ve accepted your proposal ..." L refuted London''s words.


    "Yes, you FINALLY did accept my proposal and were willing to marry me after I proposed to you for the umpteenth time. But last night I realized that ... you might accept my proposal because you were cornered and feel like you''ve got no other options. That''s why you couldn''t say no. Until today, I have never heard you tell me that you love me. I was always the one who professed love to you. Now I realize, maybe I pushed you too much so that you felt that you had no choice and were willing to marry me."


    London studied L''s face carefully as he spoke, trying to understand what was in the girl''s heart, but as usual, he could not read L.


    "I''m sorry I became a jealous and possessive man, but I can''t change who I am. I don''t want to keep making you upset, but I''m sure in the future I will become even more jealous because I feel insecure. Please be honest with me if I make you feel pressured, I''ll try to fix it."


    L stared back at London with a complicated look. She then turned her gaze to Lily, who was sleeping very cutely in her basket. Finally, a soft voice came from her lips.


    "I ... I''m still too young to get married. If it wasn''t for Lily, I wouldn''t be in this situation." L looked down and wrung her fingers. "I think you feel cornered too. You only want to marry me because you want to be responsible for Lily. After knowing your identity, it was very difficult for me to make a fair decision because I knew you only wanted to be responsible for Lily and me. However, at the same time, I don''t want you and other people to think I only married you because of your identity and your wealth that comes with it. This is a very difficult situation for me."


    "I know you are still very young, and I understand that. I have never had a romantic partner before, and neither have you. I understand if you don''t want to marry me and you want to hide our relationship from the press. I don''t like it, but I won''t force you. I no longer want you to marry me."


    L was stunned to hear London''s words. "What do you mean? Are you going to cancel the wedding?"


    "I can''t keep doing this, L," London said, shaking his head with a heavy heart. "I cannot be your kept man. I can''t accept you keep our baby a secret because you consider her a disgrace. I understand that as an artist, you need to protect your reputation. I understand that you are a judge''s daughter who cannot tell lies. I also understand that you are too young to get married and build a family. Because of that ... I now release you from all the pressures that I have unknowingly put on you. I don''t want you to be my family because I force you to..."


    "You ... really want to cancel the wedding?" L asked, frowning.


    "Correct." London nodded steadily. He had thought about this long enough last night, with a clear head. He knew that every time L appeared with another man while the girl was still hiding their relationship, London would continue to feel jealous, and he did not want such a situation.


    "Until you can love me, accept me completely, and acknowledge Lily and me openly, I will not ask you to marry me again. I cannot always force myself to hold back when I see you close with other men and heard you being gossiped with other men while you insist on keeping our relationship a secret."


    L bit her lip. "Then what do you want now?"


    "I want you to be happy. I want you to know exactly what you want in life. Whether it''s with me or not." London took a deep breath. For him, it was hard to make this decision, but he realized he had to be assertive. "Because you are the mother of my child, I will still give you the immortality potion as a gift. You don''t have to marry me. You can stay in this house with Lily, and I will hire some human staff to help you. I will stay in my family''s mansion, and we can share custody over Lily. I will take her with me whenever you need time to be alone."


    L looked at London with a deadpan expression. "Okay."


    At a time like this, London really hoped that his brother, Rune, or his uncle Aldebar invented the machine that could read women''s minds, but he already knew the answer that it was impossible.


    "All right. Then I''ll move out later in the afternoon," London said before then finishing the coffee in his cup. "You can always contact me if you needed anything. I will be just next door. We will arrange custody of Lily later. Whenever you want to leave her with, you can go to my family home. Meanwhile, I will appreciate it if you let me take Lily all day today."


    L nodded again. They returned to eat in silence. After finishing breakfast, London packed only one suitcase containing his personal belongings. He could easily buy new clothes, he thought.


    When he arrived at his family''s mansion, Finland and Caspar who saw him came were surprised because he was carrying a suitcase.


    "What''s going on? Did you fight with L?" Finland asked, frowning. For some reason, she felt the problems between London and L were endless.


    "Instead of fighting, we actually talked nicely and decided to give space for each other," London explained. "I thought a lot last night about our relationship, and I feel that she and I are just too young to get married."

 Chapter 718 - Weekend With Lily

    London briefly explained what happened at the Luxe Magazine office and the reasons why he made this decision. Finland could only sigh. She remembered 30 years ago when faced with a similar problem, she also decided to leave.


    At that time, she did find it difficult to trust Caspar entirely because of their differences in status and how Caspar had a bad past as a womanizer. Meanwhile, Finland did not want to stay away from Jean, who always made Caspar jealous.


    In the end, after they were separated for a long time and realized that they must compromise and learn to understand each other''s feelings, then Caspar and Finland could reunite with a better relationship. They now always tried to understand and respect each other''s opinions.


    Now, after listening to London about what happened, Finland agreed with his decision. She could not bear to see her son sad and filled with jealousy and resentment because L insisted on keeping their relationship a secret for the sake of her career.


    "I will move here and share custody of Lily with her. We can stop the wedding preparation. There will be no wedding for now. Later, L and I will see what we have to do next. I think, right now, she needs time to become more m.a.t.u.r.e. I also need time to organize my feelings."


    Although he sounded calm, Finland could see how depressed her son was. With great sympathy, Finland embraced London and rubbed his head.


    "Good things come to those who wait, and everything will be beautiful in time. I am delighted to see you grow into such a good man, Sweetheart. Lily is very fortunate to have a father like you."


    Caspar just watched the scene with a sympathetic face.


    Ah ... He did not expect his children would experience love this early. He had thought they would be like other Alchemist clan members who would wait to find love after they were at least 100 years old.


    Aleksis married Alaric impulsively when she was not even 20 years old. And, his son already had his own baby and almost got married. He was only 28 years old. Still too young. Too young, he muttered over and over.


    "Then, how about you come to Targu Mures with us?" Finland asked after letting London go from her arms. "The whole family will gather. At least maybe meeting your siblings will make you feel happy again."


    London had thought of that before, but he still didn''t want to part with Lily.


    "I don''t think I will come this time. Tonight L has to perform in an award ceremony. I want to take care of Lily." He reluctantly declined the offer.


    "Why don''t you bring Lily with you? She''s used to drinking milk from a bottle too, right? You can just bring some milk with you. We can help taking care of Lily too." Finland suggested. She also wanted to take Lily along, if L will be busy working.


    "Hmm ... I didn''t think of that before. I''ll ask L''s permission to bring Lily with me." London placed his suitcase in his room and packed his personal belongings. He then came out and called L to ask for her opinion.


    "Hmm .. how long do you want to take Lily?" L asked in a tone of disapproval, but she tried to stop herself from sounding defensive. "I actually don''t quite agree. But ..."


    "Only three days," London explained to her about the trip. Now he tried to organize his words and tone to sound serious and not flirty like the way he used to talking with L. He and L had agreed to give each other space. He did not want L to think he was trying to talk her into getting back together. "Tomorrow is my sister''s birthday, and Monday is her wedding anniversary. We are used to attending family events like this."


    At the other end, L could only bite her lip. She knew she was not invited because tonight she had to perform in an awards show. The Schneider family also had no obligation to invite her to their events because her wedding to London was called off. So, naturally, she was no longer part of the family.


    "I understand." Finally, she replied. "Take good care of Lily. You can pick her up at any time. I will go to the studio at 3 pm."


    "Thank you."


    London was relieved that L did not make it difficult for him to bring Lily at all. Ahh ... he was glad his mother suggested him to come to Targu Mures. At times like this, it would be very comforting to spend time with his family, who always supported him.


    He also never brought Lily out of the house. The baby will certainly be happy when she could experience a new environment.


    ***


    Their private plane left at 3 pm. One hour before they departed, London stopped by his house to get Lily along with all her stuff. They will go directly to the airport. On the terrace, he saw Pammy was just staring at him with a sad expression.


    Ah, even Pammy must be feeling depressed because London and L called off their wedding.


    "Good evening, Pammy. Will you be accompanying L all day?" London asked, signaling Marc to bring the baby bag from the living room.


    "I will protect Miss L for you, Sir," she said quietly.


    "Hmm .." London did not reply. He entered L''s room and picked up Lily, who was playing with her favorite little elephant plush toy. "My baby looks so pretty today. Let''s go to Romania. You will be happy there. The place is beautiful."


    As if she understood her father''s words, Lily threw her elephant toy to the floor and instead played with London''s nose. At one point, she even tried to bite it with her toothless gum.


    "Hahaha ... you are naughty, huh," said London, picking up the elephant toy and put it on Lilly''s c.h.e.s.t. He held the baby lovingly in his arms. "You hold this, don''t bite my nose."


    L only saw the interaction between father and daughter in silence. She just nodded and said nothing when London said goodbye and left for the airport.


    While L was feeling murky, on the contrary, London''s mood actually became better. This would be his first weekend alone with Lily, and he couldn''t wait to spend time with her.

 Chapter 719 - The Impressive Schneider Family

    The trip to Targu Mures was very pleasant. The whole Schneider family had never been there before, except Caspar, who went there three centuries ago with Lauriel. For Finland and her children, this was a new experience.


    Lily became everyone''s favorite during the trip. This baby was amazing. She rarely cried. As Dr. Muller said, she had everything provided, and her father never let her lack anything, so Lily had almost no reason to complain.


    She was now almost three months old and had the same weight as a normal newborn baby, but her personality had started to show at a very young age. Lily was always relaxed, and she loved sleeping.


    Her father did not feel inconvenienced at the slightest by bringing his little baby abroad for the first time. Everyone took turns to carry the cute bundle of joy while on the plane, but as usual, Lily preferred her father''s l.a.p than anyone else''s.


    When they landed two hours later in the Targu Mures airport, the Schneider family welcomed in the VIP lounge by Terry, who took the time to come from New York. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for his family, especially since he really loved Aleksis. He had never missed her birthday before, and he would not miss it this year too.


    Terry''s always neat and expensive appearance has made the staff at the airport scramble to steal his attention. They repeatedly came to him and offered him food, drink, and whatever things he might need.


    Terry always refused politely. He had gotten used to not receiving food and drink from anyone other than his family and personal assistants because he was afraid of experiencing what Alaric and his younger brother, London, experienced.


    No ..no-no. He did not want the terrible event befell him. Accepting a drink from shady people had caused London to become an unplanned father suddenly. He understood that London enjoyed his role as a father and did not mind being responsible for a little human being in this world. But Terry? He was not ready. Not even in a hundred years.


    That''s why he was always cautious.


    Whispers from the staff that sounded shocked made him lift his face from the business news he was reading on his tablet. Ah ... they must be gossiping about the Schneider family, Terry thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    The staff in the VIP lounge were certainly amazed to see the arrival of three handsome men at once from the Schneider family. Good riddance, he thought. Their attention would be diverted from me, Terry thought again. He immediately closed the tablet and rose to his feet.


    Sure enough, a few minutes later, the group he was waiting for arrived. Caspar entered the lounge while taking his wife at a leisurely pace. Rune looked the most striking among them as the only family member who had blond hair and bright blue eyes.


    London, which mirrored his father, looked very fatherly to a baby who was sleeping in his arms. He and Lily melted the hearts of so many women who saw them. The women all wondered where the baby''s mother was. Immediately there was enormous sympathy for this handsome father and daughter.


    The Schneider family''s staff and bodyguards efficiently arranged the space for them so that their employers could relax while waiting for Mischa''s arrival. He would be the one to take them all to Alaric''s castle on the hilltop.


    "Do you know who they are?" asked a lounge staff to her colleague while stealing glances at the Schneider family many times. "I know Mr. Terrence Chan, he is the President of Schneider Group, but I have never seen the people with him. They have never come to this airport before."


    "I don''t know. But you know that Mr. Chan is taking care of the Schneider Group as the right hand of the Schneider family. Do you think the people who came were them? Do you think those are the Schneider family members?" Her colleague asked back.


    "Hmmm ... you''re right! Maybe it''s indeed the Schneider family! They are famous for being very low profile."


    "I wonder why they came here. This is just a small town. Whoaa... I didn''t expect today to be exciting."


    "You haven''t waited long, right? I''m sorry to keep you waiting. There was an important meeting that I couldn''t leave. I had to take care of it first before I could get here." The handsome Mischa made the airport staff girls hold their breath again.


    They soon learned who he was because he was one of the most famous executives in Romania today: Mischa Rhionen. They only saw him on TV and had never met him in person.


    Airport staff endlessly thank their lucky stars for being rewarded with so many beautiful people to ogle on the same day.


    London, who had met Mischa before, immediately rose to greet the man.


    "Thank you for picking us up to go to Alaric''s house together. I know you are busy," he said kindly. Terry also approached Mischa. He still remembered the first time he met with Mischa was ten years ago when they were about to catch Alaric Rhionen, and Terry was taken by Mischa and Kai to the ship to meet Pavel, who was disguised as Alaric.


    Ahh ... that event happened a long time ago. He was glad that they were no longer enemies.


    "Welcome to Romania," Mischa smiled broadly as he greeted Terry and Rune. He nodded respectfully to Caspar and Finland and then invited all of them to the luxury cars that had been prepared by RMI to take them to Alaric Rhionen''s castle.


    "Jeez ... isn''t that the head of RMI for Eastern Europe? Mischa Rhionen, if I''m not mistaken. Why are there so many important people gathered in our small town today?" the airport staff went back to their gossiping.


    "I don''t know. But if I remember correctly, Mr. Elios Linden from RMI married a young lady from the Schneider family. Do you think they live in this city?"


    "Wow ... you could be right! That is a possibility. I didn''t think of it before..."


    "I didn''t expect them to live in our small town. Surely the town''s people would be very excited."


    The arrival of many beautiful people from the Schneider and Medici/Rhionen families did indeed cause a stir at the airport because, usually, this small-town airport was very rarely visited by famous people.


    Staff was still busy talking about the impressive people even after they left.


    ***


    "This area is still as beautiful as I remember," Caspar said as he glanced out the car window. Yellow and orange autumn leaves filled the landscape along the road.


    "I heard this is where Alaric was born," Finland said, admiring the view outside. "That''s why he considers this town special."


    "You''re not wrong. Lauriel said the same thing to me. Luna was buried here for decades until Alaric moved her to Yorkshire." Caspar sighed. "Actually, I know it''s very hard for Lauriel to come here. Every time he comes to Targu Mures, he will definitely be reminded of Luna."


    "I can imagine." Finland nodded in sympathy. "Will Lauriel come tomorrow?"


    "That''s right. Nicolae has to take care of something in Singapore and arrive at Grosetto tomorrow morning with Altair and Vega."


    "Hmm ... too bad, Nic can''t come to his brother''s wedding anniversary," commented Finland. "I understand, but I still think it''s sad..."


    "Sshh ... that''s none of our business. Just hope someday Nic finds another girl and falls in love with her, then he can forget about Aleksis and move on. For now, let him heal his heart first."


    Aleksis'' parents had considered Nicolae as Aleksis''s future husband for four years before Alaric finally returned to their daughter''s life. Caspar and Finland still felt sorry for Nicolae, because they both really liked the young man. In their hearts, they could only hope that someday Nicolae would find someone to replace Aleksis in his life.

 Chapter 720 - Arranged Marriage For The Three-Month-Olds?

    The small group arrived in front of the castle at sunset, and the view from the hill where they were was truly extraordinary. After getting out of the car, for a moment, they looked at the valley below and froze in their place.


    "This place is beautiful ..." Finland murmured. She loved the scenery all the way to the hilltop.


    Aleksis came out of the castle door and welcomed them happily. Her body shape was almost back to normal, which will certainly make so many women envious, because in just three months after giving birth, she had been able to recover her beautiful body shape.


    "Please come in. We have a special terrace to watch the sunset on the third floor," she said cheerfully. Some efficient AI android servants came to help carry the guests'' luggage and arrange a room for each of them.


    Ten minutes later, the extended family went to a beautiful terrace on the third floor overlooking the west with a beautiful view of the valley below. Some android servants brought food and drinks, and the Schneider and Medici family members enjoyed the beautiful sunset with glasses of wine and a lovely chat.


    "Ten years from now, Altair and Vega will be a.d.u.l.ts, and these three babies will be preteens," Caspar commented with a slightly nostalgic attitude as he looked at his children and the three babies in their arms. "Our family has grown."


    Finland smiled happily when she saw them. She still remembered her lonely days when she was younger and alone. It was very sad. Now she was surrounded by the people she loved, including her best friends, Jean and Lauriel.


    Jean became part of her family because of Terry. And Terry now had become the eldest brother to Finland and Caspar''s three biological children, and he doted on his younger siblings.


    While Lauriel, who was Caspar''s best friend and has been regarded as her own brother by Finland, was now their in-law because Lauriel''s son was married to Aleksis, and Nicolae, his other son became Altair and Vega''s godfather.


    Finland truly felt very fortunate to have them all in her life. Portia and Ned also became Alaric''s adoptive parents, and the man himself still had four foster children whom he raised since they were little and will soon receive the immortality potion. Their family had truly expanded into one big and strong family.


    Aleksis and Alaric, who saw London come alone, without L, and only brought Lily immediately realized that something bad had happened between London and L, but as a good sister, Aleksis did not mention it at all. She believed that London was m.a.t.u.r.e enough to be able to make the best decisions for himself.


    Aleksis actually liked L, but she realized that London and L were still too young to get married. She only hoped that the two young people could co-parent for Lily, even though they were not together.


    Because she had two baby boys, Aleksis really liked teasing Lily. She deliberately arranged Lily to be placed in the middle basket, between Ireland and Scotland, and she kept playfully teasing Lily to make her smile.


    "Look at the three of them. They are so adorable, don''t you think? I will be very happy if Lily could grow up with Ireland and Scotland," Aleksis said as she nudged Lily''s cute little nose. Her niece looked at her closely with her big round eyes. She seemed very interested in her aunt. "Ahhh ... Lily is so cute! I hope my boys won''t fight over her when they grow up ..."


    Hearing Aleksis''s words, Alaric subconsciously coughed and almost choked on his wine. Inevitably, Aleksis'' statement made him think of himself and Nicolae, who fell in love with the same woman.


    His wife looked at him in surprise. A few seconds later, Aleksis realized what was happening and spontaneously covered his lips. "Gosh... no. That''s not what I meant. Of course, they wouldn''t fight over Lily. Lily will choose ... Hahahaha."


    Lily suddenly smiled broadly, as if she understood what her aunt was implying. Her father was very surprised to see such a beautiful smile suddenly appeared on his baby''s face. London screamed in panic and reached out, "Get me my cellphone ... camera, whatever... I have to capture this. Lily just smiled!!! Did you all see that!!???"


    The whole family just laughed, seeing London frantically hastily recording Lily''s smiling face and repeatedly cl.i.c.k.i.n.g in admiration. "This baby is so beautiful when she smiles. She is not like other babies who looked like monkeys when they were born. Very beautiful! The most beautiful baby in the world ..."


    Everyone could only roll their eyes to hear London say the same thing over and over again since Lily was born. The man was very proud of his only child. There wasn''t a single thing about Lily that was not important to him, and he didn''t get tired of praising Lily in front of anyone who had ears.


    "Don''t worry; there are some cameras up there." Alaric pointed casually at several points above their heads. "The whole place is equipped with a super HD surveillance camera system. I will have the system send all of Lily''s videos to you."


    "Ahh ... that is AWESOME! I will be very grateful. Thank you."


    "It''s okay. After all, Lily will become a daughter-in-law of the Medici family." Alaric just shrugged nonchalantly. Apparently, he agreed with his wife''s joke just now.


    "Eh? Daughter-in-law of the Medici family?" London frowned. "Lily will be married to one of your children, you mean?"


    He pointed at Ireland and Scotland who were lying on their respective baskets, and staring at him intently as if they understood he was talking about them.


    "So what?" Alaric narrowed his eyes, and his voice now sounded dangerous. "My sons are very handsome and smart. Do you think they are not good enough for your daughter?"


    London could only swallow and massaged his temple. Alaric was indeed very scary when it came to his children.


    Though that''s not what London meant at all. He was just surprised to see how Aleksis and Alaric were so excited about getting Lily as their daughter in law. Those babies were only three months old. THREE MONTHS!


    He never dreamed that he would let Lily marry any man. If needed, he would confine his only child on a high tower and only let her out when Lily was already a century old. He did not want Lily to lead such a carefree life like his sister Aleksis, who eventually got married in secret when she was very young.


    Once Lily was married, she would definitely leave home and follow her husband. London was not willing to let it happen so fast. What the heck... Was his sister talking about an arranged marriage between three-month-old babies ??


    Although he was upset, London had learned to no longer dare to offend Alaric about his children. That''s why London did not reply when Alaric questioned him whether his sons were considered unfit to be Lily''s husband. London finally pretended to pick up a phone call from Jan to avoid the question.


    "Hi, Jan. Yes, I''m now in Targu Mures. Don''t forget to send me the report about the award ceremony to my email tomorrow morning. Thank you." He hung up and put his cellphone in his pocket. He then looked up at Aleksis as if nothing had happened. "Where did your servants store Lily''s milk? I think she''s getting hungry. I need to warm some and feed her."


    Aleksis knew that London was trying to change the subject and smiled broadly. "You can follow Cyg to the kitchen. He''ll show you the place."


    The android servant called Cyg immediately appeared before London and gave the signal for the man to follow him. London quickly disappeared to the kitchen to prepare milk for Lily.


    After London disappeared from view, Aleksis hurriedly rebuked her husband.


    "You scared him," Aleksis commented while laughing. "You know I was just kidding. These babies are still very little."


    Alaric just shrugged.


    He knew Aleksis was joking, but he wasn''t.


    He watched Lily lying in the basket, between his two handsome sons. Lily''s intelligent eyes followed his movements and stared at him intently. Alaric really liked that baby girl. He seriously wanted to see one of his sons someday get Lily Schneider''s heart when they grow up.

 Chapter 721 - She Is Missing Her Mother

    After enjoying the sunset, the newly-arrived guests cleaned up and rested for a while in their respective rooms. They went down to the dining room on the first floor for dinner at around 8 pm.


    They ate at a very long dining table, styled like one of those dining tables in the ancient noblemen''s castles, that could accommodate up to dozens of people. They enjoyed a warm dining atmosphere while talking about various things.


    Aleksis'' birthday party the next day was prepared to be a simple celebration in the beautiful garden behind the castle. Alaric''s foster children would come to celebrate. This would be the first opportunity for all of them to meet each other.


    The moment felt so special, especially for Finland and Alaric. They both were used to being alone and lonely. Now, they had a big family that they loved. Inwardly, London regretted that L was not among them. According to him, that moment could have been an important moment for L if she were to enter their family. Unfortunately, L had to work, and they were no longer together.


    Aleksis also became sad when she thought of Nicolae. Alaric was not the only one who lived alone for decades and became a lonely person. Nicolae also had lost his adopted family decades ago and had to live a confused life as an immortal human alone, without knowing who his family was. Before reuniting with Alaric, Aleksis was friends with Nicolae and knew him very well.


    She always felt sad, imagining Nicolae would always avoid family events like this just because he still had feelings for her. This was really unfair to Nic.


    She hoped that someday Nic and her would be like Uncle Jean and her mother, who managed to dispel their personal feelings and remain friends and now close like family. They always supported each other and be present during their important life events.


    Aleksis felt that her birthday would never be complete without Nic''s presence, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about his feelings.


    Kara and her two assistants took care of the three babies while the parents were busy. Ireland and Scotland seemed calm because they were always together and never separated, while Lily cried when her father was busy eating with his family.


    "Gosh ... Lily very rarely cries," London said worriedly. He quickly finished his meal and took Lily from Kara. "What''s the matter, Sweetheart? Are you hungry?"


    He checked what was the meaning of Lily''s cry in his phone application provided by Rune, but did not find the meaning of his daughter''s cry. Bewildered, he turned toward his brother.


    "Why can''t your machine explain the meaning of Lily''s cry?" he asked in puzzlement. "Why on earth your machine always breaks when I really need it to work?"


    Hearing his brother grumble, Rune immediately checked the little machine in the baby''s basket, and after fiddling with it, he could only shake his head. "It''s not broken. I''ve put 10 of the statuses that are most commonly experienced by babies. If Lily''s cries can''t be translated by the machine, then this must be a new condition that I''ve never registered because there was no data before."


    "Ugh ... useless," grumbled London. He carried Lily and kissed her red cheeks with a worried face. "What do you want, my dear princess? Please, tell me ..."


    As he stared at Lily''s black eyes and looked at Lily''s pursed lips while she wailed, suddenly, London realized that Lily was missing her mother.


    With a sigh, he turned to his family and excused himself from the dining room.


    "I have to take care of Lily. You guys, please continue with dinner. Later, after Lily is asleep, I will rejoin."


    He hurriedly took Lily in his arms out of the dining room and into his own room. He remembered tonight was the music awards show that would feature a joint performance between L and the Rainfall Band. He would turn on the television and let Lily see her mother.


    As he researched the awards show, London saw that there was an option to watch the program through Virconnect 4D and get a 4-dimensional experience. But after thinking for a while, he decided that taking Lily to see noisy music awards show like that would not be good for his child.


    Finally, he decided to watch normal TV. Fifteen minutes later, the long-awaited appearance was finally shown.


    "Please be patient, Honey. You can see your mother in a moment." London tried to persuade Lily, who was still crying in his arms.


    As he watched Lily''s face, London felt that his daughter was very expressive with her feelings. He couldn''t wait to see Lily grow up and talk and express herself.


    The lights on the stage went out, and the piano was playing a sad tune. All the audience became solemn and waited eagerly for the performance.


    The spotlight then illuminated the center of the stage, and people could see L playing the piano with a sad face. She closed her eyes and was deep in her music. Her beautiful voice sang a really sad song and hypnotized the entire audience. The song she was singing was a very famous song from Rainfall''s latest album.


    The piano was soon followed by guitar, then the bass, drums, and the second guitar, and from the left of the stage came a tall, very handsome Japanese man wearing a tuxedo, walked over to L and sat down beside her. He sang the song L had just sung, and he took the second stanza.


    He sang the song in a very low note, then moved to a higher register, showing off his powerful vocal that could easily hit all the notes perfectly. The spectators who watched L and Kitaro''s performances almost all held their breath.


    One by one, Rainfall band members also appeared under the spotlight and the audience finally went crazy. They began to shout out the name Rainfall and all the personnel one by one.


    As if she was enchanted, Lily fell silent when her mother appeared and sang. Her eyes still couldn''t see far so that she couldn''t see L on the screen, but she recognized her mother''s voice. The crying stopped miraculously.


    "Ah, I''m right ... this kid just misses her mother," muttered London. He decided to call L as soon as the awards ceremony was over so that L could talk to Lily before she slept.


    After the impressive performance ended, the stadium was filled by deafening applause that seemed neverending. And suddenly, the audience began chanting their names, L and Rainfall or L and Kitaro.


    Rainfall - Elle


    Kitaro - Elle


    Kitaro - Elle


    The camera highlighted Kitaro and Elle, who repeatedly bow respectfully to the audience. Many people took this opportunity to save their pictures.


    Physically, L and Kitaro did look very compatible. Kitaro was from Japan, and L''s mother was also Japanese, so her Asian facial features made her blend well with the Rainfall band members who were all of Asian descent.


    London could only watch with a frown. L looked like she belonged on the stage. She was a talented artist and really liked her job. London must admit that L was very amazing at what she did. He even fell in love for the first time when he saw L sing at Stephan''s party.


    London didn''t want to stop L from achieving her dream and doing what she liked. But he still could not accept that L sacrificed him and Lily for her career and reputation as an artist. He realized that he made the right decision by canceling their wedding plans.

 Chapter 722 - For A Thousand Years And Forever

    He turned to Lily, who was in his l.a.p.


    "Honey, I don''t want to be a possessive man who takes your mother''s space and makes her feel suffocated, but I am so jealous whenever I see her surrounded by many men who are interested in her while I can''t openly drive them away." London talked to Lily as if his baby understood his words.


    Lily, who now had stopped crying, looked at him attentively. London became encouraged to keep talking to her. "You won''t lose your mother. That is something I can promise you, love. We live close by, so you can be with her whenever you want."


    Lily then smiled, showing off her toothless gum, making her father, who was sad, immediately feel happy. Lily''s gray eyes sparkled. It was clear that Lily enjoyed her father''s smile. Her tiny right hand touched London''s dimples that appeared every time he smiled.


    "Ahh .. you''re really a sweet kid! Lily is the best," voiced London many times. He took his cellphone and texted L to ask if he could call her so L could have a chance to talk to Lily before the baby slept.


    [Sorry, the event will end in one hour. Do you want to wait?] L replied.


    [It''s past Lily''s bedtime. I can''t let her wait so long.] London felt very disappointed, but he couldn''t force L.


    [I am very sorry. I will call you before breakfast tomorrow morning. How about that?]


    [Okay.]


    [Thank you. Good night.]


    London did not reply to L''s last message. He then laid Lily on the crib beside his own bed and fed her milk with a bottle. Fortunately, Lily was happy listening to her mother''s singing just now, so she was no longer fussy. Lily happily finished her milk, and slowly her eyes went droopy and finally closed.


    After Lily slept soundly, London returned to meet his family, who were chatting in the living room with some wine. Ireland and Scotland also slept, and both their parents were discussing L when London arrived.


    Mischa had told them that L''s family was murdered by someone who wanted the Swann family''s property. On the one hand, they felt sorry for L, but on the other hand, London''s family actually felt rather relieved that he canceled their wedding. They were more supportive of his decision to be assertive and think about his own happiness and Lily.


    "I don''t want to talk about it if you don''t mind." London took a glass of red wine from the table and sat at his mother''s feet, who was sitting on the sofa. He sipped his wine once and then laid his head on his mother''s l.a.p.


    Finland nodded and rubbed her son''s head while sighing softly. "Of course. We understand, Dear. We shouldn''t talk about it further."


    The sight made Alaric a little sad. In his entire life, he had never known his mother or experienced motherly affection. He did not know what it felt like to be spoiled by his mother like what London was getting.


    Aleksis, who happened to be looking at her husband, caught Alaric''s sad expression. She shared the man''s sadness. Subconsciously, she moved closer to Alaric and pulled the man''s head into her arms.


    "I love you very much," Aleksis whispered into Alaric''s ear tenderly. She did not care that her whole family could see them being affectionate toward each other. Alaric, who was surprised because Aleksis suddenly embraced him, was rooted in his place.


    A moment later, he closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "I love you, too."


    No life is perfect, Alaric thought. He did lose his mother, but the only woman he loved was here with him. This was enough for him. He felt grateful.


    When Alaric opened his eyes again, he looked directly at Aleksis''s pair of blue-green eyes and expressed his gratitude with his purple eyes, staring lovingly at hers. For a moment, Aleksis was mesmerized by his beautiful purple eyes.


    The girl then pressed her lips against Alaric''s and kissed him tenderly. Alaric welcomed his wife''s kiss with joy. He kissed her back lovingly. Aleksis smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt, and the opportunity was used by Alaric to thrust his tongue inside Aleksis''s mouth through her slightly open lips and explore her mouth intimately.


    The sound of a shock coming from his lips caught people''s attention, and they all looked, trying to see what was happening. When they saw the couple making out passionately, they joined in opening their mouths to make a sound in unison...


    Mischa''s face was very red. He had never seen his foster father making out with any woman in his life.


    Before they could all stand to leave the room, Alaric had snapped his fingers and, suddenly, the large hall was pitch black.


    "Hey ... why did the lights go out?"


    "What is this?"


    Shocked voices were heard from among the guests. One minute later, when they were about to find out what had happened, suddenly the lights came on again, and they couldn''t find Alaric and Aleksis near them.


    Rune could only cough and try to hide his blushing face. What happened just now made him remember the events of last year when Alaric was tricked with an aphrodisiac by Elien Mikhailova and he entered the penthouse at the Hotel St. Laurent looking extremely aroused and almost made love with Aleksis in front of Rune and London.


    It was really hard to forget that event, and now Rune had to witness his brother-in-law and sister making out like this, again. Fortunately, before things escalated, Alaric had turned off the lights and carried Aleksis out of there.


    Unknowingly, simultaneously Finland, Caspar, Rune, London, and Mischa took their wine glasses and finished the contents in one gulp, then shook their heads in unison.


    Aleksis, who was in Alaric''s arms, struggled not to make a noise when her husband picked her up and took her out of the room to leave their family.


    Alaric had a very sharp sense of vision, and he memorized every detail of his house, so he could easily carry Aleksis out and walked to their own bedroom in darkness.


    "Gosh... they must be shocked ..." Aleksis whispered while giggling when they arrived at their enormous bedroom. She wrapped her arms around Alaric''s neck and placed her head on his shoulder.


    She loved Alaric''s scent, just as Alaric loved her scent, something that always made them feel that they were created for each other. Alaric inhaled Aleksis''s scent from the top of her head while closing his eyes and smiling before then he placed his wife gently on their big bed.


    "What did you say?" he asked, kneeling next to Aleksis and cupping the girl''s face with both hands, bringing his own face closer so that their noses almost touched.


    "Which one?" Aleksis asked in a teasing tone.


    "What you just said in front of your family ..." whispered Alaric.


    "That, I love you?" Aleksis held the back of Alaric''s head and neck then landed a kiss on her husband''s lips. "I love you. I''ll love you for a thousand years and forever ..."


    "Mmm ... yes, that one..." Alaric smiled and kissed Aleksis''s lips lovingly.


    .


    >>>>>>>


    From The Author:


    Aww.. I always love this couple!


    By the way, regarding the arranged marriage between the 3-month olds.. I would like to give you peace of mind. It was a jest in Aleksis part (and mine).


    Alaric did take it a bit more seriously because that''s how he is. He is part of the old world and he is a purist, like his mother''s side of the family who prefers marriage between cousins to preserve their lineage purity as commonly done by the old European noblemen and royal families in the past.


    Do you know that Empress Maria-Theresa from Austria and Queen Victoria from England are called the grandmothers of Europe because their grandchildren married each other and they ruled kingdoms in Europe from England, Germany, France, to Russia?


    Btw, Queen Victoria (Queen Elizabeth II''s great-great-grandmother) herself married her cousin, Prince Albert, who was the love of her life, and after he died, she spent the remaining 50 years of her reign dressed in black to mourn him.


    Since the Alchemist people started living during the same era, they are exposed to the same culture and a lot of them practice it too. Do you remember that Portia and Ned are actually cousins?

 Chapter 723 - I Love You (R.-.1.8)

    During the first three months after Aleksis gave birth, they never had s.e.x because Alaric wanted to give his wife as much time as possible to recover and feel comfortable with her body.


    Aleksis was able to quickly regain her body after the puerperium period, and the traces of pregnancy, such as the stretch marks on her skin and her excess body weight, quickly disappeared, but apparently, she needed more time to restore her self-confidence.


    Aleksis felt uncomfortable because Alaric saw her giving birth to two babies from her v.a.g.i.n.a, and it caused her to see her own body differently. Before she gave birth, her husband was always with her in perfect condition. But when Aleksis gave birth, the situation was very messy and bloody. Aleksis could not forget that moment when Alaric saw her in such a state, and her self confidence was damaged.


    Even though Alaric always treated Aleksis as usual, respectfully and affectionately, Aleksis still felt uncomfortable. Only recently had they finally been able to bring up the discussion about i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e, and Aleksis was slowly opening up.


    Aleksis'' initiative to embrace Alaric earlier in their living room and kiss him, as if to tell her husband that she was ready to make love with him like before, when Aleksis had not given birth, immediately aroused Alaric. So, he turned off the lights and hurried to bring Aleksis to their bedroom.


    He was very happy because the long-awaited moment finally arrived.


    "Hmm ... so, how''s that?" He let go of his lips from Aleksis'' and looked at her lovingly.


    Alaric smiled slightly as if to say that he knew the answer, but he still wanted Aleksis to answer.


    "Mmm ..." Aleksis smiled shyly. She had only lived with Alaric for over a year even though they had been married for over eleven years, and every day with this man was fun and loving, so she never felt bored or lacked anything.


    But they hadn''t had s.e.x in the past three months, so when Alaric discussed it and was asking for her approval to make love with her ... Aleksis suddenly blushed.


    Aleksis'' shyness made Alaric amused. He recalled that during her pregnancy, Aleksis actually became so shameless and frequently took the initiative to have s.e.x with him. All due to her raging hormones. Seeing Aleksis looking shy today made Alaric feel exasperated. Finally, he could not wait for Aleksis to overcome her shyness.


    "If you don''t answer ... let me make the decision ..." Alaric whispered tenderly into Aleksis''s ear and then nibbled on her earlobe, which immediately turned her on and she couldn''t help let out a soft m.o.a.n. Alaric continued his teasing by kissing Aleksis''s neck and bit her gently to mark his ownership. "All you have to say is that you want me to stop. As long as you don''t say anything ... I''ll continue ..."


    Aleksis nodded slowly and bit her lip, trying to hold back her m.o.a.n because Alaric had lowered his kisses down to her shoulders and not leaving even a single inch of Aleksis''s skin escaped his lips.


    The man then climbed into bed and positioned himself on top of Aleksis and then slowly pulled down his wife''s gown, revealing her perfect and smooth upper body with every curve that took his breath away.


    During these three months, Alaric had to hold back hard, even though the beautiful woman he loved lay beside him every night. He knew Aleksis still felt uncomfortable with her body after giving birth. The man had to settle with just hugging and kissing Aleksis and then took a long cold shower in the bathroom every time he felt the urge.


    It was a huge sacrifice on his part, but he was willing to do it because of his immense love for Aleksis. After their long separation, for Alaric, every day with Aleksis was valuable, and he would do his best to maintain their relationship.


    He was proud because they never had a fight until today. Whatever Aleksis wanted was what he wanted too. Although they came from very different backgrounds, Alaric learned that in this world, nothing was more important to him than his family. So, he always tried to make his wife and children happy. And as the saying goes, ''A happy wife is a happy life''. Alaric had never felt as happy as he was now.


    Aleksis had been preparing physically and mentally for the past three months to open up herself to her husband. She knew Alaric loved her no matter what, and that slowly made her recover her confidence. She tried not to remember the day she gave birth to Ireland and Scotland and focused on just the two of them when their bodies will reunite as before.


    "Mmm ... your body looks and tastes even much better than before," Alaric whispered, after being satisfied kissing Aleksis''s b.a.r.e shoulders and then descending to her full and perky b.r.e.a.s.ts. His voice sounded amazed as he gently kneaded Aleksis''s left b.r.e.a.s.t and s.u.c.k.e.d her right n.i.p.p.l.e. "They are so beautiful ... I''m afraid you will make me unable to leave our bedroom for two days ..."


    Aleksis, who was about to laugh at her husband''s joke, could only hold back her laughter, and instead, she let out a very long m.o.a.n. Both of her b.r.e.a.s.ts had felt extraordinary p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, which she had never felt before.


    Alaric kneaded her left and right b.r.e.a.s.ts alternately while l.i.c.k.i.n.g and s.u.c.k.i.n.g the other, without stopping, as Aleksis repeatedly arched her back when p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e overcome her whole senses.


    The three-month wait had taught Alaric to be a patient man, and he didn''t want to be in a hurry. He gently and slowly explored her body from head to toe, and every m.o.a.n let out by Aleksis made him even more excited to give his wife p.l.e.a.s.u.r.es with his mouth, tongue, and hands.


    He then took off all his clothes, and Aleksis''s u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, while the two explored and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.ed each other lovingly. Alaric deliberately spent some good amount of time on Aleksis wet honeypot, because he knew that was where his wife felt the most uncomfortable after giving birth.


    "Aaahh ..." Aleksis constantly m.o.a.n.e.d and arched her back as Alaric stimulated her core with his tongue.


    Once he was satisfied playing around with foreplay and seeing Aleksis was ready to take him in, Alaric positioned his manhood before her core. He pushed slowly, and when his big and rock-hard manhood entered her completely, a stream of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e immediately flowed through his body. He continued pumping her with a satisfied smile etched on his face.


    His hands did not stop kneading Aleksis''s b.r.e.a.s.ts while he continued his movement in and out of her core. The endless p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e made Aleksis m.o.a.n and whimper with her sultry voice, indicating that she really enjoyed their lovemaking.


    Ahh ... this is a really good start, Alaric thought. Their first lovemaking after Aleksis gave birth was very natural and enjoyable, and he was sure that after this, Aleksis would no longer shut herself up. Their s.e.x.u.a.l life will return to normal, and this made Alaric very happy.


    They made love four times that night and only stopped after they were completely exhausted. Alaric released his seed inside her one last time after Aleksis experienced an o.r.g.a.s.m for the nth times, and he finally ended their lovemaking.


    After pulling out from Aleksis''s body, he pulled the girl into a hug. Aleksis placed her arms around Alaric''s c.h.e.s.t as she looked at him with a thankful look, then kissed his lips and laid her head on Alaric''s arm.


    Finally, she fell asleep. Her breathing soon became regular, and her heartbeat gradually became in tune with her husband''s heartbeat.


    "I love you," Alaric still managed to whisper before he closed his eyes. The clock showed it was four o''clock in the morning.

 Chapter 724 - Family Time

    Alaric and Aleksis'' residence at Targu Mures that morning was very lively because they were hosting many guests. Usually, the place was very quiet because the owner moved around a lot since they have many residences. When they were in his other residence, there were only a few staff and android servants in this castle.


    At 9 am, when everyone gathered at the dining table for breakfast, no one dared to discuss the blackout that occurred the night before. They all ate as if nothing had happened.


    "We will go deer hunting in the forest after lunch. Who wants to come?" Alaric asked while they were eating.


    Rune and London, who loved riding horses, raised their hands with enthusiasm. Terry just shook his head. He was a city boy who grew up in Singapore and was not accustomed to horseback-riding like his two younger siblings.


    Caspar had planned to take a walk on the edge of the forest with his wife, so he refused to participate. Mischa and Alaric were used to horse riding and deer hunting in Targu Mures. So, they always enjoyed the activity when they had time to relax.


    "Well ... then, later this afternoon, after Kai, Takeshi, and Rosalien arrive they will join us," Alaric decided. "You can choose the horse that you like in the stable."


    Kara suddenly approached Aleksis and handed over her cellphone.


    "Madame, Sir Lauriel called you."


    "Is that so? This must be important. I will take this call." Aleksis nodded and took her cellphone from Kara''s hand, then excused herself to his family at the dinner table. "Sorry I have to take this call."


    She rose from her chair and took Lauriel''s phone call.


    "Hello, Father ... what''s up?"


    Since the past few months, Aleksis had finally gotten used to calling Lauriel Father, no longer Uncle Rory, because after all, the man was her father-in-law.


    Lauriel was always very happy to hear the word ''Father'' come out from Aleksis''s lips because, after all, since Aleksis was born, he had considered Aleksis as his own daughter. He deliberately always asked to be called uncle because he did not want to offend Caspar, the girl''s biological father.


    But now, there was absolutely no reason why Aleksis did not call him father. So that''s what Aleksis finally did.


    "I have only been notified me now, but Nicolae and the children will arrive late. Their flight has problems, so finally, Nic decided to go straight to Targu Mures to bring Altair and Vega."


    "Oh, really?" Aleksis was surprised, but she could not hide her joy. Nic will come to Targu Mures to bring her children, even though the original plan was to take Altair and Vega to Grosetto and then Lauriel took the two children to Targu Mures. Nic had wanted to avoid Aleksis. Now he can''t help but come in person. "Alaric would be very happy when Nic came. I''ll tell him."


    "Right. It''s an unexpected incident. Nic is afraid that if he delayed the flight and keep going to Grosetto, the children will miss your birthday. So he finally decided to go straight to Targu Mures with them," Lauriel explained. "They will arrive tonight."


    "Ah, all right. Then, Father, you will still come here, right?"


    "Of course." Lauriel''s voice was warm. "I''ve never missed my beloved daughter''s birthday, and I''m not going to start now. I''m leaving soon."


    "Ahaha ... that''s right. Then, see you later. Do you think you will arrive after lunch? If so, the men here decided to go deer hunting event. Are you interested in joining?"


    "Ahhh... it''s been a long time. Of course, I will join you."


    "All right. I''ll tell Alaric. Be careful on the way. See you later."


    She hung up, and her expression was so happy that Alaric became interested. He looked at Aleksis and asked with his eyes what his father had to say.


    "Ah ... That''s your father. He said he was on his way here. The children will come later tonight with Nico." Aleksis explained joyfully. "He will join you for deer hunting. So please prepare a horse for him."


    "Ahh ... is that so?" Alaric was happy to hear Aleksis''s explanation. He really missed his children, but he also missed his twin brother, who had always been avoiding family events because of his feelings for Aleksis.


    In his heart, he hoped that Nicolae''s arrival this time was a sign that his brother could slowly forget about Aleksis and no longer felt awkward to meet her.


    The atmosphere in the dining room became joyful due to the news brought by Aleksis.


    "That friend of yours, still loves Aleksis more than his own children," Finland commented, whispering to her husband, who was sipping his tea. "He called Aleksis to give news, not Alaric."


    Caspar smiled and nodded. "There is no denying it... Aleksis was his child for the longest time. Since Aleksis was born 31 years ago, she has become Lauriel''s beloved daughter. Nicolae only met his father ten years ago, while Alaric only met Lauriel last year."


    Finland nodded in understanding. "Are you not jealous of Lauriel''s closeness with Aleksis?"


    Caspar pretended to frown when he was reminded of this by his wife. "I''m still jealous. That''s why you have to give me another daughter, so I don''t have to compete with Lauriel."


    Finland could only hit her husband''s shoulder while laughing. As usual, Caspar will always direct their conversation to the topic of making children again.


    Finland knew her husband was starting to feel lonely because now there were only the two of them left at home. Rune spent so much time with Aldebar, and London already had his own family. Unfortunately, Finland really didn''t want to think about giving birth to another child, now that she was a grandmother. She still could not get used to this Alchemist clan way of living.


    "I''m just kidding ..." Caspar said lightly while stealing a kiss from his wife''s lips. He then pulled Finland''s hand to rise from her chair after he saw that the woman had finished her breakfast. "Shall we go to the forest behind this castle? I heard the place is very beautiful."


    "Okay." Finland nodded in agreement and followed her husband''s steps. She waved to her children at the dining table and excused herself. "Caspar and I will go for a walk. When Lauriel arrives, please let us know."


    "Will do, Mom," Aleksis answered.


    Aleksis'' birthday party will be held during lunch when everyone had gathered. They were just waiting for the arrival of a few more guests.


    "I''ll see Lily for a minute." London also excused himself. He handed Lily to the staff at the castle together with Ireland and Scotland, so they could sunbathe. Now he already missed his child.


    "Kai, Takeshi, and Rosalien will land at the airport soon, I will pick them up." Mischa also took his leave. He had not seen his three foster siblings in a long time, and he couldn''t wait to pick them up immediately.


    Alaric waved his hand and let them all go. He, Aleksis also Rune and Terry were the last to come out of the dining room. They decided to meet Ireland and Scotland who enjoying the sun together in the garden next to the castle. It is time for the two baby boys to be fed.

 Chapter 725 - The Foster Children

    Alaric and Aleksis were talking together on the third-floor terrace when staff reported that his three foster children had arrived and were waiting for him in the hall on the first floor.


    Alaric and Aleksis exchanged glances and nodded. This would be the first moment for Alaric to officially introduce his four foster children to his wife.


    Mischa and Takeshi had met Aleksis, and they liked each other, while Rosalien and Kai never had that chance. They only knew that last year Alaric reunited with his wife and two biological children.


    Now, the man had decided to quit most of his business and handed over to them.


    Kai and Rosalien also realized that there were many changes in direction in RMI''s automation projects and visions and missions following that event. This made them curious to meet the woman who made Alaric change.


    They also secretly wanted to know more about the Alchemist clan, because they were told that Alaric and Aleksis''s extended family would be present at Aleksis'' birthday.


    "Good day, Sir. I''m glad to see you look healthy," Kai greeted Alaric when he saw his foster father enter the hall with Aleksis. Alaric smiled and hugged Kai warmly, making the man feel astonished.


    As he recalled, until last year, Alaric did not like being touched, but now his foster father initiated the hug. With hesitation, Kai returned Alaric''s hug and smiled broadly.


    "I hope you''re well," Alaric said, patting Kai''s shoulder. He then approached Rosalien, who was looking at him with moist eyes. The girl was naturally cold and aloof, but today she was visibly moved, seeing how much Alaric looked like the gentle person she remembered from the past. She hugged Alaric, very tightly.


    "We haven''t seen each other for a long time, Sir." Rosalien then kissed Alaric on both cheeks and looked at him with adoration. Alaric nodded and lightly ruffled Rosalien''s hair as if she was still the ten-year-old girl he had rescued from the streets in New York.


    Among his four foster children, Rosalien was the closest to him when she was little. As the only foster daughter, she was protected and given special treatment by her three foster siblings and by their protector, mentor, and father figure: Alaric.


    Rosalien admired Alaric the most and looked up him in many ways. She was the most devastated when Alaric ''died'' eleven years ago. That incident was enough to turn her into a cold and ruthless woman, more than ever. It was only in the last few years after Alaric returned, that Rosalien got better.


    When she found out that Alaric was reunited with Aleksis and decided to resign from most of his activities, Rosalien felt unwilling. She and her foster siblings had worked hard to help Alaric realize his ambitions to rule the world, and at the last moment, Alaric will just drop his ideals?


    But today ... when she saw firsthand how her foster father was filled with happiness, all those thoughts disappeared from Rosalien''s mind. At the moment, she could only be happy to see how Alaric seemed to have found what he was looking for.


    Rosalien broke free from Alaric''s arms and smiled lightly. She then turned to Aleksis, who was staring at their encounter with a smile. Rosalien nodded at her, and Aleksis nodded back.


    "Honey, this is Rosalien, and that''s Kai. I''ve told you about them. You''ve met Takeshi." Alaric waved to Kai and Rosalien to introduce them to Aleksis. His wife nodded and smiled at both of them. Alaric then introduced Aleksis to them. "Kai, Rosalien, this is my wife, Aleksis."


    "Nice to meet you," Aleksis smiled kindly. Inwardly, she felt Alaric''s life was quite interesting. Before he had his four biological children, three boys, and one girl, it turned out that Alaric had raised four orphans as his foster children. The four foster children also consisted of three boys and one girl.


    "Nice to meet you, Madam." Kai and Rosalien greeted Aleksis together. Aleksis did not want to make them feel awkward toward her, so she stepped forward and hugged them one by one.


    "Don''t be too formal with me," she said in a friendly voice. "Thank you for coming here. We are all family."


    She then hugged Takeshi, who came with a big flower bouquet.


    "As usual, a bouquet of Lavender for Madam. These are the last of what we could find from summer," Takeshi commented as he handed over the flowers he had brought to Aleksis.


    "Thank you," Aleksis accepted it happily. Lavender was indeed her favorite flower, and it was hard to find it in autumn like this, so she was touched by Takeshi taking the time to find it for her.


    After the introduction, Alaric invited his three foster children to come to meet his in-laws'' family. Mischa and Takeshi were no longer surprised at how all the members of the Schneider family looked very young and stunning. Mischa had met them yesterday, and Takeshi met them three months ago at Caspar''s birthday party in Singapore while celebrating the birth of Ireland and Scotland.


    Only Kai and Rosalien felt very surprised. They had often heard about the Schneider family, who was so mysterious and reclusive, and now they understood why this family had taken great care of their privacy.


    These people are really impressive, they thought inwardly.


    "Finally, almost all of my family members are here. Just waiting for Dad and Nicolae and the twins," Alaric said with a happy face. "Dad will arrive shortly, and Nic will arrive tonight."


    The servants had prepared the large garden in the center of the castle with beautiful tables and various elegant decorations. Aleksis'' birthday party would be held at lunch, and once Lauriel arrived, they would start immediately.


    "I told you, I will never forget your birthday, now and forever," Alaric whispered, holding Aleksis through all the tables and making sure the flowers, cutlery, and purple decorations in their beautiful garden looked perfect.


    Hearing that, Aleksis smiled happily and gave an intimate kiss on her husband''s lips.

 Chapter 726 - The Birthday Lunch

    At exactly 1 pm, the long-awaited Lauriel finally arrived. He went straight to the garden to meet Aleksis and hugged his favorite child once he found her standing next to Alaric while arranging flowers on the tables.


    "Father, you have arrived!" Aleksis exclaimed while responding to Lauriel''s hug warmly.


    "I''m not late, aren''t I?" Lauriel asked, smiling, and ruffling her hair.


    "Ahaha ... the event will not start without you, Father," Aleksis replied while kissing her father inlaw''s cheeks. "What gift do you bring for me?"


    Since she was little, Lauriel had never forgotten Aleksis'' birthday and always gave her memorable gifts.


    "You''re getting greedy, aren''t you? I''ve given you my most precious possession, my son. Is he not enough?" Lauriel answered jokingly. He glanced at Alaric, who hid his smile. The man was glad his father called him his most valuable possession. Lauriel then took out a small box from his pocket. "I''m just pulling your leg. Of course, I brought you a present. This is for you."


    "Hahaha .. I was just kidding too, really, but Father still give me a present. Thank you. I love you, Father." Aleksis hugged Lauriel very tightly. With a happy face, she kept the gift from the man in the small bag she was carrying. "I''ll open it later."


    "Did Alaric give you a present?" Lauriel asked.


    "Uhm ... it seems like I was the one who gave him a present last night," Aleksis answered, smiling mischievously. She pretended to cough while glancing at her husband. Alaric just smiled thinly and nodded in agreement. He knew what she meant was their s.e.x.u.a.l activity last night, which only ended when it was near dawn.


    Lauriel pretended not to hear that and immediately walked over to Caspar, who was sitting at one of the tables holding his wife on his l.a.p and conversing in a low voice.


    "You married people are really cruel to us who are single," Lauriel grumbled to his best friend. "So many dog foods thrown at us."


    Caspar looked up at Lauriel''s arrival, and, upon hearing the man''s words, he immediately realized that he and Alaric were indeed too intimate with their respective wives in front of many people. If he were in their position, of course, they would feel awful.


    "Ahaha .. I''m sorry. This has become a habit." Caspar smiled lightly, but he prevented when Finland was about to get off his l.a.p. "After more than a hundred years ... are you still unable to open your heart to another woman? I''m sure your children also want to see you happy."


    Lauriel shook his head. "I do not know."


    "Caspar, Lauriel is right. You''d better put me down," whispered Finland, still trying to get away from her husband''s l.a.p. "I told you we are too old for this."


    "Sshh ... what''s wrong with you? How many times do I have to tell you, we''re not old. If Lauriel wants to act his age, that''s his business. But I don''t see the reason why we should act like strangers, just because we''re surrounded by single people. After all, everyone here is family. They must understand," Caspar answered.


    Finland could only roll her eyes at her husband''s answer. Finally, she tried another way. "I''ll help London take care of Lily. It looks like the kid needs a break."


    Only then, Caspar loosened his arms, and Finland could escape from her husband''s l.a.p. She nodded at Lauriel and hurriedly walked over to London, who was sitting in the corner of the garden holding Lily and talking on the phone at once.


    "Honey, let me carry Lily. It looks like you''re busy," Finland said, reaching out her arms to carry Lily.


    "Thank you, Mom." With a grateful expression, London put down his cellphone and handed the baby over to his mother. After kissing Lily, who had moved into his mother''s arms, London resumed his conversation with Jan on the phone.


    Lunch with their extended family was carried out warmly. They ate and talked and admired the three babies in their midst. The atmosphere was very pleasant and memorable. Aldebar and Jean each sent a birthday present to Aleksis because they could not attend the event this time.


    Aldebar was attending a science conference in Switzerland, so he could not come, while Jean had to take care of Marion, who was pregnant with their second child and had a very difficult first trimester. He could barely leave the house.


    When Terry delivered the birthday gift from his father and the news of Marion''s pregnancy, Caspar pinched his wife softly, as if reminding her that even Jean was now enjoying being a father again at the age 60.


    "What are you doing? You have four children and five grandchildren," Finland grumbled while pinching her husband back.


    She still did not want to give in to her husband''s nagging to give birth to another child. She understood Jean''s situation. He was still considered a new father because Jean got married late and only had his first child ten years ago. Terry didn''t count in this context, because neither Jean nor Finland was involved in the first 15 years of his life.


    Caspar and Finland had become parents 31 years ago. Now, including Terry, they had acc.u.mulated four children between them. This was considered too many already since most people these days didn''t really want to have children. When they do, max they would have was two.


    Some countries even provided incentives for every family who were willing to give birth to a baby because the countries were facing population issues with their citizens getting older, like Singapore and Japan.


    Caspar only smiled at his wife''s answer. She was resolute about not wanting to have more children. He would keep trying though. He understood that Finland only felt ashamed if she gave birth to another baby, while her grandchildren were still very young.


    But give her several decades, or even one hundred years, that longing will come back, and the maternal instincts would kick in. His wife definitely would want to have more tiny humans their home. When Altair, Vega, Ireland, Scotland, and Lily have all grown up, Caspar believed Finland wouldn''t feel that awkwardness anymore.


    Therefore, he would wait patiently.


    Team of musicians and some world-famous singers performed to entertain the family while they were having lunch to celebrate Aleksis'' birthday. The atmosphere was very lively and cordial.


    Inwardly, London felt a little relieved that L did not come to his sister''s birthday. She would surely be worried about being gossiped if the artists invited to perform here spread the word about her presence among the Schneider family members.


    Although those artists were obliged to sign a confidentiality agreement, there was no guarantee that they would not leak anything they saw or heard on the event, intentionally or not.

 Chapter 727 - Lauriel Apologized

    Once all the awaited guests arrived, the host started the birthday lunch. The weather was perfect and the scenery made the whole event so lively and fun. World-class chefs prepared the best dishes and everyone enjoyed the nice lunch while talking and laughing.


    "After lunch, we will rest for a while and then go deer-hunting in the woods. We have way too many deers in the area, so we hunt them once a year to control the population. Everything has been prepared." Mischa announced when lunch was almost over.


    He then rose from his chair and raised his glass to congratulate Aleksis before the event truly ended. Everyone looked at him attentively.


    The young man glanced at Aleksis with his sweet smile, and for a moment Aleksis was reminded of the flamboyant looking man in his 20''s she met in Singapore, before Mischa changed his style and always wore black. "Madame Aleksis, happy birthday. Thank you for returning to Master Alaric''s life. He is our mentor and our father figure. We always wish you both happiness."


    "Thank you, Mischa." Aleksis smiled happily. She stood up and raised her glass.


    Everyone present nodded and raised their respective wine glasses, while simultaneously sipping their wine after they uttered, "Now and forever."


    Alaric was delighted to see Mischa''s attitude, which was always full of respect and appreciation for Aleksis. After finishing the wine in his glass, he then signaled Kara and all the performers who were not part of the Alchemists and told them to leave.


    Now came the moment he had been waiting for by inviting all family members to attend this event. Outsiders can''t watch it.


    Alaric stood up and looked at each person present with a gentle look. "Thank you for all for coming. You are my family, both from my wife, Aleksis, and from my side. Because this is the first time we have all gathered together, I want to introduce each of the people here. From now on, we are a family."


    He smiled and held Aleksis''s waist lovingly. "This is my wife, Aleksis, and these two handsome twins are our second children, Ireland and Scotland. Our first two children are on their way here, and they will arrive tonight with my brother, Nicolae Medici."


    He then walked over to Lauriel, who was sitting next to Aleksis and touched his father''s shoulder gently. His smile was evident when he introduced his impressive father. "This is Lauriel Medici, my biological father ..."


    Suddenly a muffled shriek came from the table to his right, and all immediately turned toward the sound.


    Rosalien, who had been stealing glances at Lauriel with a frown, finally managed to remember where she had met Lauriel before.


    The girl''s face was immediately filled with shock and anger at the same time. She finally remembered that Lauriel was the man who had held her captive and forced her to drink Veritaserum to betray Rhionen Assassins.


    Rosalien was too stubborn to give Lauriel what he wanted and bit her own tongue. It had affected her ability to speak properly for years and she had been holding a huge grudge ever since against the man.


    Rosalien did not know what had happened exactly ten years ago, and she still thought Lauriel was the enemy who had intended to kill Alaric.


    She really didn''t expect that today Alaric would introduce the man as his biological father. Rosalien''s face looked pale, but a reddish tinge of anger ran down her cheeks.


    Lauriel looked carefully at the beautiful girl with red hair who stared at him with hatred. It took him a while to be able to guess who Rosalien was and why she was staring at him that way.


    The two looked at each other intently.


    "Rosalien?" Alaric asked in a gentle voice. He immediately understood what Rosalien felt, and he realized that the hard-hearted girl was trying hard to be polite and not vent her anger on the spot. Her hands clenched into fists, and her body trembled.


    Alaric was very familiar with Rosalien and knew how easily she killed people who made her angry. However, on the other hand, Rosalien was very loyal and would protect her family with her own life. "What happened eleven years ago was a misunderstanding. I hope you are willing to forget it."


    Lauriel looked at Rosalien fixedly, and involuntarily his lips gave a faint smile. He had remembered how stubborn the girl was when she was held in his captivity. At that time, Lauriel was truly amazed that Rosalien chose to bite off her own tongue rather than betray Alaric and her foster brothers.


    What a stubborn girl, he thought.


    "You are ... Rosalien?" Lauriel unexpectedly advanced from his table and approached Rosalien. The girl subconsciously kept her guard and looked at Lauriel, who was standing before her with narrowed eyes.


    "Lauriel," Rosalien replied coldly.


    "The incident was a terrible misunderstanding, but I admit that I was wrong. I''m sorry because, at that time, I forced you to drink veritaserum." Lauriel ignored Rosalien''s indifference and reached out his hand to apologize.


    He was a grown man who had walked this earth for nearly 600 years. For him, apologizing for the mistakes he made was not a shameful thing. He did not want the relationship between all of them as a big family to be damaged because misunderstandings in the past which resulted in a grudge.


    Rosalien did not expect Lauriel would come to her and apologize in person. Her fists slowly loosened, and her body became more relaxed. Her fierce expression slowly turned neutral as her anger dissipated and finally disappeared altogether.


    The girl finally nodded but did not respond to Lauriel''s hand. Lauriel knew the girl was too proud to forgive him in public, so he did not force her either. The important thing was he already apologized for his mistake in the past, and Rosalien forgave him, although not directly.


    There was a sigh of relief among those present because the conflict ended before it could escalate. Everyone praised Lauriel''s maturity for coming to Rosalien and apologized, even though he was much older, and he was a highly respected man among them.

 Chapter 728 - Deer Hunting (1)

    Lauriel returned to his table and sat down calmly. Rosalien too. She seemed able to calm her anger and sit elegantly as if nothing had happened.


    Everyone''s views were now turning to Alaric, who was introducing his foster children, one by one, to members of his extended family. And vice versa.


    His c.h.e.s.t was filled with happiness as he watched the people he loved were around him that day. From being the loneliest man in the world, now he had a big and warm family.


    Really, so many things happened during these ten years.


    There was no conflict at all when he introduced Kai, Takeshi, and Mischa and the rest of the family members. All exchanged greetings warmly and respectfully.


    And in the end, it was time for them to end the meeting that day by giving the gifts from Aldebar to Alaric''s four foster children, the immortality potion.


    There was no doubt at all among them about the gift. They all decided to accept the potion and become immortals and be part of the Alchemists clan. After all, being young forever was everyone''s dream.


    "Welcome. Now you are part of us." Caspar rose from his seat and gave his blessing to the four people. As the clan leader and as Alaric''s father-in-law, he felt it was fitting for Mischa, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien to be part of them. He was not a purist who considered himself better than ordinary humans. So, having new members in their clan was something that he really liked.


    The eyes of the four former assassins were filled with emotion as they drank the potions that were presented to them by Alaric one by one.


    They have lived as ordinary people for ten years after Rhionen Assassins was disbanded. And now, being part of the Alchemists was a gift that they had never imagined before. There would be no more illnesses and weaknesses. There would be no aging, and they would have all the time in the world to do whatever they want.


    The others raised their glasses and also congratulated Mischa, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien. "Welcome. We are family, now and forever."


    "Thank you ..." The four nodded with a smile.


    "Alright ... since we all know each other now, I would like to invite all of you to join on our deer hunting activity an hour from now, after a short rest." Alaric finally closed their special lunch after the brief procession was over. Everyone nodded and stood up to rest before they join the deer hunting that the host had prepared.


    "It is a very pleasant day," Aleksis commented as she walked with Alaric toward their nursery on the 1st floor. Ireland and Scotland had slept peacefully in the double stroller that Alaric was pushing with his right hand.


    "I agree with you," Alaric nodded happily. He felt everything was going very smoothly, and now he could not wait for the arrival of Nicolae and his children. "You''re going to join the hunting with me, aren''t you?"


    Aleksis shook her head. "I haven''t practiced my shot in a long time. I''m afraid I will only trouble you guys. Besides, if I didn''t shot a deer properly to immediately kill it, it will try to run away and suffer long enough. I can''t bear it."


    Since she was a child, Aleksis had learned to use firearms for hunting and defending herself. As Lauriel''s favorite child, she was equipped with various skills by her godfather, including the skills to use various weapons. But since she became a mother, Aleksis had never practiced, so this time she was hesitant to join.


    Hunting of wild animals to control the population was a sport that many wealthy families enjoyed doing, but only people who were very skilled at using weapons were allowed to participate so that the hunted animals could be killed in one shot.


    That''s why this time Aleksis declined to join and only become a spectator. She would wait for the hunters to arrive in the garden while spending time with their children.


    "You can ride with me, no need to shoot," Alaric said, pressing the elevator button to the ground floor. "You can control our horse, let me do the shooting."


    "Hmm ..." Aleksis smiled faintly at her husband''s offer. After thinking for a while, she finally nodded.


    "Alright, then."


    "We will have fun." Alaric smiled and placed his arm around her waist. The elevator door opened to the first floor, and they went out of the elevator. Ireland and Scotland will usually sleep until late afternoon, so they just let the babies sleep in the nursery. While Aleksis and Alaric participate in the hunting, Kara would make sure the two boys'' were taken care of properly.


    ***


    At 3 pm, everyone was ready in the castle courtyard with their hunting gears. Ten very handsome horses had been saddled and ready to go after the hordes of deer that usually roam in groups in the woods.


    The population of deer and wild animals in this woods was already excessive. It was because there were no predators such as tigers and wolves that preyed on them. In the past ten years, the deers had bred so much and if not controlled, their large numbers could damage the ecosystem.


    Caspar and Finland looked at the group of hunters with happy faces from the sun chairs in front of the castle. Finland was not very good at riding, let alone shooting, so she was never interested in participating in such hunting activities.


    Caspar was very good at both riding and shooting and he liked hunting. But he did not want to leave his wife alone, so he decided not to join. He had enjoyed enough adventure and hunting in his youth with Lauriel.


    Now he was satisfied with Finland watching their children show their riding and shooting skills while enjoying c.o.c.ktails and reading books on sun chairs.


    Each participant was invited to choose the horse they liked and the type of weapon they were most comfortable using. Lauriel chose a large black stallion with a long mane that was braided into small braids and a long rifle and a double-edged knife that he tucked on his belt.


    Actually, when he heard about this hunting event, he was overwhelmed by nostalgia. Hunting was his favorite activity with Luna. The girl was a very skilled archer.


    Before they were accustomed to using firearms, Luna learned to use her bow and arrows with the best archery expert in her country, and soon she gained a reputation as the best archer girl in mainland Europe.


    Ahh ... the thought of Luna made Lauriel miss her deeply, but now his longing for her was no longer accompanied by feelings of pain and regret. Lately, he realized that he no longer felt extreme sorrow when he remembered his late girlfriend. Only pure longing.


    In the past, for almost a hundred years, Lauriel buried the memories of Luna in the deepest part of his heart, and he tried to forget her face altogether. During the first twenty years after Luna''s death, he often had nightmares, and it made him very miserable.


    He preferred to forget Luna''s face than to go crazy because of the deep grief. That was why when he first met Alaric on the night train in Thailand, he did not recognize him at all. By then, Lauriel had actually managed to forget Luna''s face.


    But since last year, after he had met Alaric and learned that the young man was his son, all memories of Luna and her face returned to Lauriel''s memory like an unstoppable flood.


    Now, seeing Alaric always made him remember Luna''s face, and for some reason, his heart no longer felt sad.


    Today, Lauriel realized, he was able to remember Luna with an open and willing heart. Lauriel felt his wound slowly healed because he had his two sons.


    He had indeed lost Luna forever, but the woman he loved still lived in their children. The bond between them would never break until the end of time.


    Forever, Luna would be in his heart and life.

 Chapter 729 - Deer Hunting (2)

    London and Rune, who were accustomed to using automatic pistols, chose the simplest weapons to have more freedom in their movement. They each chose to ride a brown and gray stallion.


    They also learned to ride and shoot together with Aleksis since childhood, taught by Lauriel. Rune very rarely used weapons, but London was still diligently practicing his shots once a month in the shooting range so as not to lose his skills.


    Terry, who was never interested in weapons, only watched in awe at his two younger siblings who looked very manly on their horses. He clapped happily and encouraged them to kill at least one deer each.


    Kai, Takeshi, and Rosalien already had their favorite horses in the stable because they often came to Targu Mures. All three looked very attractive with a casual appearance, wearing leather jackets and riding shoes.


    Rosalien''s weapon of choice was a small handgun that she slipped inside her boot and a long ceramic knife she put in the saddle of her horse. The girl looked very good at controlling her horse. Her aloof face seemed to smile thinly as she greeted her horse with a gentle whisper before climbing onto it.


    Kai and Takeshi''s weapon of choice was each a rifle that was harder to use but could shoot targets in the longer range.


    "Where is Mischa?" Alaric asked as he helped Aleksis climb their horse''s saddle. He would share the horse with Aleksis, so he chose the biggest and strongest horse in the stable.


    Hearing Alaric''s question, Jadeith who was saddling his horse raised his face and looked back, then pointed at Mischa who was walking toward them with an anxious face. "He was on the phone earlier. Maybe it''s important."


    Mischa walked hurriedly toward them, his handsome face this time was filled with anxiety.


    "I''m sorry. I had to go home to Bucharest. My girlfriend was admitted to the hospital ..." he said in a sorry voice. "Just now, her mother called me. Lisa was short of breath and was immediately taken to the ICU. The doctors didn''t know what happened to her."


    Everyone was surprised and worried. This was certainly a misfortune that no one expected. Alaric nodded and immediately told Mischa to leave.


    "Go. Be with your girl and make sure she gets the best medical treatment."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    Mischa excused himself in a hurry and immediately left the castle for the airport.


    After Mischa left and they finished preparing for hunting, the hunters were immediately divided into 2 groups. They would work together to separate their targeted herds from the larger group, and later they could kill them.


    "We will meet in an hour, and the group that gets the most game will be the winner," Alaric said, signaling that his group should move westward.


    "Hey ... I didn''t know this hunt was a competition," London said in amazement as he stomped his horse''s reins toward the east. Aleksis just laughed at that. She knew Alaric was just joking. For some reason, lately, Alaric had become warmer and even started to make jokes.


    She liked her husband, who was quiet and always looked cold on the surface. But now, seeing another side of Alaric''s personality that she had never seen before, Aleksis felt she also liked this version of Alaric.


    The man was very similar to his father. Lauriel, who was cold and reclusive, also began to change to become a warmer and softer person several years ago because Altair and Vega came into his life.


    The two kids were the reason Lauriel started getting used to smiling. Maybe that''s what Alaric experienced, thought Aleksis with a happy heart.


    Among the hunters, only Aleksis shared a horse with her husband, and they worked very well together. As soon as their entourage saw a herd of deer gathered in the middle of the forest, Aleksis who was very skilled in controlling horses, spurred their horse to chase the herd who tried to escape quickly.


    Without difficulty, she made it through various bushes, crossing narrow and steep paths to approach a big stag who was about to escape by crossing the river.


    When she felt they were in a good range, she stopped suddenly, and Alaric quickly shot the large stag right between his eyes. It was an instant kill and the animal died without feeling pain.


    "Good shot," Aleksis said, looking back and smiling sweetly. Alaric hugged her waist and praised his wife.


    "My wife is a very skilled rider, so of course I can shoot game well."


    Alaric got off the horse and put a tracker on the body of the deer they just killed so that later his staff could collect the game they got. After that, he climbed back on their horse and the two continued to chase the rest of their group. Their entourage had moved forward following the other herd that had run quickly to disappear farther into the woods.


    On the way, they saw several deers who had also been killed by Rune, Takeshi, and Jadeith. It was a sign that the other group members were all also getting some game. When Aleksis and Alaric regrouped with their entourage, they calculated that 9 deers had been killed.


    "I think that''s enough. We''ve killed a number of deers that will reduce the potential for further breeding. We better go home and let my staff take care of the deer. They will immediately send them to the butcher to be distributed to the local community." Alaric called his father to return to the meeting point and count the results of each group. "Father, we''re done here. Let''s meet again at the castle."


    "Very well. We have also cleared the East. We have killed 12 deers," Lauriel answered. "Wait for me to mark them for a while. After that, we will return to the castle."


    "Okay." Alaric turned to his group members and shrugged. "They killed 12 deers. We lost."


    He didn''t mind losing to his father, of course. It was not easy to kill animals that could run very fast and were very familiar with the terrain of the forest where they live. Killing nine in an hour was quite impressive.


    "Let''s go home."


    They rode casually back to the castle. The scenery on either side looked beautiful. The leaves had changed color to yellow and orange. As they passed, some leaves fell like rain falling slowly, making the afternoon in autumn scenery look dramatic.


    "I like riding here. The place is beautiful," Aleksis commented as they were almost out of the woods. "You chose a perfect place to build a house."


    "I know. Our kids will enjoy growing up here," Alaric replied.


    When he first built this castle seventy years ago by following the model of a castle in Austria that he liked, he had never imagined he would make this place a home for his family, a warm family consisting of the woman he loved and their four children.


    Initially, he chose Targu Mures because this was where his mother died and was buried, so he felt a connection with this region. Now, after hearing that Aleksis really liked this place, Alaric decided inwardly to spend more time in this castle.


    He would teach his children to care for nature and go on adventures. He really could not wait to see Ireland and Scotland grow up and they can go on adventures together.


    Ah ... he would love to do it with Altair and Vega too.


    Gosh .. he really missed his children.

 Chapter 730 - The Best Birthday Gift For Aleksis

    They arrived in front of the castle and found Lauriel, London, Kai, and Rosalien were already resting on the steps while enjoying fresh drinks. London seemed friendly with Kai and chatted with him about technology, while Lauriel and Rosalien both concentrated on cleaning their knives from blood.


    "Did Rosalien hunt with a knife?" asked Aleksis in surprise, before she got off their horse. Alaric followed her down and answered with a shrug.


    "She is very skilled at knife throwing. I am not surprised that one of the deer killed was killed by her knife."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis narrowed her eyes and stared at the other group. Rosalien reminded her a little of Lauriel. The two people looked equally serious and indifferent to their surroundings, and they both clearly loved their knives.


    She was about to walk over to Lauriel when suddenly a loud cry came, and two small bodies ran toward her enthusiastically.


    "Mommmmmmyyy..!!"


    Aleksis immediately turned around and found Altair and Vega hugging her tightly. Ahhh .. she really missed these two children. With teary eyes, she knelt down and embraced them lovingly.


    "When did you arrive?"


    "Just now. Daddy Nic decided to go straight here because all flights to Rome were canceled. All the planes headed for Italy somehow suffered engine failure. Luckily Daddy could secure a flight to Bucharest at the last minute, and we could come here," Altair explained.


    "Oh ..." Aleksis lifted her face and saw Nicolae walking casually with his hands in his pocket approaching her. "Is it true that all the planes heading for Italy were broken? How strange."


    Nicolae just shrugged. "At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but after the fifth plane was unable to depart, I suspected it was the work of a hacker who wanted to mess with my flight or prevented a particular person leaving to Italy."


    "Someone wanted to mess with your flight? Why? Does anyone know your identity?" Alaric asked in amazement.


    "That''s what I''m going to investigate. It''s okay, what''s important is that now the children have arrived here on time." Nicolae smiled and hugged his brother tightly. "How are you? Hopefully, you get enough sleep with twin babies at home, huh ..."


    Alaric patted his brother''s shoulder and nodded. "Of course. Thank you for coming."


    Nicolae broke free from Alaric and stepped in front of Aleksis, who had now risen with both children hugged each of her legs.


    "Aleksis ..." Nicolae tried to smile with his eyes. Before, even though his lips smiled, his eyes could not lie and still showed his true feelings. He still felt sorrow every time he saw the girl. But this time, he tried his best to show that he was truly happy for Aleksis. "Happy birthday. I hope you will always be happy."


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae with a grateful smile, and she slowly nodded. "Thank you, Nic. I''m glad you came to celebrate it with us here."


    "Welcome," Aleksis said, kissing Nicolae on the cheek. The young man nodded and patted Aleksis''s shoulder softly.


    "I''m glad to meet you all. I won''t miss your birthday for the world."


    All present hid their novelty by acting as if nothing had happened. They knew that today was an important moment when Nicolae and Aleksis finally restored their friendship, and for Nicolae to treat Aleksis as his brother''s wife, without feeling awkward.


    Feelings of sadness in his heart have not yet gone, but at least, just as Lauriel was able to continue living by letting Luna go, Nicolae also learned not to stay away from his family just because he still had feelings for Aleksis.


    After Aleksis and Nicolae broke free from their embrace, the man approached his father and hugged him.


    "Hello, Dad.. how are you?" he said.


    Lauriel had placed his knife down. He had finished cleaning it, and now hugged his son warmly.


    "We were hunting deer just now. I''m glad you arrived." He patted his son''s back and rubbed Nicolae''s head. After breaking away from Nicolae, he pointed at Kai and Rosalien and introduced them to his son. "These are new members to our new family. Kai Rhionen, Rosalien Rhionen, and that one is Takeshi Rhionen."


    Rosalien, who was still cleaning her knife, looked up and nodded slightly at Nicolae. Kai stopped his chat with London and stood up to shake Nicolae''s hand.


    "Good evening, Sir. We have heard a lot about you from Master Alaric."


    Nicole greeted Kai warmly. He had heard about Alaric''s foster children, but he did not understand why their attitude was so formal toward him.


    "You guys ... are my brother''s foster children, right? Why called me Sir and use all these formalities?" he asked in puzzlement.


    Kai smiled and shook his head. "Master raised us and gave us his name, but he was more like a mentor and leader to us. I dare not be disrespectful."


    "Ah ..." Nicolae could only nod. His brother was indeed strange. He really didn''t like to be close to other people, even kept his distance from the children he had raised since they were little because he did not want to think of them as his family and then had to see them die one by one and left him.


    Takeshi also approached Nicolae and greeted him warmly. They had met in Singapore before.


    "Sir, you have arrived. Do you need my help to find out who is the culprit behind the airport hacking that you cannot fly to Italy?" he asked after greeting Nicolae.


    "Thank you, Takeshi. I will try to handle it myself. Maybe this is just a fad hacker who wanted to challenge me or cause trouble," Nicolae answered lightly. "Maybe, I was not even the target. I will have to find out later."


    This was not urgent, he thought. At present, the focus was to spend time with his family. Other things that were not important could wait.


    "Come on .. you guys take a shower first. Later you can meet your brothers," Aleksis said to her two children who were still hugging her.


    "Wait a minute, I want to hug Father first. I really miss him," said Altair with a radiant face. He broke away from his mother''s leg and immediately hugged his father, who was stunned to hear his words. Alaric bowed and lifted his son to the air. He was pleased to hear that his son missed him.


    "I miss you so much too!" He kissed Altair before then put him back to the ground. Vega walked towards Alaric in a shy manner, then reached out and held Alaric''s hand.


    "I miss Father too ..." whispered the little girl. Her sparkling blue eyes looked at Alaric deeply, making her father moved and smiled happily.


    "I''m glad you''re home." Alaric carried Vega and kissed her many times. "You''re getting prettier, and I miss you too."


    Aleksis felt very happy because on her birthday this year, all the people she loved were together. This was truly the most beautiful gift anyone could hope for.


    Her face lit up as she drove everyone away and told them to clean up before getting ready to have dinner together.


    "Then please clean up first. Soon we will get ready for dinner."


    Altair and Vega greeted and hugged their grandfathers, grandmother, and all their uncles before following their father into the castle to see their two adorable baby siblings.


    "You just rest and drink wine, so you can relax. Surely the trip here was quite tiring," Aleksis commented to Nicolae.


    "Thank you, but I''ve sat a lot in the airplane and the car, my b.u.t.t hurt. I want to take a walk around this place. Do you want to accompany me?" Nicolae asked.


    "Of course. This place is beautiful. I will take you to my favorite place," Aleksis nodded happily. She was truly relieved to see Nicolae''s attitude this time. The young man was no longer avoiding her!


    Aleksis grew up without having many friends, so for her, losing a friend like Nicolae last year made her quite devastated. She did get her husband back, but at the same time, she lost her best friend, Nicolae. Oh, how happy Aleksis would be if Nicolae was finally ready to resume their friendship.


    After seeing Alaric disappear into the castle with their two older children, Aleksis turned towards Nicolae and pointed east.


    "There is a very beautiful garden near the woods. Alaric made a monument for your mother there. I''m sure you want to see it."


    "Of course. Please show me the way." Nicolae nodded and smiled at Aleksis''s words. "I will be very happy."

 Chapter 731 - A Week Ago

    Alexis walked with Nicolae eastward. Their steps were slow and relaxed. There was no more awkwardness between the two.


    "Thank you for bringing my children here. Did they trouble you while they stayed with you?" Aleksis asked in a curious voice


    Nicolae just laughed at that question. He shook his head slowly


    "Of course not. I always educate them well. They grow into wonderful children."


    "Ah, I''m glad to hear that," said Alexis.


    Their conversation began with a frivolous talk about Aleksis'' children. Nicolae told her how Vega began to enjoy fiddling with computers like he used to.


    "The girl is very talented," Nicolae praised. "Did you know what they do?"


    "Did they do something dangerous?" Aleksis looked at Nicolae with a face full of questions.


    "Actually, it''s not it. They got on an online dating website, so they could create a fake profile for me."


    "Gosh? Seriously? Why would they do that?"


    Aleksis pressed her lips in surprise. He could not imagine the mischief committed by her two children. Getting on an online dating website? Gosh!


    Nicolae laughed lightly. His face didn''t look angry at all.


    "Can''t blame them. Actually, I know their intentions are good. They wanted to find me a girlfriend."


    "Oh ..." Aleksis could not say anything more. She did not expect that her children were as worried about Nicolae as she was.


    Inwardly, she began to feel sorry for the man. It seemed like the whole family really wanted to see him find new love soon. If the twins wanted it, she felt that Nicolae would definitely feel the pressure since he always wanted to make the children happy.


    "I understand," said Aleksis. "I hope you will forgive them. The kids are still young, and they don''t really understand a.d.u.l.t affairs and how a relationship works. As their mother, I would like to apologize on their behalf."


    "Really, I don''t mind it. Take it easy. I know their intentions are good." Nicolae just shrugged.


    "Then what happened? Did you scold them? Did you delete the profile on the online dating site?" Aleksis asked again. She became curious.


    "I promised them to go on three blind dates that they had arranged for me. Your son managed to blackmail me with the excuse that I didn''t give him a proper birthday present."


    "Ugh ... I guess Altair is good at that." Aleksis sighed.


    Indeed, between her two children, Altair was the most cunning. He reminded Aleksis of herself when she was a child.


    "You''re right. But I don''t regret the three blind dates. The first and second ones were good."


    "So, the first and second blind dates were quite fun. What happened to the third? How was it? Is there a girl you like?"


    "On the first blind date, there was chaos. At that time, your brother came, and he followed the twins to make a fuss in the Sky Bar."


    "Oh, my God ... What did they do?"


    "Actually, it''s not bad. So, the first one thought I was a liar because, on the online dating profile posted by the kids, they made me a profile being a 45-year-old guy. But when I came to the lunch date, the girl thought I was a con artist or a liar. You know I look so young, right? Her friend even suspected I was a serial killer who was trying to kidnap innocent girls and ... Ah ... it was a disaster. Not too bad, but it was still a disaster."


    Aleksis could not help laughing. She could already imagine a little bit of how the first blind date went. She was glad the man had a sense of humor and could see the cuteness of the various events that took place.


    "Then what about the second date?" Aleksis asked again.


    "The second date was fine. I warned the kids not to interfere. Everything was going well. We had lunch together and talked. But there was no chemistry between us, so there is follow up."


    "Oh ... but is everything normal?" Aleksis smiled with satisfaction when she saw Nicolae nod. "I''m glad you started having fun and meeting new people."


    That''s when Nicolae stopped. He looked at Aleksis and shook his head with a worried face.


    "Uhm ... don''t jump to conclusions too soon." His expression changed to looking complicated, and he suddenly shuddered. "You haven''t heard about the third one."


    "Gosh ... I hope it''s not too bad." Aleksis looked at Nicolae and waited for the story. "What happened on the third date?"


    "Bad." Nicolae pointed to a fallen tree trunk and pulled Aleksis''s hand to sit there. "Just thinking it makes me tired. Let''s sit down."


    After the two of them sat on the fallen tree, Nicolae began recounting the story of his third blind date that took place unexpectedly.


    ***


    A WEEK AGO


    .


    Nicolae got out of the car calmly. After experiencing the first two blind dates arranged by his children, he felt that he was getting used to it.


    He prepared several topics to talk about during the date. Once they were done, Nicolae only needed to pay for their food after lunch ended, then go home.


    Voila! That should be easy!


    Okay, the first blind date was quite chaotic, but there was an improvement on the second date. The third one was supposed to be OK. Right? People say the third time is the charm. It should work this time.


    Gosh ... he hadn''t dated a stranger in a long time.


    While he was traveling around the world, when he tried to forget about Aleksis, he met many women here and there. He wouldn''t even call it a date at all. For example, he would just happen to meet fellow travelers in the middle of a remote village, then explored the area together, after which they split up and never to meet again.


    Some of the women clearly showed that they were interested in him, but Nicolae absolutely did not want to open up to any women. All fellow travelers, both men and women, were treated the same. He still wasn''t interested in dating anyone now.


    He only needed to go on this third and last blind date and never let his children blackmail him into another one!

 Chapter 732 - The Third Blind Date

    Even though he was dying to heal his broken heart because Aleksis was married and pregnant with another man''s child, he really could not see another girl with a romantic feeling. So, he certainly never tried to look good, dress up, or deliberately do something to attract women''s attention.


    On the last two blind dates, his children had forced him to wear a neat dress shirt and get rid of his ripped jeans. He started following the standard dating protocol, and that was: providing one hour of his time, emptying his stomach for food, and paying the bill.


    After his promise was fulfilled to meet this third girl ... then his promise to Altair was fulfilled, and he no longer needed to go on anymore blind dates.


    "Auntie Louisa can''t do lunch, because she has to work. She can only have dinner dates. Would you do a dinner date with her? Pleaseee...? This is the last one," persuaded Altair while showing various photos of a beautiful girl with long hair in an online dating application on his tablet.


    "I have booked a table at the Moonshine restaurant and if everything goes well, you can both watch a movie at the cinema together." Altair quickly added.


    You sly kid, Nicolae grumbled to himself. He knew, because the first two dates ended without any follow up with the two girls he met, Altair had arranged the third date to take place as dinner, followed by a movie.


    Even though he''s only ten years old, Altair already knew that there was a huge difference between a ''casual'' lunch date and a ''serious'' dinner date. Dinner dates are usually more intense because it''s done in a more romantic atmosphere. That''s why candle-light lunch, isn''t a thing. Lunch with candles is not romantic, dinner is.


    Usually, after a successful dinner date, couples who liked each other will be able to take it further. They could decide to continue drinking and talking late into the night, or even spend the night at the man''s or woman''s place and ended it by m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e. Yep... that''s how the term one-night-stand came to be.


    That''s why dinner dates are always more serious and intense than lunch dates.


    And the cunning twins ... they planned Nicolae''s last blind date with Louisa at the Moonshine restaurant during a romantic candle-light dinner.


    "All right ... I only need to spend two hours, emptying my stomach, eating, talking nonsense, and paying ..." Nicolae repeated the spell as he stepped into the elevator to the 99th floor.


    While in the elevator, he looked at Louisa''s face on his phone. This was the girl he would meet on his last blind date. This Asian girl had a very beautiful face with long hair in all five of her photos. Her body was slim but had perfect curves in all the right places, and she looked like she was still 20 years old. Her smile was so charming.


    As long as this girl isn''t boring or bitchy, Nicolae felt that he could last for the next two hours.


    "Welcome, Sir. The table is ready for you. Your date just arrived five minutes ago," the restaurant manager, who already knew who Nicolae was, smiled kindly when he greeted him at the door. The manager walked swiftly while giving a signal for Nicolae to follow him.


    Hmm ... this girl isn''t too bad, Nicolae thought. She arrived ten minutes early. Nicolae was a punctual man, and he intentionally arrived five minutes before their appointment. Still, apparently this girl beat him to it.


    Because it''s a dinner date, the children made Nicolae wear a nice shirt and a fancy suit. This man''s appearance was truly far more charming than usual. He also just tucked his long hair behind his ears, did not tie it carelessly with a red ribbon as usual. He looked like one of those s.e.xy male models in the magazine with his fancy clothing and long hair.


    As he was walking into his table, unintentionally, he made so many heads turned. He looked just like a supermodel walking on the runway, showcasing the latest Dior suit collection. So many women eating in the restaurant lifted their heads in admiration, and without shame, they all stared at his behind. Whispers could be heard here and there, as Nicolae walked following the manager.


    All this attention made Nicolae cussed inwardly. It must be because of the suit he wore. Ugh ... he really wanted to throw his suit in the trash and unbutton his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. This was really troublesome.


    Even without trying to dress up like this, he had always attracted too many women''s attention. To be honest, Nicolae''s careless appearance with his simple shirt and torn jeans was an unconscious attempt to make himself look unattractive. Similar to what Aleksis used to do.


    Nicolae only looked attractive when he was studying at St. Mary University because he did have a hidden agenda to disguise himself as a flamboyant student and cover up his identity as Wolf. Whoever tried to expose Wolf''s identity would not have thought that the mysterious hacker who always seemed cold and aloof was a flamboyant student.


    He almost arrived at his table when suddenly an SMS from Vega entered his phone.


    [Good luck, Daddy! You can do it. Remember, don''t throw the suit in the trash bin.]


    Nicolae could only smile, reading the SMS from his favorite daughter. Ah, Vega really knew him well. He was just about to put his cellphone back into his pocket when he received a text from Altair.


    [We will sleep early. If you don''t come home tonight, we won''t look for you. Go have fun, Dad!]


    God damn it. Where did a ten-year-old learn to think dirty like this? Nicolae thought uneasily. Altair gave him subtle permission to stay at Louisa''s place if this dinner date became a success.


    Nicolae suddenly felt trapped. Is it too late to back down now? He was seriously considering it.


    "Please, Sir." The manager smiled kindly and pointed to an exclusive table reserved for Nicolae. "Your date is waiting."


    Nicolae looked up and stared at the woman sitting at the table reserved for his date. Instantly the young man''s expression changed. His face was now filled with shock.

 Chapter 733 - Wait... What Services?

    Nicolae widened his eyes in surprise. His eyes blinked several times.


    ''Wait a minute. Are they the same person?'' he thought to himself.


    He recalled the five photos he had obtained from Altair this morning. If his memory served him right, this Louisa had very beautiful long hair. Her face was pretty cute and looked fashionable. And most importantly, her body was slim and s.e.xy. But...


    The girl... uh, the woman in front of him was completely different from the five photos. This woman had short hair with a face far from beautiful and her clothes were a bit too small for her not-so-slim body.


    She looked completely different from what Nicolae had imagined her to be. The man narrowed his eyes, trying to find a resemblance. Finally, he realized that the photos he received were probably taken about 10 years and 30 kg ago.


    After the first and second blind dates that took place without any follow-up, he actually didn''t expect much on this third blind date. But he didn''t expect at all that for the first time, he would meet a woman who would enter a fake profile as his children did with his own profile the last time.


    However, the difference was that in the profile created by his children, he was referred to as a 45-year-old man who looked old - while in truth, he looked like a very handsome 25-year-old man. Meanwhile, on Louisa''s profile, she made herself seem like a 25-year-old beautiful girl who was, in fact, already in her 40s.


    Nicolae sighed softly and tried to calm down.


    ''Well, this is no big deal,'' he thought. He reached out to greet Louisa and introduced himself.


    "Good evening, Louisa. We finally meet. Have you been waiting long?"


    That girl... ah no... that woman, beaming, when she saw that Nicolae was very handsome and attractive in his expensive shoes and a fancy suit. She reached out and smiled at the man. Louisa''s face seemed to be filled with vivid and genuine expressions of relief and happiness. She rose and greeted Nicolae by holding his hand tightly.


    "No, I just arrived. Nice to meet you," she squeaked in a high-pitched voice.


    As a gentleman, no matter what happened, Nicolae wouldn''t embarrass Louisa, who tricked him by claiming to be a younger and more beautiful woman even though in reality, her true appearance was far from what was shown in her profile on the online dating site. Nicolae continued to be friendly and polite to her.


    After each of them ordered a meal, they tried to talk about the weather and other trivial matters. Nicolae thought that even if Louisa wasn''t physically attractive, he wouldn''t mind spending time with that woman as long as they could have a pleasant talk during dinner.


    Unfortunately, as people sai, ''Good luck seldom comes in pairs but bad things never walk alone'', Nicolae''s bad luck didn''t seem to end there. Aside from Louisa''s unattractive appearance, her voice hurt his ears whenever she talked. She sounded like a mouse that had been caught in a trap and was trying to escape.


    What was worse was that she didn''t even have a pleasant personality. It was futile for Nicolae to look for topics to discuss. Louisa didn''t understand what he was talking about.


    Finally, the handsome man gave up and concentrated on his food. He only managed to get Louisa to talk a little about the weather, her work, and about global warming. He felt that the dinner seem reaaaalllyyy slow and long.


    A starter came followed by an appetizer, then the main course, and the dessert, all with their respective wine pairings. Then finally, FINALLY... the very boring dinner ended. Nicolae almost breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Since you told me you like watching movies after dinner, I''ve bought tickets for a movie for us to watch in the cinema. After dinner, we still have time to go there." Louisa promptly said, taking out two tickets from her bag.


    Nicolae wasn''t an actor who was good at acting like Terry. He could barely hide his shock and horror. Cold sweat poured heavily and he was constantly massaging his forehead. He really felt as though he was trapped in a blind date that seemed to never end.


    Aaaaah, he forgot that Altair planned a dinner date followed a movie. He still had to stay with Louisa for two more hours!


    ''Watch out you, Kids,'' Nicolae grumbled silently. ''This will be the last blind date that I will go to... ever.''


    "Oh, is that so? I forgot that I told you how I like watching movies after dinner. All right, I''ll join you." Nicolae answered in a polite voice.


    Actually, watching a movie after dinner wasn''t too bad because they didn''t need to talk or make small talk at all until the movie was over. Nicolae was preoccupied with his own thoughts and how he would make his two children ''pay'' for setting him up on this horrible date, so he no longer paid attention to his surroundings.


    Well, if they had given their approval for Nicolae to stay at Louisa''s place, then after dinner, Nicolae would make them think he really did.


    ''Just wait, Kids. You''ll know that I, too, can play tricks on you,'' he thought, irritated.


    Because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, Nicolae hadn''t noticed at all that so many women at the tables around them were stealing glances at him and feeling sorry for him.


    At first, when he passed by with his cool appearance, expensive suit, and his very handsome face, there were many guests who thought that he was a model or a businessman, or at least a student who came from the upper classes.


    Numerous women really wanted to attract his attention. This man was really handsome, they thought admiringly. However, when they saw that he had come to sit down to eat with an ugly and fat middle-aged woman, they slowly began to think that this man was actually not what they had expected.


    Think about it. Where would you see a young and very handsome man willing to have dinner with a fat and ugly old woman if not for money? Surely this man is a gigolo! those women thought in unison.


    That''s why now, the views of the women in the restaurant were divided into two. Some felt sorry for Nicolae because they thought he had an unfortunate life; still so young, yet he had to work hard to make a living as a gigolo.


    Meanwhile, some other female guests actually felt happy when they thought that this handsome young man could be hired to become a paid escort (gigolo). Ahh... he''s so handsome! They didn''t mind paying whatever rate he would ask.


    Some of the more daring women even called the restaurant waiters to slip in their telephone numbers to give to the handsome young man. They wanted to hire him!


    After almost two hours, the dinner that began with a starter, an appetizer, a main course, a dessert was finally over, and so was half of Nicolae''s nightmare. Now, all that remained was to endure the next two hours to watch a movie together and then go home.


    After the boring dinner ended, the two of them then got up to continue their date to the cinema located in the mall next to the Continental Building. Nicolae was bored to death, but as a polite and kind man, he didn''t change his attitude at all and continued to treat Louisa with respect and courtesy.


    All the women who saw this looked jealous to see Louisa with a beaming face rising from her chair and walking while holding Nicolae''s hand as they got out of the Moonshine Restaurant.


    Ugh... as Louisa''s fat hand gripped Nicolae''s arm, the young man frowned slightly, but he was forced to let her hold him.


    He couldn''t bear to get rid of Louisa''s hand and embarrass her in front of many people. When he was almost at the door of the restaurant, a waiter, who had received a few telephone numbers, politely approached him and whispered softly in Nicolae''s ear. His hands inserted several small pieces of paper into the young man''s grasp.


    "Ahem... Sir. There are a number of ladies from the upper classes who are very interested in your services. Please contact them."


    "Eh?" Nicolae looked at the waiter with a baffled expression.


    What services? Why did he have to contact them?

 Chapter 734 - The Horrible Movie

    "Thank you for coming to our restaurant. I hope you have a great time. See you later."


    As Nicolae looked at the servant with a frown, he saw a number of women around them who were staring at him with l.u.s.tful faces, and one or two were winking flirtatiously at him.


    Then his mind worked, and finally, he understood what was happening. Subconsciously, he pushed Louisa''s hand off of his arm. This woman had latched on him like glue... and seeing the attitude of the other women in the restaurant who suddenly looked flirtatious toward him, Nicolae could guess that they thought he was out with Louisa because he was paid. What the...!


    Looks like I''m still not out of bad luck yet, he thought irritably. He opened his palm and found several small folds of paper with various phone numbers and women''s names there.


    "What are those?" Louisa asked in surprise.


    "I don''t know," Nicolae answered. At first, he didn''t understand what the notes meant, but after around 5 seconds had passed, he realized what had happened. It turned out that the women in the restaurant left their telephone numbers with the waiter to give him.


    Why are women nowadays so bold? He thought in astonishment. He hadn''t dated anyone in a long time, but he didn''t expect that the times had changed so dramatically. Were women now so daring and shameless for them to give their phone numbers to a waiter to give to a man who was on a date with another woman?


    With that thought in mind, Nicolae could only shake his head. He realized that he wasn''t meant for dating women in modern times like now. This was the third and final blind date for him. After this, he wouldn''t try again. He learned his lessons already!


    Nicolae decided that after he arrived back at home, he would invite Altair and Vega to talk about this. He had to make them believe and aware that what they were doing was bad for him.


    Nicolae didn''t mind his current situation of being single. He didn''t need a woman to make his life complete. He had been single for almost a hundred years before he met Aleksis, the only girl who could make him think of a future together and wanted to marry her.


    But without Aleksis, he felt not at all compelled to find another girl to build a family together. The two children had to understand that not everyone must have a partner to be happy. Happiness didn''t come only from having a girlfriend or a wife.


    They should be able to see for themselves how their uncle, Terry, felt happy and productive in his busy schedule. Terry could live his life happily.


    If the twins were really worried about the men in their family who were still single, why don''t they spend their energy on finding a partner for their uncles, Terry and Rune, or even their grandfather Aldebar instead???


    Just think about it. Aldebar was almost 250 years old. But he had never had a woman in his life. Isn''t Aldebar''s condition even more pathetic than Nicolae, who had only been single for the past year after breaking up with Aleksis?


    Having thought that, Nicolae finally threw away all the notes he got from the restaurant waiter earlier. He didn''t need the women''s phone numbers and, as a gentleman, he didn''t want to make his date feel bad because he kept other women''s numbers.


    Louisa, who paid attention to what was happening, looked very grateful. Her face was beaming and her smile seemed to be widening. Ah, Nicolae was flattering her by throwing away those other women''s telephone numbers. Even though there were so many women openly showed their interest, he didn''t care at the slightest.


    "You will love the movie!" Louisa squeaked excitedly as she grabbed Nicolae''s arm again and half-dragged him into the elevator to go down to the ground floor and walk to the next mall.


    Ten minutes later, both of them had entered the 4D cinema studio and were preparing to watch the movie that Altair had chosen for their date. Nicolae bought drinks and snacks for them to enjoy while watching the movie, and within half an hour, almost all the popcorn in both of their buckets had already gone into Louisa''s stomach.


    ''I also want the popcorn,'' Nicolae complained inwardly. He was actually sad when he saw that Louisa ate all the popcorn. He didn''t think that Louisa was really the worst type of date, and he was unlucky to meet her on his last blind date.


    Fortunately, what Altair chose to watch was a science fiction movie set in 2300. In that year, a time machine was discovered, and the main character traveled to the past to change history so that the Earth wouldn''t be destroyed by human greed.


    Throughout the movie, Nicolae nodded a lot and thought that most likely, in the year 2300, he would still be alive in this world, and he would be able to see whether the world in the future was what the director imagined. It would be fascinating to be able to compare this movie with real-life in the future.


    The movie they watched was quite interesting for the 2 hours, so Nicolae''s heart was a little relieved. The darkened studio room gave him freedom since he didn''t need to see Louisa.


    The rules also stated that the audience shouldn''t speak during the movie screening, so he also didn''t need to talk to her at all. Finally, Nicolae felt that good luck was starting to side with him.


    Nicolae was completely unaware that Louisa had repeatedly glanced at him and placed her hand on Nicolae''s armchair, hoping that he would hold her hand or do something to her instead of just watching the movie.


    The couple sitting in front of them didn''t seem to notice the movie being played. The faces of the two latch on each other in hot kisses and each other''s hands had been groping under their partner''s clothes. The sound of gunfire and screams from the movie shown were only used to disguise the woman''s m.o.a.ns as the couple was making out passionately.


    Damn, thought Nicolae when he finally realized that some people in the cinema hadn''t actually come to watch the movie. At that time, he really felt old. He didn''t think that the way humans date in modern times had become this bad. They really don''t appreciate works of art, he grumbled inwardly.

 Chapter 735 - Your Place, Or My Place?

    Finally, the movie that had made Nicolae feel entertained was tainted by resentment due to the actions of several couples who were doing indecent stuff throughout the movie in their respective seats.


    Shudders suddenly crept into his back as Louisa''s hand slowly began to grope his t.h.i.g.h. Nicolae''s body stiffened in horror and he didn''t dare turn his head. He was afraid that Louisa would make his already thin patience disappear altogether, and he could no longer act like a gentleman.


    Oh, God... Nicolae was forced to endure the last fifteen minutes with Louisa''s fat hands touching his t.h.i.g.h as if she did it accidentally.


    Louisa was very fortunate that she met a man who was so kind and patient as Nicolae, so he tried hard to protect her feelings and not embarrass her by calling out on her behavior. His brother, Alaric, wouldn''t hesitate to dismiss Louisa''s hand and throw the woman ten meters away to teach her a lesson.


    Finally, this damned movie was over too!! Nicolae rose from his chair excitedly as the movie ended. Louisa''s hand was removed from his t.h.i.g.h, and his shudders suddenly vanished from Nicolae''s mind. He felt free and relieved. This nightmare will end soon.


    They walked out of the cinema studio and, as usual, the people who saw them seemed to be throwing strange glances at Nicolae. They arbitrarily also concluded that Nicolae was a gigolo who was accompanying his client on a date to watch a movie.


    Because he had been so tormented for four hours, Nicolae decided to get back at the twins. He smiled very sweetly at Louisa and asked her to take pictures together.


    "I want us to take a photo together as a memento. Can we?" he asked in a cheerful tone.


    Louisa looked radiant at Nicolae''s request, and she nodded excitedly. Nicolae asked a young man passing by to get their photo. The young man fulfilled his wish and took a few photos, but looking at his expression, he looked at Nicolae with a slightly condescending look. He also thought Nicolae was a gigolo.


    "Ah, the photos look good. Thank you for coming to this date. It''s already late now, so it''s time for us to go home," Nicolae said to Louisa.


    Louisa nodded and smiled broadly. "You''re right, we have to go home and rest. Your place or my place?"


    Nicolae frowned, not understanding. "Where''s your place?"


    "My place is in Admiralty. Where''s yours?" Louisa answered.


    "Oh, Mine''s on Robertson Road."


    "Oh, we can go to your place then," Louisa said excitedly.


    "Why go to my place? You go home, and I go home," Nicolae tried to explain patiently. "I''m tired and sleepy. I have to go to sleep soon. You, too, will have to work tomorrow."


    "I can come to your place, really..." Louisa stupidly said. "If you want to go to my place, that''s fine too."


    "I''m going home," Nicolae said again.


    "Yeah, it''s okay, I can go with you," Louisa replied.


    Nicolae finally realized that Louisa thought that their date would continue to bed. Hence, she kept asking where they were going to go home. Your place or my place? asked the woman many times.


    This. Is. Absolutely. Outrageous.


    Nicolae tried to explain subtly to Louisa that he had to go back to his own place because Nicolae wasn''t interested in spending the night with her.


    "Louisa, I am exhausted and need to rest. I will go home to MY PLACE, and you will go home to YOUR PLACE. I will go west, and you will go north. Our house is not in the same direction. Sorry I can''t take you."


    After five minutes, Louisa finally understood that the handsome young man who had been sweet to her had no intention of sleeping with her. Hee face, which was beaming with a smile, suddenly turned sour, and her squeaky voice sounded very curt.


    "You''re a heartless man! If you''re not interested in me, why didn''t you say it from the start? You gave me false hope by inviting me to dinner and being nice to me. You even wanted to watch a movie with me..." The woman''s pair of eyes seemed to be burning with anger. "Now you''re dumping me like that! You''re so mean. If you didn''t like me, you should''ve just left from the beginning. By being nice to me from the start, you made me feel deceived into thinking that you liked me too, and now, you''re rejecting me and embarrassing me. What a jerk!!! "


    Louisa stomped her feet in annoyance. She then spat on Nicolae before turning away with long steps, indicating that she was very angry.


    Wait... why did it turn out this way? Nicolae inwardly questioned, massaging his head, which felt dizzy. He felt tricked when he first met Louisa, but he didn''t say anything for the sake of being polite. He didn''t want to embarrass her because he was a gentleman. Why did his polite attitude make Louisa angry instead?


    Would she have preferred it if Nicolae left her when he met her? Why is it so hard to be a gentleman nowadays? Nicolae could only curse in his heart.


    Ugh... this is the worst date in his life history. Even if Altair and Vega begged him next time, Nicolae would never want to date another woman. He was already quite traumatized.


    Hmm... he still had to get back at them, he thought. He walked out of the mall and into the Continental Building.


    Tonight, he would stay at the penthouse and make his children think he slept at Louisa''s house.


    Once he arrived at the hotel lobby, Nicolae sent his photos with Louisa to Altair and Vega.


    [The date was very fun. I think I have found a new mother for you, Kids. Oh, by the way, I am not coming home tonight. Good night.]


    A mischievous smile carved into Nicolae''s face as he stored his cellphone in his pocket and took the elevator in the Continental Hotel to the 100th floor.


    Meanwhile, at Nicolae''s apartment on Robertson Road, two ten-year-old children who had just received the message from him hysterically screamed.


    "Gosh...!! How could you fall in love with a woman like this???" Vega sighed with tears welling in her eyes. "It''s your fault!! You chose the third date!"


    "Hey... I thought our Dad''s taste is better than this. He liked our Mom, didn''t he? Why are you blaming me?" Altair grumbled. "Aunt Louisa looked beautiful on her profile, so I chose her. Didn''t you see it for yourself? How would I know that Dad''s taste had turned bad?"


    Both of them stared at the intimate photos of Nicolae and Louisa on their tablets with their shocked faces. Louisa had that crazy look in her eyes that scared the sh*t out of the children. Seeing her face gave them the chill!

 Chapter 736 - The Kids Havent Learned Their Lessons

    That morning, Nicolae woke up feeling refreshed. He would''ve forgotten what had happened the night before if he didn''t receive a text message early in the morning from his children, who was worried about his situation.


    [Daddy, when will you come home?] He received a text from Altair when he just woke up.


    A triumphant smile appeared on Nicolae''s face as he imagined his two children feeling anxious when they thought he was sleeping with a scary-looking woman who would soon become their stepmother.


    He deliberately took his sweet time to reply to their message for an hour, so Altair would think Nicolae was still fast asleep in the arms of Auntie Louisa. After he considered it long enough, he finally sent a reply.


    [Good morning. Sorry, I slept so soundly that I woke up late. Thank you for planning this third date for Auntie Louisa and me. I will be home before lunchtime. You can already get your own breakfast, right?]


    Altair didn''t reply.


    Nicolae laughed incessantly as he showered, had breakfast, and got ready to return to his apartment. When he arrived home, Nicolae refused to tell them what had happened between him and Louisa, and he mischievously let Altair and Vega guess how their father''s third blind date went.


    "Why are your faces gloomy like that?" Nicolae asked when lunchtime arrived. He had been watching the faces of his two children who looked sullen and frustrated, but he pretended not to notice.


    Neither Vega nor Altair could answer. Both of them felt sad because their beloved father got into a relationship with a scary-looking woman. The look in Louisa''s eyes in the three photos they received last night sent a shiver down their spines, and imagining Daddy Nic being attracted to such a woman made Altair and Vega feel like they wanted to cry.


    At the same time, the two also felt guilty because it was they who arranged the meeting between Nicolae and Louisa


    "We''ll have lunch outside today, okay..." Nicolae said to his two children, buttoning his short-sleeved shirt. He had changed from his formal attire from last night''s date with his usual casual getup. His favorite shirt and ripped jeans.


    "Why eat lunch outside?" Vega asked quietly.


    Smiling mischievously, Nicolae replied. "I don''t know, I feel so tired this morning. You see, I had a strenuous activity last night with... ahem... anyway... so now I really don''t have the energy to cook."


    After saying such ambiguous sentences, he just left them at that. Altair and Vega looked at each other in horror. They could only guess what Daddy Nic did last night, which caused him to be so tired that he was now unable to cook lunch as usual.


    Oh my God... Oh nooo...


    Although they were only ten years old, both of them had been taught about s.e.x.u.a.l reproduction and they immediately imagined the kind of strenuous activity that Nicolae did the night before. Both of them could only swallow hard.


    "Let''s have lunch at a restaurant next to this building. Their food is pretty good." Nicolae invited them to have lunch outside once more.


    Inevitably, Altair and Vega finally followed Nicolae. The man had planned this charade to get back at his two children for setting him up with a date from hell. He would pretend to be in a relationship with Louisa until Altair and Vega gave up finding him a girlfriend.


    The small group came out of their apartment to the mall next to their building. They entered a famous restaurant on the first floor.


    "You can order anything. I want to call Aunt Louisa first, okay?" Nicolae then pretended to look for a quiet place in the corner of the restaurant and acted like he was calling someone.


    From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Altair and Vega''s face, which looked increasingly murky. Inwardly, he was laughing nonstop. Oh, so this is how it feels like being able to prank your own children. This is so fun, he thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    He would continue to let them think he was in a relationship with Louisa until they find out for themselves the truth one day. Until then, he would continue to have fun and annoy his two children.


    After pretending to be on call with Louisa, looking all lovey-dovey, Nicolae returned to their table. Altair and Vega had decided on what dishes they wanted to order for lunch.


    "Dad, look at the woman walking this way..." Vega exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the entrance as she was looking around, waiting for the waiter to record her brother''s order.


    "Hush... you shouldn''t point at people. It''s rude," Nicolae said. Nevertheless, he raised his face and paid attention to the woman Vega was referring to.


    His eyes narrowed, trying to remember where he had seen the beautiful girl in braided pigtails and freckled face who stepped into the restaurant with those lazy steps.


    She actually looked stunning, despite being very indifferent to what she was wearing. She wore blue tank tops, ripped jeans, and casual strap sandals, while most girls at this mall wore their best dresses. So, she stood out even more.


    Ah, that''s right. Nicolae felt he had seen her somewhere, but he didn''t remember where. The man then refocused his attention on the menu in his hand and mentioned the dishes he wanted to the waiter who was taking their order.


    Unexpectedly, the girl who just entered also looked in their direction. From her surprised expression, it seemed she also recognized Nicolae and his two children. The girl''s eyes narrowed while her face turned red and her expression instantly looked murky.


    "Hey, you! So you''re here!" the girl exclaimed in a shameless, loud voice.


    "Eh...? You called me?" he asked her, astonished.


    "Yes, you. I''m talking to you! You are not deaf, are you?" the girl shouted while walking toward their table.


    As an educated gentleman with perfect manners, Nicolae would certainly never lower himself to the girl''s shameless way of talking. He still replied in a calm and soft voice.


    "Do we know each other?" he asked politely.


    With long steps, the girl approached them and kicked his foot. "You jerk, you made me wait for you in the marina all night!"


    "I made you wait at the marina? When? Why???"


    It took 10 seconds for Nicolae to successfully remember where he had seen this girl in front of him and why she had waited for Nicolae in the marina all night.


    Instantly, his eyes went round, and his mouth agape in surprise.


    "Gosh! You seriously came to Marina Bay Harbor??? I was just kidding at that time!" Nicolae pressed his mouth with an expression of disbelief. He really didn''t expect that Marie would comply with his request to come to the dock to apologize for accusing Nicolae of being a serial killer.


    "I didn''t know you were just joking! We are not that close for me to know your stupid sense of humor! You have to compensate me for my losses!" snorted the girl in annoyance.


    "What kind of compensation do you want?" Nicolae asked patiently.


    "You have to buy me a meal!" Marie answered, with her hands on her waist, looking very assertive.


    Suddenly, Altair and Vega''s faces were decorated with a very bright smile. Subconsciously, the two exchanged glances with a meaningful look. As twins, they had a very close connection, and they could know what their twin was thinking about.


    This feisty auntie was far more interesting and more suitable for Daddy Nic than Auntie Louisa which gave them the creep.


    ''We must be able to make Daddy fall in love with this beautiful auntie and leave Auntie Louisa,'' the two decided with determination in their hearts.


    Before Nicolae could reply to Marie''s words, Vega hurriedly pulled the hand of the uninvited guest and put on her angelic smile. She pushed Marie to sit on the chair beside her.


    "Auntie, please forgive our dad. He''s indeed a forgetful person. We''ll make sure he apologizes and compensates Auntie properly."


    "Please, sit down and eat with us. Daddy will pay for anything you order," Altair immediately added. "Right, Dad?"


    "Eh? What''s this? I haven''t agreed yet..." Nicolae tried to protest, but his two children pretended not to hear him. Vega had signaled the waiter to take Marie''s order, while Altair handed over the menu to Marie with a friendly smile.


    Nicolae watched the scene before him with narrowed his eyes. He could immediately read the situation and knew that Altair and Vega still hadn''t learned their lesson and were now trying to set him up with a new woman, again.

 Chapter 737 - I Wont Hesitate To Pursue You

    Nicolae suspected that his guess was right. His two children really wanted to find him a new woman and they wouldn''t stop until their goals were achieved.


    ''All right, let''s see how far you''ll go,'' Nicolae said to himself.


    Finally, he no longer protested about Marie''s presence at their table. Somehow, the girl was also really shameless. She didn''t hesitate to order so many dishes that she liked. Whether accidentally or intentionally, the price of the dishes she ordered was all fantastic. Nicolae widened his eyes seeing that the girl had ordered up to four main dishes for herself.


    "Are you sure you can eat all that?" Nicolae asked in a doubtful voice.


    Marie narrowed her eyes dangerously.


    "Remember, I waited for you all night," she snorted.


    Nicolae finally relented and said nothing more. As a man who liked cooking, he most disliked seeing food thrown away because he knew how much effort was needed to make dishes out of a variety of ingredients from scratch.


    Seeing Marie''s slim body, especially her tiny waist, he absolutely couldn''t believe that Marie ate that much. He was sure the girl had deliberately ordered a lot of expensive food just to make Nicolae lose money, in her revenge for his deed when he kept her waiting.


    Altair and Vega didn''t seem to care at the slightest that this uninvited girl intended to make their father lose a lot of money. For them, materialistic girls like Marie were better than AuntieLouisa. They smiled at her and answered Marie''s questions kindly.


    "Do you live around here?" Marie asked attentively while waiting for their food to arrive. After they finished ordering food, Marie and the twins looked engrossed in a conversation about trivial things, as if they had known each other for a long time.


    Altair and Vega both nodded vigorously.


    "That''s right. Is Auntie''s home also nearby?" Vega asked enthusiastically.


    Marie nodded. "Yes, I live in the building to the right. What about you guys?"


    Hearing Marie''s answer, Altair and Vega''s eyes suddenly sparkled.


    "Is it true?" they asked in unison.


    At that time, Nicolae wanted to cover the mouths of his two children so as not to divulge the secret about their residence. After all, Marie was a stranger to them. Altair and Vega shouldn''t have acted so openly to her.


    What if Marie intended to rob or kidnap them?


    Suddenly, Nicolae was struck by his own thoughts. He also massaged his forehead.


    Gosh, why was he the one being suspicious now? He remembered on the first blind date with Sanna, Marie thought Nicolae was a serial killer. He remembered that it didn''t feel good to be suspected like that. But now, he was the one who was suspecting Marie.


    Nicolae secretly felt ashamed of himself.


    "Wow, you two must be fated. At that time, Auntie and Daddy met at the Continental Building, and now, it turns out that we live close to each other," Altair excitedly said.


    Marie laughed cheerfully as she ruffled the boy''s hair.


    "Oh, do you really believe in fate? Aww... so cute." She shook her head with a big smile on her face. "I don''t believe in fate."


    Nicolae almost spouted the juice he was drinking. He coughed and almost choked on Marie''s words just now. The girl looked at him with narrowed eyes.


    "What happened to you?" she asked, looking annoyed.


    "Ahem... about that fate thingy..." Nicolae still tried to pat his c.h.e.s.t several times to ease his throat, which was almost choking. He then shook his head. "I also don''t believe in fate."


    Instantly, Mary''s face was decorated with a smile. "Oh, good for you. It turns out we have something in common."


    Nicolae was about to say something, but then, the waiter came to bring the dishes they ordered. In the end, he gave up on his intention to argue with Marie and invited everyone to enjoy their lunch.


    "Let''s eat," he said, "so we can go home soon."


    Cheerfully, Altair, Vega, and Marie immediately enjoyed the dishes they ordered. Throughout lunch, Nicolae kept quiet watching how Altair and Vega happily chattered with Marie as if they had known each other for a long time.


    Somehow, the indifferent girl seemed to get along so well with his children. She looked so interested in them and asked them many questions about their lives. The twins enthusiastically responded by sharing their hobbies and daily life with Nicolae.


    Hmm... it seems like this Marie girl isn''t too bad, Nicolae thought. Marie looked like a girl who had a pleasant and carefree personality. She had lots of exciting stories and was very compatible with his children. Somehow, Nicolae was also pleased to hear Marie''s crisp laughter throughout their lunch.


    When the first, second, and third dishes had moved to Marie''s stomach, Nicolae was dumbfounded, seeing that the girl did indeed eat a lot. Now, she was hungrily devouring the fourth dish she ordered.


    Unconsciously, Nicolae smiled to himself and shook his head at the slim girl who ate so much more food than himself, a big tall man. He didn''t know where all the food was distributed to, because obviously, the girl could eat a lot, yet she wasn''t overweight at all.


    What an attractive girl, he thought. Unfortunately, this time, Nicolae knew he wasn''t ready to open his heart to a new woman. The last three blind dates he had gone to end in chaos and he didn''t want to go on another date after fulfilling his promise to Altair. Not anytime soon.


    If Altair and Vega hadn''t deliberately tried to set him up with Marie, maybe Nicolae would be able to act more friendly to the girl and make friends with her.


    However, given how hard Altair and Vega were trying to make Nicolae fall in love with Marie, the man felt he should keep a distance so that Marie didn''t feel as though she was given hope.


    He didn''t want to hurt anyone by turning them into his rebounds when his heart hadn''t healed from his love for Aleksis.


    "The lunch was very pleasant. Thank you," Marie said happily, wiping the corner of her lips with a napkin. Her face looked satisfied and full. "Your debt is paid off now."


    "You''re welcome," Nicolae said politely. "I''m sorry I was joking at that time, causing you to have waited for me all night in the marina."


    Marie nodded lightly, "No problem. I''ve forgiven you. By the way, have you found the woman you were looking for?"


    Nicolae was stunned by Marie''s blunt and unexpected question. He felt that as a stranger, Marie''s question was too personal. He didn''t want to answer it.


    Altair and Vega immediately became gloomy when they heard the question. They were reminded that just last night, their dad went on a blind date with a woman who sent shivers down their spines. The date ended with Nic sleeping with Auntie Louisa, and he had announced that they were now in a relationship.


    That made the twins very sad.


    "I dated a few women. So what?" In the end, Nicolae answered while asking back.


    Marie just shrugged. "Nothing. I was just curious. You were on a blind date with my best friend, Sanna. If I hadn''t come and made a fuss, maybe you two would''ve been together by now. I just wanted to know if you''re interested in her."


    Nicolae could only shrug. "I don''t know. We don''t really know each other well. You know what happened."


    "Oh, is that so? I just wanted to know whether you''re interested in Sanna or not. Try to remember her. Sanna''s really beautiful. She''s also smart. She does have a father complex, as she likes older men. However, it turns out that even though you''re young, she can feel attracted to you. That means you have the maturity of an older man, and I think that''s okay."


    "Uhm... Thank you?" Nicolae didn''t understand the direction of Marie''s conversation. "Do you want to ask about my feelings for her on Sanna''s behalf, or do you have other goals?"


    Nicolae asked Marie with a frown, while the girl was staring fixedly, barely blinking. Marie then asked in an earnest voice.


    "Please answer me honestly. Do you like my friend Sanna or not? That''s all."


    After thinking for a while, Nicolae finally shook his head.


    "Sanna is indeed beautiful. I think she''s smart, too, but I don''t think we are compatible. I don''t feel any romantic interest in her. Maybe we can be friends if we get to know each other better, but more than that? No. I hope I don''t offend you." Nicolae felt that it was better to be honest than to pretend, just because he didn''t wanna hurt Sanna''s feelings.


    Marie looked at Nicolae for a long time then nodded. A moment later, a thin smile was etched on her face.


    Her voice sounded very happy as she patted Nicolae''s cheek gently, as if to a small child who managed to answer the teacher''s questions correctly. "Wow, I''m so relieved. Then I won''t hesitate to pursue you."

 Chapter 738 - Im Sorry

    It was not only Nicolae who was surprised to hear Marie''s words, but also Altair and Vega. Both of them looked at the girl with a pair of rounded eyes.


    "What did Auntie say?" Altair asked in amazement.


    Marie smiled broadly, "I said I will go after your dad. Do you mind?"


    A pair of smiles immediately appeared on the faces of Altair and Vega, and in unison, both shook their heads vigorously.


    "No. Of course not. We''ll leave Daddy to Auntie!" Vega exclaimed happily.


    Nicolae opened his mouth with a shocked face, trying to say something, but no sound came out.


    "Oh, how cute. It seems that you also like me? Then, please support me, okay? Auntie will try hard to get your dad''s heart," Marie said with a rather flirty attitude.


    Nicolae could only massage his forehead while shaking his head with disbelief. Was he really that old? He really didn''t understand women nowadays. Were they really all aggressive and shameless like this girl? Or was it perhaps it was he who always had the misfortune of meeting aggressive women like Luisa and now Marie?


    "Are you not going to ask my opinion?" Nicolae asked in a protesting voice.


    Marie was very beautiful, and her personality was also quite fun. Especially from the way she spoke, she seemed to have a very broad knowledge. But that didn''t mean that Nicolae would be willing to be pursued by her.


    "I... I already have a girlfriend," the man said hurriedly. "Her name is Louisa."


    Gosh, it looks like it''s not only his children that he had to deceive but also the shameless girl in front of him.


    "Oh really? Are you sure about that?" Marie asked nonchalantly.


    "That''s right," Nicolae said.


    "In that case, prove to me that you already have a girlfriend." Apparently, Marie wasn''t easily convinced.


    She looked at Nicolae with a mischievous smile and a triumphant expression.


    "Why don''t you believe me?" Nicolae asked.


    "I don''t believe you," Marie replied, shrugging.


    "Why?"


    "Because I don''t believe you. Do I need to have a reason?" Marie stubbornly blurted.


    In the end, Nicolae gave up. This girl was indeed strange, or shameless. He didn''t know what she was more precisely called.


    "Sorry, I''m not interested in you," Nicolae replied nonchalantly. "Please don''t follow us."


    Seeing that their food had been eaten, Nicolae decided it was time to go home. He rose from his chair and gave Altair and Vega a signal to follow him.


    "Eh, where are you going?" Marie asked as she stood after them.


    Nicolae didn''t answer. He just put a few hundred dollars on the table then walked out of the restaurant.


    "Wow, you guys want to go home? It just so happens that our homes are nearby. I''ll go home with you," Marie said in a cheerful voice.


    Nicolae didn''t care about the girl. He put his hands in his pockets and walked casually as if Marie wasn''t there.


    "Daddy, why are you being so rude? Didn''t you teach us to treat people well? Why were you like that to Auntie Marie? What did Auntie Marie do wrong?" Altair asked suddenly.


    Nicolae was stunned and stopped in his tracks. He then looked at his children and Marie alternately. "Whose children are you? Why are you defending her? Why aren''t you defending your dad here?"


    "I''m not defending anyone. I''m just defending the truth," Altair said with an innocent face.


    "That''s right. Didn''t you teach us to always be polite toward others? Why is it now you are treating Auntie Marie as if she doesn''t exist? I don''t think this is a good example." Vega added.


    Marie also stopped in her tracks and looked at the two children in awe. Subconsciously, she clapped slowly and her face was filled with sentiment.


    "That''s great. Children, you really have good manners and good attitudes. You make me want to be your stepmother even more!"


    Nicolae suddenly choked at the shameless words coming from the mouth of the girl he had only met twice. How could Marie say that! They hardly even know each other!


    "Good God, such a shameless woman! Have you no shame? We don''t know each other..." he hissed. "Don''t speak so carelessly!"


    Hearing Nicolae''s curt words, Marie looked at the man with her mouth agape and her hands pressed to her lips, showing an expression of shock. Her eyes looked glazed with tears.


    "I was just kidding..." she whispered in a hurt voice. "Yet, you have the heart to call me shameless. Why is your mouth so harsh? What if a man treated your daughter the way you just treated me now???"


    Nicolae swallowed. He was provoked by Marie''s shameless attitude. He didn''t know that Marie was just joking. He felt bad about his behavior. Normally he was a gentleman with patience and kindness, but Louisa had dried his well of patience last night. He didn''t want to meet any more shameless woman.


    Come to think of it, Nicolae''s reaction was indeed too excessive. He really didn''t want to deal with any woman at this time, but why was it so hard to get rid of Marie? Now, he had inadvertently said words that hurt the girl.


    Nicolae was shocked to see Vega now looking at him with a hurt look. He knew that as a father, he wouldn''t forgive any man who would treat Vega harshly.


    He finally became aware that his bitter attitude towards Marie was indeed unreasonable. He really couldn''t explain to Altair and Vega why he was deliberately cold to Marie. He was sure ten-year-old children wouldn''t understand.


    He knew that this time, he was indeed the guilty one. The girl only said that she would go after Nicolae, but so far, she hadn''t done anything bad. Besides, in the beginning, it was Nicolae himself who was at fault because he was joking with her she ended up waiting for him all night at the dock.


    If he could joke with his words back then, why couldn''t Marie? Why was he so stiff and mean? Nicolae felt sad. This was unlike him. He never deliberately hurt a woman.


    Maybe all the blind dates had ruined him so much that now he wanted to deter himself from women and avoid new problems. But he knew, he shouldn''t have said those hurtful words to Marie.


    "I''m sorry." That was all Nicolae could say. He knew he was guilty and didn''t need to find excuses to justify his attitude just now.

 Chapter 739 - I Want To Marry You

    Marie''s lips puckered as if she was holding back her tears. Her voice sounded hoarse when she finally spoke. "Well, I guess you''re really not interested in me. I already know that. But I didn''t expect you to say I have no shame. I am not that shameless that will continue to chase after a man who doesn''t reciprocate my feelings so much that he insulted me like that. I''ll be leaving then."


    Seeing Marie''s hurt face, Nicolae became uncomfortable.


    Somehow, Marie was indeed very good at playing her expression as if she was a fragile and s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e girl with feelings as soft as silk. She managed to convince Nicolae that she was really hurt by his words. The girl walked with slow steps and slumped shoulders as if she was harboring deep grief.


    Nicolae, who was staring at her back, walking away, became uncomfortable. Before Marie got too far away, Nicolae finally called out to her.


    "Wait a minute!"


    Marie stopped walking. She turned with a face full of sorrow. "What''s the matter? You''re still not satisfied after shaming me?"


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to. I didn''t want to hurt you," Nicolae said quietly. Ugh... he realized that he had to talk Marie in private. He then turned to Altair and Vega. "Kids, you can go back to the apartment alone, can''t you?"


    "We can. What''s wrong, Dad?" Vega asked.


    "There''s something I want to talk about with Auntie Marie."


    "We are big kids now. We can go home on our own," Altair voiced. He pulled his sister''s hand and waved to Nicolae and Marie. "See you, Auntie Marie."


    Nicolae knew he had to deal with this right now. Otherwise, there would be a misunderstanding between Marie and him, and he would keep seeing his children try to find a girlfriend for him. That''s why he told Altair and Vega to go back to their apartment first.


    He would invite Marie to talk privately in a cafe while drinking coffee. Maybe this was the best way he could do. He wasn''t at all worried about Altair and Vega''s safety.


    Their apartment was so close and coupled with the fact that there were always two personal bodyguards watching them from afar, the two children wouldn''t experience anything bad.


    "We have to talk," Nicolae said firmly, pulling Marie''s hand toward the nearest cafe.


    Marie smiled faintly at Nicolae''s attitude and giggled softly. She let her hand be held and walked following Nicolae.


    Nicolae frowned at the soft laughter from behind him. Didn''t this girl just look so sad? Why did she sound happy now? He subconsciously let go of Marie''s hand and glared at her.


    "You pretended to be sad?" he asked suspiciously. Marie just rolled her eyes and pretended not to understand Nicolae''s question. The young man pressed his c.h.e.s.t in frustration. He didn''t know when Marie was serious and when she was just pretending. In the end, he could only sigh. "What do you want from me?"


    Marie stood before Nicolae in a casual manner and looked at him closely. Nicolae looked back at Marie. Both of their lines of sight were fixated, and no one blinked.


    Marie then spoke in the most serious voice Nicolae had ever heard.


    "I want to marry you."


    "You think that''s funny, huh?" Nicolae voiced with a displeased expression. "How can you say such words easily?"


    "I''m serious. I''m not kidding," Marie said.


    Seeing Marie''s seriousness, Nicolae became increasingly frustrated. "But we don''t know each other, Marie. I don''t want to call you a shameless woman again, but what you''re doing is totally out of reason. This is even crazier than the crazy woman I met last night..."


    Marie looked at Nicolae with a playful glint in her eyes. "What kind of crazy woman did you meet last night?"


    "That is none of your business." Nicolae frowned, trying to remove Louisa''s face from his mind. "I want to know what makes you say these kinds of things to me?"


    "I''m not kidding. What I''m saying is true. I want you to be my husband," Marie answered.


    "But we don''t know each other. How many times do I have to say that?"


    "I heard you the first time. I''m not deaf." Marie pursed her lips


    "I don''t want to be like a fool, constantly wondering what''s really happening. Therefore, please tell me what do you plan to do?" Nicolae finally asked.


    Slowly, a thin smile was etched on Marie''s face, and finally, she blinked first.


    "You''re right. I did plan something, but really, I''m not a bad person."


    "Okay, I''m listening." Nicolae crossed his arms to his c.h.e.s.t and waited for Marie''s explanation.


    "Aren''t you taking me to a cafe? Why are we talking in the middle of the road like this?"


    "Okay, we''ll go to the cafe then."


    With both hands in his pockets, Nicolae continued walking to the cafe he intended to go to. Marie followed him in the same relaxed manner.


    From a distance, these two actually look very compatible. They were both wearing ripped jeans, and their way of walking was also quite similar, with both hands in their pockets and looking indifferent to their surroundings.


    When they finally entered the cafe, Nicolae wasted no time as he immediately sat opposite Marie and ordered coffee for himself.


    "What do you want?" he asked coldly.


    "Same as you," Marie answered calmly.


    Nicolae turned to the waiter and told him the order just now. After there were only the two of them, he looked at Marie''s face carefully, trying to read who she really was.


    He really didn''t understand how this beautiful and clever girl could be so shameless, openly stating that she wanted to pursue him and marry him.


    It doesn''t feel right. There must be something wrong. Nicolae really wanted to know exactly what this girl was up to.


    Just think about it. They''ve only met twice!


    Twice! SMH.


    But this girl was determined to pursue him and wanted to marry him. Nicolae felt that if he didn''t fix this immediately, Marie would cause problems for him in the future.

 Chapter 740 - I Need A Husband

    "You said you want to marry me? Why? When?" he asked her impatiently.


    "You heard me right," Marie nodded. "I honestly need a husband, and I feel that you''re the right person."


    Nicolae was used to being pursued and admired by women, but no one was as aggressive as Marie who asked him to marry her after two encounters. He felt really uncomfortable.


    "Marie, we''ve only met twice and I don''t know you very well, so I don''t know if you''re serious or joking, but I don''t consider things like marriage as a joke. Therefore, I hope you won''t do it again." Nicolae spoke in a calm voice, but there was firmness in his words.


    Marie looked at Nicolae with wistful eyes. "I agree with you. Unfortunately, I don''t have much choice. Will you come and pretend to be my husband for just two days? I''m begging you. I''ll do whatever you ask me to. I''ll even pay you. Just mention your price."


    Nicolae frowned. "I don''t need money."


    "Yes, I can see that. Your appearance is that of a rich man''s. But of course, there''s something you want in this world. Whatever it is, I''ll grant it." Marie is still insistent.


    "Don''t make me laugh. Nobody in this world can grant all of another''s wishes. What if the only thing I want in this world is something you can''t give me?"


    "If I can''t give you your first wish, you certainly have a second wish and then a third wish and so on... I''ll try to repay your kindness. I''ll grant whichever of your wishes I can fulfill."


    "You''re still not being forthright with me. Why do you need a husband, and why do you need one for only two days?"


    "I... I wouldn''t do this if I didn''t have to. It''s for my mother''s sake." Marie''s voice trembled. Even though her face still looked calm, Nicolae could feel an aura of sadness begin to envelop the girl.


    "What does your husband have anything to do with your mother?"


    Marie''s face was now filled with sorrow. She took a deep breath and slowly told him what had happened.


    "My mother is seriously ill. She has been staying in the hospital for more than ten years with the help of various life-support machines. Sometimes, she would wake up and try to get better, but a short period after, she would be ill again and fall into another coma. She''s in a lot of pain, and the various drugs that were given to her only made her more resistant to medications. Seeing her in that condition, it really broke my heart... "


    Nicolae was stunned to hear Marie''s words. He didn''t expect the girl to have such a serious problem. From her cheerful and indifferent appearance, no one would have thought that this girl had been struggling to take care of her mother for more than ten years.


    He could only guess that Marie''s age was only in her early 20s at the moment. This means that she had been left to care for herself by her sick mother since she was in her early teens. At that time, she was practically a child!


    How unfortunate the fate of this girl was.


    "I''m sorry to hear about your mother''s illness. What can I do for you?" Nicolae asked her. His voice had turned gentle.


    "After ten years, I realized that all this time, my mother had struggled to stay alive, even though it made her suffer a lot because she was worried about me. She repeatedly woke up from a coma because of her strong determination to look after me. She obviously wanted to make sure I was fine..." At this point, tears began to fall from Marie''s pair of brown eyes as she tried hard to blink her eyes so that she wouldn''t look like she was crying. "During this time, my mother refused to die because she really didn''t want to leave me alone. Although she suffered greatly, she wasn''t willing to leave me on my own."


    Nicolae began to understand the meaning of Marie''s words. Nevertheless, he let the girl finish her story. Without words, he placed his handkerchief on the table, near her hand.


    Marie nodded slowly, thanked him, then wiped her tears with Nicolae''s handkerchief.


    "My mother is old-fashioned. She doesn''t believe that I, as a girl, will be able to take care of myself and be happy without a man. She is often sad, thinking that when she dies, I would have no one else in this world.


    If she thought I already have someone who can take care of me, someone who loves me as she does, then she''ll be able to let go and rest in peace. You''re a good man, and you can be trusted. I just need to take you to meet my mother twice. We just need to make my mother believe that we are married, so she can calm down and take her last breath in peace. I don''t want to see her suffer anymore. I''m begging you...Please... please... I''ll even kneel to you if I have to... "


    Nicolae was stunned to hear Marie''s words. He didn''t expect that was the reason why this girl behaved so aggressively toward him. How pitiful!


    But, again, Nicolae didn''t know whether this girl was joking or being serious about what she said because after they had eaten at the restaurant, she pretended to be hurt by his words. Nicolae didn''t know Marie enough to know whether the girl was tricking him or not.


    "I don''t know what to do. How can I believe that your words are true, that your mother is indeed ill and that you''re doing this for her?" he asked Marie. Nicolae was old enough not to be fooled by a woman''s crocodile tears. He still must be careful.


    "Come with me to the hospital. I only need two days. After my mother is convinced and believed that we are married, she"ll be willing to let all of her life support machines be removed so that she''ll be able to leave this world in peace. After that, I won''t need you anymore."

 Chapter 741 - Nicolae and Maries Agreement

    "Come with me to the hospital. I only need two days. After my mother is convinced and believed that we are married, she"ll be willing to let all of her life support machines be removed so that she''ll be able to leave this world in peace. After that, I won''t need you anymore." Marie said in a hoarse voice.


    "You mean I just need to pretend to be your husband, right?" Nicolae wanted to clarify her intention.


    "Yeah, we don''t know each other. Of course, I don''t want to marry you for real." Marie took a deep breath. "But we have to convince my mother... According to the doctor, the last time she woke up from a coma, her condition was critical, but she was very stubborn and wouldn''t leave me. I was forced to lie to her and I said that I was happy and have a husband who loved me very much. and she doesn''t need to worry about me anymore..."


    Finally, Nicolae understood Marie''s intentions. He realized that the girl had no ill intentions and only needed his help to calm her ailing mother''s heart so that she would be able to let go and rest in peace.


    "All right. If it''s just for two days, I can do it," Nicolae finally relented.


    "Thank you." Marie nodded and looked at Nicolae with a grateful look.


    "Sorry, I was being too harsh earlier. I didn''t mean to say bad things to you, but I wanted to be frank from the start that I didn''t want to have any relationship with a woman at this time. I hope you understand." However, Nicolae had to explain his situation to Marie, because he didn''t want the girl to misunderstand. "If you really needed me to pretend to be your partner or your husband or whoever it is in front of your mother, I can and am willing to do so. However, please stop there. I don''t want you to approach my children and use them for things that are outside of our agreement."


    Marie nodded. "I understand. I said that on purpose, that I want to be a stepmother for them... because somehow, it seems like your children really want to find you a wife. From what I see, they love you very much and want you to find a woman to cheer you up. So I said that on purpose. I''m sorry, too."


    Nicolae could only sigh. Without Marie admitting it, he knew already why she did that.


    "I know, Marie."


    "I just want you to see things from their perspective, they do it because they love you very much. They don''t mean anything bad." Marie added.


    "I know. I understand. But they''re still young and they haven''t understood anything, so I beg you not to interfere." Nicolae really didn''t want to talk about his past love story with the mother of the two children, but it seemed that if he didn''t give an explanation, Marie would think differently. Because of that, he could only massage his forehead.


    "If I may ask... Uhm, sorry... You don''t have to answer me if this makes you feel uncomfortable," Marie touched Nicolae''s wrist with a sympathetic expression. "When did their mother pass away?"


    Nicolae pushed Marie''s hand off her arm. "No, their mother is still alive."


    "Oh sorry... I''m sorry for assuming." Marie covered her lips in surprise. Her face looked embarrassed because she had guessed carelessly. "That means you guy separated..."


    "Marie, I would appreciate it if you didn''t ask too many questions about my personal life," Nicolae said firmly. "I promised I would help you because I feel sorry for your mother. But apart from that, we don''t have to meet again."


    "I understand. Thank you..." Marie nodded shyly.


    Right at that moment, the cafe waiter came to deliver the coffee they ordered. Awkwardly, the two took a sip of their coffee and said nothing.


    Marie threw her line of sight out the window while enjoying her coffee, while Nicolae involuntarily watched the strange girl''s movements. Before he really met Marie''s mother in the hospital, he wouldn''t trust her blindly. She couldn''t expect to fool Nicolae with fake illnesses, Marie certainly doesn''t know that Nicolae was actually a doctor.


    Nicolae could only guess what Marie''s personality really was. Earlier, she was very feisty and full of enthusiasm, and now, she proved herself to be a woman who was good at acting in front of his children and himself, by pretending to feel hurt and shamelessly saying she wanted to pursue Nicolae and marry him.


    Marie''s pitiful story reminded Nicolae of his own biological mother, whom he had never seen in his life. If he could help Marie''s mother die peacefully, he would gladly do it.


    If only someone helped his mother, Princess Luna, when she was on her deathbed in Romania...


    Ah, he didn''t want to remember that sad event... His c.h.e.s.t hurt every time he remembered his biological mother.


    Nicolae took a deep breath and put down his coffee cup after he emptied its contents.


    "Then, when will you take me to meet your mother?" he asked later.


    Marie looked at him with a rather surprised face. Apparently, she had been daydreaming while staring out the window, and Nicolae''s words moved her out of her reverie.


    "Are you free this afternoon or tomorrow morning?" Marie asked softly.


    "I can do it tomorrow morning," Nicolae answered.


    "All right, then let''s meet in the lobby of the apartment building tomorrow morning," Marie put down her empty coffee cup. "At 9 am?"


    "Fine. See you tomorrow at nine in the lobby." Nicolae nodded.


    Thus, they made a deal.


    Although they lived in the same building, Nicolae deliberately let Marie go home first. He didn''t want her to know which floor he was living on. However it may be, he still needed to protect his privacy and the children''s. He couldn''t just trust strangers.

 Chapter 742 - Maries Secret

    When Nicolae arrived back at his apartment, he was unwilling to answer questions from Altair and Vega about what was in the conversation with Marie. He only gave a little information that he had spoken with Auntie Marie and that there was nothing between them.


    He deliberately still let Altair and Vega think that he was in a relationship with Aunt Louisa because once again, he really wanted to make the two children give up so that they would no longer look for a match for him.


    He actually felt suffocated with all their efforts and those around him who only wanted to see him forget about Aleksis and move on by finding new love. Because they were his family, and he knew that they did it because they loved him, Nicolae didn''t want to hurt their feelings by refusing openly.


    Let this be the last time. Nicolae really didn''t want to be involved again with any woman, at least not in the near future. The wounds in his hearts were still fresh. It was only a year ago that he let Aleksis walk down the aisle with Alaric, his twin brother.


    In the past, eleven years ago, when his heart was broken after he found out that Aleksis was already married and was carrying another man''s child, it took him more than six years to recover.


    Even then, he still couldn''t completely forget his love for Aleksis, so when they met again five years ago, the flame was burning even stronger.


    His heartbreak was now much... much more severe and hurt more than the first one. This second time brought him a deep wound because he had been with Aleksis for four years, weaving a dream about their future together, where he would be able to marry Aleksis and be the father for her two children. They were even almost married.


    Nicolae, who knew himself very well, realized that there was a possibility of this wound not healing for another hundred years. So even if his children found a good woman for him, he would only break the girl''s heart.


    They would be his rebounds, and he felt it was very unfair. That was also why he had been honest from the start with Marie so that the girl wouldn''t develop even the slightest hope for his affection. Because Nicolae... wouldn''t open his heart at all.


    For this reason, this time, even though Marie was an attractive girl and Altair and Vega seemed to like her very much, Nicolae continued to make his children misunderstand, thinking that he was in a relationship with Louisa.


    His words made Altair and Vega''s faces look murky.


    "That means you really love Auntie Louisa..." Altair sadly muttered.


    "What is it that made you fall in love with Auntie Louisa? You and she had only met once... And it''s clear that she doesn''t seem to be Daddy''s type..." Vega could only protest when she heard that Nicolae was still with Louisa.


    "How do you know what my type is?" Nicolae asked in a very patient voice.


    "I know that Daddy loves Mommy very much. That means Mommy should be Daddy''s type of woman, a woman who looks like Mommy... Auntie Louisa isn''t remotely similar to Mommy at all...!!"


    "I really don''t understand why Daddy can like Auntie Louisa ..." Altair added.


    "Kids, you''re still so young, so it''ll be really hard for you to understand. Ten years from now, we can talk about this when you''ve met a boy or girl who made you fall in love. I won''t judge your choices, because love just can''t be understood sometimes."


    In the end, Altair and Vega could only pout their lips sadly and couldn''t argue anymore.


    "Don''t frown like that. Next week, we''ll go to Grosetto. You can meet your mother. Are you going to spend the last week with frowns?" Nicolae finally asked. He sat in front of his two children and held their shoulders lovingly.


    That''s when Altair and Vega were then reminded that the agreement between Daddy Nic and Father Alaric would soon be over because almost a year had passed. Previously, when their father returned, he allowed Nicolae to bring his children for a year so they could spend time together before saying goodbye.


    Next week, exactly one year would have passed... and they both had to go back to their biological parents.


    This thought made Altair and Vega even sadder. They didn''t want to leave Nicolae alone, without having anyone by his side. But... but why does that person have to be Auntie Louisa? Can''t Daddy Nic just like Auntie Marie?


    ***


    Meanwhile, on the 10th floor of the same apartment building, Marie was sitting on the window sill of her apartment. Her face looked sad and her beautiful pair of eyes were closed as if she was very deep in thought.


    Both her hands held her right knee and implied a feeling of vivid grief and loneliness.


    "You"re indeed a good man. Thank you for fulfilling my request..." she murmured softly.


    In her mind was the image of the handsome young man who was talking with her in the coffee shop earlier and agreed to pretend to be her husband. I am not wrong about you, she thought.


    A phone ring suddenly moved her out of her reverie. Gently, Marie came down from the window sill and picked up the call.


    "Oh, hello, Louisa. That''s right, everything''s going smoothly. Your job is complete. Thank you for helping me yesterday. I''ve transferred your payment," Marie talked on the phone.


    Marie then sat in her chair and opened a laptop. On the screen, we could see an online dating website with a profile called Louisa, which was opened earlier. With her nimble fingers, she typed something and deleted the profile. "No, I won''t need you anymore. Thank you. You''re right, he''s a very good man. Don''t worry. I won''t hurt him. Goodbye, Louisa."


    Marie then hung up the call and put her phone on the table.

 Chapter 743 - The Lady At The Hospital

    The next day, as promised, Nicolae waited for Marie in the lobby of their apartment building at 9 am. At exactly nine o''clock, the girl arrived with a neat appearance and a face filled with bright expressions.


    Unwittingly, the two who usually dressed casually, wore neat clothes this morning, in the form of short-sleeved shirts and black non-ripped jeans for Nicolae, and an elegant yellow summer dress for Marie.


    Uniquely, this dress had two pockets on the right and left, but still looked beautiful, wrapping Marie''s slim body perfectly.


    For a moment, Nicolae was fascinated because this was the first time he had seen Marie in her summer dress. In their two previous meetings, Marie always wore a white tank top and ripped jeans.


    Today, Nicolae deliberately looked neat because he knew he would meet Marie''s mother. Seeing Marie also intentionally appear elegant, Nicolae nodded in satisfaction.


    "Thank you for helping me. I''m indebted to you," Marie said in a cheerful voice.


    "It''s okay. This is all I can do for your mother," Nicolae answered calmly.


    "You''re very kind. Let''s go to the hospital now. Did you tell the children what we''re going to do today?"


    "No. I don''t think they need to know. Besides, I''ve kept them busy with some homework."


    "All right. Then should we take your car or mine?" Marie asked as they walked out of the lobby, each with their hands in their pockets.


    "Whichever will do," Nicolae said lightly.


    "Let''s just use your car so you can go home first. I might stay in the hospital for a while," Marie suggested.


    "Alright, then."


    Nicolae gave a signal for them to walk to the bas.e.m.e.nt parking. There, his BMW was waiting. As a man who was taught to be a gentleman, Nicolae opened the door next to the driver''s seat for Marie before then entering the car through the driver''s door.


    This action stunned Marie for a moment, and she hesitantly got into the car. She hadn''t seen a man act so traditionally like the man beside her, for a long time. Her fondness for Nicolae increased even more.


    The trip to Stamford Hospital only lasted for ten minutes. During the trip, Nicolae tried not to ask Marie about her mother''s situation. At this time, he only needed to prove that Marie''s story was true, that her mother was indeed being treated in a hospital and her condition was very critical.


    When they finally arrived in front of the Stamford hospital, and Nicolae parked his car, the man slowly began to be overwhelmed with feelings of sadness. Somehow, before they arrived at Mrs. Lu''s ward, he had a feeling that the girl hadn''t lied to him.


    Marie brought Nicolae down the hospital hallway to the building for long-term patients, and the smell of antiseptic and hospital-specific drugs began to surround them. Nicolae was immediately reminded of the feeling of nostalgia when he was still working as a doctor decades ago.


    For a long time, he hadn''t done this profession and saved patients'' lives. For the past 20 years, he had preferred information technology and pursued his job as a hacker and an information consultant. Now, seeing the hospital, patients, and the doctors who were working, Nicolae felt his c.h.e.s.t filled with familiar feelings.


    Their steps ended in front of a special building in the Stamford Hospital Complex. Nicolae could see the signboard in the building as a sanatorium or a long-term care center for patients. He already believed that Marie''s words hadn''t been a lie. Her mother was indeed being treated there.


    When Marie opened the door to one of the spacious wards, Nicolae could immediately see a woman lying on the bed with various life support machines. The woman looked to be in her early 40s. Her face looked beautiful, but her body was thin and invoking pity. Her skin was unbelievably pale, and her long hair hung down to her waist.


    Judging from her treatment room, Nicolae could guess that the costs incurred to pay the hospital fees must be very expensive. Nicolae wondered whether Marie came from a wealthy family.


    He also wondered if Marie still had other family members. But if there were still other family members, why didn''t anyone come here? He could only wonder.


    Marie walked with slow steps toward her mother''s bed and sat on the edge of the bed. Her hand was holding her mother''s right hand. Her face, which looked cheerful, was now beginning to be filled with grief. Suddenly, there was a double knock on the door, and a middle-aged doctor with white hair entered.


    The man smiled when he saw Marie''s presence.


    "Ah, good morning. So you have arrived," the doctor said kindly.


    "Yes, Doctor. Is my mother awake?" Marie asked in a quiet, calm voice. Nicolae recognized this voice as the patient''s family member trying to sound tough even though their hearts were actually breaking into pieces. He hadn''t heard this tone in a long time. Unconsciously, he watched Marie''s face fixedly with sympathy.


    "Yes, Marie. As you requested yesterday, she brought her out of her coma. Your mother had been looking for you this morning. I told her that you will arrive soon, so your mother decided to sleep first." The doctor approached the patient and checked the pulse in her hand, then nodded in satisfaction. "She''s fine. Just wait, your mother will wake up soon."


    "Yes, doctor. Thank you." Marie nodded and tried to smile.


    Nicolae only paid attention to the interaction between the doctor and Marie and tried to guess what really happened.


    "Has your mother been intentionally put in a coma? Medically-induced coma?" Nicolae asked her. Medically-induced coma is a condition where the patient was given medication to enter the medically comatose state so that they wouldn''t feel extreme pain when they become conscious.


    Patients who have severe or terminal illnesses, burn patients, and several medical conditions that make the patient feel severe pain usually make the doctor or the patient''s family determine that the patient should be made to ''sleep'' or induced to comatose state so they would not suffer too much.


    Marie nodded slowly at Nicolae''s question. "That''s right. Every time my mother woke up, the pain she experienced was excruciating. That''s why I''ve always asked the doctor to give medicines to my mother so that she ''sleeps'' and not have to experience the pain."


    "Oh..." Nicolae could only imagine how much pain Marie''s mother was experiencing that she had to be made to sleep for a long period of time.


    "Every time my mother woke up, she would insist that she was fine. But I know better, that she was really in pain." Marie sighed sadly and looked at her mother with lovingly.


    "Then why did you ask for your mother to be brought out of her coma?" Nicolae asked in amazement. "If she really feels pain when she wakes up, why don''t you just keep her in a coma?"


    Marie looked at Nicolae for a long time before answering his question, in a voice almost whispering, because she didn''t want her mother to hear her words.


    "I woke her up because I realized this was unfair to my mother. It''s been almost ten years that she''s like this, and I can''t bear to see her suffer constantly. That''s why I wanted to wake her up so she''ll be able to see that I''m okay, that it''s time for her to let me go. It''s time for her to be happy and no longer feel pain..."


    .


    .


    >>>>>>>>>>>


    From the Author:


    I''m sorry for the irregular update the past few days. I am currently unwell.. huhuhuhu. I will resume regular updates once I''m better. I hope you can stay patient and awesome as you are now :).


    Btw, and TikTok is having a contest for faceslapping moment and I intend to join since the winners will get exposure and banner in . I am thinking of making a video for the faceslapping moment where Caspar bought Atlas Corp just to fire the marketing manager who harrassed Finland.


    What do you think? Will that be a good idea, or you have another favorite faceslapping moment from this book? Do let me know in the comment. You can also make the video from your favorite faceslapping moment. It would be awesome to see.


    And, oh.. if you use TikTok, you can follow my account "Missrealitybites" to see the video (May 22-24, 2020).

 Chapter 744 - While You Were Sleeping

    Marie''s voice faltered as she uttered those heartbreaking words, sentence by sentence. Subconsciously, Nicolae held Marie''s hand to show sympathy. Marie took a deep breath and continued her words. "That''s why I asked you to come now... So that I can convince my mother that she doesn''t need to struggle anymore... just for my sake."


    "Oh, I understand." Finally, Nicolae understood what Marie''s purpose was in waking her mother.


    The girl wanted the mother to see that her daughter already had a man now, someone she claimed to be her husband, who was kind to her and looked after her so that Marie''s mother could calmly leave her child.


    This was really sad. Nicolae then took a chair and sat next to Marie. His hand was still holding her hand gently.


    The girl wanted her mother to see that her daughter already had a man now, someone she claimed to be her husband, who was kind to her and looked after her so that Marie''s mother could calmly leave her child.


    This is really sad. Nicolae then took a chair and sat next to Marie. His hand was still holding her hand gently.


    "What about your other family members? Do you still have a father, or do you have relatives?" he asked again.


    Marie shook her head slowly.


    "None. My father died while I was still in the w.o.m.b. My mother was dying to protect me, even though her pregnancy was really difficult, because she loved my father so much. She wanted to give birth to me as the only legacy of the man she loved in this world. My father died too young, and my mother fought desperately to give birth to me, even though my birth almost took her life¡­" Marie seemed overwhelmed by despair as she told the story. Nicolae held the girl''s hand more tightly. "She should''ve just aborted me then... Mother was forced to give birth to me, and since then, my mother''s health has never recovered. For years, she has always suffered, and the peak was ten years ago when she collapsed and couldn''t recover again..."


    Nicolae was stunned by Marie''s words.


    "You must''ve been very young then... How old are you now? 22 to 23?" he asked softly.


    "I''m 22 years old now. My mother fell ill and started staying in the hospital when I was 12 years old..."


    "Your life must be really hard..." Nicolae looked at Marie without blinking. For some reason, he felt very sorry for the girl who had always been indifferent and pretended to be strong. Behind Marie''s happy and indifferent appearance, she kept a sadness hidden deep in her heart.


    "I have no choice..." Marie was still trying not to look sad. She only shrugged at the words of sympathy from Nicolae.


    "Who has been taking care of you all this time? A 12-year-old child certainly can''t live alone..." Nicolae said.


    "I take care of myself," Marie answered nonchalantly.


    "Can you really take care of yourself?"


    "Eh, don''t underestimate me. You''ve seen for yourself, right, I''m fine now!" Marie snorted unhappily, thinking that Nicolae thought she was weak.


    "I''m not insulting you... I was just asking, don''t be so quick-tempered..." Nicolae said calmly. He had more or less begun to recognize Marie''s explosive and proud nature, who really didn''t want to be pitied or considered weak by others.


    Before she could answer, she suddenly saw her mother''s eyes, which had been closed, now blinking, and they slowly opened. Her hand in Marie''s hand also moved.


    The woman who was sleeping in the hospital bed had now woken up and looked at Marie and Nicolae alternately.


    Marie''s mother''s eyes slowly moved, and then a whimper of pain came out from her lips.


    "Mom, are you awake? I''m here, Mom," Marie said hurriedly. Those pair of eyes blinked again and then opened for a long time. For a moment, her eyes were blurry, but then she began to focus on Marie''s face and then turned to Nicolae''s.


    Her weak and thin hands moved slowly to rub Marie''s hands lovingly.


    "My child ... My dear child. You come, Sweetheart..." A weak voice came from the pale lips.


    "Mom, I''m here. See whom I brought with me today ... You have been sleeping for a long time, so you can''t meet him. But here he is ... The Nic, the man I''ve always told you about," Marie whispered in a slightly trembling voice.


    "Hello ..." Mrs. Lu said in a soft voice and looked at Nicolae attentively. For a moment, Nicolae was stunned. He could see the deep love in those eyes for her daughter.


    The young man smiled and returned Mrs. Lu''s greeting in a respectful voice. "Good morning, Mrs. Lu. My name is Nicolae Sorin."


    He had read that Marie''s mother''s full name was Rosamund Lu


    "Who is he?" asked Mrs. Lu, staring at Marie. The girl answered while turning her head towards Nicolae.


    "Let me introduce my husband, Mom. We got married three months ago while you were sleeping," Marie said in a trembling voice.


    Nicolae nodded softly, confirming Marie''s words. "That''s right, Mrs. Lu. I love your daughter very much. I hope you will give us your blessings," Nicolae said.


    "Hmm ... I''m glad to hear that." The woman smiled faintly as she watched Nicolae with her clear eyes. She gave a signal that she wanted to sit, and swiftly Marie helped her. After sitting on her bed, Mrs. Lu reached out to Nicolae. "I''m glad to meet you, Nicolae ... My name is Rosamund."


    Nicolae welcomed the helping hand of Marie''s mother and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Madam."


    Mrs. Lu seemed to observe Nicolae for a long time and, finally, she nodded after releasing her hand. "You''re a good man. Just call me Mother... You can call me Mother Lu, if you want."


    Nicolae was stunned by Mrs. Lu''s words. The way Mrs. Lu looked at him reminded her of Elena Lupei*, his adopted mother, who had taken care of him since he was a baby and loved him very much. Elena Lupei died 60 years ago, and Nicolae really missed her.

 Chapter 745 - Like A Time Machine

    Mrs. Lu observed Nicolae for a long time and, finally, she nodded after releasing her hand. Her face was filled with gentleness. "You''re a good man. Just call me Mother... You can call me Mother Lu, if you want."


    Nicolae was stunned by Mrs. Lu''s words. The way Mrs. Lu looked at him reminded her of Elena Lupei*, his adopted mother, who had taken care of him since he was a baby and loved him very much. Elena Lupei died 60 years ago, and Nicolae really missed her. He actually used the pseudonym "Wolf" from his mother''s surname Lupei.


    "All right, Mother..." Finally, the young man nodded. His warm smile immediately spread to Mrs. Lu, who now looked beaming.


    "I really want to see the garden. Are you willing to take me out?" the frail woman asked with difficulty. It seemed that just talking gave Mrs. Lu a lot of pain.


    "Of course, Mom," Marie said in a cheerful voice. She turned to Nicolae. "Could you help me?"


    "Certainly," replied Nicolae.


    "Doctor, it''s okay, right, if I take my mom to the garden?" Marie asked Doctor Lin. The white-haired and bespectacled man shook his head.


    "It''s okay. As usual, please be careful, okay," he said.


    Marie nodded. Slowly and very carefully, she was helped by Nicolae to lift Mrs. Lu''s body into a wheelchair.


    "I''ll do it," Nicolae said quietly and gave Marie a signal to let him carry Mrs. Lu alone. The thin middle-aged woman''s body felt very light when he carried her. Marie relented and let Nicolae lift her mother from the hospital bed and placed her in the wheelchair.


    Nicolae watched Mrs. Lu and was impressed because, although her face remained calm, the young man could see the expression of pain that she was holding back.


    The poor woman tried to smile many times, but because Nicolae was an experienced doctor, he knew that the woman was actually experiencing extreme pain in her body.


    Now Nicolae can guess where Marie got her acting talent from. Mrs. Lu acted very well as if she was feeling no pain at all.


    "Thank you, Nicolae ..." said Mrs. Lu with a bright face filled with a smile.


    "With p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Mother..." Nicolae replied. Marie then took the wheelchair handles from Nicolae''s hand and moved to push her mother.


    "We''ll go to the garden now, Doctor." She said goodbye and waved to Doctor Lin. The man waved back and smiled as he watched them leave the room and head for the garden.


    Marie pushed the wheelchair slowly toward the garden as her mother liked. Along the way, Nicolae could hear Marie hum a song in a low voice.


    He just walked after Marie, who was pushing her mother''s wheelchair, without saying anything. At present, his only role was to be a fake husband, and he did not know exactly how to behave. He also did not want to carelessly say things that could reveal Marie''s secret that in fact, they were not married.


    The small group arrived at the garden in the middle of the Stamford Hospital Complex ten minutes later.


    Nicolae must admit this place was very beautiful. Its green lawn stretched out, and there were many shady trees that provided a sense of peace for patients and their families who wanted to get solace.


    He saw a number of wheelchair-bound patients who were also pushed by their family members into the garden. Some of them stopped and chose to sit, chatting under a tree, on a park bench, and some rested in beautiful gazebos surrounded by roses.


    Marie stopped her mother''s wheelchair under a shady tree by a beautiful pond. There were so many lotus flowers blooming in the pond and dozens of ducks and geese swimming gracefully, making the scenery that lay before them look very peaceful.


    "This has been my mother''s favorite place for years," Marie commented, parking the wheelchair and preparing to help her mother down to the grass. "We have always been sitting here since I was a child, every time we went to this garden."


    "Does she want to sit on the grass? But the place is hot ... because of direct sunlight," Nicolae said in astonishment.


    "Mom likes to feel the sunlight on her skin ... because she has been trapped in a hospital room for a long time, and very rarely can she enjoy the direct sun," Marie explained.


    "Oh ... I see. How about I look for a blanket first, so Mother can sit on the blanket, not directly on the grass ..." Nicolae said again.


    Marie shook her head with a smile, "Mom also likes sitting on the grass. We are happy to be at one with nature like that ..."


    A happy smile was etched on Mrs. Lu''s face as she felt her body sitting on soft, sweet-smelling Japanese grass because it had just been cut. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, looking very reverent. Nicolae could see how a small thing like this made Mrs. Lu very happy.


    As he watched the woman, the corner of his eye accidentally caught sight of Marie, who was doing the same thing. The girl also breathed in air deeply with a smiling face and closed eyes.


    The sight of the mother and daughter was so peaceful, made Nicolae charmed. He could see that Marie had inherited her mother''s face, and maybe even her personality. When the two of them were sitting side by side like this and enjoying the natural beauty around them, the two women looked very similar.


    Marie had a unique Asian face. Her hair was brown, and her cheeks had some cute freckles, which made her look so young. Her pair of brown eyes had a slightly slanted shape so that when she laughed, her eyes seemed to disappear into a straight line, hidden by her thick and long lashes.


    Her red lips look very full and s.e.xy. For a moment, Nicolae was stunned to see the beautiful pair of eyes closed and full lips that were smiling. Marie looked like she was offering a prayer of gratitude to the sun god for bestowing light and warmth on them today.


    Nicolae was fascinated to see that Marie looked very beautiful even though she was not wearing makeup at all, and when she sat side by side with her mother, Nicolae seemed to be able to see the figure of Mrs. Lu 20 years ago ... or he could see what Marie''s face would look like in the next 20 years.


    This was like a time machine.


    .


    1] From Romanian "lup" meaning "wolf". That''s why Nicolae used the nickname "Wolf" in Darknet, as a homage to his mother.

 Chapter 746 - Maries Past

    Nicolae gasped when suddenly the women opened their eyes and they all turned their heads in unison toward him. He felt awkward because the two women caught him admiring their faces.


    "Eh ... I was thinking, you both look so alike..." Nicolae smiled and explained before they asked. "I feel like I''m seeing Marie 20 years from now, or seeing Mother from 20 years ago ... This reminded me of the concept of a time machine. Someone comes from the future and meet their younger self in the past."


    "Ahh, is that so?" Mrs. Lu asked softly with a gentle voice while nodding in understanding. "Marie was actually very much like her father when she was born. But in recent years, she has started to take after me..."


    "Mother, you are very beautiful, Marie is lucky she takes after you," Nicolae said soothingly.


    His words somehow made Marie''s face turn red. Indirectly Nicolae was also saying that Marie was very beautiful. Which woman didn''t like being complimented for their beauty by a handsome young man?


    Mrs. Lu just smiled at her daughter and Nicolae alternately. "Thank you, for visiting me here. I am very happy to meet you both. I''m sorry... because I slept too long, there are so many things I don''t know about you."


    Marie shook her head softly, "It''s okay, Mom. The doctor said you need to rest so that you can recover."


    "The doctor told me this morning that today is the end of September ... I remember the last time I woke up, it was the day after the new year ... It''s been a long time," Mrs. Lu complained in a low voice. "Please tell me what has happened to you in the past nine months, and how you can meet your husband ..."


    Nicolae was speechless. He didn''t prepare any stories, because he guessed that Marie would already make up and tell the story of how they met to her mother. He turned to the girl and nodded. Marie smiled and nodded back.


    The girl was very good at acting. She just laughed cheerfully and patted Nicolae''s shoulder tenderly. "This is actually quite embarrassing, Mom. We met through an online dating application ..."


    Mrs. Lu smiled sweetly and joined in the small laughs upon hearing that. "Ah, it''s nothing to be embarrassed about. It''s modern times. It''s very difficult to meet a partner in the real world now, especially with your busy schedule. Then, what happened when you both met? How did you fall for each other?"


    "Well, it was quite normal..." Marie glanced at Nicolae and smiled broadly. "We met for dinner, and it turned out that we clicked really well. It didn''t take long for us to realize our feelings and decided to get married soon. Unlike Mom and Dad. You both had been friends since childhood, but only realized that you loved each other before Daddy left ..."


    Mrs. Lu pulled her daughter''s hand and patted it gently. Nicolae could see a line of sadness on her face, but the woman forced a happy smile.


    "I''m glad to hear that. You didn''t make the same mistakes as I did..." she said softly.


    The sad words, spoken by those smiling lips, made Nicolae wonder. He guessed that Marie''s father died shortly after he and Mrs. Lu realized that they loved each other. But, unfortunately, it was too late ... because as Marie had told him, her father died while she was still in her mother''s w.o.m.b.


    What unfortunate fate these two women had, thought Nicolae sympathetically.


    "I have promised not to repeat your mistakes," Marie said proudly, "That''s why, now Nicolae and I are together. We love each other, and he has promised to protect me and keep me happy for the rest of our lives..."


    "I am very happy to see him ..." Mrs. Lu nodded.


    Nicolae was both impressed and scared to see Marie''s acting skills. He was afraid that if one day this girl would pretend in front of him and deceive him, he wouldn''t be able to tell if Marie was honest or if she was lying.


    Fortunately, they would only meet for two days. He and Marie would have nothing to do once he acted his role as her fake husband and left.


    "What do you do?" asked Mrs. Lu, turning her head to Nicolae.


    Nicolae gasped and, for a moment, was rendered speechless. During this time, he had done several different jobs, and he did not know what work he should currently use in front of Mrs. Lu.


    He chose a profession as a writer in his current identity card, but he didn''t feel comfortable claiming to be a writer in front of such an intelligent woman like Mrs. Lu. He was worried that he will instead be trapped in a new web of lies. He was not ready to mention whatever books he had written.


    "Uhm ... I am a freelance investor, Mother. So, I analyze the market and then invest in companies that I think have the potential to make a profit. That''s all. This work can be done from anywhere in the world. So, I can be flexible with my time and location. " Finally, his brain worked quickly and made up a new profession to tell Mrs. Lu.


    The woman nodded in satisfaction.


    "What about your family? Do you have parents and siblings?" asked Mrs. Lu again.


    "My mother died while giving birth to me ... My father is still alive, I also have a younger brother and four nephews and niece," Nicolae answered.


    Marie seemed to pay attention to all the information that came out of Nicolae''s lips carefully. She actually frowned because she thought Nicolae was lying about his family.


    She knew Nicolae had two children, but the young man did not even mention them in front of her mother. So, Marie guessed that Nicolae was making up stories about his family on the spot.


    "You''re very lucky. You still have a lot of family members ... I can imagine you must have a warm home. When holidays came, everyone gets together and shares the joy..." commented Mrs. Lu.


    Nicolae could only nod. Inwardly, he could only keep his sadness to himself. During this time, he had always avoided family events because he still could not face Aleksis.


    On the last Christmas holiday, he went somewhere alone. He only came and met everyone last July because of the birth of his two new nephews. That event couldn''t be avoided at all.


    "I''m grateful for my family," Nicolae finally replied.


    "Marie doesn''t have anyone. Apart from being an only child, I also don''t have any family in this world anymore. Her father and I grew up in an orphanage. We don''t know who our family was ... Our fate was the same, we were sent to the orphanage when we were infants."


    Nicolae remembered his brother who also never knew his parents and grew up in an orphanage. He felt growing sympathy for Marie and her mother.

 Chapter 747 - I Truly Wish...

    Mrs. Lu sighed softly when she looked at Nicolae with her deep eyes.


    "Marie doesn''t have anyone. Apart from being an only child, I also don''t have any family in this world anymore. Her father and I grew up in an orphanage. We don''t know who our family was ... Our fate was the same, we were sent to the orphanage when we were infants."


    Nicolae remembered his brother who also never knew his parents and grew up in an orphanage. He felt growing sympathy for Marie and her mother.


    "I understand how you feel..." he could only say those words, without revealing too much about his family.


    Mrs. smiled a little. Her gaze seemed to see something far away in the past. "Peter, my husband, was later adopted when he was a teenager, but his family died in a traffic accident. He was once again alone in the world."


    Nicolae just stayed where he was listening to Mrs. Lu''s story about her past together with her husband. After Peter Lu lost his adopted family, he returned to Singapore and studied here. At university, he met Rosamund, who was his childhood friend at the orphanage.


    Their love grew since they were little and blossomed when they spent a lot of time together in university. Peter and Rosamund finally decided to get married when Peter got a job offer in London. He left first, and Rosamund would follow after graduation.


    Unfortunately, bad luck befell the young couple. The new type of aircraft Peter was boarding suffered engine failure and crashed in the mountains. None of the passengers survived.


    Rosamund experienced a difficult pregnancy because of the stress of being left behind by her soul mate in such a short time. Her health never recovered after she gave birth to Marie, but the woman struggled to survive while caring for her daughter because she did not want Marie to be raised in an orphanage like her.


    All the money that Peter left behind was invested for Marie''s living expenses. After Rosamund was admitted to the hospital, she managed to make sure there was always someone taking care of Marie so that her daughter could stay in school, and most importantly ... not taken by the state.


    "My assistant claimed to be Marie''s distant relative so that Marie could stay at home, not be taken by the social services to be admitted to an orphanage while I''m in a hospital like this ..." said Mrs. Lu with a happy face. Her voice sounded proud, as she looked at her daughter lovingly. "My smart daughter managed to take care of herself and grow well. She has grown into an amazing woman, don''t you agree?"


    She patted her daughter''s cheek affectionately, and Marie just looked down with a smile.


    "Mother must be very proud," Nicolae commented honestly. "Marie is indeed amazing."


    "You are right... I''m very proud of her. Marie is my moon and my stars."


    "Mom... I already told Nicolae about all that ... If you repeat it like that, he will be bored ..." Marie said to her mother.


    "Ahh .. it''s okay, I''m never tired listening to stories about you," Nicolae said hurriedly.


    He was impressed by Mrs. Lu''s story about her daughter. His view of the girl had changed a little now. He knew Marie had deliberately prevented her mother from telling him too much about her past because she was ashamed and didn''t want'' Nicolae to feel sorry for her.


    "Ah, you heard the man. Nicolae loves hearing stories about you ..." Mrs. Lu chuckled. "Oh, by the way... what happened to your flower shop? Do you still manage your flower shop like before?"


    Marie nodded. "I do, Mom. I also just secured a contract to supply flowers to several hotel chains. Everything is going well."


    "Hmm ... I''m glad to hear that. Then where do you two live after getting married?" Mrs. Lu asked again.


    "We both live in my apartment ..." Marie answered.


    "On Robertson Road," Nicolae added.


    For a moment, Mrs. Lu frowned in surprise. "Isn''t your apartment in ...?"


    "I ... I have moved, recently ..." Marie said hurriedly. "Now, I live on Robertson Road."


    Nicolae did not understand why Marie looked a little panicked. Did Marie live somewhere else before? This was not a strange thing, right? People can move house for one reason or another. Why did Marie look so uncomfortable?


    "I moved there because the location was very strategic, Mom. We really like staying there," Marie added.


    "Hmmm ... it looks like everything is going well with you. I see that you guys are very compatible. I am very happy to hear that," said Mrs. Lu softly. The woman''s face winced again in pain, and for a moment, she couldn''t make a sound.


    When she saw Mrs. Lu''s fists clenched and her knuckles turned white, Nicolae turned to Marie and saw the girl''s face turn pale and tears welled in her eyes.


    Obviously, the girl knew the suffering her mother was going through, but she held back and said nothing. Just like Mrs. Lu who was used to hiding her pain, Marie was used to pretending not to see her mother hiding the excruciating pain she was having.


    The sight stunned Nicolae. He saw how much the mother loved her daughter. She did not want her child to worry about the pain she was experiencing, while the daughter seemed very fond of her mother and pretended not to see the pain experienced by her mother so that her mother did not feel worried.


    This is a scene that broke Nicolae''s gentle heart. For a few minutes, the three said nothing. Mrs. Lu then took a deep breath, and it seemed that the pain she had experienced had now dissipated.


    She smiled again and then turned to Nicolae. Her hand touched the young man''s cheek, and her voice sounded very soft when she spoke seriously.


    "Nicolae, you are a very good young man. Thank you for willing to come here to help my daughter. Actually, I truly wish... you could be the man that will love and protect my beloved daughter, but sadly, I know that you two are only pretending ..."

 Chapter 748 - Drastic Measures

    "What do you mean, Mom? We are not pretending. He is indeed my husband..." Marie said with a surprised expression.


    "Marie, I know you very well, my sweet daughter. I know why you are doing this. You don''t have to pretend in front of me. I know you always try to make me feel happy and content. You want to make me think you''re okay, so you look for a man to pretend to be your husband ..."


    Gosh ... even though she was sick, Mrs. Lu''s mind was still very sharp, thought Nicolae in admiration.


    After talking with her for the past hour, he had been able to asses how smart and impressive Mrs. Lu was. This woman was wise and intelligent. Had she not been sick, Nicolae thought she might be able to accomplish many things in her life.


    But instead, she had been confined to her hospital bed for most of her days. This made him very sorry for her.


    "Mother ... You are wrong. Marie and I do love each other, and we are not fooling you ..." Nicolae finally said, trying to keep Marie''s lies from being uncovered.


    "Sweetheart, I have been locked up in the hospital for a very long time, but I am not stupid." Mrs. Lu rubbed Nicolae''s head as if to a child and shook her head. "If you are already married, you must surely know Marie''s true profession. If you are married, surely you will wear a ring on your finger ... but I do not see the ring. I''m not stupid .. I also don''t see any love between you."


    Both of them were stunned to hear Mrs. Lu''s firm voice. They couldn''t seem to fool her.


    "I don''t know why you are doing this, Marie, but I am very sad because you feel the need to lie to me ..."


    Mrs. Lu''s face, which was always smiling earlier, now was filled with sadness. She struggled to get back on her feet and sit in her wheelchair.


    "Let me help you," Nicolae said hurriedly. The woman shook her head and refused the young man''s help. She tried to return to her wheelchair on her own. Her whole gesture implied disappointment, and this made Marie look devastated.


    Nicolae was stunned to see the fragile body inching back to her wheelchair, and her face winced in pain several times. However, her hands clenched in fists, trying to pull herself together.


    At that moment, Nicolae, who was filled with compassion, took a drastic decision.


    "Mrs. Lu ... Mother... You are wrong. Marie and I truly love each other. Our relationship is very new, and there are still so many things we have to learn about each other. But please believe me when I say that we are both sincere about our feelings and our intention." Nicolae crouched down before Mrs. Lu''s wheelchair and hugged her knees.


    His eyes looked very serious. "Marie was very worried about you and thought of a plan for us to pretend to be married so that you would not constantly think about her safety and her happiness. But what actually happened was ... I was really going to propose to her, and I honestly want to marry her ... My visit today was actually to ask for your blessings in our relationship."


    Marie and Mrs. Lu were very surprised to hear Nicolae''s words. From the side, Marie looked at the young man with a questioning look. She did not understand what was on Nicolae''s mind.


    Mrs. Lu looked at Nicolae with a thoughtful look. She did not believe the words of the young man in front of her.


    "If you don''t believe me, we can get married today to prove to you that we are not lying," Nicolae added.


    "So, are you two really going to get married?" asked Mrs. Lu, this time to Marie. Apparently, the woman knew her child well, and now she wanted to ask for information from the girl to assess her honesty.


    Nicolae wasn''t sure what he just said, but, at that moment, he suspected that there was no other way to calm down Ms. Lu''s heart. He had seen for himself how much she was experiencing extreme pain, and as a doctor who was used to saving lives and doing what''s best for his patients, this time he was forced to take such drastic measures.


    He was a man who couldn''t and was not used to lying. He was not good at acting, but today, he was determined to do anything to make this fragile woman with a terminal illness get her peace.


    Nicolae was amazed at how his lips could utter those words of lies so easily to Mrs. Lu.


    He firmly even repeated his lies again. "Mrs. Lu ... I, Nicolae Sorin, love your daughter very much. I want to marry her. I will love her for the rest of my life and make her happy ... I hope Mother will give us your blessings. I am not lying... We would love it if you could be present at our wedding."


    A muffled cry came out of Marie''s lips, and tears slowly ran down her freckled cheeks. This girl felt very touched because this man, who was practically a stranger, turned out to be very kind and even willing to lie for the sake of making her mother happy.


    She felt ashamed and indebted at the same time. She had never met such a kind man in her whole life.


    With a hoarse voice, Marie knelt at her mother''s feet and begged her. "I really love Nicolae, Mom... please give us your blessing ..."


    Nicolae turned to Marie and nodded. Their eyes made a silent agreement.

 Chapter 749 - Nicolae Broke His Principle

    "Mrs. Lu, I don''t have a mother. She passed away a long time ago. I loved her very much and I understand how Marie feels about you. I, too, will do anything for my mother''s happiness. I really admire Marie and feel that we complement each other. I admire her strength. I admire that she never despaired and that she loves you very much."


    Nicolae took Marie''s hand and placed it on Mrs. Lu''s knee. "I really want to marry her. I am asking for your blessing today. Are you willing to trust me with your beloved daughter? I will take care of her. I will love her. I will protect her and make sure her happiness is paramount. If Mother is willing to accept me as your son-in-law, then, please allow me to ask Marie''s hand in marriage ..."


    Both women looked equally stunned. They had no idea that Nicolae would say such a thing, especially Marie. She knew for sure that the man, from the outset, was very firm in not wanting to have anything to do with her after their two-day agreement was over.


    If they were going to really get married in front of Mrs. Lu, Marie knew this play they were acting would become serious and she did not know how to react.


    For a moment, Mrs. Lu looked at Nicolae with a surprised expression. Tears then flowed down from her eyes and finally, unable to hold back, she was sobbing. She cried for a long time that Nicolae and Marie did not know what to do.


    "Mom... are you angry at us?" Marie asked in a worried voice.


    "Did I say something hurtful?" Nicolae asked.


    Mrs. Lu shook her head vigorously and rubbed their heads in turn lovingly.


    "No ... These are not tears of sadness. These are tears of happiness. Thank you ..." she whispered between her sobs. "I have always felt guilty because I could not be there for you. Since you were born, I only give you suffering. This made me feel very sad. In your life, you have never gotten happiness from me. I feel this is unfair to you. But, I am helpless, and there is nothing I can do for you. All this makes me very heartbroken ..."


    Mrs. Lu''s sobs became even more intense. She now cupped her face with both hands. She looked truly aggrieved.


    "That''s not true. Mom, you did the best for me, and my life is very happy ..." Marie said calmly.


    "That''s not true. You basically raised yourself. I have been nothing but a burden to you," whispered Mrs. Lu. "I feel very guilty if I leave you alone in this world to meet your father again. But now, because I see that there is actually a man who loves you as much as I do, someone who is willing to do anything for you ... I feel content."


    "Ah... does this mean, you will you accept me as Marie''s husband?" Nicolae asked with a smile. "We would be very happy if you could come and give us your blessings."


    Marie''s face also looked bright at her mother''s words. She exchanged glances with Nicolae, and the two smiled at each other.


    "We will get married as soon as possible. We can do it tomorrow morning if you''re okay with it..." said Marie in a cheerful voice. "Mom, we must dress up and look beautiful together."


    Mrs. Lu nodded and smiled happily. The atmosphere that was previously filled with sadness and melancholy, slowly turned happier. Mrs. Lu was all smiles. She even laughed a few times as she kissed her daughter''s cheek and patted her shoulders affectionately.


    Even though in a glance, it looked like she was getting stronger and healthier, Nicolae knew that Mrs. Lu''s condition was actually like a smoldering wick on a candle. She was on the last of her flames. Nicolae could see that the fragile woman didn''t have much time.


    Nicolae broke his principle for the first time and lied to make a dying woman happy for one last time. He hoped that at the end of her tragic life she could feel a little happiness.


    They chatted in the garden for half an hour, enjoying the breeze, the smell of freshly mown grass, the warm sunshine, and feeding geese in the lotus pond. When the sun was high, Mrs. Lu then asked to be brought back to her room.


    "My head hurts a lot. I need to lie down. Could you please take me inside?" she asked softly.


    "Of course, Mom. Please take a rest, I''ll be watching over you."


    They brought Ms. Lu back to her room and let her rest. After seeing her mother asleep, Marie sat thoughtfully by her mother''s bed. She still could not forget the events that had just occurred in the garden.


    This stranger, who was supposed to be pretending as her husband, suddenly proposed to marry her in front of her mother ... just so that her mother could die in peace.


    "I think ... I should go home now," Nicolae said, rising from his chair. Marie nodded. She stood up and escorted Nicolae out of the room. They walked slowly out. Marie''s face looked pale and confused when she spoke to him in the hallway of the hospital.


    "What did you do just now?" she whispered in a slightly protesting tone. "We shouldn''t have gone that far."


    Nicolae looked at Marie closely and shook his head. "Marie, your mother is just sick, she is not stupid. She knew what happened, and if I didn''t take the initiative at that time, she would never trust you again. She would hang in there for a very long time and keep struggling to stay alive just to see you finally happy."


    Marie was stunned by Nicolae''s explanation.


    "But.. I ... I don''t want to inconvenience you any further ..." she said regretfully.


    "There is no use crying over spilled milk, I''ve been involved this far," Nicolae could only shrug. "I understand how you feel. I know how much you want to see your mother let go and leave in peace. For this reason, for this one time, I have violated my principles and lie for you. I think what your mother is experiencing now is her last flame. She looked like she is getting better, her face beamed because she''s happy ... but it''s all just a sign that she is losing her strength ... and she will die soon."


    Marie was no longer ashamed of shedding tears in front of Nicolae. "So what should we do? You already said that we would get married in front of my mother. Are we hiring a fake priest for our wedding?"


    Nicolae shook her head. "You can''t. I don''t think this is a big deal. We can just get married in the hospital chapel. We can call a marriage registrar from the ROM (Registry Of Marriages) office. After all this is over, you have to have it annulled. A maximum of three months after the wedding, you just need to register the annulment. If you do it right away, everything will be okay..."


    In every major hospital, there was usually a chapel, where families of patients who wish to pray for healing for a sick family member could come and offer prayers to the God they worshipped.


    In these chapels, it is not uncommon for weddings to occur between terminally ill patients with their loved ones. When they knew that they didn''t have much time left, some of them wanted to solemnize their love in marriage before they leave this world forever.


    They would hold a wedding ceremony in the hospital chapel by inviting only close relatives, and maybe some medical personnel who had been assisting their care, and the marriage registrar will be invited to come. This was a common practice today.


    Marie nodded in agreement. Her eyes were filled with gratitude.

 Chapter 750 - Nicolaes Decision

    "I feel so bad for involving you this far..." The girl whispered.


    Nicolae only shook his head. "I don''t think I have a choice. Besides... you can immediately annul it."


    "You''re right. But I''m not comfortable with you because now you are involved so deeply in my affairs. If you married me for real, you will be registered as being married twice at such a young age, and divorced twice. It wouldn''t look good for you. Women would think there must be something wrong with you that you can''t keep a marriage." The girl looked uneasy for bothering Nicolae in such a way.


    The young man stared at Marie with a complicated look. Finally, he could only say, "I have never been married. And I did not ask you to take care of the divorce after your mother died. I asked that you take care of the annulment."


    "Oh ... really? I''m sorry for making my own assumption. I thought you were married to your kids'' mother and then got divorced," Marie said regretfully.


    "No, we are not married," Nicolae answered firmly.


    He really wanted to marry Aleksis ... but fate was not on his side.


    Marie looked surprised at Nicolae''s answer. "Does that mean, you have children out of wedlock?"


    Nicolae massaged his forehead. He suddenly felt very tired.


    "Marie, I already told you--no, I begged you, not to ask too many questions and interfere in my personal affairs. I am willing to marry you just to help you lie to your mother because I cannot bear to see her suffer. But, apart from the fake marriage registration that we will do tomorrow ... you and I don''t have any relationship." He looked at Marie with a sharp look that made the girl stunned. "Please do not interfere in my personal affairs and do not interfere in the affairs of my children."


    "All right. I''m sorry. I was just curious. I promise I won''t ask any more questions," Marie said hurriedly. After all, she was indebted to Nicolae, and she did not want to upset him.


    "All right, then. Who will take care of the wedding tomorrow? You or me?" Nicolae asked her.


    "Let me do it. I don''t want to inconvenience you any further. I will take care of our wedding ceremony with the hospital chapel and also contact ROM. I will also bring all the necessary stuff." Marie immediately offered.


    "All right. Here''s my phone number. You can contact me to inform me of all the preparations," Nicolae gave her his card that contained the spare contact number that he had prepared for strangers. No matter what, Marie was nothing to him, he could not give his personal contact to the girl.


    "Thank you. I''ll keep you updated," Marie said, keeping the card Nicolae gave her in her bag.


    "All right, then I''ll go home now. The kids are waiting for me," Nicolae said. He turned and walked out of the sanatorium building with long steps. He felt a little depressed, and he tried to massage his forehead, which suddenly hurt.


    This morning should have been easy, had Mrs. Lu not caught them in their lies. Who would have thought, their little white lie now had turned into something very serious.


    He never expected that he would offer to marry Marie in front of her mother just to give the old lady peace before she died. This is really unexpected.


    As Nicolae walked away, Marie stood rooted in her spot.


    When the young man almost reached the end of the hall, the girl was moved from her reverie. She ran after Nicolae and hugged the young man''s waist from behind.


    Marie''s tears spilled and wet the man''s shirt as she buried her face on his back and cried there despondently. Nicolae could only be silent in his place when Marie''s small hands wrapped around his waist. For the first time, he realized that the girl''s scent reminded him of the fresh citrus scent of Aleksis''s body.


    Why, at a time like this, he was still thinking of Aleksis?


    He could only close his eyes and keep his own sadness to himself.


    "Thank you ... Thank you ... I cannot repay your kindness. I''m sorry, for giving you so much trouble ..." Marie whispered in between her sobs. "I really appreciate what you did to me. I am indebted to you forever..."


    Nicolae remained silent and waited until Marie had finished crying on his back. After the girl calmed down and stopped crying, Nicolae felt that his shirt was soaked in her tears. He then turned and faced Marie. Without saying a word, he put his right hand around her head and rubbed Marie''s head to calm her down.


    They both stood like that in the hospital hallway for some time. After Marie''s tears completely subsided, Nicolae then walked away again. He did not look back at all.


    When he returned to his apartment, Nicolae daydreamed a lot. Altair and Vega who saw him sitting pensively at his desk could only wonder, what was bothering their father''s mind.


    Unfortunately, they did not get an answer from the man. The two ten-year-olds didn''t know what was bothering Nicolae. He also did not intend to share what was in his heart to them, because the two children were still too small to be bothered by a.d.u.l.t problems.


    He was stressed because he felt obliged to help Marie to lie to her mother, to make the dying woman happy before she died. He did not expect things would turn this serious just because he was too kind and could not bear to see Mrs. Lu suffer. Finally, he took the initiative and offered to be Marie''s fake husband, and tomorrow they would get married for real.


    For someone like Nicolae, marriage is something sacred and important. He never fell in love with a girl easily and then thought of marrying her. Moreover, he is an Alchemist with their conservative culture. They believed that humans should get married only once in a lifetime.


    Nicolae knew that the wound in his heart was still fresh. He was still in love with Aleksis and it had been a struggle for him to heal his broken heart. He even thought it would take him decades or even a century before he could fall in love again and thought about marriage with any other woman.


    He didn''t realize that his heart was too soft. So, when he saw Mrs. Lu, he violated his own principles and immediately offered to enter into a fake marriage with Marie, a woman he barely knew, just to make Mrs. Lu happy one last time, before she took her final breath.


    This was one of the things that made him quite depressed today. In addition to that, Nicolae was also very concerned about the fact that a year had passed since he entered into an agreement with his brother, Alaric, that he could live with the twins, Altair and Vega. This week, the agreement ended and he had to return them to their biological parents.


    Aleksis'' birthday will take place in 5 days and Nicolae had promised to bring the children to Grosseto 4 days from now, so they could meet Lauriel, his father, at Medici Castle.


    Later, Lauriel will take the children to Targu Mures to meet Aleksis and Alaric.


    He didn''t understand how could a year pass like a blink of an eye.

 Chapter 751 - Wedding At The Chapel

    That night Nicolae could not sleep. His mind was filled with problems. The most severe one, of course, was letting go of Altair and Vega to return to their parents. He knew it would be truly unfair to his younger brother Alaric, who loved his two children dearly, if he kept taking the two children away from Alaric.


    Why ... Why can''t he find a woman for himself and have his own children so, he didn''t have to share Altair and Vega? It is already very sad that these two brothers loved the same woman... and now they had to compete for the love and affection of her children.


    [I took care of everything. The wedding will be held in the hospital chapel at 10 am tomorrow morning. Thanks. I owe you one.]


    A text from Marie came at almost midnight. That reminded Nicolae that he had to force himself to sleep so that he wouldn''t look sleepy and tired tomorrow morning in front of Mrs. Lu. Pretending needed immense energy, therefore he must rest.


    Nicolae finally took two sleeping pills and forced himself to rest.


    ***


    The next morning at 9.30 am, Nicolae arrived at Stamford Hospital. This time he was dressed in a neat suit. Even though for him, this was a fake marriage, but he still had to respect this procession and Mrs. Lu''s presence, so he dressed up like a groom.


    "You arrived early," said Marie, who emerged from her mother''s ward after Nicolae knocked on the door. The girl closed the door behind her. "Mom is getting ready. She insisted that she wants to look beautiful at her daughter''s wedding."


    For a moment, Nicolae was stunned to see the girl''s appearance. Yesterday was the first time he saw Marie in a yellow summer dress that looked very elegant, but this morning, he saw the girl wearing a white dress made of fine brocade, and this really made her look like a beautiful bride.


    The girl even wore thin makeup that made her beautiful face look even more attractive. Her hair was fashioned in a small bun above her head. Overall she looked like a real bride. She also put considerable effort into looking her part for this fake marriage in front of her mother.


    "Then I will wait in front of the chapel. Please let me know when you are ready." Nicolae refrained from complimenting Marie''s appearance.


    At five to ten, he got a text from Marie asking him to come to her mother''s ward. The young man got up, put on his suit, and walked there.


    In front of the door to Mrs. Lu''s ward, he saw Marie standing elegantly while pushing her mother''s wheelchair, accompanied by two nurses.


    "Let''s begin now," Marie said, smiling sweetly.


    Nicolae nodded. He approached them, then took the wheelchair from Marie''s hand and said gently, "Let me push it."


    Mrs. Lu touched Nicolae''s hand as he pushed her wheelchair and squeezed it softly. The woman looked very beautiful despite her frail condition. "Good morning, Nicolae ..."


    "Good morning, Mother, how are you?"


    Mrs. Lu nodded weakly, "I am fine. Thank you. You look very handsome today."


    "Thank you. Mother looks very pretty too."


    "Are you only going to compliment me?" asked Mrs. Lu in a feign of protest. "You''re not going to compliment my daughter? You know she hates wearing a dress. All this time, she always looked casual. I think only you managed to change her. For two days in a row now, she had dressed up very elegantly and feminine because she came with you ..."


    "Marie is always beautiful in anything," Nicolae said in praise. "I don''t mind her wearing a tank top and ripped jeans. For me, she is still beautiful. But today, she does look different, and I really like it."


    Hearing Nicolae''s words, Marie blushed. She looked away, trying to hide the red tinge on her cheeks. For a moment, Nicolae was stunned by the girl''s attitude. Today, she looked so adorable, but Nicolae didn''t say anything more.


    At the moment, the focus was to bring Ms. Lu to the chapel and have their fake marriage officiated. Later, he would leave it to Marie to take care of the annulment after her mother died.


    By that time, Nicolae must have already gone back to Grosetto. He would be far away in Italy or even continued traveling around the world after handing Altair and Vega back to his brother.


    Nicolae, Marie, and Mrs. Lu and the two nurses who helped her slowly but surely headed for the chapel of the Stamford Hospital.


    When they arrived, it turned out, several doctors and nurses were waiting. They had been helping to take care of Mrs. Lu while she was being treated in this hospital. They all rose to welcome the small group when they arrived.


    Their faces looked very happy.


    "We are very pleased to hear this news. This is truly a very good day. You look wonderful today, Madam," said the doctors and nurses in the chapel.


    "Thank you ... Thank you..." Mrs. Lu repeatedly returned their congratulations.


    With an expression filled with happiness and a happy face, she held Nicolae''s left hand and Marie''s right hand.


    After he placed Mrs. Marie''s wheelchair among the guests, Nicolae crouched down and hugged Mrs. Lu''s knees. "Mother, thank you for giving birth to this wonderful woman for me. I promise that I will love her and take care of her for the rest of my life. Sorry, I cannot hold a better and more festive wedding than this because of time constraints, but I promise that once you are well, we will have a grand wedding ceremony, that is so much better than this one. I will give what your daughter deserves ..." Nicolae said softly


    Mrs. Lu nodded slowly and smiled. She said nothing.


    "Then we will immediately begin the wedding ceremony," said the marriage registrar in a loud voice.


    Nicolae got up and then stood beside Marie, who was already facing the registrar. To make it look more convincing, Nicolae deliberately clasped Marie''s hand and squeezed it softly. They both seemed to love each other and were ready to get married.

 Chapter 752 - Its A Beautiful Rain

    Nicolae didn''t really remember what happened. Everything went blur for him. His vision was blurred throughout the procession and he only remembered saying "I do" when the marriage registrar asked if he would take Marie as his lawfully wedded wife and take care of and love her for the rest of their lives.


    Nicolae also heard the same answer coming from Marie''s lips, but the rest he could not remember what had happened. All took place like a dream, not in real life. He was only moved from his reverie after the wedding procession was over.


    The doctors and nurses attending the ceremony congratulated them both with radiant faces. Everyone present also saw Mrs. Lu appear to be smiling happily at her daughter and Nicolae alternately.


    "I''m very happy. Thank you, Nicolae, for coming into my daughter''s life," the woman whispered softly. Nicolae could only nod. He could see that despite being all smiles, in fact, the fragile woman winced in pain several times.


    Until the last moment, Mrs. Lu was still trying her hardest to hide her pain.


    "It seems like my mother is very sick." Finally, Marie, who had always pretended not to see her mother''s pain, panicked. She threw the bridal bouquet out of her hands and immediately took her mother''s wheelchair handle. She wanted to bring her mother back to the ward. "I think we should immediately take her back to her room so she could rest."


    Nicolae nodded in agreement. Both then thanked the doctors and nurses who were willing to attend their wedding ceremony. Marie and Nicolae then pushed Mrs. Lu''s wheelchair back into her room.


    Nobody said anything along the way there. When they arrived, Nicolae carried Mrs. Lu and placed her on the bed. For some reason, his premonition got worse.


    He felt the body suddenly turn very cold. He saw that Ms. Lu was still alive, but her breathing slowly became very weak. The woman tried so hard to open her eyes and keep smiling.


    Nicolae had never seen a patient who experienced such immense pain but kept trying to display such a warm smile on her face.


    "Marie ... I am very happy. Now, I can feel content and meet your father again. I hope you will let me go, my sweet daughter. I hope you will always be happy ..." whispered Mrs. Lu in a choked voice. "I''m sorry, I... can''t be with you for much longer."


    Marie tried hard to hold back her tears from flowing. She nodded calmly. Her face was also filled with a smile. "Mom, it''s okay ... I just want you to relax. I''m fine here ... Nicolae is here with me ... We will take care of each other."


    Mrs. Lu nodded slowly. Her left hand pulled Nicolae''s hand and her right hand held Marie''s. She then joined their hands in hers. She slowly pulled their hands to her c.h.e.s.t with her tiny hands and kissed both hands lovingly as if they were her most valuable treasure.


    Ms. Lu''s gaze was then distracted as her eyes caught drop after drop of rain falling through the window. For a moment, she looked stunned. Her gaze stared straight out as if the falling rain was the most beautiful sight in the world.


    Marie whispered to Nicolae, "My mother hasn''t seen the rain for a long time. Every time she woke up, the weather was always hot and sunny. She really likes the smell of petrichor ... the special smell coming from the ground when it is raining..."


    "Oh, is that so?" Nicolae nodded. Even though the window of the room was closed and in fact they could not actually smell the rain, but the expression of happiness on Mrs. Lu''s face made them feel like they could smell the rain from inside the room.


    Both of them let Ms. Lu enjoy the view outside. They were amazed, because, for a moment, her expression looked like a small child who was fascinated by the beautiful natural scenery.


    "It''s beautiful," came the voice from her lips repeatedly.


    The rain was getting heavier and now the view from the window had completely been replaced by the heavy downpour of rain. Mrs. Lu seemed to enjoy the rain falling with all her heart. She closed her eyes as if she could breathe the smell of rain falling outside her window.


    Half whispering, she said, "It''s a beautiful rain. I''m so happy."


    Then she closed her eyes and breathed his last.


    For a moment, Marie and Nicolae seemed unable to believe that the fragile woman had just died. Nicolae had not faced a patient for a long time, and the feeling in his c.h.e.s.t this time felt very suffocating.


    Marie cried in a poignant voice. She almost looked like losing her mind because she was wailing and pounding on her c.h.e.s.t. Her cry filled the room, which now felt like it had lost oxygen and became intensely suffocating the moment Ms. Lu took her last breath.


    Marie must accept the fact that her beloved mother finally passed away. The death of her mother just proved her assumption. All this time, her mother only survived to see her happy. After Mrs. Lu saw that Marie found a man who loved her, and after she witnessed their wedding, Mrs. Lu finally let go... and died in peace.


    The girl''s pitiful cry was accompanied by the heavy rain, making the atmosphere felt so sad. Subconsciously Nicolae wrapped his arms around Marie''s shoulder, trying to calm the girl.


    He could do nothing but rub her shoulders to make her feel a little support, to make the girl think that someone was there for her in the midst of a difficult time like this.


    Nicolae let Marie cry for more than an hour until finally the girl was exhausted and she couldn''t shed tears anymore. His hands patiently rubbed her back to show sympathy and to calm her.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    I''m sorry for the inconsistent update the past several days. I was unwell and what little energy I had was used to make a video in TikTok to join the #inyourface #faceslapping challenge from .


    So... I made a short video using chibi characters from this novel and published it in TikTok. You can find it using the hashtags above, or search my username @Missrealitybites. I hope you will check it out and show support. Yeayy...


    If I won the challenge and get the prize (banner in for 24 hours), I will celebrate it by giving you MA.S.S RELEASE of 10 chapters!!


    So.. go ahead and check the video, like and comment. I hope we can win the challenge together :).

 Chapter 753 - The Sad Girl

    After Marie''s tears subsided, Nicolae then asked cautiously, "What can I do for you? Is there a friend I can contact to come and help you?"


    Marie could only shake her head.


    "What about Sanna?" Nicolae asked again.


    Marie still shook her head. "Sanna is abroad with her new boyfriend. They met two months ago and now the two have decided to get to know each other better by traveling together."


    "I see, hmm..." Nicolae had no idea that the girl who went on the blind date with him months ago had found a boyfriend, and in difficult times like this Sanna was not beside Marie as her best friend. "What about your other friends? Or family members? Is there someone I can call for you?"


    Marie just shook her head. Her voice sounded very sad when she said, "I don''t have anyone else. I don''t want to bother you further. Thank you for your help all this time. You had made my mother happy before she died. I will forever be indebted to you."


    The girl looked at Nicolae with a sad look and red eyes. She couldn''t shed tears anymore.


    "Don''t worry about it. It''s nothing. I just want to see this through till the end. Now we have to think about the funeral ... or cremation. What do you want to do for your mother?"


    "My mother always wanted to die during rain and now she got what she wanted. When my father died 22 years ago, he was cremated and his ashes scattered into the sea. I think ... she would also be happy if she could join him in the ocean. So that''s what I''ll do. "


    Nicolae nodded. "Then, I''ll contact the crematorium to take care of your mother''s cremation."


    "No need, I''ll do it," Marie raised her hand to prevent Nicolae from doing more things for her.


    Nicolae held her hand gently. "Right now, you can''t do anything. Let me help you. I know you are sad. Today has been such a devastating day. You''d better rest. Just be sad and let it all out. Let me help you with cremation matters and other stuff."


    "But ..." Marie was still trying to refuse, but Nicolae ignored her.


    "I insist," said the young man stubbornly.


    After a while, Marie finally realized that this man would not give up on helping her. She then nodded gratefully.


    "I want to be here to accompany my mother ..."


    "All right. Then I''ll take care of everything." Nicolae patted Marie''s shoulder slowly then walked out. His hands were still in his pockets as usual. But his figure who had always looked indifferent now seemed overcome with sadness.


    Nicolae knew what it was like to lose a mother he loved so much. When his adoptive mother died 60 years ago, he was as devastated as Marie was now.


    But at that time, he still had his adoptive father and friends and extended family who loved him. And also, after decades passed, he finally found that he still had a biological father. He also had a twin brother. Nicolae had always been surrounded by family and friends all his life. He was never alone.


    While Marie, she did not have anyone, and since the age of 12, she must take care of herself and grow up without experiencing parental love. Nicolae could imagine, this must be really hard for such a young girl. Because of that, Nicolae was determined to help the poor girl.


    He still had four days before his departure for Italy. The next few days would be enough time for him to help take care of Mrs. Lu''s cremation and make sure Marie was all right.


    Nicolae wasted no time in dealing with the cremation process. After everything was settled, he returned to the hospital at nightfall. Mrs. Lu''s body had been taken to the mortuary, but Marie still sat in the chair beside her mother''s bed and sat absentmindedly.


    Nicolae sat with Marie for half an hour. Then he patted the girl''s shoulder and invited her to dinner.


    "You have to eat; otherwise, you will get sick," he whispered softly, several times. Because Marie did not move, Nicolae finally took a drastic measure and carried the girl in his arms and took her out of the ward.


    Marie did not respond at all. It seemed like her mother''s death really hit Marie hard, and she almost lost consciousness.


    "Marie ... what do you want to eat?" Nicolae asked, carrying Marie out of the hospital hallway. The girl did not reply. She was moved to tears. Finally, the young man decided to bring Marie back to her apartment.


    He walked to his BMW and placed Marie in the passenger seat then drove the car to their apartment building on Robertson Road.


    "Which floor do you live on?" he asked after they arrived at the lobby.


    "Ten ..." Marie answered, almost without a sound. Her eyes had begun to fill with consciousness, but her body was too weak to react.


    Nicolae pressed the elevator button to the tenth floor and took Marie to her floor. In the elevator, he felt Marie''s pocket and found the keys with unit number 1017. As soon as the elevator door opened, he immediately rushed to unit number 1017 and took Marie inside.


    Nicolae laid Marie on her bed and hurried to the kitchen to see if there was any food the girl could eat. The young man was quite impressed to see a neat little kitchen that contained lots of food.


    Judging from a variety of equipment and cooking utensils and food ingredients that filled the kitchen, he could conclude that Marie liked cooking. However, because at this moment, the girl was in a very weak state and could not do anything, Nicolae decided to make simple dishes so that Marie could eat.


    He deftly worked chopping up vegetables and meat and preparing pots and other cooking utensils. Fifteen minutes later, he returned to Marie''s room with two bowls of delicious chicken soup for both of them.

 Chapter 754 - The Girl Looked So Fragile And Lonely

    Nicolae chopped up some vegetables and meat and prepared the pots and other cooking utensils. Fifteen minutes later, he returned to Marie''s room with two bowls of delicious chicken soup for both of them.


    For people who were experiencing a sad and fragile situation like Marie now, warm food that they could easily digest like chicken soup would make them feel better. That was why Nicolae intentionally cooked it for Marie. He placed the two bowls on the table by the bed and touched Marie''s hand to wake her.


    "Eat first; otherwise, you will get sick. Remember, tomorrow we still have to cremate your mother. You also have to take her to sea to be united with your father."


    Nicolae was very sympathetic to see how Marie tried hard to pick herself up from her pain. Without saying a word, the girl got out of bed then forced herself to enjoy the chicken soup that Nicolae prepared.


    Her mouth muttered a ''thank you'' in an unclear voice. Nicolae just nodded. They both then enjoyed the chicken soup in silence. After eating, Nicolae took care of the two bowls and washed them in the kitchen, while Marie snuggled back into her bed.


    "You should rest tonight, okay. Tomorrow morning, I''ll pick you up to take care of your mother''s cremation."


    Marie just nodded. She thanked him again in a barely audible voice.


    Nicolae left Marie''s apartment on the 10th floor and then went up to the 21st floor to his own residence. His tired and sad face piqued Altair and Vega''s interests.


    They approached their father and hugged him lovingly. The two 10-year-old children took turns going to Nicolae and hugging him and asking how he was.


    "Are you okay? Why do you look sad?" Vega asked in an attentive voice. Nicolae just shook his head and kissed their foreheads. He then moved to the kitchen to distract them.


    "Did you have dinner? There is food in the fridge that you can warm-up," he said softly.


    The two children shook their heads in unison.


    "Not yet. We are waiting for Daddy," answered Altair.


    "I will make something for us to eat," Nicolae finally said. He warmed up the food from the refrigerator in the microwave, and a short while later, the three of them had sat facing the dining table to enjoy dinner.


    Because he had eaten chicken soup in Marie''s apartment, Nicolae ate only a little.


    "Tomorrow I have to go all day. You don''t mind staying home, do you?" he asked after dinner.


    Altair and Vega exchanged glances. They were a bit surprised. It''s been two days in a row that Nicolae looked really busy. Yesterday, he met with Marie, and today he claimed to go to the hospital, but whom he visited and what he did there, he did not want to give further explanation.


    Therefore, the kids could only guess where Nicolae would go tomorrow and why he needed all day. However, Altair and Vega realized that they were only children who may not be able to understand the affairs of the a.d.u.l.ts. They decided not to ask further.


    "I will ask your two bodyguards to stay with you in the apartment. They can help you with your study." Nicolae said to his two children.


    "Thank you, Daddy. You don''t need to worry about us. Just do what you need to do tomorrow," Altair said soothingly. "We can also talk to Mommy through Virconnect."


    "Alright, then." Nicolae could only nod.


    ***


    The next day, Nicolae went down to the lobby at 10 am to wait for Marie. He had told the girl last night via SMS that they needed to go to the crematorium. Marie did not reply to his text.


    At 10.15, there was still no sign of Marie going down to the lobby, and Nicolae''s text was still not replied. He tried to contact Marie many times, but Maria did not answer his calls nor even reply to his texts. Finally, Nicolae decided to go up to the 10th floor to pick up Marie directly in her apartment.


    He knocked on the door several times before finally opening the door with Marie''s spare key, which he took for precautions. Last night, without permission, he took one of the keys to the girl''s apartment. Nicolae didn''t mean to be rude. He was worried that something might happen to Marie, and he could not help her if he did not have access to her apartment.


    When he got inside, Nicolae was baffled because he didn''t see Marie in the living room of her apartment. He called out the girl''s name, but no one answered. When Nicolae came into the bedroom, he only saw the messy bed, but he could not find Marie.


    He felt worried when he opened the door to the bathroom. Instantly, Nicolae let out a muffled sigh as he found the girl lying in a bathtub with her wrists covered in blood.


    "Gosh, Marie ... What did you do?" hissed Nicolae in a worried voice. "Why did you do that? You can''t do this ... Didn''t you go to great lengths to make your mother happy? Why did you want to kill yourself now that she''s gone? Gosh..."


    Nicolae felt very worried. He hurriedly lifted the girl''s body from the tub, which was filled with water almost to the brim.


    Apparently, Marie did that so that the blood coming out of her slashed wrists didn''t make her bathroom dirty. Nicolae hurriedly took two towels and pressed them on Marie''s wrists to stop the bleeding.


    The girl''s heartbeat slowed, and her body was very cold, making Nicolae worried. After making sure the blood stopped flowing, he wrapped Marie''s body with a thick towel and carried her to her bedroom.


    He placed the girl on the bed carefully. Marie had lost quite a lot of blood, but fortunately, she fainted before she could cut the main artery, which could make her bleeding so severe that it could be fatal.


    She was also lucky because Nicolae was a doctor who can maintain a cool head even in the most dangerous situations. He could remain calm and not panic. He looked for the first aid kit to treat the cut wounds in Marie''s hands.


    After returning with the first-aid kit, Nicolae then took off Marie''s wet clothes so she wouldn''t catch pneumonia due to the cold.


    "Why did you do this?" Nicolae repeatedly asked, as if Marie, who was unconscious, could hear him.


    Because the girl''s body felt very cold due to soaking in water for a long time, Nicolae turned on the AC to the highest temperature to help restore Marie''s body temperature.


    Nicolae then hurriedly treated the wounds on both of the girl''s wrists. He stitched her wounds deftly, gave an antiseptic, and then put on the bandage. After everything was done, he covered the girl''s body with several thick blankets and let her sleep.


    Nicolae sat on the edge of the bed and waited. An hour later, he heard a soft m.o.a.n from his side. Nicolae, who was pensive, staring at the window, immediately turned and greeted Marie gently.


    "You''re awake. Don''t worry, you''ll be fine," he said gently.


    Nicolae did not mention anything that had happened, nor did he ask the reason why Marie did it. He knew that family members of recently deceased patients could experience such grief and despair that they didn''t want to live anymore ... but he had no idea that Marie would be one of them.


    Today, the usually happy girl looked so fragile and lonely.

 Chapter 755 - The Fake Profile

    Nicolae left the room and returned a few moments later with a pot of warm tea and two glasses.


    "Would you like some tea?" he asked.


    Marie nodded silently. She took the cup from Nicolae''s hand and slowly sipped her tea until it was finished. A look of despair still adorned her face but at least colors had returned to her face, as she did not look as pale as before.


    "Sorry for bothering you again ... I''m truly sorry. I don''t know what got into me last night. I couldn''t sleep and had to take medication to help me close my eyes, but for some reason, I became very sad. I kept thinking about how my life has become meaningless. And suddenly... I ... "Marie paused for a moment as if contemplating the fact that now her only family was gone. Her voice sounded hoarse again as she cried softly. "Besides my mother, I have no one else in this world."


    "I understand," Nicolae said calmly. "I am not against people who want death. I think death is the basic right of every human being. Just as every human being has the right to live, they also have the right to die according to their own wishes, when they want it... how they want it. I do not oppose that, so I understand. But I didn''t expect that you would end your life before you finished cremating your mother. Who do you expect to take care of all that?"


    Marie looked down at Nicolae''s words. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she bowed in shame. "I''m sorry. I wasn''t thinking. I was very desperate last night."


    "We must go to the hospital immediately," Nicolae decided. "You should see a doctor to check your mental health."


    Marie hurriedly shook her head. "I''m fine ... Please don''t take me there ..."


    Nicolae looked at Marie for a long time to assess Marie''s mental state. The girl looked sad, but her face was filled with determination.


    The young man was surprised to realize that Marie was indeed very unpredictable. She could turn from sad to fine in such a short time. Was she bipolar? Or was she really used to pretending that she could just switch her emotions that easily? Which one was it?


    "All right. So, what do you want to do now?" Nicolae finally asked her. He refrained from thinking too much about it. He will leave in a few days anyway. Right now, he only needed to make sure Marie cremated her mother and then grief properly.


    "I want to spread my mother''s ashes in the sea as I originally planned ..." Marie answered softly.


    "We can do it. Do you really feel better?"


    Marie nodded. "My body is still weak, but that''s okay. You took good care of me ... like a doctor."


    "You''re lucky the sleeping pills reacted before you cut the arteries in your wrists, so you didn''t lose too much blood to cause a fatality. However, I''m not sure you''ll be so lucky next time. So, please don''t ever do this again. Also, don''t take sleeping pills carelessly. You should seek professional help to help you. Find a grief counselor. The hospital will be able to recommend someone to help you." Nicolae took a deep breath. "I''m sure your mother won''t be happy to know that her daughter turns this way ..."


    "I''m fine now. Please leave me. I want to change clothes ..." Marie finally said.


    Nicolae nodded, "Okay. I''ll prepare breakfast so you can get a little energy before we go to the crematorium."


    Marie just looked at the man''s back when he left her bedroom, unable to say anything. Two weeks ago, he was just a stranger to her... but today Nicolae had helped her so much. He stayed with her during the toughest times of her life and, this morning, he even saved her life.


    Marie never let others see her in a state of weakness. She had always expertly displayed a cheerful and strong personality ... but yesterday, Nicolae saw her being devastated when her mother passed away. She even tried to kill herself. She never felt so weak and fragile.


    The girl pressed her c.h.e.s.t, which felt tight with embarrassment and frustration. Why did she feel so weak these past few days? she thought sadly.


    Her mind drifted back to a beautiful afternoon two weeks ago. At that time, she had just closed her flower shop. It was a business she ran with Sanna, her best friend, as her cover. She was not really a florist.


    They closed the shop early because Marie wanted to take Sanna to the airport. The girl would fly to France to meet her new boyfriend. The man had visited Singapore twice and now asked Sanna to come to France and meet his family.


    "Hey, look! It''s the guy from back then, isn''t he? He made you wait for him all night at the dock?" blurted Sanna, pointing at the park across the street. Marie tilted her head toward that direction and saw an a.d.u.l.t man walking and laughing while holding two very similar-looking children in each hand. The two children held ice cream in their other hand.


    "Oh ..." Marie, who was getting ready to drive her car, was transfixed and stared intently at the three people. Marie remembered that two months ago she had been waiting for Nicolae on the dock all night, in a good faith to show her remorse for accusing him of being a serial killer.


    After admitting her mistake, Marie finally showed her good intentions to meet Nicolae on the dock. When the man did not come, Marie was actually very angry, but she later admitted that Nicolae Sorin was a good man. Maybe something happened to him that he couldn''t come to the harbor.


    That same night, she sought information about Nicolae and learned that the man studied at St. Mary University before moving abroad for ten years. Now he returned to Singapore with his two children and worked as a freelance writer. Finally, despite being upset, Marie forgave him for neglecting her on the dock. Marie considered them to be even.


    However, when she saw the man and his two kids walking in the park with a cheerful face, Marie''s anger suddenly arose as she remember all the mosquito bites she had to endure that night. If Nicolae could make her come to the dock and abandoned her, then she could trick Nicolae and make him suffer a little.


    "I''ll take you to the airport, after that, I''ll play with him a little," Marie said later. She turned to Sanna and smiled mischievously.


    "What are you up to?" Sanna asked in surprise.


    "It''s not a bad thing ... just something funny. I want to see him suffer a little.. hehe." Marie shrugged and smiled mischievously. She then drove her car to the airport and did not explain further.


    After she went back to her apartment, Marie decided to hack Nicolae''s profile on the online dating website and see all the girls he had met or talked to.


    Hmm .. apparently very little. This guy seemed like the picky type, she thought.


    Marie observed the profile''s interaction very carefully and subtly. As the best hacker in Darknet right now, Marie could infiltrate any platforms without leaving a trace.


    For some reason, observing who the girls Nicolae''s profile was talking to and how their communication was developing, made Marie interested. She then created a fake profile and used various profile attributes that she thought would be able to attract Nicolae''s attention and decide to trick the young man.


    Thus, Louisa''s profile was created. As expected, Louisa attracted Nicolae''s attention, and they talked a lot until they decided to meet for a dinner date.

 Chapter 756 - Dont Forget To Process The Annulment

    It was initially meant as a harmless joke. Marie only wanted to see Nicolae suffered a little for abandoning her at the dock a few months ago. She created the whole date from hell and trained Louisa what to do.


    Marie used Sanna''s housekeeper''s name in her fake profile and trained the woman to give Nicolae the date from hell. Come to think of it, Marie was somewhat vindictive. She thought she had forgiven Nicolae ... but when she saw the man and his children were having fun, she felt angry again.


    She meticulously arranged the date between Louisa and Nicolae. She observed how it went from her apartment while smiling to herself. She predicted that Nicolae would survive until the end, but at least he would look somewhat tortured. Haha. It must be very funny, Marie thought.


    Marie had no idea that when Nicolae came and met Louisa, the young man remained friendly and polite, showing no expressions of being annoyed whatsoever, much less suffering, even though he had been deceived outright.


    Nicolae graciously kept trying to engage Louisa in conversation. He asked her about her daily life and always tried to find something to talk about, even though it finally proved that Louisa could not keep up with his intelligence.


    Throughout the dinner, Marie was just stunned at Nicolae''s handsome and patient face from the hidden camera that she placed in Louisa''s handbag, which she strategically placed on the table.


    At the end of the dinner, Marie could see the look of shock on the handsome face, knowing that the date from hell would continue with a movie. However, Nicolae still nodded politely and did not object. Subconsciously, Marie smiled to herself, seeing this.


    "You''re so kind ..." the girl murmured to herself. Her face was filled with adoration. "A good-natured gentleman. What a rare specimen."


    She no longer paid attention to how the date went. Her mind had drifted to her mother, who was being treated in the hospital. Suddenly, she had some crazy idea that she could find a fake husband to make her mother happy and finally willing to let go.


    Maybe ... a guy like this would want to help me, Marie finally thought.


    Her silly idea had turned into hope, and three days ago, she finally managed to ask Nicolae to pretend to be her husband in front of her mother.


    Their scheme was almost exposed because Mrs. Lu was very smart, but this kind-hearted man rushed to propose to her in front of her mother, convincing Mrs. Lu that he really loved Marie and promised to take care of her. Marie knew that Nicolae was lying, but fortunately, Ms. Lu believed his convincing words.


    And finally, yesterday ... her mother was able to die in peace.


    Marie took a deep breath. She rose slowly from the bed and took clean clothes from the closet. After wearing a black dress for the funeral, she wrapped black ribbons around her wrists to hide the bandages that covered her attempted suicide wounds.


    Marie then checked herself in front of the mirror and saw how she looked like a living corpse with a thin body, all-black attire, and a pale face. She felt very unattractive.


    Marie then sat down at her dressing table and put on a thin makeup to cover her pale skin, her naturally-red lips did not require lipstick at all. Once she felt that she looked a bit healthy, Marie went out of the room and headed to the kitchen.


    "Let''s eat something decent, so you get strength. Today will be very hard. We will take care of your mother''s cremation and spread her ashes to the sea. After that, you have to go to the hospital and look for a grief counselor to help you grieve properly," Nicolae said. He helped Marie sit in the dining chair and immediately put a plate of food in front of the girl. "Do you want juice or coffee?"


    Marie just nodded, not answering. Nicolae put a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee in front of her. He then sat across from the girl and began to eat. Marie finally followed him and forced herself to chew food.


    "Sorry, I have bothered you so much," Marie said after they had finished eating.


    Nicolae just shrugged, "It''s okay. It''s my responsibility. Besides, as a good husband, I have to be with you until the end."


    Marie looked up in surprise at Nicolae''s words just now. As she watched the young man''s expression, Marie realized Nicolae was joking. This man just smiled, as if not aware of the impact of his words on the grieving girl.


    Aah, apparently, Nicolae was deliberately mentioning his status as Marie''s fake husband to make the girl laugh. Marie could only smile faintly at his words and nodded.


    "Thank you. I''m sure any woman you will marry in the future will be a very lucky woman." Marie took her sunglasses from the cupboard and wore them to hide her eyes, swollen from crying too much. "I will take care of the marriage annulment after I overcome my sadness. I will not linger."


    Nicolae nodded. "Thank you."


    In fact, for Nicolae, the marriage annulment was not really important. He asked that from Marie for her own sake. When they were married yesterday, Nicolae did not use his real identity as Nicolae Medici. He only used one of his old identities as a commoner, when he was a student at the St. Mary University.


    He had been using it for almost 15 years and it''s now time to drop that identity. After he returned to Italy to take Altair and Vega, so Lauriel could take them to their parents, Nicolae would create a new identity.


    Now, Marie only knew him as Nicolae Sorin; Nicolae being his real name and Sorin was his middle name, which he used as his surname for this identity. His adopted family''s name was Lupei and his current family name from his biological father was Medici.


    Now it was time for Nicolae Sorin to disappear from the face of the earth. He would go back to using the name Nicolae Lupei or Medici in his new identity. So, it would make no difference for Nicolae if his marriage to Marie Lu was annulled or not.


    However, Nicolae felt sorry for Marie if the girl did not take care of the annulment on time because then she would be recorded as a married woman, while her husband would soon disappear from the face of the earth. It would be difficult for Marie to remarry in the future when she met a man she fell in love with.


    "You better make the appointment as soon as possible to take care of it," Nicolae added as they walked out of Marie''s apartment to the elevator. "If you delayed it, it will bring you trouble in the future."


    Marie nodded. "I''ll do it. Don''t worry."


    They arrived at the crematorium at noon. Mrs. Lu''s body had been delivered from the hospital and placed in a beautiful casket chosen by Nicolae. Even though her body and casket would be burned to ashes, he still chose the best available casket for the lady.


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    The video was actually quite cute using chibi characters from this novel. You can find it using the hashtags above, or search my username @Missrealitybites. I hope you will check it out and show support. Yeayy...


    If I won the challenge and get the prize (banner in for 24 hours), I will celebrate it by giving you MA.S.S RELEASE of 10 chapters!!


    So.. go ahead and check the video, like and comment. I hope we can win the challenge together :).

 Chapter 757 - At Universal Studios

    This gesture didn''t miss Marie''s eyes. She felt touched that Nicolae chose the most beautiful and expensive casket for her mother. She knew how kind this man really was.


    Marie tried to hold back her tears while bidding her farewell to her mother one last time. She placed a bouquet of flowers on the beautiful casket and prayed silently before finally nodding to the crematorium staff and letting the man took her mother''s coffin toward the furnace.


    "The cremation process will take around two hours. We can wait here to take the ashes immediately or go somewhere while waiting. Do you want to go for a walk to get some fresh air?" Nicolae asked Marie. "The staff said we should go back in three hours to give them time to prepare the ashes for us to take and a nice container."


    Marie looked pensive at Nicolae''s words.


    "Let''s not wait here." Finally, the girl made a decision.


    "Where do you want to go?" Nicolae asked. He grabbed Marie''s cold hand to give her support because he saw that the girl looked weak. "Do you have a favorite place that you go to when you''re sad? What''s your favorite place in Singapore?"


    "Hmm ..." Marie frowned. "When I''m sad, I usually go to Universal Studios alone."


    Nicolae nodded. "That''s not a bad idea. Let''s go there so you can forget your sadness."


    Mary looked at Nicolae in disbelief. "My mother just died, and you want to take me to Universal Studios? Don''t you have a heart?"


    Nicolae shrugged. "You said it yourself, that it was one of your favorite places in Singapore, and when you were feeling sad, you would go there to cheer yourself up. I''m sure your mother would prefer to see you happy and try to overcome your sadness by screaming your hearts out in a roller coaster ride, rather than try to kill yourself like last night."


    Marie looked at Nicolae with a baffled expression. "How can I have fun when my mother just died?"


    "It all depends on your perspective. You are trying to forget your pain for three hours. You can hypnotize yourself and say that today nothing bad happened; today is a happy day and you can vent your sadness and anger by screaming when we are taking the rides. What do you think?" Nicolae asked Marie gently.


    Merry pondered for a while, trying to see Nicolae''s logic. On the one hand, she felt ashamed for having fun while her mother''s body was being cremated and turned to ashes. But on the other hand, she knew her mother would prefer if Marie find consolation rather than keeping herself immersed in sadness.


    Finally, the girl nodded weakly. "Okay"


    Nicolae squeezed Marie''s hand and smiled broadly. He pulled the girl into his car, and he immediately drove to Universal Studios. He had three hours to help Marie forget her sadness, even if only for a moment.


    Before they went to Universal Studios, Nicolae stopped by a shop to buy clothes for Marie because the girl was wearing a black dress for the crematorium.


    "It''s not practical to play at Universal Studios wearing a dress," he commented, pointing to the row of clothes racks in the store. "You can choose the black shirt if you want, but my advice is ... you don''t have to wear all black. Your mother certainly doesn''t want you to be sad."


    For some reason, since Nicolae appeared in her apartment and took care of Marie who was grieving, then drove her to the crematorium, and now bought her clothes ... Marie''s c.h.e.s.t began to tremble.


    Was this what it''s like to have a man in her life? She peeked from behind the dressing room curtain and saw the man sitting patiently on the sofa, waiting for her.


    For a moment, Marie was mesmerized and looked at him with her sparkling brown eyes. At present, Nicolae was her husband, in name, before Marie annulled their marriage.


    My husband ...


    She subconsciously smiled as she whispered those words.


    Somehow, she really liked hearing the sound of it.


    She came out of the dressing room in casual attire, but still dark in color. Nicolae said nothing, only nodded and ruffled her hair gently, then pulled Marie''s hand back to the car.


    Ten minutes later, they arrived at Universal Studios and queued to buy tickets. Nicolae purchased the express tickets, which allowed them to skip the queue and cost very expensive. Once they were inside, he immediately looked for the area map to determine which rides they should take.


    "There is Life Simulation on Mars, then the world''s longest roller coaster, Ghost Sh.i.p.s, Space Pirates Expeditions, Battle of the Stars ... all of them seem quite interesting. You can scream your heart out in there."


    Marie just nodded. She followed all of Nicolae''s suggestions, and they quickly walked toward the most exciting and thrilling rides. Nicolae treated Marie very well because he understood that the girl was having a tough day. He bought her ice cream, candies, and various snacks that made the girl finally smile.


    Because Nicolae was used to playing with Altair and Vega and entertaining the two children, Nicolae knew what foods and activities could put a smile on someone''s face. Marie felt very touched when she walked following Nicolae, who kept holding her hand, from ride to ride.


    Somehow, today, her world wasn''t too dark and sad, Marie thought.


    During these three hours, her world turned beautiful and exciting like Universal Studios they were at. Marie screamed and let out all the pain from her c.h.e.s.t in all the rides they took, and slowly, she felt lighter. Her voice had turned hoarse, but her eyes were filled with joy.


    Ah, Mother ... thank you for making me meet Nicolae ...


    Today, I am very happy ...


    If only today would never end.

 Chapter 758 - The Solemn Funeral

    Marie never expected that she could really forget about her pain by screaming her hearts out in Universal Studios. In fact, she didn''t remember when she felt such happiness in her whole life.


    Suddenly, three hours passed... just like that. Marie almost lost her voice for screaming too much during the rides, she could barely speak. However, her eyes were filled with happiness. When they finally got off the last ride, it was already 4 pm.


    "Thank you for taking me here," Marie touched Nicolae''s hand and rubbed the back of the man''s hand with a grateful expression. She looked at him deeply. "I''m not too sad right now."


    Nicolae nodded with a smile. He ruffled Marie''s hair gently, like to a child. "I am glad to hear that."


    Nicolae then took Mary''s hand and brought her back to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door for the girl, then get into the driver''s seat. They did not say anything along the way back to the crematorium.


    Nicolae glanced sideways several times and he was satisfied to see that Marie''s face looked brighter. He felt a little relieved that he managed to console her. He knew losing a parent was a heartbreaking experience because he had been in a similar position.


    He hoped after he left the girl, Marie would slowly recover and return to her original self. In a few days, Nicolae would go to Grosetto and return Altair and Vega to their parents.


    He still didn''t know what he wanted to do afterward. Maybe he would visit Terry''s place in New York and stay there for some time and find out what he wanted in life.


    He did not want to keep staying away from his family just because he still harbored love for his brother''s wife. If that didn''t work ... then he would go back on adventures and see the world.


    During his six-year adventure around the world, he had met so many travelers and witness so many less fortunate people lived. That made him count his blessings and appreciated his life more. He also started learning new languages ??and cultures. They had made his life richer.


    Ah, that reminded him, he must immediately prepare for his departure. Tomorrow, he and the children must start packing because they had to leave for Italy in two days.


    Those thoughts managed to divert Nicolae''s attention from the sadness that filled her c.h.e.s.t when she saw Marie grieving for her mother''s death. He thought a lot about his departure to Grosetto and his life after he went back to being alone, without Altair and Vega. At the same time, Marie was contemplating her fate. She also had nobody in the world and had officially become an orphan.


    The journey toward the crematorium was very quiet. When they arrived back at the crematorium, the staff immediately took them to the waiting room. There, a jar containing Mrs. Lu''s ashes had been prepared for them. Sadness immediately returned to Marie, but she managed to hold back and not cry.


    Seeing the girl''s obstinacy, Nicolae felt touched. He hugged her to his c.h.e.s.t and rubbed her back to comfort her. Marie tried to look strong and smiled thinly as she whispered, "Thank you. I''m lucky to have a husband like you."


    Nicolae just nodded, thinking that Marie was trying to joke to lighten the atmosphere, even though inwardly, she actually meant what she was saying.


    "I''ll carry the urn," Nicolae offered.


    Marie nodded and let the man carry the urn filled with her mother''s ashes. As they had talked about earlier, Marie wanted to scatter her mother''s ashes in the sea, so Nicolae immediately took them in his car to the harbor.


    There, he had rented a catamaran to take them to the middle of the ocean so they could scatter Mrs. Lu''s ashes. Even though his brother, Alaric, owned a ship at the Marina Bayfront pier, Nicolae chose to rent a ship from a commercial company because he did not want to leave tracks if he used Alaric sh.i.p.s.


    Half an hour later, Marie and Nicolae, together with the urn containing Mrs. Lu''s ashes, were already on the catamaran in the middle of the ocean. The sun was setting, and the atmosphere felt so solemn.


    Right around sunset, when the beautiful skyline was tinged with orange and purple, Marie opened the urn and then solemnly scattered her mother''s ashes into the sea.


    "Goodbye, Mom. Thank you for taking care of me and being the best mother to me all this time. I really love you. Send my regards to Dad. Someday I will join you two in heaven. Until then, I promise, Mom... that I will live well. " Her voice trembled and tears dripped down her cheeks as she said her last farewell to her mother.


    After the last ashes were carried by the wind into the sea, Marie''s tears flooded again, and she couldn''t hold back anymore.


    Nicolae was very moved because he had witnessed the series of events from the time Marie introduced him to her mother, then they got married to make her mother happy on her last day on earth, then the death of Mrs. Lu, followed by the cremation process and now they scattered her ashes into the sea ...


    For some reason, in such a short time, Nicolae had become a part of Marie''s life who witnessed important moments in her life. He subconsciously felt some kind of bond between them because they shared so many intense moments in such a short amount of time.


    Now, seeing Marie wailing again, Nicolae only felt deep sympathy for her. He naturally took her into his arms and hug her to his c.h.e.s.t. He rubbed Marie''s head and back to comfort her.


    "I''m sorry for crying again ... I promise, this is the last time. Thank you for staying with me for the past few days. I''m indebted to you forever," Marie whispered.

 Chapter 759 - The Right Woman In The Wrong Time

    "I''m sorry for crying again ... I promise, this is the last time. Thank you for staying with me for the past few days. I''m indebted to you forever," Marie whispered.


    When Nicolae heard how Marie repeatedly mentioned the word debt, he felt uncomfortable. Nicolae did not like that Marie kept thinking she was now indebted to him. For him, what he did was just common decency.


    However, he held back and said nothing. At present, he thought words were not important and are of no use. He only wanted Marie to be able to vent all remaining sadness so that the girl was relieved.


    It was night when they both returned to the land. For a moment, Marie and Nicolae stood awkwardly. They had accomplished their goals today. Mrs. Lu had been cremated, and her ashes had been scattered into the sea. Now, they no longer had anything to do with each other.


    "What can I do for you now?" Nicolae asked softly, staring at Marie, who was sitting pensively on the passenger seat of his car.


    His voice was soothing, and his eyes gave Marie comfort. For a moment, she was dazed when their eyes met.


    "I need a drink. Today was especially really hard," Marie said quietly.


    "Fine. We can stop by the Sky Bar if you want," Nicolae said.


    "Yes, please." Marie nodded.


    He agreed with Marie. Today was a pretty hard day. He had not been in such a situation so intense for the past three days.


    Because he was driving, Nicolae knew that he could not drink much. He had to make sure that the two of them could go home safely to their apartment on Robertson Road.


    When they arrived at Sky Bar, Nicolae asked for a table hidden in a corner so they could get privacy. He actually didn''t like women who drink a lot, but he knew tonight was an exception because Marie just lost her only parent.


    Nicolae will allow the grieving girl to vent her sadness by drinking wine or c.o.c.ktails to calm down. After all, he would make sure Marie would stay safe.


    "You don''t want to drink?" Marie asked when she saw Nicolae only ordering juice.


    Nicolae shook his head, "No, I''m driving."


    "How about just one glass?" Marie offered. "It sucks drinking alone. If we stay here and drink for an hour or two, when we go home later, the effects of the alcohol you drink would wear off."


    Nicolae wanted to refuse, but seeing tears dripped her cheeks, finally, he relented. The girl was right, he thought. Drinking one small glass now won''t have much effect on him when they went home later. And if he was uncomfortable driving, he could always activate the driverless mode in his car.


    "Come on, I promise I won''t ask you to drink more... just one glass so we could toast," Marie said, squeezing Nicolae''s hand with a pleading expression.


    Apparently, Marie is the type of girl who talked a lot when she was drinking. While enjoying her drink, Marie told Nicolae about her childhood, about her lonely life, about how she had to take care of herself after her mother was hospitalized.


    Nicolae only listened attentively. He already knew a little about Marie''s past when he met Mrs. Lu in the hospital. At that time, he was impressed by this girl.


    However, now when he heard in more detail how Marie had practically raised herself and took care of her mother while still be able to live well, Nicolae''s admiration for her grew even more.


    He even thought to himself, maybe if his broken heart had healed and he met Marie in a few dozens or a hundred years, he would be able to fall in love with this girl. Marie was a smart, charming, and very pleasant girl. However, unfortunately, the man knew himself well enough to know that at this moment, he still could not open his heart to new love.


    Marie Lu was the right woman at the wrong time, Nicolae thought sadly.


    Nicolae only hoped that after Marie annulled their marriage, the girl would be able to overcome her sadness and meet a nice man and fall in love with him. Then, they would get married for real and live happily ever after. After everything she had been through, this girl deserved happiness.


    Nicolae looked at Marie''s beautiful face with freckled cheeks and full red lips. The girl sitting beside him was stunning. He watched her attentively as Marie continued blabbering about her childhood and how much she loved the geese in the lotus pond in the hospital garden every time she and her mother sat there to enjoy the sunshine.


    Marie''s face flushed red because she drank too much. The sad expression had left the girl, and now a big smile was plastered on her face as she told Nicolae how she named all her household objects just so she didn''t feel lonely.


    "Well ... my washing machine''s name is Lilith, my favorite chair to sit at is Edgar ... my very loyal computer is Petra ..."


    Nicolae could only smile at the silly and absurd words that came out of the girl''s lips. Her words became more absurd and funnier the more she talked. After Mary downed her fifth glass, Nicolae felt that it was time to go home.


    "That''s enough, okay..." the man said to Marie, who was about to raise her hand and sign the waiter to give her another drink.


    Marie just blinked her eyes and looked at Nicolae with a funny expression.


    "Hey, who are you? Gosh ... you''re so handsome!" blurted the girl shamelessly. Her hands framed Nicolae''s face, and she stared at the man with a look of admiration. "I like your eyes ... I also like your long hair. I like your smiling lips ..."


    Nicolae was stunned to hear the girl''s blunt words. Marie was drunk and no longer cared about what other people would think of her. The man slowly lowered Marie''s hand from his face.


    "Thank you. Now, let''s go home .." He repeated his words and tapped Marie''s shoulder several times. "You drank too much."

 Chapter 760 - Im Your Husband

    Marie still didn''t budge. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Nicolae intently. "Who are you to order me around?"


    Nicolae sighed and shook his head. He already knew that Marie was drunk now, and this was a sure sign that they had to go home. He raised his hand to sign the waiter that they had finished drinking and now wanted their bill.


    Quickly, the waiter came to bring their bill. Nicolae paid in cash and left a few hundred dollars as a tip. He only nodded when the waiter thanked him and bowed many times for being given such a big tip.


    "Can you walk?" Nicolae asked Marie.


    "I don''t want to go home ..." the girl w.h.i.n.ed.


    "It''s time to go home. It''s very late now, and you drank too much," Nicolae said. Marie insisted on latching on her seat.


    "I don''t want to go home ..."


    "You must go home," Nicolae, whose well of patience was as deep as the ocean, was still trying to coax Marie.


    "Why should I listen to you?" Marie looked away angrily. "Who are you to ask me to come with you ...?!"


    Finally, Nicolae crouched down and touched Marie''s knees. His voice sounded very serious when he said, "I''m your husband. You have to come home with me. Do you want to be a disobedient wife who won''t listen to your husband''s words?"


    Marie''s small eyes went round. A look of surprise filled the girl''s face followed by a muffled cry from her lips, "When did I marry you??"


    The girl''s voice sounded really confused.


    "We got married yesterday morning. You don''t remember?" Nicolae asked, patting Marie''s knee softly. "You''re too much, how could you forget our wedding..."


    Marie''s facial expression seemed even more confused.


    "No way. I''m still too young for that. How could I get married to anyone? I''m still 22 years old." Marie was still trying to argue.


    Nicolae smiled broadly while he ruffled her hair.


    "You don''t believe me?" asked the young man. "Look at your ring finger."


    Hesitantly, Marie looked at her ring finger, then immediately pressed her lips while holding back a cry of surprise.


    "Gosh, what ring is this?" asked the girl in surprise.


    "It''s a wedding ring," Nicolae said with a chuckle. "Now, do you believe me? You are drunk now, so you don''t remember, but tomorrow morning you will definitely remember again."


    "We got married yesterday?" Marie hurriedly took her cellphone out of her pocket and surveyed the photo gallery. "If we are married, why isn''t there a picture of the wedding?"


    In her phone gallery, there were absolutely no wedding photos. The girl shook her head and looked at Nicolae in puzzlement.


    Nicolae wouldn''t explain. He had deliberately requested that there should be no photos when he and Marie were married because he did not want anyone to keep his tracks. As an Alchemist who was used to changing identities every few decades, he never let an ordinary person keep a photo that would leave a record of him.


    Just like Caspar and Alaric who always deleted their photos from the internet, Nicolae also used to refuse being photographed and keep his face from appearing out there.


    Before the wedding, he had asked Marie that they must not be photographed on the grounds that their marriage was only a fake one. That''s why Marie couldn''t find any photos in her cellphone gallery now.


    "I can''t believe it ..." Marie was about to protest again, but then she yawned and her body wobbled over Nicolae who was still sitting before her, holding her knee. Apparently, the girl was very sleepy.


    Finally, Nicolae decided to carry Marie out of the Sky Bar. Marie was nodding off in his arms, and naturally, she wrapped her arms around the young man''s neck.


    "Hmm ... let''s go home now ..." Nicolae said firmly.


    Nicolae took Marie out of the Sky Bar to the parking lot. After making sure Marie sat well in his car, he then drove back to their apartment on Robertson Road.


    After arriving at the apartment building, Nicolae carried Marie into the elevator to her apartment on the 10th floor.


    Hearing the elevator sound, Marie, who had almost fallen asleep in Nicolae''s arms, opened her eyes and slid her head into the young man''s c.h.e.s.t while hugging his neck tighter.


    "You smell great ..." the girl commented, sniffing Nicolae''s shirt.


    "You''re awake?" Nicolae asked with a smile. The elevator door opened, and he took Marie out to her unit. Marie just nodded while smiling back. Her face had now turned brighter.


    After the apartment door opened, Nicolae entered and placed Marie on the living room couch. When he was about to leave the girl, Marie suddenly pulled his hand.


    "I forgot ... Have you been here before? Did I introduce my family members to you?" asked the girl, smiling broadly. She got up from the sofa and pulled Nicolae''s hand around the apartment unit. She enthusiastically introduced Nicolae to her ''family members''. "This is Lilith, the washing machine I told you about. Now ... this is my favorite chair. His name is Edgar. My loyal Roomba robot, his name is Thomas. Here is my favorite computer, Petra ... Oh by the way... Did I introduce that potted plant by the window? She is Emma."


    Nicolae could only be stunned, seeing Marie''s antics and let himself be dragged here and there by the girl. This girl was very funny when she''s drunk, Nicolae thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Thomas ...! Come here, you. Meet my husband," Marie pulled Nicolae''s hand and introduced him to vacuum cleaner robot. "Yep.. he is my husband. Look, he''s very handsome, right? I know I''m very lucky ... Haha..."


    Nicolae could not help but smile again. He just nodded toward Thomas. He didn''t expect Marie to be this funny when she was drunk.


    "All right ... now that I''ve met all your family members ... it''s time for me to go home," Nicolae said later.


    Marie frowned in surprise. "Go home? Isn''t this your home? Where are you going if you''re not with me?"


    "Eh ..." Nicolae suddenly became uncomfortable.


    Marie pulled the man closer and then hugged Nicolae very tightly. Her voice trembled as she whispered. "Please... please, don''t leave me ... I don''t have anyone else in this world ..."


    Nicolae just stood rooted to the spot. With Marie in his arms, he could smell the girl''s natural scent, which made his mind drift back to Aleksis. Both girls had similar body scents, he thought.


    "Marie ... we just ..."


    The girl did not want to listen to Nicolae''s words, she raised her face and looked at Nicolae right in his deep blue eyes. At the sight of those lonely brown eyes, Nicolae was suddenly filled with compassion.


    Marie''s eyes looked very sad. The man didn''t have the heart to leave her in such a condition. The girl''s red lips that were slightly opened stirred Nicolae''s heart as it beat faster and faster.


    He was, after all, a normal man, being hugged by a stunning girl. This girl was fragile and begging for his protection, a damsel in distress that awaken his chivalrous side.


    "My husband ..." Marie whispered as she closed her eyes and kissed Nicolae''s lips wholeheartedly. The girl''s sultry voice sounded so s.e.xy in Nicolae''s ear. He involuntarily welcomed the red lips that had been tempting his self-control for days.

 Chapter 761 - You Cant Sleep In Wet Clothes!

    They kissed and c.a.r.e.s.sed each other''s hair and down to their backs. Nicolae never thought he would be attracted to a woman other than Aleksis. He had met countless women during his world wandering days, when he was trying to heal his broken heart, after he found out Aleksis was married to another man and was carrying his child.


    So many women fell in love with him and tried to win his heart. However, Nicolae did not feel any emotional nor s.e.x.u.a.l attraction to any of them.


    Maybe, Marie was a special girl. The man let his wall down, the moment her lips touched his.


    When the kiss became more intense and passionate, Nicolae tried to back away and escape from Marie, but the girl suddenly shed tears and cried on his shoulder.


    "Are you going to leave me too?" the girl whispered between her sobs. "This is the worst day of my life ..."


    Nicolae was stunned to hear her cry. For some reason, those words pierced his heart. He finally stayed in his place and no longer tried to distance himself from Marie.


    "Marie ... I don''t want to see you sad, but I have to go. I don''t want to take advantage of a fragile girl. Right now, you are too depressed and sad. You have drunk enough alcohol that your common sense is not working. If you did this, you would regret it tomorrow morning." Finally, Nicolae spoke, trying to get Marie to let him go.


    "I won''t regret it ..." Marie shook her head and looked up at Nicolae with adoration. "I want to be with you..."


    Nicolae tried to guess whether Marie was being honest because she was drunk, or if she was just talking nonsense. They had only been together for four days if he had counted the days when Marie suddenly join him and the kids for a meal at the restaurant at that time.


    So, there was no way Marie would harbor a crush for him, right? Or ...


    The man took a deep breath. Marie was the right girl at the wrong time, his heart spoke again.


    He would have been able to open his heart to this attractive girl if his wounds had fully recovered. Accepting Marie''s feelings for him and sleeping with her tonight will only hurt this girl in the long run because she would only be his rebound. She didn''t deserve to be anyone''s rebound. That''s why Nicolae must insist to leave her.


    "Marie ... I can''t be with you." Nicolae looked straight into those sad brown eyes. "I already told you, I can''t be with any woman right now. I just got my heart broken and I still need time to heal myself. It''s gonna take a really long time. I only helped you this week by pretending to marry you for your mother''s sake. Nothing more..."


    Marie returned Nicolae''s gaze while pursing her lips. "You''re a really kind man. You don''t even want to take advantage of me when I offered myself to you. Why can''t you like me? Am I ugly? Am not not good enough for you?"


    The man shook his head. "No. You''re so beautiful. You''re also very attractive and fun. I just don''t want to hurt you..."


    "Please don''t leave me alone tonight. My mother is dead ... Why does my husband also want to leave me? How could you do this to me...? On the worst day of my life..."


    Nicolae was about to explain that their marriage was fake but he was not sure that Marie would understand under her current conditions.


    Finally, he just shook his head slowly. "That''s not what I meant ... I have to go, otherwise ... we might do things that we will regret tomorrow morning. I don''t want to hurt you."


    "You will hurt me if you leave me tonight ..." Marie was really too stubborn.


    She hugged Nicolae tightly and buried her head in the man''s c.h.e.s.t to hide her tears. Nicolae, who always had a soft spot for crying women, could only rub Marie''s hair and wait for the girl''s tears to dry.


    "Well ... if you insist." After a while, Nicolae finally relented. "I will not go tonight, but I will not take advantage of a drunk girl. I will only stay with you tonight and make sure you are okay. Tomorrow, I will go back to my own apartment."


    "Thank you, Dear husband ..." the girl whispered, smiling with relief. She then saw Nicolae''s wet shirt, and immediately her face looked worried. "Gosh ... your shirt is all wet. You can''t sleep in wet clothes, you will get sick ..."


    The girl''s hand moved quickly to unbutton Nicolae''s shirt. The man, who suddenly flushed red, wanted to prevent Marie from stripping him from his shirt, but the girl quickly patted his hand as if he was a naughty boy being caught stealing candy.


    "Hush ... don''t argue with me. You can''t sleep in wet clothes ..." Marie grumbled. She managed to unfasten the top two buttons but then had difficulty with the next ones because she was still not fully conscious due to drinking too much c.o.c.ktail. "Gosh ... why is it so hard to unfasten this button ..."


    Seeing Marie grumbling and scolding his buttons with a cute expression, Nicolae could only shake his head. Finally, he intervened and helped the girl.


    "Here, let me unfasten them... don''t worry," said the young man, unbuttoning his shirt while Marie stared with amazement. Her eyes went round in adoration as if Nicolae unfastening the remaining buttons was as impressive as solving a very complicated Physics formula.


    "Wowww! That''s amazing!! How did you do that??" exclaimed Marie in amazement. She stormed Nicolae again and hugged him lovingly. "You''re really so smart! You''re kind and awesome."


    She then helped Nicolae remove his shirt and mischievously groped the young man''s broad shoulders and chiseled c.h.e.s.t while doing so. Her sultry voice was filled with admiration when Marie praised the sturdy and gorgeous body before her. "You have such a wonderful physique ..."


    Nicolae could feel his ears turn red, and his c.h.e.s.t began to heat up. Which normal man didn''t like being complimented by a beautiful woman?

 Chapter 762 - Sleeping Together

    "You have such a wonderful physique ..." Marie said in admiration as she traced his shoulders and went down to his abs and chiseled c.h.e.s.t.


    Nicolae could feel his ears turn red, and his c.h.e.s.t began to heat up. Which normal man didn''t like being complimented by a beautiful woman?


    "Yes, I will give Lilith my shirt to be washed and dried for tomorrow morning. Now we must sleep. You need to rest .." said the young man then.


    "You''re not leaving, are you? You will stay with me here?" Marie asked in a worried voice.


    "I will stay with you here ..." Nicolae answered. "Go to your room to sleep. I''ll wash my shirt first."


    Hesitantly, Marie finally obeyed Nicolae and walked to her bedroom. She repeatedly turned her head to make sure Nicolae did not go. The young man nodded and pointed to her bedroom.


    "Go to sleep ... I will be with you in a moment," he said to calm Marie down. Finally, Marie nodded and went to her bedroom.


    Nicolae could only sigh. He put his shirt, that was damp with Marie''s tears, in the washing machine, then took out his cellphone and sent an SMS, telling Altair and Vega and one of their bodyguards, who stayed with them at the apartment, that he would not go home tonight.


    [I have an urgent matter to take care of. I will come home tomorrow morning. Good night.]


    After he put away his cellphone, Nicolae finally entered Marie''s bedroom to make sure the girl was really sleeping and resting. He smiled with satisfaction, seeing Marie lying on the bed and trying to close her eyes. She still wore her shoes and kept tossing and turning on the bed.


    "Are you done?" the girl asked in a relieved voice when she saw Nicolae coming. "I cannot sleep...."


    Nicolae sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Marie''s head, like what he usually did to comfort Vega or Altair when they were sad, so they could sleep well.


    "You must take off your shoes and loosen your clothes so you can sleep comfortably," commented Nicolae. He then approached Marie''s feet and took off her shoes and placed them neatly in the corner of the room. "Do you like the lights on or off?"


    "I like the lights turned off ..." Marie said with gleaming eyes. She was very happy because she felt pampered by this man.


    "Alright ... I''ll turn off the light."


    "Aren''t you going to take off your shoes too?" Marie asked him. "Later, if you already turned off the lights, you won''t be able to see your shoes to take them off."


    "What am I taking my shoes off for?"


    "Do you want to sleep with your shoes on? My bed will get dirty ..."


    "I won''t sleep in your bed," Nicolae explained. He would accompany Marie to sleep tonight, but he surely had intended to sleep on the small sofa in the corner of the room.


    "I can''t sleep ... Will you hug me until I sleep? I''m feeling very sad ..." Marie said in a miserable voice and her tears welled up again.


    Nicolae hesitated for a few moments. He knew that if he shared a bed with Marie, he might lose his self-control. He was still a normal man, after all.


    However, he finally relented, because he did not want to see Marie cry again. The girl was having a really bad day. She must be in desperate need for a hug and support.


    Nicolae then nodded. He took off his shoes then turned off the lights and climbed into Marie''s bed. He hugged the girl as she requested. "Good night."


    "Good night ..." Marie replied in a happy voice. Sure enough ... soon the sound of her breathing quickly became regular.


    For almost two minutes, Nicolae involuntarily held his breath as he embraced Marie in his arms. His whole body felt tense and his temperature rose.


    It was really hard for him to sleep in this position. He tried so hard with all his might to hold back his urge from kissing Marie and fondling her body. He didn''t want to be a jerk who took advantage of a fragile girl.


    Marie slept very peacefully for five hours, while the man who was hugging her body could barely move, for fear of disturbing her sleep. Nicolae was still fighting with himself not to get carried away and devour Marie''s s.e.xy body.


    When Marie opened her eyes, it took her a while to remember what happened. When she felt a man was sleeping beside her with his arms enveloped her body in a hug, Marie immediately gasped. She spun around and faced Nicolae who was now staring at her in surprise.


    "Is this a dream..?" Marie muttered in amazement. She touched Nicolae''s b.a.r.e c.h.e.s.t as if making sure the man was really lying down next to her. "Have you been here with me since last night ...?"


    The man nodded, "You asked me to stay..."


    Marie was stunned by Nicolae''s uncomfortable look and deep voice. The girl quickly estimated how long the man had slept while hugging her and not doing anything ... She immediately realized how strong was Nicolae''s self-control that he didn''t do anything s.e.x.u.a.l to her all night.


    A smile was etched on Marie''s lips as she tilted her head and approached Nicolae''s face.


    "Thank you ..." she whispered.


    The girl''s pair of brown eyes sparkled as she moved forward and approached Nicolae, then kissed his lips. Nicolae was shocked and had no idea that Marie would kiss him.


    However, the man did not refuse a kiss from the girl who had been driving him crazy all night long because he had to hold himself back, his lips were very quick to open and welcome Marie''s kiss.


    He wrapped his hands around her waist and claimed her lips passionately. Since Marie initiated the kiss after she was sober, Nicolae no longer felt the need to hold back. He had decided to give her what she wanted.

 Chapter 763 - I Want This (R.-.1.8)

    He wrapped his hands around her waist and claimed her lips passionately. Since Marie initiated the kiss after she was sober, Nicolae no longer felt the need to hold back. He was not taking advantage of a drunk girl. He hated that. Since she had asked him twice, he finally decided to give her what she wanted.


    Marie was stunned when she realized how strong Nicolae''s self-control was that the young man had not done anything indecent to her as they sleep in the same bed all night. The man was just hugging her, complying with Marie''s own request.


    She was truly amazed at this man who married her in front of her mother two days ago. Deep inside, she couldn''t deny her feelings for him. Secretly, she was hoping that they were married for real.


    The girl''s pair of brown eyes glittered as she moved closer and approached Nicolae''s face, then kissed his lips. Nicolae was shocked and had no idea that Marie would kiss him.


    However, the man did not refuse a kiss from the girl who had been driving him crazy all night long because he had to hold back his urge. His lips were quick to open and welcome hers. They devoured each other in hot kisses. As his hands moved eagerly under her shirt and felt her smooth skin and plump b.r.e.a.s.ts, she was groping his chiseled c.h.e.s.t and abs incessantly.


    Nicolae could not get a wink of sleep because his mind was raging with thoughts of how it would feel to taste the beautiful girl in his embrace. As a normal man, he had to struggle to control his primal d.e.s.i.r.e when this delicate body that smelled like fresh citrus moved softly in his arms, and the owner''s breath blew his ear like an intimate gesture of inviting him to explore her s.e.xy body.


    While Marie was peacefully asleep, Nicolae cautiously hugged her waist over her stomach, mindful to avoid her soft plump b.r.e.a.s.t. However, when Marie moved in her sleep and even turn her body so that her c.h.e.s.t was pressed against Nicolae''s b.a.r.e c.h.e.s.t, the man''s head suddenly throbbed in agony.


    This was truly a huge inner battle for a normal man who hadn''t touched a woman in a long time. Nicolae closed his eyes and tried to meditate to empty his mind, but to no avail. The front part of his pants began to feel tight, and his body temperature rose by a few degrees.


    How agonizing!


    He was determined to survive the ordeal until morning and immediately leave this place. He just needed to wait for Marie to wake up.


    However, when Marie woke up, the beautiful girl actually looked at him lovingly and even kissed his lips. At that moment, Nicolae felt how his entire body had been prepared all night to receive her outpouring of love. He couldn''t hold back anymore and welcomed her kiss intimately.


    Nicolae realized that now Marie was sober and completely aware of what she wanted. This morning, the girl openly showed that she wanted him. Therefore, Nicolae made the decision to follow his animal instincts and vented his urge that he had been holding back all night long.


    His next actions were filled with l.u.s.t as he turned Marie''s body and pressed on her, then claimed her lips passionately. His tongue thrust through her half-open lips and explored the girl''s mouth, searching for her tongue, twisting and s.u.c.k.i.n.g it eagerly.


    His lips moved down to her chin, neck, and nape as he kissed every inch of her exposed skin while his hands deftly unfastened the buttons on her shirt one by one. Marie enjoyed his kisses so much that she let out soft m.o.a.ns that put a smile on Nicolae''s face. For some reason, hearing Marie m.o.a.ning, instead of crying, two days after her mother''s death, made Nicolae feel relieved.


    Maybe, Marie needed this type of consolation...


    And Nicolae was only happy to give it to her.


    He pulled Marie''s shirt and took it off of her slowly. As the garment left her body, the man was fascinated by such a beautiful sight in front of him. Marie''s slim body looked tiny from the outside, but now that her upper body was exposed with her modesty only covered only by a black lace bra, Nicolae could see that all of her curves were very beautiful and in perfect proportions. Her b.r.e.a.s.ts were plump and were of the right size.


    Marie bit her lip and looked at Nicolae with eyes filled with l.u.s.t. She pulled the fascinated man and showered him with kisses. This time, Marie acted rather aggressively by kissing Nicolae and groping his whole body.


    "I ... I will not regret anything ..." whispered the girl into Nicolae''s ear. "I want this ..."


    Nicolae nodded and kissed Marie back. If the girl really wanted to make love to him ... then he will give her what they both wanted.


    He pulled Marie''s hand to his pants and directed the girl to open his zipper while he unclasped her bra.


    They were such a good team and, in no time, managed to undress each other. Both looked so satisfied as they admired the beautiful body before them in full glory.


    Nicolae did not make a sound throughout their lovemaking, but from his expression that was filled with admiration and satisfaction, Marie knew the man was very fond of her body.


    When Nicolae positioned his manhood at her core and was ready to enter, the girl was already enjoying her third o.r.g.a.s.m. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly open. Nicolae''s hands c.a.r.e.s.sed the inside of her t.h.i.g.hs. Then, after a long, high time, while he shook beneath every accelerating tremor of her body, he forced her beneath him, and he entered her.


    For a moment, he thought she was going to scream, she was so tight and caught her breath so sharply, and stiffened so. But her lips didn''t even have time to let out a sound as Nicolae immediately kissed her passionately. The man thrust his manhood inside all the way in and then pumped repeatedly to relieve the little pain that Marie was experiencing.


    Sure enough, in less than two minutes, the wince in her face had turned into a silly smile when her lips opened slightly, and her eyes closed again because dopamine had filled her head.


    Marie bit her lower lip to hold back from screaming because the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e she felt as his manhood pumped her core was far more intense than what she felt when he p.l.e.a.s.u.r.ed her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    When Nicolae combined the two, pumping her core deeply in regular motion, while s.u.c.k.i.n.g and kneading her b.r.e.a.s.ts alternately, the girl finally could no longer contain herself.


    She screamed at the top of her lungs while squirting love juice from her wet honeypot. She felt so full, so warm and so in love.

 Chapter 764 - Breaking A Curse (R.-.1.8)

    Nicolae smiled faintly, seeing Marie looked so happy.


    Ah ... the girl was not the only one. Nicolae was very happy too. At that moment, he felt as if he had broken a curse placed on him by an evil witch who had made him only think of Aleksis.


    He had never slept with Aleksis. He never even touched her s.e.x.u.a.lly. He only kissed the girl after they were in a relationship for four years and were almost married, yet... he couldn''t stop thinking about her.


    In the past, he often imagined what it would be like to make love to her ... but he was very patient and willing to wait until they were married.


    But now he would never know because Aleksis was already married to his brother.


    Nicolae had never been s.e.x.u.a.lly attracted to any woman in the past ten years. He had almost given up hope, thinking it would take decades or even a hundred years for him to be attracted to other women.


    But now, as he channeled his s.e.x drive to the woman he pressed under his body, Nicolae felt free. The curse was broken.


    He enjoyed Marie''s scent; he really liked her silky smooth skin; he was crazy about kissing Marie''s full and s.e.xy lips; and her tight and wet p.u.s.s.y ... oh, it felt so good!


    Her whole being made Nicolae feel very comfortable. As their body was pressed against each other and their panting filled the air, their minds went to a high place together. Nicolae was also happy to see Marie experience o.r.g.a.s.m many times due to his hard work.


    Seeing the happy and silly expression on the girl''s face made Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t pound with excitement. He wanted to keep seeing her happy face as he thrust his manhood in and out of her core passionately. She wrapped her legs around his lower back while his hands were on her b.u.t.t holding her with every thrust. He kept pounding her and she was sent to seventh heaven countless times.


    They made love so naturally. Everything felt in place and comfortable as if their bodies were made for each other. Nicolae changed positions to make their s.e.x.u.a.l activities dynamic and fun. Marie acted as a good partner and she quickly learned to keep up to the man''s intense lovemaking.


    Subconsciously the two moved from the bed to the sofa, then continued their s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e on the kitchen table, then used Lilith for support, then they entered the bathtub ...


    "Ahh ... ahh ... aaahhhh," Marie m.o.a.n.e.d incessantly until her voice turned hoarse as they made love for hours.


    Nicolae was not the type to make a sound when he was having s.e.x, but he really enjoyed the sound of Marie''s s.e.xy m.o.a.ns in his ear. Every time she let out a m.o.a.n or when she screamed in p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Nicolae would become more excited to continue his attacks to pound the girl.


    "I... I am done..." She m.o.a.n.e.d softly. Her voice sounded so tired, "Just c.u.m inside.. I''m not ovulating."


    Nicolae nodded in understanding. He smiled faintly then pumped rapidly for several minutes. Each thrust immersed his manhood fully inside her core. Then he grabbed her b.r.e.a.s.ts as he released his seeds inside her.


    His body trembled for a few moments before he lay down carefully on top of Marie''s body and hugged her tightly. They maintained that position for two minutes before he took his p.e.n.i.s out slowly and rolled his body next to her. Gently, Nicolae took Marie in his embrace and spooned her.


    They lay hugging for a few minutes, enjoying the afterglow. Satisfaction and happiness filled their c.h.e.s.ts to the brim.


    "It''s already morning ..." Nicolae whispered in Marie''s ear, ten minutes later. "I have to go see the kids ..."


    Marie seemed a little disappointed to hear that, but she didn''t argue. She just nodded and pointed to the water tap in the bathtub, giving a signal for Nicolae to prepare a bath for the two of them.


    The man nodded. He turned on hot and cold water to fill the bathtub and then they took a bath together.


    "I don''t have the energy to wash..." Marie complained in a cute voice. "This is your fault!"


    Nicolae just smiled at her words. He took the soap and sponge and then washed her body as his way of taking responsibility. "Next time I''ll finish in five minutes so you won''t get tired. Would you prefer it?"


    Marie only frowned at the man''s words. Of course, all normal women will prefer men who can give them endless p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e by m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e for a long time - even though the women would pretend to complain of exhaustion, to men who didn''t have such stamina.


    "You..." Marie pouted. However, her pout turned to a sweet smile seconds later. Her face flushed red when she remembered what had just happened between them.


    Earlier today ... she and Nicolae ... ah, she and her ''husband'', had their first s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e as husband and wife.


    Marie knew lovemaking was very pleasant but she never experienced it herself...


    Now, she knew how it felt.


    The girl could not hide her sheepish smile as she took the sponge and soap from Nicolae''s hand and took her turn, washing the man''s back.


    The romantic bath activity finally turned into another lovemaking, before they washed with warm water and dried their bodies with towels.


    "I''m so sleepy ..." Marie complained. "I want to go back to sleep..."


    Nicolae, who had taken his shirt from the dryer, only nodded. He put on his clothes and then approached Marie, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only a towel.


    "Sleep well. I''ll go home first. I''ll call later you to check up on you." He kissed her lips once more and then pushed her body gently to lie on the bed.


    This girl was stunning ... and her body was so tasty. Nicolae swallowed hard as he ruffled Marie''s hair and let her sleep peacefully.


    He went out quietly from Marie''s apartment and headed for his own apartment. He must start packing with the kids. Tomorrow, they had to leave for Italy.

 Chapter 765 - Lunch Invitation

    Altair and Vega didn''t ask where Nicolae was last night. They both suspected their father spent the night with Auntie Louisa, and they did not want to discuss it. If possible, they actually wanted to force Nicolae to come with them to Targu Mures after they arrived in Grosetto so that he would really forget Auntie Louisa!


    They were determined to ask their uncle Terry for help finding a girlfriend for Daddy Nic. They knew Uncle Terry was always surrounded by beautiful women, even though he wasn''t dating any of them seriously.


    It must be easy for Terry to throw one or two s.e.xy women with a pleasant personality at Nicolae''s direction and hope that one of them will make Nicolae interested.


    "You can start packing ... we''re leaving for Grosetto tomorrow," Nicolae said, taking two suitcases from the top of the cupboard and putting them in the living room. As usual, they will fly using commercial airlines, although the kids'' father and grandfather have private jets.


    Aleksis and Alaric agreed to get Altair and Vega to live like ordinary people while they were with Nicolae, so that the two children would not grow up as spoiled brats and who are only used to living in a golden cage or ivory tower.


    Of course, there were always personal bodyguards watching over them secretly. Nicolae also took good care of them, so the kids'' parents wouldn''t be worried whenever they travel. Altair and Vega were now already used to the scenes at the airports and socializing with regular people they met on their trips.


    This time, Altair and Vega would only bring a few essential clothes and one autumn coat each, because the weather in Europe had begun to cool this fall. The rest were only their personal toys and gadgets. It did not take long for the two children to pack their belongings in the two suitcases.


    "Dad, we''re done. Is there anything you want to get?" Vega asked as she entered Nicolae''s bedroom. She was stunned to see the man sleeping soundly in his bed. Vega involuntarily let out a muffled sigh.


    "What is wrong?" asked Altair, who hurriedly approached his sister. He also saw Nicolae sleeping very soundly. They exchanged glances and frowned.


    "Uhh .. Did Daddy and Auntie Louisa not sleep all night?" said Vega in a hint of resentment. They could kind of guess what Nicolae and Louisa were doing all night. Altair hurriedly covered Vega''s mouth and pulled her out of the room.


    "Let Daddy rest. No need to discuss Auntie Louisa again. Tomorrow we will leave this place," he whispered firmly.


    Vega nodded and followed her brother back to the dining room. Both of them then let Nicolae rest. The man was indeed very sleepy. Initially, he planned to only lay down for a while waiting for the children to finish packing, but apparently, drowsiness claimed him and he fell asleep.


    He was very exhausted from staying up all night, plus before sunrise, he and Marie had vigorous s.e.x. Now he was drained. He had not had s.e.x with any woman for a very long time and his body seemed to vent all the d.e.s.i.r.e built up over the years throughout their intense lovemaking. He even slept with a smile because the beautiful experience came back to him in a dream.


    Ahhh .. for this, Nicolae also felt indebted to Marie. That girl was like a cure that healed his wounded heart. He no longer felt empty and alone because of his feelings for Aleksis.


    Now the man felt that slowly he would be able to let go of Aleksis and move on from her. He was now in the right direction.


    Nicolae woke up when the sun was already high. He was shocked by the sound of incoming SMS on his cellphone. Apparently, Marie sent him a message asking how he was doing. The girl just woke up and wanted to know how Nicolae feel.


    [I just woke up too. I overslept for a long time. How do you feel?] Nicolae replied hurriedly.


    He immediately got out of bed and moved towards the kitchen to make coffee for himself. Nicolae saw that it was already 1 pm.


    He must immediately make lunch for the children, he thought.


    Altair and Vega were busy studying with their respective tablets at the dining table and they looked up when Nicolae entered.


    "Daddy, you''re awake," Vega exclaimed happily. She put down her tablet and immediately hugged Nicolae''s waist. "Want me to pour you coffee?"


    Nicolae nodded. The automation system in his apartment always provided freshly ground coffee, Vega only needed to pour it for him. The beautiful girl took Nicolae''s favorite mug and poured coffee for her father with a very cute expression.


    For a moment, Nicolae was stunned to see this little girl who looked very similar to Alaric, his brother. Vega looked very beautiful with long, delicate platinum hair down her back. Her deep blue eyes closely resembled Nicolae''s, but her entire physical appearance mostly took after her biological father.


    Nicolae was grateful to have two such wonderful children, but there was a small voice deep within his heart that kept saying these kids were not his own and that he had no right to keep them away from their biological father.


    In the past, when he was in a relationship with Aleksis, Nicolae was ready to not have any biological children with her because he considered Altair and Vega as his own. He did not want to share his affection for them with other children ...


    But now ... he and the whole world knew that these two children were not his. He must return them to Alaric immediately.


    His heart, that had always been filled with these two children, would be empty ...


    When will he be able to love another woman and have his own child? Nicolae could only sigh. He didn''t know the answer.


    "Dad... Are you crying? What''s wrong?" Vega asked attentively as she handed Nicolae a cup of coffee. She did not realize that Nicolae was close to tears because he was sad, thinking about how they would have to part ways soon.


    "It''s because I am is still sleepy," Nicolae said, making excuses. He blinked several times and sipped the coffee in his cup until it was finished. "Thank you for the coffee. Now I feel fresh. What do you want for lunch?"


    Before the children could answer, Nicolae''s cellphone on the dining table rang and Altair hurriedly looked at the caller ID.


    "That''s Auntie Marie. Daddy, you must pick up the phone!" He immediately picked up the cellphone and pressed the accept call button before Nicolae could stop him. The boy exchanged glances with Vega and the two seemed very happy to find out that their father was still in contact with the lovely Auntie Marie.


    "Hi, Marie ... yes, I was just about to take the kids out to lunch," Nicolae answered Marie''s call. "What? You want to come and eat with us? But I already treated you to lunch at that time. I don''t owe you anything anymore."


    In unit 1017, Marie pursed her lips, "It''s my treat this time. I want to invite you to eat to get rid of bad luck and start a new life. I hope you are willing to accept my invitation."


    Nicolae was about to say no, but Altair and Vega had exclaimed excitedly.


    "We will be very happy to come, Auntie Marie!!"

 Chapter 766 - The Hearty Lunch

    Nicolae looked at Altair and Vega while raising one eyebrow, trying to ask why they were so eager to have lunch with Marie.


    "We''re leaving tomorrow, Dad. I want to see Auntie Marie again before we leave ..." said Altair with a cutesy voice that made Nicolae unable to say no. Finally, he was forced to nod.


    "All right, Marie, you choose the restaurant ..." Nicolae said to his phone.


    Marie, who had heard Altair''s words that they would leave tomorrow, was immediately rooted to her spot. She could only guess where Nicolae and his two children would go. She pondered whether it was appropriate for her to b.u.t.t in and ask about their trip.


    "Marie?" asked Nicolae, who had not heard her reply. He thought she hung up.


    "Eh ... wait. I''m thinking of a good restaurant to take you." Marie''s cheerful voice made Nicolae wonder for a moment. The girl did not sound like someone who had just lost her mother.


    Really, the girl was very good at hiding her sadness and acting like she''s fine, Nicolae finally thought.


    Marie then mentioned the name of a good restaurant located close to their apartment building and made an appointment to meet there in half an hour. After Nicolae and the twins agreed, they hung up.


    Nicolae and the twins changed into nicer clothes and walked out of the apartment to the restaurant in question. The place was nearby, and they only needed to walk five minutes from their building. When the little family arrived, Marie had booked the best table on the terrace facing the street and gave them a beautiful view of the park.


    "Hello, Auntie Marie, how are you?" Vega asked happily when she saw Marie. The beautiful girl rose from her chair and welcomed them. She was still wearing all-black attire as a sign of mourning, but her face showed no traces of sadness at all.


    On both of her bandaged wrists, there were still black ribbons tied around her wrists, which made her look cool if people didn''t know she was using the ribbons to cover up her attempted suicide wounds. Only Nicolae knew this fact, and when he saw her wrists, he was immediately reminded of the scene when he found Marie lying unconscious with both wrists covered in blood ...


    Nicolae could only swallow, remembering that terrible event. He really hoped that Marie would be able to recover properly and not try to do something like that again.


    "I''m fine. How are you guys?" Marie kissed Altair and Vega''s cheeks alternately then rubbed their heads while smiling broadly.


    "Fine. We just finished packing and feel really tired ..." said Altair, taking a seat beside Marie.


    "Packing? Where are you going?" Marie asked casually as if she didn''t really want to know the answer to this question. She gave a signal for the waiter to come and took note of their order.


    "We''re going to Grosetto," answered Altair. "Our mommy will have her birthday in two days, and we don''t want to miss it ..."


    "Is that so?" Marie looked impressed. She then turned to Nicolae, who looked rather uncomfortable. The girl then remembered Nicolae''s words that he was recovering from a broken heart and currently he could not open his heart to any woman ...


    Was the woman who broke Nicolae''s heart the mother of these two children? she asked herself.


    Inwardly, Marie could only wonder what happened between Nicolae and the woman that ended their relationship, especially when they already had two beautiful kids together.


    Unfortunately, she had promised the man that she would not interfere in his personal affairs. Marie became self-aware and refrained from asking more questions.


    "That''s right." Finally, Nicolae nodded. He did not want to linger over Aleksis and focused his attention on checking the menu in his hand, trying to find a dish he liked. He then looked up and mentioned his order to the waiter who was taking notes.


    Altair and Vega had also found the food they liked, and for a moment, the conversation at the dinner table revolved around their favorite foods.


    However, after a few minutes, the intelligent girl managed to turn the conversation back to the little family''s itinerary to Italy. She wanted to know where and how long Nicolae would go and when he would return to Singapore.


    "They said Italian food in Italy is the best! What''s your favorite food there?" Marie asked, sipping her juice. She watched Altair and Vega attentively.


    "Mmm ... a lot. We like almost everything. Daddy is half Italian, and he is good at cooking, so you could say we have tasted all kinds of Italian food there is..."


    "Oh, really? I didn''t know that ..." Marie muttered to herself at Altair''s words just now. She thought Nicolae was a Romanian name not Italian. Why didn''t he look and act like an Italian at all?


    Nicolae looked at Altair with a meaningful look, and the boy immediately realized that he had said too much. Altair quickly closed his lips and stopped talking. Apparently, the boy felt too comfortable with Marie that he let out some information on Nicolae''s background.


    Nicolae was finally forced to explain a little because he was afraid Marie would ask further questions and become suspicious. "Actually, I was too late to find out that my father was from Italy. I was adopted and only met my biological father ten years ago. So, I can''t even speak Italian."


    "Oh, really...?" Marie nodded and smiled sweetly. She was happy because Nicolae seemed to consider her important that he bothered explaining his situation to her. She averted their attention from the topic and asked the kids about what gifts they will give to their mom on her birthday. "What gift did you buy for your mother? Isn''t she going to have a birthday?"


    "We have prepared lavender flowers for Mommy..." Vega said happily. "It''s Mommy''s favorite flower and it''s usually hard to find when her birthday arrives, so every year Daddy and we give her lavender."


    Marie forced herself to show a smile of admiration at Vega''s words. "Wow ... how cool! You guys must really love your mother ..."


    In her heart, Marie was very jealous of the woman she didn''t even know, who lived on the other part of the world. Marie was jealous that the woman always got a gift prepared lovingly by the man that Marie liked.


    "Daddy said, Mommy already has everything, so, she would appreciate a personal gift prepared wholeheartedly, rather than bought with money," Altair added.


    "Uhm .. Your Daddy is very wise. I agree with him ..." Marie nodded. She then frowned in surprise as she pondered on something. "Looks like your Dad loves your Mom so much ... Why ... uhm ... why ... are they not together anymore?"


    Altair and Vega exchanged glances at Marie''s question. None of them wanted to answer because this was indeed a complicated matter. They were very fond of Nicolae and, for years, longed for this man to be their father.


    But the reality now was, their mother and biological father loved each other very much and have found each other after being separated for ten years. Vega and Altair also already had two younger siblings from their parents after their reunion.


    This made it impossible for Nicolae to marry Aleksis. At least, that won''t happen as long as Alaric was alive, and neither Altair nor Vega wanted their father to die.


    "Marie ... please ... don''t ask any more personal questions. I already told you ..." Finally, Nicolae spoke up and stopped Marie''s attempt to find more information. The girl was stunned for a moment and then immediately developed a cheerful smile.


    "Ahahaha .. please forgive me for being carried away. I was just curious. Okay ... Let''s not discuss sad things. My goal was to invite you to have a meal together so I could chase away bad luck and start a new life happily. Let''s toast!" said the girl while lifting her glass of juice. "I want to toast to days full of smiles from now on!"


    The three people at her table seemed relieved to see Marie''s relaxed demeanor and followed her to raise their glasses.


    They then ate quietly. Marie and the twins only talked about their hobbies and interests together and their favorite animals. Nicolae was mostly silent. He noticed the black ribbons on Marie''s wrists that hid her suicide attempt two days ago, and the happy attitude she displayed in front of his two children.


    Marie did not even mention her mother''s death to the kids. Altair and Vega were ignorant to the fact that the beautiful girl at their table had just lost her only parent, and had attempted to end her life.


    Marie was really talented in acting, Nicolae thought. Again he was amazed and afraid of Marie''s talent. He was amazed that the girl was very good at hiding up her vulnerability from outsiders, but at the same time, he was also scared that one day Marie would lie to him and he would be fooled by her good acting.

 Chapter 767 - Saying Goodbye

    Ah ... why am I thinking about this? Nicolae scolded himself. He shouldn''t think like this because, after all, he and Marie will not meet again. Tomorrow he would return to Grosetto and change his current identity. Then he would disappear completely from Marie''s life.


    Their meeting this time was serendipity, a pleasant coincidence, and they gave comfort that the other needed during their own hardsh.i.p.s.


    Marie happened to be in need of a man who could pretend to be her husband to make her mother happy before she passed away, while Nicolae needed a woman who could heal the wounds in his heart.


    Thanks to Marie, he was able to let go of Aleksis from his heart. Evidently, this morning he could make love with a woman who was not Aleksis, and he could make peace with his broken heart. Nicolae felt that he was now on the road to recovery, and for this, he would forever thank Marie.


    Each of them had fulfilled the purpose of their meeting, and now it was time to return to their own lives. Tomorrow, Nicolae would erase his tracks, and Marie would never be able to find him again.


    He could feel how much Marie liked him and even began to fall in love with him. But Nicolae knew that it would be unfair to Marie if he gave the girl a little hope ... He was not ready for new love until he could find himself again and healed completely. If he gave her hope, he would only make Marie his rebound, and she didn''t deserve it.


    The lovely nice lunch ended two hours later. It was obvious that Altair and Vega still wanted to play and talk with Marie, but Nicolae reminded them that they had to finish their homework.


    "Professor Tillman will blame me if you don''t send the essay he asked you to do," the man said, patting Altair and Vega''s shoulders alternately.


    "They are writing ESSAY ???" Marie asked in surprise. "Aren''t they too small for such things?"


    "Uhm .. they are not regular children," Nicolae explained. "They don''t go to school like other kids, so they have to be able to study independently with a private teacher. After all, the essay isn''t difficult. They like the subject, don''t you Kids?"


    He looked at Altair and Vega alternately, and the two children reluctantly nodded.


    "Yeah, I do..." Vega sighed. He really liked studying botany.


    "You don''t want your mother to think that I don''t take care of your education properly, right?" Nicolae asked again.


    The man was always conscientious about ensuring that within the one year he had with Altair and Vega, the two children''s education and wellbeing were well maintained. He did not want them to lack anything, even only a little.


    "Of course not," said Altair, nodding in agreement. He immediately remembered that tomorrow he might have to really say goodby to Daddy Nic, and that made his heart feel sad.


    Finally, they got up to go back to their apartment.


    "Thank you for lunch. It was nice talking to you," Nicolae said before they left the restaurant. "Are you going to be okay?"


    "Well ... I''ll be fine ..." She lied through her teeth and then raised her face, smiling, as if he was the happiest woman in the world. "You''re welcome. Don''t forget to let me know when you are back in Singapore. My flower shop is across the street."


    She pointed to the end of the road across the park and rose from her chair to wave to them.


    "Goodbye, Auntie Marie."


    Marie just stood there, watching Nicolae and his two children leave. When they were already far enough, her smiling face turned sad. Marie was disappointed that Nicolae didn''t treat her differently from yesterday. At first, she thought after they made love passionately this morning, something else happened between them, and sparks flew.


    Before, she thought that when they met again, the man would look a little awkward, like herself. Or maybe, he would even treat her more sweetly or with some intimacy. After all, this morning they made love like they were in love, like real husband and wife.


    Marie smiled bitterly as her heart spoke truthfully, that the truth was, she had fallen in love with the man, and now she was hoping that their fake marriage could turn into a real one.


    Ahh ... she was so naive.


    People say men can have s.e.x with a woman without love, while women will only have s.e.x because of love. There was so much truth in that saying, Marie admitted. She realized that even though he and Nicolae had s.e.x, her feeling had been one-sided. She had to accept the fact that her love was unrequited.


    ***


    It was a beautiful sunny day, and the atmosphere in Nicolae''s apartment was quite busy. They had been packing their belongings for the last time since morning.


    "Is everything all right?" Nicolae asked the kids for the third time. Altair and Vega nodded. Each of them carried a small suitcase in their hands. They both looked neat and ready to travel.


    Their plane to Rome will depart at 2 pm. They were ready to leave the apartment at noon. Troy and Willman, the two bodyguards that Alaric had prepared for his two children, had been waiting for them in the parking lot of the building to take them to the airport.


    Nicolae stood hesitantly by the side of the car before he finally got in and told Willman to drive.


    "What''s the matter, Dad? Did you forget something?" Altair asked, puzzled to see Nicolae dumbfounded. He hoped his father had made an agreement with Auntie Marie and was now waiting for the girl to say goodbye to them because, after all, they lived in the same building.


    Nicolae shook his head. He then got into the car and closed the door without saying anything.


    He was thinking of saying goodbye to Marie but refrained at the last minute. He did not want the girl to have the wrong idea by being sweet to her. He knew Marie liked him or maybe even loved him... and he didn''t want to give her false hope.


    He had explained to her from the beginning, before Marie took him to meet Mrs. Lu, that he only intended to help her, and that they could not have any further contact after he fulfilled his promise.


    In the car, his mind was at war with himself. One part of his heart wanted to say goodbye, and say something to Marie... because their relationship, though brief, had turned into a complication when the two of them decided to sleep together yesterday.


    Nicolae felt guilty to just leave without a word. But the other part of his heart insisted that he should avoid Marie so as not to confuse her and made her feel like he gave her hope.


    Nicolae''s heart began to heal slowly, but she could not yet fall in love with anyone at this moment. He realized that he would only make them his rebounds or he would only use them for s.e.x, now that he could already sleep with another woman. Both situations were unacceptable for a girl as sweet as Marie.


    ***


    .


    .


    From the author:


    Thank you soo much for reading this novel and showing your endless support. I''m humbled and feel so happy that you spend your precious time reading this book. I am currently writing a new novel called "FINDING STARDUST".


    At the moment the update is 1 chapter per day because I''m still focusing on THE ALCHEMISTS. Once this novel ended, I will be able to publish 2-3 chapters per day for the new novel. It''s still on its infancy because I have only introduced the characters and the background. We still have a long way to go. But, you will get to witness the story and follow the MC''s journey from the beginning.


    If you liked "THE ALCHEMISTS", I think you will FINDING STARDUST too :). Go and check it. Who knows, it might be your next cup of tea ^^. Here is the blurb:


    .


    FINDING STARDUST


    And then she realized that she could fly.


    Suddenly all her senses became enhanced and she could also control the earth''s elements?


    She finally realized that her powers were the secret to her past and her missing parents, a royal princess and a formidable general from a planet called Akkadia who escaped their home planet because they loved each other.


    Emma was resolute in finding them even if it means she had to go to the end of the universe. Will she meet her parents again? Will she find Akkadia? Will her powers bring her friends... or foes?


    Follow Emma''s journey as she unravels the mystery surrounding her past and her future. Volume 1 is light-hearted and focuses on her life among regular humans on earth.


    From Volume 2 onwards, get ready to be transported into a completely new world where magic and science become part of human daily life. If you like strong FL, space, astronomy, magic, science, and slice-of-life.. You will be spoiled by this book!


    Tags for this novel: fantasy, overpowered MC, mage, sci-fi, strong FL, space opera, sweet romance, secret identity, superpowers, high fantasy, modern, adventure, action.

 Chapter 768 - Feeling Stupid

    Meanwhile, in Darknet, Goose started to receive more jobs after she turned down jobs the whole month to take care of her ailing mother. But, now, she became very picky because she no longer really needed money to pay for her mother''s hospital fees.


    In the past, she wouldn''t care about such things, she would take any jobs no matter how dirty as long as it paid well because she needed money badly.


    Now, various assignments, which she considered to be too dirty or if she was asked to hurt a weak person, would be rejected outright. Many clients who had asked her to do their dirty work began to protest and get angry, but Goose did not budge. She did not care about them.


    No one could tell Goose what jobs to do and how to do them! After confirming a task she liked, Goose immediately left Darknet and removed her tracks.


    Her mind flew to the man who had always filled her head since yesterday. She repeatedly looked at her cellphone to see if Nicolae sent her a message to say goodbye before leaving for Italy. Sadly, she had to swallow her disappointment.


    Ah ... apparently, she thought too highly of herself, thinking she held some meaning for the man just because they slept together. Now, her heart scolded her for thinking about the man often.


    She looked at the wedding ring in her ring finger and sighed. Hmm, she must not forget to take care of their marriage annulment, as Nicolae requested.


    Marie rose from her seat to close her flower shop and planned to go to ROM when her cellphone vibrated, and she saw an incoming SMS.


    [The children and I are leaving for Italy in a minute. I don''t know when I will return to Singapore. Take care of yourself. Marie, you are an amazing woman, and I hope you will find your happiness. Goodbye.]


    Marie read the five sentences with a c.h.e.s.t that was suddenly filled with warmth. She didn''t know why, but her heart was so happy and light. She almost felt like she had grown wings and could fly.


    Was this how it felt to be in love?


    Marie wondered to herself ... if this feeling she was having was indeed love. This was arguably a strange feeling for her because so far, she had never felt it for any man.


    For some reason ... just getting an SMS from that man could make her heart flutter. She felt very touched because, as it turned out, Nicolae took the time to say goodbye to her. The man didn''t just leave and forget about her like she was just a used item.


    Marie sat back in her chair, and she recalled Nicolae''s words when he said he was healing himself from a broken heart.


    Marie now understood why Nicolae kept a distance from her. That''s because the man did not want to use her as a rebound or a mere s.e.x object. The man was too kind that he didn''t want to give her hope, so he chose to avoid her.


    But at the last moment, Nicolae still took the time to say goodbye to Marie.


    Actually, Marie understood him. She knew Nicolae had high regard for her and didn''t want to use her. But the truth was... Marie didn''t mind being used by him.


    She wanted to tell Nicolae that she understood him, and she did not mind being his rebound. She wanted to be there for him, to accompany him during his recovery and cared for his broken heart.


    Marie didn''t mind picking up the pieces. She believed that deep inside his heart, Nicolae also had feelings for her. Maybe, at this moment, those feelings were still small and hidden under those layers of sadness ...


    But Marie was convinced that if Nicolae was willing to give those small feelings a chance, he would realize someday that he, too, loved Marie.


    "I ... I-I have to talk to him ..." Marie muttered in an unclear voice. She felt that she and Nicolae had to talk in person and resolve the feelings between them or at least say goodbye face to face, not by a text or a phone call.


    She wanted Nicolae to give her a chance to talk ...


    Marie reopened her laptop and checked all flight schedules for Rome. She did not know which flight they were taking, so she hurriedly hacked the data of all the airlines flying out from Changi airport today searched for that information.


    Ahh .. Nicolae, Altair, and Vega Sorin will board on a plane to Rome at 2 pm.


    It was too soon...


    "I can''t cancel only their flight so I can meet and talk to Nicolae ..." Marie muttered. She searched all flights to Italy on that day and then canceled all of them for technical reasons.


    Instead of taking a detour by flying to another country and then going to Italy, Marie was sure, Nicolae would choose to wait until the next flight to Italy was available.


    She hurriedly closed her flower shop and drove her car to the airport. She would give him an excuse that she was delivering some flowers to the airport, and then she could ask about Nicolae and the twins'' flights. She would pretend to sympathize about their canceled flight and ask to meet Nicolae to talk to him in person...


    "What? All flights to Italy have been canceled?" Nicolae was very surprised to hear the explanation from the airline staff who looked as confused as he was.


    "We are trying to find alternatives for passengers who are very rushed, but for those who are not in a hurry, we will provide financial compensation and get you the next available flights. We apologize for the inconvenience." The staff repeatedly apologized.


    Nicolae looked at his watch and shook his head. He wanted to arrive in Italy tomorrow morning so that his father could bring Altair and Vega to Grosetto to meet their parents.


    "All right, I''ll look for alternatives myself," Nicolae finally said. He took out his tablet and immediately checked various available flight schedules.


    None of the airlines flew to Italy today. There were so many issues, from aircraft damage to the problems with the system. Many passengers began to protest and get angry.


    "How is it, Dad?" Altair asked attentively.


    Nicolae shook his head slowly. His eyes noticed a flight scheduled to Bucharest in one hour. His mind wandered to Aleksis and Alaric, who were waiting for them in Targu Mures.


    Several days ago, Nicolae could not imagine himself meeting Aleksis ... but for some reason, now his heart was not as sad as before.


    He then considered the possibility for them to fly directly to Bucharest and taking a helicopter or Alaric private plane to his castle in Targu Mures. Nicolae missed seeing his family like before. He also missed his brother, Alaric, and really wanted to see him.


    Finally, Nicolae booked a flight to Bucharest. The flight was leaving shortly, so he immediately took Altair and Vega to the new departure gate. They will fly directly to Romania instead of Italy.


    ***


    Marie arrived at the airport early, but she was still doubtful about texting Nicolae and giving him her excuse for being there. She paced nervously for ten minutes, trying to decide whether she could send an SMS to Nicolae, asking about their flight, and claimed to just happen to be there for delivering a bouquet.


    Finally, after gathering her courage, Marie sent the message.


    [Hey, what a coincidence, I got an order to send a flower bouquet to the airport. A man wants to surprise his girlfriend, who just returned from abroad. So romantic ... hahaha. By the way, what time is your flight?]


    Marie waited for Nicolae''s reply with a palpitating c.h.e.s.t. But the reply that came actually made her heartbroken.


    [The number you have dialed is not active]


    Marie frowned in surprise. Why wasn''t his number active?


    Did...


    Where do you fly to? Didn''t I cancel all flights to Italy? Marie thought.


    Her c.h.e.s.t suddenly felt tight ...


    Was... was that woman so important to Nicolae that he didn''t want to wait? Did he choose to fly immediately and take a detour through another country just so that he could arrive at the woman''s place on time??


    Marie bit her lip with a disappointed face. She opened her cellphone and hacked today''s flights leaving Singapore''s Changi airport to anywhere in the world and searched for the name of the passenger Nicolae Sorin.


    He found the man and his two children registered on a flight to Bucharest at 2.30 pm.


    Marie looked at her watch. Tears dripped down her cheeks when she realized she was five minutes late. It was now 2.35 pm.


    The girl then raised her face and looked at the sky, as if trying to find the plane that took Nicolae away from her to a faraway place, where he would meet another woman, the woman he loved but broke his heart.


    Marie felt so stupid. She thought too highly of herself and believed she had a place in the man''s heart just because they slept together.


    Nicolae obviously loved that other woman very much. They certainly have a much deeper relationship than just s.e.x because they have two children together, Altair and Vega.


    Subconsciously, Marie buried her head in her two hands and cried silently.

 Chapter 769 - Trip To Targu Mures

    "I can''t wait to see Mommy..." said Altair when they had finished lunch and he was ready to sleep in his flatbed seat. "I''m glad we finally go straight to Romania. It''s weird ... How all flights are canceled."


    The boy''s words immediately stunned Nicolae. He was so busy with his own thoughts that he did not even delve further into the weirdness of what happened today. Altair was right. The cancellation of all flights to Italy today was quite strange.


    He could overlook one, two ... even three canceled flights... but five? And if he was not mistaken, there were a total of 15 flights going to Italy today and all of them were canceled.


    Lest this is just a prankster or someone who had bad intentions. But who was the culprit?


    More importantly... who was the target? Was that person one of the passengers going the plane to Italy ... or perhaps ... Nicolae himself?


    The man frowned, trying to think of anyone who might want to disrupt his trip.


    Hmm ... He would try to investigate this later when he was not busy. What''s important now is that they could arrive in Targu Mures safely.


    After making sure Altair and Vega were sleeping, he opened his tablet and used the plane wifi to find out what really happened.


    "Hmm ... all the canceled flights have now been restored. What really happened? Does this have something to do with me?" Nicolae murmured to himself in puzzlement. From the data he found, he concluded that someone hacked all flights scheduled to leave Changi airport and canceled the flights to Italy.


    Hmm ...


    Ah, damn it!


    He just remembered that ten years ago Alaric set up a huge bounty for anyone who could find Wolf. It''s been a long time, and there were not that many people chasing Wolf anymore. Nevertheless, he still found some bounty hunters trying to find his tracks every now and then.


    What if this incident was caused by one of those hackers? That means, someone managed to track him all the way to Singapore and now Romania ... ugh ...


    So far, Nicolae had been lucky because he had a lot of friends who were kind enough to help cover his tracks. Nicolae hardly felt any trouble throughout the years. But, if this incident was really caused by the bounty announcement from ten years ago, then he might be running out of luck. Both he and Alaric forgot about that bounty after they were reunited and none of them thought about canceling it.


    Nicolae could only sigh. He made a mental note to ask Alaric to cancel the bounty to avoid more problems in the future. He also had to remove all his tracks as Nicolae Sorin. He couldn''t risk getting exposed as Wolf with this identity.


    Hmm ... Nicolae thought hard about how he should end his current identity so he could really disappear and get a new identity.


    Ahh well .. he would think about it later. He already had too much on his plate.


    Finally, Nicolae chose to take sleeping pills so that he could rest on the journey. When he woke up, his mind was still busy thinking about various things that made him depressed.


    While still at Changi airport, he did make the decision to fly directly to Romania with Altair and Vega. However, there was still some doubt in Nicolae''s mind, whether he would really be able to behave normally and look fine in front of Aleksis or not.


    What made him quite uneasy was the fact that he must immediately return Altair and Vega to their biological parents. He was very fond of the two children. And he understood that he could only visit them often at their parents'' residence if he could get rid of his romantic feelings for Aleksis.


    Another thing that also disturbed his mind was his memory of Marie''s face. Nicolae had said goodbye to the girl via SMS, but Marie had not replied to his message until the last moment when Nicolae finally boarded the plane.


    He didn''t know whether Marie was too busy to reply to his message, or the girl intentionally didn''t reply since Nicolae''s text clearly told her that he had no intention of returning to Singapore soon and that he expected Marie to continue her life and not think about him.


    Nicolae hoped that it was the latter. It would be good for Marie to forget about him and did not expect much, especially because Nicolae would ''end'' his identity as Nicolae Sorin.


    He could only hope that the girl would be fine. Maybe someday he would look for news about Marie to find out how she was doing. But in the meantime, he will try to forget about her.


    ***


    When Nicolae, Altair, and Vega landed at the Bucharest airport, Alaric''s private plane was already waiting to take them to Targu Mures. From Targu Mures airport, the three of them immediately headed to Alaric''s castle on the hilltop.


    They arrived when the deer hunting activity just ended. Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t began to feel light when he saw Aleksis at the courtyard. His heart was still feeling some pain, but it was not as bad as before ... He could even smile, seeing Alaric holding Aleksis intimately.


    But if it''s Alaric, Nicolae could give them his blessings. His brother was the only person he would trust to make Aleksis happy.


    "Mommy.... !!!" the twins exclaimed in unison when they saw Aleksis and Alaric coming and ran toward them excitedly.


    Aleksis immediately turned around and found Altair and Vega hugging her tightly. Ahhh .. she really missed her firstborns. With teary eyes, she crouched down and embraced them lovingly.

 Chapter 770 - Nicolae And Aleksis

    "Mommy.... !!!" the twins exclaimed in unison when they saw Aleksis and Alaric coming and ran toward them excitedly.


    "How was the trip?" She asked them lovingly.


    "It''s okay. Daddy decided to come straight here because the plane to Rome was canceled. All the planes that headed to Italy somehow suffered engine failure or other technical issues. Luckily Daddy was able to buy a last-minute flight to Bucharest so we could come here," Altair explained.


    "Oh ..." Aleksis lifted her face and saw Nicolae walking casually with his hands in his pocket approaching her. "Is it true that all the planes going to Italy were canceled? How strange."


    Nicolae just shrugged. "At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but after the fifth flight was also canceled, I suspected it was the work of a hacker who wanted to wreak havoc."


    Nicolae decided not to talk about the bounty from ten years ago in front of Aleksis. He didn''t want her to fight with Alaric if she knew what Alaric had done in the past to find Wolf. He would find the time later to talk alone with his brother.


    "Wreaking havoc? Why? Were they after you?" Alaric asked in amazement.


    "That''s what I''m going to investigate. It''s okay, what''s important is that now the kids have arrived here and we are all well." Nicolae hugged his brother tightly and chuckled. "How are you? Hopefully, you get enough sleep with twin babies at home..."


    Alaric patted his brother''s shoulder and nodded. "Of course. Thank you for coming."


    Nicolae broke free from Alaric and stepped in front of Aleksis, who had now risen with one kid hugged each of her t.h.i.g.hs.


    "Aleksis ..." Nicolae tried to smile with his eyes. Before, even though his lips smiled, his eyes could not lie and still showed his pain. He still felt deep sorrow every time he saw the girl. But today, he managed to try his best to show that he was truly happy for Aleksis. "Happy birthday. I hope you will always be happy."


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae with an emotional smile, and she slowly nodded. "Thank you, Nic. I''m so glad you came to celebrate with us here."


    They looked somewhat awkward for a few seconds, but then, slowly, both Aleksis and Nicolae stepped forward and gave each other a hug, as they would to their best friend.


    "Welcome," Aleksis said, kissing Nicolae on the cheek. The man nodded and patted Aleksis''s shoulder gently.


    "I''m glad to see you all. I''ll never miss your birthday for anything."


    All present hid their feeling of relief by acting as if nothing had happened. They knew that today was an important moment, where Nicolae and Aleksis were slowly trying to restore their friendship. Today marked the time that Nicolae could finally treat Aleksis as his brother''s wife, without feeling awkward.


    The sadness in his heart had not yet gone, but at least, just as Lauriel was able to continue living by letting Luna go, Nicolae also learned not to distance himself from his family just because he still had romantic feelings for Aleksis.


    Nicolae greeted his father and everyone present. He was also introduced to Alaric''s three foster children who came to the family event. The atmosphere felt so warm and pleasant.


    "Okay, please go wash up. Soon, we will get ready for dinner," Aleksis finally said after everyone had met and exchanged news briefly.


    Altair and Vega greeted and hugged their grandfathers, grandmother, and all their uncles before following their father''s steps into the castle to see their two adorable baby siblings.


    "You just rest and drink wine to relax. I am sure the trip here must be quite tiring," Aleksis commented to Nicolae.


    "Thank you, but I''ve sat long enough in the airplane and the car on the way here. Now, I just want to take a walk around this place. Do you want to accompany me?" Nicolae asked.


    "Of course. This place is beautiful. I will take you to my favorite place," Aleksis nodded happily. She was truly relieved to see Nicolae''s attitude this time. The man no longer intentionally distanced himself from her!


    Aleksis grew up without having many friends, so for her, losing a friend like Nicolae last year truly made her devastated. She did get her husband back, but at the same time, she lost her best friend. It felt like a horrible trade-off.


    Oh, how happy Aleksis would be if Nicolae went back to being her friend.


    After seeing Alaric disappear into the castle with their two children, Aleksis turned towards Nicolae and pointed towards the east.


    "There is a very beautiful flower garden over there. Alaric made a memorial for your mother there. I''m sure you want to see it."


    "Of course," Nicolae nodded and smiled at Aleksis''s words. "I will be very happy to."


    Understandingly, Alaric let his brother walk together with Aleksis around his residence. He understood Nicolae and Aleksis needed to talk in private to resolve the issue between them.


    "So, how are you doing?" Aleksis asked while walking around the beautiful garden to the east of the castle.


    They finally sat on a fallen tree and exchanged news. Nicolae told her a little about Altair and Vega''s antics when they repeatedly tried to find him dates by hacking online dating sites.


    He also told her about the three blind dates. Finally, Nicolae managed to make Aleksis laugh when she heard that the man decided to teach Altair and Vega a lesson by pretending to be in a relationship with Auntie Louisa.


    "Jeez ... I can imagine. They must now give up in trying to find you a girlfriend," Aleksis chuckled.


    Nicolae just shrugged. "I don''t know. I hope so ... I''m not in the mood to hurt any woman right now. I feel like I still need time to be alone."


    Aleksis looked at Nicolae, who sat beside her. She realized that Nicolae really meant what he just said.


    "How are you feeling now?" Aleksis asked attentively.


    She felt very happy and relieved because Nicolae no longer looked awkward toward her. She really missed her best friend.

 Chapter 771 - Nicolae Moved On

    Nicolae looked back at Aleksis. He finally disclosed what was in his heart to the girl in all honesty.


    "Aleksis, you know ... it''s not easy to move on with life when the person you love leaves you, right? We''ve talked about this before."


    Aleksis nodded slowly. "That''s right. I remember your words last year before we..."


    Aleksis paused, then changed the sentence. She did not want to mention the words ''before we get married''.


    She chose another sentence to convey her point. "I remember your words last year when we were at Father''s conservation in Kenya. At that time, you told me that I must not be too hard on myself. Moving on with you did not mean I had to force myself to forget my past with Alaric."


    "That''s right," Nicolae said calmly. "Now, I will use those words to myself. Aleksis ... someday I will move on. I will find a girl whom I will love with all my heart, and she will love me as much as I love her. And then I will move on with life. But, this past year ... what I did was: I tried to get on with my life by forcing myself to forget what had happened between us, even though it wasn''t true."


    "Nic ..." Aleksis looked at Nicolae deeply.


    "Along the way to this place, I thought a lot about that sentence, and now I realize that I will always love you ... You will always have a place in my heart, but I must let you go from my life because you belong with someone else. I must move on with my life, not by forgetting you." Nicolae seemed emotional, but he kept speaking calmly.


    "You will always be the girl I once loved - because we cannot erase history. You are also the mother of the children I love so much. By accepting that fact ... accepting that you are a part of my past, I will be able to move on to the future. I will be able to open my heart to the woman who will become my last love."


    "I''m glad to hear that you''ve made peace with yourself and found the best way for you to move on with life." Aleksis touched Nicolae''s hand and patted it softly. "For me, you will always have a place in my heart as the only man I ever loved when I thought my husband passed away. You are my best friend, and forever you will have a place in my life and my family."


    "I''m glad to hear that, too," Nicolae said. "It''s not easy ... but I hope we can keep having a good relationship because I really want to be able to visit Altair and Vega often."


    "Of course...!" said Aleksis happily. "You will always be Daddy Nic for Altair and Vega."


    The girl stretched her arms with a smile. Nicolae smiled back and understood what she meant. He stepped closer to her open arms and hugged her warmly.


    For a few moments, they were hugging to break the awkwardness between them that had been preventing them this past year from acting like in-laws or friends.


    Nicolae and Alexis felt very happy because now, it was as if the invisible wall that blocked their relationship was slowly disappearing. Now, they can look at each other as two good friends.


    Aleksis rose from the fallen tree and pulled Nicolae''s hand to get up and follow her.


    "This is your first time in Targu Mures, right? The memorial that Alaric built for your mother is over there. Before Alaric moved your mother''s grave to Yorkshire, she was buried on this hill. It is such a beautiful place ..."


    "I''d love to see it," Nicolae said. He walked through the garden, following Aleksis''s steps. He would like to see where his mother was initially buried.


    Their steps halted in front of a beautiful monument with two stone angels on each side. Nicolae''s eyes were fixed when he saw the writing carved in the stone, and he involuntarily felt his hand touch the words.


    He read slowly, "You are the best woman in the world."


    He could imagine the sadness his brother experienced for one hundred years, every time he came here to visit their mother''s grave. Alaric, who lived alone and was an immortal without knowing about his origins, must have felt deeply attached to their mother, who died without being able to tell him anything about himself and his family.


    "Father said he wanted to show you and Alaric something," Alexis said gently. "This concerns your mother. "


    "I can''t wait," said Nicolae.


    "You should take a shower and rest first. Later we will meet in the dining room," said Aleksis.


    Nicolae nodded. They then walked back into the castle to wash up and change clothes. Dinner would be served in one hour. Aleksis said goodbye to take care of her children while Nicolae was escorted to his room to rest.


    After taking a shower, Nicolae sat relaxing while enjoying wine on the terrace of the third floor. He loved watching the beautiful sunset view. Alaric followed him there shortly after.


    The two brothers didn''t say a word. They just exchanged glances and clinked their glasses before drinking and silently watched the orange sun slowly going down to the west.


    Alaric was a quiet man, and Nicolae was a man of few words. Contrary to his twin brother, Nicolae was a warm man and every word he said was meaningful. But at this moment, Nicolae understood his brother''s feelings, and words weren''t needed.


    The sun was setting and would soon be dark. The twins got up from their seats and went to the ground floor. Alaric looked for his wife and children to invite them to dinner while Nicolae waited in the dining room.


    The dining room was large and magnificent. A robot servant prepared the long table and assisted the guests as they entered one by one and took their seats. The warm dinner was served at 7 pm between the Schneider¨CMedici Family and both parties talked and laughed as they enjoyed the food in intimacy.

 Chapter 772 - Lauriels Request

    The dinner was almost over when Lauriel asked his two children to join him in the Holodeck on the second floor. Alaric and Nicolae accepted their father''s request, however, both had no idea what it was about. Alaric looked at Aleksis only to receive a thoughtful smile.


    Aleksis was indeed the goddaughter of Lauriel Medici. She already knew what Lauriel was planning to do with his own children.


    As for her father, Caspar, he had an inkling too and smiled and nodded at Lauriel. It must be about Princess Luna. The day''s finally arrived, Caspar thought. He hoped that Lauriel would reconcile with his past and let her go. It seemed that Nicolae wasn''t the only one who had been able to move on.


    ***


    The guests moved to the living room and enjoyed their drinks and chats, Aleksis, Finland and Kara played with the children while the three men walked to the second floor of the castle into the Holodeck.


    When he thought Aleksis died, Alaric built the Holodeck to see Aleksis every time he missed her. He uploaded his memories to revisit his past with Aleksis, whom he had always longed for. Although he had never personally used it again after Aleksis came back to his life, sometimes Aleksis would drag him inside to share her memories of Altair and Vega growing up. She wanted Alaric to feel he was there even if he wasn''t present for their children for ten years.


    When they arrived in front of the Holodeck''s door, Lauriel stopped. Alaric came to a realization. His c.h.e.s.t tightened as he watched his father hesitating to move forward. He was suspecting that his father would show their mother. Lauriel might be wanting to use the Holodeck''s feature to bring his memories of his beloved and share them with his two children.


    Nicolae, who had never used a Holodeck, heard of the machine''s capabilities before. And as they stood there waiting, he also arrived at the same conclusion.


    The two young men unconsciously held their breath.


    With a heavy tone, Lauriel said, "I loved your mother so much so that her death devastated me." The door hissed, and they walked in. "Even if it''s almost a hundred years since that day, the thought of her still breaks my heart and paralyzes me."


    Nicolae and Alaric remained silent as they listened intently to their father. Every time they met Lauriel, they could feel how much their mother, Luna, meant to him, but he had always refused to talk about her except for that one time.


    The first and last instance they had heard him talk about her was when they were in Yorkshire, last year. The three of them visited Luna''s grave and after that, Lauriel kept quiet about his thoughts of her.


    But now, as their father took them into the Holodeck and talked about Luna, a sense of relief began to permeate the two brothers. The actions of their father only meant he was finally letting go.


    Nicolae understood how painful it was to lose somehow you love and you get to live. Involuntarily, he had reached out to his father''s shoulder and leaned on it.


    He said in a soft voice, "The time you spent with mom must have been the happiest days of your life."


    Lauriel nodded. He smiled a little and patted his son''s back. After the two of them had recollected themselves, Lauriel sat in a large chair in the corner of the room and wore a Holodeck headset that could replay the memory of his choice. He closed his eyes and let the Holodeck reconstruct the memory he loved the most.


    Ten minutes later, the empty Holodeck room transformed into a grand hall filled with music and many beautiful people dressed in long gowns and tunics. They seemed to be partying. Alaric and Nicolae immediately recognized some of the people they knew.


    In a slightly dim corner of the room, the twins saw Portia talking to Ned happily. Portia''s hair was as beautiful as ever, purplish platinum strands.


    In the middle of the room, almost the center of all the girls'' attention, was Caspar Schneider. He already had a girl in his arms, but girls still surrounded him, vying for his affection.


    Alaric and Nicolae remembered that Aleksis''s father was once famous as a playboy who loved to change lovers, but nevertheless, they were still embarrassed to see Alaric''s father-in-law making out with other women who weren''t his current wife.


    There were also some other people who seemed influential they didn''t recognize. Lauriel, however, didn''t introduce them since his focus was solely on just one person. Lauriel said, "This was Luna''s 200th birthday party. The moment where I met her for the first time."


    "Boss Lauriel, at least wait until the daughter of the host appears. I''d love to have a bet with you and win a treasure c.h.e.s.t," Petra said.


    "All right. What do you want to bet on?" Lauriel asked in a lazy voice.


    "I bet that Princess Luna is beautiful. If I lose, I''ll work for you without a salary for 20 years," Petra said firmly.


    Lauriel laughed. "Hmm... okay. I''ll bet the girl''s face, Luna, is a defect like it was kicked by a horse, just as the rumors say. If I lose, you''ll get a treasure c.h.e.s.t of Black Bart, so you can propose to the princess."


    Alaric and Nicolae looked at each other. They had never thought their father would say that their mother was ugly.


    Lauriel was, of course, not at all serious about winning. He just said Luna was ugly, so he could have an excuse to lose the bet and give a treasure c.h.e.s.t to Petra. He didn''t want one of his crewmen, Petra, to go to the Linden family empty-handed.


    As the five merry men drank and chatted, an announcement was made. They all looked, Alaric and Nicolae included, at the door where a stunningly beautiful girl was standing and wearing an elegant dress with vibrant purple hair.


    Tears welled up in the two brothers'' eyes as they tried to hold it back. It went without saying that they already knew this girl was their mother, Princess Luna.


    Nicolae traced his mother''s presence. He looked over his brother''s hair and was surprised that Alaric truly had inherited their mother''s appearance, while he had inherited their father''s appearance. Alaric''s hair and face truly resembled Princess Luna''s.

 Chapter 773 - Lauriel & Luna

    Tears welled up in the two brothers'' eyes as they tried to hold it back. It went without saying that they already knew this girl was their mother, Princess Luna.


    Nicolae now understood why Alaric didn''t like how he looked, his face looked too feminine. If Alaric stood next to Princess Luna, they would look like siblings. He was the spitting image of his mother, after all.


    Meanwhile, Alaric couldn''t hold the tears in his eyes any longer. He tremendously loved this woman. He had dedicated almost a hundred years of his life trying to avenge his deceased mother.


    But now, seeing her standing close to him as if she was alive, the emotions Alaric buried deep in heart burst out. He reached out and muttered in a poignant voice, "Mother..."


    Alaric and Nicolae could only stare as their beautiful mother walked with elegance and head held high toward Lauriel''s table and crew.


    "You''re Boss Lauriel, aren''t you?" asked Luna in a clear and firm voice, staring straight into Lauriel''s eyes. The man was surprised because he didn''t expect this girl would be that gorgeous and would know his name. He cleared his throat and nodded.


    Luna glanced at Petra before turning her gaze back to Lauriel. "You lost the bet on one treasure c.h.e.s.t. As you can see, my face isn''t deformed like it was kicked by a horse."


    Lauriel raised his eyebrows in surprise, as did Endo, Neo, Esso, and Petra. They didn''t know how this girl found out about their bet. But before they could ask any questions, Luna turned around gracefully and walked away. She joined her mother in the middle of the hall and mingled with the other guests.


    The five men looked at each other trying to understand what had just happened.


    "Gosh, Boss Lauriel... I think Princess Luna likes you," Petra said. "I''m not going to ask for her hand in marriage anymore. It''s clear that she''s interested in you. However, you still owe me that treasure c.h.e.s.t. I''ve won our bet."


    Lauriel watched Luna as she conversed with her mother, sister, and Portia, not even sparing him another glance. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she stood up against him without flinching.


    Lauriel''s c.h.e.s.t trembled as he stared at the girl who had shown him a mild and indifferent attitude but far from being arrogant like most noble daughters.


    "Boss, what do you think of Princess Luna?" Petra asked again. "She''s beautiful..."


    Lauriel sipped his wine and shook his head. "You know my rules, Petra. No women on the ship. Women aren''t capable of living on the ship. And I''m not going to stop my adventures and be tied down. You already know that."


    Back in the Holodeck, Lauriel lowered his head as he faintly smiled beside Alaric and Nicolae when he heard his own words in the past. He used to be full of confidence and thought he would never fall in love with a woman, no matter how beautiful she was. But as it turned out, he was wrong.


    The grand hall disintegrated and it became dark. The ambiance in the Holodeck became heavy as Alaric and Nicolae looked at their father in deep thought.


    "I-I can''t share everything now. I-It''s still too heavy," Lauriel murmured. "I''ll show you just one more scene. Our... last moment together."


    The Holodeck lit up and reconstructed Lauriel''s chosen memory. This time, he and Luna were sitting together drinking tea in a well-furnished room that looked typical of Thailand.


    Nicolae and Alaric remembered that Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia that was neutral during World War II and was never colonized by western countries. Naturally, because of that, their parents chose to stay in Thailand when World War II was raging.


    Lauriel was pondering the contents of the letter he had read in his hand, while Luna sat on the window calmly watching the rain fall down from their roof.


    She was wearing a short dress and her hair was tied into a ponytail. Although her appearance was simple, she still looked like a fairy with the rain as her backdrop.


    Alaric smiled faintly at the knife his mother was carrying on her waist. Mother was really amazing. She was beautiful and bold. I guess that''s one of the reasons why Father had loved her so much, Alaric thought.


    "Rory, how long have we been together?" Luna asked out of the blue as she watched the raindrops hit the glass window like they were beautiful flower petals.


    Lauriel looked up in surprise at the sudden question that came out of nowhere. And since he was a man, he couldn''t remember how long they had been together. He could, however, remember the first time they had met, without hesitation. It was at her birthday party, more than a hundred years ago.


    "Hmmm... I don''t know. You''re smarter about numbers than me," Lauriel commented with a shrug and added, "One hundred years?"


    "This year, I''ll be 320 years old," said Luna. She looked at Lauriel and continued, "I''ve visited almost every corner of the earth, and I''m satisfied with adventure. Right now, I want to go back to Europe and build a family. What do you think?"


    Lauriel was stunned to hear the question that was actually more of a statement. Luna just stated that she wanted to stop adventuring and return to Europe to settle down.


    Although she did ask for his opinion, she only wanted to hear if he would come with her or not. After all, Luna was a princess and a strong, independent woman. She wasn''t the type to ask for someone''s approval.


    She had never asked for something from Lauriel, and he knew that she wouldn''t ask him to grant her wish¡ªeven as a lover¡ªfor she would achieve what she wanted by herself. And she had proven that throughout all the years they had spent together.


    Lauriel frowned. "Who would you like to build a family with if not with me?"

 Chapter 774 - After 100 Years

    Luna had never asked for something from Lauriel, and the man knew that she wouldn''t ask him to grant her wish¡ªeven as a lover¡ªfor she would achieve what she wanted by herself. And she had proven that throughout all the years they had spent together.


    Lauriel frowned when he heard her words. "Who would you like to build a family with if not with me?"


    Luna shrugged. "I know you and Caspar never intended to get married and build a family. You boys love your adventures too much. I love it too and that''s why I''ve accompanied you for more than a century. But I''ve had my fill. Right now, I just want to go back to my homeland, settle down, and live quietly surrounded by my children."


    Lauriel held Luna''s hand and squeezed it tenderly.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you suddenly like this? Wait¡ªare you..." Lauriel''s eyes widened as he fell silent. He remembered that Luna''s been nauseous over the past few days. His heart raced; his c.h.e.s.t constricted. The roaring rain deafened his thoughts as he said the next words with difficulty. "Are-are you pregnant?"


    Luna gave him a complicated look for a brief moment before turning upset. "What? You''re speaking nonsense!"


    Lauriel breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh... Thank God." He grasped Luna''s hand stronger and added, "I thought you were pregnant. We''re at war right now and I need to go to Manchuria in order to free Endo and Neo since they were captured by the Japanese. If that were the case, you being pregnant will make traveling difficult."


    Luna bit her lip, but her face remained indifferent. "Do you want to go to Manchuria?"


    Lauriel nodded. "I''ve thought about it many times and the only way I can free Neo and Endo is to meet General Haneda and ask for his help. He still owes me a favor, and I can''t let those two kids die."


    "Okay." Luna took a sip of her tea before turning back her gaze at the rain and said, "I cannot go to Manchuria. I''ll go to Germany instead. Since Germany is still in power in Europe, it''ll be easier for me to return to my sister''s place rather than going back to England. I don''t find the weather in Asia suitable for me, lately."


    Lauriel nodded. He let go of Luna''s hand and took a pen and paper. He wrote to General Haneda that he be given access to Manchuria and free his two men who had been captured by the Japanese invaders while traveling in China.


    While he was busy writing his letter, he failed to notice Luna''s sad eyes staring at him while involuntarily stroking her stomach. If only he had been more observant, he would have known that Luna had lied about her pregnancy.


    Everything disintegrated and the room became dark and quiet. Nobody said anything; the silence was deafening.


    It was so quiet that they would be able to hear a needle if it fell on the ground.


    "I... made a mistake. I didn''t give Luna a chance to tell me that she was pregnant. I was too focused on minding my own business. I should have known! She was acting strange!" Lauriel''s voice cracked. "I-I-If I had only known. I-If I had not been so selfish. I would never have left her alone on the port going to Germany by herself. I should have stayed with her, never let her out of my sight. I should have protected her with my life..."


    Alaric and Nicolae''s words were stuck in their throats. They had witnessed the misunderstanding between their mother and father. If only that war didn''t flare up, this misunderstanding wouldn''t have taken her life.


    If only Luna had given birth safely in Germany, sooner or later Lauriel would have heard the news, and he might have reunited with her to build their family.


    Alaric clenched his fist, his anger rose against mankind, who loved war and destroying each other.


    Nicolae saw the rising rage on his brother''s face. He placed his hand on Alaric''s shoulder and said in a gentle tone, "It''s all in the past. There''s nothing we can do now."


    Nicolae tightened his grip and added, "Father has grieved for more than a hundred years. And you''ve held this grudge for a long time. It''s now time for us to accept our loss and let go of Mother. I''m sure she would want us to move forward."


    Lauriel stood up in silence. He closed his eyes, trying his best to hold down his surging emotions. As a quiet and cold man, only such a big thing would make him react.


    Today was one of the hardest days for him. Sharing his moments with Luna with their two children was enough to drain his emotions and energy. Somehow, he felt very tired.


    It''s been more than a hundred years since he had tried to forget Luna''s face just so he wouldn''t be haunted by the dreaded images of her in his sleep. This was the first time he had seen her beautiful face again since 1945 on that port leaving for Europe. He really missed Luna.


    "I... I need some time to be alone," Lauriel said in a pleading tone.


    Alaric, who was still clenching his fists, finally noticed the suffering on his father''s face. Slowly, he released his tight fist and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.


    Nicolae released his hand from Alaric''s shoulder. He approached their father and hugged him for a moment before leaving the Holodeck room. Alaric then followed his brother''s actions. He hugged their father''s shoulder tightly for a minute and walked out, leaving Lauriel alone.


    They both understood that Lauriel had gone through such an emotional, intense, draining moment. He needed to be given time to grieve properly.


    After his children left, Lauriel was now alone in the Holodeck''s room. He sat on the floor; covered his face as he sobbed, choking on his tears.

 Chapter 775 - I Cannot Read Your Mind

    When Alaric did not rejoin their family members in the living room but went straight to the bedroom, Aleksis did not ask him anything. As a good host, she entertained their guests and took care of their four children with her mother and assistants.


    Altair and Vega were older and they really liked baby siblings on their respective baskets, next to their mother. They constantly teased the three-month-old babies to make them laugh. Seeing how Ireland and Scotland have two older siblings who really loved them, London became sad for Lily.


    Not only did his daughter not have any siblings, but she would even grow up sharing life between her father and mother.


    The longer London stayed at Aleksis and Alaric''s house, the sadder he became, thinking how his love for L was one-sided. Although the girl was willing to accept his proposal ... London felt that all this time, he was the only one who fought for their relationship. In the end, L still chose her career over him and Lily.


    He saw for himself how his mother and father were always affectionate and loving each other, Alaric and Aleksis also seemed to love each other deeply. But, between him and L, he was always the only one who showered her with love and affection. L was not expressive with her feelings, and London often questioned if she actually ever loved him.


    Now London understood that he made the right decision by canceling their wedding plans. Someday, he would only marry a woman who loved him as much as he loved her.


    At the moment, L was not such a woman. Not only L was very young, but she also had a complicated past that made it difficult for her to accept London as her husband.


    London knew that L must have accepted his proposal for two reasons. The first reason was Lily, and the second reason was that L already felt pressured. London never gave up in pursuing her and L assumed that she would be stupid if she did not accept a proposal from a man who was as wealthy and powerful as London, which is why she finally relented and accepted London''s latest proposal.


    But none those two reasons was love. He had to accept the truth and swallow the bitter pill.


    London hugged Lily to his c.h.e.s.t while feeding her with a bottle and muttered softly, "Love. Trust. Honesty. Chemistry. Don''t settle for anything less ..."


    Don''t marry someone if your relationship did not have all these four things.


    Lily, who seemed to understand her father''s sadness, was not at all fussy. She was the best baby in the world, according to London.


    His daughter enjoyed her milk while playing with her father''s fingers as if trying to distract the man from thinking about a certain cute but irritable woman in Berlin.


    "Terry ..." Nicolae, who had just appeared in the living room, approached his friend and talked to him.


    After leaving the Holodeck room, he decided to get some air. He let Alaric go to his room while he chose to go back to the living room, none of them said a word. Nicolae knew they both had different ways of expressing their sadness and anger.


    "Hey, Terry... After the family event, I think I want to go to New York and find something new to do," Nicolae said, pouring wine into his glass. "What do you think?"


    Terry smiled broadly at Nicolae''s words. He was very busy with work, but if Nicolae decided to come to New York, he would definitely make time and invited his friend to mingle with New York''s upper classes.


    Nicolae did not know that while he was chatting with Aleksis in the garden, Altair and Vega took time to beg Uncle Terry to help find a girlfriend for Daddy Nic in New York.


    Terry had actually planned to invite Nicolae to his place in the Big Apple before the man talked to him and asked his opinion about him moving to New York. Terry even made a list of places where he would take Nicolae and which beautiful girls he would introduce to his best friend.


    "I''d be very happy if you want to go to New York. Do you want to live with me?" Terry asked Nicolae while taking the wine bottle from Nicolae''s hand. He poured some into his empty wine glass.


    Nicolae looked at Terry with amus.e.m.e.nt. "We are not students anymore ... The only people sharing a home are students because they couldn''t afford to rent their own apartment ..."


    "Hey, watch your mouth," Terry said irritably. "I''ve been independent since I was still a student and lived alone in my own house. I never shared a house with anyone."


    Nicolae smiled slightly. Terry''s words were not wrong. The man had lived in his own home in Joo Chiat during university, and Nicolae lived in his apartment on Robertson Road. Even as students, they never shared a flat with anyone.


    So far, Nicolae only shared his home with Altair and Vega. Before, he sometimes stayed with the two children and Aleksis when they were traveling together.


    "It will be fun. I can promise that," Terry said as if reading Nicolae''s mind. "Come on ... you''re acting like a boring old man. Stay with me and we''ll have fun together ..."


    "Uhmmm ... I AM old and boring," Nicolae corrected Terry. "I''ll be 105 years old this year."


    "Ish ... you know what I mean ..." Terry grumbled.


    The two were 72 years apart but they looked like they were the same age. Both just laughed heartily at their own jokes. Nicolae finally nodded. He agreed to come to New York and find a new environment by living with Terry.


    ***


    Aleksis put her children to bed before going into the bedroom to look for Alaric. She found the man sitting pensively in the massive lounge leading to their bedroom. He just sat transfixed on the sofa, not even holding a glass of drink in his hand or anything at all.


    "Honey, what are you thinking about?" Aleksis asked softly while sitting next to her husband.


    Alaric smiled slightly and touched Aleksis''s hair slowly, but he did not answer.


    Aleksis did not force him to speak. She just sat and leaned her head against the man''s c.h.e.s.t and tried to listen to his heartbeat. Alaric''s heart beat very slowly.


    "Can I lay my head on your lap?" he asked softly.


    Aleksis nodded. She immediately adjusted her posture and pulled Alaric''s head to lie on her l.a.p.


    She understood how her husband felt. Alaric''s head must feel heavy and hurt - because of what Lauriel had shown in the Holodeck room. She could imagine how intense the experience was for him. That''s why Alaric asked Aleksis'' permission to lay his head on her l.a.p.


    They stayed in that position for half an hour. Alaric just closed his eyes while Aleksis rubbed her husband''s head lovingly.


    "Thank you ..." Alaric whispered. He finally rose and pulled Aleksis'' hand toward their bedroom. "Let''s sleep. Tomorrow is a big day."


    Aleksis followed her husband. They change into their sleeping attire and then lie in bed, spooning.


    "Aleksis ..." voiced Alaric suddenly before they closed their eyes.


    "What is wrong?" asked Aleksis.


    "Please never keep your feelings from me. I cannot read your mind," Alaric said in a sad voice. "If you want me to do something, tell me. If there is anything you don''t like about me ... please talk to me. I don''t want to repeat my father''s mistakes ..."


    "I promise," she said firmly.


    She then kissed Alaric''s lips, as if to seal her promise to him just now.


    Alaric kissed his wife lovingly. They finally sleep with a calm heart.

 Chapter 776 - Farewell

    The atmosphere at Alaric and Aleksis'' castle that day was very lively. They held a garden party and celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.


    Even though they weren''t actually married on October 3, but Alaric and Aleksis celebrated their wedding anniversary according to the date when Caspar formalized their marriage and announced it before the members of the clan, because they thought it was easier.


    The two had celebrated their own wedding anniversary intimately just the two of them when they were while still in Singapore a few weeks back. They used this occasion after Aleksis'' birthday to celebrate their wedding anniversary with the family to spend quality time together.


    The event was lively and warm. The chef served them venison from yesterday''s hunting, and they all ate and talked merrily. Most of the game they shot during the hunting was sent to the town hall to be distributed to the townspeople. They only shared one among themselves.


    "This feels nice. We can do this every year," Alaric said before he made the gesture to invite all his guests to eat.


    "I would love it," Aleksis nodded with a smile. "It''s so good to have everyone."


    Shee was very happy to see that Lauriel and Alaric had returned to their usual selves. Previously, she had been worried because the two men seemed very affected by the experiences they shared at Holodeck.


    She was afraid that Lauriel would go back to being sad and be lonely, while Alaric''s hatred would be provoked. Nicolae was the only man in the Medici family who always looked calm and unaffected, so Aleksis never worried about him.


    Come to think of it, Alaric''s character took after his father''s, and Nicolae''s character took after his mother''s. Thinking of this, sometimes made Aleksis sad. She could only imagine what it would be like to have her mother-in-law around, if Luna was still alive.


    Aleksis believed she would really like her. Luna was definitely a great woman ...


    Unfortunately, she would never know her.


    Time flew when people were having fun. And just like that.. the lively celebration finally came to an end. Terry and Nicolae excused themselves to return to New York, while London and Rune took their leave to return to Berlin.


    Terry and London had their responsibilities at work, while Nicolae wanted to have a change of scenery. He was worried that if he stayed too long in Targu Mures, it would be harder for him to leave Altair and Vega.


    "You can come back here at any time to see the children ..." Aleksis said soothingly. "Next month, we will also come to New York. Altair and Vega need to see the world."


    "I will look forward to seeing you all in New York." Nicolae nodded happily.


    Altair and Vega looked very sad to see Daddy Nic leave, but they could not do anything. They could only hug Nicolae''s waist from the front and back and cried together.


    "You must always let me know what you are up to, okay ..." cried Vega on Nicolae''s waist.


    "That''s for sure. We''ll talk every day." Nicolae stroked Vega''s hair affectionately and teased her with a laugh. "Come on ... don''t be mushy. How could you say something like that around the Virconnect founder behind you?"


    Of course, with Virconnect 4D technology, even if they were far apart, they would still be able to meet like in real-life. However, Nicolae would already quietly decide to limit this interaction with the twins for the next few years until Altair and Vega can bond more closely to their biological father. Only when that happened, he would come back to their lives.


    He did not want his brother to feel that they had to compete for Altair and Vega''s love and affection. Now, he must know his place and act accordingly. He was not their real father.


    "I''ll take care of your Daddy Nic for you," Terry chimed in cheerfully, winking at Altair. The boy nodded and smiled.


    "But, Uncle Terry, watch what you''re doing. Don''t ruin our Daddy. Dad is a good man," Vega said, looking at Terry with earnest eyes.


    Terry pretended to feel hurt by her remark. "Yikes! Just how bad am I that you are suspecting me like that? I''m also a good man. Ask your mother if you don''t believe me."


    Aleksis could only cough. She knew Terry was cautious not to have contact with women after what happened with Rosemary eleven years ago. He was always surrounded by beautiful women because he was handsome and successful, but Terry only treated them like flowers in the garden. Beautiful women were only to be admired.


    "Your uncle Terry is a good man. All of your uncles are good men," Aleksis said with a smile.


    "Uhm ... Uncle London has a child out of wedlock," Vega raised an eyebrow and pointed at London who was struggling to pack Lily''s basket, clothes, and toys.


    "Did anyone call me?" he asked.


    "How can a man who has a child out of wedlock be called a good man?" Vega asked earnestly.


    "Gosh ... how can you say that? This 2050 ..." London was annoyed to hear his niece''s words.


    He wanted to say that he wanted his child to be born inside wedlock, but the mother, who was stubborn and annoying, did not accept his proposal. But considering that Vega was still too small to understand a.d.u.l.ts'' affairs, finally, he could only frown.


    Nicolae only chuckled when he heard Vega. He crouched down in front of the child.


    "Honey, ideally, people get married before they have children. But everyone''s situation is different. Nowadays, some people get married but they can''t or they don''t want to have children. That''s okay, right?


    There are also people who want to have children, but they cannot or don''t want to get married. And that is also okay. We cannot judge the choices that other people make, because we are not living their lives. We are not in their shoes."


    He looked at the child deeply. "I am also not married, but I chose to be a father. Five years ago, when I first saw you and Altair, I was so in love with you both and chose to take you as my children. That is also okay ... right? "


    Vega fell silent at Nicolae''s words. She slowly nodded.


    "Of course, it''s okay ..." Vega finally said with a big smile. She hugged Nicolae''s neck and kissed his cheeks. "Altair and I are very lucky to have two fathers."


    Nicolae kissed Vega''s cheeks, then turned to Altair and kissed his cheeks too. Everyone present felt touched by Nicolae''s words. They knew his love for the two children was sincere.


    Aleksis and Alaric could only hope that someday, Nicolae could find his own happiness and pour his love and affection to a woman who deserved him.


    London was pleased to hear Nicolae''s statement. Indeed, being a parent should be a choice, not an obligation. He chose to become a father as soon as he learned that L was pregnant as a result of their actions when Stephan tricked them.


    Marrying L was his form of responsibility, but raising Lily was a choice he took himself. He had never felt madly in love with a girl until the day Lily was born. He will not trade his child for anything.


    London was determined to use Nicolae''s words to someday explain to his daughter about why London and L did not get married, and why Lily couldn''t live in a complete family.

 Chapter 777 - The Furthest Distance

    Caspar and Finland, together with Lauriel, decided to stay longer at Targu Mures because they wanted to enjoy more time with their grandchildren. The two men spent a lot of time exploring together accompanied by Altair and Vega, while Finland helped Aleksis with Ireland and Scotland.


    Finland was very fond of her youngest grandsons because, for the first time, she felt like she finally had family members who looked like her. Caspar and all her children have mostly European appearances, while Finland was the only one with half Asian and half European look.


    That was also one of the reasons why Finland really liked L. The girl was half Japanese from her mother''s side, and she looked like Finland. Unfortunately, the love story between London and L did not go smoothly so Finland could not expect to have L as her a daughter-in-law.


    Now, with Ireland and Scotland taking after her in looks, with both having brown eyes and brown hair and slight Oriental features, Finland felt very happy. She did not mind at all if people thought the two babies were her own sons.


    Ahh .. that got her thinking about her husband who kept teasing her to have another child. Finland blushed when she remembered Caspar''s expression whenever he suggested them to make more babies.


    She was not at all interested in giving birth for the fourth time. She''d prefer to help raise her grandchildren to having more of her own. Aleksis had given them four grandchildren and London gave them one, made a total of five. That was good enough for her.


    Inwardly, she hoped that Rune would not rush in finding love and also would not make the same mistakes as London. London wasn''t careful enough and that resulted in the birth of an unplanned child. His life now had become complicated because of that one time mistake, and Lily couldn''t live in a complete happy family because her parents were too young to get married.


    ***


    When London arrived back at Grunewald, he found L was waiting for him in the living room of his family''s mansion. The girl''s face looked tired, but her eyes immediately glowed with joy when she saw Lily.


    "Ahh .. Lily !! I miss you so much ..." she exclaimed as she rose and welcomed London who was walking in while carrying Lily in her baby basket.


    "How did you know what time I''ll be back?" asked London in surprise.


    "Jan Van Der Ven," L replied, taking the basket from the man''s hands. "Let me take Lily home."


    Ugh .. London really wanted to object because he still wanted to be with Lily, but seeing the look on L''s face, he could tell that the woman really missed her child. London finally relented.


    "I''ll take you home," he replied.


    London walked out and pulled the car key out of his pocket. Even though their house was close by, he knew it''s not good for L to walk from here to her house because other people could see and recognize her. For wealthy people and famous celebrities, their privacy was paramount.


    Hmm ... should he buy the houses that connect their two homes and create a private corridor so that he and L could walk back and forth to their respective homes without having to fear being seen?


    I can do that, he thought.


    L did not refuse London''s offer. She put the baby basket on the car seat and strapped it properly before sitting in the front seat. In less than 5 minutes, she was already unstrapping the basket from the car seat because they had arrived in her home.


    "This ... isn''t practical," L murmured softly.


    "What did you say?" asked London, who caught her murmur.


    L hurriedly shook her head. "Nothing. It is okay..."


    "I have ears and I clearly heard you say something," said London. "I wonder what you said."


    "It''s not important. It''s nothing ..." L took the basket with Lily on it and brought it inside. She turned to London, who was still standing next to his car and was just about to take out Lily''s belongings, and asked him, "Have you had dinner?"


    London shook his head. There was always food at his parents'' mansion. Even though his father was still in Targu Mures, their refrigerator was always filled with delicious and healthy food. For him, dinner now was not important because he did not like eating alone. Rune already said that he wanted to go straight to Uncle Aldebar''s place and would only return tomorrow.


    "Do you want to have dinner here?" asked L. "I am cooking."


    London was stunned to hear this offer. He knew L didn''t really like cooking.


    "Hmm ... what will you cook?" he asked curiously.


    "I''ll cook steak because it''s easy ..." L said in a doubtful tone as if she wasn''t sure of her own cooking.


    Finally, London shrugged. "All right. I can eat dinner here, so I can see Lily longer."


    He finally took out Lily''s belongings from the car and brought them to the house, following L. The two staff he hired to help L greeted him from inside the house. They then resigned to their respective pavilions and gave their employers privacy.


    "I will bathe Lily and feed her, then cook dinner," L said, taking Lily to her room.


    London just nodded. He entered the kitchen and looked at the contents of the refrigerator. Hmm ... the RMI automation system was really nice, he thought. All the ingredients were neatly stored and there were records of what they contain and when the system will order the next supply.


    He missed this kitchen because he had many warm moments with L and Lily during the three months they lived together. He liked the kitchen arrangement that led to the garden. The dining table was of the right size for a small family, and it always felt so nice, having their meals there.


    London noticed that L did not change the order in this house after he moved. That made him rather happy. The man''s mood became so good that he voluntarily opened the refrigerator and took out ingredients from it.


    Hmm ... he could see potatoes, various green vegetables, and ingredients for making salads.


    Gosh ... she said she wanted to cook steak, but why is the meat still frozen? London grumbled inwardly.


    He took out two pieces of premium beef from the freezer and placed them in the microwave to thaw the meat. In a short time, London had been chopping vegetables and boiling potatoes.


    L was very surprised when she entered the kitchen half an hour later and found London was making mashed potatoes and preparing a salad bowl. She also saw two pieces of thawed meat on the cutting board, ready to grill.


    "Eh .. what are you doing?" asked the girl in surprise.


    "I''m cooking dinner," London said. He hurriedly added excuses. "I''m starving and can''t wait for you."


    "B ... but I should be the one to cook for you, you just got home from traveling, and you must be tired of taking care of Lily this weekend." L really looked uneasy because this man took the trouble to cook for them, again.


    London Schneider was the owner of the massive Schneider Group and every second of his time was very valuable ... but this man had spent more than half an hour in her kitchen making food for them.


    I wonder what people would say if they find out ... L muttered inwardly.


    "If you really feel guilty, you can cook dinner for me tomorrow," London said nonchalantly. "Now, you''re too late. I am almost done."


    L couldn''t say anything. She only nodded slowly and asked in a low voice, "Can I help you?"


    "It''s okay. It''s almost done. You just sit and arrange the mashed potatoes and salad. I''ll bring the steak in three minutes," London said, pointing at the salad bowl.


    L nodded. She brought the items referred to by London and set the dining table for them to have dinner together.


    She secretly remembered the past when they still lived in that simple apartment in the city center, when London was still pretending to be a poor photographer. It felt like such a long time ago.


    London actually was remembering the same thing. Really, he felt happier when they were still living in his simple apartment because his relationship with L was still very good. Now, they each lived in a magnificent and beautiful mansion, but they were not together.


    It somehow reminded him of the furthest distance.


    "The furthest distance in the world is not between life and death but when I stand in front of you yet you don''t know that I love you."

 Chapter 778 - Jealous

    L and London then ate quietly. They were busy with their own thoughts. Come to think of it, they should have been married in two weeks'' time, but at the last moment, London finally canceled their wedding plans because he realized that the marriage between them was too forced.


    L was not ready because she was too young and she also did not want people to know that she was married to London Schneider and they had a child together, for various reasons.


    One of them was her career. She really didn''t want people to think she got her career because of the support from the Schneider Group owner. She also felt that as an artist, she was a role model who should not have a child out of wedlock.


    All these reasons were totally unacceptable to London. He did not like being a kept man, especially considering he was a jealous man who did not want to see his wife approached by other men because they thought L was still single.


    That''s why ... to prevent future arguments and heartbreak, he chose to leave.


    He did not know whether L would change her mind and return to him. Maybe someday she would get rid of her ego and disclose her secrets to the public to be with him, or maybe it would be the other way around... London would meet another woman and fall in love with her and moved on from L.


    "Thank you for dinner," London said as he rose and cleaned up his plate. L just nodded and helped to clear the dining table. The man added, "If there''s anything you need from me, don''t hesitate to call Jan."


    He deliberately said so to distance himself from L. After much pondering at Targu Mures, London concluded that he still loved her too much and that if they met too often, he would return to being stupidly in love.


    This dinner was proof. During dinner, when the two of them ate in silence, his mind continued to be filled with memories of the past when they were still on good terms, and secretly he was hoping that that could go back to the past.


    "Oh .. I shouldn''t call you?" L asked in surprise.


    London shook his head. "I''m too busy to be bothered by little things. Besides, even if you contact me because you need something, I''ll also get Jan to take care of it. I''m not that capable. Usually, it is Jan who takes care of everything."


    "Oh, I see ..." L nodded with a disappointed expression.


    "Excuse me. I have to go home now. Tomorrow before going to the office, I will stop by to see Lily."


    London excused himself to see Lily, who was sleeping in her cot, kissed the little baby''s cheeks, then returned to his own home.


    ***


    "Do you still want to teach the Swann and Wendell families a lesson?" Jan asked as he entered London''s office that afternoon. He was carrying a stack of files that needed his signature.


    Since the wedding was called off, Jan thought London didn''t want to deal with the De Maestri family murder case anymore.


    "Yes, I do," London said nonchalantly. "After all, they killed Lily''s maternal grandparents and her uncle. I can''t let them get away with what they did."


    "Ah ... right. In that case, I will continue with the medical conference event preparation. Next month, you can meet John Wendell. I heard they were very pleased to be invited by the Schneider Group to the event. John will come with his daughter, Caroline."


    "Danny Swann won''t come, right?" London remembered that Danny had seen him in the apartment when L had a heart attack. She was later forced to give birth to Lily early. London didn''t want to risk Danny recognizing him.


    "No. We''ll keep him busy, so he can''t come," Jan replied.


    "All right. Don''t forget the gala dinner we planned to open the conference."


    "Of course, Sir."


    London looked at Caroline Wendell''s face on her tablet. The girl was a medical student who was currently specializing in pediatric medicine. Her face was beautiful and her expression looked attractive and intelligent. She did not look like an evil woman, London thought. The man tapped his fingers on the table and tried to think.


    Did Caroline know what her father did, or not?


    "I think I will be able to judge for myself after I meet her," murmured London, closing the tablet and taking coffee from the side and sipping it slowly.


    Jan had left and now London was alone in his room. He busied himself with work and tried to forget his personal matters with L.


    Unfortunately, it was not that easy. After finishing his coffee, he was tempted to find news about L in the media. He was astounded when he read a lot of news about L''s talent and beauty and before he realized it, London had read article after article without stopping for two hours.


    Most of the contents were only about her album and songs, as well as various other things related to her work. L was quite closed about her personal life. Many journalists tried to pry about her family and love life, but L always said that she was too young to think about love.


    London just nodded while reading the article. But his calm expression calm changed when he read a number of related articles and found a video interview between a journalist and Kitaro, Rainfall Band''s lead singer, which implied that he liked L and wanted to pursue her.


    "Son of a bitch ..." the man g.r.o.a.n.e.d with contempt.


    He then closed the tablet and cussed inwardly. He was still very jealous. London called Jan with anger and sought out his opinion of the news.


    "Have you seen the latest interview with the Rainfall''s vocalist?" he asked Jan. "Do you think the media can be allowed to write such cheap gossip?"


    "What gossip?" Jan asked, not understanding.


    London sent a link to the interview video. Jan sighed from the other end of the phone. He knew his boss was jealous again, even though he repeatedly said he wanted to stay away from L.

 Chapter 779 - Jans Plan

    "This is good for Ms. L''s popularity, so I guess she will just let this rumor spread," Jan commented. "Kitaro and Rainfall are the most famous artists in the world today. You could say that anyone who is rumored to be with him will become very famous."


    "Isn''t L already very famous now? She doesn''t need to ride on other people''s coattail..." grumbles London.


    "Uhmm ... not yet. Miss L is quite famous now, but only in Europe. The journey is still a long way off if she wants to be known throughout the world."


    At first, London wanted Jan to stop all the gossip that linked L and Kitaro because he couldn''t stand seeing them together in news.


    But if it is true that such gossips actually helped the girl''s career .. he had no choice but to let it go. He must not be selfish and hinder L''s career just because he was jealous.


    Besides, L didn''t like Kitaro. At least that''s what she once said. They were only close because their mothers were both Japanese.


    "All right, then. Forget it," London said, hanging up the phone.


    Jan could only grimace in his room. He knew his boss still loved Miss L. And come to think of it, actually, L also loved London Schneider ... but both of them were stubborn and kept their pride.


    Maybe L needed to feel jealous ... so she knew her own feelings, Jan thought. He was looking at the schedule for the gala dinner to open the medical conference next month, which London would use to meet Caroline Wendell.


    If L was invited to sing at the program ... and she saw London getting close with the beautiful Caroline, maybe she would be jealous, Jan thought.


    After contemplating for a long time, he finally called Pammy.


    When London arrived at L''s house in Grunewald to pick up Lily, he found the girl sitting at the piano, pressing a few keys, and then writing the notes in a music book.


    "Hello," L said, looking up from the piano when she heard of London''s arrival.


    "What are you doing?" the man asked as he walked toward L.


    "I''m writing a new song," the girl said, showing her music book.


    "I heard your first album sales are pretty good," London said.


    L nodded as he shrugged, "Well ... not bad for a singer who can''t do a concert to promote her music."


    London understood what L meant. Because of her pregnancy, the girl had to postpone every concert to promote her album. At that time, she gave the excuse that she was sick and recovering in Switzerland. She could only make various promotional efforts through online streaming media. While in reality, she was hiding her pregnancy and later giving birth to Lily.


    Now it was too late for her to tour for her first album. All she could do was immediately make a second album and hold a concert to promote it as well as the first one.


    "I''ll be very busy next month," L told London. "My producer aims to release this album before the new year."


    "Oh, is that so?"


    "That''s right. So I would like to apologize in advance because I will trouble you with Lily more than usual," voiced L. "I have to work hard in the studio to finish my album."


    London just nodded at L''s request. "No problem. I can work from home so I can be with Lily. If I need to go, I can also take her to the office."


    L was very surprised to hear his words.


    "It''s not like that ... I mean, I know you can''t possibly bring a baby to the office. What I''m asking is ... maybe you can ask your mother or your assistants to take care of Lily ..."


    London shook his head at that.


    "Of course not. Why should I ask my mother or assistants to take care of my own child? My mother is in Romania and she is quite busy. It is not her responsibility to take care of other people''s children."


    "That''s not what I meant. We also have two staff in this house, don''t we? Why not ask them to help you?"


    "They are not family," London said firmly. "You don''t know how my family is cautious when it comes to our children. I can work from home and look after Lily while you''re busy in the studio. You just make sure there''s always b.r.e.a.s.t milk available for Lily."


    Finally, L nodded. She would have preferred that Lily be taken care of by her own father, but if London had not offered, she would not have asked the man.


    "Have you eaten?" she asked London.


    The man shook his head. "Not yet ... no."


    "Do you want to have dinner here?" L asked with a hopeful face.


    London shrugged and asked back. "What do you have?"


    "Uhm ... I just learned to cook something new. I''m not sure about the taste ... but just try it."


    "Okay."


    London was a polite man who would not decline a meal invitation from a girl who had made efforts to cook for him.


    L nodded and walked into the kitchen to warm up the dishes she had made in the microwave, while London went into the bedroom and took Lily from the staff who was playing with his baby.


    He thanked her and asked the staff to return to her own pavilion. He carried Lily lovingly and brought her to the kitchen to meet L. The girl was setting up their dining table with some decent-looking dishes.


    Inwardly London praised L''s cooking efforts this time. He then placed Lily in the basket next to his seat while he sat to enjoy the dishes that L had prepared. They then ate quietly.


    Today, L''s mood L seemed really good. She tried to talk with London about trivial things so that their dinner didn''t feel awkward.


    "How was your work today? What makes you busy?" she asked while cutting her meat on her plate.


    London just shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the usual stuff."

 Chapter 780 - What Did You Say?

    "Oh, I see ..." L said, nodding. She still hadn''t given up even though London replied to her questions curtly. She asked him again. "Have you read the news lately?"


    At first, London wanted to lie and say no, but finally, he chose to be honest.


    "Yes, I did read a number of articles ... and videos," he said.


    "I have nothing to do with Kitaro," L said suddenly. London looked up in surprise at L''s urgent tone. "In the interview video - when he said that he likes me, I actually wanted to make a video to counter it... but Pammy and all the bosses at Brilliant Mind Media said that being rumored as Kitaro''s love interest would be good for my career. Evidently the popularity index today shows that my popularity is rising so high and my music sells more..."


    London tried to refrain from snorting. He also knew that, so he didn''t block all the gossip about Kitaro and L. That alone made him quite upset today. Now he had to hear the same thing from the girl.


    "I know ..." he said curtly. He did not want to prolong the problem.


    L seemed relieved to hear London''s reply.


    "I''ve also talked to Danny Swann to cancel the engagement between us ..." L continued. London looked at L questioningly. It seemed like L deliberately waited for him today so they could eat together to talk about many things. What exactly did she want?


    "Then?" London asked her curtly. He already knew that there was no way Danny would break off the engagement with L because it meant he had to give half of his inheritance to L.


    "He said he didn''t want to cancel it because he had promised his grandfather before he died. Danny did not want to be unfilial. His parents had both passed away early and his grandfather was the only one who was raising him ..." L''s face was covered with grief. "He offered me to enter a contract marriage with him for a year, just to fulfill his grandfather''s will. After one year, we will get divorced. Then he and I will not have anything to do with each other..."


    Instantly the spoon in London''s hand fell from his hand and hit the floor with a loud noise. His face immediately flushed with anger.


    Lily, who was shocked by the sound of the spoon fell the floor, immediately cried. London hurriedly got up from his chair and carried Lily to calm her down.


    The anger that had filled his c.h.e.s.t suddenly disappeared. He did not want Lily to feel the rage from her father''s body while she was in London''s arms.


    "Then ... will you accept his request?" London asked L again. His tone clearly sounded displeased.


    "I ... I have no choice. He said we don''t even need to live in the same house, just for the sake of formalities to fulfill our grandfather''s promises. I''ve been desperately trying to ask him to break off the engagement for months but Danny always refused. He finally offered this contract marriage as a way out ..." L said in a frustrated tone. "If I don''t accept it, he will expose everything to the media. He will tell everyone that I am his fianc¨¦e and that I cheated on him by giving birth to another man''s child ..."


    "Nonsense!" London blurted angrily. "Why do you care so much about other men, but never care about me? Why don''t you just leave that Danny guy? Why do you care about his ''promise'' to his grandfather? To hell with that promise!! He forced you to marry him not because he wants to be a filial grandchild, but because of money!"


    "Money? What do you mean? You know I''m not rich, right? The Swann family has helped my family a lot ... Danny can look for any woman if he wants, but he doesn''t do it. He even broke up with the woman he loved to fulfill his grandfather''s will. ... " L shook her head. She thought London was overreacting and didn''t want to understand her point of view.


    "Maybe it is not important for you to keep promises to people who have died because your family is immortal ... You will never understand how it feels to be like regular people. Do you know why I never lie? Because I promised my father .. I promised him that I will grow up with integrity and be an honest person for the rest of my life! I can keep going with life because of my promise to my father."


    "This has nothing to do with my family being immortal or not ..." London became more upset. He was eager to tell L about Grandpa Swann''s will which left half of his wealth to her if Danny did not marry L and the motives behind Danny''s persistence to marry.


    He wanted her to know that Danny only did it so as not to lose half of his inheritance. London wanted to say that Danny didn''t break up with his girlfriend, Caroline, to be a filial grandson. Far from it!


    But he was afraid that if he revealed everything to L, the girl would come to Danny and confront him for the truth. This might reach John Wendell''s ears.


    London couldn''t risk his efforts to punish the Swann and Wendell families. It could be exposed prem.a.t.u.r.ely if he told L what really happened. Finally, he was forced to bite his lip and keep his annoyance to himself.


    "I don''t allow you to marry Danny Swann that jerk! You don''t even want to marry me, after everything I''ve done for you. But just because of your family''s ridiculous agreement in the past ... you easily want to marry him for a year. How could you be so heartless? " asked London, trying to hold back so he didn''t lash out. He did not want Lily to cry.


    "It''s not like that ... my marriage to Danny is just a formality and we will do it secretly. After one year, we will end it, and after that ... if you still want to marry me ... we-we.. can get married for real."


    L looked at London deeply. She looked like she wanted to say a lot of things, but she was unable to choose the right words. She stammered when she added, "Th-that''s ... if you... still want me."


    "What did you say?"

 Chapter 781 - Not Normal And Sane

    In the past, although L often angered London because of her irritating behavior and short temper, London had never once been mean to her. However, this time London''s patience was completely exhausted.


    He felt that L had gone too far and did not think about his feelings. Especially now, the girl did not understand that London''s question was only rhetorical that did not require an answer from her.


    L repeated her words in a dubious voice. "I said, after I''ve divorced Danny Swann in a year, we can get married for real... if you still want it."


    London just snorted in annoyance.


    "Who do you think I am to take another man''s used goods?" he retorted.


    His words were hurtful and he immediately regretted them as soon as the words came out. However, it was too late. L looked shocked and she was staring at him with a pair of eyes glared with heartache.


    "I''m sorry," London said hurriedly, but L had risen from the dining chair and left with long steps to her bedroom. The girl slammed the door and locked it. London just stood rooted in his place.


    He did not know why he had been so angry that he could not control his words. He did not mean to say such hurtful things but his mood was very bad and he was really disappointed because, again, L chose someone else than him.


    Before, L chose her career over London and Lily, now she chose to marry an evil man who only cared about money, than him and Lily.


    "When will you wake up, L? I am the only good man for you ... but why are you treating me like this?" London murmured to himself. He felt so hurt.


    He took Lily, who was now crying and carried her in his arms. The baby was startled by the sound of the door slammed. The man tried to knock on L''s door and tried to make the girl open the door for him and Lily so they could talk.


    "I''m sorry. Really, I didn''t mean to say it like that ... I was just annoyed earlier. I''m a normal man who can feel upset and just now I said the words I didn''t mean ..." said London repeatedly. "Please forgive me..."


    He could hear sobbing from inside the room and it made his c.h.e.s.t feel tight. His relationship with L so far was full of problems and arguments. Maybe that''s how it was if the two people involved were still very young and imm.a.t.u.r.e.


    This was understandable because London had never had a girlfriend before, while L herself, not only did she never have any boyfriend, she was also very young in age. London remembered that L would only turn 20 next month.


    "Aah ... you stupid idiot stupid ..." London cussed repeatedly. As a much older man, he should have been able to act more m.a.t.u.r.ely and understanding. L was basically a teenager compared to him, a man in his late 20s.


    Or, maybe he should have just told L that the real reason why Danny Swann insisted on not wanting to break off the engagement with her was that he didn''t want to lose half of his inheritance.


    Unfortunately, L''s decision to accept Danny''s contract marriage proposal really made London''s mood worse.


    After he stood like a fool before her door for five minutes, finally, London decided to leave L alone and brought Lily to his home. Before leaving, he remembered to take b.r.e.a.s.tmilk supply from the refrigerator so his baby wouldn''t starve.


    ***


    London was forced to stay awake all night because Lily wasn''t used to sleeping without hearing a sweet lullaby from her mother. Somehow the cute baby, who had never been fussy, seemed to realize that her mother was not with her in the room, only her father.


    With great difficulty, London tried to coax his child in various ways so that Lily would stop crying. When the little baby finally stopped whining and fell asleep because she was tired, London could only sigh in relief.


    He could finally smile, seeing Lily sleeping with pursed lips. She looked just like her mother with this expression.


    "This little girl is really adorable," London murmured in adoration.


    Lily was now more than 3 months old, but her body was still tiny and frail because she was still developing to catch up with her growth, being born as a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby. Maybe in the next few months, she would be able to look like a healthy normal baby.


    However, despite being small and frail, Lily was an expressive baby. During this time, she was always calm and never fussy, even rarely crying because all her needs were met. However, when one of her needs suddenly disappeared, namely her mother, Lily did not hesitate to show her protest.


    When London brought Lily to Romania over the weekend, L was always present through Virconnect 4D to lull Lily with her melodious voice, but tonight the baby could only hear the sound of her father''s bariton voice trying to sing lullabies to her. Lily didn''t like it since her father had absolutely no talent in singing.


    After making sure that Lily really slept because she was tired, London contacted Jan and told him what was happening.


    While listening to his boss, Jan could only nod patiently. He could guess that something terrible must have happened for his boss to call him at this hour. Even though London sometimes asked him to do things that made no sense, he rarely made Jan work outside of work hours, unless it was really important.


    So, when Jan heard how depressed London sounded, he could guess his boss must have had another argument with L. He could only roll his eyes and sigh silently. Somehow this couple always managed to hurt each other and get on their nerves over and over again, he thought, even though they clearly loved each other.


    London then told Jan about L''s words and about her plans to accept Danny Swan''s contract marriage proposal so he would stop bothering her.


    "Just think, any other NORMAL and SANE person would ask me to get rid of that jerk Swann guy so he would stop bothering her. But no... She was determined to take care of it herself. I don''t know how I could fall in love with an abnormal woman who always makes me angry ..." London cussed many times.


    Jan actually wanted to correct London''s words, because based on his observations, even though L had always managed to miraculously make any normal and sane men angry, so far London had never really been able to get angry at the girl.


    It looked like London Schneider was also not a normal and sane man himself. He had become such a foolish man who kept ignoring L''s flaws.

 Chapter 782 - Jans Advice

    Based on Jan''s observations, both the man and the woman were not normal, and that was what makes them perfect for each other.


    However, come to think of it, this was actually the first time Jan saw firsthand how London felt that L had exhausted his patience. But as a good assistant, Jan couldn''t say anything while his boss poured his heart out. Jan could only listen and occasionally affirm his words.


    "That''s right, Sir. Normal women would do that," Jan replied, still maintaining his calm and respectful manner.


    "Then why didn''t she ask for my help to get rid of Danny Swann and call his bluff? I would easily help her, but no.. she never asks me for anything. Not once did she ever ask for my help. L instead seemed offended because I helped her career and getting the house in Grunewald for her.


    She felt offended because I secretly did many things behind her back TO HELP HER. She was sad to know that she didn''t get her career with her own effort but because I intervened. Why couldn''t she just appreciate everything I have done for her? It''s not hard to do. All she has to say is thank you.


    Why does she always have to protest this and that? Why should she always try to show me that she can handle everything on her own? Why doesn''t she ever ask for my help ?? I''m so annoyed.


    She thought she could solve her problems by accepting Danny Swann''s proposal... that jerk. And how dare she thinks that she could return to me after marrying another man and I will be okay with it??? Who does she think she is???"


    London kept whining and complaining at the end of the phone and Jan could only listen. As an outsider who observed the couple up close, he could feel that both London and L actually loved each other, but one was too proud, while the other was too impulsive.


    Jan could only take a deep breath and massage his temple.


    After London was tired complaining, he finally asked Jan''s opinion.


    "What do you think?" he asked him.


    Jan, who almost fell asleep on the other end of the phone, because London was complaining for nearly an hour, suddenly woke up. He didn''t remember anything his boss was blabbering about during the past hour, but he guessed it was definitely related to L.


    Fortunately, Jan was a very smart guy, and he knew London very well. He could easily deduce the ends of London''s words and provide his opinion.


    "Hm ... I guess, you should check your own feelings for Miss L. Are you really in love with her or are you just infatuated because she was the first woman you''ve ever slept with," Jan replied carelessly. "I understand why Miss L is acting that way, she is still very young, next month she will celebrate her 20th birthday, but Sir ... for regular people standard you are not that young.


    Well, maybe for the Alchemist standards, you are still considered a child, but you are three years older than me, and I have had dated so many women in the past. In fact ... Do you remember Diana from Finance? I almost got engaged to her ..."


    "Diana? Which one?" asked London in surprise. He remembered that Jan had girlfriends before, but he didn''t know Jan ever dated anyone so seriously that he almost got engaged. He just realized that he had kept Jan so busy that his assistant almost didn''t have a social life.


    "Diana Klum. We almost got engaged and were about to get married, but then she went on a vacation to Boracay alone and met a s.e.xy brown man there. She said that was when she realized she didn''t want to be with a man who was so pale that people always thinks he is ill. That is me, Sir."


    Jan''s sigh made London sympathize. Jan, who was as pale as snow, did spend too much time indoors, working for him. Inwardly, London felt guilty because he was such a troublesome boss for Jan that this assistant of his could not even go on a vacation with his girlfriend.


    "Uhmm ... do you need a vacation, Jan?" London asked him with a low voice.


    "Whoaa.. I would love that, Sir." Jan''s voice was excited. "It''s been a long time since I took a vacation. I really want to sunbathe on the beach. All this time I''ve only been on vacation by sharing some traveler''s space on their Virconnect 4D channels."


    Jan''s words really made London feel even more guilty, that for a moment he forgot his own frustration. He could imagine how hard life had been for his capable assistant, ever since London and L got entangled with each other.


    "Uhm .. okay. You can take a week off starting next week. But make sure all matters related to the conference are handled properly," London finally decided.


    "Thank you very much, Sir. I''ll deal with it. You can count on me."


    "Hmm .. okay." London frowned. "Then what should I do about L? She''s really testing my patience."


    "Ahem ..." Jan cleared his throat and tried to choose his words so as not to offend his boss. "I already said earlier that you and Miss L are still very green when it comes to romance. You just happened to sleep together because of Stephan''s evil deeds and are now forced to m.a.t.u.r.e quickly because you have a child together."


    "So?" asked London, not understanding.


    "Ahem .. I was about to say that you may harbor such strong feelings for Miss L because she is the first woman you have ever had s.e.x with, and then you became obsessed with her. If only you open your horizons and give other women a chance to enter your life, you might not act like a fool in love."


    "What are you saying??" London was initially offended by Jan''s words, but inwardly he confirmed Jan''s words. "Do you think I should sleep with another woman?"


    "Uhmm ... that''s not it. I mean, you must try to open up and date other women. You can meet people, get to know each other ... and well, if the chemistry is there, who knows what will happen next. But clearly, the more you have female friends in your life, you will be able to better understand women''s hearts."

 Chapter 783 - Jans Logic

    Jan became even bolder when London did not refute his words. He then continued his advice.


    "Most men date many women and enter a relationship with a few of them throughout their a.d.u.l.t lives. Then, once they find the right one, of all the many women they meet, they will decide to marry. You were too hasty and proposed to Miss L to marry you just because Miss L became pregnant with Young Miss Lily. You must know how difficult it is to be in a relationship with Miss L, with neither of you has experienced being in a relationship before?"


    "But my father and mother also didn''t date for long. My father immediately married my mother, and my mother had never had another man in her life..." London protested Jan''s logic.


    Jan shook his head. He had heard about Caspar Schneider''s womanizing past in his younger years from his grandfather, Stanis. Caspar was a playboy who changed women like he changed his shirts.


    "Err ... Mr. Caspar has had his share in dating different women, and he is much more m.a.t.u.r.e than Madam. So, you can''t make them as an example," Jan replied.


    London became dizzy. Inwardly, he began to acknowledge the truth in Jan''s words. Maybe he really needed to meet other women so he could understand what it''s like interacting romantically with women other than L.


    "You know it''s very difficult for me to meet women, Jan. Where can I find a woman to date? I only met L because I disguised myself as a poor man and came to Stephan''s party. And you know how big of a failure it was. I don''t want to go undercover again and meet regular people ... " London grumbled again.


    Ugh ... he was still upset about what happened last year. He had even not even met Lyanna again to date because he had enough of going into regular people''s events.


    "Uhm .. that is true, and I also would not advise you to do it again... But why not try online dating? I heard Sir Nicolae met several nice women in Singapore, and now it seems he finally managed to move on from Madam Aleksis. Evidenced by his visit to Targu Mures last weekend. Sir Terry even said he and Sir Nicolae are having fun in New York."


    "Eh?? How do you know all those gossips?" London was stunned. He just met Nicolae last week, but even he did not know this news.


    "Uhm .. I talked a lot with Sir Terry..." Jan answered bluntly. "He still asks me every now and then to move to New York and work for him."


    "Don''t you dare follow my brother''s request," threatened London hastily. "Terry isn''t as nice as me who still think about your vacation."


    "Hmm .. well, I know, Sir. Don''t worry." Jan''s voice sounded happy because London was very worried that Jan would leave him. "I only conveyed what I heard from Sir Terry. So, what do you think?"


    "Online dating? Ugh ..." London sounded frustrated.


    "It is an easy way to meet many women. I can make a nice profile for you. Of course, we shouldn''t reveal your true identity. I can ensure your privacy in every date we arrange for you."


    According to him, London and L must both meet other people, so they could better appreciate what they have, especially for L. He hoped that when L saw London meet other people more seriously, she would think more about her feelings for him. People tend to only appreciate what they have after it''s gone.


    "You can talk to Sir Nicolae and listen to what he has to say about online dating if you don''t believe me." Jan kept trying to convince London.


    Finally, London gave in. He had indeed run out of patience and today L really made him angry. He really wanted to give the girl a lesson so she could appreciate him more.


    Since L had always chosen other people than him, then London would also start looking for other women who could respect him and would not make him their second choice.


    ***


    The next day, London took Lily to the office with him. He was upset with L because the girl still refused to talk to him because of what happened the previous night. London had repeatedly said that what he did was unintentional and he did not mean to say those hurtful words, but L still would not forgive him.


    "Why are you so selfish?" London grumbled as he slammed his cellphone. After the twentieth ring L still didn''t want to pick up his call. "I always have to be the bigger man and forgive you whenever you break my heart. But, just this once... I ACCIDENTALLY hurt your feelings, and you don''t want to forgive me. This is unfair ..."


    Lily, who saw her father grumbling, pursed her lips in protest as London complained about her mother .


    "I know your mother is still young, but she can''t be selfish all the time. Being young is not an excuse..." London turned to Lily and patted his daughter''s cheek gently. "You must not become a selfish woman, okay, baby?"


    Lily swiftly took her father''s index finger who had been patting her cheek and put it in her mouth, then casually tried to chew it.


    "Ugh ... don''t just put things in your mouth, Honey..." London took out his finger slowly from Lily''s mouth and before the little baby could protest, he had replaced it with a toy for her to chew.


    Lily was satisfied with the replacement and did not protest. She babbled as she nibbled on her toy while watching her father change clothes and get ready for the office.


    "Lily, this morning you must go with Daddy to the office, okay? If your mother is still mad at me, so be it." London checked himself in the mirror for a moment and took an autumn coat and wore it over his suit, then covered Lily with a beautiful light blue coat. "Well... now you can go to the office and see your father at work."


    Marc was surprised to see London out of the house carrying a baby basket but he said nothing. He helped put Lily''s basket in the car seat and strapped all her seatbelts. Dave who sat next to him also did not say anything.


    London closed his eyes along the way, trying to calm his mind so that he could get rid of his resentment to L. Lily who saw her father meditating, imitated her father''s actions, and also closed her eyes.


    The little baby was fast asleep when the car went into the underground parking space in the Schneider Tower. London just laughed when he watched his baby fall asleep with her lips half-open and her small fists clutched on her toy.


    "Gosh... how could you be so adorable?" London murmured while praising himself. "I must have been adorable like this when I was a baby."


    He carried Lily''s basket with his right hand, while his left hand was in his pocket and walked coolly to the elevator. Marc and Dave followed him, each carrying his briefcase and a baby bag.


    Several employees who saw their boss walking toward his private elevator was stunned. They were surprised because they had never seen their big boss carrying a baby basket before.


    Whose baby was it?


    Was it his?


    OMG...

 Chapter 784 - Lily In The Office

    The boss was taking a baby to office????


    Even though the staff was all so curious about the baby, unfortunately, they couldn''t see more closely. London used his private elevator, so they couldn''t steal glances.


    However, the news about London Schneider coming to the office with a baby soon spread throughout the building like a wildfire, so that when the elevator door opened on the 50th floor, many employees were prepared to tilt their heads and steal a glance at the baby he was carrying.


    "Eh...?" Jan, who had just come out of his office and was about to go down to the lobby, widen his eyes at the sight of London as he walked with elegant steps to his spacious office at the end of the corridor. "I didn''t know you brought Little Miss to office."


    "I want to teach Lily about business from a young age so that she will grow into a successful businesswoman ..." answered London carelessly. He did not notice the ears of the people working on the 50th floor perked up as they were trying to listen to his every word.


    Gosh ...? Little Miss? Is this Mr. Schneider''s daughter? They all whispered to each other.


    And her name is Miss Lily?


    When did Mr. Schneider get married? Who is the baby''s mother ???


    His words didn''t only attract the attention of curious people, also some female staff who felt heartbroken when they found out that their handsome boss was now married and already had a baby.


    Jan just chuckled at London''s words. He approached Lily and saw that the baby was fast asleep.


    "Did you bring b.r.e.a.s.tmilk and feeding equipment, Sir?" Jan asked London.


    His boss nodded and signaled Marc and Dave to bring the baby bag into his room.


    "But I forgot to bring the bottle warmer. Can you please buy one and put it in my room?" he asked.


    Jan knew this was not a question, but an order.


    It''s funny how this boss of his asked him things as if Jan could reply with the word ''no''. Of course he could only answer with ''yes''.


    "Yes, I can. I''ll ask Kim to buy it," Jan said, nodding. He turned to his secretary, who was typing on her computer, in front of his office. The woman was in her late thirties and wore black-rimmed spectacle, looking very serious. She immediately nodded and opened the marketplace.


    "Do you want to cancel the meeting with our investment division this afternoon?" Jan asked before continuing his walk to the lobby.


    "Of course not. It''s business as usual. We will keep all the meetings and appointments today." London replied. He continued walking and entered his room while Jan nodded in his place, trying to make sense of a meeting with directors and a baby in the same room.


    After the big boss disappeared behind the door, the 50th floor immediately went to a commotion as the staff all talked about what they had just witnessed. Many people immediately approached Kim, Jan''s secretary who must have known what was happening, but the stiff-looking woman just shook her head and focused on her work.


    "Gosh, Kim ... you can''t do that. We want to know if there is still hope for us to catch Mr. London Schneider''s attention ..." persuaded a few girls around Kim with miserable faces.


    Kim just shrugged her shoulders. "I''m not paid this high by the company so I could spread gossip about our boss."


    That''s her only answer. The staff who were surrounding her could only sigh in disappointment.


    Meanwhile, in his room, London placed Lily''s basket on the large sofa next to his desk carefully. He did not want Lily to wake up because she felt a sudden movement during her sleep.


    After making sure everything was okay, London then went to focus his attention on his work. Jan had sent details about the medical conference and additional information about the Wendell family.


    After he finished checking everything, London continued to study a number of reports from the investment division which they would discuss in today''s meeting. The end of the year was fast approaching and they must prepare the forecast for next year''s investment based on the performance of their investments in 2050.


    When he was busy studying various reports, his eyes unintentionally glanced towards Lily''s basket and found his daughter staring at him with her round eyes.


    "Ahhh, you''re awake!! Uhm ... do you want to see the report I''m reading?" he asked her. London then lifted his baby and placed her on his l.a.p in a very comfortable position and gave several sheets of blank paper for his baby to hold. "You can read this report. But don''t eat it."


    Lily was indeed the best child in the world, he thought. Without a fuss, the little baby played with the papers in her hand while London refocused on the report on his desk.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    "Come in," London said without looking up.


    Jan opened the door and entered with a large box containing a bottle sterilizer and milk warmer. He then placed the box on the table next to the refrigerator in the office lounge and took out the contents.


    "By the way, I have created a profile on an online dating site for you," he said suddenly.


    London and Lily both turned to face Jan in unison.


    London then turned to his child with a frown.


    "Did you understand what Jan was saying?" He pointed at Jan and looked at Lily questioningly. A moment later, he shook his head. "Ah ... how could you understand. You''re still a baby. I would have gone crazy if you understood what Uncle Jan said ... hahaha ..."


    "What did you just say, Boss?" Jan asked in surprise.


    "Uhmm .. it''s nothing. I heard you were saying something... What is it?" London answered hurriedly.


    "Oh, that''s right. So, I have created your profile on an online dating website. You can check it first and give me your approval before it goes live." Jan went to London''s side and opened a website on his computer and entered a username and password.


    London squinted his eyes and read the profile in question, while repeatedly clicked his tongue, "Hmm ... okay. Not bad. I approve."


    Jan smiled when he heard that. Ahhh ... he can''t wait to arrange some dates for his boss. London would see how there are so many other fish in the sea and stop chasing after a fish named L.

 Chapter 785 - Little Miss Lily Is Popular Today

    Jan made a really interesting profile for London. He used the name Killian Makela for the profile, and the profession listed there was a photographer for a lifestyle magazine. Killian Makela was a single dad with one kid.


    "A baby is a chick magnet, Sir. Just like a puppy. The women''s maternal instincts will kick in when they see a handsome single dad with a baby in desperate need of a good woman in their lives." Jan listed all the reasons behind the profile he created.


    "One child is a magic number. If, Sir Alaric, for example, being a father of four, wanted to find a partner through online dating, I guarantee he will not be very successful. It''s not easy to find a woman who is willing to raise four children from another woman, even if the man is good looking. The baggage is just too big.


    Well, unless Mr. Alaric wrote in detail that he was filthy rich and really powerful, then it''s another story. But, we are talking about ordinary people''s profiles. You don''t want to disclose your real identity to these women before you can trust them and there is a chemistry between you and them."


    "Sshh... what do you mean Alaric can''t find a partner through online dating website just because he has four kids? Have you gone mad?" asked London curtly. He knew that Jan didn''t like Alaric. Whenever Jan talked about his brother-in-law, it almost always sounded negative.


    Jan just shrugged. He realized that it was still difficult for him to be nice to Alaric because the man caused his father to kill himself. He didn''t know if he could ever get over that.


    London did not press the issue further and continued reading his profile details.


    "I love reading and traveling. Nice. I also love outdoor sports. These are good ... my profile seems smart and adventurous," he said approvingly. "The photos are good too. You can submit the profile. I approve of everything. Then, how will you do it?"


    "I will control this profile and sort prospective candidates. Only those who meet the requirements can meet you for a date. Anyway, I will definitely find a good match for you, Sir. You can rely on me."


    "Ouuuch ..." London g.r.o.a.n.e.d in pain when Lily suddenly bit his finger. Although the little baby didn''t yet have teeth, it looked like Lily was exerting all her might to bite her father''s finger. London turned to Lily with a confused face, "What''s wrong with you, dear Lily?"


    He then exchanged glances with Jan.


    "Uhm ... it seems like Miss Lily doesn''t like you dating other women," Jan answered carelessly. "Haha.. I''m just kidding. We will never know what she was thinking, Sir. Little Miss is still too small and she cannot speak."


    Both of them brought their faces closer to her and watched Lily at close range. Lily still won''t let go of her father''s index finger.


    "This is very strange. Do you think she really understands our conversation?" asked London in surprise. He no longer felt pain in his finger. All his attention was now directed at Lily. "If that''s the case, then my child is a genius!"


    Hearing her father''s praise for calling her a genius, Lily let go of London''s finger and smiled very cute.


    Jan didn''t take London''s words seriously. He knew that parents were the most biased towards their children. For all parents, their children were the most beautiful, smartest, and most adorable children in the world. However, he didn''t refute his boss'' words. Jan just nodded.


    "All right, Sir. As soon as we find a suitable candidate, I will tell you about her and I''ll arrange a nice date for you. Now, please excuse me. I need to get ready. The meeting will start in an hour." Jan was about to excuse himself when London stopped him.


    "Uhm ... please sterilize the bottle first, Jan. I can''t move ..." London said, pointing at the refrigerator.


    He was right. He couldn''t move. Lily was still lying comfortably in her father''s l.a.p and London wouldn''t move for fear he would disturb the comfort of his beloved daughter. He couldn''t get up to prepare milk for her. That''s why he was asking Jan to do it for him.


    Jan could only grumble silently, but he did what London asked him to do without saying anything. Ten minutes later, he had handed a sterile bottle filled with warm milk to his boss.


    "Excuse me, Sir. I have to go and get ready for the meeting," he said.


    "Thank you very much, Jan." London raised Lily''s hand and made her wave at Jan and he pretended to imitate the baby''s voice, "Dhank yuu, Uncle Yaan ..."


    Jan could only massage his forehead while walking out of his boss''s room. Actually, his position in this building was the HR Director, but for London Schneider, Jan was a versatile personal assistant who was expected to help his boss in any aspects of his personal and professional lives, helping him from romance to sterilizing milk bottles.


    ***


    At 3 pm, after lunch, London took Lily to the large conference room at the other end of the corridor. He felt very happy because as it turned out, bringing his baby to the office didn''t bother him at all at work.


    He only needed to change diapers three times so far and feed her every two hours. Lily was not fussy because the room temperature was quite cool and she always had her toys that kept her busy. Most of her time was spent playing or sleeping.


    When he passed a corridor filled with hundreds of employees working in their cubicles, London attracted the attention of many staff. He did not even realize they were taking pictures secretly. That day, Miss Lily Schneider was the subject of trending talks within the Schneider Group''s internal server.


    "Good day, everyone. We can now start the meeting," London said as soon as he entered the conference room and closed the door behind him. He placed Lily''s basket on a large chair beside him and began their meeting that day.


    Most of the middle-aged directors were surprised to see a baby in their meeting room, but no one said anything. They run the meeting seriously for two hours.


    At first, Lily seemed to pay close attention to their discussion, but fifteen minutes later, she looked bored and yawned several times, then she fell asleep.


    Lily seemed to have a very lively dream while she was sleeping. She would throw her fist to the air and mumble, all while looking as cute as a button. The meeting participants had to hide their laughter several times when they saw her acting so cute in her sleep.


    London was very happy to see how everyone who saw Lily was mesmerized by his baby. He really couldn''t wait to see Lily grow up and be able to walk and talk. He believed Lily would be even far more adorable than this.


    "Alright ... let''s end the meeting now. We will meet again with plans for next year at the end of November," London said two hours later as he closed the meeting. The clock showed it was already 5 pm.


    All the directors excused themselves, and only Jan and London remained in the conference room.


    "Miss Lily is very popular today," Jan commented. "I don''t remember Sir Caspar ever bringing his children to the office."


    London shook his head. "Hmmm, he never did. My father was too overprotective. We were never brought to the public."


    He regretted the way Caspar raised him and his siblings. Caspar was too concerned about the safety of his children that he chose to hide them at home. As a result, London had now become an a.d.u.l.t without many friends.


    Come to think of it, he didn''t want the same thing to happen to Lily. He wanted his children to grow like other ordinary children and have many friends.


    He lifted Lily''s basket very carefully so as not to wake the baby up and retrieved his cellphone from the table.


    London''s brows furrowed when he saw that there were 100 missed calls from L.

 Chapter 786 - We Have A Really Bad Communication Issue

    The young man was still annoyed at L, so he decided not to return the girl''s phone call.


    "Uhm .. Sir, I also received some missed calls to my cellphone from Miss L." Suddenly Jan picked up his own cellphone and showed it to London.


    Ah, right... of course. L would definitely contact Jan first before she contacted London. The man had told her to call Jan if she needed anything.


    "So?" asked London. "Why didn''t you call her back?"


    "Miss L asked to speak to you, Sir."


    "Iish.. I am not calling her back. She ignored my calls all morning."


    London rolled his eyes and was about to ignore Jan''s request when Lily suddenly burst into tears.


    "Ehh ... what''s up? Why are you crying, Honey?" asked London in confusion. He didn''t even know that Lily had woken up from her sleep.


    Lily didn''t care, she cried more loudly, and her wailing shook the sky.


    The little baby very rarely cried, so every time she really shed tears and screamed would send her father into a panic.


    "Sssshh ... what happen to you? Is it because..." London exchanged glances with Jan, and both frowned in surprise.


    There''s no way Lily was crying because London said he wouldn''t call her mother, isn''t it?


    Finally, London approached Lily and pulled out his cellphone, trying to experiment whether Lily would stop crying if he called L ... or not.


    RING


    RING


    In just two rings, L picked up his call.


    "WHERE DID YOU BRING MY CHILD???" There was a scream from the other end of the phone, no less loud than Lily''s wailing.


    London was forced to keep the phone away from his ear and massage his forehead. He suddenly felt a headache.


    Strangely, Lily''s crying suddenly stopped. Now the little baby was playing with her thumb as if nothing happened. Then, she even tried to reach the tip of her shoe to put in her mouth.


    London and Jan exchanged glances, and the expressions on their faces now seemed filled with confusion.


    There''s no way that Lily deliberately cried just now so that her father would call her mother, right?


    It must have been a coincidence, eventually, both of them came to the same conclusion.


    "Sshh ... you can''t eat your shoes, Honey," London held Lily''s leg with his left hand so the baby wouldn''t eat the tip of her shoes, while his right hand put the phone back on his ear. "No need to scream ... You must know where I am, right?"


    L''s voice sounded panicked.


    "I went to your house to get Lily, but none of the servants were willing to tell me where you were taking her ... I tried to call Jan, but he didn''t answer my calls, you also ignored my calls. Did you deliberately avoid me because you were still angry at me? ?? How childish! "


    London just listened to L''s barrage of complains on the phone while giving a signal to Jan to clean up his folders while he lifted Lily''s basket from the couch and walked out of the conference room.


    "Hey, I need to correct something. The angry one is you. I''m totally fine. This morning, I called you many times, but you didn''t pick up my calls, so I took Lily with me to the office." London walked across the corridor to his room while carrying Lily''s basket in his left hand, and the phone in his right hand stuck to his ear. "We''re going home soon."


    The employees who saw their boss passing by while carrying Lily, tilted their heads one by one and watched the beautiful sight until London and Lily disappeared behind his door.


    "Gosh ... our boss is such a doting father. What a dream husband ..."


    "I wonder who his wife is."


    "Ahh .. now I''m heartbroken ..."


    The employees gushed here and there to gossip about their handsome boss. Jan, who passed by, carrying some folders in his hand, followed London''s steps, warned the staff with his eyes to stop gossiping and focus on work. Immediately the atmosphere returned to silence.


    ***


    London stopped by L''s house to drop Lily before returning to his family home. As soon as the gate opened, he saw L, with a very worried face, immediately stormed him.


    "Oh, my God ... Lily ... I miss you so much ..." she exclaimed, almost crying.


    London was amazed. He thought L was overreacting.


    She acted as if she hadn''t seen her child in weeks!


    "If you''re so worried, why didn''t you pick up my call this morning?" said London furiously. L did not answer his question. She immediately opened all the seatbelt that strapped Lily''s car seat and lifted her baby from the car.


    London felt his c.h.e.s.t slowly filled with anger. He did not accept the fact that L still ignored him, even though he had already apologized. Why was it so difficult for L to forgive him? Last night he didn''t mean to hurt her feelings with his words ...


    "You''re really too much, L! You''re really selfish!" exclaimed London in a frustrated tone. L did not even want to look at him, she kept walking toward the house with Lily in her arms.


    Anne, one of the two staff he hired in the house, appeared in the doorway and hurried toward London. Her face looked a bit anxious.


    "Uhm ... Sir, it was not her fault that Madam couldn''t pick up your calls. She fell ill, and she was unconscious all morning. We found her and immediately called the doctor here."


    London was stunned by Anne''s explanation. He looked at the girl''s face inquisitively. Anne and Violet were the staff he hired, and he paid their salaries, so naturally, they were on his side. They can''t possibly make up stories to defend L ...


    "Why ... why didn''t she told me that she was sick?" asked London in surprise. He knew L did have congenital heart disease. He remembered the last time they had a heated argument, L had a heart attack and had to be hospitalized. It was so bad that she was forced to give birth to a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby...


    Did L get sick again because of London''s words last night?


    The man was suddenly filled with massive guilt. He could imagine how panicked L was when the girl tried to contact him and Jan but didn''t get an answer. They could not be reached because they were attending an important meeting, but L certainly did not know what was happening.


    Maybe L grew panicked because she thought London was taking Lily away from her and cut off contact, that''s why she couldn''t reach any of them.


    His head throbbed in pain when he remembered the 100 missed calls he had received earlier. He didn''t know how many hundred missed calls had gone to Jan''s cellphone.


    Sure enough, L was sitting on her bed, hugging Lily. Her face was white as a sheet.


    "Sorry ... Jan and I couldn''t be contacted ... we were attending an important meeting," he said in a gentle voice as he approached L slowly.


    "You scared me so badly..." L whispered in a trembling voice. "I was terrified that you will take Lily away from me ..."


    "I would never do that," London replied. He arrived in front of L and looked at the girl closely. "Why didn''t anyone tell me you were sick?"


    "I don''t want to bother you," L replied flatly. "I''ve been troubling you all this time."


    "You are the mother of my child ... of course you are allowed to trouble me. I didn''t know you were sick, so I thought you deliberately did not want to pick up my calls all morning, so I brought Lily with me to the office."


    L looked back at London. Her black eyes were tired and miserable.


    "We have a really bad communication issue..." L finally said. "I''m so tired of all this."

 Chapter 787 - Heart To Heart

    L''s tired expression and hoarse voice touched London''s heart. He suspected she must have cried a lot when she thought London intentionally didn''t pick up her phone calls.


    Somehow his defense always collapsed whenever he saw L cry. Why was he so weak toward this girl? This morning he was so determined to teach L a lesson and follow Jan''s advice to date other women ... now, he just wanted to hug L and calm her on his c.h.e.s.t.


    I was terrible ... London thought desperately.


    He finally sat next to L and held her hand. "I''m also tired of all our miscommunications. I didn''t think your opinion of me was so low that you thought I would be so petty by taking Lily away and separating her from you without your permission."


    L looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What can I do if you want to go in that direction? We are not equals. You can do anything to me and I won''t be able to get back at you. If you want to take Lily away from me, I''d rather just die."


    "L ... don''t say that!" exclaimed London in surprise. He did not expect L could act so desperately. "I promise you, I will never separate you from Lily, whatever happens between us. Please, trust me ..."


    L looked at London with pursed lips, holding back her tears.


    "How can I trust you? You have changed. You could even say such hurtful things to me last night ..."


    Ugh ... London understood that what L meant. She saw him changed because now he no longer pursued the girl. He even canceled their wedding plans two weeks ago. He did it because, finally, he had realized how they were not in an equal relationship. He thought of how much he was always the one to pursue L while the girl didn''t love him the way he loved her.


    "L ... please forgive my words I said yesterday. I was upset and wasn''t in my right mind. I did not mean to hurt you. Yesterday I was frustrated because you actually want to marry Danny Swann ... for what? To fulfill the stupid promise between your grandfathers? Or to shut him up so as not to reveal your secrets?"


    "Both..." L admitted it in a hoarse voice.


    "Now, let me tell you ... Danny Swann insists on wanting to marry you not to fulfill his grandfather''s will, but because he wants to take your share of the inheritance." Finally, London decided to tell L what really happened, so that L could understand that Danny Swann was a jerk. He still didn''t disclose the role of the Wendell family in her family murder, because he didn''t want L to feel shocked.


    "Wh ... what do you mean? I don''t have any inheritance..." L shook her head in confusion. "You must be mistaken."


    "Look, L... I''m London Schneider. I am never wrong," London said impatiently. "I found the copy of George Swann''s will and it says that his grandson must marry you to repay his debt to your grandfather for saving his life. If Marianne De Maestri does not want to marry the grandson of the Swann family, she will receive half the inheritance left by George Swann."


    L looked at London with round eyes and her lips half-open. She was in complete shock.


    She ... inherited half of the Swann family''s wealth?


    How could it be?


    "You''re not lying?" she asked, astonished.


    London shook his head. "Why would I lie to you? Danny Swann doesn''t want to lose half of his inheritance, so he keeps forcing you to marry him. He went so far as to propose for a fake marriage, as long as it''s legal just so he could keep all his inheritance."


    "Can I ask Danny about this?" asked L.


    London shook his head. "You can''t, he''ll argue and deceive you. I can show you all the information about the will as long as you promise not to discuss it with Danny Swann and make him suspicious."


    "Uhm ... if you can show me the will, I will be grateful ..." L bit her lip and looked down. She did not expect this at all.


    Gosh ... she had read a little about the Swann family''s wealth. They were one of the ten wealthiest families in England.


    If L indeed inherited half of this wealth ... then, she would become a wealthy woman. She can live alone and did not need to depend on her career or any man.


    This thought made her heart slowly filled with joy.


    Her face, which was creased and filled with sadness, now turned a little brighter, and her tears had stopped flowing. L hugged Lily tightly on her c.h.e.s.t.


    "I will not marry Danny Swann ..." L said in a low voice.


    "Good, then," London replied. He tried to suppress his voice so as not to sound too excited. Even if he and L separated, L couldn''t marry that rotten Danny Swann. "But please don''t do anything for the whole next month. Don''t talk about the will or the inheritance to Danny, I don''t want him to be suspicious."


    "Why?" asked L.


    "I''m doing something to catch the person responsible for your family''s death ..."


    London only realized that he had let out information he wasn''t supposed to share with L when the words already left his lips.


    "Who is responsible for the death of my family? Do you know them?? WHO?"


    L immediately became emotional, and her c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger. London hurriedly took Lily from her mother''s arms so that their baby wouldn''t be affected by L''s emotions.


    "Shhh ... you worried Lily," he rebuked L. "I''ll tell you all in due time. Now let me take care of this myself. If you know anything, you will only become emotional, just like this."


    "Sorry ..." L looked down while wringing her damp fingers. She was very emotional every time she thought about her family being massacred. She had lived with a grudge for eleven years, and only a few months ago did she force herself to let go of her revenge so she could focus her life on taking care of Lily.


    Now, hearing that London knew who killed her family, the girl''s flame for revenge returned.


    "I want you to trust me." London put Lily in her basket and then sat down next to L. "I don''t understand why it''s so hard for you to trust me? Why is it so hard for you to leave it all to me and thank me whenever I did something for you? Why is your ego so big? For poor people, your pride is too great."


    L did not argue. All London said were true. It was very difficult for her to trust the man and give everything to him. Every time London did something for her sake, L became defensive.


    She found it very difficult to accept the fact that her career, all the contracts she obtained, and even her popularity so far was not purely the result of her hard work but a gift from the owner of the Schneider Group.


    But, somehow, it was very difficult for her to convey all her feelings to London. L was not good with words and often, when she wanted to express her true feelings, her bitterness came out and messed things up.


    She really didn''t know how to make him understand.

 Chapter 788 - You Said You Love Me?

    "Forgive me."


    Those were the only words that came out of L''s lips. She looked at London with regretful eyes.


    "What are you apologizing for?" asked London, trying to confirm her intention. He agreed with L that they had severe communication problems and now he didn''t want to guess the meaning of L''s words anymore. He chose to immediately ask and confirm what she actually wanted to say.


    "I''m sorry for not being able to trust you easily. I shouldn''t have had such prejudice about you wanting to take Lily away from me ..." L. answered


    "Hmm .. okay. I''m sorry too." London nodded. "I''m also sorry for my words last night calling you a used good. I was really angry because you chose someone else over me, after everything I have done for you. Your decision to enter a contract marriage with Danny Swann made me feel meaningless in your eyes. That hurts so badly... "


    L shook her head, frantically. "I understand. I''m sorry. I panicked. I couldn''t think straight because he threatened to expose my secret ..."


    "That''s the next thing that pisses me off so much," London raised his hand, giving the signal for L to let him speak. "Why don''t you trust me to silence Danny Swann or anybody who wants to mess with you? Is it so embarrassing to ask for my help? Why do you always have to act like you are so strong and don''t need anyone?"


    "You''ve already helped me too much ... I can''t keep bothering you." L held London''s hand and slowly lowered it. She subconsciously rubbed the back of the hand uneasily. "I just don''t want to depend on other people."


    "I''m not just other people, L. I''m ..."


    "How could I keep troubling you? We are only connected because of Lily. Besides, we are not in a relationship anymore. I know my place. There''s no way I will continue to trouble you to solve all my problems ..."


    London was silent. Two weeks ago, he had canceled their wedding plans because he was disappointed in L. In this case, L''s words were true. The girl actually respected him by not trying to keep bothering him to help her. Although she had the reputation of being a golddigger, L had never once asked for anything from him. She even had always avoided bothering London.


    Now London started to see from L''s perspective, and he understood why the girl behaved in such a way. L really didn''t want to trouble him and depend on him. While London actually felt offended because L did not want to ask for his help and, in return, made him feel inadequate and unneeded.


    "So ... you never want me to help you because you don''t want to bother me and don''t want to depend on me ...? It is not because you don''t consider me important in your life?" he asked, staring intently at L.


    L nodded. Her face looked increasingly tired.


    "I am grateful for everything you have done for me. Than you so much. I feel that every favor from you that I have acc.u.mulated in the past year had become such a massive debt that I will never be able to repay ..." The girl sighed sadly.


    "L ... how many times do I have to tell you, I did it all because I love you. I just want to see you happy. I didn''t do it to get anything back from you. It''s not a debt." London took a deep breath. Talking with L always made him feel frustrated.


    "I don''t know what to say. You are so calculating and always think of everything as a debt that must be paid. I think that must be the reason why you finally agreed to marry me, right? Because you thought, accepting my proposal is your way to pay your debt to me.." London was utterly disappointed when he uttered his words. "A real man will not accept that the woman he loves only wants to marry him to pay her debts. You make me feel like I''m a sugar daddy who makes a woman marry me with my wealth."


    L gasped at London''s words. Her teary eyes stared at him sharply.


    "How could you say that about me! I didn''t accept your proposal to pay my debt to you ..." L immediately became emotional. "The reason why I took a long time to consider your proposal was because initially, I wanted to stay away from you ...


    "At that time, my life was filled with revenge and I just wanted to find someone who could help me avenge my parents'' death. You were still disguised as a poor man. After you disclosed your identity ... I''ve reconsidered my revenge ... I don''t want my life to be controlled by bitterness because now I already have Lily.


    "I did not immediately accept your proposal because I was afraid you were not serious with me ... We are not equals ... I was afraid you would change your mind and leave me after a few months. I was so worried that you only married me because of Lily ... That''s why I needed some time to think.


    "When I finally did accept your proposal ... I meant it with all my heart. But apparently my fear came true.. you could just cancel the wedding plans one-sidedly and I couldn''t have a say on it ..." L''s words sounded so bitter and sad.


    "I canceled it because I finally realized that you don''t actually love me, L. You always choose your career over Lily and me ..." London also became emotional. "I feel worthless. You prefer to make me your kept man and I can''t even say anything in front of Kitaro about our relationship. Do you think it doesn''t hurt me???"


    "How could you say that I don''t love you ...?" cried L. "Why do you think I''m here now? Many artists hide their marital status for privacy reasons, so why can''t I hide mine? Do you want the whole world to know about Lily and make her life difficult?"


    London frowned. "You ... you said you love me?"

 Chapter 789 - What Are You Doing?!?

    "What do you really want, London? Will revealing my secret to the public really make you satisfied? If they find out about my relationship with you, other artists who hate me will eagerly spread rumors that I am the sugar baby to the Schneider Group boss ... They will know that you shot me to stardom and I am a nobody without your help. Everything I have now, my career, and my popularity are all gifted by you, not the result of my hard work ... Will that make you satisfied?" asked L with tears in her face. "If that''s what you want, fine ..."


    With tears dripping down her cheeks, L took her cellphone and dialed a number.


    "What are you doing?" asked London in surprise.


    "Hello, good evening. Can I please talk to the Luxe''s news editor? This is L." L''s voice sounded so calm when she was talking on the phone. "I have something to say to the public."


    "Okay, Miss. Please, wait a minute."


    Ten seconds later, a cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.


    "Hello, Miss L, how are you? This is Masawe Richards. Congratulations on getting the Rookie of The Year Award Nomination. I can''t wait to meet you for an exclusive interview about your last album."


    "Is this Masawe Richards?" L asked, confirming the name of the editor on the other end.


    "That''s right. The operator said earlier that you wanted to say something to the public. Do we get an exclusive?"


    "Yes. I want to clarify the rumor that was circulating a few months ago ..."


    "Which rumor is it, Miss? You are very famous, and there are quite a lot of rumors circulating about you," Masawe''s voice sounded amused.


    "L ..." London was still stunned to see L really serious about what she said earlier, and she contacted a journalist from one of the biggest media. At first, he thought L was only bluffing. He knew how much she loved her career and her reputation.


    "I would like to clarify the gossip that I was pregnant and giving birth at the Berlin Metropole Hospital." L pursed her lips and held her tears so they wouldn''t flow harder. Her voice still sounded calm on the phone. "The gossip is true."


    "A ... what?!? Are you serious? Our conversation is being recorded right now and you already gave me the exclusive rights earlier. I just wanted to confirm what you just said ... So the gossip is true?"


    Gosh!


    London hurriedly turned L''s phone off and slammed it to the floor.


    "What are you doing?!?" He stared at L with a frustrated expression.


    "You really want me to reveal my secret to the public ... That''s what you want, isn''t it ??" L dismissed London''s hand who just slammed her cellphone to the floor. She then bent down and took the phone back from the floor. When L tried to dial Luxe Magazine''s telephone number again, London took the cellphone from her hand.


    "No need," the man said curtly.


    "Give me back my phone!" cried L. She tried to take her cellphone but London only needed to stand up straight and raised his hand as high as possible above his head. L was 25 cm shorter than him and she desperately tried to jump and grab her phone from the man''s hand without success. "You cheated! You used your height ..."


    "Hey, I''m not cheating, okay..." replied London. "I don''t use a special device to help me, just my body. It''s not my fault that you are so short."


    "Dammit..." L looked so annoyed. She tried to climb up London''s body and wrapped her right arm around the man''s neck and latch on him like a koala, while her left arm was reaching up to London''s right hand that was raised above his head. She was trying so hard to get her phone back.


    "Hey ... are you human or koala?" London did not try to pull down L''s body, instead, he seemed to enjoy making her angry.


    He kept switching the phone from his left hand to his right hand and alternately.


    "Aaaaggghhhh ... I hate you !!!" After many attempts and failures, L finally gave up and hit London''s shoulder with a look of despair.


    "Why are you so inconsistent? Which one is it? Earlier, you said that you actually love me ... but now you told me you hate me. How can I trust you if you are so inconsistent? You keep changing your words..." teased London. L had feigned an angry expression.


    Mmm ... London actually really enjoyed it when L climbed up his body and latched on to him like a koala, trying to get her phone back.


    The girl was too emotional, and she didn''t pay attention to the man''s grinning lips. London grinned because he loved L''s pleasant scent and her soft b.r.e.a.s.ts hanging on his shoulders as she latched on him. They felt soooo good.


    L didn''t care about London''s question. She was about to jump down, but before her feet could touch the floor, London had held her small waist.


    "Let me go ..." L hissed, glared at London. "You always make me angry!"


    London couldn''t deny that he always secretly enjoyed L scowling and pouting. The girl was really adorable when she was angry. He just couldn''t help incite her fury from time to time.


    He often complained about L''s quick temper, which he said was irritating, but he knew deep inside that L was never angry without reason, and oftentimes, he was the reason.


    "Why did you call Luxe just now?" London asked, staring at L whose face was only an inch apart from his face. He still refused to let the girl down.


    L looked away. "You know the answer."


    "I don''t know," answered London.


    He knew but he wanted to hear from L''s own lips.


    "You keep saying that I make you feel worthless because I always preferred other people than you and Lily, that I chose my career over you and Lily ..." Finally, L answered. Her voice sounded hoarse and filled with sadness. "Apparently, the only way to convince you is to tell the whole world about my secret. Are you satisfied now??"


    London knew how difficult it was for L to reveal her secret. She was even willing to enter a contract marriage with Danny Swann to protect that secret, but just now, L desperately contacted a journalist to confirm that she was indeed pregnant and gave birth a few months ago.


    London looked at L with a look of disbelief.


    As it turned out, L did love him...

 Chapter 790 - I Cant Read Minds

    "I ... I love you, you know that ..." said the man in a low voice, but his tone was serious. "I don''t want to be your kept man. I don''t want men out there to approach you because they think you''re still single. I want you to be proud of Lily and me and not hide us from the world as if we embarrass you ..."


    "If I didn''t love the two of you, I''d have left after I gave birth to Lily three months ago. Are you blind or stupid??? Can''t you see? I''m still here, aren''t I?" L''s voice sounded so tired. Tears rolled down her cheeks again. "I''m just trying to live a normal life and work to build my career as well as possible ... Why should I be forced to choose? Other artists also hide their personal lives for privacy reasons ... why must I be forced to open up about myself? You seem only satisfied if I''ve lost my career ..."


    "It''s not like that, L ... You know I''ve always supported you from the beginning. I even bought Brilliant Mind Media to launch your career. I want you to be happy. I help you become famous because you always said how much you wanted to be a famous singer. You are very talented and you deserve to become a superstar ..." London finally lowered L to the floor so he could wipe away the girl''s tears.


    Really, L tears always broke his heart. He would rather see L angry.


    "You keep saying it over and over again. How do you think I would feel, if people knew that everything I have now was given to me on a silver platter, not because of my own abilities and talents? You know the entertainment industry is cutthroat. People won''t hesitate to ruin other people''s careers with gossip ...


    Sometimes I even doubt myself. I am not sure if I am really talented. I never got the chance to achieve something with my own hands ... From the very beginning, since I was contracted by Brilliant Mind Media, my path was made so smooth. In less than a year I had become a superstar. Do you know how many people are gossiping about me sleeping with the boss because of that? Do you know what it''s like to enter a room and people laugh at you quietly??"


    L did not brush off London''s hand that was wiping her tears, but for some reason, her tears didn''t stop flowing. This was the first time that L poured out her heart''s content. She vented all her resentment from the past year.


    "L, You''re very talented. Don''t ever doubt yourself ..."


    "In this cruel world, talent alone is not enough. Why do you think I want to get along with that rotten Stephan Zimmerman? You need to work hard and find the right connection to help you succeed in the entertainment industry..." L said again.


    "If you are so desperate that you expect that jerk, Stephan, to help your career, why can''t I be such a connection for you?" asked London, not understanding. "I feel as though whatever I''ve done for you is never right."


    "You''re not a normal connection ... It''s natural to use connections like Stephan to help me pave my way to meet lots of people, try to get projects and contracts, work hard ... But with you, that''s not what happened. You''re not such a connection." L was desperately trying to explain her point. This was not an easy thing to explain, and L was not gifted at talking. She was a quiet girl who wouldn''t talk unless she had to.


    "Then what kind of connection am I to you?" London urged her.


    "Uhh ... you are like Santa Claus who grants all my wishes and d.e.s.i.r.es. I don''t need to work or do anything but I will still get whatever I want. I don''t have to make an effort to get a contract or a project or anything at all, everything was thrown into my l.a.p so easily. .. This makes me depressed. I feel like all my hard work doesn''t mean anything..."


    Oh my God ... This is so confusing, London thought. Other people would be happy to meet Santa Clause who would grant all their wishes, but this girl was just the opposite, How could getting everything she wanted be depressing?


    "I didn''t know all my kindness actually make you depressed..." London finally said. "All I want to do is to make you happy ..."


    L sighed.


    "Have you ever been in any competition?" she finally asked. "Sports competition, Math Olympics, Contest... or anything?"


    London shook his head. He grew up without attending formal education at school like other children, so he did not have many friends. He only saw such competition on TV.


    "I''ve seen something like that. So?"


    "What if, you take part in a competition, and you train hard to show your abilities to your opponent. But on the day of the match, your parents immediately announce to all participants that you are the winner and give you a trophy in front of all the other children who are supposed to be competing. How do you think you would feel? How do you think other kids who watched it would feel? Do you understand me now? "


    London was silent. He began to understand L''s point of view


    "Do you feel that all your hard work and talent are meaningless because I always give you what you want? All those commercial contracts, performances, and projects given to you make you feel meaningless?" he asked softly.


    L nodded. "Other kids who see me get a trophy without having to work hard would also hate... That makes it harder for me to make friends. I have no social life because a lot of people hate me."


    "Oh ..." London sighed. He did not know this. "I''m sorry if I made you feel that way. I didn''t know."


    "Now, you know," L said with a sigh. Somehow the heavy burden on her c.h.e.s.t began to disappear. She was relieved that she was finally able to vent everything that had been bothering her about their relationship. They lived together long enough, but the two never talked heart-to-heart like this.


    "I''m glad you finally told me. I can''t read minds, L ..." London finally said.


    "We do have a terrible communication problem," L. replied


    "Terrible.. yes. Very bad ..." London nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 791 - Will You Marry Me?

    "L ... please, you have to talk to me if something is bothering you. I can''t read minds. I don''t know what''s in your heart if you don''t tell me." London finally stopped wiping L''s tears because the tears didn''t stop dripping. He pulled L into his arms. "I''m sorry I didn''t understand your point of view. I just wanted to make you happy ... but I didn''t ask you if everything I did for you was what you want or not."


    "I''m also sorry if you feel that I don''t appreciate what you have done for me. I do appreciate them ... but sometimes I hope you will give me a little freedom to build my own career." L responded to his words by wrapping her arms around and hugged London''s waist. "I have never relied on anyone else before, and it is hard for me to suddenly accept the presence of a Santa Claus who grants all my wishes and showered me with various conveniences ... I''m not like you who is used to getting everything you want in life..."


    London nodded. That is precisely what made him fall in love with L. The girl was not a demanding girl and never gave him any problems. She was not like other girls who wanted him because they knew that he was rich and powerful. L never asked anything from him. Heck, she even had a hard time accepting all of London''s gifts for her...


    "I understand now," London whispered softly into L''s ear. "I''ll try my best from now on..."


    His warm breath in L''s ear made the girl''s heart pound faster. They haven''t hugged this intimately in a long time. He could feel her getting emotional.


    He always loved L''s nice scent, and subconsciously kissed the top of L''s head, as if he wanted to inhale the girl and made her part of him.


    "L ..." This man''s voice now sounded hoarse. "I love you, you know that, right? I need to know ... Do you love me too?"


    It took a little longer for her to reply, but finally, she said softly, "Yes ..."


    "L, will you marry me?" London asked again. He asked the question in a whisper to L''s ear while his arms were still hugging her tightly.


    "I don''t want to accept your proposal just for you to cancel the wedding again ..." L said, frowning. Apparently, she was still hurt because London canceled their wedding plans one-sidedly two weeks ago.


    "I will not cancel it. If you do love me, and we work together to improve our communication ... I think we are finally ready," London kissed L''s forehead and whispered again, this time his voice sounded husky. "I was very sad when we separated ..."


    L lifted her face and looked at London with her wet eyes as if trying to read whether the man was really honest or not.


    "I never lie ... but you, on the other hand, have lied to me so many times ..." L pursed her lips. "How do I know you are telling the truth now and that I can trust you?"


    London shook his head. "I''m telling the truth. I only love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Lily. Two weeks ago, I canceled our wedding plans because I thought you didn''t love me. I thought you only accepted my proposal because I cornered you into marrying me... I thought you always chose your career over Lily and me ... I''m sorry. "


    L pursed her lips, and her tears flowed again. Her hand struck London''s c.h.e.s.t in annoyance. "You made me so sad when you canceled our wedding plans ... You were too much ... !!"


    "I''m sorry ... Honey, I''m so sorry." London did not hold L''s hand back. He accepted it gracefully. If that can make L feel better, by venting her frustration, then London will feel relieved.


    "You could easily cancel our wedding plans after I finally accepted your proposal ... How could you do that to me! How do you think I feel? I thought you were not serious. After repeatedly proposing to me, as it turns out you could cancel it so easily ... I really broke my heart. I was terrified that you''ll take Lily away from me ..." L''s tears flowed down harder, and she continued to beat the man''s c.h.e.s.t. "You don''t know how scared I was... How could you do that to me..."


    "Honey ... that''s not what I meant. I only canceled the wedding plans because I thought you didn''t really love me. That was a misunderstanding ... because our communication was so bad ..." London finally pulled L''s head to his c.h.e.s.t and kissed the girl''s hair. He was despondent to see L crying. Really, that girl''s tears were his biggest weakness. "I promise I will never do that again."


    L again sobbed in the young man''s c.h.e.s.t until finally, her tears run out. When she finally stopped crying, half an hour later, London''s entire front shirt was soaked with her tears. London kept stroking her hair to calm L.


    Now, after they both poured their hearts out and opened up about what they feel from their respective points of view, London could understand why L did the things he originally thought was annoying.


    "L ... Honey, please believe in me. Let me take care of Danny Swann for you. You don''t have to face it for yourself. Let me defend you and protect you," London said after L''s tears completely dried. He released L from his arms and looked at her black eyes lovingly. "If you still want to marry me ... let me protect you. I won''t be your Santa Claus ... but let me protect you from people like Danny Swann ..."


    L raised her face and looked at London with a sad expression. Finally, he nodded slowly.


    A smile immediately appeared on London Schneider''s face when he saw L nodded and accepted his request.


    "Does this mean ... you want to marry me?" he asked once more to be sure. He didn''t remember how many times he had proposed to L, but he really hoped this time would be his last and final proposal.


    L nodded again.


    "Do you want to marry me because you also love me...?" London was still not satisfied. He asked again her again. L nodded again.


    "Do you want to live forever with me?" He asked another question.


    L nodded.


    "Gosh... you make me so happy, Honey!" London couldn''t hold back anymore and immediately landed a hot kiss on the girl''s pink lips.


    He hadn''t kissed L for a long time, and now he claimed her tiny lips passionately like there was no tomorrow. When L returned his kiss, the man embraced her more tightly. His c.h.e.s.t was filled with strong emotions.


    He could feel that L missed him too. The man became even more excited. He kissed L intensely. His tongue thrust inside her mouth through her slightly open lips and devoured her tongue. L couldn''t help let out a soft m.o.a.n from her lips when their kiss became too hot to handle. His hands descended down her back and c.a.r.e.s.sed her body lovingly as they kissed more passionately.


    "Mmm ..." London whispered between his kisses. "I am very happy..."

 Chapter 792 - 100 Percent Sober (R.-.1.8)

    They kissed tenderly and longingly. Finally, London became convinced that all this time L had actually loved him. That girl just couldn''t express her feelings well. She was not like him, who had his way around with words.


    Now, after he heard L''s heart poured out with tears and he understood how L had so many fears about their relationship, he was very relieved. Her fears were all reasonable too. He could now really see her point of view and what made her do what she did.


    He cupped L''s face with both hands as his kissed L''s lips passionately, while L''s arms hug his waist. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the outpouring of love from men who often angered her, but in fact, she really loved.


    Their kiss became filled with l.u.s.t as they continued making out. Both London and L had not gotten intimate for quite a while because of the separation two weeks ago, due to London canceling their wedding plans. Since then, they have acted almost like strangers toward each other, and only now the thick wall separating the two had finally crumbled.


    As it was with most couples, their feelings become so strong after experiencing a big fight. The love in their heart seemed to burn stronger after they had overcome a problem together, and this was what London and L now felt.


    The kiss became more intense and hot, as their heart beat faster and in rhythm. London''s hands that had been cupping L''s face had moved down and c.a.r.e.s.sed her beautiful hair, her soft neck, rubbed her smooth shoulders, and descended down to her back, then glided to her flat stomach ... slowly went up to her c.h.e.s.t.


    L couldn''t help let out a soft m.o.a.n when London''s hand slipped under her clothes and squeezed her soft, large b.r.e.a.s.ts. The man was burning with d.e.s.i.r.e when he heard L''s s.e.xy m.o.a.n in his ears.


    "L ..." he whispered between his kisses, as he moved his lips from L''s lips to her ear .. then continued down to her neck .. continued down to her shoulder ... "You won''t change your mind, will you? You will really marry me .. ?"


    L nodded shyly. She opened her eyes and stared at London, who had already tilted his head down and nibbled on her earlobe greedily.


    The man looked bothered by their apparent height difference, which made him have to bend lower to reach the other parts of L''s body with his kiss. Finally, he decided to carry L and bring her to bed.


    They instinctively glanced at Lily''s cot to see if their child saw what her parents were doing.


    Ahh .. fortunately. Lily was fast asleep with her mouth open and hands clenched. This beautiful baby looked so cute in her sleep.


    London and L both breathed a sigh of relief. A second later, London had put L''s body on the bed and inched up onto her.


    "L ..." he whispered in a husky voice.


    "Hmmm ..." L looked at him with a pair of eyes that were starting to glaze. Both of them were already filled with d.e.s.i.r.e. This was the first time they were making out, feeling 100 percent sober.


    "I love you ..." London said his last sentence and kissed L again, continuing his actions earlier. His hands mischievously slipped under L''s clothes and expertly explored her body. Then when he got back to L''s soft twin peaks, he kneaded them with full appreciation.


    Ah ... he had almost forgotten how nice it felt to touch and knead her beautiful plump b.r.e.a.s.ts. Meanwhile, his lips still attacked every inch of L''s skin with hot kisses and left fine hickeys on some parts.


    L did not reject his actions at all. She welcomed each kiss, touch, bite, and suck on her skin with incessant m.o.a.ns. She reflexively slipped her hands under his London shirt to feel his broad c.h.e.s.t and hard stomach.


    This man was used to working out regularly before he left for the office, and the result was a strong chiseled physique with proportional muscles. He looked beautiful in the girl''s eyes.


    "Hmm ... do you want to help me take it off ...?" asked London in a teasing voice.


    L looked shy when she heard his question. The girl did not answer, but her hands slowly began to unfasten the buttons on his shirt one by one. Her slowness made London extremely impatient and felt almost insane.


    He felt like he just wanted to rip apart his shirt immediately so that they would soon be n.a.k.e.d and can make love quickly, but he held back as hard as he could, and let L do what she wanted to do ... even though she was as slow as a snail due to her being inexperienced.


    Ughhh... London could only groan almost in despair when finally the last button on his shirt was unfastened and he immediately spread his arms so that L could pull his shirt off. After his upper body was stripped of his clothes, it was London''s turn to pull off L''s clothes and then unclasp her bra. Everything happened so fast!


    L''s beautiful perky b.r.e.a.s.ts were immediately displayed before his eyes and invited London to enjoy the dish like someone who had been starving for days. He kissed her left b.r.e.a.s.t and s.u.c.k.e.d her n.i.p.p.l.e eagerly, while kneaded her right b.r.e.a.s.t.


    L and London had made love twice, but on both occasions, they were always not sober, so they could not fully enjoy the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e from what they were doing. On their first time, both of them were under the influence of aphrodisiac given by Stephan. And on the second occasion, L was under the influence of sleeping pills and London was drunk because he drank too much alcohol.


    Both London and L finally could experience how it was to make love wholeheartedly on the third one. Every kiss and c.a.r.e.s.s, and each stimulation at their s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e parts now brought a sense of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e that they never experienced before.


    L almost screamed in p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e when London''s lips and hands alternately kissed, s.u.c.k.e.d, and kneaded her b.r.e.a.s.ts giving her o.r.g.a.s.m for the second time. Seeing L about to scream, London hurriedly kissed her lips and silenced the girl so that she wouldn''t wake up Lily who was fast asleep.


    He was very pleased to see L got so much p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e through his hard work. Grinning faintly, he pulled L''s hand and placed them in front of his pants, giving a signal to L to strip him from his pants ... so they could have s.e.x.


    L was smart immediately understood what she had to do. She unbuckled his belt and removed the man''s pants from his body, this time not as slow as she stripped him from his shirt. She was a quick learner, after all. Shortly afterward, London had also pulled down the skirt and u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r that L was wearing. Now, they both could admire each other''s body in full glory.


    "Oh ... L ... you''re so s.e.xy and beautiful ..." London whispered in a tone of admiration. For a moment, he was glued to his place, seeing L''s extremely alluring body. He had never seen L n.a.k.e.d while he was in 100 percent sober like this.


    His hand slowly traced the girl''s skin that felt so smooth like silk.


    He c.a.r.e.s.sed L''s body, starting from her cheeks, then down to her neck, down again to her b.r.e.a.s.ts ... to her stomach ... then stopped in her wet honeypot.


    Her petals looked small and pink like a cute little rose, ready to be picked.

 Chapter 793 - Like Teenagers In Love (R.-.1.8)

    Such an obvious look of admiration from a perfect man who was very wealthy and powerful like London Schneider made L blush. London made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.


    "L ..." London gulped to see such a beautiful sight in front of him. His voice sounded hoarse as he said to his woman. "You''re the most beautiful girl I''ve ever seen ..."


    He kissed L''s petals lovingly and savored it to his heart''s content. L tried so hard to hold back but when her lower lips were spoiled by the man''s tongue, she let out a long s.e.xy m.o.a.n as she arched her back in p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.


    London swiftly covered L''s mouth with his lips and stopped her from screaming before she woke their baby. He claimed L''s lips until she was almost out of breath.


    London then positioned his body above L carefully so that he would not press L and hurt her tiny body with his weight. After giving L a chance to breathe for a while, he again showered the girl with a hot kiss and explored her mouth mercilessly, while his manhood slowly entered L''s core.


    As soon as he entered her, a surge of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e immediately filled his head like never before. Although London and L had made love twice before, this was only their first time doing it, being completely sober.


    The p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e spread to every fiber of their beings and subconsciously London and L closed their eyes together and m.o.a.n.e.d in unison.


    London then moved his manhood in and out of L''s core naturally and soon found the most comfortable and satisfying position for them both. L''s m.o.a.ns were so s.e.xy, her body was alluring. He was in heaven and he took her with him passionately.


    During their lovemaking, L learned quickly that every time she let him know with her s.e.xy m.o.a.ns, how much p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e she got from his actions, she would be rewarded with more. London would pump vigorously with a smile to hear her muffled scream and silly face every time she got an o.r.g.a.s.m.


    They made love passionately and explored each other''s bodies endlessly like two teenagers who only had s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e for the first time. After they reached the peak together, they would rest for a while and start again as if there was no tomorrow.


    London and L knew that b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding was the most natural form of contraception so they didn''t even have to ask each other whether he should release his seeds inside of her or if he pulled out. After m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e many times until after midnight, finally, they had enough.


    "That.. that''s... enough .." whispered L in a hoarse voice, while pulling London''s hair. Her eyes looked tired and a bit sleepy. "I am tired..."


    London nodded with a smile. He kissed L''s lips then pumped rapidly for the last time. His hands grabbed her b.r.e.a.s.ts and kneaded them as he got ready to c.u.m. Soon, London''s body arched and trembled slightly. He released his seeds in her w.o.m.b and dropped his body on top of her carefully.


    As his body pressed gently on her, he could smell her natural scent. She smelled sooo good!


    He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead gently. After a few minutes in that position, London finally rolled to the side and pulled L to his embrace and he spooned her to sleep.


    Ahh ... his lips smiled faintly when he saw Lily was still sleeping with her lips open and hands clenched as before.


    "Smart girl," he muttered happily. London then closed his eyes and finally went to sleep.


    Really, he and L had worked hard, he thought.


    Tonight he was very happy. Not only because his relationship with L had improved, but also, for the first time, they have learned to communicate better.


    He could now understand L''s point of view and L could also accept his point of view.


    From now on, they would live happily ever after.


    Ahh, finally ... all the misunderstandings between them were over. Now he believed that L really loved him and she was really willing to marry him because she wanted to build a family with him, not because she felt forced.


    Ah ... he must talk to Jan and resumed their wedding plans. This time, he and L were now convinced that they both love each other and they really want to spend the rest of their lives together.


    He was very happy!


    London kissed the top of L''s head in his arms, before finally falling asleep with a smiling face.


    ***


    London suddenly woke up at 2 am because of the sound of Lily crying. He immediately got out of bed and put on his robe and approached Lily''s cot.


    "What''s wrong, honey? Are you hungry?" London carried Lily and checked her diaper. That little baby''s diaper really needed to be changed. London also saw that Lily was hungry because his child had slept long enough.


    In order not to wake L who was sleeping soundly from exhaustion, London hurriedly carried Lily into the baby''s room and changed her diaper there. After that, he carried Lily into the kitchen and warmed her milk.


    Fifteen minutes later, he had been bottle-feeding Lily in the dining room while nodding off.


    "Are you done eating?" asked London, opening one eye. Lily had finished a bottle of milk and looked full. "Then you must go back to sleep, Sweetheart..."


    London carried Lily in his arms and lulled her so the little baby could go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Lily did not like the sound of her father''s singing. The baby''s forehead frowned at her father''s cringey voice in her ear.


    "Hmm ... you don''t like it, huh?" London was getting desperate. He took a storybook and read a fairytale to make Lily sleepy, but his efforts were in vain.

 Chapter 794 - The Deafening Silence

    At 6 in the morning, when L woke up, she felt her side and was surprised when she did not find London lying next to her. Reflexively, her eyes immediately searched for Lily and she realized that she was not in her cot.


    L quickly came to the conclusion that Lily woke up in the middle of the night and London was forced to stay up late to keep her company.


    L hurriedly got out of bed, put on her robe, and went out to find the father and daughter duo. She found him on the terrace sitting on a chair, with Lily lying face down on her father''s c.h.e.s.t.


    The sight momentarily stunned L and she stopped in the doorway. Involuntarily, a tear fell down her cheek. L felt very happy. The two people she loved the most were here, and they would soon be officiated as a family in a formal marriage.


    L, who lived alone for almost eleven years, now had a family that she loved.


    She felt very grateful.


    "Good morning ..." she whispered as she arrived behind London and kissed the man''s cheek. London turned his head with a broad smile. His eyes looked very sleepy, making L very sorry to see him. She asked the man softly. "You didn''t sleep?"


    London shook his head and put on an expression like the most pitiable puppy in the world.


    "Lily woke up in the middle of the night and didn''t want to go back to sleep. I had to keep her company ..." And so he complained like a sad puppy.


    "Gosh .. why didn''t you wake me so we could take turns?" L asked in surprise.


    London shook his head. "I didn''t have the heart to wake you up, you looked so tired."


    "Oh, dear ..." L felt very touched and landed a loving kiss on London''s lips. The man accepted it happily. They kissed long enough and only stopped when Lily''s tiny hand clawed at her father''s nose.


    "Ouch ... Lily ..." London hurriedly released L''s lips and pinched his baby''s nose playfully. "You can be naughty too apparently."


    "Here, let me take care of Lily, you just go to sleep," L said. She took Lily from London''s c.h.e.s.t and carried her. "Lily, Honey, let''s eat and then we could take a bath together and wear pretty clothes."


    London only watched L b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily on a patio chair with a happy look. While b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, L hummed one of her songs. Lily was her mother''s number fan and she quickly smiled when she heard L singing.


    This was a morning routine that London missed so much for the past two weeks when he and L separated. He always liked to start the day by listening to L''s singing, just like Lily was always happy when she heard her mother sing.


    Actually, London wanted to stay there and spent time with the two girls he loved the most in this world, but he was already very sleepy. Finally, he was forced to return to L''s room and immediately lay down on the bed.


    In less than five minutes, he was already fast asleep.


    ***


    At 11 noon, London was awakened by the sound of his cellphone ringing so loudly. He had not regained his consciousness completely, and the noise really annoyed him.


    Staggering, he got out of bed, put on a robe, and rushed to the kitchen to turn off his cellphone.


    "Good morning, Honey..." greeted L who was preparing breakfast for him at the table. Lily was playing in her basket with some plush toys.


    "Hmm ..." London just nodded. He searched for his phone. L, who saw him looking for something, immediately took the cellphone from the kitchen counter and handed it to him.


    "Jan sent you various messages and e-mails, I think. Maybe it is super important, so now he''s calling you. Just pick up his call," she said, placing the phone in London''s hand.


    London accepted it while grumbling. "Jan should have known he shouldn''t disturb my sleep. I''ll scold him before going back to sleep again ..."


    He pressed the accept call button.


    Before he could get a chance to scold Jan, his assistant''s cheerful voice was heard through the speaker.


    "Ahh .. thank God you finally picked up my call. I want to make sure that you do not mind going on a date today. I have arranged a blind date at the Moon restaurant this evening. I have prepared flowers and various other necessities. Miss Sarah can''t wait to meet you. I already sent full details by email this morning. Please check it out."


    London was so shocked to hear all of Jan''s blabber that he accidentally dropped his cellphone to the floor. He raised his face and turned to L only to find the beautiful girl looked stunned and slowly a tinge of red appeared on her face due to her growing fury.


    "Th ... This is ... a misunderstanding ..." London swallowed hard.


    "Hello, Sir...!!"


    Jan''s voice came from the speaker while the phone was now stranded on the floor with cracked glass. It was really unfortunate that, at such a crucial time, instead the voice disappeared and the telephone connection was cut off, Jan actually continued to chatter about the second and third dates that he managed to secure for his boss.


    "I have a good feeling about Miss Sarah. She is very knowledgeable and has traveled the world. But if it turns out that there is no chemistry between the two of you, we also have Miss Gwen who is eager to see you. She is a pediatrician. She is both brain and beauty. If you checked her pictures, you would agree with me.


    Imagine, where could you find such a beautiful girl who is so smart that she can become a specialist physician? Then, oh ... the next one is also my favorite: Miss Carla is a student in law school. She loves singing and her voice is very beautiful,.. In my humble opinion, she is not worse than Miss L when it comes to singing. A really talented girl!"


    Right there and then, London wished he could just split the earth in half so that he could bury himself. This is horrifying!


    After the shock was gone, he hurriedly trampled on his cellphone to turn off the annoying sound.


    Finally, Jan''s voice was no longer heard. There was no sound whatsoever could be heard in the kitchen.


    There was only a deafening silence between him and L.

 Chapter 795 - A Really Bad Feeling

    London slowly raised his face and looked at L with his lips half-open. He was about to say something, but for some reason, the girl''s furious expression made him unable to say anything he wanted to say. The silence was deafening and, at the same time, managed to turn the temperature down by a few degrees. Somehow, the air sent chill down his spine.


    "Two weeks ..." hissed L in a cold voice. "We''ve only been separated for two weeks ... and you are already looking for my replacement so easily."


    "Honey ..." London swallowed. "This is a misunderstanding. That''s not what happened ..."


    "You''re a liar. I should have known, I can''t trust someone like you." L looked frustrated and disappointed at the same time. "For you, lying is like breathing. I admit ... you''re a good father ... but you''re not a good husband. I regret that I believed the word - I believed everything you said, and I gave my heart to you ... You jerk! "


    Before London could react, L had taken the spatula from the pan and hit his shoulder furiously.


    "Hey ... Honey, I can bring Jan here so he can explain to you what really happened. I''m not looking for your replacement ... Well--I ..." London then fell silent. Actually, his words just now were also not true. He was indeed looking for a replacement for L. He thought his love was unrequited, so he decided to follow Jan''s advice and date other women to heal his broken heart.


    He should have waited first. Why was he so impatient?


    It took him only two weeks to find another woman to replace L. If she was dating other men after being separated from him in two weeks, London would be furious and disappointed too.


    The man understood why L was so angry now.


    Of course, L now must have felt cheated and lied to. London said he only loved her and wanted to marry her, but within two weeks, he was already looking for another woman to date.


    Finally, the man just kept quiet. This was such a big misunderstanding that even bringing Jan here wouldn''t be able to control the damage.


    London pleaded guilty... He was wrong... He should have waited.


    He also could not blame Jan, because Jan only gave him advice as a friend who cared for him. The decision lay in his own hands, whether he would accept that advice or not.


    London remembered yesterday at the office, Jan showed his profile on the online dating website and he gave Jan his approval. He should have listened to Lily and just canceled everything.


    But, instead, he gave his approval ... and now everything was a mess. There is really no use crying over spilled milk.


    "I''m sorry ..." Finally, London could only lower his head sadly and receive the beating from L on his shoulder. He didn''t move an inch nor he avoided her spatula.


    London would rather see L to be angry with him and then calm down, before they could talk nicely, rather than L feeling hurt and crying her eyes out. He couldn''t stand seeing L''s tears flow because of him.


    "You are really too much ... You''re so mean to me. You know how difficult it is for me to give you my heart and to trust you. After proposing to me and canceling the wedding plans just like that ... you can easily say that you love me just so you can sleep with me ... while you are already set to date other women ..."


    L threw the spatula on the floor and instead beat London''s c.h.e.s.t with her tiny hands. The man didn''t dodge nor hold her punches. After a few minutes, the girl finally stopped because her hands were in pain, and she became exhausted.


    "Honey ..." London tried to pull L to his c.h.e.s.t which was still hurting from being hit by L''s small hand, but the girl brushed his hand off angrily.


    "DO NOT TOUCH ME!" L screamed hysterically.


    The man stopped in his tracks. He was really at a loss for words and didn''t know how he could coax the girl. His world immediately seemed to turn upside down. He didn''t understand why he always had such bad luck with L.


    Their moments of intimacy from last night, where they talked to each other from heart to heart, confirmed their love, and then made love passionately .. now they all felt like a very distant dream.


    He really regretted waking up from the dream.


    "I will wait until you can forgive me ..." London finally said. He sat on a dining chair and looked at L with a pair of wistful eyes. "I plead guilty, for letting Jan arrange a date for me. I was heartbroken for these two weeks because I thought you didn''t love me ..


    Everyone said we are always fighting because we''re imm.a.t.u.r.e and never dated anyone before. We are each other''s firsts. Jan told me to meet other women so that I can get the experience ... We had no idea you actually love me back ...


    Please understand my position. Please don''t punish me for what I haven''t done ... I haven''t dated anyone. I''ll tell Jan to cancel everything."


    "Are you all right ...? Should I call the doctor?" London asked worriedly. He rose from his chair to approach L, but the girl raised her hand and gave a sign for him not to come closer.


    "I told you, don''t come near me ..." the girl hissed in a hoarse voice.


    "I admit, I was wrong .. you can just beat me up again. Please, don''t cry ..." persuaded London again.


    "Why does it matter if I want to cry? Who are you to tell me what to do??" blurted L curtly. "I need to think ..."


    "L ... I will do whatever you ask me to prove that I love you and that you are the only woman in my life. I will cancel all the dates. I will tell Jan to come here and explain to you what happened ..."


    L took a deep breath and leaned against the kitchen counter, then finally nodded. "I have made a decision."


    Suddenly London had a really bad feeling.

 Chapter 796 - Ls Decision

    "L ... please don''t make hasty decisions ..." London said in a firm voice. He was fed up with all the misunderstandings between them and wanted to do anything to keep L by his side.


    He knew this time he was guilty, and he was willing to make up for it in any way.


    "I''m so tired of all this ..." L sat sluggishly on the floor. Her eyes were red and wet with tears. Her vision began to blur. "I just want to live quietly, but ever since I met you ... somehow, I have always become unlucky."


    London knew that she meant was the events at Stephan''s party ... which was the beginning of how their lives became intertwined like today.


    "If you''re tired ... you just rest, okay. Let''s talk later." London stooped in front of L and touched her knees very gently, barely touching her skin. "Please, forgive me."


    When London was about to get up and leave L so the girl could calm down, L suddenly spoke.


    "Jan is right."


    London was stunned to hear L''s words, "Eh ...? What do you mean by Jan is right?"


    "Jan was right when he said that you need to meet other women and date them, so that you won''t have any regret if someday you decided to be with me."


    L''s words were uttered in a flat tone, there was no hint of anger in them, but somehow they managed to make London shudder.


    "Wait ... wait, you want me to date other women? Do you want to leave me ...?" The man''s voice choked. "I don''t want to do it. I''m not willing to be punished for the mistakes that I haven''t actually committed. I don''t want you to leave me. Last night we already made up ... and we''ve finally talked from heart to heart, and we now understand each other ... Our communication has also improved ..."


    "London Killian Schneider, listen to me ..." L interrupted him, this time calling London by his full name, reminded the man of his mother, Finland, whenever she was angry at him.


    "Don''t call me by my full name like that ... usually my mother calls me with my full name because she''s angry ..." London involuntarily scowled and w.h.i.n.ed. He was not comfortable with L following his mother''s actions.


    "I AM ANGRY, dammit," snapped the girl, not caring about London''s request. "You always piss me off, and today too ... I don''t know if I can stand being married to you and get mad every day. You''re lucky I didn''t get a heart attack because of your antics this morning... You jerk!"


    London went silent. He knew L was right. Oohh.. he actually couldn''t wait to ask L to drink the immortality potion from Uncle Aldebar so that the girl would soon become an immortal like him. He wanted to see L healthy.


    "All right ... you may call me by my full name if you are really angry ..." London finally relented.


    Actually, he was a bit relieved because L had stopped crying. Now, she wanted to talk to him instead. This was really good progress. Maybe their conversation last night about improving their communication had shown results.


    "I have decided that I cannot marry you. I cannot trust you anymore." Before London could interrupt her, L had raised her hand and stopped the young man.


    "I think Jan is right when he said that you and I both need to meet other people to get to know different types of people, and understand what we are looking for in our partner. I don''t want you to miss the opportunity to meet other women who are prettier, smarter than me, and even have a better voice than me ...


    From the beginning, I had told you that what happened between us was a horrible incident and that we are both victims. I never asked you to take responsibility for me."


    "I want to marry you not just because I want to be responsible, L ... but I really love you ..." London said quickly.


    "What do you know about love? You have never had a girlfriend before ..." L interrupted him again. "I''m not sure you even understand what love is. The proof is that you can easily find my replacement even though we were only separated for two weeks ..."


    "That was a stupid mistake ..." said London. "I won''t do it. I won''t date any other women."


    L shook her head impatiently. "I actually think the opposite. You must meet these extraordinary women and check your heart. Who knows, you might actually find someone better than me and forget about me. We will never know if you never try."


    London was very confused by L''s words. Wasn''t L furious when she learned that Jan was setting him up for a date with three different women? Why was she now telling London to meet them?


    Was this a trap?


    This must be a trap! he concluded.


    Women were hard to guess. It''s impossible to know what they wanted. They could say A, but they actually meant B.


    London didn''t want to get into the trap.


    "I don''t want to date them," he said firmly. "I just want you."


    L pressed London''s c.h.e.s.t with her right hand and looked at him intently.


    "Go see those other women ... You have to meet all three. I don''t want you to lose your chance of meeting a woman who is better than me."


    "There''s no one better than you."


    "You can''t compare if you don''t see other people, so your opinion cannot be accepted."


    "Why are you forcing me to date other women? Didn''t you get angry when you found out Jan arranged my date with them?"


    "I was furious, yes, but after thinking about it, I realized Jan is right. You do have to meet other women to understand your own heart and know what you really want. If, after meeting these other women, you feel that there is no one better than me ... we can talk again."


    L''s voice sounded bitter, but her tone was very calm. Her calmness actually made London even more horrified. He didn''t know what L was really thinking.


    "Do you promise to sit down with me and talk about our relationship after I meet them?" London asked, finally. "That''s the only way I will go see them."


    L nodded. "We can meet again and talk about everything. If, after dating those other women, you realize that I''m actually not the right woman for you, it would be better if we end everything in the right way and be m.a.t.u.r.e about it..."


    At that time, London really wanted to kiss L.


    Somehow, the girl looked so m.a.t.u.r.e today. Is this because they already talked openly last night?


    "So, if I can meet all three of them today, by tonight, we can already meet again and talk about our relationship?" London asked hopefully.


    "Don''t be a jerk, please. Do you think women are toys or inanimate objects that have no heart? You can''t do that to them ..." L grumbled at London''s words just now. "Give me a month to think. You can meet as many women as possible over the next month, not just the three women Jan has chosen for you. The more is better. That way ... you will be able to meet many types of people and find out what kind of woman excites your heart, makes you attracted and fall in love ..."


    Ugh ... one month? That''s a freaking long time, thought London worriedly.


    "Why does it have to be so long?" he asked softly.


    "Because you can easily change your mind after just two weeks!" said L furiously. "I don''t want to think hastily ... I think one month is a long enough time to think things through. You can also meet other women and see your options..."


    "Uhm ... you told me to meet other women for a month ... then ..." London gulped before continuing his question. "Are ... you going to meet other men too?"


    L glared at London with resentment. "That''s none of your business. Do you think I''m the same as you who can easily hop on to new people to date? Jeez...!"

 Chapter 797 - We Will Talk In One Month

    Because London didn''t give an answer either, L insisted on making a decision for both of them.


    "You can go now, otherwise you will be late for your date," said L as she rose from the floor and carried Lily from her basket.


    "L ... wait a minute ..." London hurriedly got up and chased after L who had walked into her room. Before he made it in, L had thrown his clothes out of the room and closed the door. The man was frantic and tried to knock on her door. "L ... please open the door."


    He knocked twice and waited.


    "Don''t you have hands that you can''t open the door yourself? Do you think I''m your maid that I have to open the door for his majesty??" L''s voice grumbled from the room.


    "Er ... is it unlocked?" London wondered. He turned the door handle and found that the door was indeed not locked. He smiled sheepishly as he entered the room. "Sorry, I thought you locked the door."


    He found L had put Lily in a baby cot and the girl was taking some clothes from the closet. She was getting ready to take a shower.


    "Where are you going?" asked London in surprise. He was really confused by L''s attitude. At first, he thought L was still angry and locked herself in the room after throwing out his clothes.


    "I have something to do." L raised her face and looked at London with a sharp look. "What more do you want here? Hurry home and get ready. Jan has prepared a date with a beautiful woman for you. You can''t keep a woman waiting. That''s rude."


    London felt like he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn''t. L''s words were very piercing, but he realized it was his own fault.


    "Do you really want me to date those other women?" Finally, he asked, trying to confirm once again that L''s decision was indeed final.


    "Yes. Anyway, for the next month, you are welcome to meet as many women who are better than me. Next month we will talk again." L took two beautiful long dresses. One light blue and the other was beige, then placed them over her in front of the mirror.


    "The beige dress is suitable for today''s weather," commented London. "But next month, we can go back to discussing our wedding after I have met all these women and convince you that I only want to marry you... right?"


    "Yes." L put the beige dress back in the closet and took the blue one to wear, openly opposing London''s suggestion. "Apart from Lily''s affairs, we don''t have anything to do with each other."


    London knew that L was really angry this time. He remembered how the girl always listened to his advice in choosing outfit.. but today she openly went against his suggestion.


    "Uhm ... where are you going?" asked London, still not giving up.


    "I have something to do," L replied curtly. She then picked Lily from the basket and carried her to the bathroom. "Come on, Honey ... We must get ready now."


    London was about to follow, but the bathroom door was closed in front of him and locked.


    "Where are you planning to go?" he asked again.


    "That''s none of your business," L said from the bathroom.


    "It is my business because you will bring Lily with you," London replied. "I''m her father. You can''t take my child without me knowing ..."


    "You are not the only parent who can bring your child to work."


    L''s words stunned London. He didn''t expect L would really do this. Will she bring Lily to work??


    Didn''t L always try to keep him and Lily secret? Why did it change now? Did L really mean what she said?


    He was about to ask again, but the sound of running water made his voice inaudible. He spoke in vain. Finally, London left L''s room and picked up his clothes and entered his own bedroom. He hurriedly took a shower and changed clothes to be ready before the mother and child left L''s room.


    At 11:30, he was already waiting for L and Lily to come out. He looked so handsome and neat. L and Lily left her room at noon.


    Lily looked very cute with a small bear-patterned onesie and a thick light blue autumn coat. L was wearing an elegant blue dress with brown leather boots and a matching leather jacket. Her hair is styled into a simple bun above her head. Her swollen eyes were covered by sunglasses and, overall, she looked very cool.


    For a moment, London was dazed to see L looking so elegant and cool. After giving birth to Lily three months ago, L''s body shape had returned to normal, just like before she was pregnant, but her b.r.e.a.s.t size, due to b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, increased by one cup so that she even looked so much s.e.xier than before she gave birth.


    The young man almost drooled at the beautiful sight. Instantly, his mind played the events of the previous night, when the s.e.xy body laid underneath him and he could feel how L''s skin was as smooth as silk as he touched her. Then ... her full and perky b.r.e.a.s.ts felt soooo soft... He gulped when he remembered her tiny, beautiful, and fresh p.u.s.s.y that looked like a cute pink rose ready to be picked ...


    "Hey! Don''t you dare have perverted thoughts about me!" L jerked, hitting him on the shoulder with her handbag. She could read the man''s mind from that silly smile plastered all over his face.


    "Uh ... you''re wrong. I''m just enchanted by your beauty. You look amazing today ..." London said hurriedly. "Uhm .. you still haven''t told me where you are going ..."


    "I want to meet my lawyer and discuss something. I''ll be gone all day," L. answered. "You have to go too, right?"


    She pointed at London''s neat clothes.


    "Uhm .. yeah, I have to go to the office," the man replied reluctantly.


    "You have to go to the office and ... meet Miss Sarah on a date," L added sarcastically.


    "I will not date that woman," London insisted.


    "If you don''t want to see them, I don''t want to marry you and we don''t have anything else to talk about." L shrugged and walked out of the house carrying Lily. She then opened the gate of their house and entered a taxi with an android driver who politely opened the door for her. L then got in and placed Lily on the car seat and strapped on her seatbelts.


    "L ... is there any other way for me to prove to you that you are the only woman I want?" asked London from outside the cab window.


    "Nothing. That''s the only way." L replied without turning her head. She tapped the cab driver''s shoulder and told him to drive. "We''re leaving now."


    The taxi then moved out of the courtyard and the mansion gate automatically closed behind it, leaving London, who stood confused in the yard.


    If there was a machine to translate women''s hearts, he was willing to give up half of his wealth to get one. For him, understanding L''s way of thinking was worth half his wealth.


    Ugh ... It seemed now he had no choice but to prove to L that even though he met so many women, he only loved and wanted L.


    London touched his pocket to get his phone and call Jan. After groping all the pockets in his pants and not finding his cellphone, he realized that he had dropped and trampled on it to stop Jan''s ramblings this morning.


    Dammit .. that means he had to call Jan to buy him a new cellphone.


    Ah, but he couldn''t call Jan to buy him a new cellphone because his cellphone was broken.


    He must go to his house first and send an email to his assistant. Grumbling, London got in his car and returned to the Schneider family mansion.

 Chapter 798 - L Was Really Serious

    As soon as he arrived in front of his family mansion gates, London changed his mind. He immediately drove his car to the office. Marc, who followed behind, became confused because suddenly his boss changed direction. Shaking his head, he turned and drove the vehicle to Schneider Tower.


    When London arrived in his office, he immediately called Jan to come to his room through his secretary, Kim.


    "What''s the matter, Sir?" Jan asked, entering his boss'' room while carrying some folder stacks and placing them on the desk. One of the folders opened, and London could see some photographs of a gorgeous girl and several doc.u.ments containing information about her.


    "I need a new cellphone," London said in a grumble.


    "Where is the old one?" Jan asked in surprise.


    "You don''t have to ask a lot of questions, Jan. Anyway, I need a new cellphone. The old one is broken, and it''s all your fault."


    "Huh? Why is it my fault?" Jan frowned. His boss often did strange things, but London never carelessly accused people. So, his accusing Jan to be at fault for breaking his cellphone was surprising.


    "L and I made up last night and ..." Before London explained at length, Jan could already guess what had happened.


    No wonder he couldn''t contact his boss all morning. It must mean he stayed up late doing something and fell asleep all morning.


    Did he stay up late because he was m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e with Miss L?


    "Oh ... So you and Miss L have made up?" Jan really didn''t understand whether he should be happy or upset to hear that information. The past few months, this couple fought and made up so often, that he lost track of whether they were still fighting or not.


    "That is right, but you ruined everything," said London in annoyance. "When you called me at 11 am this morning ..."


    Wait a minute ...


    Jan remembered he had sent many emails and texts all morning. London had not replied to any of his texts, so Jan finally called his boss. Jan remembered he did call London at 11 am. What was it that he was saying on the phone, huh?


    Was it...?


    Jan subconsciously pressed his lips.


    "Uhmm ... I called you to tell you about the blind date with Miss Sarah at ..." Jan paused.


    He finally remembered...


    Did L hear his voice over the phone earlier? Gosh...


    "Did Miss L get angry?" Jan asked carefully.


    "She did not get angry. She went ballistic and beat me up..." blurted London. Earlier, when L hit his c.h.e.s.t with her small hands, London did not feel pain. At that time, he was more worried about L''s health. He did not want L to fall ill again because of their fight. But now, he suddenly felt the pain on his c.h.e.s.t, and subconsciously pressed it with his hand to ease the pain.


    "Hmm ... okay, then, I will immediately cancel the date and contact Miss Sarah." Jan winced as if he could feel the pain endured by his boss. He knew that even though L had a small built, but a punch from a girl like L could be painful if the blow was driven by great anger.


    "No, no no... you can''t cancel the date. L said she wouldn''t want to see me again if I didn''t meet those women ..." London w.h.i.n.ed.


    "Huh? What...?" Jan thought there must be something wrong with his ears. He must have misheard his boss, right? "What did you say, Boss?"


    "L said you are right. She agreed with your plan to set me up with other women. She said I would never know what I really want if I never compare her to other women. She was furious because I canceled our wedding plans and instead planned to go on a date with another woman two weeks after we were separated... " London explained. He couldn''t help roll his eyes when he remembered what happened earlier.


    He was eager to put all the blame on Jan, but he knew deep in his heart that Jan only wanted to help him, and he, himself, had made the decision to accept Jan''s advice.


    Jan was stunned by London''s words. He did not expect that L would agree with him. Slowly, he grew fond of the singer who had been giving him a lot of headaches in the past year.


    He believed L and London''s relationship, which reminded him of cat and mouse, was responsible for some of his prem.a.t.u.r.ely grey hair. But now, he started to grow some respect toward the girl.


    "Miss L sounds very m.a.t.u.r.e," Jan finally commented. "I don''t know what to say."


    "She said, for the next month, I have to meet and date other women who are better than her, and find out whether I really want only her.. or not. After one month, we will meet and discuss our relationship as a.d.u.l.ts." London added.


    The man agreed with Jan. It seems L''s attitude today was quite m.a.t.u.r.e. She was far more m.a.t.u.r.e than people her age. She didn''t drive London out, she didn''t lock the door to her room, and instead, she took Lily with her to work... This was completely unexpected!


    "I know that I only love her, and she is the only woman I want to marry. I was convinced about it last night when we made up. Today, I am becoming more convinced because she has become more m.a.t.u.r.e, compared to before ..." London took a deep breath. "But she doesn''t want to accept me anymore ... She made a condition that I have to go meet other women first... before I can come back to her."


    Jan understood London''s difficult position, but in this case, he agreed with L.


    "Sir ... I understand why Miss L insisted that you date other women first. She has realized what I have suspected so far about you two. You have never been in a relationship with other people, so you don''t know how to behave as a lover. At the same time, you also cannot fully appreciate the person you are with now.


    She must be tired of being in a relationship that was constantly filled with conflicts. I think she is afraid to accept your proposal because two weeks ago you just canceled it one-sidedly. "Jan picked up a photograph of Sarah from the table and showed it to London." Miss Sarah will be waiting for you at the Moon Restaurant at 6 pm. If you don''t want to meet her, I will cancel this date right now."


    Sarah was a very beautiful girl. She had platinum-colored hair and a pair of brilliant green eyes that looked like diamonds. Her body was tall and s.e.xy, and her smile showed off her pearly white teeth.


    At first glance, she looked like a supermodel. Physically, Sarah was the opposite of L, who was petite. Sarah looked m.a.t.u.r.e and s.e.xy, while L looked innocent like a child.


    London was about to say no, but he remembered that L insisted that he met another woman. If not, L would never want to marry him.


    Finally, he could only nod. "Don''t cancel the date. I''ll come."


    "Very well, Sir. I will get you a new cellphone. In the meantime, I also have prepared a change of clothes for you and flowers in the next room," Jan said in a relieved tone. "You can get ready."


    He was glad London didn''t cancel the date. He would feel very sorry for Sarah. That girl seemed very nice.


    "Hmm ..." London just grunted while plopping his b.u.t.t into the chair. "Call Dave. I want to know where L is going today."


    "Right away, Sir."


    Jan immediately withdrew from his boss''s room. Ten minutes later, Dave came in and gave his report.


    "Miss L brought the Little Miss to the Brilliant Mind Media office to meet Pammy, her manager. There was a big uproar there because of Little Miss Lily''s presence ..." Dave said as he closed the door behind him. He already knew what London wanted to ask.


    "Really? She took Lily to the BMM office?" London can hardly believe his own hearing.


    He now believed that L was really serious about all her words ...

 Chapter 799 - The Negative News

    Inwardly, London was touched because L really brought Lily to her place of work. L really changed, he thought.


    He became even more in love with her and kept scolding himself because his stupidity had caused their wedding to be delayed again. If only two weeks ago he had not canceled their wedding plans, they would have been officially married this weekend.


    Now he had to wait a month to propose to L again so she would want to marry him. He hoped that it would really be his final and last proposal. He didn''t think he could bear another rejection.


    Ah ... and not only that, but he also must date at least those three ladies that Jan had found for him, to prove to L that he didn''t want anyone else but her. Ugh ...


    He opened one of the folders containing Sarah Bell''s pictures and information. Sarah would be his date this afternoon. The girl was gorgeous, and London would lie if he said otherwise.


    He saw many photos of Sarah taken from her journey around the world. There was a picture of her swimming with killer whales in the Pacific, venturing in the African wilderness, shopping in Shibuya-Tokyo, snowboarding in the Alps ...


    This girl looked very impressive. London actually found it quite odd that such an attractive girl was still single. He couldn''t find any information about Sarah''s shortcomings in that folder. Did a perfect woman like this really exist?


    Time seemed to move super slowly like a snail when we are waiting for something, and that''s also how London felt that day. After lunch, he checked L''s whereabouts with Dave. He did some work, got in touch with Dave again to check on L, and coordinated with Jan; check on L''s news again to Dave, and had his afternoon tea ... and finally, came the time London had been waiting all day.


    The blind date with Sarah Bell!


    London could not wait to show L that his first date was not pleasant, and he only wanted to go back to her. At 5 pm, he returned to the penthouse to shower, change clothes, and get ready.


    The Moon Restaurant was located in the building next to the St. Laurent Hotel, so he only needed to leave 15 minutes before the appointment. This was a romantic restaurant located in a historic water tower that had been revamped into a museum, restaurant, caf¨¦, and a nightclub at the top of the tower.


    Moon Restaurant was a unique restaurant that could rotate 360 ??degrees in 60 minutes. So, in one sitting of romantic dinner that usually lasted for two hours, guests could enjoy city view below for 360 degrees twice through its glass wall. The most interesting sight was the river that ran nearby where onlookers could see many sh.i.p.s pass, besides, of course, the beautiful buildings around the tower.


    Jan deliberately arranged his boss''s date to take place there. He did not want London to meet Sarah in the Blue Sky Restaurant in the St. Laurent Hotel Building because London had brought L there several times.


    The staff had started to recognize L as the future Mrs. Schneider. The last time London proposed to L, he also did it there. Now it would undoubtedly create awkwardness among the staff if they saw their big boss bring another woman to the restaurant.


    "Hmm ... well, it''s about time," London thought as he looked at the clock that showed it was already 5:45 pm. He was wearing the clothes Jan had prepared for this special occasion, not his usual attire. This time, he wore high-end branded clothing but not the limited edition, like what he was used to wearing.


    The profile prepared by Jan mentioned that London worked as a senior photographer for a lifestyle magazine, so it would be easy for him to get good clothes, but not limited edition ones. He also took off his watch and wore a regular watch worth only a few thousand dollars.


    Overall, he looked like a young executive who was well established, but not super-wealthy. With flowers in hand, he descended from the penthouse to the lobby and walked to the Moon Tower a few dozen meters from the St. Laurent Hotel building.


    He arrived at Moon Restaurant five minutes before six. The restaurant staff who had received his reservation immediately ushered him to the table booked by Jan. Sparkling water and bread were immediately served on the table while he waited for Sarah''s arrival.


    Ah, he suddenly realized that he was too rushing that he had forgotten to ask Dave about L. For some reason, London''s mind had been troubled all day, thinking about his situation with L. He really did not expect L would bring Lily to work, after yesterday she contacted the editor from Luxe magazine to admit that she already had a baby.


    Uh, wait a minute ...


    Yesterday, they didn''t get to cancel her statement, right? After the incident with L''s cellphone, they finally made up... and eventually slept together. They completely forgot about Masawe Richards.


    Had Luxe published L''s statement in their media? How did the people respond to it??


    London completely forgot to check today''s entertainment news about L. He was too restless, thinking about this damnable date.


    Since Sarah hadn''t shown up, London quickly opened his new phone and searched for news about L on the internet.


    Gosh...


    Oh no...


    He could only press his mouth in shock while his right hand kept scrolling the screen to read news after news. They all sounded NEGATIVE!


    The talented young singer is involved in an affair!


    The young singer who was the role model of many teenagers hides a dark secret.


    L admitted to giving birth secretly.


    Behind the angelic voice. The singer that always looks pure and naive turns out to hide a dark secret.


    The idol''s fall from grace!


    The most recent affair in the entertainment industry


    London could only shake his head. Jeez ... L was right when she said people in the entertainment industry could be cutthroat and would do anything to bring down others. The various headlines London read, really shocked him.


    It was not only the media that judged L of all sorts, but also the public. Brilliant Mind Media only confirmed one piece of information from Luxe that L admitted that she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby in summer.


    The media also interviewed people who had nothing to do with L and asked for their opinions. Ordinary people who didn''t know anything also judged and called L with bad words like ''s.l.u.t'' or ''famewhore'' and such, and said she was not a good role model for her fans.


    Almost all of them thought L had an affair with one of the producers or bigwigs in the entertainment industry to boost her career.


    "Gosh, L ..." murmured London, feeling immense guilt. He did not want L''s career to suffer because of this negative news. He just wanted L to no longer hide their relationship and not to hide Lily. He only wanted men like Kitaro who were pursuing L to realize that L already belonged to someone else, and they would retreat.


    But yesterday, because they were fighting, L snapped and told Luxe magazine about her pregnancy. She also told them that she already gave birth to her baby, even though everyone knew that L was not married and was still so young.


    With hands trembled with anger, London hurriedly called Jan.


    "Jan ... have you read today''s news? Why didn''t you tell me about it??? Take down all negative news about L, right this instant!"


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    Hi guys.. I finally made the video to and Tiktok challenge. If you have TikTok account, would be so kind as show support for the video I made for this novel? The pictures are CUTE and chibi.. Go check it in my TikTok profile @missrealitybites


    If the video won, this novel will receive a banner for 24 hours in application. So... crosssing fingers that it will win. Don''t forget to support it :)

 Chapter 800 - Sarah Londonderry

    "Sorry, are you Killian Makela?" A crisp voice came from the owner of the stunning body, standing in front of him. London immediately looked up and saw the beautiful Sarah Bell smiling sweetly at him.


    The girl was wearing a beige body-fitting dress that looked perfect for today''s weather, exactly the color he suggested to L this morning, but she went against. Sarah''s platinum-colored hair was fashioned into a small bun above her head. Her beautiful emerald green eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled.


    Sarah had natural red lips, like L, but the difference was that L''s lips were thin and pink, Sarah had full, blood-red lips. She only applied lip moisturizer and thin powder to her face. Still, her appearance was not inferior to other women who came to this restaurant in a full-blown makeup done by professional makeup artists.


    For a moment, London was stunned so he could not say anything. Sarah held out her hand and smiled even wider.


    "My name is Sarah Bell. We''ve talked by email several times," the girl said kindly.


    "Ah ... that''s right. I''m Killian Makela. Nice to meet you, Sarah." London hastily welcomed Sarah''s gesture and invited her to sit. "Please have a seat. The waiter will immediately come and take our order."


    He opened a chair for Sarah and sat back in his seat. A sharp android waiter immediately approached their table and took notes of their orders. London watched Sarah fluently order the dishes from this French restaurant in fluent French.


    For some reason, London was reminded of L. The girl was half French and half Japanese, but she had never gone back to her country since the incident of her family''s murder. London already bought her parents'' house in Paris and it was completely renovated last week. At first, he wanted to give it to L as a wedding gift, but unfortunately, their wedding plans were canceled.


    Gosh, L ...


    Look, I''m with another woman now, but all I think about is you ... London muttered to himself.


    London immediately brushed those thoughts aside and tried to concentrate again on his date with Sarah. However, he must be responsible and act like a gentleman by treating Sarah well.


    The girl didn''t know anything about his problem with L, and she didn''t deserve to have a bad night because his date''s thought was wandering elsewhere.


    London ordered the various dishes he wanted in German and handed the menu back to the waiter. Five minutes later, a waiter came and poured red wine for both of them.


    "I''m glad to meet you," Sarah said, starting the conversation. She looked happy because the man she met from online dating this time was really handsome, far more handsome than the photos she had received. "I see your profile is quite new. Why are you single? You are quite handsome, and it seems like you also have a fun personality. I don''t understand."


    "I also think the same thing about you. You''re very beautiful, you''re an adventurer who has traveled the world, why are you still single?" London asked in return.


    "Uhm ... I''m too busy, so I didn''t have time to have a serious relationship before. My last boyfriend was my best friend in college and he passed away before I went on my around-the-world trip." Sarah shrugged, trying to look fine. "In a way, my two-year journey was to forget my sorrow and move on. Now I''m back and ready to settle down."


    "Ohh ..." London could only nod in sympathy. "I''m sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you''re all right now."


    Sarah nodded with a smile. "I''m fine. My two-year trip gave me a lot of valuable experience. I also wrote a book about my trip and gained a lot of followers on social media. Do you have an account on Splitz?"


    Sarah opened her cellphone and showed her Splitz account. London widened his eyes when he saw the girl''s profile in Splitz had amassed massive followers of 20 millions. Even for actors and musicians or models, only a few have followers that many.


    "Your name in Splitz is different ..." murmured London. He turned to Sarah for an explanation. "Are you Sarah Bell or Sarah Londonderry?"


    "Ahaha .. well, of course. I used a different name on social media. This is my brand out there. I took the name Londonderry from Annie Londonderry, the first woman to travel the world on a bicycle in 1895 because I was inspired by her life story. " Sarah explained. "It''s normal for artists to use stage names. Did you know Elle Marianne De Maestri? She''s a singer who created a brand for herself using just one letter. The letter L. Her name is so unique that it makes it easy to remember."


    Of course, London knew Ella Marriane de Maestri or better known as L.


    "L is quite famous," he nodded.


    "Right. The use of a unique name is part of a good marketing strategy to make someone popular. Unfortunately ... she doesn''t take care of her image and let her personal affairs leak out," Sarah commented. She finished the red wine in her glass because the waiter had arrived and seemed ready to refill her glass. "The reputation she has built over the past year just crumbled when she confirmed her pregnancy and the baby she had born out of wedlock."


    London almost choked at Sarah''s bluntness. Did the news really spread like that? He regretted not rushing to block the news about L in the media. He could imagine how L and Pammy and all of her management were having a headache, trying to think about ways to control the effects of the negative news.


    "So what if she has kids? What''s wrong with that? Isn''t this 2050? Why are people making such a fuss?" asked London hastily. He signaled the waiter to refill his glass too.


    "Yes, now is the modern times, but the public''s view of celebrities is still quite old-fashioned. Celebrities are public property, and they must remain perfect in the eyes of society. If she does have a boyfriend and they were expecting this child, it should be okay; people can sympathize. But what makes it difficult for her to get sympathy is her unfriendly attitude. She was also despised by fellow artists. It is they who spread the rumor that she slept with many men to help boost her career ... "


    "Sleeping with many men??? Who would dare say that ??" asked London, teeth clenching in anger.


    For a moment, Sarah frowned at the man''s overreaction. Her hand reached out and touched London''s hand. The man seemed to clench his glass very strongly. "Hey .. hey .. are you okay? Why are you getting angry? Do you know L?"


    London was silent. He realized that he should not be too affected and ruin the mood during his dinner with Sarah. Finally, he shook his head.


    "I just hate seeing people who gossip about others. You know, I work in the media, and I often meet people spreading negative news that can ruin other people''s lives, irresponsibly." He calmed down and tried to smile. "We should not talk about celebrity gossip here. Let''s talk about something else ..."


    Sarah nodded. She then chuckled. "Ah, right ... I''m sorry for being carried away. We were talking about name choices. I was explaining why certain people use certain nicknames or stage names ... Now, what about you. Is Killian Makela your real name?"


    For a moment, London looked stunned. Sarah''s question came so suddenly, and he didn''t know if Sarah really asked because she wanted to know, or because she suspected something.


    Did Sarah suspect that London was posing as an ordinary person?


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    Volume 3 is about to end. I promise you London and L will soon find their common ground and settle their differences.

 Chapter 801 - Off To London

    Did Sarah suspect that London was posing as an ordinary person?


    London nodded. "I''m not an entertainment person or an artist who needs an alias."


    "Ahh ... I see. I think usually photographers also use aliases," Sarah said, shrugging.


    "Hmm .. yes, famous photographers ... maybe. Well, I''m just an ordinary person," London replied. He tried to divert the discussion to Sarah''s travel stories so that they would no longer talk about him or even things related to L. "You must have taken lots of good photos while traveling around the world. What camera are you using?"


    Sarah seemed very happy because London asked a lot about herself and her exciting travel experiences while enjoying their dinner. She thought the man was so attracted to her that he wanted to know her more.


    She was happy to talk about her various adventures around the world, her activities as a traveler who had many followers on social media, and about the books she wrote. When the desserts arrived, London already knew so much information about Sarah, while he didn''t say much about himself.


    At 19.45, when their dinner was almost over, London excused himself to the restroom. He was agitated because he didn''t get news about L for almost two hours. Meanwhile, he felt that he would be disrespectful toward his date if he took out his cellphone while having dinner with someone to find news about L.


    Once he was in the restroom, he immediately took out his cellphone to call Jan. London was so shocked when he found out there were some missed calls from L. He also saw a text from her in his inbox.


    [I''ve talked to my lawyers and decided to go to England and settle matters with Danny Swann. I brought Lily with me because you didn''t pick up my calls.]


    "Jeez ...! Why would she go to England alone?" Instantly, London felt alarmed and worried. Why did L decide to go to England so suddenly? Moreover, she brought Lily with her. What if something happened to them??


    Before he could call L, London had seen a text from Dave.


    [Miss L decided to go to England so suddenly. I am taking two people with me to follow and protect her.]


    Hmm ... thankfully the bodyguards were very sharp and could make their own decisions in an emergency. Without waiting for orders from London, Dave had taken the initiative to follow and keep L and Lily safe all the way to England. Now that he knew Dave and his team were protecting his family, London could feel rather calm.


    He then called Jan to ask for updates.


    "Jan, have you blocked all the negative news about L from the media?" he asked hurriedly as Jan picked up his call.


    "We''ve done our best, but since the news has been circulating for almost 24 hours, it''s very difficult to do damage control ..." Jan''s voice sounded very apologetic. "I''m sorry, Sir. This time, the situation is quite complicated."


    London could only frown. He knew that news that had already been read, discussed by the public, and became trending was impossible to block completely. People have read it, and he certainly cannot force people to forget what they have learned. He could influence the media in the future and create the Mandela effect, but it would take a lot of effort.


    "Ugh ... L suddenly decided to go to England. Do you know what the plan is?" he asked Jan.


    "Sorry, Sir. I am not sure. What was clear was that Miss L came to her lawyer''s office after returning from the BMM building. She stayed there for several hours." Jan answered doubtfully. "Maybe Miss L wants to make sure George Swann''s will contained her name, ..."


    "So what?" asked London impatiently.


    "Looks like Miss L wants to make a deal with Danny Swann about the inheritance."


    Jan''s words stunned London. He remembered last year when he first met L, everyone told him L was the most materialistic girl in Germany. Her poor background and the fact that she grew up in the orphanage after her family was killed, turn L into a golddigger.


    She initially only wanted to marry a really wealthy man to find out who killed her family and then get her revenge. L only changed after she gave birth to Lily and tried to forget her grudge.


    But that was before L learned about the inheritance bestowed to her by her grandfather''s best friend if she didn''t marry a man from the Swann family. Now ... after knowing that she was entitled to half the wealth of one of the most affluent families in England, did L want to take her share?


    Suddenly the man''s feelings became uncomfortable. He began to guess why L just let negative news about her circulate and did not cover up Lily''s presence by taking her everywhere.


    Did... L want to be rich so she could live freely without having to rely on her career as an artist? Did she really not care about her career anymore? Don''t tell me ... she also wanted to break away from the Schneider Group''s support?


    "Jan, get the plane ready. I''ll go to England and catch up with her after the date with Sarah ends," London finally said, before hanging up.


    He returned to his table and found Sarah had finished her desserts. The girl smiled warmly when she saw him again.


    "You were in the restroom for a long time," the girl said in a chuckle. "I almost finish all my dessert."


    London''s appetite packed its bag when he learned that L went to England to meet Danny Swann. He just shook his head and gave a sign that he was full.


    "I can''t eat anymore. Let''s finish the dinner," London said.


    He called the waiter and asked for the bill. The waiter arrived five minutes later with a bill and POS machine. The man hurriedly paid with his black card before Sarah could see the name written on it. Sarah must not know the real name of Killian Makela is London Schneider.


    Sarah was puzzled at how the man in front of her looked so eager to end their date. She wondered if she had made a mistake during the dinner.


    "Uh ... I can pay for my food," Sarah said, trying to prevent London from paying for all their dinners.


    "It''s okay, Sarah. I''m an old-fashioned man. Usually, I''m always the one to pay," London answered quickly. "Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me. You are a great girl, and I like listening to your stories. Unfortunately, I have to leave soon, I have an emergency to deal with."


    As a well-mannered man, London was still trying to keep Sarah''s feelings and reassuring her that their dinner date was okay. He just had to end it sooner because of an emergency.


    Sarah could only nod. "I''m also happy to have dinner with you. It''s a shame that you haven''t had the chance to talk much about yourself. We should meet again to have a more comprehensive talk. I would love to hear more about you..."


    "Of course. We can do it another time," London answered. "All right ... it''s time to go home. Do you have a car?"


    Sarah shook her head. "I just moved to this city and haven''t had a chance to buy a car. Right now I''m still using a taxi. You can order a taxi for me."


    "All right, let me call a taxi for you..." London immediately signaled a restaurant waiter who came hurriedly to find the ride for Sarah. Five minutes later, the two of them had come down from the 20th floor where the restaurant was located and waited in the lobby.


    As soon as the taxi ordered for Sarah arrived, London made sure the girl got on it and left his sight before he called Marc to come and drive him to the airport.


    He will follow L to England to ensure Danny Swann did not bother L further.

 Chapter 802 - London in London

    London arrived in Heathrow airport at 10 pm and immediately went to St. Laurent Hotel in London. In the car, he immediately contacted L and found out her whereabouts. He already knew from Dave that the girl was staying at the St. Laurent Hotel. However, he still deliberately asked her because he wanted to hear from L herself what was her plan.


    "Hey ... sorry I couldn''t pick up the phone to accept your calls earlier. I had something to do," London said as soon as L answered up his call. "Where are you now?"


    "So, how was the date?" L instead asked about London''s dinner date with Sarah.


    "It''s just dinner. I ate salad, steak, and tiramisu. You haven''t answered my question."


    "I went to London to take care of my business with Danny Swann. You don''t need to worry, if I''m not wrong, your bodyguard team has been following all the way here. I''m sure they will make sure Lily is all right." L yawned and her voice started to sound sleepy. "It''s late, I''ll sleep now. Tomorrow I''ll be very busy."


    "Elle ..." Before London had time to ask again, L had already hung up. The man was transfixed in the car. He wanted to ask L to stay in the penthouse with him, but he was afraid that L would get angry again and accuse him of stalking her.


    Finally, he could only give some instructions to Dave to continue looking after L while he was staying by himself in the penthouse. From the check-in staff, he learned that L was staying in a common deluxe room.


    "Tomorrow, when Miss L leaves the room, please upgrade her to the Presidential Suite, okay..." he ordered the check-in staff specifically.


    The staff in question could only say yes without attempting to ask the reason. He knew L was a famous singer, but he did not expect that when L came to stay at this hotel, their big boss suddenly appeared and told them to give preferential treatment to L.


    Did L have a special relationship with Mr. Schneider? Could it be that the baby she was bringing with her was a child conceived from her affair with the big boss?


    Then ... the gossip that has been circulating all day about L having an affair with a boss in the entertainment industry was all true???


    London narrowed his eyes at the sight of the staff who had his suspicions plastered all over his face. "What are you thinking? If word gets out to any news media about L staying here, I will come and get you personally."


    The staff hurriedly shook his head. "Of course not, Sir. I just remembered that the beautiful baby brought by Miss L earlier. She looked very similar to you."


    London frowned at the compliment for Lily, and his expression immediately relaxed. "She is, right? My daughter is very beautiful."


    Gosh ... the check-in staff instantly held his breath. He had just confirmed his own suspicions. London Schneider had basically announced that the baby brought by Miss L was his child.


    "But I''m still serious about my words. If I found anything on the news about L staying here... and if even just one reporter is hanging around in this hotel because of you, I won''t hesitate to punish you severely."


    London warned the staff again while tapping the check-in desk once. He then nodded and walked towards the elevator to the highest floor.


    The check-in staff could only stand where he was with a tense face. He certainly did not dare convey what he just knew to anyone. He was afraid of losing his job. The companies under the Schneider Group were the ideal place to work for many people, and they didn''t want to look for another job.


    London showered and changed into casual clothes and then sent an SMS to L before going to sleep. He wanted to give her space to do whatever she wanted on her own, so he would not interfere openly. At a minimum, he would only watch over and guard L and Lily from afar.


    In his mind, still ringing L''s words of how she was depressed because London acted like Santa Claus by helping her too much and gave everything that L wanted and needed. That made her feel like she could not achieve something with her own efforts and abilities, which made her lose confidence with her own talents.


    Today, L had deliberately opened herself to the public about her pregnancy and about Lily. The impact of her revealing her secret was not light. London was still reading so many posts condemning L on the internet. Even though he had asked Jan to block negative news about L, he couldn''t remove the stain in her reputation. It was done, and no damage control could make people completely forget what they have read.


    If London was more desperate, he could actually contact Pavel and ask Splitz to block all ruthless posts condemning L and other negative news, but he knew that would only make L even more cornered.


    The public would be convinced that L was indeed a wealthy man''s kept woman who could make all negative news about her disappear.


    "They don''t know that, actually, I am your kept man ... it''s the opposite. You are not my kept woman..." London complained to L''s photo on his cellphone screen. "Anyway, next month, after you have done thinking, and I can prove that all the women I date cannot make me forget you ... we must immediately get married and announce it to the public so that they will not misunderstand you again ..."


    He was tired of their roller-coaster relationship. But he could not complain, because this last problem was his own fault. He realized that L must be tired of all this shiz, just like him.


    He remembered L''s words, that since L met him, the girl''s life has changed. She now felt her life was filled with troubles and befallen by bad luck.


    London could only take a deep breath.

 Chapter 803 - Ls Worry

    The next day London had breakfast at the penthouse and started working from there. He had told Jan that he was not going to the office and would work remotely from London.


    Marc was sitting in the corner of the room while reading something. He was ready at any time to carry out his boss''s orders if needed. London himself focused on various reports which he had to understand before the upcoming medical conference in Berlin.


    While working in the penthouse, London monitored L''s activities all day through Dave, who followed the girl everywhere. He learned that L had dine-in breakfast then went out early to a lawyer''s office in the city center.


    "Hmmm ... maybe she really wanted to claim part of her inheritance from George Swann''s will," murmured London. Inwardly, he was not happy to see L receive money or wealth from other people. Still, he knew he had no right to forbid L to do anything she wanted to do.


    London could only sigh. He did not know if L would change if she managed to get half of the Swann family''s assets. Will wealth make L change?


    ***


    L walked with quick steps into the hotel lobby. Her face was hidden behind a thick scarf and sunglasses. Her hair was fashioned into a small bun above her head, making her look very elegant.


    She pushed the baby stroller containing Lily, who was sleeping under a thick blanket. At first glance, the two did not attract attention. However, the check-in staff who checked her into the hotel last night still recognized L even though she tried to hide her face.


    The man hurriedly walked over to L and bowed respectfully to her.


    "Good afternoon, Madam. Welcome back," the staff greeted her respectfully.


    "Good day." L just nodded. She was about to continue her walk to the elevator, but the hotel staff raised his hand and gave a sign for L to follow him. This made L wonder. "Uhm ... what''s up, huh? I''m in a hurry."


    "I''m sorry, Madam. We didn''t recognize you yesterday," the officer said.


    "What do you mean? You know who I am. I gave you my identity card ..." said L, who was getting impatient. "Please don''t waste my time."


    "Ma''am ... no, that''s not what I meant. We didn''t know that Madam was staying with the little Young Miss of the Schneider family. We were ordered by the boss to upgrade your room. Please don''t refuse the upgrade. I will be reprimanded if I don''t do my job ..."


    Seeing the pleading look on the staff''s face, finally, L became impatient. She could guess who was responsible for the upgrade this time. Surely that annoying Santa, she thought.


    Didn''t I tell you that I don''t want to keep accepting favors?


    L was surprised to hear her cellphone ring. While walking along with the hotel staff, she opened her cellphone and read the incoming SMS from London Schneider.


    [Why didn''t you tell me that you are staying at St. Laurent? You and Lily were supposed to stay in the penthouse. If you want to live poorly in a mere deluxe room, don''t bring Lily with you. I don''t want you to take my daughter only to live a difficult life with you.]


    L read the SMS with squinted eyes. She was about to reply to the text, but her attention was diverted by the hotel staff who had given her a new key.


    "We will move your belongings to the Presidential Suite soon. You can come with me now, I will take you to the new place."


    L could only nod. She put her cellphone away and received a key from the hotel staff without saying anything. L then walked following the staff into the elevator and went up to the 30th floor. After walking down the hall to the end, they arrived in front of a large door.


    "Please come in and take a rest. Later, if you need anything, please just press this bell, we will send a butler to help you."


    The staff helped L open the door and take her around the 200 square-meter Presidential Suite. Inside, there were 3 bedrooms with a spacious living room, a luxurious dining room, and even a study.


    The arrangement was very luxurious and almost as exclusive as the penthouse located on the top floor. The difference was that the penthouse where London was staying now was 600 square meters in size and had a 360-degree view of the outside.


    For a moment, L could only stand transfixed. She had never entered a suite as spacious and luxurious as this one. Inwardly, she could only guess how fancy the penthouse London had mentioned in his SMS was.


    "Hmm .. thank you. We will take a rest first. Please send our stuff here ..." said L a few moments later after she was able to control herself.


    "Of course, Madam. We will deliver your stuff soon."


    The hotel staff immediately take his leave, leaving L, who was still amazed at the spacious suite she was occupying.


    At the dining table there was a variety of organic fresh fruits, and in the sitting room there was a minibar and fridge containing the most expensive and classy drinks. L sat on the sofa and surveyed her surroundings in awe.


    She knew that St. Laurent Hotel was the largest hotel chain in the world and had branches in dozens of major cities in the world. One suite alone already looked so luxurious ... L couldn''t imagine how much wealth this family had.


    Schneider Group had a hotel chain and dozens of independent hotels and resorts under its flag. Hospitality was only one of their many business lines. They had airlines, investment companies, mining, new and renewable energy companies, transportation, communications, and much more.


    So far, L only knew from the outside, based on information she read about the wealthiest people in the world, but she never dreamed she would meet a man from the reclusive Schneider family.


    While looking around, L involuntarily held her breath. Her mind immediately felt enlightened, how big was his and London''s status difference.


    The man was very, very high above her in terms of wealth. Although L worked for many years and already became a very famous superstar, she would not be able to close the gap on her own.


    The girl sighed. She recalled their first meeting at a party held by Stephan Zimmerman, that jerk. London Schneider claimed to be Killian Makela. His appearance at that time looked very ordinary, even his clothes looked like a poor man who was trying so hard to look neat at rich people''s parties.


    The girl swallowed hard as she imagined someone like London Schneider who was very busy taking care of his family business, but he had the chance to disguise himself as a photographer to meet L, so he could make sure L stayed healthy, and her pregnancy was fine.


    Thinking of everything that London had done for her, slowly, tears began to drip on L''s cheeks. Since there was no one around her and Lily was still sleeping on the stroller, L did not hold back her tears.


    Tears were dripping more and more, and slowly she began to sob. Finally, L cupped her face in her palms and cried even more poignantly.


    She loved that annoying Santa Claus. London Schneider was the first man to have a special place in her heart. The man also gave her family after she lived alone for eleven years.


    L was flattered because such a perfect man fell in love with her and treated her lovingly.


    But ... what if he changed his mind again? What if I give my heart completely, and he then realizes that other women are far better than me?


    How can I live if that happened?


    L incessantly cried until her tears went dry.


    London''s decision to cancel their wedding plans still left scars in her heart and now she was scared to get hurt again.

 Chapter 804 - Had L Changed?

    DING DONG


    The suite doorbell suddenly rang. L hurriedly wiped her tears with the scarf around her neck and smoothed her clothes so that she didn''t look like she was crying. She then opened the door and invited the hotel staff who came to deliver her bags inside.


    "Thank you." She nodded kindly and gave them a tip before closing the door again.


    After arranging her and Lily''s belongings in the master bedroom, L decided to lie in bed with her baby to calm down. For the past two days, her mind was full, and she felt very tired, mentally and physically.


    Two days ago, she thought finally her relationship with London had progressed after they had talked from heart to heart and acknowledged how bad their communication had been. She had expressed her feelings openly and apologized for her actions that unintentionally hurt London. She felt sorry for making it look like she chose her career over London and Lily.


    London had also shared what was in his heart. He apologized for doing things that made L feel unhappy, even though he actually did them because he wanted to help.


    Everything had improved, and they even expressed their love for each other honestly. They also ended up sleeping together after making the commitment to spend the rest of their lives together and get married as initially planned.


    But apparently ... L had to swallow the bitter pill when she learned that London was actually ready to look for another woman after canceling their wedding plans. This was like the final blow for L. Her heart was still hurt because of the wedding cancellation. Finally, she couldn''t take it anymore. She was really tired.


    The man she loved could easily find her replacement. This made L scared. What if she really married London Schneider and a few years from now he met another woman who was much prettier, more attractive, and smarter than L and he regretted marrying L?


    How sad if that actually happened.


    That was why L agreed with Jan. London must meet many women before he decided to marry anyone. So he could convince himself of what he really wanted.


    Even though L seemed indifferent and acting tough when she made that decision, the truth was, her heart was devastated and filled with worry. She was worried that Sarah, or Carla or God knows who among the girls that London would meet, would make him fall for them.


    ***


    London sneezed at the penthouse. He was confused because he had never been sick before. Did he have an allergic reaction? He stopped his work and decided to find out about L.


    "Miss L has returned from the lawyer''s office and now moved to the Presidential Suite," Dave reported L''s latest news when he was called to the penthouse. "I saw Miss L went into the lawyer''s office and stayed there for a long time. It looks like they had a quite serious conversation."


    "Then, now you must look for information about Danny Swann, and report to me when he meets L."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Aren''t you in England right now? Why don''t you pay a visit to see them? I will tell the hospital that you are currently in London and want to meet," Jan said suddenly. "That way, they will feel like they have a chance to get close to you before the conference."


    "Hmm .. that''s a good idea. Alright. You try to invite them to have dinner with me, I will free up my schedule tonight. Just tell them I happened to be in London and suddenly have free time to meet. If they can''t come in such short notice, just don''t push it. I don''t want to deliberately make a schedule for them. They will be suspicious if I look really eager to meet them."


    "Yes,Sir."


    London ordered lunch and then ate at the penthouse while continuing his work. He really wanted to call L, but he stopped himself. Right now, in his opinion, L needed time alone.


    ***


    L just finished lunch and then b.r.e.a.s.tfed Lily. She felt lonely after Lily went back to sleep soundly once she was full. Her talk with the lawyers in Berlin was quite intense. She submitted information about George Swann''s will stating that L would receive half of his inheritance if she was unwilling to marry the Swann family''s son.


    Because L only got that information from London, she did not have authentic evidence with her. That''s why her lawyers advised L to fly to London and contact the local lawyer''s office he recommended to find out the truth.


    The Swann family was respectable in England. It was not easy for L to convince a partner in Burnham law firm office to help her, especially with L''s questionable reputation due to bad news that was circulating from the day before about her personal life. However, after talking for a long time, they finally agreed to help L.


    Now the girl only needed to wait for their findings, and then she would file a claim to get what was rightfully hers. She had contacted Danny Swann and asked him to meet, but Danny was abroad and would only be back in three days.


    "Pammy ... I have to wait in London for three days. Can you come and accompany me here? I''m lonely and need your help." Finally, L decided to contact her manager. "We can work on the material for the new album here while waiting for my business to be settled. What do you think?"


    In Berlin, Pammy agreed to L''s request and immediately packed her bags to fly to London. She was worried about L''s mental state because she was being cursed all over the internet. Pammy was relieved to hear that L''s voice sounded fine, and she had asked her to come to London to accompany her.


    ***


    [Sir, I have contacted John Wendell to discuss the conference and the planned collaboration between our two hospitals. Then, in passing, I said to him that you happened to be visiting London and asked if he would like to meet you. He sounds really excited.] Jan sent his report after London finished lunch.


    [That''s very nice. Make an appointment at the hotel restaurant at 8 p.m. then. I will meet him.]


    [Consider it done. You only need to come there.]


    Ah ... Jan was efficient, London thought. He put down his cellphone and resumed reading the doc.u.ments. Five minutes passed, and he could not concentrate. Finally, he decided to contact L and ask how she was doing.


    [L Honey, how are you today? Do you like living in the Presidential Suite?]


    He didn''t expect L would reply to his text.


    L''s answer sounded very nice. This made London quite surprised. He thought L would answer his text in short and curt replies. But apparently, he was wrong...


    Did this mean that L had really changed?

 Chapter 805 - With Pammy In London

    [I''m glad you like it. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask me for it.]


    Smiling, London sent a reply to L. He was very pleased with L''s change of attitude lately. After they talked openly two days ago, L really seemed to act more m.a.t.u.r.ely.


    He really hoped that in one month, when they met again and discussed their relationship, L would still be m.a.t.u.r.e like this. London finally refrained from asking further because he wanted to give her privacy and time to be alone.


    As long as L stayed in the suite that he provided, and her safety was ensured by Dave, then London would feel content.


    [Thank you.] Reply from L came and made the man smile again.


    [Have a good rest.] He sent his reply.


    London then put down his cellphone and went back to work. Ten minutes later, he could hear another incoming SMS. Thinking that L was sending him another message, London happily picked up his cellphone.


    His expression immediately turned sour when he saw that the sender''s name was Jan Van Der Ven.


    London just snorted, then put his cellphone back on the desk and continued his work.


    ***


    L was awakened by the sound of Lily''s crying. She hurriedly opened her eyes and got up to carry her baby.


    "Ssshhh ... are you awake, Honey?" L nursed Lily lovingly. She sat in a large lounge chair by the window that gave her the view from the streets of central London. It was raining heavily outside. Apparently, she slept so soundly that she didn''t realize that it had been raining for a while.


    L looked out while pensive. At times like this, she felt truly alone. The weather outside the window that looked dark made her feelings turn gloomy. She did not want to open the internet because she found so many people condemning her online and gossiping about her personal life.


    She did not expect her statement to Masawe Richards about her pregnancy had spread like wildfire and had such an enormous impact.


    Luxe Magazine had removed the article a few hours later, but like snowballs, various entertainment websites had picked it up and even added some old rumors that had long been buried. They all now had returned to the surface.


    L suddenly became a laughingstock, and many people blamed her for rumors that didn''t even have any truth in them. L even was considered no longer deserved to be the Virconnect ambassador.


    "Let them be, L. There''s no such thing as bad publicity," Pammy said, comforting her as they spoke yesterday. "After a few years, the public will forget things like this. The important thing is you don''t stop working."


    At 6 pm, the landline in the living room rang, and the receptionist informed her that Pammy had arrived in the lobby.


    "Please bring my manager here, okay. Thank you."


    L''s mood, which had been gloomy, now turned brighter. She put Lily, who was asleep, on the crib provided by the hotel and hurried to greet Pammy.


    Ten minutes later, the door was knocked, and when L opened it, she saw her manager standing in front of the door, carrying a small suitcase.e


    "Ahh .. thank you for coming, Pammy. I''m very lonely here," L hugged Pammy and invited her inside.


    Pammy''s eyes widened when she saw how luxurious L''s suite in London. She walked around each room to admire the suite before then returning to L.


    "This place is great..." she whispered in a tone of disbelief. "Let''s just spend our holiday in London for a month. I don''t mind accompanying you here ..." Pammy said excitedly. "You can work here, right? We don''t have any invitation to perform anywhere until next month."


    "Ah ... please don''t embarrass me, Pammy. People will think I''m a country bumpkin who has never stayed in a luxury hotel," L said with a chuckle.


    "Uhm ... as I recall when I booked a room for you in this hotel, the room available was a standard deluxe room. Why did it turn into a suite this big?" Pammy asked in surprise. She then looked at L with a questioning look. "Did... they upgrade you?"


    L just nodded. "That''s right. He contacted the hotel to take care of me while I am staying here. Next thing I know, they gave me this wonderful upgrade."


    "Ah ... how nice of him." Pammy''s face beamed. "Hopefully, this means you both will really reconcile."


    "I think he did this for Lily, not for me." L only shrugged at Pammy''s optimism. "By the way, have you had dinner?"


    "Not yet. How could I? I came here directly from the airport. Do you want to order food to eat in the room?"


    "Yes, I want to order food."


    L took the phone on the wall and ordered room service to prepare dinner for them.


    "Hallo, good evening. Thank you for your call. What can we do for you?"


    "We want to order in-room dining for two."


    "Yes, Miss. We will send a chef to your suite," the staff replied kindly.


    "Eh .. what? Chef?"


    Wow ... this really is an unexpected surprise.


    After L hung up, she looked at Pammy, whose eyes were wide open.


    "Why didn''t you just accept his proposal at that time?" Pammy asked suddenly. "You always want to marry a super-wealthy person, don''t you? Why is it, now that when you''ve found the person, you don''t even want to marry him? I don''t understand..."


    L only let out a short sigh, not willing to answer. She had explained to London all the reasons behind her attitude, and she was not willing to repeat it just to satisfy Pammy''s curiosity.


    The chef who was instructed to take care of their dinner arrived ten minutes later with two sous chefs. They asked about the dishes L and Pammy liked, then immediately started working. Soon, the smell of delicious cooking had wafted in the air.


    The two girls were astonished when the chef finished preparing their dinner and left, replaced by two personal servants who made the table and cleared their dinner after they finished eating.


    They both thought in unison, how nice it was to live like wealthy people.

 Chapter 806 - Meeting With Caroline Wendell

    Meanwhile, in the penthouse, London had dinner with Marc. He didn''t want to eat alone, so he told Marc to accompany him. After dinner, he would meet John Wendell and pretended to discuss their project together, so that John shifted his target from Danny Swann to London Schneider.


    He was eager to invite John Wendell directly to Berlin to give L a chance to avenge the death of her family. But, of course, he shouldn''t seem too keen.


    After finishing dinner, he then showered and changed clothes. At a quarter to eight, he had walked down from the penthouse to the Rockstar lounge on the ground floor to meet John Wendell.


    "Later, when a guest named John Wendell came, please take him to my table," he said to the lounge staff who immediately nodded with enthusiasm.


    The man then sat at his table marked "Reserved", and the waiter readily poured him a drink. London then sat relaxed in his chair while sipping wine. The clock showed exactly 8 pm. John Wendell should have arrived at this hotel.


    "Good evening. Are you Mr. London Schneider?"


    Suddenly, a melodious voice came from his side, prompted London to raise his head. He could immediately recognize this new girl from some of the photos of Caroline Wendell that Jan had shown him.


    Nevertheless, he continued to pretend he did not know who Caroline was and treated her indifferently.


    "Who are you?" London asked in return.


    "My name is Caroline. I would like to apologize on behalf of my father because he suddenly could not come. Just now, my mother called him. She was short of breath and needed to be taken to the hospital immediately." Caroline looked sorry. "But father did not want to break his promise to you, so he asked me to come to greet you."


    As I thought, London smirked. John Wendell would not miss the opportunity to offer his daughter to a wealthy and powerful man whom he thought could be a new target.


    "Hmm ... okay then. Nice to meet you, Caroline." London gave a signal for Caroline to sit beside him. "What do you want to drink?"


    "I will have what you have, Sir," said Caroline, smiling sweetly. She sat gracefully next to London.


    "Hmm ... no need to call me Sir," said London in a voice that turned friendly. "I think our age is not that much different. You may call me by my first name. My name is London, like the name of this city."


    "Ah ... I don''t dare. You are such an important person, I''m just a nobody ..." Caroline replied with a shy smile.


    Actually, inwardly, London wanted to roll his eyes so hard when he saw Caroline''s pretend to look humble and meek, but he managed to hold back.


    "Hmm ... You''re too much. Just call me London. I insist," said London again.


    Caroline looked at the man with radiant eyes and finally nodded with a broad smile. "Nice to meet you, London Schneider."


    She held out her hand, and London welcomed her. The two held hands for a long time before, finally, Caroline pulled her hand away with a blushing face.


    Ahh ... as it turned out, it was this easy to make a woman flattered, thought London. He could see from Caroline''s attitude that she was very flattered by London''s attention and friendly attitude towards her. She was all smiles and blushing. The man did not realize that his good looks and family background really attracted many women so easily.


    L was not this easy though, he thought bitterly. L could not be easily seduced by men, even though the man was handsome and wealthy, like me.


    London''s mind flew back to the temperamental girl. His longing for L grew even more.


    Although he was not Terry, who was good at acting, London was good enough to play his role as a man who seemed interested in Caroline Wendell''s beauty. He chatted with Caroline about hospital affairs, the upcoming medical conferences, and trivial matters about life in England.


    The girl looked quite intelligent, and she could keep up with him in their conversation. She was currently studying to be a specialist in pediatrics and has started working in hospitals led by her father to get more experience.


    "Looks like the topic of the upcoming medical conference is very relevant to the field you are studying," commented London. "Will you come to Berlin next month?"


    Caroline nodded. "That''s right. Will you attend it too? I think someone like you is too busy to attend such an event."


    "I''m not that busy ... There are lots of people who help me." London handed his business card to Caroline. "Here''s my personal phone number. If you come to Berlin, I''ll take you around."


    Caroline pressed her lips in surprise. She had not expected that London Schneider would be so friendly to her that he gave her his personal contact number.


    "Thank you ..." Her smile widened as she took the card. She put it in her handbag then pulled out her own business card. "This is my personal contact number."


    London nodded and received the card from Caroline. "You''re welcome."


    The girl seemed to think for a moment. After a while, she then ventured to say something. "Uhm ... are you busy tomorrow? Have you explored the city?"


    London knew the purpose of her asking him that question. He only shrugged. "Not too busy. I''ll be in London for three days. Would you like to offer me a tour of London?"


    Caroline laughed softly. She then nodded. "If you don''t mind. I want to show you our hospital facilities and of course the beautiful places in London."


    The man nodded. "Why not? I''m free after lunch."


    "Ahhh.. that''s very nice. I will wait at St. George''s Hospital; anytime you can stop by, let me know. I will take you around."


    "Of course."


    London complimented his convincing acting. He would approach Caroline personally and look for information on whether she knew about her father''s actions to the De Maestris.


    He could not wait to see the look on John Wendell when he finally learned that London had no intention of approaching his daughter. The man had only wanted to help L avenge her parent''s and brother''s death.


    They talked about frivolous things until 10 pm, and finally, Caroline excused herself.

 Chapter 807 - From Outside The Restaurant Window

    The next day L and Pammy took a walk in central London while carrying Lily. According to Pammy, L really needed to entertain herself after facing so much negativity for the last few days. It was enough to depress her.


    The presence of her manager really helped L because she wasn''t too lonely. They could also take turns in taking care of Lily. After shopping and having lunch together outside, L''s mood improved.


    They were sitting at a cafe terrace overlooking the road. After lunch, the two decided to stop by the pretty little cafe to enjoy a cup of cappuccino and lemon cake.


    "The weather is very bright for autumn," she commented, raising her hand and staring at the sky. "This city is charming."


    "You''ve been to London, when you performed as the opening act for the Rainfall band," Pammy reminded her.


    "Yes, but at that time, I was very busy working and did not have the opportunity to sightsee, even though Kitaro invited me to explore the city."


    "Yeah, right... that handsome Kitaro. He always set his heart to you, right? What was his response after yesterday''s rumors circulated?" Pammy asked, sipping her coffee. "He finally retreats, right?"


    Pammy hoped that all men who were approached L would all back down after L announced her pregnancy and giving birth to her baby. That way, London Schneider would no longer need to feel jealous. Pammy really wanted to see L married and live happily with that man.


    L shook her head weakly. "He called me many times, but I didn''t pick up his calls. My mood was very bad. Later, when I''m feeling better, I''ll contact him."


    Pammy nodded. "Hmm ... what about Mr. Schneider? When was the last time you two talked?"


    "Two days ago. He and I both agreed to give each other space for the time being. I told him to date other women, so he wouldn''t feel curious about what''s out there. Jan said London needs to meet many women so he could compare them to me, and he could check his own feelings. I agree with Jan."


    "Wait, Director Van Der Ven said that?" Pammy looked confused. "Then ... did Mr. Schneider do it?"


    "Two days ago, he went on a date with the first woman. Jan has scheduled the next date with a beautiful pediatrician, then a law student who was also a good singer and so on ..." Anger started to tinge L''s voice.


    "But he did it because you told him to follow Jan''s advice. I don''t think you can blame him for following your own request..." Pammy commented. "I''m sure he doesn''t care about other women. The proof is, he takes care of you. Look, he let you stay in the Presidential Suite while you are in London. Why don''t you try contacting him and asking how he is doing."


    L seemed to think for a moment. She did really miss London and wanted to talk to him.


    Alright ... it''s not the time to be proud, she thought. After all, they had opened up to each other a few days ago and L had also promised to improve their communication.


    Finally, she nodded and pulled out her cellphone.


    [Lily and I are taking a walk with Pammy in London. My business here will be over in two days. We will return to Berlin on the weekend. How are you?]


    Not long after, London Schneider replied to her message. The sound of incoming text made L''s face beam with happiness.


    [I am fine. I miss you and Lily so much. Can''t wait to see you again.]


    "What did he say?" Pammy asked curiously.


    L did not answer. She put her cellphone in her handbag and finished her cappuccino.


    "It''s late. Let''s go back to the hotel," the girl said in a happy voice. Pammy smiled at L''s cheerful attitude and concluded for herself that the girl received a pleasant reply.


    They came out of the terrace cafe and walked to the end of the road to the taxi stop. Redding Street, which they were on, was a bustling street with various cafes and restaurants on its left and right. At the end of the road, there was a small park, and across from it was a very large private hospital.


    While they were leisurely walking to the taxi stand, Pammy suddenly saw a man sitting enjoying wine at a table in an upscale restaurant to their right. She hurriedly pulled L''s coat. L, who was pushing Lily''s stroller, was taken aback and stared at her in surprise.


    "What is it, Pammy?"


    "Sshhh ... L, isn''t that Mr. Schneider? What is he doing in London?"


    L was shocked to hear Pammy''s words. She stopped and turned to look in the direction her manager had indicated. They hurriedly hid behind a large potted plant while peering in through the large glass window.


    Gosh ...


    L widened her eyes when she saw London sitting at one of the tables inside the Italian restaurant. He was enjoying wine while reading the news on his tablet.


    Instantly, the girl''s face lit up. She had expected that London would watch her from afar, but she did not expect the young man to come himself to catch up with her. A smile slowly spread on her lips while her eyes started to moisten.


    This man really loved her ... L felt very touched. She rubbed her wet eyes. She took her cellphone from the bag. She wanted to contact London and talked to him.


    "Eh ... wait.. just a moment ..." Pammy''s voice suddenly stopped L, who almost pressed London''s telephone number to call him.


    When L lifted her face to look, her expression immediately became shocked and disappointed.


    Subconsciously, the cellphone in her hand dropped onto the sidewalk and cracked.


    Caroline Wendell had just come over to London and spoke to him with a big smile.


    "Thank you for waiting. I have settled our lunch bill. Now I must return to the hospital."


    "No ... why did you pay for our lunch?" asked London in surprise. Caroline had excused herself to the toilet shortly after they had finished lunch, but apparently, when she returned, Caroline had already paid for their lunch.


    "It''s okay, it''s modern times now. Women can also treat men to lunch. Let''s just say you''re here as my guest. Later, when I go to Berlin, you treat me to dinner. How about that?"


    Finally, London could only nod. He had met Caroline in the St. George hospital earlier and look around the hospital. They then decided to have lunch together at the Italian restaurant across the hospital while continuing their chat.


    In just two days, he could win over the girl''s heart, and they talked a lot about her family. London was very certain when later Caroline and her father come to Berlin, it will be very easy for him to trap them.


    "All right then. Make sure you and your father do come to Berlin then ..." London stood up as Caroline put on her doctor''s suit and got her handbag from her chair.


    "Ah ... thank you, the lunch was very nice. I have to go back to the hospital. Hopefully, your visit to London was pleasant." Caroline smiled broadly. She then kissed the man''s right cheek and nodded. "See you later."


    London only nodded slightly and let Caroline return to the hospital.


    Meanwhile, outside the restaurant. L stood trembling, watching what was happening inside. Pammy hurriedly took L''s cellphone that fell to the ground and pulled the girl''s hand away.


    "Shhh ... don''t cry here. Let''s go back now. You will attract people''s attention if you cry here..."


    L wiped her tears with the edge of her scarf and walked with a trembling body to follow Pammy, who pulled her hand while pushing Lily''s stroller.

 Chapter 808 - Broken Inside

    Pammy tried to cheer L up in the taxi on their way back to the hotel. She could not say anything but hold L''s hand and calm her down. L only looked out the window along the way, trying not to show her tears.


    "Maybe, they are not involved romantically. It could be business-related." Finally, Pammy spoke up after they arrived back at the hotel.


    L only shook her head many times, "There''s no way they are not involved. I''m not blind. You saw how close they were! I remember Jan said that one of the girls he wanted to introduce to London is a pediatrician."


    Pammy remembered that the girl in the restaurant was wearing a doctor''s outfit. Is she one of the doctors at St. George Hospital across the park?


    "You saw it. Clearly, that woman is a doctor. Jan said that the girl was not only very smart but also very beautiful. She even won a beauty pageant. You saw how beautiful she was, didn''t you?"


    Pammy was forced to nod. Caroline was indeed a beauty. Pammy could see the woman winning a beauty pageant with her looks.


    "That girl''s face is beautiful, but you must not have negative thoughts about her. When it comes to beauty, you''re beautiful too ..." Pammy was still trying to comfort L. "And you''re a very famous singer."


    L sighed sadly. She left the orphanage when she was 16 years old and lived independently. She did not even have time to finish high school because she went straight to work. Even though she already had a career as a singer, she felt inferior because she didn''t get an education.


    The girl looked at Lily, who was playing in her basket with a small plush toy. In her heart, she was determined to provide the best education for Lily, so that her child wouldn''t grow up like her, who now often felt inferior when dealing with people who were highly educated.


    Pammy could read what L was thinking. She had been with the girl for almost two years and quite understood L''s background and the girl''s way of thinking. She patted L on the shoulder gently.


    "Don''t be like that. Who knows, they might only meet for the first time, and this date won''t go anywhere. After all, you gave him one month, so you shouldn''t fill your head with negative thoughts."


    "No. Instead, we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, Pammy. I told him to meet those women so he could find out what he really wanted. I didn''t want him to have regrets when he finally chooses to marry me."


    L looked away and stared at the window. Her eyes looked dreamy. "What makes me even more hurt is ... that he came all the way to London to meet her. That woman must have made him so interested that he was willing to go this far. I thought he was here because he wanted to be with me. Ah, apparently I think too highly of myself, that I thought he''s here for me. I should have known my place..."


    Pammy looked at L with pity. She had also thought so that London was anxious about L, so he followed her to England. Who would have thought, as it turned out, he went to England to meet the female doctor who was arranged by Jan for him to date.


    "What would you do ... if Mr. Schneider met a girl who could make him fall in love?" Pammy finally asked.


    L took a deep breath. "If it turns out that he finally meets a woman who could make him fall in love, a woman who is better than me, a woman who could give him things that I couldn''t, someone equal to him... then I must be prepared to accept the reality and let him go from my life. Pammy, I have no choice."


    "But I feel like that won''t happen. I see that he loves Lily very much ... You have that advantage over all women in this world, L. You gave birth to his child, and Mr. Schneider loves Lily very much," Pammy said again.


    "He is a good father to Lily. But I never want to bind him to me just because I gave birth to his child. You know that, Pammy. The relationship between us will only be limited to two people who have a child together. Even if we are separated, we must continue to communicate and have a good relationship for Lily''s sake." L nodded to confirm Pammy''s words. Her gaze was now directed at Lily, who was playing happily with her plush toy.


    "He is responsible for Lily. As for me, I have to take care of myself. I can''t rely on him anymore. I have to work. I have to achieve all my dreams with my own hands. If he married one of the women he is dating, imagine what his wife will say? Do you think his wife would let him continue helping me? No woman would want their husband to take care of another woman."


    Pammy paused and silently confirmed L''s words. It would be very difficult for L if London Schneider would fall in love with another woman and leave her. The girl''s position would be awkward.


    Actually, Pammy really hoped L and London can end up married happily. However, given that for the past one year, the two had a bad relationship and were always arguing, Pammy couldn''t keep her hopes up.


    "I''m so tired ... I feel like I just want to sleep. You don''t mind if I sleep, do you?" L asked suddenly. "You are welcome to explore London alone or if you want to go to a restaurant and lounge. Just put your bill to this suite."


    Pammy nodded. "Please rest. I hope you feel better."


    "Thank you."


    L picked Lily up and carried her into the bedroom and locked the door. She shut herself up until nightfall. L did not think her heart would feel this painful to see London Schneider dating another woman.


    When London canceled their wedding plans three weeks ago, she was devastated. However, the pain she felt back then was not as great as now. L used to think London was only impulsive or annoyed because she insisted she would not reveal their relationship to the public. She knew that London loved her too much to be angry at her for too long.


    But later, when she learned that in just two weeks, London could get over his feelings for her and find another woman to date, her heart really felt hurt.


    Now, when she saw with her own eyes, the man met another woman who was no less beautiful than her and even looked very educated, L really felt broken inside.


    She was terrified that London would find a woman who was better than her and finally realized that, in fact, he could get another woman who was better in everything than L. She would be very heartbroken. Not only was her career already ruined, and her reputation damaged, but she would lose the only man he loved, and Lily would not have a complete family.


    All of these things really make L down.

 Chapter 809 - L Meeting With Lawyers

    Over the next two days, L tried to keep herself busy by writing new songs, practicing her singing and talking with the lawyers from the Burnham Law Firm. She tried so hard to divert her mind from London Schneider dating another woman in the Italian restaurant two days ago.


    Every time London sent her SMS or called him, L would remain friendly, but slowly she tried to keep her distance. And London was aware of her change of attitude. The man could only scratch his head when he read her SMS became so brief and flat.


    London could guess that L was having a bad mood. On the third day, he sent her a message, trying to find out why L seemed to avoid him.


    [I happened to be in London for business. Do you want to meet me?]


    L, who was writing her new song on her notes, took her cellphone to read the SMS from London. A moment later, she let out a long sigh.


    "I know you are in London. I also know why you came here," the girl murmured softly. She then wrote an SMS reply to the man.


    [Sorry I''m not feeling well. Can we meet later in Berlin? I have an important business today.]


    Today, Danny Swann had finally returned to England and had stated his willingness to meet with L. The girl deliberately invited Danny to meet in her suite because she felt safer that way. Later, L would ask two lawyers from the law firm she hired to accompany her in that meeting.


    She just wanted to get things done with Danny and return to Germany.


    In the penthouse, at the top of the hotel building, London Schneider read L''s reply with furrowed brows. L was feeling unwell?


    He hurriedly called the girl.


    "Hey ... are you sick? You just wait there, okay. I will call a doctor for you ..." he said attentively. "I know a doctor in this city."


    L, who remembered that she saw London going on a date with Caroline in who was wearing a doctor suit, coughed violently and her head went dizzy. She DID NOT WANT to meet the doctor that he suggested. She''d prefer to endure her illness alone.


    "That''s no need. I''m fine. Besides, I have an appointment soon. Later, after all my meetings are finished, I will take some pills and rest. Tomorrow I will return to Berlin," said L. She did not want London to call a doctor for her.


    "If you are not feeling well, don''t take it for granted. After all, you are still b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding. If you are sick, Lily could suffer," said London again, trying to convince L to see a doctor.


    "I understand that, for you, I am just a source of food for Lily," L blurted. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure Lily is always b.r.e.a.s.tfed properly.


    "Hey ... that''s not what I mean. Not only Lily but of course, I''m also worried about you. Don''t force yourself ..." London shuddered when he heard L''s voice that sounded furious.


    What''s wrong with this girl? L hadn''t been this way for a long time, he thought. He was still trying to coax L to see a doctor because he was really worried that L was really sick. Usually, sick people were easily irritated. "How about I call a doctor to come and see you to the Suite?"


    "I DON''T WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR YOU WANT ME TO MEET. Please leave me alone!!" Suddenly L screamed and slammed her new cellphone. Pammy had bought her a new cellphone to replace the cracked one she had dropped in front of the restaurant two days ago.


    London was shocked to hear L''s anger on the other end of the phone. He wanted to ask if anyone was bothering L, but the connection had been cut.


    Hmm ... maybe L really needed time alone. Finally, London decided not to bother her anymore.


    He then called Dave and listened to his report on L''s situation. Based on the information gathered by his bodyguard, L was indeed going to meet Danny Swann this afternoon with her lawyers in the Suite. Apparently, L had prepared a claim for her inheritance, according to George Swann''s will, as London had predicted.


    The man sat thoughtfully for a moment and weighed his choices. Finally, he decided to hand over L''s safety to Dave so he could protect her, and London would return to Berlin.


    "I think if the meeting is going to be held in this hotel suite, L would be safe and I don''t have to worry about anything. You just make sure everything is safe and tomorrow when they return to Berlin you just bring them to the airport yourself. I will send a private plane to pick them up."


    "Yes, Sir."


    London called Pammy and told her that he decided to go back to Berlin first to give L time alone.


    "You will return to Berlin using my plane tomorrow. I will send a plane to pick you up. Dave and his team will escort you from the St. Laurent hotel to Grunewald," he told Pammy.


    L''s Manager, who had never taken a private plane before, seemed very surprised because she was given such a rare opportunity by the big boss.


    She kept saying thank you with a beaming face.


    "That is not a big deal. I just want you to watch and help L for me," London said before he hung up.


    After he finished coordinating with all of them, London then left for the airport and returned to Berlin. He had stayed in London for too long and missed so many important meetings he was supposed to attend just because he wanted to watch L and protect her.


    Unfortunately, during the three days he was in London, he still could not meet L. Now, he felt that it was in vain to keep staying in London without doing anything productive.


    After lunch, the door to the suite was knocked several times. Pammy opened the door and invited the guests in. L welcomed the arrival of two lawyers sent by Burnham Law Firm. They arrived with a box containing various doc.u.ments.


    "Thank you for coming here," L said, inviting them to sit down. "What are the results of the research that you are doing about this case?"


    A male lawyer in his 50s smiled broadly as he took several doc.u.ments out of the box.


    "We managed to find a copy of George Swann''s will. As Madam had said, indeed, you will get half the inheritance if you refuse to marry the grandson of the Swann family. Apparently, the grandfather could have guessed that there is a possibility you are not willing to accept the betrothal."


    "That''s very good. Then what about the total assets held by Danny now? Did you find the list?" L asked again.


    She knew Danny Swann was a wealthy man. His family is among the ten wealthiest families in England. L wanted to know whatever assets the Swann family had so that she could determine what her demands would be.


    "We also managed to get a list of all his assets, ranging from hospitals, malls, investment companies, and many others. Everything is here."


    "Thank you," L nodded. "I will study them."


    Pammy paid attention to the discussion between L and the lawyers while holding Lily in her arms. They were discussing something intense and seemed to have a good plan.

 Chapter 810 - Are We Friends?

    An hour later, the doorbell rang again.


    "I''ll get it," L said quickly. She excused herself to the two guests and welcomed the new visitor. When she opened the door, a brown-haired, tall young man stood in front of her.


    "It''s nice to see you again, Marianne," said Danny Swann, smiling broadly.


    L nodded. She invited Danny in and find a seat for himself.


    "Hi, Danny. Meet John and Farah. They both are lawyers from Burnham Law Firm who are helping me in our case now." L introduced her team. Her statement made Danny frown.


    "Why do you need lawyers present? Did I make a mistake?" Suddenly, Danny was worried. At first, he thought that L would meet him just to discuss their engagement, but unexpectedly it turned out that L had another purpose.


    "Sit down first. We need to talk." L took a bottle of wine and 4 glasses and poured them with wine. "Please drink. You will need a drink to discuss my purpose for coming here."


    L''s words were spoken in a flat tone. Her cold demeanor suddenly made Danny worried. He had never seen L act this cold.


    "What do you want?" Danny asked, taking a glass of wine from L''s hand. The girl turned to one of her lawyers and nodded.


    Farah Burnham nodded then cleared her throat. She took out a doc.u.ment and showed it to Danny Swann. The man opened it and read with a frown.


    Instantly his expression changed.


    "Marianne ... you ...?" He looked at L with shock.


    "I know the truth, so I come here to take care of my inheritance," L said in a cold voice.


    Danny hurriedly stood up and approached L. "You''re mistaken. I just want to look after you, as my grandfather''s last request ... I really want to marry you."


    The girl brushed off Danny''s hand that was about to touch her shoulder. "Don''t touch me! You could fool me with your sweet words and help a few months ago. But since you threatened me by disclosing my secret to the public and destroying my career ... I already know who you really are."


    Danny knew it was futile to try to lie to L further. He already threatened L many times to marry him. He narrowed his eyes holding back his anger. For a moment, Danny didn''t know what to do. This surprise came too suddenly, and he was not ready to face it.


    "Mr. Swann, we have made all records of the Swann estate''s assets. Miss De Maestri is studying them, and we will decide what assets we will demand from the list. If you understand this, we would like to meet with your lawyer to discuss the fair splitting of the property." Farah got up and handed her business card to Danny. The man accepted it with a sour face.


    Danny threw the glass of wine in his hand and looked at L with a murderous look. "You won''t be able to take my family''s wealth easily. Just wait..."


    With a snort, he turned out and slammed the door behind him loudly.


    Everyone in the suite looked at each other.


    "Hmmm ... he didn''t take it well," Pammy commented. L nodded and finished her wine with trembling hands. Even though she acted calmly and nonchalantly, she was shaking inside. Danny Swann''s gaze was terrifying.


    Will Danny try to keep all his inheritance and do whatever it took? At this rate ... he might use evil ways to get rid of L so that there would be no more obstacles for him to take all his grandfather''s inheritance.


    This thought made L very scared.


    "Thank you both for coming here. I will study the Swann family assets and discuss it with my lawyer in Germany. Later, we will talk again," L finally said.


    The two lawyers nodded. They cleared up their doc.u.ments and bid their leave. After there were only the three of them left in the Suite, L plopped herself on the sofa with a trembling body.


    "Hey, what''s wrong with you? What happened?" Pammy asked in surprise. She sat next to L and rubbed her shoulder to calm the girl.


    "His eyes... he looked like he wanted to kill me, Pammy. I''m scared..." whispered L. "You know people will do anything for money..."


    Instantly, L eyes went round.


    For some reason, she suddenly remembered the mysterious death of her family. Until now, she had not been able to find answers to the mysteries surrounding their murder. The police couldn''t find the culprit and the motives behind it.


    Was it possible that the murder was related to the inheritance? L''s heart was beating really fast when she thought that the killers'' real target at that time was actually her because she was the heir to half of George Swann''s wealth...


    Ahh ... but that was impossible! Back then, at the time of the murder, Danny himself was only a teenager. There was no way that he planned the murder? Or.. could he?


    I''m too paranoid ... thought L.


    She tried to get the thought out of her mind. But the longer she tried to forget it, the stronger the suspicion haunted her mind.


    In the past, L was determined to find a wealthy and powerful husband to help her investigate the death of her family. She had forgotten that determination because there were just too many problems around her now. She also tried to forget about her vengeance because she did not want to raise Lily in a grudge.


    But, today ... when she saw the killing intent on Danny Swann''s eyes, L shuddered. She could not get rid of that bad feeling.


    It felt like she would go crazy if she didn''t fix this one problem. She just wanted to live quietly. But she couldn''t possibly handle this on her own.


    To whom can she ask for help ...?


    When her gaze went around the entire room in confusion, her eyes met with Lily''s.


    Ah!


    London Schneider ...


    Lily''s father would certainly help her for Lily''s sake ... L finally realized that London Schneider, who had always been taking care of her and would do anything for him, must be willing to help her investigate her family''s murder.


    L had indeed changed and was no longer looking for a wealthy and powerful prospective husband, but couldn''t she ask the man for help as a friend? As a minimum, they were co-parents for their little baby.


    After all, the ones murdered were Lily''s maternal grandparents and uncle. They were not nobodies to him.


    Finally, L made a decision. She took his cellphone and called London. The man had just landed back in Berlin and was preparing to return to the penthouse.


    "Hey, what''s up?" A warm voice heard on the other end of the phone. "Are you OK? I won''t call the doctor again, but I hope you get some rest."


    L took a deep breath.


    "I''m fine. Thank you for caring. I''m sorry, I was emotional." The girl''s voice sounded calm and orderly. "London, are we friends?"


    London frowned at L''s words. He did not understand the direction of this conversation. "Of course, we are friends. We are more than friends. You are the mother of my child, and I love you."


    "Thank you ... I think we should keep aside other feelings for now. You''re also dating another woman, don''t just carelessly spit out the word love," replied L. Her voice sounded tired again. "Look ... since we are friends, I want to ask for a favor from you. I hope you will help me."


    "Of course. I will do anything for you ..." London sounded very excited.


    Oh, my God! He remembered and realized that all this time L had NEVER asked anything from him. The girl had never asked for any material objects, favors, or anything at all.


    So, hearing the girl asked for his help this time made London really happy. After their conversation last week about how much L felt troubled and annoyed because London was acting like Santa Claus to her, the young man became very careful in doing things for L so as not to offend her.


    He was looking forward to when L said these words: "I need your help."


    Ahh ... so happy!


    "What do you want?" asked London once more.


    L sighed softly and finally answered. "I want to know who killed my family ..."

 Chapter 811 - Honey, Youre Back?

    L''s request was not too extraordinary, but London was still surprised to hear L suddenly ask for help.


    Actually, he did not want to involve L because he was worried that the girl would feel pressured, and worse was she would become the target of bad people.


    But well... wouldn''t it be easier for him to protect her if L knew what danger was lurking to threaten her?


    Because of this consideration, London finally nodded and agreed to her request, even though he knew L couldn''t see him nod.


    "All right ... I will definitely help you. We can talk about it after you return to Grunewald," the man replied. "Are you going home tomorrow?"


    "Yes. My business here is finished," L. said


    "How is the result?"


    "Well ... I don''t know yet. The team of lawyers here has managed to find a copy of George Swann''s will, and they have also compiled a list of the family assets. I will study the doc.u.ments and coordinate with them later to ask for a fair distribution of property ..." L explain a little about the situation. She guessed that London must have known more or less what was happening. So there was no point in covering up her intention to take this trip to England.


    "Do you really want the assets?" asked London. "Is my wealth not enough for you? I believe the Schneider family''s wealth is over ten times that of the poor Swann family ..."


    His voice couldn''t hide his annoyance. London did not want his wife to accept money from any man.


    L massaged her forehead at the man''s statement. "Don''t talk too casually like that. I am not your wife, so naturally, I am not entitled to your money. What will your wife say when you are married and she knows that you have offered me your money ..."


    London was surprised to hear L''s words. The girl wasn''t usually acting like this.


    Was L jealous? Why did she keep talking about other women?


    "That''s easy to fix. For me to not get into trouble with my wife if I give you money, why don''t you become my wife? It''s a win-win for us both," London said casually. "To be honest, I''m tired of waiting until next month. Do you think I''m an unemployed guy who has so much free time that I can date many women?"


    "What...?" L felt surprised, hearing the man''s words.


    How could London claim to be busy? He obviously went to London just to meet that beautiful doctor ... L could only cuss inwardly. She did not have any more energy to argue with him.


    "I will help you find the people responsible for your family''s death. After all, they are my family too." London''s voice turned serious. "I''ll pick you up at the airport and tomorrow we can talk about it."


    L was stunned to hear London''s words. After a while, she finally took a deep breath.


    "All right. See you tomorrow," she said in the end.


    "See you later. I can''t wait to hug Lily and you."


    L did not answer. She just hung up and placed her cellphone back in the bag.


    Alright ... she would return tomorrow morning to Germany. There were so many things she had to do there.


    She must find who killed her parents and younger brother, then avenge them. Later, she also must arrange for her to get her share of the inheritance. Then ... she also had to do something to restore her reputation that was tarnished by gossips circulating throughout the past week.


    ***


    "Shouldn''t we be notified by the receptionist if we had a guest coming?" Pammy asked in surprise.


    "I don''t know ... just open the door. Maybe it''s the hotel staff," L said. Pammy finally complied and walked to the door to open it. Before she did so, she peeked first to make sure those who came were not bad people.


    In front of the door, she saw a tall man with a big body and a neat black suit. He looked commanding. Pammy opened the door.


    "Good morning, who are you looking for?" Pammy asked in surprise. Dave smiled and touched his forehead a little, saluting L and Pammy before replying.


    "Good morning, Madam. I am Dave, the bodyguard assigned by Master to look after you and little Miss. My team is waiting below with a car. We will take you to the airport and fly to Berlin in your private jet."


    L was stunned to see one of London''s personal guards from a close range like this. She often saw Marc hovering around London every time they met, but she had only seen Dave a few times, and that was from afar.


    "Ah, we just finished breakfast and will leave in half an hour. You don''t mind waiting?" L asked kindly.


    Inwardly, she felt very relieved. Last night, she was struck by the fear that Danny Swann might do something drastic to prevent her from getting half of the inheritance. L was scared that Danny would send killers to get rid of her.


    But now, she calmed down. Dave, who looked intimidating, will guard her and Lily from close range. Moreover, the man also brought a team with him. We will be safe, L thought.


    "Of course, we will wait for you, Madam," Dave answered with a respectful smile. "Please take your time, Ma''am ..."


    L and Pammy finished their breakfast, then pack up their belongings to go home. Forty minutes later, they were already sitting inside a black limousine heading to the airport.


    Pammy kept tsk-ing in awe at the luxurious limo interior and how smooth their trip was. L was also impressed. Although she was a famous artist, she had never been in a car as luxurious as this one.


    Pammy''s admiration grew even more so when they arrived at the airport. The car drove straight into the runway and stop right next to the private plane. They could just get out of the car and board London Schneider''s plane. They didn''t need to go through the terminal at all like those commercial passengers.


    "I ... I hope you will marry Mr. Schneider ..." whispered Pammy as she plopped herself into the soft sofa beside L. "This is truly amazing!"


    L only rolled her eyes at Pammy''s words.


    She did want to marry London Schneider, but not because of his wealth.


    Ah, why didn''t Pammy understand that?


    After all, L didn''t know whether London''s feelings for her were really love. Today, more than all the money in the world, L only wanted certainty. She would not be able to marry someone just for his wealth, without having the faith that their marriage was based on love.


    The current L was not the old L, who didn''t care who the man she was going to marry, as long as he was wealthy and powerful.


    They landed in Berlin at 2 pm. L let Dave and his men carry her stuff, while she carried Lily off the plane.


    Ah, last night London said he would pick them up at the airport. Will he really come? L asked herself.


    "Honey ... you''re back?"


    Apparently, L didn''t need to guess. That peculiar warm voice greeted her as L''s feet hit the first step. As she descended the flight of stairs, her eyes fell immediately to a tall, handsome man who stood calmly on the runway with his hands in his gray coat pocket. He looked so warm and inviting.


    At that moment, L felt like she just wanted to hurry down the stairs and get under his warm coat.

 Chapter 812 - Shall We Make A Sibling For Lily?

    Before L could think further, the man had walked forward and waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, spread his hands, and gave a sign for L to come down directly to him.


    The girl''s face instantly flushed red. She did not think London would behave so intimately in front of his men. Once she reached the last step and went down to the runway, L handed Lily to London''s embrace.


    The man welcomed her with a smile and kissed Lily, who was amused and suddenly laughed.


    L and London exchanged glances. Lily had begun to smile often, but she had never laughed that loudly in front of them before.


    "Gosh... apparently you are delighted to meet Daddy," commented London happily. He kissed Lily again and pressed his nose against the baby''s nose. "You''re so cute, you know that, right? You''re the cutest baby in the whole wide world."


    L just smiled at the interaction between the father and daughter duo. She could not deny her happy feelings when she returned to Berlin. Somehow, she already felt at home, even though the city was not her native hometown.


    "Does Lily miss Daddy?" London repeatedly teased Lily, who was in his arms. "I miss you so much."


    "Looks like she does miss you," L commented. "Look, she''s so happy to see you."


    London smiled mischievously as he turned to L. "I really am adorable and missable, of course, Lily missed me. How about you?"


    L just rolled her eyes and walked towards the car that was waiting for them. London immediately followed her. Before he got into the car, he called Pammy to come closer.


    "Pammy, you can go home alone, right? My driver will drive you straight home." London pointed to a black BMW next to his Mercedes. "His name is Ben."


    Pammy nodded respectfully. "Of course, Sir. I will go straight to my apartment. You be careful on the road, have a good rest."


    She nodded at Ben and got into the car that would be used to drive her home. London followed L, who had gotten into their car and sat next to the girl. Dave, Marc, and his security team followed them with several other cars.


    This was the first time L shared a car with London in a formal setting after he revealed his identity as London Schneider. So.. this is how rich people travel, L thought to herself. The girl observed several cars around them that contained London''s security team.


    At that time, she felt very safe. The dark clouds that had filled her mind all night from thinking about Danny Swann''s threat were now gone.


    "Thank you for picking us up," L murmured almost silently. "I know you are very busy."


    London just shrugged. "I am never busy for you and Lily."


    L turned when she heard those words. She looked at London as if she wanted to believe his words, but it was difficult for her to do.


    "Why? You don''t believe me?" asked London in an irritated tone. "Try to ask anything from me, I will definitely grant it."


    L bit her lip at the words. "Ugh ... you still want to be my Santa Claus ..."


    London instantly remembered L''s protest back then, and he finally sighed. "Ah .. actually, that''s not what I meant. Now, I will only do something for you if you asked. You don''t know how happy I was last night when you finally asked something from me. A man is very happy whenever he felt needed, you know that?"


    L shook her head. "I didn''t know that. Anyway, I don''t like to bother other people."


    London stared fixedly at L. "I''m not other people."


    L couldn''t dispute the man''s words. She had no energy to argue anyway. Finally, she could only nod. "Okay."


    London smiled when he saw L no longer protested and argued his words. He really felt that L had changed a lot lately. Maybe, their heart to heart conversation from at that time managed to improve the poor communication they used to have.


    "Uhm ... she''s hungry, I have to feed her first," L said. She reached out and took Lily from London''s l.a.p. The man relented and handed over his baby to L, who immediately unfastened the buttons on her shirt and started b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily.


    L never hesitated to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily in front of London. Maybe because she knew that the man had seen her under various conditions, including when she was the most vulnerable and unattractive in life: when she gave birth to their baby.


    London, who often had a perverted mind when looking at L''s body, for some reason, was never turned on every time L took out her b.r.e.a.s.ts to nurse Lily.


    He could only stare in awe, sometimes a little envy. Seeing the bond between L and Lily every time they were in such condition, he sometimes wished that men were also given the gift of being able to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed their babies.


    When the father fed milk to his baby through a bottle, the bond between him and his baby was in no way comparable to the deep connection developed between mother and child during b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding.


    "L ... Even though I love our child very much, later when we get married, we don''t have to have more children," the man said suddenly.


    L, who was surprised to hear the words coming out of the man''s lips without a heads-up, immediately turned to him with furrowed brows.


    "Why are you bringing that up? How strange ..." she murmured almost inaudible.


    "I remember when you gave birth to Lily. At that time, the condition was terrifying... I was scared to death if anything happened to you." London confessed. "I don''t want you to experience such horrible things ever again."


    L actually felt touched, but somehow she automatically rolled her eyes instead. "Iishh... childbirth is a natural event experienced by all-female creatures. Not only humans, but female animals also experience that event, and they are mostly fine."


    London was stunned by L''s words. He reached out for the girl''s left hand and placed it on his l.a.p. He looked at L with a questioning expression.


    "Do you want to give birth again? Shall we make a sibling for Lily?" he asked earnestly.


    Now it was L''s turn to be surprised. Why were they suddenly talking about childbirth and making a sibling for Lily?


    Heyy ... focus, please. We still have a lot of problems, and we haven''t addressed them all... she complained inwardly.


    "Crazy ..." Finally, L could only mutter that one word. She looked out the window, watching the route they took on their way to the house. She just realized that she did not recognize this road. "Hey, where are we going? Are we not going home to Grunewald?"


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort." London explained. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    L could only shake her head. She preferred that her house staff report to her directly so she could make a decision, but she quickly remembered that, in fact, her house in Grunewald was actually London''s, not hers.


    She didn''t buy the house with her own money, but rather the guy bought it from the owner and let L use it under the pretense that she had bought it.


    So, actually, L had no right to say no. Plus, London''s decision to sterilize the house was also not a bad decision. L had learned not to argue because of small things.


    "I don''t mind," she said in the end. "Then, where will we stay until the house is ready?"


    "You can see for yourself," London answered in a secretive tone.

 Chapter 813 - Jealous

    L frowned and she looked left and right when she realized the car brought them into a familiar area. This was the most elite district in Germany where various office buildings, apartments and shopping complexes, and lifestyle centers were located.


    The car finally entered the parking lot of the Hotel St. Laurent Berlin and then stop. L turned her head toward London, who seemed indifferent.


    "Will we stay at the hotel?" L asked in surprise.


    The man sitting next to her just shook his head. "Not the hotel, but the penthouse on the top floor. It''s my personal residence."


    "Oh ..." L was still amazed to hear the word ''penthouse''. She remembered how luxurious the Presidential Suite she stayed at in London the past week. Surely the penthouse was much more luxurious?


    "Lily is already asleep, give her to me so I can carry her," said London, pointing to Lily, who had closed her eyes with her mouth wide open and some milk dripping from the corner of her lips.


    L nodded. She handed Lily very gently to London so that the baby wouldn''t wake up. She then fastened her buttons and covered her neck and part of her chin with a scarf so people wouldn''t recognize her. She also wore her shades. At first glance, people would not be able to recognize her as L, the famous singer.


    Marc opened the door for them, and both immediately got out of the car.


    "Welcome, Sir," said the on-duty manager who welcomed them with a smile. London just nodded and continued walking into the building. L followed his steps while lowering her face. She hoped no one will recognize her here.


    Inside the elevator, London pressed the 40th-floor button, and the elevator took them to the penthouse immediately.


    "There are three bedrooms in this penthouse. You can choose to use any room. I haven''t lived here for a long time, but there are still some of my stuff in the master bedroom," London explained.


    "Why haven''t you lived here for a long time?" L asked in surprise.


    London looked at her with a complicated look. Was L really innocent, or did she suddenly become stupid? he thought, astonished.


    "Because I was living with you, wasn''t I?" London asked her back. "You forgot that you have a handsome roommate in our modest apartment for three months until Lily was born? Then, we also lived together in Grunewald for the next few months?"


    L pressed her lips while staring at London with round eyes. "Gosh ... you''re right."


    London smiled and patted the girl''s forehead softly. "You must have a lot on your mind."


    L looked down. Indeed, there was so much in her mind. She should have realized London wasn''t staying at his penthouse because the man was living with her. At least until three weeks ago, when they officially separated, and London canceled their wedding plans.


    Thinking about the wedding cancellation always made her c.h.e.s.t tighten. She was still hurt by it. L tried to divert her attention toward something else. She felt like she would cry if she kept thinking about such hurtful things.


    London noticed L''s murky expression. He could guess what was making the girl upset. He hoped they would be able to quickly solve L''s problem so he could see the girl happy again.


    "Welcome." London opened the door with his fingerprint and invited L into the penthouse. "I''ll take your fingerprint later so you can also unlock the door. That way, you can come and go whenever you want."


    L was stunned to see a baby cot in the penthouse''s vast living room. She did not know London had prepared everything. The surprised look on the girl''s face did not escape London''s attention. The man just laughed, went to the baby cot, and placed Lily slowly to continue her sleep there.


    "I keep all baby stuff in places that I go to a lot. You should see, in my office, there is a baby bottle sterilizer and a baby cot," London chirped.


    "Really?" L asked in surprise. "I didn''t know."


    "I never told you. After all, you also never asked," answered London. He kissed Lily''s cheek and let her rest. "Shall I show you around this place?"


    L hesitantly nodded. London grabbed her hand and took L around room after room. L could barely hold back her admiration when she entered the spacious and luxurious master bedroom, the other two bedrooms, then the living room, the study, the very modern and spacious kitchen, the family room, the spacious balcony with a lush garden, infinity swimming pool ...


    This place was even more luxurious than wealthy people''s houses, which she often saw in lifestyle magazines. For a moment, L was blown away and could not speak at all. Once again, her c.h.e.s.t felt heavy.


    She remembered how for almost seven months, this man, whose life was always lavished with luxury, left his beautiful and comfortable place to live with her. Their house in Grunewald was large and luxurious, but it still couldn''t be compared to this grande penthouse. And their old apartment was even worse...


    "Why is your face like that?" asked London in surprise as he looked at L''s sad expression. "You don''t like this place?"


    L shook his head. "It''s not like that ... I ..."


    "What''s the matter? Why do you look sad?" London tried to urge L. "Remember, L, I can''t read minds. If you don''t tell me what''s in your heart, I won''t know what you''re thinking. If you don''t like this place, please tell me the truth. We promised to improve our communication, didn''t we?"


    He grabbed L''s shoulders and looked into her eyes questioningly. The girl could only look down.


    "I ... feel so touched, because ..." Her voice was so soft, almost inaudible, that London had to lower his face to hear L''s stammering words. "You were willing to leave such a luxurious and beautiful place ... to ... live with me ... in a simple apartment..."


    London could hardly believe in his own hearing. Was it true that L said those sentences? She was touched? Gosh ...!


    L really had changed, he thought.


    One thing that was still the same was that the girl was still not good at expressing what was in her heart. But at least she was trying to talk, thought London.


    "Why not? A home is a person, not a house." London smiled and touched L''s chin gently. "I''d rather stay with you and Lily in a simple place than live alone in a luxurious place, though."


    L raised her face and looked at London with a confused expression. She did not brush the man''s hand that was touching her chin. She actually felt her heart beat faster. She was flattered, but at the same time, she also did not understand why London was treating her like this.


    Why would he act lovey-dovey toward her, they were not even in a relationship? At least, for the next month, they were only friends because L and London would only re-discuss their relationship after London met and dated other women. They were given the time to really think about what they wanted.


    "You''re such a smooth talker now..." L finally commented. "Does dating other women teach you new pick up lines?"


    She tried hard to keep her tone sound indifferent, but still, her voice sounded like a girl who was feeling jealous. This did not escape London''s attention. The man just nodded nonchalantly.


    "You can say that..." he said with a smirk.


    L pursed her lips and looked away. London was now completely convinced that she was indeed jealous and that made him very happy.

 Chapter 814 - Is This Man Serious?

    "You don''t like me being good at flirting?" the man asked innocently. "Then just tell me to stop going to all the dates Jan has set up for me."


    L frowned in surprise. She didn''t think London would say such words.


    "You''re weird," L finally said.


    "Weird how?" asked London. He removed his hand from L''s chin and now crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t, demanding an explanation. "You''re the first person to call me weird."


    "Maybe other people won''t dare to tell you the truth because they are afraid to offend you," L said stubbornly.


    "You still haven''t told me why you called me weird. A.d.u.l.ts should be able to take responsibility for their words ..." London looked at L closely, waiting for an explanation.


    L finally sighed. "Other men would be happy to date a lot of women, but you''ve been complaining all this time. Isn''t that weird?" said L, while crossing her arms on her c.h.e.s.t.


    London narrowed his eyes as though deep in thought and finally nodded. "Hmm ... that''s right."


    L rolled her eyes at the man''s relaxed answer. "Never mind, just forget what I said. That doesn''t matter."


    London nodded. "All right. I''ll forget it. I''ll follow whatever you want me to do."


    L was really surprised by London''s attitude today. The man looked very carefree, and he always completely agreed with everything she said. L became lost for words.


    Finally, she could only turn silent. Seeing L say nothing more, London smiled faintly. He pulled L''s hand to follow him to the kitchen. They had finished touring the spacious penthouse and he was pleased to see L''s amazed expression at his personal residence. He could see L really liked this penthouse.


    "Do you want to eat early dinner? You were only given snacks on the plane, right?" he asked after they arrived in the kitchen. "I can call the chef here, or we can also cook dinner together. Do you want to cook dinner with me?"


    L looked doubtful. She was not hungry because her mind was full of problems, but she knew that if she didn''t eat her body would naturally become weak and vulnerable to illness.


    "Uhm ... I''m not hungry. So it''s up to you ..." answered the girl.


    "Hmm .. okay. If you asked me to decide, I would suggest that we cook dinner together. It''s more romantic than asking for a chef to make it." London looked elated. He let go of L''s hand, and while whistling, he took out the ingredients from the refrigerator. "Why are you just standing there? Come on, help me wash the vegetables."


    L was stunned to see London as he casually handed a bunch of vegetables to L''s hands then pushed her waist to walk toward the sink.


    Hey, we are no longer a couple, okay? L grumbled inwardly, but she still washed the vegetables as instructed.


    "Ah, that''s good. Now, please slice the vegetables into smaller pieces, I want to make a simple salad," London again ordered L to do this while he marinated the meat and got the dressing ready.


    L couldn''t protest because she actually enjoyed cooking together with this man. Her mind wandered back to months ago when she and London were still living together in their simple apartment in the city center. In the past, they often worked together to make breakfast or dinner.


    The atmosphere was always warm, just like it was now. The only difference was that their place of residence at that time was quite simple, while now they were in a grande and luxurious penthouse. While slicing the carrots, L glanced sideways and watched London mixing some spices with a cheerful face.


    In her heart, she confirmed that either they were in a humble apartment, or in a luxury penthouse ... the feeling that filled her c.h.e.s.t to the brim was the same. It was not this penthouse that made the cooking activities feel warm and pleasant ... but the person who was there with her.


    A home was truly not a place but a person.


    Unknowingly, a drop of tears dripped down L''s cheek as she continued peeling turnips and slicing tomatoes. She really missed the moments when the two of them were happy like this. As it turned out, her happiness was actually very simple ... She didn''t need a luxury home and a lot of money. Being able to stay with Lily and London and living in peace was enough for her.


    L secretly wiped her tears with her sleeves. She did not want to attract London''s attention. She just diligently did her task of chopping vegetables and arranging them in different bowls.


    "Honey ... do you miss our moment together like this?" asked London suddenly. L, who just finished putting all the vegetables in the bowls, gasped. The question was very sudden and she did not understand why London asked her that.


    "Hmm .." L just muttered unclearly.


    London stopped his work and turned his head towards L. His pair of deep blue eyes looked at L earnestly.


    "Honey ... I''m a really busy man and don''t have time for small talk or pretending. I''m tired of our poor communication and prejudices that had been haunting our relationship. I also don''t have time to date with many different women. I went to the first date Jan arranged for me and honestly felt like I spent two very valuable hours in vain. Do you know what I thought when I met that woman? I only thought of you ..." He touched L''s shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Aren''t you tired of sending me through such torments again?"


    Torments? You weird man. How could you call going on a date with a beautiful woman torments? thought L in annoyance.


    "I didn''t force you to go. Jan set up all the dates for you, I wasn''t even involved. I just said that I agreed with Jan''s perspectives and supported you to go meet other women and experience how it was like to date them..." L answered. "No one put a gun to your head and force you to do it."


    London shook his head. "You don''t really point a gun to me, but your method was no different from it. You said you don''t want to marry me unless I date those women for the next month. If that''s the case, how can I refuse?"


    L looked back at London questioningly. Was this man serious?

 Chapter 815 - The Last Proposal

    L didn''t know how to respond to this situation. She admitted that she did make London agree to date those other women before she would even be willing to sit down and talk about the relationship.


    Yes, seeing him going on dates with them pained her, but she knew it was the only way to make him realize what he actually wanted. L just didn''t expect that London would see it as torments.


    "You did it all for me?" L asked in surprise.


    London nodded. "Yes. Just for your sake. I was complying with your demands because I wanted to atone for my mistakes that hurt you by suddenly canceling our wedding plans because I was jealous. But now I don''t want to do it anymore ..."


    "Wh... why?" L began to get emotional when she heard London discuss the wedding cancellation, which did hurt her feelings so deeply.


    London stepped in front of L and cut the distance between them to zero.


    "I know you told me to date other women so I could compare you to them and find out if I really made the right decision by marrying you. Actually, I wasn''t the only one who has doubts, you were too. I finally knew what I want, and now I''m sure of my choice, but you are still not sure. You think I''m a superficial man who is concerned with physical appearance, wealth, and education. That''s why you always avoided me and tried to shove me to those other women." The man''s voice sounded very serious, and for some reason, suddenly, L''s c.h.e.s.t became pounding. "I already knew and was sure of what I wanted. I want to be with you..."


    "You ..." L was about to say something, but again she didn''t know how to express her feelings. London touched her chin and lifted L''s face that had was looking down to face him.


    "I know you were actually jealous to death when you thought I was dating that doctor in London. I think this is a sign that you and I both really want to be with each other. Why do we have to complicate ourselves with unnecessary problems?" London asked again.


    "Eh ...?" L was very surprised to hear London''s words just now. This man knew L was very jealous when she caught him meeting another woman for lunch in London ??


    "Wait... how do you know?" she asked him with furrowed brows. Her face could not hide her feelings. London just laughed at that.


    "That''s a secret," he said. He smiled sweetly seeing L''s expression. The girl looked so moved. "So? What do you think? Let''s just put an end to all those useless dates Jan set up for me. After all, I already know that I only want you and you want me too ... I''m exhausted and busy, and anyway I can''t bear to see you die of jealousy ... hahaha."


    "What are you saying?" L asked in a tone of disbelief. She did not understand why suddenly their conversation in the kitchen became like this. What was actually happening between them?


    London took a deep breath before then suddenly he went down on one knee. He pulled L''s right hand and looked up at the girl, who was shocked to death.


    "Honey, marry me. I promise this will be the last proposal. I won''t cancel it no matter what. I can''t live without you, and I can''t stand meeting other women while all I have in mind is you ..."


    L looked at the man with pursed lips. Suddenly, her mind played the images of how London seemed so happy to meet the beautiful doctor in London.


    Wait.. since when had this guy become so good at acting? How could he propose to me here, when he just dated another woman two days ago looking so happy??


    "You must not joke about things like this, please ..." grumbled L while pulling London''s shoulder to rise from the floor. "I saw for myself how happy you looked when you were on a date with another woman who is prettier and smarter than me. How could you suddenly propose to me again? Please quit playing with my heart. My feelings are not toys."


    London stubbornly remained in his place. "I told you, this will be the last proposal. I don''t want to repeat the mistakes I did before ..."


    "Get up ... this isn''t funny ..." L said again, still trying to pull London''s shoulders up. "Come on ..."


    "I''m not joking," London replied. "I really mean it. I know you love me too but you feel insecure about us. You are not sure I really love you and only want to marry you. You feel the need to offer all those other women to me so I can check my heart ... even though I think that your heart should be the one to check. As I said, I know what I want. You are still pretending you don''t want me because you are afraid of getting hurt."


    L was at a loss for words when she heard those words which London uttered firmly.


    "I know you were very jealous when you saw me having lunch with the doctor in London. You''re so jealous that you fell ill. Why don''t you just admit that you love me too and can''t live without me?" London asked again.


    L pressed her lips with her hand as London said his last two sentences. London knew she saw him in a restaurant with Caroline at the time??


    "How do you know that?" asked the girl in confusion.


    London shrugged. "Dave was always watching you to protect your safety. He reported that you caught me having lunch with Caroline. Pammy also gave me her reports from time to time about you. Of course, I know everything about you, L Honey ..."


    "Pammy??" L was really surprised. She didn''t expect Pammy, her manager, to report about her to London.


    "Pammy now works for me. Don''t you know? I gave her a high position at the agency. Of course, she has to report to me," London replied with a broad smile. "I''m so glad to know you''re that jealous. You can''t deny it anymore. Aren''t you tired of pretending?"


    L was speechless at hearing London''s words.


    Pammy? So, had Pammy been working for London Schneider all this time?

 Chapter 816 - Dont You Dare... Change Your Mind

    "I won''t get up until you respond to my proposal." London still insisted in his place. He smiled at the confused girl. L did not expect him to propose to her again, so suddenly like this. London continued to coax L. "I already told you ... this is the last proposal. I''m not going to ask again. So think carefully about your answer ..."


    L looked at London with her eyes slowly filled with tears. Subconsciously she dropped down and buried her head in London''s shoulder.


    "I am not educated... I don''t even have a high school diploma. I also don''t have many skills. I can only sing, there''s not much I can do. I''m also stubborn and hot-headed..." The girl cried uncontrollably. "Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me ...? You can''t change your mind halfway ... That''s not fair to me ..."


    London embraced L in his arms and rubbed her hair understandingly.


    "I promise I will not change my mind ... I think the time we spent together is enough to make us know each other and understand what we both want ..." he whispered. "You also can''t change your mind halfway. It''s not fair to me ... I''m the same. There''s not much I can do too. I don''t have many skills. I can only order people to do this or that. I also often make you upset. I hope you will be patient with me..."


    His voice sounded very earnest and serious, and that moved L. She loved this man, but for the past year, the life they had led together felt like a very tiring emotional roller coaster.


    She realized that her very young age made her sometimes act rashly and selfishly. Even though she tried so hard to act like a proper a.d.u.l.t, it cannot be denied that she was still young and inexperienced.


    L lifted her face from London''s shoulder, which was now soaked by her tears.


    "Honey ..." Finally, for the first time, L called London with a loving gesture. The man''s heart almost dropped from his c.h.e.s.t because he felt thrilled. He never thought that just one word could make him so happy.


    "Yes, Honey?" A big smile graced the man''s face as he cupped L''s face with both hands.


    L looked at the man with glittering wet eyes, and slowly her lips formed a faint smile as she finally shyly nodded. "I will marry you. Since this is the last proposal, my last answer is, I am willing to marry you."


    Even though London had expected L to finally say yes, still, hearing the words come out of her lips made this man extremely happy. He pulled L''s face gently towards him and landed a hot kiss on her lips.


    Gosh... it was only a week ago that he kissed these s.e.xy pink lips, but now he already forgot how it felt. In his head, it felt like it was already centuries ago that their lips met, and now he wanted to make up for the lost time and claimed it with interest.


    L closed her eyes and responded when London''s lips claimed hers, and his tongue swiftly thrust through L''s half-open lips and explored her mouth. When his tongue found L''s tongue, he twisted it and s.u.c.k.e.d it passionately, leaving the girl almost out of breath.


    London relaxed his arms slightly to give him and L time to regulate their breath before he went back to kissing L again. This time, hotter than before. They both rose from the kitchen floor and kissed passionately.


    When the man''s hands began to sneak under L''s clothes, the girl was immediately moved from her daze and gently pushed his hand.


    "I''m still not feeling well ..." she shook her head.


    London became sorry to hear L''s voice. The girl really sounded unwell. He lovingly lifted her body and sat her on the dining chair.


    "Then you just rest here. I''ll finish making our dinner, after that, we can eat and get married."


    "Eh ... what did you say?" L asked, confused. She complied and did not object when her body was lifted into a chair and told to rest.


    Wait ... she didn''t mishear that, did she?


    Get married?


    When?


    "I told you, this is the last proposal, and I don''t want to mess it up again. So, after dinner, we will get married right away," London answered firmly. He smiled thinly, kissed L on the cheek, and then went back to taking care of the ingredients while humming.


    L could only furrow her brows, watching the man continue cooking as if he didn''t just say they would get married after dinner.


    Jeez ...


    So many thoughts raged in L''s mind as she watched London make salads, grill the steaks, and prepare mashed potatoes for them. In a short time, all the dishes were finished and immediately served at the dining table.


    "Have a nice meal," said London. He scooped the salad onto L''s plate and then poured wine for them. "Sorry, my proposal was not romantic, I did it spontaneously. But I''m glad you accepted it. Well ... eat a lot, after this, we will get married."


    L was still speechless. All this felt so shocking. She could only eat slowly while constantly glancing toward her future husband, the father of her child.


    Ah ... how could she be so lucky to have such a perfect man? A man who fell madly in love with her and didn''t care about superficial things like most other men...


    Even L herself was a superficial person. She still remembered, until a year ago, she was still determined to only marry a wealthy and powerful man to help her with her vengeance.


    Now ... when she found such a husband, L realized that wealth and power were not actually that important to her. Evidenced by the warmth they shared together today. Whether they were in a humble apartment or a luxurious penthouse ... it felt exactly the same. As long as you''re together with your loved ones. It was enough.


    Feeling touched, L suddenly placed down her spoon on her plate and wiped her tears. Then, she kissed London''s cheek lovingly. Afterward, she smiled and resumed eating.


    London, who did not expect to be kissed suddenly, could only touch his cheek with an expression of surprise and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. He was happy to see L taking the initiative and kiss him first.


    This must mean... L already felt comfortable with their relationship and no longer harbored negative thoughts about them.


    Ahh .. seeing how the girl now behaved more m.a.t.u.r.ely, London felt that their marriage would go well. He couldn''t wait to spend his whole life with this girl.


    He wanted L to be the first person he saw when he opened his eyes every morning, and to be the last person he saw before he closed his eyes at night. He wanted to always hug her while they slept together, and listen to her singing every morning...


    ***


    They finished eating at 6 pm, and as a gentleman, London kept his promise. He would not change his mind and would immediately marry L.


    "Jan, are you downstairs? We''re done eating, you can go up now." London called Jan as soon as they finished dinner. When he hung up, he saw L was about to clean up their cutlery and hurriedly prevented it. "There''s no need for you to do it. We have some robot servants here that take care of everything. This place is completely automated."


    He pressed a button on the kitchen counter, and soon, a robot servant came and began to move swiftly to clear the dishes.


    "Oh ... how sophisticated," L commented "Oh, by the way... did you ask Jan to come here? What for?"


    London smiled happily and hugged L. "I told Jan to come with the marriage registrar officer. He and Pammy will be witnesses to our wedding. What do you think? I can''t wait to have the wedding in Stuttgart ... I''m afraid we''ll jinx it again ... hahahaha..."


    L was struck by London''s explanation.


    Gosh ... was this man really serious? Would this finally happen?


    They finally get married... now??


    "I''m going to get married looking like this?" L immediately panicked. In her mind, every bride should get married looking their best, like a queen for a day. But at that moment, she was wearing a blue top with a leather skirt and everyday sandal. Her hair wasn''t even styled at all.


    "You''re very beautiful," said London. "You don''t need superficial makeup to look pretty. I love you just the way you are."


    L looked at London with a grateful expression and then looked down. "Thank you..."


    London kissed her forehead and pulled L into his arms. "Finally, you will become my wife. Don''t you dare... change your mind after this."

 Chapter 817 - Now And Forever

    Both looked at each other with a solemn gaze. After so many failed proposals and one cancelled wedding plans ... finally, they would really become husband and wife.


    "You are so beautiful ... you don''t need to dress up ..." London Schneider soothed his future wife.


    Still, L couldn''t believe his words. The man always thought her beautiful no matter how bad she looked, because he was the most biased man in the world when it came to L.


    "You...!" L grumbled as she went to check her reflection in the mirror. Traces of tears made her face look damped and swollen, and her hair was disheveled. She hit London on the shoulder and hurriedly carried her small bag to the bathroom and get herself tidied.


    London just laughed when he saw L panic. He didn''t care how she looked. After all, no matter how beautiful a woman would appear when she dressed up and wore nice clothes, they were still the most beautiful and s.e.xiest when they weren''t wearing anything.


    Especially when they looked a bit sweaty, and their hair was messy, after a tiring lovemaking activity ... it''s the best!


    Gosh ... why did my mind keep going there? London scolded himself.


    RING


    The sound of the bell at the door immediately moved him from his dirty thoughts about L and whatever things he would do to his wife every night after they were married.


    London opened the door and invited Jan, Pammy, and a man with formal attire to enter the penthouse.


    "Please come in. You are on time. We just finished dinner," he said in a very cheerful tone.


    Pammy''s face lit up. She was truly happy because her wish had finally come true. She would see L marry Mr. Schneider, and would even become part of their big day!


    "Where is Miss L?" she asked enthusiastically.


    "In the bathroom, getting ready. You can try to help her," London said, pointing to the bathroom to his left. Pammy nodded and hurriedly looked for L there.


    Jan and the marriage registrar officer sat on the couch, waiting for the bride to appear.


    "Finally ... we arrive at this point," Jan commented without being asked. "You really don''t want to open your eyes to and see other women?"


    London shook his head. "I have met Sarah, and even though she is a very attractive girl, I cannot like her. Apparently, my heart is very small and there is no room for other people. All the space has been filled by L."


    His voice sounded very romantic, and Jan could only shake his head. In his heart, he sincerely hoped that his boss would not regret marrying that annoying girl.


    As he recalled, the Schneider family was quite peculiar when it came to love. They were loyal to one person and love them with all their heart until there is no more space for another.


    He saw how much Caspar loved his wife, Finland, and Aleksis loved her husband, Alaric. Maybe it''s in the family, he thought, to love only one person for the rest of their lives.


    Jan really wanted to see this small family happy. He already considered London like his own brother and Lily as his niece.


    "Thank you, Jan. For your help so far ... Also, for taking care of everything so we can still get married, albeit being so last minute." London patted Jan''s shoulder and smiled gratefully.


    His loyal assistant just nodded.


    L and Pammy came out of the bathroom ten minutes later. The girl''s face had been washed and covered with thin layers of makeup and lip balm. Pammy helped her style her hair into a small bun above her head so that L now looked very neat and elegant.


    London''s face was immediately decorated with a broad smile as he looked at L enthusiastically as he approached the girl and hugged her. He did not need to say anything to show how much he was fascinated.


    "Hmm ... okay. We can start now ..." he said after releasing L from his embrace and held her waist to face the civil registration officer.


    "Alright, I have the two of you with your identification doc.u.ments and everything that we need. We also have two witnesses here, each from the bride and the groom." Thus the officer began the ceremony.


    London sat with L facing the officer, and beside each of them stood Jan and Pammy. They would be the witnesses to London and L''s marriage solemnization.


    "Good evening. My name is Manfred Schaefer, and I am a marriage registrar officer who was given the authority to carry out my duties from the state. Tonight, we will witness the legal unification between London Killian Scheider and Elle Marianne De Maestri, who came before me with good intentions to unite themselves in a marriage.


    "Do you, London Killian Schneider, take this woman, Elle Marianne De Maestri, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?


    London nodded, "I do."


    "Do you, Elle Marianne De Maestri, take this man, London Killian Schneider, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" This time Manfred Schaefer directed his question to L, who was struggling to hold back her tears.


    London gently squeezed L''s hand in his grip as if giving her strength to respond to the marriage registrar''s question. He knew that L must be thinking about the events from three weeks ago when London canceled their wedding plans, and now they were finally getting married impulsively.


    "I-- I do" L finally answered. She and London exchanged glances and smiles were plastered on their faces.


    Jan and Pammy also looked at each other and smiled in relief. Pammy rubbed her wet eyes while Jan took a deep breath. Finally, after so arguments and misunderstandings ... the dog and cat were united in marriage. An impulsive one at that.


    "I hereby declare that you are now officially husband and wife. Congratulations! You may kiss the bride."


    London wiped tears from the corner of L''s eyes, then looked down and kissed her lips for a long time. L returned her husband''s kiss warmly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes when their lips met.


    The three people around them were forced to avert their gaze in another direction when the new couple still did not end their kiss after two minutes.


    Crazy! Don''t they need to breathe? Jan grumbled silently.


    "I am so happy!!" London whispered into L''s ear after ending his kiss. He then turned to Jan and Manfred and took turns shaking hands with them. "Thank you. Thank you ..."


    Both nodded and tried to sympathize with the happiness of the new husband. Pammy hugged L and congratulated her. Both women shed tears of happiness.


    A servant robot appeared swiftly with a tray containing the most expensive bottle of wine and five glasses.


    "Let''s toast ..." Jan said, opening the bottle stopper and pouring wine for each of them. The five people raised their glasses and drank to congratulate the bride and groom. The four of them finished the wine in their glasses while L only drank a little because she was still b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding.


    "My duty is done. It''s time for me to excuse myself," Manfred said after finishing his wine. "Once again, congratulations to you both."


    "Uhm ... me too. It''s late, my mother must have been looking for me to have dinner together," Jan rose to say goodbye. "Besides, I don''t want to disturb the newlywed couple."


    Pammy also nodded and smiled broadly. "Excuse me, I''m going home too. Thank you for inviting me to share your happiness. Congratulations on your wedding again."


    London and L looked at each other and blushed. They stood and led their three guests out the door.


    After Manfred, Jan and Pammy disappeared behind the elevator, they returned inside, holding each other''s hands. Even though they did indeed get married in the end, both of them still felt in euphoria, as if the happiness they were feeling now was not real, and if they let go of their hands, this dream would suddenly end.


    "My wife ..." London called L. The girl raised her reddened face but did not answer.


    Because L did not answer his call, London became mischievous. He suddenly lifted L''s body and kissed her face.


    "You are mine. Now and forever." The man whispered tenderly in L''s ea

 Chapter 818 - Im Asking For A Payment

    L finally nodded slowly and buried her face in the man''s shoulder. They remained in that position for a few moments. Until finally, Lily''s cry stirred the silence.


    "Lily is awake ..."


    London turned to his baby cot and nodded. "Yeah... she must be hungry. She also fell asleep before taking her bath. You take care of Lily first, I''ll prepare her bath water."


    He then lowered L''s body and watched the girl walk over to their baby and lifted Lily. The little baby started protesting because she was left alone. L took Lily her l.a.p lovingly and nursed her.


    London watched the scene with a faint smile. Not long after, he entered the bathroom and prepared warm water to bathe Lily. It felt strange, too, after marrying L, nothing had changed in their lives. The most striking difference was that now he and L have opened up to each other and expressed their love without restraint.


    He made the decision after thinking for two days. When he heard that L had fallen ill because she was so jealous after seeing him having lunch with Caroline, London finally took decisive action and asked L to marry him. There was no need to wait and raise more doubts in their hearts.


    He knew L only needed to be convinced. London had heard from Pammy how the cancellation of their wedding plans had hurt L badly and made it very hard for her to trust him again.


    So he then decided to prove his determination by marrying the girl as soon as L accepted his proposal. What was there to wait for? After all, his family already knew about his relationship with L, and they just wanted to see him happy.


    They could still celebrate their wedding later with a festive celebration in Stuttgart. What''s important now was that he and L we finally united in marriage. He had also thought carefully about L''s career and her d.e.s.i.r.e to protect her privacy. London had already decided that it would be okay for him if L did not reveal her personal lives to the public. L didn''t need to share the identity of her husband and child.


    London felt that was enough, as long as L claimed to be married and had a child. So, that the men out there who fell in love with his wife knew that L already had a husband. It should be enough to deter those men from chasing her. With L''s statement to the media last week that she was indeed pregnant and had given birth to a child, London felt L had compromised quite a lot on her part.


    Now everything would be alright.


    "The water''s ready," said the man, fifteen minutes later.


    "Thank you." L nodded and carried Lily, who looked very cheerful, to enter the bathroom and bathe the baby.


    Half an hour later, Lily was already back in her basket, chattering happily. Her clothes had been replaced with cute bear-patterned onesie, and her body was covered in a warm blue blanket. Her hands were busy playing with a plush panda toy. Her parents watched from the side with their faces filled with happiness.


    London sat on a chair while L sat on his l.a.p. L, who rarely smiled, had smiled many times tonight, revealing her pearly white teeth and a pair of sparkling black eyes. She was truly happy.


    "Tomorrow, I have a surprise for you," London whispered into his wife''s ear.


    "You do? What''s that?" L asked with a smile. She felt nothing could surprise her anymore after London proposed to her and married her within a few hours.


    "It would no longer be a surprise if I let you know now ..." the man said in a serious tone.


    "You''re so bad!" grumbled L. "You shouldn''t have said anything. Now, I won''t be able to sleep because I''m so curious."


    "I can give you a little hint to help you, but I''m asking for a payment," London said in a mischievous tone.


    L frowned and looked at him suspiciously. "What do you want?"


    She saw her husband''s eyes focused on her b.r.e.a.s.ts, and his expression looked a little stupid. Subconsciously L covered her c.h.e.s.t with both hands. "Gosh .. you must be thinking dirty again about me .."


    London, who was caught red-handed, only laughed shyly and nodded. "Sorry ... it''s hard not to think dirty about my dear wife when you are here on my l.a.p."


    He slowly pulled L''s hands off her c.h.e.s.t and placed them around his neck. Now their faces were facing each other, and their lips were only inches apart.


    L closed her eyes and naturally pushed her lips to close the distance between them. When their lips met, London welcomed L''s initiative and kissed her gently. He s.u.c.k.e.d L''s lower lip and bite it gently. He then claimed her upper lip forcefully and slid inside her mouth and twisted her tongue.


    They kissed passionately for a few minutes. The girl couldn''t help but let out a s.e.xy m.o.a.n. Her voice turned the man on so quickly, he squeezed L''s long hair slowly down to her back, then groped her waist, and finally mischievously slipped under her blouse.


    Once he reached her back under her clothes, he expertly unclasped L''s bra. The beautiful pair of plump b.r.e.a.s.ts suddenly broke free for him to enjoy. London''s hands moved and traced the girl''s skin, from her back to her c.h.e.s.ts until they touched her twin peaks


    L was petite, but she had killer curves and full perky b.r.e.a.s.ts. Once London felt the softness of the two plump objects, London could not wait to see it. He really missed them.


    He let go of L''s lips and quickly stripped the girl off her blouse and bra. Now, before him, was displayed the most beautiful sight in the world. L looked shy as she saw the man looked at her body in adoration.


    She rubbed London''s head and smiled sheepishly. The man then bent down and kissed L''s neck, shoulders, nape, and went down to her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Every touch made the girl m.o.a.n and, in turn, made London more aroused.


    He groped and kneaded L''s b.r.e.a.s.ts alternately with joy. He was about to continue his action by taking off her leather skirt when L suddenly whispered between her m.o.a.n, "Honey ... mmmh.. Lily ... Lily ... ahh... still awake. Not... now ..."


    He opened his eyes and then kissed L''s lips and got her clothes off the floor. He helped L get dressed before standing up and approaching Lily.


    "Lily Honey ... Please, go to sleep quickly. I''ll read you a bedtime story ..."


    L just giggled softly at that. She saw London lift Lily up and carry her. The man then took a children''s book from the cabinet and sat on a large sofa. He then placed Lily on his c.h.e.s.t and began to read her a short story. London tried to be patient and wait until their baby was sleepy and finally slept.


    After fifteen minutes and his attempt failed, he turned to L with a pleading look. "Can you sing for her? Lily will definitely fall asleep quickly if you sing her a lullaby ..."


    L nodded. "It''s possible. But I am asking for a payment," L replied, copying what London just said to her earlier.


    The man was stunned for a moment when he heard L''s words, and then he laughed. L had just used his words against him.


    "Hmm .. okay. What do you want?" said London finally.


    L smiled triumphantly. "I want to know what surprise you prepared for me tomorrow."


    London laughed inwardly. He was going to tell his surprise to L in return for them having s.e.x tonight because he already missed her body so very much. But they can''t do it because Lily wasn''t asleep yet.


    So, in the end, wouldn''t London actually be the only one to gain benefit?


    Ha ha ha ... L''s innocence made him very amused and happy at the same time. Ah ... apparently, there were some more advantages in having a young wife who was so innocent like L, he thought.


    London just kept all these thoughts in his heart. He kept a serious face as he nodded in agreement.


    "Alright ... I''ll tell you about it as soon as you sing Lily to sleep."


    L nodded and began singing. Her beautiful voice was like the sound of sirens. It immediately filled their living room and left a look of admiration on the man''s face and the baby he was holding. They both were L''s number one fans, and they really liked her voice.

 Chapter 819 - Londons Surprise For L

    Sure enough, not long after L started singing, Lily went to sleep. Once Lily was really asleep, London carefully laid his child in a baby cot in the master bedroom. After making sure everything was well, he immediately pulled L to the bed and collected his payment.


    "Ssshh ... you haven''t paid me for singing Lily to sleep," L said, holding the man''s c.h.e.s.t with her tiny hand. "What surprise did you prepare for me tomorrow?"


    London, who was pressing L''s body under his, and was ready to undress her for the second time, sighed for a moment before finally answering. "I bought you a house."


    "Oh ..." L was stunned to hear that. "Really? But we already have a house in Grunewald."


    Inwardly, L realized that their house in Grunewald was actually quite simple for someone like London Schneider. His parents'' mansion and his own penthouse in St. Laurent building showed the type of residence he was used to staying. They both were so much bigger and more luxurious than the house in Grunewald.


    Did London want to give her a new home as luxurious as the Schneider family mansion?


    "That''s not necessary," L said, shaking her head. "The house we have right now is pretty nice. After all, you said yourself, a home is not the house, but the people we love."


    London cupped L''s face with his hands then kissed the girl''s lips tenderly.


    "This house is special ..." he said in a soft voice. "You will love it."


    Finally, L nodded. She wanted to know what kind of house her husband had prepared for her and Lily. "Alright, then .. Thank you."


    L kissed London as a token of appreciation for the gift, even though she had not seen what kind of house London had got for her. The man welcomed L''s initiative with a happy heart and responded more intimately.


    Finally ... they were truly together after going through various ups and downs in their relationship.


    "Honey ..." whispered London, biting the girl''s neck softly. "I don''t mind being your kept man, but you have to announce to the public that you are married. I could die of jealousy if Kitaro and all those men continue to chase you ..."


    "Mmmm ..." L nodded. She rubbed her husband''s head and looked at him lovingly. "I will do it..."


    Of course, she would be happy to do it. Announcing her marriage will be good to reduce the adverse effects caused by the past gossips. Her career could still be salvageable, thought L.


    She was grateful for London''s understanding that he did not demand her to announce his identity as L''s husband. As someone who liked privacy, L still hoped she would be able to protect her private life from the public spotlight as much as possible. This agreement would not harm them at all.


    That night, L and London finally made love as a married couple, after the umpteenth proposal and a failed wedding plan. London loved L, even though, at first, the girl came across as very annoying and she hid many secrets and grudges. He never turned his hear to another woman and adored L with all his heart.


    L, who had been living alone for so many years and had never experienced family affection since her parents and brother were killed, was slowly touched by London''s sincerity and love. She was moved by how hard the man tried to break in, to win her heart.


    Now for L, wealth and revenge were not important anymore. She only thought about how her life with her husband and baby going forward.


    "Honey ..." London hugged L tightly with both arms as they finally ended their i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e. "I love you."


    L curled up like a baby in his embrace and buried her head in the man''s c.h.e.s.t. "I love you, too..."


    Her voice sounded hoarse and sleepy. Not long after, she fell asleep. Her breathing became regular, and her heartbeat slowly adjusted to her husband''s heartbeat, as they finally slept in each other''s embrace.


    They both woke up when it was still 5 am. It was too early!


    Lily woke them up with her crying, complaining that she was hungry. L immediately got up and put on her robe and carried Lily to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed her. London got up and kept her company, albeit with a very sleepy face. Eventually, he fell asleep with his head on L''s l.a.p while his wife was b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily.


    Half an hour later, Lily fell asleep again after she was full. London also still slept with his head on L''s l.a.p. Finally, the girl was forced to just sit on the couch and let her husband and child rest while trying hard to resist her own drowsiness.


    When she saw Lily and London were both attached to her, L could only shake her head. She felt like she was caring for two children who consumed all her attention and energy. She thought that she was not ready to have a third child since there would be no place for anyone else in her l.a.p.


    London was right. These two humans were enough for me. I don''t want anyone else.


    L smiled as she watched Lily and London sleep peacefully.


    ***


    "Gosh... Honey, you should have woken me up, so we could take turns caring for Lily ..." London said many times when he finally woke up due to the sunlight coming through the window into their room.


    He hurriedly got up and took Lily from L''s arms. His wife looked very sleepy.


    "Hmm..." L just yawned and nodded.


    "You must be exhausted after we made love all night and..." London did not continue. His mind went back to imagining L''s beautiful body, displayed in all its glory on the bed after he stripped her of all of her clothes. The memory turned his expression subconsciously to look stupid. London was only moved when L patted his shoulder. "Oh ..that''s right. You must be tired, then you can just sleep on the way. We will go see the house I bought for you."


    L was too sleepy to ask for more details about the house, even though she was very curious.


    London bathed Lily and got his baby ready in beautiful onesie and autumn coat. He took care of their traveling essentials while L washed up and got dressed. At 8 am, they had finished a simple breakfast and went down to the parking lot and got in the car to see the house he bought for L.


    L, who was very sleepy, finally continued her sleep on the road. She comfortably closed her eyes in the car and leaned her body against London''s shoulder, which served as her pillow.


    When the car that brought them arrived at the airport, L had slept so soundly, that finally, London had to carry her out of the car and into the plane, while Marc brought Lily in her basket.


    On the plane, London carefully laid L on the bed inside the cabin and let her continue sleeping. The flight to Paris would last for an hour. He wanted L to feel refreshed when they landed.


    London hoped that when he brought L to see her childhood home that he had bought and renovated, the girl would feel delighted and excited.


    "I want to give you your parents'' home ... a place of your childhood memories. So you can remember the good memories you have with your parents and brother," London whispered quietly as he put L on the bed. He kissed L''s forehead and then sat on the couch, holding Lily and showing the various shapes of clouds to the little baby.

 Chapter 820 - In Ls Family Home

    L woke up when their plane had landed at Orly Airport, Paris. Because they were not in a hurry, London let the girl sleep until she woke up on her own. He made himself busy by working with his laptop while waiting for L to wake up, an hour after they landed.


    "Hmmm... why didn''t you wake me up?" L asked in surprise as she opened her eyes and realized she was still lying in bed inside the plane cabin.


    "You were sleeping so soundly, how could I have the heart to disturb your sleep?" London asked in return. He rubbed L''s cheek and helped her sit on the bed. "Want to go down now?"


    L nodded. She lowered her feet from the bed and London swiftly help put her shoes on. The man''s action moved L and her cheeks blushed. She didn''t know that London could spoil her even more. Inwardly, she wondered if this happened because they had ''reconciled'' and there were no longer problems between them...


    L was very grateful that she and London finally put aside their egos and chose to compromise and get married, because, after all, they loved each other.


    "Thank you ..." L smiled. London was very happy to see that L had been smiling a lot since yesterday. She remembered that this girl was very stingy with her smile. In addition to being quick-tempered and reserved, she was also not a friendly person. But now he could slowly see his wife become happier and warmer.


    "Let''s go down to the city. The house I wanted to show you is in another city, so we boarded the plane."


    London explained before L asked. He hoped L wouldn''t immediately guess that the house London wanted to show her was actually her parents'' home in Paris. L rarely went to Paris. She only came here a few times for shows. So, naturally, she didn''t really recognize the city.


    L nodded. She got off the plane in London''s arms. Marc was waiting on the runway with a car, holding the basket filled with Lily sleeping on it. They got in the car, and after everything was ready, the car drove into Paris city center.


    De Maestri''s family home was located in an apartment building in Arr 1. London deliberately bought the entire apartment building to make it easier to renovate it. The other tenants were still allowed to live in their respective units. They don''t even know that the building owner had changed.


    "You will definitely like my surprise ..." London said half-whispering.


    L nodded. She believed that whatever her husband did was nice. She had never been disappointed by that man when he intended to give L a present. Just look at their house in Grunewald, their beagle Yves, the Steinway piano in her living room ... and many more.


    "Thank you," L kissed the man''s lips and rubbed his cheek. "I am so lucky."


    "It''s a wedding gift from me ..." London continued. "I bought it a long time ago. Just waiting for the right moment to give it to you."


    L became even more impatient when she heard London''s explanation. She glanced out the car window and tried to guess where they were.


    "Gosh ...!" L immediately tilted her head to the left and covered her lips in surprise. She had seen French names on the shops and buildings outside, and soon to her left, she could see the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance. She immediately turned to London with her eyes went round. "Are we ... are we in Paris??"


    London nodded. "Correct."


    L immediately fell silent. She did not dare to ask again. She suspected that London was going to take her to her parents'' house...


    But she would be ashamed if she asked if London really bought her parents'' house, and it turned out that he was wrong. That''s why L decided to not say anything... and wait.


    London understood what L was thinking and also said nothing. He just held her hand and let her think. London did not want to ruin his own surprise.


    The car that took them finally stopped in front of a pretty apartment building on a fairly quiet street. The area looked like a nice neighborhood. There were several cafes and restaurants just down the road and a supermarket at the other end.


    Marc and a number of his men had already gotten out of their cars and secured the area before London and his little family stepped down from their car.


    As soon as L set foot in front of the apartment building, her eyes became wet and her body turned limp. Her guess was correct!


    She turned to London, who was staring at her with a wistful look. The man nodded and slowly wiped L''s tears that suddenly dripped her cheeks.


    "This ... is my parents'' house ..." L whispered in a hoarse voice.


    "That''s right... I bought this building and renovated the unit on the ground floor, where your family used to live." London pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket because the girl''s tears flowed even harder. "Let''s go in first. It''s cold out here."


    He took L with his left hand, while his right hand carried the baby basket containing Lily. Their baby just woke up and started to sulk because of the cold. Trembling, L entered the building while Marc swiftly opened the apartment door for them. After the three of them entered, the bodyguard then closed the door and took guard outside.


    L walked slowly into the living room of her beautifully renovated family home. Though the apartment was restored, they still maintained its original form. She stared at the family photo displayed on the fireplace. She could see her father, her Japanese mother, and her younger brother, who was still a baby in her mother''s l.a.p. L herself was smiling sweetly in her father''s l.a.p.


    L repeatedly rubbed her eyes with London''s handkerchief, trying to refrain from crying too poignantly. She was worried that her sadness would affect the quality of b.r.e.a.s.tmilk she produced for Lily. However, she could not hold back her sobbing in front of the fireplace as she took the photo and hug it to her c.h.e.s.t.


    "Father... Mother ..." the girl finally wailed.


    L rarely cried since she was little. She had learned that crying would not make any changes in her life. She had forced herself to be strong and tough and dedicated all her life to finding her family''s killers and getting revenge.


    Her body slumped to the floor when her strength disappeared and she was sobbing uncontrollably. London quickly approached her and stroked L''s hair lovingly.


    He knew, maybe it had been a long time since L mourned properly for her family. And now all the pain that had acc.u.mulated for years finally came out like an overflowed river.


    He let L cry until her tears dried, while steadily stroking her hair and back. When the girl''s cry finally ended, L already felt calmer. She got up and sat on the floor, hugging her knee.


    Her gaze circulated around the living room and she saw more family photos there. She also found some more items that she still remembered belonged to her father and mother. The furniture had been upgraded and they looked much nicer, but overall, L still remembered this apartment as her parents'' apartment.


    She felt sad and happy to be back in her childhood home.


    "I ... want to find out who is responsible for my family''s death..." L whispered as she looked at London with a pleading look. "I know ... I told you I want to forget my revenge ... But I can''t take it... that my parents and brother were killed just like that ... without trying to get them justice..."


    London nodded. He put Lily''s basket on the sofa then helped L sit on the sofa next to Lily.


    "I know who killed your family and what was the motive behind it ..." said the man in a soft voice.


    L looked at him fixedly.


    "Does this have anything to do with the Swann family''s inheritance?" the girl asked in a hoarse voice. She got this conjecture when she saw Danny''s murderous look after he learned that L had asked for half of the inheritance.


    London always knew L was a smart girl, so he was not surprised to find that his wife could guess that much.


    He nodded. "You are right."

 Chapter 821 - Ls Decision

    L looked at London with pursed lips trying to hold back her tears.


    "I knew it ..." the girl muttered to herself.


    "That''s why I don''t want you to accept the inheritance ..." London said softly. He tucked a strand of L''s hair behind her ear and stared at the girl with a grave look. "If you take it, it''s the same as taking blood money. Isn''t my wealth enough for you? Why would you accept pennies from other people?"


    L shook her head vigorously. "No! I can''t let Danny Swann kill my family and not get the consequences. If I can''t kill him, I''ll take all his money and make him dirt poor before sending him to prison ..."


    "Uhm .. it''s not Danny Swann ..." London said. He grabbed L''s hand and put it on his l.a.p. "But, your guess is not entirely wrong."


    "Is it not Danny Swann? Then ... who is it? Who killed my family??"


    "The person who would benefit from Danny getting all of his inheritance ..." London did not want to hide the truth from L, so he then told her about John Wendell and the assassin group he hired to do the job. He also explained about Caroline Wendell, John''s daughter, who was expected to get the Swann family''s wealth after marrying Danny. "I got this information from a trusted source."


    "Wait a minute ..." L looked at London with a glare. "That means ... when you were having lunch in London ... it wasn''t with the woman Jan set you up with?"


    London shook his head. "No. She is Caroline Wendell, the daughter of John Wendell. She was supposed to marry Danny Swann when the man gets all of his grandfather''s inheritance."


    L bit her lip while thinking carefully. She remembered how Danny told her several times that he was forced to break up with his girlfriend because he wanted to fulfill his promise to his grandfather to marry L and protect her.


    "Jerk!" L became furious. "How could he say he made a sacrifice for me by leaving the girl he loved so that he could fulfill his promise to Grandpa George to marry and look after me ..."


    Now L could see Danny''s plan to take all of his grandfather''s inheritance by persuading L to marry him. Then somehow, he would divorce L for one reason or another. Or, maybe he would resort to killing L so that he wouldn''t have any trouble to marry Caroline.


    "Vile people ..." hissed L in anger. "I really hate them ..."


    "Yes. They must be punished. I''m thinking of the right punishment for them. Right now, I want to provoke them to come, so you can meet them in person and punish everyone involved. I''m trying to find out whether Caroline and Danny are involved ..."


    London''s words made L frown.


    "Where do you plan to bring them? Berlin?"


    "That''s right. I asked Jan to hold a medical conference in Berlin and invite many hospital representatives from all over Europe, one of which is the hospital owned by the Swann family and ran by John Wendell. I accidentally met Caroline when I went to London to follow you. I thought it would be good if I approached his daughter. Everything I do is to avenge your family''s murder for you ... "


    L was touched when she heard London''s words just now. She finally understood that London actually went to England to follow her, not to date other women. And his meeting with Caroline at that time was actually unplanned.


    This fact filled her heart with warmth. "I didn''t know you really came to London to follow me ..."


    "Of course ... why else would I do that?" asked London, smiling. "Only you are important to me."


    "Thank you ..." L whispered as she wrapped her arms around her husband''s neck and kissed London''s lips gratefully. "I feel so loved. I''m really lucky to have you in my life ..."


    London returned his wife''s kiss affectionately.


    They hugged for a few minutes. L felt the burden in her c.h.e.s.t was reduced greatly. She had no idea that London had done so much for her, from buying and renovating her parents'' house as a gift to L, and even finding out who killed her family and planning revenge.


    Really, L finally felt that she was no longer alone in this world. She was able to share her burden with this man, who turned out to be so in love with her.


    After L''s feelings calmed down, they then sat down to talk about their plans for the future. After London punished John Wendell and Danny Swann, L must be able to forget her dark past and start focusing on their future together. L still wanted to take half of the Swann family''s assets to punish Danny. However, she listened to London and would not receive part of the inheritance for herself.


    "I will donate part of my inheritance to the foundations that take care of abandoned children and orphans. That way, Danny can''t enjoy the wealth that he wasn''t entitled to ... and you don''t need to feel upset because I received anything from other people..." L finally made a decision. "For me, Swann''s family assets are not important, but I only want to punish them ..."


    "Good idea. I agree ..." London nodded.


    "I want to stay here for a few days, is it OK?" L asked him. She had walked around her parents'' apartment and checked every corner. Her longing for her father and mother and brother became even greater, and now she wanted to remember them by staying in the apartment for several days.


    London nodded. "Of course you can. I will tell Marc to bring the stuff we need here. After all, this is your home, I''m glad you like it and want to stay here for a few days."


    "Thank you ..." L pondered for a moment. Then, she took her bag and pulled something out of it. She pulled London''s hand and held it tightly. Her expression became solemn as she said the next words. "Honey ... I''ve been thinking, and I finally decided to drink the immortality potion you gave me... I can''t leave you and Lily ... So I want to live as an immortal with you both."


    London was stunned by L''s words. He stared at the girl with a look of surprise and joy.


    Finally ... the long-awaited day had finally arrived. L had already made a decision, and she wanted to follow him to become an Alchemist by drinking the immortality potion given by Aldebar ...


    This means, from now on, L would be completely healthy. She would also stay young forever, like London. Their daughter would be able to enjoy living with her parents for a long time.


    And ... if they decided to have another child ... London didn''t need to worry about L''s health when she gave birth. He was terrified whenever he remembered the incident when L gave birth to Lily.


    Now there was nothing to worry about. Gosh! This is such a happy day ...!


    "Honey ... are you serious?" London looked at L with moistened eyes. He was really touched. When he saw L nod and take out the small bottle in her palm, the man was finally convinced. He smiled and nodded. "Thank God. I''m very happy."


    L smiled back. She opened the lid and slowly drank the contents. It tasted bad, and immediately her face winced. London hurriedly ran to the refrigerator and took out the juice box and poured some juice into the glass, then gave it to L.


    "Here, have a drink .." he said with a smile.


    "Thank you." L gulped down the apple juice in her glass and put it on the table. "It doesn''t taste good."


    "Haha ... well, most medicine tastes bad."


    London was really very happy, and he could not help but immediately pulled L into his arms and gave the girl a piggyback ride around the living room.


    "This is truly a happy day! You are now completely healthy, and we can live happily ever after! I can''t wait ..."


    When he finally put L back to the floor, the girl tiptoed and kissed his lips warmly.


    "Thank you ..." the girl whispered, closing her eyes. London, who saw how much L struggled because she had to tiptoe while kissing him, finally hugged her waist and raised her to his level. When their eyes met, they kissed intimately.


    Ah ... London would never complain of having a short wife like L. The sweet kiss from her pink lips was well worth it.

 Chapter 822 - Congratulations, Newlyweds!

    They stayed for several days in Paris. L really felt happy and touched because she could remember her childhood back in the house. During the first day, the girl was very quiet. London, who understood her feelings, only let L vent all her sadness and slowly let go of her parents and younger brother.


    And just like that.. time goes by. Their plan to stay for several days ended up being extended into one week. Jan understood that he must let his boss enjoy quality time with his family, so he handled all work-related stuff on London''s behalf.


    On their second day in Paris, London contacted all his family members and let them know about his marriage to L. He apologized for getting married without his family present.


    He had thought his mother and siblings would feel offended because he did not involve them in his wedding, but instead, they were happy he finally married L before they could jinx it again.


    "I am okay, as long as you are finally married for real. We can hold the reception in Stuttgart whenever you are ready," Finland said, calming her son as they spoke through the Virconnect space. "Do you want to hold the party in the spring or in summer?"


    London and L look at each other.


    "Spring might be the best. Not too long from now. The weather is also good, so we can have a garden party," said London on L''s behalf.


    "All right ... I will talk to Kara to help organize a party for you and prepare the invitations."


    Finland still looked struggling to accept the fact that two of her oldest children were now married. It felt like only yesterday she had given birth and raised them at home. Now Aleksis had four children and lived with her husband, while London had married L and had Lily.


    Hopefully, Rune didn''t have a girlfriend and wouldn''t get married quickly, like his siblings, Finland thought. She would really feel the empty nest syndrome if Rune would also leave their home. Now, he already spent a lot of time at Aldebar''s house and left Caspar and Finland alone.


    Caspar massaged his temple. He was an alchemist and accustomed to seeing his people get married after having relationsh.i.p.s for decades or even centuries. He married at the age of 438 years, and his younger brother Aldebar was now approaching the age of 250 years and still had never had a girlfriend.


    But his children ... at such a young age, had found their life partners and have children. You could say, Caspar family was very different from the other Alchemist families.


    While Finland and Caspar were overcome with nostalgic feelings when they learned that London and L were married, Aleksis was very happy to hear the news. She understood very well what it was like to get married impulsively, because that was what she had done with Alaric.


    She just prayed that her brother would be happy with L and Lily. Rune was the same. Because he was young, and in his mind, there was only research and technology, he had not thought about finding a partner, but he was happy for his siblings.


    "Your family is really fun," L commented when London disconnected their Virconnect session with Rune.


    "They are now your family too, Honey. You are not alone anymore ... you have us," said London attentively. "Oh, by the way... you haven''t met my eldest brother, right? Now I am going to contact him."


    L shook her head. She had met Aleksis in person when her sister-in-law visited Berlin. She had also met Rune, who sometimes lived in the Schneider family mansion in Grunewald. But Terry, L had never seen him.


    London pressed the Virconnect button and, a few seconds later, they could see a luxurious sitting room in a large office with a view showing the iconic New York State Empire Building in the background.


    Terry was sitting in his office chair with a bright face.


    "Hey ... congratulations, newlyweds ..." Terry said to the two.


    "Sorry, we were married so suddenly and didn''t have time to invite anyone," said London in a slightly apologetic tone. "But later, we will have the wedding reception in the spring."


    Terry nodded. "Don''t cancel it again."


    "Of course not .." said London. "We''re already married anyway."


    Terry just laughed, seeing his little brother become angry. He understood that after various failed proposals and canceled wedding plans, his younger brother really did not want to take the risk and immediately married L when he had the chance.


    He personally did not understand why Aleksis and London could be so impulsive in love. He was only 34, but Terry had never had a girlfriend. He was also not interested in having a serious relationship with anyone because he was happy with his life as a bachelor.


    "Who are you talking to?" asked Nicolae, who appeared suddenly behind Terry. The young man immediately saw London and greeted him. "Hey ... hi, how are you? How''s Lily?"


    London lifted Lily from her basket and carried his baby to show Nicolae. "Lily is healthy and happy ... As you can see, she is already so big and her body looks like a normal baby."


    Nicolae leaned in and watched Lily then nodded. "That''s right. Lily must be happy now because her parents are no longer fighting like a dog and a cat ..."


    Nicolae still remembered a month ago in Targu Mures, London was looking very depressed because of his love for L and his decision to cancel their wedding plans. Now he saw that both London and Lily looked happy and healthy.


    "Oh, by the way... meet my wife, L." London introduced L to Nicolae, who was meeting each other for the first time. He then turned to his wife. "L, this is Nicolae, Alaric''s twin brother. You know Alaric is Aleksis''s husband."


    "Hello, nice to meet you ..." L nodded politely. She whispered to her husband. "If they are twins, why don''t they look the same?"


    "They are fraternal twins," London explained,


    "Oh..."


    L looked at Terry and Nicolae attentively. Somehow she just realized that all humans from the Alchemist clan that she had met all had charming appearances. They all looked perfect. The women were very beautiful, and the men were very handsome.


    London, who saw L''s expression, could immediately read what she was thinking. And he said, "All Alchemists are handsome and beautiful. Nicolae is 105 years old, and Terry is 34, but you don''t see the age difference between the two. They both look like they are 25 years old. Later, you and I will also look young forever. We will not age, and we can be forever with our children."


    The four of them then chatted for half an hour before Terry finally ended the connection because he had to work.


    "Again, congratulations ..." he said before disappearing from the Virconnect space.

 Chapter 823 - Finding A New Apartment

    After spending one week in Paris, finally, the little family returned to Berlin. L deliberately took a break for 2 weeks after that to calm down. So many things had happened over the past few months, and she was experiencing both physical and mental exhaustion.


    "There are still some gossips circulating out there about me," the girl complained one morning, showing London her phone before he left for office.


    "Do you want to hold a press conference?" asked her husband when he heard L''s complaint.


    L''s face looked gloomy. "I don''t think I have a choice."


    "You know, you shouldn''t be sad for a long time, your b.r.e.a.s.tmilk quality will be affected. You don''t want Lily to drink low quality milk, do you?" asked London.


    L nodded. "Of course, not. I will hold a press conference, as you suggested. It''s time to kill all the false rumors out there."


    "All right. Do you need my help?" asked London attentively.


    L shook her head. "I don''t think so. I think I can handle this on my own, together with Pammy. Besides, Brilliant Mind Media will also help me. You better not get involved, so your reputation won''t be tarnished as well."


    "All right, then. Good luck," London said, kissing L on the forehead and then leaving for the office.


    The medical conference they prepared would take place in three days, and London couldn''t wait to see John Wendell in person and make him pay for his actions.


    London was just about to ask for conference developments to Jan when suddenly a text from Caroline entered his cellphone.


    Ah, he remembered giving his personal contact details to her to make her feel that London Schneider was interested in her.


    [Good morning, Mr. Schneider. It''s me, Caroline. A group of doctors from London had arrived last night to attend the conference. I want to take you up on your promise to take me around Berlin. Does the offer still stand?]


    London examined the contents of the text. He smiled faintly as he read it. He casually wrote a reply to Caroline.


    [Of course. I''ll be busy all day, though. Do you have time for dinner tomorrow?]


    Five minutes later, there was a reply from Caroline.


    [Just a moment, I''ll ask my assistant, where is the best place for dinner.] London wrote back to her.


    He then called Jan to come to his office to discuss John Wendell and his daughter.


    "Jan, they eat the bait. I will contact Mischa to help me bring the assassin group here. John Wendell will pay for his sins," London said with a serious expression to Jan after his assistant arrived in his room. "In the meantime, please prepare a dinner date at a nice place for Caroline and me tomorrow night."


    "Yes, Sir. I think we could use the Rockstar restaurant. It''s where you had your date with Miss Sarah."


    "That''s fine," said London, nodding in agreement. "Oh, by the way, please check with Brilliant Mind Media whether they will hold a press conference for L or not."


    Jan nodded. "I just got important news. Brilliant Mind Media needs to immediately hold a press conference because Danny Swann is spreading a nasty rumor."


    London frowned in surprise. "What did he do now?"


    "Ahem ... he spread the word through his lawyer, that he and Miss L have been engaged since childhood and they have been married secretly. He also claimed Miss L''s baby as his own."


    "What did you say??" Jan''s words just now immediately angered London. "What did the jerk say?? How dare he claimed my wife and child."


    "It seems like he would do whatever it takes to keep all his inheritance and not share it with Miss L," Jan said. "He preferred to fake his marriage with Miss L."


    London pursed his lips furiously. For some people, wealth was apparently more important than self-respect and honesty. People like Danny Swann were willing to lie to keep some money, which he wasn''t even entitled to.


    "He doesn''t know Miss L is married. It looks like he thinks the gossip is true ... that Miss L is a cheap artist who would sleep with wealthy men in the entertainment industry," Jan added. He smiled to himself at the thought of Danny''s face when he later learned the truth. "Well ... what is clear is that Miss L and the public relations team from Brilliant Mind Media will hold a press conference later this afternoon at the BMM building. They will set the record straight."


    London thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "All right. We''ll take care of it one by one. L''s press conference, then John Wendell and his daughter, then finally I''ll take care of Danny Swann myself."


    "All right, Sir." Jan nodded. "Then, I''ll take care of the medical conference this weekend. You just let me know if you need anything."


    "Thank you, Jan." Before Jan came out of his room, London suddenly remembered something and he called his assistant. "Oh, by the way, Jan... there is one more thing."


    Jan turned and looked at his boss in surprise. "Is there anything else, Sir?"


    "Uhm .. because of me, your vacation was canceled again." London looked guilty when he said his words. "I promise, as soon as the whole problem with the Swann family is over, you can take a vacation for a month. I will not bother you. You can go to Bali, or wherever, up to you, to spend the rest of winter. Look for girls to date, go on a vacation. I will bear all the costs."


    Jan was amazed to hear his boss'' sincerity. The pale man only smiled faintly and nodded. "We''ll take care of everything, Sir. Holidays can wait."


    "OK." London then let him leave.


    "Over my dead body, Terry," London muttered. He would never let Jan go over to his brother.


    ***


    In New York, Terry sneezed and blamed the bad weather in winter. Nicolae, who was driving, just smiled at him.


    "Someone must be talking about you," commented the man.


    Terry just shrugged, smiling arrogantly.


    "Of course, I am the upper-class girls'' favorite subject. It happens all the time," he replied casually. "Well, how do you feel about starting a new life as an ordinary person? Are you happy or what?"


    Nicolae put the brake on the car because of red light and seemed to ponder for a moment. "Not bad. I think I do need a new atmosphere. Teaching on campus is an interesting choice. I can interact with many people. I feel that I really need it right now."


    "You used to be a teaching assistant back in uni, didn''t you? Get ready to have all the students ogle at you again ..." Terry said with a laugh. He then patted Nicolae on the shoulder, giving a signal that he drove his car because the traffic lights already turned to green. "Go."


    Nicolae nodded and pressed gas, resuming their journey.


    Over the past month, Nicolae had changed his identity and decided to work as a lecturer at a university to get a new atmosphere. He still lived in Terry''s home until he could find an apartment in New York that suited him.


    This morning, the two of them were going around to see some apartment units on his shortlist. Because Terry had lived in the city long enough, he deliberately took time out of the office and accompanied Nicolae to choose his new place of residence.


    "In the next listing, the neighborhood was quite good. If your children come to visit, I am sure they will like it. You can reach Central Park on foot from that location," Terry commented while observing the details on the apartment listing they would visit next.


    "That''s good." Nicolae was glad to hear that. "I don''t need a fancy place, but it must be suitable for children to live in."


    Although he had returned Altair and Vega to their parents, Alaric and Aleksis had promised to send the twins to visit Nicolae from time to time. That was why the man was still always considering his two children in finding a new place to live.

 Chapter 824 - The Press Conference

    The Brilliant Mind Media building was already full of journalists for L''s press conference. This was the first time the girl had opened up to respond to all the rumors that had been attacking her so far.


    Usually, L was always closed and kept her private life private. She never wanted to refute nor confirm any gossip circulating about her. This made many people very curious. Now, they wanted to know what L had to say in response to the latest scandal that she was married to her childhood fiance and had a child with him.


    The press conference was also broadcasted live through the Virconnect space. Since L was a Virconnect ambassador, the event caught the attention of many users. They already knew that all the artists representing Virconnect were famous artists with a good reputation, so this scandal made them wonder whether L will lose her contract or not.


    "Everyone, welcome. Thank you for taking the time to listen to what we have to say about the scandal that recently circulated regarding our very important artist." Patricia Loew, Public Relations Director for Brilliant Mind Media, raised her hand and gave a signal to the audience to be quiet because she was about to start the press conference. "I''ll give Pammy the time to discuss the most recent scandal, and then we will hear L''s response directly."


    Everyone present suddenly became quiet and focused on the table in front where Patricia Loew, Pammy, L, and two male members of Brilliant Mind Media''s top management were sitting.


    "Thank you, Patricia. I''ll just start and discuss it quickly because, from the beginning, L didn''t consider those rumors important. Okay ..." Pammy glanced at L. After seeing L nodded in agreement, Pammy took out her tablet and checked the list of gossips circulating online about L. "Let''s discuss the first rumor. L is rumored to be in contact with many men. L, is that true?"


    L shook her head. "No. I''m still very young and have never been in a relationship with anyone ... until last year."


    Instantly the atmosphere turn buzzing with people talking with each other. L indirectly said that since last year she had been in contact with a man. But who? The girl had never openly acknowledged being in a relationship with anyone.


    "All right. Now, the second rumor. You were said to be in a relationship with Kitaro from the Rainfall band. How do you respond to it?" Pammy asked again, reading the second gossip on her tablet.


    L shook her head again. "Kitaro is a good friend of mine. We have worked a lot together, making music. A few months ago, we also toured together because I opened for their concerts in Europe. Kitaro is a very good person, and he doesn''t deserve to be involved in a cheap gossip that would ruin his name."


    The girl''s eyes glared as she looked at the camera. "Kitaro, I''m sorry. You became involved in this gossip."


    The audience was buzzing again. This second rumor was also denied by L. Then, who was the man that she claimed to have a relationship with since last year? They couldn''t wait to hear the answer.


    London, who had just arrived at the Brilliant Mind Media building, rushed into the press conference room and slipped in between the crowds near the door. He watched L''s expression almost without blinking. His wife looked exhausted and London understood how the quiet and introverted girl most hated crowds, especially people who were hungry for gossip about her.


    He understood why L always strictly kept her private life private and never responded to any gossip before. If it wasn''t for that, London would have gone forward and admitted to the world that L was his wife. However, he could only stand behind and provide support from afar.


    He could imagine the uproar if they found out she was married to London Schneider. All her achievements and talents would be buried under the shadows of Schneider family''s name because people would think she could be who she was now thanks to the support of her husband.


    "Alright ... is that clear? Now, let''s move on to go to the next gossip." Pammy continued reading from her tablet. "L was rumored to be pregnant and give birth a few months ago. Is that true?"


    She turned to L, who looked at all the journalists and nodded firmly.


    "That''s right, and I''ve confirmed this to Masawe Richards from Luxe Magazine."


    Again there was a commotion among the audience. Many people raised their hands to ask this clarification further, but Patricia Loew had firmly raised her hand again and asked everyone to be quiet.


    "Be patient. L will answer everything one by one," she said.


    The audience returned to order. Before Pammy continue reading the next points on her tablet, L touched her hand and gave a signal to Pammy to let L talk more.


    "I want to emphasize that it is not gossip, but the truth. I am married and we have a child who is very precious to me. I do not want to disclose their identities to the public because I want to protect them from becoming the target of gossip and abuse from gossip chasers like you, like what you did to me."


    The girl spoke in her melodious voice and managed to amaze everyone to listen without interrupting her. "I don''t know who spread the gossip, but I hope the news about my husband and child stops here. You just need to know that we love each other and are very happy."


    As she said in her last sentence, L''s gaze collided with London''s. The man was standing at the end of the room, looking at her with a smiling, loving face. Subconsciously, a smile appeared on the girl''s lips and her face flushed red as London mouthed the words ''I love you''.


    This moment was captured by many cameras. Because L rarely smiled, except when she appeared for work, so many journalists called her Snow White, because of her cold attitude. Sometimes, she also came across as unfriendly.


    Some sharp journalists immediately followed L''s gaze and looked back, but they did not see anyone. London had slipped out quickly.


    Only Patricia Loew could see his figure behind the journalists and the woman''s eyes went round in surprise. She glanced at L and was stunned to see the girl smile towards the mysterious, handsome young man just now. When Patricia turned back toward the door, London Schneider had disappeared.


    "Well, the next rumor that L wants to respond to is about a one-sided claim from someone who said to be L''s fianc¨¦ since childhood and is now her husband." Pammy had returned to her tablet and read the next point.


    This time L shook her head. "That''s not true. I can make sure that Daniel Swann is a wicked liar."


    Again, there was a commotion among the journalists. L was firm and instead looked very annoyed, by this last gossip.


    So, L claimed to be married and have a child at a very young age, but not to Daniel Swann?


    Then why would a wealthy and respected young man like Daniel Swann spread the lie? Is he a fan who was obsessed too much?


    "Danny''s grandfather made a will that his grandson must marry me so that he could get all the inheritance from his grandfather, George Swann. This is George Swann''s payback to my grandfather, for saving his life once. The will says that if I refused to marry his grandson, then George Swann will give me half of his inheritance to return the favor."


    L look pursed her lips when talking about Danny Swann. "Danny tried everything he could to not lose half of his grandfather''s assets, including by lying and faking my marriage with him. To be honest, I have nothing to do with Danny Swann."

 Chapter 825 - I Love You, Husband

    L''s explanation made the journalists immediately understand what really happened. Now they could see the evil intentions behind the gossip spread by Danny Swann. They did not think that a young man from a wealthy and respectable family like himself could do such a shameful thing.


    After L finished making her statement, Pammy nodded towards a Briliant Mind Media staff member. Suddenly the screen next to them was turned on, and they could see several pictures showing a copy of George Swann''s will mentioned earlier by L.


    The pictures soon spread on the internet, and news about the feud between L and Danny Swann instantly became trending news on Splitz.


    Pammy and L continued to discuss some other gossips circulating about the girl. They responded to five more gossips. The big ones got confirmation and answers directly from L''s lips so that the journalists were satisfied.


    This press conference was a rare event. The journalists believed that the superstar would never do it again in the near future. So, they took advantage of this moment by taking as much news material as possible from her.


    When Pammy finished addressing the gossips point-by-point gossip and L responded personally, they held a question and answer session. In this session, journalists may ask questions but were limited to 5 people.


    They immediately scrambled to raise their hands to be given the opportunity to ask questions. L, Pammy, and Patricia each chose 1 journalist and two Brilliant Mind Media directors who sat next to L chose the two other.


    All questions and answers were listened carefully by the journalists present and also the fans who were watching the program directly from their Virconnect space. Many misunderstandings and rumors that have tarnished L''s reputation were finally cleared up.


    [Are you done, Honey?] London sent an SMS to L when the press conference ended. [I''m waiting for you in the parking lot in front of the building.]


    L smiled slightly as she read the text and rushed to the building courtyard. Once she was out of the lobby, L had seen the luxury Mercedes used by London Schneider, driven by his bodyguard Marc.


    Marc immediately got out of the car to welcome L and opened the back passenger door for her. The girl went inside and found London Schneider sitting waiting for her with a smiling face.


    "Come here," London told L. "You look so tired."


    L nodded slowly, burying her head in her husband''s c.h.e.s.t then took a deep breath.


    "I don''t know why working as an artist has to involve this type of activities. So tiring ..."


    London rubbed his wife''s head affectionately.


    "That''s the way it is. As an artist, you belong to the public. They just want to know what happened to you. It''s not always for bad reasons, really. I''m sure people who support you and like you, want to see you happy. That''s why they need to know that you are doing fine."


    "Hmm ..." L didn''t argue.


    "In my opinion, you can allocate a little time to your fans. At least once a month, have a session to meet your fans virtually and tell them how you are doing, what keeps you busy, things that make you happy, things that make you sad. Such a relationship is important for fans.


    If you cover up the rest, they will understand that you need privacy. But if you don''t give people even the slightest chance to get to know you... then it will be difficult for them to like you and your arts. At least, that''s what I learned from Auntie Billie Yves."


    L raised her face and looked at London when she heard her husband mention her idol.


    "If I could meet Billie Yves, I would love to talk to her and share. I would like to hear her experiences and what she thinks about such things," said the girl.


    London just remembered that L was a big fan of Billie Yves. He felt guilty when he thought about it. Supposedly, if their wedding plans were not canceled, Billie Yves would come to their wedding and sing for them.


    However, all their plans failed because he made the rash decision to cancel the wedding plans. Now, he and L were married out of impulse. Inwardly, he was determined to compensate it by holding a very festive wedding party for L. He would invite Billie Yves to the wedding so that his wife could finally meet her idol.


    "We will invite Aunt Billie on our wedding reception this spring," he whispered. L''s face immediately lit up.


    "Is it true?" She asked enthusiastically. "You''re not going to cancel it again?"


    Her voice turned a little sarcastic, and London could only shake his head. He knew for some time to come, he must hold back and accept L allusions about the past wedding cancellation every now and then. No matter what, L was still young, and sometimes she would act childishly. Plus, he had to accept the fact that women never forget.


    After all, he was the one at fault. He should not have impulsively made a one-sided decision just because he was jealous of Kitaro.


    "How could I cancel our wedding?" asked London without the slightest annoyance. "We are already married. You are my wife, now and forever."


    L smiled and looked at him with a pair of glittering eyes. She touched London''s lips with her index finger and pushed it open a little, then slowly leaned forward and took the initiative to kiss her husband.


    London, who did not expect to get a kiss after L''s sarcasm, was super happy. He realized that L kissed him because London was not offended after she chided him. The girl could see maturity in his attitude and showed her appreciation for it.


    They kissed for a few minutes, and the atmosphere in the back seat immediately turned l.u.s.tful. Marc, who was in the driver''s seat, knowingly pressed the button to raise the divider between the driver''s seat and the passenger''s in the backseat.


    Ten minutes later, they both reluctantly let go. London and L''s faces flushed red as both smiled at each other.


    "Uhm .. I want to do something," whispered L. He tapped the divider between their seat and the driver. Marc immediately lowered the divider. "Marc ... please take a picture of us ..."


    She handed her cellphone to Marc. The man nodded and immediately accepted it. When he pointed the camera at L and London, the girl moved to kiss her husband and positioned herself in a way that her body covered the man''s face.


    Marc tried to hold his cough and took their photo, then handed the cellphone back to L.


    "Thank you, Marc."


    L received her cellphone and immediately checked the results. The angle allowed the people who were looking at the photo to see L''s face from the side, but they would not be able to see the face of the man she was kissing.


    [I love you, Husband.]


    The intimate photo was posted with the caption, "I love you, Husband."


    London, who just realized what L was doing, was very happy.


    Finally, this girl announced to the world that she already had a husband whom she loved very much. And London strongly agreed because L was still keeping his identity a secret. Their lives together would not become public consumption.


    In mere minutes, L''s post immediately garnered tens of thousands of likes and comments.

 Chapter 826 - Londons Plan

    After the press conference ended, slowly, all the bad gossips circulating about L began to subside. London was very happy to see that L was no longer bothered by the news coverages that cornered her.


    "Honey, I won''t eat dinner at home tonight, okay," London said that morning before leaving for the office. "You and Lily will join my family for dinner at my parents'' house next door. My mother and father returned to Berlin today, and they would love to see you."


    L, who was b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily in their living room, looked up in surprise.


    "Why don''t you eat with us? Do you have work tonight?" she asked.


    London nodded. "You could say this is work, but it''s not related to my company. Do you remember I told you that the death of your parents and brother had something to do with the Swann family''s inheritance?"


    L nodded. Her brows furrowed, and her expression seemed to be filled with sadness again. "I still remember."


    "I haven''t told you the details. I have met Mischa. He is my brother in-law''s former right hand who has deep connections in the underworld. He managed to find the assassin group responsible for your family''s death." London spoke cautiously because he knew how s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e this issue was to L.


    Sure enough, L''s face was soon filled with fury. Even though L was determined to let go of her grudge, instinctively, it was not easy to do.


    "Wait a minute, I want to show you something. Maybe you should put Lily in the room first. What I''m about to show you is quite distressing."


    L then went back to the living room and sat next to London. "What do you want to show me?"


    London took out his tablet. He then played the video that Mischa was showing him. It was the recording of when Mischa caught and tortured one of the assassins responsible for killing the De Maestri family. He interrogated the killer and extracted the information about who was behind the murder.


    L watched the video with blazing eyes. When L''s gaze was fixed on the screen of his tablet, London actually watched L''s face. He saw sadness filling the girl''s face.


    L was silent for a few moments after the video was finished. She was too emotional to be able to say anything. She now knew what happened and drew conclusions.


    "That means they have been planning this for a long time," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Oh, Father ... Mother, I don''t mind not getting one cent from George Swann''s inheritance... as long as you both can live. All the money in this world means nothing without you."


    Tears flooded her face again as she finally broke down and cry. "I just want you back ... I just want you to live ..."


    London became very moved and sad. He pulled L to his c.h.e.s.t and stroked her hair to calm her.


    "I know ... Wise men said money is the root of all evil. Because of wealth, John Wendell did a heinous crime to your family. I promise I will not let him get away with it," whispered London, trying to coax L who was hysterical.


    L raised her face and looked at London with a questioning expression.


    "What will you do?" asked the girl.


    "I''m going to have dinner with Caroline Wendell, his daughter. Caroline was Danny Swann''s girlfriend for a long time. I believe once Danny Swann manages to get all his inheritance, he intends to get rid of you and marry Caroline." London explained. "I will make Caroline leave him."


    L was very smart, and she quickly understood what her husband wanted to do. Finally, L nodded. She could have guessed that London would intentionally have dinner with Caroline and pretend to be interested in her.


    When she realized that London was far wealthier than Danny Swann, Caroline and her father would change their targets, it was no longer Danny Swann, but London Schneider.


    "All right, I understand. Is she the woman you had lunch with in London?" asked L.


    Her husband nodded. He touched L''s cheek and talked to her gently, "I''m only doing this for your sake."


    L nodded and finally smiled a little.


    "I know ... thank you." She then kissed her husband''s lips and broke free from his arms. "I look forward to hearing from you."


    "All right. Then I''ll go to the office now. I''ll call you later and keep you updated."


    London hugged and kissed L before finally leaving for Schneider Tower. Today, he had so many things to resolve. Tomorrow, the medical conference will start. They would throw a gala dinner to host the conference participants and speakers. He would also meet Caroline Wendell for dinner tonight.


    Before lunch, Jan went into London''s office and reported the progress. He also brought additional news that Danny Swann had come to Berlin.


    "Do you know why he came here?" asked London in surprise. "Shouldn''t he be too ashamed to show his face in public after L''s press conference yesterday? Everyone already knows who he really is: a liar, who will resort to dirty tricks and wicked schemes to take the part of the inheritance that doesn''t belong to him."


    Jan just shrugged. "Maybe he wants to be with his girlfriend?"


    Jan''s words made London think again. Caroline and Danny had been in a relationship for a long time. They were childhood friends, and they also study together in university.


    He knew, it might not be so easy for him to make Caroline leave Danny Swann, unless he, London Schneider, acted a little bit more aggressively.


    He opened his cellphone and looked for Caroline''s number. He will take drastic action.


    After only two rings, he could hear Caroline''s crisp voice on the other end of the line.


    "Hello, Caroline. How are you doing today? Did you sleep well?"


    Jan could only roll his eyes when he heard London suddenly sound like a playboy talking all sweet talks to charm a woman. Yikes... I have never even seen him asking the missus if she slept well, Jan muttered silently.


    "Hi, Mr. Schneider. I''m fine. My sleep was great. How are you?" Caroline''s reply sounded enthusiastic. "Shall we have dinner today?"


    "Yes. But I''ve got a change of plan. I want to invite you to eat in my penthouse in the St. Laurent Hotel Building," London said later.


    Jan widened his eyes. He did not understand this. Didn''t London ask him to arrange dinner at Rockstar Restaurant, like his date with Sarah Londonderry? Why was he suddenly moving it to the penthouse now?


    "Ah ... penthouse?" Caroline sounded impressed. "Wow ... of course. I''ll be there. What time?"


    "As usual. 6 PM? So we have more time to get to know each other. I''ll send a driver to pick you up. See you later."


    "Thank you. I''m very happy. See you soon."


    When the call was disconnected, and London put the phone back in his desk, he turned to Jan and explained his plan.


    "I decided to act a little aggressive. By showing off a little bit of my wealth, I wanted to make Caroline see that I am SO MUCH WEALTHIER than Danny Swann. She would think that I am interested in her. I would make her cut ties with the ugly duck and separate them. Once they fight, Caroline will come to me and think I want her ..." A smirk was etched on his face when he imagined Caroline thinking he could be attracted to a materialistic girl like her.

 Chapter 827 - Carolines Delusion

    Meanwhile, in a luxury suite in a downtown hotel, Caroline Wendell hung up the phone and then stored her cellphone in her bag. Her face gave a faint smile.


    ''This is a very good development,'' Caroline thought to herself. The slight curve on her beautiful face slowly grew into a broad smile, and her eyes flashed with satisfaction.


    "Who called you?" someone asked her.


    Soon, a man came out of the bedroom. Caroline turned to the man and shrugged. Danny Swann seemed he just woke up, and his face still looked sleepy. The man insisted on going with Caroline to Berlin even though she had tried to find an excuse so that Danny would not go.


    Last night she also couldn''t send Danny away, and they spent the night together. Danny woke up late, and his mood didn''t look too good.


    "Nobody. I just made an appointment to see my friend in Berlin." Finally, Caroline answered in a flat tone.


    "Your friend? Which friend?" Danny asked in a probing tone.


    Caroline looked at him sharply. "You can''t possibly know every single friend I have, right? You don''t know this one."


    "What''s up with that tone?" Danny frowned in surprise. "Of course, I''m asking you because we''re childhood friends. I know all of your friends. If you suddenly want to meet other people here, then it''s only natural that I will ask questions."


    The man looked offended. Caroline then waved her hand to calm him down. She knew now was not the right time to fight with Danny. She changed her tone and spoke more gently.


    "Honey, this is only a girls'' stuff. You don''t need to know the details. It''s boring. I also have to meet with my father to discuss his presentation tomorrow at the conference." She approached Danny Swann and hugged his neck to coax the man. "Didn''t you also want to meet with a lawyer to take care of your grandfather''s will?"


    Danny looked at Caroline with an annoyed expression, but finally, he just nodded.


    "Yes," he answered in a flat voice.


    "You know what my father thinks, right? He won''t give us his blessings if you can''t secure your inheritance. Don''t blame me if Dad won''t want to see you."


    When he heard Caroline''s words, Danny frowned in annoyance, but he knew that he had no choice. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he nodded. "I''ll take care of that now."


    Caroline looked at Danny Swann with narrowed eyes. She could see a dangerous glint in the man''s eyes.


    Caroline knew that over the past few weeks, Danny had tried so many ways to get all his grandfather''s inheritance for himself. He had mobilized all his family lawyers, and didn''t even hesitate to use dirty methods to slander and spread lies in the media that he was married to L.


    The only way that Danny hadn''t tried was to kill. But Caroline knew him well enough. She was not sure that Danny would resort to killing a woman to secure his inheritance.


    "All right, Honey. You do what you need to do. I''ll call you later," Caroline said before kissing Danny''s lips and letting go. "I''ll get ready first."


    The girl went into the bathroom and Danny Swann was forced to take his leave because the host had subtly asked him to go.


    Inwardly, Caroline was curious to know how luxurious the man''s residence was. Caroline was not a poor girl. Her family was of noble blood, and they have many acquaintances from the upper classes. Still, Caroline knew that the Schneider family was on a completely different level from all the people she had met.


    Because of that, she really wanted to know what kind of wealth and luxury the Schneider family had. At 6 pm, the phone in the penthouse''s living room rang, and the lobby staff informed London that Caroline had arrived.


    "Please bring her upstairs. Tell her I''m waiting for her here," London said.


    "Yes, Sir. I will bring your guest soon," said the lobby staff.


    Ten minutes later, the door to the penthouse was knocked. London walked casually and opened the door for his guest.


    "Welcome, Caroline. I''m waiting for you," the young man said in a friendly voice while reaching his right arm, giving a sign for Caroline to enter.


    The girl smiled sweetly and stepped into the penthouse while looking around. She was really impressed by how spacious the place was and how luxurious it looked. She had never seen such a luxurious place of residence.


    In her heart, Caroline hoped that one day she would be able to enjoy this luxury in her life too. Ahh ... it would be really nice if London Schneider really fell in love with her.


    She would not even think twice. For her, Danny Swann was just a childhood friend who had become a lover in her youth. But the Swann family''s wealth cannot be compared to the Schneider family''s.


    "Do you want to tour this place?" London offered politely. Caroline''s eyes lit up at the offer.


    "Can I? Of course, I want to ..." the girl said excitedly.


    "Wait a minute ..." London signaled Caroline to wait for him in the living room. He pressed a button and a moment later a servant robot entered with a tray containing two glasses and a very expensive bottle of wine. London took the wine bottle and poured for each of them in two glasses. "We can walk around this place while drinking."


    "Ahh ... this is very exciting," Caroline commented. She received a glass of wine from London and sipped it with a radiant face.


    Inwardly, she suspected that the man wanted to do more than just a tour around the penthouse by giving her alcoholic drink.


    Ah ... if he wanted to have s.e.x with her, Caroline planned to play hard to get a little bit. She shouldn''t be too approachable so that this man would become curious and more eager to pursue her.


    These thoughts made Caroline feel very happy, and a smile curved upon her face. They then walked around the penthouse with wine in hand. London explained the rare artworks he had in the penthouse, who designed the place, and so many other impressive information about his private residence. Caroline had to hold her breath many times in admiration.


    In her heart, Caroline could only guess how much was the value of the penthouse and all its contents.


    Her imagination became so lively. She really wanted to be this man''s wife. She would be very proud to be part of the wealthy Schneider family.


    They then stopped in front of a luxurious infinity pool and enjoyed the wine in their glasses until they were finished. The sunset seen from the penthouse balcony at the top of the building looked very beautiful, and for a moment, both of them stood enthralled, staring at the sky.

 Chapter 828 - Dinner With Caroline

    "The view from here looked amazing," Caroline said, turning her head towards London. The man nodded and spread his arms.


    "Thank you. This is my favorite place to watch the sunset," he said, staring at Caroline.


    "Ah, thank you for sharing this beautiful view with me. I am honored," the girl replied with a big smile.


    London only shrugged at Caroline''s words. "Your smile makes this sight more beautiful."


    In his heart, the man hoped his words were sweet enough to seduce Caroline Wendell. He knew he was not good at flirting.


    All this time, he was only used to seducing L, because he truly loved his wife. But he never said those cheesy words to other women. This time he felt like he had to do it because his objective was to make Caroline think he was interested in her. He wanted to make her leave Danny Swann and break up the relationship between the Swann family and the Wendell family.


    "You are good with words," Caroline said, hiding her blushing face. She was glad that London Schneider complimented her smile. This made her convinced that the man really liked her. "I''m sure you say that to many women."


    London shook his head. "Not at all. I''m a busy man, and I don''t have time for dates. My assistant has to find nice women for me to meet from a dating website. You must find it hard to believe ..."


    "Oh.. is that so? Really? I''ve never dated anyone I met on the internet. You have to tell me about your experience ... hahaha ..." Caroline had thought London was joking, but the girl immediately saw that the young man was serious about his words. "Gosh... are you serious? Did the dates work?"


    London shook his head. "Of course not. If they worked, I wouldn''t take you to have dinner here."


    "Ah, that''s true." Caroline nodded.


    "It''s almost time for dinner. Let''s go inside. I''ve invited several world-class chefs to cook dinner for us."


    Caroline was very impressed to hear London''s words. Dinner by inviting world-class chefs to cook for them!


    Whoaaa ... only super-rich people would do something like this, she thought.


    That''s true. Five minutes later, the bell rang, and a chef with two sous chefs came in with their equipment.


    "Thank you," Caroline said admiringly. "You have successfully impressed me."


    "Wahaha ... sorry. I''m just showing off a little. I really want to impress you. I guess, mission accomplished!" said London Schneider.


    "This is too much, but thank you. I feel special," Caroline said, blushing. "You are very kind to me."


    "Actually, it''s nothing," London said again. "At first, I wanted to invite you to dinner in a fancy public place. But then I got the news that you actually already have a boyfriend. So, I feel bad that I would become a home-wrecker in your relationship because I invited you to dinner outside."


    London spoke while pouring wine to a glass and handed it to Caroline. The girl was stunned at the man''s words.


    "I don''t have a boyfriend. What are you talking about?" asked the girl in surprise.


    "Actually, when we first met in London, I was strongly attracted to you. I think you are a very attractive girl. That''s why I invited you to meet again when you came to Berlin. However, this morning I found out that you already have a boyfriend. I actually regret inviting you to have dinner with me. " London explained while sipping his wine.


    Caroline looked surprised at London''s words. She put down her glass and shook her head. "No. You must be mistaken. Actually, Danny Swann and I are old friends. That''s all. We don''t have anything to do anymore."


    "Really? So the news I heard was wrong?"


    "Yeah, it''s wrong. Actually what happened was, we once dated as teenagers. We were actually just childhood friends. Now, we have nothing to do anymore because he was forced by his grandfather to marry the daughter of his family friend." Caroline panicked a little. She didn''t want to have anything to do with Danny Swann when a man as wealthy as London Schneider showed interest in her.


    "Oh ... if I''m not mistaken, I read the news about this on the internet. Is it true that Danny Swann married the singer? What''s her name ... L, isn''t it? They were arranged for marriage by their grandfathers, right?" London asked her.


    Caroline immediately nodded.


    "That''s right. They were indeed arranged to marry. That''s why I broke up my with Daniel because he chose to marry the girl to get his inheritance. I assumed he chose money over me. So I feel like there''s no point anymore in maintaining that relationship."


    "So, are they really married now?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t want to interfere any more with his business. I have nothing to do with Daniel Swann." Caroline shrugged.


    "Really? Because if you really don''t have anything to do with Danny Swann, I won''t hesitate."


    Caroline touched London''s hand and squeezed it gently. "That''s true, I have nothing to do with him."


    "Hmm ... okay. But maybe he doesn''t know that your relationship is over. From the news I read this morning, he even came to Berlin to chase you. Maybe you''re too kind and haven''t told him that you guys are over." London pulled his hand from Caroline''s grasp and as he sported disappointed expression.


    "I''ll make sure he knows. He and I no longer have anything to do with each other." The girl finally nodded with a determined expression. "I will meet him tonight and cut ties with him."


    "Are you really going to do that?" asked London.


    "That''s right. I mean, it''s time for me to make a decision," Caroline answered.


    London nodded. "All right, then. You have to understand that people with my position cannot possibly chase women who are taken and only get their sloppy seconds. That doesn''t sit well with my family. They are quite dignified."


    Caroline smiled calmingly. She understood a man from the Schneider family was too regal to fight with other men over women. She must immediately break off her relationship with Danny Swann so that London Schneider could pursue her.


    "I understand. Don''t worry. I don''t belong to anyone. I''m very happy to be here with you." The girl then poured more wine into their empty glasses. "Can we please not talk about other people during this dinner? It feels like there is so much to know about you."


    London hid his smirk and then raised his glass to clink on Caroline''s glass.


    "All right, you made me very happy tonight. Once you make a firm decision against Danny Swann, I will not hesitate to pursue you."


    "Thank you. I will definitely take decisive action," Caroline said.


    There was relief in her tone. She was pleased to have persuaded London Schneider to stop talking about Danny. She wanted them to only focus on talking about the two of them.

 Chapter 829 - John Wendells Plan

    Caroline and London''s talk stopped because the chef had started serving food for them. It was a seven-course dinner, and each dish was served one by one. Every single one of them was prepared with the best organic ingredients by world-class chefs.


    Throughout the dinner, Caroline was truly made mesmerized by London Schneider. They talked about trivial things and didn''t mention Danny Swann at all.


    At 9 pm, when dinner was finally over, London called Marc to the penthouse and take Caroline home.


    "It was a really nice dinner tonight. I''m glad you came here. Sorry, I can''t drive you home myself. I still have some important meetings to attend. But, thank you for coming. Marc will drive you back to your hotel." London smiled and opened the door for Caroline. "When you have arrived at your hotel safely, please let me know."


    "Of course. I understand that someone like you must be very busy," Caroline said with a smile. "Thank you for getting me a driver. I''ll call you."


    As soon as Caroline left the penthouse, London immediately returned to Grunewald. He had heard that dinner between L and his family had been very pleasant.


    "How was your business? All done?" L asked as she welcomed London when the man arrived home.


    "Uh, my business''s settled. What about Lily?" London kissed L''s lips and poked his head into L''s room.


    "Lily is already asleep," L said. "I want to get her used to sleeping in her own room. I had fed her milk and lulled her to sleep. Then I let her sleep in her own bed in the nursery room."


    London was very happy to hear that. "What a great idea! I love our baby very much, but it seems we will be able to do a.d.u.l.t things freely when Lily is sleeping in her own room. You can read my mind, apparently ... hehe."


    L pinched London''s waist and chuckled when she heard her husband''s words.


    "You...! I am getting her used to sleeping in her own room to train her to be independent. It is not for us to do l.e.w.d things. You pervert..."


    London did not dodge his wife''s pinch. L was right, anyway. He always had perverted thoughts whenever he was near her. Can''t blame him, though.. L was so s.e.xy. Not his fault.


    "Can we hear Lily if she woke up in the middle of the night?" he asked her. "Is the baby monitor installed in Lily''s room?"


    "It is. If she woke up because of hunger or something else, we would be able to hear immediately," L nodded.


    "Ah .. thank God. I''m so glad to hear that. You really are the best wife and mother in the world." London lifted his wife to the air and landed another kiss on her lips. "How did dinner with my parents go?"


    "Very nice. Oh, by the way... we are invited to have dinner at their house tomorrow," answered L.


    "Hmmm, I can''t do tomorrow night." London shrugged. "Tomorrow is the opening for the medical conference organized by Jan. I will present my speech in the event. Don''t forget that you will also be performing at the gala dinner tomorrow night."


    "Oh, I thought you would cancel it for your parents."


    "If it''s another event, I might cancel it. But tomorrow''s event is quite important. So we can''t have dinner with my parents. I will tell mom to reschedule for the day after tomorrow."


    "Alright, then." L nodded. She asked to be lowered to the ground and then pulled her husband''s hand into their bedroom. "Looks like you will be very busy tomorrow. So you should get some rest soon. It''s already late."


    "Oh... that''s right. We should immediately ''get some rest'' before Lily suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night," said London, coughing a little.


    "Haishh ... I really meant to say rest, okay. There is no hidden agenda. Your mind is surely filled with dirty things," L said from the room. "Hummphh .. what are you doing ?? I''m not ready!!"


    "Wahahaha ... don''t blame me. It''s your fault for being so s.e.xy.."


    Soon, L''s incessant m.o.a.ns could be heard from inside their bedroom, accompanied by the sound of the bed creaking and two people panting.


    ***


    The next morning the long-awaited day finally arrived. London was very busy listening to various reports from Jan about the conference.


    "Sir, you will deliver the opening speech at 10 am. Then, the conference will begin. I have also prepared a luncheon with several keynote speakers, including John Wendell," Jan said after ending his report. "One more thing, I also sent a message to Danny Swann to meet Caroline at the conference. He will come after lunch."


    "Very good." London has seen John Wendell several times through photos and videos sent to him. But today would be the first opportunity for him to meet face to face with the evil man who had made L an orphan. He must be able to keep his cool and not burst in anger in front of the man.


    The medical conference held by the Schneider Group attracted the attention of many media. They sponsored this event to promote collaboration among hospitals in Europe. The Schneider Group will also give a huge contribution to child health programs, which would fund many programs in selected hospitals.


    All parties wanted to be the chosen hospital, as well as establishing good relations with Schneider Group. Therefore, there were many doctors involved in this conference, couldn''t wait to meet directly with London Schneider, who would be opening the conference.


    "Are you serious?" asked John Wendell to Caroline as they both took seats at one of the honorary tables. "If so ... you are really lucky."


    "That''s right, Father. We met again last night at his place. He was really impressive. Danny is nothing compared to London Schneider." Caroline smiled faintly as she remembered her conversation last night with London. "He had openly stated that he is interested in me. It''s just that he didn''t want to fight over women with other men. You understand, how could someone in his level compete for women? I convinced him that Danny and I are not in a relationship. "


    "Have you told Danny about it?" asked John Wendell, narrowing his eyes.


    "Not yet. But I will tell him tonight after the gala dinner is over."


    "Good. I think, he is not the right man for you. He has failed to secure his inheritance from that lowly girl. How can he take care of you ..." John nodded. "You must focus on getting Mr. Schneider''s heart. If Danny gave you trouble, Dad will take care of him."


    "Thank you, Dad..." Caroline nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 830 - Do You Want To Kill The Girl?

    Their conversation ended when several other hospital directors and representatives from the Schneider Group came to their table. The guests were immediately involved in a lively discussion related to health programs which will be presented at the conference this time.


    The event started at exactly ten o''clock and London was the honored guest to open the conference representing the Schneider Group. When London came on stage, he saw Caroline staring at him with beaming eyes.


    He easily concluded that the old man standing next to the girl was Caroline''s father. It was the man he hated so much for murdering L''s family.


    "Again, I would like thank all of you. I hope that all the speakers'' speeches and the materials presented here will bring benefit to your hospitals, and strengthen our cooperation in the future." He ended his speech and bowed slightly to all the attendees who immediately rose from their respective seats and gave him a standing applause.


    London got off the stage and was welcomed by Jan, who walked him to the table where Caroline and her father were seated.


    "Hello, good morning. I''m glad to see you here ..." London reached out and greeted John Wendell. He managed to maintain his expression to remain neutral in front of this evil man. "How''s Berlin so far? Have you explored the city?"


    Caroline smiled and stretched out her hand to greet London. "We are happy to be here. This is my father ... Father, this is Mr. London Schneider. We had dinner together last night."


    John Wendell seemed delighted to see the intimacy shown between his daughter and heir to the wealthy Schneider Group. His attitude was very friendly toward London.


    "Ah ... good morning, Mr. Schneider, I''m very pleased to meet you."


    "You''re welcome. I''m very busy today, but I hope you and your father are willing to join me for lunch this afternoon ..." London said with a smile.


    Caroline and John exchanged glances, and both nodded immediately.


    "Caroline .. !!"


    Before Caroline could answer, suddenly, a scream was heard from the hall entrance. Everyone immediately turned toward the sound. As soon as Caroline saw Danny Swann coming, her face became unhappy.


    "Father ... Danny came," the girl whispered in a faint voice. "What should I do?"


    "Let me take care of him, you just keep Mr. Schneider company," said John, patting Caroline''s shoulder. He then nodded towards London. "Uhm ... would you please excuse me, Sir. My nephew is about to make a scene. I must talk to him and instill some manners to the boy."


    London only watched as John walked away and approached Danny Swann, who looked very angry. He glanced at Jan and saw his assistant wink at him. Jan deliberately sent a messenger to Danny Swann and told him to come to the conference because his girlfriend betrayed him.


    Sure enough, Danny could easily be provoked to come here.


    From here on, London would let John Wendell take care of the young man. He had deceived Caroline and her father into thinking he was attracted to Caroline. Danny''s arrival here would only be seen as a nuisance.


    He was interested in knowing how far John would go to get rid of Danny Swann so that his daughter could marry a much wealthier man.


    "Danny .. what are you doing here?" John whispered, grabbing the man''s arm and pulling him away. "Come with me, Caroline is attending urgent business at the conference. Please, don''t bother her at this important moment."


    "But, Uncle ... I got word that Caroline is having an affair," Danny Swann''s face was filled with anger. "She didn''t answer my calls and reply to my texts ... I want to know what''s going on ..."


    "Let''s talk outside," John paid no heed to Danny''s complaint and half dragging the young man out of the hall. Once they were outside, the old man reluctantly hit Danny''s head. "You stupid boy! Did you want to embarrass my daughter in front of a lot of people? Have you gone crazy? I raised you since you were a child in your father''s place, and this is how you repay me?? I don''t need to be insulted by an insolent man like you ... Stupid boy."


    Danny Swann was able to avoid John''s beatings, but since this old man had helped raise him since he was a teenager, he was unable to retaliate. He respected John too much for raising him. Moreover, the old man was Caroline''s father, the only woman he loved.


    "I''m sorry, Uncle ..." Finally, he looked down. "I can''t lose Caroline ... She is the only woman I love in this world ..."


    "If you loved her, then you must not disappoint her. How could you want to take my child to suffer with you?" said John in an outraged voice. "You can''t even keep your inheritance. What kind of man are you?"


    "I ... I will definitely get all my inheritance, Uncle. Please give me time ..." Danny said with a plead. "I promise I will do everything ... I will definitely make Caroline happy."


    "By faking your marriage with Marianne De Maestri? How dumb! She has denied your claims with hard evidence. What else can you do? The only way you haven''t tried is to kill her. And I''m not sure you''re man enough to kill the one who is getting in the way to Caroline''s happiness." John Wendell snorted. He folded his arms across his c.h.e.s.t and seemed utterly merciless. "You''ve disappointed me."


    "I can do that," Danny said quickly. "I must kill, then I will. Uncle, you will see ..."


    John Wendell looked at Danny with narrowed eyes. He tried to judge whether the man was serious with his words or not.


    Danny Swann would kill L to get his grandfather''s inheritance? Ha. Let''s see if you will be that brave.


    "All, right. I don''t need sweet promises from your mouth. I need proof," John Wendell grabbed Danny''s shoulder and stared into his eyes. "Remember, you have to kill two people. That girl already has a child. If you only killed her, then part of her inheritance will go to her child."


    Danny was stunned. He felt very shocked because he was forced to kill not only L but also her baby who was only a few months old ...


    His face immediately turned pale and large sweat immediately ran down his forehead.


    "I ... I ..." His speech stuttered and his courage disappeared. "I can''t kill a child..."


    "Who says anything about you doing the killings," said John impatiently. "You can pay assassins to do your dirty work."


    "I ... don''t understand," Danny said, confused. "How can I find them."


    "Take it easy. As long as you really want it, I can connect you to a reliable assassin group, and you can contact them and give orders to kill the girl and her child," John said in a cold voice.


    "Wh ... why did you have contact with assassin groups like them?" Danny asked in bewilderment. He had known John Wendell and his family for a long time, but he had never suspected that the old man in front of him had contact with the underworld.


    Has ... John Wendell killed anyone before? This thought immediately stirred in Danny''s mind.


    "That''s none of your business," said John Wendell. "Now, the question is ... do you want the girl and her child die... or not?"


    After contemplating for some time, finally, Danny slowly raised his face and looked at John with determination. He then nodded.

 Chapter 831 - Tricking The Bad Guys

    John Wendell narrowed his eyes and read Danny Swann''s expression carefully. He did not expect this man would act so foolishly to get Caroline, his daughter. Ha. Indeed, people in love tend to be stupid, he thought.


    "Then, just go back to your hotel now. I will have them call you," the old man finally said.


    "Really, Uncle? They will help me?" Danny asked in a half-pleading tone. "I have no choice anymore ..."


    "Right, you can trust me," John said, patting the young man''s shoulder. "Caroline will see you once all your business is done."


    Danny Swann could only nod. He slowly turned and walked out of the conference building. John Wendell reentered the hall and met London Schneider, who was having a conversation with Caroline.


    "Forgive me for the intrusion, Sir. My nephew is a little disturbed," commented John Wendell apologetically.


    "It''s okay. I have to go anyway. Welcome to Berlin. I hope you will have a good time at the conference. I''ll be waiting for you guys to have lunch together." London nodded slightly and excused himself to the doctors around him.


    As soon as London and Jan disappeared from view, John hurriedly pulled out his cellphone and called someone. He spoke in a low voice and short words. Caroline could hear her father mention some familiar words like ''the singer'' and ''kill''.


    "Are you going to kill the singer?" Caroline asked in a whisper. "That means you will help Danny get all of his inheritance?"


    John kept his cellphone in his pocket and shook his head. His face was decorated with an evil smile.


    "No. I just used those people to get rid of Danny. As soon as the girl died, all the evidence would point Danny, and he will go to jail. We don''t have to worry about him anymore."


    Caroline gasped at her father''s words. "But ... father, he is Danny... Why do you want to send him to jail? We grow up together..."


    Suddenly she felt goosebumps when she realized that her father had the heart to destroy Danny, considering the young man was his friend''s son and Caroline''s childhood friend. Shivers went down her spine when she heard her father''s evil plan.


    "You shouldn''t interfere," John rebuked his daughter. "Your job is to do what I tell you to do. No need to think about Danny ... He is not a good man for you ..."


    Caroline was stunned and could only stand rooted in her place. She did not dare to talk back to her father.


    "Are you busy?" Mischa asked over the phone when London contacted him on the phone after getting two missed calls from the man. "Sorry, I tried calling you a few times but didn''t get any reply."


    "I was busy, but not anymore," answered London. "What important thing do you want to tell me?"


    "I just got information from the assassin group member hired by John Wendell that they had just been hired again for a mission." Mischa''s mysterious voice made London feel uneasy. "The one who hired him was Daniel Swann."


    "Do I know who the target is?" the young man asked, clenching his fist. He could guess who the next target was.


    "Your guess is right. Of course, they won''t dare to kill your wife, but there is one thing that I found to be quite interesting .." Mischa then cleared his throat before conveying the information he just received from the killer. "John gave their contact to Danny Swann so he could hire them to kill Miss De Maestri. He wants to control all of his grandfather''s inheritance. But at the same time, John Wendell paid extra to the assassins to submit all the evidence that Daniel Swann hired them to the police. "


    "What did you say? So, John Wendell himself wants to get rid of Danny Swann?" asked London in surprise. "This makes my job easier."


    He chuckled when he heard the development of this case.


    "So, what do you think?" Mischa asked.


    "Let them take care of Danny Swann, then. I''ll take care of John Wendell. I will have to have lunch with them later. Tonight, we will clear everything."


    "All right," Mischa agreed.


    "Thank you for your help, Mischa. I have no connection to the underworld at all ..." London said before hanging up. "You''re very helpful."


    Mischa smiled at London''s words. "Don''t worry about it. We''re family."


    Ah, indeed. They really are family now, thought London when he hung up the phone. Ten years ago, his family would never have thought of having close relations with people from the underworld, let alone to make them family.


    "Jan, make sure Marc and Dave keep a close eye on my wife and child, okay. I don''t want any unwanted surprises," London said, turning to his assistant. The man nodded and swiftly contacted London Schneider''s chief of security and coordinated with Marc.


    Meanwhile, London decided to contact L at home. His wife was practicing her singing, because she would appear as a special guest at the gala dinner this evening to welcome the conference participants.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" asked London in an intimate voice over the phone.


    "I am practicing my singing. What are you doing?" L replied.


    "I''m preparing a lot of things. I can''t wait to see you at the gala dinner tonight," London answered. "You must not go anywhere without Marc''s permission, okay? I need you to stay at home and only go to the gala dinner tonight with Marc or Dave together with their team."


    "Of course, I''m not stupid," L. said. "I''ll take good care of myself."


    "I am glad to hear that." London smiled to herself. "I love you, L."


    "Hmm .. I love you too."


    After hanging up, London took a deep breath. Tonight, everything would end. He would avenge L and make the people responsible for her sufferings got what they deserved.


    He had promised forgiveness to the assassin group through Mischa as long as they are willing to help him to trap John Wendell. And now they would also trap Danny Swann. The man deserved to be punished because he had the heart to kill L and Lily just for money.


    If he couldn''t hold back his rage, none of those people would be left alive.


    However, London knew killing bad people would not bring back L''s family who had passed away, and instead would make his hands dirty because their blood would be on his hands. Therefore, he was forced to back down and let the police handle their crimes.


    With a flat, emotionless face, London came to a five-star restaurant where he entertained several important doctors from the conference, including John Wendell and his daughter, Caroline. He still had to be nice to them and make them let their guard down.


    The gala dinner tonight was a really important event and everything would be revealed. He must be patient.


    "Ah ... thank you, Sir, for having us. This is a very pleasant lunch. We learned more about the various Schneider Group pharmaceutical divisions," said John Wendell in a friendly manner.


    "We started opening a pharmaceutical division after Schneider Group began collaborating with RMI on various important projects. As you know, RMI has a strong pharmaceutical division because its subsidiary invented cancer drugs," London said with a smile. "The RMI leader is my brother-in-law. Maybe you have heard about him?"


    "Gosh ... I didn''t know that the gossip is true ..." Caroline pressed her lips with shock. "I did hear that the Schneider family''s eldest daughter is married to Elios Linden of RMI. But I thought it was just gossip ..."


    "My sister Aleksis Schneider is indeed married to Elios Linden," answered London. He was pleased to see Caroline and her father''s reaction. They seemed really excited about wanting to be part of the Schneider family, considering this family''s impressive connection.


    "Whoaa.. Your family is quite imposing," Caroline said, looking in awe.


    "Ah, Caroline ... how many times have I told you. You don''t need to call me ''Sir''. Please just call me by my first name," said London, smiling.


    The girl looked down with rosy cheeks.


    "Ah ... that''s right. Alright, Mis... eh, London ..." she said softly.


    John Wendell looked at the interaction between London and his daughter with a satisfied face. He truly believed that the Schneider family heir was really into his daughter.


    Ha. What a perfect husband for my daughter, he thought, smiling faintly.

 Chapter 832 - Ls Revenge

    After the lunch was over, London Schneider excused himself to take care of various things and promised to return to meet them at the gala dinner later. He greeted all his guests and then left accompanied by Jan. John and Caroline Wendell looked at each other and smiled when they saw him leave.


    John patted his daughter''s shoulder and said, "Very good, Caroline. I am very happy to see your relationship with Mr. Schneider. He is a suitable man for you."


    "Yes, Father. I think so, too," said Caroline. "But what about Danny? Have you taken care of him?"


    John only smiled faintly at Caroline''s question. He turned to his daughter and said in a cold voice, "Of course. He won''t bother you anymore."


    Caroline could only guess what her father had planned. But she did not dare to ask. Her father could be cruel even to his own child. Because of that, she just nodded and stopped asking questions.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in a hotel in the middle of the city, Danny Swann was pacing anxiously. He kept looking at his cellphone and then took a deep breath. The news that he had been waiting for had not yet arrived.


    He had contacted the assassin group recommended by John Wendell. They said they would contact him directly, but after waiting for hours, he still had not heard from him. His heart began to feel doubtful.


    RING


    RING


    Suddenly his cellphone rang. Anxiously and hurriedly, Danny immediately picked up and spoke, "Hello?"


    There was a cold voice on the other end of the phone.


    "We can do this job immediately. You must send the money according to the instructions I will give you shortly. You have half an hour to do it. Otherwise, there will be no deal."


    Danny nodded and quickly replied, "Fine, I understand. Anyway, I want the girl to die as soon as possible."


    "Take it easy, we are professionals. We can do that," said the man on the other end of the phone. He laughed insultingly and immediately hung up.


    Not long after, Danny noticed that there were several incoming messages giving instructions on how to pay for the hitman services recommended by John Wendell. He looked carefully at the instructions and then immediately moved out of his hotel room to make payment.


    Everything that transpired didn''t fall under London''s radar. He had put several people in charge of watching Danny Swann in his hotel and also John Wendell and Caroline in the conference hall.


    He did not want to miss even the slightest info. At 3 pm, he got a call from Mischa, who informed him that the assassin group had received a contract from Danny Swann.


    "The man has paid in advance, just as they asked. Now everything is in our hands. When do you want to get them?" Mischa asked.


    "As soon as possible, we can settle everything tonight," answered London. He was satisfied because everything he planned was going well.


    "Of course. Oh, by the way... I promised the group forgiveness if they worked together with us to punish the mastermind responsible for the murder of the De Maestri family before the law. But, again, this is up to you. I don''t mind if I have to dirty my hands and kill them, "Mischa said with a chuckle.


    London was distracted by the man''s offer. He knew Mischa wasn''t joking. This made London think deep down. He did not know whether he would be able to dirty the hands of others to avenge the death of L''s family, or he would let the law punish them.


    Finally, he could only sigh.


    "I can''t decide for myself," he said to Mischa. "I will ask my wife. After all, it was her family who was killed, and she held a grudge to the killers."


    Mischa understood what London meant. He calmly replied, "Of course. Just let me know what you want. As soon as possible, so that I can immediately take the necessary action."


    "Thank you," said London. After hanging up the call from Mischa, he contacted his wife. L had just finished nursing Lily and was playing with her baby in the her basket while humming.


    "Hello, Honey. How was your day?" L asked in a sweet voice.


    London then told L what happened. L was almost hysterical when she learned that Danny Swann really wanted to kill her.


    "Oh my God, is Danny really going to kill me ?? I had a bad feeling the last time I saw him. I could feel killing intent coming out of him when we met the last time, but I didn''t expect he would actually proceed ..." L had to press her own c.h.e.s.t to calm down. She really felt devastated. "How could anyone be so evil? I don''t understand ..."


    "Honey, I know there are bad people are everywhere and we can''t understand their point of view. However, you''re safe. My people will always protect you." London immediately calmed L down so that she would get hysterical. He also needed to ask what L thought about Mischa''s offer. "I need your opinion to know what you want because John Wendell hired assassins to kill your family twelve years ago. Currently, the assassin group is working with Mischa to trap John Wendell and Danny Swann. Mischa promised forgiveness to them, provided the mastermind behind your family''s murder could be brought before the law to get their punishment."


    He paused to hear L''s opinion, but the girl remained silent, waiting for him to finish speaking. The young man continued his words very carefully. "If you also hold grudges against those who take your parents'' lives, they are the ones who shoot the guns at your father, mother, and younger brother, then Mischa will not hesitate to kill them. The decision is yours, Dear."


    L was stunned to hear London''s words. She recalled the video she saw when Mischa tortured a member of the assassin group to get information about who was behind her family''s murder.


    "I don''t want to have more enemies," L finally said. "They just did it as a job. Those people don''t have personal grudges against my family."


    "Then, do you want to forgive them?" asked London.


    "I don''t want others to get their hands dirty with the blood of my family''s killers," L later said.


    "I understand," London answered softly.


    The woman had been possessed by a grudge for a dozen years. But after having Lily in her life, the girl changed her mind and slowly tried to get rid of the grudge in her life. Now her only focus was on how she could be a good mother to their child and a good wife to him.


    London and L agreed that the people most responsible were the ones behind the murder, the real mastermind, and they cannot be allowed to go without punishment.

 Chapter 833 - Tonight... It All Ends Here

    At six in the afternoon, Danny Swann suddenly received a phone call from the assassin he was hiring. He hurriedly picked up his cellphone and asked, "What''s wrong? Why are you calling now? Didn''t I pay according to your request?"


    The voice on the other end was laughing and then answered curtly.


    "The target has been eliminated."


    Danny was very surprised. He did not expect the assignment he gave to the hitman group could be accomplished very quickly. He thought they would need at least a few days to make good plans and kill L and her baby.


    He frowned, trying to digest the words he heard on the other end of the phone.


    "You guys are serious, Marianne is dead? Her child, too?" he asked, trying to be sure.


    "Yes," said the voice on the other end of the phone. "It''s time for you to pay the rest of the fee. We will wait for an hour. Otherwise, we will send all the evidence to the police... that you are the one killed the girl."


    "No ... Wait! I''m not ready with the money. I thought you would need a few days to kill her. I don''t have that much cash now," Danny Swann said in a hurry.


    "You can make payments by wire transfer to the account I will give you," said the killer''s voice.


    "Wait a minute ... if the money is transferred, wouldn''t it be easy to trace?" Danny immediately hesitated.


    "We''re not stupid. I''ll give you an untraceable account so you can make payments. I''ll give you instructions after I hung up this call. Remember, you have a maximum of one hour to make payments. Otherwise, I will immediately send proof of our conversation to the police."


    "No ... No, don''t do that. I will certainly pay," Danny Swann said anxiously.


    He immediately hung up and waited for an incoming message from the killer to transfer the remaining payment. Although this shocked him greatly, he was relieved that the person who had prevented him from getting all of his grandfather''s inheritance had finally been eliminated. Marianne De Maestri and her baby are now gone. Danny will be able to come to Caroline and marry her.


    He only needed to ask for proof of Marianne''s death and wait for it to be announced on television once he finished making the payment. Danny will pretend to be sad and hold his own press conference to show how devastated he was, and then take all the inheritance was entitled to him.


    He couldn''t wait for this to be over, so he could return to live quietly with Caroline.


    ***


    Finland came to London and L''s house to take care of Lily, while L performed at the gala dinner. Marc personally oversaw L''s security arrangement, and he requested that L wore a disguise when she came to the venue, so she would not be recognized by the public.


    The Gala Dinner would be held in the St. Laurent Hotel''s ballroom. It would be the center of attention since, in addition to L, there were also several other famous artists who were asked to perform at the event. Danny Swann must be thinking that L was dead, so L couldn''t appear rashly.


    "Sir, Madam has arrived," Marc reported to London by phone. "I told her to wait in the dressing room. Do you want to meet her before she performs?"


    "Of course," said London. "Wait for me there."


    He then hung up and immediately descended from the penthouse. When London was walking toward the ballroom, his steps stopped when he met Caroline in front of the ballroom entrance.


    The girl seemed to arrive early to attend the gala dinner with her father and the entourage from their hospital.


    "Hey, good evening. You seem to be in such a hurry," Caroline greeted London, showing her most beautiful smile.


    The girl was wearing a very s.e.xy outfit for gala dinner, and her whole being exuded confidence. It was evident that she was deliberately looking s.e.xy to entice the host she thought to be interested in her.


    London was actually annoyed by her intrusion because he wanted to rush to the dressing room to meet his wife. However, since he still wanted to make Caroline and her father lower their guard, he was forced to stop and put on his best smile for her.


    "You''re so beautiful tonight," he said, trying to do some small talk.


    Caroline blushed at London Schneider''s compliment.


    "Ah, you''re too kind. You look very handsome too." The girl seductively fixed London''s tie, and while doing so, her upper body ''accidentally'' touched the man''s c.h.e.s.t. With all his might, London maintained his emotion so he wouldn''t push the seductress away from him with force. Caroline then patted the tie she had just fixed and retreated a little to admire her work. "Where are you going? You seem in a hurry. Can I come with you?"


    London just raised his hand and shook his head. "Sorry, there are so many things I have to take care of now. Just look for the best table and sit there. I will find you later."


    "OK, fine," Caroline said with a smile.


    She finally let London go and only stared at the man''s back as he walked away.


    In front of the dressing room, London met with Jan, who had just arrived. He immediately greeted his assistant.


    "Hi, Jan ... How are all the preparations? Are you done?" asked London.


    Jan nodded firmly, "Yes, Sir. I have also invited Danny Swann to come to the gala dinner tonight. He thought that John Wendell invited him. Later we will leave the two of them arguing amongst themselves."


    "Good ... Very good," London nodded with satisfaction. "Once this is all over, I''ll let you take a vacation. You can even get a month-long vacation."


    Hearing his boss''s words, Jan''s face lit up. "Really? One month? I didn''t mishear you, Sir?"


    "No. But wait until all the annual meetings are over and we have finished all the reports, OK? Later you can combine your holiday with Christmas and year-end holidays. You can go back to work in mid-January. What do you think? You can spend the winter while sunbathing on the beach in a tropical country of your choice. All expenses paid by the office. "


    Jan nodded happily. "Sounds great, Sir. I''d be very happy."


    "Good for you. You know that I owe you a lot. Without you, I can''t do anything. So you deserve this vacation."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    "OK, then. I want to see my wife first. We will meet at the gala dinner soon. You take care of everything, I know it''s going to be OK," London said, patting his assistant''s shoulder.


    Jan nodded and then walked to the ballroom to take care of the gala dinner opening. London knocked on the dressing room door twice and then opened the door. He saw L being styled by a makeup artist while she was humming a song that she would perform at this gala dinner.


    When she saw London come, the girl turned and waved her hand.


    "Welcome, I miss you so much," L said enthusiastically. London smiled that his wife no longer hesitated to express her longing for him.


    Really, L had changed a lot. In the past, she was not used to sharing her feelings, and she was even stingy with her smiles. London took L''s right hand that was outstretched to him and kissed it gently.


    "My wife is gorgeous," he said in praise. "I will wait until you are finished."


    "I am almost done," L said hurriedly. She then gave a sign to the makeup artist to ask the woman to leave the dressing room.


    After there were only the two of them in the room, L approached London and sat on his l.a.p. The girl was wearing a very elegant dress. Her makeup was very thin but looked very beautiful on her face. L''s entire appearance looked elegant and feminine.


    Seeing how beautiful his wife was, London was endlessly grateful. He felt very fortunate to marry L, and now they could get through all the problems between them with a more m.a.t.u.r.e attitude.


    "Tonight, everything ends here," London said to his wife, who nodded in agreement.


    "Yes. I want to end it all and start a new life with you and Lily," L wrapped her hands around the man''s neck and then kissed his lips. "Tonight will be the last time that I think of my grudges against the people who killed my father, mother, and brother. From tomorrow I will forget everything."


    London brought his face close to L''s, then gently kissed her lips.


    "You have a new family now, Honey. We are your family," he said softly.


    L nodded, and her face looked very stoic. However, soon, two drops of tears escaped from each of her eye.

 Chapter 834 - The Meeting Of Bad People

    When the gala dinner began, the conference participants were amazed by the table arrangement and the food served by world-class Michelin chefs. The entertainment provided for them was also top-level, featuring the world''s best musicians under the management of Brilliant Mind Media.


    There was a sound of admiration here and there when delegates saw the dishes presented and the magnificent gala dinner decorations. They had never attended a gala dinner conference that was as lavish as tonight. The attendees were treated like royalty or high-class socialites.


    The gala dinner began with a very charming classical music performance, followed by an opening speech by Dr. Muller who was one of the leaders at the Berlin Metropole Hospital as the host of the conference this time.


    After that, there were several other performances followed by a speech from London Schneider as representative of the Schneider group. His speech was brief but amazed everyone present.


    The reputation of the Schneider family and also his good looks as an heir to the family really caught the attention of many people. When he was standing on stage to give his speech, London noticed there was a commotion at one of the tables in front.


    He smiled faintly when he saw Danny Swann arrive at the ballroom and immediately looked for the table where Caroline was seated. John Wendell and his daughter looked like they saw a ghost when he came to their table. Jan was indeed very efficient, London praised inwardly. Jan managed to make Danny Swann arrive on time.


    London immediately finished his speech and followed by a standing ovation from the guests present. He then got off the stage and approached the table where John and Caroline Wendell were.


    "Good evening. Is everything all right here?" He greeted them in a warm voice. Caroline looked awkward seeing London Schneider and Danny Swann in the same place.


    "N-nothing," Caroline stammered.


    Danny Swann, who saw her attitude changed, was astonished. He then took her hand and tried to position his body in front of Caroline''s as if showing ownership. However, Caroline reflexively avoided him and brushed off the man''s hand.


    "Don''t touch me," said the girl.


    "Honey, why are you acting like this? I didn''t do anything wrong to you ..." Danny said. He then turned towards John Wendell. "Uncle, what''s wrong with Caroline? Didn''t we make a deal? I did what you asked me to. I came here to tell you that everything was settled."


    "I don''t know what you mean ..." said John Wendell in a cold voice. He took the glass of wine and gulped it down.


    "Uncle, we don''t need to worry anymore. Marianne will no longer be a problem for Caroline and me to be happy." Danny Swann explained. "I have got rid of her."


    John Wendell seemed to widen his eyes with a surprised expression, and his body retreated slightly. His voice was hoarse as he accused Danny Swann while pointing his finger at the man.


    "Daniel ... What have you done? Are you crazy? What do you mean by ''got rid'' of Marianne ?? Did you do something to her?!"


    In his heart, London praised John Wendell''s good acting. Now, in public, this old man would blame everything on Danny Swann.


    Very good.


    "What do you mean by this, Uncle? Didn''t you ask me to get rid of Marianne so that I could control all of my grandfather''s inheritance? That was the only way you would let me marry Caroline? Why are you suddenly acting like this?" Danny Swann asked in confusion.


    John Wendell looked shocked. His body almost staggered if only Caroline did not immediately support her father.


    "Father .. are you alright?" asked the girl, anxiously.


    John seemed to shake his head with a face filled with horror. "Caroline ... What ... what did Daniel say just now? Did you hear it ...? What did he say? He said he got rid of Marianne? Is that true? I didn''t mishear?" asked John to his daughter, who could only answer with a shake of her head and an expression of shock. John looked at Danny Swann with looking horrified. "Daniel Swann ... why did you do that? Oh, Daniel ... I''ve known you for a dozen years. I always treat you as my own child ... But why do you have the heart to do this and ruin our family name? I don''t want to have anything to do with you ..."


    Crazy, this old bastard is very good at acting, thought London Schneider, almost impressed.


    "Daniel ... If you really did that damned thing ... Get out of here before I report you to the police. I don''t want to get involved and get my hands dirty with other people''s blood..." whispered John Wendell in regret.


    Seeing the attitude of John Wendell, Danny Swann was stunned.


    "Uncle, what is going on? What happened to you?" asked London immediately. He wanted Danny Swann to be aware of his presence. Sure enough, the man immediately turned to where the sound came from and frowned when he saw London''s face.


    Somehow he felt like he had seen this man in front of him, but he didn''t know exactly where.


    "Who are you?" Danny asked London in a curt voice. His premonition said that the change in Caroline''s attitude tonight had something to do with the man who was now standing in front of her.


    "Oh, London ... You''re here," Caroline hurriedly went to London Schneider''s side and held his hand. Her beautiful face looked worried and scared. "This is my ex-boyfriend. His name is Daniel Swann. Maybe you still remember the inheritance problem I told you about."


    London raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yes, I still remember. What''s wrong?"


    "Ugh ... Danny said he still wants to marry me, but he insists on getting the inheritance from his grandfather. He intends to get rid of the girl who betrothed to him. I''m scared..." The girl pleaded as if she was a damsel in distress who needed to be saved her knight in shining armor. "I never thought that someone I knew from childhood could do such a cruel thing."


    Danny Swann widened his eyes at Caroline''s words. He never expected to hear them from the girl he loved. Not in a million years. He felt blindsided.


    "Caroline! I did that for you! Why are you acting like this? You know I did this for your sake ... Your father gave me the contact of some assassins to help me. Why are you pretending you don''t know this?" Danny''s brown eyes were filled with disappointment.


    It took a few seconds for the man to realize that John Wendell and Caroline had planned all these. They never intended to let him get back together with Caroline.


    Why did they treat him like this? Had Caroline found a new boyfriend? Danny stared at London Schneider for a few moments, and finally, he understood what was happening.


    "You''re ... from the Schneider family?" he asked in a low voice, as if in disbelief.


    London nodded. "That''s right. My name is London Schneider."


    Instantly, Danny Swann''s shoulders hung low. He realized that Caroline had really thrown him away because she had met a man who was much wealthier than he was.


    He finally understood that Caroline didn''t really love him, because she could easily leave him for another man.


    Such great disappointment soon filled his mind. Slowly, anger also began to rise in him.


    "You rotten piece of sh*t... You really are animals ...! You want to trap me ... I''m not guilty of what happened to Marianne ... You guys made me do it ...." Danny Swann''s voice suddenly turned into hysterical screams. At the same time, his body had pounced and hit John Wendell to the ground. The man fell with a bleeding nose.


    Caroline immediately screamed, trying to ask for help from those present to help her father.

 Chapter 835 - She... Shouldve Been Dead

    The atmosphere in the ballroom soon turned a bit chaotic.


    "Help my father ... Please ... Help my father ..." Caroline Wendell screamed repeatedly. She rushed to her father and tried to protect the old man from Danny Swann''s next attack, but he didn''t care at all. He pulled Caroline''s body, who was trying to shield her father.


    Caroline, who felt cornered, immediately got up and approached London Schneider, hoping he would help her father. She wanted to hold London''s hand and beg him to help.


    "Please, help my father, London. You must have bodyguards, right? You must have your people here ... Don''t let my father be beaten by that crazy man. I have nothing to do with him! What he did has nothing to do with me. I can''t let him beat up my father ..."


    London reflexively dodged the girl, and his action shocked Caroline to death. Caroline''s eyes widened as she looked at the man she thought was falling in love with her.


    "Wh ... why are you treating me like this? I already told you, my father and I are innocent. We have nothing to do with him. You see for yourself, right, he is attacking my father. That''s because he holds grudges against us ..."


    London did not seem to care about Caroline, who was begging for help. His attitude, which suddenly turned cold, made the girl wonder. She really did not understand what had happened.


    She suspected that London did indeed stay away because he thought she was involved or in collusion with Danny Swann to kill someone for the inheritance.


    Drops of tears began to flow down her cheeks as she again tried to get closer and reach London Schneider''s hand. However, the man coldly brushed aside Caroline''s hand.


    "Don''t touch me," London said in a voice as cold as ice.


    This made Caroline rooted to her place. She really did not expect that the man would change his attitude 180 degrees.


    "What''s going on? Why are you acting like this to me? I''ve already said that I have nothing to do with what he did. I have no idea," said Caroline desperately.


    Hearing the girl''s words, Danny Swann''s anger became increasingly mounting. He left John Wendell, who was still lying on the floor with his face covered in blood from the beating.


    Danny approached Caroline, who looked very frightened at the sight of Danny Swann, who seemed ready to kill her.


    "Do not come closer!!" screamed Caroline hysterically. "I have nothing to do with you."


    "How could you say that to me ... after everything, I did for you. Your father told me to kill Marianne so we could be together. As it turns out, it''s all just a lie. Apparently, you''ve found another man. You and your father are really low." Danny approached Caroline, threateningly. "I should have known that you were a gold digger who only wants my wealth."


    "Don''t come close ..." Caroline slowly retreated with her arms outstretched in fear.


    "If you really love me for who I am, you wouldn''t mind that I only received half the inheritance from my grandfather so that I could refuse the arranged marriage." Danny shook his head in frustration and hurt. "Why do you have the heart to do that to me, Caroline? I love you so much since we were little ... Why are you so mean to me ...?"


    Caroline was cornered by Danny Swann, who condemned her as a gold digger, while, on the other hand, London Schneider, who had been very sweet to her the day before, now treated her like a plague. Caroline really hoped that the earth could open up and swallow her right away.


    The look on the people''s faces around her made her even more ashamed and frustrated. London then raised his hand and gave a signal for Marc to enter the ballroom. The big tall man immediately approached London and bowed his head slightly.


    "Yes, Sir. What should I do?" he asked politely.


    "I want you to contact the police. There is an incident of violence here. Also, the suspect of a murder ... The police must come immediately and arrest these criminals," said London in a disgusted tone. For a moment, his face turned toward Caroline and gave her a sharp look.


    When Danny Swann realized that he was cornered, he immediately turned around and was about to run out of the ballroom. However, Marc had quickly elbowed him and tripped his feet, so the man fell to the floor with a loud thud. He promptly grabbed Danny''s collar and forced him to stand.


    "Is this person the one who wants to kill Madam?" Marc asked in a stiff voice.


    London nodded slightly. "That''s right. These bad guys are the culprits."


    John Wendell was very surprised when several burly men approached him and forced him to get up and sat him in a chair.


    "Hey, what are you doing? I''m a guest here !!" he said in a hoarse voice holding back his anger.


    Caroline''s fate was not much better. She was also pulled by female security staff and forced to sit on a chair.


    "Wh ... what''s going on? Why are you treating us like criminals?" Caroline exclaimed in panic. "We are the guests here ... You were not like this last night ..."


    "You will find out for yourself soon," he said curtly. His gaze was then directed to the stage, and a formally dressed MC asked the audience in the ballroom to return to their respective tables.


    "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We apologize for the slight commotion ... Please go back to your respective tables. We will continue the program." The MC raised his hand and smiled soothingly. "The police will come soon to deal with this commotion. You don''t need to worry, now the situation is well controlled by the Schneider Group security team. Let us watch the performances of the next artists who will perform to entertain you all. We have worked hard to invite her. .. Please, calm down. "


    The guests all politely returned to their tables. The lights were deliberately turned off so that no one would notice the commotion on John Wendell''s desk. Soon, the atmosphere had calmed down.


    "Very well. Thank you for your cooperation. I hope you will be entertained by the delicious food served by our chefs and also by various interesting performances earlier. After we had watched a classical music performance followed by contemporary dance and several other performances ... Well, next we have one special appearance." The MC seemed very eager to give an introduction to the next artist, so the guests present began to become curious. "Let''s welcome our guest star tonight ... She is a newcomer artist but has had so many fans in such a short amount of time. She is famous for her beautiful enchanting voice. Please welcome... Elle !!"


    The stage was dimmed, and two seconds later, two floodlights shone in the center of the stage, showing a tiny woman who was standing elegantly holding a microphone. Her voice was enthralling like a siren''s voice, making everyone stunned in their respective tables.


    If the people in the ballroom were watching the performance on the stage in awe, some people who saw L'' appear suddenly became horrified.


    "This ... can''t be ..." whispered Danny Swann in surprise. "She should''ve been dead ..."

 Chapter 836 - The Moment He Had Been Waiting For

    L sing beautifully. As usual, her voice was able to amaze everyone present at the ballroom. Only John Wendell, Caroline Wendell, and Danny Swann did not seem to enjoy the brilliant performance. All three of their faces were filled with horror.


    "I don''t understand. Isn''t ... isn''t she supposed to be dead?" said Danny Swann many times. John Wendell glared at him with a face filled with anger.


    "How stupid of you! You only have to do ONE THING. She is just a little girl without anyone to protect her. Why can''t you just kill her??" Although his face was covered in blood after being been beaten by Danny Swann, John Wendell suddenly found the strength to stand up because of his anger.


    He rose from his chair and yanked Danny Swann''s collar, trying to hit him back. London only watched them with a cold glance. This was the moment that he had been waiting for.


    "What do you mean by that? What have you done? Didn''t you say you would get rid of Danny Swann?" Caroline asked in an urgent voice. She did not understand why the situation suddenly changed for the worse. Only last night she thought that her life would be better. She had succeeded in seducing a man from a wealthy and influential family.


    Her father had also gotten rid of Danny Swann and Marianne from her life. But why now was the situation reversed? Marianne turned out to be still alive and healthy, while her father and Danny Swann now looked cornered.


    He saw the tall, burly men guarding her father and Danny Swann looking very intimidating. Caroline was still trying to talk to London to let her and her father go.


    "London, for the sake of our good relationship, please let my father go. Look, his condition is very bad. I have to take care of him. I have to take him away. Please let us go." The girl''s voice sounded pitiful.


    London turned to Caroline and smiled faintly. However, his smile looked completely unfriendly. His voice also sounded icy when he spoke.


    "Miss Wendell, we have no relationship whatsoever. Please don''t misunderstand me."


    "Didn''t you treat me so nicely yesterday? Didn''t you say that as long as I made it clear to Danny Swann that our relationship was over, you want to be with me?" Caroline asked. However, this time there was doubt in her voice.


    She felt something really was wrong happening here. London merely shrugged his shoulders at the girl''s words.


    "Did I really say that? I don''t remember," he said. "I''m a married man, Miss Wendell. I can''t betray my wife."


    "Wh ... what did you say?" At that moment, Caroline felt as if the sky was falling on her right then and there.


    It took a few seconds for the girl to realize that she had actually been tricked. Her eyes went round, and her lips were open to say something but she did not know what to say.


    John Wendell, who heard London''s words, was very surprised.


    "You ...? You''re deliberately deceiving us ...! Why did you do that?" the old man asked hoarsely.


    London did not care about the three people. His gaze refocused on the beautiful woman on the stage. All his attention was on L, who was singing beautifully.


    When the girl cast her eyes on him, their two pairs of eyes met each other. A beautiful smile instantly curved upon the handsome man''s face as he saw the woman he loved so much. While L blushed and returned her husband''s smile.


    Caroline, John Wendell, and Danny Swann followed London''s gaze and looked at the stage. Instantly, their minds were filled with the same thoughts. Is it possible that London Schneider had a relationship with Marianne De Maestri or L?


    It was Danny Swann who later realized who London really was. He had finally remembered where he had seen this man before. His face looked shocked, and his body instantly trembled.


    He had remembered London as the man he saw with Marianne in that simple apartment.


    "What is your relationship ...? Why did you defend her? Who ... who are you, really?" Danny Swann asked repeatedly. London didn''t care about the man at the slightest.


    He felt there was no need to give answers to a trash man like Danny Swann. He will let the man guess who he really was.


    "Have you met London Schneider before?" Suddenly John Wendell asked Danny Swann with a frown. Danny nodded with a pale face.


    "I met this man in Marianne''s apartment a few months ago. They live together."


    Caroline looked very surprised. She didn''t expect London Schneider to know Marianne. Slowly her smart brain began to make guesses. As she looked at London Schneider and L alternately, Caroline began to understand what was happening.


    "London ... are you and Marianne in a relationship ...? Did... did you do all this for her?" the girl asked in a desperate voice.


    London simply answered shortly, "Yes."


    "Ohh ..." Subconsciously Caroline pressed her lips with shock and disappointment.


    London crossed his arms across his c.h.e.s.t and faced them with a disgusted expression.


    "Marianne Elle De Maestri is my wife. Twelve years ago, your father sent assassins to slaughter her whole family. Then today, your childhood friends sent assassins to kill L and her baby. You really are vile people. Humans like you do not deserve to roam free in this world, "said London slowly in an icy voice.


    "You have no proof!" said John Wendell quickly. "You don''t have any evidence ... I didn''t do anything to Marianne. If you want to catch the culprit, just arrest Daniel Swann! He clearly said that he wanted to kill Marianne. I have nothing to do with this case. Let me go..."


    The old man tried to struggle to get away from the London security guards who were holding him, but the men tightened their grips on him even more, making John struggle to breathe.


    Jan Van Der Ven, who had just arrived at their table, had heard John Wendell''s words just now. His expression looked fed up, and he was about to hit the old man, but London Schneider held his hand.


    "Jan, this jerk said we don''t have proof. Do you want to take care of him?" asked London. Jan nodded. He then took out a tablet from under his jacket. He quickly opened a video and played it in front of Caroline and her father.


    "I''m sure you still remember this person," he said in a cold voice.


    John Wendell was shocked to see the contents of the video. His face immediately turned pale. He had recognized who was in the video. It was one of the assassins whom he hired to kill L''s family a dozen years ago.


    This was the recording that Mischa gave to London. There, all the proof they needed, and John could no longer deny his involvement.


    "I ... I ..." His eyes widened, and his face was filled with fear. His c.h.e.s.t immediately felt so heavy. Unable to say anything, John held his c.h.e.s.t, which was very painful, and suddenly his body collapsed to the floor with a thud.


    At exactly that moment, L finished singing her song and bowed respectfully to the guests who immediately rose to their feet, giving a very standing ovation for her performance.


    "Fatheeerr... !!!" Caroline screamed as she went to her father, who curled up on the floor with a very painful expression.

 Chapter 837 - Its Finally Over

    London Schneider nonchalantly let John Wendell sprawl on the floor, while Caroline''s crying hysterically. He only nodded slightly towards Marc, and his bodyguard immediately checked John Wendell''s condition.


    Marc checked John''s breathing, heart rate, and pulse, then waved to call some of the doctors at the next table.


    "Is there a cardiologist here? This man seems to have a mild heart attack," he said.


    A middle-aged man rushed over to check on John Wendell.


    "You lucky bastard. You fell ill in the middle of a medical conference, so you can immediately get help," he murmured in disgust.


    "My father needs medical treatment. Please let us go," Caroline pleaded. But Marc just shook his head.


    "Hmm ... People like you don''t need mercy. My boss still needs you guys here to make a statement. We are also still waiting for the police to take care of you," Marc said coldly. He then turned his gaze to the stage.


    London has walked onto the stage to approach L, who had just finished her second song. He reached out a hand, which was immediately welcomed by L with a gentle smile.


    "Good evening, Mr. Schneider. Thank you for inviting me to perform at this gala dinner." L bowed slightly.


    "You''re welcome, Miss L. We are pleased because you took the time to perform at our event. Thank you very much. Your performance was extraordinary. It''s true, not only you''re beautiful, but your voice is also amazing," said London to his wife.


    "Ah, Sir, you''re flattering me."


    "I''m telling the truth," London said in front of everyone. "Congratulations on your wedding. I heard you announced your wedding last week?"


    L nodded and smiled with a blushing face.


    "Thank you."


    All the guests present still did not know the two people who were chatting on the stage were actually a married couple. All the audience only thought London and L looked friendly.


    "Your husband is a very lucky man," London said again, smiling broadly.


    L looked at the man while smiling back. She had to restrain herself from pinching London for openly teasing her in public like this.


    Finally, she could only nod and could not say anything. The MC stepped onto the stage and guided the audience to give a standing ovation for L''s performance just now. The girl bowed many times and then stepped off the stage. She followed London. The man grabbed her waist and brought her to the table where the commotion occurred earlier.


    "I want you to meet the people responsible for your suffering," London said in a soft voice. "Right now, they already know who you are, and they know that they have to take responsibility for their actions before the law. Before they are taken by the police, I want you to see them in person."


    L nodded slowly. Actually, her c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger again, but gradually she tried to calm down and followed London''s steps gracefully. From the direction of the ballroom entrance, several policemen were seen walking in. Marc signaled the officers to come to the table where he was.


    L and London arrived before the police. The girl had seen John Wendell, who was responsible for the murder of her family 12 years ago, and her body was trembling in anger. Caroline, trying to help her father, subconsciously looked up when she saw a pair of female legs walking toward her.


    Instantly, her face turned pale. Her expression was a mixture of shame, fear, and worry when she saw L''s face. She really felt duped. As it turned out, Marianne was the wife of London Schneider.


    Apparently, the man was purposely setting her up. Caroline deceived. Tears ran down her cheeks nonstop as she held her temper. Danny Swann, who had also seen L, could only stare in silence. His crime was known, and he felt very ashamed to meet face to face with L.


    She must have known by now that he had paid a hitman to kill her and her baby. Even though their families had a good relationship in the past and Danny even had an arranged marriage with L. He felt very ashamed of his actions.


    "Thank you, Honey..., for helping me find the murderers of my parents and brother. Thank you for always protecting me from bad people." L''s tears slowly trickled as she turned towards London and touched his cheek to say thank you. "I want to forget everything that happened and start a new life with you. Let the law take care of their crimes and punish them accordingly. From tonight, I will not look back again," L said


    London nodded gently. He took L''s hand, which rubbed his cheek and kissed it lovingly.


    The shameless Danny Swann suddenly approached L and knelt at her feet. Hearing L''s words just now, he immediately felt there was hope for forgiveness.


    "Marianne ... please forgive me. I made a mistake ... I did not mean to do evil to you. I was forced by those bad people. I am also a victim here ... I will never touch you. From the beginning, I had said: ''I don''t mind accepting only half of my grandfather''s inheritance so I could refuse the marriage arrangement between us... because I wanted to marry Caroline ..''." Danny Swann said in a pitiful voice.


    "But Caroline used my love for her. She forced me so that I was cornered ... Please, forgive me ... I promise I will not do evil again. I promise I will start a new life. I will owe you a favor ... You may also take half of my grandfather''s inheritance ... I won''t bring it up again at all ..."


    Danny w.h.i.n.ed many times. But L smiled cynically at the evil man''s words. She pulled London''s right hand and held it tenderly as if to show her position as Mrs. Schneider.


    Her voice sounded icy when she answered, "You think I need a spare change from the Swann family? Don''t you know who my husband is??"


    London only smiled faintly when he heard L brag about him. Even though the girl flaunted him because of his wealth, he didn''t mind. From the beginning, he did not want L to take any money from the Swann family.


    According to him, he was very capable of meeting all the needs of his wife. L was the one who insisted on punishing Danny Swann by taking half of the inheritance.


    "Th ... then ... take all of them, not just half. I don''t mind losing all of my grandfather''s inheritance, but please let me go ... Please think about the good relationship between our two families ... Our grandfathers'' friendship ... please. .. I don''t want to go to jail," Danny said, lamenting. "I''m still young. I still have a long life ahead of me ... Please give me a chance ..."


    "Mariane is also young," London said sarcastically. "She is not yet 20 years old. Our child, Lily, is still small. She is only four months old, but you have the heart to kill them ... How can you look in the mirror and live with yourself? How can you shamelessly ask for forgiveness just because You''re still young and you still want to live?? You''re a piece of shit of a human being."


    He immediately signaled the police officers who had come to take all the criminals away. Danny Swann''s face was quickly filled with despair. He knew that he could not get away anymore.


    "Thank you, Officers, for coming here. These are the criminals that we were referring to. All the evidence that incriminates them will be submitted to punish them before the law," he said kindly.


    "Very well, Mr. Schneider. We will bring them soon. Thank you for your help. We really appreciate this," said one policeman, nodding to London.


    John Wendell was taken to the hospital using an ambulance, but his hands were cuffed so he couldn''t escape. Caroline couldn''t be charged with any crime because she was not directly involved in the murder of L''s family and also Danny''s plot to kill L and Lily. However, she seemed very depressed and could not think clearly. With slumped shoulders, she pursued her father, who was carried on a stretcher by the police.


    Danny Swann was immediately sent to jail while he waited for the arrival of his lawyer to defend him. However, given the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, the police said that it was very unlikely for him to escape punishment.


    "It''s finally over," London whispered into L''s ear. He then pulled her hand backstage and into the dressing room. When they got there, he poured a drink for L so the girl could calm down. "Drink up, Sweetheart..."


    "Thank you," L said, taking the glass from her husband''s hand.


    "Do you still have to perform?"


    L nodded, "Yes. I have to perform one more time. Do you want to wait?"


    "Of course. I will not go home before you finish," London answered happily.


    L put her glass on the table then sat on London''s l.a.p. She wrapped her arms around the man''s neck and then kissed his lips tenderly.


    "I love you," L said.


    London did not answer. He had returned his wife''s kiss more intimately.

 Chapter 838 - What L Wants

    John Wendell could not be tried because he got another heart attack on the way to the hospital and could not be saved. Caroline quickly disappeared after her father''s death, and she could never be found again.


    Danny Swann attempted suicide in prison before the trial but was saved by the warden, and since then, he had been placed under maximum surveillance. Two months later, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of both L and Lily, mother and child.


    He repeatedly asked through his lawyer to meet L, but the girl refused. London Schneider absolutely did not allow his wife to take any risks by meeting a criminal in prison.


    To prevent unwanted things from happening in the future, London ordered Carl, his chief of intelligence, to investigate Caroline''s whereabouts. He did not want the girl to suddenly appear and bothered his family.


    "I found her, Sir. Caroline is currently fleeing to America. She quit her medical studies. Now she works as a babysitter in Los Angeles for a wealthy Hollywood couple. She is trying to get into the upper classes there to get a husband from the upper classes." Carl reported a month later.


    London, who heard the information from Carl, just nodded. With her beauty and intelligence, he was sure that Caroline would be able to find rich men to lean on. Maybe not even as rich as Danny Swann, but now she should have learned her lesson and not try to be greedy.


    "All right. Keep an eye on her, but don''t need to be too strict. If there are new developments about her, please let me know. I don''t like surprises," London said.


    "Yes, Sir," Carl said respectfully. He then excused himself and resumed his work.


    The new year will come very soon, London thought. He had given L a special birthday present the previous month, which was to bring the bad guys, who had made her suffer, to justice. Now L had turned 20 years old and she had got over all the bitterness that haunted her life in the past.


    With the help of his lawyers, London also succeeded in taking the inheritance which L was entitled to and donated it according to his wife''s wishes to various orphanages throughout Europe.


    Many European countries were struggling to care for so many orphans in their social system. Some children were even sent outside of Europe to be adopted by countries with a population crisis, such as Japan and Singapore, where most of the majority of their population was aging. At the same time, birth rates there were very low.


    L was very sad when she read about the orphans being sent to Asia. Not only would they lose a connection to their homeland, but they would also have trouble mingling in a new country because of their different physical appearance. And what''s worse, as it turned out, many of these children were sent only with a simple bag containing all their worldly possession.


    "If I hadn''t left the orphanage system four years ago and worked to support myself, maybe I too would be part of them ..." L said despondently as she read the news about the fate of the orphans.


    London pulled the troubled girl into his l.a.p and hugged the girl. "I understand. Do you want to do something for them?"


    "We can''t adopt all the orphans," L said, staring at her husband.


    "We have also contributed a lot to improve their quality of life," London replied. "Are there any more things that come to your mind?"


    L nodded. "I''m not educated ... You know that. I want to catch up on my education by home-schooling and get my high school diploma. Then I want to go to college. I''m sure many of those kids also want to be able to continue their education."


    "Do you want to give them scholarsh.i.p.s?" asked London. "We can make a scholarship on behalf of Lily for orphans who want to continue their education. Schneider Group already has several scholarship programs, but we can add specifically for orphans."


    "I will be very happy if we can do that.." L said with a smile.


    "All right. We''ll do it." London was happy to see L happy. "I also studied with private teachers, not in public schools like everyone else. With your popularity now, it will be difficult for you to go to a regular university."


    L nodded, even though her face looked sad. "I understand."


    "Why? Do you want to go to a regular university?" London narrowed his eyes at L''s expression.


    "I actually want to go to a normal university so I can make friends," L said quietly.


    London understood what L.= meant. He just remembered that the girl did not have any friends. She had been working since she was 16 years old and only had Pammy by her side, who had been her faithful manager.


    The young man also felt the disadvantage of not going to public school because his family was indeed reclusive. He also only had very few friends. He could actually count them with one hand. But, at least, his situation was still pretty good compared to L. He had Jan, Rune, and Aleksis, also his brother Terry. He also made friends later in life with Lyanna and several other people from the Alchemist clan. While L had absolutely no friends.


    It must be very lonely to be L, he thought. Not only she didn''t have any friends, she also did not have a family. Even though now the girl had had a family in him since she married London, she still didn''t have any peers.


    "Do you want to go to a public university?" London asked gently. "I can work on it. You can study at home to get a high school diploma, and then next summer you can study at a public university ..."


    L looked at him with a look of disbelief.


    "You said that it would be difficult with my popularity ..." L said in a sad tone. "I cannot do it even if I want to..."


    London only smiled faintly. He coughed a little and rose to his feet with L still in his l.a.p so that the girl was automatically being carried by him.


    "Wait a minute," he said. He walked into the room that used to be his bedroom in Grunewald when he and L were not yet married. He took something from the closet. "Wear this."


    He lowered L''s body, and once the girl''s feet landed on the floor, he carefully attached oversized glasses to her face.


    L, who was amazed, touched the glasses and frowned. "What is this?"


    "Starting next summer, you are Marianne De Maestri, a freshman in university. Nobody will recognize you by your real name and a little disguise ..." said London.


    He was telling L to disguise herself as a regular girl so she could go to college. That way, L could enjoy life as befits a young girl.


    "You ...?" L looked at London with a surprised face, and slowly her expression turned bright. "You will let me go to a public university?"


    "If it makes you happy, why not?" London asked back.


    Slowly drops of tears flowed down from L''s eyes, and the girl immediately jumped into London''s arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.


    "Thank you !! I love you so much ..."


    "I love you more ..." London replied, smiling broadly.

 Chapter 839 - New Year Holiday

    The new year finally arrived, and the Schneider extended family celebrated it together in a complete formation for the first time in several years. London fulfilled his promise to Jan to give him a month-long vacation fully funded by the company.


    His assistant chose to spend it in Bali and Boracay. He really used every second to relax and limit his contact with the outside world. London could only contact him once a day because Jan didn''t even turn on his cellphone.


    Fortunately, there was nothing urgent to handle that made London have to trouble his assistant. Therefore, Jan could go on vacation in peace. In the final week of his vacation, he even planned to take his mother for adventure.


    Since winter in Europe was quite cold that year, Caspar invited his entire family to gather on F island during the new year''s holidays to enjoy the tropical sunshine. He had expanded his property on the island so that it could accommodate many more people. The place was now more like a private island resort that could provide many people with complete facilities.


    "I didn''t know your family had a private island," L said when they landed at Changi Airport, Singapore. Their little family was the last group to arrive in Asia. Caspar and Finland, along with Rune and Aldebar, had arrived first on F Island. Terry and Nicolae arrived the following day.


    Aleksis and her family flew from Yorkshire and stopped by their mansion in Singapore with their four children. They waited for Lauriel to bring Altair and Vega. Because even though they didn''t feel bothered by their four children, Lauriel insisted on taking his two eldest grandchildren.


    "Uhm .. my family does have some islands," London replied, scratching his head that wasn''t itchy. "Later, I''ll take you to our other islands. F Island happens to be my mother''s favorite."


    "Oh ..." L was just astounded to hear London''s explanation. She knew that her husband''s family was FILTHY RICH, but she still couldn''t tell exactly how much wealth they had and whatever assets they have.


    London and L decided to stay overnight in the penthouse at the Continental Hotel for one night so that L could at least see Singapore briefly before they proceeded to F Island by a helicopter. The girl had never been to Asia before, and she was amazed at how different the world was outside Europe.


    They left for F Island the next day from the roof of the Continental Hotel. L, who had never ridden a private helicopter before, was very impressed. Lily was really calm and sweet.


    She slept along the way, so her parents didn''t have to worry about him. Even though the helicopter they were using is not as noisy as a standard helicopter, still for an ordinary baby, the sound would be quite annoying.


    Along the way, L repeatedly chuckled in amazement at the beauty she saw below them. They passed through Singapore, a country full of futuristic buildings, making them feel like they saw a city from a sci-fi movie about the future.


    Then they also got to enjoy watching the sea and various small islands and sh.i.p.s that were sailing in the Straits of Malacca.


    "Wahhh ... finally, you arrived too. Where''s Lily? I want to carry her ..." Caspar said excitedly.


    London took Lily''s car-seat from the helicopter and handed it to his father. "Lily is still sleeping. Soon, when she wakes up, you can play with her. Has everyone arrived?"


    Caspar received his youngest granddaughter with a happy face. He would take Lily with him and make sure he was the first person the baby saw after waking up.


    "Most people are here, except Lauriel and Aleksis'' family. They will arrive soon," Caspar answered. "How are you all doing?"


    "We are all healthy," London answered. He took his wife and signaled that Marc brought their bags to the villa.


    They all walked happily towards the luxurious building decorated with various trees and tropical plants, full of flowers. Finland immediately came out to welcome them, followed by their children.


    Terry, who had never met L directly, extended his hand to introduce himself.


    "Hello, you must be Marianne. I''m Terry, London''s eldest brother," said the handsome young man.


    L broke away from her husband''s grasp and welcomed Terry''s hand. "Good evening, Older brother Terry. Nice to meet you."


    Terry then hugged L and patted her shoulder. "Welcome to our family."


    L turned out to be very fond of Terry because not only was the young man very friendly to her, but he also made her feel no longer lonely among the Schneider family members which the majority looked European. L was half Japanese and she does not seem to fit together with those who mostly have tall bodies and bright-colored eyes.


    In the past, only Finland was seen as half Asian in the family, but L was unable to establish a close relationship with her mother-in-law because she felt uneasy. But now, with Terry, who is practically a generation with her, and has a half Asian appearance like herself, L could feel more familiar.


    "Hi, Marianne ... I''m Nicolae, Terry''s best friend," Nicolae who was standing behind Terry also immediately reached out his hand when Terry released his arms from L. "We''ve met through Virconnect."


    "Ah, that''s right... I remember. You are now a professor in New York," said L. She welcomed Nicolae''s hand and hugged him the same as Terry. "I can''t wait to be a student myself..."


    "Ah ... very nice. Do you know what you want to major in?" asked the young man while returning L'' hug.


    "I don''t know yet, I''m still thinking ..." L. said


    London had told the rest of his family about his decision to let L go to college. He knew that L often felt sad and inferior when she was among educated people. Especially when she was still thinking that London was close to Caroline, who was a doctor specializing in pediatric medicine.


    That''s why he wanted his family to support L to get an education, and they all understood and was all supportive. Whatever L wanted to do, they will support her, as long as the girl felt happy.


    "Hello, L ..." Rune burst through the door after Nicolae finished greeting L. He appeared with a handsome man who looked very much like him. The difference was Aldebar has longer hair than his. "How are you? You have never met my uncle ..."


    L nodded respectfully to Aldebar. "Good evening, Uncle. I''ve heard so much about you from my husband ..."


    Aldebar gave a small laugh while nodding. "Hopefully, only the good ones ..."


    "Uhm ... the point is, London says I can''t take any food and drink from you ..." L glanced at her husband. "He was afraid I would fall into the trap and become your guinea pig ..."


    Aldebar giggled at L''s honesty, "Haha ... that''s right."


    L and London looked at each other, and then both smiled. The girl said to him quietly, "Your uncle is a bit strange, huh ..."


    "Now he''s your uncle too ..." London replied with a smirk.

 Chapter 840 - Family Gathering

    L did not reply to her husband''s words again. She chose to approach her mother-in-law, Finland, and hugged the woman.


    "Good evening, Mrs. Schneider. How are you?" L asked in his melodious voice.


    Finland warmly replied to L''s hug.


    "Ah ... why do you still call me Mrs. Schneider? You''re already married to my child ... Of course, from now on, you must call me Mom," she said after breaking away from L and staring intently at the girl.


    L is stunned. She turned to her husband, and London nodded with a smile.


    "I ... I ..." L was speechless. She had lost her mother 12 years ago and had never felt a mother''s love for such a long time.


    Finland, who saw L''s attitude, immediately understood what was happening. She lost her mother when she was ten years old and never knew her father. She really understands how L felt.


    "From now on ... we are your family. You can think of me as your mother''s replacement ..." She turned to Caspar, who was busy arranging the car seat containing Lily on the sofa in the villa''s spacious living room. "Honey, you should always remind Marianne to call you Father from now on."


    Caspar looked up and nodded. "Okay."


    L was stunned to see the scene and could only nod with tears dripping from his eyes.


    "Thank you ... Mom..." She hugged Finland again.


    "Hmm ... Welcome to our family," Finland said, smiling sweetly. "We can also use this holiday to discuss the wedding preparations. I have invited Kara and Jadeith to come after the new year. Kara will help arrange your wedding again in the spring."


    "Thank you..."


    Actually, London did not cancel their wedding plans, London and L would have been married at the end of October. Party preparations were already at 70%, and Kara had invited all clan members to come.


    "We also have Jan, who will help from our side," London added.


    "Oh, that''s right... how''s the boy doing?" Finland asked, turning her head to her son. "I miss Jan too. He hasn''t visited me for a long time."


    "He''s busy," London said.


    "Do you make him too busy? Remember that Jan had only a pair of hands and feet. Don''t push him. He is working alone. Your father used to be assisted by two people, Ben and Stanis," Finland warned. "You only have Jan."


    "Hehehe ..." London just scratched his head. "I''m giving him one-month-long vacation, Mom. Believe me, I don''t make him suffer."


    He hurriedly pulled his wife''s waist and ran away before Finland could comment further.


    "I want to show L this place before Lily wakes up for her milk!"


    L nodded towards Finland with a look of apology for her husband''s behavior then followed London, who took her to the second floor.


    "Where are we going?" he asked.


    "Seeing our room ..." answered London.


    Before the villa was expanded into a 16-bedroom property, previously, there were only 4 bedrooms in the main building. Now, there were three other buildings around it connected by a beautiful wooden overpass on the second floor.


    When the new building was first completed, each member of the Schneider family had chosen one building to be their residence. The first building belonged to Aleksis, the second building to London, and the third to Rune.


    If Terry came there, he would stay wherever he liked, but usually, he would choose one of the bedrooms in the main building where Caspar and Finland stay, considering he was not the biological son of the Schneider family and his relationship with the family was only through Finland, his mother.


    This was the first time that F Island had received so many visitors at the same time that inevitably the four buildings had been prepared to accommodate many people.


    It was decided that the bachelors would stay in the third building, owned by Rune. He would occupy it with Terry and Nicolae.


    Lauriel would stay in the first building because he was Aleksis''s father-in-law and godfather, with Aleksis and Alaric as a family. They didn''t bring any staff because Alaric still didn''t like humans much. While L and London would stay in the second building with their assistants and staff. Kara and Jadeith would come to help, and they will stay in the main building.


    Finland actually wanted to invite Jean and Marion as a family, but Marion was currently pregnant and could not travel at all. Ahh .. how fast time flew, Finland thought when she heard the news.


    She remembered decades ago, Jean was terrified of marriage and did not want to have children. But now, at the age of almost sixty, he would soon have a second child. Ahem ... if Terry counted, then this baby would be Jean''s third child.


    Fortunately, Jean did not look his age at all, he didn''t even look half his age, Finland thought to herself. Her best friend still looked like a handsome 25-year-old young man. His wife, Marion, who was almost 150 years old, also looked very young. They seemed perfect for having new babies.


    Even though she still looked young herself, Finland still couldn''t imagine giving birth to another child. It''s not that she didn''t like the hard work of raising them... but she already had many children.


    Now, her two oldest children also had given her grandchildren. She did not want to meet Aleksis and London, who were carrying their babies, while Finland herself was holding a new baby of her own.


    I will never get used to living like these Alchemist people .. Finland had already decided in her heart. No, Caspar, dear. Even if you want to have more children ... so our house won''t feel empty, I can''t give you more.


    Finland looked at her husband, who was sitting and reading a book next to the car seat containing Lily, who was still sleeping soundly with her lips slightly open. The baby''s hair had grown surprisingly thick and long for a baby who was not yet six months old.


    "What are you reading?" Finland asked while approaching her husband. She then sat on the man''s l.a.p and put away his book. "Is the book more attractive than me?"


    Caspar smiled at the sight of his wife''s flirty attitude. He shook his head. "Of course, there is nothing more attractive than my wife."


    "In that case, good." Finland smiled back. "Do you when Aleksis and Lauriel will arrive?"


    "They have departed. They will arrive in half an hour," Caspar answered.


    "Ah ... thank God. This is the first time our whole family will gather in a complete formation. I can''t wait to celebrate the new year with everyone."


    "Me too," Caspar said. "Ahh .. all our grandchildren will be here. I can''t wait to see all of them."


    "Lily is awake," said Finland. "Do you want to carry her?"


    "This is what I''ve been waiting for ... hehehe ..." Caspar patted his wife''s b.u.t.t to get up from his l.a.p and immediately took Lily from the car seat and happily carried her.

 Chapter 841 - The Beautiful Sunset (R.-.1.8)

    Caspar happily picked Lily up and invited her to see the sunset as if the baby could already appreciate nature''s beauty. Finland followed him with a smile.


    Yes, why would she give birth to another child if the little babies around them were able to make her husband happy?


    She would bring her husband around to their children''s homes to meet their grandchildren. That would be better.


    While Lily was being spoiled by her grandfather, who loved her so much, the baby''s parents seemed to be trying to make her a sibling. The stunning sunset from the balcony of their beautiful bedroom with views of the open sea made the atmosphere very romantic. L had never been to such a beautiful place, so she was utterly impressed.


    "This ... this is so beautiful ... I have never seen such a beautiful beach and a place so inspiring," murmured the girl with a pair of glittering eyes. Unknowingly, her feet had stepped onto the balcony, and there she stood transfixed.


    L had never been to Asia and saw how different the beaches in the tropics from their counterparts in Western Europe. She was utterly fascinated by the tropical beach, white sand, coconut trees, and deep blue sea.


    London, already accustomed to this place and various other luxury tourist attractions, smiled at his mesmerized wife.


    But, when L''s figure stood on the balcony with her brown hair blown slightly in the sea breeze, and her tiny body glowed for blocking the orange and purple tinge of sunset, he became fascinated.


    If L was fascinated by the natural scenery out there, London was fascinated by the beautiful human in front of him. He was always grateful for his luck to find such a beautiful woman who made his heart filled with love at a young age.


    He didn''t have to wait for decades or even centuries to find the right woman, unlike his father, and many other men he knew; Uncle Aldebar, Lauriel, Nicolae, even Alaric, who only met Aleksis when he was 94 years old.


    London could not imagine how his life would be for decades to come without L by his side. It will be very boring, he could only imagine.


    Indeed, he and L went through the early days filled with unnecessary bickering, like a dog and a cat, because they were both very young and imm.a.t.u.r.e. But, now, all of that was behind them. From now on, there was only love and openness between the two of them. And Lily. And maybe their next children ...


    Children...? Ah, that''s right... Didn''t L already say she didn''t mind giving birth to a sibling for Lily? London did not want to have children after they had Lily because he could not imagine L having to go through heavy labor like when she gave birth to Lily.


    But now L had become an alchemist, and her body was very healthy.


    So ... London''s worries were no longer relevant.


    London stepped closer to L and slowly hugged her waist with those thoughts milling about in his head. His hands felt very fitting on the girl''s waist, and his chin was directly above L''s head. He could smell L''s natural scent from the top of her head.


    Even after one year, he still never got tired of smelling this scent. It was like opium that always managed to make him come back and surrender.


    L lifted her face and looked up, staring at her husband, who was now staring right at her pair of sparkling black eyes. She wanted to ask London''s opinion on the beautiful scenery, but as their two pairs of eyes met, it seemed that none of the questions felt important.


    She could see her reflection in those pair of deep blue eyes and felt his enormous love for her. Her husband''s gaze now made L fascinated, more than the sunset she admired earlier.


    L slowly turned and pressed her front body to London''s and then wrapped her arms around his neck. London smiled faintly and lowered his face to kiss L.


    They kissed for a long time against the sunset as the backdrop. The sky was now dominated by a beautiful purple tinge. When he felt his neck was finally tired of looking down to kiss L, London lifted L''s waist and carried her to bed.


    Making out in bed is more comfortable, he thought. As usual, L was blushing as London easily lifted her waist and then laid her on the big soft mattress. London immediately climbed into bed, took a position above L, c.a.r.e.s.sed her, and continued their intimacy on the balcony earlier.


    His hands swiftly traced L''s skin, starting from her cheeks, down to her neck, shoulders, and slowly his hands pulled down the straps of her dress, exposing her beautiful upper body.


    L''s large and perky b.r.e.a.s.ts were soon freed from their confinement and now seemed to allure the man to touch them and put his mark of ownership.


    London''s hands gently kneaded the pair of beautiful peaks, making L m.o.a.n softly. Her voice sounded like music to her husband''s ear.


    London kissed L again and explored the girl''s mouth with his excited tongue, twisting and s.u.c.k.i.n.g her tongue passionately. After making the girl almost out of breath, he lowered his kisses to her chin, neck, her beautiful nape, and then down to her c.h.e.s.t and left a few faint love marks there.


    He refrained from biting his wife''s neck because he didn''t want to embarrass L when she went down to meet his family with many love marks on her body parts that were not covered by clothes.


    Calculatingly, he only put his marks of ownership on L'' body parts covered in a bikini. Tomorrow, when they sunbathed or swam, L did not need to worry about covering them.


    When London''s lips arrived on her wet honeypot, the girl''s dress was removed entirely, leaving only thin, lacy lingerie.


    He deftly removed the thin lacy lingerie from between her t.h.i.g.hs to give him full access to the heavenly. L let out a s.e.xy m.o.a.n as the man''s lips traced her skin.


    This made London get even more excited to go down on her. His lips and tongue passionately devoured her core. It was already filled with so much love juice.


    "Ahhh ...." L arched her back when London used his tongue to stimulate her core nonstop, while his free hands were still lovingly kneading her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    L''s body was shaking so hard when she got her first o.r.g.a.s.m. London quickly undressed. He opened her legs, then pushed his rock-hard manhood inside L''s core.


    The girl m.o.a.n.e.d incessantly as she was enjoying the fullness inside of her, while London pumped her gently with regular motion. He was also sharing the same p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e that L was feeling.


    They made love passionately until, finally, the sun really disappeared into the night, and the purple tinge in the sky changed colors to complete darkness. Then, they realized it was time to end their beautiful lovemaking.


    Maybe this was what they called telepathic communication between husband and wife.


    When L almost had her second o.r.g.a.s.m, London pumped rapidly for a few minutes and tried to catch up so that the two could reach the peak together. Soon their two bodies shook in unison, then stopped, enjoying the stream of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e that brought them to the seventh heaven.


    London dropped his body to the side and then immediately pulled L''s tiny body into his arms and buried her head in his c.h.e.s.t so that he could kiss L''s hair. The two laid in that position for five minutes, enjoying afterglow following pleasant s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e.


    "Hmmm ... it''s time to go down," London finally whispered.


    "Hmm ..." L replied with a smile.


    They looked at each other and kissed again.


    "I love you," London whispered after they had finished kissing. "Now and forever,"


    "I love you too, now and forever," L replied, blushing.


    London smiled broadly and nodded. He then got up and pulled L''s hand to follows him to the bathroom. They showered together quickly and immediately changed clothes and returned to the main villa.

 Chapter 842 - Do You Have A Girlfriend???

    "You arrived on time," Caspar commented when he saw London and L came to the sitting room of the main villa. He raised Lily, who was pouting and gave the baby to her parents. "Lily seems bored with me."


    When Caspar said it with a disappointed face. L hurriedly took her daughter from Caspar''s hands and thanked him. She kissed Lily''s cheek, who immediately chuckled because her mother kissed her.


    Fortunately, Caspar''s sadness did not last long. From the massive open door, he had seen the arrival of his eldest daughter and Alaric, who each carried their twin babies.


    "Aha ...! You arrived on time," Caspar repeated his words to Aleksis, who was holding Ireland, and immediately his face turned bright again. "I miss these little boys."


    Finland, who saw her husband''s behavior, could only contain her own laughter. She also approached Alaric, who was carrying Scotland.


    "Give me your little one, so I can carry him. You both rest first and unpack your stuff in your room," Finland said happily.


    "Ah ... thank you," Alaric said, handing his baby to the hands of his mother-in-law. Aleksis also gave Ireland to Caspar, who had kissed his hair and cheeks until Ireland laughed in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "We will unpack our stuff first," Aleksis said. She looked back and waited patiently for Lauriel and her two eldest children who were walking behind them while chatting. Altair and Vega were telling stories to Lauriel, and their grandfather listened attentively. "Father, kids... we will unpack our belongings in the next building and take a bath. Soon we will have dinner together."


    Lauriel and the twins nodded.


    "Mom, you can go ahead with Father," said Altair, waving his hand. "We will follow you later."


    "Don''t stay too long," said Aleksis. After seeing her children nod, Aleksis then pulled her husband''s hand up to the second floor and headed to the next building that was prepared for them. Some staff helped carry some of their bags.


    After Aleksis and Alaric disappeared to the second floor, Terry and Nicolae, who had just finished taking a shower, were seen descending the stairs from the next building. As soon as Vega saw Nicolae''s figure, she immediately stopped her chatter and ran to the man''s direction.


    "Daddyyy... !!! When did you arrive? I thought you''re not here yet ..." exclaimed the girl happily.


    Nicolae was very excited to see Vega and Altair. Spontaneously, he grabbed Vega''s waist and lifted her to the air and spun her around.


    "Wahhh ... you''ve gotten taller!" he exclaimed. He spun Vega a few times then put down the girl on the floor with enthusiasm. Altair had also approached him and immediately hugged Nicolae as soon as Vega let him go.


    "Daddy... Why didn''t you stop by Singapore and visit us?" Altair asked in a disappointed tone. "You also rarely call now."


    Nicolae stroked Altair''s hair and said in a serious voice. "I''m rather busy preparing a house for you in New York, so you can visit. I promise to visit you both later."


    "When?" The intelligent Altair immediately asked for a specific time. He did not want to be given an empty promise.


    "Wahahaha .. soon," Nicolae answered. "Soon."


    He raised his face and exchanged glances with his father, who looked at him with a serious expression as if warning him not to lie to the two children. Nicolae could only smile and not say anything.


    "Ahem ... actually, Daddy Nic didn''t have the chance to call you often, Kids, because he was busy dating lots of women," Terry said suddenly. "You should be happy. Your wishes come true."


    Nicolae turned and narrowed his eyes at Terry. "Terry ... don''t talk so rashly in front of a child."


    But the person he reprimanded did not care and just laughed. Terry carried Vega and kissed her cheek and then took the child to sit on the sofa overlooking the pool. "Come sit here with Uncle. I want to gossip about your Daddy Nic."


    "Terry!" Nicolae became furious, but he knew he could not do anything to Terry. While Altair, who had heard Terry''s words, immediately ran toward his uncle excitedly and sat next to him on the sofa.


    The three began chattering together on the couch. They were busy gossiping Nicolae''s love life. The last time they met, during Aleksis and Alaric''s wedding anniversary in Targu Mures, Alaric and Vega did ask Terry to help them find a girlfriend for Daddy Nic. Both children were eager to know the results.


    Nicolae finally could only shake his head to see their behavior. He just let them be and approached his father to hug him. "Hello, Father."


    "Hmm," Lauriel only muttered briefly. He glanced at Altair, Vega, and Terry then gave Nicolae a little of his opinion. "They do it because they love you."


    Nicolae just rolled his eyes. "Uhm .. Don''t join their bandwagon, Father. Stop thinking about finding me a girlfriend. You''re no better than I am. When it comes to love and girlfriend, you''re just as lame."


    Lauriel seemed to smile faintly when he heard his eldest son''s words. There was a tiny glow in his eyes when he said, "Me? I''m not lame."


    Then he walked away from Nicolae, who was suddenly confused. Lauriel then greeted Caspar, who was playing with Ireland, and the two of them stood to chat on the terrace while enjoying the gentle breeze.


    "Father said he wasn''t lame?" Nicolae frowned. "Wait a minute ... What did he mean by that?"


    He turned and watched his father''s sturdy body stood calmly as usual. Somehow, he could feel there was something different from Lauriel today.


    But what was it?


    Nicolae narrowed his eyes and tried to pay close attention. Lauriel crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t as he chatted with Caspar. His handsome face still looked as serious as ever, but for some reason, his eyes seemed a little ... hmm... twinkling, like ... a happy person.


    When a servant came to them with a tray of wine, Lauriel took a glass of wine for himself and handed a glass to Caspar. They then clinked their glasses and drank together.


    When Lauriel''s right hand raised his glass ... Nicolae noticed there something was different about his wrist.


    There was a red woven wristband on his father''s wrist.


    Nicolae had never seen that woven wristband. Why was his father suddenly wearing something like that? Wasn''t Lauriel the same as Aleksis, who very rarely wore any jewelry?


    Suddenly, a crazy thought came to Nicolae''s head. His eyes went round, and he walked briskly toward his father and asked him enthusiastically.


    "Father! Do you have a girlfriend???"


    Nicolae''s words surprised everyone. Subconsciously, all heads immediately turned towards Lauriel, who was sipping his wine, seemed completely unaffected by the commotion that was quickly happening around him.


    "Wait ... what?" Caspar, who was standing closest to his best friend, looked at Lauriel with a pair of big round eyes. Although he was not a nosy person, Lauriel''s love life is an exception to him. Caspar could not help but ask, "Lauriel ... is that true?"


    Lauriel did not answer. He was unfazed and did not give any response. Finland, Nicolae, Caspar, Terry, Altair and Vega, all looked at him with questioning faces. They really hoped that Lauriel would answer yes or no.


    If he answered no, then it made no difference then and now. They knew he had always been famous as a loner and could not get over his girlfriend, Princess Luna, who had passed away.


    But if Lauriel answered ''yes'' ... then ...


    The next question would be ... who? Where? How? And still followed by a million more questions.


    "Father ..." Nicolae said again ... He tried to read his father''s expression, but could not find any answers there. It was really hard to read his father.


    "You are too nosy." Finally, Lauriel answered. But he still did not give any confirmation. He finished the wine in his glass and sat on the sofa beside Vega, who was staring at him with round eyes.


    The man clearly enjoyed playing with those around him, who were curious about his relationship status. However, he wouldn''t easily give them what they wanted. He hadn''t been teasing people for a long time, he thought. This could be entertaining.


    Seeing his father choose not to answer, Nicolae did not force him anymore. He remembered Aldebar had veritaserum. There was no point in forcing a former pirate to divulge his secrets.


    I will use a subtle method, Nicolae thought.

 Chapter 843 - I Advise You To Look For Her

    They finally gave up after realizing that Lauriel wouldn''t be telling them his personal affairs. The man was always known as a reclusive person. Apart from his men in The Wolf Pack and Caspar as his best friend, almost no one could find out where he was and talk to him.


    Now Lauriel had become more open because he had children and extended family, but he would not necessarily turn into a different person. Nicolae was determined to ask Veritaserum from Aldebar to trick his father into talking to him.


    When they were chatting and drinking wine together tonight, he would make his father tell his secret. Ha ha.


    After relaxing for a while, they then gathered for dinner in the beautiful garden beside the villa, which had been arranged like a cozy garden party. There were a few round tables placed there with beautiful centerpieces and candles inside glass lanterns.


    Two chefs were specifically brought in from Singapore, with several waiters serving a variety of sumptuous dishes for the big family. Alaric and Aleksis sat with L and London, and they seemed enthusiastically talking about their children''s development.


    Caspar, Finland, and Lauriel sat with Aldebar. They only discussed trivial things that were fun. While the single men were sitting together with the twins, Altair and Vega.


    That night, the atmosphere was delightful and familiar. The dinner was warm and everyone was in a good mood. Since Caspar and Finland reunited 30 years ago, they were used to holding year-end holidays together with their friends and relatives.


    In the beginning, Jean, Lauriel, and Aldebar, always came and spent their year-end holidays with the Schneider family. Over time, their family grew. London and Rune were born, adding their number to eight.


    After Terry became an orphan and lived with the Schneider family, the number became nine. Then Aleksis married Alaric and gave birth to a pair of twins, Altair and Vega, which made them eleven.


    In those days, Alaric was thought to have died, and Nicolae wandered around the world because he was heartbroken. Jean then disappeared because he was married to Marion, and the family holiday was then only attended by ten people.


    When Nicolae returned from his wandering, he joined the family at the end of each year, and their number went back to eleven. Only last year, Alaric finally reunited with Aleksis and their children. However, it was Nicolae''s turn to leave because he was still unable to behave normally toward Aleksis at family events since they were almost married.


    This year was the first time they were all back together in full as a family and even increased by one more member, namely L, who was newly married to London. Their number per today day was 16, including the three babies, Ireland, Scotland, and Lily.


    They hoped in the coming year, Jean, Marion, and their two children could also join so that their family would truly become complete.


    Next year, one of the single men who was now sitting at Rune''s table might find love, like London and Aleksis, and the family would have a new member.


    "I''m glad to hear that Daddy Nic is dating a lot of pretty aunties," Vega commented while eating a slice of fruit from her plate. "But, don''t you dare forget about us ..."


    Nicolae, who was focused on cutting his steak, immediately glanced at Terry while frowning. He did not know what gossip his friend had spread to his two children.


    "Hey ... don''t blame me," Terry said suddenly. "Your children begged me to find you a girlfriend..."


    "Actually, I like Auntie Marie," blurted Altair. "Why don''t you just come to see Auntie Marie after this vacation, Dad? We''re close to Singapore."


    "Uhm .. why are you suddenly talking about Auntie Marie?" Nicolae asked in bewilderment.


    "Nothing. I just remembered that we are not far from Singapore ... and Auntie Marie lives in Singapore," answered Altair. "Don''t you ever talk with Auntie Marie again?"


    Nicolae listened to Altair''s words thoughtfully. Truth be told, he thought about the girl several times, but he tried to get rid of those thoughts because he wanted to focus on his own life. He was starting a new life in New York and did not want to burden himself with other things.


    "Who is Auntie Marie?" Terry asked with a curious face. He liked gossips. Enthusiastically he moved to a seat next to Altair. "Tell Uncle everything about this Auntie Marie..."


    Altair laughed at his uncle''s attitude. "Hahaha... Uncle, you also have to look for a girlfriend yourself. I''m actually surprised Vega asked you to find a girlfriend for our daddy. You don''t even have a girlfriend yourself."


    "Uh ... I am single by choice, okay? I just want to focus on your family business first. So, I don''t have time for women," Terry answered. He did not lack women in his life. He often went on dates with Shekina the supermodel, and they did like each other. However, both of them had the same stance as typical Alchemists who were not rushing with love. "I don''t need to find women to heal my broken heart. Unlike a certain some ... ahem.. like- cough... your dad."


    Nicolae smacked Terry on the shoulder for speaking so rashly without showing any sympathy. "Don''t speak so carelessly..."


    "Iishh ... I''m just speaking the truth," Terry said. He then turned back to Altair and continued their gossip. "Come on .. continue. Who is this Auntie Marie?"


    "Auntie Marie is our neighbor in the same apartment building. She is a very cool and pleasant person. We saw that she was very interested in Daddy..." Altair explained. "They looked really good together too. I took a picture to prove it ..."


    He took out his tablet and opened a photo and handed it to Terry. With great interest, his uncle took the boy''s tablet and saw the photo that Altair referred to. For a moment, his brows furrowed, and then he turned to Nicolae.


    "Isn''t this..."


    He did not continue his words. Terry then shook his head several times and returned Altair''s tablet to its owner.


    "Where did you get Marie''s photo?" Nicolae asked in surprise when he saw the scene.


    "When we had lunch the last time. You guys were busy chatting, so you didn''t pay attention to us," Altair said. "Don''t you want to look for Auntie Marie?"


    Nicolae only smiled faintly and shook his head. "No."


    "Why not?" Altair and Terry asked in unison.


    The two of them exchanged glances and then looked back to Nicolae, making the young man wonder. How could Terry and Altair suddenly conspire like this? he thought.


    "I want to start a new life," Nicolae said. "If I''m looking for Marie, I''m afraid she will expect something serious between us. Right now, I can''t establish a relationship with a new person. I told you, I need time to recover."


    Terry looked at Nicolae very seriously as he said his words. "I think you''ve recovered, Nic. And I sincerely advise you to look for this girl ..."


    Nicolae looked back at Terry with an incomprehensible look. "You don''t usually do this."


    Terry shook his head again. "I just saw the photo."


    "What''s wrong with the photo?" Nicolae asked again. He took Altair''s tablet and opened the photo that his nephew had shown to Terry.


    He was stunned to see a picture of himself and Marie, smiling and staring at each other as they were chatting at the last lunch. Marie had just become an orphan after her mother passed away, but her face looked radiant and happy. She didn''t look like she just lost her only parent and was deeply grieving.


    The girl was indeed very beautiful. For a moment, Nicolae was carried away in nostalgia as he recalled his brief encounter and intimacy with Marie. He only hoped that the girl was happy and now living her life well.


    "Do you understand what I mean?" Terry asked patiently.


    Nicolae shook his head. He did not understand why Terry suddenly behaved like this.


    "I don''t have time for riddles, Terry," Nicolae finally said, angrily.


    "Okay ... then I will mention these names, and you have to think about my words just now," Terry said, finally.


    Nicolae nodded. "Try me."


    Terry then began holding up one finger while mentioning several names, all women. "Lucia Chen, Sarah Wu, Nancy White ... Diana Archer ..."


    Only then did Nicolae understood what his best friend had been trying to say.

 Chapter 844 - What? You Were Married????

    Altair and Vega were puzzled to see their Daddy Nic become quiet throughout the rest of their dinner. Terry also did not say much after that.


    "Uncle ... what about those names you mentioned earlier? Why did Daddy Nic just stay quiet?" asked Vega, who sat closest to Terry. Although she was only ten years old, she was well aware of what was happening around her. She could no longer hold her curiosity and asked Terry.


    She had never seen Daddy Nic act this quietly. She was afraid the photo her brother had shown Nicolae made him sad.


    Terry just shrugged. "It''s a.d.u.l.t business. Let your Daddy Nic take care of it himself."


    Finally, Altair and Vega could only keep their questions to themselves. Rune looked at them briefly and was not interested in finding out what was happening. For him, Nicolae was a grown man who could decide for himself what he wanted to do.


    ***


    The Schneider family enjoyed a pleasant and intimate holiday with all the family members. They were all living separately in various parts of the world, so the holiday was a good occasion to catch up on their news. For those who lived in Europe, this was an opportunity to escape for a moment from the cold winter.


    After his conversation with Terry, Nicolae forgot about his father''s love life and didn''t spike his drink with veritaserum. His mind was distracted by Terry''s words, which kept playing in his head.


    "I think you''ve recovered, Nic. And I sincerely advise you to look for this girl ..."


    Terry pointed at Marie''s photo and then mentioned the names of every woman Nicolae had been dating for the past two months in New York, one by one.


    When his friend mentioned their names, finally Nicolae realized one thing.


    All the girls had similar appearances to Marie. They all had a distinctive oriental beauty with a pair of slanted eyes that disappeared when they smiled, full red lips, and cute freckled cheeks.


    They were not really her exact copy, but if he thought about it, at first glance, they looked quite similar to Marie. Was this ... a sign ... that subconsciously Nicolae was looking for a woman who reminded him of that girl?


    What did this mean?


    Was it true that Nicolae had recovered from his broken heart and his heart was now filled by Marie?


    No matter what, he had decided to say goodbye to the girl and cut ties between them because Nicolae wanted to start a new life ...


    What should he do now if he really had fallen in love with Marie?


    "There''s no other way. You have to confirm your feelings for her," Terry said the next day, as they were sunbathing on the beach watching the waves. "You have to look for her in Singapore."


    "But I have changed my identity," Nicolae said.


    "She doesn''t know that, right? The important thing is that you have to come and meet her as your old self. Later, if you really love each other and are sure that you want to be together, you can tell her what really happened. You can disclose your identity ..." advised Terry. "I know it''s not an easy thing. You know how it went when my brother London was chasing L."


    Nicolae fell silent at Terry''s words. He knew that his friend was only thinking about his best interests by saying that. Even though he was very relaxed in matters of love, Terry always encouraged his younger siblings and best friend to find their happiness.


    "All right ... I will look for Marie to Singapore after our vacation is over," Nicolae finally said.


    "That''s good." Terry patted Nicolae on the shoulder and smiled happily.


    "What is good?" Suddenly Alaric''s voice came from behind them.


    Terry and Nicolae looked up and saw the man coming with Vega on his back. The girl hugged her father''s neck very tightly. She and Alaric were playing on the beach together when Vega saw Uncle Terry and Daddy Nic talking seriously. Vega then asked her father to immediately walk towards them and quietly eavesdrop on what they were talking about.


    "Are you going to look for Auntie Marie? Can we join? I also want to meet Auntie Marie," Vega said enthusiastically. "Daddy must visit us at home to have dinner together. Take Auntie Marie with you too ..."


    Alaric had never heard Marie''s name before. He became interested in seeing his brother''s expression change when Vega and Terry mentioned the girl''s name.


    "You have a girlfriend named Marie?" Alaric asked in a curious voice. "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "Um ... she is not my girlfriend." Nicolae suddenly remembered that he and Marie had actually got into a fake marriage for Marie''s dying mother. It''s been three months, surely Marie had annulled the marriage.


    "So?" Alaric asked again. "Do you like her?"


    Nicolae fell silent. At first, he thought his feelings for Marie were not deep and only casual. He only thought that the girl was amazing, and Marie helped him forget about Aleksis and heal his broken heart. But nothing more than that.


    But for the past few days, after Alta?r showed Marie''s photo, and Nicolae talked with Terry, he could not help but admit that he had been thinking a lot about Marie the past three months. He even subconsciously looked for women who looked like her to date in New York.


    If that''s the case ... he must have indeed fallen in love with her. So, if that was true, rather than dating the look-alikes, wouldn''t it be better if he just looked for the original one and dated her? If Nicolae had truly fallen in love with Marie ... wouldn''t it be better for him to have a relationship with Marie, instead of a woman who just looked like her?


    "Does she live in Singapore?" Alaric asked again in a very patient tone. He knew that for his brother, love was a serious matter. He was the same. When they fell in love with someone, they would love the person seriously and deeply.


    He was very happy when he learned the possibility that Nicolae was finally able to forget about Aleksis after eleven years. And now, Nicolae had fallen in love with another woman. Alaric just wanted to see his brother happy.


    Nicolae smiled awkwardly at Alaric''s question. Actually, he did not want to give his family false hopes. They must really want to see him happy with another woman. But as long as he hadn''t met Marie again and confirmed his feelings, he would never know.


    "Uhm ... actually, I don''t know." Finally, Nicolae answered earnestly. "I met her a few times three months ago. I think she is a really nice girl. She is also charming. And better yet, she is also kind to the children."


    "Then? What makes you unable to confirm your feelings?" Alaric asked. He lowered Vega from his back and whispered to his daughter to go play with Altair because he did not want the little one to hear the conversation between a.d.u.l.ts. Vega frowned, but she obeyed her father.


    "I have said goodbye to Marie and changed my identity. I also have cut off all contacts. It would be weird if I suddenly came to her now ..." Nicolae said. "I didn''t know if I had fallen in love with her."


    Alaric seemed very sympathetic at his brother''s explanation. He understood the situation was definitely not easy for Nicolae. Alaric knew his twin brother well enough now. He realized that Nicolae must have avoided Marie then because he did not want to use the girl as a mere rebound.


    "Have you two slept together?" Alaric asked suddenly, surprising Nicolae. The question was very blunt and, for a moment, rendered Nicolae speechless. He knew the direction of his brother''s conversation would be.


    "Uhm .. yes." Nicolae nodded.


    "You know what happened to my brother-in-law, right?" Alaric asked again. "He only slept once with L, and the girl got pregnant. Luckily, they are now married, and the baby was born into a complete family."


    Nicolae gasped at Alaric''s words. He hadn''t thought about that before.


    "We''re married too ..." Nicolae murmured. "Maybe she has annulled it by now, but at that time we were actually husband and wife."


    "What did you say??? You were married?"


    "Married? Without telling us, your family?!?"

 Chapter 845 - Spilling The Beans

    "What did you say??? You are married?!?"


    "Married? Without telling us, your family?!?"


    Terry and Alaric blurted at the same time when they heard Nicolae muttering that he and Marie were married when they were having s.e.x.


    Nicolae was astonished to see the enthusiasm on their faces. He thought they were too much.


    "It''s a long story," said the young man, shrugging. "I don''t want to discuss it now."


    Alaric and Terry exchanged glances. Obviously, both of them seemed dissatisfied.


    "I have been your best friend for more than one decade. How could you get married and not tell me that important news? Is our friendship that meaningless to you?" slammed Terry.


    "And I''m your brother. I don''t think there is anyone in this world closer to you than me. We shared 9 months together in our mother''s w.o.m.b. Even if you didn''t tell your best friend, you should at least tell me. Moreover, you got married in Singapore, where I stay most of the time. How outrageous ..." Alaric joined in criticizing his brother.


    The words of the two men made Nicolae shake his head. "That''s not what happened. It was only temporary. I told Marie to take care of the annulment as soon as I left. Surely, now she must have taken care of it."


    "Temporary? I don''t understand ..." Terry sat in Nicolae''s sun chair and pushed his friend''s b.u.t.t aside so he could get a space there. He then grabbed Nicolae''s shoulders and asked urgently. "You have to tell me everything. Otherwise, I won''t be able to sleep."


    "Gosh ... what is this? If you can''t sleep, ask my father for sleeping pills... Don''t blame me," grumbled Nicolae.


    Alaric frowned and looked closely at his brother.


    "Her name is Marie, huh? You know, Nic ... if you don''t want to tell me, I can easily order Pavel or Takeshi to look for information about the girl. Especially since she lives in Singapore. Now... you can tell us. I ... along with Terry will promise not to tell anyone. Or ..." He smiled a little, "or I will find out who she is and pay her a visit as a good brother-in-law."


    "Ishh .. why would you come to see her? Don''t you have anything better to do?" grumbled Nicolae. He then waved his hand and rolled his eyes, finally giving up. "Okay. Her name is Marie Lu. She has a flower shop in the city center near my apartment. We met several times."


    "You only met a few times, but you immediately decided to get married? Wow ... maybe this runs in the family, huh? You and your brother are the same," Terry commented. "Let''s continue."


    "Ugh ... you guys really want to know? Okay ... I''ll tell you what happened. But don''t you dare tell the others," Nicolae finally said.


    "I promise not to tell anyone," Terry said, raising his right hand solemnly. Alaric just nodded, but anyone knew that the man could keep his promise.


    "All right. I met Marie several times when I was in Singapore. One day, she suddenly asked for my help to be her fake husband. Her mother had been lying sick for a long time. Her condition was very bad, but she tried so hard to stay alive, even though she was in extreme pain. She even had to be put in a medically induced coma for a long time so she would not suffer too much ...


    "However, her mother struggled so hard to stay alive. According to Marie, the only reason she did not give up was that she was worried about leaving her only child alone in the world."


    "Oh ..." Alaric was stunned to hear Nicolae''s story. He could immediately sympathize with Marie because he understood what it''s like to lose a parent. Especially since Alaric loved his mother deeply. "So... she asked you to pretend to be her husband ... to give her mother peace of mind?"


    Nicolae nodded. "You can guess what happened. At first, we only pretended in front of her mother. But Mrs. Lu was very smart. She knew it was a lie. I didn''t have the heart to see her devastated... So, I proposed to Marie right then and there in front of her mother. We were married in the hospital chapel the next day."


    "Hmm ..." Alaric remembered something, and then he looked at his brother with a serious expression. "Then, this happened when you were still in Singapore? When exactly did Altair and Vega know Marie?"


    "Before your wedding anniversary, last September to early October. I told Marie to annul our marriage after her mother died. I don''t have time to do it myself ... Besides, I don''t want her to bear the status of a married woman since I would leave immediately. She has a long future ahead of her, and she will definitely meet another man," Nicolae said. Somehow, his voice began to falter. "We both know the marriage was only temporary ... She and I got carried away after her mother died and we slept together ..."


    Actually, this was his fault. It was he who left Marie and told her to annul their marriage. At that time, Nicolae did not know that he had fallen in love with the girl. Now, imagining Marie annulling their union and finding another man to marry... Nicolae''s heart was troubled. He didn''t like to imagine Marie dating another man, married him, and slept with him ...


    Ah ... for some reason, his c.h.e.s.t began to feel heavy when he imagined all the possibilities. He really didn''t like it.


    "Do you think she likes you?" Terry asked. He knew his best friend very well, and for the past three months, he had suspected something was amiss when he saw the young man dating different women who all had similar appearances.


    Only when he saw Marie''s photo did he understand what was happening. He knew Nicolae had unknowingly fallen in love with the girl. But what about Marie''s own feelings? He needed to know before telling Nicolae what to do.


    "Uhm ... when we were together, I did see that she seemed to have feelings for me. That''s why I avoided her. I didn''t want to give her hope. At that time, I wasn''t ready to open my heart to new love ..." Nicolae answered.


    Now, he could only regret his decision. It took him three months of dating different women and being reprimanded by the people close to him ... that he finally realized his own feelings for Marie.


    "You are so stupid ..!" slammed Terry again. He massaged his forehead. "It''s been three months. Hopefully, when you meet her again, she still has some feelings for you. You don''t fall in love easily. Why did you have to chase out the only girl you like?"


    "Hey ... I didn''t know, okay? At that time, I was still heartbroken. I didn''t want to make Marie my rebound. She was too good for that ..." Nicolae said.


    "Okay, then, after this holiday, you have to hurry to Singapore and meet her. Tell her your true feelings," Terry urged.


    "Yes ... yes. I thought so too," Nicolae said. "What do you think I''ve been doing for the past few days? I have thought about it carefully. I don''t want to hurt her by giving her hope when I''m not yet sure of how I feel. So for the past three days, I''ve searched my heart and thought a lot about my own feelings ..."


    Alaric touched Nicolae''s hand and patted it softly. "Good luck."


    Alaric really wanted to see Nicolae happy, and he would support his brother in every way. No matter what, Nicolae was his dearest brother. He felt uneasy being the only man in their family who was having a good life with the woman he loved.


    He wanted to see his father and brother also find the women they could love and share life with. He really wanted Nicolae to find the love of his life and have his biological children with her.


    He knew how his brother would be a good father. All these years, Nicolae took care of Altair and Vega as his own and poured so much affection to them. Nicolae deserved to have his own child.

 Chapter 846 - Nicolaes Secret Wish

    To stop Alaric from pressing him to pursue Marie, Nicolae finally decided to tell him about their father.


    "If you have that much free time to interfere in my love life, why don''t you go after Father? He looks mysterious lately," Nicolae said. "Do you know what I am thinking? Our father has finally got a girlfriend! There, you have it!"


    Alaric looked pensive at his brother''s words. Nicolae was dumbfounded because his brother wasn''t at all surprised.


    "Hmm ..." Alaric just nodded. "I know. And that''s okay, right? Our father has been alone for more than a hundred years. Isn''t it about time for him to find his happiness?"


    "You knew?!?" Nicolae''s pair of big blue eyes went round in shock. He touched Alaric''s shoulders and shook them with great curiosity. "Who is that woman? Where did they meet?"


    Alaric cast his eyes off into the distance, in the direction in which his father was sitting with Altair and Vega. His father''s face was very similar to Nicolae''s but his personality was truly similar to Alaric''s, so you could say, Alaric understood Lauriel like he understood himself.


    He was also surprised when Lauriel arrived at their house a few days ago before leaving together to F Island. He immediately recognized that there was something with his father. However, because Lauriel was very similar to him, Alaric understood that his father did not like to share his personal issues with anyone. That was why he did not ask.


    In his opinion, when the time was right, Lauriel would share it with him and Nicolae. Until then, he would respect his father''s decision and privacy.


    "I know the red woven wristband that Father is wearing. That''s all I can say," Alaric said. "We better let Father get privacy."


    Nicolae became increasingly curious. He was not prepared to hear that his father had found new love after more than a century of mourning the death of their mother. And most importantly ... who was the woman who could melt their father''s icy heart?


    Because he was very reclusive and rarely present at the clan events, he almost became a legend among women even though they didn''t know how he actually looked. They only knew Lauriel was very impressive and he had a pair of brilliant blue-green eyes. It would be easy to recognize him when he came.


    "You know who that person is? But you don''t want to tell me ...?" Nicolae asked again in a disappointed tone. He felt excluded because his brother was hiding something.


    "I already told you, this is not my place to talk about Father''s personal business. Let''s hope our father can be happy," Alaric shook his head slowly. He then looked at Nicolae fixedly. "I also want you to be happy. You should settle your business with Marie."


    Nicolae finally sighed and nodded. "I know..."


    He couldn''t wait to meet Marie and confirm his feelings. For some reason, since Alta?r showed him the girl''s photo, he kept thinking about Marie.


    What was the girl doing now?


    "I have something to do. You guys can continue sunbathing here ..." he said as he stood up.


    He rushed to his room and took his tablet. He went to the balcony and sat on a lounger, watching the open sea and his family members who were busy relaxing while sunbathing and chatting.


    Nicolae opened the internet and tried to find all the information about Marie. After ten minutes, he could only find a little data about Marie. As the girl said, she had a sad childhood. Since she was 10 years old, her mother had been in and out of the hospital and she lived a lot with Sanna''s family. He could see that Sanna was Marie''s only friend.


    Sanna only invested money in their shop, but on the day to day basis, it was Marie who did all the work. Sanna studied in a university, and since last semester, she had been taking leave because she wanted to move to Paris to be with her new boyfriend.


    Nicolae hardly found Marie''s photo on the internet. It seemed like the girl didn''t like being photographed. She also didn''t have an account on any social media. Marie gave out the impression of being reclusive. She did not like crowds, even though she had a warm and bubbly personality. Marie''s face was always blurred or so small that Nicolae could hardly recognize her in one or two photos he found from Sanna''s social media.


    Nicolae found only one photo where Marie''s face looked quite clear. It was in Sanna''s Splitz account. They were holding hands and smiled broadly. It looked like they were celebrating their graduation from high school.


    "Hmmm ... you''re so beautiful," Nicolae murmured softly as his eyes stared at Marie''s photo almost without blinking. He really liked Marie''s broad smile and carefree expression. When she was smiling, her small eyes will seem to disappear, making them look like two cute lines. Her full red lips looked luscious, and Nicolae was immediately reminded how sweet they tasted when he kissed her.


    Ah ... suddenly he was overcome with a deep longing for Marie. Why was he so dumb and only realized his feelings for her now?


    Did Marie still like him?


    Nicolae couldn''t wait to get to Singapore and meet the girl. He really had to prepare an excuse as to why he disappeared for three months. Was Marie trying to contact him at that time? Nicolae did not give Marie his personal contact number, only his temporary phone number. Marie also didn''t know his email address ...


    If the girl had tried to contact him and she was unsuccessful ... Nicolae would have to explain why he was unreachable for months.


    And... now, the most important question was...


    Nicolae finally decided to hack Singapore ROM data and find out for himself. He couldn''t wait to see Marie and ask her about the annulment.


    He secretly hoped that Marie would not process the annulment. If Marie had not annulled their marriage ... or if she didn''t have time to do it ... Nicolae would feel very relieved.


    At this point, he realized that he was truly in love with Marie. He knew because his little heart wished Marie was still his wife.


    Soon, he entered the Singaporean government database and sought information about the marriage registrations and annulments that had taken place over the past three months.


    It didn''t take long for him to find the information he was looking for. Within five minutes, he entered the database he was targeting and, with a thumping c.h.e.s.t, clicked on the information.


    "Ahh ..." His lips let out a soft complaint involuntarily when the data was displayed on his tablet screen.


    [Annullment of marriage between Marie Lu and Nicolae Sorin. Friday, 30th December 2050. Status: granted.]


    Marie did annul their marriage on the last day before the three months passed. Apparently, she waited until the last moment before she did so.


    Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t felt so heavy when he realized that Marie had just annulled their marriage three days ago. It was the day when he arrived in Singapore before leaving for F Island.

 Chapter 847 - Nicolaes Decision

    Nicolae did not think he would feel so sad when he read that information. Apparently, Marie annulled their marriage when the three-month deadline was almost over.


    Did it take long to annul because Marie was busy, or did she secretly liked Nicolae and hoped that they would somehow be able to meet again ...?


    And what''s worse, as it turned out, Marie did it right on the day Nicolae landed in Singapore. The man now felt very stupid.


    Why did it take so long for him to realize his own feelings?


    If he had realized sooner that he actually loved Marie, he would undoubtedly choose to meet her in Singapore before leaving for F Island. He could immediately confirm his feelings.


    After learning that information, Nicolae was pensive, and his expression turned sad. His family could see the change in his mood that night. He became silent and unfocused. Even Altair and Vega, who had always been his center of attention, could not cheer him up. The man could only apologize many times because he didn''t pay attention when they came to him to talk.


    "You''re not yourself today," Terry commented after dinner, and they were sitting on the balcony in the third villa with Rune. "Is there bad news?"


    Nicolae could only nod weakly. "Good news and bad news. You could say that."


    "What''s the good news, and what''s the bad news? Do you enjoy torturing me with half-ass information?" grumbled Terry.


    Nicolae sighed softly. "The good news is ... I think I already know my feelings for Marie. I don''t need to meet her to confirm how I feel about her. I have realized that... I am really in love with her. Marie is a very amazing girl."


    Terry''s eyes sparkled with joy. He was happy to see Nicolae, as he had expected, recover from his heartbreak with Aleksis, and had fallen in love with another woman.


    "So... what''s the bad news?"


    "The bad news is... Marie has annulled our marriage." Nicolae looked very sad when he uttered that sentence.


    Before discovering that Marie did annul their marriage, at his request, Nicolae had secretly imagined how pleasant it would be to live together with her forever.


    Unfortunately, that would not happen. Maybe now Marie had even found another man and was in love with him.


    "Hey ... hey, don''t be sad. Frown doesn''t suit your face," Terry said. "Listen, the annulment is meaningless. As you said yourself, Marie has to think about her future, and there is no way she could maintain a fake marriage with a man who has left and hasn''t given any word to her. All you need to do is meet with her in person and confess your feelings for her. I''m sure she will accept you."


    "Do you think so?" Nicolae sounded doubtful.


    "Of course. Listen to my words. You are every woman''s ideal man. You are handsome, intelligent, and have a charming personality. If I was a girl or gay, I would definitely fall in love with you," Terry said. He actually wanted to support his best friend, but his words had instead made Nicolae frown.


    "DO NOT fall in love with me," said Nicolae, frowning. "Anyone is allowed to fall in love with, but you. Anyone but you."


    "Goddamn it! Do you think I am not good enough for you, huh? You''re lucky if someone like me falls in love with you. I have a high standard," Terry grumbled back.


    After glaring at each other for a few seconds, the two finally burst out laughing. Terry and Nicolae had a very close friendship, so they felt very comfortable throwing insults and demeaning each other.


    "Ugh ... We still have one week to go with our vacation," complained Nicolae. "I can''t wait to see her."


    Then ... why don''t you go to Singapore tomorrow and see her? We are fine here, anyway, if you would leave for a while, "Terry suggested." It''s better that way than you torturing yourself here. "


    Nicolae looked at Terry for some time and thought about his advice. Indeed he wanted to spend time on F Island with his extended family because he missed them. But in this current situation, it seemed he would only make them worry if he daydreamed a lot.


    "Hmm .. you''re right. I''ll borrow Alaric''s helicopter and go to Singapore." Finally, Nicolae nodded in agreement.


    "Good. Good luck," Terry said, supporting his friend.


    ***


    The next day, his family was surprised because Nicolae said he planned to go to Singapore. From the look on his face, they knew he was thinking seriously. Alaric, who understood what Nicolae''s purpose was to go to Singapore, immediately agreed to his request without asking.


    Just like Terry, he hoped his brother would be able to settle his affairs with Marie. Hopefully, the girl would still accept Nicolae after he left her without news for three months.


    "Of course, good luck," Alaric said, smiling and patting his brother''s shoulder. Nicolae just nodded. Accidentally, his eyes met with Aleksis. The girl looked at him in surprise.


    Ah ... if only they were back at being best friends like in the old days, it would have been nice if Nicolae could tell Aleksis about Marie and shared what was in his heart. However, given the past between the two of them, it still felt difficult for Nicolae to be open to Aleksis and share what he was feeling.


    ''Good luck,'' that was all Aleksis could say without a sound. She didn''t know what was going on, but whatever it was, she hoped Nicolae was happy.


    Nicolae nodded and finally threw a smile at Aleksis. ''Thank you,'' he mouthed his reply.


    "Where are you going, Dad?" asked Vega, who immediately clung to Nicolae''s arm. "Will you come back here again?"


    "I will only leave for a while," said Nicolae, stroking the little girl''s hair. "You want Papa to meet Auntie Marie, right?"


    Instantly Vega''s brilliant blue eyes glowed at Nicolae''s words. "You will see Aunt Marie? Really? Wow ... I''m so happy."


    Altair, who heard their conversation, also became excited. He enthusiastically asked in more detail what Nicolae would do in Singapore. The young man just ruffled Altair''s hair and shook his head. He felt that he did not need to explain at length.


    Later, if he succeeded in meeting Marie and confess his love, he would be able to bring his children to meet the girl. Altair and Vega seemed to like Marie very much. They would surely be happy if Nicolae could be with her.


    "Uhm .. I will try to meet Auntie Marie. Just pray that she will want to accept me," Nicolae answered simply.


    Altair''s face also beamed in happiness. "Sure! Auntie Marie will definitely accept you. From the way she looked at you back then ... I can tell. Auntie Marie really likes you..."


    "Haha ... I hope you''re right." Nicolae ruffled Altair and Vega''s hair and waved to his family and walked towards the waiting helicopter. Alaric''s pilot would take him to Singapore.


    He could not wait to meet Marie.

 Chapter 848 - A Really Bad News

    The trip back to Singapore felt really slow for Nicolae, who was feeling impatient. He felt palpitations as he landed on the Continental building roof and hurried down to the lobby. Alaric had prepared a vehicle for him in Singapore, and Nicolae immediately used it to go to the flower shop where Marie was.


    Along the way, his c.h.e.s.t was pounding. He did not know why he could feel that way. He felt like a teenager in love who could not wait to meet his girlfriend.


    Was this what falling in love was like? His feelings for Marie today were not the same as what he felt for Aleksis many years ago. Although physically, he was in a relationship with Aleksis for a long time, somehow, inwardly, he felt closer to Marie.


    Was this bond created between them because he and Marie slept together? He never touched Aleksis s.e.x.u.a.lly when they were together. He even only kissed Aleksis after four years in a relationship. He kissed her when Aleksis finally accepted his proposal.


    So compared to Aleksis, Marie had a far deeper physical connection with Nicolae.


    The man felt like he was going crazy. Now, in his mind, he constantly imagined Marie''s sweet smile and happy face. Nicolae admired her for always showing a cheerful attitude even when she was suffering. He loved her for her strength and resilience. He loved how she was so unique and pleasant.


    The car he drove finally arrived at Raffles Road, where Marie''s flower shop was located. The man immediately parked his car near the park and rushed to the flower shop.


    He didn''t know what excuse to give Marie for suddenly appearing in front of her like that. He also had to explain why he disappeared for three months, and she couldn''t contact him. However, for Nicolae, it was no longer important.


    He only wanted to see Marie.


    When he finally arrived in front of the flower shop, Nicolae''s steps halted, and his face looked confused. The flower shop was closed.


    He approached the window and examined the shop interior from outside, trying to find out whether the shop was temporarily closed because the owner was out for lunch or closed for the day.


    There was no announcement at all. The shop looked empty, and there was not a single flower inside. There were only chairs and a table with a few large empty vases. There was no announcement posted on the window for customers who wanted to buy flowers.


    He finally tried to call Marie''s number, but after a dozen rings, no one picked up the number.


    Where on earth was that girl?


    "Uhm ... excuse me, Sir. Where is the owner of the flower shop next door?" Finally, Nicolae went to the next-door store that sold various souvenirs. The souvenir shop owner, a middle-aged bald man only shrugged.


    "I don''t know. Usually, she was always in her shop. She hasn''t come in the last three days. Maybe she''s sick," he said. He called his assistant who was wrapping a gift box in the backroom. "Sharon, do you know where the florist next door go?"


    A young girl immediately came out while carrying scissors and wrapping paper in her hand.


    "Did you mean Miss Marie Lu? I think she''s still sick. She has complained of being unwell for one month now. I think she is having quite a difficult pregnancy..." Sharon replied, glancing at their handsome guest. From her expression, Sharon was clearly curious, why was this young man looking for Marie? What was the relationship between them?


    "Eh... pregnancy, you say?" Nicolae''s throat suddenly felt choked. His c.h.e.s.t was beating faster and faster.


    Is Marie really pregnant? Whose child is she carrying?


    Is it...


    Mine?


    He was happy to find out that Marie was pregnant ... most likely the girl was pregnant with his child.


    But at the same time, he was scared to death if it turned out that he was wrong and Marie had been in contact with another man after he left and now the girl was pregnant with another man''s kid.


    If it was the latter... Nicolae felt that this would be a blow that he would never recover from.


    "That''s right ... After she got pregnant, Marie became sick all the time. Her nausea was really bad and I saw her vomit at least twice a day ..." Sharon explained. "Who are you? Are you her friend?"


    Nicolae did not want to tell his private matters to strangers. Therefore he only nodded. "Yes. Do you know how many months in is she?"


    Sharon just shrugged. "Marie didn''t say. But if I''m not mistaken, she started vomiting two months ago. She rarely came to the shop. She said she was unwell all the time ..."


    Nicolae was stunned when he heard Sharon''s explanation. His c.h.e.s.t felt tight. He was very worried about Marie. He remembered the girl''s mother also had a fragile body since her pregnancy. Once Marie was born, Mrs. Lu''s health never recovered, and she was in and out of hospitals throughout Marie''s life.


    Did Marie also have poor health like her mother?


    Oh God ... Dear Marie...


    "I see ... I called her cellphone over and over again, but she didn''t pick up. Do you know her new number?" Nicolae asked Sharon worriedly.


    "I don''t have it. But I can ask Mrs. Carter. She is the owner of this building. Marie pays her shop rent to her." Sharon signaled Nicolae to follow her. "Come along. Mrs. Carter''s office is only a block away."


    Nicolae nodded and immediately followed Sharon walking toward the end of the road and then turned left. Sharon''s steps stopped in front of a large boutique, and she gestured for Nicolae to come inside.


    "Mrs. Carter must know Marie''s new phone number," Sharon said.


    "Oh, alright. Thank you." Nicolae nodded and thanked Sharon for taking her to Mrs. Carter''s place. After Sharon left, he immediately went inside.


    "Hello, good afternoon. What can I do for you?" asked a middle-aged European woman. She had a friendly and welcoming face.


    "Good day, Madam. I am a friend of Marie Lu''s. I came here to meet her, but she didn''t pick up her phone, and there is no announcement in her shop either. I''m wondering, do you know where she is now?" Nicolae asked politely.


    For a moment, Mrs. Carter looked dazed. She pressed her lips and her expression looked very sad.


    "Oh ... you didn''t know...?" The woman then touched Nicolae''s shoulder and squeezed it softly as if trying to give him comfort. "Marie is dead. She passed away in a traffic accident two days ago. The police contacted me because she had no family."


    Like being struck by lightning in the middle of a sunny day ... that was how Nicolae felt when he heard such bad news from Mrs. Carter.


    Marie ... died? She passed away two days ago ...


    And she took the child in her w.o.m.b too ...


    Oh God ... this is all my fault ...

 Chapter 849 - Nicolaes Regret

    "Where ... where is she now?" Nicolae asked in a choked voice. He must exert all his sanity to not break down and cry in front of Mrs. Carter.


    The middle-aged woman shook her head sadly. "She was buried yesterday by the social service. We could not find any of her other friends or relatives, and her mother is dead ..."


    "Do you know where she is buried?" Nicolae asked again.


    Mrs. Carter nodded. She then wrote an address on the paper and handed it to the young man. "You can go here ..."


    Nicolae could no longer speak, so he just nodded to express his gratitude. He listlessly accepted the paper from Mrs. Carter and read the contents. The young man then excused himself and walked with weak steps back to his car.


    As soon as he got into the car and closed the door, Nicolae buried his face in the wheel and cried silently.


    Why was he so stupid and didn''t recognize his own feelings? Why did it take so long and the encouragement of so many people for him to realize that he actually loved Marie?


    Now he lost the girl and their child.


    He cried until his tears dried.


    ***


    The girl looked very attractive even though she tried to disguise her appearance with a long coat and scarf covering part of her face. A pair of big-framed sunglasses hid her attractive slanted eyes well.


    Marie examined the boarding pass in her hand and scrutinized her surroundings carefully. On the boarding pass was the name Marielle Sakaguchi. She took a deep breath and pulled out her cellphone to call someone.


    "Hi, Sanna ... I''m leaving soon." The girl spoke on the telephone. "There was no flight delay at all. I will arrive on schedule. Do you still want to pick me up?"


    "Of course. Why are you even asking? How could I let my friend go alone to Paris without me picking her up? Julian has helped me prepare a welcoming party for you. You and my niece can calm down here ..." Sanna responded enthusiastically. "I can''t wait to see you! I miss you so much!"


    "I miss you so much too ..." Marie paused for a moment, trying to hold the sorrow in her heart. In this world, she no longer had anyone but Sanna. Three months ago, her mother had died after suffering for a long time. Sanna was already moving to France to be with her new boyfriend and could not come to be with Marie.


    But at that time, Marie was not alone. There was a kind-hearted young man who stayed with her. Nicolae accompanied Marie in her mother''s last days and comforted Marie after her mother died and was cremated. The man was even willing to be her fake husband to help Marie''s mother die peacefully.


    Marie had fallen in love with him. He was the first man in her lonely life. However, unfortunately, the man was in love with another woman, and even had two children with her.


    Marie felt hopeless after Nicolae left that day with Altair and Vega. The young man insisted on leaving for Europe even though Marie had canceled all flights to Italy, his main destination.


    She realized, Nicolae did not have the same feelings as her because he preferred to come to another woman''s birthday, the woman he loved, the mother of his children ... rather than waiting in Singapore until another flight was available. Yet, at that time, Marie had headed to the airport to meet him.


    "All right. Happy flying. You should rest along the journey. As soon as you land, contact me directly," Sanna said happily. "See you later."


    "See you later," Marie answered with a smile and hung up the phone. After storing her cellphone in her coat pocket, the girl walked nonchalantly to the Gate C18 where the plane would depart.


    She only carried a small backpack on her shoulder. Basically, the girl didn''t have many many worldly possessions. She left her life in Singapore, she left for France almost without taking anything with her.


    All of her possessions now were in digital form, for practicality. She even gave up some of her personal belongings to be left in her apartment to dispel police suspicions, should anyone want to investigate ''her death''.


    Marie got a fresh corpse from the government coroner''s office thanks to her connections. She managed to arrange an accident with the help of a mafia group that had hired her services in the past. For her, it was not at all difficult to falsify the victim''s data, so the police establish her as the victim of a single traffic accident that occurred two days ago.


    Marie still had a few hours before the police came to her apartment and look for information. She stayed at a hotel while preparing for her departure to Paris. While waiting for her flight, she removed every trace that connected Goose to Marie Lu.


    Everything was settled right before she left for the airport and prepared to start a new life in France. She and her baby would retreat for several years and avoid attracting any attention. She had enough money to live comfortably for several years until she needed to go back to work.


    "I can''t risk it when the bad guys go after Goose," Marie murmured softly. She heard the boarding call from the gate she was heading to, and her steps became faster. She could not wait to leave this country.


    Marie ordered business class tickets and was waiting in the line of passengers who boarded first. Shortly before stepping into the gate, she turned and looked at the big airport with a heart filled with sadness.


    I will never come back here, she thought despondently.


    Marie did not realize that when she was walking into the plane, a very sad man walked into the door of her apartment on Robertson Road. Nicolae paid the building manager to open the girl''s apartment by claiming to be her boyfriend.


    Because of Nicolae''s seemingly sincere attitude and the money he gave, the building manager gladly escorted Nicolae into Marie''s apartment and waited for him in the living room while Nicolae went around and surveyed the whole apartment.


    He remembered three months ago when he walked in, accompanying Marie after the death of her mother. He still remembered all the objects in the apartment that were named by the girl.


    The chair was Edgar, the washing machine was called Lilith, the potted plant was called Emma ... and many more. Everything was still there.


    Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t felt suffocated as he stepped into the bedroom and saw Marie''s cold bed. Three months ago, the place felt so warm when they made love passionately.


    Nicolae remembered how much fun it was sitting and chatting with the girl, and how beautiful was their m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e all morning. He could almost smell her scent left in her room.


    He cursed himself again for being late in realizing his feelings for the girl. Why was he so unlucky in this life?


    Finally, he could open his heart and fall in love again ... but he was already too late.


    When he realized that he had fallen in love with Marie ... the girl had gone forever.

 Chapter 850 - Heartbroken

    Nicolae was not ashamed when he cried in Marie''s apartment. The building manager was very sorry to see him and finally decided to leave the young man himself. Nicolae stayed in Marie''s room and pondered for a long time.


    He did not know what to do now. It felt like his life had become completely empty. So much hope that filled his heart a day ago, today turned into deep sorrow.


    For some reason ... it seemed now he understood how his father felt a hundred years ago when he learned of Luna''s death, together with the child in her w.o.m.b.


    Was this really my destiny ...? To never be happy?


    He had never felt a heartbreak so severe like this ... In fact, this could not be compared to what he felt when Aleksis was married to Alaric. He had shed so much tears at the cemetery, that he thought he couldn''t cry anymore.


    As it turned out, he was wrong. In Marie''s apartment, he felt so broken and cried ceaselessly. After all his tears were dry, Nicolae sat quietly for the night, unable to do anything.


    Some incoming SMS and phone calls came from Terry, but he just ignored them. He did not want to talk to anyone. He was despondent and had no d.e.s.i.r.e to do anything.


    In a blink of an eye, two days passed.


    "Nic ..."


    Nicolae did not eat nor drink for two days. He only sat pondering in a chair named Edgar that Marie often used for work. His eyes stared blankly out the window. Alaric''s voice that called his name gently was unable to move him.


    His brother walked slowly to him and then hugged him.


    "We already know what happened ..." Alaric said quietly.


    At first, Terry thought Nicolae didn''t want to reply to his texts and calls because he was having fun with Marie and didn''t want to be disturbed, but after 24 hours, they realized something bad must have happened to Nicolae that he didn''t reply to any of their texts.


    Alaric called Takeshi, who immediately checked Nicolae''s situation and found out what had happened to the girl named Marie Lu. The news that Takeshi delivered greatly shook everyone who was enjoying their holiday on F Island.


    Alaric and Lauriel immediately flew back to Singapore to meet Nicolae. They understood how bad Nicolae''s situation was and wanted to immediately console him. Alaric decided to go in first and meet Nicolae while his father waited outside, so Nicolae would not feel overwhelmed by them.


    "Nic ..." Alaric called again.


    Nicolae, who was in his arms, was completely silent. The young man had run out of tears, and his heart was filled with such a painful void. He did not respond to Alaric at all.


    "Father ..." Alaric finally called out to Lauriel, who rushed in. "It''s very bad ..."


    They understood what made Nicolae so devastated. He lost two people at once: the woman he loved and the child in her w.o.m.b. And that terrible event happened only a few days ago when Nicolae was actually very close ...


    Lauriel crouched down and hugged his eldest son''s knees and looked into Nicolae''s blank eyes. He felt so sad to see Nicolae in such conditions. Nicolae took after Luna''s warm and cheerful personality. The young man was not a cold and sad person like himself and Alaric. So, seeing him turn out like this felt very suffocating.


    "My son..." Lauriel said hoarsely. "You have to eat and rest. Otherwise, you can get sick."


    An alchemist had a perfect body, and normally, they wouldn''t get sick, but if they didn''t eat and drink and didn''t rest, they would die of hunger and fatigue.


    Lauriel had checked his son''s pulse and found that Nicolae''s condition was very weak.


    "Father ..." Nicolae suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his father with a pair of hopeless eyes. "Is this how it feels ...?"


    Lauriel understood the meaning of Nicolae''s question. He nodded. "Yes."


    Lauriel''s answer made Nicolae even sadder. He paused for a long time and said nothing more. Alaric tightened his embrace on his brother. Now, his years of suffering and sadness when he was separated from Aleksis felt meaningless. At least, when he thought Aleksis died, he didn''t know that his wife was pregnant.


    "It''s my fault ..." Nicolae finally said. He then turned to Alaric and shook his head. "I should have come and seen her right away ..."


    Alaric shook his head softly. "This isn''t your fault, Nic. You don''t know. This is fate."


    Nicolae disagreed with his brother. This must be his fault.


    From the beginning, he had known how Marie felt for him. He knew that the girl liked him ... No, she actually had fallen in love with him. When they got into the fake marriage and then slept together ... He could feel that Marie loved him.


    But he got rid of his own feelings for her because he was still focused on healing his broken heart and wanted to start a new life by forgetting Aleksis and avoid being in a relationship with another girl.


    Now .. because of his stupidity.. for taking such a long time to think ... he actually lost the woman he loved and their child.


    Why did he tell Marie to annul their marriage?


    He could imagine how sad Marie felt when she found out that she was pregnant and reluctantly decided to annul their marriage at the last moment because she did not want to be in a one-sided marriage. He imagined how many times Marie had tried to contact him but couldn''t because Nicolae had cut off contact and changed his identity ...


    "It''s my fault ..." Finally, his tears that had dried up slowly dripped down to his cheeks. Nicolae cried again in Alaric''s arms. His brother and father let him pour his heart out until he could finally calm down.


    Lauriel gently told him to take a potion to restore his strength and eat, but Nicolae still refused. With a heavy heart, Alaric finally sent Terry to bring Altair and Vega to persuade their Nicolae. At first, he did not want his children to see Nicolae like that, but he felt he had no choice anymore.


    Two hours later, Vega''s hysterical voice in Marie''s living room shocked Nicolae from his thoughts. He looked up and saw his daughter running toward him while crying.


    "Daddy... Daddy, don''t die ..." Vega hugged Nicolae with wet eyes and sobbed on his shirt. "I will be very sad if you left... Please, don''t do this to us..."


    Nicolae was stunned to hear Vega''s words. Altair, who followed Vega with, now arrived in front of him and joined in hugging Nicolae.


    "Daddy... don''t forget us just because you love someone else ...You must never do that ..." said Altair sadly. "Daddy, you promised ..."


    Altair and Vega, who really loved Nicolae, just wanted to see the man happy. They even tried hard to find him a girlfriend so that the man would not be lonely and sad because he kept remembering their mother.


    But they had made him promise that if someday Nicolae fell in love ... he would not forget Altair and Vega whom he had considered as his own children.


    He had promised that his love for the two children would not change even though one day he would fall in love with another woman and have a child with her. Altair and Vega were still his children, and his love for them would never change ...


    It was this promise ... that Altair was now claiming from him.

 Chapter 851 - The Red Woven Wristbands

    Hearing Altair''s words and Vega''s cries, Nicolae became silent and unable to react. His heart was too sad to answer Altair. Why can''t he be happy? Why did this have to happen to him? These two children ... whom he really loved ... were not his biological children, but his brother''s.


    His own child died even before it was born. Nicolae didn''t even know if it was a boy or a girl.


    "Dad... please, don''t leave us ..." cried Vega again. "Daddy, you promised ..."


    Nicolae raised his face and looked at Vega in his arms. He finally took a deep breath and stroked the little girl''s hair. He still could not speak, but his head slowly nodded.


    Terry appeared shortly after with a tray of food and drinks. He put it on the table beside Nicolae and signaled the two children to force Nicolae to eat.


    Vega and Altair attentively persuaded Nicolae to eat something so he would not starve. Lauriel had mixed a potion into his drink, and after Nicolae took it, he felt very sleepy and then fell asleep.


    Lauriel carried his son to the bed and let him sleep there so Nicolae could rest. He felt Nicolae''s pulse had become weak because he did not eat and drink and did not sleep for two days in a row.


    The three men, together with the twins, could only sit in the living room and fell silent. They already knew what had happened to Marie Lu and realized that Nicolae''s broken heart this time was the most severe. This is not something he could get over by wandering around the world and trying to heal himself.


    "This should have been an exciting new year," Terry said regretfully. "Nicolae started the year 2051 very badly."


    "You should go home and get together with the others," Lauriel told him. "I''ll wait for Nic here until he gets better and can go home."


    Alaric and the twins actually wanted to accompany his father with Nicolae, but Marie''s apartment was too small for all of them. He also still had responsibilities to his wife and their two babies. He couldn''t let Aleksis struggle to take care of Ireland and Scotland alone without him.


    That''s why he decided to return to F Island with Altair and Vega. Terry was also forced to follow him. There was no place for him in Marie''s apartment.


    "I''m going to ask Takeshi to buy this building, so Nicolae can live there as he pleases," Alaric said on the way to F Island. "I''m sure my brother wants to spend more time there."


    "Good idea," Terry said. "It''s a shame to let the apartment occupied by someone else. Marie''s memories would be thrown away and just disappear."


    The new year, which was supposed to be pleasant, turned gray for the Schneider-Medici family. Even though the weather was sunny and the view of their private island looked breathtaking, no one could feel happy. Everyone was sorry for Nicolae.


    Jan was still on holiday in Bali and London did not want to bother him with school matters for L, so he contacted some of his old teachers who gave private lessons for him and Rune. He wanted to help L to get a high school diploma and immediately enroll in college.


    Aleksis and Alaric, together with their four children, stayed for some time in Singapore until winter was over, and then returned to their castle in Yorkshire. Lauriel accompanied Nicolae in Singapore until he felt better and finally returned to New York.


    After grieving for a full month, the man decided to immerse himself in a job at university. He did not want to bother his family any longer and made his two children worried.


    After the tragic event, Nicolae very rarely smiled.


    ***


    Months passed, and the seasons changed. Winter turned into spring, which was marked by the blooming of flowers and the greening of the trees. L studied hard all spring and took the college entrance exam with the help of some professors who taught her at home.


    London was very proud of his wife, who wanted to improve herself, even though she was very busy with her career as a famous singer and mother to Lily. He wholeheartedly supported L for school and helped her choose the right program.


    L decided to take a literature program because she liked reading. Before the summer arrived, she had successfully made the entrance examination. She enrolled as a Literature student at the University in Berlin.


    After L confirmed her college registration, on a sunny May, before spring passed, they also held their wedding in Stuttgart. This was a long-awaited event by this couple. After many failed proposals and failed wedding plans, the two of them were finally able to get married for real. They held the wedding reception attended by all members of the Alchemist clan.


    Kara''s garden party was as lively as Aleksis and Alaric''s wedding two years earlier. All the guests present seemed happy because the eldest son of the Schneider family got married and had an adorable baby.


    Lily and her two cousins ??were ten months old and very cute. All three became the center of everyone''s attention when the guests saw the three adorable babies coming with their parents.


    "Gosh ... the Schneider family is very lucky ... in just eleven years, they already have 5 grandchildren. Maybe we should follow in their footsteps so that the survival of our clan is secured..."


    "Alaric Medici and Aleksis Schneider are quick to have their next children. What a perfect family."


    "Ah ... I''m so jealous of them. Their family looks so perfect."


    "Nicolae and Terry are still single. Rune too. This is our chance to attract their attention."


    Thus there were whispers among enthusiastic female guests. There were still some handsome bachelor men from the Schneider family who attract the attention of many women. There was Aldebar Schneider; his nephew Rune Schneider; then Terrence Chan, Jean and Finland''s; and of course the eldest son of the Medici family, Nicolae.


    The four men were not unaware that they became the talk of many people, but they only frowned and pretended not to hear it. Nicolae was still heartbroken. Terry hadn''t seriously thought about love and marriage; he and Shekina both liked each other, but they didn''t want to be tied down. Rune and Aldebar loved science more than women.


    Rune and Terry, who became the groomsmen, escaped from the crowd after completing their duties and joined Nicolae and Aldebar in the corner of the garden. They did not want to be approached by parents who wanted to offer their daughters to them.


    "Do you see who your father is chatting with?" whispered Terry as he elbowed Nicolae, who was calmly sipping his wine. The elbowed man immediately lifted his face and glanced in the direction Terry had pointed.


    Jeez ...


    He was not mistaken, right?


    Nicolae recognized the woman because he had met her in Targu Mures on Aleksis'' birthday. The woman was slim and beautiful, with ginger hair fashioned into a bun on top of her head. She had a stunning beauty, but her expression seemed cold with dangerous glints in her eyes. At first glance, no one would dare to mess with her.


    And in her left wrist, there was a red woven wristband. Just like the one hanging in Lauriel''s right wrist.


    Rosalien?


    Did my father like Rosalien? Nicolae could hardly believe his eyes.


    Lauriel and Rosalien did not seem to have any conversation, but their movements looked very similar and intimate.


    When did they start dating? Where? What happened...? It felt very difficult for Nicolae to trust his own vision.

 Chapter 852 - The Adorable Twins

    Nicolae was stunned and did not know what to think. His mind suddenly felt empty. When she saw his brother walking while carrying one of his babies, who was now big enough to chatter and happily patted his cheek, Nicolae hurriedly gave Alaric a signal to come to him.


    "The party is lively, isn''t it?" Alaric said. His face looked very bright, he clearly enjoyed his role as a father to the two little babies.


    "Yes, it is..." commented Nicolae. He elbowed Alaric and tilted his chin toward Lauriel, who was standing in the corner with Rosalien. Both of them looked like party decorations that were standing still, looking at people dancing with the same cold expression.


    "Have you seen father?" Nicolae asked.


    Alaric followed his brother''s gaze and stared straight at Lauriel and Rosalien. He could only shrug. He already suspected his father''s closeness with Rosalien since he saw the red woven wristband his father had worn during their year-end holiday on F Island.


    He knew Rosalien attended a weaving therapy to calm her nerves down, years ago. The girl was known to have explosive emotions and couldn''t make friends. She attended the therapy as part of her anger management program. She grew to like weaving small objects in her spare time. Alaric still had the wristband Rosalien gave him a dozen years ago.


    The woven wristband in Lauriel''s hands proved that somehow, after returning from Targu Mures last year, Lauriel was reunited with Rosalien and the bad blood, due to events from eleven years ago when Lauriel captured Rosalien, had been settled between them.


    If Rosalien still held a grudge against Lauriel, then there was no way that she would give Lauriel one of her handmade wristbands. Alaric also could not help but notice when Lauriel started wearing it. Over the past year, he had begun to get to know his father, and he knew that Lauriel was not someone who liked wearing accessories, such as a wristband.


    It gave him the impression that Rosalien must be important enough to Lauriel that the man changed and accepted the wristband she gave him. And tonight, both of them seemed to come together to attend the wedding and even wore the same red wristbands...


    Was this a subtle sign that the two were in a relationship? Just look ... their gestures seemed very similar. They both even gave off the same indifferent and cold vibe.


    "I think ... they do have a special relationship," Alaric finally said. "I will ask Aleksis to ask father directly."


    Nicolae grabbed his brother''s shoulder and shook his head. "Uhm .. I don''t think we should ask him anything. We shouldn''t force our father to share something if he doesn''t want to share it with us. Maybe they are reluctant to announce their relationship because Rosalien is one of your foster children."


    Alaric frowned. That was true. After all, Rosalien was his foster daughter and Lauriel was his biological father. For regular human standards, the relationship between Lauriel and Rosalien, if they were really lovers, would be considered unnatural.


    But they were not even related by blood, and Alaric also never adopted Rosalien as his daughter. He gave his last name Rhionen to Rosalien to mark their bond as fellow members of Rhionen Assassins. His real last name was actually Medici.


    Come to think of it ... Alaric, who was very familiar with Rosalien, having been with her for almost 30 years, felt that the girl was actually very similar to Lauriel. They were equally reclusive, cold, and quiet. Rosalien didn''t have any friends. She was only close to her three foster brothers.


    She was just like Lauriel, who was only close to his people in Wolf Pack and Caspar Schneider.


    He thought again how he should respond to this. If indeed Lauriel was in a relationship with Rosalien ... then surely he would support his father unconditionally.


    He just wanted to see his father happy with whoever his heart d.e.s.i.r.ed. In his life now, Alaric had got everything he ever wanted in life. He had four lovely children and a wife who loved him with all her heart.


    Their lives together were pleasant and happy. He just wanted the same thing to happen to his brother and father. If Lauriel and Rosalien felt awkward because of the indirect family relations that existed between them, Alaric would gladly sever his relationship as Rosalien''s foster father and let her live separated from his family.


    After all, at the age of 30-something, as now, Rosalien was a m.a.t.u.r.e woman who could decide on her own life.


    "I will call my four foster children and severe the family relationship between us. I don''t want them to feel awkward towards me and always think of me as their father. However, now that I have my own family. I will treat Mischa, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien as my subordinates in the company," said Alaric in the end. "I don''t want Rosalien to feel awkward toward our father because of the past relationship between us."


    Nicolae only nodded when he heard his brother''s words. Alaric, who lived alone long enough and always thought he was suffering the most because he had no family, actually had many people around him. Before he met Aleksis, he already had his group, Rhionen Assassins, as well as his four foster children.


    After Alaric met Aleksis and married her, the man was blessed with a big family that made him very happy. He had four biological children, a father, a brother, and the extended family from the Schneider and Lewis and Baden.


    While Nicolae ... he didn''t have all that. Subconsciously, the dark blue-eyed man finished the wine in his glass and tried to forget his own bitterness. He really did not have anyone. He did not have Aleksis and the children. He also had lost Marie and their child together.


    Nicolae did not know when he would be able to recover his broken heart and be happy again. For a long time, he had never smiled.


    "What are you two talking about?" asked Aleksis, who came to them, carrying Scotland. He kissed Nicolae on the cheek and handed the baby over to the man. "Can you please hold the little one for a moment? I want to find the twins."


    Nicolae nodded. He kissed Scotland''s fat cheeks and carried the baby in his hand. He had never held a baby before. He met Altair and Vega when they were already five years old, so they were older than Scotland and Ireland.


    A pair of really handsome non-identical twin brothers holding identical baby boys dressed in identical getups immediately attracted the attention of many people. Soon, the overly-excited female guests had come and surrounded them.


    "Gosh ... you all look so beautiful."


    "You are twins, right? And now one of you also has twins? This is really adorable ..."


    "Nicolae, don''t you want to find a wife for yourself? If you also have a baby, they must also look so cute like Ireland and Scotland ..."


    Nicolae could only roll his eyes and try to ignore them, while Alaric looked happy and proud that his children were being praised. His face looked radiant. From afar, Rosalien looked stunned to see Alaric''s bright face.


    "I''ve never seen Sir Alaric like this," she commented softly. "He must be really happy."


    Lauriel followed the direction of Rosalien''s gaze and then nodded. "He is indeed happy."

 Chapter 853 - Lauriel & Rosalien

    Rosalien smiled faintly at Lauriel''s words. She had always respected Alaric. You could say Alaric was her role model in life. They had similar personalities and deep connection.


    Alaric taught the brave little girl who lived in the streets of New York for a long time how to defend herself and even then grew up to be a very formidable killer.


    Among the 15 assassins in the Rhionen Assassins organization, Rosalien was among those who had the most kills, together with Mischa. She was not only very good at fighting, she actually enjoyed her profession because her strong killing intent, due to her harsh past.


    It took a long time for Rosalien to change herself and start a new leaf in her life after Rhionen Assassins was disbanded by Alaric eleven years ago. At that time, she decided to go on an adventure around the world with Takeshi.


    She finally settled in China after Alaric suffered calamities and was in a coma for years. To return the favor of Alaric who had raised her and taught her many things since she was a child, Rosalien turned her life and worked together with her foster brothers to take care of Rhionen Industries, so they could continue Alaric''s ideals.


    Over the years of living among ordinary people, Rosalien began to change. She was no longer bloodthirsty and closing herself off from people. Over the years, she also underwent several surgeries to restore her tongue, which was once almost cut off when she bit it herself to keep the identities of her group members secret.


    Rosalien''s voice never recovered as before. Although she was now able to speak normally, her voice became more hoarse. She used to have a crisp and melodious voice. Because she didn''t like her current voice, Rosalien became less talkative.


    Among the RMI employees who work under her, this girl was famous for being very strict and cold. In the beginning, some men thought, just because she was young and beautiful, Rosalien was a weak girl who could be taunted.


    They had to feel the consequences when trying to demean the young girl who became the big boss of the RMI office in China. They falsely thought she only obtained the position because of her relationship with the founder, Alaric Rhionen. In just one week, Rosalien replaced some top management members who doubted her leadership with her chosen people.


    Some people who were dissatisfied with her decisions then tried to hire a hitman to kill Rosalien and make it look like an accident. Poor them, apparently, the joke was on them.


    Rosalien easily beat up some of the assassins sent to her place and in return, forced them to come to the people who hired them. She threatened to mobilize Rhionen Assassins to eradicate their group if they didn''t obey her commands.


    Only then did the killers realize that the similarity in names between the company and the legendary assassin group was not just a coincidence.


    They all turned the people who hired them and broke their right legs respectively, according to Rosalien''s orders. It was the punishment for outrageously trying to kill the girl.


    Since that incident, no one dared to look down on Rosalien ever again. She soon had a reputation in China and Asia as the iron lady. She still had no friends and only spent her time working or venturing alone. Rosalien still sometimes spent time with her foster brothers when they have the chance, but it became increasingly rare.


    They were quite busy with work since Alaric decided to resign from the business and take care of his family. Rosalien used to hate Aleksis because she assumed Aleksis was responsible for the terrible events that befell Alaric and caused Alaric to disband Rhionen Assassins. Now, she slowly began to accept the girl in Alaric''s life.


    When she came to Alaric and Aleksis'' wedding anniversary last year at Targu Mures, she could see how Alaric had changed, and now he seemed happy. The man always looked bright and all smiles when surrounded by his wife and children.


    That was what made Rosalien decided to bury her hatred for Aleksis. She can even forgive Lauriel, who captured her and made her lose her beautiful voice. As it turned out, Lauriel was Alaric''s biological father.


    Moreover ... apparently, they both had a lot in common. When looking at Lauriel, Rosalien seemed to see herself in a male version. She did not think there were people in this world who were so similar to her.


    "What are you thinking?" Lauriel asked, narrowing his eyes at Rosalien. The girl was smiling faintly, and that made him want to know what Rosalien was thinking.


    "Hmm .." Rosalien turned to Lauriel and stared back at him. Lauriel had a different face from Alaric, but they are very similar in personalities. His pair of blue-green eyes had the same glints as his youngest son. Lauriel''s eyes always swept away anyone who saw him, Rosalien was no exception.


    "Hmm?" Lauriel repeated his question.


    Rosalien was not a talkative person, so every time the girl spoke, her words were always meaningful and carried weight. Lauriel did not expect that when he talk to Rosalien, he found her to be full of interesting ideas, which she kept mostly to herself.


    "I''m thinking about the past." Finally, Rosalien answered, "I''m glad Sir Alaric found his happiness. He is a good father figure for me. Twenty years ago, we never dreamed that fate would bring us here."


    Lauriel nodded. He also never thought that one day he would be happy again. Thirty years ago, he assumed that Aleksis was payback for his karma to make up for all the suffering that he experienced for decades. He had no idea, at that time, that he actually had two biological children.


    Now they have all reunited. He had also begun to slowly move on. He had accepted the fact that the woman he loved so much had left him and that he had to continue his life. He would still live for several hundred years, and therefore, he had to move on with life.


    He had shared his memories of Luna with Nicolae and Alaric, as part of his efforts to say goodbye to their mother and to move on together.


    "Time heals," Lauriel said shortly. He took a sip of wine in his glass and looked at Nicolae and Alaric, who were both carrying Ireland and Scotland respectively while facing a crowd of fans: the women who were all excited to see the twins.


    "You''re right," said Rosalien. She clinked her glass to Lauriel''s glass and downed her wine.


    The two said nothing more and just stood relaxed, watching their surroundings. Caspar seemed to be having a conversation with Ned and Portia about various clan affairs, and Finland was laughing with the newlyweds.


    She and Elle looked very happy because they knew Billie Yves was about to perform. Both were the legendary singer''s biggest fans and couldn''t wait to see her sing.

 Chapter 854 - Dance At The Wedding

    "Good day, Everyone ..." Billie Yves appeared on stage with graceful steps. The girl still looked as pretty as she was during her superstardom days in the music industry. However, her appearance had changed, and now she looked more elegant and motherly.


    "Aaahh ... !!!"


    Finland was surprised to hear L''s scream beside her. She turned her head and found that her daughter-in-law was crying and screaming emotionally because she could finally see her idol perform right before her, giving a special show at her own wedding.


    Finland knew from London that L also really liked Billie Yves, and she immediately understood the girl. Both seemed to focus on the stage and listen to Billie sing.


    "I am delighted to be at this party and sing some of my favorite songs. This is for all of you," Billie said, raising her right hand in the air. She then sang two songs in a row. All guests seemed hypnotized to hear her singing.


    Some of them sing with Billie, and some went down to the dance floor and dance with their partners.


    "Honey, do you want to dance with me?" asked London suddenly, hugging L''s waist. The girl was still transfixed by Billie Yves. He had left Lily with Rune and would not miss this important moment to dance with his wife.


    L looked at him with a radiant face and nodded with a smile. The newlywed couple then moved to the front of the stage and danced slowly to Billie Yves'' ballad.


    Jean and Marion soon followed them. Because Billie Yves''s performance was a very rare event, Marion left her baby briefly to Kara, who happily took care of the 3-month-old baby boy.


    Many couples came to the dance floor enjoying song after song from the legendary Billie Yves. Aleksis, who also grew up listening to Billie Yves'' songs played by her mother, actually wanted to get her husband to dance, but she knew Alaric did not like to dance in public, so she restrained herself and did not ask him.


    She only watched the couples dancing while waiting for Altair and Vega who were playing with the Little Monkey, Jean-Marie. The three children were very close because they were only a year apart. Altair and Vega were almost eleven years old and Jean-Marie was now ten years old.


    "Hey ... would you like to dance?"


    Suddenly Alaric''s voice came from behind Aleksis, who was focusing her attention on her children. The girl was surprised to hear her husband''s words and immediately turned around with an expression of disbelief.


    "You .. you want to dance with me?" she asked, astonished.


    Alaric just nodded. He had left Ireland with Terry, who had offered to carry his baby after seeing how many women had surrounded Alaric and Nicolae because they each held an adorable baby. After giving his son to Terry, automatically, his eyes directed to find his wife.


    He saw the look on Aleksis'' face when she watched Billie Yves go onstage, started singing, and then couple after couple went down to dance. He knew Aleksis also wanted to dance, but he knew his wife loved him too much and would not ask him to do things he did not like.


    That''s why he secretly approached Aleksis and now instead invited her to dance together. Aleksis smiled broadly to see her husband nod. She happily hugged Alaric''s neck and kissed his lips tenderly.


    "Yes!"


    Alaric put his arm around Aleksis''s waist and led her to the dance floor with other couples. Seeing such a romantic atmosphere under the stage, many young clan members who were single also want to feel the romance, so they started looking for a dance partner.


    Shekina, Lyanna, and Alexandra looked stunning in their beautiful dresses. The three girls immediately approached Rune, Terry, and Nicolae who were standing together with the babies in their arms.


    "Hey, do you want to dance with us?" Shekina asked in her sweet voice. She narrowed her eyes when she saw how Terry looked very skilled in carrying Scotland. "You''re fit to be a father."


    Terry just rolled his eyes. "Of course. I am a perfect man. If one day I become a father, I will become a great father. Right now, I am only practicing."


    Simultaneously the three girls giggled. Terry hadn''t changed. He was still narcissistic, like always. The handsome young man clearly did not want to get married, let alone become a father, but he still wanted to show that he had the talent to be one.


    "Sorry, we can''t dance. These babies need us," Nicolae said, shrugging.


    Just then, Ireland in his arms yawned very wide and swung his arms against Nicolae''s chin. The three girls laughed again. Ireland looked very adorable with his sleepy face.


    "Whose babies are these?" Alexandra asked curiously.


    "Uhm ... this one must be Lily," Lyanna commented while stroking Lily''s thick black hair. The baby clinging happily to her uncle''s c.h.e.s.t, Rune. The beautiful baby girl looked annoyed because a stranger touched her hair, and she immediately growled. Lyanna laughed at Lily''s behavior. "Gosh ... she is bitchy, just like her mother."


    Rune joined in laughing at Lyanna''s words. L did have a reputation as quick-tempered and bitchy. Even though L had changed a lot now, but at a glance, people who didn''t really know her would think L was irritable and quick-tempered because the girl was aloof and introverted. She didn''t like talking unless she must, and she didn''t make friends easily.


    London, on the other hand, had the opposite personality. He was warm and open, and he did not mind his wife''s attitude. He preferred it when people thought his wife was not friendly and irritable, so men out there wouldn''t fall in love with L.


    "Let me be the only man who knows the real L, that she is a woman who is smart, gentle, caring, and adorable ..." London said with a laugh when Rune talked about L''s reputation for being bitchy. "If everyone knows that L is actually loving and pleasant, then a lot of men will chase after her. I don''t like to have competition."


    "Yes ... Lily does look like her mother," Rune said with a smile. He remembered how thrilled London was when he found out he would have a daughter. He really really wanted his daughter to look like L.


    "Then what about these two other babies?" Lyanna asked. Rune and Nicolae looked at each other. Actually, the people who came to the wedding could guess that these two children were Alaric Medici'' and Aleksis Schneider''s sons. However, the three uncles could not openly reveal the identities of the two babies as long as Alaric and Aleksis still decided to keep their children secret.


    Finally, they just shrugged. "These two children are our nephews."


    That''s all they could say. The three girls nodded in understanding. Ireland and Scotland did not resemble their parents, so the girls also did not dare to assume.


    "Hmmm ... they''re so cute..." Shekina found the babies so adorable and was about to pinch Scotland''s cheek, but she tried hard to hold back.


    Finally, the three men and women could only chat while enjoying wine because no one could dance while holding a baby in their hands.


    From afar, they look like three pairs of husband and wife with their respective babies.

 Chapter 855 - Nicolaes Questions

    The festive wedding party was the subject of much discussion. In just two years, the Schneider family had thrown two weddings. The first was a wedding celebration between Aleksis and Alaric.


    Although the two had actually been married a long time ago, the two families only found out and then announced it to the public ten years later.


    Now, the Schneider family''s second child, who was still very young, London Schneider, was married to a girl who was also very young. This was truly a rare event among the alchemists.


    Usually, people from this clan would only look for a serious partner when they were very m.a.t.u.r.e, at least fifty years or even one hundred years old. They also would not immediately get married but entered a relationship for a long time to get to know each other well, because, for the conservative clan members, marriage was once for a lifetime.


    The relationship could last for decades, even up to centuries, before they finally decided to get married. However, the children of the Schneider family were quite different from the rest of the Alchemists. They fell in love and formed relationsh.i.p.s with their partners, just like ordinary people, at a young age.


    Now, as the only unmarried child of the Schneider family, many people focused their attention on Rune. They were curious to know whether Rune would also get married quickly, like his two siblings. The young man was only 26 years old, and he often became annoyed if people kept asking him the same thing.


    "I''m still very young and I love science," he always replied to their questions, dismissing the notion that he was in a hurry to get married like Aleksis and London. "I''m married to science, like my uncle, Aldebar."


    "Ahh .. too bad ..." A lot of people became disappointed at his reply. They remembered that Aldebar was also very handsome and impressive, but he never cared for a single woman. He was one of the most famous bachelors in the Alchemist clan. And during his 300 years of life on earth, never once he was associated with any women in their clan.


    "Congratulations, once again ... to the newlyweds, London Killian Schneider, and Elle Marianne De Maestri ..." said Billie Yves after she finished singing several of her hit songs, followed by a thundering applause by the enchanted audience. She smiled sweetly and pointed at L, who was standing next to London, watching every word that came out of Billie''s lips like listening to a goddess. "L ... would you like to go on stage and sing this next song with me?"


    "Ah .. are you serious? Me?" L''s eyes went so round. She was very surprised because Billie talked to her personally and even invited her to a duet.


    London smiled and nodded, encouraging L to go on stage and share her beautiful voice with Billie Yves to their guests. Finally, with a trembling step, L sauntered toward the stage. London, who was following her, suddenly embraced L''s waist with both hands and carried the girl up onto the stage before L had time to look for the stairs.


    "Come on, amaze everyone," London whispered excitedly into his wife''s ear. Billie Yves reached out her hand and helped L get on the stage and then stood beside her.


    "Hi, L ... I really like your voice. Will you sing the next song with me?" Billie asked, smiling broadly. L nodded awkwardly. Her expression clearly implied that the girl still couldn''t believe that she would sing with her idol.


    Billie Yves took L''s hand and signaled her accompanying musicians to play the intro. Starting by the piano, then followed by guitar, then the complete band accompanied the two talented girls sing a hit from Billie''s first album, a song called "You Are Enough".


    Suddenly everyone was transfixed in their place listening to the golden voices of the two girls, complementing each other. It was a very beautiful rendition.


    London hurriedly took his cellphone and captured the moment. He was sure that L would be eager to see the recording of her singing with her idol singer, so London took the initiative to record it for L. He even changed positions to get the best angle.


    Ahh .. L''s face on stage, looked so happy. London was delighted because he knew how happy L was with their wedding. Her rare smile kept appearing on her face tonight.


    He will never forget this night, forever.


    ***


    Jean-Marie was almost ten years old, and the older she was the more beautiful she looked. Her beautiful curly hair hung down to her waist and made her look like a princess. Although her appearance looked elegant and feminine, Jean-Marie was still the Little Monkey who was naughty and often made her parents massage their temples.


    Jean and Marion really hoped that their second child, a boy, would be calmer and more manageable than Jean-Marie. They named him Jean-Henri, to continue the tradition.


    Marion, who was so fond of her husband''s French name, Jean-Pierre, insisted their children should follow his name. That was why their first child was named Jean-Marie, and now their second child was named Jean-Henri.


    "Ahhh .. so cute ..." Finland exclaimed when she saw Jean-Henri. Although the baby boy was only three months old, Jean-Henri already looked so handsome.


    Her hair was thick and curly like his sister''s, and he had a pair of bright blue eyes just like their mother''s. His face had a hint of Asian features, inherited from his father. He was also a very smiley baby. Everyone agreed that Jean-Henri was super adorable.


    "Thank you," Marion said, beaming at the praise. Any mother would be proud to see her child being complimented by others.


    Terry and Nicolae had returned their nephews to Alaric and Aleksis and were now sitting together, enjoying wine while chatting. They planned to return to New York the next morning.


    Terry was very busy with work, while Nicolae always felt sad when attending a wedding. Two years ago, he was supposed to marry Aleksis but had to cancel it the day before it took place. Until now, it was still not easy for Nicolae to forget the incident.


    Tonight''s events also reminded him of his own wedding to Marie that took place suddenly and held in a very simple condition ... and was later annulled by his wife. He admitted that all of that was his own fault ...


    That''s why he and Terry decided not to linger in Stuttgart and immediately returned to their home in New York.


    "By the way, I didn''t see your father. Where is he?" Terry asked suddenly. He looked around here and there to look Lauriel but could not see him anywhere. "Has your father gone home first?"


    Nicolae realized that his father was already gone. It was quite unusual of him. Nicolae had thought Lauriel would stay longer. Apparently, his father had left.


    "Father already said good-bye," said Alaric. "He has to go to China. You and Terry were busy with the three girls, so father didn''t talk to you."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae remembered that he, Terry, and Rune had spent a lot of time hanging out with Shekina and her two friends. "Why doesn''t he go home to Grosetto? What''s in China?"


    Alaric just shrugged. "Father didn''t say. But I know Rosalien lives in China."


    "Oh .." Nicolae could only nod. He remembered seeing his father at the party with Rosalien. The two of them looked really cool, standing together and not saying anything. Even the other guests seemed impressed with the two people, and no one dared to disturb them.


    Rosalien and Lauriel did look very compatible, and their movements even looked similar. Did this mean Father already found a new woman who filled his heart? Did this mean that he finally had truly let go of Mother and was now moving on with his life?


    Nicolae could only ask the questions to himself.

 Chapter 856 - Aleksis And Alarics Decision

    That was a question no one can answer, except by time. At this moment, Nicolae could only surrender to fate and live his life as best he could. Maybe, years from now, he would be able to look back and accept what has happened with an open heart.


    "Hmm ... then I''ll also go home with Terry tomorrow to New York," Nicolae said. He finished his wine then excused himself to sleep. He couldn''t be social with many people in his current state of mind.


    Terry and Alaric just exchanged glances. Alaric sighed, but he could not do anything. No matter how great his wealth and power, he could not raise the dead. He had bought Marie''s apartment building on Robertson Road and left her unit as it was.


    Whenever Nicolae wanted to go back there, he would be able to come anytime. At least, that''s all Alaric could do for his only brother. He hoped that someday Nicolae would be able to move on and find happiness, just like their father, Lauriel.


    ***


    That night before they went to sleep, Alaric invited Aleksis to talk. It had been almost six months since the year-end holiday when Nicolae realized his feelings for Marie and later found out that the girl had died. Until now, Alaric noticed that his brother''s sadness still had not diminished.


    He felt that there was only one way to slowly console Nicolae, and he wanted to ask Aleksis what she thought about it.


    "Aleksis ..." Alaric sat on the edge of their bed and patted the side next to him, giving a signal for Aleksis to sit beside him. Ireland and Scotland had just slept in the next room, and their older siblings slept with their grandmother, so the couple was alone in their room. "Please sit next to me ... I have something to talk to you about."


    Aleksis, who had just changed into her nightgown, let her hair down to her shoulder and sat next to her husband.


    "What is wrong?" she asked softly. Alaric didn''t usually invite her to talk with a serious expression before they sleep like this. She became curious to know what he was thinking. She could suspect that it had something to do with Nicolae.


    "Nic will go home early tomorrow morning with Terry," Alaric said. "I can feel that he is still sad. Usually, he would love to spend more time to be with our family, especially the kids. I am really concerned about him. Especially in New York, he only has your narcissistic brother ..."


    Aleksis laughed to hear Terry was called narcissistic by Alaric. She did not disagree, indeed Terry had his quirks, and at first glance, people would think he was narcissistic or selfish. Well, that''s who he is. What can I do? She thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "It''s just how Terry is, but he will never let bad things happen to Nico," Aleksis said. "What are you thinking?"


    Alaric took a deep breath. This was not something he liked, but now he was more concerned with Nicolae''s happiness than his own.


    "I want to send Altair and Vega to stay with Nic for as long as he needs them," Alaric said. "I''ve been thinking about this for a long time, and today I finally decided to discuss it with you."


    "You don''t mind if Altair and Vega live with Nico? Are you really sure?" Aleksis asked in amazement. She knew how much Alaric loved their firstborns and always regretted the fact that he had lost the first ten years of their lives.


    "I don''t mind. We can still visit them at any time," Alaric said. "I am more concerned about Nicolae in difficult times like this."


    Aleksis fell silent. She loved her children, and she did not like it if she had to part with them.


    "Why don''t we live there too?" Aleksis asked her husband. "My father has a mansion in Manhattan. We can move there, and the children can live with us. They could go and spend time with Nic on weekends. We can live anywhere in the world, right?"


    "Hmmm. Actually, I don''t like New York. Pollution there is one of the worsts in the world," Alaric said. "But this time, I agree with you."


    "That way, the children can share their time with Nic and us," Aleksis said patiently. "I think it would be good for them to see Nicolae often. I know Vega is distraught."


    "Ahh .. you''re right. I''m grateful to have an understanding and intelligent wife like you. Then I''ll talk to Nicolae before he leaves tomorrow morning," Alaric said with a smile. He felt calm because Aleksis agreed with his thoughts.


    "Uhm ... let''s not tell Nic ..." Aleksis said with a smile. "We can surprise him. He will be very happy."


    Alaric''s purple eyes went round at his wife''s words. He felt excited.


    Ah, that''s right. If they didn''t tell Nicolae about their plans and next week just suddenly appeared in front of his house, surely his brother would be pleasantly surprised.


    "Good idea! I''ll keep this a secret and discuss it with the children tomorrow after Nic leaves." Alaric kissed Aleksis''s lips tenderly and patted her shoulder. "Come on, let''s sleep."


    Aleksis nodded as she lay down on the bed, followed by Alaric, who slept next to her. After Alaric clapped his hand once to turn off the light, Aleksis immediately embraced the man''s body and slid her head into Alaric''s c.h.e.s.t.


    "Good night," she whispered while closing her eyes.


    Alaric kissed her forehead once and then closed his eyes following Aleksis and slept. "Sweet dream."


    ***


    "Daddy Nic, why do you have to go so soon? Usually, when there is a family event, you will stay long enough," complained Vega with tears in her eyes.


    "I am still teaching on campus, so I can''t leave for long," Nicolae said. "I have my responsibilities at work."


    "But a week should be fine. You just need to take two days leave ..." Vega w.h.i.n.ed.


    "Uhm .. I''m sorry, I can''t do that now. In the summer holiday, I will take a month off and take you to Africa or the Caribbean. How about that?" Nicolae tried to persuade the twins. After he promised to take them on a trip, finally, Vega''s tears subsided.


    "Can we go with Daddy Nic?" Vega immediately turned and asked her parents for approval. "Father, is that possible? We haven''t traveled with Daddy Nic for a long time ..."


    Aleksis and Alaric exchanged glances and then nodded in unison. "Of course."


    They even spoke at the same time.


    "Ahh .. thank you," Nicolae said, nodding towards them. He decided that he needed to go back on adventures to calm his heart down. But this time he wanted to bring his two children so that he wouldn''t feel so alone.


    After promising to get Altair and Vega to travel during the next summer''s holiday, finally, Nicolae could leave in peace. He did not know Aleksis and Alaric had planned to move to New York so that their children could become closer to Nicolae.

 Chapter 857 - Its A Really Pleasant Day

    After Nicolae left, Alaric called out to Vega, who was in tears and Altair, who looked sad.


    "Your mother and I have talked about this," he said with a smiley face. Lately, Alaric was smiling more and made his handsome face look even more charming. "We decided to move to New York."


    "Eh? What did Father say?" Altair and Vega looked at each other in surprise. They did not expect to hear this from their father.


    Moving to New York?


    That means, they will stay close to Nicolae, right?


    Were their parents really serious?


    "We want you to meet Daddy Nic often," Aleksis added. "If we live nearby, you can be with Nic every weekend, and throughout the week, you can stay with us. What do you think?"


    Aleksis did not need to wait for verbal answers from the lips of his two children, because they had attacked her and Alaric with joy. Both Altair and Vega looked very happy.


    "Thank you, Mom!! I am so happy ..." Vega said happily. She hugged her mother''s neck tightly. A moment later, she moved and hugged her father''s neck. "I''ll tell Daddy right away ..."


    "Sshh .. don''t. We should make this a surprise. We will let Nic know when we have arrived in New York. He will definitely be very surprised," Alaric said. "For the time being, please keep all of this a secret from Nic."


    "And ... from Uncle Terry. If Uncle Terry finds out, he might spoil the news it to Nic. You all know that uncle of yours cannot be trusted ..." Aleksis added.


    Caspar and Finland, who saw the small family looked delighted, could only exchange glances and smile. They were very happy to see Aleksis and her family were truly blessed. Even after ten years of separation, the relationship between Alaric and Aleksis was still very intimate. It was as if they had never been separated, even for a moment.


    ***


    Beginning in June in New York, the weather was very sunny because spring was almost over, and summer was coming soon. Today, Nicolae only had one class in the morning, and then he would have free time all day. After ending his lessons and sending his students out, he decided to go to the library to relax.


    There were still many female students who did not leave the auditorium even though the lecture was over because Nicolae was still there. They would not miss the opportunity to ogle on their handsome professor while they had the chance. Because of that, they took their sweet time to pack up their books and waited until Nicolae left the hall, then they would also come out.


    Nicolae knew what they were thinking, but he was powerless to drive them away. He already knew that this was one of the risks he had to face by taking on a new identity as a professor, which naturally attracted many female students.


    In the past, he would take the time to track and delete his photos on the internet every day. Students would secretly photograph and upload his photos to Splitz to show off their handsome professor to students from the other faculties or schools.


    After Alaric heard of this problem, he asked Pavel to include an algorithm in Splitz to automatically delete photos of Nicolae posted on their platform to save Nicolae''s time.


    Nicolae''s students already knew that their professor didn''t like being photographed. They could guess that he always tracked and deleted their photos from the internet because he was an IT expert. Now, slowly, there were less and less students secretly taking his photographs and uploading them, because they knew that their actions are in vain.


    RING


    Before Nicolae had cleared his bag of books and left the hall, his cellphone rang. He frowned when he saw the caller ID was Alaric.


    "Hey ... what''s up?" asked, packing his books into his bag and then carrying his backpack on his back. Before he left the door, Nicolae paused and signaled his students who were still in the hall to get out, because the next professor would use the hall for class.


    "We happened to be heading to the St. Laurent Hotel for lunch with Terry. Do you want to join?" Alaric asked.


    "Oh ... really? What are you doing in New York? Eh ... did you come alone or do you bring Aleksis with you?" Nicolae asked as he walked through the campus corridor. At first glance, he looked like one of the students wandering on the campus, but because Nicolae was wearing a tie, people could see that he was a professor.


    "We have some business to attend in New York. The children come too. Do you want to meet them or not?" Alaric asked again. "If you''re busy, that''s fine."


    "Uh ... I''m not busy," Nicolae said hurriedly. "I''ll be there soon."


    His face smiled broadly when he hung up the phone and kept his cellphone in his pocket. Ahh .. it''s a really pleasant day. He could not wait to meet the twins whom he considered his own children.


    His handsome face was decorated with a smile, making more and more girls fascinated as the young man walked past them. During the past semester, Nicolae rarely smiled. So, seeing his face look so bright and adorned with a sweet smile, everyone at the Information Management Department he worked at was baffled.


    One could only guess why Nicolae looked so happy today.


    When Alaric said that he had a lunch appointment with Terry, it turned out that his intention was not to have lunch in one of the hotel restaurants, but in the penthouse where Terry had lived all this time. He asked the chef to come in to cook for him and his guests.


    Nicolae, who arrived exactly at noon, immediately hugged Altair and Vega, who were already waiting for him behind the door, when he knocked on the penthouse door.


    "Ahhh .... I am so glad you came ... I really miss you," he blurted out. He then embraced Alaric and Aleksis and asked the reason for their visit to New York this time. He learned that Alaric did not like New York City very much because of the level of pollution.


    "Hmm .. Aleksis and I have talked about this," Alaric said. "We need a change of scenery, and we think New York is the right place."


    "Eh ... what do you mean? New York? Are you joking?" Nicolae asked in amazement. "Do you intend to move here?"


    Alaric nodded. "That''s right. We now live in the Schneider family mansion in Manhattan, not far from here."


    "Jeez ..." Nicolae looked at Alaric and Aleksis alternately with a look of disbelief. "I do not know what to say..."


    "Just say you don''t mind taking care of Altair and Vega over the weekend," Alaric said with a smile. Altair and Vega formed their big smiles when they heard their father''s words.


    "Gosh ... you will allow the twins to stay with me every weekend?" Nicolae was beaming in happiness. "Of course, I will take care of them well!"


    He kissed Altair and Vega''s cheeks alternately with joy.


    "Today is a really pleasant day," he muttered.


    Alaric, Aleksis, and Terry were very pleased to see the change in Nicolae''s face that had previously been gloomy. They felt that the decision taken by the couple was the right decision.


    "Thank you ..." whispered Nicolae. Alaric and Aleksis only smiled and nodded. After the novelty died down, Nicolae then sat with them at the dining table and joined in for a delightful lunch.


    He understood that his brother and Aleksis were very concerned about him and wanted to console him. He had no idea that they would be willing to move to New York to be close to him and provide an opportunity for him to spend a lot of time with his beloved children.


    At the very least, he would not always be haunted by the past when he lost Marie and their unborn child. From now on, Nicolae set his heart to move on and let them go.


    .


    **** VOLUME 3 - ENDS HERE *****

 Chapter 858 - Altair And Vega

    FIVE YEARS LATER


    .


    .


    The two teenagers were laughing when they came out of the school gate. Their faces looked very similar, making people immediately guess that they were siblings or even twins.


    Both had striking appearances, with long platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The girl was stunningly beautiful with natural red lips, a pair of big round eyes, cute small nose, and long hair down to her waist in braided pigtails, looking carefree and laidback.


    The boy had a very handsome face, long hair down to his neck that looked disheveled, but instead made him look really cool. Their similar looking eyes gave off indifference toward their surroundings.


    "Uhm ... hello, Big brother Altair ..."


    Their steps halted when suddenly a teenage girl in the same school uniform as they showed up before them. The girl was quite pretty with a thin layer of makeup and long, curly hair. Her expression was a mix of shy and nervous.


    "Are you talking to me?" asked the young man, pointing his nose.


    The girl pointed at the teenage boy with a red face. "I want to talk to you..."


    Vega just rolled her eyes and continued walking after hissing, "Don''t stay long. I''m hungry."


    Altair only smiled faintly and nodded. He immediately crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t and asked the teenage girl, what was her purpose of stopping him outside of school.


    "What is it?" he asked with a probing look.


    "Uhm ... I just want to give you this ..." The girl quickly took a box out of her bag and handed it to Altair. "It''s nothing big. I just wanted to give this present to you. My family traveled to Switzerland last weekend and I brought chocolate for you."


    "Why, thank you." Altair took the chocolate from his fan''s hand and held it up with a smile. "I''ll share it with my sister. See you around."


    He then walked away, leaving the girl staring at him with round eyes. Not long after, Altair had managed to reach Vega who was standing waiting for him at the end of the road while toying with her nails.


    "Oh, that was fast," Vega commented when she saw the arrival of her brother. "What did you get this time?"


    "Chocolate from Switzerland," Altair said with a chuckle. "Her family spent their weekend in Switzerland and she wanted to give me chocolate from there."


    Vega burst into laughter. She felt so amused that she had to hold her waist and lean on a tree on the side of the road.


    "Gosh ... apparently a rich kid this time," scoffed the girl. "They spent their weekend in Switzerland ... hahahahaha. How fancy!"


    Altair pulled his sister and ruffled her hair, "Sush... don''t let anyone hear you."


    "Ahaha .. yes, sorry, I''m so amused. She thought, by showing off her wealth, she would be able to attract Altair Medici''s heart ..." Vega said with a big smile. "If only she knew who we really are."


    "Shhh ... let''s go home. We promised Dad to stop by the shop to get vegetables for dinner, right?"


    Vega nodded. She then took her brother''s hand and they continued their journey home together. Their apartment was not far from the school. For the past two years, they had lived with Nicolae in his apartment because Altair and Vega insisted on experiencing life as ordinary teenagers.


    Aleksis, who grew up with no friends, apart from her siblings, understood that her two children really needed the environment and relationsh.i.p.s with their peers. That''s why she agreed to let Altair and Vega enter regular high school.


    Both entered school using their real names, Altair Medici and Vega Medici with Nicolae Medici as their legal guardian. Their famous father, Alaric Rhionen Medici was now known as Elios Linden, so they felt it would be very difficult to hide their identities if they both use the last name Linden.


    Altair and Vega''s appearances were very similar to their father''s, and they were worried that this similarities, coupled with Linden''s last name, would make many people suspect their real identities.


    So they entered high school using the name Medici. The two of them stayed with Nicolae in his apartment during school days and returned to their biological parents'' mansion on weekends. This was important so that their classmates did not suspect the two.


    Every day, both of them will go to school and go home on foot, to get them used to living a healthy and active lifestyle. Of course, personal bodyguards were always watching over them because their overprotective fathers didn''t want to risk their safety.


    No one at school knew who they really were, so Altair and Vega could live a normal teenagers'' life. They studied, made friends, socialized, played with their school friends, and enjoyed life as regular people.


    Even without the last name Linden, Altair and Vega had attracted a lot of attention with their unique appearances. Countless classmates and juniors were confessing their love to Altair, and conversely, classmates and seniors confessing their love to Vega.


    Events like what happened today was a normal occurrence for them.


    "But speaking of Switzerland, I miss going to Basel," Altair said as he stepped into the supermarket and picked up a shopping basket.


    "Ahaha ... do you miss the Little Monkey?" Vega asked while walking towards the fresh organic vegetable section. She took several types of vegetables and put them in a basket held by her brother.


    "Her name is Jean-Marie. She hates being called Little Monkey," Altair blurted.


    "Hahaha ..." Vega was always happy to tease Altair about Jean-Marie''s business. This girl they were talking about was her brother''s first love.


    They first met Jean-Marie seven years ago at their parents'' wedding. Jean-Marie was the daughter of their grandmother''s best friend. She was called Little Monkey by her parents because she was very active, naughty, and couldn''t stay still - just like a little monkey.


    Now that she was growing up, Jean-Marie hated her nickname and insisted that all must call her by her real name. As a good friend, Altair would always support her.


    "I just talked to her yesterday, Jean-Marie is going to Paris for work next month. Maybe we will be able to meet her there," Altair said happily. "So many fashion houses want her to model their products."


    Since the beginning of this year, Jean-Marie finally began to follow in her father''s footsteps. He used to work as a supermodel when he was young. Three weeks ago they even saw a picture of Jean-Marie in a magazine.


    "Is that so? So, she is booked for a job in Paris next month? Then you two are indeed fated. We will also go to Paris for the study trip," Vega said enthusiastically.


    Altair nodded, looking very pleased. "Looks like we can meet her there."


    Seeing her brother''s happy face, Vega could not help but be nosy. "So .. when is the wedding?"


    Altair only rolled his eyes at Vega''s words. "I''m still 16, duh ..."


    Vega just laughed at Altair''s words and went back to choosing vegetables and fruits to put in the basket. They annoyed each other throughout the shopping spree until finally everything they needed was collected in the basket. Once they got everything, Altair and Vega went to the cashier to pay.


    "Such nice weather today!" Altair said as he looked at the sky as soon as they left the supermarket while carrying a shopping bag.


    "Yeah ... it''s a beautiful day," Vega commented. They hurried home to Nicolae''s apartment so they could eat lunch with their father.

 Chapter 859 - Living Like Regular People

    "Hi, Dad," Altair greeted their father as he opened the apartment door and went inside. Vega followed behind him. Nicolae, who was typing something on his laptop, immediately came out of his study to welcome the two teenagers.


    "Hey ... you''re back. Did you get my order?" he asked. Altair held up a paper bag containing groceries in his hand.


    "Everything is there, except for cherry tomatoes," answered the young man.


    "Ha. It''s okay. I have been wanting to cook this new recipe for a while now. You guys go change and have lunch first."


    Nicolae received the grocery bag from Altair and tapped his shoulder, then stored the groceries in the refrigerator.


    Altair and Vega immediately went to their respective rooms and changed clothes then hurried to the dining table overlooking a large balcony filled with big potted plants. The apartment where Nicolae lived was very comfortable and spacious. He deliberately lived in an apartment for practicality. Also, it was good to disguise his identity while he worked as a professor at the university.


    Altair and Vega also like their rooms in Nicolae''s apartment, although in terms of size and comfort, they couldn''t be compared to their rooms in their parents'' mansion, which were very spacious and luxurious. In the adjacent apartment lived two personal bodyguards who were assigned by their father to always protect them secretly.


    Over the past two years, they had managed to live a simple life in the Eastern part of New York City, like regular people. Every weekend, both went home to Alaric and Aleksis'' mansion in Manhattan. Sometimes, they traveled to visit their grandparents in Stuttgart and Berlin.


    Altair and Vega had it easy as the children of Elios Linden and grandchildren of the Schneider family. All kinds of luxury were available to them at any time. For them, it was very easy to travel to Europe or Asia whenever they wanted because their family had a private jet.


    That was why, when Vega heard that Altair had a fan who indirectly boasted that her family traveled to Switzerland to spend the weekend, she was not impressed at all and just laughed. If she wanted, Vega could go to Switzerland and went back on the same day.


    However, the twins really didn''t want to attract attention. They enjoyed school life like ordinary teenagers and tried to manage their time as well as possible. They knew that they can only live as ordinary people until they are 35 years old, after that, they had to withdraw from the public and find a new identity.


    As Alchemists who could live young forever, their faces and appearance would stay the same after they turn 25 years old. For the next ten years or so, they would be able to claim that they genetically looked youthful to others. However, over the age of 35, it would be difficult for them to convince the public that their faces still looked like they were in their 20s because of genetics.


    Alaric Rhionen, the twins'' biological father, rarely appeared in public. However, every time he did, people had begun to talk about his appearance since he still looked very young, even though he should have been 40 years old in the eyes of the world. Alaric and Aleksis realized that they had to get out of public life immediately and not show up again so as not to make people suspicious.


    He had long wanted to live in peace with his wife and children, but as an icon of his massive company group, he had no choice but to appear publicly and to his employees occasionally.


    Nicolae had been using his identity for five years now, and people who knew him on campus also thought he was in his late thirties. Many people praised his youthful appearance, especially when he was not wearing a suit and tie, which made him look formal and more m.a.t.u.r.e.


    He had also been thinking about finding a new identity five years from now. He just wanted to wait for Altair and Vega to be a.d.u.l.ts before he disappeared since they all would look like they were of the same age.


    "So, how about your exam preparation?" Nicolae asked, scooping the soup into his bowl and started eating.


    The three sat at a beautiful dining table overlooking a balcony filled with plants. The atmosphere outside was very calm, and the sunny weather made their mood happy.


    "Ugh ... my teacher is crazy. He gave us so many assignments before the exam. How can I find the time to study?" Vega grumbled while biting her garlic bread with an annoyed expression. "I have to go to Loren''s house tomorrow after school for group work."


    "Tomorrow is Friday, right?" Nicolae asked. "Does that mean you will go straight to the mansion after you finished your group work?" Nicolae asked attentively.


    Vega nodded. "Her house is near Manhattan,"


    "How about you?" Nicolae asked Altair. The teenager was removing some peas from his soup. "Hey, how many times did I have to tell you, don''t be picky with food. You''re a big boy."


    Altair, who was caught red-handed, only grinned and hurriedly pushed the peas under his bowl. "Miss Haney asked you to come to the principal''s office tomorrow after school."


    "Why does she need me to come?" Nicolae asked. He remembered that this semester alone he was already summoned to come to his children''s school and meet the principal once a month. Although Vega was a model student, Altair was not at all like his sister. He had made Nicolae get called to school several times because he got into a fight with other boys. Nicolae looked at Altair with narrowed eyes. "Did you fight again?"


    "Ehh ... I wasn''t the one looking for trouble," Altair said in his defense. "That jerk from class D started first. The girl he liked gave me chocolate, so he tried to hit me the schoolyard."


    Vega nodded and pointed at Altair. "He''s not lying, Dad."


    "Did he hit you?" Nicolae asked, looking concerned.


    Altair hurriedly shook his head and grinned. "Of course not. I''m good at fighting. Father and Uncle Jadeith didn''t teach me self-defense for nothing. Instead, he was the one getting all beaten up."


    "Hmm .. I see," Nicolae nodded. For him, what''s important was that his children were not hurt. He would not forgive anyone who wanted to hurt both Altair and Vega.


    "I heard that idiot Charles... his father is a famous lawyer. That''s why he tried to hit me. He thought his father would be able to help him get away with it," Altair quietly hid his peas when Nicolae wasn''t looking. "I think Miss Haney will bring you and Charles''s father together tomorrow. Anyway, no matter what happens, you don''t budge."


    Nicolae nodded. He was used to dealing with such problems. If possible, he and the twins would try to solve everything by themselves, and not let Alaric, his brother find out. He could not imagine what Alaric would do if he heard his son being targeted, and someone tried to beat up Altair.

 Chapter 860 - Teenagers Fight

    The next day, after he finished teaching at the university, Nicolae went to the twins'' school. They attended George Washington High School, a private school near the university.


    He had to meet Miss Haney, Altair''s homeroom teacher, who had called him yesterday and asked him to come to school to discuss the fight between Altair and a senior in his school.


    Charles Gilbert was waiting with his father in the principal''s office. The middle-aged man looked intimidating with a curt face, wearing expensive suits and a designer watch.


    He looked in contrast to Nicolae, who only wore a simple short-sleeved shirt with his long hair tied carelessly with a red ribbon as usual. This time he was not wearing his ripped jeans, but his casual pants and leather boots made him look very relaxed, unlike Charles''s father.


    When he knocked on the door, Ron Gilbert thought the young man was one of the students who needed to see the principal.


    "Who are you looking for?" asked the middle-aged man, frowning.


    "Miss Haney told me to come. I will just sit here," Nicolae said, plopping himself in one of the available chairs in the room. He had been here several times so that he was quite familiar with the situation.


    Usually, Miss Haney would ask for information from both parties and give a warning to the respective parents to have a sit down with their children and educate them better.


    Nicolae usually only nodded, but he refused to punish Altair if the boy fought to defend himself. Often, arguments between teenagers ended on its own, especially if the trigger was girl problems.


    What often happened was that a senior had a crush on a girl, and when he confessed to her, the girl would turn him down because she said that she liked Altair. The rejected student would then get angry and take it out on Altair after school or at recess by trying to beat him up.


    Altair was usually able to defend himself well because he was taught self-defense by his father and some of his family''s personal bodyguards. He had never lost any fights.


    His defeated opponents would return home with swollen faces and bruises and raised questions from their parents who thought their son was bullied in school.


    When all parties were confronted at the principal''s office, usually the parents whose child started the fight would return home embarrassed once they knew that their son was at fault. The issue would usually end there. Altair also normally would openly reject the love confession from the girl who became the source of the problem.


    Nicolae was ready for a similar scenario today, so he wasn''t too worried. He glanced at Charles, whose face seemed bruised, and the corners of his lips were still bleeding, sitting in his chair with a wry expression.


    Ron Gilbert watched him with probing eyes, wondering why this young man sat casually in the principal''s office. He was just about to ask who Nicolae was and why he was there when Miss Haney arrived. The woman in her 40s with gold-rimmed spectacle sighed as she closed the door behind her.


    "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Sorry for taking up your valuable time." She sat in a chair opposite the three people. Before she continued speaking, there was a knock at the door. "Please, come in."


    "Good afternoon, Miss Haney," Altair, who opened the door, greeted his homeroom teacher, and closed the door behind him. "Sorry, I''m late. I was helping Miss Collins bring books from the class to the teacher''s room. Hi, Dad..."


    Ron Gilbert and his son looked surprised at Altair''s words. They all glanced at Nicolae, who was sitting next to Miss Haney.


    Was that man Altair''s father? they thought in surprise. Not only did Nicolae look so young, but he was also very handsome. But when the two looked at Altair and Nicolae alternately, they realized that the two looked very similar.


    Ah, yes ... surely they really were father and son. Their faces were very similar, even their hair was equally long, and both have similar deep blue eyes.


    "Sit down, Altair. Mr. Gilbert came here with Charles because of yesterday''s fight," Miss Haney explained. She invited Altair to sit beside her.


    The teenager seemed laidback when he heard his homeroom teacher''s words. He knew he was innocent and didn''t feel the need to worry about anything. He knew Nicolae would defend him if he was innocent.


    "Are you the father of this brat???" asked Ron Gilbert angrily. His face immediately flushed with anger. "He beat up my son and injured him. I will make sure your son is expelled from school and sent to jail for assault!!"


    "Eh .. are you nuts?" Nicolae asked angrily. "It was one on one, and it was your son who started the fight."


    "Charles is the victim here. He was beaten up, and your son was the culprit. I only came here to tell you that I will report your son to the police. This brat has gotten into a lot of fights, but the school brushed it off to protect its reputation..." Ron Gilbert gritted his teeth. "Do you know who I am ???"


    "Wow, Mr. Gilbert ... please don''t be emotional. This is just a fight between boys. We can solve this problem between us, no need to involve the police here," said Miss Haney hastily. "I borrowed the principal''s office so we can discuss this matter privately. I beg of you to be cool-headed. There seems to be a misunderstanding here."


    "What misunderstanding? Don''t you see my son''s eyes bruised like this?" Ron Gilbert was getting emotional. He turned to his son. "Charles, you want that bastard to go to jail, right?"


    Charles was filled with grudges, and he nodded. "He beat me up, even though I only talked to him nicely. That boy is dangerous. He has beaten up many other boys before. Dad, you can find other witnesses, I''m sure many will be willing to testify."


    Altair chuckled impatiently. He was upset because he was accused of being the scoundrel, even though he wasn''t the one who started the fight.


    "You liar! You didn''t even talk to me. I also did nothing wrong to you! You stop me on the schoolyard and wanted to beat me ... but I was too strong for you. Don''t be a coward, please!" he said impatiently and tried to stand up to hit Charles, who deliberately puffed out his c.h.e.s.t to challenge him.


    Fortunately, Nicolae hurriedly grabbed Altair''s hand and calmed him down.


    "Sssh ... if you lost your temper, then he could really involve the police. If that happened, your father would hear all this," Nicolae whispered immediately into Altair''s ear.


    He was also upset, but he could still hold himself well. He was the same as Altair, he did not want this problem to reach his brother''s ears. He could not imagine what Alaric would do if he knew his son was threatened to be sent to jail by a lowly lawyer.


    Nicolae was more worried that Altair and Vega''s identity in this school would be exposed and they would not be able to live like regular teenagers, like what they both wanted. That''s why he kept his cool and not get provoked by the Gilberts.


    "Hmm ... how about we just consider this a misunderstanding? Altair can apologize, and we will consider this problem over? Please, Sir ... this is between two teenage boys. There is no need to involve the police. We, the parents, would be deemed unfit to educate our sons if this thing escalates, "persuaded Nicolae. He then turned to Altair, "Altair, just apologize to Charles. Let''s settle this now."


    Altair was clearly at war with himself. He actually didn''t want to apologize, but he also understood what Nicolae was thinking. He took a deep breath and finally grunted softly. "I am sorry."


    "See ... my son has apologized. Hopefully, Charles and you can accept his apology, and we can all make peace. I''m sure your time is precious and not worth spending on a boys'' fight." Nicolae looked at the father and son pair in front of him.


    "My son has suffered injuries. This must be resolved before the law ..." said Ron Gilbert stubbornly. He was about to take out his cellphone and call the police station when suddenly Charles touched his hand.


    "Dad... I can forgive this brat... on one condition," Charles said suddenly.


    "What did you say?" asked Ron Gilbert with a glare.


    Nicolae and Altair exchanged glances. What did Charles want to stop this unnecessary argument?

 Chapter 861 - Commotion In The Schoolyard

    "I can forgive you if I could hit you three times ... on the schoolyard," Charles blurted. "It''s only fair."


    Crazy! Three times?? Altair''s eyes went round in anger.


    This was not fair at all, especially since he was innocent.


    "Ugh.. Once," the teenager said hurriedly. "I can accept one hit to settle this issue. But not more!"


    "What?" Nicolae turned to Altair with a baffled expression. He didn''t expect Altair would be willing to take one hit to get rid of this problem. Jeez ...


    "I can''t take three. They will leave marks. Father would be suspicious," Altair whispered to Nicolae and explained his decision. "One punch is fine. I can hide the bruise."


    Only then did Nicolae understand what Altair meant. The boy did not want to continue his problem with Charles, but he also did not want to take more hit since they would leave marks and make his father would become suspicious.


    "You ... will you be okay with that?" Nicolae asked, holding Altair''s hand, trying to make sure his son was okay.


    "Ah ... Dad, it''s okay. It''s normal for a man to only get hit once or twice. As long as it doesn''t leave marks on my handsome face," Altair answered casually.


    "You!" Charles was very annoyed to hear that. He felt Altair looked down on him by acting so laidback. "You''re so arrogant!"


    "Hey .. I only give you one chance. It''s up to you whether you take it or not," said Altair.


    Charles turned to his father. "Dad.. please just call the police."


    With a snort, Ron Gilbert immediately took out his cellphone to call the police station. Altair let out a long sigh, and his face seemed very irritated.


    "Ugh! Fine. TWICE. That is all. Don''t you dare test my patience by asking for more. If you continue this problem, you will be the one to regret it." Altair immediately raised his hand and gave a sign that he was willing to negotiate.


    Charles seemed to weigh his options. Actually, as long as he could hit Altair on the schoolyard, in front of many people, he was satisfied. His reputation would recover because his friends could see that he got his revenge. They had been insulting him for losing a fight from his junior since yesterday.


    If Altair was sent to jail, his friends might consider him a coward for relying on his father''s influence to punish Altair.


    Besides ... he could still put this brat in jail anytime. He could do it later. The important thing was now he would get satisfaction by hitting Altair. Ha. Twice was fine too. He would hit with all his might.


    "All right. I agree," Charles rubbed his nose and snorted again. He then turned to his father. "Father ... we will give them a chance to redeem himself. If he did make another trouble, we could send him to jail."


    "There will be NO next time," blurted Altair. "Starting today, if you see me, you have to act like we don''t know each other. If something happens like yesterday, YOU will regret it."


    Altair told the truth. If Charles bothered him again, he would not stay still, and inevitably, Alaric would know. If that happens ... then we could be sure the Gilbert family would understand what regret means.


    "You sure talk a lot. Let''s go to the yard now," Charles said impatiently.


    "Ouch ... violence is not the solution, kids. Why can''t you just talk and make peace with each other?" asked Miss Haney nervously.


    Nicolae smiled thinly and tried to calm her down. "It''s okay, Miss. This is a problem between two boys, let them solve it in their own way. The important thing is, Altair has made sure that the problem is settled here. I hope Charles will respect their agreement today."


    Finally, the homeroom teacher could not do anything. Altair excused himself and immediately walked out of the principal''s room, followed by Charles and his father. Nicolae walked with Miss Haney to follow them to the schoolyard, in front of the library building.


    There were many students hanging out in the schoolyard. Some were getting ready to go home, others were just hanging out to chat with their friends. As soon as they saw Altair and Charles, they all started making noise.


    Yesterday, the fight was actually unequal because Altair was far stronger than Charles, and he managed to beat up Charles mercilessly. Now the young man''s face was full of bruises, and his lips were still swollen.


    Yikes... there was a teacher here too? And there were some a.d.u.l.ts? Were these men their parents?


    Students who were interested in what would happen soon formed a circle with Altair and Charles in the center. With enthusiasm, they paid close attention to what would happen.


    "Okay ... you can start," said Altair in a cold voice. He did not care about the students around him, who were shouting encouragement or ridicule. Some female students seemed to shudder and cry when they realized what was about to happen.


    "Vega ... hey ... let''s go to the schoolyard!" Tatiana entered their class and called Vega. The girl was busy writing down some assignments in her book.


    "What is wrong?" Vega asked without looking up from her book.


    "Charles and Altair seem to be fighting again ... Come on, hurry up !!" said Tatiana, shaking her friend''s shoulders.


    "Altair won''t be okay, really ..." Vega replied without looking remotely interested. She was still busy writing.


    "But, this time, it looks like your brother won''t fight back. I heard a rumor that Charles would force him to take three punches to punish him for what happened yesterday; otherwise, his father, who was a famous lawyer, would send Altair to jail."


    "What? Really?" Vega looked surprised. She quickly closed her book, cleared her bag and hurried out of the classroom to the schoolyard.


    When they arrived, Altair only received the first hit. The other students shouted in unison as Charles''s fist struck Altair''s cheek with all his might. Altair felt his left cheek with his right hand. His expression was calm. He did not want to be provoked by anger and hit Charles back.


    "Hmmm ... that''s one. You have one more chance," the young man said calmly.


    "Ugh ... you''re still so arrogant," Charles said, grinning. "Let''s see if you can still talk after my next punch..."


    He clenched his fist and prepared to beat Altair once more.


    YAAA.S.SHHH


    Altair could see that Charles''s fist this time was wielded with all his determination and hatred, directed at his nose. Even though he could endure the pain ... he was suddenly worried that Charles''s fist would break his nose.


    He would not be able to hide a broken nose from his father, Alaric. Yikes...


    "Hey!! You jerk!! Don''t hit my brother!!!" Suddenly Vega''s scream was heard, and at the same time, the girl had attacked Charles with a swift kick towards his waist ... just as Charles''s fist almost touched Altair''s nose.


    In an instant, the situation changed. Charles suddenly lay on the ground with Vega''s right foot stomping on his waist, and Altair stood frozen in his place, closing his eyes, ready to receive Charles''s fist on his nose.

 Chapter 862 - Dont Let Father Know

    Everyone present was stunned to see what had just happened. It all happened so fast and was totally unexpected.


    "Gosh ... are you all right?" Nicolae immediately rushed towards Vega, who was standing with one foot on Charles''s waist while the boy was growling in pain. He quickly checked on his daughter to make sure the girl was okay.


    As he appeared in the middle of the circle, all the girls in the crowd let out muffled shrieks in unison. They did not expect such a handsome and cool man appeared suddenly like a knight in shining armor, wanting to protect Vega.


    "She''s fine! I''m the one who''s hurt ...!" Charles''s voice cracked as he held back his anger. "Daaddd....! Please help me ..."


    Ron Gilbert immediately helped his son get up and cursed the annoying little bitch who hurt his beloved son.


    Vega, who had released her foot from Charles, immediately pulled Nicolae''s hand and approached Altair. Her face looked astonished.


    "Why don''t you fight? If you didn''t defend yourself, you would be injured ..." she said, checking Altair''s cheek that looked reddish after being punched by Charles. "I will not care for you if you get hurt."


    Altair just grinned and shook his head. "I am alright."


    Ron Gilbert was really angry and immediately took his phone to contact the police station.


    "You rascals, how dare you to hurt my son... You will pay for this," he said furiously.


    Nicolae approached Ron and touched his shoulder. "Please, let''s just end this here. I am begging you. If you want to continue with this problem, even though your son is at fault, you will also face the consequences."


    Ron brushed off Nicolae''s hand and kept talking on the phone. "Yes, good afternoon, Officer. I want to report an assault that occurred at George Washington High School. The address is at ..."


    He proudly called the police and showed a threatening attitude in front of everyone. There were some whispers among the crowd when they saw what happened. Most people seemed sorry for Altair who would be arrested by the police. They knew, with his influence, Ron Gilbert would send him to jail for this fight.


    "I''m sorry, Tatiana ... it seems like today I have to skip group work at your house ..." Vega complained as she heard the police siren from the distance. It''s too late to avoid police involvement. Maybe they should settle things with Charles once and for all.


    Ugh ... what should we do? If this escalated, Altair''s and my disguise as regular people would be uncovered, Vega thought to herself. She didn''t like the possibility.


    Tatiana looked very worried and did not care about their group work.


    "It''s okay, Vega. You take care of your brother first. I''ll do your part of the assignment." She had seen Nicolae several times when she came to Vega''s house to do homework together. However, she couldn''t help blush when she saw him again. In her opinion, Nicolae was more handsome than a professional model. She shyly greeted him. "Good day, Mr. Medici ... How are you?"


    Nicolae greeted Tatiana kindly, as usual. "Hello, Tatiana. My news is not very good, because ... this."


    He spread his arms to point at Altair and Charles, referring to the commotion that just happened.


    "Oh .. right. I understand. Hopefully, everything will be fine," Tatiana said with an anxious face. She was Vega''s seatmate for the past semester, and their relationship was quite good. She did not want to see Vega and Altair get into trouble.


    "Thank you," Nicolae nodded. He then put his arms around Altair and Vega together and said goodbye to some of the teachers who were present in the yard. "Dear teachers, we will go home first. These children must have lunch. If the police come here looking for us, please give them our address. Thank you."


    "Hey... don''t you dare running away! The police will be here very soon!" said Ron angrily. He was about to grab Altair, but Nicolae quickly pulled his arm and twisted it until he screamed in pain. "Aaaahhh .. my hand!! This is an assault! I will make sure you all go to prison!!"


    "Let''s go home now. The situation will be worse if the police come here," Nicolae whispered to Altair and Vega. Both of them immediately nodded and followed him quickly to the parking lot and into his car.


    Five minutes later, the three of them had entered Nicolae''s apartment complex and got out of the car.


    "You go in. Let me wait for the police here," Nicolae said, patting Altair and Vega on the shoulders. The two looked at each other and shook their heads.


    "I don''t want to leave you alone. The police will arrest you. I can''t let them take you. We''re innocent," Altair said. "I''ll call Father."


    "You will tell your father what happened?" Nicolae asked with a look of surprise. "You know what your father is like."


    Altair sighed. "It''s better if Father found out now than later. You heard what Charles said earlier. He said he could always find an excuse to send me to jail after he hit me three times. It means they would not change and would not keep their promise to settle. I already regretted having made a deal with him."


    "Maybe we can just contact Terry and ask him to send a lawyer? So Alaric doesn''t need to know about this case?" Nicolae asked him. According to him, Terry was more reasonable than Alaric when it came to the twins. He was worried that if Alaric knew that Ron Gilbert was trying to bully his children, the lawyer would not live to see tomorrow.


    Nicolae considered a fight between teenage boys was not a big thing and should be resolved between themselves. Ron was wrong to get involved in juvenile matters and threaten Altair, but he did not deserve to be punished with death.


    Unfortunately, Nicolae''s view was not necessarily in line with his brother, who was very over-protective of his children and had a reputation as a human hater. This human hater was once deemed the most feared assassin in the world.


    "Daddy''s idea is good. We should just call Uncle Terry," Vega said with a beaming face.


    Ahh .. Uncle Terry was very reliable in things like this. He would definitely be able to help them solve this problem while hiding it from their father.


    Hearing Vega''s approval and seeing Altair also nod, Nicolae immediately took his cellphone and contacted his best friend, Terry, who was currently one of the most famous and respected businessmen in the American continent. This year he was renominated for an Executive of the Year award for five years in a row.


    Although among his extended family members, he was known as a nonchalant and non-serious man, outside of the family, people respected him and admired him.


    "Terry ... hey, I need your help. Can you send a lawyer to my house as soon as possible? The best lawyer in your company," Nicolae said quickly. "The children are having a little problem, and we don''t want to involve their father."


    "Uncle Terry has already agreed. We''ll just wait for the police to arrive." He then invited them into his apartment. "Let''s change clothes. Later, from the police station, we will go directly to your parents'' mansion."


    When Altair and Vega entered their respective rooms to change clothes, Nicolae texted the three bodyguards and briefly told the chronology of the events that occurred and asked them not to tell Alaric, because the children would solve the problem themselves.


    [They are fine. You don''t need to worry. We will take care of this ourselves. Please, don''t tell Alaric.]


    [Yes, Sir.] Everyone replied with the same response.


    Nicolae sat on the balcony and watched the road. Ah ... The twins had lived with him for almost two years and were living like ordinary people. He and they really enjoyed their lives like this.


    He really hoped that they didn''t need to disclose their identities, and the two could stay with him like this, at least until they graduated from high school in another two years.

 Chapter 863 - At The Police Station

    Ten minutes later, from the gate of the apartment complex, two police cars were seen entering the compound. Nicolae, who saw them coming from the balcony where he was sitting, immediately prepared to welcome them.


    [I''ve talked to Dean. He said you just go to the police station. He will meet you there.]


    An SMS from Terry came to Nicolae''s cellphone right before the bell rang from the lobby intercom.


    "Hello, Mr. Medici, we are here to get your children. Please open the door." They could hear the police talked from the intercom.


    "Kids, are you done eating? Let''s go to the police station, Uncle Terry told us to go through the procedure first so that it''s not too suspicious. Dean will meet us there later," Nicolae said, taking his suit and heading for the door.


    Dean McDermott was the head of the Schneider Group''s legal team. He was the most successful corporate lawyer in the United States. He was highly respected by all who study law in the country. In addition to his own achievements, his father was also the attorney general who was famous for being strict and fearsome.


    Actually, bringing Dean to deal with teenage fights like this was just like using a missile to kill mosquitoes. It was over the top. Terry could have sent a regular lawyer from the legal department. Still, he deliberately wanted to shock the person who dared to bother his favorite niece by sending Dean.


    Altair and Vega had changed into their casual clothes and brought their backpacks. After returning from the police station, the plan was to go directly to their parents'' mansion and spend their weekend there. The twins walked out of the apartment following Nicolae''s steps.


    In the lobby, they saw four police officers were standing by waiting for them. Their faces look unfriendly and annoyed because they had to deal with a trivial case like this. They were forced to pick up two teenagers who allegedly assaulted the police chief''s nephew. At first, they thought they would find two delinquent teenagers who looked like thugs, but instead they saw Altair and Vega, who acted polite and well-behaved. They did not look like naughty children at all, let alone delinquents. The officers all looked at each other in astonishment.


    "Good day, Sir. These are my children, they will go to the police station voluntarily to straighten everything out. But we will ride in my car. You can escort us. We will not run away," Nicolae said with a friendly smile.


    A female officer who saw him smile, immediately melted and nodded quickly. After all, they also had no reason to suspect the two children would run away. They seemed calm, waiting for the police to arrive. If they really intend to run away, surely they had already done so.


    "All right," said the female officer. Her friends could not help but just say yes. "You follow behind my car, my colleagues will escort you from behind."


    "Thank you." Nicolae bowed slightly to the woman and signaled Altair and Vega to follow him. The three of them got into Nicolae''s car which was parked in front of the apartment building. He immediately drove his car to follow the first police car. Behind them, the second police car quickly followed them.


    "Hahaha ... this is very funny. Now it is the police who escort us to go to the police station ..." said Altair. He elbowed Vega. "I feel like a celebrity with a police escort."


    Vega only glared at his brother''s enthusiasm. "It''s because you keep flaunting your good looks to so many women. Every time you fight, it must be because of girls. Embarrassing ..."


    "Er .. it''s not my fault, okay. The girls like me without me doing anything. I never flaunt anything," said Altair. "Look who''s talking here. You also flaunt yourself and so many boys like you. But because you are a girl, no one hits you."


    "Iishhh ... it''s because I never strung anyone, okay? So no one is harmed," replied Vega. "You should just announce that you already have a girlfriend, so those girls will stop chasing you. How corny. I can''t believe so many girls would chase after a boy..."


    Nicolae could only frown when he heard his kids talk about dating and girls chasing after a boy. He subconsciously pressed his forehead.


    "Gosh ... you guys are still SO YOUNG... Why are you talking about dating and all that???" he said worriedly. "You have to wait at least until you are a hundred years old."


    Altair and Vega looked at each other with rounded eyes. Then, a moment later they both laughed in unison.


    "Jeez ... Dad... you''re so old-fashioned," Vega said in between her laughter. "Only ancient people waited that long. Just look at Uncle London and Mom... they all found love at a young age, and they are still very happy and in love. If we could find happiness early, wouldn''t it be better?"


    "Eh ... what did you say? They are not the rule, but the exception, okay? Our people shouldn''t be thinking about love and marriage before we are old enough. After all, you''re only 16 years old." Even though he said that, Nicolae knew he might not be able to change the minds of these two children. He could only shake his head and focused his eyes on the road.


    They arrived at the police station ten minutes later. Ron Gilbert and his son, Charles, were waiting for them there. The two were staring at the Nicolae and the twins'' arrival with a smirk.


    "You will face the consequences, Medici!" said Charles in a triumphant voice. "My uncle is the chief of police here. He will make sure you and your sister go to jail for assaulting me ..."


    Ron Gilbert folded his arms across his c.h.e.s.t. He puckered his lips with an expression of disgust. He looked like a bloodthirsty butcher who wanted to immediately slaughter the next animal with an ax in his hand. Nicolae could only shake his head when he saw anyone who could look so vile. It was just a petty fight between boys, he thought.


    "Come in!" a snarling sound came from behind them. When Nicolae turned, he saw a big man with a fierce expression come out of a room and drove them into the interrogation room.


    "WAIT A MINUTE."


    Before he could push them all into the room, suddenly, a thunderous voice came from the front door. Everyone immediately turned and found an impressive man in his 40s, wearing a fancy suit and luxurious leather shoes. On his right wrist was a designer watch from the limited collection, one of the most expensive brands in the world. His face looked cold and terrifying to anyone who saw it, especially when he removed the sunglasses that covered his eyes.


    "Hello... what are you here for, Mr. McDermott?" Ron Gilbert murmured.


    Who didn''t know Dean McDermott in the legal world in America and at the international level? The man never once lost a case he took. His reputation was high in all directions, and almost everyone who studied law knows who he was.


    Ron Gilbert, the chief of police, and some senior officers there knew who Dean McDermott was. They were immediately overwhelmed by confusion of why this impressive man was now in the police station.


    "Good day, Mr. McDermott," the chief of police greeted him kindly. "Can I help you?"


    Dean nodded nonchalantly. He nodded slowly towards Nicolae and the twins.


    "I''m sorry I came late, I was in the middle of another case hearing. Did you just arrive?" he asked.


    Nicolae nodded back. "We also just arrived. The police are treating us well. I think this is just a misunderstanding between two high school kids."


    Dean narrowed his eyes. "If Young Master was assaulted by that boy, we must take legal action. The boy is older than him, he is his senior in school. I am sure he can be sued and tried as an a.d.u.l.t. If this is his second violation, he can go to jail for up to five years."


    Dean''s words made the people gasp. Charles, who did not know who Dean was and what his reputation was, immediately shouted in anger. "Hey! Don''t you dare talking nonsense! I''m the victim here! He''s the one who has to go to jail. Damn it!"


    Hearing Dean''s words just now, Ron Gilbert turned pale. He hurriedly covered his son''s mouth with his hand. Suddenly, he felt worried. He was initially going to teach that kid a lesson for beating up Charles by using his connections at the police station, namely his own younger brother, the chief of police.


    But who would have thought, that brat turned out to know Dean? Now Dean just casually said he would reverse the case and send Charles to prison... Yikes!


    Ron already knew Dean''s reputation, and he couldn''t underestimate Dean''s subtle threat of punishing his son.

 Chapter 864 - Picnic With The Lindens

    Ten minutes later, Nicolae and his two children already drove down the road in the man''s car toward Manhattan. Altair and Vega were very enthusiastically discussing what had just happened at the police station.


    "Crazy! Dean is so cool!! Did you see how pale their faces turned? Charles'' father and uncle were totally gobsmacked!" Altair blurted. "They couldn''t do anything."


    "That''s right. To avoid going to prison, Charles must instead apologize to you," Vega replied with a big smile. "Next time, if Charles giving you trouble, Dean said we just have to call him."


    "Yes ... and the most exciting part is, Dean did not reveal our secrets. The people there thought Dean is our distant relative, so he came to take care of the case. Nobody would suspect anything," Altair continued. "We don''t need to leave our school."


    Nicolae smiled at the conversation between the twins. He was also happy because Altair and Vega could stay with him until they graduated high school as they planned. Indeed calling Terry earlier was the right decision, he thought.


    The text from his best friend came in when Nicolae arrived in front of the gate of the Schneider family''s massive mansion. The mansion was now occupied by Aleksis and Alaric and their younger sons. The gate automatically opened because it had recognized the car and the faces of those in it.


    After parking his car, Nicolae reads the SMS from Terry.


    [Dean has reported everything to me. Next time if there''s anything you need, just can contact him directly. He will maintain your confidentiality.]


    [Thank you. You''re the best.] Nicolae immediately wrote his reply.


    "Hey ... you guys arrived on time, we are preparing a picnic in the backyard," said Aleksis, who looked more beautiful by the day. Her honey-colored hair was fashioned into a simple bun on top of her head. She hugged Nicolae and kissed her two children''s cheeks.


    A pair of very handsome six-year-old boys with brown curls and old purple eyes immediately rushed to Nicolae. They clung their arms around their beloved uncle''s neck. Even though they met Nicolae every weekend, Ireland and Scotland always acted like they hadn''t seen each other for years.


    "Hey ... how are you, Ireland? Scotland? What did you do today?" Nicolae asked happily as he kissed their cheeks alternately and hair of her two nieces with similar faces.


    "We learned how to draw," Ireland answered in a cute tone.


    "After that, we helped Mommy bake some cookies," Scotland continued.


    "Wow ... that''s great! I want to eat the cookies you made," Nicolae said happily.


    Ireland and Scotland released their arms from Nicolae''s neck and each pulled his right and left hands through the enormous living room to the backyard, which contained a beautiful lush garden and outdoor swimming pool. At the end of the garden, on a thick expanse of grass, Alaric was seen throwing a picnic blanket and arranging food and drinks for them.


    "Hey, you guys have come," Alaric said. He painstakingly arranging a few glasses and syrups and cakes. Beside him were a number of reading books.


    Nicolae could see how much his brother enjoyed a quiet life with his family. He was happy to see Alaric happy. Now that the two youngest children were getting older, Alaric and Aleksis were not too tired with taking care of babies, and their lives seemed happier and easier.


    "It''s fun to have a picnic here," Nicolae said, as he laid his body on the thick grass and closed his eyes.


    Alaric just smiled at Nic''s words. "The weather is very nice today."


    One by one, the children joined on the picnic blanket and began pouring drinks and taking cakes and fruit. Nicolae was still lying down with eyes closed. He always loved being among his brother''s family. After he got over his awkwardness with Aleksis six years ago, he was able to spend more time with them.


    He loved Alaric and his adorable niece and nephews. Of course, Altair and Vega were even considered his own children because he helped raise them since they were 5. They even still call him Daddy until now.


    Then there are the adorable identical twins, Ireland and Scotland. Ever since they knew how to walk and talk, they always clung to him. The four kids made Nicolae super happy. Sometimes, there was a tinge of jealousy and sadness because he had lost his unborn child six years ago.


    Ahh ... that event had passed a long time ago. Nicolae could only remember Marie on his own because he did not want to make his family worry. He kept photos of Marie and Mrs. Lu in his room until today. Gradually, his sadness diminished because he spent a lot of time with Alaric''s family.


    Since he lost Marie and their unborn child, Nicolae rarely smiled. He seldom went out on dates, although Terry set him up with lots of pretty girls. Even at the university, countless professors and students were trying to captivate his heart. But Nicolae realized he would only be interested in dating a few women because they had physical similarities with Marie.


    He was well aware, as long as it was still happening, then he still could not forget Marie and move on.


    "Altair and Vega will go on a study trip to Paris after the semester exams," Aleksis said suddenly. "I am thinking of going to Paris to be with them. Do you want to come too?"


    Nicolae opened his eyes and looked at Aleksis with a frown. "Is it not excessive? They are growing well now and need to experience a trip with their friends abroad. If you keep hovering around them, how can they be independent?"


    "That''s true," Alaric nodded. "My wife is too worried. That''s all."


    "They are only 16... They have never traveled on their own like that," protested Aleksis.


    "Uhm ... they will not be alone. You always provide them with bodyguards to watch them everywhere," Nicolae said, shaking his head. "You don''t don''t want Altair and Vega to grow up being spoiled, sheltered kids, do you?"


    "That''s not what I mean ... I just feel more comfortable if we have some a.d.u.l.ts from among us who could watch over them," Aleksis said again.


    Nicolae took out his cellphone and checked his schedule. "At the end of the month, I will have a break from teaching. I could stop by Paris before going home to Grosetto. So, I will be able to check on Altair and Vega for you guys. How about that?"


    "Ahh .. do you mind? I will be very happy if you can be there for them ..." said Aleksis in a thankful tone.


    "All right. In that case, I''ll stop by Paris to watch them," Nicolae said. He grabbed an apple and took a bite,


    They enjoyed their nice picnic for an hour, enjoying food, drinks, games, and reading books. At 6 pm, when the sun was still high in the sky, they ended their picnic. Nicolae excused himself about to visit Terry for a drink before he returned to his apartment.


    Altair and Vega would stay in Manhattan until Monday when they return to school.

 Chapter 865 - How Nicolae Spent His Weekend

    Nicolae spent most of his weekends with Terry. They would watch concerts, theater performances, or did horse riding activities in the countryside. When both appeared in public, they would always attract the attention of many women.


    Terry often graced the gossip sites headlines for being into men after he was often seen in public with his best friend, Nicolae. Even though he was actually dating the supermodel, Shekina, and spent a lot of time with her whenever she was in New York.


    As a top supermodel, Shekina traveled a lot around the world and occasionally stopped by in New York. If they happened to be in the same city, she with her modeling work and Terry on his business trips, they would spend time together. But, still, she the rumors about his closeness to Shekina resurfaced, people would say that Terry only made Shekinahis bead, to cover up the fact that he was actually gay and in relationship with Nicolae.


    Fortunately, men like Terry had very high confidence and were not affected by what people say. He was not at all concerned with gossip about his personal life. He only thought of himself and couldn''t care less about the assumption of others.


    After he left his brother''s family mansion, Nicolae met Terry at his penthouse. When he arrived, Terry was waiting for him with two glasses on his balcony and a bottle of limoncello.


    "Summer is coming soon. This is perfect weather for drinking limoncello," Terry said as he handed a glass of limoncello to Nicolae. His friend nodded and accepted the glass.


    They clinked their glasses then sipped their drinks.


    "Thank you for sending Dean to help us," Nicolae said. "I was worried. You know what Alaric is like."


    Terry nodded with a big smile. "Of course. I can imagine."


    "The kids were very impressed by Dean. Altair instead said, after he graduates from high school, he will go to law school."


    Terry nodded in satisfaction. "That''s a good major to take. If he wants to lead a company, he needs to understand the law. I''m too lazy, so I leave it all to Dean."


    "Until when do you want to use this identity?" Nicolae asked. "How old are you now? Almost 40 years old, right? Many people think you''re young because you''re dating lots of young girls ... hahaha. You''re consuming their youths. But, you can only use that excuse for the next few years."


    Terry nodded. "I don''t know ... I really like my work and my life now. I might ask for a potion from Uncle Aldebar to make me look a little older if needed. To avoid people''s suspicious. Do you remember the party refreshment he made at Aleksis'' wedding? A sip can make you look older ten years, but the potion doesn''t last long. If he could make a potion that could make us look three or five years older and the effect can last for several months ... of course we don''t need to change our identities every twenty years, "


    Nicolae frowned at Terry''s words. "You''re weird. Don''t all people want to stay young forever? Why do you want to look older?"


    "No ... you''re wrong," Terry said, raising his glass. "Everyone wants to live forever. What is the point of living forever and staying young if we have to hide and cannot live the life we want? This will be a kind of prison for us. I think the best life is to live forever and be free. So if we can look a little old ... enough to get rid of people''s suspicions ... it would be better."


    "Hmm ... you have a point too." Only then did Nicolae understand Terry''s point of view.


    Perhaps, most Alchemists did like to hide and start a new life every twenty years. But what if they really liked their lives and wanted to experience them longer? Wouldn''t having a choice be more fun?


    "You can discuss it with Aldebar or Rune," Nicolae agreed. "If he could make such a potion, I would drink it too. I still want to be Altair and Vega''s guardian until they go to college. You know, their mother and father would look like they are the same age as the twins, a few years from now. They wouldn''t be able to come forward as Altair''s and Vega''s parents if those kids still want to go to public school."


    Terry only raised an eyebrow at Nicolae''s words. He knew Nicolae loved his niece and nephew, and whatever he did in life, it was only for them. He wouldn''t even mind altering his appearance to look older, just so that he could be seen as their father.


    "You will be an amazing father," Terry commented. "Maybe it''s time for you to look for a wife, get married, and have kids of your own?"


    Nicolae pretended not to hear Terry''s words. He continued to talk about Altair and Vega. "In two weeks they will go on a study trip to Paris. Incidentally, my students will also finish their exams and starts the summer holiday. I will return to Grosetto and stop by Paris to watch over the twins."


    "Do you want to go to Grosetto? Has your father returned from China?" Terry asked in puzzlement. As far as Lauriel was concerned, he had resume his adventurous lifestyle and spent much of his time in China, because the girl he was allegedly dating lived there.


    "Father said he would return to Grosetto in the summer. That''s why I want to go there," Nicolae answered. "Besides, this summer, Alaric and Aleksis will take the children to Glasgow. Uncle Ned and Aunt Portia will celebrate their birthdays there. I think I also need to find a change of scenery."


    Terry seemed to be thinking of something.


    "I haven''t taken a vacation this year. Don''t you want to travel with me? Remember, years ago, we traveled together every year. We would meet in Japan, or in Mongolia, or somewhere else. Since you have children, you have become boring," he chided. "Are there no interesting places you want to visit?"


    Nicolae seemed to think for a moment. "You''re right. We haven''t traveled together for a long time. I don''t mind going somewhere with you. What do you have in mind? I can go after I check the kids in Paris."


    "We''ve never been to Macchu Picchu," Terry said enthusiastically. "How about Macchu Picchu?"


    "That sounds good." Nicolae nodded. "I like that."


    "I''ll arrange our flights. I''ll ask Lee to contact you for your schedule and other stuff." Terry was very happy. He had not been traveling for a long time with his best friend, and he had missed that.


    They talked late into the night, and then Nicolae excused himself to go home. He usually spent his Saturdays and Sundays doing sports, writing, and reading. He liked to keep himself busy and active. As a result, his body always looked athletic and strong.


    When he was jogging in the park near his apartment building, he stopped by the edge of a small lake and sat resting there. There were usually a lot of geese and ducks that swim leisurely and enjoy life in the pond. It was Nicolae''s habit to bring bread when he was jogging through the park and lake.


    He would sit on the edge of the pond and feed the animals. The grass grew thick in summer. It was very nice to sit on it while enjoying the sun. He loved spending a long time there. He would take out a book, read, or just sit around enjoying the sunshine and his beautiful surroundings.


    When he first came to this park and found a pond filled with geese and ducks, he accidentally remembered the pleasant moment he had with Marie and Mrs. Lu many years ago in the hospital garden.


    Marie and her mother always loved sitting under the sun like what he was doing now. They also enjoyed the feeling of fresh grass around them and the sunlight on their skin. Nicolae remembered they brought some bread and fed the ducks in the pond. This was what he was now often doing whenever he came to this park.

 Chapter 866 - If Only I Could Turn Back Time

    As the memories came flooding back, Nicolae suddenly realized that it was there that he actually started falling in love with Marie, not later. It was when he saw her in that hospital garden, under the trees, on a bright sunny day.


    Ahh .. why it took him so long to realize his own feelings? Why was he late? So late...


    His time with Marie was brief, and now he regretted not having many moments to remember with her.


    Oh God ... if I could turn back time ... I want to go back to that time.


    I want to confess my love to her.


    I want to ask her hand in marriage and sincerely marry her ... and will never annul it.


    I want to live together with Marie ... and our child.


    Nicolae closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm sun on his face and body. Unfortunately ... even though they, Alchemists, could live forever, they had no power to turn back time.


    ***


    When Altair and Vega returned to school on Monday, many of their female friends asked about the handsome man who had come to school to accompany Altair during his fight with Charles.


    A small number of friends, who had been to their house and knew Nicolae was their father, had told others who he was, but most of the students didn''t believe them. They wanted to hear directly from Altair and Vega.


    "It''s true. That''s our daddy," said Altair with a proud face. He knew Nicolae was very handsome, and he was always happy to brag about his father. "Why?"


    "Oh ... I see. Well, I thought... I thought he''s your brother or cousin because he looks so young and cool. I couldn''t imagine he is your father."


    "I just realized that you both actually look similar."


    "Wow ... you''re so lucky," said another one. "That means when you turn 40 like him, you will also look that young. Gosh! Such good genes."


    Altair only smiled at that. His school friends did not know how old Nicolae really was and that Altair would also look young forever.


    "I am indeed lucky," Altair responded.


    "Oh, by the way... then what happened at the police station? We haven''t heard anything about the case with Charles. Was he finally willing to settle?"


    "Oh ... well, he finally realized his mistake. We agreed to settle and promised never to discuss it again," Altair said with a shrug.


    Since his school friends had to ask him what had happened at the police station, Altair suspected that Charles was keeping it a secret. He would be ashamed if people found out he was utterly humiliated at the police station.


    Ah ... it''s better this way. Altair would prefer his friends not to ask further questions so they wouldn''t suspect his and Vega''s identity. Altair also chose not to discuss it again. He told his friends that he was eager to focus his attention on the coming exams and did not want to look for a fuss.


    The test week arrived, and the twins were very busy with various tasks and their studies. They wanted to finish the final semester exams because they couldn''t wait to go on the study trip to Paris, which was organized by the French teacher and their language club.


    They were excited about the trip. Not only because they really like the city of Paris, but Altair and Vega also wanted to experience traveling with their peers. Besides, they were also excited to go to the fashion capital of the world because their close friend, Jean-Marie would travel there for her modeling work.


    All the waiting made the test week feel easy, and both of them could get through it happily.


    "Finally, the exam is finished too ...!!!" Vega exclaimed happily as she arrived home after the final day''s exam.


    "Ahh .. nice. After this, you can go on vacation in peace," said Nicolae, who welcomed their arrival. "All my classes are also finished. After taking you back to Manhattan later this afternoon, I will go straight to the airport to travel to Grosetto."


    Vega smiled broadly. "You''re meeting us in Paris, aren''t you?"


    Nicolae nodded. "Of course."


    He hadn''t returned to Grosetto in six months. Summer in his parents'' castle must be beautiful. It would be good for him to look for a new atmosphere before leaving for Paris and then adventuring with Terry. They planned to travel to Macchu Picchu.


    After Altair and Vega had lunch and a short rest, they left for Manhattan. Nicolae handed them over to their parents, then he left for Italy.


    "Send my regards to Father," Alaric said as he sent his brother off at the airport. "I am thinking of having a family gathering in August, on our wedding anniversary. What do you think?"


    Nicolae nodded. "Great idea."


    "I''ll let you know the details later," Alaric said.


    "Of course." Nicolae smiled slightly and waved. He walked towards his boarding gate. He would fly from New York to Milan, and from there, he would drive to Grosetto. The journey was quite long, but he loved it.


    ***


    "You haven''t forgotten anything?" Alaric repeatedly asked as he sent Altair and Vega off for their trip. A bodyguard would take them to school and joined their peers from the language club. They would all depart together from school to the airport.


    Because his face and appearance were iconic and quite easy to recognize, Alaric was forced not to take his children to school. This is one thing he always regretted, being in his position. But he couldn''t do anything about it.


    If he insisted on sending the twins and someone saw him, Altair and Vega''s secret identities might be exposed. As a very overprotective father, he did not like it when his children were exposed to the public because their privacy and their lives could be threatened.


    "I have brought everything, Father. I don''t miss out anything," said Altair patiently. He knew his father quite well. "Try to ask Vega. Maybe she forgot something."


    Vega stuck out her tongue. "Not me."


    Alaric nodded. "Good, then. When you are on the trip, don''t trouble your teachers... And, when Nic comes to Paris, you should always update him on what''s going on."


    "Fine, Father ... I understand," said Altair.


    Vega also nodded. "Me too."


    "Good. Your mother and I love you very much." Alaric smiled and kissed his two children''s foreheads. Aleksis followed suit by hugging and kissing them. Both of them clearly felt it was really hard to let go of their two teenage children to travel alone, but they had no choice.


    "We will go now..." Altair and Vega said goodbye and went to school. They really can''t wait to get to Paris immediately.


    After both of them disappeared from sight, Alaric and Aleksis exchanged glances and took a deep breath.


    "Gosh ... they''re so big now," Aleksis murmured. "Time flies."

 Chapter 867 - The Twins In Paris

    Alaric nodded at his wife''s words. Yes, time flew by so fast. Maybe people were right when they said that when people were happy, time would seem to pass by so quickly. He could see it now.


    He had been reunited with his family for almost seven years, and it seemed that the incident only happened yesterday. The years had gone by so fast, and there had been so many things happening.


    He could be with the only woman he loved. He could raise their children together. He considered them a gift because he never expected to have any children from Aleksis when they were first married.


    Now he also experienced that the process of being a father from the beginning when Ireland and Scotland were born. Everything felt very pleasant.


    His life with Aleksis was so perfect that sometimes a little fear crept into his mind because.. perfection should not exist.


    He had to pinch himself often and realized that his life was not a dream. This was indeed real. He did not want to go back to his old self. The old him was negative and was always ready for bad things to happen.


    For that, he must forever thank Aleksis, who had entered his life ... ah, actually she forced her way in, many moons ago and knocked down his wall that he was finally willing to open his heart.


    That was the best decision he had ever made in life. And since then, his life had changed. He was finally happy. And though that fear still lurked in his heart, Alaric tried to get rid of it and did not tell anyone. He just wanted to love his family as well as possible and be the best man for them.


    He nodded, confirmed Aleksis''s words, and then kissed her forehead. "Too fast. Sometimes I feel we must hold on so as not to be dragged by the flow of time."


    "Soon, they will become a.d.u.l.ts ..." Aleksis added.


    "I''m afraid to imagine them growing up and leaving home," Alaric commented honestly. "Hopefully, they don''t quickly fall in love and get married."


    "I hope the same."


    ***


    The French language club had many members because French was very popular at George Washington High School. However, there were only 26 students taking part in the study trip. Everyone knew each other well, and along the way, they all had fun taking photos with each other, uploading videos, and excitedly updating social media.


    Two teachers came with the students on this study trip. They were the young and cool French teacher, Mr. Pierre Rhieu, and the Biology teacher who volunteered to accompany him, Ms. Stacy Lund.


    Although the two were dating, the young teachers were known to be very disciplined and professional. They did their job well in supervising the students, and the kids liked them.


    "You will have free time to go out and explore on your own after dinner. However, from morning to evening, we must follow the schedule," Mr Rhieu said with a smile as he announced the distribution of accommodation for the students when they all arrived at the hotel lobby. They were booked in a small hotel in the center of Paris, called Amarylis Hotel. "We have an odd number for the male and female participants is odd. We have 13 boys and 13 girls. Because Altair and Vega are siblings, they can share a room, so we will have even numbers for the other rooms. Other students, please wait for your names to be called to receive the keys."


    The two teachers seemed very understanding. They deliberately paired close friends in one room so that no one protested. Altair and Vega were siblings and were not fussy when they were asked to share a room together.


    As children from a very wealthy family, this was actually their first time sharing a room. The last time they shared space like this was when they were little and liked sleeping in their parents'' room. However, both Altair and Vega didn''t mind it at all. Altair and Vega were not spoiled, and they just couldn''t wait to experience traveling like ordinary people.


    After the room was arranged and each student got a key, they were immediately told to bring their suitcases to their respective bedrooms. They would stay in France for ten days. For the first five days, they would explore Paris, and the rest they would visit Bordeaux.


    In Bordeaux, they would explore vineyards and chateaus. They would also learn how to make the famous French cheese and wine. They were very excited about everything that they would experience there.


    Tatiana has even prepared a video series to doc.u.ment their adventures while in France to be shared through her social media account. She had millions of followers in Splitz. Vega''s friend had been very active on social media since three years ago, and now she had even managed to earn money because of her many followers. They all enjoyed her videos.


    Tatiana was especially eager to share videos on how to make cheese, baguettes, and wine, as well as, of course, the views of iconic places in France.


    "You may rest and unpack your stuff. Later, we will meet in the lobby to go for dinner. We will relax for a bit on our first day. After dinner, you can enjoy free hours. Tomorrow, we will start our adventure," said Ms. Lund.


    She and Mr. Rhieu got their own room, and both also rested after experiencing a long flight from New York


    ***


    When Altair and Vega entered their room, they immediately explored the inside and checked its condition. Actually, this was their first time staying at a hotel without their parents.


    Both of them just found out how a standard hotel room looked. The size was only 2x3 meters, or 6m2, with two small beds, completely different from any hotel room they had occupied before.


    Because their mother''s family had a hotel chain and many other properties throughout the world, Altair and Vega always stayed in the most luxurious suites or even in penthouses. The sizes were usually enormous, up to hundreds of square meters in size, with many rooms which were luxuriously designed.


    Now, seeing how small and simple their room was, they subconsciously looked at each other.


    "Not bad," commented Altair. He placed his suitcase on the right side of the bed, then went to the window and tried to open it. "The window can''t be opened. This place doesn''t have a balcony."


    Vega just laughed while nodding. "If I hadn''t experienced it myself, I wouldn''t have believed there was such a small room in a hotel. This is like a broom storage."


    She then placed her suitcase on the left side of the bed and then laid her body on the mattress. "Ahhh ... Flying in coach for six hours is sooo tiring. I want to sleep first. Please, wake me up when you want to have dinner."


    Altair nodded and set the alarm. He then sat on the edge of his bed and sent a message to his parents that they had arrived at the hotel and checked in, and were now preparing to rest.


    He deliberately always told them what happened, so they wouldn''t be worried. Altair knew this was the first time they left home alone without their parents, and he wanted this first try to be successful so that they would be allowed to go again later.


    [We''ve already checked in at the Amarylis Hotel. The place is pretty decent. Now we are resting and will have dinner in two hours. Tomorrow we are going to explore the city.]


    [Have fun.] A reply from Nicolae came immediately.


    [Be careful, and have a nice vacation.] Alaric also sent a text shortly after.

 Chapter 868 - Lets Meet Jean-Marie

    Altair smiled, reading their replies. He then sent another message to Jean-Marie, whom he knew was also in Paris. It would be nice if he could make an appointment with the girl he liked.


    [We''ve arrived in Paris and are now resting at the hotel. We will be in Paris for the next five days. When can we meet?]


    He waited for almost half an hour for a reply, but Jean-Marie did not reply to his text. Altair became grumpy as he was waiting. He tried hard to refrain from sending an SMS again for fear of bothering the girl. He knew Marie was in Paris to work ... so maybe she was busy.


    When he almost gave up and was about to go to sleep, following his sister, came the text he had been waiting for.


    [Yeay! I''m glad you''re here. Sorry, I am on a photoshoot, I can only reply to text now. Where do you stay in Paris? Want to meet Tonight?]


    A broad smile appeared on Altair''s lips while reading the reply from Jean-Marie.


    Altair excitedly called Jean-Marie. He always enjoyed chatting with the girl. Unfortunately, because they live on different continents, with the time difference of up to 6 hours, they couldn''t communicate intensely. Especially since last year, Jean-Marie began to pursue modeling, and this year had become very busy.


    "We are staying at a small hotel in the center of the city. It''s called the Amarylis Hotel," Altair said. "Tonight, we just have to go to dinner together with the others and discuss our schedule for tomorrow. After that, we''ll free hours. Where are you?"


    "Hey .. Altair. I always stay at Uncle Caspar''s hotel, the Nobel Hotel. Dad has sold his apartment in Paris because we rarely stay there. But if my career takes of, he decided to repurchase a house. We''ll see," Jean-Marie answered in a cheerful voice. "Where is Vega?"


    "Asleep," said Altair. "She said she is aching all over because we had to fly in coach."


    Altair laughed and told Jean-Marie how he felt after flying like regular people for the first time. He had never felt the need to check-in and went through a security check at the airport before. After that, he had to wait in line for a long time, fly in the cramped economy class seats, got standard service, and finally queue for luggage.


    During this time, whenever he flew with his family, their cars usually took them directly to the runway, where they can directly board their private plane. In a very wide plane, they could sleep in their cabins or sit on the comfortable sofa, watching movies, enjoying the best food, and many other amenities.


    Jean-Marie listened to Altair''s story with interest and occasionally chimed in with her own story. That girl too, even though her parents were not as wealthy as Altair and Vega''s parents, still lived surrounded by luxury all her life.


    Marion herself was the most successful art thief in the world. The value of art collections in their home was unmeasurable with money. And that was just a part-time profession for Marion.


    The woman also received other freelance assignments from various clients. They were willing to pay a very hefty sum for her services to infiltrate a place or organization to retrieve evidence that could be used to bring down a person or company.


    In a way, if Wolf and Goose got their income from hacking the systems and networks to do assignments from their clients'', Marion would physically infiltrate those places to find evidence, to deceive, trap, and take down enemies because she had an unparalleled ability to go undercover.


    Jean-Marie grew up between two very successful people in their own field, and she learned so much from her parents. Their influences helped her grew up into a girl who was very confident and smart. She quickly fascinated everyone once she entered the modeling circle in Paris at the end of last year.


    That''s what made her now very busy. Only a month ago, her face adorned a fashion magazine. Now she had been busy working on a campaign for a new fashion house to become their brand ambassador.


    She and Altair chatted for half an hour until finally, the girl had to hang up because she had to get back ready for the next photoshoot.


    "It was great talking with you. Tonight, when you come here, don''t forget to let me know. I''m free after 8 pm."


    "Of course. Bye, JM," Altair also hung up. His face looked very radiant. Ahh .. he still had an hour if he wanted to sleep like Vega, before dinner time arrived.


    With that in mind, he then lay down on the small bed beside Vega''s bed. He didn''t forget to set the alarm to wake up at 7 pm.


    "Alright ... we''ve all confirmed tomorrow''s schedule. After breakfast, everyone will gather in the lobby at 10 am. We will go to the outskirts of Paris, precisely to Versailles. There, we will learn about the days of Paris being ruled by royals and noblemen. This will be very interesting," Monsieur Rhieu said excitedly. "Now you can rest or take a walk. It''s free hours."


    "Yeay!!" the students were thrilled to hear that. They immediately dispersed and returned to their rooms to rest and inform their family. Some were ready to walk out and explore the city on their own.


    Tatiana approached Vega and wanted to invite her to explore the area around their hotel to make a video about typical French food to share with her followers.


    "Vega ... Sharon, Jeff, Stu, and I decided to take a walk around our hotel to try typical French street food. I also want to make content for the my followers. Do you and Altair want to come along?"


    Vega actually wanted to hang out with them, but she was forced to refuse this once.


    "Aw... Tatia, I''m sorry, I can go with you guys tomorrow, but now I have already made an appointment with a friend. We don''t see each other very often," Vega said. She glanced toward her twin brother. "You see, my brother can''t wait to leave."


    Tatiana bit her lip when she realized that Altair would not be coming with her group to explore the area around their hotel. She had liked Altair since they were in the first year of high school, but she had never told Vega about this because she did not want to make the relationship between them awkward.


    "Where are you going? Maybe the others and I can find interesting places to explore there," Tatiana said finally, unwilling to give up.


    "Uhm ... wait a minute, I''ll ask my brother," Vega then called Altair, "Where do we meet Jean-Marie?"


    Altair, who was standing by the lobby with both hands in his pockets, waiting for Vega, only shrugged. "At the Nobel Hotel."


    Vega then turned to Tatiana. "At the Nobel Hotel."


    Tatiana quickly checked the map on her cellphone internet, and her face beamed. "Ah ... it''s not far from here. We can go together."


    Vega just laughed and shrugged. "All right. It''s up to you. But Altair and I can''t hang out, okay. We''ll meet someone there."


    "Of course. It''s okay," Tatiana said with a bright face.

 Chapter 869 - The Twins And JM

    Inwardly, she tried to remember the name ''Jean-Marie'' that Vega had mentioned. Who was Jean-Marie? What did Altair have to do with her? Why did it seem that Altair was so eager to meet her?


    Gosh ... she felt wrong for suddenly being overcome with jealousy like this. Altair had always had many fans in school, even some girls in their French Club also went to Paris because Altair was going, but the young man never showed that he liked anyone.


    Was that because she liked this Jean-Marie girl?


    Ahh ... Tatiana really wanted to find out.


    "Altair, my friends want to explore the area around the Nobel Hotel too. Tatiana invited us to go together," Vega said as she approached her brother. "What do you think?"


    Altair shook his head. "Let''s take a taxi, it''s quicker that way. Even if they go are willing to pay for taxi, we still have to take a different taxi. One car won''t fit us all."


    "Haha ... that''s right." Vega then turned to Tatiana and shook her head, "We are taking a taxi. Can you go on your own? I''ll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast place."


    Tatiana, Sharon, Jeff, and Stu looked at each other in surprise as Altair and Vega walked out while waving to them.


    "They looked so confident. They acted like we are in New York. Don''t they know that public transportation in Paris is very complicated?" Sharon asked. She opened her cellphone and showed Tatiana various confusing metro lines.


    "She said they are taking a taxi," Tatiana answered.


    "Still ... they are very relaxed even though this is their first time in Europe."


    Tatiana frowned. Actually, Sharon''s words made sense too. She then gave a signal to her friends to join her.


    "Let''s take a taxi too and we follow them."


    ***


    It''s no secret that Altair really liked Jean-Marie since childhood. He was always fascinated to see Jean-Marie''s quirks and naughtiness, even though her outward appearance was graceful. The girl was brought up by her parents to look elegant, but she was actually tomboyish and naughty by nature.


    To keep Jean-Marie busy and force her to act like a graceful woman, her parents put Jean-Marie in modeling school. They supported her to pursue a career in fashion.


    When she was 14 years old, the girl had grown to 172 cm tall and looked stunning. Her curly hair grew down to her waist, and Jean-Marie would look like a princess from a fairy tale if she let it loose.


    Who wouldn''t fall in love to see the face of an angel and the beautiful body of a model? She quickly became famous in the industry, and job offers soon came knocking on her door. She officially quit studying in public schools earlier this year and now only took homeschooling with private teachers.


    "Do you want me to wait for you at the hotel lobby or do you want to go straight to my suite?" Jean-Marie asked while the twins were still in the taxi.


    As the grandson of the hotel owner, it was actually easy for Altair and Vega to tell the receptionist to give them access to the suite occupied by Jean-Marie. Nevertheless, Altair felt there was no need to reveal their identity here.


    Besides, he was happy to see JM coming down to greet him. So he answered that he preferred to meet JM in the lobby. "Just wait for us the lobby."


    "Of course. See you soon!"


    Since the Nobel Hotel was not far from the Amarylis Hotel, the two teenagers arrived shortly after. When they entered the hotel lobby, JM was waiting in a pretty chair near the door and immediately jumped joyfully to greet the two.


    "Hey ... it''s been a long time!" the girl exclaimed enthusiastically. She hugged Vega and Altair alternately. The last time they met face to face was at year-end holiday, about six months ago in Switzerland.


    The Schneider and Medici extended family always met at the end of each year for a vacation together. Jean''s family would also join whenever they could. This made their children and grandchildren grew up together and became very close.


    Even JM''s five-year-old brother was very close to Ireland and Scotland, Altair''s brothers, because they grew up together. Oh, don''t forget, there was also Lily, London and L''s daughter who was the same age as Ireland and Scotland.


    "You look more beautiful!" praise Altair. Vega just rolled her eyes at that.


    Typical, she thought. Every time Altair met JM, he would always praise her for looking more beautiful. Although Altair certainly knew what JM looked like, they at least chat through Virconnect once a week.


    "Hahaha .. thank you. It''s because I''m still wearing makeup from the photoshoot earlier," JM said. "Want to go straight to my suite?"


    "Wait a minute ..." answered Vega. "We can order drinks in the lounge, right?"


    She pointed at the small lounge in the lobby area.


    "Why? Are you thirsty?" asked JM. "There''s a drink in my place too."


    "I''m thirsty now," Vega said nonchalantly. She immediately stepped into the lounge she was referring to and sat on the sofa.


    Altair and JM looked at each other and then could only follow Vega. They didn''t mind drinking here or in the suite at all, but in the suite they could get privacy and chat freely.


    They finally ordered drinks and ended up sitting chatting in the lounge for 15 minutes. Vega glanced out several times while they were in the lounge. After getting what she was looking for, she patted her brother''s shoulder and told him to go to the suite with JM first.


    "You don''t want to come with us?" Altair asked in amazement.


    "I''ll follow you later. Which suite are you in?" Vega asked, turning her head towards JM.


    "2525," said JM. "Then you can keep one of my keys ... You can go up to the 25th floor yourself."


    "Okay," Vega said. She then pushed them out of the lounge. Altair naturally took JM''s hand, and the two walked intimately to the elevator to go up to her suite on the 25th floor.


    Vega peeked again, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She had seen Tatiana''s face spying on her brother from the lobby looking surprised.


    Tatiana quickly took a few photos as Altair came out of the lounge and walked hand in hand with JM to the elevator.

 Chapter 870 - The Mysterious Man

    At a glance, people must think Altair and JM were lovers. Ah ... they did like each other, but since both of them were still very young, Altair was only 16 years old and JM was 15 years old; they hadn''t thought about officially dating.


    Their parents had given them lengthy advice over and over again not to think about love and dating at such a young age. Nicolae and Alaric even said their children must wait at least until they are a century old before they could even think about falling in love.


    So, of course, Altair and JM always acted like they were just very close friends.


    Vega felt that even though neither of them was dating... yet, it wouldn''t if she made their schoolmates think Altair already had a girlfriend so they would stop chasing him. Vega was tired of all the confessions from girls and endless fights with other boys. It would only happen if they thought he already had a girlfriend.


    Now, who would be the best person to spread the gossip to the whole school that Altair had a girlfriend, if not Tatiana? She was very active on social media and had millions of followers. Ha.


    That was why Vega was waiting until Tatiana arrived at the Nobel hotel before she told Altair and JM to go up to the suite. Vega''s face was adorned with an amused smile when she saw Tatiana look shocked when Altair and Vega walked hand in hand very intimately. She even took some photos too.


    "This will solve our problem," Vega thought. She did not like it that Altair was often engaged in childish boys fights in school just because the girls who had a crush on him. According to Vega, this could be a solution.


    [Tatiana, where are you guys?] She then sent an SMS to Tatiana.


    A few minutes later came a reply from her friend.


    [Uhm ... we just passed by Nobel Hotel. Are you guys still there? Why didn''t I see you?]


    [I''m still here. Did you see my brother?]


    [Yes. He was walking, holding hands with a gorgeous girl. Who is she?]


    [That''s Jean-Marie. She is Altair''s girlfriend. She is a model and is in Paris for a modeling job. Altair saved up his allowance for months to afford this study trip to Paris so he could see her.]


    Vega laughed to herself. In their whole life, they had never had to save for anything. Both of them were born in one of the world''s wealthiest families.


    [Oh, I see. Why did you never tell me that Altair already has a girlfriend? The girls at our school chased after him thinking he was single.]


    [Ouch. Altair is a very private person. He will never confess to something like this. That''s it ... Where are you going now?]


    [We want to take a walk to the River Seine. Do you want to come along?]


    [Uhm ... I''m too lazy to walk. I also promised to meet Jean-Marie. I just gave them a little time together first ... hehehe. Have a nice walk.]


    She put down her phone. Ah ... one problem solved.


    Vega paid for their drinks and then left the lounge to catch up with her brother and JM. She pressed the button to open the elevator door. At the same time, a man''s hand also reached for the button.


    "Eh ...?" Both stared at each other in surprise. The man then nodded and let Vega push the elevator button.


    Vega nodded back and pressed it. The elevator door then opened, and she entered, followed by the man. He stood near all the floor number buttons and pressed the 30th floor. When Vega was also about to press her floor button, she realized that she left the access card JM gave her in the lounge.


    "Ouch ..." A soft sigh came out of her lips. It was too late to get out because the elevator was sliding slowly up, the man had pressed the number of the floor he was going to.


    "Which floor are you on?" Suddenly the man''s voice was heard. For a moment, Vega was stunned. This person''s voice sounded very pleasant. You could say this man had a warm voice and it sounded very pleasant to the ear. Subconsciously, the girl turned and looked at him without blinking. The man furrowed his brows and smiled. "Which floor?"


    "Eh ... Twenty ..." Vega hadn''t had a chance to mention the number five, the guy had pressed the button for 20th floor. The girl hurriedly corrected him. "Twenty-five."


    "Oh ..." The man looked embarrassed for being in a hurry. He smiled again and pressed the button for 25th floor. "Sorry, I''m too rash."


    At that time, Vega was eager to ask him questions to hear his voice again. She really liked the man''s voice. It was so nice to hear!


    His face was even nicer to look at. His wavy blond hair framed his very handsome face. He was probably in his mid-thirties, and he looked very cool, clad in all-black attire.


    The top button of his shirt opened and slightly revealed a small silver dreamcatcher hanging from a leather strap around his neck. This uncle looks so s.e.xy, Vega thought. He is like a model in a men''s magazine.


    Ahh ... Gosh, Vega ... The girl pinched herself. She did not know why she could gawk at this older man. Behave, Vega.


    "Thank you ... Uhmm ... Are you working at this hotel, Uncle?" Vega asked with her beautiful eyes went round. "How can you open all floors?"


    As far as Vega knew, each floor button on a hotel elevator could only be opened using access cards by the occupants of the rooms on the respective floor. Earlier, this guy pressed the 30th-floor button, which meant he was staying on the 30th floor.


    However, as it turned out, he could also open two other floor buttons. Vega could only draw the conclusion that the man was not actually a guest but a hotel staff holding a master key access card that could open all floors.


    The man looked stunned and realized his mistake. He just shook his head slightly and smiled, not answering.

 Chapter 871 - He Is Not A Bad Person

    Vega almost forgot to blink when she stared at the man on their way up. The man did not seem bothered at all because a high school girl looked at him curiously.


    "Uncle, you don''t work here," Vega said suddenly. She finally concluded that the man was not a hotel staff in terms of his behavior and appearance. But she wondered why this person had a key that could open all floors. "But why can you open all floors?"


    Finally, the man turned to Vega and tilted his head slightly. "Because I have a magic key."


    DING!


    When Vega was about to open her mouth to say something, suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. The man tilted his chin toward the door, giving Vega a signal to get out.


    The girl finally stepped out with a frown.


    "A magic key?" She asked, but the elevator door had moved shut. She could still see the man waving a little toward her before the elevator was completely closed and moved up. For a moment, Vega stood stunned in front of the elevator with a baffled look.


    She decided to contact Uncle London to tell him that a mysterious person was hanging around his hotel with access to various floors. If that person had evil intentions, the Nobel Hotel could suffer losses.


    Vega then went looking for the door number 2525 and knocked several times until JM opened the door for her.


    Not long after, JM appeared on the doorway with a fresh face. She just cleaned up from makeup and now looked very fresh.


    "Hey, why don''t you use the key I gave you?" JM asked in surprise.


    Vega entered and plopped herself on the sofa. The suite was spacious, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchenette, and a spacious balcony. She answered in an apologetic voice. "I accidentally left the key in the lounge. I''ll bring it back to you later."


    "Oh ... it doesn''t matter then." JM closed the door and immediately picked up the phone to call the receptionist. "Bonjour. Please get my room key for me. I think I dropped it somewhere in the lounge near the lobby. Thank you."


    "Sorry to bother you," Vega said. She glanced at her brother, who was sitting nicely at the end of the sofa. "Hey, I met a mysterious guy on the elevator."


    "Mysterious how?" Altair asked. He was intrigued.


    "He is not a staff of this hotel, but has a key that can open all floors," Vega answered.


    "How do you know if he isn''t hotel staff?" Altair asked again.


    "I just know. Besides, he didn''t wear a uniform. H also looked too cool to be a hotel employee." For a moment, Vega smiled broadly. Her gaze wandered, and she tried to recall the man''s appearance from earlier. "Anyway, he is just cool."


    JM and Altair looked at each other in surprise. They knew Vega very well and realized the girl wasn''t used to behaving like this.


    "You''re like someone in love," JM said with a laugh. "How cool is that guy?"


    Altair coughed and reminded his sister, "Remember our father''s words, you can''t fall in love before you are a hundred years old."


    The three of them exchanged glances, and after a while, laughed heartily. They knew very well how the men in their families were overly protective of their children.


    "Sshh... I was just admiring the beauty of God''s creation," Vega said lightly. "I''ll tell Uncle London about that person so they can watch him. What if he is a bad guy and he could have such access! What will he do??"


    "Just call Uncle London, then," Altair nodded.


    Vega pulled out her cellphone and called London Schneider, her uncle, who now lived in Berlin. London Schneider was in charge of all of the Schneider Group''s businesses in Europe and Asia, while Uncle Terry was in charge of their businesses in America, Australia, Africa, and the rest.


    "Hey, what''s up, my most beautiful niece?" asked London as soon as he picked up the call from Vega. The man was relaxing in the family room with his daughter, Lily, who was learning to play the piano from her mother, a very famous singer, L.


    London always greeted Vega as his most beautiful niece because all his sister''s other kids were all boys, except for her.


    "Uncle ... I am now at the Nobel Hotel to meet JM. Earlier in the elevator, I met a suspicious man who had access to all floors ... I don''t think he is a staff, and he was quite suspicious. You might want to check the CCTV and find out who that person is and what he is doing here," Vega said. "The man has blond wavy hair, he is tall and very handsome. If I''m not mistaken, I also saw that he has a tattoo on his c.h.e.s.t. I could see a little since his shirt''s top button was unfastened. I don''t know what kind of tattoo, though. I think it''s some sort of leather strap with round silver thingy..."


    Altair and JM looked at each other when they heard Vega mention the man''s description in such detail.


    "Hmm ... is that so?" asked London. He seemed to be trying to imagine the person described by Vega just now, and he chuckled a moment later. "Oh ... I guess I know who it is. It''s okay. He''s not a bad person. No need to worry. Thank you for letting me know."


    Vega frowned in surprise. He had no idea that London''s reaction would be like this. "So you know the person? Is he really a staff here?"


    "No. He''s not a staff, but an acquaintance of mine. It''s okay. Next time you meet him, you don''t need to be afraid of him."


    "I wasn''t afraid," Vega said.


    "Well, you can just say hello and tell him that Uncle London is sending him my regards. Are you all good? Is there anything I can do for you from here?"


    "No. Thank you, Uncle. Say hello for me to Auntie L and Lily..."


    "They said hugs and kisses for you and Altair and Jean-Marie too."


    "Thank you, good night."


    After Vega hung up, she could only shrug. "Looks like I''m wrong. Uncle London knows the man. He says the guy is not a bad person, and we don''t need to worry."


    "Who is not a bad person?" Suddenly a woman''s voice came behind Vega. When the girl turned around, she saw Marion, JM''s mother, just come out of one of the bedrooms in the suite. "Hey ... Vega and Altair are here, I''m sorry, I was talking on the phone with my husband to check on Jean-Henri''s condition. Have you been here for a long time? And who do you mean isn''t a bad guy?"


    Vega went to hug Marion then shook her head. "That was my mistake. Earlier in the elevator, I met a man who had keys that could access all floors. I thought he was a bad person, so I called Uncle London. But it seems my uncle knew him. He said the guy isn''t a criminal."


    Marion frowned at Vega''s explanation. "He has keys to all the floors? How interesting."


    She was able to get a master key that could open all floors and all doors in any building, if she wanted, while he was still working as a professional thief. If London hadn''t clarified that the man Vega met wasn''t a bad person, Marion would have rushed out and hunted him down.


    Hmm ... who was that person? As far as Marion was concerned, only professional thieves and killers usually had such access. She became curious.

 Chapter 872 - Do You Know Who I Am?

    "What''s the person like?" Marion asked curiously. Even if London had said that the person was not a bad guy, she still felt curious. Her daughter would stay in this hotel for a month until her gig was done. She did not want to take the risk.


    Vega then repeated her description to London earlier. Marion listened carefully with a frown. She finally nodded and patted JM on the shoulder before she left.


    "I will be out for a while. You three can just chat and hang out here. Order anything you''d like," she said before opening the suite door and going out.


    After she disappeared behind the door, the three teenagers looked at each other. JM only shrugged when she saw the curious faces of her two friends.


    "Mommy must be just curious, don''t worry about it," said the girl.


    They finally forgot the incident with the mysterious man in the elevator and talked about various things into the night. Altair and Vega were not worried at all tomorrow about waking up late because the tour would start at 10 am.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Marion, who was still curious, decided to go to the security surveillance room. She broke in to see the results of CCTV monitoring from the elevator earlier to see the man Vega described. Marion quickly managed to find the figure she was looking for.


    The man exited on the 30th floor and entered a suite on that floor. Marion then fast-forwarded the CCTV footage to make sure the man was still in his suite before she came to infiltrate. But apparently, Marion did not need to do that because soon the man left his room and walked back to the elevator.


    Marion followed the man''s footsteps through the CCTV and saw him go out on the 20th floor and headed for the restaurant. Apparently, he was still there.


    "Hmm ... I feel like I''ve seen that person before. But where?" Marion muttered to herself. She tried to collect her memories, but she still could also not remember who the man was. It seemed they had never met in person.


    Ah, since her daughter and the twins were having a great time chatting, Marion felt there was no point in her as a parent to interfere and disrupt their fun. Besides, she also needed to drink a little.


    With that in mind, she then decided to go up to the restaurant on the 20th floor and spy on the man.


    Shortly after, Marion arrived at the restaurant and a waiter respectfully came to greet her. He invited Marion in and gave a table that was strategic enough for her to observe her surroundings.


    "Thank you," Marion said, sitting in her chair. She then opened the wine list and ordered a glass of red wine. Her gaze seemed indifferent, looking around, even though she was actually paying close attention. Her pair of cat''s eyes were very sharp and trained.


    Ah, gotcha!


    She found the man she was looking for sitting at one of the tables in the corner. His handsome face was filled with anxiety. He sat with his legs crossed and a glass of red wine in his hand. His eyes swept room toward the door many times as if he were waiting for someone.


    She saw him on TV and on the internet several times. But why was this man in Paris? Didn''t he live in another country? And whom he was waiting for?


    Marion smiled to herself. The man was indeed not a bad person, as London Schneider said. In a way, he was actually one of them. He was a family.


    Marion almost decided to greet the man and introduce herself, when suddenly the man rose from his seat, and his face turned bright.


    Marion looked at the man''s gaze and realized the person he had been waiting for had arrived. A gorgeous girl with short black hair in a bob style and a tall slim body like a supermodel had stepped into a restaurant.


    She wore a white body-fitting dress, s.e.xy high heels, and her hand carried the most expensive brand name handbag today. Her beautiful face was filled with a sad expression, even though she seemed to try hard to hide it behind a cold attitude.


    The man was about to hug the woman, but she refused gently and chose to sit opposite him. Both of them then sat face to face without saying anything with unpredictable expressions.


    Are they lovers? It looks like their relationship is not good, Marion thought.


    Actually, she did not want to interfere in other people''s business, but unfortunately, Marion was an expert lip reader. From her sitting position, she could see the man''s face, and when he opened his mouth to speak, Marion could tell what he was saying.


    "I don''t want to break up," the man said firmly.


    "We''ve been together for almost eight years, Lisa. Why don''t you want to consider our time together?" The man was still trying. He did not want to give up so easily.


    The woman bit her lip frantically and shook her head many times. "I can''t ... I''ve been thinking about it for the past month. I feel like I don''t know you at all. Our eight years together now feels like a lie ..."


    "Lisa ... That''s not a lie. Everything is real. My feelings for you, everything I do for you is sincere. My past life was the past. I told you everything because I wanted you to know everything about me before we get married." The man''s voice began to sound hopeless.


    "There will be no marriage ... Sorry, I can''t do this."


    "Lisa ... Please, reconsider. Please take as much time as possible. I''ll wait. I don''t mind waiting for you, no matter how long. I only love you ..."


    "Sorry ..." The girl rubbed her eyes and tried to look strong. She touched the man''s hand, kissed his cheek, then rose from her seat, walked out of the restaurant, and never looked back.


    The man could not see it, but from Marion''s position, she could see tears in her beautiful pair of eyes as she passed Marion''s table and walked to the door.


    The man got up and walked after her, but as he passed Marion''s table, suddenly his hand was pulled by her. With a surprised face, he stopped and stared at Marion in surprise.


    "Who are you?" he asked with a cold voice.


    "Please sit." Marion stood up and kindly pressed the man''s shoulder to sit next to her. "Don''t chase her now. Give her time to think."


    The man was about to refuse, but soon, he was surprised to find that his shoulders were pressed very firmly. From the outside, Marion was seen patting his shoulder softly, as if to a friend, but he could feel her enormous strength.


    "What do you want?" he asked again.


    "Uff ... love is a jerk. It can make a ruthless professional assassin into a crybaby who is chasing after a woman," Marion commented with a smile.


    The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. He tried to study Marion and guess who this woman was. Why she had such strength and knew his identity in the past. This woman was definitely not a random guest in this hotel.


    After making sure that the woman in front of him had no ill intentions toward him, the man finally relaxed his shoulders and sat down. Subconsciously he sighed.


    "I love her," he said quietly. "I''ve never loved a woman like her."


    Marion nodded. "I can see it. You were in a relationship for quite a long time, and when you wanted to marry her and tell her everything about you, she became frightened and shocked. She felt cheated because you were not what she had always thought."


    "You''re eavesdropping," the man said in an annoyed voice. "It is not nice."


    "Hey, it''s not my fault, okay. I''m good at lip-reading. If you don''t want others to eavesdrop, why not just talk in the room?" Marion replied curtly.


    The man shook his head slowly. "She only wanted to meet me in public places."


    "Ouch ... that bad. She thought you would kill her if you two were alone? Wow ... that''s too much. You better find another woman who will accept you for who you are," Marion commented. She signaled to the waiter to bring a bottle of wine for them both. "I will accompany you for a drink to ease your sadness. I happen to be bored."


    The man frowned. "You still haven''t told me who you are."


    Marion smiled faintly and then tilted her head with a hilarious expression. "Me? I''m Marion."


    "Do you know who I am?" the man asked attentively. For a moment, his attention was diverted.


    Marion nodded, "How can I possibly not know Mischa Rhionen, one of the four leaders of RMI, and the former most feared killer from Rhionen Assassin that was disbanded a dozen years ago?"

 Chapter 873 - You Can Call Me Auntie

    The man was stunned to hear Marion''s words. A moment later, his expression became more relaxed, and his lips smiled.


    "Apparently you''re not just anyone ... There aren''t many people who know me that well," he commented. "Who are you?"


    "You won''t know me, Boy," Marion said, smiling faintly. Mischa stared at the woman for a long time and finally, he nodded.


    "You must be a lot older than me. Then I must show my respects," he said later, bowing his head slightly.


    "Ah ... you have good manners." Marion nodded while smiling back. "You can call me Auntie."


    The waiter she called to bring a bottle of red wine had come and stood beside their table respectfully. After Marion gave the signal, he then poured red wine into the glass of the two guests.


    "Cheers!" Marion raised her glass and clinked it to Mischa''s. "Everyone needs to experience a broken heart so that they can appreciate love more."


    Mischa just looked at Marion and didn''t answer, but he accepted the clink of their glass and gulped down the wine. His face still looked sad, but he had managed to stop himself from chasing his ex-girlfriend.


    "I''ll give her a few more days," Mischa muttered, refilling his glass. "Thank you, Auntie, for accompanying me here."


    "You''re welcome, Son," Marion said. "I''m actually feeling a bit bored."


    Outsiders who didn''t know them would be surprised to hear a grown man who clearly looked older called a beautiful girl who seemed to be in her 20s before him with Auntie. Nobody would guess that Marion was actually almost 150 years old. She had walked the earth so much longer than Mischa.


    Marion was naturally a kind woman, and she decided to invite Mischa to talk to divert his attention from the problem that was making him upset. It was true that even the most ruthless men were not immune from heartbreak and grief when the girl they loved broke up with them one-sidedly.


    Mischa met Lisa eight years ago, and for the first time in life, he felt how to it was to fall in love with a woman. He had changed his life and was busy taking care of RMI''s business in Eastern Europe, as entrusted by Alaric, his foster father.


    Lisa did not know of his past as a professional assassin and they had a loving relationship, which eventually became serious. Six years ago, they decided to live together. Mischa had no idea that he would be given the gift of the immortality potion by Aldebar as Alaric''s foster son.


    He did not tell Lisa about his life secrets now and then. He still wanted to check his heart, whether he really wanted to spend his forever with Lisa or not. As time went on and he got older, he finally made the decision to marry the girl.


    Before he disclosed the Alchemist clan''s secrets, Mischa decided to open up and tell her about his past as an assassin since he was a teenager. In his mind, if Lisa could accept his past, he would share his other secrets.


    Unfortunately, Lisa couldn''t accept Mischa''s past well. She felt devastated and deceived. After thinking about it for a month, the girl finally gave up and chose to leave the man who had been with her for the past eight years.


    She could not marry a former killer because her father was killed by his political opponents using a hitman. She could not forgive Mischa''s past at all and chose to break up. Lisa decided to go to Paris and started a new life there.


    But tonight, Lisa reiterated that they could not get back together. Even though she still loved Mischa too much, Lisa really couldn''t change her heart.


    "I really love her..." Mischa said in a low voice after the third glass of wine. His brilliant blue eyes seemed to glitter with tears. He sighed and resumed filling his glass with wine. "I shouldn''t have been honest with her."


    Marion held Mischa''s hand and took the wine bottle from his hand. "That''s enough. Later you might do things that you will regret. I''m accompanying you here to advise you not to get you drunk. Believe me ... women who don''t accept you for who you are don''t deserve your love."


    "I should have kept lying ..." complained Mischa. "Everything was fine until when I told her about my past."


    Marion really understood how it felt to be broken-hearted. She had an unrequited love for Lauriel for decades. After she gave up her love and decided to open her heart to others, she met a man who turned out to be perfect for her.


    In addition to having similar appearances, both were complementing each other perfectly. After Marion was with Jean, she felt how her life was finally complete. They had been married for 16 years and now lived happily with two children. She was sure, one day, Mischa would feel the same way.


    "Don''t be stupid. A relationship based on lie won''t last. If you want to wait for her to change her mind, go ahead, but don''t torture yourself just because of a woman," Marion rose from her seat and patted Mischa on the shoulder. She lifted the man''s chin and looked at him intently. "Now, you must rest. Stop drinking."


    Her voice sounded very authoritative and had a certain tone that made Mischa become a little confused. His eyes went round, and then as if he had turned into an obedient child, Mischa nodded and rose.


    "I''ll go and rest," he said. He leaned slightly toward Marion and walked out of the restaurant to his suite. Marion had hypnotized him just now so he would follow her orders and go to his room to sleep.


    Altair and Vega and JM were still busy chatting and laughing. When Marion returned, they immediately welcomed her.


    "Gosh ... it''s already 11 pm. You have to go back to your hotel and rest. Tomorrow you will be busy," she said. "Do you want me to call you a taxi?"


    "It''s okay, Auntie. I don''t want to bother you. We will order a taxi through the receptionist," Altair said.


    "All right, then. When you have free time tomorrow, come here. I will take you to dinner at my favorite restaurant."


    "Thank you, Auntie Marion. We will let you know via Jean-Marie," answered Altair.


    "Very nice."


    Because it was close to midnight, the two teenagers decided to go back to their own hotel.


    Ten minutes later, they arrived at the lobby of the Amarylis Hotel and immediately headed to their room. Before going to sleep, they told Alaric and Nicolae that they had met Marion and Jean-Marie.


    "Wow ... it looks like you guys are having fun, huh," commented Nicolae, who was in Grosetto. "I will arrive in Paris tomorrow afternoon. We can have dinner with Marion and Jean-Marie. It will be very pleasant."


    "Wow ... sounds fun! We will wait for Daddy to come," Vega said enthusiastically.

 Chapter 874 - Visiting The Louvre

    Actually, Altair and Vega had been to Paris quite often. Since they were little, both of them had been used to traveling the world with their parents. Not only because their father and mother had houses in many countries, but in the past, they were often taken by Nicolae for adventures when he was still in a relationship with Aleksis.


    At that time, Alaric and Aleksis were separated for ten years, and each did not know that the other was still alive. Nicolae often brought Aleksis and her two children to entertain them, and he trained the twins to become independent.


    They had explored the Caribbean, Africa, Mongolia, and even saw the aurora twice. Once in Iceland, and once in Norway. They were quite familiar with various important cities in the world.


    However, the twins were always acting enthusiastically and looked in awe when they saw Paris iconic places. Their first day was spent visiting the Eiffel Tower. The students were so excited to take pictures together. They took selfies with various poses and shared their experiences on social media.


    Actually, Tatiana was eager to share her experience of visiting the Eiffel Tower via Virconnect to her followers who were willing to pay. Unfortunately, Mr. Rhieu did not allow it because he thought Tatiana would not focus on his explanation, and their objective for having this study trip would not be achieved.


    "You can sell or share your Virconnect experience with your followers in your free hours, okay. Not during our study time," Mr. Rhieu said when he told Tatiana not to share her experience in front of the Eiffel Tower via Virconnect. "You can come back here later and do as you like."


    Tatiana could only frown, but she could not protest. Mr. Rhieu was right. She then approached Vega, who pretended to take lots of photos of the Eiffel Tower so as not to make her friends suspicious.


    "Vega, let''s come back here again later today. I want to share the experience of traveling to the Eiffel Tower via Virconnect," she told the girl.


    Vega raised one eyebrow when she heard Tatiana''s words. "Tatia... you know that I don''t like being in front of the camera. I can''t help you."


    "Uhm ... you don''t have to come inside," Tatiana said quickly. "I still remember that you guys don''t like being photographed."


    "When do you need it?" Vega asked.


    "I want it for dinner time. We can ask permission to eat dinner outside. We can all eat in the French restaurant on top of the Eiffel Tower. Many people are curious to see how the restaurant up there looks like," Tatiana answered enthusiastically.


    "Wahh ... I can''t go with you to dinner. My father will arrive in Paris this afternoon, and we promised to have dinner with Auntie Marion and Jean-Marie," Vega said in an apologetic voice.


    "Ah .. your handsome father will come too ??" Tatiana''s face suddenly glowed. "Will he follow you while in Paris ???"


    Vega just laughed at seeing Tatiana''s joyful expression. Her friend had never hidden her admiration for Nicolae. She always tried to look normal in front of Altair, but Vega knew her friend well and knew that Tatiana liked his brother.


    However, Tatiana did not hide her admiration for Daddy Nic. Maybe she thought since Nicolae was an a.d.u.l.t, he wouldn''t think too much about his daughter''s friend admiring him openly.


    Vega replied, "That''s right. Daddy happened to have some business in Paris, so he might as well wait for us here."


    "Ahhh .. you are so lucky to have such a caring father," Tatiana said in an envious tone. "Very well. I will accept that you cannot join me in the Eiffel Tower today because of your handsome father."


    "Well, tomorrow we can go for a walk together ... Tonight we already made a dinner appointment with several people," Vega said.


    Tatiana finally nodded. She really had no choice.


    ***


    After they were satisfied going up and down the Eiffel Tower, saw Gustave Eiffel''s secret apartment, on the top of the tower, and took so many photos, the group finally went to the Louvre Museum. Before entering the museum, they had lunch at a small restaurant.


    The Louvre Museum held a massive collection of artworks and historical items from around the world. The students enthusiastically followed Mr. Rhieu and listened to his story about various parts of the museum that were so interesting.


    They were amazed to see the collection of Egyptian mummies in the museum''s west wing, then various famous artworks that they had only heard about by name or seen pictures on the internet.


    Many students sighed in awe when they saw Mona Lisa directly. They had no idea that the painting turned out to be small and, at first glance, unattractive.


    There were far more interesting paintings on display in the various wings walls of the Louvre Museum. Everything looked very impressive. Some paintings looked so realistic, like a portrait of living humans, and some were very large, hung from floor to ceiling.


    A painting depicting the inauguration of one of the French monarchs looked so impressive. All the characters on the canvas were on life-size, and their faces looked so real like photographs. Everything was very similar to the original characters. In the 3x4 meter giant painting, there were more than 100 people.


    "Jeez ... I can''t imagine one hundred people standing still for hours so they could be painted properly," Stu said as he watched the large painting with interest. "I think the painter is very skilled. I prefer this large painting to Monalisa. I don''t understand why Monalisa can become so famous."


    It was common for large museums to put fake paintings in the place of the original painting during the exhibition and keep the original artworks in a hidden location. This was the way to maintain the security of these very expensive artworks.


    Marion, who was very skilled at infiltration, could find the secret place where the Mona Lisa painting was stored and steal it from there. In order not to arouse suspicion, she put a very similar in its place. Until today, the museum had not realized that the original painting had been exchanged.

 Chapter 875 - Bounty On Gooses Head

    Altair and Vega did not discuss the Mona Lisa painting nor show off their knowledge of various artworks in the Louvre Museum. Both were accustomed to always acting humble and not attracting the attention of their friends.


    Once they were happy with the museum tour and took notes and discussed the contents, they finally returned to their hotel. Altair and Vega asked Mr. Rhieu for permission to skip dinner because they had made a dinner appointment with Nicolae, Marion, and JM.


    Mr. Rhieu finally agreed after Nicolae called him to make sure that the two students didn''t lie and just made excuses to wander by themselves. No matter what, as the teacher, he was fully responsible for the safety of his students while they were in France.


    "All right, you may leave," said Mr. Rhieu when they arrived at the lobby. "Don''t stay up too late. You have to rest well. Tomorrow we will travel quite far to Versailles and visit the palace. It is massive and the garden is also huge. You will be tired."


    "Yes, Sir," said Altair, winking. Of course, he knew how big the palace of Versailles was. His grandfather lived there for several years as the guest of Louis XIV before the French revolution and had shared his experiences while staying there.


    The twins happily took a taxi back to the Nobel Hotel. JM and her mother still hadn''t arrived from the photoshoot, but Nicolae was already waiting for them both on the top floor. Caspar told the man to occupy his penthouse at the Nobel Hotel while he was supervising the twins in Paris.


    Caspar had considered the young man like his own son. Not only because he used to be Aleksis'' boyfriend in the past, but also because Nicolae was Alaric''s older brother. Alaric was his son-in-law. Caspar always made a big deal out of it when he heard that Nicolae would come to Paris and not stay in his property.


    "Hey ... welcome," Nicolae said happily as he opened the door to the penthouse to welcome his two children. "Please come in. I really miss you, Guys. "


    Vega and Altair hugged him alternately. The two then looked around at the whole penthouse and laughed at their very small standard room in the Amaryllis Hotel. They had stayed several times in this penthouse before, but every time they came here they always liked seeing the design.


    Although their grandfather owned a penthouse in every hotel belonged to the Schneider Group, you could say the penthouse in Paris was quite special. The design was classic and filled with all kinds of antique furniture that made it look very elegant and luxurious. It felt like entering the palace of a European King.


    "I heard a few days ago there was a massive blackout in Paris," Nicolae commented while boiling water to make tea for them. "It''s strange, a metropolitan city as big as Paris can still experience blackouts."


    "Is that so? JM didn''t say anything about a blackout," said Altair in surprise.


    "Maybe she doesn''t know. Jean-Marie arrived only two days before you," Nicolae said with a shrug. "She must be busy working so she doesn''t have time to hear all sorts of news."


    "Oh, that''s right," said Altair. "But, do you think this isn''t strange? Don''t tell me it''s a terrorist attack or something ..."


    Nicolae laughed at that. "Haha ... you and your conspiracy theories."


    "Why not? It''s been a long time since there had been a blackout in a big city, especially as modern as Paris," Nicolae said. "Have you checked what the people said in the underground?"


    Altair''s words made Nicolae frown. He really hadn''t checked Darknet in a long time. He used to be the number 1 hacker in the world and was very famous in Darknet under the nickname of ''Wolf'', but he had long since resigned from his profession. He only checked in occasionally to laugh at people who thought he was dead.


    Now, when he opened Darknet and saw a thread about his identity and gossip that Wolf was dead, he would appear and write comments that he was actually still alive and kicking and enjoying a peaceful retirement.


    In the past, there was a new hacker who became famous after Nicolae retired and became the number 1 hacker, his nickname was Goose. He also had disappeared and then the number 1 hacker position was contested by many people. Two years ago Goose finally returned and until now he had not been defeated.


    "That''s quite interesting," Nicolae said when he heard Altair''s proposal to find out what people thought about the blackout in Paris a few days ago. He then took his tablet and opened Darknet.


    His forehead creased when he saw that there were several threads tagging all professional hackers and bounty hunters to hunt down one person.


    "What is this?" he murmured in astonishment. He opened a thread and found that his name was also tagged.


    [Calling all hackers and professional bounty hunters to catch Goose. The prize is ten million dollars for anyone who catches Goose alive. All information that successfully leads to his identity and location will be valued at one hundred thousand dollars.]


    Crazy! This is a really big bounty for one person''s head, Nicolae thought. What did Goose possibly do?


    He remembered the time when he was hunted by Rhionen Assassins, his head was valued at one million dollars.


    Who on earth was the person Goose offended that he mobilized the whole world to capture him?


    Ten million dollars.


    Even for Nicolae, that was not a small amount of money.


    His lips curved up a little as he thought it would certainly be interesting for him to find out Goose''s identity. The bounty was number two. Number one, he only wanted to know what Goose did to get himself involved in such a bad situation.


    If it turned out that Goose was innocent, Nicolae might want to help him. He didn''t lose anything if he helped a fellow hacker. Besides, he was currently not busy. His classes were over and there won''t be a new one until September. His trip with Terry would only take place in two weeks. And while his children explored Paris with their friends, he could sit in the penthouse and investigate Goose.


    He felt happy because he would have a busy life. Nicolae had not been involved in activities that induce adrenaline like this.


    "Who is Goose?" Vega asked in surprise.


    "Hmmm ... he''s a hacker. He has been very famous for the past few years. Apparently, he''s now in trouble," Nicolae answered.


    "Will you help him?" Vega asked again. "Don''t you feel bad seeing one person being chased like that by so many people?"


    Nicolae frowned. "It depends. We do not know what he did to deserve this. If he did evil things, for example, and caused the death of someone''s loved one, and they are now after him to take revenge ... I cannot do anything. Every evil deed must be punished. But if he is not evil, then I will help him. "


    Vega nodded. "That is true."


    Nicolae was about to say something more, but Altair happily said that JM and her mother had arrived and would soon be going up to the penthouse to have dinner together.

 Chapter 876 - A Childs Cry

    They happily welcomed the arrival of Marion and JM. Nicolae, who had met Marion several times, immediately had a friendly chat with her, while their children talked about how their day went.


    "Wait a minute, I''ll call the chef to cook dinner here, while we chat," Nicolae said as he opened a bottle of wine and handed the glasses to Marion.


    Their three teenagers made tea for themselves and snack on fruit slices while waiting for dinner.


    Nicolae called the hotel operator and requested that the hotel sent a chef and his assistants to prepare a special dinner for them. Then he sat on the sofa and returned to chatting with Marion.


    "Wow ... so many people come to Paris this week," Marion said cheerfully, clinking her glass to Nicolae''s. "Last night, I also met Mischa."


    "Really? What''s he doing here?" Nicolae asked in amazement. He had heard about his brother''s foster son but had never met him in person. Mischa was very busy and rarely came to the clan events.


    Six years ago, at Aleksis'' birthday at Targu Mures, they actually almost met but Mischa left before Nicolae and the twins arrived from Singapore because his girlfriend was admitted to the hospital.


    Marion told Nicolae briefly about what happened to Mischa without violating the man''s privacy. Nicolae could somehow guess what had happened and he could sympathize with the man.


    "I think most of us have experienced such a thing. It''s not easy to live as immortals among ordinary people," Nicolae said quietly. "I thought that I would never meet anyone like me, so I didn''t want to enter a relationship with a regular girl. I think Alaric also chose to live alone before he met Aleksis. Maybe Mischa needs to expand his horizons and meet an immortal girl from our clan. Who knows, right? He won''t need to worry about having to explain himself or beg them to accept him for who he is."


    Vega and Altair, who were interested in hearing the serious conversation between Nicolae and Marion immediately approached them and sat next to each of them.


    "Who are you talking about?" Vega asked with a curious expression.


    "Our acquaintance," Marion said with a smile. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. She then raised her hand and signaled Vega to open the door, "Honey, please open the door. It must be the chef coming to cook us dinner."


    Vega obeyed and invited a chef and two of his assistants to come in and showed them the kitchen. For a moment, the three people looked stunned to see five really beautiful young people in the penthouse.


    Inwardly, they wondered who these people were. Nobody dared to ask, though. They only focused their attention on the dishes they had to prepare.


    "Are you talking about the mysterious man from last night?" Vega asked in surprise. "Is that so? Why do you all know him?"


    "Uhm ... have you never met Mischa? No wonder you don''t know him," Nicolae said. "That''s Mischa Rhionen. You might have heard of his name."


    "Oh ..." Altair and Vega immediately exchanged glances. "He is one of Father''s foster sons."


    "Right." Nicolae nodded. "Next time you meet him, you can just say hello. But don''t bother him. He is having a lot of problems right now."


    Both the twins nodded in understanding. The conversation shifted to their experiences while in Paris with their friends. Marion only laughed when she heard that Altair and Vega had to pretend to take lots of photos while they visited the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum so that their friends would not be suspicious.


    While waiting for dinner to be prepared, they decided to contact their families through Virconnect to share their time together.


    Alaric and Aleksis were very happy to see that their two children were fine in Paris and even spent time with Marion and Nicolae. They also received reports from the bodyguards every day that everything was safe and their kids were having a great time. However, knowing that Marion and Nicolae were there, they became calmer.


    "We will have dinner first. Nice talking to you," Nicolae said, waving. Jean nodded and smiled, then hung up the Virconnect space.


    "Let''s eat," Marion patted the three teenagers on the shoulder and hurried into the dining room.


    The excellent location of the Nobel Hotel gave the guests a nice view of the Eiffel Tower. The large dining room in the penthouse had floor-to-ceiling doors and glass windows that could be opened to a beautiful large balcony.


    Dinner with a view of the sunset and the Eiffel Tower in the background was really indescribable. For a moment, the five people stood staring at the sunset and admired the sky before they sat down in their respective chair and got ready to have dinner,


    The dinner was delightful. After they finished, Marion and JM excused themselves to return to their suite while Nicolae decided to drive Altair and Vega back to their modest hotel.


    "We can walk, Dad," Vega said, holding Nicolae''s hand excitedly. "It''s not far from here."


    Nicolae just said yes. He also felt the need to go outside when the weather was clear like this. It was 9 pm, and the city''s lights were on even though the sun still seemed to illuminate with its reddish tinge.


    The three of them walked casually while chatting until they arrived at the Amarylis Hotel. Nicolae went upstairs and saw the twins'' room. He just nodded when he saw how small and simple their room was. In his heart, he felt proud because his two children were not spoiled at all and were happy to stay in a place like this.


    "You are good kids," he said as he rubbed their heads lovingly and then excused himself to return to the Nobel Hotel. "Have a good time. Let me know about your schedule tomorrow."


    "Of course, Daddy. I''ll keep you updated. Be careful on your way," Vega said. She hugged Nicolae for one full minute before letting her daddy go.


    Nicolae decided to take a walk before returning to the penthouse. He had not been to Paris for a long time, and for some reason, he was moved to walk along the River Seine. According to him, dusk was the most beautiful time of every day. Nicolae would rather spend it outside while enjoying the natural scenery, rather than being cooped up indoors.


    With both hands in his pockets and a heart filled with nostalgia, Nicolae walked casually along the River Seine. He walked past Pont Neuf, then Pont Alexander, which was said to be the most beautiful bridge in Paris. Many tourists passing by also admire the same beauty.


    When the sun slowly disappeared and then set perfectly in the west, leaving the rest of the red and purple in the sky, he paused and observed the sky. It felt more beautiful than usual.


    "Mamaaann..."


    When he decided to return to the Nobel Hotel, suddenly his sharp ears heard someone scream. Nicolae frowned and tried to listen more clearly, but the voice was no longer heard.


    If it was an a.d.u.l.t screaming, Nicolae might not think too much about it. Maybe some tourists tripped or fell, or was joking with their friend. But because the scream was clear to him sounded like the cry of a child calling out to her mother, Nicolae could not leave it at that.


    He immediately tilted his body and tried to guess the origin of the sound. His eyes immediately fell on several small boats leaning on the riverbank. Did that sound come from one of these boats?


    It didn''t hurt to confirm it, right? Nicolae jumped from the bridge down to the edge of the river below and walked briskly down the small road along the river. He had to make sure that no children here were in danger.


    SL.A.P!


    His heart sank when he heard the sound of a slap followed by a child''s cry from one of the boats in front of him. He could not imagine a child being hit near him ... This made him both very worried and angry.


    His guess was right. The voice came from there. With a c.h.e.s.t filled with anger, he dashed toward the boat.

 Chapter 877 - Whose Child Is This?

    Nicolae could immediately find the origin of the sound with his sharp hearing. He walked silently to one of the black-painted boats parked by the river. He couldn''t see anyone on the deck. He heard the voice of a woman grumbling in Polish, and a man responded, coming from inside the cabin.


    Nicolae understood only a little, and he tried to guess what really happened and who they were. Did these two people hit their child because they considered her naughty?


    No matter what, he couldn''t let a child be beaten by an a.d.u.l.t like that. He sneaked into the boat and paid attention to the situation inside.


    As soon as his eyes caught the sight in the cabin, Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger. He saw a woman in her 30-s with a cruel face was tying a girl about five years old with a rope. The little girl was struggling, but she couldn''t scream. Her mouth was plastered with duct tape.


    A hairy man was sitting in the corner of the cabin smoking pipe. He grunted about the payment that didn''t come.


    At that moment, Nicolae realized that the child was a kidnapping victim. The two criminals on this boat were waiting for further instructions from the person who ordered them to kidnap the little girl before they got paid.


    He felt there was no need to keep hiding and immediately entered through the door with long strides. "Hey ... let the child go!"


    His voice was blaring with anger, shocking everyone in the cabin. The man smoking pipe immediately took the pistol on the table beside his chair, but Nicolae was faster.


    With one kick, the criminal had fallen down on the floor, and his gun had flown out the window. A groan of pain was immediately heard from the man''s mouth. His friend was startled and had not been able to do anything when Nicolae grabbed her neck, and with a pair of fiery eyes, he asked harshly.


    "Who are you, and why did you kidnap this child?!!"


    The woman was shocked to the core. She reached out to get the knife she had used to cut the duct tape to cover the girl''s mouth from the chair, but Nicolae was so much faster and already twisted her arms behind her back. Her scream of pain was immediately heard from the boat.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah .... it hurts!!!" The woman screamed in Polish. she tried to struggle, but Nicolae was very strong, and he gripped her arms mercilessly.


    "Answer my question!"


    The woman tried to claw at Nicolae''s other hand, which grabbed her neck and screamed her lungs out. Nicolae, who was about to tie the woman up and forced her friend to give him information, immediately stopped his actions when he saw the little girl suddenly tumbled from the chair.


    "Hey ..." He hurriedly threw the woman into a corner and quickly caught the little girl''s body before she hit the floor.


    Nicolae immediately checked the girl''s condition and took a deep breath. There was a hand mark on her cheek, and her clothes looked dirty. Her hands were tied, and her mouth was plastered by duct tape to prevent her from making a sound.


    From any angle, it was obvious that this child was treated very badly by her captors. Instantly Nicolae felt sick seeing the little girl''s condition. He couldn''t help but remember his unborn child. It never had the chance to see the world because it died with Marie six years ago.


    "You poor thing..." murmured Nicolae. He immediately took the knife that the criminal wanted to use to fight him, untied the little girl, and carefully removed the duct tape from her mouth.


    When the duct tape stuck to the skin, it would be hard to remove the powerful glue without hurting the skin, especially if it was a small child. That was why he had to do it very carefully.


    After the little girl was free from the rope and tape, Nicolae immediately carried her. He took the time to take out his cellphone and photographed the faces of the two criminals.


    "I will look for you. Wait for your punishment," he said in broken Polish. His expression looked very frightening when the two people raised their faces to look at him.


    Nicolae grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered it to the little girl''s body. He then rushed out of the ship, carrying the child and walking with quick steps up the road above the river. He quickly got a taxi and asked to be taken to the Nobel Hotel.


    The girl in his arms still fainted, and for some reason, Nicolae''s heart was pounding so hard. He checked the child''s pulse and realized that she was in a very weak state.


    As a doctor, he felt he would be able to examine this child better after arriving at the penthouse. He repeatedly told the taxi driver to speed up.


    "I am driving fast, Sir..." said the taxi driver patiently. "Is your daughter sick? I am already driving past the speed limit, you know."


    "Thank you," Nicolae said curtly.


    Five minutes later, they arrived at the Nobel Hotel courtyard, and Nicolae immediately left after thanking the taxi driver. He gave him a huge tip that the taxi driver was left stunned and could not say anything for a moment.


    The on-duty manager greeted Nicolae kindly, but the young man did not have time for small talk. He only nodded slightly and immediately headed to the elevator to go up to the highest floor.


    Upon arrival at the penthouse, he immediately laid the child in one of the rooms there and hurried to find first aid kits to check her condition.


    "This child has a high fever," Nicolae thought. He immediately took warm water in the basin. He washed the little girl''s face and body so he could see if there were external wounds on her body when she was in the kidnappers'' hands.


    Fortunately, apart from the marks on her cheek and some blisters on her hands and feet, there were no significant injuries to the little girl''s body. Nicolae remembered the twins stayed in this penthouse several times when they were little. Maybe he could still find Vega''s old clothes from when she was this kid''s age.


    He opened several cabinets and found the clothes he was looking for. Ah ... luckily Vega''s clothes, when she was smaller, were still here. Although the size was still too big for the child, she could at least wear clean clothes.


    Nicolae then covered the little girl''s body with a thick blanket up to her neck and smoothed his hair. Now he could only wait for her fever to go down and observe. Chances were this child had become weak because she hasn''t eaten and experienced stress.


    The man then sat by the bed and watched the child. Who on earth was this child, and why was she in the hands of bad people? Where were her parents?


    Nicolae took a photo of the little girl with his cellphone. He would try to search the database in France. He might be able to find the identity of this child and who her family was. Later after the child woke up, he would also be able to ask her directly what her name was and her parents.


    When Nicolae stood up to take his tablet to find out who the child was. His eyes were immediately fixed on the face of the girl on his cellphone screen. For some reason, he felt this child''s face was quite familiar. Where might he have seen it?


    He frowned, trying to remember, but for five minutes, he did not succeed. The girl was indeed very young, Nicolae guessed that she might be around five years old because it was at that age that Altair and Vega first met him.


    This little girl reminded him of little Vega. Her beautiful face was adorable with freckled cheeks, and her light brown hair flowed smoothly down to her shoulders. Her full lips appeared to have a distinctive shape like a heart.


    This child would be stunning when she grew up, Nicolae thought. Ah ... of course, her father and mother must be worried to death ...


    He c.a.r.e.s.sed the little girl''s hair again and then rushed to get his tablet from his room. He then sat back on the edge of the bed and began working.


    He would find out who this child was while watching over her. When the child woke up, Nicolae wanted to be next to her.

 Chapter 878 - The Mysterious Little Girl

    Nicolae frowned and clicked in surprise. This had never happened before, he thought. He had tried searching the little girl''s face in various databases in France but could not find anything.


    Had this child has never been to a public place that had CCTV cameras? Why wasn''t there a recording of her face anywhere?


    Who she really was?


    Nicolae raised his face from the tablet and watched the little girl with a pair of narrowed eyes. Did she really never leave the house? Or .. this child was indeed hidden by her parents or they deliberately always made sure she would avoid the camera?


    There were many ways to avoid cameras that were installed in all major cities in the world today. People could deliberately use hats in public places, avoid areas that had cameras, or use infrared.


    But why did her parents do that? Did they really protect their privacy? Or were they avoiding something?


    There were so many questions that filled Nicolae''s mind. Finally, he gave up after 2 am. The young man decided to go to bed and ask the child who she was after she woke up.


    ***


    Nicolae intentionally woke up very early in the morning. He did not want the little girl to wake up first and felt panicked because she did not recognize the place. At 7 am he was sitting back on the couch in the room where the child was sleeping and waited for the little girl to wake up from sleep.


    At 8 am, he finally heard a soft whimper from the bed. The man immediately approached her and sat on the edge of the bed.


    "Good morning," he said kindly in French. His face was filled with a smile, Nicolae wanted to make sure the little girl was not afraid of him and knew that she was with a good person. "I found you on a boat. How are you feeling?"


    The child blinked her long, curly lashes and then opened her eyes slowly. For a moment, Nicolae was mesmerized and could not take his eyes off the little girl''s face.


    This child had a pair of stunning purplish-blue eyes. The shape of her eyes was like a small peach and made her face look very unique because her tiny nose and slanted eyes were in contrast with her full pink lips.


    If they were still alive, his child must be of this kid''s age...


    The little girl had opened his eyes completly and was now staring at him without blinking.


    "My name is Nicolae, you can call me Uncle Nic. What''s your name?" Nicolae asked again.


    The little girl frowned and then looked around the room. Nicolae touched the child''s forehead and heaved a sigh of relief. Her fever had gone down.


    "Where is this?" Finally, the child''s voice was heard talking in French. Ahh .. her voice sounded so melodious. Nicolae smiled again.


    "This is the Nobel Hotel. Do you remember what your name is and who your parents are? I will take you back to your home," Nicolae said soothingly. "I found you on a boat and brought you here."


    "My name is Summer," the child finally answered.


    "Oh ... that is a lovely name," Nicolae said with a smile.


    "Mom said I was named Summer because I was born in the summer," the child added.


    "Oh, really? What a coincidence. I was also born in the summer." Nicolae nodded. "How are you? Are you hungry? I''ll make breakfast for us. What do you want to eat?"


    The little tried to sit up and then nodded. Nicolae helped her remove her blanket and then examined Summer''s hands and feet to see if the blisters on her wrists and feet had improved.


    "Hmm ... I''ll treat your feet and hands first, then we go to the dining room. Wait a minute." He then walked to his room and took a small bottle that contained Lauriel''s wound healing medicine. He had applied it last night, and the abrasions on the little girl''s body had improved, but they still looked red.


    He then sat next to Summer and painstakingly applied the oil to her wrists and feet. Summer just looked at him with round eyes without saying anything. After Nicolae finished, she nodded and thanked him.


    "Thank you, Uncle Nic."


    "You''re welcome, Sweetheart. Now, let''s have breakfast," Nicolae was very pleased to hear Summer''s voice. She sounded fine. He then carried the child with his right hand and took her to the kitchen.


    After arriving there, he sat Summer on a high chair near the kitchen counter.


    "I''ll make pancakes and boiled eggs. Do you like strawberry pancakes?" Nicolae asked, putting an apron on his waist. Summer nodded. "All right. Strawberry and egg pancakes will be here soon."


    He took the ingredients from the refrigerator and immediately prepared the dough for pancakes while boiling eggs. He then took out some fruits and sliced ??them and arranged them on a plate. He also poured a glass of juice for Summer and a cup of espresso for himself. Summer watched him do all those attentively.


    Ten minutes later, the two of them had faced breakfast at the dinner table. A thick curtain in the large floor-to-ceiling window had been opened, and they could see the Eiffel Tower from there. Summer seemed fascinated by how beautiful the view they saw from this dining room.


    "Do you like the view?" Nicolae asked. Summer nodded. Nicolae asked again. "Have you ever been to the Eiffel Tower?"


    "I have," said Summer.


    Nicolae nodded. In his heart, he thought that Summer was not a child who was hidden at home by her parents, evidently, she had gone out to see the Eiffel Tower.


    This means that this child was not caught on camera because her parents deliberately prevent her from being captured by cameras in public places. In that case, her parents must have a high level of privacy awareness.


    Who were they really?

 Chapter 879 - Nicolae & Summer

    Nicolae decided to postpone all of his questions and focus all of his attention on Summer. What''s important now was to treat this child, feed her, and made sure she was fully recovered. Later, Nicolae would be able to find her parents.


    "Have a nice meal," Nicolae said. "You must eat a lot, so you can recover quickly. Later, I will help get you home."


    Summer nodded. She was about to cut her pancakes when Nicolae overtook the task and sliced ??the pancakes into small pieces. The man also cracked her boiled eggs for her.


    Summer looked at Nicolae with a thankful look. And slowly, she smiled.


    "Thank you, Uncle Nic," she said quietly.


    Nicolae was fascinated by how sweet the girl''s smile was. He just saw Summer have dimples on both cheeks deep enough when she smiled. Her small peach-shaped eyes almost disappeared into two black lines covered by a thick and long eyelash curtain when she smiled broadly.


    Nicolae couldn''t believe that a regular human, outside of the Alchemist clan, could look so perfect like this. He became increasingly curious to know what her parents were like. Could it be that they were also members of the clan?


    He decided to ask Caspar about this possibility.


    "You''re welcome, Sweetheart. Eat a lot," Nicolae said.


    He only silently watched Summer as the child enjoyed pancakes on her plate, then two hard-boiled eggs and various fruit slices. Nicolae tried to eat, but somehow he could not force food into his mouth at all. His throat felt nauseous, and his head hurt.


    This morning, looking at summer, felt like pouring salt over his wounded heart that was almost healed. The child made him think of his child who had never been born ...


    Had she or he lived, it must ber this kid''s age now ...


    Nicolae took a deep breath and, after a few minutes, finally decided to look for the little girl''s parents by taking her to the police station. He really couldn''t stand it the longer he saw Summer near him. The image of Marie was hovering in his mind, followed by the news of her death six years ago. It hurt his head.


    He usually took the time to visit Singapore once a year every summer holiday to visit the grave where Marie and their child were buried. This year, he decided to not stop the tradition and not come there because he would always be overcome by sadness. He wanted to move on and continue his life. But alas, today in Paris, he seemed to be forced to remember Marie again ...


    Why can''t they leave him alone?


    After breakfast, Nicolae took Summer back to her room and ran a bath for her in the bathtub. He intentionally called Marion to help the child take a bath because he did not want Summer to feel uncomfortable with him.


    "Summer, please meet Aunt Marion. She is Uncle Nic''s friend. She will help you take a bath and get dressed. After that, we will go to the police station to look for your family," Nicolae said while introducing Marion to Summer.


    He had briefly told Marion about what happened, and the woman was happy to help. She approached Summer, who was sitting on a chair with a sweet and amiable smile.


    "Hello, Summer. My name is Marion. I have a daughter too, like you. Later, I will bring her here so you can meet her."


    Summer nodded politely. "Hello, Auntie Marion."


    "Geez ... you''re so sweet! Let''s take a bath and change clothes. I will dress you up. You will look so pretty."


    Marion lifted Summer excitedly and carried her to the bathroom. She was overjoyed because she felt like she had a young daughter again. It''s been a long time since she was able to hold her daughter.


    JM was already big now and she was even taller than her. There was no way Marion could carry her!


    Last night, while looking for information about Summer, Nicolae had ordered a few girls'' clothes and other necessities from the marketplace. Before Summer finished bathing, a courier had come to deliver the items he ordered.


    "Marion, I put all her stuff on the table in her bedroom, okay," Nicolae said after knocking on the bathroom door.


    "Thank you," Marion said from the bathroom.


    She bathed Summer affectionately, as if to her own child. Once she was done, Marion dried Summer''s hair with a hairdryer. After carrying Summer back to her room, Marion placed the girl on the bed. Marion then brought all the stuff Nicolae bought for Summer and chose the cutest one.


    "Ahh .. everything is so beautiful. Which one do you want to choose?" she asked as he showed clothes after the clothes from the table.


    Summer finally chose white shorts and a purple top. She looked fresh in the casual style clothes she chose. When she and Marion left the room to meet Nicolae who was waiting for them in the living room, the young man seemed to smile broadly.


    "You look very beautiful," he praised.


    "Thank you, Uncle Nic," Summer said in her small voice.


    "All right. Summe. Please, sit down. I want to ask about your parents. I need to know what their names are so I can look for them and return you home," Nicolae said. He patted the sofa beside him.


    Summer sat beside Nicolae obediently.


    "Can''t you find that kind of information?" Marion asked in surprise. He knew Nicolae was Wolf, and was once one of the world''s best hackers with information at his fingertips. She did not understand why Nicolae had to interrogate this little girl to find out who her family was.


    Nicolae shook his head slowly. "Her parents are not ordinary people. They covered her tracks well."


    "Oh, is that so?" Marion looked at Summer and tried to guess who the child really was.


    Nicolae then turned to Summer. "Honey ... do you remember your parents'' names? Then when did you meet the two bad guys who held you? Did they kidnap you from your family''s house?"


    Summer shook his head.


    "Oh ... you don''t know your mother''s name?" Nicolae became rather desperate. Young children rarely knew their parents'' full names. "Do you know where your address is?"


    Summer shook her head again.

 Chapter 880 - What Is Your Name?

    "I have no other choice, I have to take her to the police station to check the missing child reports," Nicolae told Marion. "If there isn''t any, I will let them make an announcement about the child."


    "Hmm ... you said, you found this child held captive on the boat? While you go to the police station, I would look for the scoundrels and extract information," Marion told him.


    "Oh, you''re right. I almost forgot those assholes," Nicolae agreed. "Sorry, to trouble you."


    "No problem. After I take Jean-Marie to meet her agency this afternoon, I will stop by and look for the boat."


    "Oh, by the way... I took a picture of them," Nicolae took out his cellphone and sent two photos of the criminals he took yesterday to Marion''s phone. "You must not beat up the wrong persons."


    Marion just chuckled. "Then, I''ll take my leave. Summer dear, Auntie will have to go now. We will meet again tonight, okay?"


    Summer nodded and waved at Marion, who excused herself from the penthouse. Nicolae then put on Summer''s shoes and invited her to go to the police station.


    On the way there, he repeatedly asked Summer questions to ensure that the child did not experience severe trauma due to being held captive by criminals. But after he heard the little girls'' description, Nicolae finally breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, Summer had not been held captive for a long time. The girl said that she was still walking in the park with her dog the day before.


    "Did they kidnap you up at the park?" Nicolae asked, trying to investigate what had happened.


    Summer shook her head again. "I don''t remember, Uncle Nic."


    "Oh ... it''s fine then." Nicolae then tried to distract Summer from horrible experience and asked about her dog. "What''s your dog''s name?"


    "My dog''s name is Koi," Summer said, her face started to brighten. She looked very happy when she remembered about her dog. "Koi is very good at finding mushrooms. We often search for mushrooms in the park."


    "Oh ... really? That''s great ..." Nicolae praised her sincerely. "Do you often go to the park with your mother and father?"


    Summer shook her head. "I don''t have a father."


    "Oh ..." Nicolae was stunned by the little girl''s answer. He suspected that Summer''s father and mother had separated, or her father had died. "I''m sorry to hear that."


    They arrived at the police station before lunchtime. They were immediately served by a female officer who received Nicolae''s report efficiently.


    She examined all reports of missing children and made sure no reports filed by parents who lost a child with characteristics that fit Summer''s profile. She then immediately made a report on the missing child found. When she was about to take a photo of Summer so she could pass it on the internet, Nicolae suddenly thought of something and tried to prevent it.


    "Uhm ... can we make a report of a missing child without photos?" asked the young man. He remembered that Summer''s parent seemed to be trying hard to protect their daughter''s privacy. They never let her get caught on camera in public places.


    Of course, she must have her own reasons. If Summer''s face was plastered everywhere, maybe it would not be good for her safety.


    "How can we make a report on a missing child being found without her picture?" asked Officer Garby in astonishment. "It would be very difficult."


    "What if you mention her physical characteristics in the report?" Nicolae asked. He then turned to Summer. "Honey ... do you want us to find your mother?"


    Summer nodded eagerly. "Yes, Uncle Nic.. I really miss Maman ..."


    His eyes began to moisten with tears.


    "Well ... okay. You told me you don''t know your mother''s name, but do you know your full name? We need your full name, so your mother can know that you are with me. She will contact the police, and later the police will pass her contact to me."


    Summer nodded happily. She can''t wait to see her mother again soon.


    "My name is Nikita Summer Sorin. Maman always calls my full name when I''m naughty," Summer said with a smile, showing off her dimples. "And I''m often naughty ..."


    Nicolae just laughed at Summer''s innocent words. Ah, aren''t all children naughty at this age? he thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    But a moment later, his brow furrowed.


    What was her name again?


    "Your name is quite long, Beautiful Child. Can you repeat it again so that I can write it down properly?" Before he could ask questions, the officer had asked Summer the same question.


    Summer nodded and cited her full name, this time slowly. "My name is ... Nikita. Summer. Sorin."


    Nicolae was stunned when he heard Summer''s full name. This was a strange coincidence, right? A freaky coincidence!


    Nikita''s name sounded very similar to his own name, while Sorin was his middle name.


    Nikita Summer Sorin.


    Ah ... not just his middle name ... he actually used the name Sorin as his last name when he was still a student in Singapore.


    ***


    Nicolae remained silent all the way back to the Nobel Hotel. Summer, who saw the change in his attitude, could only frown in confusion.


    "Uncle ... are you mad at me?" asked Summer in her adorable voice.


    Nicolae was immediately moved from his reverie and looked at Summer seated next to him in the taxi. He looked at the child deeply, and he put a sweet smile on his face.


    "Not at all. I am just thinking about something," Nicolae said. He then realized that his silence had made Summer feel uneasy. Therefore, to break the ice, he decided to take the little girl to eat something sweet. "Do you like ice cream? Want to stop by the ice cream shop and then go for a walk?"


    The blisters on Summer''s hands and feet had healed completely, and now the little girl looked fine. Her peach eyes stared at Nicolae with a sparkling glow as she nodded happily.


    "Yessss... !!"

 Chapter 881 - Father And Daughter

    "You sound so excited. I love ice cream too," Nicolae said with a smile. He then told the taxi driver to stop at the nearest ice cream shop. When the taxi pulled over, he came out while carrying Summer in his arms. He put on a wide summer hat to protect the little girl from the hot sun and took her hand to walk into a cafe.


    When both of them entered the shop, one by one the visitors who were sitting at the table enjoying their ice cream and drinks subconsciously looked at them closely. Nicolae and Summer really attracted people''s attention.


    Nicolae was used to being gawked at by people wherever he went, and he had tried to reduce that amount of attention he was getting by appearing very casual or simple.


    But his handsome face and long hair that he always tied with red ribbons made him stand out, even though he was only wearing ripped jeans and a simple shirt.


    The sunglasses used to cover part of his face actually made him look even cooler because it gave him the nonchalant vibe which women were crazy about. Summer seemed completely unaware that her appearance made so many people noticed her.


    "Uhm ... there is no empty table," muttered Nicolae as he observed the cafe. Inside the cafe, there were five sets of tables and chairs, and on the terrace, there were only two sets. Everything was occupied by people who were enjoying cakes and ice cream.


    This sunny summer weather made the ice cream shop very crowded. The shop owner who heard Nicolae''s words immediately looked around and realized that the young man was right.


    All tables were full, and there were no signs that other visitors would clear one of them. Behind Nicolae, many guests were waiting in line and prepared to eat their ice cream while standing or walking toward the park.


    "Ahh ... wait a minute," the shop owner smiled broadly. He had seen the attractive guests who were waiting in line wanted to buy this ice cream. For a moment, he was fascinated to see them.


    At first, he thought this man was a famous celebrity or actor because his face was very handsome. However, after trying to rack his brain, he finally realized this man was not a celebrity.


    But ... ah, whether he was famous or not, what was clear was that this man was very attractive and he could see the other visitors were stealing glances at the man and the kid in his arms.


    "We want to buy two pumpkin and pecan gelato ice cream," Nicolae said, smiling at the shop owner.


    "Do you want to sit down?" the shop owner asked kindly.


    "Hmmm, unfortunately, there isn''t an empty table around here," Nicolae said with a shrug. He then asked Summer, who leaned her head against his shoulder while playing with Nicolae''s hair. "Hey ... should we eat the ice cream while sitting on a park bench across the street?"


    "Ah ... wait a minute. Maybe I can find a table for you," said the shop owner quickly. He winked at Summer and rushed back. He came out shortly after with a waiter who carried two folding chairs in his hands. "We still have a place on the terrace. It''s very fitting to enjoy the sun outside and watch the beautiful park from here."


    Nicolae was stunned to see him. He and Summer exchanged glances. He then walked after the shop owner gave the signal for them to follow him. As they walked, the eyes of the other guests also followed their steps.


    "Please sit and wait for the ice cream here. We will set a folding table soon," he said.


    He did not wait for Nicolae to reply. He went to the back room immediately and came out a few minutes later with a small table.


    It was like magic! He suddenly could have an extra table for these special guests.


    The waiter also came out with a blue and white striped patio umbrella, a small flower vase with fresh flowers to put on the table, and finally a tray containing two bowls of ice cream that Nicolae ordered just now.


    "Whoaa.. thank you .." Nicolae said, scratching his head that was not itchy.


    He did not expect the shop owner to conjure up an empty area on his terrace into a nice seating area with a complete set of table and chairs so quickly.


    "You''re welcome," said the shop owner, winking. He patted Summer on the shoulder slowly and spoke to her very sweetly. "Enjoy the ice cream. I am delighted to see father and daughter spending quality time together. You both look so adorable."


    "But we are not father and da..." Nicolae suddenly stopped his words and no longer tried to correct the shop owner''s words. He felt it was no use. After all, they did not know each other. He didn''t have to explain anything to a stranger. Finally, he only nodded. "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome..."


    Nicolae then realized why so many were staring at them with a look of admiration. Not only because of their beautiful physical appearances but because it was very rare for an a.d.u.l.t male to travel or go for a walk with a small child alone.


    People were still accustomed to seeing children spending alone time with their mother and not the father. So, when they saw a man looking so caring and affectionate, spending alone time with his young child, many people would look at him in admiration.


    Maybe this was what was happening now, Nicolae thought. People assumed that Summer was his daughter and he was taking care of his child alone without the mother.


    Ah ... so funny.


    He tried to get rid of that thought and concentrate on his ice cream. After this, he would bring Summer back to the Nobel Hotel and contact Caspar and Lauriel. He needed to find out the possibility that Summer was the daughter of a clan member.


    Summer ate her ice-cream happily. On her face, there were no visible traces of trauma from being kidnapped by the criminal the day before. She was chattering about Koi, her dog, and their various adventures.


    Nicolae listened attentively and occasionally responded to Summer''s stories. He had no pets, but he used to take care of Little Prince Siegfried and Aurora, Aleksis''s and her children''s pet dogs.


    Nicolae didn''t realize that many people who were passing by the shop stopped when they saw him and Summer and then went inside to buy ice cream.


    Even though the queue had become long, people didn''t mind. They were happy to stand in the ice cream shop for a long time and stare at the handsome man.


    Some people even secretly took pictures and posted them on social media. Fortunately, Splitz automatically deleted the photo of Nicolae attached to it or blurred it so that his face could never be seen clearly. That was why he didn''t have to worry about his privacy being violated at all. Summer was also still wearing her wide summer hat that covered part of her face.


    The two of them casually enjoyed their ice cream and talked happily. The weather was perfect for ice cream and sightseeing.

 Chapter 882 - Who Is Summers Mother?

    After the ice cream was finished, both Nicolae and Summer remained seated at their table. Apparently, the cafe owner gave them presents of ch.i.p.s and sweets for Summer.


    He was very happy because their presence made more and more guests visit his shop until there was a snake-like queue in front of his shop.


    "You must not eat all the sugar," Nicolae said, wiping Summer''s smeared lips from ice cream while smiling in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    He really had never seen a child as beautiful as this one. Even when she was smeared in chocolate and cream, Summer looked even more adorable. It was as if there was nothing could make her look ugly.


    Summer nodded obediently, but her face looked sad as she pushed the bowl of sweets to the end of the table. Nicolae tried to distract the girl from the sweets and pointed toward the park opposite them.


    "Do you want to go for a walk? We can look for mushrooms or count how many blue tulips that bloom in the garden," he said.


    Summer nodded happily. She got down from her chair and immediately held Nicolae''s right hand. Nicolae put the money and tip for their ice cream on the table before walking out with Summer and cross the road to the park. They both still attracted many people''s attention as they walked away.


    The small park in the middle of the city was very shady with lush trees. Many people went there to hang out and chat with friends or family.


    Some even threw picnic blankets and put food and drinks that they consumed while chatting. Some bought crepes and ice cream and then enjoy it while watching people passing by.


    Besides the locals, the park also had many tourists who were basking in the beauty of the park. Summer gleefully ran, looking for tulips that grow on the side of the park and counting how many blue tulips were blooming.


    Nicolae managed to keep her busy by counting various objects inside the park, from tulips, mushrooms, how many people wearing yellow clothes, women with their umbrellas, people wearing glasses, and so on.


    Summer was familiar with numbers, but she was not yet good at counting, so she made several mistakes. Nicolae patiently corrected the answer.


    The longer Summer was with Nicolae, the more she seemed to trust him. She no longer looked awkward or worried, and her attitude towards Nicolae became relaxed and open.


    Apparently, after spending a day together, Summer began to feel that Uncle Nic was a good person and could be trusted completely. She began to let Nicolae dote on her and happily pulled his hand everywhere.


    "Uncle Niiiiiiccc... look, there''s a squirrel over there!! I want to catch it..." cried Summer, releasing Nicolae''s hand and running after something toward the West.


    Nicolae immediately panicked and chased after Summer. With all his strength, he ran and quickly caught the little girl''s energetic body.


    "Gosh .. Summer, don''t run so suddenly ... You startled me," he blurted out without being able to hide his anxiety. "What if you disappear and I can''t find you? You''ll make me worry to death."


    Summer, who was caught by him, immediately laughed in amus.e.m.e.nt because, as it turned out, Nicolae''s hand caught her waist, which felt s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and ticklish. Summer''s cheerful and unrestrained laughter instantly made Nicolae''s anxiety disappear.


    Gosh ... this kid .. Judging from how she could laugh so cheerfully like this, no one would have thought this child faced such a serious problem of being held captive by criminals just the day before. For a moment, Nicolae was stunned.


    Involuntarily, he heaved a sigh of relief. He was grateful that Summer did not seem to have experienced a deep trauma due to being held captive by criminals. She also seemed distracted from her sadness being separated from her mother because Nicolae invited her to play in the park.


    They had counted so many things, and Nicolae was very happy to hear her cheerful little voice mention all the numbers in her head. Ah, this child''s parents were so lucky to have such an adorable daughter like Summer.


    Gosh, now it''s Nicolae who was feeling sad. He believed this child''s mother must be worried sick for losing her child. As a father of two teenage children, he could imagine how worried he would be if something happened to Altair and Vega. He was not sure the police would be able to find Summer''s parents quickly.


    He felt he had to do something so that Summer could meet again with her mother.


    "Honey ... Let''s go back to the hotel, okay. You have to take an afternoon nap. We''ll play again later," Nicolae told her gently.


    Summer nodded and immediately wrapped her arms around Nicolae''s neck, and the man carried her. Since they were not far from the Nobel Hotel, Nicolae decided to walk while carrying the little girl.


    Along the way, he thought about contacting Caspar, Lauriel, and Marion. Marion said earlier that she would look for the two criminals who captured Summer. He wanted to know what she found.


    Because he was busy thinking, Nicolae did not realize the little girl he was holding was falling asleep in his arms. He only realized it when Summer''s head drooped to the left.


    "Gosh... you are already sleeping ... You must have been very tired of counting, huh ..." muttered Nicolae, who spontaneously held Summer''s head with his hand. He then pushed the girl''s head against his shoulder and immediately accelerated his steps to get to the penthouse.


    After laying Summer very carefully in her bed and letting the child take a nap, Nicolae immediately contacted Caspar Schneider to ask his opinion about the possibility that Summer was the daughter of a clan member who didn''t socialize with other clan members.


    "Hmm ... it could be. I can''t possibly know the s.e.x.u.a.l lives of all the clan members," Caspar said. "Someone could be in a relationship out there and not tell their partners that they are Alchemists and they are not married. You know, all married clan members have to tell me to get the immortality potion for their spouses. They might also have children with commoners and not know about it."


    "Hmm ... I see. But that means even if Summer is a descendant of a clan member, we won''t be able to find out?" Nicolae asked, slightly disappointed. He had hoped there was a way to find out about it.


    Caspar shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Not unless you can check and compare her DNA with the possible parent''s."


    "All right ... thank you, Uncle. I will try to investigate other possibilities."


    Nicolae pondered for a moment. He opened his tablet and wanted to find another source of information. Suddenly he read an incoming message from Marion.


    [I was looking for the boat you told me, it has disappeared from yesterday''s location. I managed to find their tracks, but both of them are dead. Do you think that child''s parents are from the underworld?]


    Nicolae frowned at the message. The criminals were dead? Who killed them? Is it Summer''s parents? It must mean her mother... Summer already said she didn''t have a father.


    Who is Summer''s mother, really? How could she track down the criminals who held her daughter captive and killed them?


    [When were they killed?] He replied to Marion''s message.


    [Looks like after midnight, about two hours after you left them.]


    Oh ...


    Nicolae exclaimed in surprise. Apparently, the little''s girl''s mother only missed him by two hours. It seemed like as soon as Summer disappeared, the mother immediately searched for her child, and she managed to find the kidnappers'' tracks.


    Nicolae shuddered at the thought that had he arrived a little late, maybe the mother would have come to save Summer and kill the two criminals.


    Now, the woman might be feeling uneasy and worried because her child changed hands from two petty-class criminals to the hands of a stranger she didn''t know.


    Nicolae remembered that it was dark, and there was no adequate lighting. Maybe the woman forced the two criminals to tell her who had taken Summer, but the two certainly didn''t know who Nicolae was.


    She also will not be able to find Nicolae from CCTV recordings around the area because of the darkness. He could imagine how frantically she had been for the past 20 hours thinking about her daughter. Nicolae suddenly felt very guilty.

 Chapter 883 - Nicolae Investigating

    He must be able to find her and contact her. He would tell her that Summer was fine and they had tried to find her to return the child to her mother''s l.a.p.


    [Where were the two criminals killed?] He asked again.


    Marion mentioned an address and Nicolae quickly opened his tablet. He had to look for CCTV camera footage in the area and find Summer''s mother. She must have killed the two criminals, and one of the cameras would have been able to capture her tracks.


    In his heart, Nicolae became very curious to know what this Summer''s mother was like. That woman was very impressive. She always kept her daughter''s privacy well, and now she could even face two criminals who kidnap her child on her own. This woman seemed to be quite tough.


    Nicolae immediately searched for footages from various cameras in the vicinity of the location mentioned Marion. He managed to find the criminal''s boat he left yesterday which was now in an area outside Paris. He saw the boat arrived and parked on the side of the canal at midnight.


    Nicolae fast-forwarded various footages until 2 am to find out who came to the boat and killed them. But strangely, he did not find any movement. Everything was quiet. No one was coming nor going.


    Very weird.


    He then took his cellphone and contacted Marion to get confirmation. Lest he misunderstood Marion''s words.


    "Marion, you said the two criminals were killed around 2 am? Are you sure about that?"


    "I know how to check rigor mortis, Nic. Their bodies had rigor mortis for at least 20 hours. If you don''t believe me, you can come there yourself to examine the dead bodies. I left them on their boat," Marion replied casually.


    She was in a high-end cosmetics shop and was picking out some makeup and accessories for JM when a phone call from Nicolae came. She nonchalantly spoke on her cellphone while browsing the counters of various hairpins and bracelets.


    Some women who were also checking stuff nearby were obviously shaken to their cores when they heard her, and all their eyes went round. They turned to Marion with horrified expressions.


    This woman ... just casually talked about two dead bodies on a boat? Gosh ...


    "You didn''t report the murder to the police?" Nicolae asked in amazement. "So, the bodies are still there?"


    "It''s none of my business," Marion just shrugged, lifting a hairpin adorned with precious green gems. She then called a shop assistant and handed the pin to him. "This is so beautiful. I want this one. Hmm .. I think in two days, the people around there will soon find out there are some corpses in the boat. Their bodies were beaten to a pulp. I suspect the decaying process will be faster than ordinary corpses and people will immediately smell it and report it to the police. If you look at it from the way they were killed, it was more like an execution by the mafia. Ugh ... the male head was crushed by repeated blow of a very heavy object. "


    Shop visitors who heard Marion''s words immediately turned pale and hurriedly left the store after they stared at her with horrified expressions.


    "I''ve seen the CCTV footages from around there, there was no movement at all. No one was in and out of the boat until morning. It''s strange ..." Nicolae frowned.


    He researched all the videos he got and finally let out a short sigh. He just realized that whoever killed the two criminals had apparently manipulated all the footage captured by CCTV around the area to remove their tracks.


    Who are you, really? Nicolae lifted his face and looked at Summer, who was sleeping soundly beside him. Somehow, he could not find the child''s parents without revealing her identity to the public.


    ***


    Marion came back to help take care of Summer after dinner. This time she was accompanied by JM who looked very happy to see that cute adorable little girl. She immediately turned to her mother.


    "Mom... why don''t you give me a little sister? Jean-Henri is too naughty and noisy. I want a cute little sister like this," she said in a cute tone.


    "Wait... what did you say? Do you think it''s so easy to get pregnant and give birth? Wait until it is your turn," Marion grumbled as she brushed aside her child''s head.


    JM immediately avoided her mother''s hand. "Mom, don''t just hit my head like that. I''m still growing. You might injure my brain!"


    "Iishh ..." Marion just rolled her eyes at JM''s words who was pretending to be in pain. "Don''t make me embarrassed for having a weak daughter."


    Nicolae and Summer just looked at each other, watching the interaction between the mother and daughter. Since JM was now older, she and her mother looked equally beautiful and tall, and they often pretended to bicker, even though the two were actually very close.


    "Ohh ... little sister, you are so beautiful. Later, when your mother has found you, I will ask her permission to make you a famous model. We can rule the world together ... muhuahahahaha ..." uttered JM while kissing Summer''s cheek and holding her with a happy expression.


    Summer just laughed and nodded. She then sat on JM''s l.a.p. The older girl immediately peeled some oranges for her. They both seemed to be getting along very quickly. Once they were done playing, JM then helped bathe Summer and put new pajamas on her.


    Nicolae and Marion prepared dinner, and then the four of them had dinner together. Nicolae didn''t talk about Summer in front of her and JM at all. They did not want to make the two children scared.


    However, after Summer had gone to sleep and JM was told to return to her suit, Nicolae sat on the penthouse terrace with Marion with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Marion explained in detail what she found on the boat where the two criminals were found dead. Nicolae told about her the police report and some information he got from Summer.


    "I don''t think the killer of criminals is a woman," Marion commented. "From what''s left behind, I think the culprits are three to four big men. You can look for some mobsters or criminal groups around here to find out who they are."


    "Is that so? Do you think ... the child''s parents are involved with the mafia?" Nicolae asked, frowning. "I really don''t feel that way."


    "What is clear is that this person really likes her privacy. She must have her own reasons. But clearly, the criminals were killed by four men who beat them to death. A woman would not kill and leave such a mess. I personally would kill them with poison, a knife, or a gun. Everything will be very clean. " Marion took a sip of wine while imagining the gruesome murder scene on the boat.


    Ugh ... She didn''t like messy assassins.

 Chapter 884 - Mischa Came To Help

    "Ah ... I forgot to investigate the two criminals on the boat!" Nicolae suddenly gasped. He put down his glass and took the tablet and opened various databases. "They talked about not getting paid yet. I think they kidnapped the kid on someone''s order, and they were waiting for payment. If I can find the group or the mastermind, I can find out what their motives are and where they kidnapped Summer."


    Marion smiled at him and nodded. "Good luck. I''ll finish my wine and return to JM. Let me know if you find anything and need my help again."


    "Of course. Thank you, Marion."


    Marion gulped down the wine and excused herself. Before passing through the door, she suddenly turned and tapped her hand on the wall. "If you need help chasing people from the underworld in France, it just so happens that Mischa is still in Paris. Even if he is feeling down at the moment, I think he will be happy to help."


    "Oh ... that''s right." Nicolae nodded. "I''ll contact him later. Thank you for helping me take care of Summer. Good night."


    Marion nodded and walked out of the penthouse. Nicolae continued his research. Ten minutes later, he discovered the identities of the two criminals he met last night before they ended up dead.


    Both were just small-time criminals who had been jailed several times for burglary and theft in various cities in France. Finally, they allegedly joined a small gang who used to gather in Saint-Denis, a district on the outskirts of Paris that was notorious for its crime.


    Hmm ... maybe he would find the answer if he visited the group''s base in Saint-Denis and interrogated whoever he managed to find there.


    Ah ... then, he would have to bother Marion again to look after Summer while he was gone.


    He was just about to send an SMS to Marion asking for her help watching Summer tomorrow when he went to Saint-Denis when suddenly there was a knock on the door.


    He saw the clock showing it was already 10 pm.


    Hmm ... who on earth was visiting at this time of night?


    Nicolae opened the door and found Mischa standing in the doorway. He still remembered Mischa from several meetings in the past. They rarely met, but the two were connected via Alaric and knew each other well.


    "Hi, Mischa. How are you? What brings you here?" Nicolae asked as he invited the man inside.


    "Thank you, Uncle," Mischa nodded and went inside following Nicolae. "That auntie called me and told me about the mysterious child you found."


    Nicolae just shook his head at that. He knew Marion was being funny when she asked Mischa to call her auntie, but he felt uncomfortable being called uncle by the man in front of him, especially in terms of appearance, he actually looked younger than Mischa.


    Mischa only took the immortality potion when he was 37 years old. Although he looked younger than his actual age, 42, he still seemed to be in his early 30s, while Nicolae looked not a day older than 25.


    He only looked more m.a.t.u.r.e when he deliberately wore a suit and tie when he went to university to teach. In Paris, Nicolae, as usual, returned to wearing casual clothes with his ripped jeans and short-sleeved shirts.


    "Thank you. I already drank too much tonight. If I drink again, I won''t be able to think clearly." He sat and crossed his legs gracefully. His eyes looked at Nicolae with a serious look. "You found a child in the hands of two petty criminals? You want me to contact their gang leader? I can do it."


    Nicolae nodded. "Thank you. I''ve found their base in Saint-Denis and plan to visit there myself tomorrow."


    "Hmm ... is that so? Do you know what their name is?" Mischa asked again.


    Nicolae mentioned the name of a group he had obtained from his research. Mischa pulled out his cellphone and called a number. His face was calm, and his expression was flat as he spoke in French to the person on the other end of the phone.


    Nicolae just listened and felt relieved because he didn''t have to bother going to the criminal group to get information. Mischa could do it easily because he still had a strong connection to the underworld.


    In analogy, if Nicolae had to find information through the back road, quietly, then Mischa would just knock on the door and talk directly to the homeowner.


    After the man hung up and kept his cellphone. He told Nicolae what he knew.


    "Bad news. The group was attacked by a group of mysterious people who ransacked their place this afternoon. They are looking for you and the child," said Mischa. "Those people don''t know who you are, so they can''t give satisfying answers to their attackers."


    "Did they say why Summer was in the hands of the two criminals?" Nicolae asked curiously. "Was she kidnapped for ransom?"


    Mischa shook his head. "No. They received a request to kidnap the child over the phone by someone who did not want to reveal his identity. They were given a substantial down payment, and the rest will be given after three days."


    "How can they kidnap Summer? Were they told the address? Then, if you can ask for the kid''s address from the kidnappers, I can look for her mother there," Nicolae pleaded.


    "No. They were only given a photo of the child and her play schedule. This kid was kidnapped while playing with her dog in the park with a nanny."


    Nicolae was very surprised to hear Mischa''s words. Photo? Where did the mastermind get Summer''s picture? Also, her play schedule ... Did the person who ordered the kidnapping know Summer and her family well?


    Do Summer''s parents know their daughter had been kidnapped by someone they knew? Why was she kidnapped in the first place?


    All this was a big question mark for Nicolae. He frowned and tried to think of various possibilities.


    "Then Summer was kidnapped around her home. If you can give me the address of the park where she was kidnapped, I will take Summer there and try to make her remember the direction to her house. I hope that we can find her mom that way." Nicolae finally decided to tread Summer''s tracks before she was kidnapped to find the little girl''s house.


    "Of course," Mischa called again and got the answer Nicolae needed. "She was kidnapped in Bercy Park."


    "Thank you very much. I will try to go there tomorrow to investigate," Nicolae said. He became very relieved. At least now, his search already showed little progress.


    "I will also find out who the four mysterious men who killed the two kidnappers are. Who sent them and where they are now. My contact said, the four people also asked many places to find this child. Apparently, she was very important to them, "said Mischa again. "This child is very lucky to have met you."


    "I will only give Summer away to her mother, not anyone else. And anyone who claims to be her parent must be able to provide evidence. I will not risk giving this child over to a bad person," Nicolae said. "I''ve made a report to the police. Tonight, I will also post announcements on the internet too. Who knows, somebody might know Summer or her parents and can connect us, and tomorrow I will bring Summer to Bercy Park."


    "Good luck," Mischa nodded. He then excused himself. "Then, I''ll go now."


    "Uhm .. thank you, for your help. I know you are having a lot of problems at the moment.." Nicolae said as he led Mischa to the door.


    The handsome man in black just shrugged. "I need something like this to get my mind off of it for a while. So, it''s okay. See you later."


    He then disappeared behind the door.

 Chapter 885 - Vega & Summer

    Nicolae still could not understand who exactly Summer and her parents were. Why did anyone they knew want to kidnap her? What was the person''s motive? Could it be that the person who ordered the kidnapping hacked all the CCTVs around the location of the boat too?


    Nicolae had thought the perpetrator who hacked those cameras was Summer''s mother, but now he began to feel doubtful. What if the culprit was the mastermind behind the kidnapping? And actually, the mastermind sent four of his men to take Summer from the two criminals. However, because Summer was gone, he had them kill the kidnappers ...


    As Marion said earlier, the culprit was not a woman. Summer''s mother couldn''t possibly be involved. If she was indeed the one who hacked the CCTV camera, Nicolae was planning to look for her in Darknet. However, now he changed his mind.


    He might invite the attention of the bad people who actually planned this abduction if he came to announce to public that he found a child with characteristics like Summer.


    Hmm ... maybe it''s better if he searched for clues to Bercy Park as he told Mischa.


    Hopefully, Summer could still remember the way back from the park to her home.


    Nicolae didn''t know when he started becoming so worried about Summer. His head and c.h.e.s.t were filled with thoughts about Summer and how to get the little girl back to her mother. For some reason, it felt like the child''s well-being was his number one priority.


    His feelings had been stirred all day. Once he knew Summer''s full name, his c.h.e.s.t felt heavy. Why could his name and Summer be so similar? This was a coincidence that made him immediately think of Marie and his unborn child.


    Why was the universe so cruel to him and always reminded him of them? It felt like his wounds were cut open again just when he was about to recover after struggling to let them go for years ...


    He did not want to be too close to Summer because he was afraid his heart be deeply hurt when he had to give the child back to her parents. He remembered years ago when he found out that Altair and Vega still had their biological father, and it was actually his own brother.


    Alaric and Aleksis are indeed very understanding in that crazy situation and until now they did not try to separate him from his two children. Now the twins were now in their teens. However, Nicolae was unable to go through such experiences again. In his heart, he tried hard to keep his distance and not too fond of Summer.


    He must try to find Summer''s mother as soon as possible, return the cute child to her, and then take his leave. He must do it before his feelings for the little girl became deep.


    However, as always, you don''t always get what you want.


    Now Nicolae found himself sitting on the sofa beside Summer''s bed and staring at the girl''s sleeping face with tightness in his c.h.e.s.t. What a lovely and adorable child.


    What was her mother like?


    He saw Summer moving restlessly in her sleep and dropping her blanket to the floor. Nicolae fixed Summer''s blanket lovingly and stroked her hair, then stared at the child for a long time.


    ***


    The next day Nicolae contacted the police to find out if there was any progress on their side. He had to swallow his disappointment because the five people who contacted the police and claimed to have lost a child, none could mention Summer''s full name as he had requested and provide proof that they were indeed her family.


    "I have to be patient. It''s only been two days," Nicolae thought. He took Summer to Bercy Park to make her recognize the environment around her home. Unfortunately, the child could not remember anything.


    He then carried the little girl and returned to the penthouse. Tomorrow they would try again. In the evening, Altair and Vega, who managed to get permission from Mr. Rhieu to leave their group at the hotel, came to visit Nicolae.


    Altair seemed very happy to see Summer. He repeatedly teased the child and played with her, while Vega appeared to be a little jealous. While Summer played with Altair, Vega was latching on Nicolae and didn''t want to let go.


    "Why haven''t you returned this child to her parents?" Vega asked many times. Nicolae quickly realized Vega was jealous to see another girl looking so close to Nicolae. The man could only shake his head while smiling.


    "Geez ... you''re a big kid. There is no need to feel jealous of a younger child. I am still trying to find her family. It''s not easy," Nicolae said patiently.


    "Why isn''t this easy? Aren''t you really good at finding information and things like this?" Vega asked, not understanding.


    "To find information about ordinary people, I am indeed an expert. But it is very difficult to find people who do not want to be found, especially if they also have abilities like me," Nicolae answered.


    "Oh .. you mean, like that Goose guy?..." Vega asked again. "He is a hacker that is being hunted by so many people, but no one has managed to find his tracks."


    Nicolae nodded. "Right, like that Goose guy. Ah ... I don''t know whether I could find him or not, because suddenly my attention is diverted by this problem. But yeah... if Summer''s mother is like Goose, who is very skilled at removing his tracks, I can''t find her easily."


    "But ... after you find her parents, you will send her back, right? She won''t stay with Daddy all the time?" Vega asked in an urgent tone. She felt slightly threatened because she had been the only daughter in her family and in Nicolae''s life. She was loved by everyone.


    Now, when she saw another child looking so close to her father, she felt upset. Daddy Nic was hers and Altair''s only.


    "Yes, of course, I will send her home," Nicolae replied. "If you let go of my hand, I can make tea for us."


    Vega obeyed and released her grip from Nicolae''s hand. She followed the man into the kitchen and watched him boil water and make tea for them. Vega suddenly thought of other possibilities.


    "What if you couldn''t find her family? Will ... you raise her?" she asked suddenly. Nicolae frowned at Vega''s question.


    "Don''t say such things," he said. "What if Summer hears you?"


    "I was only thinking of the worst possible scenario," Vega said, shrugging. "What if her parents have died? Normal people would certainly try to find their missing child, right? Why hasn''t she reported it to the police? Did something happen to them so they couldn''t look for Summer? We have to think about that possibility."


    Nicolae was stunned to hear Vega''s words. He did not want to think about that possibility because he could not imagine a child as small as Summer losing her mother. The five-year-old child had already lost her father.


    Finally, he just touched Vega''s shoulder and patted it softly. "Vega, dear, could you please do me a favor? Don''t talk about such things in front of Summer. Your actions today make me sad."


    He then went into the living room with a tray filled with teapot and a few cups for them, leaving Vega, who stood transfixed in the kitchen. Slowly, Vega was overcome by guilt. She knew she was too jealous, that''s why she said such things. She was sorry when she saw Nicolae looking at her with a disappointed look.


    Summer realized that Vega didn''t really like her, and didn''t want to come any closer to the girl when the four of them gather in the living room to play. Summer only smiled and played with Altair, but she seemed to withdraw when Vega came closer.


    "Summer doesn''t like you," Altair commented as he and Vega descended from the penthouse into the lobby. They were going home to their own hotel after meeting Nicolae and Summer and having dinner together.


    Vega only shrugged when she heard her brother''s words. She realized that her attitude towards Summer was cold, and it made her feel ashamed of herself. But she could not hold back her own feelings. She loved Nicolae and didn''t like it if Daddy Nic shared his love with other girls, especially if it was just a stranger who had nothing to do with them.

 Chapter 886 - I Know Your Wife, Sir

    Nicolae returned to Bercy Park and invited Summer to sit on a bench while observing their surroundings. He wanted the child to remember the place she used to play with her mother or nanny without forcing her too much.


    Unfortunately, Summer did not recognize the area they were in, and the second day''s search failed desperately. Nicolae carried a sleepy Summer and leaned her head on his shoulder while opening a map of Paris and trying to find out if there were any other Bercy Parks besides the one they were visiting now.


    There was another park with the same name, but it was too remote on the outskirts of the city. Was it possible that they went to the wrong place? He contacted Mischa to ensure that they were in the right park.


    "Yes, that''s the Bercy Park you are in now," said Mischa. "The criminal gave this address. You''re not mistaken."


    "Hm ... thank you. Summer did not recognize the places we passed around here. This park was indeed very big. I will try again. Thank you," Nicolae said. He hung up the phone and stroked Summer''s hair. He was feeling restless.


    What if they can''t find a place that Summer recognized? It seemed he would be forced to make a public notice to find Summer''s family.


    However, he must be ready to risk that anyone who wanted to kidnap Summer would know that the child was in his hands.


    He could hide his identity and location, but he still must be careful, considering that he didn''t only need to protect himself but also the kids. There was Summer, and of course, his two children who happened to be in Paris.


    Nicolae decided to try one last time tomorrow. If Summer still didn''t remember any familiar location, he would place an ad on the billboard to look for the child''s parents.


    Nicolae returned to the penthouse, feeling tired. The fatigue he felt was not due to walking around the huge park and the streets around the area while occasionally holding Summer who was not strong enough to walk for long, but because of this uncertainty.


    He was feeling tense knowing that a group of criminals was looking for this little girl. Who were those people, and why did they want her?


    After that, he would join the George Washington High School students who would continue their study trip to Bordeaux. Five days later, after Altair and Vega returned to America, he would go on an adventure with Terry.


    ***


    "Hmm ... well, Summer. This is the last day. We will try to go along some of the small paths near Bercy Park that we didn''t pass yesterday," Nicolae told Summer in the morning.


    He and Summer went to Bercy Park again. They deliberately left early because he had to get ready to leave for Bordeaux in the afternoon. If he did not find a clue, he would be forced to bring Summer along with him. He did not want to bother Marion and JM to watch over this kid.


    Today''s weather was very sunny, and the scenery around them looked so beautiful. Flowers of the summer still bloomed in full colors, and so many rabbits and squirrels came out of their burrows and nests to enjoy the sunshine. The little girl happily chased some rabbits and butterflies along the way.


    "Koi loves chasing rabbits, Uncle Nic," Summer said in her cheerful little voice. "Koi and I were also chasing rabbits when the bad guys came and... uhm .."


    Nicolae saw the little girl pursing her tiny lips and her eyes seemed to be filled with fear.


    He hurriedly knelt and embraced Summer. "Ssh ... don''t think about it. Let''s just count the flowers. We''ll find how many blue flowers are on this left side. Okay?"


    Summer hugged the man''s neck and suddenly cried. "I want my mom ... I want to see Koi too ..."


    Nicolae was astonished. For the past few days, Summer had not wept and seemed steadfastly waiting for Nicolae to find her parents. But after four days, finally, this child''s defense collapsed as well.


    They had come to the park three times since Nicolae thought it close to Summer''s house. However, until now, the child still had not managed to remember a single path or clue that could help Nicolae find her home.


    "Don''t worry, I will find your mother. Summer, be patient." Nicolae carried Summer and patted her back. "How about we eat waffles at the cafe over there. Do you want a waffle?"


    Summer did not reply. She only nodded weakly. Nicolae then carried Summer and took her to a small waffle shop that sold a variety of breakfast dishes and coffee. He went inside, looked for the most secluded table, and sat Summer on his l.a.p.


    "Do you want waffles or pancakes?" Nicolae asked. "They have waffles with ice cream here."


    Summer raised her face slightly and, with a still sad expression, pointed at the waffle with vanilla ice cream.


    "All right. I also like vanilla waffles and ice cream." Nicolae called the waiter and ordered breakfast for him and Summer. "We want two vanilla waffles and ice cream, and orange juice and a cup of cappuccino."


    "Yes, Sir." The waiter took their order and repeated it to make sure she wasn''t mistaken. "Two vanilla waffles and ice cream and ..."


    Her words stopped as she watched Nicolae take off the wide hat that covered Summer''s head and carefully tidied her hair.


    "Ah ... good morning. Summer, right? Now you''re coming with Dad? Where is your mother?" the waiter asked kindly.


    Nicolae, who was braiding Summer''s hair, instantly looked up in surprise. He looked at the waiter with a pair of big round eyes.


    "Do you know Summer?" he asked quickly.


    The waiter nodded, then shook her head. "Ahh .. sorry, I don''t actually KNOW Summer. I know your wife, Sir. She once brought Summer here, but Summer was sleeping. We talked a lot. She also ordered a waffle with vanilla ice cream. Haha .. apparently, you and your family all have the same favorite. Waffle with vanilla ice cream."


    Nicolae was stunned. Gosh .. they must be close! Summer was brought by her mother to this shop. This means their house was not far from here.

 Chapter 887 - Finally, Good News!

    "Sorry ... uhm, you misunderstood. Summer and I have nothing to do with each other. I found her somewhere. She was missing and didn''t know her way home. She also didn''t know her mother''s name. Now, we are trying to find her mother. Do you know her name and address?" Nicolae asked.


    "Oh ... sorry, I wrongly assumed." The waiter looked very embarrassed. "You both look so similar. I thought you were Summer''s father just now. Wow ... this is very surprising. Uhm ... unfortunately, I don''t know their address. Marielle just stopped by here once in a while. It''s been almost a week since I saw her."


    "Marielle? What''s her full name? I can try to find out where she lives," Nicolae asked again, this time in an urgent tone.


    "Ouch ... I''m sorry. I only know her first name. We only chatted a little bit when she came here for her coffee." The waiter looked very apologetic. "What if you give me your name and telephone number, when I meet Marielle, I will tell her. Have you contacted the police?"


    "I did," said Nicolae. "But there has been no good news until now."


    "Oh, alright. Wait a minute, I''ll try to ask my other friends, who knows, maybe they have seen Marielle." The waiter then excused herself and went to the backroom. She came out 10 minutes later with their order waffle and orange juice and a cup of coffee. "My friend who came in for evening shift seems to have saved Marielle''s friend''s phone number. Her friend once ordered something from this cafe."


    "What''s the friend''s telephone number? I want to call her..." Nicolae said. His face was filled with relief. He felt grateful that he came to Bercy Park for one last time. Apparently, they finally got lucky and found a clue


    "Uhm ... I can''t reach my friend. I tried to call him earlier. Sorry. I''ll keep trying."


    The glimmer of hope that had been in Nicolae''s mind was again washed away by the dark clouds. They didn''t have much time.


    He did not want to sacrifice his time with Altair and Vega in Bordeaux to wait for uncertain news about some woman named Marielle. If he couldn''t get any news until noon, he would be forced to take Summer with him to Bordeaux.


    He ate his breakfast with difficulty. Too many thoughts were bothering him. Even Summer, who was usually cheerful, today looked really sad. It was obvious that she missed her mother badly. She only took a bite of the waffle.


    Until they finished eating, the other waiter was still unreachable. Nicolae finally gave up and decided to go home. Nicolae asked for his number so he could contact the guy himself. He also gave his personal phone number to their waiter so she could give it to Marielle if they managed to contact her.


    The waiter saw them walking away with a sorry face. She studied the paper containing Nicolae''s telephone number in her hand and tried to contact her friend one more time.


    Nicolae was sitting in a taxi with Summer heading toward the Nobel Hotel when the waiter''s phone call was suddenly picked up at the other end.


    "Gosh... Daniel! Where have you been? I''ve been trying to contact you for an hour. What? Your cellphone was turned off? Jeez. Wait a minute. You still remember Marielle, who often came to our shop for waffles and coffee? That beautiful one? She brought her daughter with her once. A cute little girl. Summer. That''s right ...


    "Do you still have Marielle''s phone number? Yes ... if I''m not mistaken, her name is Sanna Reinner ... Yes, as it turns out, Summer has been missing from home! Crazy! You know that there are a lot of bad people these days ... Yeah, you can imagine how panicked Marielle must be. Let''s quickly contact Sanna and ask for Marielle''s phone number ..."


    Fifteen minutes later, Nicolae and Summer got out of the taxi and hurried to the elevator toward the penthouse.


    "We must get ready, Summer. I will take you to Bordeaux. Have you ever been to Bordeaux?" Nicolae asked, pinching the child''s tiny nose gently. "They have many beautiful vineyards and lavender fields. You will love them. There are many rabbits and squirrels there. You can have fun chasing them all you want."


    Summer just nodded slowly. She was so sad that the talks about rabbits and squirrels could not even make her smile.


    RING


    RING


    Nicolae was surprised to see an incoming phone call. He took out his cellphone and accepted the call. This might be a call from the waffle shop waiter. Hopefully, she brought good news this time.


    "Hello ... good day, is this with Nic Medici?" There was a panicked woman''s voice at the other end. Nicolae''s ears immediately perked up when he heard her voice. The woman quickly continued. "I''m Summer''s mother."


    "Oh ... that''s right, this is Nic Medici speaking. Are you Marielle?" Nicolae asked in a relieved tone. "Summer is here with me now."


    He gave his phone to Summer to make sure the little girl knew her mother''s voice.


    "Oh ... Nikita Summer Sorin, are you alright, baby?"


    "Mamaaaannn..." Tears immediately flowed down her cheeks when she recognized the anxious voice on the other end of the phone. "Mamaaan... I miss you."


    Nicolae was stunned to see the sight. Summer really missed her mother.


    Oh ... what a relief. Finally, they managed to find her.


    DING


    The elevator door opened. Nicolae immediately carried Summer to get into the penthouse faster.


    "Where are you now? Please tell me... I''ll be there soon," Marielle said in a relieved and worried voice at the same time. "I''ll go now."


    "Of course ... we can meet you at the Peac.o.c.k Restaurant at the Nobel Hotel. Please call when you arrive."


    "Thank you."


    After he hung up, Nicolae kissed Summer on the cheek and rubbed her head.


    "Ah, your mother is coming soon. Don''t cry. We will get ready to meet your mom, okay."

 Chapter 888 - Marie & Nicolae (1)

    Summer''s face immediately brightened when she heard Nicolae''s words.


    "That was Maman''s voice," the girl whispered excitedly. Nicolae just smiled at her.


    He felt very relieved. Finally, he could find Summer''s mother, and he could send her home.


    He was a little curious to know why the woman was very concerned about her child''s privacy to take such measures to make sure that Summer''s face was never caught by any cameras in public places. He also wanted to know her opinion on who might want to endanger her child.


    There were so many questions that filled Nicolae''s head. Who was Marielle actually? Who was the person responsible for killing the two kidnappers? Who was the one who hacked all the CCTVs at the murder scene? And so many more questions.


    While waiting for Marielle''s arrival, Nicolae contacted Marion and informed her about the progress. He also called Altair and Vega and made sure they had left for Bordeaux. He promised to catch up with them after he handed Summer over to her mother.


    "Where are you going, Uncle Nic?" asked Summer, when she saw Nicolae packing and loading some of his clothes in a backpack. The young man had always traveled light. Everything had to fit in one bag. So, he never brought a lot of stuff that would weigh him down.


    "Hmm ... I will go to Bordeaux. Actually, I was going to take you to with me, but since we have found your mother, I will go alone," Nicolae said, closing the zipper of his backpack. He then sat on a chair and put Summer on his l.a.p. "You must be happy to meet your mother again."


    Summer laid her head on the young man''s shoulder and hugged his neck. "But you will return to Paris later, right?"


    Nicolae didn''t have the heart to answer no. Indeed, he began to feel lost, because soon he would return this child to her mother.


    But he really didn''t want to love another child after what happened with Altair and Vega. Every time he saw Summer, his heart felt wrenched and then stabbed by a knife. It was hurtful.


    He was always sad because her existence would cruelly remind him of his unborn child. He would never see her, he would never carry her, and he would never hold her in his l.a.p.


    He took a deep breath and did not reply to Summer''s questions. He just rubbed the girl''s head and tried to forget Marie and their child.


    The woman walked briskly into the lobby with confidence. Her face was very beautiful, though hidden by a pair of large sunglasses and a thin gray scarf covering her neck and mouth. Her skin was fair and healthy with some freckles on the cheeks that made her look very young.


    Her face looked smooth without any makeup at all, and her overall appearance looked very casual. Her light brown hair was tied to a ponytail. Her hand went inside her washed-out jeans pocket. She was wearing a white shirt and brown leather boots.


    She approached the receptionist and asked where Peac.o.c.k Restaurant was. After hearing the information that it was located on the 20th floor, she immediately moved towards the elevator. Marie was actually distraught, but she managed to regulate her emotions and showed no expression.


    During the last few days, she could barely get a wink of sleep because she kept thinking of her daughter, who suddenly disappeared while playing in the park with a nanny. She was very busy packing to move to a new home to avoid some old enemies who had found her tracks all the way to Paris.


    When she got word from the nanny who was attacked with a handkerchief doused with chloroform, she immediately ran to Bercy Park to look for her daughter. Unfortunately, she could not find Summer anywhere.


    She immediately stopped thinking about their move and immediately traced the two kidnappers who had taken her daughter. It took her several hours to find them, and then she asked for the help of someone she could trust to take Summer from the two criminals.


    No matter what, she was just a physically weak woman. She could not face the gang of criminals alone. She had to ask for help from this person and entrusted Summer to his men. Marie became very panicked when she learned that the kidnappers no longer had Summer, and her child was taken by a stranger.


    For days Marie tried to track down the person and her child''s whereabouts without success. Today, she really almost gave up and break down to cry ...


    However, suddenly that important call came.


    As soon as she got Nic Medici''s telephone number from Sanna, Marie called the man while she jumped out and got into a taxi. Without wasting time, she immediately headed to the Nobel Hotel. She was very happy to hear her daughter''s voice. She really really missed Summer.


    DING!


    The elevator opened, and she immediately entered following several people who also wanted to go upstairs. There was a pair of teenagers, a boy and a girl who seemed to be busy talking about something important, then an overweight man who looked swamped with various folders in his hand, a s.e.xy woman in her 30''s, and a little family of a pair of middle-aged parents and their daughter who was still a teenager.


    "Which floor?" asked the young man to the people inside the elevator, he was preparing to press the elevator floor button.


    "12th floor, please," answered the overweight man who looked like he was in a hurry. In his hand, there was a box and some bags containing doc.u.ments. He nodded with a grateful expression. His face was filled with anxiety, and it was clear that he was eager to arrive at his destination immediately.

 Chapter 889 - Marie & Nicolae (2)

    "I''m going to the restaurant, 20th floor. Thank you," Marie hurriedly replied.


    "Please press for the 17th floor. Thank you, young man," said the husband of the middle-aged couple.


    "Please press the button on the 25th floor. Thank you." The woman in her 30s, who looked like a supermodel in a s.e.xy dress, nodded towards the teenage boy.


    The teen nodded. He pressed all the floor buttons requested and then turned to his girlfriend. "Which floor then?"


    "10th floor," said the girl. The young man nodded and pressed the button on the said floor. The girl then remembered something and asked her friend. "Is Goose still not giving news?"


    Instantly Marie was stunned to hear her nickname on Darknet being talked about like this.


    She glanced over and looked at the two teenagers. Ahh ... could this be one of her clients? She only had one young client, Haoran Lee.


    Is this him?


    Marie was happy to help the young man because they had the same fate. They loved their mother very much, but while Marie''s mother passed away six years ago, Haoran was separated from his mother by his jerk father. That''s why Marie was very kind to Haoran and tried to help him as much as she could.


    She immediately opened her cellphone to send an SMS to Haoran to ask him not to discuss her name in the open.


    Marie was avoiding powerful enemies, and she didn''t want the two teenagers involved. She could bear to see them being targeted by the people who were after her ... because she wouldn''t be able to protect them. She had enough problems to keep her busy.


    Haoran shook his head at the question of his girlfriend. "Not yet. Maybe she is very busy. But you can check yourself later, who knows, she might send something this morning."


    "All right. Tenth floor, then," the girl finally replied. The elevator moved up, and no one was talking. After arriving on the tenth floor, the pair of teenagers came out of the elevator without realizing that the Goose they were talking about was actually standing a meter away from them earlier.


    [Kids, please do not mention my name in public. You don''t know who might be listening. The walls have ears. Sorry, I can''t help much this time. Good luck to you, guys!]


    DING


    Finally, the elevator door opened on the 20th floor.


    Marie rushed out of the elevator and into the restaurant. She raised her cellphone to her ear and prepared to call the man who had found her child.


    "Hello, I''m at the restaurant," Marie said.


    "Summer and I will go to the restaurant entrance to pick you up. Please wait there," came the answer from the man.


    Marie stood in front of the entrance while playing with her nails. She was anxious.


    Five minutes later...


    "Mamaaan .. !!"


    Marie immediately turned toward the hallway when she heard her daughter''s voice. She had been missing that voice so much. Apparently, Summer and her savior just came out from the elevator.


    She walked while removing her sunglasses and placed them on her shirt. Unknowingly, tears dripped down from her eyes. Marie pulled the scarf from over her neck to wipe away her tears, which somehow flowed harder and now had even began to blur her vision.


    "My dear baby..." she called Summer with a choked voice.


    Her c.h.e.s.t felt very relieved when she saw Summer''s figure walking eagerly towards her.


    When she heard Marie''s voice, Summer immediately ran to her while Marie quickened her pace. She couldn''t wait to hug her daughter.


    Meanwhile, Nicolae, who was holding Summer''s hand, chased the little girl running toward her mother.


    The three met in the middle a few seconds later.


    When the tears that blurred her vision had been wiped away, Marie finally saw the man holding Summer''s hand and walking briskly toward her.


    Instantly the man''s steps halted while the girl was rooted to the spot.


    "You..?" Nicolae had also seen Marie''s face after she took off her sunglasses and removed the scarf from her neck.


    His steps went to a complete stop, and he did not know whether he was having a bad dream or that everything that was happening now was a real event.


    In the past, he had dated several women who looked rather similar to Marie, only because he subconsciously saw Marie''s impression, the woman he loved, in those girls...


    But then he realized, he only made them his rebound because he was missing Marie and finally he stopped doing it. He did not want to hurt other women.


    Now, seeing a woman looking so similar to Marie ... he didn''t know what to do and how to handle his feelings. Instantly, his head was filled with images of his memories with the girl.


    Their togetherness was brief, but he was still filled with remorse for not realizing his feelings earlier.


    And ... this girl in front of him... also had a five-year-old child ...


    The girl was named Nikita Summer Sorin.


    Oh, God...


    Nicolae went pale as he looked at Marie, who was rooted to the spot ... looked as confused and shocked as he was.


    Could all of this really be a coincidence?


    Suddenly a crazy thought crept into his head.


    He walked slowly and then stood right in front of Marie who stood transfixed, staring at him. Summer had reached her mother''s body and hugged Marie''s legs longingly.


    "Nic ... Medici?" Marie asked in a trembling voice. "Is ... that your real name?"


    Her body froze and her small peach eyes went round in her shock. Her right hand hugged Summer''s back and her left hand pressed on her lips that were slightly open.


    "Marielle ..." Nicolae immediately became emotional. It seemed his crazy thoughts were now making sense. "Marie ...? Are you... Marie Lu?"


    He could not hold back himself and rushed over to hug her. Marie was still unmoved in her place. She did not answer because her mind went blank.


    This man ...


    His voice, face, body ... were all the same as Nicolae Sorin whom she met six years ago in Singapore before she moved to Paris.


    But ... hasn''t Nicolae disappeared a long time ago? Marie could not find any tracks of him after he left for Bucharest six years ago.


    Marie was the best hacker in the world, but she could not find out what happened to Nicolae after searching for him for months ... so she finally guessed the only possibility was that he had died.


    What exactly happened ...?


    .


    >>>>>>


    From the author:


    If you read my other novel "Finding Stardust", you will know who Haoran Lee and his girlfriend were, and why they were asking for Goose''s help. It''s quite fun to write stories that share the same universe like this, and have some crossovers from time to time ^.^

 Chapter 890 - Unexpected Reunion

    "Maman ... why are you silent?" asked Summer in her little voice. She was astonished because her mother stood silent, and suddenly Uncle Nic hugged her. "Uncle Nic? Uncle, what''s wrong?"


    Marie gasped when she heard Summer''s voice and reflexively pushed Nicolae''s body to hug her daughter tightly. Her body trembled. "Sir... You have not answered my question."


    Nicolae immediately stepped back and looked at Marie longingly. His face was filled with expressions of sadness and joy combined into one.


    "My real name is Nicolae Medici ..." Finally, Nicolae answered Marie''s question. His voice was hoarse, and his c.h.e.s.t felt tight. "I used the name Nicolae Sorin before. Sorin was actually my middle name ..."


    "Oh ..." Marie gasped in surprise. Her hands fell to her sides. Her eyes were slowly in tears, and her body was visibly shaken. She immediately leaned to the wall so that she would not stumble.


    "Mamaaan... what happened to you?" Summer screamed as she felt her mother''s body tremble.


    "Marie ...!" Nicolae quickly held Marie''s shoulder and hugged her again. "I''m sorry. Please forgive me ... I''m so sorry."


    Marie did not understand why this man apologized ... but this time, she did not push him away. The girl fell silent and allowed herself to be hugged.


    "It''s been a long time, huh ..." the girl murmured, finally.


    "I thought you died with ... our child ..." Nicolae said between his tears. "You don''t know how broken my heart was when I returned to Singapore to look for you, but I only found your grave ..."


    Marie frowned and slowly released herself from Nicolae''s embrace. "You ... you came back to find me? When?"


    "End of 2050 ..." said Nicolae. He looked into Marie''s beautiful face deeply. "I heard the news of your death from the shop owner ... and went to the police station to get an explanation. Then I saw your grave ... and finally, I went to your apartment."


    "Ahh ..." Marie was at a loss for words. She did not expect it at all. Apparently, a few days after she faked her death and went to France, the man she loved actually came looking for her. Why could she be so unlucky?


    "Come on, let''s not talk here ..." Nicolae said. He noticed that passersby were staring at them with a questioning look. Also, the restaurant waiters had begun to peek out to see what was happening between them. "Will you come with me to a more private place?"


    Marie was unable to answer. She only nodded weakly. Nicolae smiled with relief. He carried Summer in his left arm while his right hand held Marie''s hand.


    Summer''s mother is Marie! And that means...


    Summer was actually his daughter!


    All explanations could wait. He did not care about the craziness that went on behind it all. At this time, the important thing was that he had found Marie, and he would not let her go again.


    There was not a single thing in this world that could make him let go of her hand.


    They walked silently into the elevator. Nicolae pressed the 40th-floor button, the highest floor. Marie could only guess where on earth this man would take her.


    In the elevator, Nicolae held her hand tightly as if he was scared that Marie would disappear into the air if he let go. When the elevator stopped on the 40th floor, the man took Marie to walk toward the large door at the end of the hall.


    Marie was amazed when she realized that they were walking towards the penthouse. Before she could ask, the door was opened, and she was invited to enter. Her sharp eyes quickly noticed how the penthouse was so grand and luxurious. It had the classic design that immediately made her feel like she was in a palace.


    She had seen the contents of this penthouse in several photos in lifestyle magazines. However, she never imagined she would be able to get in. Did Nicolae live here?


    "Whose place is this?" Marie asked with furrowed brows.


    Nicolae smiled happily. He was very happy to hear the girl''s voice again.


    "This is my relative''s place. I only borrowed it while I am in Paris ..." he said. He spread his arms and invited Marie to sit. "Please sit down ... I''ll make drinks for us. Do you want some tea?"


    "Uhm ... do you have something stronger?" Marie asked hoarsely. She still couldn''t believe what happened.


    Nicolae shook his head. "Sorry ... it''s best not to drink now. It''s only 12. Don''t set a bad example for our child."


    Marie swallowed when she heard Nicolae''s last sentence. The man casually called Summer their child.


    Ahh ... of course, he already knew that Marie was pregnant with their child when Nicolae came to Singapore to look for her.


    She did not need to deny and pretend that Summer was not his.


    Finally, Marie could only sigh and nod. "You''re right. Can I get a strong cup of coffee? All of this is too much for me."


    Nicolae nodded. He walked into the kitchen still with Summer in his arms and made coffee for him and Marie. Five minutes later, he and Marie were enjoying a cup of coffee in each of their hands.


    For a few moments, the two did not talk to each other. Marie took a sip of coffee while looking at Nicolae with mixed feelings. She saw Summer still sitting on Nicolae''s l.a.p, and the two seemed so close. Was this the bond between father and daughter? She thought to herself.


    "Marie ..." Finally, Nicolae took the initiative to open the conversation. "Marie Lu ..."


    "I have ears ..." Marie replied. Her voice remained flat. "There''s no need to call my name twice."


    "I know. I just want to keep on saying your name ..." Nicolae said with a smile. "I still can''t believe it''s you. I thought you were gone."


    Marie nodded. "I didn''t know you were looking for me. I have my own reasons why I faked my death ..."


    "You don''t know ... how sad I was at the time." Nicolae hugged Summer tighter. "I was so stupid ... I left to heal my heart, when in fact ... my heart was left behind in Singapore with you. I just realized my feelings for you three months later, and I returned to Singapore to look for you ..."


    Marie recalled the events of six years ago when she canceled all flight schedules to Italy so that Nicolae would postpone his departure to be in Italy for that woman''s birthday ... the mother of his two kids.


    However, to her surprise, Nicolae insisted on leaving even though he had to detour through Romania because he really wanted to meet her ...


    "Uhm ... you didn''t do anything wrong. So, there is no need to apologize," Marie said with a shrug. The memory made her c.h.e.s.t felt heavy. She had indeed loved this man, but she had buried her feelings for him years ago. She knew her love was unrequited, and the man had disappeared.


    "At that time, you were still in love with another woman. You just wanted to be with her. I understand and can accept it. It is a fact. That was why I did not try to tie you down with my kid. After all, she is the mother of your children."


    "Uhm ... no, that''s not it ... You misunderstood. She is not the mother of my children. We are never married. Our relationship is not like that ..." Nicolae was trying to find the best way to explain what had happened between him and Aleksis, and her kids. "Altair and Vega are my godchildren ... not my biological children. Unlike Summer."


    Marie''s eyes widened at Nicolae''s words.


    Wait a minute ...


    His godchildren?

 Chapter 891 - It Was I

    Marie couldn''t believe her own hearing. The two children who called Nicolae Daddy were not his biological children? Why did he treat them like his own? Marie had never seen anyone like that ...


    She truly thought that Nicolae and the woman did have children together and that Nicolae loved that woman so much that he would do anything for her.


    Was she assuming wrong?


    "I ... don''t understand," Marie finally said. "Apparently, there are so many things I don''t know about you. I don''t even know your real name."


    Nicolae became uncomfortable when he heard Marie''s words. He was not open to Marie about his real identity. At that time, he never expected that they would be bound any further, and he would even fall in love with her.


    Now ... he could not hide anything else about himself. After all, Marie was the mother of his child, and she must know who Nicolae really was.


    "Marie ... I''m sorry because when we met I didn''t tell you who I really am. I will tell you everything... slowly, at the right time," the man said gently. He did not want Marie to be suspicious of him for being so mysterious. "But now ... I''m very worried about your safety and Summer. It seems like someone is after you both. What if you let me protect you and our child?"


    Marie immediately remembered what had happened recently and sighed. She did have enemies and had tried to avoid them by faking her death six years ago. Now there was a new contest in Darknet to find her, and a few days ago, Summer was also kidnapped.


    Suddenly her life burden that she had carried alone on her shoulders made her back feel so heavy. She had lived alone for so long, looking after herself and Summer ... and she was finally tired.


    But ... what can Nicolae do? Besides having a wealthy relative, the owner of the Nobel Hotel, how could he help Marie?


    "Nico, I''m very grateful to you. But, I don''t want to involve you in my problem. You don''t know who is chasing me. If they are also after you ... I can''t protect you," Marie said in a stern voice. "After this, I will go with Summer and change my identity. After we are safe, I will contact you."


    Nicolae looked at Marie in surprise. "You don''t need to protect me. I will protect you. Don''t you believe me?"


    Marie frowned. "You don''t know who is chasing me."


    "No. Not yet. But I can help you if you tell me. Please, Marie ... I don''t want to lose you both anymore. I will do anything to protect you ..." Nicolae rose from his chair, put Summer beside Marie, then he knelt at Marie''s feet. "I will make up for the lost six years and look after you. You must trust me."


    "I don''t want to put you in danger..." Marie still insisted she didn''t want to involve Nicolae. "You don''t know this, but I''m involved with people from the underworld. I have connections that can help me, but they won''t want to help you."


    Nicolae immediately thought of the four men who had killed the two kidnappers on the boat. Was this the connection that Marie meant? What kind of life had this girl lived all this time? He could only ask himself.


    "You mean the four men who killed Summer''s kidnappers on the ship? Are they your connection in the underworld? Are you also in contact with hackers who hacked all the CCTVs in the area?" Nicolae asked. "The four men also went to the kidnapping gang''s home-base in Saint-Denis and looked for me. After all, I am already involved."


    Marie pressed her lips when she heard Nicolae''s words. "You ... you know all that? How do you know about them and their hacker?"


    Nicolae hugged Marie''s knee and looked at her deeply. "I''m not a simple man, Marie. I also have a connection. I''m sure I can help you. Please open up to me. Who''s after you? I''ll fix them."


    Marie looked at Nicolae with her lips half-open. She was also very surprised. "I ..."


    Tears slowly flowing down her cheeks. Really, she was very tired. For the past few days, she had been so restless and could not sleep at the thought of her daughter''s fate.


    Although she was a tough hacker in cyberspace, in real life, she was just a young girl who was physically weak. She couldn''t physically confront anyone who continued to hunt her down. She could only hide, covered her tracks, and avoid them.


    "Marie ... please, don''t cry," Nicolae said. "I''m here. I will not let anything happen to you."


    Marie finally nodded. She wiped her eyes with her hands to remove her tears.


    "Thank you." She took a deep breath and took a tablet from her bag. Nicolae immediately sat next to her and watched what the girl was doing.


    Marie opened Darknet on her tablet. Slowly, Nicolae''s eyes widened as he saw her slender fingers swiftly browsing various forums.


    He didn''t know Marie had access to Darknet and entered the same world as him. Didn''t Marie use to be a florist?


    Was she...


    "I''m actually a professional hacker who receives a lot of work from clients. Over the last few years, I''ve reduced my workload because I want to live quietly. But some bad people feel wronged because of one of my assignments in the past, and they paid people to hunt me down. They almost found out my identity as Marie Lu, that''s why I faked my death and moved to Paris. While here, I also deliberately didn''t interact much with Sanna for fear that they would suspect her..." Marie started her explanation.


    "Sanna ...?" Nicolae just remembered Marie''s best friend, who went on a blind date with him. "Sanna is in Paris?"


    "That''s right. She has married her boyfriend, Julian. I don''t have anyone else in this world besides Sanna, so I moved here. But I still keep my distance so I don''t get in touch too often with her," Marie said. "I also made sure Summer and I live alone and don''t attract people''s attention."


    Now Nicolae understood why he had not managed to find information about Summer anywhere. Even her face had never been captured by a CCTV camera in Paris. That was why he had great difficulty finding Marie. Apparently, Marie was a professional hacker as she said.


    This was very hard to believe.


    Nicolae now looked at Marie with a new perspective.


    What an amazing girl!


    "If I may ask... what is your identity on Darknet?" Nicolae asked slowly.


    "Me?" Marie shrugged. "My name is Goose."


    Nicolae was stunned and was speechless for several seconds.


    Wasn''t Goose the world''s best hacker who took his title as the number 1 hacker after he retired years ago?


    So... Goose was actually Marie?


    This Marie?


    Nicolae''s deep blue eyes were suddenly filled with admiration, and then his head shook in disbelief.


    "Gosh .. You are Goose." He sighed in surprise.


    "Looks like you''ve heard my name," Marie said, smiling at Nicolae''s reaction.


    The man nodded and smiled broadly.


    "Wait a minute," he said.


    He hugged Marie tightly, then went to his room and took out his tablet. He came out a few moments later and stood in the doorway while opening his tablet and writing something.


    Marie only watched Nicolae with an expression of not understanding. What was this man doing? She thought in astonishment.


    "Check the latest announcement on Darknet," Nicolae said, smiling faintly.


    Marie furrowed her brows and opened the important announcement page. As she read the latest contest announcement, her eyes immediately went around. She raised her face, staring at Nicolae with a shocked look.


    [Wolf will pay double for whoever catches the person who is after Goose]


    "You...?" Marie opened her lips and tried to ask for confirmation ... but no sound came out.


    Nicolae nodded. "It was I."

 Chapter 892 - Is This Fate?

    The last bounty for Goose''s head in Darknet was worth ten million dollars. However, this man easily offered 20 million dollars to anyone who managed to hunt down the original poster who wanted them to capture Goose.


    Marie still could not believe her own eyes.


    [Wolf will pay double for the person who is after Goose]


    She didn''t read it wrong, did she?


    She repeatedly looked at Nicolae and her tablet alternately.


    Nicolae Sorin Medici is Wolf?


    Can such coincidence exist? Marie could not help but think.


    It means, six years ago, Goose had met Wolf, but they didn''t know each other at all.


    Gosh ...


    Is this fate?


    When the girl finally accepted the reality, slowly, a smile spread on her face. She nodded and rubbed her wet eyes.


    "Thank you," she whispered.


    Nicolae is Wolf!!!


    The man walked over to Marie, put his tablet on the table, and hugged her.


    "I will protect you and Summer. I will not let you leave my life again..." he whispered.


    Marie slowly raised her face and returned Nicolae''s hug. Six years had passed, but as it turned out, her body naturally still remembered and accepted this man, and returned his embrace lovingly.


    "Maman... why are you and Uncle Nic hugging?" asked Summer suddenly. She also wanted to come and hug her mother. "I also want a hug..."


    "Oh .. oh dear ... my dear baby," Marie said with a chuckle. She broke away from Nicolae, took Summer, and put her on her l.a.p. "Here, let me hug you..."


    She hugged Summer tightly and kissed her cheeks.


    "I am sorry. I was shocked and confused. I feel better now," she said to her. Marie cleared her throat and glanced at Nicolae. "I haven''t seen your father in a long time ... so we just had a short chat about the past."


    Nicolae felt like he was sent to the seventh heaven when he heard Marie''s words. This beautiful woman in front of him called him Summer''s father. That means all his expectations were correct. Marie did not even try to hide anything from him.


    He was elated because the woman he loved turned out to still be alive ... and now she was in front of him, with their child.


    Nikita Summer Sorin.


    Wait... Nikita Summer Sorin Medici.


    "Summer, from now on ... don''t call me Uncle Nic again, okay..." Nicolae said to Summer gently. "I am your father. You must call me Daddy."


    Summer was stunned to hear Nicolae''s words. She turned to her mother to ask for an explanation. Marie nodded.


    "Uhm .. that''s right, baby," Marie said. Her voice became hoarse because of her flooding emotion. "This is Summer''s daddy. We were reunited by chance. Now your father has come back to us."


    Summer looked so happy. She immediately got away from her mother''s arms and moved to Nicolae''s l.a.p. "Ahh .. I''m so happy! Uncle Nic is my daddy... !!!"


    Nicolae didn''t even hide his wet eyes. He nodded and kissed Summer''s cheeks over and over again. He never thought that in this lifetime ... he finally found happiness. The woman he loved and his child had returned to his life.


    "That''s right, Honey. This is Daddy. From now on, we will always be together. I will never be separated from you," Nicolae told Summer with a wide smile.


    Summer wrapped her arms on Nicolae''s neck and buried her head in his c.h.e.s.t. Her little body snuggled comfortably on Nicolae''s l.a.p. During their four days together, they had bonded and created a deep connection.


    Even though Nicolae had been trying to keep his distance from Summer, the closeness between the two has been was unbreakable because the two were always together from morning to evening. Now, the man no longer held back and poured out his affection for Summer without hesitation.


    He no longer needed to keep his distance because Summer was his own daughter. For a few moments, he hugged Summer wholeheartedly, while Marie watched them with tears in her eyes.


    "Hmm ... okay. I can''t believe it... I can meet you again today..." Nicolae said to Marie. "There is so much I want to tell you. Do you want to stay for lunch?"


    Marie nodded. "Thank you. I also want to know how you are doing."


    "All right. Then ... let''s go to the kitchen. I will cook something," Nicolae said happily. He got up from the sofa, still holding Summer, then took Marie''s hand and led her into the kitchen. "We can drink wine over lunch. It''s past 12 now."


    Marie smiled at that. She followed Nicolae''s steps to the kitchen and was immediately fascinated to see a large kitchen designed in classic style and looked bright with light coming from the many sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors.


    "This place is beautiful," Marie commented. "You know someone very important, apparently."


    Nicolae glanced around the kitchen and smiled. "Do you like a kitchen like this? What about the penthouse? What kind of house do you like?"


    Marie shrugged. "I like an open space with bright light. Why?"


    Nicolae let go of her hand and moved to the large refrigerator to take out the groceries. He answered Marie''s question casually.


    "I''ve never thought about buying a nice house before. So far, I''ve only lived in simple flats for practicality. Now that you and Summer are here, I will prepare a beautiful home for us."


    Marie was stunned by Nicolae''s words. She could only guess what the man''s words meant. Did this mean ... Nicolae want her and Summer to live with him?


    As what?


    Nicolae took out a bottle of sparkling wine and two glasses and one cup and a bottle of milk. He poured the milk to a cup and gave it to Summer, whom he already carefully placed on the chair.


    Then, he opened the wine bottle and filled two glasses with cold sparkling wine and handed a glass to Marie. "It''s very sunny. Perfect for refreshing drinks like this."


    "Thank you," Marie said. She clinked her glass to Nicolae''s glass then sipped her wine. "Uhm .. can I help you with cooking?"


    Nicolae seemed to think for a moment and then shook his head. "You don''t have to. Today, you are my special guest. I won''t let you get your hands dirty. I''ll do it."


    The man deftly prepared some pasta, sauce, and meat. Marie could only watch Nicolae working on making their lunch with a look of admiration. She did not know Nicolae could cook. They didn''t meet long enough to find out little things like this.


    "Where do you live now?" Marie asked, standing next to Nicolae watching the man cook. She was very curious about what the man had been doing for the past years. She now understood why it was so difficult to track Nicolae, that Marie finally thought he had died. Turns out, he is Wolf!


    But besides the fact that Nicolae was Wolf and his real name was Nicolae Sorin Medici, Marie knew nothing about him.


    "I now live in New York. I teach Information Management at university to keep me busy," Nicolae replied as he sliced ??vegetables. "I moved to New York when I thought you passed away, but I come to Singapore once a year to visit your ''grave''."


    "Is it true?" Marie did not expect this at all. She just realized how Nicolae felt when he thought he had lost her six years ago. Marie was moved. "I''m sorry. I didn''t know."


    "It''s okay. I was wrong. I should be the one apologizing ... At that time, I insisted on wanting to get away from you and cut ties because I thought I was still heartbroken and didn''t want to hurt you by giving you hope." Nicolae''s face seemed filled with an expression of regret. "I was wrong ... actually, I was already in love with you, but I didn''t realize it at all. I shouldn''t have erased my tracks."


    Marie pursed her lips. She remembered at that time, she had tried to contact Nicolae but all his contacts had disappeared and he could not be reached. Until finally, Marie gave up.


    "I tried to contact you ... on the day you left for Rome," Marie said softly. "I even canceled all flights to Italy, but you insisted on going there, to see the mother of your two children ..."


    Nicolae, who was chopping vegetables, immediately stopped his work. He was shocked to hear Marie''s words and looked up to see the girl carefully. Did he not mishear her?


    "Jeez ... Marie ... So... that was you? Did you hack all flights to Italy six years ago?"


    Marie nodded. "But you still went to see her."


    Nicolae sighed at the girl''s words. She clearly sounded jealous.

 Chapter 893 - Please Forgive Me

    "I''m sorry," he said sincerely. "I was wrong. I shouldn''t have left."


    Marie nodded. She did not push anymore. She also realized that the tone of her voice just now sounded like a jealous girl. Even though ... she didn''t have the right to be jealous.


    She and Nicolae were not in a relationship at that time. Right now, they were only bound because of Summer. She had no right to feel jealous of where Nicolae went and whom he met.


    "I just want to take my godchildren back to their parents. I didn''t know you were trying to stop me from flying. If I had known ... I would have been happy to talk with you about our profession," Nicolae said with a smile.


    He returned to cooking because he saw Marie decided not to continue her words that were tinged by jealousy earlier.


    "I love them like my own children because I have been taking care of them since they were little. Their father was separated from their mother for ten years. Aleksis, their mother, has been my best friend for a long time, and I was in love with her. I helped take care of the children and became their father from when they were four." Nicolae decided it would be better if he clarified the nature of his relationship with Aleksis and Alaric, so that Marie would not misunderstand. "Aleksis was my father''s goddaughter, and he loved her very much. We had no idea that Aleksis'' husband was my own younger brother. Seven years ago, Alaric, my brother, was reunited with Aleksis, and they have been together ever since."


    "Oh ..." Marie was stunned to hear Nicolae''s story, which he uttered so casually. Nicolae said he was in love with Aleksis? Marie could imagine the pain he experienced when he discovered that the woman he loved turned out to have married his own brother...


    Is that what broke Nicolae''s heart? She could only wonder.


    "Aleksis thought her husband was dead and after mourning for ten years, she finally decided to marry me for the sake of her children who needed a father figure. She also made that decision because I am her best friend, and she can trust me," Nicolae continued his story while boiling pasta. "Alaric came on the day before the wedding. I have never experienced such a painful heartbreak ..."


    "I understand ..." Marie said softly. Slowly, she could understand what was happening at the time, and Nicolae''s condition when he met her in Singapore.


    "I have loved my niece and nephew as my own children. My brother and his wife understand that. After they reunited as a family, they gave me a year to live with Altair and Vega. So, it was some kind of transition period before I had to return them to their parents ..." Nicolae took a deep breath.


    "When we met in Singapore, they had been with me for a year. It was already time for me to return them to their real parents. That''s why I insisted on leaving. I also deliberately came and met Aleksis to prove to myself that I didn''t love her anymore."


    Marie didn''t say anything. She looked at Nicolae and tried to pay close attention to every word that came out of his lips.


    Nicolae didn''t love Aleksis anymore? Was that true?


    Slowly her heart beat faster and faster.


    Nicolae looked down and smiled faintly. "I don''t love her anymore. I know when I came to Targu Mures to attend Aleksis''s birthday. I think, at that time, I had actually left my heart in Singapore."


    Marie''s freckled cheeks flushed red at Nicolae''s last sentence. She gulped down her wine and took the bottle to refill.


    "Do you want more?" she asked, holding up the wine bottle, to change the subject.


    "Thank you."


    They drank in silence. Marie was still processing all the shocking information she received today, while Nicolae finished making their lunch.


    Ten minutes later, the three were seated at a small dining table located in the beautiful terrace garden of the penthouse, which was decorated with various flowers.


    "Let''s just eat here, the view is more beautiful, and the sun is not too hot," Nicolae said, arranging their dishes and cutlery on the small table.


    "Thank you," Marie said. She sat in one chair after putting Summer in the other chair. While Nicolae arranged the dishes, she arranged their cutlery on the table and poured drinking water.


    "Have a nice meal," Nicolae said when everything was ready, and they had their lunch.


    There were so many things that Marie wanted to ask, but she held back her questions until they were alone, so as not to confuse Summer.


    She and Nicolae then ate quietly and only exchanged occasional glances. However, even though they did not talk to each other, the bond between them was undeniable. Nicolae seemed to read Marie''s mind, that she wanted to speak to him alone, without their child.


    After lunch was over, Nicolae persuaded Summer to read a picture book in her room and then took a nap. He also wanted to talk a lot with Marie, just the two of them. Both were aware that some things in their conversation were not suitable for a five-year-old child''s hearing.


    "Summer, go read a book and play in your room, okay..." Nicolae said while kissing Summer''s cheek and holding her. "Daddy and Mommy need to have a talk together."


    As if understanding that her parents needed privacy, the girl nodded happily. Upon arrival in the room, he immediately busied herself with several large books full of pictures and some toys from the cupboard.


    "What a wonderful child," commented Nicolae, turning to Marie, who was waiting for her at the door. "You''re a good mother. I''m very grateful to you ..."


    Marie nodded and smiled slightly. Her face flushed again at the praise from Nicolae. "Thank you ... I really love Summer. After she was born, I came to understand my mother''s feelings, why she insisted on giving birth to me and raised me with all her might, even though she had to sacrifice her health ..."


    Nicolae immediately thought of Mrs. Lu, Marie''s mother, who fell ill after giving birth to Marie. He immediately became worried. Did Marie also experience health problems after giving birth to Summer?


    "What about your own health?" he asked in a worried tone. "You can tell me. I''m a doctor."


    Marie''s brows furrowed at Nicolae''s words. She then shook her head and chuckled. "You''re not a doctor. I''ve looked into your background. I didn''t know you were Wolf, but I think I know that you''re not a doctor."


    "I really am a doctor. Indeed, I haven''t practiced formally for a long time, but if it''s just taking care of my wife and child''s health... I can still do it," Nicolae answered earnestly.


    Marie immediately coughed when she heard the man''s words. Wife and child, he said?


    "Cough ... ahem ... sorry, I accidentally coughed ..." Marie raised her hand to signal that she was okay. "I''m not sick. I am just surprised to hear that you''re a doctor. And ... uhm ... I already annulled our marriage, as you requested. So, now I''m not your wife."


    "I know." Nicolae''s face became gloomy. "I found out when I went to Singapore. You annulled it several days before I came. You don''t know how sorry and sad I was at that time ..."


    "When exactly did you go to Singapore?" Marie asked again. She remembered leaving for Paris ahead of the new year. Did Nicolae come soon after she left? In that case ... they actually almost found each other.


    "I came right after the new year," Nicolae said. "You canceled it three days before my arrival ..."


    "Oh ..." Marie nodded in understanding. Then her face turned glum. "Too bad, we didn''t meet when you returned to Singapore. Maybe the situation would have been different if you arrived early ..."


    "That''s right," Nicolae said. "I''ve always regretted that for years ... I often have nightmares because of that. I really thought you and Summer were gone."


    Marie nodded. "I had no choice. I was pregnant and the safety of my baby is paramount, so I faked my own death and disappear. I also thought you were dead."


    "That''s all my fault ..." Nicolae approached Marie and closed the door to Summer''s room behind her. "Please forgive me..."


    Their bodies were very close to each other ... and now they were touching. Marie''s face turned even redder, and her c.h.e.s.t tightened. Nicolae''s voice sounded so close to her ears and it made her head spin.


    What was this feeling? Marie thought in amazement.


    "Nic ..." Marie did not continue her words because Nicolae had hugged her very tightly.


    A moment later, the man touched Marie''s chin and brought his lips close to hers.


    "You don''t know ... all this time ... how much I miss you ..." Nicolae whispered in a hoarse voice, before gently kissing the full red lips.

 Chapter 894 - Marry Me

    Nicolae kissed Marie and vented all his longing for years. Marie, who felt her c.h.e.s.t pounding, subconsciously welcomed his kiss.


    Tears dripped down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Nicolae''s neck and kissed the man''s lips softly.


    It was like ... she didn''t need an explanation. Stories ould wait ...


    Right now, her heart really felt warm and comfortable in the arms of this man. Marie thought that her feelings for Nicolae had been buried years ago and that she had managed to live quietly with Summer alone.


    But ... at this moment, when their bodies were touching and Nicolae''s lips kissed her lips, the love that had been stored deep inside her heart, rose up so strongly and came to life.


    "Marie ..." Nicolae stopped his kiss and looked at Marie''s face which was only a few centimeters away from his and observed her.


    Marie was now 28 years old, but her face had hardly changed. She still looked exactly like the last time he saw her. Only her hair color was getting lighter. Her small peach eyes and tiny nose were still in contrast with her full red lips.


    She was the spitting image of Summer. The most striking difference was only the color of their eyes. Marie had light brown eyes while Summer''s eyes were purplish-blue.


    Ahh ... the purple color in Summer''s eyes must have been passed down from the Linden family, just like his brother, Alaric and his nephews, Irish and Scotland, the twins.


    They had not seen each other in six years. Even though they were married in the past, in fact, there was no romantic relationship between them at all. The feelings of love she had for Nicolae were one-sided. Nicolae wasn''t like this before ...


    Even when they had slept together at the time, Nicolae must have considered it as casual s.e.x. This is the modern times where people were used to having s.e.x.u.a.l relations without a relationship, as long as they do it in consensual.


    Marie admitted her mistake at that time. She really liked Nicolae, she even fell in love with the man when she saw how good Nicolae was to her, who was just a stranger to him. She saw Nicolae as a doting father, and he was very kind to help Marie fulfill her mother''s last wish before she passed away.


    At that time, Marie had selfishly lied to Nicolae by saying that she was not ovulating when they slept together. She thought, even if she got pregnant, she would not demand anything from Nicolae. Marie just wanted to have a family after her mother died.


    Even so, Marie couldn''t help feeling sad when she couldn''t find Nicolae and thought he was dead. Marie then considered it her karma for lying, so she must raise her child alone.


    After Summer was born, Marie never regretted her actions. Summer became the source of her joy. For the first time, Marie felt her life was filled with happiness, and she had unconditional love for a human being.


    So ... now, when suddenly Nicolae appeared like magic ... Marie did not know what to do. She never expected something like this would happen in her life.


    "Marie ..." Nicolae called Marie''s name again, and the girl raised her face. The freckles on her cheeks looked even more noticeable when she was blushing like this. She looked really adorable.


    "Yes, Nic?" Marie stared at Nicolae.


    "Marry me," Nicolae said straightforwardly. "I was despondent when I learned that you have annulled our marriage. I felt very stupid for asking you to do it. At that time, I did not want to tie you down at all. I wanted you to live freely after your mother died and I left."


    Marie''s eyes went round at his words. She had just wondered how she should behave towards Nicolae after being separated from him for six years.


    And now, suddenly the man proposed. This time he sounded earnest. His voice was different from when he pretended to propose in front of her mother.


    Nicolae did not want to make small talk by asking if Marie had a boyfriend. He assumed Marie had no boyfriend nor husband because he heard from Summer how her mother raised her on her own. Marie also did not mention anything about other men who could help and protect her.


    Therefore, with confidence, he immediately asked Marie to marry him again, this time for real. However ... after a while, he still did not hear the answer from Marie. Slowly, worry crept in the man''s c.h.e.s.t.


    Was... Marie not willing to marry him? Did she actually have a boyfriend ...?


    "Why ... didn''t you say anything?" Nicolae asked her in a slightly worried tone. "Are you not willing?"


    Marie was moved from her shock and slowly shook her head. "It is not that..."


    "Then?" A glimmer of hope returned to Nicolae''s heart.


    "I was just surprised. This is completely unexpected," said Marie, who finally smiled.


    "I don''t have a ring because I didn''t prepare for this at all ... but I don''t want to delay confessing my feelings to you. I have kept it in my heart for too long, and I don''t want to hold it back anymore," Nicolae got on one knee and held Marie''s hands. "Marie ... I love you. For all these years, I have always been thinking about you. I always hope to return to that time in Singapore and confess my love to you. I am very happy that God gave me a second chance and brought you back into my life."


    "Oh, Nic ..." Marie could only stare at him wide-eyed and stood transfixed in her place. Her eyes were starting to moisten with tears. Her lips curved up slowly, and her smile became so wide that her eyes seemed to disappear into two single lines covered by a long and thick curtain of eyelashes.


    "Do you want to stay here with me? I''ll tell you all everything... We can exchange news and track down bad people who want to kidnap our daughter and punish them," Nicolae said again. "I can''t let you leave me .. I won''t let it."

 Chapter 895 - So Many Surprises

    Marie looked at the handsome face that was filled with sincerity and she finally nodded.


    "I need to take Summer''s belongings and mine," Marie finally replied. "After that, we can come with you."


    Nicolae was very happy to hear that. He immediately got up and kissed Marie again.


    "Of course. I''ll go with you to get them."


    "But we can''t bring Summer with us. We will be too conspicuous. How about you wait here with Summer, I''ll go out and get them and come back soon? It won''t take long." Marie asked him.


    Nicolae shook his head. He absolutely would not let Marie out of his sight. Especially in the present condition, the girl was still being hunted by her old enemy.


    "I can leave Summer with a friend. Since this is an emergency, I''m sure she will want to help me," Nicolae said.


    "Do you have a friend in Paris?" Marie asked in surprise.


    "I told you, I''m not a simple person," Nicolae said, smiling faintly. He then released Marie and called Marion.


    "Hi, Marion, it''s me. Sorry, I''ll trouble you this once. Can you accompany Summer for a while? Marie and I will go and get their personal belongings to her house. We can''t take Summer," Nicolae said.


    "Hey ... I thought you had gone to Bordeaux," Marion said casually as she entered the penthouse. Her eyes fell on Marie, who was standing in the corner of the room while crossing her arms on her c.h.e.s.t. Marion soon realized that this woman was definitely Summer''s biological mother because her face was very similar to that child.


    "Marion ... this is Marie," Nicolae immediately introduced them. "Marie is my wife."


    Marie actually felt rather awkward to be introduced as Nicolae''s wife. In her mind was always recorded the fact that their marriage had been annulled. However, she did not refute Nicolae''s words. She did not know Marion and felt it was not appropriate to correct Nicolae in front of his friend.


    Marion was very surprised to hear Nicolae''s explanation. She remembered that Nicolae almost married Aleksis years ago. After the failed wedding, because Aleksis was reunited with her husband, who was actually Nicolae''s younger brother, this man was never close to other women. At least that''s what Marion was aware of.


    But just now, Nicolae called Marie his wife? Then ... what about Summer? Was she his daughter too?


    Although Marion was surprised, the girl was very good at hiding her feelings. She just smiled and nodded at Marie. "Hello, Marie. Nice to meet you."


    "Hi, Marion. I''m also glad to meet you," Marie replied politely. She then turned to Nicolae. "Are you going to Bordeaux? When?"


    Nicolae shook her head, "I was going to Bordeaux to look after my godchildren, Altair and Vega. They were on a study trip to Paris and Bordeaux."


    "Oh ... they are here too?" Marie still remembered the twins.


    "That''s right. They spent five days in Paris and five more days in Bordeaux. I will coordinate with their father and their bodyguards so that they will watch Altair and Vega more closely. I must cancel my departure to Bordeaux,"


    "They have bodyguards?" Marie furrowed her brows. She did not understand why the twins needed a bodyguard. "Are they rich?"


    Nicolae just smiled at that. He then nodded. "Yes."


    He smiled faintly, "Do you know Rhionen Meier Industries?"


    Marie nodded. "Who doesn''t know that company group? They are arguably one of the most important businesses in this decade."


    "My brother is the owner. The two children want to live as ordinary people, that''s why they live with me and go to public school. However, their father always checks and looks after Altair and Vega from a distance. My presence here is actually only to help supervise them, on behalf of their parents," Nicolae explained. "We, men from the Medici family, always look after our women and children."


    Marie was struck by Nicolae''s words. She did not think the man and his children were not ordinary people at all. There really were so many big surprises she received in one day ...


    "Your brother... is Elios Linden?" she asked in astonishment. She had heard about that impressive man.


    "That''s right," Nicolae answered. "We actually call him Alaric."


    Marie could not believe her own hearing. Elios Linden is Nicolae''s brother? How unexpected!


    Nicolae was not just an ordinary person, but the legendary hacker Wolf who had resigned a few years ago. And the twins whom Marie thought were Nicolae''s biological children were actually his niece and nephew. As it turned out, she was wrong about them.


    She was also shocked when she learned that Altair and Vega were the famous Elios Linden''s children. Although it was rare for Elios''s photos to circulate in the media, many people knew his physical characteristics because of his unique appearance.


    He was handsome, had platinum-colored hair, and a pair of purple eyes. When he entered any room, his imposing aura and his unique appearance would immediately attract attention and they would easily guess who he was.


    As Marie recalled Altair and Vega''s childhood appearance, she realized that the two children were physically similar to Nicolae. However, their hair followed Elios Linden''s unique color.


    Marie pressed her lips when she realized that Summer had a purplish eye color that had confused her for years. She did not think there was anyone in her family with purple eys, nor did Nicolae. Now everything made sense. Summer got the color of her eyes from the Nicolae''s side of the family.


    "You keep shocking me," Marie said, shaking her head. "I don''t know what else you haven''t told me that can make me more shocked than this ..."


    Marion and Nicolae exchanged glances. The girl frowned and mouthed her question whether Nicolae had told Marie that he was an immortal. Nicolae shook his head.


    Seeing Nicolae''s answer, Marion could only chuckle.


    ''Oh, Marie... you''ll be in for more surprises,'' she muttered inwardly.

 Chapter 896 - Finally Together

    "Uhm .. I think you will be really surprised later," Marion chirped. She then pushed Nicolae and Marie''s shoulders out the door. "Go on now, if you want to get your stuff, I''ll take care of your kid here. I think you both need to talk alone."


    Nicolae nodded and smiled. He was grateful because Marion was very understanding. He opened the door to Summer''s room and said goodbye to the little girl before leaving.


    "Honey ... Maman and Daddy will be gone for a while. You stay here with Auntie Marion and be a good girl, okay?" Nicolae asked.


    Marion had entered the room and sat next to Summer. "That''s right. Auntie will be with you here. We can play together while waiting for JM to return. After that, we can eat ice cream together at the restaurant."


    Summer''s face immediately turned bright. "I would love that. Maman, will you go too?"


    "That''s right, baby. Maman has some business to attend. You just play here, okay?" Marie kissed Summer''s cheeks and rubbed her hair lovingly.


    Summer nodded eagerly. "All right. I like Auntie Marion."


    "Good. See you later." Nicolae kissed Summer and then walked out while holding Marie''s hand.


    They walked to the elevator and went down to the lobby. Nobody said anything. Each of them still absorbing the fact that they had found each other ... And, oh ... there were so many secrets they have to share with each other.


    When the elevator door opened, Nicolae took Marie''s hand, and for a moment, the girl looked startled. She was still not used to being treated like this. Her face flushed red again.


    Nicolae took her to the concierge and asked the hotel to lend him a car to make it easier to bring Marie and Summer''s belongings that she wanted to take from her home.


    "Right away, Sir. Will you need a driver?" the concierge officer asked respectfully.


    Nicolae shook his head. "No, thanks. You can give me a driverless car, but I''ll drive it myself if necessary."


    "All right. Please come with me, Sir." The concierge raised his hand and invited Nicolae to follow him. Nicolae still clasped Marie''s hand and took her to walk following the man''s steps.


    In front of the lobby, there was a black luxury car waiting for them. Nicolae thanked the hotel concierge, then opened the passenger door and invited Marie inside. After Marie sat in her chair and buckled up, the man got into the driver''s seat and started the car.


    "Just tell me the address, and we will head there," Nicolae said. Marie mentioned an address in Arr. 5 and Nicolae immediately keyed it in the car map.


    "How''s Sanna?" Nicolae asked on the way.


    Marie shrugged. "She''s fine. Now she''s happy with her husband, Julian. They live in the suburbs of Paris, in a big house. Sometimes Summer and I stay there."


    "Oh .. I''m glad to hear she''s happy." Nicolae nodded. "Oh, wait... just a minute."


    When he remembered Sanna and their chaotic date caused by his two children and London, Nicolae was suddenly reminded that he should have gone to Bordeaux to watch over Altair and Vega. He then set the car to automatic drive and called Alaric.


    "Hey ... it''s me. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning. I have an emergency and can''t go to Bordeaux today. Can you make sure all your bodyguards are watching Altair and Vega?" he asked when Alaric picked up his phone call on the other end.


    Alaric was surprised to hear Nicolae''s request because he knew it was unusual for his brother to behave like this. But he knew Nicolae very well and understood that if Nicolae said he had an emergency, he must have meant something serious.


    "Of course," Alaric answered casually. "Hopefully, you can handle all your business soon. I might be able to ask Mischa to stop by Bordeaux. I know he is currently in Paris. It would be good for him to get a change of scenery to distract his mind from Lisa."


    "Ah ... that''s a good idea," Nicolae said, "Thank you."


    He actually wanted to ask for Misca''s help to replace him watching over Altair and Vega but felt uneasy about ordering the man. No matter what, Mischa was an important person who led a large corporate group in Europe. It was not proper to ask him to care for two teenagers.


    But if Alaric was the one who asked, Mischa would be happy to do it.


    "Who is that?" Marie asked after Nicolae hung up the phone. "The twins'' father? Elios Linden?"


    "Yes. Well, I was supposed to go to Bordeaux today, but now I can''t go. I want to fix your problem first," Nicolae smiled at Marie. When they were together like this, all he could think about was kissing her red lips.


    "If I''m not wrong, Elios Linden is married to ..." Marie frowned, trying to remember. "... the daughter of the Schneider family. Is ... is she the mother of Altair and Vega?"


    Nicolae nodded. "That''s right. You know, the Schneider family is very reclusive."


    "Oh .." Actually, Marie was a little jealous when she imagined the daughter of the Schneider family. She had never seen a photo of her, but the woman was said to be very beautiful, from the rumors circulating. Of course, if she was not beautiful... how could Nicolae love her so much?


    "Her name is Aleksis Schneider. She has been my best friend for a long time, and is now my sister-in-law," Nicolae hurriedly added. He did not want Marie to misunderstand and think he still had feelings for Aleksis. "You could say we are both like family since she is also my father''s goddaughter. My father loved her more than we were his own biological sons."


    "Oh .. you''ve been mentioning about your father. How about your mother?" Marie asked him curiously.


    "Uhm ... my mother already passed away. She died while giving birth to Alaric and me..." Nicolae said in a low voice, but his voice no longer sounded sad.


    After Nicolae, Alaric, and their father talked about Luna at Targu Mures six years ago, when Lauriel shared his memories with Luna through Holodeck, the sadness in Nicolae and Alaric''s hearts due to the death of their mother had slowly diminished. They started to move on with their lives. Nicolae could now talk about his mother without feeling sad.


    "Oh ... I don''t know that. I''m very sorry," Marie said.


    "It''s okay ..." said Nicolae.


    Marie touched Nicolae''s hand and patted it softly as if to let him know that she understood the man''s feeling for losing a mother.


    Nicolae smiled a little as he raised Marie''s hand to his lips and kissed it lovingly.

 Chapter 897 - Have You Ever Missed Me?

    In his entire life, Nicolae had never been happier than he was today. He never thought, on one fine day in summer, his happiness came unexpectedly.


    In his heart, he felt very grateful that he made the initiative to watch over Altair and Vega in Paris. Because of this coincidence, he was able to meet Summer, his biological child, and now Marie.


    He immediately made plans to formalize his marriage to Marie and bring his wife and daughter to live with him. It''s up to Marie where she wanted them to live. He would follow the girl''s wishes. They could also return to New York. He would complete his work at the university and buy a big new house to share with Marie and Summer.


    Altair and Vega still needed to finish high school at George Washington High School for their senior year. After that, maybe they would continue their studies in New York or go to Harvard or wherever they wanted.


    He would discuss with Marie, Alaric, and Aleksis about the arrangements between them. Altair and Vega could continue to share time with him and their biological parents or went back to live with Alaric and Aleksis full time.


    Nicolae felt that his brother had been so kind by sharing his children with him for the past six years. But now Nicolae had his own child to take care of. He could not wait to bring Summer to live with him and introduce the little girl to everyone.


    Summer would certainly love to play with Lily and Ireland and Scotland because they were of the same age. The next family event would be very lively and full of adorable kids chatter. He was so excited just by imagining it.


    Since his heart was filled with excitement, he barely noticed the time they spent on the road. They arrived at the address Marie gave him shortly after. Nicolae parked the car in front of a small apartment building. He followed Marie out of the car and into the building.


    "Welcome to my house," Marie said as she invited Nicolae into her cozy little apartment.


    Nicolae smiled and immediately walked around. He saw that Marie''s tastes were still the same as before. The girl chose furniture and designs that were similar to her apartment in Singapore. The arrangement reminded Nicolae of her old apartment.


    "Do you still name your stuff?" the man asked with a grin.


    Marie nodded. She pointed toward various objects that were around them. "The couch is Leon, and the flower on the windowsill is Lucia."


    "Hi, Leon ..." Nicolae greeted those objects while smiling in amus.e.m.e.nt. "How are you, Lucia?"


    A long dachshund dog suddenly came out of the bedroom and happily wagged his tail to welcome Marie. The girl immediately raised her dog and kissed its head happily.


    "This is..."


    "Koi, right? I heard about the dog from Summer," Nicolae said before Marie could introduce her dog. "Hello, Koi. Nice to meet you."


    Marie smiled at that. She nodded and put Koi on the floor, then re-introduced the whole house. "That''s Edward, this one is Lilian, and this one is Ariel, and this is Susan ..."


    Nicolae kept smiling, listening to Marie. This girl was indeed very unique and adorable, he thought. He had never met anyone who named their worldly possessions.


    "Will we bring all your family members with you?" Nicolae finally asked after he greeted all the items that Marie had introduced to him. "I still keep Edgard, Lilith, and all your belongings in Singapore."


    Marie looked astonished at Nicolae''s words. "Oh, really? How come? I left them all in my old apartment."


    Nicolae put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. His face looked radiant. "I bought the apartment because I wanted to preserve all the memories of you there. I told you I go to Singapore once a year. I usually stay there and remember you ..."


    Marie was stunned to hear the man''s words. She now believed that Nicolae really loved her after they were separated. The man even bought her apartment!


    Unfortunately, there was no crying over spilled milk. They couldn''t turn back time. All they could do now was starting over from scratch... together.


    Marie was so touched when she heard Nicolae''s statement. Subconsciously she stepped forward and hugged the man.


    "I ... love you so much," Marie finally confessed what she had said in her heart. "I thought you were gone. Every time I see Summer, I see you ... and it gives me the strength to go through my lonely life."


    Nicolae returned Marie''s embrace and stroked her hair lovingly. Even though they hadn''t seen each other for nearly six years, it felt like only yesterday that he and Marie met and spent time together.


    Flashes of memories of their togetherness immediately filled his mind ... He remembered when he and Marie stayed Mrs. Lu''s side in the hospital to face her last days.


    They finally got married in the hospital chapel. They played at Universal Studios. They rented a catamaran and scattered Mrs. Lu''s ashes into the sea. They drank in Sky Bar. They slept together, and then made love many times in the morning ...


    "I love you, Marie. I am very grateful that you are back in my life ..." whispered Nicolae while kissing Marie''s head. "I want you and Summer to come with me immediately. I want to take you to meet my father and ask for his blessings ..."


    Marie raised her face and looked at Nicolae''s face, which was only inches away from hers, then she nodded. "OK."


    Nicolae was elated to hear that. He couldn''t wait to tell Lauriel and Alaric about this! His father and brother would be happy to hear that Nicolae had finally found the woman he loved and their child. Nobody could understand Nicolae''s feelings right now better than Lauriel and Alaric.


    He grabbed the back of Marie''s head and tilted his head down slightly to kiss her. Marie closed her eyes and accepted Nicolae''s lips on hers. They kissed lovingly. Koi, who witnessed the two lovebirds making out, looked astonished and frozen in its place.


    The kisses became more passionate as Marie involuntarily let out a soft m.o.a.n, which made Nicolae even more excited. He rubbed Marie''s hair, neck, and c.a.r.e.s.sed her back with his left hand, while his right hand hugged her waist.


    His tongue slipped through Marie''s half-opened lips and roamed her mouth passionately. Marie felt her mind went blank, and she suddenly forgot that the purpose of their coming here was to get their stuff.


    They kissed more intimately, and could no longer keep their hands off each other. Finally, they moved to Leon, the couch, and continued making out there. Even though they were apart for many years, Nicolae still remembered and missed Marie''s scent. She always smelled like fresh citrus.


    As he pressed down on Marie''s body under him, he could feel her temperature rise and her s.e.xy m.o.a.n started to cloud his mind. Nicolae really loved this girl. He really missed her. And now, all his longing for her was filling his c.h.e.s.t to the brim.


    "Marie ... baby ..." he whispered after letting go of Marie''s lips, and now they looked at each with their noses touching. "Have you ever missed me?"


    Marie looked at Nicolae with her brown eyes glittering with tears that began to well up. The girl nodded slowly. "I always miss you..."


    Nicolae closed his eyes and kissed Marie again very intimately. When he opened his eyes, he smiled happily. "I''m happy to hear that."


    Marie became flushed red. But a moment later, her hands wrapped around Nicolae''s neck. They slowly went down, traced his shoulders all the way to his c.h.e.s.t, and finally started unfastening the buttons on his shirt. Nicolae looked down at Marie''s work and smiled.

 Chapter 898 - Making Love (R.-.1.8)

    He let Marie undress him while he continued kissing her lips, chin, neck, and nape... then slowly descended to her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    Marie m.o.a.n.e.d and arched her back several times as Nicolae''s lips traced her skin and left gentle bites here and there. The man''s hands then moved down with his lips tracing every inch of the girl''s skin surface. Nicolae then stripped Marie''s shirt and unclasped her bra.


    The view presented below him was breathtaking and made Nicolae swallow hard. He still remembered Marie''s body shape and every detail of her curves. Their first night six years ago was a very happy moment that he always kept in his heart as one of his most beautiful memories.


    Now that Marie''s body was back in his arms, Nicolae worshiped her wholeheartedly. His body reacted to hers. His hands moved gently, removing the cloth one by one that still covered Marie''s upper body, then took off her shoes and jeans and u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r until, finally, the girl lay on the couch in her birthday suit.


    Marie looked at Nicolae''s work almost without blinking. She obediently raised her arms as he pulled off her shirt and bra, then let Nicolae take off her jeans.


    Then, it was Marie''s turn to undress Nicolae and remove his shirt and then his pants and his boxer. Not long after, their two bodies were entwined on the sofa while they p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e each other with hot kisses.


    "You have an amazing body," Marie commented in a fascinated voice, while she traced Nicolae''s broad shoulders, then down to his chiseled c.h.e.s.t, to his flat stomach, and continued down to his perfectly sculpted pelvis.


    "I''m glad you like it," Nicolae whispered. "It is yours."


    He kissed Marie again. She was lying on the couch, and he groped the girl''s body from front to back, head to toe.


    M.o.a.n after m.o.a.n escaped Marie''s lips because of the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e she got from the man''s actions made Nicolae even more excited to hear more of those s.e.xy sounds.


    His lips moved from her nape down to her left b.r.e.a.s.t. He kissed it and s.u.c.k.e.d on her n.i.p.p.l.e while his hand gently kneaded her right b.r.e.a.s.t and continued to do it alternately.


    "Aahh .. hmmm.. my couch Leon is too small for this... Shall we go to my room?" Marie asked between her m.o.a.ns.


    "Of course ..." Nicolae replied in a very hoarse voice. He could barely hold his l.u.s.t and was about to enter Marie. However, he remembered they had not been together for a long time. So, he wanted to satisfy the girl first, before pleasing himself.


    After kissing Marie again, Nicolae immediately got up and carried the girl''s in his arms and whispered, "You show me the way ..."


    Marie smiled sheepishly and pointed to the room on the left. Nicolae carried her into the room and hurriedly closed the door before Koi could enter. With a smiling face, he slowly put Marie''s body on the bed and got on top of her and kissed her again while his hand explored her inner t.h.i.g.hs.


    Nicolae lowered his kisses from her lips, down to her b.r.e.a.s.ts and took his sweet time to play with her n.i.p.p.l.es. After he made her scream with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e several times, Nicolae decided it was time to enter. He slowly opened Marie''s legs and positioned his manhood in front of her wet honeypot.


    With one slow push, Nicolae''s fully erect shaft had fully entered her all the way in. Marie arched her back from the surge of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e coursing through her body and let out a soft m.o.a.n while gripping Nicolae''s arms.


    Her face seemed filled with ecstasy when she received his warm hardness inside of her. She felt so full and tight.


    Nicolae kissed Marie again lovingly and started pumping in and out of her core. It felt so warm and soft.


    They made love passionately and vigorously, as if venting the d.e.s.i.r.e and longing that they had to keep inside for themselves for many years when they thought the person they love was gone.


    Marie still remembered that Nicolae was not the type of man who made a sound when he was m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, and now was the same. The man fondled her b.r.e.a.s.ts and pumped regularly without stopping, without making any sound, while Marie could not help but m.o.a.n and scream every time she was overwhelmed by another wave of o.r.g.a.s.m that came one after another.


    Both of them felt very compatible with each other in many ways, including s.e.x.u.a.lly. Not only the way they dressed was similar, Nicolae and Marie were also both hackers. And s.e.x-wise, they felt so compatible as they complemented each other.


    Everything Nicolae did gave Marie p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e that she had never imagined possible.


    Every inch of Marie''s body, every sound that came out of her lips, every m.o.a.n and grunt, and every time her body arched and her toes curled, made Nicolae even more excited, and he loved her even more.


    He felt like a teenager who fell in love for the first time and experienced having s.e.x with a woman.


    Everything he had with Marie was wonderful and addicting. They were all smiles when they made love round after round, even after Nicolae c.u.m many times.


    This was something that had never happened before and made both of them wonder.


    However, they did not have time to think because their longing and love for each other made Nicolae and Marie immersed in a s.e.x.u.a.l p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e storm that would not stop.


    Two hours later, they finally ran out of energy and ended their intense s.e.x.u.a.l activities. Nicolae pumped rapidly for several minutes. Marie pressed her legs around his waist, and her hands gripped his arms, trying to catch up so they could have an o.r.g.a.s.m together.


    Not long after, Nicolae stopped his movements and fell silent, trembling. Marie arched her back as she got her final o.r.g.a.s.m. Nicolae took a deep breath then dropped his body on top Marie''s, careful to hold his weight with his elbows so as not to hurt the girl.


    "Hmmm ..." He kissed Marie''s lips gently, then rolled his body to the side and hugged her waist.


    With her eyes still closed and her red lips smiling, Marie turned her body and slid her head into Nicolae''s c.h.e.s.t beside her. They hugged for a few minutes without saying anything. Their panting slowly subsided, and their breath regulated.


    "I love you very much," whispered Nicolae. "I will never let you out of my sight. I want us to always be together."


    "Mmm ..." Marie just nodded slowly. She knew they shouldn''t linger like this, and immediately packed her belongings, but she longed for this man''s body to hug her like this. She just wanted to enjoy their time together before they had to return to the hotel.


    Nicolae, who seemed able to read Marie''s mind, did not say anything. He also wanted to stay longer with Marie like this. He knew Marion would look after Summer well.


    Right now, he just wanted to hug Marie and enjoy her body in his arms...

 Chapter 899 - Moving Out

    They lay in bed hugging for ten minutes, just enjoying each other''s presence. Finally, the sound of Koi''s scratching on the bedroom door made both of them realize that they still had to get Marie''s and Summer''s belongings to join Nicolae.


    Nicolae opened his eyes, looked into his arms, and found Marie''s face so close to his. She had also opened her eyes. Both of them looked at each other with smiles decorating each other''s lips, they then reflexively kissed again.


    "Hmm ... we have to get up," Marie whispered.


    Nicolae nodded. He kissed Marie''s forehead, then got up and sat on the bed. Marie followed suite.


    "Do you want to shower?" Nicolae asked Marie.


    The girl nodded. She got out of bed while pulling Nicolae''s hand and led him into her bathroom to the left. Nicolae had to stop himself from pouncing on Marie under the shower while they showered together.


    He imagined it would be better if they quickly settled Marie''s business in her apartment and returned to the penthouse. His bedroom and bathroom in the penthouse were much bigger and more comfortable for ... ahem ... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e.


    They couldn''t wait until Summer was fast asleep and then ...


    Ahh .. stop thinking perverted stuff, Nicolae ... You are a gentleman.


    Nicolae brushed aside those beautiful thoughts from his mind and hurried to wash his body and Marie together. They realized the longer the two of them saw each other n.a.k.e.d, the slower they would be packing Marie''s stuff on this apartment. They must set their priorities straight!


    After getting dressed, Nicolae helped dry Marie''s hair, and then the girl helped dry Nicolae''s hair. Both were all smiles. They didn''t want to be separated from the other.


    "All right ... you can just tell me whatever items you want to bring, I''ll help you," Nicolae said after the two were ready. Marie mentioned several objects that had significance to her and Summer and their location. Nicolae swiftly looked for them.


    One set of Summer''s baby clothes; one of the two toys that Summer loved the most; a little piece of jewelry that Marie inherited from her mother, and of course, Koi.


    "We can bring Koi with us, right?" Marie asked as she put the collar on her cute dog. "Summer is very fond of Koi, they have been together since birth."


    "Of course," Nicolae answered with a smile. He also always lived with Aleksis''s and the twins'' pet dogs, and he loved animals. Aleksis used to have a beloved dog named Little Prince Siegfried that she kept until the dog died of old age. Then, Altair and Vega adopted a dog very similar to Little Prince Siegfried and named it Aurora.


    Now Aurora lived in New York and went where the twins lived. This meant Aurora stayed with them and Nicolae on weekdays, and went home to Manhattan, at Aleksis and Alaric''s home with the twins on weekends.


    So, of course, Nicolae would be happy to bring Koi, his daughter''s favorite dog, wherever they go.


    "Why.. thank you. Summer will definitely be delighted to see Koi coming with us," Marie said happily.


    "I heard that Summer and Koi like walking in the park and look for mushrooms," Nicolae said. "They will definitely enjoy exploring the small forest behind my family''s castle."


    "Ah ... of course, they really enjoy playing in nature. Wait..." Marie''s words suddenly stopped in the air. She turned to Nicolae and furrowed her brows. "What did you say? Castle?"


    Nicolae smiled at Marie''s astonished expression, which he thought was very cute. "Oh, didn''t I tell you? My father''s family owns a castle in Grosetto, Italy."


    "A castle, you say?" Marie really felt she had misheard.


    "That''s right. My father owns a castle in Grosetto, and my mother''s family owns a castle in Yorkshire, England." Nicolae smiled even wider to see the confused expression of the woman he loved. "Ahh .. I''m sorry, I''m too happy to tease you."


    Marie pinched Nicolae''s hand after hearing his last words. She thought Nicolae was just pulling her leg.


    His family didn''t really have a castle, did they? Ha ha...


    "Ah, you surprised me. I thought you must be from an affluent or noble background if your family has a castle ... Hahaha ... you managed to fool me," Marie said with a laugh.


    "Uhmm ... yes, I really like to tease you, Honey... but I am not lying to you. My family does have castles, and I inherited our family castle in Grosetto. I can''t wait to show it to you and Summer. Summer in Grosetto is very beautiful."


    Marie coughed at Nicolae''s words.


    Gosh ..! He wasn''t joking???


    For a moment, Marie looked at Nicolae with a pair of astonished eyes and hands pressed to her lips in surprise. Her expression looked so cute to Nicolae, who immediately hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Let''s have our wedding there. I hope you will like the place."


    Marie''s face turned red again. The freckles in her cheeks looked very obvious when she blushed like this. Nicolae loved teasing Marie and got rewarded by her adorable expression.


    "Alright ... everything is done. Are you ready to go?" Nicolae asked her after getting all the items Marie had asked for in her backpack. Koi had worn his collar was ready for his walk, looking excited with his tail wagging.


    Marie nodded. She then approached her ''family'' members one by one and bid them goodbye. She would leave them for good and will not return. She greeted Leon, Lucia, and others. The girl''s face seemed filled with a nostalgic expression, when finally she would leave the apartment she had occupied for the past few years.


    There were many good memories here since she gave birth to Summer and then lived together with her child. Here was also where Summer learned to walk and talk and enjoyed her life since childhood.


    Now it''s time to turn over a new leaf, in a new place. Marie was increasingly convinced that Nicolae was indeed not a simple man. Nicolae seemed to come from a wealthy and powerful family. She couldn''t wait to know more about him and meet his family!

 Chapter 900 - Who Is Larkin?

    Marie felt safe with Nicolae. Not only did he offer to pay twice the bounty offered in Darknet to anyone who could find Marie''s enemy, but the man also made her feel safe and protected.


    For the first time in her life, Marie felt very calm and peaceful. She was no longer afraid of anyone. She had found her knight in shining armor who would help her face the enemy together. Marie and Summer no longer had to fend for themselves.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    When they were just about to leave, after Marie said good-bye to her ''family members'', suddenly there were some knocks on the door. Nicolae looked at Marie and asked if she was expecting a guest.


    "Did you contact Sanna to come here?" Nicolae asked. "Or do you have another friend?"


    Before she could reply, a man''s voice came from behind the door.


    "Marielle ... are you inside? I tried calling you from earlier, but your cellphone is off. Are you OK? Please open the door."


    "Who is that, Marie?" Nicolae asked in amazement. He didn''t know Marie had a male friend who knew where she lived and now instead came to Marie''s apartment uninvited.


    "Oh ... that''s Larkin," Marie said. "He''s a friend. He helped me a lot in finding Summer this week. I owe him a favor."


    "Larkin? Who is he?" Nicolae asked again. Automatically, he felt annoyed knowing there was another man close to Marie and could casually come to the girl''s apartment.


    Marie answered in a low voice as if she didn''t want anyone else to know who Larkin really was. "Ssshh ... he''s one of the leaders of the underworld in France. I told you about it, right? I said I had a friend who helps me and will protect Summer and me, but I don''t know if he would be willing to protect you too."


    Ahh ... Nicolae still remembered that moment when Marie said those words. He realized that he got a little jealous that the girl had asked Larkin for protection. If Nicolae hadn''t come and they would be reunited like this, who knows how far Marie would be indebted to Larkin?


    For Nicolae, it couldn''t be tolerated. In this world, he would be the only one to protect Marie and Summer, his wife and daughter. He wouldn''t let other men do it.


    "I will protect you," Nicolae said softly but firmly.


    Marie smiled at Nicolae''s words and squeezed his hand, before hurrying to open the door for Larkin.


    "Hi, Larkin, how are you?" Marie opened the door and invited a man into her apartment.


    "Marielle ... I''m very worried about you. Your cellphone is inactive and I can''t contact you for hours. What happened?" A man rushed inside and held Marie''s shoulder with a worried expression. He did not see Nicolae standing behind Marie.


    Nicolae watched the man and tried to make a judgment. Larkin was probably the same age as Marie. However, if Marie looked younger than her actual age, this man looked more m.a.t.u.r.e. He dressed in an expensive-looking shirt and suit. His slick black hair completed his neat look, and it made his handsome face looked overbearing.


    Was Larkin really in control of the underworld in France? Nicolae frowned. This man looked more like a businessman than a criminal.


    "I''m fine. I''ve found Summer," Marie said, lowering Larkin''s hand from her shoulder. She then turned to Nicolae. "Larkin, meet Nicolae Sorin ... He is Summer''s father."


    Larkin looked startled and he quickly threw a suspicious glance at Nicolae. "Summer''s father, you said? Didn''t you tell me¡­ that guy is dead?"


    His tone was clearly unhappy. Nicolae immediately had a hunch that Larkin had special feelings for Marie and did not like his presence.


    I won''t let you steal my woman, Nicolae thought irritably.


    "I''m still alive. Marie ... uhm¡ªMarielle and I had a misunderstanding. Now we''ve resolved everything and decided to get back together. I will take my wife and child with me and protect them," Nicolae answered calmly. He did not act like Larkin, who showed his dislike openly.


    "Wife ... and child? Mariell, is what he said true? You are not married, aren''t you?" Larkin asked Marie, this time in protest. "How can you run back to him after he left you to take care of and raise Summer alone??"


    "Larkin ... whoever you are, I hope you will not interfere in my family''s affairs," Nicolae said, positioning himself between Larkin and Marie so that Larkin could not touch his woman again. "What happened between Marielle and me, is none of your business."


    "You ..." Larkin glared at Nicolae. He seemed very offended because Nicolae was acting like he was protecting Marie from HIM. "Where do you want to take Marielle?"


    "I don''t have to tell you." Nicolae then took Marie''s hand and took her to leave the apartment. "Let''s go home, Baby."


    He took Koi''s strap and led the little dog to walk out of the apartment with them.


    "Larkin ... thank you for your help all this time. I have to go now." Marie patted Larkin''s shoulder. The man was still rooted in his spot and didn''t realize Marie walked pass him to go after Nicolae.


    Larkin was moved from his shock a few seconds later and tried to chase Marie, but the girl and Nicolae had come down in the elevator to the apartment lobby.


    "Dammit!" Larkin was furious. He immediately took out his cellphone and called his men, who were still standing guard in front of the building. "Marielle left with a man. Take photos and follow them. Don''t attract attention."


    With a creased expression, he walked into the elevator and went down to the lobby. When the elevator door opened on the ground floor, Nicolae had just finished closing the driver''s door and immediately drove his car out of the apartment building''s courtyard.


    Larkin sauntered out of the building and stared at the speeding car with narrowed eyes. This was unexpected at all. He had known Marie for several years, but she always kept her distance from him and treated him as a friend. Larkin wanted their relationship to be more than just friends, and he had done everything for the girl''s sake ...


    But now, Marielle left him just because that guy came back.


    God damn it...


    I will not let you take Marielle from me, Larkin grumbled to himself.

 Chapter 901 - Nics Happiness

    "Where do you know the guy?" Nicolae asked casually when they were driving down the highway back to the Nobel Hotel.


    Marie took a deep breath. "We knew each other at Sanna and Julian''s wedding. He had been friends with Julian since he was young. Julian himself was actually a good guy, but Larkin came from a mafia background. He asked me out several times, but I always told him that I didn''t have time because I had to take care of Summer."


    Nicolae understood what was happening. Larkin, who thought Marie was unique and fun, must have fallen in love with her when he met her. But after years he approached Marie, the girl still did not respond to his feelings.


    "Is he the one you sent to look for Summer and kill the two kidnappers?" Nicolae asked again. "Does that mean he knows your identity as Goose?"


    Marie nodded weakly. "Once Summer was kidnapped, I immediately tracked them down and found the culprit. But because I couldn''t deal with them on my own, I was forced to ask Larkin for help. He was surprised to find out I could track these people, and I had no choice but to reveal to him my identity ..."


    "Then what happened? Did you order him to kill the criminals?" Nicolae asked again. He could now understand Marion''s explanation that the two kidnappers must have been killed by four sadistic men, not women.


    In his heart, he felt relieved that Marie was not a murderer.


    "No ... absolutely not. I just told Larkin who the culprit was and where they were. At that time, my priority was Summer''s safety. I didn''t want him to kill anyone," Marie said. "I was shocked when he said that they were all dead and Summer disappeared. You don''t know how scared I was. I was devastated when they told me that Summer couldn''t be found ..."


    Nicolae took Marie''s hand, which began to tremble as she recounted what had happened. He could imagine how panicked and scared Marie was. He would be scared to death if anything happened to his children.


    "Sshh ... Summer is fine. I found her, and I looked after her. Everything is fine now."


    Marie nodded. Her face looked very relieved. "I know. Thank you ... But at that time, I was terrified. I couldn''t sleep for three days."


    "You''ll have to sleep a lot once all this is over to make up for it," Nicolae said, patting Marie''s hand slowly. "We will soon go to Grosetto and calm our nerves down. Everything will be fine."


    "Well ... so, Larkin came to the apartment because he was worried about me. I feel bad because I just left," Marie said again. "He helped me a lot."


    "I''ll repay him for everything he had done to you, don''t worry. You don''t need to think about him. Let me handle it," Nicolae said firmly.


    Marie looked at the man from the side with an adoring look. She felt very relieved and safe. The tightness of his c.h.e.s.t slowly subsided.


    ***


    They arrived back at the hotel and immediately brought Koi and Marie''s backpack to the top floor. Summer, who saw the presence of her beloved dog, looked very happy. She jumped up and down on the spot and screamed with joy until Marion joined in her laughter.


    "Koooooiiiiiiiiiiii ... My dear ... Koiiii!!! Honeyyyy!!"


    The dachshund dog jumped in with excitement whe he was called by the owner and immediately pounced on Summer.


    Both of them immediately rolled on the floor, laughing and growling. Marie was very moved to see the reunion of Koi and her daughter. Over the past few days, when Summer was gone, Koi also looked very sad and depressed.


    Now they have all been reunited, and they were all happy again.


    "Whaa.. I''m glad to see you all are here," Marion commented with a smile. "I will give you space to be with your family. I will pick up JM from the agency and later if you have time, I would love to have dinner together."


    Nicolae nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Marion."


    "Uh, I mean not dinner now, maybe tomorrow night," Marion added. "I guess you two need to talk privately first tonight, right?"


    Nicolae understood Marion''s intentions. Surely the woman meant he needed to talk to Marie about the secrets of their clan. Nicolae hadn''t had the chance to tell Marie about his real identity.


    He thanked Marion again for reminding him. Things like that should be discussed immediately. He did not want to keep such a big secret from Marie for a long time.


    "I understand. Thank you for reminding me."


    "You''re welcome. Alright, I can only say ... congratulations!" Marion hugged Marie warmly. "Welcome to our family."


    Marie was stunned to hear Marion''s words. She did not understand. Do Marion and Nicolae have family relations?


    Marion did not want to explain because she did not want to linger and bother the couple who obviously missed each other. She only smiled faintly after releasing Marie and then patted Niicolae''s shoulder.


    "See you later."


    After Marion disappeared from the penthouse, Nicolae pulled Marie into his arms and very tenderly kissed the girl. His c.h.e.s.t was filled with overwhelming happiness. He just wanted to vent his love and longing for Marie because there was no outsider between them now.


    Marie kissed him back. However, when the corner of her eye caught the figure of Summer and Koi looking at them with astonishment, she became awkward and tried to escape Nicolae''s embrace.


    "Uhmm ... Summer is watching us," Marie whispered in a shy voice.


    "So? We haven''t done bad things, have we?" Nicolae asked, pretending not to understand.


    Marie pounded Nicolae''s broad c.h.e.s.t while pretending to frown. "You..."


    "Maman ... what were you doing with Uncle Nic?" asked Summer in her adorable little voice.


    Marie glanced at Nicolae and then sat on the rug and took her daughter''s l.a.p. "Don''t call him Uncle Nic again, okay... That''s Summer''s Daddy."


    Summer pressed her lips in surprise because she had forgotten to call her father as Uncle. Her expression was very funny and made Nicolae wanted to pinch her cute nose. He sat down beside Marie and stroked Summer''s hair.


    "Maman is right. From now on, Summer must call me Daddy, okay..."


    Summer nodded happily. She then stretched out her hands and embraced Nicolae lovingly. "Daddy Nic ..."


    Nicolae smiled happily at the call coming out of the lips of the cute daughter, who was his own biological child.


    As it turned out, the universe wasn''t that bad to him ...


    He was reunited with the woman he loved and their child.


    From now on, he would never complain again.

 Chapter 902 - I Cant Wait To Meet Sister-In-Law

    They spent time together, to make up for the lost time between them. Nicolae sat Summer on his l.a.p and beside him sat Marie and Koi.


    They were chatting intimately and discussing trivial matters. Even though they were only reunited today, it felt like they had been a family that lived together for years. Everything felt so natural and comfortable.


    "Okay ... it''s almost sunset. I will ask the chef to cook a special dinner to celebrate today. After that, I will introduce you to my family," Nicolae told Marie. "I''m sure Alaric and my father will be very happy to meet you."


    Marie was very pleased to see how Nicolae''s face looked so radiant. She could not remember ever seeing a man this happy.


    When she met Nicolae in Singapore, he looked quiet and impressive, but there was an obvious sadness around him.


    Was it because he just got his heart broken?


    So, was his happiness today a sign that Nicolae had really recovered and was really in love with her?


    Ahh, that must be it, Marie. Why are you hesitating? Can''t you feel it for yourself, how much Nicolae loved you? Marie whispered to herself.


    She remembered how they made love so passionately a few hours ago and how they both wanted each other. Every touch of his on her skin made Marie feel very valued, loved, and pampered ...


    Subconsciously a smile curved up on Marie''s face as she nodded and kissed Nicolae''s lips quickly. "I really want to meet them too."


    Nicolae was really happy. He did not want to be separated from Marie even if only for a short time, and he could also see clearly how Marie felt the same way.


    "I''m delighted to hear that. We will meet them via Virconnect after dinner."


    "Hmm ... in that case, Summer and I will take a shower and get ready," Marie said. She rose from her seat and carried Summer. "Come on, Honey ... let''s take a shower first. Tonight we''ll meet your Grandpa and Uncle."


    "I have a grandfather and an uncle???" Summer became very enthusiastic. She waved to her father and laughed cheerfully. "I''ll go take a shower first, Daddy..."


    Nicolae just nodded with a smile.


    Gosh ... his face was starting to hurt. He had been smiling incessantly ever since he met Marie!


    After Marie and Summer disappeared to the bathroom. He immediately sat in his room and called Alaric. Before he introduced Marie and Summer to his brother through Virconnect, he wanted to tell Alaric about them, so that his brother would not be surprised.


    "Hey, it''s me," Nicolae said when Alaric picked up the phone. "I have something to tell you."


    "About your emergency business?" Alaric asked attentively. "Is it over now?"


    "You can say that." Nicolae took a deep breath and tried to regulate his emotions. He was so excited and he was worried he might not be able to recount his story clearly to his brother. "Alaric ... I''ve found Marie and my daughter in Paris. Marie had faked her death. The woman I love is still alive!"


    Although Nicolae tried his best to calm down his emotions, Alaric could still hear his enthusiastic tone. It took him several seconds to digest his brother''s words.


    "Wait a minute¡ª" Alaric spoke cautiously because he was worried that he had misunderstood Nicolae''s words and did not want to open the old wound in his brother''s heart. "Are you talking about Marie Lu ... the woman you married in Singapore? Marie, who was pregnant with your child and died in a car accident?"


    "That''s right," Nicolae repeated his explanation because he knew it was very difficult for Alaric to believe his words. Nicolae would not believe it himself if he had heard the news from other people and did not see Marie with his own eyes. "Marie Lu is Goose, she''s a famous hacker in Darknet, and for the past few years she had faked her death to hide from enemies."


    "Oh, I see." Alaric finally understood one hundred percent that he had not misheard his brother. Now everything made sense! He sighed with relief at the other end of the phone. "I''m very happy to hear that. I''m glad to see you happy ... I understand how it feels."


    Nicolae knew that the person who could best understand his feelings in this world was his biological brother, Alaric. The man really knew what it''s like to be separated from the woman he loved and suddenly they could meet again.


    Both of their hearts were now filled with happiness and gratitude.


    "I will introduce her later to you and Father. I also have a very beautiful daughter, her name is Summer because she was born in the summer like us. Her full name is Nikita Summer Sorin Medici." Nicolae''s voice sounded very proud when talking about his child. "Will you be able to meet us on Virconnect in about two hours from now?"


    "Of course, Nic," Alaric said happily. "I can''t wait to meet my beautiful sister-in-law and niece."


    Nicolae just smiled at his brother''s enthusiasm.


    "I intend to have a wedding as soon as possible. Do you think it is feasible?" he asked him.


    "Of course. Where do you want to get married? The castle in Targu Mures is quite big. You can also go to our mother''s palace in Yorkshire. If you want to be like Aleksis and me, you can get married in Grosetto," Alaric said. "And the most important thing is, where do you want to live after the wedding?"


    "Good question," Nicolae said. "I can live wherever Marie wants. I will discuss this with her. If she doesn''t mind, I want to stay in New York for another year to finish my contract at the university while waiting for the kids to graduate from high school. After that, it''s up to them where they want to go to college. You and Aleksis also follow their wishes, right?"


    "Oh ... yes, that''s right," Alaric responded.


    He heaved a sigh of relief. Nicolae really brought good news today and Alaric felt so happy. It looked like their family was going to be well, finally.

 Chapter 903 - So Many Surprises (1)

    "By the way, did the kids already know you met Marie?" Alaric asked again.


    "Not yet. They are busy with their study trip. I will call Altair and Vega tonight to tell them that I cannot go to Bordeaux to see them. Tomorrow, I will explain in more detail about everything," Nicolae knew he needed to prepare well to give this news to Altair and Vega. They would be happy for him, but at the same time, they would be shocked. "Oh, by the way... have you asked Mischa to stop by Bordeaux?"


    "He will be there tomorrow. Mischa said he met Vega in the elevator. Did you know that?" Alaric asked. "That''s funny. Mischa didn''t recognize her. Vega doesn''t know what Mischa is like, right? Mischa only found out that it was my daughter after he met you yesterday."


    "Well, they have never met before," Nicolae commented, "Can''t blame them. But I''m very happy that Mischa can watch the kids. They will be safe."


    "I think so too. I''m glad I don''t have to bother you all the time. I guess you really need personal time with your own family," Alaric sounded very happy for his brother. "I will tell Aleksis this good news."


    "Thank you. I''ll talk to you later via Virconnect in two hours after dinner, okay..." Nicolae said excitedly.


    "Of course. We also need to have lunch first."


    Because of the time difference between Paris and New York, when Nicolae was preparing dinner in France, Alaric, Aleksis, and their boys were actually getting ready for lunch.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Nicolae heard the front door knocked. He immediately opened the door to the penthouse for the chefs and staff who came to prepare a special dinner for him and his little family. After letting them work in the kitchen, Nicolae called his father.


    "Hey, Nic ... How are you?" Lauriel''s voice came on the other end of the phone. The sound of the waves behind his father made Nicolae curious, where his father might be.


    "Hello, Father. I have important news," Nicolae said. "Can you talk in two hours? I want to introduce Marie and Summer to you and Alaric."


    "Marie and Summer? Who are they?" Lauriel asked in puzzlement. "Well, of course. I am not busy."


    "My wife and daughter, Father!" said Nicolae enthusiastically. "I have found them. It turns out that Marie is not dead. My daughter too! Marie deliberately faked her death and moved to Paris. I was wrong all this time ... My family is still alive, Father!"


    For a moment, Nicolae didn''t hear his father make any sound on the other end of the phone. The man was silent. He was very moved and utterly speechless.


    "I''m very happy to hear that," After a while, Lauriel''s reply was heard. His voice was rather hoarse because he held back his emotion. "I can''t wait to see them."


    "I am very happy, Father ..." Nicolae said in a voice filled with emotion. He understood his father''s feelings. They both had a similar fate. They thought the woman they loved died with their child, and both Nicolae and Lauriel shared a feeling of guilt.


    Luckily for Nicolae, it turned out that Marie was actually still alive. They only separated for six years, and he could finally meet the girl again with a bonus of having Summer, their child who had grown into an adorable little girl.


    While Lauriel had to keep his grief for more than a hundred years, and his wound was never properly healed because Luna really died. It took more than a hundred years for Lauriel to let go of his girlfriend ... and now he had finally found a new love.


    "I want to formalize my marriage with Marie as soon as possible, Father ..." Nicolae said. "I''m thinking of throwing a wedding in Grosetto this summer. Do you think it can be done?"


    "Of course. I will talk to Luca to prepare everything." Lauriel paused for a moment and then continued in a happier tone. "I''m very happy for you."


    "Thank you, Father ... Tonight, I will tell Marie about our family, then propose to her properly. After that, I want to formally introduce you to Father and also Alaric."


    "Very well. I will wait," Lauriel said later.


    "Thank you."


    Nicolae hung up and kept his cellphone in the room. He immediately headed to Summer''s room to meet Marie and their daughter. There he saw Marie drying Summer''s hair and combing it.


    His daughter was wearing one of the dresses Nicolae had bought from the marketplace yesterday. What a perfect daughter, thought Nicolae. The beautiful view of the mother and child in front of him momentarily stunned him.


    "Hey, you''re here," Marie said, aware of Nicolae''s presence in the room. "We are ready."


    "Let''s go to the terrace while waiting for the food to be prepared. I want us to enjoy the sunset together." Nicolae took Marie and Summer then walked to the outside terrace, which was located close to the dining room.


    The chef and the two staff who were preparing a meal for the little family nodded respectfully as they watched them walk by. Nicolae nodded back at them.


    "I still can''t believe we invited a personal chef to cook us dinner," Marie commented, glancing toward the kitchen.


    Nicolae just laughed at that. "There are still so many things that will surprise you. I hope you won''t get tired of being surprised..."


    "Like what?" Marie asked curiously. "I already know that you are Wolf; then your brother turned out to be Elios Linden; Altair and Vega are your niece and nephew and also your godchildren ... Hmm. What else is there to know?"


    "Don''t forget, I''m also a doctor," Nicolae said.


    "Ohh .. I thought you''re just joking!" exclaimed Marie with a pair of rounded eyes. "So it''s real?"


    Nicolae nodded. "That''s right. I am a specialist in internal medicine, but I haven''t practiced for a long time."


    "Jeez ..." Marie looked at Nicolae in surprise. "I didn''t expect that to be true ..."

 Chapter 904 - So Many Surprises (2)

    "Well ... my adoptive father is a medical doctor, so I just followed in his footsteps," Nicolae explained.


    "Adoptive father? How many fathers do you really have? Is he the one we will meet later?" Marie asked curiously.


    "No. You will meet my biological father later. He is not a doctor, but he is very expert on poisons and medicines. In a way, he is the best botanist in the world today."


    "Jeez ... your family sounds amazing," Marie commented.


    "At present, there are only three people in my immediate family: my father, me and my brother. But my brother is married to the Schneider family''s daughter, so now we have become a big family. The Schneider family itself happens to have a fairly extensive family. Do you know Terrence Chan, the president of Schneider Group?" Nicolae looked at Marie attentively.


    He wanted to talk about himself to the girl slowly. Starting with the least shocking secret.


    "Yes, I know. Terrence Chan is quite famous. He won executive of the year awards from some leading business magazines for several years in a row," Marie said. "If I''m not mistaken, he''s the Schneider family''s adopted son, isn''t he?"


    "Sort of like that. He is the biological son of Finland Schneider. She sold her eggs decades ago when she was still in college since she was dirt poor and badly in need of money. The fertility clinic would only accept her eggs, if her best friend, Jean-Pierre Wang sold his s.p.e.r.m too. You must know him. He was a famous movie star and retired ten years ago. Jean''s s.p.e.r.m cells together with Finland''s eggs were used to create an embryo for IVF procedure by a couple in Singapore. The kid was born by the Chan couple, Terry''s birth parents. He was later reunited with Finland and Jean after his parents passed away when he was 15."


    "Huh? No way! So, Terrence Chan is the biological son of Jean and Mrs. Schneider?" Marie was shocked to hear Nicolae''s story. "This is very surprising ..."


    Nicolae smiled at Marie''s surprised expression. He then continued his explanation. "Jean later married Marion. You met his wife this afternoon. That was why Marion said that we are family. We have indeed become related through the Schneiders. My brother Alaric, or Elios Linden, married Aleksis, she is Terry''s half sister. Terry is Jean''s biological son. As you already know, Jean is Marion''s husband. "


    "Wait a minute ... isn''t Marion still very young? So Jean married a girl who was much younger than him? I think Marion is even younger than Terrence Chan," Marie said. "Is Jean really someone like that? If I''m not mistaken, he must be in his 60''s now. Gosh ... how outrageous. He married a girl so young."


    Nicolae laughed so hard when he heard Marie''s comment.


    If Jean, who was only 64 years old, was called outrageous because he married a woman who looked younger ... Nicolae could not imagine what Marie would think when she discovered that Nicolae was actually 111 years old and now wanted to marry her.


    Ha ha..


    "You''re wrong," the young man said patiently. "Actually, Marion is older. She''s 165 now. She''s a hundred years older than Jean."


    Marie''s eyes went so round. She could not believe in her own hearing.


    "Ahh ... you''re joking again," Marie said, hitting Nicolae on the shoulder. Her face was filled with a smile as she shook her head.


    But after seeing Nicolae''s serious face, the girl frowned, and her smile slowly faded, replaced by an expression of shock and astonishment.


    "I mean it," Nicolae said in a calm voice. "I told you, there are so many surprises to tell you ... I hope you don''t get tired of listening to all of them."


    "I don''t understand," Marie admitted. "I suddenly feel stupid."


    "No, Honey... don''t think like that." Nicolae took Marie''s hand and rubbed it. "You are very smart and I really admire you. Marion is no ordinary person. She is an Alchemist. The alchemists are immortals because their bodies are perfect and they do not age."


    At this point, Marie was convinced that Nicolae was not joking. Nevertheless, it was very difficult for her to believe Nicolae''s words just now. Is there such a thing as immortal people? Marion was 165 years old? How was that possible?


    Nicolae then slowly told Marie a little history of his people and the Schneider family''s secrets so that the girl was not too shocked. For a few minutes, Marie pressed her lips as she repeatedly made a sound of muffled sighs.


    "Gosh ... this ... this is very surprising," the girl finally whispered.


    "My father, Lauriel Medici, is currently the oldest Alchemist in the world. He is almost 600 years old. He does not like crowds and is very aloof. Currently, he is traveling the world, I do not always know where he is. However, tonight he will take the time to meet you through Virconnect. " Nicolae continued to share about his own family and how his mother died while giving birth to him. Then how he was separated from his brother and father for more than a century.


    Marie seemed very sympathetic to the sad story of Nicolae''s family. She embraced the man warmly when Nicolae told her about his meeting with his father, 17 years ago. Instantly, Marie could understand how Nicolae and his father felt.


    Certainly, it was no different from what they feel now, reunited with loved ones after thinking that they died...


    "I''m happy you met your father again," Marie whispered. "I''m sorry about your mother''s death ... It must be very sad."


    Nicolae nodded and stroked Marie''s hair. His c.h.e.s.t was filled with a feeling of warmth and peace that he had never felt before.


    It''s wonderful to have people to share everything he was feeling. Alaric had Aleksis by his side, Lauriel seemed to be with Rosalien now ... and finally, Nicolae had Marie who understood him and comforted him when he was feeling sad.


    Nicolae felt very grateful!


    "Thank you, Honey. All of us have now finally let go of Mother and move on. After I met my father, all the questions that had been making me confused about who I was finally got answers. I am very happy to be able to meet my own people, those who are like me. Ten years later, we also learned that Alaric Rhionen, the founder of Rhionen Industries, was my long lost brother," Nicolae pulled Marie''s body into his l.a.p and explained to her in more detail about what had happened.

 Chapter 905 - I Want To Live Forever With You

    "Does this Rhionen you were talking about have something to do with Rhionen Assasins?" Marie asked with a frown. As someone who was familiar with the underworld, she had heard about the legendary assassin group, which had now disbanded and was never heard from again. "His name is quite familiar."


    "That''s right. My brother was the founder of Rhionen Assasins before he founded the Rhionen Industries group. He had a misunderstanding with our father and Uncle Caspar, and they hunted him down. He was shot and almost died. After his death was announced, he went into a coma for several years, and then when he returned, he took on a new identity as Elios Linden. That is why Elios Linden''s background is considered so mysterious."


    "I didn''t know you were all connected ... This is very shocking," Marie said, staring intensely at Nicolae. Surprise after surprise never stopped coming her way today. "In that case, does Elios Linden look like you?"


    "Yes, you can say that. We are not identical twins, but you could say we are physically very similar. Only his hair is lighter in color, and his eyes are purple since he takes after our mother in appearance. The color purple is actually a special characteristic of the Linden family," Nicolae glanced toward Summer. "See, Summer inherits my mother''s eyes."


    "Oh ..." Marie turned her head to look at Summer who was playing with Koi and immediately realized that Nicolae was right. During this time, she could not understand why Summer had such a unique eye color. As she recalled, in her family, no one had that eye color. She also remembered that Nicolae''s eyes were blue, not purple ...


    Then where did the color purple come from?


    Only today did she find the answer to this question. Apparently, it was from Nicolae''s maternal family side.


    She felt that Nicolae''s family was very unique and full of surprises.


    "I''m happy because Summer has your mother''s eyes," Marie said, smiling.


    "Me too," Nicolae replied. "She has your face ... but I can see my mother''s eyes on her. I saw my mother last year once, when Father shared his memories of her, through Holodeck. When I saw Summer, I feel like I saw the expression and the look in Mother''s eyes. Summer made me very happy..."


    Marie wrapped her arms around Nicolae''s neck and took the initiative to kiss him.


    "I''m happy when you''re happy ..."


    They kissed for a while. When Marie finally broke free, their faces were still so close to each other, and their noses almost touched.


    "After we have dinner, I will introduce you to Alaric and my father. They can''t wait to see you," Nicolae said softly. "After that, we must prepare for the wedding. Have you ever been to Italy?"


    Marie lowered her face and was blushing. "I did, but I really want to go there with you."


    "You will love Grosetto in the summer."


    "I would love it anywhere, as long as I am with you," Marie said quietly. Her face looked increasingly red.


    Hearing Marie''s confession that she uttered shyly, Nicolae smiled broadly. He touched Marie''s chin and kissed her again.


    Really, it seemed like he would never feel satisfied kissing this girl and spending time with her. Every second they were together, his heart was filled with happiness that he had never felt before.


    He felt like he was on cloud nine. Everything felt warm and pleasant around this girl. Nicolae did not know that falling in love could be this sweet. He didn''t even feel this way when he was with Aleksis.


    "So ... how old are you now?" Marie asked him after a while.


    Nicolae paused before answering. "Do you mind marrying a man who is much older than you?"


    Marie shook her head. "I love m.a.t.u.r.e men. I love you and I don''t care no matter how old you are ..."


    "Ahh ... thank God," Nicolae breathed a sigh of relief. "This year I will be 111 years old."


    "That''s a beautiful number," Marie commented, smiling. "I like it."


    "Ahh .. thank God ..." Nicolae was very pleased to hear that. "I can''t wait to spend my whole life with you. I want to live forever with you ..."


    "Eh ... forever?" Suddenly Marie''s face turned gloomy, and her eyes became glazed.


    "Why are you sad?" Nicolae asked. His heart immediately sank when he saw Marie''s expression.


    Did Marie not want to live forever with him?


    Marie shook her head sadly. "I¡ªI want to live forever with you ... but, you are an immortal, whereas I am not. I''m just sad because someday I will leave you ..."


    Nicolae gasped. He forgot to tell Marie that regular humans who married members of the Alchemist clan could obtain the immortality potion so that they too could become immortal.


    Obviously, Marie became sad because she thought that one day they would be separated by death.


    Nicolae hurriedly tightened his embrace on Marie who was sitting on his l.a.p and kissed the top of the girl''s head.


    "No ... Marie dear ... We will not be separated by death. I want to live forever with you." He smiled soothingly. "After we get married, you will get an immortality potion as a wedding gift. You and Summer. After you take it, you and our children will also be part of the Alchemist clan. You will not age and become just like me. We will live happily ever after ..."


    Marie covered her lips while letting out a muffled sigh. She did not expect this at all.


    "Really? Is that true?" she asked softly.


    Nicolae nodded. "I''m telling the truth."


    Marie finally looked very relieved. Slowly her face was decorated with a smile.


    "I didn''t know that outsiders could be part of your people," said the girl. Her voice was filled with relief and gratitude. She was very happy because it meant she and Nicolae and their children would not be separated even by death.


    "I''ll tell you more about my family and other things," Nicolae said. "But now we must have dinner first. I also want to invite you to meet my family."


    Marie nodded. From the corner of her eye, she had also seen the chef come out from the kitchen, and respectfully made a sign that dinner was ready.


    They all moved from the terrace into the dining room. Nicolae carried Summer, while Marie held his hand. In no time, they were seated by the dining table and facing the special dishes prepared by the chef. Two staff efficiently served the little family to eat in such a warm atmosphere.

 Chapter 906 - Meet The Family

    They had a romantic dinner while chatting about what had happened in the past few years, and exchanging news. Marie was amazed when she heard that Nicolae was teaching at the university, and she agreed to return with Nicolae to New York after they got remarried.


    She couldn''t wait to see Altair and Vega immediately, then Alaric and Aleksis and their two children, and Lauriel.


    Marie, who used to live alone and only had Summer in her life, now felt so lucky. She suddenly had a very impressive husband and a big family.


    After they finished dinner and the servants took care of everything, the three of them returned to the spacious living room in the middle of the penthouse, and Nicolae turned on Virconnect access. He first contacted Alaric in New York.


    Soon, the room in front of him turned into a spacious living room in Alaric''s family''s mansion in Manhattan. On the large leather couch before them sat Alaric and Aleksis with their two sons. Their faces looked very bright when they saw Nicolae, Marie, and Summer.


    "Hello, Nic!" said Aleksis enthusiastically. She immediately got up and approached Nicolae. Her husband rose from his seat and followed her, then hugged her waist affectionately.


    "Nic," Alaric said.


    "Alaric, Aleksis ... I''m glad to see you, Guys." Nicolae stood up from his chair and took Marie''s hand toward them. "Please meet Marie. And this is Summer."


    "Ohhh ... a." Aleksis immediately crouched down and looked at Summer with a broad smile, while the little girl stared at her wide-eyed. "Gosh... Summer is really pretty and adorable. Ireland, Scotland ... come here, Boys."


    The two six-year-old boys came over. They both watched Summer who immediately hid behind her mother''s body, looking shy.


    "Hi, Summer. My name is Ireland," Ireland said in a friendly voice.


    Scotland nodded. "And I''m Scotland."


    Marie just looked at the beautiful people in front of her with shocked expressions. She did not expect Alaric and Aleksis to look so impressive. Alaric looked like he was only 25 years old ... even though he already had two 16-year-old teenagers.


    It''s hard to believe that this man is 111 years old, just like Nicolae.


    Both men looked so young!


    By the way, ah ... is this THAT Aleksis?


    No wonder Nicolae loved her so much, Marie thought.


    Aleksis looked very beautiful, like a princess. Her body looked perfect like it was sculpted personally by the gods, and her skin was flawless. Her honey-colored hair hung beautifully down to her waist and her unique pair of eyes, each of which had two colors, blue-green, gleamed beautifully, giving off her warm and pleasant personality.


    Even though Marie knew that Nicolae was in love with Aleksis and had almost married her, for some reason she was not at all jealous. Before she met Aleksis in person, Marie had felt a little uncomfortable and jealous, whenever she remembered that Nicolae was in a relationship with Aleksis.


    But, now, seeing how much Nicolae adored her, while Aleksis and Alaric, her husband, seemed to be so intimate and loving toward each other, all those feelings disappeared, and Marie was not at all jealous.


    Now, she only saw Aleksis like a sister she never had.


    "Hello ... my name is Marie," Finally, the girl greeted Aleksis with her melodious voice. "I''ve heard a lot about you guys from Nicolae."


    "We are very pleased to meet you," Alaric said politely. "My name is Alaric, I am Nic''s twin brother."


    "Nic told me. It''s nice to meet you," Marie said with a smile. "I''ve heard of you before. I never thought I''d be able to meet you in person."


    "When you go to New York, you have to come to our house. Certainly, Ireland and Scotland will be happy to play with Summer. I also would love to talk to you directly," Aleksis said happily. "Ahh .. you guys look very adorable. You don''t know how happy I am to see you guys!"


    The two families exchanged stories and talked very warmly. Marie loved Aleksis who was pleasant and fun. Alaric was much quieter than Nicolae but Marie could feel that he loved his brother very much and looked very happy for him. He was also very kind to Marie.


    "Jeez ... Summer is getting sleepy, apparently," Nicolae said half an hour later. "Then let''s continue chatting next time. I want to introduce her to Father first."


    Aleksis looked disappointed because she really liked seeing Summer chatting with her two sons. But she realized, Lauriel must also eager to meet his new granddaughter. Finally, she relented and nodded.


    "Of course. I''m sure he will be very happy," said Aleksis. "Give my regards to Father."


    "All right. See you later," Nicolae said before disconnecting Virconnect. He turned to Marie and Summer. "Now, we will meet my father."


    "See you later," Marie said, smiling and waving her hand. Summer followed her actions.


    Not long afterward, the room in front of them turned into a beautiful terrace with the beach in the background. Apparently, Lauriel was in Asia, judging from the situation around him that showed it was still daytime.


    "Father ..." Nicolae greeted him with a smile. He guessed that Lauriel was spending time in Asia again, as he had often done lately. His family knew Rosalien lived in China, and they suspected that Lauriel had been spending a lot of time with her.


    Until now, six years later, Lauriel still made no explicit statement about his relationship with Rosalien, so his friends and family could only guess.


    His best friend, Caspar, and his sons did not dare ask what his relationship with the girl was because they knew Lauriel was very private. They could only wait for the man to explain it to them, in his own time.


    "Nicolae," Lauriel greeted with a smile on his face. The man rarely smiled and tended to be cold. But today, his expression looked bright and friendly. He looked straight at Marie. He tilted his head slightly and then greeted the girl. "Marie. Nice to meet you. Welcome to our family."


    Marie could only stand frozen in her place. She did not understand how was it possible for a human who was almost 600 years old to look as young and as handsome as this man?


    Lauriel''s face and appearance were very similar to Nicolae''s, so Marie could be sure that this impressive man in front of her was Nicolae''s father.


    The most apparent differences were their attitudes and personalities. If Nicolae looked warm and friendly, Lauriel looked cold and a bit ruthless.


    Even though he was smiling now, there was something in his eyes that made Marie feel a little intimidated. She immediately remembered Alaric she had just met. It looked like, even though Nicolae had taken after his father''s face, but Lauriel''s personality seemed to be passed on to Alaric.


    "Good day, Uncle ... I''m happy to meet you," Marie said hoarsely when she finally found her voice.


    "Just call me Father," Lauriel said kindly. His gaze then turned to Summer, who stood staring at him with a baffled expression. Lauriel then rose and approached Summer. His face instantly turned into an angel. "Nikita Summer Sorin Medici ... Grandfather really missed you."

 Chapter 907 - Deep Longing (R.-.1.8)

    Summer looked amazed by the sight of a handsome young man approaching her and smiling very sweetly. Lauriel''s face was similar to Nicolae''s, so she immediately felt a closeness between them. Moreover, the man''s face looked very friendly. He actually reminded Summer of the angels she had seen in books.


    "Hello ..." Summer greeted Lauriel shyly. Her beautiful and adorable face made Lauriel look happy.


    "Ahh .. you are so smart," Lauriel commented. He then turned to Nicolae. "You must quickly go home to Grosetto. I want to see you as soon as possible and hold Summer in my arms. I can''t believe I just got myself another granddaughter!"


    Nicolae nodded happily. "Of course. Where are you now by the way, Father?"


    "I''m in Asia. But I can go back to Italy tomorrow. When do you want to go home?" Lauriel asked.


    "Oh ... I can take Marie and Summer to Grosetto tomorrow." Nicolae turned to Marie. "Honey, you want to go with me to Italy, right? I want to show you around my family''s house."


    Marie nodded. Of course, she wanted it. Marie had no ties whatsoever in this world.


    She would gladly follow Nicolae wherever the man took her. Later, when things were calm, she would contact Sanna and say goodbye to her best friend and explained everything needed explaining.


    "I''m so happy to hear that," Lauriel said. He liked this future daughter-in-law of his.


    He invited Marie to talk and showed her that he openly supported Nicolae''s relationship with her.


    Meanwhile, Marie still found it hard to believe in her own eyes when she saw that Nicolae''s biological father turned out to still look so young.


    Lauriel look like he was the same age as Nicolae.


    How shocking!


    Since Nicolae promised to go on an adventure with Terry this summer, he was forced to contact his best friend by phone and tell him what had happened. Terry did not mind it at all and was genuinely very happy to hear the good news delivered by Nicolae.


    "Gosh ... I''m so glad to hear this," Terry exclaimed repeatedly. "I''ll stop by Grosetto next week to see you guys."


    "Thank you," Nicolae said. He was relieved because his friend was very understanding.


    "Congratulations, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness," Terry said before ending the call.


    "Thank you. I really appreciate it."


    After Nicolae hung up the call, he then followed Marie to Summer''s bedroom to accompany her reading a bedtime story for their daughter. When he got there, he saw the girl sitting on the edge of the bed while reading a story from a fairy tale book.


    The sight made him deeply moved, and his c.h.e.s.t was filled with warmth.


    Ahh ... he now had his own family. He felt so blessed!


    From the way Marie had been treating Summer, Nicolae could see how Marie was a good mother. Summer had a very happy life and didn''t lack anything.


    He could see how Marie took after her mother in so many ways. In his heart, he thanked Mrs. Lu for raising such a wonderful daughter.


    Nicolae sauntered to the bed and sat next to Marie.


    "Sssh ... she''s already asleep," he whispered to the girl. "You can stop reading it."


    Marie, who was concentrating on reading the story, looked up and realized that Nicolae was right. Summer was fast asleep with her lips slightly open. The expression on her face looked very cute.


    "Ahh .. you are right," Marie said. She also saw that Koi had slept soundly in the corner.


    "Now we must rest too," Nicolae said. He rose and took Marie''s hand to get out of Summer''s room and into his bedroom.


    Since she entered this penthouse, Marie had never been to the master''s room where Nicolae was staying.


    Now, when she stepped inside, the girl looked stunned.


    What a beautiful room! she thought.


    The furniture looked very antique and expensive. Even the solid wooden bedposts were decorated with gold carvings. She felt like she had entered a bedroom in the king''s palace.


    Nicolae, who saw Marie''s expression, realized that the girl greatly admired his room.


    "Do you like rooms like this?" he whispered in an intimate voice. "My room in Grosetto is similar in design to this room. I''m sure you will like it."


    The Medici family''s castle in Grosetto was centuries old and had a classic design and antique furniture. It looked very elegant and beautiful, similar to this penthouse.


    However, all modern facilities have been added to it, so the castle became very comfortable to live in.


    "Is it true?" Marie asked with an awed expression. "I really like the design here."


    "You will like it. You can see it yourself tomorrow."


    Seeing Marie so close to him made Nicolae unable to hold back from kissing the girl, and he really didn''t want to hold back anymore. So, he held her waist and claimed her lips greedily.


    Nicolae had never felt anything like this before.


    Right now, he only wanted to be with Marie, held her hand, hugged her body, kissed her lips, and made love to her.


    "Ahh ..." Marie m.o.a.n.e.d in surprise when Nicolae suddenly pulled her body into his arms and kissed her lips tenderly.


    After she got over the initial shock, Marie also responded to the kiss.


    Nicolae really missed this natural red lips and aggressively claimed her lips as if there was no tomorrow. His hands moved nimbly, exploring the girl''s waist and then climbed onto her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    Marie naturally wrapped her arms around Nicolae''s neck. She enjoyed the man c.a.r.e.s.sing her body, and occasionally let out a s.e.xy m.o.a.n that sounded very sweet in Nicolae''s ears.


    The two then kissed passionately and started groping each other. Five minutes later, their bodies had moved to the bed and were entwined there.


    No one knew who started it first, but they quickly stripped each other''s clothes. Not long after, Nicolae and Marie had admired each other''s bodies in all their glory and resumed their fiery kisses.


    Nicolae then went on top of her and pressed Marie on the bed. He fondled her b.r.e.a.s.ts lovingly and alternate it with hot kisses between each peak. He loved her curves. Everything was in perfect proportion. He felt so lucky!


    With a beaming face, Nicolae traced every inch of Marie''s skin with his lips, tongue, and fingers. Every m.o.a.n and whimper came out of the girl''s lips made Nicolae even more excited and creative. He loved hearing that s.e.xy voice in his ears, so he quickly studied Marie''s s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e spots and satisfied her endlessly.


    His efforts were not in vain, because Marie incessantly m.o.a.n.e.d and arched her back from the flow of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e coursing through her body from head to toe.


    After the umpteenth o.r.g.a.s.m, Marie finally seemed very ready to accept Nicolae''s rock-hard manhood to enter her and give her a different kind of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.


    With a long passionate kiss, he slowly rammed his manhood inside her wet honeypot all the way in. It felt so warm and already so wet.


    Marie let out a long m.o.a.n when Nicolae''s shaft went all the way in and made her feel so full and tight. She curled her toes and pressed her legs around Nicolae''s waist.


    Nicolae naturally pumped in and out of her core with regular movements, giving equal p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to him and the woman under him. Both of them were so in love and longing for each other.


    After Marie and Nicolae reached the peak together, it only took a few minutes for the lovebirds to start the next round even more passionately. The two were so busy m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e and chased each other on cloud nine and forget about their surroundings.


    This time they really took their sweet time because the night was still young, and they could do it for however long they wanted.


    That night Nicolae and Marie vented their deep longing for each other. When they finally ended their vigorous lovemaking activities, both of them were overwhelmed with so much joy.


    They finally slept when the clock showed it was already 2 am. Mari snuggled inside of Nicolae''s embrace as the man spooned her from behind.


    She felt so safe and so happy. He felt so loved and content.


    Both Nicolae and Marie slept with smiling faces and hearts filled with warmth.

 Chapter 908 - Leave Everything To Me

    The couple who just vented their longing finally slept soundly after they made love passionately. Marie and Nicolae only woke up in the morning after Koi scratched at the door protesting that his master had not yet left the bedroom.


    Nicolae opened his eyes first and immediately jumped out of the bed. His sudden movements startled Marie who was lying in his arms. The girl opened her eyes and furrowed her brows for a few seconds before she finally realized that they had woken up late.


    "Jeez ... what time is it?" the girl asked as she hurriedly removed the blanket from her body and got up to wear her clothes.


    "Ahh ... it''s only 8 am," said Nicolae, who was very relieved that they were not that late. He was in shock earlier, thinking he and Marie were just like Alaric and Aleksis, who had only left their room at 3 pm on their wedding day after m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e all night long.


    He hurriedly got up and took a robe from the closet and handed it to Marie who looked panic as she tried to wear her clothes.


    "Just wear this first, then take a shower and get ready. It is easier," he said with a smile.


    Marie received the robe gratefully and kissed his cheek. She put on her robe and immediately left the room. In front of the door, she saw Koi looking guilty as he raised his paw to scratch again.


    "Hi, Koi. Good morning. Thank you for waking us up..." Marie bent down and rubbed Koi''s head happily. She then looked up and saw Summer standing next to Koi with a beaming face. "Ahh .. my little girl also woke up early. What do you want for breakfast?"


    Summer hugged her mother, and Marie quickly carried her daughter and walked into the kitchen. Nicolae had appeared behind her wearing a robe too. He kissed their cheeks alternately and then moved ahead of them to the kitchen.


    "Let me cook breakfast. You two just sit nicely, okay .." he said cheerfully.


    Summer and Marie exchanged glances and chuckled. Both were very happy to be spoiled by this man. They happily followed Nicolae and took a chair by the tall kitchen counter so they could watch him prepare breakfast.


    Nicolae made pancakes and various fruit slices, as well as boiled eggs and grilled bacon for them. Not long after, the three had sat down to enjoy breakfast with fresh milk for Summer and a cup of coffee each for her parents.


    "Summer ... we will go to Italy in the afternoon. You will love to see the big castle perched on the hilltop. That''s where my family lives. There are lots of cute little animals that you can play with," Nicolae said happily.


    Summer widened her eyes enthusiastically. "Are there rabbits there too, Daddy?"


    "Yes, there are. We have rabbits, squirrels, foxes, lots of butterflies ... and we can also fish in the lake behind the castle."


    Even Marie seemed excited to hear from Nicolae how beautiful the Medici family castle was. During this time, she had never imagined that she would be able to enter a noble family castle, let alone marry someone who lived there.


    Since both of them were very excited to immediately see the castle told by Nicolae, Summer and Marie hurriedly finished their breakfast and got ready to take a shower and pack up.


    Nicolae was very pleased to see both of them looking excited to go to Grosetto. He then remembered that Marie did not bring a lot of clothes, only essential items from her apartment. Therefore, when Marie took a bath with Summer, the man decided to buy some stuff and clothes for them from the marketplace.


    Seeing that his taste in clothes and Marie''s taste were quite similar, he felt confident choosing clothes to buy for her.


    After choosing the express delivery option and paying for his order, he then decided to check Darknet and see the development of the situation there.


    He wanted to see if anyone had succeeded in finding the bad guys who had targeted Marie for him. He was ready to pay up to 20 million dollars to teach that person a lesson.


    No one can harm Marie, or Goose, as long as Nicolae is alive, he was determined.


    Nicolae casually opened the forum and looked at the announcement after announcement. Shortly afterward, his eyes fell on an important announcement, which drew a lot of comments.


    There was a picture of him and Marie in front of the girl''s apartment building when they were about to get into his car yesterday, heading to the Nobel Hotel.


    What is this? Nicolae was very surprised to see the announcement. His and Marie''s faces were clearly displayed on Darknet, and now everyone in their community knew what their faces and appearance looked like.


    This is very bad!


    He traced the poster of the pictures and read the active comments below the post. Many people didn''t believe that Wolf and Goose were the two people in the photo because they were too good-looking.


    Apparently, in their minds, they had planted the thought that Goose was a male hacker, and Wolf was a much older guy. This was due to the fact that Wolf began to exist in Darknet around 20 years ago.


    [There is no way Wolf still looking this young. Indeed, many genius hackers started working in their teens. But, even if he is now in his 40s, he can''t possibly still look young like this.]


    [You read the contest that Wolf posted yesterday, right? He announced that he would pay double to anyone who managed to find the person who was after Goose. This shows that Wolf and Goose do have a special relationship.]


    [Wow... Is that true that Goose is actually this stunning girl?? I''ve been a fan for a long time ... But I didn''t expect her to be like a goddess]


    [Wow ... awesome. Both of them looked so good together. A couple of very handsome guy and extraordinarily beautiful girl - genius hackers!]


    There were more praises and positive comments compared to negative ones in the post. However, Nicolae still did not like his face to be plastered everywhere. He had worked hard to protect his privacy all this time, and so had Marie.


    Hmmm ... his mind immediately went to Larkin whom they met at Marie''s apartment yesterday when he and Marie went there to get Marie and Summer''s belongings. Larkin knew about Marie''s identity as Goose.


    Clearly, Larkin could conclude that Nicolae was the Wolf from the contest he announced yesterday. Now, Larkin deliberately revealed their identities.


    "Damn it," murmured Nicolae, feeling really annoyed.


    He thought for a moment about what he had to do. When a photo had spread across the internet, he would not be able to delete it completely. He could prevent the picture from being posted on Splitz, but if people had downloaded it and saved it on a personal device, then he would not be able to delete the picture one by one.


    He must think of ways to mitigate its impact. After all, he had met many people all his life. Maybe some of them would be able to recognize him in the photo and connect it with the Nicolae they know.


    What if his students recognize him in the photo? What about the teachers and parents at George Washington High School where the twins studied? His college friends were in Singapore? And so many other people!


    He must also think of Marie and her safety if her clients and enemies knew her identity.


    Nicolae decided to seek his brother''s advice on this matter, but since it was still 3 am in New York, he was forced to postpone it. Feeling uneasy, he finally showered and changed clothes.


    Marie was waiting for him with Summer in the living room. She looked up with a worried face when Nicolae came out of the room. Nicolae could immediately guess that Marie had also seen the announcement on Darknet and felt worried about their safety.


    He hurried over to the girl and smiled soothingly. "Have you seen today''s announcement?"


    Marie nodded. "I have. This must be Larkin''s doing. I didn''t expect he would do something this low."


    "Hmmm ... he certainly doesn''t like the fact that I came back and snatched you from his hands. That''s why he wants to cause me trouble," commented Nicolae.


    "Ugh ... you are not snatching me from anyone. Nobody owns me," Marie snarled.


    "I know, Honey ... but he doesn''t think like that," Nicolae approached Marie and hugged her, to calm the girl. "Leave everything to me. You don''t need to worry."

 Chapter 909 - Nic, Be Careful

    Marie was actually still worried, but seeing the look in Nicolae''s calm and earnest eyes, the girl''s heart began to calm down.


    It was really a relief, she didn''t have to always think about how she should hide and face her problems alone.


    It was true that Nicolae''s presence beside her gave Marie peace and security.


    She finally nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright. I believe in you."


    "Good. You wait here. I''ve ordered clothes and various stuff for you and Summer. I want to meet someone first before he leaves for Bordeaux," Nicolae said.


    While waiting for daybreak in America, and he could talk to Alaric, Nicolae decided to meet with Mischa. Since Mischa could easily contact people from the underworld in France, maybe the man could advise Nicolae how he should deal with Larkin.


    "Who do you want to meet?" Marie became anxious again. If Nicolae didn''t want to talk to that person in front of her, it might be because Nicolae didn''t want Marie to hear scary things. Therefore she tried to convince Nicolae to involve her. "You can talk to him in front of me. I don''t mind."


    Nicolae shook his head. "It''s not like that. I don''t feel comfortable asking him to come here because I''ve bothered him twice. I''d better go and see him myself. If you come with me, who will watch over Summer then? I don''t want to take the risk."


    Marie finally nodded in understanding. "Okay."


    "Thank you," Nicolae squeezed her hand gently and took his cellphone to call Mischa.


    "Hi," said Mischa, on the other end of the phone in a hoarse voice.


    The man sounded unwell, which made Nicolae feel worried. Isn''t Mischa an alchemist? Why did he fall ill? Was he really heartbroken so badly that his body condition was affected?


    This thought made Nicolae feel sorry for the man. He felt uncomfortable bothering Mischa at his present condition.


    "Are you all right? I don''t want to bother you," Nicolae said.


    "It''s okay. Sir Alaric has asked me to go to Bordeaux to watch Altair and Vega. I think I really need a new atmosphere," Mischa answered.


    "Oh ... when are you leaving?" Nicolae asked.


    "I will leave after lunch," Mischa said. "Can I help you? Do you want me to go to the penthouse?"


    "I don''t want to bother you. I''ll go to you. Where do you stay?" Nicolae asked hurriedly.


    "Suite 3010," Mischa answered.


    "Fine. I''ll be there soon," Nicolae said. He said goodbye to Marie and Summer then immediately left the penthouse to meet Mischa. He wanted to know the details about Larkin and how he could deal with him.


    Mischa invited Nicolae in and offered him tea. Nicolae refused because he didn''t want to eat nor drink anything. He then briefly told Mischa what had happened.


    The handsome man frowned and narrowed his eyes when he heard Nicolae''s explanation. He opened his tablet and observed the post Nicolae referred to.


    "Larkin?" He asked Nicolae to be sure. Nicolae nodded. Mischa then picked up his phone to call someone. His face looked calm when he asked for information from his contact. "Steph, I need information about a person named Larkin. He heads a mafia group in Paris. I''ve never heard his name before. Is the guy new?"


    He listened to Steph''s explanation from the telephone with an unchanging expression. Five minutes later, he hung up and spoke to Nicolae.


    "He''s new here," Mischa said later. "His father is the head of an underground organization that works a lot with politicians. He died five years ago, and Larkin succeeded him. Previously Larkin lived in America."


    "Do you know where their base is?" Nicolae asked. "I can''t let him bother my wife and child without getting punished."


    Mischa smiled at that. "You don''t need to worry about that. I still have a little influence on the European underworld. I can visit him briefly before I go to Bordeaux."


    Nicolae looked stunned at Mischa''s words. He did not want to bother the man at all, especially in his present condition, which was not okay. However, now Mischa offered that himself.


    "I really don''t want to bother you," Nicolae said, trying to refuse Mischa''s help. But the man just shrugged.


    "I need to find something to cheer myself up," Mischa said in a serious tone. "I guess, well... actually I just need an excuse to beat up people. This week is pretty hard for me."


    "Uhm ... wait a minute," Nicolae didn''t want to let Mischa take care of the problem while he went to Italy. At least he wanted to be there and teach Larkin a lesson. "I don''t want to bother you too much by going to him. I will make that person come here. Then we can both kick his a.s.s. What do you think?"


    Mischa smiled at that. "That''s fine too."


    Nicolae discussed his plans a little and then excused himself to go back to the penthouse to lure Larkin to the Nobel Hotel.


    "Honey, do you have Larkin''s contact?" Nicolae asked Marie when he arrived at the penthouse. "I want you to contact him and ask him to come here."


    "What for?" Marie asked with a worried expression. She did not understand why Nicolae was telling her to contact Larkin. Wasn''t Larkin openly looking for trouble by exposing their identities? Why did Nicolae now want to deal with him? "He is a mobster, Nic. He is very powerful here in France. He will definitely bring his men with him. I don''t want anything to happen to you."


    "Let him bring his men. I will talk to him so that this problem is immediately resolved. I do not want you to think that you have to run away every time there is a problem. This is a problem that we have to face openly and solve it together," Nicolae said firmly.


    "You''re not mafia, and you don''t have that type of connection ..." Marie said again. "These people can''t be bought with money. I know your family is rich ... but you won''t be able to buy them. In fact, if they find out who you really are ... they can capture you and ask your family for a ransom."


    "Honey, you forgot that my brother is Alaric Rhionen, and one of his most formidable killers happens to be in Paris right now. Mischa is still very influential in the underworld, and he needs an excuse to beat up people," Nicolae said with a smile. "And I''m not so bad myself either. I fought two assassins from Rhionen Assassins and won."


    Marie was shocked to hear Nicolae''s words. She looked at the man with furrowed brows.


    Nicolae can fight? He didn''t look like a fighter at all. His body was tall, but his movements were relaxed. His carefree attitude made Marie never expect that Nicolae could fight and even be tough enough to face two assassins from Rhionen Assassins.


    "But I''m very worried," said the girl.


    "You don''t have to come, just stay here and watch us from afar. Let me and Mischa take care of them." Nicolae looked at Marie and repeated his request. "Now, please contact Larkin and tell him to come to see you at the top of the Nobel Hotel building. Later from there, I''ll take care of the rest."


    Marie finally nodded and did Nicolae''s request. She typed something on her cellphone and sent a message to Larkin.


    [Help me. Meet me Nobel Hotel, at the top of the building. Come ASAP]


    "Very nice." Nicolae patted Marie''s shoulder and then reached out his hand and asked for the cellphone. "I''ll buy you a new one later. We have to get rid of this cellphone and all the contacts in it."


    Marie just stared at Nicolae, who looked so confident and she reassured herself that everything would be fine. When she saw how Nicolae seem so calm, Marie''s heart also became calm.


    "I''ll go first. You can watch us from the camera on the top of the building, okay," Nicolae said while saying goodbye to Marie. The girl nodded and immediately opened her laptop.


    She hacked the hotel security system and immediately gained access to all hotel cameras that could provide her views to all areas in the building. She had quickly seen Larkin''s figure walking across the lobby to the elevator. The man was walking arrogantly like he owned the building, followed by five men.


    "Nic ... be careful," the girl whispered.

 Chapter 910 - Commotion On The Rooftop

    [I''m waiting at the building rooftop]


    Nicolae sent an SMS to Larkin so that the man would meet him in a place that was big enough but still remained private.


    From the 40th floor, people could directly go up to the roof. There was a helipad and a small garden there. Nicolae asked Marie to remain in the penthouse and not show herself even though she felt worried.


    "Mischa, they are coming. I''m waiting for them at the rooftop," Nicolae said as he stepped into the elevator.


    "I''ll be there soon," Mischa replied. He then took two of his favorite pistols and inserted them behind his belt. He got out of his suit and immediately walked to the elevator.


    When the elevator door opened, two beautiful girls stared at him with admiration. Both of them then whispered while glancing at him.


    Subconsciously, they tidied their hair and clothes, hoping that the man in black would notice them.


    Unfortunately, Mischa paid them no heed. He got into the elevator and pressed the 40th-floor button. While waiting for the elevator to go to the floor he wanted, the man rolled up his sleeves and stood upright like a statue.


    There was a melancholy in his figure that fascinated the two girls even more. In their hearts, they hoped that the elevator would move very slowly or that time would stop so they could linger and enjoyed the beautiful sight in front of them longer.


    Unfortunately, the elevator soon arrived on the 35th floor, their destination. The two girls reluctantly stepped out. When one looked back to see the handsome man again before the elevator door closed, she gasped and almost stumbled.


    "What happened?" asked her friend, worriedly.


    The other girl had just seen Mischa draw a gun from under his suit and looked up with a ruthless expression.


    "That man... he--he had a gun," the girl whispered in terror. Her face immediately went pale and cold sweat trickled down her temples. She had never been this close to someone carrying a weapon before, so today''s experience shocked her to the core.


    "That person wants to go to the 40th floor ..." said her friend anxiously. "Shouldn''t we report it to hotel security?"


    "We should. So they can get ready when the shooting starts."


    Both of them returned to the elevator and waited for the elevator to open and immediately descended into the lobby. Hurriedly, they ran to the receptionist and reported that they saw an armed man ascending to the 40th floor.


    Marion, who had just arrived from the outside, listened to the two girls because she had very sharp ears. Her forehead frowned and she immediately called Nicolae.


    "Hey ... I heard that some armed men are heading to the 40th floor. Are you in danger?" she asked. Nicolae told her briefly about Larkin and asked Marion not to worry.


    "Hmm ... Mischa is with you, so of course, I''m not worried. But I''m afraid this hotel''s reputation will be affected." She thought quickly and then walked towards the receptionist. "Hey, let me take care of this."


    "Please send someone to check," one of the girls told the receptionist with an anxious expression.


    "Ahem ... excuse me, Ladies." Marion approached them and smiled kindly. She signaled to the receptionist to let her handle this problem. They knew her as a relative of the hotel owner and smiled back, letting Marion take over.


    "Who are you?" asked one of the girls in astonishment.


    "Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Marion Van Sant, I''m the head of security at this hotel. The man you saw is my man. He is going to check the situation on the rooftop. You don''t need to worry," Marion said with a happy face and half laughing. Her attitude was so relaxed that the two girls looked at each other.


    Ahh .. apparently they were mistaken. Actually, one of them felt suspicious because Marion claimed to be the head of hotel security, even though she was a woman and very beautiful. Could this woman really be the head of security?


    Marion noticed they were a little doubtful, then gave a signal that they should follow her. After they were in a rather quiet place near the elevator, she pulled out a gun from her handbag and showed it to them.


    "Now, do you believe my words?" She laughed again. "What you saw in the elevator was my most inexperienced man, his name is Mischa. He often forgets about his surroundings and not care about guests when he is too serious. I will make sure to reprimand him for scaring the guests. We always patrol to ensure the safety and security of all our hotel guests. He was just doing a routine check."


    Only then did the two girls nod their heads in understanding, and a look of relief began to appear on their faces. Thank God ... Nothing bad is happening in this hotel. It was just a regular security check.


    After making sure the two girls didn''t prolong the issue, Marion immediately walked to the elevator. After pressing the 40th-floor button, she called Nicolae again.


    But this time her call was not picked up. Marion looked at her cellphone with a frown.


    "Hmm ... has it started there?" she muttered.


    She then kept her cellphone and waited for the elevator to take her to the 40th floor.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Marie was shocked when she heard a knock on the door. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Marion''s voice from outside. She hurriedly put down her tablet and opened the door for Marion.


    "I want to check your situation," Marion said. "Are you all right?"


    "We are okay. Nic went to the roof, waiting for Larkin. There is another man with him," Marie said, pointing to several camera screens on her tablet. Marion examined Marie''s tablet and nodded.


    "Oh, good. They''re just starting. I''ll catch up with them." She walked to the terrace of the penthouse and stared at the roof visible on her right. She immediately took out a gun from her bag and threw the bag on the sofa. Before climbing nimbly onto the roof, she gave a sign to keep Marie in place. "Don''t worry, we''ll be fine."


    In a short time, the girl had disappeared from the wall and was not seen again. Marie hurriedly took her tablet and watched what was happening on the roof.


    ***


    "Where''s Marielle? What did you do to her?" Larkin asked arrogantly, staring at Nicolae, who was standing casually leaning against the wall. His long hair was tied neatly with a red ribbon as usual. His overly relaxed attitude made Larkin a little upset. "Why are you keeping her cellphone?"


    There were five dangerous-looking men behind Larkin. Everyone stood with their arms crossed on their c.h.e.s.ts. They all looked at Nicolae with a mocking smile. Apparently, this man is courting death, they thought. Only suicidal people looking for trouble with their boss.


    "Larkin, I want to meet you properly and talk like a man," Nicolae said calmly. "I want you to stop bothering Marielle. If you want to go to her, you have to get past me first. I know you posted our identities in Darknet."


    Larkin only snorted and laughed contemptuously at Nicolae''s words. "So? I wanted to protect Marielle and keep her secret. But she didn''t know how to be grateful and instead went with you. I won''t be too kind to her from now on."


    "She told you her secret because she thought you could help her find Summer, and that obviously didn''t work. That means she doesn''t owe you anything. You have no right to disclose her secrets to anyone," Nicolae still tried to remain calm. "I heard that you are a friend of Sanna''s husband. That''s why I''m just giving you a warning. For now on, if you try to do anything else to bother Marie ... I won''t let you off so easily."


    "Ha. Who do you think you are?" Larkin asked with a sneer. "I won''t let you take Marielle away. You left her for years. You have no right to come back and pretend like nothing happened. I''ve been patient enough all this time ... I was waiting for her to accept me. I won''t let her go to a lowly man like you!"


    "Ah ... Uncle, you''re too patient with this crooks," commented Mischa, who suddenly appeared from behind the door.


    Everyone on the roof turned toward the origin of the sound, except Nicolae. When they saw a handsome man coming in with an upset face, five of Larkin''s men immediately pulled out their guns.

 Chapter 911 - Three Scary People

    Larkin''s men were not at all afraid of Nicolae and Mischa. They actually felt pity since these two handsome men did not seem to know how dangerous their boss and their mafia group were.


    Apart from five of his men who followed Larkin to the roof, there were still a dozen more who were waiting for him down below and were ready to go up if needed. They thought that to face these two people alone, they would not need help.


    "You''re too patient, Uncle," Mischa said again.


    He walked over to Nicolae and pulled a gun from under his suit. Larkin''s men scoffed. To them, Mischa did not look scary at all. In fact, he was extremely handsome with his blond hair and dreamy eyes. He actually reminded them of one of those pretty boys in the magazine.


    However, this pretty boy was holding a large pistol in his right hand and wore a mocking expression on his face. The mafia members in front began to look at each other and try to guess whether this man was indeed weak or actually had to be taken into account.


    He looked too confident, they thought.


    "Who are you?" Larkin asked, crossing his arms on his c.h.e.s.t. He thought he had seen Mischa''s face somewhere, but he could not remember where exactly. "Don''t interfere in other people''s business, so you won''t become collateral."


    Mischa did not answer. Suddenly, he jumped forward, stepped on the wall, and ambushed Larkin while firing his gun twice. The two men behind Larkin had no time to escape and were sprawled on the floor with injured hands.


    Mischa was still kind enough not to kill them right away. Larkin, who was shocked, was still able to move reflexively to avoid Mischa. Still, his opponent accurately guessed the direction of his body''s movements.


    Mischa immediately struck with his left elbow. He finished the job with one swift kick against Larkin''s c.h.e.s.t until the man slammed down to the floor violently.


    Larkin immediately got up and threw a punch at Mischa, but the blonde man casually held his punch with his right palm. He quickly slipped his gun back to his waist, and he countered Larkin''s attacks with his b.a.r.e hands.


    POW!


    BAM


    THUD!


    The two men were soon got into a fistfight. Larkin''s men were left confused. They wanted to help their boss but are afraid that if they shot, Larkin would be hit by their bullets.


    Eventually, they could only watch nervously. After a few minutes of close combat, finally, Mischa seemed to be getting bored. With one last move, he punched Larkin''s stomach, and before the man fell to the floor, Mischa grabbed Larkin''s neck with his left hand.


    "I am warning you ... Next time I will not be this generous," he hissed, staring into Larkin''s eyes with his burning gaze. "Goose and Wolf are my family. If you messed around again... don''t let my appearance fool you. I''m Mischa Rhionen and will go after you to the end the world. You don''t want me as your enemy."


    Instantly Larkin''s eyes went so round. He just remembered where he had seen Mischa before. He saw this man several times on TV as a businessman, one of the leaders of RMI.


    "You ... you?" He looked at Mischa in amazement. "No way. Mischa Rhionen is old. Don''t you dare lie and claim to be someone you''re not!"


    Larkin''s confusion was understandable. Few people who had met Mischa in the past knew that he should have been 43 years old. However, the guy''s appearance in front of him now still looked quite young.


    Moreover, harsh life as a hitman should have turned him into a rugged man, but instead, Mischa looked so neat and charming. Larkin thought Mischa just wanted to scare him by pretending to be some legendary assassin.


    "My age is none of your business," Mischa snorted. "But if you''re still looking for trouble ... then don''t expect me to forgive you next time."


    Mischa let go of his grip from Larkin''s neck and dropped his body to the ground. He then walked over to Nicolae, who had been watching him, still leaning against the wall.


    Larkin''s three uninjured subordinates immediately helped their boss, who was groaning while holding his painful neck.


    "I have troubled you again," Nicolae said. "Thanks."


    "It''s okay. Now, when you give them advice, they should be able to listen better," Mischa commented.


    He wiped his hands as if cleaning dirt and then took off his suit. After he dr.a.p.ed his suit on his shoulders, he rolled up his shirt sleeves. The man looked like a model in a men''s magazine showing off the latest suit, not someone who had just been fighting.


    Even Larkin''s men looked amazed to see him. They helped their boss to stand up and confront Nicolae, who was walking toward them.


    "Larkin ... this is the last warning. I don''t like your cowardly actions like this. I still consider that you have a relationship with Sanna through her husband. I will not prolong this problem. But, if you ever do this again, I will not hesitate to destroy you. Sanna will know what kind of person her husband is friends with. "


    Larkin looked at Nicolae with an angry expression. He pushed away his men, who supported him because he wanted to beat up Nicolae. Apparently, he was not satisfied before he could vent his anger.


    "Why are you standing like fools? Let''s beat him!!" he grumbled. He admitted defeat to the man who just beat him up, but all of his men could gang up on Wolf, right? This man was just a hacker, he was not a fighter ...


    Nicolae only sighed when he saw the three burly men charging toward him. He avoided the first person''s blow by bowing his body at the right time and then turned around with a sharp jab to the second person''s face on his right and was followed by a punch to the person to his left.


    His movements were swift. Each blow was filled with enormous force, and within one minute, his three opponents had been lying on the floor, curling in pain.


    Larkin couldn''t believe his eyes at all. Was this really happening? Six tough men from the mafia group that was quite respected in France lost to only two regular men???


    His anger surged, and he finally drew a gun from one of his men''s waist and immediately pointed it at Nicolae. He didn''t care anymore if he had to kill someone today.


    BANG!


    Larkin''s face looked pale, and his eyes went round when he saw his hands covered in blood, and the gun slipped from his grasp. He immediately looked to his left and saw a beautiful woman perched on the wall while crossing her legs elegantly. Her hand holding a small gun aimed at him.


    Marion appeared suddenly out of nowhere, and she shot Larkin''s hand before he could pull the trigger to shoot Nicolae.


    "I don''t want to ruin the hotel''s reputation by leaving dead bodies here. So, I hope you will leave before I make you unable to walk," Marion snorted, turning the gun in her hand.


    Everyone looked at the girl with a surprised expression. Nicolae nodded towards Marion gratefully.


    Marion jumped down from the wall and walked over to Larkin and kicked the gun that had fallen on the floor. She knelt and pulled the man''s head and forced his mouth open.


    "Ahh .. hmmph ..." Larkin was about to resist and got away from her grip, but Marion was stronger than him. The girl easily locked his shoulders and forced him to swallow a pill.


    "If you don''t want your p.e.n.i.s to die on you, you must look for me in one week. I''ll give you the antidote after you make up for all your mistakes to my friend," Marion said, smiling slyly. "You can see for yourself whether I lie or not. Starting tonight, your little friend will not be able to go erect."


    After that, she got up and kicked Larkin once. The man growled in pain and curled up on the floor.


    "Gosh .. Boss!"


    "Crazy! Who are these people...?"


    "They are all so scary..."


    Larkin''s men exchanged glances, and they soon realized they could not win against these three scary people.


    They immediately took their boss and their two friends who were injured by Mischa''s shots earlier. Everyone hurried out through the door to go down to the lobby.


    "Wow ..." Nicolae just chuckled, seeing Marion''s presence. "Do you still carry poison with you everywhere?"


    Marion just shrugged. "I always carry that pill with me. It''s always effective to teach men a lesson. No man dares to risk losing their manhood for life."


    "Uhmm ... thank you, Marion," Nicolae said with a smile. He then turned to Mischa. "I have troubled you guys today."


    "It''s okay," Marion answered casually. Mischa also nodded.

 Chapter 912 - Vega Is Worried

    "Then, are you not worried that he will seek revenge by looking for you later?" Nicolae asked again. "I don''t want you to be bothered in any way. You have to keep an eye on JM."


    "It''s okay, I just need to call Petra to help me. He lives in Paris," Marion replied with a laugh. She then moved to look for a camera on the rooftop. After she found it she immediately mouthed something to the camera.


    ''Marie, it''s over now. You don''t need to worry.'' Marion winked at the camera and then walked toward the door to get down from the roof.


    Nic realized that Marie was still watching them through the camera on the rooftop. He waved at the camera and blew a kiss. Mischa just rolled his eyes at Nicolae''s actions. He walked after Nicolae and Marion, who had gone down toward the elevator with their hands in their pockets.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Marie, who heard the door to the penthouse was knocked, immediately opened the door. When she saw Nicolae standing in the doorway, the girl rushed up and jumped into his arms. Nicolae quickly caught Marie and laughed. He was pleased to see Marie''s enthusiasm.


    "Hey, I told you I would be okay, didn''t I?" Nicolae said with a chuckle. He stroked Marie''s hair and slowly lowered her body. "Oh, by the way ... this is Mischa. You''ve met Marion."


    Marie hurriedly reached out her hand and shook Mischa''s hand. "Thank you for your help. Sorry for the trouble."


    "Not at all, I happen to be free," said Mischa, nodding.


    Marie then hugged Marion enthusiastically. "Ahh ... Marion, you''re amazing! I''m impressed by you. What did you give Larkin?"


    Marion just chuckled. "I gave him a poison that would kill his p.e.n.i.s. After he makes up for what he had done to you, I will give him the antidote."


    "Oh .. did you force him to remove the post this morning?" Marie asked. "Will he do it?"


    Marion glanced at the two men nearby while answering. "I don''t know ... what do you think? Are there any men willing to lose their manhood for petty stuff?"


    They all knew the answer.


    "Ahh .. I understand," Marie nodded. "Then, we''ll wait how Larkin will correct his mistake earlier. Actually, I can still deny that the person in the photo is Goose. Besides, I''m not using my real identity now. I can easily create a new identity. But I don''t know about Nic."


    Nicolae shrugged. "I can deny it too. But I want to see that Larkin really wants to make amends."


    "Uhm ... okay. Can we not discuss him again? I really don''t want to think about that person. I''ll talk to Sanna after we arrive in Italy so that she can talk to Julian," Marie finally said.


    "We can immediately get ready. Our plane will leave at 3 pm to Rome," Nicolae said.


    "I''m leaving soon. See you later," he said.


    "Me too. JM will be back soon from the photoshoot. I still have to prepare study materials for her. You know, homeschooling is not easy ... hahaha," Marion said.


    "Thank you very much. I''ll send you both the wedding invitation later," Nicolae nodded and let the two guests leave.


    After closing the door, he took Marie''s waist and invited her to pack. He usually only carried a small backpack for traveling. However, because this time he would bring Marie and Summer, he had bought a small suitcase to contain the girls'' stuff. The suitcase would arrive together with clothes and more items for the two girls that he had ordered.


    At 12, the shipment finally arrived. He quickly packed his few belongings into the suitcase, while Marie examined the clothes that Nicolae had bought her this morning.


    "Gosh ... you know me so well," the girl murmured in an awed voice. "I really like all the clothes you chose for me."


    Nicolae just smiled at Marie''s words. He knew Marie would like his choices because he felt they had the same tastes in clothing.


    "I''m glad you like it," the young man answered. "Well, I''m done packing all of my things. There are only a few. Please put everything you want to carry in the suitcase, and I''ll carry the bag later."


    Marie looked at Nicolae''s few items in the suitcase and clicked her tongue. "You''re very practical. I thought I was the most practical person in the world, but you have even fewer things than me."


    Nicolae smiled and shook his head. "You should have seen my father. When we traveled, he never brought anything with him. He only travels with the shirt on his back. He prefers to buy clothes at his destination."


    "Wahhh ... I think you and your father are so alike," Marie commented.


    "You will like my father, he is very impressive," Nicolae replied proudly. He loved his father very much and clearly really admired the man.


    They got ready, and after lunch, they decided to go to the airport.


    ***


    Vega frowned. She did not understand why Daddy Nic had not given any news. Wasn''t he supposed to arrive in Bordeaux yesterday afternoon? Vega thought Nicolae had arrived in the city and would contact them in the morning, but he did not give word even until lunchtime.


    When Vega tried to contact his number, Nicolae''s cellphone was off. She became worried that something bad had happened with Nicolae. She finally decided to contact her father to find out what had happened.


    "Hello, Honey," Alaric''s warm voice was heard on the other end of the phone. "How is Bordeaux? Do you learn anything there?"


    "We''re staying at a chateau, Father. It''s fascinating here," Vega said excitedly. "The place is beautiful, and we took a walk to the vineyard."


    "Wow ... that seems fun. So you learn about wineries and vineyard?" Alaric asked again.


    "Yes, the city is also quite interesting," Vega said again. "Tomorrow, we will go to the cheese factory. There is so much to learn. The people here all think I''m from Paris because I speak perfect French."


    "Ahaha ... you really have a gift for languages," Alaric commented. His tone sounded proud of his daughter.


    "Father ... do you know what happened to Daddy Nic? He hasn''t contacted us. He was supposed to arrive in Bordeaux yesterday afternoon," Vega asked her father. "I''m afraid something happened to him."


    "Hmmm ... maybe Nicolae is busy. Something really big happened in Paris yesterday," Alaric said.


    He decided to let Nicolae tell Altair and Vega about what happened. He intentionally held back from sharing about Marie and Summer to Vega. He did not want to ruin Nicolae''s surprise. Let Nic share it ...

 Chapter 913 - Visiting Medici Castle

    "Oh really? What big thing? Did something bad happen?" Vega asked in a worried voice. "Why won''t you tell me what happened to Daddy Nic???"


    "Ahem ... no, nothing bad at all. Maybe Nic is very busy, so he didn''t have the chance to give news. Just know that I am sending someone to watch over you. Later, when you meet him, you have to be polite to him," Alaric said again. "You don''t need to worry about Daddy Nic. He''s fine."


    "If he''s fine, why can''t I call him? What happened exactly?" Vega still insisted.


    "Maybe they were on a plane. Yesterday I heard Nicolae would go to Grosetto. Your grandfather will also go there," Alaric answered. "Just wait until he lands. Later this afternoon, Nic will contact you."


    Alaric''s words only made Vega even more curious. She did not expect Nicolae had left for Grosetto. Why did he go there all of a sudden?


    Isn''t Daddy Nic supposed to be watching over them until their last day in France? What could be more important to him than Altair and Vega, his two favorite children?


    Ugh ...


    Vega''s hunch suddenly told her that Nicolae met a woman, and she was the reason why he left Paris.


    Is Daddy Nic dating again and, this time, he found a woman who could make him fall in love?


    Vega suddenly felt her c.h.e.s.t filled with jealousy. How could Nicolae just forget about them after meeting a new woman? Vega and Altair always supported Daddy Nic to fall in love again and find a woman to anchor his heart.


    If it''s true that Papa Nic found a new woman and now he no longer cared about the twins ... Vega really felt disappointed.


    The girl slammed her cellphone down and stomped in contempt.


    Actually, this morning after breakfast Nicolae had intended to contact Altair and Vega to update them on his situation. However, the incident with Larkin diverted his attention. He only remembered to contact Vega after he was flying.


    "Ah ... I''ll call them after I land in Rome," he thought.


    ***


    Marie had never been on a first-class flight before, so the flight to Rome in the first-class cabin fascinated her. Even though the girl had a lot of money she earned from her work as a famous hacker, she had never been on a flight other than on business-class, because she didn''t want to attract unnecessary attention.


    "I also never take the first class when flying alone," Nicolae said with a smile. "But since I am bringing you and Summer, of course, I have to make sure you''re both comfortable."


    Nicolae had not told Marie that he had thought about buying a private plane like his brother because he wanted to travel with his wife and children more comfortably in the future. He never cared about such things before. For a simple guy like Nicolae, luxury was not something that interested him.


    Maybe this is how it felt to have a family, he thought. Now, he didn''t think about himself, he only wanted to give them the best things the world has to offer.


    Come to think of it, he didn''t even behave like this when he was still with Aleksis and her children. Did he really love Marie and Summer, his own flesh and blood, more than he loved Aleksis and the twins?


    Or, was it because humans just change their lifestyle over time? What was clear was that Nicolae wanted to be very protective of the two girls, Marie and Summer. He did not want to take the slightest risk with their safety.


    He had a feeling that he was more possessive and overprotective toward them because he was separated from them for six years. Nicolae was really scared that something would happen to them and he would lose Marie and Summer again


    That would be a blow that he would never recover from.


    Marie said no more. She believed in Nicolae''s words that he used to live a simple life. She still remembered how Nicolae and his children were in Singapore. She also saw Nicolae''s style was very similar to hers, casual and simple. There were just so many things they had in common.


    She only sighed in surprise when they landed in Rome. As it turned out, Nicolae had booked a private helicopter to take them directly to Medici Castle in Grosetto.


    "Gosh ... is this real?" Marie asked him with rounded eyes.


    "I don''t want to waste time on the road," Nicolae answered with a shrug. "It''s already late. When we drive, we will arrive home late at night. I want to show you the sunset from my favorite place in Grosetto."


    Marie could only nod. She could only ask herself about what other surprises Nicolae might still have in store for her. Since they met yesterday, until now, she was constantly amazed by this man.


    The trip to Grosetto was short and at 7 pm they had landed on the helipad in front of the magnificent castle. When Marie and Summer got out of the helicopter, they looked dumbfounded as they stare at the beautiful building in front of them with wide eyes.


    "Jeez ... how old is this building?" Marie asked, turning her head to Nicolae. "The model is very old, but still very well maintained."


    "Oh, this was built in the 1400s. The model is indeed old-fashioned, but various renovations have been carried out since centuries ago, until now. All modern conveniences have been built in. Heating in winter, temperature control, electricity, and modern plumbing... ahahaha ... don''t worry," Nicolae answered with a laugh. He carried Summer and took Marie''s hand to come inside.


    "Uhm ... you better not carry Summer too often," Marie said. "She a big girl now. If you carry her everywhere, she will become a spoiled brat."


    "Eh ...?" Nicolae looked at Summer and Marie in turn. "I don''t mind. I never held Summer for the first six years of her life. So I will carry and pamper her as long as she wants. Summer, do you want Daddy to carry you or do you prefer walking?"


    Summer did not answer, just wrapped her hands on her father''s neck, and leaned her head against Nicolae''s shoulder. Marie just rolled her eyes and clicked.


    She should have known that Nicolae would be a doting father for Summer, who pampered his daughter to no end. She had already seen how Nicolae really spoiled Altair and Vega, even though they were not his biological children.

 Chapter 914 - Now His Life Feels Complete

    "Welcome, Sir." Luca welcomed them at the door and bowed. He looked surprised to see his young master coming with a woman and daughter he did not know. However, as a trained butler, he kept his cool and smiled warmly toward his young master and his guests.


    "Luca, please meet my wife Marie, and my daughter Summer. We will stay here for a few weeks. My father is also heading here," Nicolae immediately introduced Marie and Summer his family trusted chief of staff.


    Luca''s face was suddenly filled with joy. He smiled broadly and shook Marie''s hand vigorously. He liked his two masters and had felt sad for them because they lost the women they loved. He wished that someday he could see them find new loves and be happy.


    Now, finally, the young master had found the love of his life.


    "Ohh... I''m so glad to hear that, Sir. Welcome to Medici Castle, Madame. My name is Luca. My family has worked for the Medici family for generations."


    "Why.. thank you, nice to meet you, Luca," Marie said kindly.


    "Come on, let''s go into my room first," Nicolae said. "We can change clothes, and I will take you to see the sunset from the west tower. It has the best view."


    Marie followed Nicolae as he walked through the hall, hallway, garden, and various rooms in the huge castle before finally arriving at one of the towers, surrounded by a lush garden. Nicolae brought her into his ''room'' which turned out to be so spacious and luxurious like a luxury suite in a five-star hotel.


    Nicolae was right when he said that his room was also of a classic design, similar to the design of the rooms in the penthouse at the Nobel Hotel, only that the size was much bigger. The beautiful furniture seemed designed to be more minimalist.


    Marie really liked that room. The bed was huge and looked very comfortable. It was a classic four-poster bed with gold carvings. There were some antique paintings displayed on the walls. There was also an antique desk with very comfortable chairs and luxurious Victorian sofas.


    "This is ... beautiful," Marie said in a half-whisper.


    "Tonight, we will sleep with Summer here because she is still unfamiliar with a new place. But tomorrow, I will take her around this castle and give her own room, which fits for a princess, across our room," Nicolae said.


    Marie was blushing when she heard Nicolae mention ''our room''.


    Ah ... she was very happy and couldn''t wait to immediately formalize her marriage to Nicolae and become husband and wife again.


    They would live happily together and make up for their lost time.


    "Uhm .. okay. I will take a short rest with Summer before taking a bath and get ready to see the sunset with you," Marie said. She reached out to take Summer from Nicolae''s arms. "Didn''t you say you wanted to contact the twins? Altair and Vega must have been waiting to hear from you."


    "Oh .. that''s right. Thank you for reminding me." Nicoale kissed Marie''s lips and went to the terrace to call his two teenage children. In his heart, he felt happy because Marie seemed very concerned about his two godchildren.


    "Hey .. Vega ... This is Daddy. Sorry, I cannot go to Bordeaux to be with you two. Something big happened ... You won''t believe this," Nicolae said in an enthusiastic voice.


    "Oh my God ... Dad! You make me worry to death. Why didn''t you call earlier?" Vega scolded him on the phone.


    Her voice sounded annoyed but, at the same time, relieved. She was very happy because finally, Nicolae called her, but also annoyed because she suspected Nicolae really had forgotten her because he met a woman who was taking away all his attention.


    "I''m sorry, Honey... But something urgent happened. Uhm ... do you still remember Auntie Marie from Singapore?" Nicolae asked cautiously. He wanted to find out what Altair and Vega think about Marie, after all this time.


    "Uhm ... yes, still remember her," Vega said. "That sweet and beautiful Auntie Marie ..."


    Her voice turned sad. This made Nicolae breathe a sigh of relief. It looked like Altair and Vega still liked Marie and were sad to learn that the woman passed away. So, hopefully, they would be happy to hear that it turned out that Marie was still alive and even now had reunited with Daddy Nic!


    "Auntie Marie is still alive!" said Nicolae in a cheerful voice. "I met her yesterday ... Turns out she is Summer''s mother ... and Summer is... She is my daughter ..."


    Nicolae''s voice became very emotional as he said his last sentence. Vega, who was listening to his words, became stunned.


    Vega finally realized that all her life, she had never heard Nicolae''s voice sound so happy like this. She could imagine Nicolae''s expression in Grosetto, smiling happily while talking to her on the phone. Vega slowly smiled too.


    "I''m so glad to hear that," said the girl. She turned to Altair beside her and told him briefly about Nicolae''s situation


    "What?? Daddy met Auntie Marie??? And it turns out that the cute Summer Dad''s and Auntie Marie''s daughter???" Altair snatched Vega''s cellphone and talked to Nicolae to confirm it. "Jeez ... is this true?"


    Nicolae breathed a sigh of relief at hearing Altair''s enthusiastic words. He also had heard Vega''s voice that sounded happy when she heard the good news he delivered.


    Apparently, his worries were unreasonable. The two children still want him to be happy. When finally, Nicolae can be reunited with the woman he loved, who was also loved by the twins and even met his biological daughter, Altair and Vega were happy for him.


    "Yes, this is true. I am very happy and speechless ..." Nicolae felt emotional. He had a warm personality and always had a happy outlook in life, but since six years ago, he began to close down and rarely smiled.


    Now, he felt so easily touched, and today his cheeks hurt because he smiled so much. Really ... he realized that he had never been so happy in his life. He couldn''t wait to meet Altair and Vega to share all his happiness with them.


    Now his life felt complete.

 Chapter 915 - Vegas Mischief

    "I''m glad to hear that," Altair said enthusiastically. "Then, after we finish our study trip in France, we want to meet Auntie Marie and Summer."


    "Ah, yeah ... that''s right. We are now in Grosseto. We decided to have a wedding as soon as possible here. Do you want to go straight to Grosseto after you are done from France?" Nicolae asked. "I can discuss it with your father and mother."


    "Uhm, that is a good idea," said Altair. He then turned to Vega and asked for her opinion. "What do you think? I''d prefer to go straight to Grosetto from Paris than going home to New York first."


    Vega nodded. "I agree with you. We can go directly to Grosseto. But Daddy, you must contact Mr. Rhieu and inform him that we will go to Italy from Paris."


    "Don''t worry about that," Nicolae said. "Now, Mischa should have arrived in Bordeaux. He will be watching you both, and he could also take you to Grosetto with him. I will talk to your teacher, Pierre, and tell him about the change of plan."


    Vega''s ears suddenly perked up when she heard the name Mischa being mentioned.


    Ah ... Mischa was her father''s foster son, wasn''t he? The handsome man she met in the elevator last time? Wow ... Was the handsome guy in Bordeaux now?


    "All right, Dad. Then don''t worry about us. We''ll be fine here. You just have fun with Auntie Marie and Summer. Will Grandpa Rory also come?" Vega asked again.


    "Yes. Father is on his way from Asia to Italy," Nicolae said.


    "Asia? He must be visiting Rosalien again," Vega grumbled. "Since Grandfather has a girlfriend, he rarely comes to see us."


    "Ehh ... how do you know your grandfather already has a girlfriend?" Nicolae asked in surprise. "Did my father tell you that he is in a relationship with Rosalien?"


    "I am not telling," Vega said, frowning. "Well, then, we will wait for Big Brother Mischa to pick us up, okay?"


    "Fine. Have a good time in Bordeaux. Don''t be too naughty and don''t annoy Mischa. I feel bad for bothering him so many times. If you give him a hard time, I will be very embarrassed," Nicolae said before hanging up.


    "All right, Dad ..." Vega chuckled and then kept her cellphone in his pocket. Her face beamed, and her beautiful blue eyes gleamed with excitement.


    Altair, who knew his sister very well, immediately sensed something amiss. "Why do you look so happy to know that Mischa is coming?"


    "That''s none of your business," Vega said. She threw herself on the bed and put on her earphones to listen to music. She refused to discuss Mischa to her brother.


    Altair narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he said nothing. He then took his cellphone and called JM to ask how she was doing.


    ****


    After touring the cheese factory and tasting the foul-smelling blue cheese that many people liked to hate, Vega and her school friends got their free time to explore the city center and practice their French.


    Vega, who had been fluent in French and German since childhood, had no difficulty communicating with the souvenir and snack vendors they passed. Tatiana was delighted to record the beautiful girl while explaining the various cheese they saw in the farmer''s market, in English and French.


    Vega looked really good in front of the camera. Tatiana''s Splitz account soon filled with many new followers interested in seeing various videos about their trips to Paris and Bordeaux, especially after Vega appeared in them.


    "Hey ... look, on your right ..." Tatiana whispered enthusiastically. "There is a really handsome guy!!"


    Vega, Sharon, Ellen, and Stu, who were in Tatiana''s group, immediately stole a glance in the direction the girl referred to. Vega''s eyes quickly went round when she realized who the person Tatiana talked about was.


    Mischa was sitting leisurely in a cafe while watching them subtlely. He seemed engrossed in reading the news on his tablet while enjoying a glass of sparkling wine. As usual, he was wearing a black outfit from head to toe.


    His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and made him look really cool and casual. Some top buttons on his shirts were unfastened because the city center was quite hot at that time of day. When people looked closer, they could see a dreamcatcher pendant hanging around his neck and a tattoo on his right c.h.e.s.t.


    Ahh ... Vega remembered that her father also had a similar tattoo. Scary dragon tattoo that symbolized his position as a dragon-level assassin in the Rhionen Assassins from his past.


    For some reason, when she thought about Big brother Mischa''s s.e.xy body with his shirt off to reveal the dragon tattoo, Vega felt her cheeks flushed red.


    "I can make that handsome guy come to us," Vega said suddenly with a mischievous smile. When they met in the elevator, she did not know who Mischa was, but now, surely, it would not hurt to play a small prank on Mischa, wouldn''t it? Vege really wanted to be formally acquainted with Mischa.


    "You want to make him come to us?" Tatiana asked in amazement. "How???"


    "You guys will see .." Vega said. She wiped the mischievous smile from her face and put on a serious expression. "If I pass out on the street, please don''t help me. Just pretend that you''re busy with your devices."


    "Eh ..? What do you mean?" Sharon asked in confusion.


    Vega didn''t reply. She sauntered in a hurry toward Mischa, but she pretended as if she did not see the handsome man. Suddenly, her steps halted, and Vega staggered. She held her head as if she was in pain, and then she fell down to the ground.


    His face looked very worried. He did not see the tip of Vega''s lips twitching, trying to stop herself from laughing.


    Vega knew that Mischa was in Bordeaux to watch over and look after her and Altair. Of course, if she pretended to faint, Mischa would be ready to help her.


    Ahh ... Vega really enjoyed being carried by Mischa in his arms. So, she continued her acting. She wanted to know where Mischa would take her.


    Hmmm ... he smelled soooo good, Vega thought.


    Her mind immediately went busy, guessing what perfume he was wearing.


    To make her acting more convincing, Vega deliberately suppressed her breathing, and it became really slow. She was a good swimmer, and she could dive underwater for several minutes without equipment. So, she was really good at regulating her breath.


    Hehehe.. even someone as skilled as Mischa won''t easily know that Vega was acting.


    Vega''s friends who were about to help her could only look at each other when they saw the handsome man that caught their attention had dashed to help Vega. He was now carrying her in his arms. They didn''t know whether they should chase him or let Vega enjoy her luck alone.


    "Uhm ... we better call Altair," Tatiana finally said.


    Mischa had disappeared with Vega, and they couldn''t find her.

 Chapter 916 - You Have To Carry Me

    Vega opened her eyes when she felt her body was placed slowly on a soft sofa. She pretended to touch her forehead.


    "You''re awake?" She could hear the warm voice again, very close to her ear.


    "Uhm .... who are you?" Vega asked, pretending not to recognize Mischa. She got up and fixed her position on the sofa and looked around. "Where am I?"


    "You''re in the hotel lobby," Mischa said. "I already called the doctor."


    Vega looked around and pretended to be surprised. "Who are you?"


    Mischa seemed to wonder whether he needed to tell Vega his identity or not. Finally, he smiled sweetly and sat, crossing his arms on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "My name is Mischa Rhionen. I think you have heard of my name," the man said in a friendly voice.


    Vega looked at Mischa and nodded. "Ahhh ... Big brother Mischa. What are you doing here?"


    "Uhm ... to look after you?" the man asked back. "Uncle Nicolae got something urgent to tend to, so your father asked me to come, and at the same time, he told me to look for a new atmosphere."


    "Ahhh ...." Vega nodded. "Then, Big brother Mischa saved me?"


    Mischa nodded. "What happened to you? How could you suddenly pass out on the street?"


    Vega held her head and pretended to shake it. "I don''t know ... my head was very dizzy. Maybe it was the heat. I''m still feeling dizzy right now. Which hotel lobby is this?"


    "We are at the Noir Hotel," Mischa said. He glanced around. "I deliberately chose a hotel that is close to your accommodation."


    "Ahh .. thank you very much. If you weren''t there to catch me, I don''t know what would happen to me," Vega said, smiling sweetly. She then tried to sit, but then she faked another pain and g.r.o.a.n.e.d again. Mischa became worried and immediately held the girl''s body to lie still.


    "Maybe you stumbled on something and had it hit your head. I''d better get you straight to the hospital. The doctor still hasn''t come."


    He then took the girl in his arms and signaled the hotel concierge to get the car ready.


    "Ehh .. I''m fine, seriously," Vega tried to break away from Mischa''s arms. If she was really taken to the hospital, the doctor would be able to ensure that the girl was faking her condition. She would naturally feel embarrassed in front of Mischa.


    "I don''t want to risk anything bad happens you," Mischa said firmly.


    The car arrived by the lobby entrance and he carefully placed Vega''s body in the back seat. He then sat next to Vega and put her head on his l.a.p. After the concierge closed the door, the driver immediately drove his vehicle towards the hospital.


    Vega felt guilty for deceiving Mischa. She did not expect the man to be taking her condition too seriously. But, on the other hand, she also felt happy because she could put her head on Mischa''s l.a.p.


    Ahh ... Vega, you''re so smart, she giggled inwardly.


    Secretly she felt amused and worried at the same time because her father''s foster son was so protective of her. He was even faster than the two bodyguards assigned to always look after her and Altair.


    Vega''s mind was still busy trying to come up with excuses to explain her actions when they arrived at the hospital. The man had carried her into the ICU, not even waiting for the nurse to give Vega a wheelchair.


    "Sorry, you can''t go right in," said the nurse who met them. "This patient needs to register first."


    "Who is the attending doctor here?" Mischa asked quickly.


    "Dr. Francis, but he is examining patients. Please wait for a moment."


    Mischa remained standing where he was, still with Vega in his arms. Now the girl was starting to feel awkward. She did not think Mischa would be this serious!


    At first, she just wanted to prank him and show off to her friends how this handsome older man saved her. She planned to confess to him that she was just joking. But now, Vega actually hoped that she was really sick so that she wouldn''t have to suffer embarrassment if Mischa caught her lying.


    "Big brother... this is too much," Vega said in a low voice. "I''m fine now. Really. I just fell and grazed my skin a little. It''s no big deal."


    "We cannot take risks," Mischa said firmly.


    "Uhm ... seriously. I''m fine."


    "I saw you fall, and your heartbeat was very slow," Mischa replied. "As I said, we should wait for the doctor''s opinion."


    "I''m really fine." Vega tried to get down from Mischa''s arms with difficulty. The man''s arms were very strong and she had difficulty breaking away. "Ouch .. put me down."


    "I can''t face your father if anything happens to you," Mischa persisted. His handsome face looked serious and for a moment Vega was blown away. This man is really too handsome, especially when he was worried sick about her.


    Ah ... Vega''s heart flutter, knowing this handsome man seemed to take her safety seriously. However, she could not imagine how her parents would react if they knew she was in the hospital. Alaric would panic and cause a commotion. This will make her disguise as an ordinary high school student exposed.


    Her friends would know who she really was, and Vega really did not want that to happen. Finally, she forced him to put her down.


    "Big brother Mischa, please put me down. I''m fine. Please don''t let Father know."


    "I have to make sure you''re okay. We''ll wait for the doctor to check you first."


    Gosh .. Vega could only massage her temple. She did not know Mischa was so stubborn.


    "Ugh ... okay, I confess," the girl finally relented. "I lied. I didn''t fall because of the heat. I was faking it. I bet with my friends that I can make you come to me."


    Mischa was stunned when he heard Vega''s words. His eyes widened and his face looked disappointed. Spontaneously, his arms loosened, and he released Vega so suddenly that she fell to the floor.


    "Auwwww !!!" Vega screamed while trying to hold her fall with her hands so it wouldn''t hurt too much. "You''re so mean!!!"


    Mischa was shocked to see the results of his actions and immediately helped Vega get up. "Ah ... sorry, I didn''t mean it. You surprised me."


    "Now I AM in pain for real!" grumbled Vega. "You must take responsibility ..."


    Mischa seemed to roll his eyes. He felt deceived by the teenage girl with a face like an angel but apparently naughty like the devil. "That''s your own fault."


    "I was guilty of deceiving you when I pretended to fall, but this one is not my fault. You dropped me on the floor. Everyone can be my witness!" Vega immediately got up and asked for the opinion of all patients who were sitting in the waiting room. "You all saw that he dropped me, right?"


    The people there nodded.


    "Jeez ... young man, why did you drop this beautiful little girl? It must be very painful," said a middle-aged woman while shaking her head.


    "Right. You must take responsibility and make up for your deeds," said another woman.


    Mischa frowned and was about to refute, but then he saw Vega''s face looked tearful.


    "Alright, I''m sorry for dropping you because I was shocked." Finally, Mischa relented. "What do you want?"


    Vega wiped her tears and nodded. "My b.u.t.t and legs hurt from the fall. I can''t walk home. You have to carry me."

 Chapter 917 - Mischa Is So Cool

    Mischa looked at Vega with an expression of disbelief. He did not understand why the teenage girl in front of him behaved this way ... like a shameless girl.


    "You want me to carry you? There''s a wheelchair over there," Mischa said firmly.


    "I don''t want a wheelchair. I want to make you pay for dropping me and making me hurt," Vega said.


    "Is there no other way for me to make up for it?" the man asked in astonishment.


    "I want to make you feel pain too by carrying me back to my hotel," Vega said, narrowing her eyes with an annoyed expression. "Do you think I''m a sack of potatoes that you can just drop like that?"


    "No, I don''t think you''re a¡ª"


    Before Mischa finished his sentence, Vega had taken her cellphone and dialed Alaric''s number.


    "Father ... it''s me. I''m now in the hospital--" Vega did not continue her words because, suddenly, Mischa had bent down and put the girl on his back. Vega smiled mischievously as she wrapped her left hand around Mischa''s neck while her right hand holding the phone. "I''m here with Big brother Mischa. I think I got heat stroke or something and fell on the street because I felt dizzy. Big brother Mischa will take me back to my hotel. He is very kind."


    "Oh, is that so? If the weather is too hot, you might as well rest. I will ask Nicolae to call your teacher to give you some respite," Alaric''s voice rang on the telephone.


    "Ah ... that sounds like a good idea. I''ll just tell Daddy Nic," Vega said. "All right, I just want to let you know what happened. Later, after I arrive at the hotel, I''ll call you again, Father."


    "All right. Tell Mischa I said hi," Alaric said before hanging up.


    Vega then kept her cellphone and smiled triumphantly then hugged Mischa''s neck.


    "Thank you for not saying anything to your father," Mischa said, looking back. "I''ll take you to your hotel. But aren''t you embarrassed by people''s stare?"


    He already noticed how the people they passed seemed to turn their heads at them. They were really eye-turners, indeed. A handsome man with formal looking all-black attire, contrasted with his neat blonde hair and sunny expression, was carrying a beautiful teenage girl on his back.


    "Why? Are you embarrassed?" Vega asked in a nonchalant tone. She knew she had done something very naughty today by scheming Mischa, but she could not help herself. She really liked her foster brother, since they first met in the elevator.


    Maybe she really liked him because Mischa somehow reminded her of her own father.


    Mischa did not answer Vega''s question and continued walking without regard to people''s stare. He decided to just fulfill Vega''s request so he could immediately get it over with. After all, for him, just giving a girl a piggyback was an easy thing to do.


    "Big brother Mischa!! Let''s stop by that stall," Vega said suddenly, tapping his shoulder excitedly. "I want to buy the candy apples!"


    Her hand then pointed to the right, where a small food vendor stall was located. Mischa obediently walked towards the stall and stopped in front of it. Vega happily pointed to the sugar-coated red apple in sticks and asked Mischa to buy one for her.


    "How old are you again?" Mischa asked, taking money out of his pocket and paying the price of the candied apple to the merchant. "You should be 16 years old, right?"


    "That''s right. My birthday is coming up soon. Ahh.. you know my birthday!" Vega exclaimed cheerfully. She accepted the candied apple from the merchant''s hand and then patted Mischa on the shoulder to continue walking again. "Does father talk about me often?"


    Mischa nodded. "Yes. Every time we meet, he would tell me about the four of you. He loves you very much."


    "Ahh ... really?" Vega was enjoying her candy apple while chatting with Mischa. "How was my father back then? I know you have lived with my father since you were a kid. He used to be ruthless and he hated people... How was he?"


    "Hmmm ... he still doesn''t like people to this day," commented Mischa. "But ... well, he used to be much more ruthless and reclusive. Sometimes it was very difficult for my foster siblings and me to understand what he was thinking. But he was also very compassionate ... If we didn''t know who he really was, we would never have thought he was an assassin."


    Vega was stunned to hear Mischa''s explanation. She had more or less heard of her father''s past actions. The difference between Alaric and Nicolae was very obvious, even though they were twins.


    Alaric''s life was filled with violence and he hated humans. He even once aimed to rule the world and decided on which humans should live and which one should die. It was pretty horrific to think about it.


    Meanwhile, Nicolae lived in a happy family and spent decades working as a caring doctor and saving many people. Their personality was arguably the opposite.


    Nevertheless, Vega loved both equally. She could not imagine if Alaric was still like he was before, it would have been very difficult for his family to live with Alaric.


    "Are you not afraid of my father?" Vega asked again. She felt very interested in talking about her father with Mischa. Mischa was one of the people who had known Alaric the longest. He had been with Alaric for over 30 years and was very familiar with his personality and life.


    "No. But I respect your father. I also owe him my life," Mischa answered. "Why do you ask that? Are you afraid of Sir Alaric?"


    Vega shook her head. "No, absolutely not. I''m just curious."


    "Hmm."


    "Oh, by the way..." Vega suddenly remembered something. "My father must have had many enemies. Was there ever an enemy of my father who came after you?"


    She realized that all her life, she and her brothers had always been surrounded by strong bodyguards. Her father even sent three bodyguards to watch over her and Altair while they were staying with Nicolae.


    "All of our enemies have been destroyed, but Sir will not risk his family''s safety. Why do you suddenly ask such questions?" Mischa asked in amazement.


    "Uhm .. I don''t know. It feels strange to be the only students in a school that are always secretly protected by bodyguards. None of my friends are escorted like me and Altair. If they find out, surely my friends will all be shocked," answered Vega.


    "They don''t need to know," Mischa commented. "Your father loves you very much and wants to protect you, but he knows you want to live like a normal kid, and go to an ordinary school ... have lots of friends. That''s why he compromised and let you go to school there by providing protection from afar."


    Vega was impressed to hear Mischa''s words. Now she believed her father had often told them about her and her brothers. Mischa looked like he knew them so well.


    "Well, we''ve arrived," said Mischa suddenly, stopping in front of the gate to the inn where Vega was staying in Bordeaux. "I don''t need to take you inside, right?"


    Vega hastily jumped down from Mischa''s back. She smoothed the creases on her clothes and bowed slightly to Mischa. "Thank you for bringing me here."


    "Be careful next time," Mischa said as he left with both hands in his pockets.


    Ahh .. Big brother Mischa is so cool, Vega thought, smiling broadly, watching him walk away.

 Chapter 918 - Talks About The Wedding

    Meanwhile, in Grosetto, Marie and Summer really enjoyed staying in the Medici family castle. They explored the grove behind the castle, went boating on the lake at the foot of the hill, picked wildflowers to put in vases, and then went on picnics on the Butterfly Hill.


    Nicolae spoiled them both to no end. He cooked for them and taught Summer how to make pizza, took her to see butterflies, went fishing with her, and did various fun activities together.


    All the servants in the castle were very fond of Summer. The little miss was so cute and adorable. She immediately became the belle of the castle, and everywhere she went, everyone complimented and admired her. Nicolae is very proud of his child.


    After they had lunch, Nicolae received a notification from Luca that his father had arrived from China. He happily invited Marie and Summer to come out and greet Lauriel.


    "Father, you have arrived. How was the flight?" Nicolae asked as he watched Lauriel get out of the car. His father looked very fresh and his long hair, which was usually messy, today just looked neat. It looked like Lauriel was deliberately making an extra effort with his hair than usual to meet his new daughter-in-law and granddaughter.


    "Everything''s fine," Lauriel answered. He widened his eyes and looked at Marie, standing behind Nicolae with a shocked expression and slightly opened lips.


    The girl was shocked to see Lauriel looking the same age as Nicolae. If she had not been told in advance about the Alchemists'' secrets, she would have thought the handsome man in front of her was a university student or at least a fresh graduate.


    Even though she had seen Lauriel through Virconnect, but when Marie could meet him in person, she still felt shocked and did not expect her father-in-law to look so young and handsome.


    In many ways, Lauriel''s face looked very similar to Nicolae. However, their personalities and styles seemed very different, so they appeared contrasting each other.


    "Wel-welcome, Uncle Lauriel," Marie said. She walked forward and reached out to invite Lauriel to shake hands to introduce herself. She did not expect Lauriel to approach her and immediately hugged him warmly.


    "Marie? Welcome to our Medici family," Lauriel said in French. He patted Marie''s shoulders and then let go with a thin smile. "I''m happy to meet you."


    "Ah, I am also happy to meet you, Uncle," said Marie haltingly. She was still in a daze. She couldn''t believe her vision.


    Lauriel nodded. "I think you can start calling me Father. You are my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter''s mother, after all. We are a family."


    "Ah ... okay, Uncle ... uhm, Father..." Marie smiled broadly at Lauriel''s words. Subconsciously, the corner of her eyes turned watery.


    Marie never knew her father because he passed away when she was still in her mother''s w.o.m.b. The only family she had was only her ailing mother who finally died six years ago.


    Lauriel then crouched down and approached Summer who was watching him with her rounded peach eyes. The little girl was very amazed to see Lauriel. She realized that this man looked very similar to Uncle Nic, who turned out to be her father.


    "Hello, Summer sweetheart ... How are you? This is Grandpa Rory ... You''re so beautiful," Lauriel said, ruffling Summer''s hair gently. "Will you give Grandpa a hug?"


    Summer was stunned by Lauriel''s words. As far as she knew, grandpas were old men, with a beard, a wrinkled face, and white hair.. like Santa Claus...


    But why did the young man in front of her asked her to call him Grandpa?


    However, there was something familiar with this man. His smile that adorned his face made him look like an angel. It fascinated Summer, and a moment later, she had advanced and embraced Lauriel''s neck.


    "Ahhh ... you''re so sweet," Lauriel was delighted to see Summer''s initiative and then immediately got up and carried the little girl with his right arm. He then turned to Nicolae and Marie. "Let''s go inside. I want to discuss your wedding."


    Nicolae and Marie nodded together. Somehow their faces blushed in unison. Lauriel was not a man of small talk. He remembered Nicolae saying that he wanted to formalize his marriage to Marie this summer in Grosetto. So, of course, he would make sure their wedding could take place soon.


    After a short rest, Lauriel invited Nicolae, Marie, and Summer with Luca to have tea together to discuss Nicolae and Marie''s wedding plans.


    "I will discuss this with Caspar. You can just choose a good day. Later, Luca will help arrange all the preparations," Lauriel said while sipping his tea.


    Marie turned to Nicolae. "Who is Caspar?"


    "Oh, that is Uncle Caspar Schneider, he is the clan leader," Nicolae answered.


    Marie was stunned. She remembered that Alaric, Nicolae''s younger brother, was married to Aleksis Schneider, the Schneider family''s only daughter.


    "Is ... the Schneider family also ... uhm ... members of the Alchemists?" the girl asked curiously. She initially thought Aleksis was just like her, an ordinary girl who married into the Alchemist clan. She did not expect the girl''s father to be the clan leader.


    "That''s right. Uncle Caspar has been the clan leader since the end of World War 2, after his father died in the war," Nicolae explained. "He is kind and amiable. You will definitely be happy to meet the Schneider family. They have some younger children too. They could be your new friends in the clan. Their grandchildren are also the same age as Summer..."


    "Ahh .. I understand now. It''s interesting," Marie said.


    "Thank you, Father. Marie and I have talked about this. We want to get married a few weeks from now. You don''t need to throw a massive wedding and invite everyone. I''m sure it will be difficult to gather everyone in Grosetto with a last-minute notice like this. For Marie and me, the only thing that matters is that Marie and Summer could be acknowledged by the clan and get the immortality potion," Nicolae said.


    Under the table, his hand clasped Marie''s hand gently.


    "All right. How about the end of July or August 1 on your birthday? There is still enough time to prepare for the wedding reception and invite people. You must not forget to invite Ned and Portia," Lauriel advised the couple. "I remember Portia nagging me for a long time because I forgot to invite her when throwing your 100th birthday party years ago."


    Nicolae nodded with a smile. "Of course not. I will invite Auntie Portia in person. Wow ... Your idea is good too. Alaric and I will be exactly 111 years old soon. Marie and Summer are the best birthday presents I have ever received in my life."


    Marie smiled at Nicolae''s enthusiasm. She squeezed the man''s hand tenderly and looked at him with a happy smile.

 Chapter 919 - Mischas Advice

    Nicolae actually felt surprised when he realized that Vega did not protest nor complain when he didn''t come to see them in Bordeaux. He instead went to Grosetto and was busy taking care of Summer and Marie and their wedding.


    When Nicolae called Altair and Vega, both of them sounded cheerful and was not upset.


    Nicolae secretly felt baffled. Was this how it felt to have teenagers? Maybe they no longer cared about him as much as when they were just little kids...


    He knew Altair spent a lot of time chatting with JM whenever they had free time, while Vega seemed to be very active on social media, appeared on various videos on the media channel owned by Tatiana, her best friend.


    He suddenly felt old. At first, he thought Vega would feel sad because he could not come to Bordeaux to be with them. But she didn''t seem to care...


    ***


    "Big brother Mischa."


    Mischa, who was sitting leisurely on the terrace of a cafe, raised his face and turned to see who was talking to him. He found a beautiful teenage girl standing in front of him, holding out a bar of chocolate.


    "What''s this for?" Mischa asked in amazement.


    This was his third day in Bordeaux, and slowly he felt his mood begin to improve. It turned out that Alaric was right to tell him to come here. Bordeaux was a new place that was unfamiliar to him and gave him a new atmosphere to comfort his broken heart.


    Throughout the day, he would walk along with the group of teenagers from George Washington High School, to watch Vega and Altair from afar. He enjoyed his time going to the vineyard with them. He even joined in picking gr.a.p.es and then follow the process of making wine in the winery.


    The overly enthusiastic teenagers also helped make his mood lighter. He knew, even though Vega tried to make her actions not too obvious, Mischa could see the girl stealing glances at him from time to time. She was checking if Mischa was still around to protect them or not. And if she found him, she would smile to herself.


    This made Mischa shake his head. He did not understand why a teenage girl as beautiful and lovable as Vega could like him. She obviously didn''t lack admirers.


    Why did she seem to like a much older man like Mischa? Vega didn''t have an Electra Complex or attraction towards older men who could be a father figure to compensate for the lack of fatherly affection when she was younger.


    This was absolutely not true when it came to Vega. Her biological father loved her so much and spoiled her to no end. She also had a foster father and many uncles who all doted on her.


    So ... there was no way Vega was looking for a father figure in the man she liked, wasn''t there?


    Ah, never mind...


    "This chocolate is for you," Vega said, smiling sweetly. She still held out the chocolate until Mischa finally reached out his hand and accepted the chocolate.


    "Thank you, but what is this chocolate for?" Mischa asked in puzzlement. "This isn''t Valentine''s Day. Do they sell chocolate outside of February?"


    Vega was stunned to hear the man''s words. "Gosh ... of course! People buy chocolate all the time, not only on Valentine''s Day."


    "Really???"


    Vega watched Mischa carefully and finally realized that the man was just pulling her leg. She struck the man''s hand in annoyance and tried to take back her chocolate, but Mischa quickly pulled it away and kept it in his pocket.


    "Do you think I''m that gullible?" asked Vega with a frown.


    "I''m just joking," said Mischa with a smile. "Thank you for the chocolate."


    "Uhm .. that is my token of apology for troubling you the other day," Vega said sincerely. "I just want to say that I''m glad you''re here since Daddy Nic is now busy with his new family."


    Worse yet, the child was his biological child, unlike her. The connection certainly could not be compared to just a foster child, like what he had with her.


    As it happened, Mischa really understood how she felt. He was there years ago.


    Therefore, he decided to invite Vega to talk and discuss the issue. He pointed to a chair in front of him and gave a sign for Vega to sit with him.


    "Do you still have things to do with your friends, or are you free now?" he asked. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"


    Vega initially looked doubtful. She had approached Mischa just to give the chocolate to him. She did not plan to be invited to dinner together.


    Ahem... But, if Mischa wanted to have dinner with her, wouldn''t it be rude if she refused his invitation? Besides, there seemed to be something important that Mischa wanted to talk to her about.


    "Hmm, alright. Shall we eat here?" Vega asked. She glanced at the menu in this small cafe.


    "No, we will eat over there," Mischa got up and pointed to a fancy restaurant across the street.


    "Ahhh ... alright," Vega nodded and walked alongside Mischa to the restaurant.


    A waiter politely welcomed them and invited them to sit at a table that had great privacy. After taking their orders, he excused himself and left them both to talk.


    "I met Uncle Nicolae, his wife, and daughter," Mischa said, opening the conversation. "I think they are very happy together."


    Vega scowled involuntarily. Of course, she was happy for Nicolae, but she could not deny that she felt like she was losing him. Finally, she could only nod.


    "I haven''t met Auntie Marie Paris, but I think if she can make Daddy Nic happy ... I''ll be happy too," Vega said softly.


    "That''s good," Mischa nodded in agreement.


    The waiter arrived with a tray containing a bottle of wine ordered by Mischa and two glasses and a jug of infused water. He poured a glass of wine for him and a glass of infused water for Vega. Because Vega was underage, she couldn''t drink wine with Mischa.


    "You know, we were Mr. Alaric Rhionen''s foster children for more than 20 years. We were very close to him, and he loved us so much. He was the mentor, father, and protector for the four of us: me, Takeshi, Rosalien, and Kai," Mischa took a sip of wine and continued speaking gently. "Then, suddenly, you and Altair and Madam Aleksis returned to his life."


    Vega listened carefully to Mischa''s words. She realized Mischa really understood how she felt about Nicolae now. In a way, after Alaric discovered that he had two biological children, all his affections were devoted only to them.


    She could now imagine how Mischa and his foster siblings also felt sad because their position had been replaced by Alaric''s biological children. And so they felt like outsiders.


    "In the beginning, my siblings and I also felt that way, losing the protective figure and father we have considered our parent for more than 20 years. However, when we saw how Master was so happy after he had you in his life, all our jealousy and sadness became meaningless," Mischa said in a gentle but firm voice. "So ... I guess, if you love someone, you just want to see that person happy. If you love Uncle Nic, you want to support him to live his life with whoever makes him happy. Now, the people who could make him happy are Marie and Summer."


    Vega was silent. She took a slow sip of her infused water, thinking about Mischa''s words. She did not show Nicolae that she was sad nor jealous because Nicolae was busy taking care of his own family and didn''t have as much time to talk with Altair and Vega. However, secretly she did feel upset and jealous.


    Hearing Mischa''s words, Vega realized that she really needed to support Nicolae more and pray for her Daddy Nic to always be happy. Altair and Vega had both agreed that Nicolae had suffered for too long anyway.


    "You''re right," Vega said finally. "I will tell Daddy Nic that I love him and I will support him to do whatever he wants to make him happy. I will not be sad and jealous of his wife and daughter."


    Mischa smiled at Vega''s words. "You''re a really good girl."

 Chapter 920 - Dinner With Mischa

    Vega was so happy when she heard Mischa saying that she was a good girl and ruffled her hair. She then continued eating her meal with a smile and made Mischa frown.


    He did not know why the teenager in front of him was acting so strangely.


    Again he became suspicious that Vega had a crush on him.


    Gosh ...


    He could not understand what she was seeing from him. Although Mischa''s age seemed to have stopped in his 30s, he was still twice her age.


    Why couldn''t Vega see him like an uncle?


    "Actually, my brothers and I don''t mind if you and the others visit our house often and still consider our father as your father," Vega said after thinking for a while. "I don''t want to monopolize my father, really. I now understand you must feel jealous after he returned to our mother and us, his biological children."


    Mischa just smiled at that. He felt the sincerity in Vega''s voice. Now the girl understood how Mischa felt after her own foster father was reunited with his wife and biological child. That''s why she could be more sympathetic toward Mischa and his foster siblings.


    "All right," said Mischa after sipping his wine. "Thank you."


    "Will you promise to visit often?" Vega asked him.


    "Why do I have to make a promise? Can''t you trust my words?" Mischa asked in puzzlement.


    "Well ... I just want to be sure," Vega said with a shrug.


    "All right, I promise," Mischa finally said. He was finally convinced that the teenage girl in front of him was indeed a little obsessed with him. Actually, he felt that it was quite funny.


    This must be puppy love. How adorable!


    Vega was like one of those kindergarten students who claimed to fall in love with their teacher. It didn''t mean anything and would only embarrass them when they got older. This must be what Vega felt about him.


    He couldn''t wait for the girl to grow up as an a.d.u.l.t and tease her with this. He was sure that Vega would be embarrassed when she remembered her past behavior as a teenager when she was pursuing Mischa so aggressively.


    Since Mischa did not take Vega''s feelings for him seriously, he remained relaxed. Throughout dinner, he invited Vega to talk about various things. Enthusiastically, Vega shared about the exciting experiences she and her friends had done while they were in Paris and in Bordeaux.


    Mischa listened attentively. He realized that Alaric and Aleksis''s decision to let their children live a normal life was the right decision.


    Vega looked happy with her life as a regular teenager. She was adventurous and spent a lot of time with friends her age who came from an ordinary background.


    "Big brother Mischa, tell me how you met my father ..." Vega asked suddenly. "I know you started living with my father when you were like 7 years old, right? What made you decide to stay with him?"


    Mischa had kept bad memories of his childhood for a long time. For decades she didn''t want to remember what happened when he was still living with his biological parents who were drug addicts and often beat him up.


    Alaric happened to see him lying on the streets after being hit by his drunk mother and helped him. Years later, Mischa understood why at that time Alaric helped him. His foster father saw himself in Mischa.


    As a child, Alaric lived on the streets and he suffered so much when he was really young. He experienced constant tortures and beatings from the bad guys. He grew up to be a tough man to defend himself. His harsh childhood turned him to be reclusive and ruthless towards most people. But he would always have a soft spot for poor children.


    Alaric cared for Mischa attentively and then took him to look for his parents. When they met, Alaric killed Mischa''s father and mother in cold blood. That''s when Mischa decided to come with Alaric. He felt that Alaric was the only one who cared about him.


    Mischa was Alaric''s first foster son and who then went with him anywhere in the world. Mischa slowly learned martial arts from him and trained to become a fierce assassin. They were together for decades until Mischa became an a.d.u.l.t and started to live on his own.


    When Alaric suffered a calamity and was declared ''dead'', Mischa continued Alaric''s ideals and missions, along with his foster siblings. They all felt they were indebted to Alaric and determined to repay him by realizing his dreams to rule the world.


    They were the reasons why Rhionen Industries did not collapse after Alaric Rhionen''s ''death''. When Alaric woke up from a coma and took the identity of Elios Linden, all his ideals were already running, and he could continue working on his objectives.


    That was until... finally, he was reunited with Aleksis, the only woman he loved, and their children. Their lives now had changed for the better, and all of those changes had influenced Mischa''s life just like his foster siblings.


    "Why don''t you answer me?" Vega asked again. She watched Mischa for a few minutes, hoping to know how the man first met her father.


    Mischa was pensive and his mind drifted back to the past, but he didn''t want to answer.


    "Hmm ... I can''t answer your question because the experience is quite personal," Mischa said. "Not a pleasant thing to share."


    "Ah .." Vega sighed, disappointed. She was very interested in hearing stories about Mischa''s past, but apparently, the man did not want to share them. "Have you ever told anyone about it? If it was a bad experience, you should at least share it with someone, so that you can feel relieved."


    Mischa frowned at Vega''s words. That reminded him of the events two months ago, when he finally told Lisa about his past. She was the only woman he had ever loved with all his heart and had been his girlfriend for eight years.


    Because he wanted to marry Lisa, he finally decided to share all his secrets with the girl. He began by telling her about his grim childhood and then his past as an assassin before becoming one of the directors at Rhionen Meier Industries.


    If all went well, he would share with her his last and biggest secret ... about his status as an alchemist.


    He had no idea Lisa would think of him as a monster that had deceived her for years. The girl was devastated and then cut all ties ... after eight years of being in a relationship.


    No matter what Mischa did to try to change her mind, she wouldn''t budge. Lisa still wanted to break up. Mischa''s last visit to Paris was also his last effort to convince Lisa to accept him.


    Mischa''s face was slowly overcome with grief. Vega soon realized that she had touched a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e topic. She did not expect a tough guy like Mischa could look so sad.


    "Uhm ... I''m so sorry," the girl said quietly. "I didn''t mean to make you sad."


    Mischa raised his face and looked closely at Vega. "Sometimes, it''s better to live a lie, but you''re happy than to live in honesty but suffer."


    "Uh ... that''s not true," Vega said. "That''s a very wrong mindset. Truth sometimes hurts. But it''s better to live in suffering from the truth than to live happily in lies."


    Mischa shook his head and looked away. "You are still a child. I hope you will never experience this, Vega, but, if you are an a.d.u.l.t ... you will understand how I feel."

 Chapter 921 - See You Tomorrow In Paris

    Vega was still curious because Mischa seemed to be thinking of something sad. Nevertheless, she did not want to bring up the man''s old wounds. Vega couldn''t bear to force Mischa to tell her things he did not want to share.


    As the daughter of Alaric Rhionen, who was respected by Mischa, Vega knew it would be easy for her to force Mischa to do whatever she asked. However, the girl was aware that she must not force others to do things they don''t want.


    Because of this, Vega finally did not ask further. She enjoyed her dinner and talked with Mischa about trivial things. The people at the tables around them, and the guests who passed by, all seemed interested in seeing two extremely good looking people sitting eating together while chatting.


    Although Vega was still a teenager, her beauty was already very prominent. Her long hair hung down to her waist and it had a beautiful platinum color, framing her fairy-like face like a goddess from the books. Her little lips were naturally red and her big round eyes were bright blue.


    As a teenager, her fresh appearance looked in contrast to the handsome young man sitting with her, wearing all-black clothing and formal appearance. People who saw them could only wonder what the relationship between them really was.


    They couldn''t be lovers because of their age difference, but they also didn''t look like relatives. The attitude between the two was still rather distant, not as familiar as family members in general.


    "Thank you for dinner," Vega said when they finally finished the dinner. "Tomorrow we will return to Paris, then continue to Italy. Will you also follow us to Paris?"


    Mischa nodded. "Yes. I will return to Bucharest after all of you arrive in Grosetto in one piece."


    "Wow ... really?" Vega smiled widely. She was very happy to hear that Mischa would still accompany them in the French capital. "Then, when we arrive in Paris, I''ll treat you to dinner. My turn."


    Mischa was stunned to hear Vega''s words. This girl wasted no time, he thought.


    "All right. I''ll go to dinner with you in Paris," the man finally answered.


    He was now truly convinced that Vega really liked him. Inwardly, Mischa felt a little flattered. However, he did not think about it any further. He knew Vega was still very young. The puppy love she had now would surely disappear as the girl got older.


    "I will return my hotel on foot," Vega said, getting to his feet. "Thank you once again."


    "Hmm ... let me walk you there," Mischa offered. "The weather is great for an evening stroll."


    After Mischa paid for their food, he accompanied Vega to walk back to her inn, which was not far from the city center. Along the way, the two didn''t talk much.


    Mischa walked with both hands in his pockets as usual, while Vega was too happy, and her c.h.e.s.t was filled with so much joy so she didn''t want to say anything that could ruin the atmosphere. Inwardly, she only wished their walk to last forever.


    Unfortunately, it was impossible. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived in front of the inn, and Vega was forced to say goodbye.


    "Thank you, Big brother Mischa for taking me home. See you in Paris," said the girl with twinkling eyes.


    "Have a good rest," Mischa said, nodding. He then turned away and walked in the opposite direction. He raised his hand without turning to say goodbye. "See you tomorrow in Paris."


    Altair, who was busy with his cellphone and chatting with JM, was surprised to see Vega enter the room with a happy face.


    "What happened to you?" he asked, lowering down his cellphone briefly. "You look like just won the lottery."


    "It''s none of your business," Vega said, taking off her shoes and lying on her bed with her face still filled with a smile.


    Altair seemed to frown and watched Vega for a few moments. Finally, he decided not to be nosy since Vega would eventually share everything with him if she wanted to. Altair never forced his sister.


    He finally refocused on his cellphone and continued chatting with JM.


    ***


    Nicolae received a report from Marion that Larkin had removed all posts on Darknet that cornered him and Goose and apologized publicly. He immediately did it the next day.


    "Surely when he woke up in the morning, he immediately realized that I wasn''t joking with my poison," Marion said with a laugh. "He removed everything and apologized. I gave him the antidote, but I also put a tracker on him and managed to find his secret base. If he tried to pull any more tricks, I''ll go straight to him and punish him with my own hands."


    "Ah ... okay. Thank you very much for your help, Marion. I really appreciate it," Nicolae said happily. "Oh, by the way... please clear your schedule on the 1st of August ..."


    "Why?" Marion asked curiously. "Is that your wedding date?"


    "That''s right," Nicolae answered, smiling broadly. Lately, he really smiled a lot. Marie and Summer''s presence made him very happy. "We are preparing everything. You will soon receive an official invitation."


    "Ahhh ... I''m so happy to hear that," Marion chuckled. "Ahh .. I am jealous of you, young people. Jean and I have never celebrated our wedding. We only got married in the civil affairs bureau."


    Nicolae laughed when he heard her pretending to be jealous. He remembered Terry was the only witness at his father''s wedding to Marion. The situation at that time did not allow them to celebrate their wedding.


    "You can always celebrate later for the silver anniversary, or golden anniversary, or even a century. There is always a reason for celebration," the young man said casually. "Marie and I also got married only in the hospital chapel with the ROM officer. This time I only wanted to give her a real wedding because our previous marriage had been annulled."


    "Ahh .. don''t take it to heart. I''m just kidding," Marion said lightly. "All right, I know you''re busy. Planning a wedding will require a lot of energy and time. I won''t bother you anymore. Congratulations. I will look forward to the invitation."


    "Of course," Nicolae said before hanging up.


    Marion was right. The bride and groom were so busy preparing for their wedding. Luca was a very efficient butler, but he still needed input and approval from Nicolae and Marie about invitations, food menus, events, decorations, and other stuff.


    After calling Marion, Nicolae decided to let Caspar know what had happened. After all, Caspar was the clan leader. Nicolae wanted Caspar to officiate his marriage to Marie. He also had to make sure that Aldebar would make an immortality potion for his wife and daughter.

 Chapter 922 - You Are Always Joking

    After calling Marion, Nicolae decided to call Caspar and let him know what had happened. After all, Caspar was the clan leader. Nicolae wanted Caspar to officiate his marriage to Marie. He also had to make sure that Aldebar would make an immortality potion for his wife and daughter.


    From the beginning, the relationship between Nicolae and the Schneider family was very good. Caspar and Finland already considered him like their own son and they really want to see him happy. Therefore, the news that Nicolae brought today, that he had found Marie and their child, made the couple very happy.


    Finland even pressed her lips with joy and her eyes became teary because she was touched. She and Caspar exchanged glances, and both of them looked very happy.


    "Marie, Sweetheart... come here," Nicolae said to Marie, who was standing by the doorway with Summer. He wanted to show his wife and daughter to Caspar and Finland. The girl walked over and sat next to Nicolae while holding Summer.


    When she saw Caspar Schneider and Finland Schneider, Marie immediately sighed in surprise. Her eyes went round. She didn''t expect them to look so young.


    "Gosh ..." She turned to Nicolae. "Are they...?"


    Nicolae nodded. "That''s right. This is Uncle Caspar and Auntie Finland. Uhm ... it was a bit strange at first to call them Uncle and Auntie because we looked like we are of the same age. I also had to get used to it for quite a long time. You know, I didn''t understand that I was an Alchemist. I was living like a regular human. Things like this were very shocking to me at first. "


    "Hi, Marie ... We are very pleased to meet you," Finland said kindly. "Wow ... you look so good together. And, oh ... your daughter Summer is so cute and adorable."


    Summer smiled shyly, hearing the two beautiful people in front of her praised her. She squeezed her mother''s hand. Marie seemed very pleased to see how the Schneider couple was treating her very warmly. She slowly felt relaxed around them.


    "Nicolae is like our own son," Caspar said, smiling. "We are happy to see him happy."


    Marie and Nicolae exchanged glances and nodded. Both of their faces were filled with smiles.


    "I''m happy too," Marie confessed. "Nic and I love each other, and we want to be together forever."


    "Ahh ... young people," Caspar murmured, shrugging his wife''s shoulder. "Reminds me of us decades ago."


    "Uhm .. I''m still young," said Finland, chuckling. "You are not young anymore."


    Caspar pinched his wife and pulled her to his l.a.p. "Did you just call me old?"


    Marie could feel her face turning red when she saw the couple in front of them acting so lovey-dovey. She unconsciously coughed and looked away. Nicolae just smiled and held her hand tenderly.


    He and many people have become accustomed to Caspar''s intimate treatment of his wife. He understood that Marie was still surprised and unfamiliar with the things related to the clan and the people she had met so far.


    "Uncle, if you don''t mind, we hope you could officiate our wedding on August 1," Nicolae said later. "Marie and I decided to remarry in Grosseto. We feel that a wedding in the summer will be a good time."


    "Ah, I''m happy to hear that. Of course. We will prepare everything," Caspar said. "I will also ask Aldebar to prepare an immortality potion for Marie and Summer."


    "Thank you very much, Uncle," said Nicolae.


    "Of course," Caspar smiled broadly and looked at Marie and Summer in turn. "Welcome to our family."


    ***


    All the way back to Paris, Vega looked very cheerful. She daydreamed a lot, and Tatiana had to pinch her several times because Vega didn''t reply to her question. Her mind didn''t seem to be with her body.


    "What''s wrong with you? What is on your mind?" Tatiana asked in amazement.


    Vega turned to her best friend and blinked his eyes several times. "Me? Are you talking to me?"


    "Yeah, who else am I talking to? Unless the bus window can talk, of course, I''m talking to you ..." hissed Tatiana annoyed. "Are you thinking about that s.e.xy uncle from that time? What happened between you two? You never told me, even though I am your best friend!"


    Vega raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised at Tatiana''s question. "Why do you really want to know?"


    "I''m just curious. The thing is you look so weird lately," Tatiana said with a frown. "Are you in love?"


    Vega, who was sipping juice from her tumbler, suddenly spouted her drink.


    "Jeez ... Tatia! You''re too much," grumbled the girl. "Actually ... let me tell you something..."


    "What is it?" Tatiana asked curiously.


    "Uhm ... actually, that s.e.xy uncle is ..." Vega cleared her throat and then answered with an amused face. "He is my foster brother."


    "Ah, no way! You must be joking. He looks older than your father. How can he be your foster brother," said Tatiana. "If you''re joking, don''t go too far."


    Vega looked at Tatiana, who shook her head in annoyance. She was amused to see Tatiana still insisting that Vega was only joking.


    "I''m telling the truth," Vega said. "So ... he is my biological father''s foster son. Do you know who my biological father is? His name is Elios Linden. He owns Rhionen-Meier Industries."


    Tatiana rolled her eyes and clicked in annoyance. "You are always joking and making fun of my serious questions. I don''t want to talk to you anymore."


    Vega just laughed at Tatiana''s response. Since she saw how Tatiana couldn''t believe that Mischa was her foster brother, Vega deliberately mentioned her father''s identity to test whether Tatiana would still consider her joking or not.


    It turned out, sure enough, Tatiana thought Vega was joking and she became increasingly annoyed.


    Tatiana did not want to talk to Vega again along the way so that the girl could finally get a peaceful sleep on the bus.


    Vega couldn''t wait to arrive at the hotel and get ready. She would take Mischa to dinner one last time before they left Paris.

 Chapter 923 - Dinner Date With Mischa

    They arrived at the Amarylis Hotel in Paris at 2 pm and immediately had a late lunch before everyone rested. Some students spent their last day in France buying souvenirs.


    Vega, who had been to France often, tried to refuse going out to shop for souvenirs when Tatiana invited her. Still, her friend did not want to heed her objection.


    "I''m tired of Paris," Vega said. "I have too many souvenirs from this place already. I don''t need it anymore."


    "Ugh ... you must be joking. When did you go to Paris to collect too many souvenirs? Anyway, I don''t want to hear that," Tatiana said. "I still want to make the last video when we are in Paris. This is a video about shopping for souvenirs. My followers love you very much. You have to help me one last time."


    Because Tatiana kept insisting, Vega was forced to give in and join her friend to go shopping.


    "Ugh ... okay. But don''t stay long. I have to go back to the hotel at 5 pm. I have a dinner appointment with someone," Vega said finally.


    "Yes ... I promise," said Tatiana.


    Vega hurriedly typed a message to Mischa to confirm their dinner before she left with Tatiana.


    [Big brother Mischa, you are still going to dinner with me, aren''t you? I''ve booked a table in the restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower.]


    [Of course. What time? Should I pick you up at your hotel?]


    Vega quickly replied to Mischa''s SMS. She did not want Mischa to be seen by her friends or Altair, so she refused the man''s offer to pick her up at the hotel. She did not want them to spread rumors about him and Mischa.


    With a happy heart, she accompanied Tatiana to shop for souvenirs and appeared in the video Tatiana shared with her millions of followers. They had fun all afternoon until, finally, 5 pm arrived.


    Vega managed to force Tatiana to end her shopping spree and return to their hotel on time.


    Altair was out with his friends exploring Paris for the last time, so Vega could get dolled up in their room comfortably. She still did not want to tell her brother that she would have dinner with Mischa. Her brother would tease endlessly if he found out.


    At 7:30 in the evening, the girl appeared so beautiful wearing a light blue summer dress as she was grooming herself in front of the mirror.


    Ahh ... she was very excited.


    [I have a dinner appointment with Mischa. I want to say thank you for all his help so far. No need to wait for me.] She sent an SMS to her brother while giving a faint smile.


    Hehehe.. she could not wait!


    Vega knew she looked gorgeous tonight. She fashioned her long hair into a cute bun on top of her head, making herself look more m.a.t.u.r.e than her age. She hoped Mischa could see that Vega could look rather m.a.t.u.r.e if she tried a little. So, the older man would not feel ashamed to have dinner with a teenage girl.


    "Welcome, Miss Medici," the waiter in the restaurant greeted her respectfully. "We have your table set up."


    Vega nodded with a smile and walked following the waiter to a table in the corner that had a view of Paris from a very beautiful angle. She looked at her watch. It''s only five minutes to eight.


    Mischa must be a punctual guy. I''m the one who came too early, the girl thought.


    The waiter poured non-alcoholic drinks for her and served bread so Vega could munch on something while waiting for Mischa before they could order food together. Vega sipped her drinks with a slightly palpitating c.h.e.s.t.


    8 pm arrived, but Mischa still didn''t come.


    Uhm ... maybe something happened to him on the way, Vega thought. She decided to wait and not send him a message asking where he was. Vega did not want the man to consider her impatient.


    At 8.30 pm, the man was still nowhere to be seen. The servant started coming to Vega and ask if she was alright.


    "Uhm .. my friend is a busy person. Maybe something held him and he is still on his way," Vega said quickly. "Please wait a little longer ..."


    "Ah ... or do you want to order food first while waiting for your friend? I''m sure he won''t mind. It''s better than you holding back hunger."


    Vega stared at the restaurant door and the menu in the waiter''s hand alternately. She then shook her head weakly. "It''s okay. I''ll wait for him."


    RING


    RING


    After 12 rings, Mischa still did not pick up the phone. Vega''s face suddenly turned gloomy. She did not understand what was happening. Why didn''t Mischa come and why didn''t he give her any news?


    [Where are you? I''m still waiting at the restaurant. If you have anything urgent, please let me know. I will wait to hear from you.]


    She put her cellphone on the table with a sad face. Since the restaurant will close at 10 pm, the girl decided to order something so that her reservation did not make the restaurant suffer a loss. She ordered a glass of wine and an appetizer. She intentionally chose the most expensive wine from the wine list.


    The restaurant waiter did not know that Vega was underage. This time, her appearance was deliberately made more m.a.t.u.r.e with her beautiful dress that looked elegant and her updo. They gave her a glass of red wine and an appetizer.


    Vega enjoyed the wine and food, looking somber. After the wine in her glass ran out, she asked for one more drink.


    "Big brother Mischa, how could you do this to me?" Vega murmured sadly as she sipped her wine. She kept checking on the door and her cellphone alternately, but she still could not see Mischa or a message from him.

 Chapter 924 - Terror At The Tower

    "I''m sorry, Miss. Is your friend not coming?" asked the waiter who saw Vega spacing out while watching the door.


    The girl raised her face and shook her head with pursed lips. "He has important business so he can''t come ..."


    "Oh, I see." The waiter seemed very sympathetic. The young girl in front of him was very beautiful and looked amiable. How could her date just abandon her like that? he thought in astonishment. "Do you want us to call a taxi for you?"


    Vega shook her head wistfully and took out her cellphone. "No need. I''ll ask my brother to pick me up."


    "Oh .. well, then. Don''t hesitate to let me know if you need help, okay?" said the waiter again respectfully. "Oh, by the way... do you still want to order more food?"


    Earlier, Vega had just ordered an appetizer and two glasses of wine. She had no appetite at all. The girl shook her head.


    "No. Thank you. I''ll just pay. Can I get the bill?"


    The waiter nodded respectfully. "Of course."


    He arrived shortly after with Vega''s food bill. The girl was busy texting Altair to come to pick her up at the restaurant. She really felt sad and did not want to go home alone.


    When the bill came, Vega only glanced over. She added a 100 euro tip to the total bill and placed the card on the bill tray. The waiter''s face looked very surprised when he saw the amount of tip given by the girl and the card she used to pay.


    The black titanium card with a minimalist design was legendary among upper-class restaurants because they rarely saw it. Only super-rich people had such cards, maybe not even 100 people in the world held these cards.


    Ah ... she must come from one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world, thought the waiter, staring at Vega in awe. Which family were you from?


    He did not recognize the Medici surname that the girl used to reserve a table this afternoon. He didn''t know any influential family in this modern times bearing the surname Medici. Unfortunately, the card used by this girl was very private, and he couldn''t possibly find out more info about the owner.


    Ahh ... too bad. Such a perfect girl from a very wealthy and respected family, had to experience an unpleasant dinner date, thought the waiter, staring at Vega from a distance.


    After the girl''s card had been swiped and he received a receipt from the cashier, the waiter came back to Vega and handed the card back respectfully.


    "Have you contacted your brother, Miss?" he asked attentively.


    "Yes. He will definitely be here soon," Vega said.


    "Ah ... thank God. If there''s something you need, please call me, okay..."


    "Thank you." Vega nodded gratefully. The waiter''s friendly attitude managed to make her feel better.


    She decided to contact Mischa again while waiting for Altair to pick her up.


    [Are you all right? Please let me know if you''re okay. I''m very worried.]


    Vega could only sigh sadly because five minutes had passed, Mischa still didn''t reply to her text.


    She yawned a little because she began to feel sleepy. The two glasses of wine she had drunk began to show a reaction. Hmm ... now she started to feel regret. She should have left right away when Mischa didn''t come after half an hour instead of drinking wine.


    But earlier, Vega''s feelings were indeed chaotic. She was really disappointed because she did not expect Mischa would flake on her like this.


    "Young Miss!! Wake upppp... don''t sleep here ...!"


    Vega raised an eyebrow and looked toward the origin of the sound. She yawned once more. From the door, she saw Leon, one of the bodyguards her father had assigned to watch her from afar, rushed into the restaurant with a panicked expression.


    Leon, John, and Claude had always been protecting her and Altair secretly and never showed themselves. They were very good at maintaining the privacy of their two young master and young miss. Then why did Leon suddenly appear here? Vega felt very surprised.


    "Hi, Leon ... I''m waiting for Altair. He will be her short ..." Suddenly Vega widened her eyes and her face was filled with horror. "Leon! What are you doing??"


    Right in front of her eyes, Leon''s body jerked when someone shot him from behind with a barrage of bullets from two muffled guns. Before the bodyguard managed to reach Vega, his body sank and fell to the floor with a thud.


    "Aaahhhh .... !!!!!" Vega screamed at the top of her lungs. All the guests in the nearby tables immediately went into a panic. They screamed and hid under the table.


    The waiter who had served Vega was shot several times and died instantly with his eyes opened so wide, and blood sputtered from his c.h.e.s.t. Fear immediately hit everyone. Those who managed to sneak under the tables and hid away from the killers'' sight hurriedly called the police emergency number.


    Vega covered his head with both hands in panic. She was terrified and hysterical. In her entire life, she had never been in danger because her father and uncle always provided the best security for her and Altair.


    Oh, Father... Mother ... Daddy... I''m scared... Vega screamed inwardly.


    She was horrified to imagine that this was her last moment ... If the criminals killed her... like they had killed Leon, and surely he had killed John and Claude ... then she would die without being able to say goodbye to the people she loved ...


    She would not have the opportunity to say goodbye to Daddy Nic ... to Altair ... also her father and mother and her two younger siblings ...


    "You .. take her. I''ll take care of the others." A masked villain said to his friend. When Vega looked up to find out what they were going to do, she was shocked.


    Apparently, a masked villain came over to her and then hit her shoulders.


    Everything then went dark.


    The villain who hit Vega until she passed out then quickly carried the girl out of the restaurant. His friend was still shooting at people who were hiding, to make sure they didn''t get up from under the tables.


    As soon as they disappeared, immediately, a frantic scream could be heard from the restaurant. Women were crying, and the men were stunned in their place. Some people, who were more composed, quickly contacted the police.


    A few minutes later, a loud police siren was heard filling the area around the Eiffel Tower.

 Chapter 925 - An Intense Night

    Altair became worried and anxiety slowly crept upon his c.h.e.s.t when he saw dozens of police cars fill the area around the Eiffel Tower. He got out of the taxi and immediately called his sister''s phone.


    She didn''t pick up!


    He kept trying to call her many times, but there was no answer. He wanted to run toward the tower, but he was blocked by a police line, and several officers were chasing away the crowds.


    "What is wrong?" he asked worriedly.


    The people around him just shook their heads.


    "I don''t know. Some say there was a murder ... but we don''t know for sure."


    News helicopters and media cars rushed to the scene. He saw reporters and their cameramen prepare to broadcast live reports from the scene.


    Altair quickly opened the internet to find out what had happened, and his face immediately turned pale. His body staggered and he had to hold on to the person next to him so as not to fall.


    TERROR IN THE EIFFEL TOWER


    There was an attack by an unknown group of terrorists. Twelve people were killed, and dozens were injured. This was the worst terror attack in French history for the past ten years.


    Gosh .. Vega, Altair instantly became panicked. He received a text from his sister telling him that she went to dinner with Mischa a few hours ago. He thought everything was going fine. But then at 10 pm, Vega asked him to come to pick her up at the Eiffel Tower, where the restaurant was located.


    That means, something must happen between Vega and Mischa, that Vega decided to go home alone and asked Altair to pick her up. Altair initially thought Mischa would take Vega home because he had been watching and protecting Altair and his sister.


    Cold sweat dripped on his temple. Oh, God ... don''t let anything happen to my sister ...


    "My sister is inside ...!! Let me in!!" He tried to break through the police line and shout out Vega''s name. "Vegaaa ...!! Vega .. where are you??"


    "Sorry, no one can enter. Young man, please wait there." A young officer tried to hold Altair and pulled him towards a police car. "You must wait here. My partner will take your statement."


    Altair felt his body suddenly turned weak. Tears streamed down on his face as he took his cellphone and contacted his father in New York.


    "Father... something happened with Vega. I can''t contact her..." Altair stammered. "There was a terrorist attack in the Eiffel Tower .. Vega was here earlier to have dinner with Mischa .."


    Alaric, who was sitting in his room while reading something, was shocked. He rose from his chair and clenched his hands tightly.


    "What? Where are John, Leon, and the others?" His voice sounded calm, but Altair could feel that his father was also distraught.


    "I don''t know. I can''t contact them either ..." Altair cried uncontrollably. "It''s so chaotic here. I can''t go in, the police are blocking me. They said I had to wait here to make a statement. "


    "You calm down there," Alaric said later. "We will come soon."


    Aleksis, who heard Alaric''s voice on the phone, looked anxious. She approached her husband and touched his arm. "What''s wrong? Is that Altair?"


    His pair of purple eyes seemed filled with grief and anxiety, making Aleksis involuntarily take a step backward.


    She had never seen this expression on her husband''s face. Did something bad happen?


    "Honey ... we must immediately go to France. I will get everything ready." Alaric patted Aleksis''s shoulder slowly and then contacted Terry.


    "Hey ... what''s up?" asked Terry, who was working out in his penthouse gym, facing a huge window that gave him beautiful views of Central Park


    "Please take care of Ireland and Scotland for a while. There is an emergency, and we must immediately go to Paris," Alaric said quickly.


    "Eh ... what?" Terry''s question was not answered because Alaric had hung up. Terry frowned in surprise. He really did not understand what had happened, but he knew that Alaric would not joke about his children.


    If he entrusted the twins with him, that means something bad had happened that needed his attention, and he can''t bring his two little boys with him.


    Finally, Terry stopped his workout and immediately showered and changed his clothes. He drove to Alaric''s family''s mansion in Manhattan. He arrived ten minutes later and found the couple ready at the door, about to leave for the airport.


    "Please take care of the children here. We will call you every few hours," Alaric said calmly. He kissed Ireland and Scotland alternately, then shook hands with Terry. "Thank you."


    Terry didn''t dare to ask questions because he knew Aleksis was in shock. His younger sister looked devastated, and she couldn''t even say a word. When Terry said goodbye, Aleksis only nodded weakly and did not answer.


    The trip to the airport felt very slow. When the couple finally boarded their private plane, the two just sat silently in their seats. Both of their hands clasped together.


    Only the two of them understood what''s in each other''s hearts. Neither Alaric nor Aleksis ever imagined they would have every parent''s nightmare: hearing the news that their child had disappeared and then died.


    Various news about the terror attack on the Eiffel Tower immediately filled all the media throughout the world and the internet. Splitz was filled with condolences for the victims and pictures of the incident, as well as photos of the victims.


    Alaric immediately contacted the three bodyguards who were assigned to protect his children in France, but he could not reach any of them. Mischa also didn''t pick up his phone. Finally, he called Nicolae who was immediately overcome by panic and hurriedly contacted Marion, who was still in France.


    The woman quickly went to the Eiffel Tower and found Altair who looked devastated by a police car. By disguising herself as a police inspector, Marion soon made it inside the perimeter and got the information they needed.


    There were 15 deaths and 22 injured victims in the terror attack, mainly at the restaurant. She found Vega''s two bodyguards dead around Champ De Mars and one bodyguard in the restaurant. There was no trace of Vega or Mischa.


    Alaric immediately contacted all of his former men in Rhionen Assassins. He asked them to help him find information about the whereabouts of his daughter, Mischa, and the terrorists who were courting death by disturbing his family.


    The atmosphere was very tense.


    Trembling, Aleksis also contacted her father and told him what had happened. Her tears broke when she heard her father''s worried voice.


    "We ... we are heading to Paris. Hopefully, nothing happens to Vega ..." she sobbed.


    "We will also be there very soon," Caspar said quickly. "You calm down, Sweetheart.. we will find her."


    Aleksis dropped her cellphone when her hand became very weak, and she could no longer hold it. Sobbing, she buried her head between her hands.


    Alaric could only stare at the plane window with a clenched jaw. He tried his best to hold back his emotions so as not to overflow. He had never been this angry and sad at the same time.


    Just watch ... you will pay for you''ve done... I will find you even to the ends of the world...


    The trip to Paris lasted for five hours, and during that time, the husband and wife did not move in their place. Only their hands clasped together, and Aleksis'' soft sobs showed that they were not sleeping. Their minds were a mess, and their c.h.e.s.ts were heavy.


    ***


    Marion forced Altair to return to the hotel. She did not want the teenager to become traumatized if he stayed at the scene. She helped Altair hop into a taxi and then go to the Nobel Hotel. In her opinion, the security there was far better than the Amarylis Hotel. After arriving at the hotel, she led the young man to the penthouse and told him to rest.


    "You must wait here, don''t go anywhere. I can''t take care of you if you went out. JM will come here soon and keep you company." Marion rubbed Altair''s head and tried to calm him down. "Your father and mother will also arrive shortly before dawn. You should rest while waiting for them."


    Altair could only nod weakly.

 Chapter 926 - Breaking Through The Enemy Base

    JM''s arrival five minutes after Altair arrived at the penthouse managed to make the frantic teenager calmer.


    "Gosh ... Altair ..!!" the girl exclaimed in a panicked voice. She immediately hugged Altair very tightly. Her mother told JM to go up to the penthouse a few minutes ago and the girl immediately went regardless of her appearance. Now she came still with pajamas and hair rollers on her head.


    "Vega ... I can''t reach her..." Altair stammered.


    JM tightened her arms. She had seen the news about the terror attack on the Eiffel Tower a few hours ago. She was shocked to know Vega was there.


    She didn''t even know her mother had left their suite and went there after being called by the panicked Nicolae. JM only realized that her mother was at the location when she received a call from Marion to accompany Altair at the penthouse.


    Now her feelings were mixed. She was feeling sadness, fear, and anxiety over Vega''s safety. She and Altair hugged for a few minutes to vent their grief and then finally broke away.


    "I''ll make hot tea," JM offered. Altair just nodded. He sat on the sofa with a somber face. Marion looked at the teenager with a look of pity.


    The current situation was really uncertain. No one knew what really happened to Vega. Marion didn''t know whether Vega was the only victim who was taken from the scene, or if there were others. Marion also could not contact Mischa, and that made her even more worried.


    JM came with a tray containing a pot of hot tea and three cups for them.


    "Have some tea first, so you can calm down," she said softly.


    She poured each of them a cup of tea and placed them on the table. Altair only stared at the cups, unmoved. He could put anything in his mouth right now. He felt like he was going to throw up.


    "Hmm ... you''d better try to sleep," Marion finally said. "We cannot do anything at a time like this. I will wait for your parents to arrive. You must rest so that you won''t get sick."


    She took two pills from her wallet and handed one each to JM and Altair.


    "I want to wait for my parents ..." said Altair, in protest.


    "You can''t. They won''t arrive for a few more hours. It''s useless for you to force yourself to stay up late waiting for them," Marion said. She then patted her daughter''s shoulder and told her to coax Altair. "You must accompany Altair to sleep and make sure he doesn''t stay up late. I''m counting on you."


    JM looked at her mother with round eyes. Her face turned red, but when she saw the look on her mother''s grave face, JM soon realized that Marion was serious about telling her to accompany Altair to sleep.


    The girl was about to protest and said that she was not his nanny or something, but when she turned her head and saw how much Altair looked devastated ... she softened.


    JM understood that at a time like this, Altair would only listen to her. Finally, JM obediently swallowed the sleeping pill from her mother and then approached Altair and patted his shoulder.


    "Altair ... let''s take the pills. I will accompany you to sleep. We must rest ..."


    When he heard the gentle words of the beautiful girl that he liked so much, Altair finally relented. He took the sleeping pill from Marion''s hand and drank it with the tea that JM had served. His head ached, and he did not know whether he would be able to sleep under this stress.


    "I will wake you up when your parents arrive," Marion said softly.


    Altair nodded listlessly. He walked into one of the rooms in the penthouse and laid down on his bed, without even taking his shoes off. JM climbed into the same bed and hugged him.


    "Let''s sleep," the girl whispered.


    ***


    Marion did not sleep at all that night. She drank some homemade potion that kept her awake and alert. In a situation like this, no one in the Schneider Medici extended family could close their eyes.


    After making sure JM and Altair slept, she then walked out of the penthouse and tried to find the news about Mischa. She finally contacted Petra, who was living in Paris, and asked her former partner in Wolf Pack to meet her at the Eiffel Tower. She wanted to gather evidence and information.


    Fifteen minutes later, the man in black arrived at Trocadero. The atmosphere had become quiet because the police managed to banish all unauthorized people from lingering around the Eiffel Tower. Marion, who saw Petra walking from the east, immediately jumped down from the tree where she was hiding and approached the man.


    "Hey ... Petra. The situation is very serious. It''s been three hours and I still haven''t got the information I need," the girl said hoarsely. "Thank you for coming. I need your help to visit the local mafia base. I want their help to look for Mischa and Vega."


    Marion told him a little about Larkin and how she could be involved with the mafia group.


    "Hmm .. okay, let''s go there," Petra nodded. He put his hands in his pockets and walked toward his car. "You show the way."


    "Hm ..." Marion said.


    They got into the car, and Petra drove to the address Marion mentioned. While awaiting the arrival of Alaric, Nicolae, Lauriel, and everyone, the girl felt it would be better to go to Larkin''s base. She planned to force him to help Marion find Mischa''s tracks because Larkin had many men spread all over France.


    She was happy because she had thought about tracking Larkin''s secret location when she gave him the antidote for her poison the other day. Marion had no idea that she would need it this soon.


    Ugh ... really, so many things happened in such a short time.


    They entered a luxury residential area in the eastern part of Paris. Ten minutes later, Petra had parked his car under a shady tree. It was quite hidden. He got out of the car with Marion and walked with light steps to a large mansion at the end of the complex.


    Both of them were wearing black outfits that did not attract attention in the dark night. After arriving in front of the gate, the two then climbed very fast. Their movements were agile, like two black cats. A few seconds later, they had arrived behind the gate.


    Marion gave a signal and was responded by Petra. On a count of three, they climbed the mansion''s wall and went up to the roof silently. These two experienced thieves were like a pair of slim black cats, ready to break through the enemy base.

 Chapter 927 - Larkin Was Upset

    Marion and Petra created a hole on the roof without a sound and then jumped down silently. The atmosphere inside the mansion was very quiet. Marion opened her cellphone and observed the red dot on the screen. She quietly gave a signal to Petra to follow her.


    They crossed the hall on the 3rd floor of the mansion, descended the stairs, and followed the dot on her cellphone to find Larkin.


    When Marion saw Larkin a few days ago when she gave him the antidote, Marion secretly placed a tiny tracker in the mafia''s suit.


    That''s what she now used to track Larkin''s whereabouts. The tracker on Marion''s cellphone led them into a huge room at the end of the hall on the 2nd floor. Using a thief''s key that he always carried everywhere, Petra opened the door of the room.


    With steps as light as a cat, they walked in and sneaked closer to a large 4-poster bed overlooking a high floor-to-ceiling window. They found the person they were looking for lying in bed in the arms of two women.


    Marion took out the pistol with silencer she was carrying from under her clothes, then aimed it at Larkin''s forehead. The sound of the gun being c.o.c.ked and the cold feeling on his forehead from the gun''s muzzle surprised Larkin. He reflexively opened his eyes and woke up from his sleep.


    As a mafia who had been in the underworld for a long time, he had a high level of vigilance, so that Marion did not need to try hard to wake him. Larkin awoke immediately when he felt the tip of the gun pressed against his forehead.


    "You ... You? What are you doing here? I don''t owe you anymore ...!"


    Larkin hurriedly got up from his sleeping position, and his hands moved quickly, he wanted to grab the gun on the table next to his bed. However, Marion was faster. She had got rid of the gun and now pointed it at the woman next to Larkin.


    "If you don''t do anything stupid, no one will die tonight," Marion said in an icy voice. She gave a signal to Petra, and her friend walked closer.


    Larkin was surprised to see someone else in his room besides Marion. He was furious because his men were so incompetent that these two intruders could break into his mansion so easily.


    He was determined to give them proper punishment once he could find them.


    "Get up," Marion said. "I need your help."


    Larkin looked at the girl with blazing eyes. It was obvious that he was outraged. However, right now, his position was weak because he was held at gunpoint. The two women who slept with him had now woken up too and their faces were filled with horror.


    The woman on Larkin''s left wanted to scream, but before her voice came out, Larkin had covered her mouth. Now the woman could only cry silently with tears welling up. She was trying hard to hold back so that her voice would not come out.


    "How did you find my place?" Larkin asked in annoyance. "Are you spying on me?"


    "It''s none of your business if I want to spy on you or not. What is clear, now you must listen to what I have to say if you still want to live to see tomorrow," Marion said.


    She then signaled Petra. The man immediately took over her position threatening Larkin and the two women who were lying beside him.


    Marion quickly moved to secure the whole room and ensured there were no traps or secret weapons. After she was satisfied, Marion then sat on the sofa, crossing her legs.


    Her attitude looked very elegant. However, up close, one could see that her expression was so cold and ruthless. She then forked a few pills out of her pocket and threw them on the bed.


    "Take the pill now. Otherwise, my friend here will not hesitate to splatter your brain out of your head," Marion said. "You know, we haven''t killed people in a long time. As someone who has been in the underworld, you must know what it''s like ... for people who are used to killing like us. Sometimes the d.e.s.i.r.e to kill is there. We just need an excuse. Right now, my mood is horrible. Don''t give me a reason to take your life tonight."


    Larkin looked at the 3 pills on his blanket, only a few inches from his hand. He was actually agitated to be in such a position. He still remembered how Marion forced him to take a pill a few days ago that gave his p.e.n.i.s erectile dysfunction.


    He did not know what was in the pill Marion had thrown at him just now. It must have been as bad as or even worse than the previous pill.


    "I don''t want to," said the man in an annoyed voice. "You can''t make me."


    "Oh yeah? Really?" said Marion, smirking. She waved her right hand and Petra immediately pulled the trigger of his gun and killed the woman on Larkin''s right mercilessly.


    Blood and brain splattered on Larkin''s face and upper body. His eyes went round in shock. He did not expect this man could easily kill a woman in cold blood.


    The woman on Larkin''s left became hysterical. She screamed and wailed in fear.


    "If you can''t keep her quiet, then she will suffer the same fate as her friend," Marion said in a cold voice.


    Larkin immediately covered the woman''s mouth so as not to make a sound. The woman struggled to hold back her sobs and tears. She was terrified that she would provoke the two evil intruders.


    The atmosphere was very tense. Larkin''s upper body felt sticky and disgusting because it was covered in blood and brain, while the dead woman''s head no longer resembled a head.


    Larkin knew that these two people were not ones he could fool around. Eventually, he took Marion''s pill and swallowed it. He handed over the other one and then forced the girl next to him to swallow the same pill.


    After Marion was satisfied to see the two people swallow her pill, she rose from the couch and approached them.


    "Good. Now, put on your clothes and come with us to the living room," she said.


    Larkin and the girl looked at each other. They had no choice but to follow Marion''s orders. In a hurry, the two then got dressed and got out of bed.


    "What exactly did you give me?" Larkin asked as they arrived at the doorway to his living room. He turned to look at Marion, asking for an explanation.


    "It''s poison," Marion said. "You will die in three days if you don''t get an antidote from me."


    Larkin and the woman gasped in unison.


    "So, if you still want to live, you must do everything I order you to. Right now, I need help from all men you have all over France."


    Larkin frowned when he heard Marion''s words. He immediately thought of the terror attack on the Eiffel Tower a few hours ago. For some reason, he began to suspect that the incident had something to do with Marion''s sudden visit.


    He could only shut his mouth and follow the girl''s orders to enter his living room. There, he turned on the light and sat in his big chair.


    "What should I do?" Larkin asked, looking at Marion.


    "Call all your men here. Hurry up," Marion said.


    Larkin was very upset and resentful because this young girl just ordered him around. However, he was forced to do it because he wanted to live. Later, after he got the antidote, he would make sure this damned girl received his payback.

 Chapter 928 - The Impressive Guests

    Marion quickly ordered Larkin to gather all the power he had to seek information throughout Paris and all over France about Vega and Mischa''s whereabouts. Marion gave him their photos and told Larkin to mobilize all of his men without delay at all.


    Marion knew that they were racing against time. The longer they let the criminals who kidnapped Vega escape, the more her safety would be threatened.


    Larkin was very surprised when he saw Vega''s face. He had never seen such a beautiful girl. He could only wonder who exactly this teenager Marion was looking for, and what she had to do with Mischa.


    "I have ordered all my men to look for them," Larkin said after his men left the mansion one by one. "Now, give me the antidote."


    "What? Do you think I''m stupid?" Marion snorted. "I give you three days. You will die miserably because your body will slowly go on decay mode if you don''t get the antidote from me. I will only give it to you if you can give me good news."


    "What????" Larkin could only contain his anger. He knew he could not do anything. "All right. How do I contact you when I get clues?"


    Marion tossed a burner phone at Larkin. The man deftly caught it. "There is only one number there. You always have to put this one in your pocket. I will call whenever I need you. If you don''t pick up... just say goodbye to the antidote."


    After saying that, Marion and Petra walked out of the mansion with long steps.


    It was already 1 am. Soon Nicolae and Lauriel would arrive in Paris. Then followed by Caspar and Alaric. They must immediately return to the penthouse to discuss the situation.


    ***


    Nicolae and Lauriel immediately left for the airport and went to Paris as soon as they heard what had happened in Paris. Marie wanted to come along, but Nicolae asked her to stay in Grosseto to look after their child, Summer. He did not want his daughter to know what was happening and became traumatized.


    "We will keep in touch. I will need your help tracking," Nicolae said, squeezing Marie''s hand gently before he took his coat and walked out of the castle. He couldn''t even kiss Marie before leaving since he was too distraught.


    His c.h.e.s.t felt very tight. His heart was filled with guilt. Had he not left Paris and gone to Grosseto, this would not have happened.


    Vega was his responsibility, but this week he had acted selfishly by leaving the girl with someone else. Never in a million years, he thought Vega would be kidnapped by criminals when he left her.


    And ... where was Mischa? Why did no one find him? What happened exactly?


    Both of them did not make a sound and were busy with their own thoughts until they arrived at the airport. There were no chartered planes available in the last-minute, so they were forced to wait. Caspar, who flew in his private jet from Germany, took the time to stop by in Rome and pick up the two men.


    The journey from Rome to Paris went very quietly. Nobody said anything. Caspar brought his wife, together with Rune and Aldebar who happened to be visiting their castle. Their faces all looked gloomy.


    Finland shed tears incessantly. Nevertheless, she tried hard to cry without a sound. She did not want to make the people on the plane feel even more stressed.


    At 4 am, they landed at Orly airport and immediately drove to the city center, heading to the Nobel Hotel.


    ***


    Alaric and Aleksis arrived last because their location in New York was the farthest from Paris. Their plane landed at 4:30 am, and they immediately asked the driver who took them Paris city center to speed up.


    Alaric wanted to arrive as soon as possible at the penthouse and embrace his son. He also wanted to immediately coordinate with everyone about what steps they should take to find Vega.


    The Nobel Hotel staff in the lobby were constantly amazed at the arrival of such an impressive group of people. Marion and Petra returned to the hotel first. They immediately gave the staff instructions to prepare to welcome the arrival of the two groups before they went up to the penthouse.


    The staff had no idea that the people they were waiting for would arrive before dawn and that everyone looked amazing. When Nicolae and Lauriel stepped into the lobby, two female staff members were in awe and almost forgot to greet them.


    Who were these people? Were they all models?


    The guests and staff could only look at one another and question among themselves. No one recognized who the people were as they walked calmly toward the elevator.


    After the elevator went up and the screen showed that the elevator stopped on the 40th floor, they began to guess that those attractive people must be related to the hotel owner because they were definitely headed to the penthouse.


    Wait ... were they really members of the famous Schneider family??? They were all wondering.


    Half an hour later, from the lobby entrance, entered a stunning couple. Alaric, with his distinctive appearance, took his beautiful but gloomy-looking wife by the hand. They were followed by several scary-looking men in black.


    Although very few people had seen both of them, Alaric''s unique appearance was quite recognizable to the public. Considering they had seen the Schneider family members passing by, hotel guests and staff immediately guessed that this newly arrived woman was the only daughter of the Schneider family.


    And the man holding her hand ... he must be Elios Linden, her husband.


    People could only hold their breath and watch the couple with a look of admiration. What happened exactly? Why were they all here?


    What did those two powerful and reclusive families do in Paris at this early hour?


    So many questions filled their minds.

 Chapter 929 - Where Is Mischa?

    The atmosphere inside the penthouse felt so gloomy and sad. Nobody said anything. They knew Alaric and Aleksis had arrived in Paris and were heading to the Nobel Hotel.


    They felt it was better to wait for the two before discussing what has happened. When a knock on the door came, all of them almost jumped off of their seats because of the tension surrounding them.


    Marion immediately got up and opened the door for Aleksis and Alaric and his entourage. Aleksis immediately rushed to Finland and cried on her mother''s shoulder. The two women wept and immediately broke the silence, which had put them under so much stress.


    The sound of their cries made Altair and JM awake. With sleepy faces, both of them walked out of the bedroom. As soon as Alaric saw his son, he rushed towards Altair. He pulled the teenager into his arms and cried.


    He was very relieved that Altair survived. He was very depressed on the journey to Paris. When he saw one of his children in front of his eyes, he could no longer hold back his sadness. Alaric immediately vented his grief due to Vega''s disappearance.


    Aleksis then freed herself from her mother''s arms and hugged Altair. The three of them cried together. The people present could only hold their breath and join in grieving for this family.


    After some time, finally, Lauriel got up and cleared his throat so that everyone noticed him. He felt it was time they all acted and did everything they could to find his granddaughter.


    "Nicolae, have you been tracking what happened in the Eiffel Tower last night? Can you share what you found?" asked the man, looking at his son, sitting on a chair with a glum face while holding his tablet.


    Nicolae nodded. He took a deep breath and began his explanation.


    "I managed to hack all the pictures and footage from CCTVs around the Eiffel Tower, as well as from inside the restaurant. There were ten mysterious people wearing masks who watched the place from 8 pm, once Vega got out of the taxi and went up to the restaurant.


    "They then moved at 9:45 pm and immediately killed the two bodyguards who were protecting Vega secretly. One man managed to escape and went up to the restaurant to save Vega, but he was chased by two masked criminals who then killed him in the restaurant.


    "After they killed and injured many guests, they then kidnap Vega. They use several cars that used stolen plates. The cars then all went to different directions, some entered a tunnel and never got out again, some drove out of town. It''s possible that they swapped cars under the tunnel very quickly.


    "One of the cars that passed and then exited the tunnel must be filled with the kidnappers and Vega. Unfortunately, even though I tried to calculate the time they used to do the exchange, I still could not find the replacement car they used. They also prepared everything beforehand. They turned off all the CCTVs in the tunnel and its surroundings so that I could not see what was happening there."


    Nicolae''s explanation made the men in the room clench their fists. It was clear the mastermind was definitely not an ordinary person. They had thought everything very carefully. Vega must have been targeted for a long time.


    "Can you find Mischa?" Alaric asked.


    "I have mobilized a group of French mafia to look for him and Vega. I''m afraid something happened to Mischa. Altair said that Vega was going to have dinner with Mischa, but apparently, Mischa never came," Marion said.


    Alaric frowned. He didn''t understand why Vega wanted to have dinner with Mischa just the two of them. Why didn''t she ask Altair to come?


    He pulled out his cellphone and again tried to call Mischa. After his many calls were left unanswered, he wanted to hang up. But before he could do it, suddenly Mischa picked up, and Alaric could hear Mischa''s voice at the other end.


    "Sir ... Sir ..." The man''s voice sounded so pitiful. "Please forgive me..."


    "What happened?" Alaric asked, struggling to keep himself from lashing out at Mischa. "Where are you?"


    His foster son was gone without news for hours, making himself and everyone worried to death. Alaric also felt annoyed because he did not know why his daughter had dinner together with Mischa, and the young man did not come.


    If only Mischa was at the restaurant last night, maybe Vega wouldn''t be kidnapped like this. Alaric clenched his fist. His face was red with anger. But he managed to keep his cool. He knew Mischa must have a reason. His foster son could not possibly endanger Vega''s life on purpose.


    "Sir ..." Mischa didn''t say anything for several moments. Alaric could only hear his heavy breathing from the phone. Everyone in the room became more frustrated. Finally, half a minute later, unexpectedly, the man''s tears broke, and he cried very poignantly. "They ... they killed Lisa ..."


    Alaric''s hand dropped to the side when he heard those words. His foster son sounded so sad. He knew how much Mischa loved the woman and that they had lived together for six years.


    Alaric actually didn''t like Lisa who had broken Mischa''s heart when she left him after Mischa shared his past as a former assassin. However, since he understood how it felt to love a woman so deeply, he knew that what Mischa was feeling right now must be horrible. He still remembered feeling so heartbroken when he heard the news of Aleksis'' death sixteen years ago.


    "What happened...?" Aleksis whispered worriedly. She had never seen her husband look so worried and nervous like today. Apparently, even though he managed to contact Mischa, the man must have brought very sad news.


    Alaric shook his head. "They killed the woman he loved..."


    Simultaneously everyone in the room gasped. Aleksis cried in surprise and sadness, and Marion was so moved that tears dripped down her cheeks. She had met Mischa several times and knew how sad he had been over the past two weeks because of Lisa. She had no idea that Lisa was dead now.


    Who ... who killed Lisa? What did they really want?


    Alaric took a deep breath and then returned the phone to his ear. "Mischa, can you come to the Nobel Hotel? We are all waiting for you here. Otherwise, you can stay at your place. I will send someone to pick you up."


    "I''ll pick him up." Nicolae hurriedly offered. He could immediately track Mischa''s location and go there. He also felt indebted because Mischa helped him a lot this past week to help Marie and look after his children in Bordeaux.


    Alaric nodded at Nicolae, then returned to talk to Mischa. "Take good care of yourself. Nicolae will be there soon."


    "I am coming with you!" Marion exclaimed. She immediately rose to follow Nicolae. She also wanted to help Mischa.

 Chapter 930 - Looking For Mischa

    Nicolae and Marion wasted no time, they immediately followed Mischa''s tracks from their phones. They were surprised to learn that Mischa was apparently no longer in Paris. The man was in Provins, a small town two hours away from Paris city center.


    "I''ve been there, the place is historical and beautiful ..." Marion commented. "Why did he get there?"


    Nicolae just shook his head. He got into the car the hotel concierge had prepared for them and immediately got behind the wheel. The trip should take two hours, but he would try to race to get there before sunrise.


    Meanwhile, in the penthouse, everyone who was left behind tried to think of the best way to deal with Vega''s disappearance.


    "It must have been intentional ..." Caspar said with a sigh. "There may be people who know who Vega really is and kidnap her to ask for a ransom."


    "If that''s true, we would have heard from them. After all, why not kidnap Altair as well?" Lauriel asked. He looked at Altair, who was sitting beside his mother, mourning.


    "Two people might be considered troublesome, so they chose Vega, who is easier to kidnap," said Caspar again.


    "But if this is indeed a kidnapping for money... we should have heard their ransom request," Petra spoke up. "Well.. there is another possibility."


    Everyone looked at the man, and for some reason, they understood what he meant. However, no one dared to speak openly. They were afraid of hurting Alaric''s heart.


    One possible reason why Vega was kidnapped was that the mastermind behind the abduction held a grudge against Alaric. In a way, the man was the only person who had a myriad of enemies, both from the time he was a professional assassin and also after he ruled the world with technology.


    He had eliminated so many people and killed countless victims. If indeed tonight''s terrorist attack was carried out by someone who had felt aggrieved by Alaric ... then they must begin to trace all his previous victims one by one and narrowed down the potential perpetrators.


    "We cannot leave any rock unturned," Alaric said firmly. He took his cellphone and called Pavel. He also knew what they were thinking, but he refused to grieve and yield.


    Anyone who dared to touch his family will know how Alaric responded to their crimes.


    Do you think I''ve done the worst thing in my life? You don''t know what I''m capable of, thought the man. His c.h.e.s.t was filled with wrath.


    He would make whoever kidnapped Vega regret ever being born into this world.


    "Pavel. While waiting for everyone to gather in Paris, I want to mobilize our people all over the world to look for Vega''s tracks. Spread her photos on Splitz and give a one billion dollar reward to anyone who provides information that could lead us to find her.


    "Give a strict warning that if anyone tried to provide false and misleading information, they would be sued and sent to prison. I will personally make sure they will rot in jail. They''ll know I''m not one to mess with. Also, spread this bounty announcement on Darknet. All RMI employees throughout the world are required to keep their eyes and ears open. Whoever succeeds in providing useful information will also be entitled to the same reward."


    This way, both ordinary people and bounty hunters in Darknet will try to do their best to find Vega. Hundreds of millions of pairs of eyes would be watching everywhere in the world. Although the Alchemists had great access and power, under these conditions, assistance from the public would be more useful.


    Caspar then contacted London, who was still waiting in Berlin frantically. He gave the same order to his son. All Schneider Group employees must keep their eyes and ears open for any info about the Schneider family''s first granddaughter. The same prize was also offered by the group owner to anyone who managed to find Vega.


    Jan and Terry also immediately took action and held an emergency briefing at the office. That morning, when the sun was just rising in the east, all RMI and the Schneider Groups'' offices in the European continent quickly became busy. They immediately announced the owners'' orders to all employees.


    ***


    At 7 am, Nicolae stopped his car in front of a beautiful medieval-style inn in downtown Provins. He parked his car quickly and then banged on the door to enter.


    When his hand touched the door handle, he was surprised because it turned out the door was unlocked. Nicolae and Marion looked at each other and immediately went inside. Both of them frowned and held their breath when they saw bloodstains on the walls and furniture.


    "There''s been a murder here ..." Marion said quietly. She remembered Mischa said that they killed Lisa. Marion could only sigh. She could guess what really happened.


    The criminals must have been watching them for the past two weeks and were looking for an opportunity to kidnap Vega. They deliberately used Lisa as a bait to lure Mischa out of Paris.


    Since the man still loved his ex-girlfriend very much, he went to Provins to save Lisa. However, unfortunately ... even though he tried, they still killed Lisa after successfully carrying out their mission to kidnap Vega.


    "I heard something from the room at the end of this hallway..." Nicolae whispered, pointing to the end of the hall. Marion nodded and walked ahead of Nicolae silently.


    Nicolae was right. On the door handle of the room, they could see spots of blood. This must be the place where the murder happened. Marion carefully opened the door and prepared to step inside.


    The room was dark because the light was deliberately turned off. Marion swiftly hid behind the wall after the door opened. She would not carelessly enter a dark room. She checked the screen of his cellphone which was equipped with a radar to see if there were any humans in the room from their body heat.


    She only saw a figure in a sitting position. Maybe this was Mischa, Marion thought. She gave a signal to Nicolae that it was safe to enter. The man nodded and then stepped into the room.


    "Mischa ... it''s us," Nicolae said in a soft voice. "I''ll turn on the light."


    They did not hear an answer, only muffled sobs. Nicolae turned on the light switch next to the door, and the room immediately turned bright. They could already see the person who slumped on the floor.

 Chapter 931 - Aleksis Sadness

    Their assumptions were correct. The man who was slumped on the floor was Mischa. He was holding the body of a beautiful girl covered in blood.


    His body was battered and there was a gunshot wound on his c.h.e.s.t. They saw a pool of blood in the corner of the room and signs of a body being dragged towards Mischa.


    Nicolae immediately concluded that Mischa was tied in the corner of the room and the perpetrators tortured him and then forced him to see the woman he loved being killed cruelly. Once satisfied, they then left.


    Then, Mischa must have freed himself and dragged his own body to approach Lisa, who was lying lifeless. He must have frozen in his place while hugging the girl''s body, which was now getting cold.


    Nicolae felt there was no need to interrogate Mischa about what happened. What''s important was taking care of his wounds and taking the man away from there.


    Nicolae immediately crouched down and examined the wounds on Mischa''s body. The man''s condition was very severe, but not life-threatening. Nicolae was both relieved and impressed.


    On the one hand, he was happy because Mischa would not die, but on the other hand, he was surprised and worried ...


    Why did the bad guys deliberately leave Mischa alive?


    If they really wanted to stop Mischa from preventing their accomplices to kidnap Vega, wouldn''t it be safer for them to finish him off together with Lisa?


    What was their real intention?


    All of this made him wonder. Nicolae turned to Marion, who had looked around and made sure there were no other people besides them at the inn. The girl also took many photos for later use as investigation material.


    "Marion ... We have to take Mischa away from here. Did you bring any medicine with you?" Nicolae asked. Marion approached them and nodded.


    "I brought wound medicine. Apply it to the wounds, so they don''t get infected and can heal quickly." The girl pulled out a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to Nicolae. "By the way, all this looks very suspicious to me..."


    Nicolae nodded in agreement. Apparently, Marion thought the same. "I think so too. Please get some water from the sink."


    Marion took the bowl from the table and filled it with water from the sink and handed it to Nicolae. The girl then took a towel from the bathroom and put it next to Mischa. "Clean the wound first. I''ll take the first-aid kit from the car."


    After saying that, Marion left immediately. She returned five minutes later with a first aid kit box and opened it on the floor. She took out bandages, scissors, and so on. Nicolae had undressed Mischa and very gently asked him to release Lisa''s body from his embrace.


    "Mischa ... let me treat your wounds. Later, you can avenge Lisa''s death. Now, you must recover first. We need you to track and chase those people ..."


    Mischa did not answer. His face froze, and his eyes grieved. But he understood Nicolae''s words. When the man pulled Lisa away from his arms, Mischa did not hold her back. Tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes and mourned Lisa''s death silently.


    With a clean towel given by Marion, Nicolae cleaned the wounds on Mischa''s upper body and then applied the wound medicine. Because Mischa''s clothes were all covered in blood, they took a robe from the closet and dr.a.p.ed it over his body.


    "We must leave as soon as possible," Nicolae said. He signaled to Marion, and the girl swiftly took Mischa''s clothes and removed all traces that showed their presence there.


    Nicolae handed the car key to Marion''s hand and led Mischa out of the inn.


    "Lisa ..." Mischa muttered weakly. He tilted his head, trying to take look at the woman he loved once more before he left.


    "Sorry, we can''t take her. She''s gone," Nicolae said gently. His voice was filled with sympathy. "Let the police take care of the murder case here. Later, we will arrange for her body to be brought to Paris, and you can see her there."


    Mischa was stunned again. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He closed his eyes and held back his emotions. He realized, his priority now was to recover so that he could avenge Lisa''s death.


    Finally, he nodded. Silently, Nicolae led him out of the inn to his car which was parked on the side of the road. Marion followed behind him, erasing their every trace.


    Ten minutes later, they had left downtown Provins and returned to Paris.


    ***


    Everyone was tired and anxious, but no one wanted to rest. Alaric and Aleksis haven''t slept at all since they received the news of Vega''s abduction. Alaric''s body was stronger physically, but Aleksis started to look weak. When she got up from the chair to get a drink, suddenly her body staggered and she fell to the floor.


    Alaric, who was beside her, quickly held his wife''s body and hugged her. He knew that Aleksis was experiencing extreme mental stress.


    "Honey ... you should rest. Let me take care of all this. You must stay healthy for our children," he whispered in a soft voice. He felt the same pressure, but he tried not to show his emotions in front of people. "I will accompany you in the bedroom. You must sleep."


    Without waiting for Aleksis''s answer, he carried her body in his arms and brought her to the room. Aleksis wanted to refuse, but then she realized that Alaric was right.


    After Alaric laid Aleksis'' body on the bed, the girl pulled his hand and gripped it with all her might. "What ... what if something happened to Vega?"


    Her voice sounded so heartbreaking that it tore Alaric''s heart into little pieces. He deeply regretted letting his children live life like ordinary people. Although he provided security, still, things like this could happen.


    According to him, the safest place in the world for his children was within his sights. After all, this had passed, he would not have let them be in danger again. He would never take his eyes off of them.


    "Nothing will happen," Alaric persuaded. "I''ll make sure Vega will be fine ..."


    Aleksis really wanted to trust her husband. However, this morning she was forced to see that Alaric still had not been able to obtain any information about who the Vega kidnappers were. Alaric didn''t know what they wanted, why they were doing it, and what happened to their daughter''s fate.


    All this makes the dam of emotion she tried to hold back all night, now crumbled. Aleksis started wailing in deep grief. Her cry was so poignant that everyone who heard it immediately felt sad. Lauriel and Caspar especially felt like their hearts were being stabbed with a knife.


    The daughter they loved so much, whom they were willing to die for, was now experiencing grief worse than death. They really understood how it felt to lose a child. 35 years ago, they had to face such a dangerous situation when Aleksis was kidnapped by Alexei and she almost died.

 Chapter 932 - Tatiana Was Shocked

    At 8 am, when Europeans began to wake up and started their day, all were shocked by various announcements posted in almost all mediums they could think of. Vega''s beautiful faces were plastered everywhere with a one-billion-dollar reward offered for those who could find her or give clues about her whereabouts.


    That reward money alone could make anyone entered the ranks in Top 200 wealthiest people in the world, or made them one of the wealthiest people in their country. Thus, people were so excited when they read the announcements.


    Alaric actually hoped that with such mindblowing money offered, even the criminals who kidnap Vega would change their minds. At least some of them would consider betraying their employer, the real mastermind, because they prefer money over revenge. Alaric didn''t mind spending so much money to get his daughter back.


    Tatiana, who just woke up and was about to wash her face, was surprised to find there were so many notifications on her cellphone. Thousands ... no ... tens of thousands of comments filled her video posts and her cellphone screen scrolled nonstop to show endless comments and other notifications.


    What is this? she thought in astonishment. Her drowsiness instantly disappeared when she observed that all the comments were talking about Vega.


    She knew that Vega was very beautiful and popular. Tatiana''s videos became more popular, and she got more followers and responses after Vega hosted her videos.


    The video she took at the winery in Bordeaux even broke her personal record with 10 million views. But suddenly receiving tens of thousands of comments and messages relating to Vega didn''t make sense, Tatiana thought again.


    She opened some of the comments and read the contents.


    TATIANAAA ... IS THIS VEGA LINDEN? Do you know where she is right now?


    GOD ... I DIDN''T KNOW THE DAUGHTER OF THE WORLD''S WEALTHIEST FAMILY IS SO HUMBLE AND DOWN TO EARTH


    Tatiana rubbed her eyes and tried to focus.


    She did not understand what was happening. Why did they mention the name Vega Linden? Who was that? And... why did they call her the world''s wealthiest family''s daughter? Who?


    Ha .. so funny, she thought.


    Tatiana opened her Splitz account to read the latest gossip, and her face froze immediately. Her eyes went so round. Her lips opened a little like a fool, and for a moment, she was speechless.


    She had seen the bounty offered to find Vega.


    Her brain froze as she was unable to process what was happening.


    Vega ... was... the daughter of Elios Linden and Aleksis Schneider?


    Then ... who was Mr. Nicolae Medici, who claimed to be her father? Were Vega and Altair leading a double life?


    Or maybe they''re actually different people ... only their faces looked alike?


    Could this be like the stories of twins separated when they were babies because one of them was kidnapped? Vega was separated from her twin siblings and parents and lived with strangers, raised as ordinary people. Then, when her twin disappears ... only then will the fact be revealed that Vega was out there.


    Ah ... but it''s impossible. Obviously, Vega''s twin brother was Altair and they were always together.


    Or, maybe ... they were actually triplets. Altair and Vega were cared for by a stranger, Mr. Medici, while their sister was still cared for by their biological parents. Because, there was no way, her best friend Vega Medici was the daughter of the wealthiest man in the world!


    Or ... what the heck actually happened????


    Tatiana was very confused. She hurriedly dialed Vega''s number to ask her what had happened. Her call was not picked up. She tried again many times, but Vega still didn''t pick up.


    Tatiana immediately became very worried. She then tried to call Altair to find out what had happened to Vega.


    One ring.


    Two rings.


    "Hello, who is this?" There was a woman''s voice on the other end of the phone, making Tatiana confused. Why wasn''t Altair picking up his phone?


    "Uhm .. my name is Tatiana, I''m Altair''s friend. Who is this?"


    "Oh ... just a minute." The woman''s voice called Altair. "Young master ... your friend is calling."


    Young master? thought Tatiana, astonished. Seriously.


    The maid who was just cleaning Altair''s room in the penthouse found the teen''s cellphone on the bed and immediately gave it to the young master. Altair picked up the telephone and greeted Tatiana in a hoarse voice.


    "Hey..."


    "Altair! Thank God I could reach you. Where are you? I just read that there is so much news and various announcements about Vega. How weird. What actually happened?" Tatiana asked quickly, like a machine gun being fired. "How can people say Vega is the daughter of the Lindens ... ahaha..."


    "Tatia ... Vega is missing. She was kidnapped. Now, my parents are already in Paris. I''m with them. Everyone here is trying to find Vega safely. Please tell all your followers to open their eyes and ears for my sister ..." Altair''s voice sounded hoarse and in despair, leaving Tatiana rooted to her place.


    Unknowingly she dropped her cellphone to the floor. She was really shocked. The girl had no idea that the news she was reading was true.


    Vega ... really was the daughter of Elios Linden, the RMI boss?


    She also had seen the same announcement posted by the Schneider Group. If she was not mistaken, Elios Linden was married to the eldest daughter of the Schneider family.


    Tatiana pressed her lips. She was still in shock after she received all this Shocking information.


    Jeez ... jeez ...


    Even she, Vega''s best friend and seatmate, did not know this. She didn''t know whatever secrets Vega was hiding from her.


    Her cellphone rang and surprised Tatiana who jumped in her place. She hurriedly picked up the call and saw that Altair had called her. Apparently, their connection was lost when Tatiana dropped her cellphone.


    "He ... hello ...?" Tatiana''s voice sounded weak and unsure when she received the call from Altair. She felt like dreaming, and none of this was real. Could it be that she was still sleeping?


    "Tatiana ... my father wants to talk to you. He knows that you recorded Vega in your videos while we were in Paris and Bordeaux. He wants to examine all of your videos to find out if the kidnappers were captured in them while they were spying on my sister," Altair said quickly. "We have sent staff to the Amarylis Hotel to pick you up. They will arrive in ten minutes. Please get ready now. Bring all the video recording equipment you used."


    "Eh ... what? Ouch ... I ... yes ... Wait a minute."


    Realization finally dawned on Tatiana''s mind. She hurriedly threw her cellphone to bed, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then changed her clothes.


    Ten minutes later, when she had just buttoned up her shirt, the telephone rang very loudly in her room. She quickly picked it up and heard the hotel receptionist say hello.


    "Good morning, Miss Petrova. You have some guests looking for you. They are waiting in the lobby."


    "Ah, alright. I''ll go down soon." Tatiana hurriedly put all her cellphones, cameras, and wallet in her backpack and hurried out of the room. Her mind was still overcome by panic, but her feet had automatically walked towards the elevator and pressed the button to go down to the lobby.


    "Jeez ... this is a nightmare ..." hissed the girl. "Vega .. where are you?"

 Chapter 933 - Tatiana Is Scared Of Alaric

    After she got out of the elevator, Tatiana was greeted by several men in formal attire and sunglasses, and taken to a luxury car with dark tinted windows.


    Tatiana felt as if she were inside a movie or adventure novel. This was really unreal.


    Inwardly, she kept wondering who Vega really was and why the girl lived like an ordinary person so far. She and Altair were quite popular in school because they were very good looking and smart, but other than that, there seemed to be nothing strange or too special about them.


    Tatiana remembered when Vega first introduced herself as Altair''s twin sister. She shared how they lived with their father, a single dad. Tatiana never dared to ask where Vega''s mother was because she was afraid of making Vega sad or offended.


    Gosh .. all this time she just thought that Altair and Vega''s biological mother had died.


    Tatiana felt ashamed. She clutched her bag tightly as she cast her glance through the car window. She recognized the route taken because last week she had followed Altair and Vega to the Nobel Hotel.


    Were these men going to take her there? Ahh .. Tatiana was very curious.


    Tatiana''s conjecture was correct. The car entered the Nobel Hotel''s courtyard and stopped in front of the lobby. The driver came out and opened the door for the girl respectfully.


    "Good morning, Miss. Your presence is expected at the penthouse. My friend will take you there," said the driver.


    Penthouse? Tatiana could only swallow. In her entire life, she had never been in a penthouse. Let alone this penthouse in a five-star hotel as luxurious as this Nobel Hotel...


    Gosh, if they weren''t going through a crisis like now, of course, she would have persuaded Altair or Vega to let her do coverage from inside the penthouse. Her followers would be very impressed.


    Tatiana kept those thoughts to herself when the elevator door opened and she was brought inside by two bodyguards who had accompanied her in the car. One of them pressed the 40th-floor button and the elevator immediately went up.


    The girl was still stunned when they got out of the elevator and one of the guards knocked on the only door on that floor. A female staff opened the door and invited them in.


    Tatiana slowly stepped inside and as soon as she arrived in the living room ... her body instantly froze. She did not dare to enter further. Her eyes fell on an extremely handsome and imposing man who sat on a large sofa, like it was a royal throne, beside Altair.


    The man had a unique appearance. His hair was platinum with a hint of purple, and he had a pair of brilliant purple eyes. Tatiana had never met anyone with purple eyes before.


    For a moment, she stood transfixed in her place.


    Who was this man? Tatiana was astonished. She stared at Altair who was sitting next to the man and then turned to look at the man... over and over again.


    Finally, Tatiana realized that the two people had very similar appearances. They had the same hair color, and even their faces appeared to have the same perfect symmetry lines. In a few years, Altair would surely look like the man''s spitting image.


    Gosh ... was this ...?


    Was this the famous Elios Linden?


    Was this really Altair and Vega''s real father?


    Suddenly Tatiana''s c.h.e.s.t felt heavy. The shock she felt was so great that she staggered. Fortunately, the two bodyguards who had escorted her swiftly held the girl''s body.


    "Tatia ... Are you all right?" asked Altair, who immediately got up to approach his friend. "I want you to meet my father."


    In that room, there were only Alaric and Altair. They deliberately asked other family members to leave the living room. They didn''t want Tatiana to feel shocked if she saw the Schneider-Medici family members, who all looked very young. They knew she would be wondering about why they don''t age.


    "G-good morning, Vega and Altair''s father ..." Tatiana murmured in an unclear voice.


    Alaric gave Tatiana a sharp look and pointed at the chair opposite him. "Please sit down. You can call me Mr. Linden."


    "Oh ... all right. I''m sitting down..." The girl sat awkwardly in the chair Alaric pointed.


    She looked confused and scared. Alaric appearance and aura were quite intimidating.


    Tatiana managed to hold back herself from crying because Altair was there. She was also very worried about Vega. She wanted to help as much as possible to find her friend.


    "My son said you filmed Vega a lot while in Paris and in Bordeaux. Can we borrow all your video equipment?" Alaric asked without further ado. Tatiana was trembling in fear at his cold voice.


    She preferred Mr. Nicolae Medici, who was friendly and fun. Ahh .. maybe Vega and Altair really preferred Nicolae too. That''s why they chose to live with him, not with their biological father.


    Seeing Tatiana remain silent, Alaric became impatient. "You won''t let us check all your videos? I''ll pay you handsomely."


    "Eh? What? Eh ... Sir... that''s not what I meant. I''m sorry, Mr. Linden. I''m just confused. I didn''t mean to object..." Tatiana, who was shocked, immediately placed her backpack on the table and hurriedly spilled its contents. She looked very pale. Her voice stammered. "I brought everything ... P-please take them. Don''t give me a payment. I don''t want anything in return. I just want Vega to be found ..."


    Altair immediately moved to the sofa where Tatiana sat and touched her shoulder.


    "Don''t be scared. We don''t mean any harm. My father just wants to find Vega. Here, let me help get your camera out."


    Tatiana looked at Altair with a thankful look. She then nodded and wiped away her tears. She was indeed afraid of Alaric. Although the man was very handsome and impressive, there was something about him that scared Tatiana out of her wits.


    Maybe on ordinary days, Alaric could act friendly, but today he was furious because his daughter was kidnapped. A murderous aura was emanating from his body. Even though he wasn''t rude to Tatiana, the girl was still horrified and intimidated.


    Altair took the items from Tatiana''s bag and moved them to a tray. He wanted to take them to the study to immediately transfer the contents of the recording to the computer. Later, he would help Nicolae study their contents and look for clues about the criminals who kidnapped Vega.


    Before he could move to the study, suddenly there was a knock on the door. The staff who were always ready to wait in the corner of the room immediately opened the door. Nicolae entered with Mischa who was about to faint in his arms, followed by Marion.


    "Let me take care of Mischa. You, please look for information from this child. She is Vega''s best friend and took many videos during their trip," he said firmly.


    Nicolae nodded. He turned to Tatiana and immediately recognized the girl. His tired face was immediately decorated with a friendly smile, which made Tatiana''s fearful heart calmer.


    "Hello, Tatia ... thank you for coming here," Nicolae said.


    Tatiana was relieved to see the arrival of someone she knew in the room besides Altair. Especially because Nicoale had always been friendly to her. Slowly, the awkwardness and fear that had been stifling her c.h.e.s.t disappeared, and the girl began to look calm.


    "Good morning, Mr. Medici," Tatiana greeted Nicolae back.


    She was still amazed at how similar Nicolae and Alaric were. They only differed in face and hair color, but their stature looked very much like siblings.


    Ahh .. wait a minute, were they really brothers? But, if that''s the case, why did they have different last names? Ahh .. all of this was really confusing.

 Chapter 934 - Hectic Morning At The Penthouse

    Nicolae realized that Tatiana was confused by his presence in Paris. He approached the girl and smiled kindly.


    "What do you want to drink? Let''s go to the kitchen." Nicolae reached out and Tatiana touched his hand, looking doubtful. Nicolae understood that the girl was still in shock. He took Tatiana''s hand and pulled her to the kitchen. Nicolae also gave Altair a signal to follow them. "Bring all the video equipment as well."


    "Very well, Dad..." said Altair readily. He brought the tray with Tatiana''s belongings and her bag and walked along with them.


    In the kitchen, Nicolae immediately boiled water and brewed tea for them. He deliberately chose the kitchen to invite Tatiana to talk because he wanted to make the atmosphere lighter.


    "Have you had breakfast?" Nicolae asked her. Tatiana shook her head. "Hm ... okay. I''ll make pancakes for us."


    Tatiana sat in a chair facing the tall counter in the kitchen, that served as a bar, watching Nicolae work with a look of awe. She followed all the man''s movements like a fan who was watching her favorite musicians in concert.


    Altair only rolled his eyes when he saw the scene. He sat next to Tatiana and placed her belongings at the kitchen counter.


    "What do you want to drink? I have brewed tea. You can take your own juice and milk in the refrigerator," Nicolae asked them.


    "I only want to drink tea," said Altair.


    Tatiana nodded. "Me too."


    "All right. Well... you can help slice the fruits," Nicolae said again. He pointed to the knife and fruits on the table.


    In unison, Tatiana and Altair got out of their chairs and moved to the table to do what Nicolae asked. For some reason, even though they were now in a luxurious penthouse, Tatiana now felt as if they were back at Nicolae''s apartment in New York.


    Even though his apartment was quite nice, it still couldn''t be compared to this place''s grandeur. However, this place was really intimidating and Tatiana preferred Nicolae''s apartment in New York. She felt glad that she now could feel more at ease in the kitchen.


    Tatiana slowly calmed down. She could peel the fruit well and then slice them to put on a plate. Ten minutes later, Nicolae had arranged pancakes with maple syrup, bacon and eggs, fried sausages, and fruit slices on the dining table for breakfast.


    Altair poured tea for all of them. Before he sat down to eat, he suddenly remembered something.


    "Eh .. wait, I want to ask JM to breakfast. She must be awake now."


    Without waiting for anyone to respond, he had run out of the kitchen and returned a few moments later with JM, who still looked very sleepy. The girl woke up early when Altair woke up, but then she fell back to sleep because her mother''s sleeping pill was too strong for her.


    JM rubbed her eyes and sat in the dining chair. "Thank you for breakfast."


    "Hey, this is Tatiana, she''s Vega''s friend," said Altair hurriedly.


    Tatiana eyed the new girl with her mouth agape. She had never seen such a beautiful girl, except in magazines. JM''s beauty was stunning. Her graceful appearance was very different from the pretty Vega who looked rather indifferent and never dressed up.


    Even though she just woke up, JM''s appearance still looked perfect. Her long, curly hair down to her waist still looked beautiful, like she had just come out of a hair salon. Her face seemed to have a mixture of Western and Oriental. Her thin red lips and small nose contrasted her big round eyes.


    "Hi, Tatiana ... nice to meet you." JM greeted Tatiana with her sweet voice.


    "Eh ... why ... yes. Hello ..." Tatiana glanced at Altair and found the young man watching JM with a look like a puppy that had just seen his master. Tatiana soon realized that Altair really liked this new girl.


    Ahhh ... there will be so many hearts broken, back at school, thought Tatiana. She also had a crush on her best friend''s brother. However, once she saw for herself the kind of girl Altair liked, Tatiana immediately admitted defeat.


    Now she preferred to focus her attention on the handsome Mr. Nicolae Medici.


    "Let''s eat, we can continue chatting later," Nicolae said.


    The three teenagers nodded in unison and began to enjoy their breakfast. Nicolae tried hard to make the atmosphere lighter. Although he himself was very worried about Vega, he knew that the three teenagers in front of him had to be made calm. These children couldn''t do much to look for Vega, and they shouldn''t be stressed.


    "Tatiana, we want to borrow all your videos and investigate the contents. There is a possibility that the criminals who kidnapped Vega had been watching her every movement in Paris and Bordeaux. We suspect they are following her everywhere. So, we hope to see if there is any chance of those people caught in your camera," Nicolae said as they ate breakfast.


    "Of course, Sir. I don''t mind," Tatiana said.


    "We will buy you a new cellphone and camera equipment so you can stay in touch while we borrow your cellphone."


    "Thank you."


    Tatiana really trusted Nicolae. She was neither worried nor afraid of being in the penthouse with this man present. Therefore, she became disappointed when Nicolae called the two bodyguards who brought Tatiana to the penthouse and told them to take the girl back to the Amarylis Hotel.


    "Then ... will Altair also come back to our hotel?" Tatiana asked before leaving the penthouse.


    Nicolae shook his head. "No. Altair will stay here with his family. I will call Pierre and explain everything. You must go home. Steve will drop you off and buy you a new cellphone. Later, when we have finished transferring your video data, we will return all your equipment..."


    "Uhm ... okay. Thank you, Sir."


    Tatiana had no choice but to return to her hotel. She couldn''t help much in the penthouse anyway. She then said goodbye to all of them and returned to her hotel, accompanied by two guards provided by Alaric.


    "Come on, Altair, we have to move and inspect all the video recordings here and look for clues," Nicolae said as he brought all the equipment to the study.


    There, he and Altair immediately worked to check all the videos taken by Tatiana. There were hundreds of long and short videos that they must examine. Nicolae then sent some to Marie so that the girl could help him check too.


    Meanwhile, Alaric cleaned Mischa''s wounds in one of the rooms and Lauriel immediately came to help him care for Mischa. They didn''t say anything while they cleaned and treated Mischa''s wounds. They didn''t want Mischa to be more depressed than he already was.


    After they finished, and Mischa was lying in bed with clean clothes and his wounds treated, the three talked to find out what really happened and why Mischa could be injured in Provins last midnight.


    Mischa agreed because he really wanted to meet Vega again. He thought Vega would come with Altair. However, suddenly Mischa received a message from a mysterious person who sent him photos of Lisa being held captive.


    Mischa was forced to drive to Provins to save her. At that time, he had no idea that something bad would happen to Vega. He did not suspect that, in fact, Vega was actually the main target, and they just wanted to distract him.


    Mischa knew that three reliable bodyguards were always protecting Vega and Altair from a distance, so he was not too worried.


    "I didn''t know ... they kidnapped Lisa just to lure me out of Paris ..." The man whispered with wet eyes. "Had I known this ... I would protect Vega with my life ..."

 Chapter 935 - Is Sophia Involved?

    Alaric was speechless at Mischa''s words. His hands were clenched, and his c.h.e.s.t felt tight with anger. He couldn''t blame Mischa for choosing to go to Provins to save Lisa. He understood how it felt like to be a man in love. Lisa, after all, had been Mischa''s girlfriend for many years.


    If he received any threats on Aleksis'' life, Alaric would leave everything to save his wife.


    He patted Mischa''s shoulder. The man looked so sad, so Alaric spoke to him in a soft voice. He now sounded exactly like Alaric Rhionen, who coaxed little Mischa 35 years ago to stop crying when his parents were lying dead, and he asked the boy to come with him.


    "Mischa ... you are innocent. Don''t blame yourself for what happened to Vega. I will catch the culprit and avenge Lisa''s death. No one can touch my family and escape punishment. I will go after them, even to the ends of the earth. ... "


    Alaric looked at Mischa with sharp eyes. His foster son stared back at Alaric and both seemed to make a silent promise to avenge Vega''s abduction and Lisa''s murder together.


    Lauriel looked away while taking a deep breath. He was despondent and depressed. During his life for almost six centuries on this earth, only twice did he experience situations that were this heartbreaking.


    Based on his knowledge, the longer they could find Vega, the less likely they will find her alive. He could not imagine how heartbroken his family would be, especially his children, if Vega ended up dying at the hands of her kidnappers.


    He had also asked for help from all members of the Wolf Pack, and they were all ready wherever they were to wait for orders from him. If Lauriel got word that Vega was brought to Asia, Peach and Endo would search the entire continent to find her tracks.


    He had Neo in Australia. They could also count on former Rhionen Assassins members who were still spread all over the world. All were awaiting orders.


    "Alaric ... you have to see this!" Suddenly Nicolae went inside and showed the tablet in his hand. Lauriel and Alaric looked up and stared at him attentively.


    "What is wrong?" Alaric asked. He stood up to approach Nicolae and looked at the tablet in his brother''s hand. Instantly, his expression turned very murky. His hands were clenched into fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. "Who is it?"


    Lauriel got up and looked at the contents on Nicolae''s tablet. His face also turned murky. His blue-green eyes flashed with anger.


    "I recognize that person ..." he hissed.


    In Darknet, there was a very interesting post that attracted many people''s attention. There was a photo of a teenage girl passed out on the floor and an old man in his 60''s who was tied to a chair beside her. The teenage girl was clearly Vega. Then ... who was the old man who was held captive with her?


    The text in the photo was short:


    ''If you don''t want Vega to experience what happened to Alexei, stop searching.''


    Alaric turned to his father. "Do you know him? Is he really Alexei?"


    Lauriel studied the old man in the photo and took a deep breath. He still remembered Alexei''s face, Luna''s nephew, who was given the death sentence 35 years ago and got his memory taken away. After more than three decades, Alexei had turned old and wrinkled, but Lauriel could still recognize him.


    He nodded slowly. "That''s right, that''s Alexei. Caspar still sent people to check on him in Switzerland every now and then. Every year we saw his face grow older. This is indeed him."


    "That means that whoever kidnapped Vega must know what happened to Alexei! Do you think they have a grudge against him? Do they have a relationship with the Meier family?" Alaric asked again.


    He had told Pavel to track Sophia''s whereabouts. He was worried that his cousin had something to do with Vega''s kidnapping because she wanted to take revenge on him. He was still waiting to hear from Pavel.


    Eleven years ago, Alaric punished Sophia by kicking her out of the family castle in Yorkshire. He didn''t return the Meier family''s business to her for her evil deeds. Now Sophia had fallen into poverty and gone off the grid.


    Sophia had long held a grudge against the Schneiders and Lauriel''s family. She always assumed Lauriel was responsible for making her lose her only brother, Alexei.


    "Hmm... I don''t think Sophia did this," Lauriel said. "She doesn''t have the resources and money to mobilize this many people ..."


    "And it is clear from this photo that they also took Alexei," Nicolae added. "Do you think Sophia would sacrifice her own brother?"


    "I don''t care whether Sophia has money or not, whether Alexei is a victim or not ... I will look for Sophia." Alaric snorted.


    "One moment ..." Suddenly Nicolae held his brother''s hand and tapped the screen of his tablet. He just saw a new notification. "Marie sent me this news ..."


    He showed them the contents on his screen. His brother and father immediately held their breath. They saw the news on an internet portal. The body of a man in his 60''s was found on a roadside in Switzerland. His corpse was thrown out of a fast-moving car. The perpetrator didn''t leave any trace.


    "This is Alexei!" Lauriel said as he managed to observe the photos of the victims that were spread in Darknet. "They really killed him."


    "This incident happened only one hour ago. That means they are now in Switzerland ..." Nicolae said. "That is very fast. I think they drove all night, and they are very well organized."


    "I will send my people to Switzerland," Alaric said quickly. He turned to his father and nodded. "Father, you are right. I don''t think this is Sophia''s doing. She couldn''t have killed her own brother. Nevertheless, I will still look for her and interrogate her."


    "I will check Darknet and look for new information," Nicolae said.


    "I will go to Switzerland," Lauriel decided. "You should stay here with Aleksis and coordinate with Caspar and the others."


    Alaric nodded. For some reason, he felt the instructions left by the kidnappers were too excessive. Why did they dump Alexei''s dead body in Switzerland? They might do it just to distract his attention. Therefore, he was glad his father wanted to investigate there while he continued to coordinate with everyone.


    It''s been 12 hours after Vega was gone. They were racing with time. Everyone felt tired and stressed. Lauriel immediately left for the airport to fly to Switzerland. Overland would take too long, he thought. He preferred to use small aircraft that would take him directly to Basel.


    ***


    There a commotion at the Amarylis Hotel that morning. George Washington High School students surrounded Tatiana, who came to the breakfast room with a haggard face. They all wanted to hear directly from her about what had happened.


    "Is Vega really missing? Weren''t you still texting with her yesterday?" Sharon asked in confusion. "What happened?"


    "Are all the announcements on Splitz true? Vega is the daughter of the RMI owner?" Stu asked in an urgent tone.


    Everyone was very surprised when they woke up in the morning and found social media and almost all parts of the internet were filled with news about the reward offered for finding find Vega Linden.


    They immediately recognized the girl in the photo as their school friend. No one thought that the modest and beautiful girl was the daughter of the world''s wealthiest family. It felt like it was all a dream.


    They had heard that Tatiana had been asked to meet Vega''s parents, and now all of them were swarming around the girl like flies swirling rotten fruit to find out what really happened.


    Tatiana was actually exhausted and stressed, but she liked being the center of attention. So, she asked Sharon to hold her new cellphone and record while she made a statement. She would immediately post it on social media to her followers.


    She was only doing what Alaric asked her to. He told her to ask all her followers to open their eyes and ears if they saw any clues about Vega''s whereabout, anywhere in the world.


    "I want to make a statement about the shocking incident that happened last night. So, please listen to me ..." Tatiana began her recording in a hoarse and sad voice.

 Chapter 936 - Dead Ends

    Sharon signed with her right hand and Tatiana immediately began her narration.


    "Hello, my name is Tatiana Petrova. As you all know, I am the owner of this channel, and for the last ten days, my friends and I have been on a study trip to Paris and Bordeaux. You have seen my best friend, Vega, appear in my videos. She is a friendly girl and she is very down to earth. So, we all did not expect, some bad people have the heart to kidnap her.


    "All announcements that you read on the internet are true. Vega who sometimes hosted my videos is Vega Linden, Mr. Elios Linden''s daughter. Earlier, I have met Vega''s father and he asked for my help ... for all of you, to open your eyes and ears, wherever you are. We must let her family know immediately if we saw or know something.


    "You can contact me directly by private message. You can also contact all RMI representative offices and all company offices under the Schneider Group. There will be a hotline number available that you can contact from all over the world. Toll-free."


    Her school friends listened to her sympathetically. However, once Tatiana confirmed that Vega was indeed the girl who caused a stir in the world this morning with her mysterious disappearance, they all became very shocked.


    Immediately there were muffled exclamations. They exchanged glances and pressed their lips in surprise. Nobody expected this. Like Tatiana, they thought Altair and Vega, the twins, were ordinary people.


    Now their view of the two had completely changed.


    Never judge a book by its cover, they thought.


    ***


    The atmosphere in the penthouse was really tense and the air felt heavy. It''s been 20 hours after Vega disappeared and they still hadn''t found a clue.


    Lauriel had arrived in Switzerland and immediately headed for the hospital where Alexei''s body was being examined by a coroner. He actually thought there was a possibility that the body was not really Alexei, but someone who was made to look like him and was killed to distract them.


    Unfortunately, he was wrong. The corpse turned out to be Alexei. He confirmed this from the rapid DNA testing on the man''s blood sample and they compared the results with Nicolae''s DNA in Paris. Their mothers were sisters, so their DNAs could be matched to find their relations.


    "This is really Alexei," Lauriel said with a sigh. He was on the phone, talking to Alaric in Paris. "I have coordinated with the police in Switzerland to block the roads all over Switzerland, including the border. If Vega is still here, we will find her..."


    "What did Father say?" asked the girl anxiously. "Is there bad news?"


    "Hmmph ... Father just confirmed that Alexei is indeed dead. They actually held Vega with him in Switzerland before Alexei was killed." Alaric could not feel the pain from his bleeding knuckle after he punched the wall. He clenched his fist even harder. "I don''t know what they want ... Why don''t they just call me and tell me what they want? If this is kidnapping for money, they should have told me the ransom. If it''s out of spite ... they should have contacted me to make fun of me .. asked me to do something bad to save Vega ... But this, there is absolutely no news."


    Aleksis hugged Alaric and buried her head in the man''s c.h.e.s.t. "We''ll wait ... We have to be patient. This morning they already sent news via Darknet, right? Maybe now they are still on the move. Later, after they feel safe, they will definitely contact us."


    Alaric rubbed Aleksis''s head, unable to say anything more. He had not slept for more than 24 hours, and he was mentally exhausted.


    Nicolae and Altair were still busy checking and sorting out all the videos taken by Tatiana, one by one. Marie also helped from Grosseto.


    In addition to checking all the videos, they also checked all CCTV recordings from the places that Vega and Tatiana visited in the past ten days. They worked diligently for hours without a break.


    Marion checked back and forth with Larkin''s men to find out their progress. She and Petra also coordinated with the police in France to deal with the Lisa and Vega cases.


    Until nightfall, they still hadn''t found any clues. Vega had been missing for 24 hours. Alaric still hadn''t slept after two days, and this made Aleksis very worried.


    ***


    When she heard about what happened to Vega, Sophia just burst out laughing and specifically said hello to Alaric.


    "You are Pavel, aren''t you? I know that you are my evil cousin''s right hand," Sophia hissed, grinning. "I am honored that you came to me personally. Tell Alaric, I am delighted because, after a dozen years, my cousin finally paid for what he did to me. I hope the tragedy that befell him does not stop here. We know his sin is still far greater than this ..ha ha ha..."


    Pavel raised his hand to hit Sophia over her presumptuous and evil words, but he refrained because he never hit women, unless that was part of their mission. At this time, he was only ordered by Alaric to track those who were suspected to have the motive to kidnap Vega.


    "I''m not done with you," Pavel said in an icy voice. "I''ll be watching you. If we found out that you''re involved ... we''ll make you regret ever being born."


    Sophia just rolled her eyes. She was not afraid. For her now, her life was already bad. She didn''t think it could get any worse than this.


    "If the kidnapper needs my help, I will definitely help him. You will see ..." Sophia replied with a sinister smile.


    Kai, who was staying in America, had also found the Blue family''s tracks. They fled there to avoid being pursuit by the Russian Mafia, who hunted them because of their failed mission with Elien Mikhailova. The Blue family opened a small inn in a small town in the midwest, the United States. They tried to live low profile and survived through their small inn business.


    According to Kai''s assessment, the Blue family also did not have enough resources in America to pay for such a mysterious and professional kidnapper group.


    Alaric and his family ended up with another dead end. After 48 hours of Vega''s disappearance, her father''s spirit slowly dimmed.

 Chapter 937 - Message From The Kidnapper

    Nicolae finally found a clue from some of Tatiana''s videos he was checking. There were two pairs of mysterious men who always appeared wherever Vega and her friends were.


    To avoid being suspected by Vega and Altair''s bodyguards who were always watching them, these mysterious men followed Vega alternately. After Nicolae noticed these figures in different places several times, he realized that this was not a coincidence.


    He immediately traced the identities of the four people and shared the information he obtained with everyone. But unfortunately, again, they were met with another dead end.


    There was no data available for these people. As if they all never existed.


    "How could this happen?" Caspar became very confused.


    He knew Nicolae and Marie''s specialties. They were legendary hackers who had access to information at their fingertips. But even both of them combined could not obtain any useful information.


    They were facing dead end after dead end.


    Alaric and Pavel had made a list of people who had the potential to be the masterminds. And that was quite a long list. They approached all potential suspects to find out their involvement.


    But even the wealthiest and most powerful person in the world today must admit that his wealth and power were of no use to find his missing daughter. This was beyond anyone''s expectations.


    Seven days passed, and the atmosphere in the penthouse had become very tense. Alaric and Aleksis seemed to lose their spirit to live. Their tears had dried up, and they couldn''t be consoled anymore. They only survived for the sake of their other three children.


    But really ... on the day they received the news of Vega''s abduction, Alaric and Aleksis felt that half their souls had died together.


    "We can''t stay here," Caspar finally said. As the family''s patriarch, he knew that he must make decisions amidst the tragic situation that broke all their hearts. Nobel Hotel had become the center of attention and attracted the crowd of curious people.


    The news about Vega Linden abduction became the world''s most shocking news after the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case more than a hundred years ago.


    Many people were sympathetic but also curious to know about the details of what happened and how it affected the Linden and Schneider families. After all, humans were social creatures who were always curious about gossips and other people''s news.


    When Alaric learned that the area around them was always swarmed with news seekers, his wrath rose. He almost ordered his people to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y kick everyone far away from the hotel.


    Caspar took control and arranged for the police and their own security department to straighten the crowd so that they could get privacy. He then sat everyone in the living room and invited them to speak frankly.


    "We have to go to Stuttgart or Targu Mures, or Grosseto to calm down. The city is too crowded, and it is difficult to maintain our privacy here under conditions like now."


    He took a deep breath. His young and handsome face, for some reason today, looked very tired and he even seemed to have aged a few years. He had never felt this awful in his life.


    "Lauriel and his men are still investigating. The same went for Nicolae and Marie, all investigation teams from Schneider Group and RMI, even the former members of Rhionen Assassins and also thousands of freelancers in Darknet are still working to find Vega. We will never stop, and we will never give up. We just need to find a more peaceful place to coordinate. "


    Everyone looked attentively at the clan leader. They agreed with his opinion. They must leave Paris.


    "I choose to return to Targu Mures," Alaric finally said. "I can control all operations from there. I will ask Terry to bring my sons there."


    It''s been a week that he left Ireland and Scotland with Terry in New York. Although their security had all been tightened many times, he did not want to take any risks. He would always supervise his children with his own eyes. He would not let them far from his sights.


    "Good. We will divide ourselves. Some can join Alaric to Targu Mures, while I will join Lauriel and continue the search. Finland will come with you to Targu Mures. I do not want to jeopardize her safety by taking her with me," Caspar said.


    He had already discussed this with his wife. He was aware that it would be better if Finland accompanied his daughter and son-in-law at a critical time like this. They certainly would need emotional support to face this very heartbreaking situation.


    This morning he cremated Lisa and spread her ashes in the sea. The police have finished their investigation and couldn''t find any meaningful clues.


    They finally released the body to be buried or cremated by her family. Lisa''s family accepted Mischa''s presence at the morgue when they received her body because they understood how that man was destroyed as a result of her death.


    Together, they then scattered Lisa''s ashes into the sea as she always wanted. Now, no one was holding Mischa back in Paris anymore. He wanted to return to his home in Bucharest or join Alaric to chase the kidnappers and Lisa''s killers, even to the ends of the world, if necessary!


    "Do you want to come with us to Targu Mures?" Alaric asked when he saw Mischa coming. "My father-in-law said we should get out of Paris and look for a place with more privacy. At present, there is no guarantee that Vega is still held in Paris. Seven days have passed, and now they can be anywhere in the world."


    Mischa did not need to think at all. He quickly answered, "Targu Mures."


    "All right. Then we leave this afternoon," Alaric said.


    Nobody spoke again. They would immediately pack and go separate ways. The search would be carried out from several different places with strict coordination.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    "Good afternoon, Sir. We received a package for Mr. Elios Linden."


    The butler accepted the package and immediately took it to the living room and handed it to Alaric.


    "There is a package for you, Sir. The contents have been checked downstairs with the scanner. There are no suspicious items."


    This package was sent by post. It had the sender''s name and address on the box. Nicolae was quick to photograph the sender''s information and check his identity. Alaric took the box and prepared to open it.


    "Hmm ..." Alaric unwrapped the box and opened the lid to find out what was inside. His face immediately turned red. His jaw clenched, and his brows twitched.


    Aleksis and Nicolae immediately walked closer to see what was in the box that made Alaric so angry.


    Aleksis screamed when she saw the contents. She took out a long, platinum-colored hair from the box in her hands. Her tears immediately flowed profusely. She was holding her daughter''s long hair that had been cut.


    The woman started wailing, and her mother rushed to hug Aleksis and try to calm her down.


    "Ssshh ... Honey ... don''t think bad about it. It''s just hair ..." Finland herself felt an incredible sadness when she saw Vega''s hair in the box. Her mind immediately imagined all the worst-case scenario. However, she tried to remain calm to coax Aleksis. "They didn''t hurt her. They only cut her hair ... Calm down ..."


    In the photos, they found several pictures showing Vega when she was kidnapped, then taken by car, bound together with Alexei, then lying unconscious with short hair.


    With a trembling voice, Alaric read the contents of the letter on the card.


    "Alaric Rhionen, you have ruined the lives of so many people. How can you sleep at night when there are thousands and even tens of thousands of people who are suffering from your actions? I was really offended when I heard that you have lived happily for ten years. That is so nice, huh?


    For justice''s sake, I will keep you from sleeping peacefully for the rest of your life. If you want your daughter to stay alive, I suggest you stop searching. I don''t want to torture her to make her suffer. I just want to punish you.


    But ... if you don''t want to punish yourself. Then I will kill her. Today, you only receive her beautiful hair. Next time, I''ll send a pair of beautiful blue eyes ... or her heart. Ah ... thinking about me gets me in the mood. Later, I will send word again."


    Everyone looked at each other when they heard the contents of the message on the card.


    Who was the culprit? Why were they so mysterious?


    Nicolae immediately told them that, as expected, the name and address of the package sender were fake and could not be traced.


    ***

 Chapter 938 - Sophias Plan

    At a small tavern in Rotterdam, Sophia sat enjoying sparkling wine while smiling to herself. A young waiter who had cleared the table then sat next to her and helped pour wine into her glass.


    "Miss look so happy. Any good news?" the waiter asked Sophia.


    The purplish-eyed beauty only closed her eyes when she heard her question. Her mouth smiled wider. When she opened her eyes, those purple eyes seemed to glitter with joy.


    "I think now they must have received the letter. I wish I could be there, it would have been perfect! Haha ..." Her voice was filled with excitement.


    The waiter smiled at Sophia''s words. She raised her glass and invited her to toast. "Everything has gone according to plan so far. It''s not in vain that you sacrificed your brother."


    Sophia only raised an eyebrow. Her expression looked unhappy. "Alexei is old and no longer useful. He would only trouble me in the future. At least, he can be useful for one last time."


    "Hmmm, you are right."


    They then clinked their glasses and drank with satisfied expressions. Sophia glanced to the side, and her smile made her face look more beautiful.


    She held her glass of wine and her beautiful eyes were watching the canal in front of her tavern. Many small boats were passing by and the canal looked so busy.


    Her eyes stared far away, beyond the canal and the boats. Sophia was thinking about the past and that put a beautiful smile on her face.


    "All this will not work without proper preparation ... I have been patient enough, and I did my part well. Five years is not a short time," the girl muttered in a low voice.


    "Miss is very patient," commented the waiter.


    "Ah ... my patience is nothing, compared to your master''s patience. He had been waiting for 25 years and prepared everything in detail. I learned a lot from him," Sophia commented while looking at her assistant. Her eyes gleamed happily.


    She remembered the man who came to see her five years ago when she was so desperate and almost ended her life. The man invited her to speak and assured her that she still had hope for revenge. He told her his own grudge toward Alaric Rhionen and how he had prepared a perfect plan to get his revenge.


    That day, Sophia''s spirit returned. She finally found a purpose in life. She could survive and be patient. Until finally ... the long-awaited day had arrived.


    "Imagine ... the most powerful people in the world ... are too helpless to do anything ..." Sophia chuckled. She covered her mouth with the back of her little hand as she laughed. Elegant, just like someone of noble birth would do.


    "Everything had been carefully considered. They must have thought Vega was actually in Switzerland because her photo with Alexei and Alexei''s body was later found there ... Even though we only used ordinary camera tricks ... Tss ... how embarrassing. When they thought Vega was in Switzerland, our people were actually still holding her in Paris."


    "I''m sure they also checked all the videos taken by the high school kid. I heard she was summoned to meet Alaric at the Nobel Hotel. Haha .. even though they can find our people who followed Vega for ten days, they will not find their data anywhere because they are all in disguise ... Lauriel''s people are not the only ones who can disguise themselves, right?"


    "True. Even if Wolf and Goose are on their side, there is no point," Sophia replied. She picked up her glass and signaled to her assistant to refill it.


    Deftly the girl took a bottle of wine and poured the contents into Sophia''s glass. "We have Skia. He is much more dangerous because he never tries to make a name for himself. No one knows who he is .. hahaha."


    "The enemy in the shadow is far more dangerous than the enemy that you can see under the light. That is very true," Her assistant commented, nodding in agreement. "We are lucky, the plan is well-matched to get the right momentum. As soon as Wolf announced his bounty on Darknet to pay double the reward for anyone to find about the person who is after Goose, Skia immediately knew there was a connection between them."


    Sophia laughed and nodded. "Love does make people do stupid things, doesn''t it? I didn''t expect my cousin will announce his identity in such a way."


    "Ahh .. but his stupidity is our gain, Miss. It didn''t take long for Skia to find out that it was the little French mafia that planned the failed abduction of Goose''s child. By tracking him down, we could find Goose and Wolf together."


    "Ah ... that''s right. Too bad, my cousin still does not know that Larkin is actually the mastermind behind his daughter''s kidnapping. He even mobilized the stupid mafia group to find information .. tsk tsk ..." Sophia pretended to feel concerned for Nicolae. "Do you think we should tell him?"


    "Maybe we should keep that information for the future, Miss. Who knows, maybe someday we will need it to blackmail Larkin," said her assistant with a shrug. "If we let them know now, there is no benefit for us."


    "Hmm .. you are right. I will wait for the right time and reveal this secret." Sophia nodded. "I have to thank the stupid mafia, though. It was his stupidity that actually allowed us to kidnap Vega. If my cousin did not meet Goose, he would still be watching the children in Paris and Bordeaux. I was worried when I found out that Marion was there too. Crazy! She is very dangerous."


    "Luck was on our side. Wolf left his kids under the supervision of a former assassin who was recently heartbroken ... Oh ... what a perfect opportunity! Master immediately made his move and accelerated the kidnapping plan ... He is really good at making strategies and adapting it ..." said the waiter as she poured the wine back into Sophia''s glass. "I was worried that Mischa would not come to Provins. We didn''t know for sure how he felt about that woman. If he had managed to move on from her, then of course our plans were in vain."


    "Ahh .. you''re right. It was a gamble on our side. But, hey ... everything is done and successful. We won." Sophia narrowed her eyes with a very serious expression. "Mischa came to Provins. Nicolae went with Goose. The children did not have adequate security. They were negligent and now must pay the consequences. I''m sure they are all blaming each other right now."


    "You don''t want to kill the girl?" asked the waiter again, staring intently at Sophia. "Wouldn''t she be a burden if you keep her for too long? I think if she was killed and her body was sent to her parents, we could traumatize them and prolonge their suffering."


    Sophia sighed at the question. "I think so too. But your Master gave me a very logical reason. He said, not knowing what happens is worse than death. As long as Alaric does not know what his daughter''s fate is, he would suffer all his life. Every day, every night, every hour ... is torment.


    If we lose someone we love because they died, we will definitely grieve, and slowly, the sorrow would disappear with time and we will learn to let go. But if we don''t know whether the person we are missing is alive or dead ... we won''t be able to grieve properly. This is what your master wants to achieve."


    "Hmm ... I understand now. Master is indeed wise." The waiter sipped her wine and smiled slightly. "I could never follow his thoughts."


    "Ahahaha .. of course. That''s why you became his assistant," Sophia commented while laughing. "Ahh .. I miss him."


    "Miss can''t see him just yet. Alaric''s people are still watching your every movements."


    "Ah, of course I know," Sophia answered. She was about to ask her assistant to pour more wine when suddenly the tavern door opened and two guests entered. They took the seats at the table in the corner. Sophia lifted her chin and signaled her assistant to work. "We have guests. You serve them first. Let''s drink again later."


    The waiter nodded respectfully and rose from her seat. "Of course, Miss."


    She quickly approached the newly arrived guests and took their order. These new guests were a couple. They each ordered a can of beer, sparkling wine, and snacks.


    The waiter took all their orders and entered the bar to prepared them. Five minutes later, she was out with a tray of sparkling wine, a glass of Amstel beer, a bowl of beans and a plate of bitterballen.


    Sophia watched her assistant work serving guests with a satisfied smile on her face. She had opened a tavern for two years at the edge of this canal. It was not too crowded because they did not try hard to find guests and sell lots of drinks.


    She only needed this tavern as a cover for her new identity. As a shop owner, she would not be too suspicious if people came and went to see her.


    Sophia could also use her tavern to justify her source of income. Initially, Sophia didn''t like this tavern, but now, it seemed she was getting used to it.

 Chapter 939 - Defeated

    Two weeks passed with no meaningful results. Vega was missing without a trace.


    In his entire life, Alaric never thought there would come a time when wealth and power would be meaningless. What good was all his wealth for if he could not even save his own daughter?


    Everyone in the extended Schneider-Medici family felt broken and grieved. Their residences were quiet and filled with sadness. This had never happened in the history of the family before, after World War 2, which resulted in many people losing their loved ones.


    Aleksis had been crying for days until she could no longer shed a single tear. Alaric was always loyal beside her. But her husband''s condition was no better than her. The man was devastated and could not say anything.


    Sophia was right to say that uncertainty gave greater suffering than death, and this was what Alaric felt now.


    He knew he had killed so many people, both directly and indirectly, and he understood how much sadness was experienced by those who were left behind by his victims.


    He had changed a lot over the past six years. He had turned over a new leaf. His anger at a handful of people who were fond of war and destroying nature had subsided as he was reunited with his family.


    He understood that humans, in general, did not like war and wanted to live peacefully on sustainable earth. The ones responsible for committing all the crimes that resulted in war, and Luna being a victim of, were not humans in general, but only a handful of greedy rulers.


    Now, when his life began to take turns for the better, events like this suddenly come to haunt him and destroy everything.


    Alaric was willing to give all he had, provided Vega would be returned. But, unfortunately, even though they had put all their efforts in, no one had managed to find the girl.


    ***


    While Alaric and Aleksis mourned for their missing daughter in Targu Mures, Nicolae returned to Grosseto to be with his family. Marie was very sorry to see her man''s face tinged with sorrow. She knew how much Nicolae loved his goddaughter and blamed himself for not being in Paris when Vega was kidnapped.


    They never talked about the wedding anymore because all of Nicolae''s time was spent looking for clues about Vega''s whereabouts. Marie did not want to add to his burden, so she never asked about continuing their wedding plans.


    As much as possible, she did what she could do to help. Life in a new place, coupled with the problem of Vega''s disappearance made her quite depressed, but Marie tried her best to always look happy and well in front of Nicolae.


    "Luca is calling us for lunch," Marie said that afternoon. She approached Nicolae, who was still busy reading various reports coming in from people claiming to have seen Vega in Asia. The man dedicated 16 hours each day to check all the reports.


    Many reports were false, some people saw the wrong girl, and they had begun to lose hope. However, he never gave up, always trying to sort information and hope that one of the thousands of messages that came in gave clues, no matter how insignificant.


    Nicolae was still trying to spend some time with Summer. His daughter would play in his study, or sit on his l.a.p while Nicolae worked, so the little girl did not feel ignored.


    "Oh, is it lunchtime already?" Nicolae asked, raising his face from the computer. He sighed and nodded. "Let us eat."


    He got up and took Marie by the hand to walk into the dining room. There Summer was waiting for them with their butler, Luca, who was playing with her while waiting for her parents.


    "Maman, Daddy..." Summer immediately ran to them when she saw Nicolae and Marie entered the dining room. Nicolae immediately lifted his child and kissed her hair.


    "Let''s eat."


    They then had lunch quietly and did not talk about the progress of the case.


    "Marie ... I want to talk," Nicolae said suddenly after they had finished lunch and he saw Marie about to leave and bring Summer to go out and play.


    "Oh .. about what?" Marie asked. She put down Summer on the floor and whispered to her. "Go play with Luca, you can hunt rabbits in the garden. Maman and Daddy need to talk."


    "Yes, Maman." Summer kissed her mother''s cheek then approached her father and kissed Nicolae''s cheek before she ran out looking for Luca.


    "What is wrong?" Marie asked, approaching Nicolae. The man pulled her hand and hugged Marie suddenly, to her surprise. She didn''t expect Nicolae would suddenly behave like this. She then asked in a cautious voice. "Did something happen?"


    "No ..." Nicolae shook his head. He then let go of his arms and pulled Marie onto his l.a.p. "So many things should have happened, but they didn''t happen. For example ... we should have been married in a few days."


    "That''s not important at all," Marie said softly. "There is a greater priority for us to do. I know you really want to find Vega."


    "I know. But this is not fair to you," Nicolae said again.


    "I don''t mind. For me, being able to stay here with you and Summer already makes me so happy. I don''t need anything else," Marie insisted. "Don''t burden your mind with unimportant things."


    Nicolae shook his head and looked at Marie lovingly. He still remembered how good this girl acted to hide her sadness when she lost her mother. He did not want Marie to pretend to be strong and happy in front of him, even though she actually felt depressed and ignored.


    "Marie ... I''m sorry that, lately, I haven''t paid much attention to you. I know that I have to look for Vega, but at the same time, I also realize that I don''t want to lose you, not for the second time. So, please ... let me always know what you think and feel. Never pretend in front of me. Don''t lie and act like you''re happy, but you''re not. I will feel very guilty ..."


    Marie looked back at Nicolae and finally nodded. "I understand."


    "I want us to get married. I will not delay formalizing our relationship and ask for the immortality potion for you and Summer. It''s just ... maybe now is not the right time to hold a wedding ..." Nicolae said again.


    "No ... I don''t want a wedding," Marie said quickly. "I just want to be with you. If we can just have a small intimate ceremony, that''s better. That''s enough for me ..."


    Nicolae nodded. "OK."


    In fact, Nicolae felt very guilty for Marie for not being able to give her a grand wedding, which she deserved. But he really had no choice. He couldn''t think of his own happiness amidst the tragedy experienced by his family.


    Vega had been missing for a month. Nicolae realized that if he kept postponing his wedding with Marie, they would never get married. Therefore he decided to continue with the original plan.


    The kidnapper''s letter clearly said that they intended to punish Alaric by detaining his daughter for an indefinite period. Despite all their efforts, they still couldn''t find any trace of Vega or her captors.


    Now, they could only give up and hope that the kidnapper would not hurt Vega, then wait for its development. Nicolae still faithfully searched, but now he was slowly accepting the fact that they had been defeated by the kidnappers.


    "Marie Honey... thank you for your understanding. I am so lucky to have you and Summer in my life," Nicolae said in a sad voice. "If you weren''t here when we experienced this tragedy ... I''m not sure I would be able to survive. I love that child too much ..."


    Marie sat on Nicolae''s l.a.p and stroked his hair, to show support. "I''m glad that I am here with you. I don''t have anyone in this world besides Summer and you. Vega is your goddaughter, which means she is my daughter too. Of course, I have to support you."


    "Thank you," Nicolae kissed Marie lovingly and hugged her tightly.


    They haven''t kissed intimately like this for a long time. The dynamics of their relationship changed dramatically after receiving news of Vega''s abduction.


    After they met again in Paris and decided to return together to Grosseto to plan the wedding, the couple had always been intimate and never wanted to be separated. Their s.e.x.u.a.l life was on fire. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that completed each other. Unfortunately, that changed immediately when Vega disappeared.


    It had been almost a month since Nicolae had touched Marie, and she had slowly begun to feel awkward because now she did not know how to respond to his touches. Marie had even decided to accept their situation and forget about the wedding altogether.


    Fortunately ... as it turned out, Nicolae immediately realized that and reiterated his d.e.s.i.r.e to formalize their marriage. Their conversation this afternoon made the two of them reopen their hearts, and slowly, Marie''s sad heart was comforted again.


    They kissed again more intimately. Marie wrapped her hands around Nicolae''s neck, and the man hugged her waist tightly. The longing Marie had held for a month finally found its release, and she kissed Nicolae more aggressively.


    The man immediately understood that just like him, Marie was also sad, but they had been distancing themselves for too long and kept their sadness to themselves.


    He remembered the events of six years ago when Marie had just lost her mother and sank into a deep sorrow that she attempted suicide. At that time, they were strongly attracted to each other, and Marie asked Nicolae to make love to her to make her forget her sadness due to her mother''s passing.


    Maybe ... they need the same distraction at this time.


    Maybe... m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e to Marie would make Nicolae forget for a moment about his sadness due to Vega''s disappearance ...

 Chapter 940 - We Will Never Give Up (The End)

    "Nic ..." Marie whispered in a hoarse voice. Tears rolled down her cheeks slowly as she framed Nicolae''s face with both hands and looked into his eyes deeply. "Don''t feel guilty if we continue living... We will continue to look for Vega. We will not stop trying .. But please ... we must not become devastated and immersed in grief without trying to live. We still have to eat .. we still have to sleep ... We must move on ... So that we have the energy to continue looking for her..."


    Nicolae nodded slowly. He understood what Marie wanted to say. The girl meant to say that they had to keep living well while looking for Vega because life would go on. Humans needed food and rest to keep them alive ...


    But that''s not all, humans also needed love.


    It was love that made humans different from animals and plants. Love was a need that was just as important for humans as food and rest. If they neglected it, even though their bodies were alive, their souls would slowly die.


    During this month, Nicolae and Marie only focused on finding Vega and met their physical needs, such as eating and sleeping, but they forgot to nourish their mental wellbeings and their souls.


    If this continued, slowly, not only will Nicolae dan Marie''s relationship would suffer, but their souls would also suffer even more.


    How could they continue their search for Vega if their own souls died?


    "You''re right ... Marie, you''re very wise," Nicolae said with a smile. He nodded. At present, he must not only pay attention to his physical health but also his mental health. He was very depressed and really needed release to comfort his soul. "I''m sorry I didn''t realize this before ..."


    He pulled Marie''s head close to his face and kissed her again. This time the kiss felt more loose and emotional.


    Marie was very touched and returned Nicolae''s intimate kiss. They vented their passion on the dining chair for several minutes as they were engulfed in emotion. They cried together and pour out all the sadness they felt in the c.h.e.s.ts and comfort each other.


    Every kiss, touch, and c.a.r.e.s.s they received from each other now felt like a medicine being applied to a large gaping wound in their hearts. And slowly, the wound closed, with every touch and affection that they pour on their loved one.


    "We''d better move to the bedroom ..." Marie whispered in a hoarse voice.


    She was trying to hold back her m.o.a.n so as not to attract the attention of the servants around the dining room. She felt that they would get carried away very soon and make love on the dining table.


    Nicolae nodded slowly. He stopped his kiss and immediately carried Marie''s body in his arms to their room. They both felt their temperature rise, and their c.h.e.s.ts were filled with d.e.s.i.r.e that had been long suppressed.


    After they arrived in their large, spacious bedroom, Nicolae hurriedly closed the door, locked it, and placed Marie''s body on the bed. For a month, the bed was only used for sleeping, and there was no warmth shared on it.


    However, today, that would change.


    "I love you," Nicolae whispered, taking off Marie''s clothes one by one, and his own. Once both of them were n.a.k.e.d, he started fondling her lovingly. For a moment, his mind was successfully distracted.


    When he saw Marie''s beautiful curves that he had not touched for a long time, Nicolae could only think of how grateful he was that the beautiful woman under him was his wife and the mother of his child. Soon they would live together forever because Marie would receive the immortality potion from Aldebar.


    Being able to forget about Vega''s abduction for an hour turned out to be very helpful for Nicolae to think calmly. His mind that was always depressed and sad could finally find a bit of release.


    He even managed to sleep without a nightmare in Marie''s arms for several hours after they made love. They woke up just in time for dinner.


    "Gosh ... we fell asleep ..." Nicolae said as he got out of bed and tried to look out the window. "Fortunately, it''s not dark yet."


    "We must be so mentally exhausted that our bodies forced us to get extra sleep like that ..." Marie said. She looked at Nicolae attentively. "How do you feel?"


    Nicolae smiled back. "I feel better. Thank you."


    "I am glad to hear that." Marie got up from the bed and approached Nicolae and kissed his lips. "I want to take a shower. Do you want to come?"


    Nicolae nodded. He pulled Marie''s hand into their bathroom. He invited her to take a bath together before they searched for Summer and got ready for dinner.


    "After dinner, I will contact Uncle Caspar and Aldebar. We will continue the plan to get married on August 1," Nicolae said, as he closed the bathroom door.


    "Good idea," Marie was delighted to hear that.


    Nicolae and Marie''s wedding was held on August 1 as planned. Only their immediate family were present to witness and congratulate them on their wedding.


    Caspar formalized them as husband and wife, then Aldebar handed over two small bottles filled with the immortality potion for Marie and Summer.


    Both of them took the potion as soon as the wedding ceremony was over and everyone welcomed Marie and Summer to be part of their family. They were happy for this little family.


    However, they couldn''t hide their sadness due to Vega''s disappearance. Their faces were dark and tired. Alaric was only able to hug his brother and congratulated him in a whisper. He was not even able to give his speech as the bestman.


    They all gathered in Grosseto that day to celebrate Nicolae and Marie''s wedding, as well as to share the results of their respective investigations. Even though there was still no significant progress, all members of the Schneider-Medici family were determined to never give up.


    "This is the worst year of my life," Alaric said as they enjoyed dinner together after the wedding. "I thought the worst year of my life was the year when I was born because my birth took my mother''s life. But later, I fell in love and lost Aleksis. When I heard the news of her death 17 years ago, it was apparently worse than losing my mother, and the ten years afterward became the ten years that made me the saddest and most miserable. I never thought ... that, one day, I would experience a feeling far worse than that. That was the day I lost my daughter ..."


    Everyone looked at the man attentively. They understood how Alaric was feeling because they knew what he was going through, and most of them were there and watched the event took place.


    "But ... I never let sadness and suffering destroy me. I turned them into a weapon to get better and do something. I will not give the kidnapper what they want. I will not be weak and broken. If I am destroyed, then I won''t stay alive to meet Vega again. "


    Alaric took a deep breath. His face looked emotional, even though this cold man rarely showed his emotions in public. "So, now I am determined to stay alive and stay strong so that when Vega returns ... she will find her strong father, not a weak man who was drowned in sadness and give up..."


    Aleksis squeezed Alaric''s hand and smiled. She understood what her husband meant. Alaric wanted to console their family and encourage them not to be buried in sadness and destroy themselves in the process. Because, if they were destroyed ... how could they keep looking for Vega?


    They would keep looking even if it took them forever. They would never give up.


    .


    .


    >>> THE ALCHEMISTS ENDS HERE <<<


    .


    .


    *****


    From the Author:


    Thank you so very much for investing your time and money in reading 1,1 million words of this novel that I have been writing since February 18, 2019. If this was a paperback, you would have completed reading the whole 7 Harry Potter books.


    After seventeen months of writing "The Alchemists", I finally decided to end the book here by giving closure on Nicolae''s and Marie''s relationship.


    Vega''s story and how she would return to her family will be written in a separate book. I don''t want to continue it here because this book would be too long and I think a trilogy is a good set up.


    Another reason is the story will have a different vibe from all the previous volumes. It will be a bit dark because it is about revenge and redemption and not all people are comfortable with it.


    As always, you are welcome to end the journey here and move on to another book.


    If you haven''t read FINDING STARDUST, it would be my next recommendation ^0^.


    However, you would like to continue this story, you are welcome on the new journey. Hop on and head to the new book: THE PRINCE WHO CANNOT FALL IN LOVE & THE MISSING HEIRESS.


    I will repost some of the chapters from this book there, to give context for new readers, so they could understand the story without having to read the 940 chapters of THE ALCHEMISTS. However, I will remove the parts on Nicolae and Marie because it wouldn''t be significant to the new book.


    Please be patient. I think the story will pick up after this event where we left off, in 3-4 days.


    I would like to thank everyone who had come and stayed until the end. I cannot mention you one by one and showed how grateful I am for your patronage. I can only give a shoutout to top 10 fans:


    - oluwaseyi_okiki


    - Lori_Dale


    - Sam_27


    - Jennifer_Miller_1993


    - Trill_Chiware


    - putripanda


    - Cindy_Janssen


    - charilynbino


    - Connie_Ammon


    THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I will keep working hard and improve my writing.


    When I looked back on the early chapters, I actually cringed (even though I had edited and re-edited them so many times) and I am so grateful you looked past them and continued reading anyway.


    And now... here we are.


    If you would like to stay in touch with me, feel free to connect with me on Instagram: @Missrealitybites, and FB Page: "Missrealitybites"


    If you want to buy me coffee.. hahahaha... I wouldn''t say no obviously.


    You can go to: ko-fi.com/missrealitybites


    See you in the next book! Please stay healthy and take care.


    Remember, we don''t only need food and sleep to survive.. we also need to care for our mental health and our souls.


    May you all be well. God bless you!


    PS: If you haven''t written any reviews for this book, I would love to hear what you think about the trilogy. I''d really really appreciate it if you could take a little time and share your thoughts in a review. Let me and potential readers know the good, the bad, and whatever I should improve for my next writing.


    Thank you, and luv ya!


    .


    .


    FUN FACTS:


    1. "The Alchemists" was written because I was inspired by "Altered Carbon", a Netflix TV show about how humans can live forever by preserving their core (soul) and just move to a new body after their current shell (body) expires. The new body could be the clone of their own body or they could get a new one. The rich could get their bodies in prime shape and beauty for infinity, as long as their core is intact.


    Altered Carbon is made into a TV show from a cyberpunk novel under the same title. I haven''t read the novel. Man, I wish I have the time to read nowadays.


    2. I am also a HUGE fan of "Peter Pan" and I believe "The Alchemists" is a bit like Peterpan''s story in a way. The characters stay young forever. In my other novel, "Finding Stardust", I immortalized Peterpan''s persona in Haoran and his ''boys''.


    3. I listened to "Bedshaped" from Keane in repeat for months when I was writing Volume 2, especially for Alaric''s part. It''s the perfect song for him. I also listened to Saint Seiya''s opening soundtrack to write Nicolae''s part. It''s called "Pegasus Fantasy".


    4. "Saint Seiya" is the first anime I watched when I was young and it left a deep impression on me. I love Cygnus Hyoga from "Saint Seiya" and I believe I was really touched by his love for his mother, that Alaric''s character is partly inspired by him. I also think my definition of beauty (with purple hair color for Luna, Alaric''s mom) is shaped by Athena from Saint Seiya.


    5. For the visual, my personal favorites are Luke Eisner as Alaric and Ton Heukels as Nicolae. Both men are in their early 20''s and are extremely good looking models. They look quite similar, and prolly could pass as fraternal twins :).


    Also, Lee Hyun Jae (Korean actor and drummer) is my preferred visual for Jean-Pierre Wang. Check his Instagram at @88hyunjae.


    I don''t really have personal favorites for the other characters'' visuals. You can see pictures for this book in its Instagram account: @casparthealchemist or my Instagram @missrealitybites.


    6. I started writing "The Alchemists" in February 2019 after I went into a bad depression. It was actually mild, but coupled with burnout and added with annoying ex, I was hitting rock bottom. Writing was my way to find solace. I am glad I started writing again because it helped me through it all. I am better now despite the pandemic and whatnot.


    Thank you for being part of my journey. I am forever grateful. ^^

 Chapter 940 - Announcement: More Stories To Come!!

    Note from the author:


    You don''t have to open this chapter with coins. Feel free to use fast pass. This chapter will serve as an announcement.


    First of all, if you have read this book till chapter 940, please head back to it and check the comment section to see visuals for this novel. You''ll see visuals for Caspar, Finland, Alaric, Nicolae, etc etc., even their dogs... hahaha. I hope you''ll like them.


    I can only post them yesterday since the application now allows us to insert images. Yeay!


    Second, as I got more requests from readers to write MORE STORIES about the Schneider-Medici family, I decided to add one volume with side stories about Caspar Schneider and his big family.. ahahaha.


    Only for the month of November.


    So, if you want to read more... please keep this book in your library. It will have probably around 30-35 chapters only. I decided to do it, so this book can join the next Win-Win Event.


    Please, please... help me get features for this book, by purchasing the privilege. It will only be 1 coin for 1 tier of 2 advance chapters. My goal is to get 500 buyers, so "The Alchemists" can get a banner. I cannot do it on my own, I will need all your help.


    The side stories will tell us about Aldebar and his silly inventions, Caspar and Finland as they finally have another baby. Remember how Caspar kept pestering his wife to give him another kid after all their children grow up? She finally relented... hahaha.


    I will start updating "The Alchemists" with side stories by end of October. I hope you will be patient.


    In the meantime, feel free to check my other books on this site. Of course, you must already know the sequel (Vega''s story).


    .


    **THE PRINCE WHO CANNOT FALL IN LOVE & THE MISSING HEIRESS**


    Synopsis


    "When did you know you will marry me?"


    "Ten years ago. You were ten."


    Can a marriage survive when ''love'' is one-sided? Is the love of one person enough for two? Can you forgive the enemy when the person who destroyed your life is the person you love the most?


    Note: This book deals with Revenge and Redemption. No major misunderstandings, only mysteries and secret identities.


    She was taken away from her doting parents and led a desperately lonely life in a quiet village, not knowing who she was. There, she met the prince who came to give her family.... or so she thought.


    She was the sun that shone over his darkness, the flowers that bloomed in his spring, the only woman he would ever love... if only he could.


    This is the story of the prince who cannot fall in love and the missing heiress.


    The book covers revenge and how love conquers all. Can bad people turn good? Will kindness really defeat evil? Can you forgive people who had hurt you so badly that you want to destroy the world just to make them pay?


    .


    >>>>>>


    Another book to enjoy is "Finding Stardust". It''s almost completed. If you start reading now, you will finish it by the time it ends, with only 20 more chapters to go.


    .


    **FINDING STARDUST**


    This novel has several male leads and they will shine in their own time.


    "A man should have a bucket list, don''t you think? It''d be nice to see 24 sunsets with you in one day." - Haoran Lee


    "Do you want to see how I would light up the sky for you?" - Crown Prince Therius


    "I will be there till the stars don''t shine." - Xion Draconi the Time Master


    ****


    Emma Stardust, who was abandoned in front of an orphanage when she was four years old, turns out to be the daughter of a runaway princess and a formidable general from Planet Akkadia. Her parents left her behind to save her from the pursuit of the Akkadian royal family.


    The secret to her past was uncovered when she suddenly woke up at the top of the Eiffel Tower and realized that she could control fire, wind, and various other elements.


    And the Crown Prince of Akkadia wanted Emma to become his wife? What happened to Emma''s parents? Can Emma accept the prince''s love? Will Emma''s powers bring her companies ... or enemies?


    Follow Emma''s journey as she unravels the mystery surrounding her past and her future, and finds true love in the process.


    .


    >>>>>>


    Another book that I will start writing on Monday is "The Cursed Prince". It will be fluffy and steamy, as I''m now exploring how I could write more m.a.t.u.r.e contents (lemons/smut), since I enjoy it so much. So, feel free to check that out as well by Tuesday, because the content editor will need to vet it on Monday before it''s live on this platform.


    .


    .


    **THE CURSED PRINCE**


    [WARNING: M.A.T.U.R.E CONTENT]


    The crown prince was cursed on the day he was born, that he will never be happy. What''s worse, no woman could touch him without dying.


    Thus, finding a wife to produce an heir became the royal family''s greatest challenge since the prince is the only son.


    Until one day.. A slave girl who tried to kill him didn''t end up dying after they touched. Emmelyn was a princess from one of their colonies who vowed to avenge her family''s death by killing the crown prince.. And that''s how she ended up in his castle.


    Seeing that she was the only woman he could have s.e.x.u.a.l relationship with, without killing her, the prince made an agreement to let her go and free her kingdom from his oppression if she produced for him three heirs.


    Emmelyn said yes, but every day that they were together, she made plans to kill him and get her revenge.


    Can Emmelyn get what she wanted, or would she be entangled deeper with the enemy who was deemed as the devil incarnate himself by his enemies?


    ****


    EXCERPT


    "You will be the mother of my children," said the man in a commanding tone.


    His shameless words rendered Emmelyn speechless and shocked, more so, than the kiss he landed on her lips earlier.


    "Eh ... wait.. what? Hold on a minute," Emmelyn, who was moved from her shock, hurriedly rubbed her lips roughly as if trying to remove the devil''s marks from them. "I don''t want to be your wife! I don''t want to marry you, you devil!!"


    The man frowned and squinted his eyes menacingly. "Who said anything about marriage?"


    TEN YEARS LATER


    "Rrr... it''s been too long. Let me go."


    "You haven''t given me heir number 3."


    "But you''re the one who was always busy when I was on my cycle. Not my fault!"


    "Hey, lady! A deal is a deal."


    .


    .


    **THE DONOR & OTHER STORIES**


    Synopsis:


    Andrew only had 6 months to live. The doctor sentenced him with a brain tumor that had reached the terminal stage.


    Not wanting to die in vain, he then decided to donate his organs. But he had a condition, he wanted to choose the person who will receive his heart.


    From several international waiting list patients that matched him, Andrew found a girl who had been in and out of hospital all her life because she was born with some congenital disease and had to get not only a heart but also a new liver and kidney, all of which matched his.


    Andrew finally decided to meet the girl and see what she was like.

 Chapter 941 - Good News And Good News!

    STUTTGART, Year 2065


    .


    Finland hung up the phone with a happy face. She turned to her husband, who was engrossed in reading something on the terrace of their castle.


    "We''ll have a new grandchild," she said in a shaky voice. Her eyes looked teary.


    Caspar widened his eyes and smiled broadly. Ahh ... he really liked all his grandchildren, and the news that he was going to be a grandpa again made him very happy.


    "L and London will have a baby?" he asked curiously. "How many months in?"


    "It''s been four months. They deliberately waited after the first trimester was over before they would tell us all," said Finland. "It''s quite a difficult pregnancy. London sounded really frantic on the phone. We''d better go over there and visit them."


    Caspar nodded. "Good idea. I''ll tell the others."


    He chuckled and immediately sent word to his daughter, Aleksis, since Rune was going on an expedition and couldn''t be reached.


    Aleksis was happy to hear the good news. She knew how much her brother wanted another child, but for a dozen years, he was afraid that that anything would happen to L if she got pregnant and gave birth to a second child, considering she gave birth to a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e baby 15 years ago.


    Lily''s birth was a miracle because she survived after months in NICU care. She was now a beautiful and healthy teenager. However, London was traumatized by the ordeal and didn''t want to see L go through the same experience.


    Ahhh.. finally, after 15 years, they decided to have a second child.


    Aleksis was only pregnant twice, but each time, she gave birth to twins. So, she already had enough with the four children she shared with Alaric.


    Their oldest son, Altair was now starting to take care of the family business, RMI, after Mischa and her siblings resigned and took on new identities.


    Mischa was exactly 50 years old this year. Although he still looked like a young man in his 30s, he already felt how inconvenient it was to appear in public with his original identity. That''s why he resigned from RMI two years ago and handed over control to Altair.


    Altair Linden was currently in charge of RMI Europe and Africa and was making plans to appoint people he trusted to help him manage RMI Asia, America, and Oceania.


    Now, in Alaric and Aleksis'' home, there were only Ireland and Scotland, the twin boys. They studied at home with private teachers, just like their mother. It was not an ideal condition, because actually, Aleksis wanted their children to enjoy life like most children who would go to school and make friends with their peers.


    However, after Vega''s kidnapping case, Alaric and Aleksis were prioritizing their kids'' safety. They couldn''t allow the same thing to happen to their other children. Fortunately, Ireland and Scotland understood their parents'' feelings and didn''t protest much.


    After all, they could be friends with the other children from the Alchemist clan. Every month, they would travel and meet Lily Schneider, their cousin in Germany. Nicolae and Marie''s family also lived in New York, so they could meet often with Nic''s daughter, Summer, who is about their age.


    "London is going to have another child? He must be delighted," said Aleksis when she heard the news. She chuckled. "Father.. you are the only alchemist with four children and six grandchildren among your fellow clan members."


    "Hmm ... I didn''t expect that you all would quickly fall in love, get married and have children ..." commented Caspar. "You''re all too young."


    Aleksis laughed while elbowing her husband, who was sitting beside her, listening to Aleksis talk with Caspar. "My father is just like you. He wants his children to stay at home until they are 100 years old, so they don''t meet other people and fall in love."


    Alaric cleared his throat. He actually agreed with Caspar. According to him, the Alchemists'' lifestyle was the best way. They didn''t want to get married and have children quickly. If all humans copied that way of life, he was sure the population would not increase and people could have a better quality of life.


    However, considering that he had four children by Aleksis, Alaric couldn''t say a word on procreation. Truth be told, he also didn''t want Vega and Alta?r to rush into love and get married. However, he couldn''t tell them how to live their lives, since both were now a.d.u.l.ts.


    Vega was now happily married to her husband, while Altair had stated that he was now in a relationship with JM. It was only a matter of time before they formalize their wedding.


    His hope was now rested on his two sons, Ireland and Scotland, who are now 15 years old. Hopefully, they won''t be in a hurry, he thought.


    "Rune was the only one who was still relaxed with his life," commented Caspar. "That kid really takes after Aldebar. Sometimes I wonder if he was really my son.. hehehe. If I didn''t see him coming out of my wife, I would have thought he was adopted."


    Aleksis laughed out loud at her father''s joke. It was true. Rune, her youngest brother didn''t look like their father at all. He looked just like their bachelor uncle, Aldebar, who was was blond and fair. Both men also shared the same passion for science.


    .


    >>>>>>>


    You can support me and this book to win features in the Win-Win Event by purchasing the privilege, it''s only 1 coin. You can read two advanced chapters if you unlock the privilege access. At the moment, I can only promise one chapter update per day, since I''m still updating my other books. I hope you don''t mind.


    Once I''m not uber busy, I might be able to increase the frequency. Crossing fingers :).


    Love ya! And see you tomorrow in the next chapter :).

 Chapter 942 - Well Feign Ignorance

    "Oh, right. By the way, where is he now?" asked Aleksis. "He promised to come to New York to teach Ireland and Scotland the latest Quantum theory. I want to confirm the dates. We also plan to go to Berlin to visit London and L."


    Caspar sighed. "He said he was on an expedition to the Amazon with Lauriel. He wanted to research some medicinal plants for his latest invention. It''s been a week. I still couldn''t contact them. I hope nothing bad will happen."


    "Ahh ... but Father, you don''t need to worry, nothing bad will happen to them. You know how Uncle Rory is," said Aleksis, comforting her father. "I''m sure that once they reach civilization, they''ll contact us. Is Rosalien coming with them?"


    "As far as I know, Rosalien is on an adventure with Takeshi and Kai. At least that''s what I heard from Lauriel," answered Caspar.


    Aleksis and Alaric look at each other. "Uncle Rory and Rosalien are traveling but not together ...? This is very surprising. Is there trouble in paradise?"


    Caspar laughed, "Ahahaha .. no. Absolutely not. On the contrary. They had already decided to get married, but before they become husband and wife, they both wanted to go on separate trips. You know Rosalien is very close to her foster brothers. You could say ... this would be their last adventure together before she got married. Mischa can''t come because he already has his own family that he has to take care of. So there was only the three of them. Ssshh .. don''t tell anyone you heard this from me, okay? Lauriel forbade me to tell you about his personal life."


    Unknowingly, Alaric and Aleksis gasped in unison.


    Lauriel and Rosalien were going to get married? This was really a surprise for them. After being in a relationship for almost 15 years, finally, the reclusive man and woman decided to get married?


    Until now, Lauriel had never publicly announced his relationship with Rosalien, and now they are going to get married!? Alaric felt his c.h.e.s.t was filled with warmth. He was very happy for his father.


    Exactly 120 years since his mother died, his father finally opened his heart to marry another woman. Alaric knew Rosalien was the perfect woman for his father, and he was very happy for them.


    "I won''t tell anyone," Alaric said quietly. A thin smile was etched on his lips. "I''m just going to share the good news with Nicolae, but we''ll feign ignorance in front of my father."


    "That''s good. That''s good," Caspar said with a chuckle.


    After they hung up, Alaric and Aleksis looked at each other. They then smiled at the thought that Lauriel and Rosalien would finally get married. Both of them were happy for Lauriel. Aleksis really loved her godfather, and Alaric just wanted to see his father happy.


    "Do you think Uncle Rory will finally announce his relationship with Rosalien?" asked Aleksis. "Or are they going to get married secretly? Want to make a bet?"


    Alaric laughed at his wife''s words. "Dad is too much like me. I think I know better what he''s going to do. You''ll lose the bet."


    "Hmm .. really?" Aleksis nodded. "If I bet with you, I''ll definitely lose. Fine. I won''t bet with you."


    She kissed her husband''s lips and walked out of the room calling her two children to study.


    ***


    That afternoon, London Schneider''s residence in Grunewald was filled with guests. His family came to visit and they brought lots of gifts for his unborn baby. London Schneider''s face was radiant throughout the day, making everyone happy for him.


    "Dad, L and I have decided to rest and leave the world behind. It''s time for me to leave the business and take care of my family. Would you mind going back to managing the Schneider Group?" asked London.


    Caspar, who was playing with Lily, looked up. He then exchanged glances with Finland.


    "I''m already 44 years old. It''s impossible for me to keep going around looking like this ..." said London with a laugh.


    The young man was right. He did look much younger than his age. Now, his wife, L was 35 years old and they both looked like they were still in their mid-20s. If they walked with Lily, who was now 15, no one would think they were her parents.


    "Hmmm ... then, I need to talk to your mother. I need to know if she would mind if I go back to work at the office," said Caspar. He turned to his wife and smiled broadly. "Honey, what do you think?"


    Finland shrugged. "I think it might be a good thing for you to go back to work at the office. It will give us a new atmosphere. We''ve had enough fun in twenty years, traveling and living quietly. Give London a chance to be with his family."


    "Ahhh ... you don''t mind?" asked Caspar happily. "You can come back to work for me .. hehehehe."


    Finland narrowed her eyes and was seriously thinking about it.


    "Come on ... weren''t you so happy to work back then? When I first met you, you were so workaholic," Caspar was coaxing his wife. "You can learn new things. You can meet people too. We can pretend we don''t know each other. You will apply to work as my assistant. We can stay professional in the office."


    Finland rolled her eyes at her husband''s words. "Professional?"


    She remembered the time when she was working at the Schneider Group office in New York, Caspar managed to find a million reasons and excuses to bring Finland into his office and make love to her.


    "Yes. Professional," said Caspar with a mischievous smile. His hands were mischievously squeezing his wife''s b.u.t.t with a chuckle.


    "Ugh ... we have no choice. Rune is not interested in business, so I am the only one who can replace London. I think we should have more kids, so things like this won''t be a problem," Caspar said again. "What say you? Let me take over the business, or you give me another child to do it in the future?"

 Chapter 943 - London And L Want To Retire

    When Finland heard Caspar''s words, she seemed to think for a long time. Her husband''s words were true. Aleksis already had a life of her own. Alaric, her husband, had his own business, RMI, which was comparable to Schneider Group. There was no way they would have time to handle the Schneider family business.


    Only London and Terry could be relied on to take care ot the Schneider grup today.


    However, the two of them had been using their identities for quite a while now. It seemed impossible to force them to continue living their lives as London Schneider and Terry Chan any longer.


    Terry had resigned two years ago, together with Mischa. Meanwhile, Rune, her youngest son, who preferred science to business, spent more time with Aldebar or Lauriel. He was a free-spirited adventurer who didn''t want to be tied behind the walls of office buildings.


    Indeed, it would be a more logical choice for Finland and Caspar to have another child to take over the business from London in this situation.


    However, when Finland saw her daughter-in-law, L, who was currently pregnant, she felt uneasy about herself. Imagine ... how awkward it would be if she were to give birth to a child at the same time as her daughter-in-law? Jeez ...


    Finally, she shook her head. "Uhm ... you better go back to work in the office, then. I can accompany you working in the headquarter."


    Caspar smiled at his wife''s words. "Fine. If that''s what you want."


    "Whaaa... thank you, Mom. I''ll take care of all this," said London happily. He hugged his mother and kissed Finland on the cheek. With a big smile, he took his cell phone and called Jan, his loyal assistant who was currently living in New York, managing the Schneider Group''s business in America.


    Finland just shook her head to see her son''s behavior. She knew that even though London said he would take care of everything, actually he would ask Jan to do it.


    "How''s Jan doing, anyway?" asked Finland after London finished his call with Jan. "When will he marry his girlfriend? You keep him so busy with work that he has no time for personal life."


    London only laughed at his mother''s words. "I''m not keeping him busy with work, Mom. Jan is quite a workaholic himself. Since he won the Top Executive award by Ritz Magazine, he has become more and more ambitious. He offered Terry to replace him in New York. I didn''t tell him to do anything. So far, I think he really enjoyed his job."


    "Hmm ... thank God then," said Finland, feeling relieved. She would fee very guilty to Kurt Van Der Ven, who died to protect her daughter, Aleksis, if Jan lived were to suffer.


    "Anyway, you don''t have to worry, Mom. Jan is like my own brother," said London, reassuring her mother. "I would never take advantage of him."


    Alaric and Aleksis just watched the scene with a smile. They had four children who could take care of all their family businesses.


    Soon, the twins, Ireland and Scotland, would m.a.t.u.r.e and follow in the footsteps of their brother Altair who was already working to lead RMI. Alaric simply didn''t have to go back into business, if he didn''t want to.


    And in twenty years, if Alta?r wanted to resign, Mischa and his foster siblings could take over. Their family was indeed really lucky to have many successors.


    "Well .. if you are willing to take over, I will hold a big meeting with all the directors in our group and inform them of my decision to resign. L will also make an announcement to the media, that she will quit the entertainment industry," said London.


    "People will be shocked," said L added with a smile. "All this time, I have been very strict about my privacy. Now, all of a sudden I would announce that I am already married, about to have a baby, and then quit the entertainment industry."


    "Ahh ... going into a retirement at the peak of your career is a wise decision," said Finland. "Just look at Billie Yves. She is still considered a legend until now."


    "Ah, but I can''t be compared to amazing Aunt Billie," said L shyly. "She is really a legend in her own league."


    "Why not have one last concert, as a farewell to your fans?" asked Finland. "I think it will leave a deep impression. And your fans will also feel more ready to see you retire."


    L thought of her mother-in-law''s words and then nodded. "Mother is right. I''m going to talk to Pammy and Brilliant Mind Media to arrange my last concert ... It should be a free concert for everyone. I think I can do it. The first trimester of my pregnancy was quite tough. Fortunately, I''m feeling better now."


    "I''ll call Pammy," said London hastily. He kissed L''s cheek and rubbed her hair. "Remember, the doctor said, you can''t tire yourself."


    "It''s only a phone call. I am not going to be tired by it," said L with a chuckle.


    However, London shook his head in disagreement. "You are not allowed to do any work. Let me do it."


    L''s face looked very red at her husband''s treatment in front of many people. London had never shied away from showing his love for L, but after all these years, the shy woman was still not used to it. She still blushed when London acted like that in front of their family.


    London was always happy to see L''s face blushing. He was really tempted to kiss her lips affectionately. However, considering his parents and sister were there, the man was forced to hold back.


    If he kissed those little red lips ... ah, he wouldn''t know what would happen. A deep kiss with L usually ended with baby-making activities.. hehe.


    Gosh. Why was he still having perverted thoughts towards his wife?


    They had been married for almost 15 years, but it seemed he never got bored and always wanted to make out and make love to her.


    He cleared his throat and called Pammy to explain what they wanted for L''s farewell concert. After he talked to L''s manager, he and Caspar discussed various technical matters about transferring positions in the group to his father. Once everything was sorted, the warm family sat down to have dinner together.


    ***


    A month later, the public was shocked by L''s farewell concert. It was held for free in a people''s park in the middle of Berlin city. All journalists and entertainment media were there to cover the event.


    Tens of thousands of people immediately packed the park as soon as they heard the news about the concert. By that time, Germany was entering autumn, and the sun was setting earlier than usual.


    Close to 5 pm, with the purple twilight of the setting sun as the backdrop, the stage in the center of the Fr¨¹hling Park was immediately surrounded by L''s fans who wanted to watch their idol perform for one last time.


    At 5 pm, music started to fill the entire park, and a beautiful little woman appeared on the center stage, singing a hit song from her first album.


    "L !!! We love you!"


    "L ... you''re so beautiful!"


    There were screams and cries from the fans who saw their idol. L raised her hand, waved to them, and greeted her fans while continuing to sing her song.


    London, who stood beside the stage, just smiled to himself, seeing how his wife looked so stunning. Now L''s pregnancy was already five months in, and her body started to look a bit chubby, but she didn''t seem worried about how people judge her appearance.


    His principle at that time was, if he couldn''t make L slim, then he should make her surrounded by fat people so that L would look slim among them .. hehehehe.


    Until today, London still didn''t know how Jan was able to pull it off. Finding backup dancers weighed at least 100 kg each must have been a really difficult thing to do at the last minute.


    .


    .


    >>>>>>>


    From the author:


    Do you still remember when London asked Jan to find those dancers? It was one of my favorite moments. I think it was in chapter 617.

 Chapter 944 - Ls Farewell Concert

    After L sang the third song, she raised her hand and the music stopped. The audience cheered and shouted her name again and again. L is the pride of Germany. From Berlin, she had managed to become a superstar on the world stage.


    During her 17 years of career, she had produced many successful albums and attracted the attention of many people. Now, she was at the peak of her career. Just like her idol Billie Yves, who retired from the entertainment industry after she married Endo.


    L showed her charming smile and called out her fans again. "Good evening, everyone ... I''m so happy to be here with you. I hope you like the three songs I sang just now."


    There was a roar of responses from the fans who stated that they really liked L''s songs. In fact, some people sang along with her earlier.


    L seemed very moved to see the enthusiasm of her fans. She had always wanted to be a famous artist and now it seemed that no singer was more famous than her in this world.


    "Thank you for your support all this time ..." She rubbed her wet eyes. "During my 17 years of career, you have been loyal to me and you always support me, even in difficult times. I''m really grateful. Your love humbles me. Right now ... I have different priorities in life. Now has come the time for me to focus on my family."


    Suddenly the atmosphere turned silent. Everyone looked at L on the stage with a questioning look.


    What did L say just now? She said she wanted to focus her time on her family? They knew that she was married and had children fifteen years ago. She did a press conference to announce her marriage. However, as a very private person, they did not know who L''s husband and child were.


    A lot of gossips had been circulating about various men who might become her husbands, but nothing had been proven so far. Will now L reveal the secret about who was her husband?


    "So far, my husband and daughter have been very supportive and patient. They let me do what I love, singing and going on concerts, and meet all of you. But now ... because we will be welcoming our second child soon ... so I decided to retire from the entertainment world¡­" L''s wide smile immediately touched the hearts of her fans.


    They could see that this woman was really happy with her life. As good fans, all of them could only be happy to see their idol happy.


    "Wahhh .. L is pregnant with her second child. No wonder she looks like she gains weight a little. Still look stunning though..."


    "This is great news !! Everyone must be shocked!"


    "L is gorgeous. This time, she must be pregnant with a girl. Just look at her glowing ..."


    The people immediately clapped and exclaimed congratulations to L. The woman smiled even more broadly. She then waved her hand to the side of the stage and signaled for London to go on stage with her.


    Her husband raised his eyebrows in surprise and pointed at his own nose. He mouthed his question to L. ''Me? On the stage? What for?''


    L nodded and waved his hand again. London finally got on stage and approached L. As soon as he got on, the crowd immediately cheered. The man was indeed very handsome and still looked young even though he was already in his early forties.


    Many people snapped their cameras and broadcasted those precious moments live around the world.


    "Here it is ... my beloved husband," said L in a hoarse voice. "He has stood by me in good times and bad time. He is patient with me and supports me every step of the way. I love him so much ..." L praised London with gleaming eyes and then hugged him.


    London was surprised but happy when L took the initiative to embrace him. He knew L was not an expressive person in public, so her actions this time were completely unexpected.


    They embraced warmly to the applause of the crowd. Not long after, L broke away from London and then kissed his lips tenderly.


    Ha. This is so unbelievable!


    He enjoyed L''s kiss happily. The man closed his eyes and returned the kiss more affectionately.


    "Awwww ...." Everyone cheered in unison.


    L was looking so emotional. She finally released her lips from her husband''s lips, smiled broadly, and waved her hand.


    "Thank you very much !! I''ve enjoyed your great support and I feel very touched. This is my last concert. Hope you guys like it ...."


    The crowd applauded again.


    "I started my career as the opening act for this legendary band''s European tour. They gave me the opportunity to perform with them and always supported me while I was struggling to become an artist in the entertainment industry. It is only right if I closed my career by going back and perform with them one last time.."


    L''s words immediately made everyone astounded.


    Wait ... what is the meaning of her words just now? She started her career as the opening act for the Rainfall Band...


    Did ...


    Oh. My. God.


    "Let''s welcome ... Kitaro and my other friends from RAINFALL !!!" L''s cry was immediately accompanied by the sound of drums and other musical instruments with a very distinctive melody that became the opening tone for Rainfall''s most famous song.


    The crowd immediately went crazy!


    It turned out that L had indeed invited the legendary band to appear with her in public for the last time. Everyone was very excited.


    Not only did they get to watch L''s final performance for free. They could also watch the performance of a legendary band like Rainfall.


    If L was the most famous female solo singer in the world today, then Rainfall was the most famous band that had been in the music scene for more than 20 years.


    Several years ago, London finally made peace with Kitaro, who used to like his wife. Now, he was no longer jealous of seeing L perform with Kitaro.


    He felt secure because L had introduced him to her close friends in the music industry. Moreover, now L had also acknowledged him throughout the world.


    London smiled broadly as he walked to the side of the stage and watched his beloved wife''s final public appearance.


    On the big screen over the stage, people could see a video showing L''s career journey since she was a teenager. She started her career by participating in various singing competitions, here and there.


    Then she started to open for more famous musicians. Until finally, L got her own place in the hearts of music lovers.


    She had also received various awards at music shows. Then she had her first solo concert. She later became a Virconnet ambassador, which catapulted her career, until finally, she became the superstar she was now.


    London watched L''s career journey with wet eyes. Of the 17 years, she had worked in the entertainment industry, 16 years were spent with him. London was very happy to be part of her journey.


    Finally .. after 16 years of patience and always supporting his wife''s career, he would be able to have an L all to himself.


    ***


    The concert was a huge success, and it became the talk of the town for days afterward. L and Rainfall became the trending topic in Splitz for weeks.


    After the farewell concert, L and London decided to move to the Schneider family''s castle in Stuttgart to relax and wait for the birth of their second child. It was such an exciting time for the second-time parents.


    Meanwhile, Jan had prepared the transition for London to leave the Schneider Group and had his position filled by his father Caspar Schneider.


    "I''ve relaxed for decades.. It''s time to go back to work," he said with a smile.


    Finland nodded in understanding. She remembered her husband was quite a workaholic when they first met. She was too.


    Now, after spending their time together traveling the world and relax, it would be interesting if they went back to work.

 Chapter 945 - The Flowers In The Office

    Finland was driven by their family''s chauffeur in an ordinary car and stopped in front of the Schneider Group headquarters building in downtown Berlin.


    The morning air felt very fresh. After getting out of the car, she stood and breathed the fresh air until it filled her lungs.


    In all the buildings owned by the Schneider Group, they always build a nice big garden around them so that their people could enjoy the fresh air that had become a precious thing in metropolitan cities that were mostly damaged by pollution.


    She deliberately asked the driver to buy an ordinary car, because all the vehicles in their house were super expensive, limited-edition vehicles. Of course, it would be very odd if someone like her who worked as an ordinary employee in a company, was driven by a luxury car.


    When she stepped into the building, Finland immediately was engulfed in nostalgia when she was still working at LTX International. The marketing company was the only company he had worked for. She was grateful to have gained a lot of experience from her time there.


    After marrying Caspar, she only worked for a few months at the Schneider Group headquarters in New York. The experience was also very enjoyable because she was able to spend a lot of time with her husband, as well as learn new things at work.


    Ahhh .. now, she could feel how being a career woman again. Her children were all grown up and had a life of their own. Now only she and Caspar were left at home. They had lived alone for a dozen years without their kids. Maybe they really need something to keep them busy.


    "Good morning, how can I help you?" asked the receptionist when Finland stepped into the building lobby.


    Finland nodded and smiled. "I''m a new employee here. I am transferred from the office in New York. I was told to see the HR manager?"


    The receptionist smiled sweetly and nodded. "Wait a minute, I''ll go over the appointment for Mrs. Garnett."


    She then opened her tablet and checked the schedule, then looked up at Finland. "What''s your name, Miss?"


    "My name is Laura Makela," said Finland. This time she used her birth mother''s name as a pseudonym. She was worried that her unusual first name would attract too much attention.


    "Ahh .. that''s right. You have an appointment with the HR manager, Mrs. Garnett. My name is Lola," the receptionist reached out her hand and introduced herself. Finland immediately greeted her with a smile.


    "Laura Makela."


    "All right, please come with me. I''ll take you to meet Mrs. Garnett." The friendly receptionist then raised her hand and signaled to Finland to follow her.


    When they walked across the lobby to the elevator, Finland just noticed that the entire lobby was filled with so many beautiful flowers. It almost felt as if she was walking in a garden or a flower shop.


    "Uhm ... there are lots of flowers here," commented Finland in a voice of admiration that could not be hidden. "Is it always like this?"


    Lola shook her head and smiled very broadly. Her eyes seemed filled with joy.


    "Not always. Just today. I don''t know what kind of event there is, but what is clear is that today there are a lot of flower deliveries coming to our office. I don''t mind it at all. Not only it makes our office look very beautiful, the smell of flowers is also very fragrant ... Ahhh ... it feels like walking in a park, right? "


    Finland nodded in agreement. Ahhh ... in her heart, she laughed to herself, thinking that this must be her husband''s doing. Caspar had started working in this office a week ago, and today Finland would join him in the same office.


    They purposely didn''t start work the same day so as not to attract attention. Finland suspected that her husband deliberately prepared thousands of flowers in the office today to welcome her back into the professional work.


    She decided to text and thank him after she finished talking to the HR manager.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Garnett. The transfer employee from New York has arrived," said Lola after she knocked on a room door and entered with Finland.


    In the room, there was a woman dressed in formal clothes with glasses. She was examining several files. She lifted her face and gave a sign for Finland to sit in front of her.


    "Thanks, Lola." She got up from her chair and closed the door after Lola excused herself. She then nodded at Finland. "You are Mr. Schneider''s personal assistant from the New York office?"


    Finland nodded back respectfully. She had already discussed her new position with Caspar, and they agreed that she would work as Caspar''s personal assistant so that she could always be close to him, and also at the same time to prevent the women who are attracted to the big boss from bothering him.


    Mrs. Garnet watched Finland closely. She cleared her throat. "I will not question the leadership''s decision. I am just a little surprised at why Mr. Schneider did not take a personal assistant from Germany who would obviously better understand the situation in this country and do the job better.


    Finland was stunned by Mrs. Garnett''s words. From Mrs. Garnett''s kind attitude to her, Finland knew that this woman did not mean to belittle her.


    However, by questioning why Finland had to follow her boss who moved from New York to Berlin, she felt that Mrs. Garnett was not professional. Finland had been living in Germany for decades and she had considered the country as her second home.


    "Ahh ... I don''t think it''s your business what Mr. Schneider wants," said Finland finally in fluent German. She couldn''t wait to get to work and did not want to go through this kind of bureaucracy.


    Mrs. Garnett looked surprised to hear how fluent her German was.


    "Ehh .. You speak German? I thought that because you''re from America, you didn''t speak our language." Her face brightened at once. "This is a really good thing."


    " My husband is German. Of course, I can speak the language," replied Finland. Her answer made Mrs. Garnet nod happily. She then spoke in an apologetic tone.


    " I''m sorry for being a little prejudiced. The problem is, recently there was gossip circulating in the office that our new boss brought his assistant from America because he and you are having an affair. But now that I know that you are married, I believe all the gossip will go away on its own. Did your husband move to Germany with you? "


    Finland sighed. She hadn''t worked in corporate for decades. She didn''t think that when she returned, it turned out that cases like internal gossip like this still existed.


    Why was there no progress? she thought irritably.


    Finally, she realized that it was human nature. They were always curious about other people''s business. The girl could only massage her temple and hoped she didn''t have to face the problems with gossip and office politics like in the past.


    Right now, she just wanted to help her husband and looking for something to keep her busy. The last thing she wanted was a distraction like this.


    "All right then. Welcome to Berlin. We are happy to welcome you to our office," said Mrs. Garnett while reaching out her hand to Finland. "Let me know if you need anything to help you adjust with the city or the office."


    Finland shook her hand and smiled. "Thank you."


    Mrs. Garnett took her to her room which was located in inside the biggest office in the building, Mr. Schneider''s office.


    As they walked through the corridor, passing by so many other staff in their open-plan working space, eyes were glued on her. Finland realized this must be caused by that stupid gossip that was circulating about her and the big boss.


    She could only facepalm herself.


    "Okay, this is your office," Mrs. Garnett opened the door to the biggest office in the building and motioned Finland to enter. The girl saw a nice desk and comfortable chair in that medium-sized room, a beautiful and comfortable sofa, and next to it was another door to the boss'' private space. "Mr. Schneider''s room is behind the door. Everyone will get to you before they could see him."


    "Wonderful. Thank you," Finland nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 946 - Lunch Together

    Finland put her bag in her office then walked following Mrs. Garnett to tour the Schneider Group office to show her the important places in the building and all their facilities.


    She would undergo three days of training with the assistant HRD manager to familiarize herself with the work culture and system in the Berlin office which might be a little different compared to their office in America.


    Finland just accepted all the training without protest. Even though you could say that she knew inside and out about her family business, she felt that she had to follow all the existing protocols and rules so as not to raise suspicions.


    After Mrs. Garnett finished showing her everything, she then left Finland to start her work. When the girl returned to the room, Caspar had arrived and was sitting on a chair in his office. He immediately called the "personal assistant" to come in.


    "Hey ... how do you feel about this office?" asked Caspar, rising to his feet when he saw his wife walking through the door. He hugged Finland''s waist and kissed her lips tenderly.


    As usual, he was very confident that no staff would dare to enter his room without him asking them to come. So, he relaxed in showing affection for his wife.


    "Hmm ... this is great. It''s my first time here. I think I like the atmosphere better than the office in New York," Finland said, kissing her husband back.


    "I''m glad you like it. I purposely ordered five thousand flowers to deliver to in this building, to welcome your return to the corporate world," said Caspar, looking at his wife closely.


    Finland nodded with a smile. "I know. Thank you. The flowers are so beautiful ..."


    "Ahahaha ... I am happy you like them. You knew they are from me.. hahaha."


    "They reminded me of the time when I was still working in Singapore and you bought all the flowers in the country," said Finland with a laugh. "You were over the top back then."


    "Don''t forget, I also bought all the flowers in New York on Valentine''s Day," Caspar added.


    The two then laughed. Ahh ... in the past, Caspar often did thngs in over the top manner, but that was what made Finland love him even more. Her husband never hesitated to show his love for her.


    "Are you tired? You did a tour around the building earlier, right? Let me massage your feet," said the boss as he carried his wife to the sofa and then took off her shoes.


    "Ehh ... what are you doing?" asked Finland in surprise. "What if anyone saw us?"


    Her eyes immediately moved toward the door in a panic, and her expression was worried. Caspar just laughed at his wife''s anxiety.


    "Don''t think about it. No one will dare to enter this room if I don''t tell them to come," he said, comforting his wife.


    He started massaging his wife''s feet with great affection. Finally, Finland stopped protesting. The massage was delightful and she felt very pampered.


    Ahh .. if outsiders saw what happened, they would definitely be scratching their heads because the big boss was massaging his assistant''s legs.


    Ahh ... if they only knew.


    After fifteen minutes in that position, Finland finally cleared her throat and pushed her husband''s shoulder to get up. "That''s enough. It is good. Thank you, Honey.. Now, I''ll sit at my desk and get to work. I think there''s so much to do here."


    Finland got up and kissed her husband on the cheek. She then put her shoes back on and hurried out of Caspar''s room.


    "Let''s have lunch together later," said Caspar before his wife left. Finland just turned and nodded with a smile.


    It''s so nice to be back in the corporate world, Finland thought with a happy heart. She typed in some important schedules and called the secretaries and other assistants to confirm meetings and appointments.


    She was in such a good mood that she was subconsciously humming while working. Caspar, who was reading reports in his room, smiled to himself when he heard his wife hum.


    Ahhh ... it feels good to get a new atmosphere like this with his wife.


    ***


    When lunchtime arrived, the employees who were eating at the office restaurant on the 30th floor became surprised when their new boss turned out to be eating there too.


    In the last week, since he came to Berlin, he had never appeared to eat with employees like now. However, today he suddenly came and ate here with his assistant.


    Ahhh .. these two people look so charming, they thought in awe. Caspar and Finland, who had been together for decades, had been used to attracting people''s attention, and they did not seem awkward at all.


    They took their food and sat down to eat together. When she saw Mrs. Garnet walked into the restaurant, Finland immediately waved her hand and greeted the middle-aged woman.


    "Mrs. Garnett, want to sit with us?" she asked kindly.


    Mrs. Garnett was stunned to see Finland and Caspar eating casually together at the company''s restaurant. They kindly invited her to join them. Feeling bad, Mrs. Garnet finally nodded and walked towards them.


    "Good afternoon, Sir," she said, nodding respectfully at Caspar. "We''ve met several times at company meetings."


    Caspar nodded. "That''s right. I still remember you, Mrs. Garnet from HRD, right?"


    "Ahh .. You still remember," Mrs. Garnet looked even more pleased. She knew their big boss was kind, but it was still hard to believe that a man this powerful was so friendly. She was in awe of the Schneider family.


    From what she had heard, not a single member of the family was arrogant and casual, like many other members of the wealthy family. Even though they were reclusive and didn''t socialize much, in everyday life they were all very friendly and humble. What an example, she thought.


    "I''ll order some food first," said Mrs. Garnet, smiling. She put her bag on the chair and then walked to the food counter to order the lunch she liked.


    "We must not always have lunch together," said Finland after Mrs. Garnet left. "People will be suspicious. I also need to socialize with the other employees."


    Caspar wasn''t really willing, but he knew his wife was right. Finally, with pursed lips, he had no choice but to nod.


    "But we should at least have lunch together twice a week at the office," he said, trying to negotiate.


    Finland rolled her eyes. "We already have breakfast and dinner together every day. Aren''t you tired of seeing me all the time?"


    "Not tired. Never have and never will," said Caspar with a sweet smile.


    Ahh ... well, they had been married for over 45 years now, and never once did he feel bored with his wife. They never even fought. His life with this woman was very peaceful.


    "Gosh .. you are still a playboy," commented Finland with a smile. "You always know what to say to please a woman."


    "Hey, hey ... I''m not like that, okay," Caspar said in a tone of protest. "I''m only like this to you. I''ve never been like this to other women after we are together."


    Finland smiled wryly. She almost pinched Caspar on the cheek and kissed him, but luckily she realized they were in a public place and she managed to restrain herself. Uff ... otherwise, you can imagine what kind of excitement would be going on in this office.


    Meanwhile, the employees who were eating around them seemed to be watching the boss and assistant with curious eyes. Quiet whispers filled the restaurant when they saw the closeness of the two new people in their office. One was their big boss and the other was his assistant.


    "Sssh ... they look really close, huh. People said they''re having an affair."


    "But I heard from the assistant to HR manager, the assistant is already married. Her husband is German too. How come they have an affair?"


    "Hey .. it''s not good to gossip about other people, you better take care of your own work," said one of the older looking staff, who looked wiser than her peers.


    .


    From the author:


    Hahaha.. Finland and Caspar are back under the spotlight.


    Btw, I apologize for my slowness in publishing. I will try better in the future. T_T


    Chapters that are marked "Under Construction" are not yet done. Please only unlock it after you no longer see ''under construction'' and author''s note at the start of the chapters. Thank you!!

 Chapter 947 - Rune & Lauriel In Amazon

    AMAZON - BRAZIL


    .


    Meanwhile, on a wooden boat sailing down calmy through the Amazon River, two handsome young men sat leaning against the boat wall in a relaxed manner. Both looked very conspicuous because their faces were very handsome with golden blonde hair that grew to their shoulders.


    Even though they looked like they were of the same age, one person had a very impressive aura, like he was so much older than his friend. This man had a tall and sturdy body with bulging muscles. He looked so manly and tough.


    His eyes were quite unique because they each had two colors, namely blue and green. Anyone who saw him would not be able to forget him because he would leave a deep impression. His appearance was very calm and immersive. Children and women would be reminded of angels when they saw him.


    Ah, yes, even though he was a pirate who was used to violence, Lauriel did look like a kind angel. This made people who didn''t know him well would think that they could do evil around him without receiving punishment.


    They were wrong. Lauriel didn''t really like humans. Although not as bad as Alaric, his son, who used to hate humankind and wanted to destroy them and rule the world. Lauriel only chose to shut himself down.


    Only few people were able to approach him, including his good friends and close family members. Now, he was even able to open his heart to love, fall in love, and live with a woman that became his kindred spirit.


    Ahh ... when his mind drifted to Rosalien, subconsciously, a smile appeared on Lauriel''s lips again. They had been together for nearly fifteen years, and last month, the two decided to formalize their relationship as husband and wife. This was a very big event because at nearly 600 years of age, Lauriel had never been married.


    He almost married Luna, his girlfriend over two hundreds of years. However, before they could get the wedding done, disaster happened. They got separated, and finally, Luna died after giving birth to their sons, who were separated for nearly a hundred years.


    Losing Luna gave a very heavy blow for Lauriel. The pain in his heart was so deep .. He thought that he could no longer go through the same sadness if he had to lose his love for the second time.


    It had taken Rosalien a very long time to convince Lauriel that the man would never lose her, and that he would never go through that pain again.


    And now .. everything had passed. Lauriel was convinced, Rosalien was too. And they would get married soon.


    He had not told this to anyone, except Caspar. He did not like it when people knew his personal affairs. Later, when the time came, he would inform them and invite them to the wedding.


    Rosalien was currently traveling with Kai and Takeshi for the last time as a single woman. She was very close to her two brothers. Since Mischa got married, he didn''t have time for them anymore, and his siblings really understood that.


    Lauriel himself decided to go on another adventure to the Amazon, one of his favorite places in the world. Ahh .. when traveling alone, he sometimes missed the days when he was traveling with Aleksis. In the past, that goddaughter of his went wherever he went on adventures since she was a child.


    They became very close. In fact, you could say that Aleksis'' closeness to Lauriel was deeper than that of her closeness to her biological father, Caspar. Unfortunately, Aleksis married young and now spent more of her time with her husband.


    However, whenever he reminisced about their old trips together, Lauriel would think about having a little daughter of his own. Boys were all right, too, he thought. The important thing was, he could care for them and raise them like he used to care for and raise Aleksis.


    Maybe later, when he and Rosalien got married, they could talk about having children.


    Ah, this thought made Lauriel''s face turn slightly red. This change in his facial expression did not go unnoticed by the handsome young man sitting opposite him, leaning against the wall of the boat.


    "What are you thinking about, Uncle?" asked Rune attentively. This time, he was allowed to join Lauriel on his adventure because the young scientist was researching various medicinal plants. "There seems to be something interesting."


    Lauriel cleared his throat. Aleksis'' younger brother was very smart and fun to be around. They had spent two weeks together in the Amazon''s interior and Lauriel felt quite close to him.


    Finally, he decided to share what was in his heart with the young man. He gave Rune an amused look and asked in return.


    "Rune, how old are you now?"


    Rune shrugged. "I don''t remember. I''m sure I''m approaching half a century."


    Ahh .. Rune really didn''t care about his age, birthday, and things like that. He smiled when he saw Lauriel shaking his head.


    "You are really different from your siblings. If we didn''t see you born from your mother''s w.o.m.b, maybe we would all think you were actually Aldebar''s child who was entrusted to his brother," Lauriel commented with a laugh. "I''m asking your age because you are the only one of Caspar''s children who has no partner."


    "That''s true," said Rune. "I can understand why Aleksis and London have their respective partners, fall in love, getting married and all that, but I''ve never been attracted to anyone myself."


    "Hmmm .. I was too," said Lauriel. "I was like you when I was young. While your father had his adventures with women for hundreds of years, I spent my time traveling around the earth. I was also not attracted to women for quite a long time. Until finally ... I met Luna."


    Lauriel''s face was filled with nostalgia. Every time he reminisced about Luna, people could see his expression turning soft.


    "I think you just need to find the right person for you," added Lauriel.


    "There are those who find love in their life quickly, like Aleksis who met Alaric when she was very young, and there are those who are like your father ... It took four hundred years before he met a woman he could fall in love with."


    "I know that," said Rune with a smile. "Actually, this is what really interests me. What causes people to fall in love with one person and not another. We know that animals have pheromones. Humans do too. But as far as I know, pheromones alone are not enough to build a lasting relationship."


    "Pheromones are not enough, you''re right," said Lauriel. "It''s only temporary and serves to make humans physically attracted to the opposite s.e.x for s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e and procreation, aka producing offspring. There are other things that could make people fall in love. Those are the reasons why people want to be together forever, get married, and then have kids."


    Rune gave Lauriel a strange look. It felt weird to hear Lauriel talk about love like this. Was there anything he had to say?


    "Uncle... are you in love and want to get married ???" asked Rune bluntly.


    Hearing Rune''s candid question, Lauriel hiccupped. It looked like the direction of the conversation was very predictable.


    The man cleared his throat. "You''re right. I''ve been with Rosalien for fifteen years, and we''ve decided to get married."


    Rune''s face seemed to glow with joy at Lauriel''s words. He was pleased with the news this aloof man brought. Everyone around Lauriel just wanted to see him happy. He had lived alone for too long and harbored the grief of being left behind by the woman he loved.


    Actually, among the alchemists who were accustomed to only falling in love and getting married once, Lauriel''s case was unique. Maybe he was the first man to have a serious relationship with two women in his life. This was followed by his son, Nicolae, who was once in a relationship with Aleksis and almost got married to her and was now happy with another woman.


    "Congratulations, Uncle. So when is the wedding?" asked Rune happily.


    "Maybe later in the spring, in Grosetto," said Lauriel. "My chief of staff had started to prepare everything."


    "Does my father already know?" asked Rune again.


    "I already told him. I''ve discussed this with Caspar. But my kids don''t know yet," Lauriel replied. "I''m still waiting for the right time to talk to them."

 Chapter 948 - The Perverted Husband

    "I''m not going to divulge this secret to anyone, Uncle," said Rune with a smile. He stretched out his hand to shake Lauriel''s and congratulated him once again. "Congratulations, Uncle. I''m so happy for you."


    "Thank you," said Lauriel, smiling. They leaned back on the boat and rested while watching the beautiful scenery along the banks of the Amazon river that they passed. It was such a beautiful place.


    Lauriel spent a lot of money on nature conservation projects in this region. He would not let one of his favorite places in the world to be ruined further by human''s actions. He still remembered the first time he set foot in the interior of the Amazon.


    In the past, this place was truly wild, pristine, and there were hundreds of indigenous tribes living in it. They all had their local wisdom and so many sources of knowledge related to nature. Lauriel really missed the old Amazon.


    Today, only a dozen tribes remained because of the massive destruction of the Amazon in modern times by greedy corporations. Alaric, who also loved nature, helped his father''s efforts to create various projects to conserve the Amazon and even carried out many restoration and replanting of parts that had been damaged by humans.


    This was what made RMI''s name even more famous in the world. Their concern for nature and human well-being had made RMI Group an extraordinary reputation.


    After spending two weeks on the Amazon, Lauriel planned to go to New York, to visit Alaric and Aleksis'' family who happen to be living there. Usually, the Lindens would stay in New York during the fall and then move to their home in Singapore in winter so they didn''t have to endure the harsh winter.


    It was now at the end of autumn, and the little family was getting ready to go to Asia. Lauriel wanted to meet them before they traveled.


    "I''ll come to New York with you," said Rune when Lauriel asked about his plans when they arrived at the resort and drank wine together while enjoying the view of pink dolphins from the river in front of them. "I promised Aleksis to teach the twins the latest quantum theory."


    Lauriel sighed as he recalled how Ireland and Scotland were forced to be homeschooled all their lives. Both were now teenagers, 15 years old. There were so many things they did not experience like other children and teenagers their age.


    All because Vega, their sister, was kidnapped before. Their parents had become increasingly protective and paranoid about allowing them to go to school in public.


    Rune understood very well what the two boys felt, because he too used to be stuck at home until he was an a.d.u.l.t. Caspar and Finland were also concerned about the safety of their children. At that time, his sister, Aleksis was kidnapped by Caspar''s old enemy and she almost died from being poisoned. Caspar didn''t want his other two children to experience the same thing.


    Fortunately, after Rune and London grew up, they were able to live freely because they could take care of themselves. Now, Rune traveled a lot on his own and did what he liked to explore the world and learn from nature.


    London was already living happily with his own family. He had spent his younger years running the family business, fell in love with L, and later got married and had a cute daughter.


    "Uncle, will you and Rosalien have kids after you get married?" asked Rune suddenly. He just received a message on his cell phone from London informing him that he and L were expecting their second child. Rune brandished the cell phone in his hand and showed it to Lauriel. "I''m just wondering how big our family will grow ... hahaha. My brother is expecting his second child now. I''m going to be an uncle again."


    Lauriel took Rune''s cell phone and read the contents London''s message. His face suddenly brightened.


    "Wow ... what a happy day," he commented. He seemed to ponder for a moment when he heard Rune''s question. Recently, he had been thinking about having children with Rosalien. It seemed, he was ready now. And this time .. he promised to be the best father for his children.


    He would not waste the second chance he got.


    "Uhm.. I didn''t mean to be nosy," said Rune with a chuckle. "I was just a bit curious. You don''t need to answer that."


    "It''s okay," said Lauriel lightly while signaling for his glass to be filled with wine again to the waiter who stood in the corner of the room and was ready to wait for orders from guests. With alacrity, the waiter came with a bottle of expensive wine and refilled Lauriel''s glass. After he drank the new wine in his glass once, Lauriel then answered Rune''s question diplomatically. "It all depends on Rosalien."


    Of course, even if he wanted children, without the consent and want from his wife, no child would be conceived for the couple. He could only talk about it to Rosalien later and hoped that she would want the same thing as he did.


    Ahh .. for an ordinary human, it must sound very strange, that a man who was 600 years old wanted to have another child.


    ***


    "Gosh .. Caspar ..." Finland pinched her husband''s arm frantically. The man suddenly kissed the nape of her neck and his hand groped her exposed b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    They had just had s.e.x in Caspar''s resting room inside the big boss''s office at the Schneider Group building. Now they were catching their breath. However, the big boss suddenly acted like he wanted to continue with the second round. Finland''s voice sounded a little panicked. "We''re already late for the meeting with the Board of Directors ... they''ll send someone here to look for us!!"


    All this time, because they lived at home and traveled, his wife never wore formal attire in the style of a career woman. So, now that they started working together again in the office, he saw that his wife looked very different.


    Various fantasies about the CEO and his personal assistants or secretary having an affair and got engaged in hot passionate s.e.x in the office immediately filled his mind. Day by day, the thought got more and more intense, and he couldn''t get rid of it anymore.


    Finally, today, instead of going out for lunch, he ordered food to be delivered to his office because he and his assistant needed to discuss some important doc.u.ments together before meeting with the board of directors.


    In fact ... after the food was delivered and the staff left, the boss immediately ate his ''assistant'' and left the food untouched. He lifted her in his arms and excitedly carried her to the bedroom and fondled her mercilessly.


    At first, Finland was anxious and panicked, but her husband''s fondling, kissing, and all the seductive words he used to coax her, made her forget her logic for a moment.


    She thought, ah ... it would only be a short one. A quickie wouldn''t hurt, would it?


    However, the quickie turned into passionate intense lovemaking that lasted over an hour. It felt so good and so different compared to their regular s.e.x at home. This was added with adrenaline, knowing that many people outside of the room might catch them.


    Gosh... they''d been married for over 45 years, and the last time they made love in an office was twenty years ago, before Caspar let London take over the company. It''s been a long time ...


    When the passionate activity finally ended, Finland felt anxious but relieved.


    They could still rush to clean up and come to the board of directors'' meeting. However, who knew, her perverted husband suddenly kissed her nape and kneaded her b.r.e.a.s.ts again.


    "Crazy! What if someone comes here looking for us??? They will find us like this," she scolded him. Finland tried to get away from her husband''s embrace and patted the man''s hand anxiously. "People know I already have a husband. If they caught me sleeping with you here, my reputation will be destroyed."


    Caspar finally relented. He chuckled and got out of bed and hugged his wife''s body from behind.


    "It''s your fault, for being so s.e.xy and alluring," he teased her. Caspar turned Finland''s body to face him and he kissed her lips tenderly. "Let''s get dressed and come to the meeting."


    He patted his wife''s b.u.t.t heartily and then laughed mischievously.

 Chapter 949 - Lauriel And His Family

    When the hot romance finally ended, Finland was anxious but relieved. They can still hurry up and clean up and come to the board of directors'' meeting. However, who knows, it turns out that her perverted husband suddenly kissed her nape and kneaded her b.r.e.a.s.ts again.


    "Hey! What if they sent staff here to look for us??? They will find us like this," she scolded Caspar. Finland tried to get away from her husband''s embrace and patted the man''s hand anxiously. "People know I already have a husband. If they catch me sleeping with you here, my reputation will be destroyed."


    Caspar finally relented. He chuckled and got out of bed and hugged his wife''s body from behind.


    "It''s your fault for being so s.e.xy and alluring," he teased her. Caspar turned Finland''s body around to face him and kissed her lips tenderly. "Let''s get dressed and come to the meeting."


    He patted his wife''s b.u.t.t then laughed mischievously. Ahhh .. he felt so happy today. He had forgotten how much fun it was to have secret s.e.x in a public place. The adrenaline rush only added to the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e!


    Finland again pinched her husband''s arm hard before hurrying into the bathroom to clean up and then put on her clothes. Actually, she and Caspar put several sets of clothes for change in Caspar''s office. However, even though Finland wanted to change into a fresh set of outfit, she couldn''t.


    People would wonder why she changed her clothes and they might suspect that she and the big boss were doing inappropriate things in his room ... and even worse, they would think she was cheating on her husband by having an affair with the boss since they didn''t know that her husband IS actually the boss himself.


    No way! She must not risk it!


    ***


    Once they arrived in New York, Rune and Lauriel immediately headed for Alaric and Aleksis mansion in Manhattan. The two had drinks with Alaric and Aleksis and vented their longing for each other before Lauriel said goodbye to go and stay at Nicolae''s house.


    "Father, can you come to have dinner here with us tomorrow night?" asked Aleksis as she led Lauriel to the courtyard.


    Her father-in-law nodded with a smile. "Of course."


    Lauriel was very happy with his life now. In the past, he used to move around from city to city, from one hotel to another, and live alone, going on adventures. He remembered that he only bought a house in the city when he met Finland and Aleksis in San Francisco.


    Because he really loved little Aleksis and wanted to look after her while Finland was working, he decided to buy a house in the Painted Ladies area and stayed there for two years, until finally Aleksis met her real father and moved with him to Germany.


    Since then, Lauriel decided to live not far from Aleksis. After the girl was older, he often took Aleksis on adventures.


    Now, he could split his time between Alaric''s and Nicolae''s house and Rosalien''s house. Lauriel had almost forgotten what it was like to live alone. He was delighted because now Alaric and Nicolae also had their own family and children. In fact, Vega, his eldest granddaughter, was already married and had her own family too.


    Vega loved Romania very much and preferred to live there now. She was leading such a peaceful life with her husband after years of suffering. Lauriel often spent time there with Vega''s family, when he was in Europe.


    Ahhh .... how nice it was to divide his time between his children, grandchildren, and girlfriend in different continents. Lauriel felt that his life was now complete.


    When he arrived at Nicolae''s house, he was greeted by his granddaughter, Summer, 15 years old. This teenage girl was so beautiful. Unlike the twins Ireland and Scotland, Summer could still attend the school like normal kids.


    Her family was not very well known like the Lindens, so she could enjoy life as an ordinary teenager. Her father worked as a professor at a university, and her mother worked as a writer. They were always with her to make sure Summer could have a good childhood and normal life like other teenagers while at the same time making sure she was always safe.


    "Where did you come from this time?" asked Summer, who clung to her grandfather''s arm. She was always happy when Lauriel came to visit because her grandfather always had stories about his adventures that were very exciting and fun.


    "I had been out adventuring in the Amazon," said Lauriel, ruffling Summer''s beautiful hair. "Where is your father?"


    "Father is still teaching. He usually comes home late in the evening," said Summer in her crisp voice.


    "Hello, Father..." Marie, who heard the voice of Summer and Lauriel''s conversation, immediately entered from the side door. She put her book on the table and hugged Lauriel. "You look so fresh."


    "Ahaha .. well, that''s how it is when you get rich and healthy oxygen intake," said Lauriel. "It''s hard to get rich, clean oxygen in a big city nowadays. Sometimes I am tempted to just move to the Amazon."


    Marie laughed at her father-in-law''s words. "Oh, aren''t we all?"


    After Nicolae came home from university, they sat down to dinner together and exchanged news.


    ***


    Dinner in the Lindens'' home was very pleasant.


    "Ahhh .. it''s great to be together with all of you like this," said Lauriel with a happy face. He raised his wine glass and invited all those present at the dinner at Alaric''s mansion to toast. "Let''s toast to our family."


    "Cheers!" they all said in unison.


    Ireland and Scotland sat with Summer in the corner of the table to Lauriel''s left, while their parents sat on Lauriel''s right. They were enjoying dinner together.


    As usual, when Lauriel came to New York, Alaric and Nicolae would have dinner with their two families and talk about the latest news among the family and the development of the world.


    Lauriel felt that this dinner was the right moment to tell his two sons that he and Rosalien had decided to get married soon. He hoped that Alaric and Nicolae would not be too surprised and could accept his decision well.


    "Actually, I have something to announce to you, while now we are gathering," said Lauriel after sipping his wine. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. "Rosalien and I .... have decided to get married next spring."


    He glanced at Alaric and Nicolae in turn, trying to judge their reactions. Surprisingly ... the two men didn''t seem surprised at all. This made Lauriel frown.


    "Uhm ... you guys won''t say something?" Lauriel asked them.


    Alaric and Nicolae exchanged glances. They weren''t surprised to hear this announcement from their father because Caspar leaked the news to them not too long ago. Ahh ... they should have pretended to look shocked at least.....


    "Ahh .. this is very good news," said Nicolae, while smiling broadly. "I''m very happy for you, Father."


    He then got up from his chair to approach Lauriel and hugged his father.


    "I''m happy too," said Alaric. He also followed in Nicolae''s footsteps, stood up, and hugged his father. His expression seemed filled with emotion. "We will always support you to be happy."


    Lauriel patted the shoulders of his two sons turn and sighed.


    "Thank goodness you can accept it. I thought you already knew ..." he said then, after sitting back in his chair. "Nobody knows about this plan, that Rosalien and want to marry. I want you to be the first to hear it from me."


    Aleksis hiccupped at Lauriel''s words just now. She and Marie exchanged glances with a knowing look and the two of them simultaneously drank their wines until they were all gone.


    It felt very funny because Lauriel didn''t know that Caspar had leaked his secret to Alaric who then told Nicolae about Lauriel''s wedding plans.


    Caspar didn''t do that on purpose. He was just too happy and excited when he found out that FINALLY Lauriel was getting married.


    "I am very happy to hear that Father and Rosalien have decided to get married. We will come to the wedding and bring lots of gifts," commented Aleksis, lips smiling broadly.


    "Ah .. you don''t need to bring any gifts," said Lauriel happily.


    He was pleased to see his family''s response to his and Rosalien''s upcoming wedding. He knew they just wanted to see him happy, but deep down, Lauriel was worried that Alaric and Nicolae would think he was no longer thinking about Luna. Luckily they didn''t think that way.

 Chapter 950 - Do You Need Help Finding A Wife?

    Among the six a.d.u.l.ts, Rune was the only one how had never fallen in love nor had a girlfriend. He could only watch how each of his family members fell in love and then got married.


    In fact, Lauriel, who was famous for being a loner, had fallen in love twice in his life and even getting married in the spring. He always looked happy now. That aloof and cold man had changed a lot from the first time Rune had known him in these decades. It felt like love could really change humans.


    "Uncle Rune, when will you get married?" Summer suddenly chirped. Her beautiful peach eyes were staring at Rune, who was watching Lauriel with awe.


    "Ehh ... what did you say?" Rune turned to the side and saw Summer, Ireland, and Scotland all staring at him with their three pairs of round, attentive eyes.


    Summer''s sudden remarks also shocked the five other a.d.u.l.ts who were in the dining room. They all looked at Summer too.


    "All the a.d.u.l.ts in this family are married or getting married .. but you never even have a girlfriend. Is there something wrong with you, Uncle?" asked Summer again. "Do you need help finding a wife?"


    Her words were spoken in a completely innocent tone. She didn''t sound nosy at all. So, Rune couldn''t feel offended.


    The handsome man scratched his head that was not itchy. Uhmm .. that''s right. Both of his siblings are married and live happily with their spouses and children. His nephew and niece, Altair and Vega, who were even much younger than him, already had their own partners.


    Vega was married and lived happily with her husband, while Altair had loved JM since they were little, and it was only a matter of time before they decided to tie the knot.


    That means ... he was the only one left.


    But how could he get married when he had never been in love? He has lived for forty years and had never been attracted to women... nor men. However, he knew very well that he was neither aromantic nor as.e.x.u.a.l. He just hadn''t met the person who could make his heart flutter.


    He remembered his father needed four centuries before he fell in love for the first time. And now... he had been happily married for almost fifty years to the love of his life. But, before Caspar met Finland, he was a womanizer. Rune didn''t want to be like his father.


    "You are wrong, Honey," said Aleksis defending her younger brother.


    "Uncle Aldebar is almost 250 years old and he''s never been in love either. And we can all see that he is happy. So everyone''s life is different. You cannot expect everyone to follow the same paths."


    Rune hiccupped when he heard his sister''s words. Among the rest of his family, he was the only one who knew Aldebar''s secret, because he was the closest to his uncle and spent so much time with him.


    Aldebar was in love one time, and his feelings were immensely deep. That''s what made him unable to turn his heart to another woman, even though hundreds of years had passed. Aldebar kept this a secret from everyone because he didn''t want his family to worry about him.


    He knew they loved him very much and wanted to see him happy. However, he was determined that he would never fall in love again for the rest of his life. He just wanted to keep his memories with her, until the day he breathed his last.


    Rune cleared his throat. He was sure Uncle Aldebar would not mind being misunderstood by people as an old bachelor who didn''t understand what love was rather than his secret being exposed. Finally, Rune just nodded, confirming his sister''s words.


    "Aleksis is right. Uncle Aldebar has lived longer than me, and he has never fallen in love too. So, this is really nothing unusual," said Rune. He ruffled Summer''s hair and whispered to her. "It''s best if you don''t think about a.d.u.l.t matters. Just enjoy your life as a child. You''ll regret it later if you m.a.t.u.r.e too quickly."


    Summer and her two cousins ??looked at each other and laughed with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "I wasn''t saying that you are weird, Uncle. I mean .. if you want our help to find a wife, we can help you," said Summer with a cute laugh. She glanced at her father and mother, sitting intimately with their hands clasped under the table. "Daddy and Maman met because my Daddy joined a dating website."


    Nicolae spontaneously coughed when he heard his daughter''s words. The man exchanged glances with Marie.


    "Where did you hear it from?" he asked in amazement. It''s true, he and Marie happened to meet because Altair and Vega, who were eager to find him a lover, secretly created a profile for him on a dating website. They made date appointments with three women in Singapore.


    When Nicolae met his first date, he accidentally met Marie too, who was then the best friend of the woman he met for a date.


    A misunderstanding occurred between the two of them, which made Marie and Nicolae eventually get further involved. In the end, they got married, had a child, and now lived happily together.


    Summer looked down with rosy cheeks. She then glanced at her father. "I heard it from Big Brother Altair .. hehehe. But it''s true, right? Maman and Daddy met because of the help of a dating website."


    Nicolae coughed at this while Marie down the wine from her glass in one go.


    "Uhmm ... it was just a coincidence," said Nicolae. "Besides, I don''t think Rune needs help looking for a partner. Look .. he''s happy with his life. I think you should follow his advice earlier, not to mind a.d.u.l.t affairs and focus on your own life."


    Rune winked at Summer. "Listen to your father."


    The three teenagers took deep breaths with disappointed expressions.


    "It''s too late," Ireland said in a low voice. He elbowed Scotland and Summer, and the three of them whispered to each other.


    "It''s too late for what?" asked Rune, not understanding.


    The three teenagers immediately looked away and pretended not to hear his question. Marie pursed her lips while Aleksis massaged her forehead.


    "Gosh ..." Nicolae stared at Summer closely. "What did you do?"


    Because Summer and her two cousins ??looked so guilty, their parents could suspect that they had done something.


    "Come on ... what have you done?" asked Nicolae again. This time his voice sounded very stern, and finally, the three teenagers turned to look at him and then lowered their heads.


    "We ... just want to see Uncle Rune happy ..." Summer said in a sad voice. "I saw how happy you are with Maman, Uncle Alaric is happy with Auntie Aleksis.. and now Grandpa Rory is getting married to Rosalien. Vega and Altair have their spouses too. Everyone is getting their happily ever after, but Uncle Rune is still alone."


    "So ... yesterday, we create a profile for Uncle Rune," Scotland added, "and set up a blind date."


    Alaric, Aleksis, Nicolae, and Marie sighed in unison. The four of them immediately looked at Rune with regretful looks. Their eyes all said ''sorry''.


    "Rune .. please forgive our children..." said Aleksis regretfully. "I''m going to punish them. They shouldn''t be meddling in a.d.u.l.t matters."


    Rune stared at the three teenagers. He understood they just wanted to see him fall in love and be happy. They didn''t mean harm. Ahhh .. these kids really love him.


    Perhaps, they thought that by helping him, they would be as lucky as Altair and Vega who managed to find a wife for Nicolae. Now the man was living happily with Marie ... all because of a date from a dating website 16 years ago.


    Rune man immediately waved his hand and laughed. "Hahaha ... don''t think about it too much. I mean ... I understand why these kids do it."


    Summer fluttered her beautiful long lashes at Rune and put on her best puppy eyes.


    "Uncle ... you are really not angry, right?" she asked in her adorable voice.


    Rune turned to his sister and saw Aleksis raise an eyebrow while Marie massaged her forehead and shook her head.


    "Of course, I am not angry with you. How could I? But you have entered an a.d.u.l.t-only website, even though you are still a minor. Therefore, I agree that your parents should punish you for visiting a site you are not supposed to visit."


    "You are grounded for a week. No internet and gadgets for you for one week, Summer," said Marie with a raised eyebrow to her daughter.


    Aleksis nodded in agreement. "Neither for Ireland and Scotland."


    "But ... Auntie Rose is ready to meet Uncle Rune... at least if we are punished for the deed, Uncle Rune must be willing to meet her," said Summer stubbornly. "She is such a kind lady and she is so excited to see you!"


    "Who did you say? Auntie Rose?"

 Chapter 951 - Auntie Rose

    "But ... Auntie Rose is ready to meet you, Uncle... at least if we are punished for it, Uncle Rune must be willing to meet her," said Summer stubbornly.


    "Who did you say? Auntie Rose?"


    All the a.d.u.l.ts at the dining table looked at each other.


    "Who do you mean by Aunt Rose?" Asked Aleksis to Summer. In a low voice, the teenage girl finally spoke up.


    "Auntie Rose is one of the candidates we chose for Uncle Rune to meet on a blind date," she said. "Auntie Rose sounds like a really cool woman. We really like her."


    "Can we cancel it?" asked Aleksis while glancing at Rune with an apologetic face. She really didn''t think that her two sons and niece would go that far.


    Rune now massaged his forehead and sighed. He really couldn''t get mad at the three teenagers because he knew they did it because they loved him. He also felt sorry if Ireland, Scotland, and Summer being punished by their parents while their goals were not achieved.


    Finally, he raised his hand and gestured to Aleksis and Marie not to scold their children anymore.


    "It''s okay. Well, I understand that you did it because you love me and you have also been punished by your parents for accessing a site that you shouldn''t visit. Later after dinner, we will talk about what we should do to your Auntie Rose."


    Dinner continued. They stopped talking about marriages and love because they didn''t want things to get awkward.


    After dinner was over, as he had promised, Rune invited his three niece and nephews to talk on the terrace and they then discussed what the three teenagers had done. Rune was actually confused. He didn''t about what to do with their Auntie Rose, but he decided to listen to the opinions of the three children first before he made a decision.


    "What have you done exactly? I want to know how far you have talked with Auntie Rose," said Rune, crossing his arms over his c.h.e.s.t and staring at his three nephews attentively.


    Ireland, Scotland, and Summer exchanged glances. They were about to appoint each other to be the spokesman, but all of them shrugged their shoulders. Finally, Rune must appoint Summer to tell him the details.


    "Uhm ... Yesterday, we made a profile on the dating website ''myprecisouslove.com'' for you. We wrote that you are a teacher." Summer started her story.


    "Hmm .. I''m not a teacher," said Rune.


    "Yes, you are not a professional teacher, but we can not say that you are an unemployed guy who has a fascination for researching weird stuff..." said Ireland. "No woman will want to be with you."


    Rune hiccuped when he heard his nephew called him an unemployed guy with a fascination for researching weird stuff. Uhm... hmkay.


    "We also cannot tell them that you the youngest son of the Schneider family who owns the Schneider Group ... All money-hungry women will flock to your profile and we will find it difficult to sort out the tens of thousands of candidates," Scotland added.


    Rune chuckled at the words of the two teenage boys. "Okay, I understand."


    "Besides, we''re not lying .. If you come to New York, you become our teacher here ... hehehe ..." Ireland said again.


    Rune nodded. "All right. You have a point too. Then what about Auntie Rose herself? What does she do?"


    "Auntie Rose is a painter, so she is an artist. Apart from her profession as a painter, she did not mention anything else. So you can find out everything about Auntie Rose when you meet her," Summer said with a big smile.


    Rune took a deep breath before then nodded. "Very well then. I am willing to meet her. Since you promise her a blind date. I don''t want to turn you into liars."


    Hearing Rune''s words, his three nephews immediately jumped in joy and then took turns hugging him.


    "Ahh .. You are the most understanding, coolest uncle anyone could ever want, and you deserve to meet Auntie Rose," said Summer happily.


    "Thank you, Uncle," Ireland said excitedly. "We''re glad you are open-minded and willing to try new things. Who knows you might fall in love with Auntie Rose."


    Rune wasn''t so sure about it, but he didn''t want to disappoint the kids. Therefore, he only nodded. "We''ll see. Don''t raise your hopes up."


    He ruffled their respective hairs then stretched out his hand. "Now, give me the tablet where you created the account on that dating website."


    "Wait, I''ll take it from my room," said Ireland. He left for a moment and came back five minutes later with a tablet in hand. He then handed it over to Rune. "Everything is in there."


    "When did you guys create this account?" Rune asked in amazement, as he opened the tablet screen and looked at the conversation history that looked quite long.


    "Uhm ... two weeks ago," said Scotland on behalf of his siblings.


    "Two weeks ago? But I wasn''t even here yet ..." said Rune in amazement.


    "That''s right. But we''ve heard from Mother that you are coming here with Grandpa. We also heard their talk about Grandpa getting married to Rosalien. That''s when we realized that you will be the only a.d.u.l.t male in our family who doesn''t have a wife."


    "Uhm ... you''re wrong, Uncle Aldebar ... Uncle Terry ..." Rune tried to dodge.


    "Uncle Aldebar is married to science. There is no hope for him. Uncle Terry hasn''t formalized his relationship yet, but he''s been dating Auntie Shekina for years already... I don''t think he is worth counting," said Summer.


    Rune shook his head at the answers of his nephews. "You guys...!"


    "Well ... we thought, why don''t we give this as a surprise when you come to New York? When we heard from Summer that her parents actually met because of the help of a dating website, we got the idea to help you with the same method." Now it''s Ireland who spoke with passion.


    Rune wanted to laugh at their enthusiasm. Finally, he could only nod.


    "We created an account for you and looked for the right candidate for you. Of the several dozen interesting ones, there were three that we thought are the best. Well, Auntie Rose is the most enthusiastic about meeting you. That''s why we immediately made an appointment for you guys to go on a blind date."


    Summer continued Ireland''s words. "Do you know the East Village area?"


    Rune nodded. The East Village was an area in New York with many cafes and bars. The nightlife there was very lively. Lots of people came there for fun on the weekends.


    "You have arranged the blind date in the East Village?" Rune asked in confirmation.


    Summer nodded. "That''s right, Uncle."


    "Hmm .. when?" Rune asked again.


    "Tomorrow night .... hehehehe." Summer had a cute expression on her face again with her puppy-like eyes sparkling. "Uncle, you will go, won''t you?"


    Ahhh ... How could Rune say no to this cute face with her puppy eyes and fluttered long lashes? Finally, he nodded. "All right. Just this once."


    "Thank you, Uncle! Good luck!!!" said the three kids excitedly.


    Their uncle could only sigh and massage his c.h.e.s.t.


    "So, how?" asked Aleksis attentively. She actually hoped that Rune would meet this Auntie Rose her kids had been so excited about. She was curious to know about the woman her children chose to meet Rune. In addition to that, she also wanted to see her brother go on a date and maybe... just maybe, he would fall in love.


    Sometimes she felt what her children felt when she saw Rune coming to family events, being the only one without a date. When there was a family event where everyone got together and brought a partner, Rune would come alone.


    In the first ten years, it was fine, but lately, she started to feel sorry to see her brother alone while the others were all lovey-dovey with their respective partners.


    Even Terry, who was narcissistic and never wanted to be in a relationship, actually had spent enough time with Shekina to say that they were actually dating, even though they both didn''t want to admit that their relationship was actually like lovers.


    .


    .


    >>>>>>


    from the author:


    Wanna guess what will happen? Do you think Rune will meet Rose and:


    2. Finds her weird


    3. Rune is catfished by ''Rose''


    4. Rose doesn''t show up

 Chapter 952 - I Hope She Is Not Too Bad

    "So...what are you going to do now?" Aleksis asked.


    Rune smiled at Aleksis'' question. He shrugged and answered. "I will come to the blind date. The children have been punished for what they did. I am sorry to see them being punished without getting anything out of it. Besides ... they do this out of love for me."


    "Oh ... when and where is the date?" Aleksis asked attentively.


    "Tomorrow at 8 pm in a cafe in East Village," said Rune. "The kids have already made the reservation and such."


    "What''s the girl like?" asked Aleksis again. "Do you want us to come with you? Sometimes Alaric and I go out on dates too, you know. And, it seems like we haven''t had a drink in the East Village in a while."


    "What? You want to come too?" Rune asked in puzzlement. "Wouldn''t that be too excessive? I''m just going to meet up with her briefly and have dinner with the girl just as a courtesy. It''s not like a real date on my part. So, you really don''t need to spy on me."


    "No, we are not spying on you. It''s just that, it''s such a coincidence that Alaric and I haven''t gone on date night outside for a long time," Aleksis said, glancing at her husband.


    Alaric didn''t react at all when his wife turned to him. He and Aleksis did go out occasionally to fulfill his wife''s wishes. Alaric, if it was up to him, would prefer not to leave the house and met many people outside.


    "You don''t have to come..." said Rune hastily. "She would feel awkward. If you did that, I would feel like I was a child being dropped off by his parents for a playdate. I''m an a.d.u.l.t, I''m over 40 years old. I can do this alone without a chaperone, okay?"


    He rolled his eyes when he knew Aleksis was making an excuse to come and watch him on the blind date.


    Aleksis frowned. "Why not? We are not going to mess up your date with Rose. Alaric and I will pretend that we don''t know you. Just think of us as two of those cafe visitors."


    Rune widened his eyes at Aleksis'' words, "Geez ... don''t try to follow me and pretend you guys just happen to eat at the same place. "


    Aleksis immediately sighed. Rune easily read through her. Her younger brother was really clever.


    "Alright .. you win. But please let us know the progress, okay? I am dying to know how your first blind date will work out. By the way, what is she like? Do you have her pictures?" she asked Rune again.


    Rune nodded. He handed over the tablet in his hand to Aleksis. His sister examined some of the photos on the screen and frowned.


    "She looks beautiful in these pictures, but I can not be sure. Looks like the photos have been doctored too much with Photoshop," Aleksis commented. It is true; the girl''s face in the photo was just too smooth and perfect.


    Yikes! Sadly, that was how girls today were, he thought. With the advancement of photography and editing technology, it was very easy to retouch images. A girl''s face could look so perfect by using all those apps.


    Aleksis could guess that the girl''s real face might not be too similar to her photo, just like what happened on most occasions.


    "Hopefully the original is not too bad, huh ..." Aleksis commented as she handed back the tablet to her brother.


    Rune did not take her words seriously. Aleksis spoke in a joking manner. Rune knew, for his sister, physical appearance was not important. What was more important to her was character, personality, and principles.


    The proof was that, in the past, Aleksis fell in love and married her husband, Alaric, even though he claimed to be an ugly man whose face was disfigured from a fight. Still, Aleksis accepted him wholeheartedly, and now they had been married for 26 years, happily.


    They continued drinking wine while chatting about their families and everyone''s updates. The atmosphere of that night was warm and happy. After they were satisfied with the catch-up, Nicolae and his family and Lauriel returned to Nic''s home.


    ***


    Rune read the chat log between his profile and Rose on the dating site account made by his nephews and niece.


    Ahh, from the way she talked, Rose seemed very cheerful and attractive. It looked like that girl had a pleasant personality too. No wonder the children were impressed and wanted to set her up with their favorite uncle.


    Rune''s profile also talked to many other beautiful girls, but his communication with them was not as intense as his communication with Rose. They talked about their similar taste for foods, then their hobbies. Apparently, they both enjoyed reading and traveling.


    ''Ahh ... this Rose seems to know very well how to present herself as a perfect woman,'' thought Rune.


    The girl always had something to talk about and she gave out the impression of being friendly, adventurous, and very smart. This was perfect. Well.. too perfect.


    In his heart, Rune wondered what Rose would really be like in real life if she managed to display a perfect online persona like this.


    Maybe that girl read books on psychology and relationsh.i.p.s to know exactly how to communicate and answered all the questions with the right answers. Rune decided to find out for himself.


    Inwardly, he didn''t expect too much. For one, most of the women he met were not as smart as him, and that very often turned him off.


    It was also one of the reasons why he was never romantically attracted to any woman. He was a sapios.e.x.u.a.l who was turned on by someone''s intelligence. He was not sure that this blind date would make a significant difference.


    ***


    Rune was dressed neatly in a brown leather jacket and overcoat and a scarf that covered his neck. He purposely bought regular clothes from the marketplace to wear to his blind date.


    Even though he liked going on adventurous, did his research, and didn''t really pay attention to appearance, still Rune''s collection of clothes and items were among the high-end products that were so expensive and he couldn''t possibly afford with his ''teacher salary''.


    He must not raise Rose''s suspicion when they met up for a date. He also took off his expensive watch and left his hands plain without accessories.


    Ahh ... when he saw his simple appearance, Rune was suddenly reminded of London''s experience when he was still courting L, his now-wife. His brother used to pretend to be poor in front of L for months.


    London bought cheap clothes from the marketplace to wear whenever he met L and then lived with her. However, L was clever. She became suspicious because London only had three sets of clothes, and that was all.


    Inwardly, Rune laughed at his brother''s ridiculous love story. London and L fell in love when both of them were very young. They ended up having a lot of problems because of their selfish and childish attitude.


    Fortunately, now the two were already much more m.a.t.u.r.e and they could live well together. In fact, now both of them were welcoming their second child.


    This new child would undoubtedly get the best life since her presence was planned, and her parents really wanted her. They couldn''t wait to see their new baby!


    After he was ready with his neat appearance, Rune immediately left for the East Village. He was driven by the Linden family car, but he purposely did not get off in front of the cafe where he would meet Rose.


    He chose to be dropped off a block from the cafe and then walked there. Rune was worried that if he got out of the very luxurious car in front of the meeting place, Rose would saw him. It would be useless to disguise himself as a ''teacher'' like what the kids wrote in his profile.


    It was a very cold late autumn night. Luckily, Rune was wearing a jacket, an overcoat, and a scarf so he didn''t feel too cold as he walked from the next block in the cold night air.

 Chapter 953 - Slow Motion

    It was a very cold night in late-autumn. Luckily, Rune was wearing a jacket, an overcoat, and a scarf so he didn''t feel too cold as he walked from the next block in the cold night air.


    When he entered the cafe, Rune was immediately greeted by a waiter asking for his reservation.


    "Oh, a table for two, under my name, Rune Schneider," said the man.


    Rune did use his real name because he was not worried that Rose would recognize him as a member of the Schneider family. His father never publicly announced his children''s names, and Rune was not involved in the family business, so he was not well known to the public.


    After all, the name Schneider was not only owned by their family. Many other Germans also had this surname. That''s why he felt relaxed using his real name.


    "Oh, welcome, Mr. Schneider. Your friend is already here," said the waiter with a face filled with smiles.


    Rune was impressed. He deliberately came early to this blind date, but apparently, Rose had arrived before him.


    Not bad, he thought. He liked punctual people.


    "Thank you. Where''s our table?" asked Rune.


    "Please come with me." The waiter motioned for Rune to follow him. They walked together and arrived at one of the best tables in the cafe.


    The location was on the corner and had enough privacy. Rune quickly saw his date had indeed arrived. The girl sat with her back facing Rune, so the young man could not see her face.


    Rune could only see that Rose had long, golden curls that hung down her back. Ah, one plus point for Rose, Rune thought. He liked girls who had long hair and could maintain it well.


    He let his hair grow a little long, slightly past his neck. Rune''s appearance that night was very cool, even though he was only wearing a simple outfit.


    As the man walked across the cafe to his table, the female guests sitting inside instantly raised their faces and watched him walk in awe.


    "Good evening," said Rune, after arriving right behind Rose. "Rose?"


    The girl turned towards Rune with a movement that felt like slow motion before Rune''s eyes. Yeah ... he literally felt like he was in a movie being played in slow-motion, because Rune can''t believe his own eyes.


    "Hello." The girl stood up from her chair and reached out her hand to Rune, who was still standing rooted in place. Since Rune didn''t return her greeting, the girl tilted her face closer to Rune''s with narrowed eyes. "What happened to you?"


    Only then was Rune moved from his reverie. He coughed a little to hide his embarrassment and reached out his hand to shake Rose''s.


    "Good evening... Rose. Nice to meet you," he almost stuttered.


    "Nice to meet you too," said Rose in a confident voice. Apparently, she was used to dealing with men who suddenly became tongue-tied when they met her for the first time.


    The waiter who saw Rune''s reaction only smiled. Ahh ... this handsome man who just arrived was the same as himself and all the men in this cafe who were fascinated by the presence of this beautiful lady.


    They really had never seen a woman this beautiful, even in magazines. Although she was wearing simple clothes that could be bought in any department store, her beauty was still clearly visible.


    "Please sit down, Sir." He handed Rune a menu. "Would you like to order a drink first while deciding what food you want to enjoy tonight?"


    Rune turned to Rose and realized that the girl had not ordered anything either, indicating that she had just arrived. As a gentleman, he asked first if Rose wanted to order anything.


    "What would you like to drink?" he asked.


    Rose opened the beverage menu on the side and quickly chose a c.o.c.ktail. "I''ll have Singapore Sling, thank you."


    "Two Singapore Sling, please," said Rune, turning his head toward the maid. "We''ll study the menu to select the dishes."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After the waiter left, Rune and Rose stared at each other. Both of them looked very beautiful, and they immediately attracted the attention of those around them.


    Rune felt very ashamed of himself for thinking that Rose was one of those girls who would edit their photos extensively that they no longer looked like the real life version, as is the case with many young women who use online dating services.


    Rose, who sat in front of him, was arguably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a cute little face with a beautifully sculpted nose and full-sized, glossy pink lips.


    Rose only wore a thin white cotton shirt with jeans and commando boots. On the back of her chair was dr.a.p.ed a cream sweater and a brown overcoat. Her appearance was very simple, which somehow made her beauty stand out even more.


    Rune became reminded of the girls he often saw going all out in the latest fashions, the most expensive accessories, and the full-blown makeup, trying so hard to look beautiful. While this girl... ah, everything seemed so effortless.


    Wait.. why was he now comparing all the girls he had met with Rose, huh?


    "Where do you live?" asked Rose with an expression of concern. "You''re early."


    Rune shook his head. "I thought I came early. It turns out YOU are even earlier ..."


    Rose already gained an extra point in Rune''s eyes because the girl was not late and instead arrived earlier than the appointment.


    "Ahh .. this has become a habit," said Rose with a smile. "My dad taught us to respect other people''s time."


    Rune was stunned again. Rose''s smile looked very bright and multiplied her beauty by at least ten times.


    How...?


    What sorcery is this?


    Rune was confused because suddenly he felt that he was not like himself. Suddenly, he was like a fool who looked at Rose like a country bumpkin who had just seen a skyscr.a.p.er in a metropolis.


    Is this ...


    He swallowed hard.


    Looks like this is what they call ...


    Love at first sight?


    "That''s ... very good principle," said Rune. "We are like that too."


    "Ahahaha .. you Germans are famous for being on time," said Rose. She then flipped through the menu and examined the list of foods that were there. "I''m hungry. Let''s order food first."


    "Of course," Rune joined in, opening the menu and studying the food he wanted to eat that evening. Ahh .. for some reason, he suddenly no longer felt hungry. Something in his stomach tingled, and he felt his c.h.e.s.t filled with warmth to the brim.


    Gosh ... what''s this?


    Is this what people call falling in love to the point of having butterflies in your stomach? He looked up and stared at Rose without blinking.


    Ahh ... maybe it''s true. This is what love-at-first-sight feels like. Rune had never felt this way to any woman. Just this one time and it was enough to make him baffled.


    When the waiter came to bring two Singapore Sling, Rose was ready with her order. She casually ordered all the dishes from starter, appetizer, main course, to dessert.


    Meanwhile, Rune just completely lost his appetite. However, to avoid an awkward atmosphere, he decided to order a variety of foods that had tiny portions so that he could still eat something and wouldn''t waste it.


    "Are you sick?" Rose asked Rune when she heard his choice of food. "They are too little. I''m not sharing my food later if you are suddenly hungry. I eat a lot."


    She said her last sentences with a laugh, indicating she was joking. Ahhh.. if her smile multiplied her beauty by at least ten times, then her laughter multiplied it by a hundred times. Swear to God! That''s how Rune felt about that rich melodious laughter.


    "It''s OK. I suddenly feel not hungry," Rune replied honestly.


    "Are you sure? We can go Dutch if you don''t have enough money to pay for two. That way you can enjoy good food for yourself. You don''t have to think about me and my food. I''ll pay for myself," Rose added.


    Rune''s eyes went so round. He didn''t expect that Rose would have the idea that he only ordered little food for himself because he couldn''t afford to pay for the dinner. The thought horrified him.

 Chapter 954 - Roses Unusual Request

    Rose looked astonished to see Rune''s expression. The man winced like he was having constipation. She waved her hand in front of the young man''s face.


    "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.


    Rune hurriedly shook his head. "Ahaha .. I am okay. No, seriously, I have money to treat you, don''t worry."


    Rose stared at Rune for a long time, as if trying to make sure the young man wasn''t lying to her about his financial capabilities. She then nodded with satisfaction after she was sure that Rune was telling the truth.


    "Very well, then. I won''t stand in ceremony with you." Rose smiled and handed the menu to the waiter. "That''s our order."


    "Thank you, Miss."


    The waiter received the two menus from Rose and Rune and immediately went to the kitchen to hand in their orders to the chef. After only the two of them were left, Rose and Rune looked at each other again.


    "I''m glad to meet you," said Rune honestly. In his heart, he decided to hug his nephews and niece and give them awesome gifts for arranging his meeting with Rose.


    "I''m glad to meet you too," said Rose, raising her glass. Rune immediately followed and clinked his glass against the girl''s.


    "Cheers for our first meeting," said Rune.


    "Cheers!"


    They both drank their c.o.c.ktails happily.


    "Am I what you imagine me to be?" asked Rose casually as she took a sip of her Singapore Sling. "You look younger than your photo, by the way. Is your age on the app correct?"


    Rune almost spat out his drink at Rose''s question. Right. His age.


    Ahh ... of course, his age listed on the dating application was incorrect. Summer wrote that Rune was now 30 years old, when in fact, he was already 40. However, looking at his face, Rune looked not a day older than 25.


    "I do look younger than my real age." Finally, he dodged as diplomatically as possible. "Maybe it''s genetic. My whole family looks younger."


    "Ohhh, how lucky," said Rose. "Your children will be lucky to inherit the youthful genes from your family."


    When she heard Rose say the word ''children'', Rune''s mind subconsciously flew to the future. He imagined having cute kids with Rose... ah, they would be adorable.


    Jeez ... what am I thinking about? Having children with Rose?????


    We''ve only met for ten minutes! Oh my God ... why am I thinking so far in the future???


    Rune really couldn''t help thinking. Would a person in love behave and think as silly as he was now?


    He felt ashamed of himself for thinking so far, marrying Rose and having children with her, even though they had just met. This felt so ridiculous and embarrassing.


    He really hoped he could return to being a logical man.


    But why couldn''t he?


    "Thank you," was all he could say.


    Rune took a sip of his drink and smiled to himself at his ridiculous thought.


    He then remembered what information he had about Rose from her profile and their chat log. Rose said that she was a painter, 23 years old, and her hobbies were traveling, horse riding, and camping.


    "I don''t understand¡­" said Rose suddenly while looking at Rune intently. "Why do you have to make a profile on dating apps to get a date? Can''t you meet girls in real life? Or are you''re a s.e.x predator pretending to be looking for dates, and then you will make them your prey?"


    Rose''s blunt questions took Rune by surprise. A s.e.x predator?


    "Why do you think like that?" asked Rune, who was shocked to death by those questions. It was so unbelievable! First, Rose thought he was poor, and now she thought he was a s.e.x predator who was preying on weak women. "Do I look like a s.e.x predator?"


    Rose nodded. "Actually, you do. You''re too handsome to be finding love from a dating website. Handsome men, like Ted Bundy and some other serial killers, approach vulnerable women by exploiting their good looks, and then ... you know what happened."


    "Uhm ... not everyone who is good looking and single is a serial killer," said Rune, pursing his lips.


    "Ahahaha .. I''m just kidding." Rose laughed again. She seemed happy to enjoy teasing Rune, who she thought looked a little innocent. "I''m just surprised that someone like you has to use an online dating app to meet women."


    "Then, what do you call yourself?" Rune asked in amazement. "It''s like the pot calling the kettle black. You are so beautiful yourself. How come you are trying to find a date on an online dating application?"


    Rose shrugged. "Because I''m desperate. Where else can I quickly find a potential boyfriend? I don''t have time to meet guys and then go through a complicated courtship process, and blah blah blah ... then finally get in a relationship."


    Rose''s answer made Rune even more confused. "You are desperate for a boyfriend and want to find one quickly? Why?"


    Rose looked a little embarrassed to answer Rune''s question, but she was honest. "I just need a fake boyfriend. I can''t say why now, but I''m currently looking for a guy who is willing to be my fake boyfriend for the next year."


    The glass in Rune''s hand almost slipped from his hand because he was so shocked to hear Rose''s answer. Before he had time to ask again, the waiter had come with their starter.


    "I-I don''t understand ..." said Rune then after the waiter left. Suddenly the food in front of him looked awful.


    Rose sighed. Her face looked regretful. "I''m sorry for not being frank before we met face to face like this, but I don''t want to say everything before I know exactly what kind of person you are. I''m worried that I would be meeting a jerk or serial killer and it will cause me trouble. If, after meeting the person I feel that he is kind and trustworthy, then I will discuss entering a fake relationship together."


    "How many men have you met so far?" asked Rune curiously. Unconsciously he started playing with his food. His heart suddenly became restless.


    Fake boyfriend? No wonder Rose looked perfect!


    She was hiding something. There was something terribly wrong with her.


    Wise men were right when they said when something looks too good to be true, it probably is.


    Rose started scooping out her appetizer, which was mushroom soup. Then, only then did she explain to Rune what happened.


    "I''ve met seven men from that online dating app. Some of them are bastards who only want one night stands Some immediately wanted to marry me .. hahaha .. A few men were good, but there is no chemistry between us." Rose shrugged. "So far, I''ve only asked you to be my fake boyfriend."


    "Why me?" asked Rune, who failed to hide the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in his voice.


    Did this mean Rose thought THEY have chemistry?


    "Because ... I think you are the perfect person for the role," Rose said bluntly. "You are young and very handsome. If I take you to meet my parents and tell them that you are my boyfriend, they will believe it because we look good together. If you are ugly and old, other people will wonder why I could be your girlfriend. They will immediately sense something is amiss."


    "Ohh ..."


    "Besides, you seem like a nice guy who wouldn''t take advantage of women," Rose continued.


    "I never took advantage of anyone," said Rune.


    "Good," said Rose. "I need an honest man I can trust."


    The Rune fell silent. He didn''t know how to respond to the words of this beautiful woman in front of him. He had no idea that this blind date, which was supposed to be so simple, would suddenly become complicated.


    His only purpose in coming here was to fulfill the appointment made by his nephews and niece. But unexpectedly, he fell in love with this woman at first sight. And now ... Rose apparently wanted him to be her fake boyfriend? What for?


    "Do you want a fake boyfriend for a year?" asked Rune. "Is this for something negative? Do you want to commit a crime? Who do you want to lie to?"


    Rose seemed silent for a moment as if wondering whether she could tell all her secrets to Rune, or not. Finally, after thinking for a while, the girl sighed.


    "This absolutely doesn''t involve a crime. I just want to protect someone."

 Chapter 955 - I Like Confident Men

    "You want a fake boyfriend for a year?" asked Rune. "Is this going to involve something that might break the law? Who do you want to lie to?"


    Rose seemed silent for a moment as if wondering whether she could tell all her secrets to Rune, or not. Finally, after thinking for a while, the girl sighed.


    "I will not break any law. I just want to protect someone." Rose raised her hand and pointed to their food. "Can we eat first and talk about it later? I''m hungry."


    Rune wasn''t hungry, but he couldn''t bear to see Rose''s pretty face frown. It looked like that girl was really hungry.


    "All right ... please eat," he said, inviting Rose to continue eating her mushroom soup. Rune wondered who Rose really was and why she needed a fake boyfriend for a year. This all sounded so mysterious.


    He knew many people would hire fake boyfriends or girlfriends when attending family events like Christmas or Chinese New Year.


    Because in this modern era there were fewer people who want to get married, while many parents demanded their children to get married, so as not to disappoint their parents, some people were willing to lie by bringing their hired partners to family events.


    In fact, there were now people who took advantage of this phenomenon by opening the services of professional boyfriend or girlfriend for hire. But usually, these fake lovers were only hired for family events, not for a year.


    Rune wondered why Rose would need a fake boyfriend for that long. However, he kept his curiosity to himself and tried to eat his own food and wait until Rose would talk about it.


    "The soup is delicious," said Rose as the waiter came back with their appetizer and took the soup bowl.


    "Thank you, Miss. This is your appetizer," he said, setting the dish on the table.


    Rune and Rose continued their meal, from the appetizer to salad, main course, and then dessert.


    "Ahhh ... I''m full," said Rose after the waitress cleared her last dish. They enjoyed a very delicious strawberry cake as a dessert accompanied by a cup of coffee for them each to neutralize the taste of their food.


    "Did you like the food?" asked Rune.


    "I love it. They''re all my favorite foods," said Rose happily. Her beautiful eyes were sparkling with joy.


    "I am glad to hear that."


    "Hmmm .. all right. Where were we?" asked Rose, stirring her coffee after sprinkling a little sugar. "Ahh .. about the fake boyfriend."


    "Right." Rune was pleased that Marie returned to this all-important topic. He had thought Rose would postpone on purpose, but in fact, the girl kept her word. After she ate and felt full, she started discussing the details.


    Why did she need a fake boyfriend, and why a year?


    "Do you want to be my ''boyfriend'' for a year?" Rose asked without further ado.


    Rune shook his head.


    "I need to know what exactly happened before I can decide anything," said Rune. "Do you need a boyfriend to trick your parents? Were they going to set you up with a guy you don''t like? Or maybe you have to pretend to have a boyfriend because your parents are dying and want to see you have a husband who would protect you in their place before they die?"


    Rune remembered the love story of Nicolae and Marie. In the past, Nicolae pretended to marry Marie to comfort Marie''s ailing mother, who was on her deathbed, so that she could leave in peace, knowing Marie already had a husband.


    Rose looked at Rune with a pout. "I see you have a lively imagination."


    "Why? Is my guess wrong?"


    Rose nodded. "Wrong. In fact, my parents are the ones who asked me to immediately look for a boyfriend, be it pretend or real. For a year."


    "How odd," said Rune. His parents didn''t encourage him and his siblings to fall in love quickly. In fact, if possible, actually Caspar and Finland preferred their kids to wait a century before they started investing in a serious relationship.


    "It wouldn''t be strange at all if you knew the full story," said Rose.


    "All right. Tell me, then, what''s the real story?" asked Rune curiously.


    "I''ll only tell you if you''re willing to be my fake boyfriend for a year," Rose replied casually. "Why would I reveal my secrets to strangers who later can''t help me anyway? That will be wasting my time."


    Rune sighed. Somehow he was very weak towards this girl. He should have just refused her request, right? He could smell trouble and a million complications in Rose''s proposal. However, instead of refusing subtly, he bobbed his head.


    "Fine, I will be your fake boyfriend," he said. "What should I do?"


    Rose grinned at Rune''s answer. She touched the young man''s cheek with her right hand, and suddenly Rune felt as if his body was being touched by an angel who sent signals of happiness throughout his nerves.


    "All right. We have to live together for a month, after which I will take you to meet my family," said Rose. "There, I will explain to you everything."


    "Did you say....living together?" Rune wanted to make sure he didn''t mishear Rose.


    What a strange girl. Very strange. Why did she immediately ask him to live together?


    "Yes. Do you want it or not?" asked Rose. "After we''ve lived together for a month and we get along, I''ll tell you everything. Not before."


    How mysterious! Everything about Rose made Rune very curious. He was very tempted to send this girl''s photo to Nicolae and ask him to track her down so that Rune could find out everything about Rose.


    "I wonder if I can trust you with my secrets," said Rose. "If it turns out that after a month of living together, you and I don''t get along, or you can''t be trusted, then we''ll separate."


    "What if, after a year, you fall in love with me?" asked Rune suddenly. "Are we still going to end the relationship?"


    Rose was stunned at Rune''s words. Weirdly enough, her face suddenly became sad.


    "Ehh ... I-I didn''t mean to make you sad," said Rune hastily while waving his hand. "Please just forget what I said earlier."


    Rose shook her head. "It is okay."


    "I mean .. this is something new to me," said Rune honestly. "You are a very attractive woman. I have no girlfriend, and my life is very flexible. You offer me a mystery that piqued my interest. Of course, I want to know all the answers to your secret. However, I just think realistically. After we live together, one of us, or both of us might fall in love for real. If that happened, what should we do? "


    "Mr. Rune Schneider, if you can make me fall in love with you, I will marry you," said Rose firmly. "You can try."


    Rune couldn''t believe his ears. Was it true that Rose allowed Rune to try to make her fall in love with him? And if Rune was successful, then Rose was willing to marry him ...


    Somehow his c.h.e.s.t felt warm as he thought about how he would be able to make Rose fall in love with him.


    Ahhh ... alright. He had a year to do it.


    Slowly a smile crossed his lips. The handsome man nodded.


    "Agree." He stretched his hand toward Rose. The girl frowned and looked at Rune closely.


    "Really? Are you willing to be my fake boyfriend for a year?" she asked him to confirm.


    "Yes, I will be your fake boyfriend for a year," said Rune. "And I''ll make you fall in love with me."


    Rose shook Rune''s hand with a relieved smile. When she saw the earnest expression on Rune''s face, the girl became amused. She then laughed out loud.


    "What is so funny?" asked Rune, not understanding.


    "You look very confident that you can make me fall in love with you," said Rose.


    Rune had never been in love before, and he had never had a girlfriend. However, today he just knew that he was in love, and he would not let go of Rose, the mysterious girl who had captured his heart so quickly that he had fallen in love at first sight.


    "Is being confident bad?" asked Rune.


    "Not." Rose shook her head. She smiled faintly as she said her next words. "I like confident men."


    .


    .


    >>>>>>>>


    From the author:


    Btw, I like the fact that our couples have matching names. I only realized it today.


    Alaric - Aleksis


    London - L


    Rune - Rose

 Chapter 956 - I Think Im In Love

    "You look very confident that you can make me fall in love with you," said Rose with a smile.


    Rune had never been in love before, and he had never had a girlfriend. However, he was sure that he would not let go of Rose, the mysterious girl who had caught his heart so quickly that he had fallen in love with her at first sight.


    "Is being confident bad?" asked Rune.


    "No, it is not." Rose shook her head. She smiled faintly as she said the next words. "I like confident men."


    Ahhh ... when he heard that last sentence, Rune''s c.h.e.s.t puffed up and he felt it was filled with warmth to the brim.


    "Okay." He smiled broadly. He was surrounded by impressive men who were married to the love of their lives, and those men were able to make their wives happy. He would talk to them and ask their advice on how he could make Rose fall in love with him.


    "I only ask you one thing ..." Rose said suddenly, stirring Rune from his reverie. The girl touched Rune''s hand and spoke with an earnest expression. "Please don''t investigate who I am. Wait until I tell you about me myself."


    "Ehh .. why?" Rune frowned in surprise. "So ... are you lying about your identity now? Is your name really Rose?"


    Rose shook her head. "That''s not what I mean. My first name is Rose, but the last name I gave you is not my real name. If I tell you my real name, you can immediately find out a lot about me. I don''t like that. I think humans have it easy these days. They just have to find information on the internet for every single thing. It makes people lazy to connect on a personal level. What''s your hobby? Oh, I''ll just check your social media. Do you have friends? Ah.. Google said you are friends with this man and that man. No effort to make that connection anymore and only go find everything on the internet, even though, sometimes, what we read on the internet is not always true."


    Rune was stunned at Rose''s words. Ah ... shit. Earlier, he planned to send a photo of Rose to Nicolae and investigate who the girl really was.


    So ... Rose didn''t want Rune to investigate her?


    Should he just keep investigating Rose in secret and hid it from her?


    But .. that means he was being dishonest, right?


    Rune felt he was in a dilemma. He was very curious to know who Rose really was and why she was so mysterious, but he felt guilty if he continued to investigate Rose secretly.


    Besides ... what if he get caught? Surely Rose would be angry, and Rune will lose his chance to get close to Rose.


    "To be honest, the guy I met before you used various means to find out my real identity before we actually met. You should see, his face looked so proud when he said my full name. He thought I would be impressed that he managed to find out who I am ... tsk tsk. "Rose rolled her eyes. "He apologized over and over again when I said I wanted to cancel dinner and go home."


    Rune swallowed hard. Pfew... luckily he didn''t even find out about Rose before coming to this blind date.


    He didn''t bother doing it because he assumed that the photos Rose used in the application were not her real pictures but images that she had edited out in Photoshop.


    As it turned out, Rose was indeed quite unique, huh?


    "I''m not going to investigate you. I will wait until you open up to me," said Rune. "On the other hand, I hope you don''t investigate who I am either, to make it fair."


    Okay. If Rose wanted to hide who she was, Rune would do the same.


    Rose smiled at Rune''s words. She nodded lightly. "Of course."


    "Very well, Miss Rose. I am willing to be your fake boyfriend for the next year," said Rune with a chuckle. "When do we start?"


    "Tomorrow. Meet me at Grand Central Station at 10 am. Bring your things. You''ll stay with me starting tomorrow."


    "Okay." Rune took out his cell phone and handed it to Rose. "Please enter your cell phone number here. Tomorrow I''ll call you when I get to the station."


    Rose entered her cell phone number into Rune''s cell and then made a call to her own. During their ''talking'' on the online dating app, they hadn''t given each other their phone numbers to maintain their privacy.


    Now that they had met and trusted each other, Rose was willing to exchange phone numbers.


    "I can take you home tonight, by the way. If I know where you live, I can come straight to you tomorrow. So, you don''t have to go through the hassle of coming to Grand Central Station to pick me up," said Rune.


    He offered to take her home not because he was curious to know where Rose lived, but because he wanted to make sure the could go home safely.


    "It''s all right," said Rose. "It''s not a hassle to me."


    "I am not stalking you, really," said Rune again. "I just want to make sure you arrive home safely."


    "I can take care of myself," said Rose casually. She put her handbag on the table and opened it. She then signaled for Rune to peek inside her bag. "I always carry this with me."


    Rune, who tilted his head to see the contents of Rose''s bag, was instantly dumbfounded when he saw what the girl was trying to show him. Rune was at a loss for words.


    Gosh .. Rose was truly one of a kind!


    In her bag was a small pink pistol, neatly arranged next to her pink wallet.


    "Can... can you use it?" Rune asked in amazement. He used to practice shooting with London when they were young, but he didn''t like using it. In fact ... you could say, in his life, Rune had never fired a gun at all, outside of the firing range.


    "Yes, I can use it. I actually won some medals from shooting championsh.i.p.s," said Rose casually as she closed her bag again. "So .. you don''t have to worry about me."


    Rune stared at Rose with an unblinking gaze.


    What an INCREDIBLE girl! Her beauty was prominent like a celestial goddess. Her skin was flawless without photoshop and heavy makeup.


    Her personality was very pleasant. Her appearance was simple but classy. And she was able to defend herself too!


    Rune didn''t know that he could fall in love this bad with the girl he met for the first time.


    Maybe ... the reason why he had never been in love and never met a woman who could attract his heart was because his soul was waiting for Rose to come into his life.


    "Well .. I believe you," said Rune with a broad smile.


    Gosh .. he never thought, in this life, he could meet such a perfect girl like Rose. He felt very lucky!


    The two chatted about trivial matters before ending the hearty dinner. After escorting Rose into her taxi, Rune walked home.


    He asked the Linden family driver to pick him up at the small park a block from the cafe, where he had been dropped off a few hours earlier. When he walked towards the park, Rune felt his c.h.e.s.t so warm, and there was an overflowing feeling that couldn''t be explained.


    ***


    "How was the blind date?" asked Aleksis when she saw Rune enter the living room with a happy face. Aleksis and Alaric were sitting together, enjoying wine and chatting when Rune came home from his blind date with Rose.


    "It''s so much fun," said Rune, his face beaming. "I think I am in love."


    "Wow... do you?? That''s good news! Will there be a second date? How is she like?" Aleksis probed. "Come here and sit. Pour yourself wine and talk to me how your date went."


    Rune shook his head and smiled sheepishly. "I can''t drink now. I have to pack. Tomorrow I''m moving in with Rose."


    "Wait... what? What did you say?" Aleksis widened her eyes so big. She felt that her ear misheard.


    There''s no way her younger brother would move in with a woman he just met, right?


    Aahaha ... Aleksis thought maybe she had drunk too much wine so that her hearing was affected.

 Chapter 957 - Still Under Construction

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still very busy with real-life work. I am trying to replace the content once I have finished all my work. Thank you for your understanding.


    .


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    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


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    He then looked at Rory with a confused look. "The last time we met was in the 90''s... at that time, you were still the same as you have always been: adventurous and not attracted to women. Ever since your girlfriend died during the war, you''ve always been alone. Have you changed now?"


    Rory shrugged. "When we last met, you were with Katia. How are you?"


    "I''m not with her anymore..." Caspar answered quietly. He took out a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "She left me because, after 50 years of being in a relationship, I still hadn''t married her..."


    "She should have left you a long time ago. You were never faithful to her." Rory shook his head. He received a glass of wine from Caspar and gulped it down little by little.


    Aleksis, who was attracted by the red wine, tried to hold his glass while chattering. Caspar''s heart felt warm seeing the scene in front of him. Aleksis was indeed a very beautiful child, and Caspar was very excited to see her. However, he also felt a sense of pain in his c.h.e.s.t.


    "I don''t need to be reminded of that all the time. I''ve received my karma, okay?" Caspar looked at Aleksis and thought about the only girl he ever loved, who also had a child with another man. Even though she sold her egg cells because she needed money, he still felt very sad whenever he thought about it.


    Now even Lauriel, who was known for being a loner, had his own family and child...


    "Aleksis has very beautiful eyes..." commented Caspar. "Very similar to yours."


    "Actually, I have something to ask you," said Rory later. Before he could continue with his question, there was a knock and the sound of a door opening. A very beautiful girl entered the room they were at. She had long hair and purple eyes. She squealed at Rory''s presence.


    "Heyy... geez, who do we have here? Lauriel the great¡­ the mysterious Lauriel... I didn''t expect to see you here! You''ve been off the grid for so long!"


    Rory narrowed his eyes when he saw Sophia, then turned towards Caspar.


    "I didn''t know you two were on good terms," he teased. He knew about Sophia and her family''s views on purity, which had long been incompatible with Caspar''s family views.


    "Sophia helped me..." Caspar answered curtly. "Did you hear about what happened in Paris early last year?"


    "I do not follow what''s going on in the world." Rory shrugged.


    "Yeah, I know..." Caspar sighed. "Alexei managed to find my weakness and he set me up to kill Famke, one of the Alchemists who was my bodyguard."


    "You made the unforgivable mistake?" Rory asked in surprise.


    "I was framed. For over a year I was able to evade the killers sent by the Meier family. Sophia then came to me and told me that Famke was actually Alexei''s girlfriend. She was sent to infiltrate my group and gain my trust. Everything had been planned by Alexei from the start..."


    "And you just believe Sophia?"


    "Hey, watch your words!" said Sophia. "Just because you''re the most senior among us, it doesn''t give you the right to talk about me like that. I am sincerely helping Caspar."


    "I don''t believe your intention is sincere. I know that you have been carrying a torch for him for a long time." Rory looked at the two of them with a complicated look. He was about to ask Caspar about Finland, but Sophia''s arrival changed his mind.


    "My feelings are sincere to him .." Sophia said firmly. "I even betrayed my own family by giving that information. The Alchemist council of four families has acquitted Caspar of all charges, and now my family disowned me..."


    "Hmmm ... So now you are with her?" Rory asked Caspar. "You haven''t changed either."


    The man did not reply. He poured another glass of wine and gulped it down.


    "What do you mean?" Sophia asked in protest.


    "During his engagement to Katia, Caspar was never faithful," Rory answered indifferently, "What assures you that he won''t sleep with other women while he is with you? Maybe he even has children out there."


    "You insult me too much, Lauriel..." Caspar said suddenly. "I know you are a perfect man who is wise and always right. But I can change... I''m not like who I was before."


    Rory stared at Aleksis for a long time, then looked at Caspar and shook his head. "I''m afraid I still see you as who you were before."


    Finland was reading several reports when Rory came in with Aleksis.


    "Where are you guys from?" she asked. She put down her doc.u.ments and took Aleksis from Rory.


    "Here nearby, I met with an old friend." Rory turned the water on the boiler to prepare tea. "What tea would you like?"


    "Fruit-flavored tea, thank you," Finland answered. She kissed her child lovingly. "How long have you not seen your friend?"


    "Quite a long time. We used to go on adventures together. We parted when I had a girlfriend and no longer dated one woman after another. But it turns out that he hasn''t changed until now."


    Rory handed Finland a cup of tea and sat on the couch to enjoy his own tea.


    "Oh, I didn''t know you had a girlfriend," Finland was interested to hear it. "Where is she now?"


    "She is dead. I have lived alone for a long time. Until I met you." Rory looked at Finland and Aleksis with loving eyes.


    "Oh... I''m sorry."


    "It''s okay. It has been a long time..." Rory took a sip of his tea and was suddenly lost in thought. He actually sent a message to Caspar to see each other when they arrived in Hong Kong.


    Caspar agreed and arrived three days later. Rory did not expect that Sophia would come along with Caspar and it immediately discouraged him from telling Caspar about Finland. He saw that Caspar was still a womanizer who hooked up with different women.


    He suspected Finland was just one of the many women Caspar dated when he was still engaged to Katia. For that reason, Caspar did not know that Finland was pregnant. If Finland was really important to him, Caspar would certainly have no difficulties finding the girl¡­ then he would know that she was pregnant with his child.


    He looked at the mother and child who were sitting on the sofa opposite him with a look of pity. He could not bear to tell Finland that the father of her child was currently with another woman and was not thinking about them at all.


    "Finland... how are you going to look for Aleksis'' father?" Rory asked later. "If he doesn''t want to be found, how will you find him?"


    "That''s impossible..." Finland said quickly. "He will definitely be happy to meet me..."


    "I''m just asking..." Rory''s voice turned soft, "What would you do if he didn''t want to be found? If you really meant something to him, wouldn''t he already be looking for you?"


    Finland knew Rory was right. If Caspar did not want to be found, Finland couldn''t do anything.


    For nearly two years Caspar did not look for her, even though Jean had long woken up from his coma.


    Did that mean Caspar had forgotten about her? Finland remembered that when she left Caspar, she said that their relationship had ended and that he was free to meet and be with another woman if he met her before Jean woke up.


    Those thoughts made her heart feel very heavy.


    "Finland... how are you going to look for Aleksis'' father?" Rory asked later. "If he doesn''t want to be found, how will you find him?"


    "That''s impossible..." Finland said quickly. "He will definitely be happy to meet me..."


    "I''m just asking..." Rory''s voice turned soft, "What would you do if he didn''t want to be found? If you really meant something to him, wouldn''t he already be looking for you?"


    Finland knew Rory was right. If Caspar did not want to be found, Finland couldn''t do anything.


    For nearly two years Caspar did not look for her, even though Jean had long woken up from his coma.


    Did that mean Caspar had forgotten about her? Finland remembered that when she left Caspar, she said that their relationship had ended and that he was free to meet and be with another woman if he met her before Jean woke up.


    Did this mean Caspar had indeed forgotten about her...?


    Those thoughts made her heart feel very heavy.

 Chapter 958 - Still Under Construction

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still very busy with real-life work. I am trying to replace the content once I have finished all my work. Thank you for your understanding.


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    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


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    .


    On the way home, Finland was thinking about the perfect guy, Caspar, and frowned when she remembered that he felt sorry for her. He probably came from a wealthy family and never experienced life''s struggles, so when he was faced with a poor person like her, he became interested because it was something foreign to him.


    Or maybe he was just that white person with white savior syndrome, acting like a hero to the people in third world countries like Asia and Africa to show off their kindness and mercy to the world...


    Finland felt offended. She had no choice in life. She was born without knowing her father and her mother died when she was very young. Her grandmother, who raised her with difficulty, had also died. She owed the Singapore government three years of work. All she could do now is work as good as possible for three years, save money and then set the direction of her life.


    She did not want to depend on others and wasn''t willing to be indebted to anyone. Except for Jean... Ah, Jean had helped her a lot, and Finland vowed, in life and in death, she would always remember Jean''s kindness to her.


    [Jean, do you still remember the doctor I crashed into at the airport? I think he is truly a very rich person. Apparently he did buy the Continental Hotel and now lives in the hotel''s penthouse. He invited me over to take a look.]


    Jean replied to her WhatsApp one minute later.


    [No kidding?! What were you doing at his penthouse?]


    [Nothing. He just wanted to show off his place.]


    [Oh. If he wanted to show off his wealth, it is possible that he likes you and wants to impress you. Is he handsome? Send me his pictures?]


    [I don''t have any pictures of him, sorry.]


    [What''s his full name? We can google it.]


    Finland sighed. She still did not know Caspar''s full name.


    [I don''t know. Didn''t have time to ask.]


    [The guy is very mysterious. Next month I will go back to Singapore and we can investigate him together.]


    [Oh, you''re coming here? I cannot wait! Coincidentally, next month LTX is responsible for Bartz''s new product launch in Singapore. You have to come!]


    [I''ll see later, I may have a job in Singapore.]


    [Oh, you also need to visit my house! It is very beautiful - like a fairy tale.]


    [Of course!]


    It had been almost four months since Finland last met Jean. At that time, Jean was too busy so they only met twice for dinner. Jean was 24 years old, and he said that he could walk the runway for a maximum of only 2 more years. That was why he tried his best to accept as many jobs offer as possible. Thereafter he would go back to school or look for another job that did not focus solely on appearance.


    Unfortunately, until now, Finland had never traveled abroad. Jean often offered to take Finland traveling to other countries with his frequent flyer miles, but Finland always refused.


    "One day there will come a time for me to fly and explore the world with my own means, Jean. I don''t want to be a burden to anyone. I want to explore the world with my wings," that was how Finland always refused his offer.


    The number one place for Finland to visit was Finland, her father''s country of origin, and number two was Paris, where Jean lived most of the time.


    ***


    Finland was working on a project report when Ms. Fang called her.


    "Finland, thank you for your help. The Continental Hotel just contacted me and confirmed our event for the 10th." She had a wide smile on her face when she delivered this announcement to the whole room. "Our program will be successful!" To Finland, she said, "I won''t forget the bonus I promised."


    Finland could only nod softly, not knowing what to say. Her colleagues in the Marketing department applauded, but she heard talks of contempt here and there.


    As Caspar suspected, Finland''s co-workers were convinced that Finland was a mistress to one of the Continental Hotel''s bigwig. Ugh...


    It''s okay... she thought to herself. After all, she knew the truth. She got the venue by taking the hotel owner to dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Other people didn''t need to know this.


    [We received the confirmation for the venue. Thank you very much. I owe you dinner. I''m willing to treat you whenever you''re not busy.]


    [I''m not busy tonight.]


    Oh, that was fast, thought Finland. However, she did not want to back down on her words, so she immediately replied,


    [Okay, I choose the place. Should I pick you up at the hospital?]


    [Oh, today I am teaching the medical students at NUS. Just pick me up at the campus?]


    [OK]


    Caspar sent his location and schedule for the day. Finland took note of it. Suddenly she thought of something.


    [If I can''t find your class, whom should I ask for? I don''t know your full name. I don''t think you will be holding your phone when you''re teaching.]


    Gotcha, thought Finland. Finally, I can know your full name¡­


    For a long time, there was no reply from Caspar. Finland began to worry... maybe Caspar didn''t want her to know about him.


    Lunchtime arrived, and as usual, Finland ate her home-made lunch in her cubicle. She just finished her lunch and was on her way to the pantry to wash her lunch box when Jennie, the office manager, came to her desk carrying a beautiful flower arrangement.


    "Finland, there are flowers for you. Just delivered. The card has the Continental Hotel logo on it," she said, handing the flowers to Finland who was shocked to death.


    Ugh... what a way for Caspar to tease her. Now people will really think she was a mistress...


    "Thank you," Finland said wearily. She put the flowers on her desk and read the note on the card. The whispers around her began to grow louder but she pretended not to hear.


    [I''m looking forward to our dinner at a Michelin Restaurant. - Heinrich Schneider.]


    Oh... apparently THIS was his real name!


    Finland held her breath the moment after reading his name. The whispers around her were getting louder. Someone must have read the content of the card and started the gossip. They knew that the sender of the flowers was someone named Heinrich Schneider. May started googling his name.


    "Uh, isn''t he the businessman who owns the Schneider Group that recently bought the Continental Hotel?"


    "No wonder Finland can get the venue..." Lily said softly to Tran next to her.


    "There is no picture of him on Google; I think he is an old angmoh* (foreigner)," Tran replied. They both looked at Finland with a disgusted look.


    Finland held the urge to go to NUS and drag Caspar to her office, so her colleagues could see how young and handsome the Continental Hotel owner actually was and stop their gossip. Instead, she calmed herself with a long sigh.


    .


    Ugh... what a way for Caspar to tease her. Now people will really think she was a mistress...


    "Thank you," Finland said wearily. She put the flowers on her desk and read the note on the card. The whispers around her began to grow louder but she pretended not to hear.


    [I''m looking forward to our dinner at a Michelin Restaurant. - Heinrich Schneider.]


    Oh... apparently THIS was his real name!


    Finland held her breath the moment after reading his name. The whispers around her were getting louder. Someone must have read the content of the card and started the gossip. They knew that the sender of the flowers was someone named Heinrich Schneider. May started googling his name.


    "Uh, isn''t he the businessman who owns the Schneider Group that recently bought the Continental Hotel?"


    "No wonder Finland can get the venue..." Lily said softly to Tran next to her.


    "There is no picture of him on Google; I think he is an old angmoh* (foreigner)," Tran replied. They both looked at Finland with a disgusted look.


    Finland held the urge to go to NUS and drag Caspar to her office, so her colleagues could see how young and handsome the Continental Hotel owner actually was and stop their gossip.


    *angmoh = what people in Singapore call foreigners/expats who have white skin

 Chapter 959 - Under Construction

    From the author:


    I am so, very sorry, but this chapter is not ready. Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still really unwell this week... huhuhu. I am trying my best to replace the content as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.


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    <<<This is filler chapter>>>


    Finland felt uneasy the whole day. Never in her wildest fantasies did she expect to meet Meilin here. Imagining working together with the evil girl really made her shudder.


    She still could not forget the days in high school when Meilin and her gang dragged her behind the school, tied her to a tree, beat her, and pulled her hair, only because the boy whom Meilin liked said that Finland was beautiful.


    Until now the trauma was still imprinted in Finland''s heart.


    In the office, she avoided Meilin as much as possible and immersed herself in her computer. When people came out for lunch, she chose to stay in her cubicle and ate the lunch she brought from home.


    [How was your first day of work?] Jean texted her at lunchtime. He either woke up very early in France or he hadn''t slept.


    Finland read Jean''s Whatsapp text and smiled for the first time that day.


    [Not good. When will you come back to Singapore?]


    [Ugh, I have an impromptu show in London to replace my sick friend. It is an important show to celebrate the Valentino Fashion House''s anniversary. I will stop by Singapore in 3 weeks. How was your date last Saturday?]


    [Too good to be true. I''m afraid that he is a scammer.]


    [What?! I''ll call you. It''s still early in the morning and I''m not busy yet.]


    Five seconds later Finland''s phone vibrated and she rushed out to pick it up. She did not want anyone to hear her conversation with Jean.


    She found a quiet place in the park and, after making sure no one was around, she chatted with her best friend whom she only met a few times a year.


    Finland told Jean everything; from her meeting with Caspar at the airport until their very fancy and private dinner.


    "Seriously? Let me research who he is. What is his full name?" asked Jean.


    "I don''t know. He just said that he had a long family name but I should just call him Caspar. The nurse said he was a famous surgeon, but I couldn''t find a surgeon named Caspar on the internet." Finland frowned, "Maybe he doesn''t use his real name?"


    "You said he did your medical check-up last week?"


    "Yeah..."


    "Then you can just see his name on your medical examination report. We can then investigate him together."


    "But I have sent the report to HR."


    "Oh. Can''t you ask to see it?"


    "I can''t. It would be too suspicious. Maybe I can stop by the hospital again..." Finland suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Try Googling the current owner of the Continental Hotel. Yesterday he told me that he wanted to buy the hotel."


    Jean paused when he heard that.


    Finland also fell silent.


    Then a minute later the two laughed out loud...


    How could they take Caspar seriously when he said crazy things such as buying the Continental Hotel? Come to think of it, Caspar often said things that sounded ridiculous.


    Okay, maybe he was not a scammer. Maybe he was a joker!


    "Never mind... just take him as a joke," Jean said. "The incident was indeed very funny. I am happy to hear that those bad girls from your high school were taught a lesson. We have to thank whoever is responsible for kicking them out of the hotel."


    "Yes, but the gang leader now works in the same office as me ..." Finland sighed sadly. "When my three-month probation is over, I''ll look for another job."


    "Psshh... cheer up. The important thing is you must work as well as you can and don''t get involved in office politics. Later, after your probation period is over and you really want to quit working from LTX, you can find another job. Finish your three-year mandatory work in Singapore. Later when I retire from modeling we make our own agency in Paris. You can help me here."


    Finland nodded in enthusiasm, her heart calmed down. Talking with Jean always made her feel excited about life. Jean was probably the only good thing in Finland''s unlucky life.


    They were both mixed and when they first met in the Design class, they clicked immediately and continued to sit together throughout the school year.


    Jean''s full name was Jean-Pierre Wang. His mother was a French model and his father was a Singaporean businessman. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He did not have any siblings, so he could really relate to Finland''s loneliness. He never used his full name and always asked to be called by one name, Jean.


    He was very stylish because he learned a lot from his mother, who was famous in the fashion world. Before graduating from high school, he was already scouted for modeling. He then secured a contract to become the face of a famous jeans brand.


    Jean casually applied study at NTU because he wanted to feel like a normal student, and that was where he met Finland.


    Contrary to most people, Jean did not consider Finland''s name strange, instead, he said that Finland was one of the most beautiful names he had ever known, and he immediately told her about his wonderful experience visiting Finland.


    From Jean, Finland learned that during summer the sun did not set in Finland for 73 days. Furthermore, Jean made Finland appreciate her own name when he told her that he wanted to be known only by one name like Prince and Adele,


    Finland helped him a lot in college, especially during the first year when Jean was very busy on the runway. She lent him her notes and sometimes helped with his assignments since he was abroad most of the time.


    In the second year, Jean was forced to take some time off from college because of his busy schedule. Finally, in the third year, he had no choice but to quit altogether. They both remained good friends until now.


    You could say, to Finland, Jean was like family. At times like these, she was very grateful to have a friend who genuinely cared for her. Finland decided to follow Jean''s advice and avoid getting engaged in political issues in the office. She would focus solely on completing her three-year work obligation in Singapore and then she would follow Jean to Paris.


    To her surprise, the first week of work passed by without any issues. Finland tried her best to avoid Meilin and did not attract attention. After the one-week training, she and her team began working on ongoing company projects.


    She spent the second week working on a boring database collection. During that time Finland did not hear anything from Caspar. They had no contact with each other after their dinner date; the date where Finland left in a hurry before dessert.


    Finland finally assumed that her chance encounter with Caspar had become a part of the past. He probably gave up scamming her.


    ***


    Today was an exciting day for Finland. After work, she rushed to the ATM to check her account balance.


    Finally, after a full month of hard work, she earned her first salary as a full-time employee. She was overwhelmed with emotion and almost shrieked! She held back her emotions when she saw the queue of people behind her.


    She came out of the ATM room with a big smile on her face and walked home to Robertson Road. As usual, she imagined herself walking on a runway, like Jean¡­


    Ah... soon she must say goodbye to Jean''s apartment which had been her home for the past two months.


    When she got home, Finland made herself a cup of tea, opened her laptop, and looked for advertis.e.m.e.nts for rented rooms on the internet. She also searched for advertis.e.m.e.nts in local newspapers. She did not want to trouble her friend any longer.


    She was about to close her laptop when she suddenly saw a newly posted ad.


    "Renting a room in an old house in the city center. The owner is often abroad so a tenant is needed to help take care of the house. Room rental only 500 dollars per month."


    Finland almost shouted in joy. This was the dream room of every poor employee!


    She was so lucky to see the ad just when it was posted!


    She quickly picked up the phone and dialed the contact number on the ad. She must move fast not to let this perfect room be taken by someone else!

 Chapter 960 - Rose & Rune (Still Under Construction)

    Author''s note:


    Please only unlock this chapter after you no longer see the sign "Still Under Construction" and no more author''s note. This chapter is not yet ready. I will replace the content as soon as possible.


    At the moment I am feeling really unwell... *sobs*. I will do my best to slowly replace all my filler chapters. Thank you for your patience. xx


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    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    Setelah mendengar cerita Friedrich, Hannah dan Karl sama-sama terdiam. Semua informasi yang mereka terima ini rasanya sangat mengejutkan dan mampu membuat siapa pun menjadi terpukul. Bagaimana nanti jika kaum Alchemist benar-benar akan dapat menguasai umat manusia dan membunuh siapa pun orang yang mereka anggap tidak layak hidup?


    Rasanya seakan mengetahui berita dari masa depan bahwa akan terjadi perang dunia ketiga atau pembantaian massal, tetapi mereka tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa.


    "Kita harus melakukan sesuatu..." bisik Hannah.


    Kedua pemuda di depannya mengangkat wajahnya dan mengamati gadis itu.


    "Apa yang dapat kita lakukan?" tanya Friedrich sedih.


    "Aku... aku bisa pulang ke Moravia dan memberi tahu orang tuaku. Mereka dapat bicara kepada pemimpin negara-negara di dunia dan melakukan sesuatu," kata gadis itu.


    "Menurutmu mereka akan percaya kepada kita?" tanya Friedrich sambil menggeleng-geleng kepala. "Siapa pun yang mendengar tentang ini pasti akan menganggap kita gila. Sebaiknya kau jangan membuat dirimu terkena masalah. Bukan saja kita tidak akan dipercaya, tetapi kalau sampai hal ini bocor ke telinga orang-orang Alchemist... mereka pasti tidak akan tinggal diam. Sam memberitahuku bahwa mereka ada di seluruh dunia dan berkuasa di balik layar. Bahkan kerajaan Inggris saja sebenarnya diperintah dari belakang oleh pasangan Alchemist dari keluarga raja di masa lalu. Kita tidak bisa bertindak gegabah..."


    Hannah terdiam mendengar kata-kata Friedrich. Pria itu sangat logis dan selalu dapat berpikir ke depan. Ia sadar bahwa Friedrich memang benar. Siapa yang akan percaya mereka?


    "Alaric Rhionen sangat berkuasa, orang-orang penting lainnya di klan Alchemist sangat besar pengaruhnya. Aku bahkan tidak mengetahui dengan pasti, siapa saja orangnya yang menjadi bagian dari kaum mereka. Yang jelas, mereka adalah penguasa ekonomi dan politik yang sebenarnya. Bahkan, ada banyak orang mereka di industri hiburan," Friedrich melanjutkan. "Jean-Pierre Wang dan Billie Yves saja adalah bagian dari kaum itu. Kita tidak boleh gegabah."


    Hannah benar-benar terkejut mendengar kedua nama itu. Jean-Pierre Wang adalah seorang aktor yang sangat terkenal dan Billie Yves kekasihnya adalah seorang musisi genius yang bisa dibilang merupakan legenda hidup.


    Keduanya sering dikabarkan menjadi penggemar operasi plastik sehingga masih saja terlihat muda di usia keduanya yang sudah mendekati kepala empat. Rupanya... mereka tidak menjalani operasi plastik, karena awet muda pada wajah mereka adalah karena mereka memang secara alami memiliki sel yang terus beregenerasi dan membuat mereka tetap muda selamanya.


    "Lalu.. apa yang dapat kita lakukan?" tanya Hannah. Ia benar-benar tidak tahu harus melakukan apa. Yang jelas, ia merasa tidak dapat membiarkan kejahatan orang-orang Alchemist begitu saja.


    "Kita bisa mengumpulkan bukti dulu," kata Friedrich. Ia mengambil laptopnya dan membuka beberapa folder untuk ditunjukkan kepada Hannah dan Karl. "Aku sudah menyelidiki mereka selama beberapa bulan terakhir, sejak Sam menceritakan rahasia ini kepadaku. Aku menyewa beberapa hacker untuk mencari informasi yang kubutuhkan. Mereka tidak tahu apa-apa, aku tidak memberikan petunjuk yang jelas. Biar kita saja yang tahu."


    Di dalam foldernya, Friedrich menunjukkan beberapa foto, keterangan, dan informasi lainnya tentang beberapa orang yang dicurigainya sebagai bagian dari kaum Alchemist.


    "Orang pertama yang kuselidiki adalah Caspar Schneider. Ia adalah pemimpin Schneider Group dan memiliki orang kepercayaan dari keluarga Van Der Ven. Aku sudah menyelidiki ini dan menemukan bahwa rupanya keluarga Schneider dan keluarga Van Der Ven memiliki hubungan selama beberapa generasi. Biasanya anak laki-laki dari keluarga Van Der Ven akan mengambil alih bisnis selama Caspar mengundurkan diri dari dunia dan kemudian kembali 20 tahun kemudian sebagai orang baru, dengan nama baru."


    Ia menunjukkan wajah tampan Caspar Schneider di layar dan melanjutkan analisisnya. "Sebelum Caspar Schneider yang sekarang memimpin bisnisnya, Schneider group telah diurus oleh Stanis Van Der Ven. Sebelum Caspar, ''pamannya''-lah yang memimpin bisnis keluarga itu. Ia bernama Heinrich Schneider."


    Friedrich membuka foto lain. "Ini adalah Heinrich Schneider, walaupun terpisah 20 tahun, kalian bisa melihat bahwa sebenarnya Heinrich dan Caspar ini adalah orang yang sama."


    "Ah.. Kakak benar. Mereka memang orang yang sama," komentar Karl.


    "Karena mereka tidak pernah muncul bersama, dan biasanya pemimpin baru dari keluarga ini akan ''muncul'' setiap dua puluh tahun, orang-orang tidak ada yang menghubungkan mereka. Kemiripan wajah di antara mereka hanya dianggap sebagai kemiripan keluarga. Publik sama sekali tidak tahu bahwa mereka sebenarnya adalah orang yang sama. Caspar Schneider mengaku kepada Sam bahwa ia telah hidup sejak tahun 1480. Bayangkan.. sudah berapa identitas yang ia gunakan selama ini?"


    "Pasti banyak sekali..."


    "Benar. Nah, setelah aku dapat menemukan semua identitas Caspar Schneider, aku mulai menyelidiki siapa saja orang-orang yang bersinggungan dengannya. Schneider Group dulu berinvestasi di banyak studio besar Hollywood dengan syarat mereka mempekerjakan Jean-Pierre Wang di berbagai film laris mereka. Itulah sebabnya, walaupun saat itu Jean masih baru menjadi aktor, ia langsung tampil di banyak film sukses dan popularitasnya langsung meroket. Lalu ada juga Billie, dan masih ada orang demi orang yang terlibat dengan mereka. Semua datanya ada di sini."


    Friedrich menghela napas. "Aku tidak akan lama lagi ada di dunia... tetapi aku berharap, apa yang kuketahui ini, suatu saat nanti akan dapat diketahui oleh dunia. Biar mereka bisa bersikap waspada."


    "Kakak, aku akan melanjutkan apa yang sudah kau mulai..." bisik Karl dengan suara serak. Ia berusaha keras menahan emosinya agar ia tidak menangis saat mengingat betapa kakaknya yang malang akan segera mati. "Aku akan membongkar rahasia tentang orang-orang Alchemists itu agar mereka tidak dapat berbuat seenaknya..."


    Friedrich menatap adiknya semata wayang dengan perasaan sedih. Karl baru berusia 17 tahun.


    Apa yang dapat dilakukan anak ini? pikirnya.


    "Aku memang masih kecil sekarang.. tetapi aku akan berusaha keras untuk tumbuh menjadi orang yang pintar seperti kakak," kata Karl dengan penuh keteguhan.


    Friedrich mengusap kepala adiknya dan mengangguk. "Aku percaya kepadamu."


    "Kurasa.. sebaiknya kau tidak usah memikirkan tentang mereka dulu," kata Hannah kemudian. "Kita mau berlibur dan keliling dunia, kan? Aku ingin membantumu mewujudkan semua yang kau inginkan..."


    Gadis itu menggigit bibirnya dan menunduk. Setiap kali ia teringat akan umur Friedrich yang pendek, ia merasa sangat sedih. Tetapi ia berusaha untuk tidak menunjukkannya di depan pemuda itu.


    "Ah, Kak Hannah benar. Kita akan memulai perjalanan kita beberapa hari lagi. Sebaiknya kita membahas itu dulu," kata Karl kemudian. "Aku akan berhenti sekolah dan ikut kalian."


    "Hmm.. baiklah." Friedrich mengangguk setuju. Ia lalu membuka browser di laptopnya dan mengetik beberapa tujuan yang sempat mereka bicarakan. "Aku selalu ingin naik balon udara di Cappadocia."


    "Tempatnya sangat indah. Aku pernah kesana," kata Hannah.


    Gadis itu lalu menceritakan pengalamannya di Cappadocia dan membantu Friedrich untuk mengatur perjalanan mereka ke Turki.


    Karl dengan sigap mengambil kertas dan pulpen lalu membuat catatan itinerary mereka. Friedrich telah memutuskan untuk bepergian menjelajah tempat-tempat penting di dunia selama enam bulan ke depan, sebelum kondisi tubuhnya menjadi sangat buruk.


    Setelah itu, mereka akan memilih satu tempat yang tenang, di mana ia akan menghabiskan sisa hidupnya.


    ***


    Malam itu Karl dan Hannah bicara berdua di teras belakang setelah mereka memastikan bahwa Friedrich sudah tertidur. Mereka tidak ingin membuat pemuda itu stress dengan pembicaraan lebih lanjut tentang kaum Alchemist.


    "Aku sangat cemas," kata Hannah dengan suara lirih. "Kalau sampai mereka benar-benar bisa melaksanakan apa yang mereka inginkan... Aku tak dapat membayangkannya. Kita harus berusaha mencegahnya dan kemudian mengekspos kebusukan mereka."


    "Aku setuju dengan Kak Hannah," kata Karl. "Tapi kita tidak boleh gegabah."


    "Benar. Kurasa, semua rencana Alaric Rhionen itu akan dilakukannya untuk jangka panjang. Ia tidak akan tiba-tiba melaksanakan semuanya. Jadi kita juga bisa bersiap-siap. Kurasa, kita harus melakukannya diam-diam dan secara tidak mencurigakan," kata Hannah.


    "Yang paling penting, kita tidak boleh membuat mereka curiga kepada kita," kata Karl. Ia menarik napas panjang sebelum melanjutkan kata-katanya. "Aku sudah memikirkan ini semalaman kemarin dan aku rasa satu-satunya cara kita bisa menyelidiki mereka tanpa dicurigai, adalah dengan menghilangkan identitas kita. Setidaknya aku harus menghilang."


    "Menghilang?" tanya Hannah keheranan. "Apa yang kau pikirkan?"


    "Aku akan memalsukan kematianku dan menghilang. Hidup sebagai orang baru. Kak Friedrich mengenal beberapa orang di Darknet yang bisa membantu dengan hal semacam itu. Aku akan mengontak mereka dan bekerja sama dengan mereka, mengambil alih semua ini dari tangan Kakak. Biarlah di akhir hidupnya, Kakak dapat hidup tenang dan tidak dipusingkan dengan hal-hal semacam itu."


    "Karl..." Hannah menggigit bibirnya. Ia tampak memikirkan sesuatu yang berat. "Apakah.. apakah kau bisa mencari tahu siapa yang memegang ramuan keabadian itu? Mungkin kita bisa mencurinya atau memaksa mengambil ramuan itu untuk Friedrich.. agar, agar kakakmu tidak..."


    Ia tak dapat melanjutkan kata-katanya.


    Karl mengangguk. "Aku juga berpikir seperti itu. Kita memiliki waktu satu setengah tahun... Mungkin penyelidikanku bisa memberi kita jalan."


    "Oh, syukurlah. Ternyata kau dan aku sepemikiran," kata Hannah lega.


    "Aku akan berusaha menyelidikinya," kata Karl. "Nanti, Kak Hannah temani Kak Friedrich saja, Biar aku yang mengurus ini. Aku memang bukan genius seperti kakakku, tetapi aku juga tidak bodoh. Aku akan membuat rencana dan mencari tahu."


    "Baiklah," kata Hannah.


    "Kak Hannah," Karl menyentuh tangan Hannah dan menatapnya dengan pandangan memohon. "Tolong, bahagiakan kakakku..."


    Hannah tersenyum sedikit dan mengangguk. "Tentu saja, Karl. Aku berjanji."

 Chapter 961 - Under Construction

    Author''s note:


    This chapter is not ready. Please wait until you see the title changed and this author''s note is gone before you unlock this chapter. I will replace the content as soon as possible. Thank you soooo much for being so patient with me. xx


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    <<<This is a filler chapter>>>


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    Jean''s last message made Finland smile. She returned to work and prepared a program for several new brands that had entered into contracts with LTX. An hour before lunch, Ms. Song invited all members of the Marketing department to eat together.


    She treated them to lunch to celebrate the success of the previous Bartz event and their success in bringing together Jean and Bartz''s Brand Manager in Singapore.


    "This is all thanks to Finland. We thank you," said Ms. Song in her speech. "You really are a very valuable employee. I want to announce that today, LTX will officially hire you as a full-time employee."


    Finland gasped at the sweet announcement. She could only bow and say thank you. Her colleagues clapped. At that time Finland felt very moved. Finally, her hard work was noticed and recognized by the company. The 800-dollar bonus from Ms. Song was transferred on the same day. She felt very grateful.


    [My probation period is over. Now I''m LTX International''s full-time employee.]


    She sent an SMS to Jean and Caspar.


    [Congratulations! LTX is lucky to have such a talented and dedicated employee like you.] Replied Jean.


    [I am very proud of you.] Replied Caspar.


    That day Finland did not stop smiling. Slowly her life was going in the right direction. When they returned to the office from lunch, two bouquets of flowers were waiting on Finland''s desk. Her office friends teased her about her fans. They were no longer mocking her and Finland felt very grateful for the change in attitude.


    The first flower was definitely from Jean. He always added one white rose in the bouquet of whatever flowers he sent, so even though there was no card, Finland immediately knew who the sender was.


    The second flower was very large and filled almost all the space in the empty corner of the office. It had a card from Heinrich Schneider.


    "Excuse me, Finland, you have a guest." Jenny from the front office called Finland when the girl was admiring her flowers. "Katia Sorrenson wants to meet you to discuss the design you submitted yesterday."


    "Oh, she came here. I thought we''d meet tomorrow at dinner with Jean." Finland was rather confused. She invited Katia into the Marketing department office. The beautiful platinum-haired girl walked in gracefully and sat on the sofa facing Finland''s desk. For a moment her gaze swept over a large bouquet of flowers in the corner of the room.


    "Oh, what is the occasion? Who do I need to congratulate?" she asked in a cheerful voice.


    "Today, Finland is officially a full-time employee at LTX, and the bouquet is from her boyfriend," Tran answered quickly. She glanced at Finland enviously, but the tone of her voice was not cynical.


    "Wahh... congratulations, Finland. Sorry, I didn''t know, so I didn''t bring anything."


    "Er... no need. Thank you ..." Finland smiled wryly. She opened her laptop and looked for the material she prepared for Katia.


    She did not notice the platinum-haired girl studying the card attached to the large bouquet of flowers. Her forehead twitched as she read the contents of the card. She turned and looked at Finland in disbelief.


    "Is this card from Heinrich Schneider?" she asked quietly. "What is your relationship with Heinrich Schneider?"


    Finland gasped. She did not know whether or not she should be honest with Katia.


    "Uhm... I met him several times. We worked together for the launch of Bartz''s new product at his hotel last week. He was very friendly." answered Finland as casual as possible.


    Katia looked at her with a complicated look.


    "Finland, you''re Jean''s friend, aren''t you?" She asked a moment later. "We will meet for dinner tomorrow, right?"


    "Er... yes."


    "Then I don''t need to talk now. I have some important things I need to deal with. We will continue this conversation tomorrow during dinner."


    After saying that, Katia said goodbye and left.


    Finland did not understand her purpose of coming and why she suddenly left. She could only shake her head.


    ***


    Finland arrived home at 7 o''clock in the evening. She was surprised to see Caspar sitting on the terrace of her pavilion, working. He did not lie when he said that he would be back from Hong Kong before dinner.


    "Hey, how was your day?" Caspar closed his laptop and approached Finland, who just climbed onto the terrace. He put his arms around the girl and hugged her for a few minutes before letting her go. "Congratulations on your job!"


    "Thank you. How was your business in Hong Kong?"


    "All good. I''m looking for a new identity and I wish to live in a country that isn''t too far from Singapore. So, at least for the next 3 years, I can stay close to Singapore. Close to you."


    "Oh..." Finland knew that Caspar had been Heinrich Schneider for too long, and with his current face, it was getting more difficult for him to claim that he was 36 years old. She remembered that Caspar initially had a plan to move to New York and take a new identity as a film school student. Apparently the plan had changed.


    "I thought you wanted to be a film school student in New York?"


    "Indeed. But then I met you. You are not sure if you wish to come with me, so I have to come up with a different plan. New York is too far from Singapore. I won''t be able to meet you often. I know you can''t leave Singapore yet for the upcoming three years, so I have to look for a new identity not too far away. Hong Kong also has good art schools. The other options are Malaysia or Indonesia, but I would attract too much attention there, only in Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong I can blend in easily because they are all internationally-known countries filled with people from all over the world."


    "Oh..." Finland felt so moved that she spontaneously hugged Caspar.


    This man was very understanding. At least for now, Finland did not have to worry about her life for the next three years. She was able to fulfill her obligations to the Singapore government, keep in touch with Jean, and Caspar would stay close to her with a different identity.


    She would then have three years to figure out their relationship. She would have time to think things through and make careful decisions.


    She believed, over time, the best choice would come.


    "I''m glad to see you''re happy like this." Caspar smiled broadly, showing off his dimples. Finland melted and spontaneously kissed him.


    Caspar was stunned for a moment, but then he returned Finland''s kiss and tightened his embrace. His second kiss was postponed when he heard the footsteps of Ms. Law who came to tell them that dinner was ready.


    Caspar cleared his throat and Finland coughed a little. They then followed Ms. Law to the dining room. When the two sat facing a table full of delicious dishes, a bell rang from outside the gate. Finland and Caspar looked at each other. Katrin and Ms. Law also could not guess who the guest was.


    "Maybe Ben forgot something?" said Finland. John immediately went out and opened the gate. He returned 5 minutes later with a girl who walked behind him.


    This girl had beautiful platinum-colored hair. She stopped when she saw Caspar and Finland sitting together at the dining table. Her face was twisted...


    "Ka... Katia? What are you doing here?" Finland asked, confused.


    She would then have three years to figure out their relationship. She would have time to think things through and make careful decisions.


    She believed, over time, the best choice would come.


    "I''m glad to see you''re happy like this." Caspar smiled broadly, showing off his dimples. Finland melted and spontaneously kissed him.


    Caspar was stunned for a moment, but then he returned Finland''s kiss and tightened his embrace. His second kiss was postponed when he heard the footsteps of Ms. Law who came to tell them that dinner was ready.


    Caspar cleared his throat and Finland coughed a little. They then followed Ms. Law to the dining room. When the two sat facing a table full of delicious dishes, a bell rang from outside the gate. Finland and Caspar looked at each other. Katrin and Ms. Law also could not guess who the guest was.


    "Maybe Ben forgot something?" said Finland. John immediately went out and opened the gate. He returned 5 minutes later with a girl who walked behind him.


    This girl had beautiful platinum-colored hair. She stopped when she saw Caspar and Finland sitting together at the dining table. Her face was twisted...


    "Ka... Katia? What are you doing here?" Finland asked, confused.

 Chapter 962 - Under Construction

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still very busy with real-life work. I am trying to replace the content once I have finished all my work. Thank you for your understanding.


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    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    .


    "L ... please, you have to talk to me if something is bothering you. I can''t read minds. I don''t know what''s in your heart if you don''t tell me." London finally stopped wiping L''s tears because the tears didn''t stop dripping. He pulled L into his arms. "I''m sorry I didn''t understand your point of view. I just wanted to make you happy ... but I didn''t ask you if everything I did for you was what you want or not."


    "I''m also sorry if you feel that I don''t appreciate what you have done for me. I do appreciate them ... but sometimes I hope you will give me a little freedom to build my own career." L responded to his words by wrapping her arms around and hugged London''s waist. "I have never relied on anyone else before, and it is hard for me to suddenly accept the presence of a Santa Claus who grants all my wishes and showered me with various conveniences ... I''m not like you who is used to getting everything you want in life..."


    London nodded. That is precisely what made him fall in love with L. The girl was not a demanding girl and never gave him any problems. She was not like other girls who wanted him because they knew that he was rich and powerful. L never asked anything from him. Heck, she even had a hard time accepting all of London''s gifts for her...


    "I understand now," London whispered softly into L''s ear. "I''ll try my best from now on..."


    His warm breath in L''s ear made the girl''s heart pound faster. They haven''t hugged this intimately in a long time. He could feel her getting emotional.


    He always loved L''s nice scent, and subconsciously kissed the top of L''s head, as if he wanted to inhale the girl and made her part of him.


    "L ..." This man''s voice now sounded hoarse. "I love you, you know that, right? I need to know ... Do you love me too?"


    It took a little longer for her to reply, but finally, she said softly, "Yes ..."


    "L, will you marry me?" London asked again. He asked the question in a whisper to L''s ear while his arms were still hugging her tightly.


    "I don''t want to accept your proposal just for you to cancel the wedding again ..." L said, frowning. Apparently, she was still hurt because London canceled their wedding plans one-sidedly two weeks ago.


    "I will not cancel it. If you do love me, and we work together to improve our communication ... I think we are finally ready," London kissed L''s forehead and whispered again, this time his voice sounded husky. "I was very sad when we separated ..."


    L lifted her face and looked at London with her wet eyes as if trying to read whether the man was really honest or not.


    "I never lie ... but you, on the other hand, have lied to me so many times ..." L pursed her lips. "How do I know you are telling the truth now and that I can trust you?"


    London shook his head. "I''m telling the truth. I only love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Lily. Two weeks ago, I canceled our wedding plans because I thought you didn''t love me. I thought you only accepted my proposal because I cornered you into marrying me... I thought you always chose your career over Lily and me ... I''m sorry. "


    L pursed her lips, and her tears flowed again. Her hand struck London''s c.h.e.s.t in annoyance. "You made me so sad when you canceled our wedding plans ... You were too much ... !!"


    "I''m sorry ... Honey, I''m so sorry." London did not hold L''s hand back. He accepted it gracefully. If that can make L feel better, by venting her frustration, then London will feel relieved.


    "You could easily cancel our wedding plans after I finally accepted your proposal ... How could you do that to me! How do you think I feel? I thought you were not serious. After repeatedly proposing to me, as it turns out you could cancel it so easily ... I really broke my heart. I was terrified that you''ll take Lily away from me ..." L''s tears flowed down harder, and she continued to beat the man''s c.h.e.s.t. "You don''t know how scared I was... How could you do that to me..."


    "Honey ... that''s not what I meant. I only canceled the wedding plans because I thought you didn''t really love me. That was a misunderstanding ... because our communication was so bad ..." London finally pulled L''s head to his c.h.e.s.t and kissed the girl''s hair. He was despondent to see L crying. Really, that girl''s tears were his biggest weakness. "I promise I will never do that again."


    L again sobbed in the young man''s c.h.e.s.t until finally, her tears run out. When she finally stopped crying, half an hour later, London''s entire front shirt was soaked with her tears. London kept stroking her hair to calm L.


    Now, after they both poured their hearts out and opened up about what they feel from their respective points of view, London could understand why L did the things he originally thought was annoying.


    "L ... Honey, please believe in me. Let me take care of Danny Swann for you. You don''t have to face it for yourself. Let me defend you and protect you," London said after L''s tears completely dried. He released L from his arms and looked at her black eyes lovingly. "If you still want to marry me ... let me protect you. I won''t be your Santa Claus ... but let me protect you from people like Danny Swann ..."


    L raised her face and looked at London with a sad expression. Finally, he nodded slowly.


    A smile immediately appeared on London Schneider''s face when he saw L nodded and accepted his request.


    "Does this mean ... you want to marry me?" he asked once more to be sure. He didn''t remember how many times he had proposed to L, but he really hoped this time would be his last and final proposal.


    L nodded again.


    "Do you want to marry me because you also love me...?" London was still not satisfied. He asked again her again. L nodded again.


    "Do you want to live forever with me?" He asked another question.


    "Gosh... you make me so happy, Honey!" London couldn''t hold back anymore and immediately landed a hot kiss on the girl''s pink lips.


    He hadn''t kissed L for a long time, and now he claimed her tiny lips passionately like there was no tomorrow. When L returned his kiss, the man embraced her more tightly. His c.h.e.s.t was filled with strong emotions.


    He could feel that L missed him too. The man became even more excited. He kissed L intensely. His tongue thrust inside her mouth through her slightly open lips and devoured her tongue. L couldn''t help let out a soft m.o.a.n from her lips when their kiss became too hot to handle. His hands descended down her back and c.a.r.e.s.sed her body lovingly as they kissed more passionately.


    "Mmm ..." London whispered between his kisses. "I am very happy..."


    "L ... please, you have to talk to me if something is bothering you. I can''t read minds. I don''t know what''s in your heart if you don''t tell me." London finally stopped wiping L''s tears because the tears didn''t stop dripping. He pulled L into his arms. "I''m sorry I didn''t understand your point of view. I just wanted to make you happy ... but I didn''t ask you if everything I did for you was what you want or not."


    "I''m also sorry if you feel that I don''t appreciate what you have done for me. I do appreciate them ... but sometimes I hope you will give me a little freedom to build my own career." L responded to his words by wrapping her arms around and hugged London''s waist. "I have never relied on anyone else before, and it is hard for me to suddenly accept the presence of a Santa Claus who grants all my wishes and showered me with various conveniences ... I''m not like you who is used to getting everything you want in life..."


    London nodded. That is precisely what made him fall in love with L. The girl was not a demanding girl and never gave him any problems. She was not like other girls who wanted him because they knew that he was rich and powerful. In fact, L never asked anything from him. Heck, she even had a hard time accepting all of London''s gifts for her...

 Chapter 963 - Under Construction

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still very busy with real-life work. I am trying to replace the content once I have finished all my work. Thank you for your understanding.


    .


    .


    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    .


    Finland managed to free herself from Caspar''s charm before the man could go any further.


    "The prize for our bet is only one kiss," Finland protested. She quickly stood up and tidied her clothes, which were a little messy.


    On the couch, Caspar closed his eyes and sighed sadly, like a five-year-old who was punished not to play with his favorite toy.


    "I just confessed my love to you," he said after he opened his eyes. He stared straight into Finland''s eyes which were trying to avoid his gaze. "Does my love mean nothing to you?"


    "I''m flattered. Thank you, but I can''t accept it." Finland drank her Irish coffee in a hurry. "You''re not the first guy to profess love to me. In my experience, bad luck befalls me every time someone professed their love to me... I don''t want to take any risks."


    "Bad luck?" Caspar asked, not understanding.


    "One of the reasons I used to be bullied in school was because the boys who had a crush on me had die-hard female fans. These girls were not happy to know that the boy they liked had a crush on a nobody like me." Finland frowned, her expression looked horrified, "You don''t know what it feels like, being beaten and tied to a tree by mean girls."


    "Oh, like those girls yesterday?"


    "Yeah, that''s how it was... That''s why I don''t have any friends, especially female friends."


    "I won''t let anyone get to you... I swear." Caspar approached Finland, but the girl dodged. "You don''t trust me?"


    Finland sighed.


    "May I ask you one thing?"


    "What is it?"


    "Rose Mansion... is that your house?"


    Caspar was rather surprised to hear Finland''s question, but he answered honestly. "Yes, that''s right. I know you needed a place to stay, but you wouldn''t want to stay for free."


    "So, you bought that house from Mr. Van Der Ven and rent out the pavilion to me?"


    "I..." Caspar looked hesitant to answer, "Yes, that''s how it was..."


    Finland looked like she was deep in thought. She suspected that Caspar bought Rose Mansion and arranged for Finland to find the ad and move into the pavilion. She was very close to reject Caspar''s kindness and move out of the mansion... but she was in doubt. Finland really liked her current house...


    "It''s too cheap..." Finland said softly.


    "I know you can''t pay more, and actually I don''t really need your money," Caspar said hurriedly.


    "Okay then... I''ll stay there." Finland finally decided. "I''m not staying for free anyway."


    "That''s right. You don''t owe me anything. You rented the pavilion with your own money."


    "Okay." Finland took her bag from the chair and excused herself, "Then I''ll go home now. Thank you for the very nice dinner."


    Caspar looked embarrassed, "You still haven''t answered my question..."


    "Which question?"


    Caspar complained inwardly. In his long life, he had never had to profess his love so many times. In fact, for as long as he lived, he had never professed love openly at all.


    "I''ve never fallen in love with a woman like this... or this fast. You have no idea." Caspar approached Finland and held her hand, "You are the first woman to make me believe in my feelings. When I see you, I see the woman I want to marry and share my life with. When I see you, I just want to be with you, forever. "


    Finland''s eyes widened. She could not believe that this man confessed his love, again. This was truly unexpected.


    "Caspar, we don''t even know each other that well... We have only known each other for like 2 months and we have met in person just a few times. I don''t know you, and you don''t really know me..."


    "I know you were born on January 15. Your favorite food is anything that contains noodles. When you were young you had two pet rabbits. Your grandmother died just one week before we met at the airport and your mother''s name is Laura. You now have 2000 dollars in your savings account¡­"


    Caspar continued mentioning facts about Finland''s past and present which surprised her. She pursed her mouth in shock.


    "Oh my God!" Finland shook her head and immediately went to the door. "I know you are powerful and you can get whatever information you want, but I didn''t expect you to act like such a stalker."


    She pressed the elevator button with an angry face, Caspar knew he just made another mistake.


    "I didn''t mean to act like a stalker. I mean... what I was trying to say is that I know you very well and I love you for who you are..." He sighed deeply, "I know this feels unequal because you don''t have access to the same information... "


    "You''re right, we are not equal. And you know what I disrespect the most? My privacy being violated."


    "Please let me know how I can fix this?" The elevator door opened and Finland quickly entered. Caspar hastily placed his hand on the door to stop it from closing. "Do you want to spend the whole day with me tomorrow to find out more about me? Please give me a chance. If you still don''t like me after spending the whole day together tomorrow, I promise I will leave you alone."


    Finland closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    "Caspar, I''m not like you... I think you''re too perfect and it scares me. Also, I don''t like my privacy being violated. If you want me to give you a chance to prove that you''re not as scary as I think you are, I want you to promise me something... "


    "I promise..." Caspar quickly placed his right hand on his c.h.e.s.t.


    "You have to promise me that you will never use your power to stalk me or find information about me. Be like a normal man who would call or text me to ask for my whereabouts. Be like a normal man who would ask me in person what my favorite food is. Stop using your access to find information about me..." Finland looked at Caspar with a very serious look, "and if one day I want to leave you, you can''t use your access to find me."


    Caspar gasped, "Why would you want to leave?"


    "We don''t know what will happen in the future. Who knows, we may have a dispute and our relationship deteriorates. I wouldn''t want to have a very powerful man like you to be my enemy. It would then be best for me to not deal with you at all, instead of having a miserable life in the future..."


    "For someone so young like you, your perspective of life is quite cynical," said Caspar. "But I understand. I promise to treat you like a normal man without extraordinary access. I promise I won''t look for you if you want to leave me."


    "Okay..." Finland finally smiled. "Thank you. I need to work tomorrow. We can meet on weekends to get to know each other. I''m willing to spend the whole weekend with you."


    "The weekend is still so far. What about tomorrow? Just take a day off. Or pretend to be sick."


    "I''m still on probation. If I take leave, my salary will be deducted."


    "I can buy LTX International and change the company''s policy so that probation employees like you can also get paid leave," Caspar said quickly. He immediately took out his cellphone and pressed a number, "Stanis, I will send you an email soon. Can you check that company out? Later you can also..."


    "Err... no need..." Finland hurriedly took the cellphone from Caspar and turned the call off. "You don''t have to be over the top. Normal relationship, remember? Okay, I will take leave tomorrow. I will spend one day with you and judge for myself whether I can get to know you well and whether I will like you after getting to know you better."


    Caspar''s face lit up in an instant.


    "Thank you!" He kissed Finland''s lips quickly before the girl could dodge, then released his hand from the elevator door. "See you tomorrow."


    Finland was still in shock when she got off the elevator. Caspar just kissed her for the second time tonight. Ugh... if each kiss were equivalent to one company, Finland would have lost two companies already...


    In the penthouse, Caspar clenched his fist into the air, feeling very happy.


    "Finland must like me too! She is willing to take leave tomorrow even though that means her salary will be cut. She only thinks about money, so if she would sacrifice her salary for one day, it is a sign that she returns my feelings for her."

 Chapter 964 - Under Construction

    Author''s Note:


    Welp! This chapter is not ready. I will replace the content as soon as possible. Please only unlock this when you no longer see the sign "Under Construction" in the title and no silly author''s note like this.


    At the moment, I am focusing on replacing the content on the last 7 chapters.. Pfew.. it''s a lot. Wish me luck. I want them all replaced by this coming week.


    Thank you so much for your patience and support all this time. xx


    .


    .


    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    .


    The next morning, they had breakfast together as usual. Caspar had to go abroad for a week and he took Ben with him.


    "I have to attend business meetings in Germany. You''ll be fine here. I''ll call you every day. Ben will come with me, so one of my personal bodyguards will drive you to work."


    "Eh?" Finland raised her eyebrows questioningly, "Your personal bodyguard will drive me? What for?"


    "To give me peace of mind during my trip," Caspar answered while sipping his tea. "I don''t want to lose focus on working because I am thinking about your safety in Singapore."


    "Uhm... okay." Finland shrugged. "If that''s what you want."


    Finland was happy because she could save on bus fares because there is always someone driving her to and from work. Caspar refused to receive the rent for the pavilion after Finland knew that Rose Mansion was his property, and he even returned the money that Finland had paid for the previous two months.


    She also had breakfast and dinner with Caspar in the main house. So with this configuration, Finland didn''t have to spend any money at all.


    "I''m leaving first." Finland finished her breakfast and prepared to leave. "What time are you going to the airport?"


    "In a few hours," Caspar answered. "Hey, we won''t be meeting for a whole week. Don''t I deserve a goodbye kiss?"


    Finland sighed softly. Her cheeks turned red as she looked around. Ms. Law and Katrin were not there, and neither was John. It was as if they knew they had to give these two some privacy.


    Finland tiptoed to Caspar''s side and kissed his cheek once.


    "I need enough kisses for seven days. What you gave me isn''t enough." cried Caspar impatiently. He pulled Finland on his l.a.p and hugged the girl tightly, "Let me hug you for a while... I promised you I would not use my access to stalk you. You have no idea how hard it is for me to grant your request."


    Finland recalled that she asked Caspar to act like a normal man and not stalk her with his extraordinary access to infinite information. Apparently, Caspar stood to his promise.


    "I promise you that we will communicate intensively..." Finland said calmly. "I''ll be fine here."


    "Send photos often," Caspar said hoarsely.


    Finland frowned in amazement. The man in front of her acted like they were going to be separated for years.


    "Yeah... yeah..." Finland shook her head, "I promise. Please, stop being so mushy. Won''t you feel embarrassed if Ben sees you like this?"


    At that exact moment, Ben coughed softly at the door.


    "Sorry, Master. Jadeith has come to pick Miss Finland up," he said in an almost whispering voice.


    Apparently, Caspar was not at all embarrassed to be seen like this by Ben. He tightened his arms even more and patted Finland''s hands gently.


    "Don''t tire yourself by working too much. Follow Jean''s advice to learn how to have fun and enjoy life. Send me updates often. Germany is 7 hours behind Singapore, but you can contact me anytime. If there is an urgent matter and you cannot contact me, you can contact Stanis." He pulled out a black card from his pocket and handed it to Finland.


    "Alright. Thank you. I go first."


    Finland actually felt very touched. No one had ever shown her this much love and treated her this sweetly. Fearing that she wouldn''t be able to hold back her tears and Caspar would see her feeling moved, Finland hurriedly broke away from Caspar''s arms, kissed his lips gently, then ran away.


    Caspar was amused by seeing the whole scene. He then could only shake his head and touch his lips, feeling the sweet scent she left behind. Hmm... at least today Finland took the initiative to kiss him.


    This made him very happy.


    Ben escorted Finland to Rose Mansion''s front yard where a black Rolls Royce was waiting for her. A h.i.p.ster man in his 30''s with a man bun got out of the car and greeted her with a polite bow.


    His face was very handsome. He looked like an action movie star. He wore a body-fitting blue shirt that showed a muscular body with hidden muscles. When he took off his sunglasses, Finland could see a pair of beautiful emerald green eyes.


    "Who is this?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "Good morning, Madam. I''m Jadeith, your bodyguard." The man bowed respectfully once more.


    "Madam? I''m not yet married, and I am not that old, please just call me Miss..." Finland said quickly. "Are you my bodyguard? Uhm¡­ for how long?"


    "I was assigned to escort you while Master is abroad. I understand that I have to give you your personal space; I know you do not like to be followed. I will keep you safe discreetly. My job is to take you to and from work, and wherever you please." He took his cellphone out of his pocket and then called a number.


    Riiingg ...


    Finland''s cellphone in her bag rang. Jadeith was calling her.


    "That''s my number. You can contact me at any time." He said, smiling.


    Finland was amazed. Maybe this was what it felt like to live like Caspar... She suddenly had a personal bodyguard and was driven in a luxury car every day...


    Not bad...


    "Okay ... then you take me to work, but ..."


    "But I have to drop Madam off in the park one block away from the Suntec Tower, I understand that..." Jadeith said quickly.


    "Miss."


    "Alright, Madam."


    Finally, Finland gave up. She no longer corrected every time Jadeith called her Madam. She waved to Ben and then got into the car and left for work.


    In the car, she quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.


    "Th... Thank you..." Finland stammered.


    "Master told me to prepare a handkerchief. In the cabinet on the left, you can also find drinks."


    Finland was touched after hearing Jadeith''s words. She looked at the handkerchief in her hand and saw that the letter ''C'' was embroidered in the corner.


    She couldn''t hold back her tears running down her face. She was so moved by this simple gesture.


    .


    .


    His face was very handsome. He looked like an action movie star. He wore a body-fitting blue shirt that showed a muscular body with hidden muscles. When he took off his sunglasses, Finland could see a pair of beautiful emerald green eyes.


    "Who is this?" Finland asked in surprise.


    "Good morning, Madam. I''m Jadeith, your bodyguard." The man bowed respectfully once more.


    "Madam? I''m not yet married, and I am not that old, please just call me Miss..." Finland said quickly. "Are you my bodyguard? Uhm¡­ for how long?"


    "I was assigned to escort you while Master is abroad. I understand that I have to give you your personal space; I know you do not like to be followed. I will keep you safe discreetly. My job is to take you to and from work, and wherever you please." He took his cellphone out of his pocket and then called a number.


    Riiingg ...


    Finland''s cellphone in her bag rang. Jadeith was calling her.


    "That''s my number. You can contact me at any time." He said, smiling.


    Finland was amazed. Maybe this was what it felt like to live like Caspar... She suddenly had a personal bodyguard and was driven in a luxury car every day...


    Not bad...


    "Okay ... then you take me to work, but ..."


    "But I have to drop Madam off in the park one block away from the Suntec Tower, I understand that..." Jadeith said quickly.


    "Miss."


    "Alright, Madam."


    Finally, Finland gave up. She no longer corrected every time Jadeith called her Madam. She waved to Ben and then got into the car and left for work.


    In the car, she quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.


    Without batting an eye, Jadeith handed her a handkerchief.


    "Th... Thank you..." Finland stammered.


    "Master told me to prepare a handkerchief. In the cabinet on the left, you can also find drinks."


    Finland was feeling touched after she heard Jadeith''s words. She looked at the handkerchief in her hand and saw that the letter ''C'' was embroidered in the corner.


    .


    .

 Chapter 965 - Rose Of Medion (Needs Editing)

    Author''s note:


    This chapter is not ready. Please wait until you see the title changed and this author''s note is gone before you unlock this chapter. I will replace the content as soon as possible. Thank you soooo much for being so patient with me. xx


    .


    ,


    <<<This is a filler chapter>>>


    .


    [I''m waiting at the building rooftop]


    Nicolae sent an SMS to Larkin so that the man would meet him in a place that was big enough but still remained private.


    From the 40th floor, people could directly go up to the roof. There was a helipad and a small garden there. Nicolae asked Marie to remain in the penthouse and not show herself even though she felt worried.


    "Mischa, they are coming. I''m waiting for them at the rooftop," Nicolae said as he stepped into the elevator.


    "I''ll be there soon," Mischa replied. He then took two of his favorite pistols and inserted them behind his belt. He got out of his suit and immediately walked to the elevator.


    When the elevator door opened, two beautiful girls stared at him with admiration. Both of them then whispered while glancing at him.


    Unfortunately, Mischa paid them no heed. He got into the elevator and pressed the 40th-floor button. While waiting for the elevator to go to the floor he wanted, the man rolled up his sleeves and stood upright like a statue.


    There was a melancholy in his figure that fascinated the two girls even more. In their hearts, they hoped that the elevator would move very slowly or that time would stop so they could linger and enjoyed the beautiful sight in front of them longer.


    Unfortunately, the elevator soon arrived on the 35th floor, their destination. The two girls reluctantly stepped out. When one looked back to see the handsome man again before the elevator door closed, she gasped and almost stumbled.


    "What happened?" asked her friend, worriedly.


    The other girl had just seen Mischa draw a gun from under his suit and looked up with a ruthless expression.


    "That man... he--he had a gun," the girl whispered in terror. Her face immediately went pale and cold sweat trickled down her temples. She had never been this close to someone carrying a weapon before, so today''s experience shocked her to the core.


    "That person wants to go to the 40th floor ..." said her friend anxiously. "Shouldn''t we report it to hotel security?"


    "We should. So they can get ready when the shooting starts."


    Both of them returned to the elevator and waited for the elevator to open and immediately descended into the lobby. Hurriedly, they ran to the receptionist and reported that they saw an armed man ascending to the 40th floor.


    "Hey ... I heard that some armed men are heading to the 40th floor. Are you in danger?" she asked. Nicolae told her briefly about Larkin and asked Marion not to worry.


    "Hmm ... Mischa is with you, so of course, I''m not worried. But I''m afraid this hotel''s reputation will be affected." She thought quickly and then walked towards the receptionist. "Hey, let me take care of this."


    "Please send someone to check," one of the girls told the receptionist with an anxious expression.


    "Ahem ... excuse me, Ladies." Marion approached them and smiled kindly. She signaled to the receptionist to let her handle this problem. They knew her as a relative of the hotel owner and smiled back, letting Marion take over.


    "Who are you?" asked one of the girls in astonishment.


    "Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Marion Van Sant, I''m the head of security at this hotel. The man you saw is my man. He is going to check the situation on the rooftop. You don''t need to worry," Marion said with a happy face and half laughing. Her attitude was so relaxed that the two girls looked at each other.


    Ahh .. apparently they were mistaken. Actually, one of them felt suspicious because Marion claimed to be the head of hotel security, even though she was a woman and very beautiful. Could this woman really be the head of security?


    Marion noticed they were a little doubtful, then gave a signal that they should follow her. After they were in a rather quiet place near the elevator, she pulled out a gun from her handbag and showed it to them.


    "Now, do you believe my words?" She laughed again. "What you saw in the elevator was my most inexperienced man, his name is Mischa. He often forgets about his surroundings and not care about guests when he is too serious. I will make sure to reprimand him for scaring the guests. We always patrol to ensure the safety and security of all our hotel guests. He was just doing a routine check."


    After making sure the two girls didn''t prolong the issue, Marion immediately walked to the elevator. After pressing the 40th-floor button, she called Nicolae again.


    But this time her call was not picked up. Marion looked at her cellphone with a frown.


    "Hmm ... has it started there?" she muttered.


    She then kept her cellphone and waited for the elevator to take her to the 40th floor.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Marie was shocked when she heard a knock on the door. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Marion''s voice from outside. She hurriedly put down her tablet and opened the door for Marion.


    "I want to check your situation," Marion said. "Are you all right?"


    "We are okay. Nic went to the roof, waiting for Larkin. There is another man with him," Marie said, pointing to several camera screens on her tablet. Marion examined Marie''s tablet and nodded.


    "Oh, good. They''re just starting. I''ll catch up with them." She walked to the terrace of the penthouse and stared at the roof visible on her right. She immediately took out a gun from her bag and threw the bag on the sofa. Before climbing nimbly onto the roof, she gave a sign to keep Marie in place. "Don''t worry, we''ll be fine."


    Marie was astonished to see what was happening. She did not expect Marion, who looked so beautiful and relaxed, was used to holding a gun.


    In a short time, the girl had disappeared from the wall and was not seen again. Marie hurriedly took her tablet and watched what was happening on the roof.


    ***


    "Where''s Marielle? What did you do to her?" Larkin asked arrogantly, staring at Nicolae, who was standing casually leaning against the wall. His long hair was tied neatly with a red ribbon as usual. His overly relaxed attitude made Larkin a little upset. "Why are you keeping her cellphone?"


    There were five dangerous-looking men behind Larkin. Everyone stood with their arms crossed on their c.h.e.s.ts. They all looked at Nicolae with a mocking smile. Apparently, this man is courting death, they thought. Only suicidal people looking for trouble with their boss.


    "Larkin, I want to meet you properly and talk like a man," Nicolae said calmly. "I want you to stop bothering Marielle. If you want to go to her, you have to get past me first. I know you posted our identities in Darknet."


    Larkin only snorted and laughed contemptuously at Nicolae''s words. "So? I wanted to protect Marielle and keep her secret. But she didn''t know how to be grateful and instead went with you. I won''t be too kind to her from now on."


    "She told you her secret because she thought you could help her find Summer, and that obviously didn''t work. That means she doesn''t owe you anything. You have no right to disclose her secrets to anyone," Nicolae still tried to remain calm. "I heard that you are a friend of Sanna''s husband. That''s why I''m just giving you a warning. For now on, if you try to do anything else to bother Marie ... I won''t let you off so easily."


    "Ha. Who do you think you are?" Larkin asked with a sneer. "I won''t let you take Marielle away. You left her for years. You have no right to come back and pretend like nothing happened. I''ve been patient enough all this time ... I was waiting for her to accept me. I won''t let her go to a lowly man like you!"


    "Ah ... Uncle, you''re too patient with this crooks," commented Mischa, who suddenly appeared from behind the door.


    He had been staying there and listening to the conversation for a while, and now had grown impatient.

 Chapter 966 - Rose Of Medion 2 (Needs Editing)

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still very busy with real-life work. I am trying to replace the content once I have finished all my work. Thank you for your understanding.


    .


    .


    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    .


    Marie was actually still worried, but seeing the look in Nicolae''s calm and earnest eyes, the girl''s heart began to calm down.


    It was really a relief, she didn''t have to always think about how she should hide and face her problems alone.


    It was true that Nicolae''s presence beside her gave Marie peace and security.


    She finally nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright. I believe in you."


    "Good. You wait here. I''ve ordered clothes and various stuff for you and Summer. I want to meet someone first before he leaves for Bordeaux," Nicolae said.


    While waiting for daybreak in America, and he could talk to Alaric, Nicolae decided to meet with Mischa. Since Mischa could easily contact people from the underworld in France, maybe the man could advise Nicolae how he should deal with Larkin.


    "Who do you want to meet?" Marie became anxious again. If Nicolae didn''t want to talk to that person in front of her, it might be because Nicolae didn''t want Marie to hear scary things. Therefore she tried to convince Nicolae to involve her. "You can talk to him in front of me. I don''t mind."


    Nicolae shook his head. "It''s not like that. I don''t feel comfortable asking him to come here because I''ve bothered him twice. I''d better go and see him myself. If you come with me, who will watch over Summer then? I don''t want to take the risk."


    Marie finally nodded in understanding. "Okay."


    "Thank you," Nicolae squeezed her hand gently and took his cellphone to call Mischa.


    "Hi," said Mischa, on the other end of the phone in a hoarse voice.


    The man sounded unwell, which made Nicolae feel worried. Isn''t Mischa an alchemist? Why did he fall ill? Was he really heartbroken so badly that his body condition was affected?


    This thought made Nicolae feel sorry for the man. He felt uncomfortable bothering Mischa at his present condition.


    "Are you all right? I don''t want to bother you," Nicolae said.


    "It''s okay. Sir Alaric has asked me to go to Bordeaux to watch Altair and Vega. I think I really need a new atmosphere," Mischa answered.


    "Oh ... when are you leaving?" Nicolae asked.


    "I will leave after lunch," Mischa said. "Can I help you? Do you want me to go to the penthouse?"


    "I don''t want to bother you. I''ll go to you. Where do you stay?" Nicolae asked hurriedly.


    "Suite 3010," Mischa answered.


    "Fine. I''ll be there soon," Nicolae said. He said goodbye to Marie and Summer then immediately left the penthouse to meet Mischa. He wanted to know the details about Larkin and how he could deal with him.


    Mischa invited Nicolae in and offered him tea. Nicolae refused because he didn''t want to eat nor drink anything. He then briefly told Mischa what had happened.


    The handsome man frowned and narrowed his eyes when he heard Nicolae''s explanation. He opened his tablet and observed the post Nicolae referred to.


    "Larkin?" He asked Nicolae to be sure. Nicolae nodded. Mischa then picked up his phone to call someone. His face looked calm when he asked for information from his contact. "Steph, I need information about a person named Larkin. He heads a mafia group in Paris. I''ve never heard his name before. Is the guy new?"


    He listened to Steph''s explanation from the telephone with an unchanging expression. Five minutes later, he hung up and spoke to Nicolae.


    "He''s new here," Mischa said later. "His father is the head of an underground organization that works a lot with politicians. He died five years ago, and Larkin succeeded him. Previously Larkin lived in America."


    "Do you know where their base is?" Nicolae asked. "I can''t let him bother my wife and child without getting punished."


    Mischa smiled at that. "You don''t need to worry about that. I still have a little influence on the European underworld. I can visit him briefly before I go to Bordeaux."


    Nicolae looked stunned at Mischa''s words. He did not want to bother the man at all, especially in his present condition, which was not okay. However, now Mischa offered that himself.


    "I really don''t want to bother you," Nicolae said, trying to refuse Mischa''s help. But the man just shrugged.


    "I need to find something to cheer myself up," Mischa said in a serious tone. "I guess, well... actually I just need an excuse to beat up people. This week is pretty hard for me."


    "Uhm ... wait a minute," Nicolae didn''t want to let Mischa take care of the problem while he went to Italy. At least he wanted to be there and teach Larkin a lesson. "I don''t want to bother you too much by going to him. I will make that person come here. Then we can both kick his a.s.s. What do you think?"


    Mischa smiled at that. "That''s fine too."


    Nicolae discussed his plans a little and then excused himself to go back to the penthouse to lure Larkin to the Nobel Hotel.


    "Honey, do you have Larkin''s contact?" Nicolae asked Marie when he arrived at the penthouse. "I want you to contact him and ask him to come here."


    "What for?" Marie asked with a worried expression. She did not understand why Nicolae was telling her to contact Larkin. Wasn''t Larkin openly looking for trouble by exposing their identities? Why did Nicolae now want to deal with him? "He is a mobster, Nic. He is very powerful here in France. He will definitely bring his men with him. I don''t want anything to happen to you."


    "Let him bring his men. I will talk to him so that this problem is immediately resolved. I do not want you to think that you have to run away every time there is a problem. This is a problem that we have to face openly and solve it together," Nicolae said firmly.


    "You''re not mafia, and you don''t have that type of connection ..." Marie said again. "These people can''t be bought with money. I know your family is rich ... but you won''t be able to buy them. In fact, if they find out who you really are ... they can capture you and ask your family for a ransom."


    "Honey, you forgot that my brother is Alaric Rhionen, and one of his most formidable killers happens to be in Paris right now. Mischa is still very influential in the underworld, and he needs an excuse to beat up people," Nicolae said with a smile. "And I''m not so bad myself either. I fought two assassins from Rhionen Assassins and won."


    Marie was shocked to hear Nicolae''s words. She looked at the man with furrowed brows.


    Nicolae can fight? He didn''t look like a fighter at all. His body was tall, but his movements were relaxed. His carefree attitude made Marie never expect that Nicolae could fight and even be tough enough to face two assassins from Rhionen Assassins.


    "But I''m very worried," said the girl.


    "You don''t have to come, just stay here and watch us from afar. Let me and Mischa take care of them." Nicolae looked at Marie and repeated his request. "Now, please contact Larkin and tell him to come to see you at the top of the Nobel Hotel building. Later from there, I''ll take care of the rest."


    Marie finally nodded and did Nicolae''s request. She typed something on her cellphone and sent a message to Larkin.


    [Help me. Meet me Nobel Hotel, at the top of the building. Come ASAP]


    "Very nice." Nicolae patted Marie''s shoulder and then reached out his hand and asked for the cellphone. "I''ll buy you a new one later. We have to get rid of this cellphone and all the contacts in it."


    Marie just stared at Nicolae, who looked so confident and she reassured herself that everything would be fine. When she saw how Nicolae seem so calm, Marie''s heart also became calm.


    Larkin tried to call Marie several times, but Nicolae did not pick up his calls. Half an hour later, a text came from the man saying that he had arrived in the lobby.


    "I''ll go first. You can watch us from the camera on the top of the building, okay," Nicolae said while saying goodbye to Marie. The girl nodded and immediately opened her laptop.


    She hacked the hotel security system and immediately gained access to all hotel cameras that could provide her views to all areas in the building. She had quickly seen Larkin''s figure walking across the lobby to the elevator. The man was walking arrogantly like he owned the building, followed by five men.


    "Nic ... be careful," the girl whispered.

 Chapter 967 - Meeting Friends (Needs Editing)

    Author''s Note:


    Welp! This chapter is not ready. I will replace the content as soon as possible. Please only unlock this when you no longer see the sign "Needs Editing" in the title and no silly author''s note like this.


    At the moment, I am focusing on replacing the content on the last 7 chapters.. Pfew.. it''s a lot. Wish me luck. I want them all replaced by this coming week.


    Thank you so much for your patience and support all this time. xx


    .


    .


    <<<<This is filler chapter>>>


    .


    "I... I don''t understand. Can you explain it again? Maybe if you talk more slowly it would make more sense¡­" Finland asked in a doubtful voice. She was unsure of her own hearing and asked Caspar to repeat his words.


    "I am a second generation of Alchemists. In 1450, my grandfather and some of his colleagues discovered the philosopher''s stone, the way to immortality. With his medicine, humans can stay young forever. Once the body reaches its peak of growth, aging will stop.


    Normal humans would stop regenerating some of their body cells after their thirties and slowly their bodies will age. We are not like that. After reaching the peak of our cell growth, our face and body will stay like this forever. My father and mother took this potion when they were little and their growth stopped when my father was 27 years old and when my mother was 25 years old.


    Humans have different peaks of growth. I stopped aging when I was 25 years old. After my parents married, they waited several decades before they had children. At that time, at the end of the 16th century, when my parents were almost 100 years old, they decided to finally have children.


    Back then they did not know whether they would continue staying young or if at some point in time they would start aging and it would be too late to have offspring. Fortunately, now, centuries later, not a single Alchemist has experienced aging. The oldest Alchemist alive today is 550 years old, and his looks are of a 25-year-old, like me."


    Finland looked at Caspar closely, trying to make sense of the man''s story, but it was very difficult.


    "My sister Flora was born when our parents were 200 years old and Aldebar was born 150 years later. As humans who can live forever, we are not in a hurry to find a partner and have children, because time is in our hands.


    If an ordinary human needs 10 years to study and be an expert in medicine or music, imagine how much knowledge someone can master if they have hundreds of years to learn something? I''ve been cooking for hundreds of years... and because of that, my cooking is now perfect. I also like being a doctor, and over time I have attended various medical schools with different identities. To be honest, being a doctor is one of my favorite professions. Every time science became more advanced, my expertise as a medical doctor increases.


    Imagine that every 20 years I become a new student and learn new science... I met Einstein in Bern when he and his then-wife, Mileva Maric*, were developing the theory of relativity before the theory was taught in modern physics classes like now. I''ve been a doctor, writer, war strategist, ship captain, general, designer, painter, farmer, and so many other professions I can''t mention one by one. I usually got bored after a few decades, so then I would look for a new hobby or profession."


    "Are there many people like you?" Finland asked softly.


    "There are only several hundred people like me. All of them are descendants of the early Alchemists, namely my grandfather and his friends. My two siblings and I are pure Alchemists because both our parents are the original Alchemists. Then, within decades, our population grew mostly because of marriage. When an Alchemist marries a normal human, they would be given the potion too so that their spouse can join our clan and live together as immortals.


    Three hundred years ago, my sister Flora fell in love with an ordinary human. She stopped aging when she was 22 years old, and she married her husband without our parents'' blessings, so he did not immediately get the immortality potion. Her husband was finally accepted into our family after they had children and only then he was given the potion for immortality. Unfortunately, their age gap was already very big. When you meet Flora and her husband, you will see that her husband looks much older than her.


    Flora''s husband and children are called half-bloods. In the Alchemist nobility caste, they fall in the second class. I have 3 nephews, Flora''s children, and they too already have children who now live across Europe and America. But if you meet my entire family, you will think that we all have the same age."


    "But why haven''t I heard of you guys before?"


    "Of course, our existence must be kept secret, because many people are eyeing the secrets of Alchemists'' immortality. The formula is currently kept securely by my brother, Aldebar, in Germany. We used to be able to hide our identities more easily in the past because we could just move to another country and start a new life there. But now, due to the internet, extra efforts must be made to remove all tracks. Fortunately, with the wealth we have piled up for centuries, you can say that we own the world and access to information. Otherwise, you would have seen the news about me everywhere."


    "So, you can''t die?" Finland asked doubtfully. All of this sounded so absurd.


    "We cannot die of natural causes such as illnesses and old age. Alchemists are born with perfect bodies, we will not experience disabilities, illnesses, and aging. However, we are not immune to bullets or other weapons. When we are injured, we can die. Many clan members died during the last world war, including my parents. That''s why I really hate the war. You can''t imagine how devastating it feels... losing your parents who had been your best friends for hundreds of years..."


    "You said something about moving to New York to study... does that mean that you will take on a new identity? Otherwise, people would get suspicious, seeing Heinrich Schneider still young after decades working as a surgeon..."


    "Exactly. Oh, Finland you are so smart." Caspar smiled. "My persona as ''Heinrich Schneider'' will continue to lead my companies behind the scenes, and then, ten years from now, I will divert it to my new identity."


    Finland was shaking. Her head hurt with every new information she received from Caspar.


    She had to hold his hand for support. This was all very shocking...


    She didn''t know how to react to Caspar''s words...


    .


    .


    *Mileva Maric = Einstein''s first wife whom some people now considered to be actually smarter than Einstein and had a significant role in his success, including the invention of theory of relativity, but as a woman, she couldn''t get the same treatment or opportunities as men in physics back then, that''s why she couldn''t get the credit for her contributions. Albert Einstein treated Mileva Maric so badly and cheated on her. At one point, in order for him to stay with her, he made her sign an agreement as follows:


    -My clothes and laundry are to be kept in good order.


    -I receive 3 meals a day in my room.


    -My bedroom and study are to be kept clean, and my desk is left for my own use only.


    -You will forego my sitting at home with you, and my going out and traveling with you.


    -You will not expect any intimacy from me nor will you approach me in any way.


    -You will stop talking to me if I request it, and you will leave my bedroom or study immediately if I request it.


    "You said something about moving to New York to study... does that mean that you will take on a new identity? Otherwise, people would get suspicious, seeing Heinrich Schneider still young after decades working as a surgeon..."


    "Exactly. Oh, Finland you are so smart." Caspar smiled. "My persona as ''Heinrich Schneider'' will continue to lead my companies behind the scenes, and then, ten years from now, I will divert it to my new identity."


    Finland was shaking. Her head hurt with every new information she received from Caspar.


    She had to hold his hand for support. This was all very shocking...


    She didn''t know how to react to Caspar''s words...


    *Mileva Maric = Einstein''s first wife whom some people now considered to be actually smarter than Einstein and had a significant role in his success, including the invention of theory of relativity, but as a woman, she couldn''t get the same treatment or opportunities as men in physics back then,

 Chapter 968 - Friends Come To Visit (Needs Editing)

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still editing this chapter... Sorry, it takes a while. I usually write in Indonesian and translate it using Google Translate into English. That''s why most of the time, the pronouns will be mixed up.


    I only did it to avoid retyping since it''s very tiring. I write in my native language because I''m also publishing this story in Indonesian.


    .


    <<<<This chapter still needs editing>>>


    .


    "You don''t believe it?" asked Rose. "Sometimes I''ll dress up like a guy and go out with you. Then we''ll flirt with the girls at the bar. We''ll see if the girls think I''m a man or a girl ... HAHAHAHA."


    Rune''s eyes widened at Rose''s words.


    "Gosh ... apparently you''re serious," said Rune. "I can''t imagine you dressing up as a man."


    "I''m serious," Rose said casually. "I can disguise myself as a man because my body is tall and slim. I can dress like a man well."


    Rune looked at Rose with a pair of amazed eyes. Jeez. This Rose was really amazing.


    Somehow, he found himself falling even deeper for her.


    "So .. you often wear men''s clothes and can shoot? It''s scary. Do you often use firearms?"


    Rose nodded. "Not very often. I mean .. I''ve never killed a person or a criminal trying to harass me. But sometimes daddy would take me out on a hunt."


    "Oh .. hunting animals in the forest you mean?"


    "Yes. There is a forest near our house. Father will take me to a hunting event to control the population."


    Rossa''s words made Rune wonder where the girl actually lived. At first, he thought this cool girl must live in the city and get used to metropolitan life.


    However, when he heard that he could shoot and was often invited by his father to hunt, Rune began to suspect that Rosa lived in a rural area.


    Maybe this Rose came from a rich family in the countryside and they lived close to the forest. So that he can participate in hunting activities.


    Ahh, the more he talked to Rose, the more Rune found this girl really cool. In my heart, Rune actually got scared. He felt like Rose was perfect.


    Too perfect in fact.


    This made him worry that behind her perfection, Rose had a very big flaw.


    That''s right. People said that if something is too good to be true, it usually is.


    Unfortunately, Rune had already fallen in love with this beautiful girl. He had never experienced the feeling that was in his c.h.e.s.t right now. He was so crazy about Rose.


    This warm feeling that filled his c.h.e.s.t really made him happy. This was something that used to be foreign to him. Ah, only now did Rune understand why his siblings seemed so happy when they fell in love.


    Why did someone fall in love with A and not with B?


    Rune tries hard to get rid of the ugly thoughts about Rose''s shortcomings. He trusts his brother enough. Aleksis has been investigating who the girl really is.


    If Alexis says that Rose is a good girl, then Rune doesn''t have to worry about being cheated. He believed in Rose. For now he will continue to be patient and wait until finally Rose will open up to him.


    Didn''t guess say that he only needs to wait a month? Okay. It''s not a long time.


    Rune''s father waited 400 years before he met the woman he loved waiting. Alaric waited for 10 years until he was reunited with Alexis.


    It''s a shame that Rune can''t wait just a month.


    "You are very attractive," said Rune in praise. "I''m not very good at shooting, but I also often hunt deer with my family. If you like, sometime I can take you to Romania. My brother-in-law has a house there and he lives near the forest.


    " There are still many wild animals that live there. protected. But the deer population there is growing very fast because their life is too good. So, once a year they also have a hunting event to control the deer population there. "


    Rose seemed interested to hear that." You said your sister-in-law has a house in Romania? Is he Romanian? "


    Rune shook his head." No. He''s Italian, but he happens to have lived in Romania for so long that he considers it like his hometown. "


    " Oh, he married your sister. Right? "


    Rune nodded." Right. "


    " How many siblings do you have? "Asked Rose with interest. Rune raised two fingers. Rose looked very jealous." Ah ... of course it''s very nice to have many siblings. "


    Are you an only child?" Asked Rune.


    Rossa nodded, but then she shook her head. Her face suddenly changed and now showed a forced smile.


    "Sorry ... I seem to have a headache. I want to rest first. Are you okay if I stay? Think of it like your own home. You can organize your things in the cupboard over there. If you want to eat or drink, there''s stuff in the fridge. You can also make any kind of food. Please use all groceries in the refrigerator. I''ll come down at dinner and we can have dinner together,


    "said Rose, standing up with her coffee cup.


    Runet was stunned to see the girl''s face suddenly turn pale. In her heart, she wondered if the talk about siblings had made Rose become. uncomfortable.


    "Thank ya ... that you''re willing to meet the request," Rose said suddenly. He turned and looked at Rune with elaborate view. "I was just fun to you, but you really agree to be a lover pura- my castle. So I thought, as well as carry on. "


    " Eh ... what? Fad? "Rune became clueless.


    " What made you willing to accept my request? "Asked Rose to Rune later." Are you really in love with me? We''ve only met one time. "


    Rune blinked, confused as to how to answer Rose''s question. He didn''t think she would ask so bluntly. How could he admit that he fell in love with her the first time she saw him?


    Rune took a deep breath. long, before finally answering honestly. "I I''m willing to accept your offer because you managed to make me curious. In all my life, I have never met a woman like you and you managed to catch my eye. Right now I just want to solve the mystery called Rose. I want to know who you really are and what you want out of a sham relationship for the next year. "


    Rose looked at Rune with concern. She then smiled with satisfaction." All right. You will find the answer slowly. And in the meantime, I promise to bring you fun for the next year to repay your kindness for helping me by willing to be my fake lover. "


    The girl then turned around and continued her journey back in. She then climbed the stairs to the attic and disappeared from Rune''s view.


    Rune Schneider decided to stay on the balcony terrace and enjoy his coffee. After finishing his coffee and washing the cup, Rune decided to take out his laptop and work on tidying up the plant data he had doc.u.mented on Amazon with Lauriel.


    There are thousands of photos on his camera that He already put it in the laptop. Rune worked diligently to enter data and write down various additional information for each plant that he managed to doc.u.ment. It was already two in the afternoon. His stomach began to feel hungry.


    Rune was about to make a simple lunch with ingredients. which was in the refrigerator back to continue his work while enjoying a sandwich.


    Rune Schneider decided to stay on the balcony terrace and enjoy his coffee. After finishing his coffee and washing the cup, Rune decided to take out his laptop and work on tidying up the plant data he had doc.u.mented on Amazon with Lauriel.


    Rune was about to make a simple lunch with ingredients. which was in the refrigerator back to continue his work while enjoying a sandwich.


    Rune Schneider decided to stay on the balcony terrace and enjoy his coffee. After finishing his coffee and washing the cup, Rune decided to take out his laptop and work on tidying up the plant data he had doc.u.mented on Amazon with Lauriel.


    There are thousands of photos on his camera that He already put it in the laptop. Rune worked diligently to enter data and write down various additional information for each plant that he managed to doc.u.ment. It was already two in the afternoon. His stomach began to feel hungry.

 Chapter 969 - Rose & Daniel Of Medion (Needs Editing)

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still editing this chapter... Sorry, it takes a while. I usually write in Indonesian and translate it using Google Translate into English. That''s why most of the time, the pronouns will be mixed up.


    I only did it to avoid retyping since it''s very tiring. I write in my native language because I''m also publishing this story in Indonesian.


    .


    <<<<This chapter still needs editing>>>


    .


    Marion and Petra created a hole on the roof without a sound and then jumped down silently. The atmosphere inside the mansion was very quiet. Marion opened her cellphone and observed the red dot on the screen. She quietly gave a signal to Petra to follow her.


    They crossed the hall on the 3rd floor of the mansion, descended the stairs, and followed the dot on her cellphone to find Larkin.


    When Marion saw Larkin a few days ago when she gave him the antidote, Marion secretly placed a tiny tracker in the mafia''s suit.


    That''s what she now used to track Larkin''s whereabouts. The tracker on Marion''s cellphone led them into a huge room at the end of the hall on the 2nd floor. Using a thief''s key that he always carried everywhere, Petra opened the door of the room.


    With steps as light as a cat, they walked in and sneaked closer to a large 4-poster bed overlooking a high floor-to-ceiling window. They found the person they were looking for lying in bed in the arms of two women.


    Marion took out the pistol with silencer she was carrying from under her clothes, then aimed it at Larkin''s forehead. The sound of the gun being c.o.c.ked and the cold feeling on his forehead from the gun''s muzzle surprised Larkin. He reflexively opened his eyes and woke up from his sleep.


    "You ... You? What are you doing here? I don''t owe you anymore ...!"


    Larkin hurriedly got up from his sleeping position, and his hands moved quickly, he wanted to grab the gun on the table next to his bed. However, Marion was faster. She had got rid of the gun and now pointed it at the woman next to Larkin.


    "If you don''t do anything stupid, no one will die tonight," Marion said in an icy voice. She gave a signal to Petra, and her friend walked closer.


    Larkin was surprised to see someone else in his room besides Marion. He was furious because his men were so incompetent that these two intruders could break into his mansion so easily.


    He was determined to give them proper punishment once he could find them.


    "Get up," Marion said. "I need your help."


    Larkin looked at the girl with blazing eyes. It was obvious that he was outraged. However, right now, his position was weak because he was held at gunpoint. The two women who slept with him had now woken up too and their faces were filled with horror.


    The woman on Larkin''s left wanted to scream, but before her voice came out, Larkin had covered her mouth. Now the woman could only cry silently with tears welling up. She was trying hard to hold back so that her voice would not come out.


    "How did you find my place?" Larkin asked in annoyance. "Are you spying on me?"


    "It''s none of your business if I want to spy on you or not. What is clear, now you must listen to what I have to say if you still want to live to see tomorrow," Marion said.


    She then signaled Petra. The man immediately took over her position threatening Larkin and the two women who were lying beside him.


    Marion quickly moved to secure the whole room and ensured there were no traps or secret weapons. After she was satisfied, Marion then sat on the sofa, crossing her legs.


    Her attitude looked very elegant. However, up close, one could see that her expression was so cold and ruthless. She then forked a few pills out of her pocket and threw them on the bed.


    "Take the pill now. Otherwise, my friend here will not hesitate to splatter your brain out of your head," Marion said. "You know, we haven''t killed people in a long time. As someone who has been in the underworld, you must know what it''s like ... for people who are used to killing like us. Sometimes the d.e.s.i.r.e to kill is there. We just need an excuse. Right now, my mood is horrible. Don''t give me a reason to take your life tonight."


    Larkin looked at the 3 pills on his blanket, only a few inches from his hand. He was actually agitated to be in such a position. He still remembered how Marion forced him to take a pill a few days ago that gave his p.e.n.i.s erectile dysfunction.


    He did not know what was in the pill Marion had thrown at him just now. It must have been as bad as or even worse than the previous pill.


    "I don''t want to," said the man in an annoyed voice. "You can''t make me."


    "Oh yeah? Really?" said Marion, smirking. She waved her right hand and Petra immediately pulled the trigger of his gun and killed the woman on Larkin''s right mercilessly.


    Blood and brain splattered on Larkin''s face and upper body. His eyes went round in shock. He did not expect this man could easily kill a woman in cold blood.


    The woman on Larkin''s left became hysterical. She screamed and wailed in fear.


    "If you can''t keep her quiet, then she will suffer the same fate as her friend," Marion said in a cold voice.


    Larkin immediately covered the woman''s mouth so as not to make a sound. The woman struggled to hold back her sobs and tears. She was terrified that she would provoke the two evil intruders.


    The atmosphere was very tense. Larkin''s upper body felt sticky and disgusting because it was covered in blood and brain, while the dead woman''s head no longer resembled a head.


    Larkin knew that these two people were not ones he could fool around. Eventually, he took Marion''s pill and swallowed it. He handed over the other one and then forced the girl next to him to swallow the same pill.


    After Marion was satisfied to see the two people swallow her pill, she rose from the couch and approached them.


    "Good. Now, put on your clothes and come with us to the living room," she said.


    Larkin and the girl looked at each other. They had no choice but to follow Marion''s orders. In a hurry, the two then got dressed and got out of bed.


    They were forced to walk toward the door, while Marion and Petra put a gun on their backs. Both of them were forced to go down to the large living room on the 1st floor.


    "What exactly did you give me?" Larkin asked as they arrived at the doorway to his living room. He turned to look at Marion, asking for an explanation.


    "It''s poison," Marion said. "You will die in three days if you don''t get an antidote from me."


    Larkin and the woman gasped in unison.


    "So, if you still want to live, you must do everything I order you to. Right now, I need help from all men you have all over France."


    Larkin frowned when he heard Marion''s words. He immediately thought of the terror attack on the Eiffel Tower a few hours ago. For some reason, he began to suspect that the incident had something to do with Marion''s sudden visit.


    He could only shut his mouth and follow the girl''s orders to enter his living room. There, he turned on the light and sat in his big chair.


    "What should I do?" Larkin asked, looking at Marion.


    "Call all your men here. Hurry up," Marion said.


    Larkin was very upset and resentful because this young girl just ordered him around. However, he was forced to do it because he wanted to live. Later, after he got the antidote, he would make sure this damned girl received his payback.


    Larkin dialed his phone and called his trusted aides to gather his men in the living room of his mansion.


    He could only shut his mouth and follow the girl''s orders to enter his living room. There, he turned on the light and sat in his big chair.


    "What should I do?" Larkin asked, looking at Marion.


    "Call all your men here. Hurry up," Marion said.


    Larkin was very upset and resentful because this young girl just ordered him around. However, he was forced to do it because he wanted to live.

 Chapter 970 - Daniel (Needs Editing)

    From the author:


    Please don''t unlock this chapter until you see the title changed and the author''s note is gone. I am still editing this chapter... Sorry, it takes a while. I usually write in Indonesian and translate it using Google Translate into English. That''s why most of the time, the pronouns will be mixed up.


    I only did it to avoid retyping since it''s very tiring. I write in my native language because I''m also publishing this story in Indonesian.


    .


    <<<<This chapter still needs editing>>>


    .


    The couple who just vented their longing finally slept soundly after they made love passionately. Marie and Nicolae only woke up in the morning after Koi scratched at the door protesting that his master had not yet left the bedroom.


    Nicolae opened his eyes first and immediately jumped out of the bed. His sudden movements startled Marie who was lying in his arms. The girl opened her eyes and furrowed her brows for a few seconds before she finally realized that they had woken up late.


    "Jeez ... what time is it?" the girl asked as she hurriedly removed the blanket from her body and got up to wear her clothes.


    "Ahh ... it''s only 8 am," said Nicolae, who was very relieved that they were not that late. He was in shock earlier, thinking he and Marie were just like Alaric and Aleksis, who had only left their room at 3 pm on their wedding day after m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e all night long.


    He hurriedly got up and took a robe from the closet and handed it to Marie who looked panic as she tried to wear her clothes.


    "Just wear this first, then take a shower and get ready. It is easier," he said with a smile.


    Marie received the robe gratefully and kissed his cheek. She put on her robe and immediately left the room. In front of the door, she saw Koi looking guilty as he raised his paw to scratch again.


    "Hi, Koi. Good morning. Thank you for waking us up..." Marie bent down and rubbed Koi''s head happily. She then looked up and saw Summer standing next to Koi with a beaming face. "Ahh .. my little girl also woke up early. What do you want for breakfast?"


    Summer hugged her mother, and Marie quickly carried her daughter and walked into the kitchen. Nicolae had appeared behind her wearing a robe too. He kissed their cheeks alternately and then moved ahead of them to the kitchen.


    "Let me cook breakfast. You two just sit nicely, okay .." he said cheerfully.


    Summer and Marie exchanged glances and chuckled. Both were very happy to be spoiled by this man. They happily followed Nicolae and took a chair by the tall kitchen counter so they could watch him prepare breakfast.


    Nicolae made pancakes and various fruit slices, as well as boiled eggs and grilled bacon for them. Not long after, the three had sat down to enjoy breakfast with fresh milk for Summer and a cup of coffee each for her parents.


    "Summer ... we will go to Italy in the afternoon. You will love to see the big castle perched on the hilltop. That''s where my family lives. There are lots of cute little animals that you can play with," Nicolae said happily.


    Summer widened her eyes enthusiastically. "Are there rabbits there too, Daddy?"


    "Yes, there are. We have rabbits, squirrels, foxes, lots of butterflies ... and we can also fish in the lake behind the castle."


    Even Marie seemed excited to hear from Nicolae how beautiful the Medici family castle was. During this time, she had never imagined that she would be able to enter a noble family castle, let alone marry someone who lived there.


    Since both of them were very excited to immediately see the castle told by Nicolae, Summer and Marie hurriedly finished their breakfast and got ready to take a shower and pack up.


    Nicolae was very pleased to see both of them looking excited to go to Grosetto. He then remembered that Marie did not bring a lot of clothes, only essential items from her apartment. Therefore, when Marie took a bath with Summer, the man decided to buy some stuff and clothes for them from the marketplace.


    Seeing that his taste in clothes and Marie''s taste were quite similar, he felt confident choosing clothes to buy for her.


    After choosing the express delivery option and paying for his order, he then decided to check Darknet and see the development of the situation there.


    He wanted to see if anyone had succeeded in finding the bad guys who had targeted Marie for him. He was ready to pay up to 20 million dollars to teach that person a lesson.


    No one can harm Marie, or Goose, as long as Nicolae is alive, he was determined.


    There was a picture of him and Marie in front of the girl''s apartment building when they were about to get into his car yesterday, heading to the Nobel Hotel.


    WOLF AND GOOSE ARE NICOLAE SORIN AND MARIELLE SAKAGUCHI. The identities of the two famous mysterious hackers have finally been revealed!


    What is this? Nicolae was very surprised to see the announcement. His and Marie''s faces were clearly displayed on Darknet, and now everyone in their community knew what their faces and appearance looked like.


    This is very bad!


    He traced the poster of the pictures and read the active comments below the post. Many people didn''t believe that Wolf and Goose were the two people in the photo because they were too good-looking.


    Apparently, in their minds, they had planted the thought that Goose was a male hacker, and Wolf was a much older guy. This was due to the fact that Wolf began to exist in Darknet around 20 years ago.


    [There is no way Wolf still looking this young. Indeed, many genius hackers started working in their teens. But, even if he is now in his 40s, he can''t possibly still look young like this.]


    [You read the contest that Wolf posted yesterday, right? He announced that he would pay double to anyone who managed to find the person who was after Goose. This shows that Wolf and Goose do have a special relationship.]


    [Wow... Is that true that Goose is actually this stunning girl?? I''ve been a fan for a long time ... But I didn''t expect her to be like a goddess]


    There were more praises and positive comments compared to negative ones in the post. However, Nicolae still did not like his face to be plastered everywhere. He had worked hard to protect his privacy all this time, and so had Marie.


    He could not allow this.


    Hmmm ... his mind immediately went to Larkin whom they met at Marie''s apartment yesterday when he and Marie went there to get Marie and Summer''s belongings. Larkin knew about Marie''s identity as Goose.


    Clearly, Larkin could conclude that Nicolae was the Wolf from the contest he announced yesterday. Now, Larkin deliberately revealed their identities.


    "Damn it," murmured Nicolae, feeling really annoyed.


    He thought for a moment about what he had to do. When a photo had spread across the internet, he would not be able to delete it completely. He could prevent the picture from being posted on Splitz, but if people had downloaded it and saved it on a personal device, then he would not be able to delete the picture one by one.


    He must think of ways to mitigate its impact. After all, he had met many people all his life. Maybe some of them would be able to recognize him in the photo and connect it with the Nicolae they know.


    What if his students recognize him in the photo? What about the teachers and parents at George Washington High School where the twins studied? His college friends were in Singapore? And so many other people!


    He must also think of Marie and her safety if her clients and enemies knew her identity.


    Nicolae decided to seek his brother''s advice on this matter, but since it was still 3 am in New York, he was forced to postpone it. Feeling uneasy, he finally showered and changed clothes.


    Marie was waiting for him with Summer in the living room. She looked up with a worried face when Nicolae came out of the room. Nicolae could immediately guess that Marie had also seen the announcement on Darknet and felt worried about their safety.


    He hurried over to the girl and smiled soothingly. "Have you seen today''s announcement?"


    Marie nodded. "I have. This must be Larkin''s doing. I didn''t expect he would do something this low."


    "Hmmm ... he certainly doesn''t like the fact that I came back and snatched you from his hands. That''s why he wants to cause me trouble," commented Nicolae.

 Chapter 971 - Rose Of Medion (1)

    "Rose..." Rune suddenly halted his steps and called Rose. The girl turned to him and asked him a question without a sound. ''What is it?''


    "Do you want me to hone my acting as your fake boyfriend?" Rune asked her sheepishly. The man became daring after several glasses of wine he drank earlier.


    "What do you have in mind?" Rose furrowed her brows.


    "At least, let me hold your hand," whispered Rune. "So later, when we meet your family, we won''t look awkward."


    Rose was stunned by the young man''s words. Ahh .. what a flirt, she thought. Rune didn''t look like a womanizer, but somehow he could find such an excuse to hold her hand. And he was good with his words too!!


    However, come to think of it, Rune was right. They must appear natural as a couple. With that in mind, she had to get used to holding hands with Rune. Finally, the girl nodded lightly and stretched out her hand towards the man.


    The young man took Rose''s hand with a wide grin on his face, and so they continued their journey happily.


    Two girls who just came out of the club caught their actions before Rose and Rune walked away. They looked at each other.


    "See? I was right! The two handsome men are a gay couple," said one girl, looking disappointed.


    Her friend nodded sadly. "Well .... what a shame, they are not into women. They are both so handsome."


    ***


    Back at Rose''s apartment.


    "You''re right .. you can surely look like a man," Rune commented as they arrived back at the apartment. "Your life seems very fun and full of excitement."


    Rose smiled at the young man''s words. She just shrugged and didn''t answer.


    Since she was sleepy from drinking a lot of wine at dinner outside earlier, Rose decided to hurry to her room in the loft and rest.


    Rune stared at the girl''s back while she walked up the stairs until she disappeared on the second floor. Then, he took a breath and shook his head.


    What a very unique and lovely girl, he thought. Rune then opened the sofabed and made the bed, and lay down comfortably.


    He was very happy to live with Rose.


    ***


    FOUR YEARS AGO - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND


    .


    That night, a luxury car pulled up in front of the boarding school for children of the world''s top-class families, St. John Academy, and out came a middle-aged man accompanied by a teenage girl from inside.


    "Oh, why¡­ of course, Mr. Stockton¡­ We will educate Lady Fournier properly¡­" said the principal in a friendly manner. The tall, bespectacled, high-class woman looked at the teenage girl in front of her. "This sudden arrival is surprising, but ... well, please pass my regards to the Duke and Duchess Fornier ..."


    "Of course, Madame ..." Mr. Stockton bowed down and excused himself. "Thank you in advance. I will convey your regards. Goodbye."


    "Goodbye ..."


    As soon as Mr. Stockton came out, the principal looked at the girl in front of her from head to toe and cleared her throat softly, "Lady Rose ... I want to see you wear a nice dress tomorrow morning when you go attend the class. Now Miss Khatrine will show you your room."


    Rose only smiled a little. She was wearing men''s clothes, a white satin shirt and black trousers with commando boots.


    Ugh ... The contents of the suitcase she carried were not much different. She did not have any dresses there.


    ''Even my mother never tells me how to dress. Why would this lady bother me so much?'' she thought in annoyance.


    "Please come with me, Young Miss..." said a fat woman who appeared from the next room. She politely motioned Rose to follow her to the girl''s dorm on the east wing.


    The room was spotless and spacious. Rose immediately opened the window and walked to the balcony. She was pensive looking at the moon, illuminating the night. No matter where she was, the moon was still the moon, and Rose was sure that she was looking at the same moon Leon was seeing now.


    Rose Fournier is the only child of Duke Fournier and his wife, Duchess Fournier. They were of high nobility in the kingdom of Medion. They had a very close blood relationship with King Henry Camille.


    Since childhood, Rose only had one friend, and they were inseparable. Leon was the son of a maid who worked at the Fournier''s estate. His mother died when he was five years old. His father was unknown. He grew up together with Rose and became her guardian.


    Leon was often taunted and mocked as a bastard by the other servant''s children, and Rose always stood up to defend him. The two of them often went out among commoners, disguised as the villagers. They went out on adventures, fishing in the river behind the palace, climbing the trees in the royal garden¡­


    They grew up together with their hearts linked to each other. Rose became a naughty tomboy girl. She rarely wore a dress like the lady that she was. Imagine if she dared wear women''s clothes with various dangerous activities that she always did¡­


    Life was good for Rose and Leon. However, suddenly when Rose was a teenager, Duchess Fornier forbade them to meet again. She became worried that Rose would fall in love with Leon, a mere commoner, the son of a maid whose origins were unclear.


    That''s why she sent Rose into a famous boarding school in Scotland, St. John Academy. She wanted her daughter to be separated from Leon. She hoped that, by not seeing each other for many years, it would kill whatever feelings they had for each other.


    Rose was very sad. She was not willing to part with Leon. She had admired her faithful bodyguard since they were little. Their age was only two years apart. That was why they could connect really well and became best friends.


    Leon grew up like a noble. He was tall with a handsome face and long brown hair. Leon had a fine character and perfect manners since he studied with Rose and her private teachers since they were young. He was also an expert in horse riding. When he rode his horse, he looked so impressive, like a prince. People would often mistake him for a nobleman.


    Unfortunately, he just looked like one. He was not really a nobleman''s son.


    "Your mother is right, Rose ... I do not deserve you ..." Leon said the night before Rose''s departure. Secretly, he managed to climb a tree to Rose''s room and find her. "They want you to go to school in Scotland. Do it for your own good ..."


    Rose shook her head sadly.


    "I do not understand your attitude. I don''t accept being treated like this .." she said disappointedly. "Later, I''ll wreak havoc in St. John, so they will expel me. Then I''ll be able to come back here ..."


    Leon smiled. His blue eyes were filled with profound sadness.


    "That''s not a good idea. They will just transfer you to another boarding school ..."


    "I will get myself expelled again...!" said Rose stubbornly.


    The long-haired young man shook his head. His eyes looked far at the moon. But what he saw was something far¡­ more than the moon.


    "Rose, I think... we shouldn''t see each other again¡­"


    Leon quickly walked out of the window and down through the tree before Rose could stop him.


    "Leon! Where are you going??" Rose had to call in a whisper, afraid her mother would hear her. "Leonard!"


    The memory was still vivid in Rose''s mind. The last night when she saw Leon. The man didn''t even walk her to the car this morning when she left for Scotland.


    Rose lay down and hoped to dream of Leon tonight.


    She hated being in St. John.


    .


    .


    >>>>>>


    From the author:


    Finally, we''ll get to learn a little bit about Rose. If you guessed that she is a lady, then you are RIGHT! She is a lady, from a fictional kingdom in Europe, called Medion kingdom. She is quite a unique character.


    Like, I said, I poached her from her own book, called "Rose Of Medion" which I wrote 15 years ago, but I never finish. I only wrote the outline and I know everything about her and her friends and her love life.


    Since I don''t think I''ll ever be able to completely write her story, I decided to bring her here and make her part of my Alchemists series. I hope you''ll like her :).

 Chapter 972 - Rose Of Medion (2)

    This morning, it was really sunny, and Rose woke up very early. The school would start at 9 am, but she decided to take a walk first and explore her surroundings.


    As usual, she wore a man''s shirt with pants and tied her long hair carelessly with a string. Rose looked like a young man. Her slender body climbed down the tree from her bedroom window and landed on the ground.


    Ahh... this place was beautiful! It was located in the countryside and close to several scenic villages.


    Rose walked around and checked the stable. There, she found beautiful horses of excellent quality. She immediately remembered Julian, her beloved horse that she had gifted to Leon.


    She could imagine, every day, Leon must be riding Julian for a walk to the hills of Medion to get rid of his loneliness. Uff.. she missed them both already so badly.


    "Sst¡­ dear beautiful horse¡­ Please accompany me for a walk, okay?" Rose whispered to a valiant-looking black horse with a beautiful long mane.


    Slowly she removed the horse from the stable and rode without a saddle. The small hill behind St. John Academy was so beautiful. She could see the red sun rising from behind it.


    Hmm¡­ Rose inhaled the morning air deeply and filled her lungs. The air was not as good as in Medion, but that was to be expected. No place was better than Medion.


    However, she felt grateful that she was not sent to a boarding school in a big city. It must suck big time compared to this school.


    Oops, Rose. That is so cruel¡­ You can''t harm these beautiful horses. They are innocent, she scolded herself.


    Hmm ... maybe, she could just be a lazy student and skip clasess¡­ She would be happy to get expelled from school and sent back to Medion.


    Ah .. if she only skipped classes, she would probably get some punishment but it wouldn''t be enough to get her kicked out of school.


    Oops, why is it so hard to get expelled??


    While Rose was pondering the best way to make herself expelled from school, she suddenly heard someone shout at her, followed by a coughing sound.


    "Heyyy !!"


    Rose turned and found a young man who was in a hurry to chase her with a horse. His hair was thick brown, looking disheveled. He was wearing a white satin shirt that was blowing in the wind.


    The man shouted at Rose again, "Stop right there..! You stole my horse ..!"


    Rose glanced at the nice horse she was riding and then stayed still, waiting for her pursuer to arrive. Upon reaching near Rose, the young man immediately jumped down from his horse.


    "Hey¡­ that''s my horse ..! You are not allowed to ride it¡­" he said in an annoyed tone.


    Rose raised her face with indifference. "I think these horses belong to the school. How can you claim ownership to them?"


    "They do belong to the school, but I was the one to tame it. Zii was almost euthanized because she was so wild. Since then, the school gave it to me. So, it''s mine now."


    "If I was here first, I am sure I would have been the one to tame it. I am also an expert in taming wild horses. I have a lot of horses¡­" Rose replied with a snort. She was so proud of her skills with horses.


    She was so satisfied to see the young man''s face flushed with anger. She decided to taunt him further.


    "Let''s do it this way. We can determine who can have this horse by comparing our abilities. The best person will have the right to own Zii."


    "Okay!" said the young man. "Peter Wellington never lose a race to anyone ..."


    "So do I! Let''s race to the hill over there. The first one to come back here and take this scarf from the tree wins!"


    "Good. I will definitely beat you. Let''s start now."


    Rose tied her scarf to a tree branch. Peter nodded impatiently.


    "Heaa .. !! Hyaah ..!"


    Like two shadows, brown and black, the horses galloped their way up the hill.


    Rose was really happy. In her mind, she was racing with Julian and Leon was riding another horse. The two often raced since childhood. So, Rose was no stranger to this thing.


    With full concentration, she continued to push Zii to run faster and faster.


    Riding her horses with Leon was one of her favorite things to do back at home. Usually, they would go horseback riding to the forest every weekend when they did not need to study with Mr. Dewey.


    Rose kept pushing Zii as fast as she could. They moved very fast together.


    Aha¡­ Peter was a little behind her.


    They finally reached the hilltop, and now they were racing to get down. Their speed was gradually increasing.


    For a moment, it felt like no one would lose, and it would be a tie. However, at the last moment, Rose nudged Zii to lunge forward and rushed far ahead of Peter.


    Rose won the race.


    She immediately raised her hand high, waving a scarf in her right hand. Rose smiled triumphantly.


    "You .. *panting*¡­ can have Zii .." Peter said breathlessly as he got off his horse. "You did well."


    Rose went down too. She patted Zii in amazement. When she saw Peter gasping for breath, she became uneasy.


    Ahh .. if this young man was really the one who tamed Zii and prevented this beautiful horse from being killed .. then Zii was indeed indebted to Peter.


    "Zii is amazing, but I can not accept her. You have more rights to her. You saved her life." Rose suddenly changed her mind.


    Peter was stunned to see the change in Rose''s attitude. Earlier, this person was acting so c.o.c.ky toward him, but now he was friendly.


    "Didn''t we make an agreement? If you can beat me in the race, Zii is yours." Peter smiled. "Wellington never breaks his promise. She is now yours."


    "I will not take back my words, too," Rose retorted, not wanting to lose.


    Peter scratched his head that was not itchy and smiled warmly. He took the initiative to break the ice.


    "I do not want to fight with you because the consequences must be very bad. What if we just share the horse? Zii will belong to both of us¡­."


    Rose thought for a moment, then nodded. Peter held out his hand, and they shook hands.


    "My name is Peter Wellington .."


    "I know. My name is Rose Fournier .."


    Peter gasped in surprise. He tried to hold back his laughter but it was too hard. He instantly laughed out loud. "Hihi¡­ I am sorry.. but you have a girl''s name. Well, if you disguise yourself as a woman, I can imagine you will definitely look beautiful .."


    Rose was stunned. She almost forgot that she now looked like a man. Initially, she wanted to be honest with Peter and told him that she was actually a girl.


    However, what for?


    Usually, boys would feel reluctant to make friends with girls. Peter was so friendly to her now. However, he might not treat her this well if he knew she was a girl.


    "So my name is ugly, huh?" Rose chuckled. "Do you think Peter is a good name?!"


    Peter felt guilty for a moment.


    "Ah¡­ I''m sorry for being rude¡­ Honestly, your name is really nice, but I think it suits girls, not boys. So, I feel sorry for you that your parents gave you that name."


    "Ah, that''s fine," Rose chuckled. "I like my name."


    Peter glanced at his watch. "It''s already late¡­ The school will start soon and I haven''t taken a shower yet ..."


    "Me too .."


    They quickly ran to their respective dormitories.


    Rose took a quick shower and changed clothes into St. John Academy school uniform in blue, then ran towards the school building. Ahh.. she forgot to ask the Principal last night about her classes. Now, she had to find someone and ask her way around the school.

 Chapter 973 - Rose Of Medion (3)

    On the way, she met a beautiful girl with long black hair who was also heading for the school building. Ahh... she quickly approached that girl to ask for direction.


    "Excuse me, where''s the classroom for History 10?" she asked kindly. "Eh, I''m a new student here, so I don''t know anything¡­ My name is Rose Fournier."


    "Oh, I''m Helene Cartier.." The girl looked so feminine and meek. Helene showed a beautiful smile when she stretched out her hand to Rose. "So, you''re new here? Where are you from?"


    They shook hands warmly.


    "I am from Medion. I just arrived last night," replied Rose.


    "Oh.. I know that place. Such a beautiful country," Helene said. "I went to the capital last year for holiday. You have great hills and countryside."


    "Thank you." Rose was happy to know her new friend had been to her country. "Can you please show me my class? History 10."


    "Sure, sure. I am sorry. I almost forgot." Helene smiled sheepishly, then pointed to the building to their left. "There it is. We happen to be in the same class. You can come with me .."


    The girls wear blue plaid skirts below the knees, while the boys wear blue


    trousers.


    As soon as Rose and Helene arrived, a teacher entered the classroom and started to call their names to fill the attendance list. Rose, who sat next to Helene, was forced to report to the front when her name was not called out from the list.


    "Good morning, Sir .. I am a new student ..." she said when she arrived at the front. "You have to enter my name in the absent list ..."


    "Alright .." The teacher nodded and reopened the list. "Your name is¡­?"


    "Fournier. Rose Fournier .."


    ".... !!!"


    For a moment, Rose thought she heard someone gasping in surprise. She looked back and found Peter Wellington sitting in the middle of the class, gasping, looking at her in disbelief.


    Of course, Peter didn''t recognize Rose earlier because she had changed completely, from a strange teenage boy to an extraordinarily beautiful lady. Rose always looked very beautiful when she wore her hair down.


    "Very well .. Please sit down at your seat. Lessons will begin shortly."


    "Thank you, Sir .." Rose replied respectfully.


    During her first day at school, Rose didn''t encounter any problems. Throughout the class, she was busy thinking about what kind of mess she would make at this school to get her expelled.


    "Hello, Rose ..." said several girls when class was over. They looked like the high-class girls she often saw at palace parties.


    "Hello.."


    "Hey, my name is Joan Salisbury ..." said the blonde hair beauty in a sweet voice. She pointed at her buddies to her left and right. "This is Diana Grant, and Lucia Johansson."


    "Hi, I''m Rose Fournier .." Rose replied casually.


    "If I''m not mistaken, Duke Fournier is the cousin of the king of Medion, King Henry Camille. Are you his daughter?"


    "Yes," answered Rose lightly. "What about it?"


    The three of them looked at each other, then smiled at her very sweetly.


    "We''re all nobles here. We can be good friends, right?" asked Joan. She looked so pretentious. Rose hated seeing pretentious people the most. She immediately despised Joan and her cronies.


    "Sorry, I''m not interested," she said coldly as she walked past them. Rose then called Helene, who went out the class first and walked away with her.


    "Huh, so c.o.c.ky.." grumbled the girls behind Rose''s back.


    "She seems to only want to hang out with ordinary people ..."


    "She will regret it..."


    Rose and Helene walked towards the dormitory building for lunch. At the big door, she saw Peter Wellington was standing waiting with some of his friends.


    "You didn''t say you were a girl ..." scolded Peter.


    Rose smiled slightly. "Who said I was a girl? I just took your advice this morning. You said I would be beautiful if I disguised myself as a girl .."


    Peter was impressed to hear that.


    "Wow ... your disguise is so good ... You can really fool me." The boy mischievously raised his fingers, trying to poke on Rose''s c.h.e.s.t. "Your b.r.e.a.s.ts look so real!"


    "I''m just kidding, you idiot!" Rose laughed, patting Peter''s shoulder after she let go of his hand. "I''m a real girl."


    "I know," Peter replied with a laugh. He was joking too. His mother raised him better than that. He didn''t really mean to touch Rose''s c.h.e.s.t.


    He followed Rose and sat beside her at the nearest dining table.


    "Peter, the boys dining table is over there¡­" Helene said softly. "If Mr. Steward saw you sit here, he would give you a good scolding¡­"


    Peter laughed indifferently.


    "At most, I will be punished," he replied.


    However, he still headed back to his table to be with the boys.


    Finally, Rose and Helene could eat in peace. However, when Rose turned her head to the left, she could see at the end of the table, Joan and her friends had sour faces. Especially when Peter sat next to Rose earlier.


    "They are nobles. I think Joan is from an aristocratic family in England. The other two girls are from Sweden and Scotland," said Helene as she poured water into her glass. "I''ve only been to school here a year, and so far, their attitude towards me is not friendly. You know, they''ve been friends from the first year, it must be hard to accept new people ..."


    "That''s just stupid," commented Rose, "If they don''t open up to new people, they would never survive in the outside world. Besides, I personally have no interest in hanging out with them. "


    Helene smiled. "Peter seems to like you. Where did you know each other?"


    "This morning, we met at the stable. He thought I was a boy because I could beat him on a race with our horses."


    Rose didn''t mention that this morning she also dressed up as a man.

 Chapter 974 - Rose Of Medion (4)

    "You are so amazing¡­ I think Peter is the best equestrian athlete in school. He has won many awards¡­" Helene was amazed to hear that Rose managed to beat Peter in a race. "When did you start learning how to ride a horse?"


    "I don''t know exactly. I think since I was very young, I have already been familiar with horses. Usually, on a sunny day like this, Leon and I will ride across the Medion hill. We''ll race down, and¡­" Rose paused, and her spoon accidentally slipped from her hand. She badly missed Leon. Finally, she could only sigh. "I hate this school¡­"


    "Don''t say that¡­ You''ve only stayed here for a day. Try to like it." Helene patted Rose gently on the shoulder. "We also have a very beautiful hill in the back of our school. If you want, after lunch, we can ride horses there."


    "Rose looked away," I''m sorry ..."


    "It''s okay ..."


    Helene kept her words. After lunch, she and Rose rode to the hill behind the school.


    Rose remembered this was the hill she raced to with Peter this morning, but earlier she did not have the chance to see how beautiful the hill was.


    This place looked wonderful and shady because it was full of big lush trees. They also saw many colorful flowers around them. Standing there, admiring the view, felt so peaceful.


    "This .." Rose was so moved that she was at a loss for words. "This is so beautiful."


    "I''d love to come here often, but it''s too much trouble to always go out on a horse, "said Helene.


    "I don''t mind, "said Rose quietly.


    She cast her glance at her surroundings and admire the hills, the flowers, and even the school buildings down there that look so beautiful and peaceful.


    Actually, this place was not bad, she thought. Unfortunately, she wouldn''t be here for too long.


    They went back to school for manners and etiquette lessons. The boys were separated from girls, and Peter complained loudly about this.


    Rose got the impression Peter was a true trouble maker. When she expresses her opinion to Hellen, Rose was shocked to find out that she was wrong.


    "Peter is just joking with all his words. He is actually a good student. He''s very smart, and he is also a prefect in this school. "


    Rose hated to admit she was wrong, but she had seen the P badge pinned to Peter''s c.h.e.s.t.


    So, this annoying guy is a school prefect? Wasn''t he supposed to keep the order? Why did he look like one of those rascals?


    ***


    Rose decided she wanted to make a little mess that night. It was almost midnight, and the night was so quiet. Everyone must be sleeping in the respective bedrooms now.


    The mischievous girl climbed down from her room, past a large tree from her window. When she got to the ground, the girl crept toward the stable. Her plan to get expelled was to release all the horses in the stable.


    She believed it would be enough for her to get a severe punishment like expulsion.


    Inside the stable, everything was very quiet. Rose felt calm because she could do her job easily. Before opening all the stable doors she went to visit Zii and gave sugar to her.


    "Hello, Zii. Were you being a good horse today? Good¡­ I have some sugar for you."


    She stroked Zii fondly.


    Suddenly there was a sound of feet approaching. From the sound of it, she could tell there was more than one person.


    Ugh.. this is bad!


    Rose couldn''t get caught silly before doing anything¡­ What accusations would they throw at her?


    Sneaking up at night and feed the horses with sugar?


    Huh! That would be so insulting¡­ And what more, it was not enough to get her kicked out of the school.


    "Come on in quickly ... I hid the paint here this morning. I know Mr. Steward will search the rooms in the afternoon ..." said a voice that was familiar to Rose. She felt like she had heard this voice before.


    Was it a classmate? What is he doing here at midnight?


    "Haha .. feel my revenge, Madame Ferguson .." said another voice excitedly.


    Rose peeked from her hiding place and saw three teenage boys were surrounded by some paint cans. They looked really excited about doing something terrible.


    Aha! Rose recognized one of them as a classmate. The curly-haired boy with glasses, as far as she knew, was called Jack.


    "Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Rose suddenly came out from her hiding place and startled them. The three boys jumped in shock. "You are troublemakers, aren''t you? What mischief are you planning to do?"


    "Huh .. the new student ..?! What are you doing here?" Jack snapped at Rose.


    "That''s none of your business. First, answer my question. Are you guys going to create trouble? "


    "Of course not," replied the one with messy black hair. "We don''t want to create any troubles. We just want to give our principal''s statue a new hairdo¡ª quietly without a sound¡ª"


    Rose smiled happily when she heard them. "I am coming along. If you kick me out, I''ll scream, so everyone will know it''s you¡­"


    "What do you mean? "Jack asked anxiously.


    "I don''t need to repeat what I said. You must understand it the first time. You do have brains, right ..?!"


    "I don''t know if we can trust you or not..."


    "You have no choice," Rose gestured for them to follow her. "Come on ... I really want to do it now..."


    She walked out sneakily, followed by the three teenage boys with forced steps. They walked carefully, crossing the field to the courtyard where the headmaster statue was located. The moon hid behind the clouds and the atmosphere around them turned completely dark and creepy.


    When she got there, Rose was shocked to see Peter standing in front of the statue, with a faint smile on his lips.


    "Shit.. we are caught by a Prefect," she whispered in panic.

 Chapter 975 - Rose Of Medion (5)

    Rose was very surprised to see Peter Wellington in front of the statue.


    Damn .. just as she was about to create trouble to get her punished and expelled from school, she was immediately caught by the school Prefect.


    Rose swallowed hard. She then turned to Jack for help, but oddly enough, Jack instead stepped forward and handed the brush into Peter''s hand.


    "Remember! You have to paint her mustache nicely¡­" Jack exclaimed in a firm voice.


    Peter smiled mischievously as he held up his brush. "Don''t worry, I will definitely make the best mustache for Madame Ferguson."


    He took black paint from the can and then painted a beautiful thin mustache over the lips of Madame Rosaline Ferguson''s statue, the founder and principal of the school.


    "Y-you buggers ..." muttered Rose in shock, "And you ... you are a school PREFECT!! Aren''t you supposed to be establishing order ??? Why are you joining the dark side?"


    Rose really didn''t understand what was going on.


    "I''m sorry. We haven''t introduced ourselves properly. How disrespectful¡­" Peter bowed like royalty. "We are the Night Stirrer Gang. I''m agent number 1."


    Jack and the others hit Peter''s shoulders.


    "Hey¡­ We can''t tell other people that, you idiot¡­!" exclaimed Jack in a sharp whisper. He looked at Rose with worried eyes.


    "We have no choice but to tell her who we are, Jack. She already knows us and what we are doing. We have only two options: kill her so she doesn''t tell anyone, or make her a member of our gang."


    All fell silent.


    "Well... we couldn''t kill her..." muttered Harry quietly.


    "That''s why we have to appoint her as a new member. So if she wants to


    snitch on us, she will be punished together with us too," said Peter.


    "That''s a good idea¡­ I had intended to wreak havoc from the moment I came here. I would do anything to get me kicked out of school." Rose smiled broadly. "I''ll join your gang. I''ll be agent number 5."


    The others, of course, couldn''t refuse.


    "All right, please to meet you. My name is Harry¡­" said the boy with messy black hair. He had narrow and freckled face, but his bright green eyes looked very intelligent. "I''m Agent Number 2."


    The quietest and most refined was George. Rose already knew Jack and Peter because they were both in the same class as she.


    "Very well, as the new member, you will have the honor of painting Madame Ferguson''s lovely hair red," said Peter, handing Rose a brush.


    The girl shook her head. Her face showed a very mischievous smile. "No. I have a better idea."


    She took some gray paint and began to paint dozens of snakes in the statue''s hair. Rose was very talented at painting, and she quickly turned the school founder''s statue into the statue of Medusa.


    Medusa is a monster from Greek mythology who was said to have a beautiful face and hair of thousands of snakes. Her eyes could turn people into stone if they stared at them. People called her a monster, and later Perseus defeated her and cut her head.


    "Whooaaa ... you make it into a work of art," said Peter. "If you get caught, you won''t be punished. In fact, maybe this statue will be sent to a museum for display ..."


    Rose laughed at Peter''s words. "Ahh .. do I need to make it ugly?"


    "No need ... this is fine," said Peter quickly. He frowned and seemed to think for a moment. "But maybe you can paint her nose red like a clown''s nose."


    "Great idea!" Rose immediately painted the nose of the school founder''s statue red. Once she was satisfied with the results, she asked her new friends for their opinion. "How about now?"


    "Very good!" They all nodded in satisfaction.


    "It''s finished," said Peter happily. He then cleared up the paint buckets and looked right and left. "We''d better go now."


    He grabbed Rose''s hand and immediately ran towards the stable. Harry, George, and Jack followed suit. When they got there, they all laughed out loud. Once they all calmed down, they decided to go back to their respective dorm rooms.


    That night Rose met the Night Stirrer Gang, and her life changed for the better. She likes her four new friends, and they liked her too. Being allowed to paint Madame Ferguson''s nose red was a sign that Rose was accepted into their gang.


    Rose''s life at her boarding school became very fun after the first night of her breaking the rule.


    ***


    The next morning when the students just woke up from sleep, a siren was blaring throughout the academy. Rose looked out of her bedroom window and saw people running into the courtyard.


    "Rose, are you awake?" Helene''s worried voice rang from behind her bedroom door. "The siren went off!"


    Rose opened the door. "What siren is tht? Is there a fire?"


    "If the siren is blaring, it means that all the students must gather in the courtyard immediately because the principal wants to say something. As I remember, last year, the siren was blaring several times too. Mostly they were caused by..." Helene shrugged in confusion, "... some incidents happened ..."


    Rose could immediately guess what Helene meant. There was no denying it. Those events must be caused by the Night Stirrer Gang.


    All the students gathered in the courtyard with a disgruntled expression. All questioned each other what was the reason for the siren this time. Rose could see Peter in the distance, smiling at her.


    She smiled back. Madame Ferguson and the teachers arrived. Seeing her angry face, the students could guess something terrible had happened.


    "The honor of this school¡­ and personally, my honor as the principal is deeply offended by the actions of some insolent students, who dare to vandalize the school¡­" Madame Ferguson glanced at each of the children with probing eyes, trying to find expressions of guilt.


    "This matter will be investigated as thoroughly as possible. If I found the vandals, the punishment that awaits them is very severe. Therefore, I am asking your consciousness to confess and surrender now."


    The atmosphere became very quiet. Nobody moved nor spoke.


    "Who did it?" Madame Ferguson repeated her words. "If you confessed your crime now, now I will give you leniency."


    Suddenly, from the front row, Madame Ferguson saw someone raise their hand.


    Oh... it was Rose.


    She raised her hand slowly.

 Chapter 976 - Rose Of Medion (6)

    Her actions were immediately followed by muffled shrieks from the crowd. The girl turned to find Peter looking pale. The young man was shaking to shake his head slowly with worried eyes as if begging her not to rat them out.


    Rose lowered her head and slowly walked forward. Madame Ferguson was shocked to see her.


    "Y-you ..? But why ..?!" She pressed her lips in surprise. The old lady''s face looked devastated.


    She never thought that the perpetrator of the vandalism was Lady Rose Fournier, the new student. Wasn''t this girl a lady from high nobility??? She couldn''t possibly do it, could she?


    The Duke and Duchess Fournier had phoned her privately to request that their only daughter be educated at St. John Academy so that she could be a good lady.


    However .. in just one day, she had made created such big trouble??? Jeez ...


    Rose turned to her friends and found their faces looked extremely tense.


    She could guess that they deeply regretted believing in her and made her a member of the Night Stirrer Gang.


    "I''m sorry," she mouthed her apology.


    The members of the Night Stirrer Gang cursed Rose silently for selling them off.


    Seeing their expressions, Rose smiled faintly. She approached Madame Ferguson and curtseyed.


    "I am so sorry, Madame¡­" Rose looked at Madame Ferguson with a face full of regret. "But I really need to go to the restroom. The siren went off when I just woke up and didn''t have time to go to the toilet. Sorry, but I want to excuse myself to go back to my room to take a pee."


    Madame Ferguson was stunned for a moment. Her astonished face immediately changed as realization dawned on her. The old lady then nodded softly. Rose bowed again and immediately ran away.


    Everyone who didn''t hear their conversation was puzzled to see Rose running off the courtyard and not coming back.


    Madame Ferguson looked frustrated. She ordered the prefects to gather to investigate the matter and then disperse the students from the yard.


    ***


    When they met at breakfast, Peter and his friends immediately huddled Rose. They asked her to take responsibility for her actions that made them scared to death earlier.


    "We thought you were betraying us," grumbled Harry. "How insolent! I almost got a heart attack. Hey, what if I had a weak heart???"


    "Then what did you tell her? She let you go, just like that..." asked Peter.


    Rose shrugged, "I told her I need to go to the toilet... hahahaha. But for God''s sake, your faces looked ridiculous. I think it''s good to get a shock every now and then to train your heart to be stronger.. hahaha."


    "Train my heart to be stronger, my foot!" Peter snapped at Rose.


    Jack frowned and looked at Rose searchingly. "You were really joking this morning... or did you actually want to turn yourself in? As I recall, last night you said you wanted to create trouble so you will get kicked out of school ..."


    Peter was surprised. He glared at Rose. "Is that true? Why do you want to be expelled?"


    Rose immediately frowned and looked away. "That''s my business. Sorry, buddy, but the tables for boys are over there!"


    The four boys left feeling dissatisfied. Helene, who saw the incident immediately approached Rose.


    "Hey, Rose. Do you know them? What were you talking about? They seem angry¡­" she asked in puzzlement.


    "Well .. nothing much." Rose immediately sat down and ate. She didn''t want to tell Helene what she did with the boys the previous night.


    The first lesson of the day Etiquette, and they would learn to dance. Boys were still separated from the girls. The one teaching the dance class was Madame Prune, and she immediately played a boring waltz and made them move.


    Joan used the class as an opportunity to show off that she could dance well, and Madame Prune praised her over and over again. Rose was very upset to see the arrogant girl prancing like in what she called a duck move.


    "She is show off ..!" she said in annoyance. "She is not even good. She looks like a duck to me."


    "How could you say that? She is really good .." said Helene in confusion.


    "This dance class sucks. I thought that going to boarding school would mean I can avoid dance lessons at my house, but apparently not¡­" complained Rose.


    "Do you get a dance lesson at your home?"


    "Well, my mother insisted on calling the teacher to teach us, I mean Leon and me. I am not fond of dancing, but at least I have a good partner at home. Dance lesson here sucks."


    "St. John''s will have annual dance party. You can dance with the boys. We will even invite students from other schools. It will be fun!"


    "I only want to dance with Leon." Rose sighed deeply.


    Her face looked pensive, staring out the window. She remembered how her mother insisted on wanting her to learn to dance so that one day she could be a good lady.


    Rose hated the lesson, but she always pretended to like it because Leon loved dancing. He really looked like royalty when he danced.


    "Is that why you hate this school?" Helene asked softly. "You don''t want to go to school here because you have to part with¡­ Leon?"


    Rose gasped. "Never mind, Helene ... Don''t talk about it again. I''m sad to think about it ..."


    ***


    Rose met Peter in History class. She acted as if nothing had happened, and Peter understood. He let her be, without asking her anything.


    "Tonight, the village next to our school was having a carnival¡­" said Peter as they walked out of the classroom. "We want to go."


    "Aren''t students prohibited from leaving the school gate?" asked Rose, surprised.


    Peter smiled mischievously and nodded.


    "That''s why we want to go¡­"


    Rose smiled too. Precisely because it is forbidden ... the Night Stirrer Gang would do it.


    They made plans to sneaked out as soon as the room lights were turned off, which was 9 pm. Carnival usually lasted until midnight, and they could go home immediately and get enough rest, so they would not be suspected the next day.


    Rose became so excited that Helene was surprised to see her in such a good mood.


    "What''s the good news, Rose? You look very happy..." she commented when they walked toward their rooms after dinner.


    "Really? I am feeling like myself. There is no good news or anything special.." Rose replied lightly. "Maybe because we had spaghetti for dinner. I really like spaghetti¡­"


    "Oh... I see." Helene didn''t ask anymore. She thought Rose didn''t want to tell her what was on her mind, so she wouldn''t press on her.


    ***


    "Hey ... The meeting place was suddenly moved because the stable is not safe anymore ..." he said quickly, "Come with me ..!"


    Rose was hurrying down the window to follow Peter, when there was a knock on the door to her bedroom. Rose suddenly remembered that she did not lock her door.


    Gosh.. who might that be? Was it the teacher? Or a school prefect? Did anyone know about their plans?


    "Rose ... where are you?" Helene came in and lighted a candle because she didn''t dare to turn on the light. She immediately saw an empty room. "Gosh. Oh, Rose .. Are you really running away..?"


    She ran to the window and caught Rose trying to get down from the tree to the ground. She instantly gasped in surprise, never expecting that Rose would be running away with a boy from their class.


    Peter and Rose froze. The two of them looked at each other, shook their heads in unison, then climbed back up.


    "Listen, Helene¡­ We can explain¡­" Rose said quickly.


    "Are you running away from school? I thought you are happy with this school because you were in a good mood today. Apparently, you still want to leave this school and return to Leon..."


    "You''re wrong," blurted Rose.


    She didn''t feel good about Peter looking at her with disappointed eyes. Now Peter knew that she was really trying to flee from St. John.


    From now on, whenever she created trouble, Peter would suspect that she did it to get herself expelled. And the Night Stirrer Gang would always be on their toes about letting her join them for fun.

 Chapter 977 - Rose Of Medion (7)

    Rose quickly added, "Peter and I are going out for a walk to see the carnival in the neighboring village. That''s all. I am not running away, and I am not sneaking out to make out with a boy to break the school rule and get myself expelled like what you are thinking right now."


    Rose could guess that much, judging from Helene''s expression, even though the girl didn''t voice her accusation. Helene must be thinking l.e.w.d thoughts about Rose and Peter, sneaking out in the middle of the night like this.


    Helene''s eyes suddenly lit up. "Is-is it true that there is a carnival there ..? Oh, please take me with you... I was never allowed to go to any carnivals by my parents ... I really want to go..."


    Rose and Peter looked at each other. Peter shook his head. He didn''t want to bring an extra person.


    "Oh, come on, Peter! You said yesterday that there are only two options for people who catch our existence. We either kill her or make her a member. You can''t possibly kill Helene, right?" Rose insisted. "I will kill you to killed her."


    Finally, Peter relented. "Uff .. Alright. Quickly change your clothes and come back here .."


    Helene was wearing a nightgown. It was not a suitable outfit to climb down a tree from the window.


    "But .. I don''t have clothes like you guys .." Helene said pitifully.


    "Just wear jeans, okay?" Rose advised. "That''s good enough."


    "I don''t have jeans either¡­" Now, Helene was almost crying.


    Rose and Peter looked at each other. Jeez ... this girl was indeed a real lady. She didn''t even have jeans in her wardrobe!


    "Peter, leave now. You can wait down there, under the tree. I will let Helene borrow my clothes and change into them," Rose said finally.


    Peter shrugged and went out the window, climbed down the tree, and waited under it, as per Rose''s request. A few moments later, Rose and Helene walked out of the window too. Even though she already wore a casual shirt with jeans, Helene still had trouble keeping up with Peter and Rose''s agile movements to climb down the tree.


    "I... I''m sorry ... I have troubled you so much ... but it''s impossible for me to get down this tree ..." Helene shook her head sadly. "You guys just go without me¡­"


    "But Helene¡­ just a little more¡­" whispered Rose. "Don''t be afraid. You can do it."


    "Sorry .. I-I''m so scared ..." Hellen sobbed and shook her head. She took a deep breath and then turned to return to Rose''s room.


    Peter let out a long sigh.


    "Helene Winter, get back to your place and get ready to jump!" his order was firm. Helene froze when she heard him.


    "B-but, this tree is so tall ..."


    "Now, I want you to believe me. Close your eyes and jump because I''ll catch you ..." Peter stared deeply into Helene'' eyes. "I can do it. Trust me..."


    Helene was silent for a while. Rose looked at Peter anxiously¡­ The thing that Peter was suggesting was really dangerous but he seemed very confident in his abilities.


    "Peter¡­ I-I believe in you." Helene finally said. She got ready on the biggest branch, closed her eyes¡­ then she jumped!


    Peter staggered, but he managed to catch Helene''s body well. Once the girl was in his arms, both fell down to the ground. However, Helene didn''t feel any pain because she fell on top of Peter''s body.


    "I... I am sorry. Are you okay?" Helene quickly got up and reached out his hand to help Peter up. Rose also reached out her hand to help.


    "I''m okay," said Peter. He grabbed both hands and got up. He winked at Helene. "I told you, I can catch you."


    "Yes, yes you did. Thank you!"


    They all jumped with joy over the success and high-fived each other with a chuckle.


    "You are awesome, Peter!"


    "I know I am... hehehe..."


    They walked quickly off to the new meeting place which was the vegetable warehouse where Jack, George and Harry were waiting.


    You could imagine their surprise to see Helene, who came with Peter and Rose. Jack looked up and gestured without being able to speak. He was too shocked for words.


    "W-who is she..? What is she doing here?" Harry frowned in surprise.


    "She is our newest member," answered Peter lightly. "Come on, say hello..."


    "Hello ..." said the three of them in unison.


    "Hello, my name is Helene Cartier. I''m pleased to meet you.." Helene said, smiling sweetly.


    "I''m Jack Evans, in case you forget this classmate of yours .." said Jack finally after he found his voice.


    "Harry Rosenbaum. I''m from the west tower."


    "George Winslow .. I''m from the west tower too."


    Finally, the boys let it go and accepted Helene as their newest member. Nobody wanted to waste time arguing when they could immediately go to the village to have fun.


    The six teenagers fled out of St. John through the back door that was usually opened for the milkman and vegetable vendors.


    The village streets were bright and busy as people took advantage of the rare opportunities to see the carnival. They went there with their family members to have fun.


    "It''s a shame the school forbids the students to go out to enjoy these festivities..." said Peter with a sigh. He pointed to one of the stands and they saw some of their teachers gathered and laughing. "We have to be careful not to be seen by them."


    "Where are we going first?" asked Rose.


    "I want to ride the carousel .." said Hellen with sparkling eyes.


    "Me too," Harry nodded.


    "Carrusel is boring," Jack grumbled. "I''m going to the fortune-teller shop... hehe..."


    "George, what about you?" asked Peter. George just smiled and shrugged. Peter nodded. "All right, we split up and meet back here in an hour. Remember! This mission is dangerous. If you get caught, we will all deny that we have anything to do with you..."


    They all smiled and nodded back.


    Harry accompanied Hellen to ride the carousel and try every other rides there were. George followed Jack to ask their fortune to the fortune teller who was dressed up mysteriously. After they came out of his tent, they both just laughed out loud.


    Rose and Peter tried their hands at the archery stand.


    "By the way, George is very quiet, don''t you think? He is also gentle and meek," said Rose, stroking the tip of her arrow. She prepared to shoot with her bow. "Is he gay?"


    Peter smacked Rose''s back with a glare. "Rubbish! Not all men have to look manly and macho like me ... George is indeed gentle and meek. He is a great artist and does not like to interact with the outside world. His mother forced him to go to school here to hang out with other people and make friends."


    Rose burst into laughter. "Manly? Macho? Peter, please .. hahaha..."


    Peter laughed too." It''s true .. Look at my abs!"


    Rose shot her arrow and hit the target six times, making the stand keeper amazed. The guy was forced to hand over two stuffed animals to her as her reward.


    Peter became curious and took firing his arrows too. Unfortunately, he only hit two out of six targets.


    "You...? How did you do it?" he asked Rose in astonishment. "You hit all your targets!"


    "Ah ... just instinct, really .." Rose replied lightly. They walked to the next stand was is the shooting stand. Again, Rose hit bullseye in all her targets.


    "This is not instinct. But you are trained to do it. "Peter said." Who are you.. really?"


    "Why do you ask that? "Rose asked back. "You know my name."


    "No, I mean.. who are you? I wasn''t asking your name." Peter stopped and looked at Rose for an explanation. "By the way, I just realized that I know nothing about you ..."


    Rose frowned, not understanding. "There is nothing special about me, really ... I often join my father hunting. That is all. What do you want to know about me?"


    Peter shrugged. "I don''t know ... I mean you''re not British because your accent is different. What country are you from? I don''t know those things about you."

 Chapter 978 - Dinner With Nicolae & Marie

    Peter shook his head." I don''t know why you go to school here and why do you always try to get expelled ¡ª This morning I was so sure you seriously wanted to admit to the crime and get yourself expelled but in the end, you didn''t have the heart to see us scared to death, since you know Ferguson would find out we are involved¡ª I also don''t know who Leon is¡­"


    Rose suddenly turned cold. "I also don''t know anything about you and I don''t care."


    She walked away, leaving Peter stunned.


    Peter immediately realized his mistake and ran after Rose.


    "Hey¡­ listen, I don''t want to ruin our friendship. I am sorry. I won''t ask any more questions."


    His earnest gaze stirred up Rose. She nodded and smiled a little.


    "I will take your word," the girl said finally.


    They reunited with the rest of the Night Stirrer Gang members after one hour and spent the remaining time together to buy sweets and food, and rest for a while before continuing the adventure. They came back to St. John a little over 1 am. They were all feeling tired, but happy.


    "Wow, thanks, Guys. Tonight I''m very happy." Helene bowed her head slightly. "And thank you, for making me a part of you ..."


    Everyone nodded back.


    "It''s okay Helene, no need to thank us. You''re okay. "


    " We''re happy to have you in the group."


    This time, Helene didn''t dare to take the risk of climbing the tree. That''s why she and Rose sneaked up from the stairs. Luckily, everyone was sleeping, and no one caught them.


    They tiptoed down the hallway and into their respective bedrooms.


    After they arrived safely, Helene and Rose waved a white cloth on their windows to let Peter and Jack know that they were okay.


    After they both felt satisfied, Peter and Jack went to their own dorm. George and Harry, who lived in the west tower, had also arrived safely at their respective rooms without any issues.


    ***


    Their success leaving school that night made the Night Stirrer Gang members addicted to more adventures. They kept looking for info about events held in the surrounding villages to visit.


    Peter, who was charming, had become close friends with Fred, the milkman, and he kept receiving valuable information from him.


    He would send the secret invitations to his friends and hold a midnight meeting in a hidden cave in the hill behind the school to discuss more shenanigans.


    Boys and girls were prohibited from hanging out closely with each other outside of classes, let alone holding secret meetings, so they really kept up appearances during the day by pretending to be indifferent toward each other.


    Ahhh .. remembering her friends from her school days brought sweet memories to Rose''s mind. She really missed them.


    "What happened to you?" asked Rune who had seen Rose sigh with an expression filled with nostalgia.


    "Why?" Rose even asked back.


    "You''ve been sighing all the time. Is there a problem?" asked Rune attentively.


    "Nothing," said Rose with a smile. She patted Rune on the shoulder. "Have your brother-in-law seen my picture yet?"


    Tonight they would attend the dinner that Nicolae and Marie would throw to welcome Rose into the family. Since they were going to eat dinner outside, today Rose and Rune intentionally prepared their empty stomachs. In the afternoon they only ate simple sandwiches.


    "Not yet," said Rune.


    He had deliberately asked Aleksis and Alaric not to tell Nicolae and his wife anything. He didn''t want Nicolae or Marie to investigate Rose.


    He didn''t mind waiting until Rose told him who she really was. The anticipation had been exciting so far, and he wouldn''t want to spoil it.


    "Ahhh .. wouldn''t it be funny if later I came to dinner in their home disguised as a man?" Rose asked with a chuckle. She sounded mischievous.


    Rune spouted out his drink and laughed too. Jeez ... This girl is naughty, he thought.


    If he came to dinner and bring Rose dressed as a man, Nicolae and Marie would think he was attracted to the same s.e.x. None of their family members had had a relationship with the same s.e.x before, and this would certainly create a stir.


    Ha ha ha ha.


    "Uhm, it''s best not to do it. My brother-in-law won''t be fooled," said Rune finally. Although the idea was funny and would cause a stir, he believed it would only encourage Nicolae to investigate who Rose really was.


    That''s why he chose to be safe and told her not to disguise herself as a man, even for fun.


    "Hmm .. is that so, huh?" asked Rose. "All right. I''ll dress up normally."


    Now that Rose didn''t hide the fact that she was a girl from a wealthy family, she no longer wore the cheap clothes she wore on the first day she met Rune at the cafe.


    Tonight she was wearing a simple, cream-colored brocade dress with a cut that showed her curves. When she came down from her room in the loft, Rune who was waiting in the living room looked so fascinated.


    Ahh .. why are you so perfect, Rose? he thought anxiously.


    So far, he never cared about the appearance of any girls he met, no matter how beautiful they were. This man was always surrounded by beautiful people. Everyone in the Alchemists clan was handsome and beautiful, far above the regular human''s beauty standard. So for Rune, a person''s physical appearance never mattered to him.


    But now, he could admire this girl''s beauty. Rose was really like a rose. She was beautiful and prickly. Although Rose was beautiful, she was not weak and vulnerable at all. She could protect herself well, and she also had a strong personality.


    In Rune''s opinion, if there was a woman who could be said to be perfect, it must be Rose Schneider.


    Ahahaha .. since Rune didn''t know Rose''s last name yet, he had decided to put his family name to Rose. He was already determined to make Rose his wife. For Rune now, Rose''s last name didn''t matter anymore.


    What''s important was that Rose would be his.


    Rose watched the young man smile to himself and immediately hit his shoulder. "Heh ... what are you grinning about? You''re not thinking about anything perverted, right?"


    Rune hurriedly shook his head. Thinking anything perverted? No way. He''s not a dirty-minded guy. He was just imagining Rose as Rose Schneider ... that was all.


    "I was just thinking about something. I promise it''s nothing perverted," said Rune evasively. He reached out his hand and took Rose''s hand to clasp with his. "We''re practicing our role as boyfriend and girlfriend, okay?"


    Rose only laughed at Rune''s words. Ahh .. this guy always knew how to take advantage of the situation to hold her hand. Rose didn''t mind holding hands with Rune, though, because he had always been polite and treated her well.


    Rose remembered that she also always held hands casually with her friends, both male and female. She didn''t discriminate.


    They exited the apartment with happy hearts, walked to the station, and then took the subway to Nicolae''s home.


    "My brother-in-law and his wife look so young, by the way. You won''t believe from their appearances that they both have a teenage daughter," Rune said as he and Rose walked out of the subway station holding hands.


    He chose to warn Rose about this fact so that Rose wouldn''t feel that Rune lied to her and hired fake parents for Summer to pretend to invite Rose to dinner together.


    "Really? Must be so nice to be them. Everyone wants to stay young," said Rose, looking very impressed.


    "It runs in the family," Rune commented lightly.


    He wasn''t lying. All his family members looked young since they were immortals. And Rose could be one of them too. Once she married him.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    When they arrive at the Medici''s house, Rune quickly knocked on the door and wait for the host to open it.


    "Heyy.. welcome!" Marie opened the door and welcome the guest with a broad smile.

 Chapter 979 - Dinner With Nicolae & Marie (2)

    When Rose saw Marie, the girl was stunned. She did not expect the mother of the teenage girl she had seen a few days ago in Central Park to look so young. Marie looked only a few years older than Rose.


    The girl became even more impressed when she saw Nicolae. The man came up to them with Summer clinging to his arm. There was no mistaking it, this couple is Summer''s parents.


    Ahh .. if only Summer didn''t look like her parents and was so attached to her father, Rose would think Rune was playing with her and hired people to claim to be the parents of this niece of his.


    "Welcome, Rose. We are delighted to meet you," said Marie pleasantly. She immediately took Rose inside and showed her around their house.


    The Medicis lived in a townhouse. It consisted of two levels and was quite spacious. Marie and Nicolae''s bedroom was located on the first floor together with the living room, kitchen, and dining room.


    They had a small library, lounge, Summer''s bedroom, and a guest room on the second floor. Lauriel used to stay in their spare bedroom when he was visiting them in New York.


    Near the terrace on the second floor was a workspace for Marie, who for the last few years had been returning to work as a cybersecurity consultant for her clients from around the world.


    In front of others, she claimed to be a writer. However, Marie was still doing her old profession. Even though she now didn''t need money at all, Marie wanted to keep working to continue to train her skills and keep up with the cybersecurity industry trends.


    In front of Rose, she claimed to be an aspiring writer struggling to finish her first novel. This was to clear Rose''s suspicion of her.


    After Marie finished inviting Rose to tour her house and look around, the two women then went down to the dining room to enjoy dinner.


    That evening Nicolae and Marie cooked some very delicious dishes for their guests. Nicolae, who used to live alone and take good care of himself, had been honing his cooking skills for decades and was able to indulge his wife and children with delicious food.


    Marie herself was not an idle woman. She also learned new recipes so she could cook Nicolae and Summer''s favorite dishes. So, if they invited guests to a dinner like this, they could both serve up an appetizing meal.


    Seeing some of the dishes served on the dining table, Rose and Rune looked at each other and gulped. Hehehe... their plan to empty their stomachs today was good. Now, they could eat a sumptuous dinner.


    "Let''s eat," said Nicolae, asking everyone to start eating. A variety of dishes ranging from entree, appetizer, main courses, and dessert was served with the appropriate wine pairing.


    "Jeez ... I feel like we''re eating in a fancy place. Everything is SO GOOD," said Rose with satisfaction. She looked at the couple with sparkling eyes. "Thank you so much for inviting me. The food is delicious, and I feel very welcomed here."


    "Ah .. you''re welcome, Rose. We are glad to meet you," said Marie, smiling broadly. She then turned to Rune, who was happy to see that Nicolae and Marie seemed to like Rose. "When will you take Rose to meet Aleksis and Alaric?"


    "In a few days," said Rune. He looked at Rose. "You don''t mind meeting my other family members, do you? I told you I have an older sister in New York."


    "Oh, that''s right.. I remember. She is the mother of your twin nephews?" asked Rose. "Of course, I don''t mind."


    "That''s right. I''ll talk to them to invite us to dinner," said Rune with a smile.


    Rose nodded. "Ahahaha .. that''s right. We can''t possibly invite them because we both can''t cook."


    Actually, the reason Rune didn''t want to invite Aleksis and Alaric to Rose''s apartment for dinner together was not the fact that she and Rose couldn''t cook, but because the apartment where Rose lived was too small and simple compared to the Linden family''s mansion.


    They could hire chefs to cook for them, but inviting the wealthiest people in the world to their humble place didn''t feel quite right.


    Ahh ... this made Rune think that he should have his own house. The Schneider family owned many properties in the states, particularly in New York. He just needed to choose which one he wanted to use.


    However, if he wanted to ask Rose to move into a big and luxurious new house, the girl would have wondered and confused since she thought he was a poor guy.


    Was it time for Rune to reveal his identity to Rose? It didn''t seem like he needed to hide the fact that his family was wealthy any longer. Rose came from an affluent family as well, and she was not a golddigger who only wanted other people''s wealth.


    Ahh ... Rune decided that he would tell Rose who he was as soon as Rose told him her true identity. That would make them on a level playing field. After they cleared that out, he would take Rose to look at all the Schneider family''s properties and decide which one they wanted to live in.


    He personally liked a house which was not too big but had a large yard and garden. It should be a beautiful home with plenty of shades and greenery, where their children would grow up and play happily.


    Ahh .. Rune really felt like his life changed 180 degrees after meeting Rose. Now, all he had in mind was how he would marry Rose and build a family with her.


    "What are you thinking about?" asked Rose, pinching Rune in the arm. The man chuckled and rubbed his arm. He pretended to gush in pain when Rose pinched his arm. "Nothing much. I was just thinking about something. It doesn''t really matter."


    Rose eyed Rune suspiciously, trying to read his thoughts. However, of course Rose couldn''t know what was in Rune''s heart. Not only did she not have that superpower to read people, but Rose also didn''t know Rune too well to guess what he was thinking.


    Nicolae and Marie watched the fake lovers'' interaction with a smile. They were delighted to see how much Rune was enamored by Rose. The man looked very happy to be with the girl.


    If Rose was the right girl for Rune, they would be very happy to accept this girl into their extended family.


    Dinner was delicious, and the atmosphere was warm as the hosts and their two guests chatted about pleasant matters.


    ***


    "What do you think about Nicolae and Marie?" Rune asked as he and Rose walked leisurely from the subway station to Rose''s apartment.


    The temperature at the end of this fall season was very cold. Even though Rose and Rune were already wearing their sweaters and coats, they still felt cold.


    When he saw her shivering slightly, Rune spontaneously took Rose''s hand and clasped it with his as they stepped out of the station and were hit by the cold air.


    Rose didn''t seem to mind the treatment. She was accustomed to walking while holding hands with a guy or girl friend.


    "Hmm ... Nicolae and Marie look so young. I can''t believe they are around 40," Rose commented in awe. "Now they and Summer look like they are siblings."


    "Hahaha .. yes, you are right. They are genetically blessed with good looks and youthful appearances. When we have dinner with Aleksis and Alaric in a few days, you can also see that my sister looks very young."


    Not only did Aleksis and Alaric have two teenage sons, but they also had two more children who were now a.d.u.l.ts.


    "That would be wonderful," said Rose, smiling. "Then I''ll invite you to meet my friends too. Do you remember George?"


    "Hmm ... George is one of your friends. He owns the apartment building we live in now?" Rune asked in confirmation.


    "That''s right. Well, George happens to be in New York next week. I''m going to invite some of my other friends over to have dinner together and introduce you to them," said Rose.


    .


    .


    >>>>>>>


    From the author:


    I am so, very sorry for the slow updates lately. I have been under the weather and feel awful (I feel like I just wanna sleep all day). I will be replacing the chapters as soon as I can. Thank you so much for your support. xx

 Chapter 980 - What Happened To Rose?

    ***


    "You want to introduce Rose to us?" asked Aleksis in a probing tone.


    That evening, Rune went to visit their mansion after he had worked all day at Aldebar''s laboratory in New Jersey. They were enjoying tea while talking about Rune and Rose''s progress. When Aleksis heard Rune plan to bring Rose to meet Aleksis and Alaric, she furrowed her brows. "Do you think this is the right time to do it?"


    "Well .. I believe there is nothing wrong with me starting to introduce my family members to her one by one. Rose is not from the lower class who will be intimidated by other people''s wealth," replied Rune. "I can feel comfortable taking her to meet you both."


    "That''s right," said Aleksis. "Besides, if she''s wondering about me, you can tell her that I''m just lucky to bag myself a rich husband ... hehehe."


    "Yes. I''m not going to introduce Alaric as Elios Linden. Your husband''s name will give away our identities immediately," said Rune with a laugh. "I don''t want to reveal my identity until Rose opens up to me about hers."


    "Hmm .. okay, if that''s what you want," said Aleksis, nodding. The beautiful woman pondered for a moment, and then she touched Rune''s arm. "I truly think Rose is a nice girl. I would love to see you happy when you find someone you like."


    Rune raised an eyebrow and asked," But? "


    He knew there must be something behind Aleksis'' attitude that made his sister suddenly look concerned. Was there something wrong with Rose that Aleksis knew but Rune didn''t?


    "What did she say to you when you first met?" Aleksis asked back instead of answering Rune''s question.


    "Hmm .. she said a lot of things." Rune shrugged. "Which one are you referring to? I don''t remember every single word she said."


    "Well.. Didn''t she say, if you can make her fall in love with you, she would be happy?" said Aleksis, staring deeply at Rune.


    Aleksis'' words made the man stunned.


    Did Aleksis know something about Rose''s past? Was it related to men?


    Hold on ...


    Rose said she did this to protect someone.


    Did she want to protect that man?


    Who was he? Why did Rose have to protect him?


    There were so many questions raging inside Rune''s mind. Now he was really tempted to find out who Rose really was.


    "If you investigated Rose now and you don''t give the girl a chance to open up to you on her own .. I think you''ll regret it, Rune," said Aleksis in a serious tone as she saw her brother''s curious expression. She kind of knew what Rune was thinking.


    "Why did you say that?" asked Rune. "Wouldn''t it be better if I back down now if I know all the facts and make the assessment and come to the conclusion that a relationship with her would never work out?"


    "Why did you come to the conclusion that your relationship with Rose is not going to work out?" asked Aleksis in puzzlement. "Rune, love is not a math equation. You cannot treat it that way. The only reason a relationship won''t work between you two is if one of you is already married. If that''s the case, I''ll be the first person to advise you not to pursue Rose. But that''s not what happened. Then why would you decide to quit before you even tried?"


    Aleksis has never seen her younger brother fall in love like this. Rune looked very cheerful and happy after he met Rose. Aleksis only wanted Rune to find his soulmate. That''s why, after she investigated Rose and found out about the girl''s background, Aleksis decided to support their relationship.


    But ... if Rune was deliberately investigating everything about Rose and making one-sided judgments, without giving the two of them a chance to interact more closely, then her brother might just back off. She didn''t think it would be fair to Rose.


    When Aleksis conveyed her point of view, Rune finally took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.


    "You''re right. I don''t think it''s fair that I have access to all sources of information and can find out everything about Rose, but she doesn''t have the same access," the man confirmed. He tapped his long fingers on the table, looking thoughtful. "Rose said she''s going to take me to see her friends this weekend, and in two weeks, we''ll see her family. I think I''ll just wait for that time to come."


    "Good idea," said Aleksis, smiling broadly. "Good luck."


    "Then when should I invite Rose to dinner here?" asked Rune.


    "I think before you meet her family, you and Rose can have dinner here so we can get to know each other. What do you think?" asked Aleksis.


    "Good idea. I''ll talk to Rose later."


    ***


    When Rune came home from the Lindens, he found Rose painting on the balcony. The girl was sitting on a bench facing a large canvas with a wooden easel, and her hand was holding a brush, covered in blue oil paint.


    Rune couldn''t recognize what kind of picture Rose was painting because it seemed the girl had scribbled the image on her canvas with blue paint until it was out of shape.


    "Hey .. Rose, why are you painting outside?" asked Rune anxiously. He walked over to Rose and touched her shoulder. "Isn''t it cold?"


    He gasped as he felt Rose''s shoulder shake lightly under the touch of his hand.


    "What happened to you?"


    When Rune walked over to Rose to see the girl''s expression, he was very surprised to find Rose''s beautiful eyes filled with tears.


    Rose looked up, and she was surprised when she realized Rune caught her crying. The girl hurriedly rubbed her wet eyes and shook her head, "I''ve got something in my eyes. Haha ... you think I''m crying, huh? I''m not, okay. Wow, you look so worried. That is so cute. Really, I''m fine. It''s quite dusty out here. They got into my eyes..."


    Rune frowned. At that moment, he could not believe that Rose was fine. Why did this girl want to hide that she was crying earlier? What made her so sad?


    "I''m not going to ask you anything, so don''t feel like you need to lie to me," Rune whispered understandingly. "You don''t have to tell me anything if you don''t want to."


    Rose was stunned at Rune''s words. At that moment, it felt as if the dam she had been holding back had finally burst and overflowed out. The girl nodded slowly and wiped her tears that kept streaming down hard. Even though she was really sad, she was also relieved because this man didn''t pressure her to say anything.


    "Thank you," said Rose. She looked at the brush in her hand and sighed. "I think I''ve done enough damage to one painting today. I''ll stop now."


    "I''ll clean up your painting gears. You can take a shower and clean yourself. Your face and clothes are full of paint splatters," said Rune with a chuckle, to break the ice. He took the brush from Rose''s hand and pushed her into the apartment. "Get in. It''s cold outside. You''ll catch a cold."


    Rose nodded and immediately disappeared into the apartment while Rune cleaned up the girl''s painting equipment. He felt that something had happened to Rose that made her very sad.


    Although he was very curious, Rune tried to hold back from asking Rose anything. He figured that Rose would just lie to him to avoid further questions, so why would he force her to talk?


    After he cleared their balcony and made hot tea in a pot for the two of them, Rune sat waiting for Rose in the living room, reading some news on the internet.


    Ah, Spacelab was about to launch their first commercial aircraft to the moon. He remembered that SpaceLab was a space exploration company that was initiated by Rhionen Industries, which was owned by his brother-in-law.


    After SpaceLab appointed a new leader two years ago, it had become so much more progressive. Every few months, Rune would read wonderful news coming from there. He believed that in no time, humanity would expand its reach to outer space.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR:


    I am so sorry for my slowness in replacing the contents in the privilege chapters. Apparently, all the insomnia I''ve been having for two years had taken its toll on me and I now got a stomach ulcer. It never happened before in my 40 years of time walking this earth, so I was actually quite shocked.


    Yesterday it was so bad that I was in so much pain. Today, I thought I was better but apparently not. I have to rest a lot and take medication. Since I don''t wanna die and leave my two young children to fend for themselves in the world, I now have to focus on my health and stop overworking myself.


    Thus, I decided to slow it down with writing until I get REALLY better. The stress of having to publish daily for several books added to my health problems.


    I am now begging you for your understanding if you see me still publish filler chapters for the next few days. I really want to go through December winning Win-Win event so this book could get features.


    You know how this book was overlooked for 22 months by (they just have too many books and this book was overlooked by accident), and now the only chance it could get featured was if this book goes through Win-win. Well, the only way to win Win-Win is by publishing 1500 words every day until Dec 31.


    I will slowly replace the contents after I recover. Please check back on December 15 to see if the contents are already replaced. I think they would be updated by then. Any chapters from now on with the sign X means it''s a filler chapter and once the content is updated, it will have the word "Updated" in the title, just like this chapter.


    Thank you so, so much for your understanding and support. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience in your reading p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. I hope to get better soon and I can resume writing actively again since this is something I love doing.

 Chapter 981 - Romantic Dinner With Rose (1)

    Rune remembered SpaceLab was the space exploration company initiated by Rhionen Industries, owned by his brother-in-law, Alaric, decades ago.


    After SpaceLab appointed a new leader in the year 2063, the company had become much more progressive. Every few months, Rune would read some wonderful news coming from there.


    Rune truly believed that in a short time, humankind would be able to start exploring outer space and leaving our solar system.


    Hmm .. he continued to read news after news with great interest and found one news that was quite interesting. The crown princess of the Moravian kingdom was rumored to be engaged to the Medion kingdom''s crown prince.


    He remembered that Moravia was a small kingdom in Central Europe. Several years ago, it became a headline in the news because the crown prince, who was supposed to ascend the throne to replace King Gustave, suddenly declared his resignation.


    The whole world was shocked by the news. For everyone, the position of the future king was very desirable. However, Prince Renald Hanenberg did not seem to care about it.


    He called a press conference and stated that he hated the royal family and did not want to be associated with them any longer.


    In his remarks at the press conference, journalists and the general public were all shocked by Prince Renald''s allegations that the royal family had forced his mother to marry a rapist.


    However, because his mother, Princess Hannah, refused the betrothal, her marriage to the prince''s biological father was not acknowledged by the court.


    This news shocked both Moravia and its neighboring countries in Europe. King Gustave was in shock at this news and subsequently had a heart attack.


    Before he passed away, the old king had signed a constitutional change. In the past, only the male heirs had the right to the throne, but with this change, now, female descendants also had the same claim.


    The old king had to sign the constitutional change because the Hanenberg family no longer had direct male descendants other than Prince Renald, who had resigned from his position as the crown prince and chose to give up his aristocratic status to become a commoner.


    After King Gustave died, his eldest granddaughter, Princess Caroline, was crowned the queen of Moravia.


    The new queen had a daughter who automatically became the crown princess after the coronation.


    "She is very young, huh .." Rune commented while examining the photo of the young couple. The Medion crown prince looked very handsome and impressive, while Moravia''s princess was beautiful and graceful.


    He wondered if this couple was arranged to be married or if they actually loved each other. They looked good together, but still too young to marry, Rune thought.


    He then coughed to himself when he remembered that Rose and Princess Anne of Moravia were not all that different in age and that he had imagined marrying Rose.


    "You must not have double standards, Rune," scolded Rune to himself. He then turned to the stairs and wondered whether Rose had finished showering or not.


    Ahh ... he could only ask himself why Rose was crying earlier today.


    ***


    Half an hour later, Rose walked down the stairs from the loft to meet Rune, who was sitting leisurely in their living room.


    "I''m hungry," said the girl.


    Rune looked at his watch. It''s 7 pm. It is time for dinner. He guessed that Rose hadn''t had time to eat lunch earlier because when Rune left, the girl was just starting to paint.


    When he returned, Rose was still on the balcony with her painting kit. This means that she hadn''t had time to go out to get food.


    She must be very hungry.


    "Let''s eat out," said Rune. "My treat. I just got money."


    Rose stared at Rune for a long time. She still didn''t know that Rune was the son of one of the wealthiest families in the world. She didn''t have the heart to let Rune spend money to treat her. She was able to pay for the food herself.


    "I don''t want you to waste money," said the girl. "Hey .. if you want to treat me because you think I''m sad and you want to console me .. I really appreciate it. But .. really, that''s not necessary."


    "I''m not going to treat you because I want to console you, really ... "said Rune quickly. "I''m in the mood to eat good food today. That''s all. "


    " ... "


    "Think of it as going on a date with me. What do you think? As a good boyfriend, I want to take you to a nice date spot, the one worthy of a girl as beautiful and as attractive as you ..." Rune walked over, grabbed Rose''s hand, and then closed the distance between them. His face and the girl''s face were very close from each other.


    Rose batted her lashes in shock when she saw Rune''s actions.


    "You ..." She could not continue her words.


    She didn''t mind it, though. She was actually happy because Rune did not exaggerate the incident where she was crying earlier.


    "So?" Rune looked closely at Rose. "Will you go out on a date with me?"


    Rose smiled broadly. "I''d love that."


    "Good. I''ve booked a place for us, "said Rune happily." I''ll shower quickly and change clothes. "


    He pecked Rose''s cheek and immediately ran to the bathroom before she could protest.


    After he arrived in the bathroom, Rune immediately called St. Laurent Hotel''s general manager and booked the most exclusive table in their fancy restaurant.


    Once he made the reservation. Rune immediately showered and got dressed neatly. As a man, he did not take long to get ready. In ten minutes or so, he already walked cheerfully into the living room and met Rose.


    "Come on, let''s go," he said, smiling broadly.


    "Where do you want to take me?" asked Rose, as she rose from her chair.


    "Somewhere nice. My lovely sister has a connection with the manager of one of the best restaurants in the city," said Rune while holding Rose with his right hand.


    Rose did not reject Rune''s sweet treatment because she was used to getting along with male and female friends who would treat her nicely too.


    "We''ll go there by car, "said Rune as he opened up the lobby door for Rose while his left hand was still holding the girl. When they arrived at the front of the building, they saw a luxury car in black was waiting for them. Rune quickly explained, "My sister sent the driver to pick us up."


    The luxury vehicle and the driver was indeed sent by Aleksis when Rune told her that he wanted to invite Rose to eat in a fancy place to comfort the sad girl.


    At first, Rose was stunned when she saw such a luxurious vehicle. She turned to Rune, frowning.


    "Is your sister rich?"


    Rune nodded. "She married a very wealthy man. They stay in a mansion in Manhattan. "


    Manhattan was the most expensive location in New York and they had a mansion??? Rose couldn''t believe her own hearing.


    "Ahh ... " Rose stared at Rune''s appearance, who still looked simple. She nodded to herself. Rune must be a simple man who didn''t rely on nepotism and made his older sister pay for his lifestyle.


    Rose saw so many people from the upper class who marry a girl from the lower class and experience many problems. Usually, the girl''s family would try to take advantage of the husband''s family''s wealth and got something out of it.


    His clothes were also always simple, and there was nothing expensive in his closet. This was the first time Rune used his older sister''s family car, and that''s because his sister offered her.


    "My sister is very supportive of our relationship. She said I should treat you well and take you to eat at a good restaurant," said Rune with a laugh. "So, if you''ve decided to raise my status from a fake boyfriend to a real boyfriend, I will definitely be the best lover you ever had. "


    .


    .


    >>>>


    From the author:


    Thank you so, so much for your patience. The chapters with the tag "Updated" in them means the content is already replaced.


    The ones with "X" are still filler chapters. I hope to replace all the contents a soon as possible.

 Chapter 982 - Romantic Dinner With Rose (2)

    "My sister is very supportive of our relationship. She said I should treat you well and take you to a good restaurant," said Rune with a laugh. "So, if you''ve decided to raise my status from a fake boyfriend to a real one, I will definitely be the best boyfriend you ever had."


    Rose''s beautiful eyes went round when she heard Rune''s words that he uttered so nonchalantly. She really did not expect that this serious-looking man could easily say things like he was a pickup artist.


    However, Rose did not feel that she was facing a pickup artists nor a scammer. This man''s attitude was so casual that it made her feel relaxed. Slowly, the cloud in her heart subsided and was replaced by warmth.


    "Okay, then." in the end, Rose could only smile.


    Both enjoyed the ride by the luxury car to the St. Laurent Hotel New York. It was one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. As soon as Rune and Rose got out of the car, the hotel GM immediately came to greet the two of them with great respect.


    "Good evening, Sir. Madame already informed us of your arrival," said the GM with a warm smile. "I''ll accompany you to the restaurant."


    "Thank you, Mr. Cellini," said Rune. He took Rose by the hand and walked after the GM. The man winked at the beautiful girl as he said. "Look how supportive my sister of our relationship. She even called this place to make sure they serve us well. Tonight, we are going to eat at The Lily."


    Rose nodded. She was very impressed. She knew how exclusive this hotel was. Everything in it was so luxurious and getting a reservation at The Lily was no easy feat.


    "Next week, we''ll have dinner at that restaurant too," Rose said in a half-whispered voice to Rune as they exited the elevator on the 50th floor and walked down the all-blue accented hallway to the restaurant at the very end. "I had to make a reservation two weeks in advance. How did your sister make the reservation for us at the last minute?"


    "My sister knows the owner very well. So, it''s easy for her to pull some string and ask for favors," Rune chuckled. "Our family name is similar to the hotel owner, don''t you realize that?"


    Rose shook her head. "Really?"


    She furrowed her brows and thought about it for a few seconds. Realization immediately dawned on her. "Wait.. you do share the same family name as the Schneiders. I just realized that. Does it really help, having the same last name as them?"


    Rune nodded vigorously. "It does. The proof is, my sister can get along well with the Schneiders, and they consider her family."


    D''uh. Of course, she was considered family..


    "So lucky," Rose commented. "I wish I know you sooner so I can use your sister''s connection... hahahaha. I actually wanted to have dinner with my friends here the day after tomorrow, but the restaurant only had availability next week."


    "Oh really? Do you want me to ask my sister if she can talk to the owner and change your reservation?" asked Rune. He was secretly happy that Rose had chosen a restaurant in his family''s hotel for dinner with her friends later.


    Rose shrugged. "Ah, there is no need to bother your sister for that. I already made the reservation and my friends were notified and made plans. It''s all good. We''ll have fun."


    "I see," Rune nodded. "Well, if you need a reservation at this restaurant again, you just have to tell me. I''ll ask my sister for help."


    "Thank you."


    Rose stared at Rune intently and was suddenly curious how this man''s sister could rub elbows with the Schneiders to get such privilege. Having the same last name as the rich and famous people usually didn''t mean anything. Unless she could enter the upper-class with her husband''s connection.


    "Who is your sister actually married to?" Finally, Rose asked curiously. She nodded at the GM, who led them to the best table on the outside terrace and then invited them to sit down. A waiter swiftly opened a chair for Rose and then Rune.


    "Enjoy your dinner, Sir and Madame. Please let the manager here know if there you need anything," he said respectfully.


    "Thank you, Mr. Cellini," said Rune, nodding slightly. He then sat across from Rose and waited for the waiter to open napkins for both of them.


    "You''re welcome, Sir. Bon appetit!"


    After the GM left and the waiter put the napkins on their l.a.p.s, Rose and Rune began to check the menu handed to them. Rune only took a few seconds to figure out what he wanted. He had memorized the menu in various restaurants owned by his family''s hotels.


    Meanwhile, Rose, who had only been living in New York for a few months and had never been to The Lily, was still reading the wide selection of dishes she was interested in.


    "You already know what you want?" asked Rose, amazed. She didn''t expect Rune to look so relaxed at such a fancy restaurant.


    Rune nodded. "My sister brought me here once. I will just order the dishes she recommended. They are all so good. I don''t want to bother checking the others."


    "Oh, is that so?" Rose nodded in understanding.


    She was still checking the menu for a few minutes, and then elegantly handed the menu to the waiter and mentioned her order. Using fluent French, she said everything she wanted for dinner, from entree and starter to the main courses and dessert.


    Rune was amazed to see Rose''s graceful attitude. Ahh, what a classy girl, he thought.


    He didn''t care at all if Rose came from a poor family. For him, wealth was not at all important. However, seeing how elegant and classy Rose was, Rune couldn''t help but feel impressed.


    Rose was the only girl he met who was so attractive, elegant, looked so humble and approachable, and she gave the impression of being adventurous. She also had many exciting stories.


    In essence, Rose was perfect.


    And Rune was crazy about her.


    Rune then mentioned his order. Before the waiter asked what drinks they wanted to order, Rose grabbed Rune''s hand and whispered to him.


    "Ssshh... how about dinner this time I''ll just pay?" asked the girl.


    Rune shook his head. "No need. I told you, I just got some money and I can also get a big discount when eating here because my sister knows the owner."


    Rose took a deep breath. "I''m in the mood for some expensive champagne. If you pay, you''ll go broke."


    "Champagne?" Rune was stunned.


    Usually, people drank champagne to celebrate something. What did Rose want to celebrate tonight?


    Wait.. wasn''t tonight their first real date? Then, this was worthy of celebration, wasn''t it?


    The blind date where they first met happened at a very average cafe, and Rune wasn''t ready either. At that time he came only to fulfill a promise to his nephews and niece. That was... not special.


    "That''s right," said Rose. "I know champagne is very expensive. So let me pay for our dinner this time. You can treat me tomorrow. I know you want to cheer me up. But I don''t want to bankrupt you."


    Rune shook his head. His lips curved up to a happy smile. "This is our first real date. It''s something to celebrate. We will order the best champagne in this restaurant. For you, only the best!"


    He turned to the waiter who was looking at him with a slightly confused expression. He had caught some words that Rose whispered to Rune. The girl offered to pay for their dinner because she was afraid the handsome man across from her would go broke.


    Go broke? How was that possible? Even if they ordered all the most expensive champagne in every restaurant in New York, there was no way that Young Master from the Schneider family would go broke. Hehe ..


    "You''re so stubborn, huh," said Rune with a laugh. "Tell you what. How about we settle this with rock - paper - scissors. The winner can pay."


    Reluctantly, Rose finally nodded. They reached out their hands and played rock - scissors - paper. The winner will be allowed to pay.


    After three rounds, Rune won.

 Chapter 983 - Rose Drinks Too Much

    "It must be the sign from the universe that I have to pay for this dinner," said Rune with a laugh. He then mentioned special champagne from a certain year, which according to his father, was one of the best champagne in the world and very rare.


    "I would like to have Krug 1995 Clos D''Ambonnay," said Rune with a wink.


    Rose suddenly hiccupped when she heard what he ordered. This was one of the most expensive and popular champagne brands for a romantic dinner.


    Gosh .. this man in front of her was trying too hard to impress her.


    "Ssshh .. you just won the lottery or what? Why order such expensive champagne?" whispered Rose. "I was just going to order regular Moet Chandon."


    Rune nodded. "You could say that. Don''t talk too loud. We just have to eat and drink. Anyway, tonight, what Rose wants, Rose gets."


    Rune did feel like he just won a lottery by meeting his soul mate. The perfect girl that made him fall head over heels.


    Rose shook her head and muttered. "Gosh .. how wasteful."


    However, since she had already lost, the girl said no more and let the man pay. The two of them sat chatting lightly while enjoying the bread and sparkling water available on the table while waiting for the waiter to bring their food and drinks.


    "Good evening, Sire and Madame. This is your bottle of champagne. Shall I pour it now?" asked the sommelier, who had just arrived with a bottle of champagne in a metal bucket filled with ice.


    Rose and Rune nodded simultaneously. The sommelier showed the bottle to Rune so that the man could check the authenticity of the bottle. After Rune nodded in satisfaction, the sommelier unscrewed the cork and poured some into his glass.


    Rune twirled the glass slowly, then sipped the champagne the sommelier had just poured. He nodded again. Only then did the sommelier fill his glass and Rose''s glass with champagne.


    "Enjoy it, Sire and Madame. Your entree and appetizer will be here soon," he said, placing the bucket of ice and champagne in the center of the table. He then excused himself back into the restaurant.


    "Let''s toast for our first date," said Rune, raising his glass.


    Rose frowned at the man''s words.


    "This is not our first date," argued the girl. "You forgot we met for the first time at a cafe in the East Village for a blind date?"


    "I remember," said Rune, nodding. "But that doesn''t count."


    "Why?"


    "Because at that time I did not think I would like you. At that time, I was just .." The man went silent. He almost revealed that it was actually his niece and nephews who spoke to Rose for two weeks on the online dating app before they actually met.


    Rose could get angry when she found out about that. Even though it was not too bad, she would still feel cheated or being lied to.


    Ahh, Rune shouldn''t take any risk.


    Finally, the man shook his head. "Okay, that''s the first date. But this is our serious first date."


    Rose laughed at Rune''s words. "It''s up to you then."


    They clinked glasses and sipped their respective champagne.


    Ahh, it really tasted good. Rune did not regret choosing one of the most expensive champagne for tonight''s dinner. For him, Rose deserved the best.


    They enjoyed champagne with the bread on the table. One by one, the dishes they ordered came, and the two of them began to enjoy dinner. The atmosphere felt so pleasant, and Rose seemed more talkative that night.


    Maybe it''s because she drank a lot too, thought Rune. Even though the girl seemed to be smiling and chattering about everything, however, for some reason, Rune felt that Rose was actually very sad.


    Her smile did not reach her eyes, and several times she seemed to be holding back her tears.


    What''s the matter with Rose? Rune could only wonder.


    They ate and drank happily, and throughout the dinner, Rune kept an eye on Rose. She kept asking her glass to be refilled.


    "Rose .. you''ve drunk quite a lot," Rune reminded Rose gently when the girl once again raised her glass, about to ask the waiter to refill it.


    "I never get drunk in front of you, right? I always hold back and act like a lady. But tonight, I am feeling so miserable. So, please...let me be like this .. just this once," said Rose, biting her lower lip. For some reason, even though Rose looked sad, when she bit her lip, she looked very s.e.xy and inviting.


    Rune gulped and finally nodded. He had a feeling that he would never be able to refuse Rose''s request if this girl looked at him with those glazed puppy eyes and bit her lower lip, looking so s.e.xy and fragile at the same time.


    Tonight, what Rose wants, Rose gets.


    Anyway, when Rune realized Rose had drunk too much and looked like she was already tipsy, it was Rune who must hold back. He thought at least one of them should keep a clear head.


    He could understand that Rose was having a problem and wanted to release her anxiety by drinking a lot, get drunk, and lose herself. However, Rune wasn''t having any problems, right? So he had no reason to get drunk like her.


    Finally, the man raised his hand and refused as the waiter was about to refill his glass with champagne as well.


    "I will just have coffee, please," he said to the waiter.


    "Yes, Sir," said the waiter respectfully. The man put the nearly empty champagne bottle in the ice bucket. He immediately went into the kitchen to bring the coffee that Rune ordered.


    Soon, he returned with a cup of coffee. Rune accepted the coffee and thanked him.


    "How''s the food?" asked Rune after the waiters cleared their desserts.


    Rose smiled broadly. "The food is so delicious. Now, I know why The Lily is so famous."


    "I''m glad you like the food," said Rune. He was happy because Rose was enjoying their dinner. Rune hoped that whatever it was today that made Rose sad, would go away and she could smile again.


    "Hmm ... I''m so full," said Rose, putting her glass on the table. Her eyes that were sad an hour ago now seemed to sparkle. "Let us go home."


    "Okay." Rune immediately got up from her chair and helped Rose up.


    "My head is dizzy," Rose whimpered as she hugged Rune and leaned her head against the man''s c.h.e.s.t.


    Rune''s heart suddenly palpitated. Rose hugged him and clung to him just like that. He could feel the girl''s soft b.r.e.a.s.ts against his c.h.e.s.t. Rune unconsciously gulped.


    "Come on ... let''s go home now ..." the man stammered. He pushed Rose a little to stand upright and get away from him, but the girl staggered and almost fell. "Heyy .. hey ... Ouch ..."


    Rune quickly caught Rose''s body before she fell.


    "Gosh .. what''s wrong with you, Rose?"


    "I-I''m okay," whispered Rose. But the girl closed her eyes and went to sleep.


    Gosh .. Rose seemed okay earlier, and now she just slept? Was she really like this when she was drunk? Rune felt so confused.


    "Do you need help?" asked the waiter to Rune. The man shook his head.


    He looked around and found other guests around them who all seemed to be from the upper classes, watching him and Rose and whispering about them.


    Surely, they were gossiping that a girl like Rose who got drunk in a high-end restaurants like this must not be from the upperclass. Usually, high class people would know how to carry themselves well.


    Ah, Rune really didn''t care about that. He lifted Rose''s body, who had fallen asleep, and took her out of the restaurant.


    As he walked across the various tables to the exit, Rune heard the whispers of several people.


    "Hey .. they didn''t pay for the dinner?"


    "Could this be their trick to avoid paying?"


    "Are they scammers wanting to eat for free?"


    Rune just rolled his eyes at the gossip from around him. He carried Rose in his arms and thanked the waiter, who opened the door for him.


    "Gosh, Rose .. if you can''t drink a lot, why did you drink all the champagne?" whispered Rune.


    He remembered earlier that he only drank two small glasses, and the rest was consumed by Rose.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    Thank you so much for your patience. This week I got a severe stomach ulcer and the pain came and went every day. I couldn''t write much, no matter how much I wanted to. I have got all the words in my head and I only need to put them into writing.


    I am taking medication, but there are days when the pain came back and lasted for 10-12 hours, leaving me unable to do anything. I will do my best to keep writing every chance I get to replace the contents in the next chapter.

 Chapter 984 - Who Is Leon?

    Rune observed Rose''s face, which looked flushed. The girl muttered something, then snuck her head on the Rune''s c.h.e.s.t. The action she did unconsciously made Rune''s c.h.e.s.t pound even harder.


    He had to look away to avoid temptation. Rose''s beautiful face looked so alluring. Oh my God .. this is so hard, thought Rune as he swallowed hard.


    He nodded at the elevator attendant, who opened the door for him and pressed the button for the elevator to the ground floor.


    "Should I get a car for you, Sir?" asked the elevator attendant, who didn''t know who Rune was. The man shook his head.


    "No need. Our car is waiting in front of the lobby," he replied.


    "Eh?" The attendant was stunned to hear that. No cars were allowed to park in front of the lobby because it would interfere with the flow of traffic in and out of vehicles.


    At most, they could only stop there for five minutes to drop off passengers or pick up guests leaving the hotel. The officer repeatedly glanced at them and tried to pay attention to the two of them.


    He wanted to ask another hotel staff, who was the distinguished guest he was assisting. The man must be someone really important that his car was allowed to be parked in front of this lobby. The attendant was really curious.


    "Come in, Sir," said the driver, who immediately opened the car door for Rune.


    His expression did not change at all when he saw Rune arrive carrying his date. Although the driver had never seen Rune in that situation before, he was used to not getting into his master''s business.


    Rune carefully placed Rose''s body on the back seat. He came in and sat down, then put the girl''s head on his l.a.p.


    "Let''s go back to the East Village," said Rune to the driver.


    "Yes, Sir."


    The car immediately went out of the St. Laurent''s courtyard and move toward Rose''s apartment building in the East Village. Along the way, Rune stroked Rose''s hair. It felt so soft in his hand.


    Hmm .. what on earth made Rose so sad today?


    ***


    DING


    The elevator doors opened, and Rune walked up straight with Rose in his arms. He stopped at the door and struggled with one hand to open the door, carrying the girl.


    "Where are we?" Rose opened one eye as they arrived inside Rose''s unit.


    "Sssh .. we are home," said Rune. He was really tempted to kiss Rose. The girl''s hair smelled so good, and it filled his nostrils as they were in such close proximity.


    "Hmm ..." Rose nodded and closed her eyes again.


    Rune let out a deep breath. After he closed the door again, the man walked up the stairs to the loft where Rose''s room was located. With every step he took toward the room, his c.h.e.s.t was pounding harder.


    He had never been up to this room after that one time when Rose invited him to tour this apartment and the girl showed the contents. Ahh .. why did he feel so excited, huh?


    After he arrived at the loft, Rune immediately laid Rose on her bed. As soon as her body touched the bed, Rose''s beautiful eyes opened again. This time, she stared right at Rune.


    THUMP


    THUMP


    Uff, please don''t look at me like this, Rose, thought Rune. His c.h.e.s.t puffed up as if it was filled with hot air to the brim.


    Rose''s right hand touched Rune''s cheek and rubbed it gently.


    Unconsciously, the man closed his eyes, enjoying the touch of Rose''s hand on his face. Ahh .. the girl''s hand was so soft, and her touch was extremely gentle.


    When Rune was closing his eyes, Rose, who was drunk and unable to control herself, pulled Rune''s face closer, and suddenly their lips met.


    The kiss from Rose felt so soft and sweet on his lips. Ohh ... Rune had never felt this thumping on his c.h.e.s.t before.


    Spontaneously he hugged Rose and returned the kiss. They claimed each other lips passionately, and soon it went into a deep french kiss.


    It felt so, so good. Their breath started panting, and d.e.s.i.r.e engulfed the two humans. Rune badly wanted to undress Rose and entered her, but fortunately, his clear mind still took control. The man knew that if he followed his l.u.s.t, he would regret this action the next morning.


    He didn''t want Rose to be angry with him and think he was taking advantage of her when she was drunk. No. He wouldn''t want to risk his chance with her.


    Therefore, with great difficulty, Rune finally broke away from Rose.


    "You''re not in your clear mind, Rose ..." Rune whispered. He briefly kissed Rose''s lips one more time before reluctantly taking his body away from her. "Later, if you want to do it when you are fully sober, I will be happy to p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e you .. I will make you satisfied and happy ..."


    Rose seemed not to understand what Rune said. The girl pursed her lips and hit the Rune on the shoulder. "You don''t want to kiss me?"


    Her voice was hoarse and sounded sad.


    "You''re drunk," whispered Rune. He brushed Rose''s hair and gently pushed her shoulders so that she lay on the bed. "You better sleep now. Tomorrow I will make hangover soup for you. Now you must rest..."


    When Rune was about to get up and took the duvet to cover Rose''s body, suddenly, his hand was gripped firmly by the girl.


    "Leon ..." Rose''s eyes were filled with tears again. "I don''t know how I''m going to keep on pretending."


    Rune was stunned at Rose''s words just now. He seemed struck by lightning in the middle of the day. Who was this Leon that Rose meant?


    Did Rose love him?


    The man''s throat suddenly felt dry, and he even had difficulty swallowing. He remembered that Rose had said that she wanted to make Rune her fake boyfriend to protect someone.


    Was the person she wanted to protect this Leon?


    What happened exactly? What was the relationship between Rose and Leon?


    Finally, Rune decided to find out more from Rose, while the girl was drunk and would tell the truth.


    "Rose Honey, why do you feel like you have to keep pretending?" Rune asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Isn''t pretending tiring?"


    Rose pursed her lips and nodded sadly. Tears slowly rolled down her eyes.


    "It''s tiring ... and I can''t take it anymore," whispered Rose very sadly. "I want to stop loving you. I want to go as far away from you and never have to see you again ..."


    She then buried her face in his hands. The girl then sobbed.


    Rune was stunned to see Rose in that condition. The man really did know what to do. He was now convinced that Rose did have a relationship with this man named Leon. Maybe they broke up, and now Rose had to go away? Or maybe Rose''s love was one-sided?


    Rune could only look at Rose, who was sobbing. His mind was in a mess. Rune was in conflict within himself. Should he just investigate who Rose really was and get over this? If he knew what really happened, then he would be able to make an informed decision.


    Rose had been an enigma to him for the past week, and her behavior today was especially bothering Rune.


    It was very difficult for the man to decide how he should handle her if he did not know what made Rose like this.


    "Leon ... I-I will forget about you... sobs... I''ve decided that I will marry a poor and simple man. Because you know what ...? Wealth and status are not important.... sobs.. They are NOTHING..."


    Rose''s words between her sobs stunned Rune.


    What did she say just now? Rose will marry a poor and simple man? Who? Was Rose hanging out with other men aside from Rune?


    Jeez ...


    Wasn''t she too young to even think about marriage? And.. what about Rune? Didn''t Rose give him a year to be her fake boyfriend? Why was she suddenly talking about marrying someone else now?


    Who was that poor and simple man?


    Rune had been living together with Rose for almost one month now, and it was very pleasant. They could get to know each other, and so far, Rune had never seen her talk to other men.


    Wait, did she mean... Rune?

 Chapter 985 - The Poorer, The Better

    The man looked at Rose with rounded eyes. He didn''t want to harbor hope, but he couldn''t help it. He really liked this girl. In fact, arguably, he experienced love at first sight when he saw Rose at the cafe in East Village that night.


    When Rose turned and looked at him, it all happened like a slow-motion film. At that moment, he suddenly knew and was sure that this girl was the one he had been waiting for all his life.


    He was never attracted to any woman, no matter how beautiful and smart they were. However, as soon as he saw Rose and then interacted with her ... it felt so right, and everything just clicked.


    After he and Rose lived together and spent so much time getting to know each other, his feelings for her became even stronger and unstoppable.


    So .. if Rose was talking about him, as a poor and simple man that she wanted to marry, whatever the reason, Rune felt so happy.


    He didn''t care if Rose had a relationship with a man named Leon. Whether it was a love relationship that had ended, or if Rose''s feelings were one-sided, Rune was not bothered by it. To him, they were all insignificant.


    The important thing was, Rose wanted to marry him. Rune believed that if given the opportunity, he would make Rose fall in love with him.


    Uh .. wait a minute. Why was he thinking this far? Yes, Rose did say that she wanted to marry a poor and simple man, but she didn''t necessarily say that it was him.


    Rune swallowed hard and scolded himself. Right now, he had to think about Rose, who was clearly sad. Wasn''t he trying to figure out just now what had made Rose so sad that she wanted to drown her sorrow with so much champagne?


    As Rose''s future husband, Rune must be able to take care of his wife well. Therefore, Rune had to talk to Rose and find out what was in her heart.


    "Rose, honey ... you said earlier that you can''t pretend anymore. You''re right. You shouldn''t pretend. Pretending is tiring. Right now, you can just open up to me. Do you love Leon?" asked Rune in a soft voice.


    He must find out who this Leon was.


    Rose nodded, and her tears streamed down again. "I do. I do love you, Leon ... and I only want what''s best for you."


    Seeing Rose''s deep sorrow, Rune felt like his heart was being torn apart. He could see how deep was Rose''s feelings towards the man she called Leon. On the one hand, Rune did feel jealous, but on the other hand, he felt very sorry to see Rose so sad.


    "If you loved Leon ... why don''t you get back together with him?" Rune asked gently. Even though he really liked Rose, maybe he had even fallen in love with her, it seemed he would prefer to step back and let Rose return to Leon if it would make her happy.


    Seeing Rose looking so sad made Rune feel heartbroken. He hated seeing her in tears. Oh, she looked so pretty when she was happy and in a good mood.


    Rose shook her head, despondently. "I can''t go back to you, Leon, because ... because you care more about status and wealth..."


    Rune was stunned by Rose''s statement. Did Leon come from a much more affluent and more respected circle than Rose''s family and he considered the girl was not worthy of him?


    If so, then Leon was such a jerk!


    Now, Rune really wanted to teach the man a lesson by showing that he, who was the youngest son of one of the wealthiest families in the world, did not care about Rose'' status and wealth.


    He couldn''t imagine any other family that was more powerful and richer than his family. So, Rune would be the right person to teach a man like Leon, who was so full of himself that he looked down on Rose just because she was not his equal.


    "If Leon is more concerned with status and wealth, then you have to show him that you¡ª


    Before Rune finished his words, Rose had interrupted him.


    "I will show him that status and wealth are NOT IMPORTANT. I will show that I am happy with just a poor and simple man. The poorer, the better."


    Rune hiccupped at Rose''s words. Jeez. Rose would actually do the opposite of what he thought.


    At first, Rune wanted to suggest to Rose to teach Leon a lesson. Since Leon was so crazy about status and wealth, she could find a man who was much wealthier and more powerful than him. Someone like Rune Schneider.


    However, Rose''s mind worked in the opposite direction. The girl wanted to show Leon that she would be happy with a poor man.


    In that case, this meant that if Rune wanted to get Rose, he simply had to keep acting poor. He couldn''t claim to be the youngest child of the wealthy Schneider family.


    Rose was looking for a poor man. She was even willing to marry the man. The poorer, the better.


    Subconsciously, Rune massaged his forehead. Everything that happened tonight was so confusing.


    Did this mean .. he had to keep his disguise as a poor person in order to be with Rose?


    Rune looked at the girl who was sobbing and he swallowed hard.


    Okay. What Rose wants, Rose gets. He repeated his mantra for the night.


    It was not difficult for Rune to keep pretending to be poor.


    "Well, if that''s what you want. You better marry a good man who will treat you with love and respect. Someone who only wants to make you happy. Wealth, power, and status are all meaningless," said Rune with understanding. "You made the right choice."


    He kissed Rose on the forehead and tapped her on the shoulder. Ahh ... He thought he had obtained enough information tonight. He didn''t want to make Rose feel sad if they kept talking about Leon.


    He decided to stop there and wait for what happened the next morning. He was happy enough that Rose actually thought about marrying him.


    Maybe they were truly fated. If, for example, Rose met another poor man who wasn''t as kind or responsible as Rune, perhaps she wouldn''t feel happy because the man didn''t treat her well.


    Rose''s intention to take revenge on Leon by showing that she was happy with a poor and simple man would only backfire on her.


    "W-wait ..." Rose suddenly pressed her lips, and her face turned pale.


    "Uh .. what''s wrong with you, Rose? Are you okay?" Rune became worried when he saw Rose coughing and pressing her lips. Before he could do anything to help her, the girl leaned down on the bed and puked.


    "Rose !!"


    Rune panicked. He had never experience handling a drunk girl before. Jeez ... now Rose''s clothes, the duvet, pillows, and sheet were all dirty with vomit.


    He couldn''t let her sleep in her own vomit.


    But it was oh so disgusting.


    Rune didn''t have time to even think about how disgusting it was to clean up someone''s vomit. His mind went into panic mode because he suddenly thought about how he should change her clothes and clean her up.


    Should he call a maid from the Linden''s home to help him? But it''s almost midnight.


    He would be so heartless to call anyone at this hour to help him clean up a drunk girl and the bed filled with vomit.


    "Come on, Rune. It''s partly your fault too. You took her to dinner and bought the champagne. You let her drown her sadness in alcohol. You should take responsibility," Rune scolded himself.


    Weirdly enough, Rose went back to sleep again, as if nothing happened.


    Finally, after he was at war with himself for a few minutes, Rune decided to get a warm wet towel from the bathroom and cleaned up Rose''s body from her vomit.


    "I''m sorry... I am not a pervert.. I have to do this," Rune whispered over and over again, as he took off Rose''s clothes so he could wash her up.


    Gently and with great care, he wiped Rose''s body clean. He then carried the girl to the small couch next to her bed and helped her get into fresh pajamas.

 Chapter 986 - Thank You, Rune

    After Rose put on clean pajamas and her body also no longer smelled of vomit, Rune immediately carried the girl down to the first floor and headed into the living room.


    He sat Rose in the chair, leaning against the back of the chair, and then he opened the sofa that had been his bed and turned it into a sofabed


    After tidying the bed off the sofa and making it comfortable, he then lifted Rose''s body and laid her there carefully.


    Rune made sure Rose sleep comfortably and put on a warm blanket before he returned to the loft and cleaned Rose''s vomit-soiled bed.


    Uff ... in his entire life, Rune had never done any physical work, let alone heavy and dirty like now. He was the son of one of the wealthiest families in the world.


    In his family home, there were always dozens of staff who took care of everything. Because of this, Rune wasn''t very good at cleaning.


    However, he tried to clean up all the mess that had happened so that when Rose woke up the next day, their apartment was clean, and she didn''t have to feel ashamed of being drunk and vomiting.


    Holding back his disgust, Rune cleaned the bed and took off the dirty sheets, then removed all the pillowcases and put them in the washing machine. After that, he used a wet towel to rub everything clean.


    Two hours later, he finally finished cleaning the loft where Rose''s bedroom was located. Rune ended the job by spraying an air freshener to give a fresh atmosphere.


    "Hoaaahhhemm ..." Unconsciously, he yawned many times. Apparently, it was almost 2 am. No wonder he was very sleepy. Apart from it being very late at night, the man was also very tired from doing all the hard work.


    Cleaning was not an easy job. If it''s just tidying up an apartment, he still could do it, but the cleaning job he was doing tonight was more than just tidying up.


    Ahh .. his body felt so tired and sleepy. He looked at Rose''s bed which was still wet after he cleaned it with the wet towel earlier.


    Then, where should he sleep now? Usually, he would sleep on the sofabed on the first floor, but now that Rose slept there, Rune had no more place to go.


    Did he have to sleep on the floor?


    Rune let out a long sigh again.


    Ahh ... He hoped Rose wouldn''t blame him and think of him as a pervert if Rune joined the girl on the sofabed. After all, wasn''t the sofabed HIS place to sleep? You could say, Rose was the one who was crashing on his place, and not the other way around.


    Before he closed his eyes, Rose turned to the side and saw Rose''s face, who was sleeping peacefully.


    Ahh .. he felt relieved when Rose looked like this again. His heart ached when he saw Rose so sad and shedding tears earlier that night.


    Hm ... inwardly, Rune hoped that this girl''s pretty face would be the first thing he saw every morning he woke up, and the last thing he saw before going to sleep.


    "Rose ... will you to marry me?" whispered Rune. He looked at the girl closely and was tempted to rub her hair. However, he was holding back with all his might. He didn''t want to wake Rose up from her deep sleep.


    After all .. he was a normal man who had s.e.x.u.a.l needs. If he indulged his heart''s d.e.s.i.r.e, he might take further actions and could no longer hold back. He would never forgive himself if he forced himself on her.


    Rune looked at Rose''s beautiful face while the girl was sleeping very soundly until his heart was satisfied. Only then did he close his eyes and sleep beside Rose, keeping his distance so that his body did not touch hers.


    ***


    The next morning, when the sun was already high in the sky, Rose opened her eyes. She could smell the fragrance of delicious soup coming from the kitchen. It took her a few minutes to gather her consciousness and remember what had happened last night.


    Jeez ... Last night she finished the expensive champagne Rune bought! And she ... she must be drunk if she couldn''t remember what happened.


    She could imagine how embarrassing she was last night when she was drunk. Her friends said she always made a spectacle when she drank too much.


    When she opened her eyes again, the girl looked around and realized that she was not on her bed but on the sofa bed in the living room where Rune usually slept.


    Why was she sleeping here, huh? Was Rune unable to carry her to her bed on the loft?


    Or ...


    She had also changed into pajamas. Who changed her clothes? Why did she have to be changed? Did she...?


    Wait... did Rune take advantage of her last night???


    Rose groped her body and found nothing changed. This was a sign that no one took advantage of her all night.


    Ahh .. that means Rune only changed her clothes and didn''t do anything inappropriate when she passed out.


    Thinking of this, Rose felt moved. She could guess that maybe last night her clothes were soiled because she fell on the road, or maybe she vomited, so Rune had to help her change.


    "Aaaaahhhh .... !!!" Unknowingly, Rose had screamed hysterically. She was really embarrassed now.


    In her entire life, no man had ever seen her n.a.k.e.d before. Although she was friends with Leon since childhood and she also had many male friends, no one had seen her n.a.k.e.d body as an a.d.u.l.t woman.


    And now ... her fake boyfriend had gotten the chance by accident.


    Oh my God ...


    "Hey ... hey, what''s up?" asked Rune, who hurriedly came out from behind the kitchen counter and approached Rose with a bowl of hot soup. He sat next to the girl and held her hand, trying to calm her down.


    "What is wrong?" he asked attentively. "Are you okay?"


    Rose shook her head. "I''m not okay. What happened last night? Did I do something embarrassing?"


    Rune looked thoughtful for a moment. He then shrugged. "I don''t know if dancing n.a.k.e.d on the table is considered embarrassing or not .."


    "Oh God, what have I done ????" Rose let out a muffled scream. "I was dancing n.a.k.e.d on the table?????"


    Rune burst out laughing and shook his head. "I''m just kidding ... You didn''t do anything embarrassing. Take it easy, Honey. You slept like a princess. I was only pulling your leg... hehehehe."


    Rose stared at Rune with narrowed, suspicious eyes.


    "Don''t lie to me!"


    "No, I am not lying. It was just a joke," replied Rune with a laugh. He then took the bowl of soup from the table and prepared to feed the girl. "It''s just that last night you threw up, and I was forced to clean your body and change your clothes. I hope you don''t mind. I didn''t do anything perverted at all ..."


    Rose swallowed hard at Rune''s explanation. Ahh .. she understood now why her clothes were changed this morning. Apparently, her guess was correct. She knew that Rune was innocent.


    Rose would actually feel mad if Rune just let her sleep in her own vomit. Thank God, the man did the right thing.


    Finally, in a very low voice, Rose whispered, "Thank you ..."


    "Never mind. I hope you will do the same if I were in the same situation," said Rune. He picked up a spoonful of soup and put it in front of her lips. "Have hangover soup first? My dad taught me how to make this soup."


    Rose looked at Rune with teary eyes.


    Ahh ... she really didn''t misjudge someone''s character. The man beside her was a good man. She was happy that Rune was trustworthy and always treated her very well.


    Ahh .. it''s true. A person''s character was far, far more valuable than wealth, status, and power.


    Holding back her tears, Rose devoured the soup Rune prepared for her. The young man was very happy because Rose seemed moved to see his efforts.

 Chapter 987 - I Need A Smart Wife

    Ahh .. Rose was such a good girl. She knew how to appreciate people who had shown her kindness.


    Now, Rune hoped Rose wouldn''t change her mind about marrying a poor and simple man who lived with her. For Rose''s sake, Rune didn''t mind constantly living as a poor guy... hehehe.


    "Thank you," Rose said after she finished the hangover soup Rune fed her. Her head, which had been feeling dizzy from the hangover, was slowly starting to feel light. She stared at Rune for a long time, while the man was clearing up the bowl.


    "Hey.. why are you looking at me like that...?" Rune asked in amazement. He blinked several times and smiled in surprise. "Is there something on my face?"


    Rose shook her head. She smiled faintly and then kissed Rune on the cheek. "Thank you."


    After she said that, the girl got up from the sofabed and took the bowl from Rune''s hand. "I''ll do the dishes."


    "Uhm.. okay."


    Rune just let Rose take the bowl and wash the dishes. He understood that the girl was embarrassed because she was drunk last night and didn''t look her best in front of him. So, now, she wanted to pretend that nothing happened.


    His guess was correct. Rose immediately searched her room and found that the mattress was not there. Apparently, Rune brought it out to dry on the balcony to get fresh air and sunshine. She also saw that her sheets, duvet, and clothes were all in the washing machine.


    The girl took a deep breath. She turned to the living room and saw Rune tidying the sofa bed back into a sofa.


    Even though Rune had an older sister who married a wealthy man, he did not take advantage of his brother-in-law''s wealth. He didn''t ask for a job or money or anything from his sister or brother-in-law.


    Only once did he use his sister''s connection, and that was for Rose''s sake. He did it to book a table at The Lily to take Rose for a special dinner because he saw Rose was sad. He also spent a lot of money buying expensive champagne ... all for Rose.


    This really touched the girl''s heart. She felt very special. She could see how much Rune liked her and was willing to do anything for her. What''s more, Rune also never pressured her into anything.


    Even now, Rune still had not asked about who Rose really was and why she made Rune her fake boyfriend.


    Rune was very relaxed and confident. He always made Rose feel good about herself and didn''t have to worry about anything.


    Ahh ... if only Rose didn''t already have Leon in her heart, maybe she could easily fall in love with Rune. This is a good man that was quite a rare species.


    ''Rose, Rose, what are you thinking? You know very well that you can''t be with Leon? Leon chose status and wealth over you,'' the girl chided herself. ''Rune is so good to you...''


    She turned her attention back to Rune, who was cleaning the living room. The man looked so happy that he was whistling while doing the job.


    Rose was contemplating to herself. Maybe she should just learn to return this man''s love so that she could completely forget about Leon? Could she really do that?


    She closed her eyes and tried to get rid of Leon''s image from her mind. The girl then took out the laundry from the dryer and folded them carefully. Because she attended boarding school in the past, Rose became more independent.


    Even though at home, she was a princess who was always served by over a dozen servants, she was not a spoiled brat. Now that she lived alone in New York, Rose could take care of herself.


    After lunch and a shower, Rose finally felt better. To show her appreciation to Rune for taking care of her last night, Rose offered to treat the man to lunch at the brasserie near their apartment.


    "Ahh .. thank you for treating me to lunch," said Rune with a happy expression. "I was just thinking of buying cheap bread and make a sandwich for lunch.. and dinner, for the rest of the week. I''m very poor this month."


    He emphasized the words ''very poor''.


    "Ehh .. what did you say? I don''t mind buying you a meal. I really want to do it as a token of gratitude for your help last night. But I didn''t know you are THAT poor ..." Rose frowned in surprise. "Didn''t you say last night you just won the lottery or something ... so you wastefully bought really expensive champagne, when I just wanted a Moet Chandon."


    Ahh .. that was right. Actually, last night Rune wanted to slowly reveal his identity to Rose.


    By bringing the girl to eat at the restaurant in the hotel owned by his family, then ordering expensive food and expensive champagne .. he had planned to tell Rose this morning that he was actually the youngest son of THAT Schneider family, the owner of the St. Laurent hotel chains, where The Lily was located. He didn''t just have the same family name as the Schneiders, but he WAS really one of them.


    Rose would understand that merely buying $ 6,000 worth of champagne wasn''t a big deal for Rune.


    However, suddenly last night, he changed his mind. When he learned that Rose preferred poor men to be husband materials, the man immediately decided to keep pretending to be poor. And he would even lower his caste to be poorer than before.


    "Well .. I also didn''t expect that my friend lost all my money yesterday in the stock market. I just found out this morning," said Rune with a sad expression. He was actually surprised by his ability to lie. All the words came out so easily from his mouth.


    "Wait ... what did you say? Did you lend your money to your friend, and then he lost it all in the stock market? How is that possible?" Rose massaged her forehead. "Why don''t you chase your friend and ask him to return your money?"


    Rune shook his head innocently. "Well, he has nothing. So, even if I want to squeeze him dry, I won''t get my money back. I trusted his business instinct because he made me money before, and that''s how I could buy your dinner in The Lily. I didn''t know what happened to him that he lost it all yesterday..."


    Rose stared at Rune for a long moment, as if trying to think of an appropriate response. Finally, she sighed and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Uff... probably that''s his way of scheming you. He made you think he is capable of business by pretending to give you a good result. Once you trust him and give him all your money, he would take it and ''lose'' it."


    "Oh.. do you think so?" Rune used his best dumb expression to respond to Rose''s words. Ah.. he didn''t know he was such a good actor!


    "Never mind. It''s better to lose money now when you are still young and single than later when you are older and have dependants like a wife and children. They will suffer more if you go broke and lost all your money."


    Rune was very happy to hear Rose''s words. Ahh .. this girl was not judgemental, and she didn''t think he was stupid but instead, she showed sympathy for his situation. Rune''s love for the girl grew even more.


    "I think I should find a wife who is good at such matters so that I will not be deceived by people again ..." said Rune in a sad tone. "Someone smart like you will be perfect."


    Her words stunned Rose. The girl then hiccupped and pulled Rune''s hand out of the apartment.


    "Hmph ... let''s eat. I''m so hungry," said Rose, changing the subject.

 Chapter 988 - Updated - Lunch With Rose

    Their lunch date was warm. Rose looked so relaxed and happy. If he had not seen for himself how sad yesterday Rose looked and how she wept bitterly when she was drunk, Rune would not have believed that this was the same girl.


    Ah, Rose, why are you so good at acting? thought Rune.


    During lunch, Rune tried to dig up a little about Rose''s past. He hoped to get information about Rose''s life before meeting him, and who Leon really was.


    "Have you always wanted to be a painter?" asked Rune, taking a sip of the juice. "When did you know what you wanted, and become convinced that you want to go after it?"


    Rose, who was enjoying her tea after finishing lunch, seemed to think for a moment.


    "I''ve been into arts for a long time. But I think I just found out that I wanted to be an artist when I came to George''s mother''s painting exhibition. You know, George is one of my best friends. I really admire her works. That''s when I decided to pursue art."


    "Oh, I see?" Rune nodded in understanding. "Then, what about your family? Do they support you to become a painter?"


    Rose nodded. "My parents really love me, and they let me do whatever I want."


    "Hm .. is that so?"


    Rune was also grateful that his family is very understanding and always supported him in doing whatever he wanted. He was not interested in business, just like his uncle Aldebar. That was why he was delighted to have Terry and Rune in charge of the family business.


    Rune decided to dig a little deeper. He was determined to know who Leon really was.


    "You''re always talking about George, don''t you have any other friends?" asked Rune casually. "I want to meet your friends."


    "Oh, take it easy, you''ll see them in a few days. I told you that Helene is going to visit New York from Paris, so I invited my other friends to come here so we can all have fun," Rose replied. Her face immediately became cheerful when talking about her friends. "Shhh .. it''s a secret, by the way, Helene doesn''t know this, but her boyfriend, Peter will propose to her after our dinner."


    "Oh, really?" asked Rune. "Don''t you think they''re too young to get married? They are like 22, right?"


    Rose just shrugged. "Now that''s the trend, right? Many people marry young. Many celebrities and influencers promote it, and it has become a popular trend."


    Rune furrowed his brows and tried to remember something. Ahh, Rose was right. Trends often change, and maybe now was the time for couples to marry young.


    Decades ago, people didn''t like the idea of getting married and have children. Women especially would wait until they got to the late thirties to get married, after they had accomplished success in their careers.


    However, recently, younger people started to promote the idea of getting married young. The proof was, the prince from Medion and the princess from Moravia would soon get married even though the girl was only 20 years old and the man was 24.


    Aih .. times had indeed changed. Rune had lived for forty years without paying any attention to such things.


    "Ah, you''re right. I didn''t think that way before," said Rune. "Yesterday, I just read the news about a royal couple from two European kingdoms. If I''m not mistaken, the girl is from Moravia. She is only 20 years old but already engaged to a prince from their neighboring kingdom."


    Rose looked away and nodded. Her voice was trembling as she replied,


    "I told you I am always right .. haha."


    Rune frowned in surprise. Rose was showing a smile on her face, but it didn''t reach her eyes, and somehow, Rune felt like she saw her eyes were gleaming in tears that she was trying hard to hold back.


    Why was she sad again? Did I say something wrong?


    Rune tried to remember what he had said that made Rose sad.


    Ahh .. is it something to do with marriage?


    Was... Rose sad because she was reminded of Leon? Was Leon also getting married? Or maybe Leon was already married and broke Rose''s heart, so the conversation about marriage brought back the painful memory?


    Ah, if that was the case, then Rune could understand why the girl was so sad last night that she drowned herself in alcohol.


    Rune decided to stop talking about matters related to marriage. He didn''t want to make Rose think of his ex-boyfriend since the topic would only make her hurt again.


    They better focused on themselves. Ah, by the way, it reminded Rune that before he went to Amazon with Lauriel, he was working on a new machine. This was a machine he planned for his nieces.


    Rune really loved Lily and Summer, and as a gift for their 16th birthday, he decided to give them a machine that could make them laugh. No matter what the situation, if they want a good laugh, they would get it.


    "How about you?" asked Rose suddenly. She looked at Rune with a look of concern. "Does your family support you in pursuing your dream?"


    Rune nodded. "They are very supportive. Whatever I want to do with my life, they will all support me. For them, the most important thing is my happiness."


    "Sounds wonderful," said Rose, nodding. "You''re very lucky. A lot of people I know don''t get that kind of freedom. George, for example, he has to continue his family''s business. So even though he really liked interior design, he can only do it as a hobby. He still has to go to business school and manage his family''s company."


    "Well, I guess we are both lucky then. I''m actually very different from my siblings. Since the beginning, I am only interested in science and the world. Oh by the way... you have never met my biological siblings, right? If you look at them, you too will think I was adopted... hahahaha ... We don''t have the same interest nor personality. We don''t even look related."


    " Ahh .. that''s right. You have never shown me their photos at all. Hmm .. but I''ve seen your nephews. Do they not look like their mother?"


    "No. They look like my mother. My mother is half Asian. The boys don''t look like their parents at all." The Rune hastily added. "By the way, later, when you meet Ireland and Scotland''s parents, please don''t discuss why they don''t look like their father, okay?"


    "Eh .. why is that?" asked Rose. She was baffled when she was Rune''s expression suddenly turn worried. So what if she talked about it? What if she didn''t do it on purpose?


    "Uhm .. just don''t. My brother-in-law is s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e," said Rune, shaking his head vigorously.


    Rose''s mind flashed back to the past few weeks when she met Rune''s nephews in Central Park. The two boys said that they were always followed by bodyguards everywhere because their family had many enemies.


    Ahh ... that''s right. At that time, Rose had guessed that Rune''s brother-in-law''s family must have ties to the mafia or the underworld. That''s why they have a fairly tight security protocol.


    Now she could understand Rune''s worry, or rather, Rune''s fear of his brother-in-law. Maybe Rune was scared of offending his brother-in-law because the man was from the underworld and could easily kill people.


    Ah, that''s right. Rune must know his own family best. Rose better follow his words and not look for trouble. She must not make enemies.


    "I understand," said Rose. "I''m not going to discuss it."


    Rose didn''t want to die in New York for offending someone from the mafia.


    "By the way, in a few days we''ll have been living together for a month," Rose said suddenly. "Do you still remember my promise at that time?"


    Rune shook his head. He didn''t remember anymore. "Which Promise?"


    "Hahaha.. I have only promised you one thing. When we met for the first time in person, and you accepted my offer to be my fake boyfriend, I said that I will tell you who I really am after one month. Do you remember?"


    "Oh ... that one. Yes, you promised to tell me why you need a fake boyfriend, and you will also tell me about your identity." Rune''s face immediately brightened. Gosh ... time flew by so fast.


    It seemed like he really enjoyed his life with Rose. He did not even realize that it had been almost one month.

 Chapter 989 - Updated - Rune Wanted To Look Good

    "I''ll tell you who I am after we have dinner with my friends at The Lily," said Rose, smiling. "But after I tell you about myself, you also have to tell me who you are."


    "Oh, what do you want to know about me?" Rune asked in return. "Don''t you already know a few things? You have even met my nephews, niece, and brother-in-law''s family."


    Rose shook her head. "I just found out a little bit. You once told me that you had two older siblings when we just met. But the other day,


    you suddenly said that you had three older siblings ..."


    Oh, Rune just realized that slipped one time. When Rose first asked how many siblings he had, he answered two because he only had two biological siblings, which means the siblings that shared the same father and mother with him. They were Aleksis and London.


    Later, however, when they talked about the topic again, Rune remembered that he actually had three biological siblings, even though one was not his father''s.


    Terry was the biological son of his mother with Uncle Jean. However, Finland did not give birth to Terry, because Terry was born through an IVF procedure by a couple in Singapore. This couple had absolutely no family connection with them.


    Terry was born from an embryo, which was resulted from the fertilization between Finland''s egg and Jean''s s.p.e.r.m cell. They sold their seeds to a fertility clinic when Finland was in desperate need of money.


    So it was a strange situation for outsiders, how Terry was his half brother but also not really his brother.


    He would better lie because it was easier. He could just say that Terry was his adoptive brother. Explaining his strange family dynamic would be too confusing.


    "Both are actually true, Rose." Rune cleared his throat. "So, the truth is I only have two biological siblings. The third one is the adopted son of my family. That''s why sometimes I mention that I have two siblings, and sometimes I would say that I have three."


    "Oh, I see..." Rose nodded in understanding. "Your family is very kind, huh. Your parents are willing to open their home and their heart for another child even though they already had three biological children. Raising children is not easy."


    "Hehehee .." Rune could only scratch his head, which was not itchy and did not respond.


    If only Rose knew that his father was so eager to have more kids. Even though Caspar and Finland already had four children, Caspar still pestered his wife to give birth to more children.


    "By the way, you never told me about your family, other than the fact that your parents are well off. Do you have siblings?" Rune asked in return.


    Rose sipped her tea and acted as if she didn''t hear Rune''s question. Her attitude astonished Rune. Was her family a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e topic for Rose too?


    "Hmm .. okay. If you don''t want to answer now. I will wait until we meet your friends, and then you will tell me everything about you," said the young man finally. He smiled reassuringly, not wanting to make Rose feel bad for not answering his question.


    Ahh .. Rune couldn''t wait to find out all about Rose! Soon!


    He would meet Rose''s friends in a few days, and after that, his probation as her fake boyfriend would end, and Rose will open up to him.


    Rune praised himself for being so patient for so long.


    "Uhmm ... anything else you want to ask about my siblings?" Rune asked then to break the ice again. Rose nodded.


    "Now, I think everything is quite clear. You actually have three older siblings, and one is an adoptive brother. I also know that one of your brothers works for a laptop manufacturer that allows you to get the newest laptop before it hits the market. Your sister is married to a wealthy man who ... ahem, seems to be involved in the underworld, huh? So, what does your other brother do?"


    Rune hiccuped when he heard Rose''s words that Aleksis married a man from the underworld.


    Gosh, if Alaric found out ...


    "Oh, the other one is currently studying film in Los Angeles," said Rune quickly. "You can meet him when he comes to New York."


    Indeed, after he retired from the Schneider Group, Terry had taken on a new identity as a student at LA Film Academy. He wanted to get back to the film industry as that was his main passion when he was in college, before helping the Schneider family with their business.


    "Oh ..." Rose nodded in understanding. "Alright, then."


    They finished lunch and returned to the apartment to relax. Since she was still a little dizzy from the hangover, Rose decided to lie back on the sofa and rest. Her mattress was still being dried on the balcony.


    He actually wanted to go to Aldebar''s laboratory and continued working on the laughing machine as he had planned, but when he saw Rose looking weak and sad, he changed his mind.


    It would be better if he worked from home to keep an eye on Rose and help her if anything happened.


    While the man was busy working, Rose repeatedly stole glances at him and observed Rune. She kept thinking about what happened last night when she was drunk and embarrassing herself.


    Ahh ... Rune was really good at handling situations. Rose was very happy to know that Rune was m.a.t.u.r.e, responsible, and basically a decent man who didn''t take advantage of a drunk girl. The man could even make the situation sound funny.


    Rose laughed softly when she remembered Rune''s answer this morning when she asked him whether she did anything embarrassing when she was drunk. The man joked that he saw Rose was dancing n.a.k.e.d on the table while she was drunk.


    Crazy! Rose almost had a heart attack when she heard his words. Haha ... fortunately, Rune immediately explained that he was joking.


    Rose felt lucky to meet Rune, and the man agreed to be her boyfriend. She was happy she didn''t misjudge Rune''s character.


    Maybe she could just marry him?.


    Ah, Rose hurriedly pushed that thought out of her mind. She and Rune had only known each other intensely for a month. Indeed, their relationship was developing really quickly because they were living together and had an intense interaction. Thus help them to get to know each other very well.


    Rose shook her head. She shouldn''t act desperate just to get back at Leon.


    ***


    Over the next few days, Rose''s mood seemed to improve by far. She spent most of her time painting on the balcony.


    After he saw that Rose was all right, Rune started to go out and worked at Aldebar''s laboratory. He wanted to make a machine that would make the girl laugh every time she was sad.


    ***


    "Are you ready?" Rose asked Rune, who still locked himself in the bathroom. The girl looked at her watch and sighed.


    Why was Rune taking so long in the bathroom? Was he sick?


    "Are you all right? Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Rose again.


    Rune replied from inside, "I''m fine. I''ll be out in a moment."


    Rune was looking at his reflection in the mirror, and he felt astonished at himself. For the first time in his life, he felt insecure about his appearance.


    He was wearing the cheapest shirt he could find on the marketplace to trick Rose into thinking he was a poor man. But now that he knew tonight he would meet Rose''s best friends, Rune had the urge to look his best.


    He knew how close was the relationship between Rose and her friends since they were all she kept talking about. Rune also wanted them to like him. That''s why he wanted to look good.


    However, how could she look good in this cheap shirt and faux leather shoes? He''d been trying to think of a way to look classier and decent enough to be with Rose but couldn''t.


    Ugh.. if they were not meeting Rose''s friends, Rune wouldn''t have cared. However, they were the people who were important to her, and Rune wanted to leave an impression.


    After thinking about ways to appear more attractive, Rune finally gave up and came out of the bathroom.

 Chapter 990 - Updated - Dinner With Friends

    "What took you so long?" asked Rose with a laugh. The girl was completely unaware of the dilemma Rune was facing.


    This time Rose wore a light-blue shirt for men with lace at the collar. Her trousers were made of comfortable fabric and tucked into the commando boot, making her look edgy and cool.


    Her long, golden curls were simply tied with black string. At first glance, Rose looked like a prince from a fairy tale.


    Because last week she drank too much at The Lily and got drunk, Rose refused to go back there in her usual female appearance.


    She felt ashamed thinking that the waiters would recognize her as that upper-class girl who got drunk and fell asleep at the table and had to be carried home.


    However, she also could not cancel the dinner reservation there because The Lily was the best restaurant in New York today, and her friends had already arranged their schedule for this dinner.


    That''s why Rose decided to come to the dinner dressed up like a man. After all, her friends were used to her eccentric attitude, because she liked to appear like a man.


    Rune didn''t really care about how Rose would dress up. For him, it was up to Rose to choose what she wanted to wear. What mattered to him was that Rose was happy with her choices.


    If they walked together like this, they would look like "phe prince and the pauper." Excluding the clothes, their appearances were actually somewhat similar. Both of them had long golden hair. The only difference was Rune had straight hair, and Rose''s hair had beautiful big curls.


    They also both had beautiful faces. Rose looked like a handsome man when she disguises herself as a man like what she was doing now, while Rune was an Alchemist man who was born with physical perfection.


    "You look handsome," said Rose, ruffling Rune''s hair. "I think my friends will be happy to meet you."


    "You look handsome too," said Rune with a laugh.


    "Aw .. thanks." Rose happily pulled Rune''s hand out of the apartment. "Let''s go now. I don''t want to be late. You spent a while in the bathroom just now."


    They took a taxi and got off in front of the lobby of St. Laurent then immediately went up to the 40th floor where The Lily restaurant was located. When they were heading to the restaurant, they bumped into the St. Laurent hotel GM.


    The middle-aged man actually wanted to greet Rune, but he cancelled his intention when he saw Rune shook his head faintly, giving the GM a sign to move on and not talk to him.


    "Oh .. It looks like the young master doesn''t want to be recognized," muttered the GM as he descended the elevator to the lobby.


    Rune didn''t want to talk to the hotel or restaurant staff on purpose because he didn''t want Rose to feel uncomfortable.


    The receptionist received them with respect and inquired about their dinner reservation.


    "Dinner for five under my name Rose Fournier," answered Rose with a smile. The staff frowned. She looked a little confused. It was clear that the reservation was under a girl''s name, but the two people in front of her were men.


    "Uhm .. can you say that again, Sir?" she asked apologetically. She thought she must have misheard it.


    "Could you check Rose Fournier''s name, please?" said Rune. "You heard it correctly the first time."


    He could guess what the staff was thinking and confirm to her that the name was correct.


    Ahh .. apparently Rose meant it when she said she would reveal her identity to Rune tonight. Now, she even let him know her full name.


    Rose Fournier.


    What a lovely name, thought Rune. Just like his name, Rose was a very simple but beautiful name. What''s more, Rose and Rune were also quite similar and had nice rings to them.


    He felt that it was another sign that he and Rose were indeed fated.


    Rune frowned when he uttered the name in his hear. It seemed he had heard the name Fournier before.


    Where did he hear it?


    "Oh .. well, we do have a reservation under the name of Miss .. eh Mr. Rose Fournier," said the staff hastily. She raised her hand and motioned them to follow her.


    Rose chuckled when she saw how the staff acted awkwardly. She knew her appearance as a man was very convincing.


    The two of them walked following the restaurant staff to a lounge with six seats and access to a beautiful outdoor terrace decorated with various plants, making the atmosphere look so comfortable.


    They sat down and were immediately given a glass of champagne each while waiting for Rose''s friends to arrive.


    Seeing the champagne on the table, Rose frowned, for she remembered her embarrassing drunken experience here last week.


    "I''m not going to drink much," whispered Rose as she pushed her champagne glass towards Rune. "You can drink my share. When you see me drinking more than two glasses, just hit my hand."


    "Eh?" Rune was surprised to hear Rose''s words. He certainly didn''t have the heart to hit the girl, for whatever reason. He shook his head. "I don''t want to hit you."


    "Hmm .. well, whatever you want, but please.. if you see me drinking more than two glasses, you have to stop me at all costs," said Rose.


    "At all costs?" asked Rune again. "Are you serious? You won''t be angry?"


    Rose shook her head. "I am determined not to embarrass myself again and get drunk in public. So, of course, I will allow you to do everything you can to prevent me from getting drunk again."


    Rune let out a long sigh. "Okay."


    The man did not finish Rose''s champagne because he wanted to stay sober and alert too. He didn''t want to be tipsy or get drunk in front of new people he just met. What if he slipped and revealed who he really was?


    He wouldn''t take that risk. No, thank you.


    They chatted in low voices while waiting for Rose''s three friends to arrive. The girl told him about her friends, who were coming to dinner this time.


    Rune listened while feeling a little envious. He never went to regular school and didn''t have many friends. The few friends he had now were only the people from the Alchemist clan.


    Ahh ..when he had children with Rose, Rune was determined to give them a life that he didn''t have when he was younger.


    He would let them go to regular schools and have lots of friends. Just look, Rose grew up to be very likable, outgoing, and full of warmth. It was all because she met and got along with so many people.


    Gosh .. he patted himself on the head. Again, his mind went too far, and imagined having a child with Rose.


    Was this how someone in love felt? They always thought about the future with their loved one? If so, then Rune finally understood how it felt.


    Ten minutes later, the three long-awaited people arrived.


    "Hey, Rose! You''re early, like always!" exclaimed a beautiful girl with short black bob hair.


    This girl had a petite body and she looked fragile. Her freckled face made her look younger than her real age. If Rune didn''t know that Helene was Rose''s classmate, he would suspect this girl was still a teenager.


    "Helene! Nice to meet you. You''re more beautiful every time I see you," said Rose, hugging Helene so tightly, as if they had not seen each other in ten years. After releasing her hug, she then introduced Rune to her best friend. "Meet Rune Schneider."


    "Hello, nice to meet you." Rune also hugged Helene and kissed her cheeks alternately.


    "Rune Schneider? Your name sounds like the Schneider family who owns this hotel," said Helene with a laugh. "It is such a coincidence."


    "Ahahaha .. well, yeah, what a coincidence," Rune nodded and smiled broadly.


    "My name is Helene Cartier," said Helene.


    "Oh, like the jewelry brand?" Rune commented.


    "If it''s not a coincidence," said Rose, winking at him. "Helene''s family owns it."


    "Oh ..."

 Chapter 991 - The Getaway X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 19. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<This is a filler chapter>>


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    When the two went down to the dining room, Aldebar, Flora, and Louis were already waiting while enjoying their breakfast.


    "Good morning, newlyweds," Flora said teasingly. She turned to her husband Louis, "Do you remember when we were just married?"


    Louis nodded as he touched his wife''s cheek lovingly. "I remember it like it happened yesterday. I really love you."


    "How long have you known each other?" Finland asked, interested. She only knew that Flora was about 100 years younger than Caspar.


    "Hmm... almost my whole life," Flora answered. "I was born in England. Our parents were lonely because Caspar started traveling with Lauriel so they decided to have more children, thus I was born. I grew up in the countryside and became friends with Louis when I was a child. I knew that someday we would have to move and leave him because he could not know our identity as Alchemists, but when I was 16 I knew that I loved him and I didn''t want us to part. Mother said I must be crazy... How could I know love at that age? But I was stubborn. I finally opened my secret to Louis and we decided to elope. "


    "Really? Wow... I didn''t know that story..." Finland was very impressed. Flora was now in her 300s, and she had spent most of her life with Louis. It was a really long time, but even today their love was visible to everyone present.


    Was this how Alchemists loved their partners?


    Finland glanced at Caspar and her heart warmed when she thought of how Caspar loved her all this while. He loved and treated her as sweetly as Louis and Flora loved each other.


    "I was told that at that time you were not given the blessings by your parents, and therefore Louis became older while you still look like you are in your 20s. Before your parents finally accepted Louis and gave him the immortality potion after Alexandrite was born, were you ready to be separated by death?" Finland asked again.


    Flora understood why Finland asked that question. She was weighing her own circ.u.mstances and tried to compare her situation with theirs in the past.


    "Hmm... at that time we weren''t thinking ahead. We just wanted to be together, no matter what. I really didn''t care when Louis started to look older. To me, he was still the Louis I knew when we were teenagers. But yes, we were indeed prepared to separate when he died... We had no other choice. But I was determined to live for our children in the future," Flora replied. "For me, it''s better to be with Louis even though it''s only for 50 years... rather than not live with him at all."


    Finland nodded. Caspar squeezed her hand gently and smiled reassuringly.


    "Aldebar has given us his immortality potion before he sleeps. You don''t have to rush to decide. I''ll wait whenever you are ready," he said soothingly.


    Finland nodded again. Her heart became calmer.


    "One thing you might not know," Flora said again, "We are usually very picky when it comes to our life partners, so my case is an exception. Most people from our clan only decide to get married after being with their partners for at least 10 years, when they have become very m.a.t.u.r.e. When you reach the age of at least one century, your thoughts would be more m.a.t.u.r.e and you start to really understand what you want. Most of the first- and second-generation Alchemists are married to fellow Alchemists, and only less than half are married to the commoners. That is why there are so few of us. We also don''t do divorce. "


    "Are you not allowed to divorce... or... there has just never been a case where a partner feels that there is no connection anymore?" Finland asked, increasingly curious.


    Caspar''s clan was indeed very interesting. They not only look physically perfect but socially they also seem to have an ideal lifestyle.


    Did nobody get divorced? Wow! That seemed impossible since divorce rates in many countries in Europe were over 30%. In some countries, it was so bad that one in two marriages end in divorce.


    This time Aldebar spoke up. "Never before has anyone fallen out of love with their partners and decide to divorce. All couples we have now are the result of a m.a.t.u.r.e and calculated relationship. Even in the midst of their household dips, problems could usually be resolved by mutual understanding. I have never known any of our clan members split up. "


    "You have a very perfect society," Finland commented. "How come you are now still single?"


    Aldebar laughed at Finland''s question, "I''m still very young. Last night I just celebrated my 200th birthday. My life is still long and there are still many people I will meet. I''m not in a hurry."


    Finland suddenly had a hiccup when she heard Aldebar say his 200 years old self as young... Then what about her? She would only celebrate her 24th birthday in two weeks! And she was already married¡­ Wasn''t she sooooo much younger than him?


    All Alchemists had one thing in common, she thought later, they were not in a hurry. Caspar was an anomaly because he did not want to wait long in marrying Finland.


    The thought made th girl smile. She was happy because Caspar made her feel special.


    They continued their breakfast while talking about other things. Aldebar would soon leave for his research and Flora would spend one week in the castle for a holiday. Caspar had prepared a honeymoon trip to Spain which, at that moment, had a warmer temperature than Germany.


    "I would love to take you to Finland, but the temperature there is too cold and there is no sun. I do not want you to experience extreme winters in your first visit to Europe. We''d better explore cities in Spain and Portugal. These countries are also beautiful. We can return in the spring or summer to explore Scandinavian countries. Next winter we can come back to see the aurora. "


    "I''m going to Paris on the 16th. I have to know our route so I can book a ticket to Paris," said Finland.


    Caspar looked at her in confusion, "Why buy a ticket? I''ll take you there, of course."


    "Oh..."


    Finland knew she must get used to being Caspar''s wife. After marriage, of course, she should not hesitate to use her husband''s facilities when needed. In the case of traveling, Caspar could take her wherever she wanted, she just needed to ask.


    "Don''t ever hesitate to ask me for anything," said Caspar in a very earnest voice. "If I can fulfill it, I will definitely give you whatever your heart d.e.s.i.r.es. Your happiness is the purpose of my life."


    Finland was very touched to hear that. She touched Caspar''s cheek dan rubbed it softly, then nodded. "Thank you."


    Caspar took her hand and kissed it lovingly. Finland could still not believe that this perfect man was now her husband and that he loved her very much.


    Caspar then cleared his throat and turned to Aldebar, "Before we part, I want to ask your input about Jean. What should we do with him?"


    Badump!


    Finland''s heart was pounding right away...


    "I would love to take you to Finland, but the temperature there is too cold and there is no sun. I do not want you to experience extreme winters in your first visit to Europe. We''d better explore cities in Spain and Portugal. These countries are also beautiful. We can return in the spring or summer to explore Scandinavian countries. Next winter we can come back to see the aurora. "


    "I''m going to Paris on the 16th. I have to know our route so I can book a ticket to Paris," said Finland.


    Caspar looked at her in confusion, "Why buy a ticket? I''ll take you there, of course."


    "Oh..."


    Finland knew she must get used to being Caspar''s wife. After marriage, of course, she should not hesitate to use her husband''s facilities when needed. In the case of traveling, Caspar could take her wherever she wanted, she just needed to ask.


    "Don''t ever hesitate to ask me for anything," said Caspar in a very earnest voice. "If I can fulfill it, I will definitely give you whatever your heart d.e.s.i.r.es. Your happiness is the purpose of my life."


    Finland was very touched to hear that. She touched Caspar''s cheek dan rubbed it softly, then nodded. "Thank you."


    Caspar took her hand and kissed it lovingly. Finland could still not believe that this perfect man was now her husband and that he loved her very much.


    Caspar then cleared his throat and turned to Aldebar, "Before we part, I want to ask your input about Jean."

 Chapter 992 - The Proposal X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 19. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    They walked quickly off to the new meeting place which was the food warehouse where Jack, George and Harry were waiting. You can imagine how shocked they were to see Hellen who was with Peter and Rose. Jack looked up and gestured without being able to speak.


    "He ..?" Harry frowned in surprise.


    "New members." answered Peter lightly. "Come on, say hello .."


    "Hello ..." said the three of them together.


    "Introduce, I''m Hellen Winter .." Hellen said, smiling sweetly.


    "I''m Jack Evans, in case you forget your classmate .."


    "Harry Rosenbaum¡­ I''m from the west tower."


    "George Winslow ... I''m from the west tower too."


    Finally without dispute, the six of them fled out of St. John through the back door that is usually opened for milkmen and vegetable deliverers. The village streets are bright and busy as people take advantage of the rare night market opportunities as a place for recreation and invite their family members to have fun.


    Lots of entertainment is offered at the night market, from shooting stands, magicians, fortune tellers, circus attractions, as well as various game rides such as carrusels and rocking boats.


    "It''s a shame the school forbids its students to go out to enjoy this festive folk entertainment ..." said Peter, he pointed to one of the booths and they saw some of their teachers gathered and laughing. "We have to be careful not to be seen by them."


    "Where are we going first?" asked Rose.


    "I want to ride the carrusel .." said Hellen with sparkling eyes.


    "Me too." continued Harry.


    "Carrusel is boring." Jack grumbled. "I''m going to the fortune teller stand..hihi ..."


    "George?" asked Peter. George just smiled and shrugged. "All right, we split up and meet here in an hour. Remember! This mission is dangerous, if you are caught the secretary will deny you have anything to do with ..."


    They smiled and nodded.


    Harry accompanied Hellen to ride the carrusel and try every game that was there. George follows Jack who tries the fortune teller who is dressed up mysteriously. Sekeluarnya from the tent they just laughed out loud.


    Rose and Peter try their hand at the archery stand.


    "George is by the way quiet, huh .." Rose commented, stroking the tip of her arrow. He prepared to shoot with his bow. "He''s not gay, is he?"


    Peter smacked Rose''s back with a glare. "Careless! Not all men have to look handsome like me ... George is indeed very calm, he is a great artist and does not like to interact with the outside world. His mother forced him to go to school here in order to hang out with other people."


    Rose burst into laughter. "Manly? Peter, come on, please..hahaha ... ''


    Peter laughed too." It''s true ... haha ??.. "


    Rose shot her arrow and hit the target 6 times, making the stand guard amazed and forced to hand over 2 dolls to him. Peter became curious and shot his arrows, unfortunately only 2 were hit right.


    "You ... how can you do that?" He asked in surprise.


    "Ah .. just instinct, really .." Rose replied lightly. They walked to the next stand, which is stand shooting. Again Rose shot all the targets.


    "This is not instinct ... you are trained to do it." Peter said. He stopped and looked at Rose for an explanation. "By the way ... I also don''t know anything about you ..."


    Rose frowned. forehead did not understand. "Nothing special, really ... I often join my father hunting ... that''s all. You want to know what about me? "


    Peter shrugged." I don''t know ... I mean you''re not British because your accent is different ... you are from what country I don''t know ... how your life is ... "


    " I''m from a small country near Sweden ... Medion, if science You have a nice earth. "Rose smiled." My life is ordinary, my mother and father are very kind and I have a younger brother named William ... "


    Peter shook his head." I don''t know why you go to school here and why you always try to get expelled ¡ª This morning I was so sure you were serious. want to surrender but in the end can''t bear to see us scared ¡ª I don''t know who Danil is either¡­ "


    Rose suddenly turned cold." I also don''t know anything about you and I don''t care. "


    She walked away leaving Peter stunned.


    Peter immediately realized his mistake and ran after Rose.


    "Hey ... listen, I don''t want to ruin our friendship ... I''m sorry ... I won''t ask any more questions."


    His earnest gaze made Rose moved. He nodded. and smiled a little.


    "I take your word."


    They reunite with the rest of the Night Buggers, and together buy food and rest for a while before continuing their adventure. They come home a little over 1. Tired, but happy.


    "Wow ... thank you friends ... Tonight I''m very happy." Hellen bowed khimad. "And thank you ... for making me a part of you ..."


    Everyone felt bad and bowed back.


    "Never mind Hellen¡­ you''re okay too."


    "We''re glad you came ..."


    They all laughed happily. Peter and Jack immediately escorted Rose and Hellen to his dormitory, this time Hellen didn''t dare to take the risk of climbing a tree so he and Rose tried to sneak up the stairs. Luckily everyone was sleeping and no one caught them.


    Hellen and Rose hoist a white sheet from their respective windows, signaling to Peter and Jack that they are safe. The two of them were satisfied, then went to their dorm. George and Harry who live in the west tower have also safely arrived in his room without interruption.


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    Ren stared at Vega with a confused look. He didn''t understand why he said those words just now.


    "Vega, I ..." He swallowed hard.


    Vega removed Ren''s hand from hers and moved away from the man on the sofa. "Do not touch me."


    Vega''s trembling voice pierced Ren''s heart. He looked at the woman with his heart breaking into a million pieces.


    "I don''t want you to hate me," said Ren with a tone of despair.


    He respected Vega''s wish to stay away from him, so he didn''t force his way to come closer. He just looked at Vega from where he sat with teary eyes.


    "I want to know ... why," said Vega as she rubbed her brown eyes that were streaming with tears. She steeled her heart and stared back at Ren closely.


    She had dreamed of seeing Ren when the kidnappers were about to remove her memory. She didn''t remember what the man said to her at that moment, but she could remember his face now.


    In her dreams, Ren looked much younger than now. His handsome face seemed so cold and filled with revenge. Many times Vega would wake up drenched in a cold sweat due to her nightmares, and her heart ached so much.


    The first few days, she couldn''t believe that the person she saw was Ren. However, as her memory slowly recovered after Lauriel''s treated her with potions and hypnotherapy, Vega started to think that all the events that happened between her and Ren since they first met in the Rhine were too full of coincidences.


    Finally, she decided to confront her husband. She secretly went back to Almstad to ask Ren the truth. Vega didn''t want to tell her parents because she was afraid that they would immediately punish Ren or intimidate him before the truth was revealed.


    She asked for the veritaserum potion from Lauriel. Her grandfather was also the only person who knew the purpose of her going to Almstad.


    Vega heard from Alta?r that Lauriel had various potions in his possessions. One of them was the veritaserum, which she could use to force people to speak the truth.


    To avoid Ren''s suspicion, she gave the potion to Linda to serve it with tea so that Ren would drink it. Once he took the potion with his tea, Vega would confront her husband.


    Even though she had her own suspicions ... inwardly, Vega still hoped that her husband was innocent.


    Even though Ren admitted that he couldn''t love her, Vega really loved this man. They had been together for nearly two years, and her feelings for Ren had been rooted deeply.


    When she heard Ren''s words, which confirmed her suspicion that her husband was indeed involved in her kidnapping... Vega couldn''t help but shed tears again. Her heart ached as if it was being torn apart mercilessly.


    "Honey ..." Ren didn''t know what to say. He was afraid that he would say things he shouldn''t have said if he opened his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the teacup he took earlier.


    His mind immediately went to work, and he became suspicious that the tea he had been drinking was no ordinary tea. Did Vega put something in it that made Ren unable to lie?


    Oh, God¡­


    "Vega ... please," Ren raised his hand and tried to reach Vega.

 Chapter 993 - The Moment Of Truth X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 15. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    Rose came down too. He patted Zii in admiration. "Zii is amazing, but I can''t accept it ... No matter how taming him is you ..."


    Peter was dumbfounded. Earlier that young man was very arrogant, it turns out he can be nice too .. "No ... haven''t we made an agreement?" Peter smiles. "Wellington has never broken promises."


    "Likewise Fornier. I won''t take my words just now. " replied Rose, not wanting to lose. For a moment the two of them tensed up from meeting the same stubborn person. If they don''t give in together, of course they will fight.


    Peter scratched his un itchy head and smiled warmly. He took the initiative to yield. "¡­ I don''t want to fight with you because the consequences must be terrible. How about we just share the horse? Zii belongs to both of us¡­. "


    Rose thought for a moment then nodded. Peter stretched out his hand and they shook hands.


    "Peter Wellington .."


    "I know. My name is Rose Fornier .. "


    Peter looked up in surprise. He tried to hold back his laughter but could not help but come out. "Hihi ... your name is like a girl, yes ... if you disguise yourself as a girl it will definitely be beautiful .."


    Rose was stunned. He almost forgot that his appearance now was like a boy. He wants to be straightforward, but¡­ ah, no need¡­ Usually men will be reluctant to be friends with women. If now Peter is so friendly to him. Maybe later he wouldn''t be this kind if he found out he was a woman.


    "So my name is ugly, huh?" Rose sneered. "Do you think Peter''s name is good ?!"


    Peter immediately felt guilty.


    "Ah¡­ I''m sorry I''m impolite¡­ to be honest your name is really good¡­ but I think it''s more suitable for girls. Even so, I think every parent wants the best for their child¡­ "


    " Of course.


    "Peterglanced at his watch. "It''s too late ... school will start soon and I haven''t showered yet .."


    "Me too .."


    They quickly ran to their respective dorms.


    Rose showered quickly and changed clothes in the St. John who is blue, then runs towards the school building. On the way he met a beautiful girl with long black hair who was also heading for the school building.


    "Sorry ... class 6 where is the room?" he asked kindly. "Eh ... I''m a new student here ... so don''t know anything ... my name is Rose Fornier .."


    "Oh, I''m Hellen Winter .." They shook hands warmly. "Incidentally we are in the same class. You just come with me .. "


    Just as Rose and Hellen arrived, a teacher had walked into the classroom and started to take attendance. Rose, who sat next to Hellen, was forced to report to the front when his name was not named on the list.


    "Good morning, sir ... I''m a new student ..." he said when he arrived at the front. "You have to put my name on the absent list ..."timesheet


    "Okay ..." The teacher nodded and reopened the. "Your name is ...?"


    "Fornier. Rose Fornier .. "


    For a moment Rose thought she heard someone sighing in surprise. He looked back and found Peter Wellington in the center glaring, looking at him with disbelief. Of course, Peter didn''t recognize Rose earlier because she had changed completely, from a strange young man in a brief dress to an extraordinarily beautiful princess. Rose always looks very beautiful when she wears her hair.


    "All right..Please sit down to your place..The lesson will begin."


    "Thank you, sir .."


    His first day at school Rose did not encounter any difficulties. Throughout the lesson he was busy thinking about what mess he would make at this school to get him out.


    "Hello. Rose¡­ "said several girls when class was over. They looked like the high-class girls he often saw at palace parties.


    "Hello, too .."


    "Introduce me Joan Salisbury ..." said the blonde hair beautiful sweetly. "This is Diana Grant, and Lucia Spencer .."


    "Hi, I''m Rose Fornier .."


    "If I''m not mistaken ... Duke Fornier is the younger brother of the king of Medion, right? Are you his son? "


    "Yes." answered Rose lightly. "So what?"


    The three of them looked at each other then smiled at him very sweetly.


    "We are both nobles here. We can be good friends, can''t we? " asked Joan in an artificial manner. Rose hated seeing it.


    "Sorry im not interested." he said coldly as he walked past them. He called Hellen, who came out first and walked away with him.


    "Huh .. Basically pretentious .." grumbled the girls.


    "He wants to hang out with ordinary people ..."


    "He''ll regret it .."


    Rose and Hellen walked to the dormitory building for lunch. At the big door, Peter Wellington was standing waiting with some of his friends.


    "You didn''t say you were a girl ..." scolded Peter.


    Rose smiled a little. "Who said I was a girl? I just took your advice this morning, you said I would be beautiful disguised as a girl .. "


    Peter was dumbfounded," Wow ... your disguise is so good ... I was fooled. "


    "I''m just kidding, you idiot!" Rose laughed, patting Peter''s shoulder. "I''m a real woman."


    "I know." argued Peter. He followed Rose and sat beside her.


    "Peter..the boy''s dining table is over there ..." Hellen said gently. "If Mr. Steward sees you can be scolded ..."


    Peter laughed indifferently.


    "At most punished." But he headed back to his desk too after Rose shook her head. "Okay ... I don''t want to be considered a nuisance ..."


    "They are nobles ..." said Hellen as he poured drinking water. "I''ve only been to school here a year and all this time their attitude towards me is not friendly either, you know they have been together from grade 1, it must be difficult to accept new people ..."


    "That''s so stupid," commented Rose, "If they don''t. opening up would be like a frog in a shell. Besides, I personally have no interest in hanging out with them. "


    Hellen smiled. "Peter likes you. Where do you know? "


    "This morning we met at the stable. He thought I was a boy because I was able to beat him on horseback. "


    "You are amazing¡­ As far as I know Peter is the best equestrian athlete in school. He has won many awards¡­ "Hellen was amazed to hear this. "When did you learn to ride?"


    "I don''t know¡­ since childhood I was familiar with horses. Usually if it''s a sunny day like this, Danil and I will go across Medion hill¡­ we''ll race down and¡­ "Rose paused and her spoon accidentally slipped out of her hand. "I hate this school¡­"


    "Don''t say that¡­ you''ve only lived here for a day. Try to like it. "Hellen patted Rose gently on the shoulder," We also have a very beautiful hill ... if we want after lunch we ride there. "


    "Rose looked away," I''m sorry ... "


    " It''s okay .. "


    Hellen held his words. After lunch he and Rose rode to the hill behind the school. Rose remembers this is the hill she raced with Peter this morning, but she hadn''t had time to notice how beautiful it was. Filled with large trunked trees and lush clumps of attractive flowers.


    "This .." Rose was so moved that she almost lost her words, "... so beautiful .."


    "I''m happy to be here but it''s too much trouble to always go on a horse."


    "I don''t mind."


    They come back for a lesson in school manners. The boys are separated from the girls and Peter complains loudly about this. Rose got the impression Peter was a real rule breaker. When she shared her opinion with Hellen, Rose was surprised to learn that she was wrong.


    "Peter is just kidding with all his words, he''s a good boy ... a smart student and a prefect of the school."


    Rose hated to admit she was wrong but she had seen the P badge pinned to Peter''s c.h.e.s.t.


    Troop of Night Troubles


    Rose decided she wanted to make a little mess that night. He climbed down from his room past a large tree. After arriving on land he crept toward the stable. Rose was about to let go of all the horses that were there to make a scene.


    The atmosphere inside the stable was very quiet.


    "Peter is just kidding with all his words, he''s a good boy ... a smart student and a prefect of the school."


    Rose hated to admit she was wrong but she had seen the P badge pinned to Peter''s c.h.e.s.t.


    Troop of Night Troubles

 Chapter 994 - Under Construction X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 30. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    Stories about immortals have shaped human history since the beginning of time.


    Zeus and other gods of Olympus were immortals. Adam and other early human ancestors were written in religious books as humans who lived up to 900 years old. Adam (930), Set (912), Enos (905), Kenan (910), Yared (962), and the longest-living human in the world which was Methuselah who died at the age of 969.


    In the scripture, following the epoch of Noah and the Great Flood, was a period of time where humans, as punished by God because of their evil ways, could no longer live past 120 years old. This had been my basis for writing the story of ''The Alchemists''.


    Alchemy is a pseudoscience (considered as not real science) believing that the entire universe is moving toward a perfect state where gold, a metal known for its indestructible properties, is the most perfect substance.


    With this principle, alchemists believe that by understanding the secrets of the unchanging gold, they would eventually grasp the key to warding off diseases and organic decay, thus creating humans with physical perfection: the immortals.


    The Alchemists tried to find or come up with the chemical formula for the Philosopher''s Stone which functions to convert metals into gold and make the Elixir of Life/Youth, a drug that cures all kinds of and allows them to live longer than humans in general.


    Topics about chemistry, spirituality, and astrology became the focus of medieval alchemy. Until the 18th century, alchemy was considered a serious branch of science in Europe. Isaac Newton devoted much of his time to this field of study.


    Other prominent alchemists from the Western world are Roger Bacon, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tycho Brahe, Thomas Browne, and Parmigianino. It was this alchemy that later became the foundation of 18th-century modern Chemistry.


    WHAT IF, the alchemists actually succeeded in finding the formula for the immortality potion and restoring the human bodies into their original perfection, so they could be like their ancestors who used to live past 900 years?


    Because time was in their hands, these immortals or semi immortals did not rush to find partners and only bore children when they were already hundreds of years old. In their long lives, they learned and gathered so much wisdom and knowledge that no modern humans, who only have dozens of years to do so, could compare.


    Because time is in their hands, these perfect humans acquired a different outlook on life and society than today''s regular people who tend to rush and pursue temporary p.l.e.a.s.u.r.es in the modern world.


    They became people who have finally found a way to manipulate the elements and make themselves perfect. They now have all the time in the world to do whatever they want, learn whatever they want, and explore wherever their feet could take them.


    To conceal themselves from the general public, Alchemists spread rumors that alchemy is a failed science and that all fables about immortal humans are nothing but mere fairy tales. Yet in reality... they are among us, living with us, and ruling the world from the shadows.


    ***


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    Caspar''s cellphone beeped and the name Stanis appeared on his screen. He immediately picked up the phone.


    Wow... that was fast, thought Finland. It''s only been 15 minutes.


    "It''s all done? Alright. You take care of everything needed for the transfer process and find a new Marketing Manager."


    "What happened?" Finland asked.


    "Meet the new Atlas Corp owner," Caspar reached out and shook Finland''s hand gently. He was in a good mood. "Tomorrow Atlas Corp will sign a cooperation contract with LTX, you don''t have to worry."


    "Oh really?"


    "Have I ever lied to you?"


    "No." Finland shook her head. She then smiled a little and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you."


    "I did this for myself," Caspar grasped Finland''s hand and squeezed it softly, "If anyone hurt you, it means they hurt me. I am only protecting myself."


    Caspar signaled to the waiter and said something. The waiter nodded and walked to Noah and his friends'' table.


    "What are you doing?" Finland asked.


    "I will fire the man right before your eyes, so he knows why he lost his job and learns to respect women next time."


    Noah, Jonathan, and William came to their table with questioning looks. Earlier, the waiter said that they were summoned to Caspar''s table because there was an important matter to discuss.


    They did not know the man at the table, so they thought it was Finland who called them. Their faces seemed unhappy because they thought Finland was being rude by calling them to her table like this.


    "What''s wrong, Finland? The waiter said we should come to this table?" Noah asked, snorting, "If you have something to say, then you should come to us."


    Caspar cleared his throat and cut off Noah''s words.


    "What is your name?" he asked,


    Noah turned to Caspar and frowned, "I''m Noah Janssen. Who wants to know?"


    "Are you Atlas Corp''s Marketing Manager?" Caspar asked again.


    "I am." Noah looked at Caspar and Finland in turn. "What''s with all this?"


    "I am the new owner of Atlas Corp, and I don''t like the way you treated Finland." Caspar stared sharply at Noah. "You have to learn to respect women. As a business owner, I don''t like to see my employees s.e.x.u.a.lly harass women, especially by threatening to cancel contracts to force clients to comply with your demands."


    Noah and his two friends were shocked to hear that. They looked at each other. A moment later Noah shook his head and laughed contemptuously.


    "I did nothing to her. Don''t believe this woman''s rubbish talk." He shrugged, "Besides you''re not the owner of Atlas Corp. I know my boss. Don''t talk carelessly..."


    Caspar didn''t care about Noah. He pointed to Jonathan and told him to come closer.


    "Who are you? Assistant to Marketing Manager?"


    Jonathan nodded. "Yes."


    "Tomorrow, on behalf of the Marketing Manager, you will sign a cooperation contract with LTX because Noah is fired. Until Stanis appoints a new marketing manager, you have to take care of all his work."


    Jonathan was amazed. He did not know what to answer. He and William exchanged glances. It seemed crazy because they knew that the owner of Atlas Corp, their boss, was a technology-savvy middle-aged entrepreneur named Sam Atlas.


    He would never sell his company. But this young man in front of them seemed very serious.


    Noah burst out laughing.


    "Very funny..." he said in a mocking tone.


    William Chan, the Director of Engineering, frowned and called the office in Seattle. His voice sounded rather shocked when he heard the answer from the other end. He then handed his cellphone to Noah.


    "This is Boss Sam..." He said softly.


    Noah accepted the cellphone with a frown. "Hello, Boss..."


    His face immediately turned pale. He then looked at Caspar, fear clearly visible in his eyes. William''s cellphone fell from his hand.


    "You... you..." He shook his head in disbelief, "Who are you?!"


    Caspar gave a sign and the waiter returned to fill his glass with champagne.


    "I told you, I am the new owner of Atlas Corp, and you are fired. Tomorrow you will fly straight to Seattle. There''s no need for you to go back to the office. Severance pay and dismissal letters will be taken care of by HR."


    He then signaled for the three men to go away. William and Jonathan bowed before pulling Noah away. They had to drag him because Noah was frozen in his place like a statue. He didn''t expect this to happen...


    Finland witnessed what happened and stared at Caspar with eyes full of gratitude. Noah''s actions hurt her greatly, and Caspar made her feel safe, protected and defended...


    She slowly felt the defensive wall around her heart collapse...


    "Thank you..." She whispered.


    Caspar smiled mischievously, "Are you grateful enough to give me a kiss?"


    Finland smiled back and nodded.


    "Yeah..." The girl hurriedly added, "but not here. This is a public place and too many people are watching¡­"


    Caspar smiled even wider. Earlier Finland didn''t mind kissing him quickly in front of many people when he translated the menu into English.


    If now Finland didn''t want to kiss him in front of other people...


    "I told you, I am the new owner of Atlas Corp, and you are fired. Tomorrow you will fly straight to Seattle. There''s no need for you to go back to the office. Severance pay and dismissal letters will be taken care of by HR."

 Chapter 995 - Under Construction

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 20. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<<This is a filler chapter>>>


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    The party was very beautiful and lively, and when it ended all guests returned home with very memorable memories in their hearts. The two most powerful Alchemist families were united tonight to become one very impressive force. Ned and Portia were like the king and queen of Rivendell in Tolkien''s story.


    Caspar and his small group managed to go home before the party ended with the excuse that Aleksis had to go to sleep. Before 10 pm, everyone arrived back at the hotel. Finland took Aleksis to rest but Caspar and Jadeith went to another room to meet Lauriel, who was treating Alexei''s wound.


    "What happened?" Caspar asked quickly. He was actually surprised to see Alexei still alive. To his knowledge, Lauriel would not forgive Alexei for what he had done to his goddaughter.


    Lauriel briefly described what had happened and Caspar felt huge sympathy for him. If the same thing had happened to Finland, he would not hesitate to give up everything in order to save the woman he loved.


    "If Luna were still alive, I''m sure I can find her..." Caspar said.


    "We are 78 years late..." Lauriel replied sadly. "If I had known that the dead girl was not Luna, I would have searched for her everywhere in the world, and I would have found her. But now we will start decades late. All traces and information must have been long lost or buried..."


    "I promise you... We will find her whereabouts... dead or alive." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder warmly. He then opened his medical bag and took some medical equipment. "I''ll take care of Alexei. You must still be shaken."


    Lauriel nodded slowly. He then stepped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.


    "Anyone wants to drink?" he asked in a hoarse voice. No one answered, so Lauriel just poured for himself and drank in the corner of the room with a dark face.


    Caspar quickly carried out a small operation and pulled the bullet from Alexei''s c.h.e.s.t which fortunately did not hit his heart. Although he was bleeding a lot, once the bullet was removed and the wound was stitched, his body began to stabilize. They placed him in a room guarded by Petra. After Caspar finished caring for Alexei, he joined Lauriel and drank with him.


    "What are your plans now?" Caspar asked.


    "I will take him to Yorkshire to check whether his story about Luna was true or not. At the same time, I will free Sophia," Lauriel answered. "Once Sophia is free, she will become the new leader of the Meier family and get rid of Alexei."


    "How can you do that?" Caspar asked. "Do you know where Sophia is?"


    "I will interrogate one of Alexei''s staff. They will definitely choose to support Sophia and release her." Lauriel rolled his glass with a faint smile, "Alexei is no longer an Alchemist. He has no right to rule the Meier family."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in surprise. "You gave him Death?"


    "Right. I saved his life, meaning now his life is mine, so I am free to take it at any time. I decided that someone like him does not deserve to be part of our people." Lauriel finished his glass in one gulp and refilled it. "He doesn''t know I gave him Death."


    Caspar could not think of a more appropriate sentence for Alexei than to revoke his privileges as an Alchemist, the perfect human. As a purist, he was very proud of his status. Taking that privilege from him would be a punishment worse than death for Alexei. He would probably hope that Marion''s bullet had pierced his heart.


    "I entrust all of this to you..." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder and nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."


    "Of course." Lauriel smiled, "I will often stop by to see Aleksis..."


    "The door to our house is always open."


    Caspar then excused himself and went to Finland, who had fallen asleep with Aleksis. That night he finally managed to sleep peacefully, after almost 2 weeks of restlessness thinking about Aleksis.


    Finally, all these problems ended. They could return home and live a happy life as a family.


    ***


    The next day, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Jadeith, Kara, and some of Caspar''s bodyguards returned to Germany. Lauriel and his team chose to go to England and made plans to save Sophia and search for information about Lady Luna.


    Because Alexei had made this problem personal, Lauriel was no longer halfhearted in dealing with him. He took all responsibility from Caspar and, with his crew, they captured Alexei and penetrated his court in Yorkshire to free Sophia.


    Upon arrival in Germany, one of the scientists employed by the Schneider Group who had found the vaccine to the virus given to Aleksis immediately gave Aleksis the antidote and ensure the little girl is cured one hundred percent, to the relief of her parents.


    Meanwhile, Caspar received Jean as a guest at his home for a week before the man returned to America to attend his latest film promo. The relationship between the two men was becoming better, and Finland was very relieved to see them go fishing together in the lake while caring for Aleksis when she had to work for LTX.


    "If you go to America, stop by in LA," Jean said before leaving, "I don''t have much work for the next 6 months. I just need to attend to the promotion for this new film. I haven''t accepted a new project."


    "I will. I have to go back to San Francisco anyway..." Finland said. "I''ve taken too much time off from work. Tony has been grumpy..."


    "Why... why didn''t you tell me that you wanted to go back to San Francisco?" he asked rather sullenly, "Didn''t you say that you want to stop working at LTX?"


    "Yes, I will indeed quit... but Tony made me promise to train my successor first before I can resign." Finland tried to use her ''puppy eyes'' weapon on Caspar. It worked a little, but Caspar still looked sullen. Thinking that her tactics were unsuccessful, Finland finally hugged Caspar''s waist and kissed his cheek. "The sooner I train my successor, the sooner I can resign. Now the decision is yours, whether you want to help me resign or complicate me."


    "I''ll help you," Caspar answered quickly. "I will make sure that you are able to train your replacement within 24 hours."


    "Ahahahaha... very ambitious. Alright, we''ll see." Finland turned to Jean, "We will visit you in LA or you can visit us in San Francisco. Anytime you can."


    Jean frowned as he recalled something, "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, we have a promo schedule in San Francisco. Maybe I can come to see you guys. I''ll let you know if the schedule matches."


    "Alright. Just let me know..." Finland hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "Goodbye. See you in America."


    Caspar shook Jean''s hand and patted his shoulder. "Safe travels."


    "Thank you."


    After the car that drove Jean was out of sight, Caspar held Finland''s hand and returned to the castle.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear, "Don''t forget to lock the door."


    A smile etched on Caspar''s lips as he nodded and hurriedly locked the door to his study.


    They almost missed dinner because they were too busy m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, releasing the tension they felt for the past two weeks.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study.

 Chapter 996 - Under Construction X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 25. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    Before L could think further, the man had walked forward and waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, spread his hands, and gave a sign for L to come down directly to him.


    The girl''s face instantly flushed red. She did not think London would behave so intimately in front of his men. Once she reached the last step and went down to the runway, L handed Lily to London''s embrace.


    L and London exchanged glances. Lily had begun to smile often, but she had never laughed that loudly in front of them before.


    "Gosh... apparently you are delighted to meet Daddy," commented London happily. He kissed Lily again and pressed his nose against the baby''s nose. "You''re so cute, you know that, right? You''re the cutest baby in the whole wide world."


    L just smiled at the interaction between the father and daughter duo. She could not deny her happy feelings when she returned to Berlin. Somehow, she already felt at home, even though the city was not her native hometown.


    "Does Lily miss Daddy?" London repeatedly teased Lily, who was in his arms. "I miss you so much."


    "Looks like she does miss you," L commented. "Look, she''s so happy to see you."


    London smiled mischievously as he turned to L. "I really am adorable and missable, of course, Lily missed me. How about you?"


    L just rolled her eyes and walked towards the car that was waiting for them. London immediately followed her. Before he got into the car, he called Pammy to come closer.


    "Pammy, you can go home alone, right? My driver will drive you straight home." London pointed to a black BMW next to his Mercedes. "His name is Ben."


    Pammy nodded respectfully. "Of course, Sir. I will go straight to my apartment. You be careful on the road, have a good rest."


    This was the first time L shared a car with London in a formal setting after he revealed his identity as London Schneider. So.. this is how rich people travel, L thought to herself. The girl observed several cars around them that contained London''s security team.


    At that time, she felt very safe. The dark clouds that had filled her mind all night from thinking about Danny Swann''s threat were now gone.


    "Thank you for picking us up," L murmured almost silently. "I know you are very busy."


    London just shrugged. "I am never busy for you and Lily."


    L turned when she heard those words. She looked at London as if she wanted to believe his words, but it was difficult for her to do.


    "Why? You don''t believe me?" asked London in an irritated tone. "Try to ask anything from me, I will definitely grant it."


    L bit her lip at the words. "Ugh ... you still want to be my Santa Claus ..."


    London instantly remembered L''s protest back then, and he finally sighed. "Ah .. actually, that''s not what I meant. Now, I will only do something for you if you asked. You don''t know how happy I was last night when you finally asked something from me. A man is very happy whenever he felt needed, you know that?"


    L shook her head. "I didn''t know that. Anyway, I don''t like to bother other people."


    London stared fixedly at L. "I''m not other people."


    L couldn''t dispute the man''s words. She had no energy to argue anyway. Finally, she could only nod. "Okay."


    London smiled when he saw L no longer protested and argued his words. He really felt that L had changed a lot lately. Maybe, their heart to heart conversation from at that time managed to improve the poor communication they used to have.


    He was about to say something but, suddenly, Lily cried softly and reached out her tiny hand.


    "Uhm ... she''s hungry, I have to feed her first," L said. She reached out and took Lily from London''s l.a.p. The man relented and handed over his baby to L, who immediately unfastened the buttons on her shirt and started b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily.


    L never hesitated to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily in front of London. Maybe because she knew that the man had seen her under various conditions, including when she was the most vulnerable and unattractive in life: when she gave birth to their baby.


    London, who often had a perverted mind when looking at L''s body, for some reason, was never turned on every time L took out her b.r.e.a.s.ts to nurse Lily.


    He could only stare in awe, sometimes a little envy. Seeing the bond between L and Lily every time they were in such condition, he sometimes wished that men were also given the gift of being able to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed their babies.


    When the father fed milk to his baby through a bottle, the bond between him and his baby was in no way comparable to the deep connection developed between mother and child during b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding.


    "L ... Even though I love our child very much, later when we get married, we don''t have to have more children," the man said suddenly.


    L, who was surprised to hear the words coming out of the man''s lips without a heads-up, immediately turned to him with furrowed brows.


    "Why are you bringing that up? How strange ..." she murmured almost inaudible.


    "I remember when you gave birth to Lily. At that time, the condition was terrifying... I was scared to death if anything happened to you." London confessed. "I don''t want you to experience such horrible things ever again."


    L actually felt touched, but somehow she automatically rolled her eyes instead. "Iishh... childbirth is a natural event experienced by all-female creatures. Not only humans, but female animals also experience that event, and they are mostly fine."


    London was stunned by L''s words. He reached out for the girl''s left hand and placed it on his l.a.p. He looked at L with a questioning expression.


    "Do you want to give birth again? Shall we make a sibling for Lily?" he asked earnestly.


    Now it was L''s turn to be surprised. Why were they suddenly talking about childbirth and making a sibling for Lily?


    Heyy ... focus, please. We still have a lot of problems, and we haven''t addressed them all... she complained inwardly.


    "Crazy ..." Finally, L could only mutter that one word. She looked out the window, watching the route they took on their way to the house. She just realized that she did not recognize this road. "Hey, where are we going? Are we not going home to Grunewald?"


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort." London explained. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    L could only shake her head. She preferred that her house staff report to her directly so she could make a decision, but she quickly remembered that, in fact, her house in Grunewald was actually London''s, not hers.


    She didn''t buy the house with her own money, but rather the guy bought it from the owner and let L use it under the pretense that she had bought it.


    So, actually, L had no right to say no. Plus, London''s decision to sterilize the house was also not a bad decision. L had learned not to argue because of small things.


    "I don''t mind," she said in the end. "Then, where will we stay until the house is ready?"


    "You can see for yourself," London answered in a secretive tone.


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort." London explained. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    L could only shake her head. She preferred that her house staff report to her directly so she could make a decision, but she quickly remembered that, in fact, her house in Grunewald was actually London''s, not hers.


    She didn''t buy the house with her own money, but rather the guy bought it from the owner.


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort."

 Chapter 997 - Family Dinner X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 30. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    The party was very beautiful and lively, and when it ended all guests returned home with very memorable memories in their hearts. The two most powerful Alchemist families were united tonight to become one very impressive force. Ned and Portia were like the king and queen of Rivendell in Tolkien''s story.


    Caspar and his small group managed to go home before the party ended with the excuse that Aleksis had to go to sleep. Before 10 pm, everyone arrived back at the hotel. Finland took Aleksis to rest but Caspar and Jadeith went to another room to meet Lauriel, who was treating Alexei''s wound.


    "What happened?" Caspar asked quickly. He was actually surprised to see Alexei still alive. To his knowledge, Lauriel would not forgive Alexei for what he had done to his goddaughter.


    Lauriel briefly described what had happened and Caspar felt huge sympathy for him. If the same thing had happened to Finland, he would not hesitate to give up everything in order to save the woman he loved.


    "If Luna were still alive, I''m sure I can find her..." Caspar said.


    "We are 78 years late..." Lauriel replied sadly. "If I had known that the dead girl was not Luna, I would have searched for her everywhere in the world, and I would have found her. But now we will start decades late. All traces and information must have been long lost or buried..."


    "I promise you... We will find her whereabouts... dead or alive." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder warmly. He then opened his medical bag and took some medical equipment. "I''ll take care of Alexei. You must still be shaken."


    Lauriel nodded slowly. He then stepped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.


    "Anyone wants to drink?" he asked in a hoarse voice. No one answered, so Lauriel just poured for himself and drank in the corner of the room with a dark face.


    Caspar quickly carried out a small operation and pulled the bullet from Alexei''s c.h.e.s.t which fortunately did not hit his heart. Although he was bleeding a lot, once the bullet was removed and the wound was stitched, his body began to stabilize. They placed him in a room guarded by Petra. After Caspar finished caring for Alexei, he joined Lauriel and drank with him.


    "What are your plans now?" Caspar asked.


    "I will take him to Yorkshire to check whether his story about Luna was true or not. At the same time, I will free Sophia," Lauriel answered. "Once Sophia is free, she will become the new leader of the Meier family and get rid of Alexei."


    "How can you do that?" Caspar asked. "Do you know where Sophia is?"


    "I will interrogate one of Alexei''s staff. They will definitely choose to support Sophia and release her." Lauriel rolled his glass with a faint smile, "Alexei is no longer an Alchemist. He has no right to rule the Meier family."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in surprise. "You gave him Death?"


    "Right. I saved his life, meaning now his life is mine, so I am free to take it at any time. I decided that someone like him does not deserve to be part of our people." Lauriel finished his glass in one gulp and refilled it. "He doesn''t know I gave him Death."


    Caspar could not think of a more appropriate sentence for Alexei than to revoke his privileges as an Alchemist, the perfect human. As a purist, he was very proud of his status. Taking that privilege from him would be a punishment worse than death for Alexei. He would probably hope that Marion''s bullet had pierced his heart.


    "I entrust all of this to you..." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder and nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."


    "Of course." Lauriel smiled, "I will often stop by to see Aleksis..."


    "The door to our house is always open."


    Caspar then excused himself and went to Finland, who had fallen asleep with Aleksis. That night he finally managed to sleep peacefully, after almost 2 weeks of restlessness thinking about Aleksis.


    Finally, all these problems ended. They could return home and live a happy life as a family.


    The next day, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Jadeith, Kara, and some of Caspar''s bodyguards returned to Germany. Lauriel and his team chose to go to England and made plans to save Sophia and search for information about Lady Luna.


    Because Alexei had made this problem personal, Lauriel was no longer halfhearted in dealing with him. He took all responsibility from Caspar and, with his crew, they captured Alexei and penetrated his court in Yorkshire to free Sophia.


    Upon arrival in Germany, one of the scientists employed by the Schneider Group who had found the vaccine to the virus given to Aleksis immediately gave Aleksis the antidote and ensure the little girl is cured one hundred percent, to the relief of her parents.


    Meanwhile, Caspar received Jean as a guest at his home for a week before the man returned to America to attend his latest film promo. The relationship between the two men was becoming better, and Finland was very relieved to see them go fishing together in the lake while caring for Aleksis when she had to work for LTX.


    "If you go to America, stop by in LA," Jean said before leaving, "I don''t have much work for the next 6 months. I just need to attend to the promotion for this new film. I haven''t accepted a new project."


    "I will. I have to go back to San Francisco anyway..." Finland said. "I''ve taken too much time off from work. Tony has been grumpy..."


    Caspar turned to Finland. He just found out that his wife was planning to return to America immediately.


    "Why... why didn''t you tell me that you wanted to go back to San Francisco?" he asked rather sullenly, "Didn''t you say that you want to stop working at LTX?"


    "Yes, I will indeed quit... but Tony made me promise to train my successor first before I can resign." Finland tried to use her ''puppy eyes'' weapon on Caspar. It worked a little, but Caspar still looked sullen. Thinking that her tactics were unsuccessful, Finland finally hugged Caspar''s waist and kissed his cheek. "The sooner I train my successor, the sooner I can resign. Now the decision is yours, whether you want to help me resign or complicate me."


    "I''ll help you," Caspar answered quickly. "I will make sure that you are able to train your replacement within 24 hours."


    "Ahahahaha... very ambitious. Alright, we''ll see." Finland turned to Jean, "We will visit you in LA or you can visit us in San Francisco. Anytime you can."


    Jean frowned as he recalled something, "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, we have a promo schedule in San Francisco. Maybe I can come to see you guys. I''ll let you know if the schedule matches."


    "Alright. Just let me know..." Finland hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "Goodbye. See you in America."


    Caspar shook Jean''s hand and patted his shoulder. "Safe travels."


    "Thank you."


    After the car that drove Jean was out of sight, Caspar held Finland''s hand and returned to the castle.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear, "Don''t forget to lock the door."


    A smile etched on Caspar''s lips as he nodded and hurriedly locked the door to his study.


    They almost missed dinner because they were too busy m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, releasing the tension they felt for the past two weeks.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear.

 Chapter 998 - Going To Medion X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 30. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    Caspar had never apologized to a woman he dated his whole life! Even Katia, who was his fianc¨¦e for 50 years, was very lenient and she forgave all his unpleasant actions. He knew that he had an irresistible charm, and he had seen countless women throw themselves at him. Katia never protested or left him just because Caspar was having fun with other women.


    What made Katia finally decide to leave was because Caspar kept her hanging. After so long he never took the last step to marry her. Indeed 50 years was a long time and Katia couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Caspar did not mean to hurt her, he simply could not bring himself to commit to her because he realized that he didn''t actually love her.


    Caspar''s parents who died together during World War 2 were married for more than four centuries and they were a perfect example of true love. They had known each other since they were children and both became Alchemists in their early 20s.


    They provided Caspar and his siblings with a loving household until they died in each other''s embrace under the rubble of the building where they lived.


    Since Caspar reached a.d.u.l.thood at the age of 25 until they died, his parents were his best friends.


    Even after Caspar went away to explore the world, and Flora got married and started a family, and Aldebar was born and grew up to be a world adventurer, all of them always came home to their family castle in Germany to get together every 10 years.


    They had a close-knit relationship. Since their parents passed away, only Aldebar lived in the castle because he was the only alchemist in the family to inherit their grandfather''s secret immortality potion.


    Caspar wanted to fall in love and marry someone, just like his father fell in love with his mother and married her, but for more than 400 years he did not find a woman who captured his heart. When he was devastated after the death of his parents, he met Katia in England.


    She was attending art school. Katia was a beautiful and kind lady from a noble family. They became friends because they often met at art community events in London and soon they started dating. Katia was able to comfort Caspar''s heart and cheer him up.


    Five years later Caspar decided to tell her the secrets of the Alchemists. Katia, whom he first met when she was 20 years old, began to change her appearance and at the age of 25 - she slowly started to age.


    Caspar was worried that Katia would soon look older than him. He also could not let Katia age and then die, leaving him alone.


    Finally, one night after a romantic dinner in Surrey, Caspar told Katia everything. The girl''s first reaction, predictably, was that Caspar was just joking.


    "I told you I''m an Alchemist."


    "I don''t even know what that means. You told me, but I just thought that meant you were interested in alchemy."


    "My dear Kat, my clan, the Alchemists, stay young like this forever. My ancestors found the elixir to immortality hundreds of years ago. We stop aging once our body reaches its prime and we stay perfect for infinity. We don''t even know if we are ever going to die naturally; the oldest alchemist alive is almost 600 years old.


    We don''t get sick, we don''t experience any physical disability, and we don''t get old. So, naturally, we are what you call the perfect humans. If you can be a doctor by studying for 5 years after finishing your basic education, imagine how much you can learn in a span of hundreds of years?


    Naturally, I can be whatever I want to be, and I can take my sweet time when doing anything. Since we are not in a hurry, my people are very casual when it comes to marriage and kids. My parents had me when they were already 90 because they are the first generation of Alchemists and at that time it was not known how long they could keep their youth. Later generations are more relaxed about it since we know that even if you go to 600, you''ll still look and feel as if you''re in your twenties."


    Katia accepted the fact that Caspar did look very young for someone who was almost 400 years old. He looked like he was the same age as Katia, only 25 years old.


    Plus, Caspar was also very handsome. Katia didn''t see a single wrinkle on his face...


    "So, you are all immortal? You cannot die?"


    "Well, we are not immune to bullets, but we cannot die of natural causes like ordinary people who are weak and susceptible to disease. During the last world war... many of my people died during city attacks."


    Katia was stunned.


    "I can''t believe this..." Katia sighed softly.


    "That''s why I hate war. It is meaningless." Caspar closed his eyes and tried to control his emotions. He still couldn''t forget the death of his parents.


    "Oh..."


    Katia was lost for words.


    Caspar explained everything to her so nonchalantly. It was as if he was just talking about the weather tomorrow. But it didn''t make sense. Katia felt as if Caspar was discussing the beautiful snowfall outside their window, even though it was actually in the middle of summer.


    How could Katia accept all this weird information?


    "Why did you tell me all this?" Katia asked finally.


    "Because... I think... I have fallen in love with you..." Caspar looked deep into Katia''s eyes. "I don''t know if I want to be with you forever, but if I don''t decide quickly, in a few years, you will grow old and die and I can''t take that risk. We''ve been together for five years, and you can certainly see for yourself I have not changed... but you look more m.a.t.u.r.e and soon you will look older than me. So, I want to give you... my family''s inheritance, so that you can stay like this forever... You will not age, just like me... and we can always be together. "


    Fifty years ago, Katia''s finally decided to accept Caspar''s proposal and chose to live forever with him, leaving her family and her best friend, Karl, behind. Caspar gave Katia the immortality potion and she accepted their engagement. Katia then spent fifty years waiting for Caspar to keep his promise and marry her.


    Katia had never been angry at Caspar when he dated all the women in his life and casually dumped them because she knew that Caspar''s relationship with them was not serious. Besides, she received the immortality potion, so she thought that she was special.


    However, after half a century, Katia realized that Caspar also was not serious about her and they would never get married... Therefore, Katia finally left.


    Caspar explained everything to her so nonchalantly. It was as if he was just talking about the weather tomorrow. But it didn''t make sense. Katia felt as if Caspar was discussing the beautiful snowfall outside their window, even though it was actually in the middle of summer.


    How could Katia accept all this weird information?


    "Why did you tell me all this?" Katia asked finally.


    "Because... I think... I have fallen in love with you..." Caspar looked deep into Katia''s eyes. "I don''t know if I want to be with you forever, but if I don''t decide quickly, in a few years, you will grow old and die and I can''t take that risk. We''ve been together for five years, and you can certainly see for yourself I have not changed... but you look more m.a.t.u.r.e and soon you will look older than me. So, I want to give you... my family''s inheritance, so that you can stay like this forever... You will not age, just like me... and we can always be together. "


    Fifty years ago, Katia''s finally decided to accept Caspar''s proposal and chose to live forever with him, leaving her family and her best friend, Karl, behind. Caspar gave Katia the immortality potion and she accepted their engagement. Katia then spent fifty years waiting for Caspar to keep his promise and marry her.


    Katia had never been angry at Caspar when he dated all the women in his life and casually dumped them because she knew that Caspar''s relationship with them was not serious. Besides, she received the immortality potion, so she thought that she was special.


    Fifty years ago, Katia''s finally decided to accept Caspar''s proposal and chose to live forever with him, leaving her family and her best friend, Karl, behind. Caspar gave Katia the immortality potion and she accepted their engagement. Katia then spent fifty years waiting for Caspar to keep his promise and marry her.

 Chapter 999 - The Truth X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 30. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<This is a filler chapter>>


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    "I don''t like crowds," Alaric complained as he washed Aleksis'' back inside the large marble bathtub in her bathroom. "Can we just run away?"


    "Jeez ... you did it on purpose, huh?" she grumbled, turning her head to face Alaric who was now looking at her with his pair of purple eyes that glimmered like a puppy''s. For a moment Aleksis was stunned. She had never seen this side of him before.


    Gosh ... how could her husband be so adorable, she wondered in amus.e.m.e.nt. Wasn''t Alaric famous for being so cold and indifferent? But in such a short time, Aleksis saw him smile, laugh, and now he was even teasing her by pretending to sulk.


    She really liked this new Alaric.


    "We ... are too late, Honey," Aleksis persuaded him, her hand c.a.r.e.s.sed his face, which was sporting a rather sullen expression. "I promise, this is the last one. After this party, we can live in solitude and we don''t have to meet anyone else. There would only be you and me and the children."


    Finally, Alaric relented and ten minutes later, they were back in their room, preparing to attend the wedding their family had prepared for them. Alaric''s clothes and other necessities had been delivered to her bedroom so he immediately dressed up.


    He looked even more dashing in the casual party get up adorned with various badges and emblems from the Linden, Lewis, and Baden families. His face looked moved when he noticed a Medici emblem and badge in his clothes. It must be Lauriel who pinned it there.


    Ah, yes ... he was actually a royal from the Medici family. Now he had found his family.


    The bride and groom were not supposed to see each other until the wedding day, but both of them refused to separate even if only for a brief moment. Because the two were already married, they did not feel the need to follow traditions.


    Aleksis also refused the help of the servants to help her dress up, so she wore her wedding dress with the help of her husband who happily zippered it up and put on her shoes for her.


    It was almost four o''clock in the afternoon when the two finally walked out of the room, ready for the occasion as they strode forward arm in arm.


    "The young miss is out," a servant reported to the Schneider couple who were enjoying wine with Lauriel, Ned and Portia. The five of them almost gave up expecting their children to come out and attend the wedding party prepared for them.


    "Gosh ... finally," Portia exclaimed, looking amused. She looked around the garden and saw that the guests were eating and drinking while chatting happily. "I think the guests are very nervous."


    Finland just sighed. "Luckily we have Aldebar''s party refreshment, a lot of people are entertained ..."


    Aldebar''s party refreshment had indeed become very popular among the Alchemists who had never had an idea of how it was like to get old. In the last hour, many drank it and had fun showing each other how they would look like if they were to age and get wrinkles, like ordinary humans.


    ***


    Nicolae and Terry soon became the stars of the party the moment they arrived. Many people recognized the handsome Terry as the current president of the Schneider Group who had already repeatedly won the World''s Most Eligible Bachelor award. Since Nicolae was already taken, all the girls wanted to be his girlfriend instead.


    "Why did Nicolae come together with Terry to this party?" Many people wondered about the Medici heir''s unusual entrance. "Isn''t he the one getting married today? Why is he not appearing with the bride?"


    A group of beautiful girls who had been watching them summoned their courage to intercept the two dashing men.


    "Good evening, Nicolae and Terry ... how are you?" Alexandra asked, representing her friends.


    Terry immediately elbowed his best friend and whispered, "You''re giving her false hopes. Don''t look at other girls like that."


    "Ah ... well, how is it your business?" Nicolae ignored him. He knew the only reason he was paying attention to the girl in front of him was that she resembled Aleksis, but he did not feel the need to deliberately avoid Alexandra because she looked like the girl he loved. He nodded at the woman and smiled, "Good evening. Sorry, we don''t know your names yet."


    Alexandra exchanged glances with her friends. They giggled flirtatiously and flashed sweet smiles at each other, "Uhm ... my name is Alexandra, and these are my friends, Shekina and Lyana."


    Oh, even her name is similar, Nicolae thought, shaking his head. Terry also realized what was happening. This girl, Alexandra must have thought Nicolae liked her. Yet in actuality, Nicolae was just amazed upon seeing someone appear rather similar to Aleksis.


    Terry was not at all interested in his younger sister''s look-alike. But the one named Shekina seemed pretty decent, he thought. Shekina looked very beautiful and her body was tall and slim, like that of a supermodel. Physically, she was exactly like the type of girl he liked.


    "Hi, Shekina, nice to meet you," Terry said, gesturing to the waiter to bring them drinks. He didn''t bother to greet Lyana, who had freckles, and Alexandra whom he saw attracted to Nicolae.


    "Ahh, thank you ..." Shekina smiled as she took the glass of wine that Terry passed to her. The latter fetched her the drink from the tray of one of the servants.


    The five of them now stood together under several rose trees that were filled with flowers. They enjoyed drinks together, accompanied by the envious gazes of many other girls who regretted not approaching Terry and Nicolae first.


    "Uhmm ... is this really a wedding?" Shekina asked after their small talks. "I don''t understand why from the very beginning of the party, none of the hosts looked like they had prepared a wedding ... there isn''t even a word about the marriage ceremony at all. It''s quite confusing ..."


    Terry only gave his best friend on his behalf and then responded to the girl who just spoke. "Uhm ... actually we also don''t know whether there will be a wedding or not. The bride and groom are missing."


    "What?" The three girls looked very surprised.


    "Wait, you guys are from the Schneider and Medici families, right?" Lyana asked, looking confused, "I thought you were the one getting married. Does the Medici family have other sons? Or did the bride run away so the party is going to be canceled?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "No, it will not be canceled. You must be patient. Terry was just joking. The bride and groom are getting ready."


    "Oh ..." The three girls still appeared puzzled. They had originally thought that Nicolae was going to be the groom. However, he instead came over as a guest, which meant that either the wedding was going to be canceled, or it was actually not for Nicolae ...


    Did that mean the Medici family have another son?


    "Uhmm ... is this really a wedding?" Shekina asked after their small talks. "I don''t understand why from the very beginning of the party, none of the hosts looked like they had prepared a wedding ... there isn''t even a word about the marriage ceremony at all. It''s quite confusing ..."


    Terry only gave his best friend on his behalf and then responded to the girl who just spoke. "Uhm ... actually we also don''t know whether there will be a wedding or not. The bride and groom are missing."


    "What?" The three girls looked very surprised.


    "Wait, you guys are from the Schneider and Medici families, right?" Lyana asked, looking confused, "I thought you were the one getting married. Does the Medici family have other sons? Or did the bride run away so the party is going to be canceled?"


    Nicolae shook his head, "No, it will not be canceled. You must be patient. Terry was just joking. The bride and groom are getting ready."


    "Oh ..." The three girls still appeared puzzled. They had originally thought that Nicolae was going to be the groom. However, he instead came over as a guest, which meant that either the wedding was going to be canceled.

 Chapter 1000 - Feedback X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by December 30. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<This is filler chapter>>


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    Because London didn''t give an answer either, L insisted on making a decision for both of them.


    "You can go now, otherwise you will be late for your date," said L as she rose from the floor and carried Lily from her basket.


    "L ... wait a minute ..." London hurriedly got up and chased after L who had walked into her room. Before he made it in, L had thrown his clothes out of the room and closed the door. The man was frantic and tried to knock on her door. "L ... please open the door."


    He knocked twice and waited.


    "Don''t you have hands that you can''t open the door yourself? Do you think I''m your maid that I have to open the door for his majesty??" L''s voice grumbled from the room.


    "Er ... is it unlocked?" London wondered. He turned the door handle and found that the door was indeed not locked. He smiled sheepishly as he entered the room. "Sorry, I thought you locked the door."


    "Where are you going?" asked London in surprise. He was really confused by L''s attitude. At first, he thought L was still angry and locked herself in the room after throwing out his clothes.


    "I have something to do." L raised her face and looked at London with a sharp look. "What more do you want here? Hurry home and get ready. Jan has prepared a date with a beautiful woman for you. You can''t keep a woman waiting. That''s rude."


    London felt like he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn''t. L''s words were very piercing, but he realized it was his own fault.


    "Do you really want me to date those other women?" Finally, he asked, trying to confirm once again that L''s decision was indeed final.


    "Yes. Anyway, for the next month, you are welcome to meet as many women who are better than me. Next month we will talk again." L took two beautiful long dresses. One light blue and the other was beige, then placed them over her in front of the mirror.


    "The beige dress is suitable for today''s weather," commented London. "But next month, we can go back to discussing our wedding after I have met all these women and convince you that I only want to marry you... right?"


    "Yes." L put the beige dress back in the closet and took the blue one to wear, openly opposing London''s suggestion. "Apart from Lily''s affairs, we don''t have anything to do with each other."


    London knew that L was really angry this time. He remembered how the girl always listened to his advice in choosing outfit.. but today she openly went against his suggestion.


    "Uhm ... where are you going?" asked London, still not giving up.


    "I have something to do," L replied curtly. She then picked Lily from the basket and carried her to the bathroom. "Come on, Honey ... We must get ready now."


    London was about to follow, but the bathroom door was closed in front of him and locked.


    "Where are you planning to go?" he asked again.


    "That''s none of your business," L said from the bathroom.


    "It is my business because you will bring Lily with you," London replied. "I''m her father. You can''t take my child without me knowing ..."


    "You are not the only parent who can bring your child to work."


    L''s words stunned London. He didn''t expect L would really do this. Will she bring Lily to work??


    Didn''t L always try to keep him and Lily secret? Why did it change now? Did L really mean what she said?


    He was about to ask again, but the sound of running water made his voice inaudible. He spoke in vain. Finally, London left L''s room and picked up his clothes and entered his own bedroom. He hurriedly took a shower and changed clothes to be ready before the mother and child left L''s room.


    At 11:30, he was already waiting for L and Lily to come out. He looked so handsome and neat. L and Lily left her room at noon.


    For a moment, London was dazed to see L looking so elegant and cool. After giving birth to Lily three months ago, L''s body shape had returned to normal, just like before she was pregnant, but her b.r.e.a.s.t size, due to b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, increased by one cup so that she even looked so much s.e.xier than before she gave birth.


    The young man almost drooled at the beautiful sight. Instantly, his mind played the events of the previous night, when the s.e.xy body laid underneath him and he could feel how L''s skin was as smooth as silk as he touched her. Then ... her full and perky b.r.e.a.s.ts felt soooo soft... He gulped when he remembered her tiny, beautiful, and fresh p.u.s.s.y that looked like a cute pink rose ready to be picked ...


    Ahhh... (gulped again)


    "Hey! Don''t you dare have perverted thoughts about me!" L jerked, hitting him on the shoulder with her handbag. She could read the man''s mind from that silly smile plastered all over his face.


    "Uh ... you''re wrong. I''m just enchanted by your beauty. You look amazing today ..." London said hurriedly. "Uhm .. you still haven''t told me where you are going ..."


    "I want to meet my lawyer and discuss something. I''ll be gone all day," L. answered. "You have to go too, right?"


    She pointed at London''s neat clothes.


    "Uhm .. yeah, I have to go to the office," the man replied reluctantly.


    "You have to go to the office and ... meet Miss Sarah on a date," L added sarcastically.


    "I will not date that woman," London insisted.


    "If you don''t want to see them, I don''t want to marry you and we don''t have anything else to talk about." L shrugged and walked out of the house carrying Lily. She then opened the gate of their house and entered a taxi with an android driver who politely opened the door for her. L then got in and placed Lily on the car seat and strapped on her seatbelts.


    "L ... is there any other way for me to prove to you that you are the only woman I want?" asked London from outside the cab window.


    "Nothing. That''s the only way." L replied without turning her head. She tapped the cab driver''s shoulder and told him to drive. "We''re leaving now."


    The taxi then moved out of the courtyard and the mansion gate automatically closed behind it, leaving London, who stood confused in the yard.


    If there was a machine to translate women''s hearts, he was willing to give up half of his wealth to get one. For him, understanding L''s way of thinking was worth half his wealth.


    Ugh ... It seemed now he had no choice but to prove to L that even though he met so many women, he only loved and wanted L.


    London touched his pocket to get his phone and call Jan. After groping all the pockets in his pants and not finding his cellphone, he realized that he had dropped and trampled on it to stop Jan''s ramblings this morning.


    Dammit .. that means he had to call Jan to buy him a new cellphone.


    Ah, but he couldn''t call Jan to buy him a new cellphone because his cellphone was broken.


    "Nothing. That''s the only way." L replied without turning her head. She tapped the cab driver''s shoulder and told him to drive. "We''re leaving now."


    The taxi then moved out of the courtyard and the mansion gate automatically closed behind it, leaving London, who stood confused in the yard.


    If there was a machine to translate women''s hearts, he was willing to give up half of his wealth to get one. For him, understanding L''s way of thinking was worth half his wealth.


    Ugh ... It seemed now he had no choice but to prove to L that even though he met so many women, he only loved and wanted L.


    London touched his pocket to get his phone and call Jan. After groping all the pockets in his pants and not finding his cellphone.

 Chapter 1001 - Under Construction X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by end of January. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<This is filler chapter>>


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    Because London didn''t give an answer either, L insisted on making a decision for both of them.


    "You can go now, otherwise you will be late for your date," said L as she rose from the floor and carried Lily from her basket.


    "L ... wait a minute ..." London hurriedly got up and chased after L who had walked into her room. Before he made it in, L had thrown his clothes out of the room and closed the door. The man was frantic and tried to knock on her door. "L ... please open the door."


    He knocked twice and waited.


    "Don''t you have hands that you can''t open the door yourself? Do you think I''m your maid that I have to open the door for his majesty??" L''s voice grumbled from the room.


    "Er ... is it unlocked?" London wondered. He turned the door handle and found that the door was indeed not locked. He smiled sheepishly as he entered the room. "Sorry, I thought you locked the door."


    He found L had put Lily in a baby cot and the girl was taking some clothes from the closet. She was getting ready to take a shower.


    "Where are you going?" asked London in surprise. He was really confused by L''s attitude. At first, he thought L was still angry and locked herself in the room after throwing out his clothes.


    "I have something to do." L raised her face and looked at London with a sharp look. "What more do you want here? Hurry home and get ready. Jan has prepared a date with a beautiful woman for you. You can''t keep a woman waiting. That''s rude."


    London felt like he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn''t. L''s words were very piercing, but he realized it was his own fault.


    "Do you really want me to date those other women?" Finally, he asked, trying to confirm once again that L''s decision was indeed final.


    "Yes. Anyway, for the next month, you are welcome to meet as many women who are better than me. Next month we will talk again." L took two beautiful long dresses. One light blue and the other was beige, then placed them over her in front of the mirror.


    "The beige dress is suitable for today''s weather," commented London. "But next month, we can go back to discussing our wedding after I have met all these women and convince you that I only want to marry you... right?"


    "Yes." L put the beige dress back in the closet and took the blue one to wear, openly opposing London''s suggestion. "Apart from Lily''s affairs, we don''t have anything to do with each other."


    London knew that L was really angry this time. He remembered how the girl always listened to his advice in choosing outfit.. but today she openly went against his suggestion.


    "Uhm ... where are you going?" asked London, still not giving up.


    "I have something to do," L replied curtly. She then picked Lily from the basket and carried her to the bathroom. "Come on, Honey ... We must get ready now."


    London was about to follow, but the bathroom door was closed in front of him and locked.


    "Where are you planning to go?" he asked again.


    "That''s none of your business," L said from the bathroom.


    "It is my business because you will bring Lily with you," London replied. "I''m her father. You can''t take my child without me knowing ..."


    "You are not the only parent who can bring your child to work."


    L''s words stunned London. He didn''t expect L would really do this. Will she bring Lily to work??


    Didn''t L always try to keep him and Lily secret? Why did it change now? Did L really mean what she said?


    He was about to ask again, but the sound of running water made his voice inaudible. He spoke in vain. Finally, London left L''s room and picked up his clothes and entered his own bedroom. He hurriedly took a shower and changed clothes to be ready before the mother and child left L''s room.


    At 11:30, he was already waiting for L and Lily to come out. He looked so handsome and neat. L and Lily left her room at noon.


    Lily looked very cute with a small bear-patterned onesie and a thick light blue autumn coat. L was wearing an elegant blue dress with brown leather boots and a matching leather jacket. Her hair is styled into a simple bun above her head. Her swollen eyes were covered by sunglasses and, overall, she looked very cool.


    For a moment, London was dazed to see L looking so elegant and cool. After giving birth to Lily three months ago, L''s body shape had returned to normal, just like before she was pregnant, but her b.r.e.a.s.t size, due to b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, increased by one cup so that she even looked so much s.e.xier than before she gave birth.


    The young man almost drooled at the beautiful sight. Instantly, his mind played the events of the previous night, when the s.e.xy body laid underneath him and he could feel how L''s skin was as smooth as silk as he touched her. Then ... her full and perky b.r.e.a.s.ts felt soooo soft... He gulped when he remembered her tiny, beautiful, and fresh p.u.s.s.y that looked like a cute pink rose ready to be picked ...


    Ahhh... (gulped again)


    "Hey! Don''t you dare have perverted thoughts about me!" L jerked, hitting him on the shoulder with her handbag. She could read the man''s mind from that silly smile plastered all over his face.


    "Uh ... you''re wrong. I''m just enchanted by your beauty. You look amazing today ..." London said hurriedly. "Uhm .. you still haven''t told me where you are going ..."


    "I want to meet my lawyer and discuss something. I''ll be gone all day," L. answered. "You have to go too, right?"


    She pointed at London''s neat clothes.


    "Uhm .. yeah, I have to go to the office," the man replied reluctantly.


    "You have to go to the office and ... meet Miss Sarah on a date," L added sarcastically.


    "I will not date that woman," London insisted.


    "If you don''t want to see them, I don''t want to marry you and we don''t have anything else to talk about." L shrugged and walked out of the house carrying Lily. She then opened the gate of their house and entered a taxi with an android driver who politely opened the door for her. L then got in and placed Lily on the car seat and strapped on her seatbelts.


    "L ... is there any other way for me to prove to you that you are the only woman I want?" asked London from outside the cab window.


    "Nothing. That''s the only way." L replied without turning her head. She tapped the cab driver''s shoulder and told him to drive. "We''re leaving now."Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/under-construction-x_50745731518088039">/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/under-construction-x_50745731518088039</a> for visiting.


    The taxi then moved out of the courtyard and the mansion gate automatically closed behind it, leaving London, who stood confused in the yard.


    If there was a machine to translate women''s hearts, he was willing to give up half of his wealth to get one. For him, understanding L''s way of thinking was worth half his wealth.


    Ugh ... It seemed now he had no choice but to prove to L that even though he met so many women, he only loved and wanted L.


    London touched his pocket to get his phone and call Jan. After groping all the pockets in his pants and not finding his cellphone, he realized that he had dropped and trampled on it to stop Jan''s ramblings this morning.


    Dammit .. that means he had to call Jan to buy him a new cellphone.


    Ah, but he couldn''t call Jan to buy him a new cellphone because his cellphone was broken.


    He must go to his house first and send an email to his assistant. Grumbling, London got in his car and returned to the Schneider family mansion.


    "Nothing. That''s the only way." L replied without turning her head. She tapped the cab driver''s shoulder and told him to drive. "We''re leaving now."


    The taxi then moved out of the courtyard and the mansion gate automatically closed behind it, leaving London, who stood confused in the yard.


    If there was a machine to translate women''s hearts, he was willing to give up half of his wealth to get one. For him, understanding L''s way of thinking was worth half his wealth.


    Ugh ... It seemed now he had no choice but to prove to L that even though he met so many women, he only loved and wanted L.

 Chapter 1002 - Coming Home X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by end of January. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<This is a filler chapter>>


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    "Good morning, newlyweds," Flora said teasingly. She turned to her husband Louis, "Do you remember when we were just married?"


    Louis nodded as he touched his wife''s cheek lovingly. "I remember it like it happened yesterday. I really love you."


    "How long have you known each other?" Finland asked, interested. She only knew that Flora was about 100 years younger than Caspar.


    "Hmm... almost my whole life," Flora answered. "I was born in England. Our parents were lonely because Caspar started traveling with Lauriel so they decided to have more children, thus I was born. I grew up in the countryside and became friends with Louis when I was a child. I knew that someday we would have to move and leave him because he could not know our identity as Alchemists, but when I was 16 I knew that I loved him and I didn''t want us to part. Mother said I must be crazy... How could I know love at that age? But I was stubborn. I finally opened my secret to Louis and we decided to elope. "


    "Really? Wow... I didn''t know that story..." Finland was very impressed. Flora was now in her 300s, and she had spent most of her life with Louis. It was a really long time, but even today their love was visible to everyone present.


    Was this how Alchemists loved their partners?


    Finland glanced at Caspar and her heart warmed when she thought of how Caspar loved her all this while. He loved and treated her as sweetly as Louis and Flora loved each other.


    "I was told that at that time you were not given the blessings by your parents, and therefore Louis became older while you still look like you are in your 20s. Before your parents finally accepted Louis and gave him the immortality potion after Alexandrite was born, were you ready to be separated by death?" Finland asked again.


    Flora understood why Finland asked that question. She was weighing her own circ.u.mstances and tried to compare her situation with theirs in the past.


    "Hmm... at that time we weren''t thinking ahead. We just wanted to be together, no matter what. I really didn''t care when Louis started to look older. To me, he was still the Louis I knew when we were teenagers. But yes, we were indeed prepared to separate when he died... We had no other choice. But I was determined to live for our children in the future," Flora replied. "For me, it''s better to be with Louis even though it''s only for 50 years... rather than not live with him at all."


    Finland nodded. Caspar squeezed her hand gently and smiled reassuringly.


    "Aldebar has given us his immortality potion before he sleeps. You don''t have to rush to decide. I''ll wait whenever you are ready," he said soothingly.


    Finland nodded again. Her heart became calmer.


    "One thing you might not know," Flora said again, "We are usually very picky when it comes to our life partners, so my case is an exception. Most people from our clan only decide to get married after being with their partners for at least 10 years, when they have become very m.a.t.u.r.e. When you reach the age of at least one century, your thoughts would be more m.a.t.u.r.e and you start to really understand what you want. Most of the first- and second-generation Alchemists are married to fellow Alchemists, and only less than half are married to the commoners. That is why there are so few of us. We also don''t do divorce. "


    "Are you not allowed to divorce... or... there has just never been a case where a partner feels that there is no connection anymore?" Finland asked, increasingly curious.


    Caspar''s clan was indeed very interesting. They not only look physically perfect but socially they also seem to have an ideal lifestyle.


    Did nobody get divorced? Wow! That seemed impossible since divorce rates in many countries in Europe were over 30%. In some countries, it was so bad that one in two marriages end in divorce.


    This time Aldebar spoke up. "Never before has anyone fallen out of love with their partners and decide to divorce. All couples we have now are the result of a m.a.t.u.r.e and calculated relationship. Even in the midst of their household dips, problems could usually be resolved by mutual understanding. I have never known any of our clan members split up. "Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/coming-home-x_50768230167407433">/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/coming-home-x_50768230167407433</a> for visiting.


    "You have a very perfect society," Finland commented. "How come you are now still single?"


    Aldebar laughed at Finland''s question, "I''m still very young. Last night I just celebrated my 200th birthday. My life is still long and there are still many people I will meet. I''m not in a hurry."


    Finland suddenly had a hiccup when she heard Aldebar say his 200 years old self as young... Then what about her? She would only celebrate her 24th birthday in two weeks! And she was already married¡­ Wasn''t she sooooo much younger than him?


    All Alchemists had one thing in common, she thought later, they were not in a hurry. Caspar was an anomaly because he did not want to wait long in marrying Finland.


    The thought made th girl smile. She was happy because Caspar made her feel special.


    They continued their breakfast while talking about other things. Aldebar would soon leave for his research and Flora would spend one week in the castle for a holiday. Caspar had prepared a honeymoon trip to Spain which, at that moment, had a warmer temperature than Germany.


    "I would love to take you to Finland, but the temperature there is too cold and there is no sun. I do not want you to experience extreme winters in your first visit to Europe. We''d better explore cities in Spain and Portugal. These countries are also beautiful. We can return in the spring or summer to explore Scandinavian countries. Next winter we can come back to see the aurora. "


    "I''m going to Paris on the 16th. I have to know our route so I can book a ticket to Paris," said Finland.


    Caspar looked at her in confusion, "Why buy a ticket? I''ll take you there, of course."


    "Oh..."


    Finland knew she must get used to being Caspar''s wife. After marriage, of course, she should not hesitate to use her husband''s facilities when needed. In the case of traveling, Caspar could take her wherever she wanted, she just needed to ask.


    "Don''t ever hesitate to ask me for anything," said Caspar in a very earnest voice. "If I can fulfill it, I will definitely give you whatever your heart d.e.s.i.r.es. Your happiness is the purpose of my life."


    Finland was very touched to hear that. She touched Caspar''s cheek dan rubbed it softly, then nodded. "Thank you."


    Caspar took her hand and kissed it lovingly. Finland could still not believe that this perfect man was now her husband and that he loved her very much.


    Caspar then cleared his throat and turned to Aldebar, "Before we part, I want to ask your input about Jean. What should we do with him?"


    Badump!


    Finland''s heart was pounding right away...


    "I would love to take you to Finland, but the temperature there is too cold and there is no sun. I do not want you to experience extreme winters in your first visit to Europe. We''d better explore cities in Spain and Portugal. These countries are also beautiful. We can return in the spring or summer to explore Scandinavian countries. Next winter we can come back to see the aurora. "


    "I''m going to Paris on the 16th. I have to know our route so I can book a ticket to Paris," said Finland.


    Caspar looked at her in confusion, "Why buy a ticket? I''ll take you there, of course."


    "Oh..."


    Finland knew she must get used to being Caspar''s wife. After marriage, of course, she should not hesitate to use her husband''s facilities when needed. In the case of traveling, Caspar could take her wherever she wanted, she just needed to ask.


    "Don''t ever hesitate to ask me for anything," said Caspar in a very earnest voice. "If I can fulfill it, I will definitely give you whatever your heart d.e.s.i.r.es. Your happiness is the purpose of my life."


    Finland was very touched to hear that. She touched Caspar''s cheek dan rubbed it softly, then nodded. "Thank you."


    Caspar took her hand and kissed it lovingly. Finland could still not believe that this perfect man was now her husband and that he loved her very much.


    Caspar then cleared his throat and turned to Aldebar, "Before we part, I want to ask your input about Jean."

 Chapter 1003 - The Dance Party X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by end of January. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<<This is a filler chapter>>>


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    The party was very beautiful and lively, and when it ended all guests returned home with very memorable memories in their hearts. The two most powerful Alchemist families were united tonight to become one very impressive force. Ned and Portia were like the king and queen of Rivendell in Tolkien''s story.


    Caspar and his small group managed to go home before the party ended with the excuse that Aleksis had to go to sleep. Before 10 pm, everyone arrived back at the hotel. Finland took Aleksis to rest but Caspar and Jadeith went to another room to meet Lauriel, who was treating Alexei''s wound.


    "What happened?" Caspar asked quickly. He was actually surprised to see Alexei still alive. To his knowledge, Lauriel would not forgive Alexei for what he had done to his goddaughter.


    Lauriel briefly described what had happened and Caspar felt huge sympathy for him. If the same thing had happened to Finland, he would not hesitate to give up everything in order to save the woman he loved.


    "If Luna were still alive, I''m sure I can find her..." Caspar said.


    "We are 78 years late..." Lauriel replied sadly. "If I had known that the dead girl was not Luna, I would have searched for her everywhere in the world, and I would have found her. But now we will start decades late. All traces and information must have been long lost or buried..."


    "I promise you... We will find her whereabouts... dead or alive." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder warmly. He then opened his medical bag and took some medical equipment. "I''ll take care of Alexei. You must still be shaken."


    Lauriel nodded slowly. He then stepped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.


    "Anyone wants to drink?" he asked in a hoarse voice. No one answered, so Lauriel just poured for himself and drank in the corner of the room with a dark face.


    Caspar quickly carried out a small operation and pulled the bullet from Alexei''s c.h.e.s.t which fortunately did not hit his heart. Although he was bleeding a lot, once the bullet was removed and the wound was stitched, his body began to stabilize. They placed him in a room guarded by Petra. After Caspar finished caring for Alexei, he joined Lauriel and drank with him.


    "What are your plans now?" Caspar asked.


    "I will take him to Yorkshire to check whether his story about Luna was true or not. At the same time, I will free Sophia," Lauriel answered. "Once Sophia is free, she will become the new leader of the Meier family and get rid of Alexei."


    "How can you do that?" Caspar asked. "Do you know where Sophia is?"


    "I will interrogate one of Alexei''s staff. They will definitely choose to support Sophia and release her." Lauriel rolled his glass with a faint smile, "Alexei is no longer an Alchemist. He has no right to rule the Meier family."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in surprise. "You gave him Death?"


    "Right. I saved his life, meaning now his life is mine, so I am free to take it at any time. I decided that someone like him does not deserve to be part of our people." Lauriel finished his glass in one gulp and refilled it. "He doesn''t know I gave him Death."


    Caspar could not think of a more appropriate sentence for Alexei than to revoke his privileges as an Alchemist, the perfect human. As a purist, he was very proud of his status. Taking that privilege from him would be a punishment worse than death for Alexei. He would probably hope that Marion''s bullet had pierced his heart.


    "I entrust all of this to you..." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder and nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."


    "Of course." Lauriel smiled, "I will often stop by to see Aleksis..."


    "The door to our house is always open."


    Caspar then excused himself and went to Finland, who had fallen asleep with Aleksis. That night he finally managed to sleep peacefully, after almost 2 weeks of restlessness thinking about Aleksis.


    Finally, all these problems ended. They could return home and live a happy life as a family.


    ***


    The next day, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Jadeith, Kara, and some of Caspar''s bodyguards returned to Germany. Lauriel and his team chose to go to England and made plans to save Sophia and search for information about Lady Luna.


    Because Alexei had made this problem personal, Lauriel was no longer halfhearted in dealing with him. He took all responsibility from Caspar and, with his crew, they captured Alexei and penetrated his court in Yorkshire to free Sophia.


    Upon arrival in Germany, one of the scientists employed by the Schneider Group who had found the vaccine to the virus given to Aleksis immediately gave Aleksis the antidote and ensure the little girl is cured one hundred percent, to the relief of her parents.


    "If you go to America, stop by in LA," Jean said before leaving, "I don''t have much work for the next 6 months. I just need to attend to the promotion for this new film. I haven''t accepted a new project."


    "I will. I have to go back to San Francisco anyway..." Finland said. "I''ve taken too much time off from work. Tony has been grumpy..."


    Caspar turned to Finland. He just found out that his wife was planning to return to America immediately.


    "Why... why didn''t you tell me that you wanted to go back to San Francisco?" he asked rather sullenly, "Didn''t you say that you want to stop working at LTX?"


    "Yes, I will indeed quit... but Tony made me promise to train my successor first before I can resign." Finland tried to use her ''puppy eyes'' weapon on Caspar. It worked a little, but Caspar still looked sullen. Thinking that her tactics were unsuccessful, Finland finally hugged Caspar''s waist and kissed his cheek. "The sooner I train my successor, the sooner I can resign. Now the decision is yours, whether you want to help me resign or complicate me."


    "I''ll help you," Caspar answered quickly. "I will make sure that you are able to train your replacement within 24 hours."


    "Ahahahaha... very ambitious. Alright, we''ll see." Finland turned to Jean, "We will visit you in LA or you can visit us in San Francisco. Anytime you can."


    Jean frowned as he recalled something, "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, we have a promo schedule in San Francisco. Maybe I can come to see you guys. I''ll let you know if the schedule matches."


    "Alright. Just let me know..." Finland hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "Goodbye. See you in America."


    Caspar shook Jean''s hand and patted his shoulder. "Safe travels."


    "Thank you."


    After the car that drove Jean was out of sight, Caspar held Finland''s hand and returned to the castle.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear, "Don''t forget to lock the door."


    A smile etched on Caspar''s lips as he nodded and hurriedly locked the door to his study.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/the-dance-party-x_50791730080964777">/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/the-dance-party-x_50791730080964777</a> for visiting.


    They almost missed dinner because they were too busy m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, releasing the tension they felt for the past two weeks.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear.

 Chapter 1004 - Time To Say Goodbye X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by end of January. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    Before L could think further, the man had walked forward and waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, spread his hands, and gave a sign for L to come down directly to him.


    The girl''s face instantly flushed red. She did not think London would behave so intimately in front of his men. Once she reached the last step and went down to the runway, L handed Lily to London''s embrace.


    The man welcomed her with a smile and kissed Lily, who was amused and suddenly laughed.


    L and London exchanged glances. Lily had begun to smile often, but she had never laughed that loudly in front of them before.


    "Gosh... apparently you are delighted to meet Daddy," commented London happily. He kissed Lily again and pressed his nose against the baby''s nose. "You''re so cute, you know that, right? You''re the cutest baby in the whole wide world."


    L just smiled at the interaction between the father and daughter duo. She could not deny her happy feelings when she returned to Berlin. Somehow, she already felt at home, even though the city was not her native hometown.


    "Does Lily miss Daddy?" London repeatedly teased Lily, who was in his arms. "I miss you so much."


    "Looks like she does miss you," L commented. "Look, she''s so happy to see you."


    London smiled mischievously as he turned to L. "I really am adorable and missable, of course, Lily missed me. How about you?"


    L just rolled her eyes and walked towards the car that was waiting for them. London immediately followed her. Before he got into the car, he called Pammy to come closer.


    "Pammy, you can go home alone, right? My driver will drive you straight home." London pointed to a black BMW next to his Mercedes. "His name is Ben."


    Pammy nodded respectfully. "Of course, Sir. I will go straight to my apartment. You be careful on the road, have a good rest."


    She nodded at Ben and got into the car that would be used to drive her home. London followed L, who had gotten into their car and sat next to the girl. Dave, Marc, and his security team followed them with several other cars.


    This was the first time L shared a car with London in a formal setting after he revealed his identity as London Schneider. So.. this is how rich people travel, L thought to herself. The girl observed several cars around them that contained London''s security team.


    At that time, she felt very safe. The dark clouds that had filled her mind all night from thinking about Danny Swann''s threat were now gone.


    "Thank you for picking us up," L murmured almost silently. "I know you are very busy."


    London just shrugged. "I am never busy for you and Lily."


    L turned when she heard those words. She looked at London as if she wanted to believe his words, but it was difficult for her to do.


    "Why? You don''t believe me?" asked London in an irritated tone. "Try to ask anything from me, I will definitely grant it."


    L bit her lip at the words. "Ugh ... you still want to be my Santa Claus ..."


    London instantly remembered L''s protest back then, and he finally sighed. "Ah .. actually, that''s not what I meant. Now, I will only do something for you if you asked. You don''t know how happy I was last night when you finally asked something from me. A man is very happy whenever he felt needed, you know that?"


    L shook her head. "I didn''t know that. Anyway, I don''t like to bother other people."


    London stared fixedly at L. "I''m not other people."


    L couldn''t dispute the man''s words. She had no energy to argue anyway. Finally, she could only nod. "Okay."


    London smiled when he saw L no longer protested and argued his words. He really felt that L had changed a lot lately. Maybe, their heart to heart conversation from at that time managed to improve the poor communication they used to have.


    He was about to say something but, suddenly, Lily cried softly and reached out her tiny hand.


    "Uhm ... she''s hungry, I have to feed her first," L said. She reached out and took Lily from London''s l.a.p. The man relented and handed over his baby to L, who immediately unfastened the buttons on her shirt and started b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding Lily.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/time-to-say-goodbye-x_50814031430214692">/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/time-to-say-goodbye-x_50814031430214692</a> for visiting.


    L never hesitated to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed Lily in front of London. Maybe because she knew that the man had seen her under various conditions, including when she was the most vulnerable and unattractive in life: when she gave birth to their baby.


    London, who often had a perverted mind when looking at L''s body, for some reason, was never turned on every time L took out her b.r.e.a.s.ts to nurse Lily.


    He could only stare in awe, sometimes a little envy. Seeing the bond between L and Lily every time they were in such condition, he sometimes wished that men were also given the gift of being able to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed their babies.


    When the father fed milk to his baby through a bottle, the bond between him and his baby was in no way comparable to the deep connection developed between mother and child during b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding.


    "L ... Even though I love our child very much, later when we get married, we don''t have to have more children," the man said suddenly.


    L, who was surprised to hear the words coming out of the man''s lips without a heads-up, immediately turned to him with furrowed brows.


    "Why are you bringing that up? How strange ..." she murmured almost inaudible.


    "I remember when you gave birth to Lily. At that time, the condition was terrifying... I was scared to death if anything happened to you." London confessed. "I don''t want you to experience such horrible things ever again."


    L actually felt touched, but somehow she automatically rolled her eyes instead. "Iishh... childbirth is a natural event experienced by all-female creatures. Not only humans, but female animals also experience that event, and they are mostly fine."


    London was stunned by L''s words. He reached out for the girl''s left hand and placed it on his l.a.p. He looked at L with a questioning expression.


    "Do you want to give birth again? Shall we make a sibling for Lily?" he asked earnestly.


    Now it was L''s turn to be surprised. Why were they suddenly talking about childbirth and making a sibling for Lily?


    Heyy ... focus, please. We still have a lot of problems, and we haven''t addressed them all... she complained inwardly.


    "Crazy ..." Finally, L could only mutter that one word. She looked out the window, watching the route they took on their way to the house. She just realized that she did not recognize this road. "Hey, where are we going? Are we not going home to Grunewald?"


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort." London explained. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    L could only shake her head. She preferred that her house staff report to her directly so she could make a decision, but she quickly remembered that, in fact, her house in Grunewald was actually London''s, not hers.


    She didn''t buy the house with her own money, but rather the guy bought it from the owner and let L use it under the pretense that she had bought it.


    So, actually, L had no right to say no. Plus, London''s decision to sterilize the house was also not a bad decision. L had learned not to argue because of small things.


    "I don''t mind," she said in the end. "Then, where will we stay until the house is ready?"


    "You can see for yourself," London answered in a secretive tone.


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort." London explained. "You don''t mind, do you?"


    L could only shake her head. She preferred that her house staff report to her directly so she could make a decision, but she quickly remembered that, in fact, her house in Grunewald was actually London''s, not hers.


    She didn''t buy the house with her own money, but rather the guy bought it from the owner.


    "Oh ... I forgot to tell you. Your house is being quarantined. Yesterday, the house staff found pest infestation in the backyard, so I sent the cleaning team to sterilize the whole area. I don''t want to compromise Lily and your comfort."

 Chapter 1005 - The Trip X

    This chapter is not yet ready. Please check back by end of January. I believe I will have this replaced by then. I am so sorry for the inconvenience caused.


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    <<<This is a filler chapter>>>


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    The party was very beautiful and lively, and when it ended all guests returned home with very memorable memories in their hearts. The two most powerful Alchemist families were united tonight to become one very impressive force. Ned and Portia were like the king and queen of Rivendell in Tolkien''s story.


    Caspar and his small group managed to go home before the party ended with the excuse that Aleksis had to go to sleep. Before 10 pm, everyone arrived back at the hotel. Finland took Aleksis to rest but Caspar and Jadeith went to another room to meet Lauriel, who was treating Alexei''s wound.


    "What happened?" Caspar asked quickly. He was actually surprised to see Alexei still alive. To his knowledge, Lauriel would not forgive Alexei for what he had done to his goddaughter.


    Lauriel briefly described what had happened and Caspar felt huge sympathy for him. If the same thing had happened to Finland, he would not hesitate to give up everything in order to save the woman he loved.


    "If Luna were still alive, I''m sure I can find her..." Caspar said.


    "We are 78 years late..." Lauriel replied sadly. "If I had known that the dead girl was not Luna, I would have searched for her everywhere in the world, and I would have found her. But now we will start decades late. All traces and information must have been long lost or buried..."


    "I promise you... We will find her whereabouts... dead or alive." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder warmly. He then opened his medical bag and took some medical equipment. "I''ll take care of Alexei. You must still be shaken."


    Lauriel nodded slowly. He then stepped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.


    "Anyone wants to drink?" he asked in a hoarse voice. No one answered, so Lauriel just poured for himself and drank in the corner of the room with a dark face.


    Caspar quickly carried out a small operation and pulled the bullet from Alexei''s c.h.e.s.t which fortunately did not hit his heart. Although he was bleeding a lot, once the bullet was removed and the wound was stitched, his body began to stabilize. They placed him in a room guarded by Petra. After Caspar finished caring for Alexei, he joined Lauriel and drank with him.


    "What are your plans now?" Caspar asked.


    "I will take him to Yorkshire to check whether his story about Luna was true or not. At the same time, I will free Sophia," Lauriel answered. "Once Sophia is free, she will become the new leader of the Meier family and get rid of Alexei."


    "How can you do that?" Caspar asked. "Do you know where Sophia is?"


    "I will interrogate one of Alexei''s staff. They will definitely choose to support Sophia and release her." Lauriel rolled his glass with a faint smile, "Alexei is no longer an Alchemist. He has no right to rule the Meier family."


    Caspar looked at Lauriel in surprise. "You gave him Death?"


    "Right. I saved his life, meaning now his life is mine, so I am free to take it at any time. I decided that someone like him does not deserve to be part of our people." Lauriel finished his glass in one gulp and refilled it. "He doesn''t know I gave him Death."


    Caspar could not think of a more appropriate sentence for Alexei than to revoke his privileges as an Alchemist, the perfect human. As a purist, he was very proud of his status. Taking that privilege from him would be a punishment worse than death for Alexei. He would probably hope that Marion''s bullet had pierced his heart.


    "I entrust all of this to you..." Caspar patted Lauriel''s shoulder and nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."


    "Of course." Lauriel smiled, "I will often stop by to see Aleksis..."


    "The door to our house is always open."


    Caspar then excused himself and went to Finland, who had fallen asleep with Aleksis. That night he finally managed to sleep peacefully, after almost 2 weeks of restlessness thinking about Aleksis.


    Finally, all these problems ended. They could return home and live a happy life as a family.


    The next day, Caspar, Finland and Aleksis, Jean, Jadeith, Kara, and some of Caspar''s bodyguards returned to Germany. Lauriel and his team chose to go to England and made plans to save Sophia and search for information about Lady Luna.


    Because Alexei had made this problem personal, Lauriel was no longer halfhearted in dealing with him. He took all responsibility from Caspar and, with his crew, they captured Alexei and penetrated his court in Yorkshire to free Sophia.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/the-trip-x_50836031880088032">/book/the-alchemists_13038754206496605/the-trip-x_50836031880088032</a> for visiting.


    Upon arrival in Germany, one of the scientists employed by the Schneider Group who had found the vaccine to the virus given to Aleksis immediately gave Aleksis the antidote and ensure the little girl is cured one hundred percent, to the relief of her parents.


    Meanwhile, Caspar received Jean as a guest at his home for a week before the man returned to America to attend his latest film promo. The relationship between the two men was becoming better, and Finland was very relieved to see them go fishing together in the lake while caring for Aleksis when she had to work for LTX.


    "If you go to America, stop by in LA," Jean said before leaving, "I don''t have much work for the next 6 months. I just need to attend to the promotion for this new film. I haven''t accepted a new project."


    "I will. I have to go back to San Francisco anyway..." Finland said. "I''ve taken too much time off from work. Tony has been grumpy..."


    Caspar turned to Finland. He just found out that his wife was planning to return to America immediately.


    "Why... why didn''t you tell me that you wanted to go back to San Francisco?" he asked rather sullenly, "Didn''t you say that you want to stop working at LTX?"


    "Yes, I will indeed quit... but Tony made me promise to train my successor first before I can resign." Finland tried to use her ''puppy eyes'' weapon on Caspar. It worked a little, but Caspar still looked sullen. Thinking that her tactics were unsuccessful, Finland finally hugged Caspar''s waist and kissed his cheek. "The sooner I train my successor, the sooner I can resign. Now the decision is yours, whether you want to help me resign or complicate me."


    "I''ll help you," Caspar answered quickly. "I will make sure that you are able to train your replacement within 24 hours."


    "Ahahahaha... very ambitious. Alright, we''ll see." Finland turned to Jean, "We will visit you in LA or you can visit us in San Francisco. Anytime you can."


    Jean frowned as he recalled something, "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, we have a promo schedule in San Francisco. Maybe I can come to see you guys. I''ll let you know if the schedule matches."


    "Alright. Just let me know..." Finland hugged Jean and kissed his cheeks. "Goodbye. See you in America."


    Caspar shook Jean''s hand and patted his shoulder. "Safe travels."


    "Thank you."


    After the car that drove Jean was out of sight, Caspar held Finland''s hand and returned to the castle.


    "Thank you... for accepting Jean into your clan. Now I am not afraid of losing my best friend anymore." Finland tiptoed and kissed Caspar on the lips. The man welcomed her warmly and did not let go. He started kissing Finland more intensely and squeezed her long, loose hair.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear, "Don''t forget to lock the door."


    A smile etched on Caspar''s lips as he nodded and hurriedly locked the door to his study.


    They almost missed dinner because they were too busy m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, releasing the tension they felt for the past two weeks.


    "If you''re happy, I''m happy..." Caspar whispered in Finland''s ear tenderly. "But I won''t reject your gratitude..."


    Finland chuckled and looked down, blushing. She was so adorable that Caspar went crazy and quickly carry her into his study. His mind, which was now no longer clouded due to Aleksis'' condition, had become very light and happy, and now he just wanted to vent his love to his wife.


    When Caspar carefully placed Finland''s body on the sofa, the girl whispered softly in his ear.

 Chapter 1006 - Tea With The Duchess

    "Why a charity shop?" Rune asked in puzzlement.


    Rose cleared her throat. "Usually items that don''t sell in stores are donated to a charity shop or sold through discount stores for people to buy cheaply. That''s why we can get the same item for a low price."


    Rune laughed too at Rose''s explanation. Ah ... that''s right.


    He didn''t think that way. He was just happy to be able to wear clothes similar to Rose so that they looked like a couple.


    "I don''t mind," said the young man lightly.


    Rose nodded. "Very well. If you are not ashamed, I will not be ashamed either."


    She then pulled Rune''s hand to walk following her down from the second floor. The young man was of course very happy.


    It''s really very nice to be in Rose''s country. Since his status here was as the girl''s boyfriend, of course, Rose will always act affectionate with him.


    They then walked hand in hand down the corridor on the second floor and down to the living room.


    Rose took Rune to the side of the house and found her mother waiting for them on a pretty terrace decorated with lots of potted greenery, overlooking a large garden with a massive lawn.


    On the terrace, there was a beautiful wooden table with several rattan sofas that had light blue cushions that looked very comfortable.


    On the table, there was a teapot and three cups, as well as several plates of beautifully arranged pastries. Duchess Fournier''s face beamed when she saw them coming.


    She invited the two of them to sit on her left and right. Rune and Rose looked at each other then smiled and sat down.


    Rune nodded. "I''ve been resting, Your Grace. Thank you for providing a very comfortable room."


    "Ahh .. do not call me Your Grace. Just call me Ma''am," said Duchess Fournier kindly.


    Rune was pleased that Rose''s mother was very friendly to him. He felt this was a very good start.


    At first, he thought that as a woman from the upper classes, Duchess Fournier would act stiff or at least appear classy.


    He heard from Rose how her mother from the beginning forbade Rose to fall in love with Leon because she thought that man was not equal to Rose, who was a Duke''s daughter.


    This caused Rune to have negative expectations for Duchess Fournier. He was ready to be ignored, or judged by the woman.


    But it turns out, from the first time they met, the woman was warm and friendly to him. Duchess Fournier really looked like her daughter, both in appearance and personality.


    "Uhm ... okay, Ma''am," said the man with a shy smile. He thought Duchess Fournier would be a very lovely mother-in-law.


    Duchess Fournier stared at the two alternately and then offered them a drink. "Would you like tea or coffee? I said earlier that this was tea, but actually, we can also provide coffee if you want."


    Rune shook his head and chuckled. "I love tea, Ma''am. Thank you. Let me pour it for us."


    He volunteered to pour them tea. Duchess Fournier nodded and invited Rune to pour tea.


    The young man did so with impeccable manners. He poured tea for the three of them, then handed the cups to Duchess Fournier and Rose with respect.


    He then took his own cup and sat down to enjoy his tea.


    "Thank you for pouring tea for us," said Duchess Fournier kindly. "Please have a drink."


    "This tea is delicious," Rune commented after he took a sip of the tea.


    "Ah ... this tea is indeed special," said Duchess Fournier. "We ordered it straight from Bhutan."


    "Ah, really?" Rune knew that in Bhutan there was a very exclusive tea-producing company. This tea grown in the mountains of Bhutan had a very special taste and was very expensive.


    Rune''s mother also used to drinking this tea so Rune knew exactly what tea Duchess Fournier meant. But the young man pretended not to understand and just nodded.


    Ufff.. it was not easy to be a poor person, Rune thought inwardly. So far, he had had little trouble pretending to be poor in front of Rose because she lived a relatively modest lifestyle in New York City.


    But the situation became more difficult when Rune followed her to Medion because it turned out that he had to deal with the lavish lifestyle of the high-class people.


    He became caught in the middle between trying to act like a poor guy who was not used to a luxurious lifestyle, or acting casual and presenting himself well among the rich people around Rose.


    One thing for sure, Rune didn''t want to embarrass Rose. Therefore he always tried to maintain his attitude in front of others, especially Rose''s family who mattered the most to him since their approval was that he needed to enter into their family.


    "Yes, this tea is very special," said Duchess Fournier as she raised her glass to her lips and closed her eyes sipping the fragrance of the tea.


    Seeing Duchess Fournier enjoying her tea in such a manner, Rune became reminded of her mother.


    Ah, he thought that if Finland Schneider and Duchess Fournier met, they would be able to get along very well because they had so much in common.


    He then took up his cup and enjoyed the delicious tea. After the initial pleasantries, finally, they arrived at an important moment which became their main goal of having this tea together.


    "Is this your first time visiting Medion?" asked Duchess Fournier to Rune attentively.


    Rune nodded. "Yes, Ma''am."

 Chapter 1007 - Runes White Lies

    "Are you from America?" asked Duchess Fournier again. She referred to Rune''s English which had an American accent. The woman herself had a French accent when speaking to the man in English.


    This was because French was one of the languages ??spoken by the residents of the Medion Kingdom. In this country, there were two national languages ??spoken by the people, namely English and French.


    English was chosen because Medion wanted to become the world''s tourism and business destination.


    As for French, it was used as the other main language ??because of the location of this kingdom which shared borders with France, so that many of its citizens were of French descent and used the language.


    The young man shook his head. "I''m from Germany. I just so happen to spend a lot of time in America, so my English accent follows theirs."


    "Ahh .. so, you''re from Germany?" Duchess Fournier looked at Rune with great interest. She then continued her words to the young man in fluent German. "Where are you from in Germany?"


    Rune was impressed that Duchess Fournier spoke his language fluently. He did not know the fact that in Medion many of the older citizen inhabitants could speak German very well.


    "My mother and father now live in Berlin," said Rune. "But we are from Stuttgart."


    "Oh, I see?'' asked Duchess Fournier with interest. "What do you do?"


    Rune knew this question was coming. Of course, every parent would want their daughter to find a partner who had a good life so that their child would not suffer.


    He understood Duchess Fournier''s concern and tried to respond with an ambiguous answer. He didn''t want to embarrass Rose if he claimed to be unemployed or someone who didn''t seem to have any source of income.


    But he also didn''t want to look too cool in front of Rose''s mother because Rune didn''t want to ruin his chance to win Rose''s heart. That''s why he chose to be ambiguous.


    "Uhm .. I''m currently doing a variety of freelance work. Sometimes I become a fixer for journalists or researchers who carry out their work in various places around the world," the young man replied. "I travel a lot for work."


    Rune knew Rose was an aspiring painter and her job also didn''t make money


    She wasn''t looking to make money either but a personal satisfaction because art did not generate money unless she was a really big artist already.


    Rune thought the Duchess would understand if he put it that way.


    "Oh... so, you''re a freelancer?" Duchess Fournier frowned. She was actually disappointed that Rose didn''t seem to care about the backgrounds of the men she was dating.


    Why date and even live with men who didn''t even hold a good job? How would they be able to finance their family if they decided to get married later?


    Was this Rune guy planning to rely on the Fournier family''s wealth to survive? Jeez ...


    However, even though Duchess Fournier was actually displeased to hear that Rune was just a freelancer, she remained polite and her facial expression did not change.


    Ahh ... what a true lady, thought Rune in admiration.


    He then tried to assuage the Duchess''s worries by assuring her that he would not leech on Rose for his living expenses.


    "But my family has a little money as my inheritance. I don''t have to worry about a place to live because we have a family home in Stuttgart. What I have is enough to pay for my life and my family when I decide to get married and start a family."


    Again, Rune tried to make his sentences as ambiguous as possible.


    The house he referred to was the castle his family owned in Stuttgart and the little money that he inherited from his family was the Schneider family''s wealth. It was definitely not little.


    Rune was not in the family business, since he was not interested in it, but everything his family owned was his too.


    Today, only his mother and father, London and his family, and Rune and Rose, would enjoy the Schneider family''s abundant fortune.


    Unlike other families which had many family members and sometimes there was a struggle for power and wealth, in the Schneider family, there was absolutely no such thing.


    Aleksis did not even care about her share of the Schneider''s wealth.


    Her husband''s wealth as the owner of RMI and was currently the wealthiest man in the world, coupled with the inheritance he got from the Medici and Linden families was enough to last them and all their descendants in their immortal lives.


    Thus, you could say, Rune would not be lacking at all, and Rose''s life would be guaranteed if she was with him.


    "I''m not offended, Ma''am," said Rune with a chuckle. "I understand what you want to say, and I agree that Rose deserves the best. I promise you, I will always put Rose first and give only the best for her."


    Rune felt that it was okay to say it all because he was telling the truth. Later, after Rose accepted his love, Rune would tell the girl the truth.


    He would reveal his identity to Rose as Rune Schneider from THE Schneider family. He hoped that when that moment came, Rose would be able to accept him and all of his secrets.


    With p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, he would bring Rose to meet his family, and show her all he had.

 Chapter 1008 - The Man Is Not Interested In Money

    When that happened, then, Rose would know that Rune really loved her so much that he was willing to be a poor man to win her heart.


    She would remember that Rune only did that because a few weeks ago Rose had insisted on marrying only a poor man.


    "Mom.. don''t scare Rune, please..." said Rose, finally interceding for the two of them. The girl cleared her throat and glanced at Rune.


    "I''ve known Rune very well all this time and I know that he''s not a man who likes to take advantage of women. He won''t leech off my wealth. He''s a man who is not interested in money."


    Duchess Fournier looked astonished at Rose''s words. "He doesn''t like money? Is there such a person?"


    "Yes," said Rose with a chuckle. "This man is very smart and he had a lot of opportunities to earn a lot of money, but he didn''t pursue them."


    "How is that possible?" asked Duchess Fournier again. This time she seemed even more interested. In all her life, she had never met anyone who said they didn''t like money.


    "Ahem ... Rune actually has some amazing formulas for medicine. I''ve tried his hangover medicine myself. In less than five minutes, my headaches disappeared. He also has a variety of other drugs formula. I told him that many pharmaceutical companies are willing to pay a fortune for his invention. But he wasn''t interested. "


    When she heard Rose''s explanation, Duchess Fournier became very impressed. But the look on her face also seemed to be filled with a confused expression.


    "So, is Rune actually a fixer or a scientist? How can he make medicine?" asked Duchess Fournier in puzzlement.


    "I don''t know ... I''m also confused .. hahaha," Rose replied with a hearty laugh. "I think he does whatever he wants. Anyway, Rune is very clever and he has a lot of potentials. But one thing is for sure, he doesn''t like money. So, Mom, you don''t have to worry that he will leech on me or if he is in it for the money."


    Rose''s words were blunt, but they were on point. Duchess Fournier was worried that her daughter would be taken advantage of by a handsome man just because of her wealth.


    Even though Rose was a very beautiful and smart girl, it was possible that there are men who did not value her for her worth and only wanted to be with her for the sake of getting her family''s wealth.


    If that''s the case, which parent wouldn''t worry? After they were gone and their wealth was drained, then what would happen to Rose?


    Duchess Fournier did not want her daughter to suffer. That was all. She turned to Rune and looked at the man intently, trying to confirm the truth on Rose''s words.


    Was it true that this guy didn''t like money? This could be good and bad at the same time, she thought.


    A man who was too ambitious and could justify any means to reach his ambitions was just as bad as a man who had no ambition whatsoever and wasn''t interested to get ahead in life.


    "Is that true?" Duchess Fournier asked, this time her question was directed at Rune.


    Before the young man could answer, Rose had touched her mother''s arm and shook her head. "Mom, please don''t interrogate Rune like that. I don''t want him to feel uncomfortable. He just arrived here. If he felt cornered and decided to run away, you must be responsible for finding me a date for Leon''s wedding."


    Rose''s last sentence seemed to remind Duchess Fournier that Rose must attend the wedding of her ex-boyfriend... who, in public, was her brother in status.


    Ahh ... this saddened Duchess Fournier. She actually really liked Leon because she saw the boy grew up with Rose since childhood.


    She didn''t want Rose and Leon to have a relationship because of their differences in status. However, after her husband revealed who Leon was, Duchess Fournier regretted her decision in the past and wished she had given her blessing while Rose and Leon were still together.


    Now, Leon would become the king and he would soon marry another girl.


    This embarrassed Duchess Fournier in front of her fellow aristocrats. Very few people in Medion knew the true secret, that Leon was King Henry Camille''s biological son, not Duke Fournier''s.


    But the Duchess had no choice but to follow her husband''s wishes. Duke Fournier had vowed to help the king and protect his reputation at the expense of his own.


    In addition to the Fournier''s tarnished reputation, Duchess Fournier also had to witness her only daughter experience heartbreak and grief over Leon''s decision to accept recognition as the son of the Fournier family and marry Princess Anne of Moravia.


    Whether Leon could love his future wife or not, Duchess Fournier did not know. What was clear was that the man ended up choosing the throne and another girl, instead of his love for Rose.


    According to Duchess Fournier''s conjecture, Leon''s decision was made because he felt that his years of being the illegitimate child of a servant made him not considered good enough for Rose.


    This was Duchess Fournier''s own fault. It was she who made Leon feel that in order to be recognized as a man worthy of Rose, Leon had to become a noble and have massive wealth.


    "Mom... when I met Rune, he didn''t know who I really am. He thought I was just a commoner girl who wants to become a painter. He only found out that I am a princess and our family is wealthy a week ago." Rose added. "You can trust my words, can''t you?"


    "Oh ..." Then Duchess Fournier nodded. Of course, she believed in her daughter.


    Rose did often hide her identity from new people. When she was sent to school in Scotland, she also didn''t tell her schoolmates who she really was.

 Chapter 1009 - Invitation From The Palace

    "All right ... sorry, if I asked a lot earlier. I just wanted to make sure that Rune is a good man," said Duchess Fournier finally.


    "Ahh .. Mom, take it easy. Rune here is a decent man. He also has a good personality and is very smart. I found everything I look for in a man in him. So ... Mom, please don''t worry, okay?" said Rose again.


    "Very well .. I''m sorry," said Duchess Fournier at last. "I just want to get to know Rune. That''s all. He is your boyfriend after all."


    "We can talk more later," said Rose. "Now, I want to take Rune on a trip to the old town. Later tonight we can have dinner with father too. I will officially introduce Rune to the whole family."


    "Uhm ... by the way, I forgot to tell you, but tonight we are all invited to have dinner in the palace to meet Princess Anne of Moravia. She just arrived yesterday and today King Henry will officially introduce her to the nobles in Medion," said Duchess Fournier. Her expression changed and she looked at Rose sympathetically.


    "Do I have to go? I thought I just need to come to the wedding reception, don''t I?" asked Rose in a choked voice.


    She had just arrived home and still wanted to calm down. But tonight she must immediately enter the battlefield and face the enemy. Ahh ... it was so hard.


    Rose was not ready to face Leon and ... meet his bride-to-be.


    "You are part of the groom''s family, of course, you must come ..." said Duchess Fournier sympathetically. "I''m sorry, honey. But if you don''t come, the reporters will gossip."


    "Can''t you tell them I''m sick?" Rose begged her mother. "I can come to the wedding and meet them .. but not now."


    "Uhm ... well .. I will try," said Duchess Fournier at last. She then tried to change the subject and asked Rune to pour more tea for them. "Rune, can you please pour us some more tea?"


    "Of course, Ma''am," said Rune with a smile.


    He noticed the change in the atmosphere around him. It now had turned gloomy. Rune could understand what Rose was feeling.


    Even though Rune had never fallen in love before, he had never been heartbroken and seen his loved one marry someone else, he could imagine that if Rose chose to marry Leon and leave him dry ... he must be feeling very disappointed and distraught.


    Because of this, he could sympathize with Rose and try to make her burden as light as possible. Rune was determined not to make things hard for her.


    "I''ve seen plants that look like this one," he said, pointing to a pot filled with large plants with tiny leaves and white flowers.


    He added, "But the flowers are purple and very poisonous. People usually would think it is a beautiful plant for decoration. In fact, just touching the flowers is enough to make people dizzy and then passed out."


    "Oh really?" asked Duchess Fournier with interest. "What is the name of the plant?"


    "It''s called the Citadela plant," said Rune. "It is endemic in the Balkans."


    Duchess Fournier now seemed impressed by Rune''s knowledge. She admitted that her daughter was right. This man was indeed very smart and he knew many things.


    "You seem to know a lot about plants," said the Duchess. Rune smiled broadly when he heard her compliment.


    "I just happen to accompany researchers studying various plants sometimes," he said humbly.


    The conversation then turned to the topic of various unique and distinctive plants from all parts of the world.


    Duchess Fournier was even more impressed by the fact that Rune now talked about all the interesting plants he had discovered or researched.


    Their conversation made Rose think that this tea invitation had turned into a lecture on plants.


    Fortunately, Rune did have a great deal of knowledge on the topic and was able to convey the information without sounding patronizing at all.


    The girl glanced at Rune and threw a grateful smile at him. She was relieved that they were no longer discussing Leon and his future wife.


    Half an hour later, Rose finally stopped their conversation with the excuse that she wanted to invite Rune to take a walk around the Old Town.


    Duchess Fournier, who was enjoying her conversation with Rune very much about the various attractive ornamental plants, was forced to nod.


    "All right. You have fun, okay? We''ll have a chat with your father when we return from the palace tonight. I will find an excuse for your absence," said Duchess Fournier.


    "Thank you, Mom," said Rose, her face looked relieved. She then got up from her chair, went to her mother, and kissed her cheek. "Rune and I are going now."


    "Have fun," said Duchess Fournier again.


    Rune also stood up and he bowed respectfully to the Duchess. "Thank you for the tea and the chat, Ma''am. I feel very honored to meet with you and have this lovely chat."


    "Bye."


    Rose pulled Rune''s hand away from the porch where her mother was sitting and hurried to the car garage.


    As soon as she felt they were far enough away from her mother, she whispered into the man''s ear. "Thank you for saving me earlier back there. I was so uncomfortable. I don''t want my mom to keep talking about Leon."


    "I understand," said Rune.


    Rose turned to the man and let go of her grip. Their two pairs of eyes met each other.


    Before Rune could guess what Rose wanted to do, suddenly the girl kissed him on the cheek.

 Chapter 1010 - The Old Town Of Bacilia

    For a moment, Rune was stunned. His body seemed to be frozen and his brain couldn''t function for a while. His eyes batted when he finally realized that Rose had kissed him on the cheek.


    "You''re so cute," said Rose when she saw Rune''s expression. The man looked dumbfounded that the girl had kissed him just now. Rose rubbed the man''s cheek and smiled sweetly.


    Rune picked up his scattered mind and smiled silly.


    Ahh .. the power of love is too OP! Just one kiss on the cheek from Rose could make him so happy.


    "Can you drive?" asked Rose, moving Rune from his reverie. She pressed a button and the garage door opened automatically, showing several choices of luxury cars.


    Rune nodded and grinned. "I can."


    Rose took a key from the shelf on the wall and threw it to Rune expertly. "Let''s get on the white Bentley."


    Rune caught the key from Rose and pressed the button. A convertible white Bentley flashed its headlights for one second, followed by a beep sound.


    He walked over to the car and opened the door for Rose. After the girl entered and buckled up her seatbelt, Rune sat in the driver''s seat and got ready to drive.


    Rose opened a GPS service on a large screen located on the dashboard of the car and set their destination as the Bacilia Church in the Old Town.


    "Next to the church, there is a parking lot. We can park there and then explore the Old Town on foot," Rose explained.


    "Okay." Rune drove the luxury vehicle out of the garage, past the main house, the large garden in front of the house, and along the 2 km road leading to the front gate.


    As soon as they reached the end of the driveway, the gate to the Fournier family''s mansion opened automatically and the Bentley car rolled onto the main road.


    The Old Town was located in the center of Bacilia, not too far from the Fournier family residence. In less than ten minutes of a leisurely drive, they arrived in the area.


    "That''s the church. We go this way," said Rose, pointing at a majestic church at the end of the road. Rune nodded and immediately drove the Bentley into the parking lot beside the church.


    When he and Rose got out of the car, Rune was amazed as he saw how grand and beautiful was church to their right.


    At first glance, people would think that it was the snow queen''s ice palace from fairy tales. This immense and majestic church had six lean and tall towers. In each tower, there was a balcony with windows and statues of angels made of white marbles.


    "This is such a beautiful building," said Rune. "May I have a quick look inside?"


    Rose smiled bitterly and shrugged. "Sure. You can see it now or later. Anyway, we''ll be here again next week because the wedding ceremony will be held in this church."


    "Oh ..." Rune immediately canceled his intention.


    He understood that this church would be the venue to formalize the wedding between Prince Leon and Princess Anne. Ahh ... Rune would be a heartless man if he insisted to look inside the church today.


    He decided that, actually, the church was not that beautiful. Other buildings in front of them looked more interesting.


    "Let''s take a walk through the Old Town as you said," said the man with a smile, changing the subject. Rose sighed with relief.


    She knew that Rune was very considerate about her feelings and had deliberately given up his d.e.s.i.r.e to look around the magnificent, beautiful church building for Rose''s sake.


    The girl then pulled Rune''s hand and clasped their fingers while walking, holding hands out of the church area. Rune smiled when he saw his hand being held tightly by Rose.


    As they exited the church parking lot, Rune saw an area filled with so many old buildings all over. No cars were allowed to pass because the area was closed to vehicles, not even bicycles.


    That''s why Rose had asked him to park next to the church. This old town area in Bacilia reminded Rune of several historical cities in France such as Colmar and Strasburg.


    To their left was a castle-like building with several stone towers and a thick wooden gate that looked like a fortress'' gate.


    "It''s a hotel," explained Rose. "The castle building belongs to the Millicent family and has been renovated into a very luxurious hotel building, called The Millicent Hotel. They still retain the luxurious rooms of the royalties and noblemen of the past, but the rooms are now equipped with modern conveniences."


    Rune nodded at Rose''s explanation. The girl then pointed to their right. It was a restaurant that looked like a restaurant from a medieval movie.


    The servants wore traditional uniforms like the servants from medieval time. It looked really unique.


    "Many movie studios come here to shoot historical or fantasy movies," said Rose again. "This is the charm of the Old Town in Bacilia. We often see A-List Hollywood actors hanging around in one of the cafes or restaurants here after filming. "


    "Oh, is that so? "Rune became even more impressed. He chuckled in awe as he looked around,


    Bacilia''s Old Town was simply beautiful. They saw tourists walking around to admire the beauty of the various historical buildings around them.


    On the front, there were some chairs and tables decorated with beautiful yellow flowers in a vase with umbrellas, colored with blue and white stripes.


    The atmosphere around the Old Town was really pleasant, and the view was great. So many people chose to eat on the terrace even though the temperature outside was rather cold.


    "Good day, Sir and Miss. How many people?" A waiter dressed in a s.e.xy medieval waiter came and greeted them by the door.


    "Two people," said Rose.


    "Okay. Would you like to sit outside or inside? "Asked the waiter once again.


    Rose and Rune exchanged glances. Since this was Rune''s first time visiting Medion, Rose decided to choose the table on the terrace so they could see the beautiful scenery around them. Plus, they already wore coats that were enough to keep them warm.


    "We''d love to get a table outside, please, "said Rose.


    Rune smiled to hear her words. Ahh .. he felt very happy. It looked like Rose really knew what he wanted by now.


    "Okay. Please come with me," said the waiter, gesturing the two of them to follow her.


    For lunch this time, Rune chose mushroom soup, Caesar salad, and steak, and prosecco. Rose chose corn soup, Caprese salad, spaghetti, and mojito. While waiting for their orders to arrive, the two enjoyed the pastry served by the waiter while chatting.


    "This place reminds me of the City of Strasbourg," said Rune. "Both have a lot of old buildings that are well preserved."


    "Ah, I''ve been there," said Rose. "It''s great."


    They then discussed the various beautiful buildings around the restaurant. Rose explained a lot about the history of each building and the interesting stories behind them.


    "Here are your drinks, Sir and Miss," said the waiter who arrived with a tray filled with their drinks. He put the mojito and prosecco in front of Rune and Rose respectively and went back inside.


    "Thank you," said Rune. He raised his glass and clinked it against Rose''s. "Cheers for a nice holiday in Medion."


    Rose just smiled and nodded, saying nothing. Nevertheless, she clinked her glass back against Rune''s glass. The two of them enjoyed their respective drinks while people-watching.


    "Hey ... just a moment. Did you see that couple?" asked Rose suddenly as she took Rune''s arm. She tilted her chin toward the Millicent Hotel across the street.


    "Which couple?" asked Rune. He narrowed his eyes and observed the direction Rose was referring to.


    Rune batted his eyes as he recognized JM as the girl who had just walked out of the gates of the Hotel Milicent.


    Gosh ... what''s that girl doing here?


    And .. why was Terry with her? Wasn''t he in Los Angeles now?

 Chapter 1011 - JM And Terry

    Rune tried to cover his face with one hand so that Terry wouldn''t see him. He really hoped Terry and JM would walk in the opposite direction of the restaurant''s terrace where he and Rose were having lunch.


    ''Please... don''t come here ... Pease, don''t come here ... Please, don''t come here ...'' Rune muttered internally over and over again as if chanting a spell.


    However, the universe was not on his side today.


    "Gosh! They are walking this way!!" exclaimed Rose enthusiastically. She got up from her chair and patted Rune on the back. "I want to ask for a photo together with JM."


    Rune was stunned when he heard Rose''s words. He watched the girl walk enthusiastically toward the restaurant entrance and waited for JM and Terry to come over.


    The young man was surprised by Rose''s actions. Wasn''t this girl a duke''s daughter and came from a very respectable family?


    Why did she humble herself and ask for a photo together with a celebrity? He didn''t know Rose could act like a fangirl.


    Finally, out of instinct, Rune also walked after Rose.


    Although he actually didn''t wish to meet anyone in Medion while he was spending time with Rose and getting to know her family, Rune felt it would be better if he helped Rose get the photos she wanted.


    When he arrived by the girl''s side, Rune whispered to her ear, "I didn''t know you could be fangirling a celebrity and ask for her photo. You don''t look the type."


    Rose shook her head. "You''re right, I am not a fangirl. This photo is for my friend, not for me. You know how nice George is to me, don''t you? If I could make him happy once in a while, what''s wrong with that?"


    "Oh, I see," Rune nodded with a smile. So, the picture was for George.


    Aha.


    "Even though I think George would be heartbroken if he found out that JM is with her boyfriend, he would still love to get a photo or shoutout from her," Rose continued.


    "Eh ..? Boyfriend?" Rune asked in puzzlement. "Who?"


    "That one. Did you see the guy who is walking with her?" said Rose, tilting her chin towards JM and Terry who were walking casually toward the restaurant where they were waiting.


    Terry''s hand embraced his sister''s shoulder affectionately and the two of them seemed to be chatting with each other with smiling faces.


    Rune batted his eyes and looked at Rose and Terry alternately. Then, he laughed in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Ahahaha ... that''s not her boyfriend."


    "Really? But if he is not her boyfriend, why are they so affectionate toward each other?" asked Rose.


    Rune shook his head. "What you see there is not an intimacy between lovers. Have you never seen siblings walking together?"


    "Are they really siblings?" This time, Rose looked even more confused. She thought Rune was joking. "One is obviously Asian and the other one is white ... How can they be siblings? Oh.. did you mean they are adoptive siblings?"


    Rune subconsciously facepalmed himself.


    Ah.. that''s right. He forgot that Terry and JM didn''t look alike. Terry looked Asian and JM looked European, even though they had the same father.


    Jeez ... he should have kept his mouth shut.


    Now, he must explain the weird dynamic within the Wang family.


    Or, maybe he could just lie and told Rose that those two were indeed adoptive siblings.


    "Uncle Rune! What are you doing in Bacilia???"


    Rune froze in place. The event happened so suddenly and he had not had time to prepare a story to give to Rose.


    JM already saw him and she immediately rushed over toward Rune and Rose, leaving Terry behind. Rose became surprised when she saw JM running towards them and waving at Rune excitedly.


    "Do you know JM?" asked Rose who looked baffled. She turned to Rune and stared at him intently, asking for an explanation. "She is calling your name."


    "Uhm ... well, you see, I was..." Rune was completely unprepared to answer that question. He scratched his head which was not itchy and stared at JM''s approaching figure.


    Gosh... Of all places in the world, why did he have to run into Terry and JM in Bacilia?


    By the way...


    Wait a minute...


    If Rose found out that Rune was acquainted with one of the most famous supermodels in the world today, would Rose feel jealous?


    The only person who could make Rose feel jealous today was Princess Anne of Moravia, Leon''s wife-to-be.


    That''s why Rose didn''t want to attend the royal gala tonight to introduce Princess Anne to the nobles in the Medion Kingdom.


    "You''re in Bacilia too? What are you doing here?" asked JM as soon as she arrived in front of Rune. The beautiful girl hugged Rune warmly and kissed his cheeks alternately.


    Her action surprised Rose, while other people around them looked very impressed.


    Almost all of the men on the restaurant terrace felt so jealous of Rune.


    Not only did he have lunch with a very beautiful girl, but now, a girl who they immediately recognized as JM the supermodel, came and hugged him enthusiastically.


    "Hey.. what are you doing here?" Rune asked in surprise after JM released her embrace. He turned to Terry, who just realized his presence, and immediately rushed to them.


    "Terry is making a new movie project for his university assignment," said JM. The girl pretended to pout as she glanced at her brother. "He asked me to work for free in his movie.. Tsk."


    "Hahaha .. really?" Rune laughed at JM''s pretend complaint. He knew that girl didn''t mean it. JM really loved her brother and would do anything to help Terry.


    Rose shook her head in amazement. She never thought that Rune, who was visiting Medion for the first time, would meet people he knew, and one of those people turned out to be a very famous supermodel who was George''s idol.


    What a very pleasant coincidence. Rose smiled sweetly and reached out her hand to invite Terry to shake hands.


    "Hello, my name is Rose Fournier. I am Rune''s girlfriend. Nice to meet you."


    Rune Schneider''s lips immediately curved upwards and formed a very sweet smile. He was surprised to hear Rose introduce herself as his girlfriend.


    Did this mean their fake relationship was not just an act in front of Rose''s friends and family, but in front of Rune''s friends and family as well?


    Wow!! This is really a very good sign.


    Rune cleared his throat and nodded proudly. "That''s right ... this is Rose, my girlfriend... ahem. Oh, by the way, Rose, this is my friend, Pierre Wang. And that is ... uh ... his adopted sister."


    Since stepping down from the Schneider group two years ago, Terry Chan had taken on a new identity. This time he used his father''s old name when he was young.


    Terry became Pierre Wang, a film school student in Los Angeles who was busy pursuing a career to become a Hollywood film director.


    He then glanced at Rune with a meaningful look. Terry could immediately guess that the relationship between Rune and the beautiful girl beside him was not simple.


    Now JM also reached out her hand to greet Rose. "I''m Jean-Marie Wang .. Nice to meet you."


    When Rose took her hand, the model suddenly hugged her warmly and kissed her cheeks alternately.


    Rose was very impressed by the fact that JM was very friendly. She thought, being such a famous supermodel, she would be a bit rigid or reserved. Apparently, she was really warm and friendly.


    Rose smiled broadly and introduced herself to JM. "It''s nice to meet you, JM. My best friend is your fan. He would have screamed with joy if he found out I am meeting you in person today."


    "Oh, really? Hahahhaa ... that''s so funny," commented JM with a beaming face. "Do you want to call your friend? I''ll talk to him on video."


    "Gosh, will you do that? I''ll call him right away," said Rose enthusiastically.


    She was about to open her cell phone when their waiter walked by with a tray filled with their appetizers. Rose and Rune exchanged glances.


    Finally, Rose smiled wryly, "Uhmm... sorry, we already ordered our food and it looks like the appetizers are here."

 Chapter 1012 - The Hearty Lunch

    "Ah, that''s right," Rose nodded in agreement. She turned to JM and Terry and smiled sweetly. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"


    Actually, Rune preferred to have lunch alone with Rose, so that he could spend time with her, without the third or fourth wheels.


    However, what could he do now? JM and Terry were already here. Of course, Rose would become suspicious if Rune desperately tried to kick them out. Besides, it was clear that JM and Terry were heading to this restaurant for lunch.


    It''s better if they just ate lunch together then.


    "Ah, if you don''t mind, we''ll be happy to join you," Terry said happily. He did not care that Rune obviously preferred to eat lunch alone with his girl.


    Terry just thought it was a good opportunity to get some juicy gossip about the Schneider family''s youngest child.


    The four of them then walked over to Rose and Rune''s table earlier and sat down. Fortunately, their table was actually a table with four chairs, so they could all sit together.


    The appetizer that Rose and Rune ordered had arrived. They had no choice but to enjoy the soup while they were still warm.


    "What are you doing in Bacilia?" Rune asked Terry while enjoying his soup. "Sorry, I have to eat the soup now."


    "Ahh .. it''s okay. Go ahead," Terry said casually. "Well, I''m making a short feature film for my assignment. It''s about royal romance. It''s set in a fictional monarchy in modern times."


    "Ohh ... is that why you chose Bacilia?" asked Rune. He looked around and realized that Terry''s choice of Bacilia was the on point.


    In this city, there were so many historical buildings scattered on every corner. It was very beautiful and would be perfect to shoot a movie about the royals.


    "That''s right," Terry said seriously. "Apart from the various historical buildings, I also chose this city because of the grand wedding which will be held next week."


    "Grand wedding...? What do you mean?" Rune asked in surprise.


    "In modern times like today, there are very few monarchies and ruling dynasties. We rarely get to see a grand wedding between two royal families. The wedding of the Crown Prince of Medion and the princess from Moravia is a very important and rare event. I can''t miss it."


    "I don''t understand," said Rune. "Since when have you been interested in other people''s weddings?"


    Rune immediately felt uncomfortable on Rose''s behalf.


    "Hahaha .. I don''t care about whoever is actually married to who," Terry explained. "But I need to take some footage from the events. From what I''ve heard, there will be a parade, and the crowd will take to the street, etc. I plan to take a lot of stock videos for my upcoming movie."


    "Oh ... I see." Only then did Rune understand. He glanced at Rose and was relieved that the girl didn''t seem to be affected when Leon''s wedding was discussed.


    "That''s right. I figured it will be better if I come here and take stock videos of important events that I can use in my movies instead of having to pay for the hundreds of extras... hahahaha."


    Terry then added, "With only my cameras and two assistants, I could get the various scenes that I need with thousands or even tens of thousands of extras for free. I''ll blur their faces so that no one will demand payment."


    Rune nodded in understanding when he heard Terry''s explanation. Ahh .. now it all made sense.


    "Oh, are you a filmmaker?" Rose asked Terry after she heard him explain the purpose of his visit.


    Rose thought Rune had a very interesting network. She had met Nicolae and Marie in New York. Then, she also found out that Rune''s older sister was married to a wealthy man who may have connections to the mafia.


    And now, Rune even knew JM and her adopted brother who was a filmmaker? This man was really interesting, indeed!


    "Oh, that''s right. I am an aspiring moviemaker," Terry replied proudly. "I''m studying in a film school now. I hope someday I can be a famous director."


    Terry was impressed when he heard Rose was a painter. He had assumed she was a model or something of that sort.


    So, not only was she so beautiful, but she also had artistic talent. How awesome!


    "Do you have samples of your paintings?" Terry asked in interest.


    "Oh, I do... but they are in my phone. I''ll show them to you later after we have lunch," Rose replied.


    It was rude to use gadgets during meals, so Rose had put her phone back in her pocket. She would ask for photos with JM after lunch.


    "Ah, sure," Terry nodded. "I''d love to see them."


    "So, is JM here really your sister?" Rose was very interested in getting to know Rune more since he seemed to know so many people. "And how did you know Rune?"


    Terry glanced at Rune and asked him with his eyes, what should he reply to Rose.


    Terry didn''t know what kind of story Rune Schneider had given to the girl. He didn''t want to cause Rose to feel suspicious if he said the wrong thing.


    And JM was the future wife of Rune''s nephew, Altair.


    Quite complicated actually.


    "Ahem... Terry is my friend." Finally, Rune chose the safest most ambiguous word to describe Terry to Rose. "We are very close and he is like family."


    "Ahh.. I see," Rose looked impressed. She liked the people that Rune had introduced to her so far. They were all interesting. Now, she was actually looking forward to meeting his family.


    "Are you from around here?" Terry asked Rose in return. "Or, are you from France?"


    He noticed her slight French accent when she spoke English and remembered that French was one of the official languages of Medion.


    "Oh, I''m actually from around here. This is the first time that I asked Rune to come and visit my country," Rose explained. "How long do you plan to be here? I can take you to sightsee and help you find good footage for your movie."


    "Oh.. you would? That would be amazing!" Terry was obviously excited. He liked to go around Bacilia with a local to get the best experience. "Uhm... only if you are not busy."


    Rose laughed heartily and shook her head. "No, I''m not busy. Actually, I badly need to do something to get a distraction."


    As a woman, she could immediately sense a hint of bitterness in Rose''s voice even though the girl was laughing earlier. She turned to Rose and smiled sweetly, showing sympathy.


    "Oh.. well, a distraction from this and that," Rose chuckled. She glanced at Rune and cleared her throat. "Ahem, I was just joking. I actually want to show Rune around while he is in my hometown. I think you can join us once or twice. What do you think, Honey?"


    She directed her question to Rune. The man''s face flushed red when he heard her call him ''honey''. Rune beamed in happiness and nodded to confirm her words.


    "Yes, Honey. They can join us ONCE or TWICE. I don''t mind." He emphasized the words ''once or twice'', to give hints to Terry that he would appreciate it if his older brother refused Rose''s kind offer.


    Terry laughed inwardly. He knew what Rune wanted and of course, he was not that evil to annoy his brother while he was trying to spend quality time with the woman he loved.


    "Thank you so much for your kindness, Miss Fournier. I will take you up on that offer after we know our filming schedule. I will let Rune know," he said. "I would love to at least have dinner with both of you and talk about the history of this kingdom. You know... for research."


    "Definitely," Rose agreed.


    The waiter came with their next dishes and the four of them continued their lunch while talking. Rose still didn''t tell JM and Terry who she was. So, Terry assumed she was just a regular girl from Medion that Rune was pursuing.


    They talked about how Rune and Rose met. Again, the couple gave a story similar to what they told Duchess Fournier.

 Chapter 1013 - Terry Loves Annoying Rune

    Terry and JM knew better that Rune and Rose''s story must not be that simple. However, they just listened and nodded with a smile.


    "So.. it was love at first sight for you, Uncle?" JM asked with a grin. She pointed at Rune''s c.h.e.s.t cheekily. "I''m so happy for you. FINALLYYYY... I know there is a heart somewhere in there!"


    "Jean-Marie..." Rune rolled his eyes when he heard her. "You make it sound like I''m a heartless person."


    Rose chuckled when she saw their banter. Secretly, she was happy to hear from JM that Rune seemed like he had never loved any girl before.


    Even though Rose was still grieving over her failed relationship with Leon, at least she could count on Rune being sincere to her. The man had always been consistent with his feelings for her since day 1.


    Rune also knew what was going on between Rose and Leon, yet, he wasn''t freaked out or feeling threatened.


    He was so m.a.t.u.r.e and confident with himself and this gave Rose a sense of security. Facing this ordeal back home, with Rune by her side, made Rose feel safe and relieved.


    "I just noticed, JM always calls you ''Uncle''. Is there a funny story behind it?" Rose suddenly asked. "I mean.. it''s obvious that you are friends with Pierre. Usually, the sister of my friends wouldn''t call me ''Auntie'', they will call me by name or ''Sis''."


    "Oh... that." Rune gave JM a side-eye since the girl just got him in trouble by calling him uncle in front of Rose.


    "Yes. It''s just so funny to see someone so young being called an uncle by a famous supermodel like JM," said Rose with a laugh.


    Well... Rune was not as young as Rose thought, but he couldn''t explain that part... yet.


    He sighed and quickly think about the best answer where he didn''t have to lie to her too much.


    "She calls me ''uncle'' because she is dating my nephew." Finally, Rune explained. "Do you remember the twins that you met in Central Park last month?"


    Rose nodded. "We met your two nephews and niece."


    "Well, the boys have an older brother. JM is dating him, so she calls me ''Uncle'' out of respect."


    Rose''s eyes went round when she heard his answer. She thought Rune became more and more interesting as she got to know him more.


    "Ah, I see..." She nodded in understanding. "So, how many nieces and nephews do you have? You seem to have a big family."


    "Well.. I have three older siblings. Two are married with kids and the other one is a hopeless case," Rune said while glancing at Terry. "He likes dating different women but doesn''t want to commit. So, I don''t know if I will ever have any nieces or nephews from him."


    Yes, Terry was not interested in a committed relationship because he didn''t think he had what it takes to deal with marriage and stuff, unlike most men around him.


    He was happy to go out and have an ambiguous relationship with Shekina and several other girls. None of them wanted marriage too. So, the arrangement was perfect for him.


    Rune continued his words, "So, so far... I have four from my sister, and two from my brother. And the teenage girl you saw in Central Park, she is my niece by extension since her father''s brother is married to my sister. A total of seven."


    "Wow.. that''s a lot," Rose was impressed to hear that. She was an only child and would never know how it felt to be an aunt with nieces and nephews.


    Even if Leon someday have children, Rose would never see them as her nieces and nephews because Leon was not really her brother.


    In fact, she actually had thought about leaving the country for good after the royal wedding. She didn''t think she could handle seeing Leon and Anne every day on the news after they ascend the throne.


    And what''s worse, as the king''s half-sister, she would be required to attend royal functions and the like, going forward.


    No, she couldn''t do that. Her heart was not that strong to put up a facade for years to come. Rose knew she had to leave.


    "Yes.. my family is quite big. I have three siblings growing up," Rune admitted. He grew up with Aleksis and London, and Terry joined when Rune was 7. It was a really nice time, having three friends at home when they couldn''t go to school like other kids.


    "Well... yeah, actually she only has three biological children. The other one is... you can say he is adopted," Rune glanced at Terry.


    It was always complicated to tell outsiders about Terry''s situation. Even though he was raised by Finland and Caspar Schneider after he turned fifteen, actually Jean was the one who adopted him after Terry''s parents passed away.


    But, to make things simpler, Rune said Terry was adopted. It was better that way.


    "Uhm... no, your parents have FOUR biological children, not three," Terry suddenly said.


    Rune shook his head. "The other one is ''adopted'', so they only have THREE."


    "Uhm, no. Four," Terry looked dead serious when he said his words.


    Rune furrowed his brows. "No, Pierre, you are not my biological brother. You are really like a brother to me, but biologically speaking, you are not my parents'' son."


    "I wasn''t talking about me," Terry replied with a chuckle. "I was talking about your younger sibling."


    "What younger sibling? I''m the youngest child in my family..." Rune shook his head. "This joke is not funny."


    "Wait.. what did you just say? Ask my father? A younger sibling?" Rune was dumbfounded. He couldn''t believe his hearing just now. "Come again?"


    "So.. is Pierre also your adopted brother?" Now, it was Rose''s turn to get confused. "I thought he is JM''s adopted brother. So, which one is it?"


    At that moment, Rune wished he was an ostrich who could just bury his head in the sand during danger. This was an apt moment to do something like that.


    Okay, now Rose was confused about Terry''s status and Terry just mentioned something about Rune would have a younger sibling?


    What did just happen????


    Suddenly Rune felt suffocated. It felt so easy to act his role before Terry and JM came. Now, suddenly he was caught up in this situation?


    What should he do?


    "Did you mean to say that my mother is pregnant with a baby?" Rune finally found his voice. "How did you know? Why didn''t they tell me?? Don''t I have the right to know?"


    Terry pretended not to hear Rune''s question. He stretched out his arms and inhaled the fresh air from outside. There were many trees on the side of the road and it helped giving better oxygen around the area.


    "Eh... wait, what?" Terry turned to Rune and his eyes went round. "What did I say?"


    "Did you just say that I will have a younger sibling because my mother is pregnant?" Rune asked again.


    Terry cleared his throat and finally replied. "Ahem.. yeah, that''s correct."


    Both Rune and Rose pressed their lips in unison when they heard Terry''s reply. Rune was upset because his parents didn''t tell him such important news, while Rose was visibly shocked.


    She thought Rune''s mother must be already in her fifties because she had a grandson who was the same age as JM since they were dating.


    For a woman in her fifties to be pregnant, it must be such challenging pregnancy, wasn''t it?


    "Why didn''t they tell me about it but they told you?" Rune complained, looking annoyed.


    "Uhm... maybe they consider me, the adopted son, more important than their biological son," Terry laughed out loud. He really took the opportunity to annoy Rune.


    "I have so many questions," Rose said with nervous laughter. "But it looks like you have so many things going on, so I will not ask them... hahaha."

 Chapter 1014 - Roses Confusion

    Rose only watched as Rune left the table to a secluded corner and called his parents. She then turned to the siblings in front of her and tried to understand what was actually going on between the three people.


    Rune said JM and Pierre (Terry) were adopted siblings, and JM called Rune ''Uncle'' because she was dating Rune''s nephew. However, Pierre was also Rune''s adopted brother? It''s very confusing, to say the least.


    Terry pretended to focus on his food, knowing he had put Rune in trouble just now in front of Rose.


    Gosh.. why couldn''t his brothers fall in love with regular Alchemist girls?


    So, they didn''t have to go through the hassle of covering their identities and, finally, after the cat was out of the bag, they had to find ways to convince those girls to follow them and become immortals as well...


    London went through so much trouble with L, and now, it seemed like Rune was going through the same thing.


    Just look at Terry with his lifestyle. He was dating around different Alchemist girls. None of them were clingy or wanting commitment since they had hundreds of years ahead of them to decide if they ever want to settle down with someone.


    With regular humans, there would always be that pressure to make a decision and commit immediately because if they waited for too long, the girl would get older.


    Caspar Schneider made the mistake of binding himself to Katia before he was sure of his feelings and that caused so much pain and grief in the years to come.


    Jean was no different. He was worried that he would lose Billie Yves to old age if he didn''t immediately commit. So, he did just that.


    Jean was lucky to meet his current wife, Marion, a fellow Alchemist. Things had been smooth sailing ever since.


    Now... just look at London and now Rune. So much hassle.


    Terry could only pray that Rune wouldn''t make the same mistakes as Caspar and Jean.


    Rose did look like a nice girl, but there were so many nice and beautiful girls out there. Terry couldn''t tell what was so special about this one.


    "Hello.. Dad, it''s me," Rune pursed his lips when his call was picked up by Caspar.


    "Hey, how are you? We tried to call you but your phone was off," Caspar replied on the other end.


    "Is Mom pregnant?" Rune asked bluntly. This was such a big shock to him, hearing it from Terry, instead of his parents.


    "Eh...? Who told you that? We have only known yesterday. Your mother and I just talked to Aleksis and London about it.  Caspar furrowed his brows in confusion. "Wait..."


    "So, you didn''t tell Terry?" Rune asked. He sounded a bit relieved.


    "You did?"


    Caspar remembered he talked to Jan about taking a three-day leave so he could pamper his wife while they were on break and rest. Finland had been helping him a lot in the office and he thought she deserved to relax.


    Jan must have talked to Terry since they were close and Jan often asked Terry''s opinion on the company''s matter.


    "No, I didn''t. But I think I know who Terry got the information from," Caspar massaged his temple.


    "Who?" Rune finally felt a bit better.


    It looked like, his parents didn''t consider Terry more important than him. Heheh.


    "We talked to Jan Van Der Ven about taking 3-day leave.  You know, I want to give your mother a break and take a short holiday. I forgot to tell Jan not to tell anyone... ahaha. I''m sorry you have to hear it from Terry," Caspar said. "We tried to get a hold of you and Terry today to share the news, but we cannot reach you. Aleksis told me you are traveling to Medion? So, I thought I better let you get back to me."


    "Ah, I see." Rune was happy. His parents didn''t forget about him when they wanted to share the big news. He was just unreachable earlier today. He thought it must be because his phone was turned off.


    "So, how did you end up hearing the news from Terry. Is he in Medion as well? What is he doing there?" Caspar asked again.


    "Ah, I see. Well, then.. tell Terry to turn on his phone tonight. Finland and I will talk to him about this. We''d love to hear from all of you," Caspar commented.


    "Ah, okay. I will talk to you and Mom later." Rune nodded and smiled, even though his father couldn''t see him. "Congratulations, Dad and Mom. I think you will have a lot of fun with this little one."


    "Well, thank you. Have fun in Bacilia, then. Your mom and I wish you the best of luck," Caspar was audibly happy when he said those words.


    He didn''t need Rune to tell him what was going on, but he could kind of guess why Rune was in Bacilia and Caspar knew he would find out everything sooner or later anyway. So, he would let Rune do what he needed to do.


    "Ahh.. thanks, Dad. Say hi to Mom. I''ll talk to you tonight." Rune hung up his call with a big smile.


    Rose who was observing him secretly could guess that the conversation went smooth. Ahh.. she felt a bit jealous to see how Rune looked so close to his parents. And he even had many siblings? How lucky!


    "So, how did it go?" She asked with a smile when Rune returned to their table.


    The man scratched his head and grinned. "It''s all good. Yes, my parents will have a new baby."


    Rose spouted her mojito out of surprise. She didn''t expect Rune to be so casual about his parents having another baby at the age of... fifties?


    Rose could imagine Rune''s elderly parents would be raising their baby at such an age.. it must be too tiring for them. And, if they went out together, people would think the baby was Rune''s and not his parents.


    It was only natural for Rose to have those thoughts because she didn''t know Rune''s parents were not in their fifties. His mother was in her seventies, and his father was almost 5-centuries-old. And both of them still looked like they were 25.


    Rune, Terry, and JM could only hold back their chuckle.


    "You look so surprised," Rune commented with a smile. He took a napkin and gave it to Rose.


    "Uhm.. yeah, I''m sorry. I just think it must be hard for your mother to have a baby at her age," Rose said sympathetically. "I don''t mean it to be offensive. Sorry..."


    "Ah, no, that''s fine. My parents are over the moon. They actually wanted to tell me the good news but they couldn''t reach me," Rune explained.


    "Ah, I see." Rose nodded, looking relieved. "Well... I still have so many questions.. but if I asked all of them, I am afraid I will come across as rude. So, I will refrain from doing so."


    Rune couldn''t believe his luck. Rose didn''t press on him to explain his weird relationship with Terry and JM? Whoa... It''s true that Rose was a real lady. She was not nosy.


    "Well... there is nothing really weird regarding my relationship with Pierre here." However, Rune still tried to explain a little bit in an ambiguous manner, so Rose wouldn''t think he was weird. "Our parents are close friends. So, my parents consider him like their own son too. We spent our childhood together."


    Now, things started to make sense.


    "I understand now," Rose nodded with a smile. "Apparently, it''s quite simple."


    "Yes... hahaha... it''s quite simple indeed," Rune replied. He gave Terry and JM a side-eye, warning them not to put him into more trouble.


    The atmosphere turned light and pleasant after the initial awkwardness. One by one the dishes they ordered came and they continued lunch with a light chat about Bacilia and the city''s history.


    "Ah, can I have a video call with you for George, my friend?" Rose asked JM after they ended their hearty lunch. She took out her phone from her pocket.


    "Yes, sure," JM replied with a big smile.


    "Thank you!" Rose opened her camera and dialed George''s number. As soon as George picked up her call, Rose turned her camera toward JM. "George! Guess, who is here??"

 Chapter 1015 - Terry Wants To Pay, But Cant

    There was no sound from the phone. It looked like George was too dumbfounded to even say anything. JM had to wave several times and called his name before, finally, George responded.


    "J-JM? Is that you?" He finally asked in a stutter. JM laughed out loud when she saw his reaction.


    "Yeah.. it''s me. How are you, George? I am here with Auntie Rose. She said you are a fan. So, I figure I should give you a call," the beautiful girl said with a big smile on her face.


    "I-I.. am a fan. You are amazing in every show!" George furrowed his brows. "Why auntie?"


    Rose quickly chirped, "No.. it''s just an inside joke. Don''t worry about it. Hehehe.. How are you? Sorry for calling you this early. I just don''t want to miss the opportunity to have you talk to JM."


    George was still in a daze, but he managed to reply with a broad smile. His eyes still looked dumbfounded though. "No, it''s fine. You can call me at any hour if it''s for JM. You know how much I am her big fan."


    "Oh, George, you make me feel flattered. Thank you!" JM was really happy to hear George''s obvious admiration toward her. "Where are you now?"


    "I live in New York," George replied.


    "Ah.. that''s lovely! When I come to town, I mean if I have a show in New York, I''ll invite you to come and we can have a drink," JM smiled broadly. Her words made George''s expression seemed like he just saw stars.


    However, a moment later, her next words crushed his dreams. JM chuckled and said, "My boyfriend lives in New York too. I come to visit him every now and then. We should hang out next time I''m in town."


    There was a moment of silence around them. Rose bit her lip, worried about George''s reaction, while Rune suddenly lit a candle in his heart for George. He had met the man and knew he was a kind guy who was just unlucky enough to have a crush on a taken girl.


    And Altair was a good young man who had never even noticed any other girls in his life. From the beginning, it had always been JM for Altair and Altair for JM.


    Rune really couldn''t imagine anyone could enter between the two. So, for this, he could only have sympathy for George and hoped the man would find another girl to anchor his heart.


    "Oh.. hahaha... your boyfriend is American? I didn''t know that." George laughed awkwardly. "Yes, please.. let me know the next time you are in town. I would love to take you both to dinner."


    "Ah, you are so sweet. Will do. I will ask your contact from Auntie Rose and hit you up when I am in New York," JM smiled sweetly before ending their call. She waved like an angel and managed to melt the awkwardness on George''s expression.


    "Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing you in New York. Bye, JM," George finally could smile again. He waved and then the connection was turned off.


    "Thank you for talking to my best friend," Rose smiled with a grateful expression to JM, and then she kept her phone back in her pocket. "George is a really sweet guy. He let me stay in his flat in East Village for free. His family is well-off and they gave him the apartment building to do however he pleases."


    Rune coughed when he realized Rose was still trying to put on a good word about George to JM. Maybe Rose thought if JM knew how rich George was, she could be tempted? Haha.. no way!


    Her boyfriend came from the wealthiest family in the world. Whatever it was that George had was pale in comparison to what Altair had.


    However, Rune didn''t have the heart to say anything. He only nodded to confirm Rose''s words. No matter what he must support Rose. "Yes, she is right. I am now staying in that flat with Rose for free."


    Meanwhile, Terry squinted his slanted eyes, as he observed Rose. From what she said earlier, she was staying for free in an apartment owned by her friend. Did this mean Rose was poor?


    Now, Terry could totally understand why Rune was wearing those cheap outfits. He must be dressing down all the time to keep up with Rose''s lifestyle.


    Terry could only shake his head. He had nothing against poor people or regular humans, but he really thought dating them was a lot of hassle.


    Now, Rune couldn''t even be himself. How tiring would it be? And how long did he need to keep this up?


    Gosh... inwardly, he praised himself for not getting him in such trouble. Terry was an easy person. He didn''t like hassles and conflicts.


    "Well... I think JM and I must continue our work. We were checking the area and deciding on where we should get the footage and et cetera. I will also meet my camera people tomorrow. I want to have a clearer plan before they arrive." Terry waved and called the waiter to come.


    Terry decided to pay for their meals since he thought Rune must be claiming to be poor and he didn''t want to let Rose pay that much money for their lunch, just because she was local.


    "Let me get this one," he said with a smile.


    "Ah.. there''s no need, really. This is my regular place. I will pay," Rose declined politely.


    The waiter chuckled and glanced at Rose. She then replied calmly. "Her Grace''s family is the owner of this place. We don''t charge her for eating here."


    Her words made Terry confused. He asked the waiter again. "Come again? I don''t get it the first time."


    The waiter cleared her throat and pointed at Rose politely. "This restaurant is owned by Duke Fournier''s family. Her Grace here is their only daughter."


    Terry batted his eyes for a good one minute as he looked at Rose, the waiter, Rune, and Rose again. Rune also didn''t know that the restaurant where they were having lunch was owned by Rose'' family. She didn''t say anything to him.


    He shook his head and smiled faintly. "I also didn''t know it."


    Terry finally nodded in understanding. "Aha. Okay. That was awkward... hahhaha. It''s okay, then. Thank you. I will just say thank you to.... Lady Rose Fournier?"


    The waiter smiled and then took her leave. Rose did this several times in the past. She would take her friends here and they didn''t know her family owned the establishment. When they wanted to pay, finally they found out the truth.


    It always ended up with a good laugh.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t think I need to tell you that my family owns this place," Rose said in an apologetic manner. "But, yes, the lunch is on me. You don''t have to pay.. hehehe."


    Today, he got to experience how it was like to be at the receiving end. It felt good. Now, he could see Rose from a different perspective.


    The girl was no longer a regular human from the lower class to him. She was actually a lady from high nobility! Whoaa...


    However, this didn''t explain why Rune hide his identity as a wealthy man from the Schneider family. What did he gain from pretending to be poor?


    Terry didn''t understand it. He could see why London pretended to be poor to get L''s heart. L was a poor artist with low self-esteem. London needed to lower himself in status so L could feel confident in being with him.


    However, Terry didn''t see such issues with Rose. The girl was beautiful, obviously very wealthy, and she was also a noble. A Duke''s daughter nonetheless.


    So, why the need to cover up Rune''s identity and pretending to be poor? Wouldn''t it actually turn off Rose and her parents? Usually, people from the upper classes only wanted to see their daughter be with a man from the upper class too.


    Ah.. Terry decided to probe into Rune''s love life and found out what was actually going on. Hehehe.. He always loved a good story because he was a film-maker. It would be interesting to get as many ideas as possible.


    "All right, Lady Fournier, thank you so much for the nice lunch. Next time, I''ll pay. I will invite you both to a wonderful dinner," finally Terry rose from his seat and took his leave.


    "I would love that," Rose replied with a smile. She also rose from her seat, followed by Rune and JM.

 Chapter 1016 - The Commotion In The Old Town

    Terry and JM bid their farewell and went out of the restaurant in high spirits. As soon as they turned to another road and Terry was sure Rose didn''t see him, the man took out his phone and did a quick search on Rose Fournier''s identity.


    "Whoaaa....!!!" His shriek startled JM.


    The girl pressed her lips and turned to him, looking astonished. "What is it? You sound so excited."


    "Well.. the girl we just met is very interesting," Terry commented. He showed his phone to JM. "Look, she is actually the crown prince''s half-sister."


    "What?" JM was confused. "You mean.. the man who will get married this weekend?"


    "Yes. That one," Terry replied. He furrowed his brows and tapped his slender finger on his phone. "So, Rune is dating a noble girl. She will be part of the royal family when her brother ascends the throne. Whoa... so, why on earth is Rune pretending to be a poor man?"


    Before they came to Bacilia, JM already read some news about the royal wedding. So, she knew who Prince Leonard and Princess Anne were. They knew that Prince Leonard was appointed as the crown prince after his father acknowledged him two years ago.


    King Henry Camille didn''t have any heir even after decades of marriage and the only closest relative that could possibly take the position as his heir was his cousin''s illegitimate son.


    Once Leon was acknowledged publicly by Duke Fournier, he was taken in by the king and the royal family announced that they had chosen him to be the king''s successor. Thus, he immediately started the two years of rigorous training to get him used to the role.


    His story garnered a lot of sympathy from the public. Being an illegitimate son of a duke for the first two decades of his life and the fact that he lived as a commoner before the shocking reveal, made him relatable to the Medion people in this modern era.


    Leon was also a charming and very likable man. Many young girls adored him, and older women saw him as their own public son. They all wanted him to lead the modern times Medion and brought this country to prosper even more.


    He was said to have such an important role in bringing in new businesses from the States to Medion. Oh, he had so much planned for this kingdom, and people couldn''t wait to see how he would lead the kingdom as a young king.


    Even though they were not directly bordered by each other, but they could just operate as the same country with the same law, regulations, and acted as one in trade cooperations, politics, and many others.


    This type of political marriage had been done in the past countless times. Some people predicted that once the royal couple ascended the throne of Medion and Moravia, they would choose to live in Medion since it was slightly bigger and wealthier.


    Moravia would be controlled from Medion, and they would have a regent to rule in Almstad as their representative.


    "Uff.. do you think it will be embarrassing to ask Rose for access to the royal wedding?" Terry asked JM. He knew he could be shameless at times, but now he didn''t want to be too presumptuous. If Rune was serious about that girl, Terry didn''t want to ruin his brother''s chance with Rose.


    "Uhm.. I don''t know," JM shrugged. "Maybe you can try? It will be awesome if we can get that access. You will get so many nice footages from inside the royal palace."


    Terry pursed his lips. "I will invite them to dinner with us tomorrow and bring up the subject. I hope it''s okay."


    "Okay," JM said. She cast her gaze around her and then pulled her brother''s hand. "Let''s go that way. I see a really nice castle to our left."


    "Okay."


    ***


    Ahh.. usually, it was him and his family members who gave people the shock when they knew he was from THE Schneider family.


    However, today, he could get the satisfaction of watching JM and especially Terry get the shock. Haha.. their expression was priceless.


    "Why are you staring at me? Got something on my face?" Rose asked him.


    Rune just shook his head with a smile.


    "No? So, why are you staring? Don''t you know that staring is rude?" Rose hit his c.h.e.s.t playfully. "Come on, let''s continue. I want to show you the beautiful Old Town. This is my favorite part of the capital."


    "Okay," Rune replied joyfully. He took Rose by the hand and together they walked out of the restaurant. The waiter at the entrance bowed her head slightly when Rose passed by.


    She gave the waiter a sweet smile. "Thank you for today. The food was great and we had a pleasant time."


    "It''s our p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Your Grace," the waiter responded with a broad smile.


    The fake couple walked hand in hand along the cobbled street in the Old Town and admired all the beautiful historical buildings around them. Rose continued her explanation of the history of each building. She seemed to know everything like the back of her hand.


    Rune smiled to himself when he heard her words. Ahh.. Rose would love talking to his father since Caspar had so much knowledge about the world from centuries ago. The man stored so many historical facts during his almost 5 centuries on earth. He always had interesting stories to tell.


    Caspar had met important people in the world since the 16th century and witnessed so many important events throughout his life.


    Ah, Rune couldn''t wait to bring Rose to meet Caspar Schneider and impressed her with his family''s footsteps in history.


    When they were admiring a small building from the 17th century that was turned into an antique shop, suddenly they heard a commotion from behind them.


    Rune and Rose quickly turned around and saw a crowd was surrounding a few people and there were some men wearing all black was trying to disperse the crowd.


    "What do you think happened?" Rose asked Rune. The man was taller than her, so she assumed he had a better vision of what was going on.


    Rune shook his head. "I''m not sure. There are like three girls and several men in black protecting them... and a huge crowd."


    "Three girls?" Rose shook her head. "Probably some noble ladies."


    "Wait... one is looking in this direction," Rune furrowed his brows. "She is waving at us."


    Rune was surprised when he felt Rose gripped his arm so hard. He turned to the girl to see what was going on with her. Rune was shocked to find Rose''s face turned pale.


    He then turned to the three girls, thinking they must be the reason for Rose''s change of expression. Suddenly, he thought that one of the girls looked vaguely familiar.


    He must have seen her somewhere. But where?


    They now walked toward Rose, followed by the crowd and their protection squad. Now, it was obvious that half of the crowd were actually reporters since some of them brought cameras and recorders, and the half was regular people.


    "Lady Fournier, you''re back," said one of the girls with a plain face and short bob blond hair. She wore fancy clothes and had the look of a wealthy girl, so Rune immediately assumed that she must be from the Medion upper-class.


    "Sarah," Rose replied coldly. "Yes, I am."


    She turned to the girl next to Sarah. This was the girl whom Rune thought familiar. She looked quite pretty and meek. Her stature was small and she looked so young.


    Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, looking fresh and casual, but her outfit was an elegant short dress and tennis shoes for walking. Her doe eyes were green and she had small red lips.


    "Are you... Lady Rose Fournier?" she asked Rose with a genuine smile. Rose gripped Rune''s arm harder when she heard that girl speak.


    He saw her pictures in many internet news last month when her engagement to Prince Leon was announced officially by both royal families.


    She was Princess Anne of Moravia.


    She looked younger than in pictures, Rune thought. Anne just turned 20. So she was two years younger than Rose, but she seemed like a meek girl. So, when compared side by side, Rose would look more m.a.t.u.r.e.

 Chapter 1018 - Roses Favorite Place In The World

    "Let''s park here," Rose gave a sign to Rune to drive the car to an open field and park there. Rune followed her instruction and soon, the Bentley was parked nicely under a shady tree, overlooking the vast green valley.


    Rune almost couldn''t believe his vision. Just outside the capital, there was this vast and lush green space? Medion was truly a unique country, he thought.


    He loved Bacilia with its historical charm and now this green hill, which Rose said was owned by her family, made him feel at home quickly.


    It was 2 pm in the afternoon and there was nobody around them. The wind blew lightly and everything felt so peaceful


    Rune could clearly see why Rose said this place was her favorite place in the world. He could imagine her spending so much time here when she was younger.


    "Let''s walk that way," Rose held Rune''s hand and took the man for a short walk across the green field at the foot of the hill.


    Rune was impressed to see that most of the field was still covered in green grass.


    In many other places, the leaves and grass were already yellowish and wither, to prepare for winter, but here, everything still looked like it was the end of summer. He stopped his steps for a while and admire the spread of lavenders on the field to their left.


    "They still have lavenders at this time of the year?" He asked in admiration. "My sister loves this."


    "Yeah.. we do. We have great weather here. Usually autumn feels like an extended summer. Only lately we are having a colder temperature," Rose explained.


    "That is amazing," Rune replied. He pointed at the lavenders on the ground. "I want to take some pictures for my sister. Have you seen the lavender field in Provence, France? This place reminds me of that one."


    "Yes, I''ve been there. It''s lovely," Rose shrugged.


    "I want to tell my sister that Medion has a similar place like that one in Provence. Maybe she would be interested to visit," Rune said with a grin.


    Somehow, Rune managed to distract her from feeling upset by talking about lavenders and Provence and his sisters'' love for lavender.


    "My nephew, the other one that you haven''t met, is a synesthete. He said his father''s voice looks like lavender. That''s when everyone knew that my sister and her husband were a match made in heaven... hahaha..." Rune said while taking out his phone and snapped some pictures for Aleksis.


    "Synesthete? What is that?" Rose furrowed her brows. She had never heard of that word before.


    Rune had to explain that a synesthete was a person with synesthesia ¡ª they may see sounds, taste words, or feel a sensation on their skin when they smell certain scents.


    "Oh.. how interesting!" Rose exclaimed. "So, what about you? What does your voice look like?"


    "Uhm.. my voice is quite boring," Rune said. "My nephew said it looked like gr.a.p.es."


    "Oh.. now I''m curious to know how he sees my voice," Rose chuckled. "He is the one that JM is dating, right?"


    "Yes, that''s right."


    "This way," Rose pointed to a lone oak tree not far from them. "That''s my favorite place to sit and do nothing."


    "My grandfather made this for me twenty years ago. This is my favorite place in the whole world," she gushed.


    Rune smiled faintly. He couldn''t help imagine how many days were spent on this swing while Rose was dating Leon in the past.


    Rune knew Rose and Leon grew up together. So, her best days, in her favorite place in the whole world, must have been spent with the man.


    He had to press down his jealousy and focus on Rose. At the moment, his feelings were not important. He only wanted to make Rose feel better.


    "I can understand why you like this place so much. It''s really beautiful," Rune commented. He cast his glance around them. There was just the two of them in the vast green space, with a lone oak tree and many rabbits here and there.


    "I know right?" Rose was overjoyed because Rune seemed to admire her favorite place. "We also have many deers and some other wild animals over there. Behind the hill, there is a very, very old forest. We have so many children''s folklore told about the forest and mythical creatures that lived there in the past."


    "Sounds amazing," Rune smiled. He was relieved that Rose seemed distracted from her sadness by their conversation.


    He was glad they decided to come here after the incident in the Old Town.


    "When I move out permanently from Medion, I will have to find a new place to love," Rose said suddenly. "Somewhere that will give my heart the same peace."


    "Do you want to leave Medion?" Rune asked her attentively. "Is it because of Leon?"


    Rose nodded. She didn''t plan to keep things from Rune. The man had been kind enough to stick by her side, even though he knew she was in love with another man.


    "You know what happened, right?" Rose turned to him and smiled. "I cannot possibly stay in Bacilia after they get married. A few people knew of my past relationship with Leon and they will use it against him. You saw what Sarah Miller did back in Old Town."


    "Who is she, by the way?" Rune wanted to know who were the other two girls that were with Princess Anne, so he could better protect Rose from them.


    "I went to school with Sarah Miller when I was young. That was before I was sent to Scotland," Rose explained. "She actually had a crush on Leon when she was a teenager. Leon rejected her feelings and Sarah has been hostile ever since."


    "Oh... that sounds childish," Rune commented. "And who was the other girl? Do you know her?"


    "That one was Lisa Bissset. She is also an old schoolmate of mine. The thing is, children of the upper-class families in Bacilia all know each other. Our parents meet at social events and also the events held by the court." Rose let out a long sigh. "She was the one who spread rumors that I was dating Leon, that embarrassed my mother. That''s why she sent me to Scotland so I would stop seeing Leon."


    Rune could see why the girls were hostile toward each other. Apparently, they were fighting over a boy in the past? Now the boy had grown up to be a man, and become the crown prince, Sarah wanted to gain influence on his wife-to-be?


    Rune could imagine what awful thing Sarah would tell Princess Anne about Rose to create a wedge between them.


    "Don''t you want to tell Anne the truth?" Rune asked Rose. "After today, Anne would think that you really harbor an indecent feeling toward her husband. At least let her know that Leon is NOT your brother."


    Rose shook her head dejectedly. "No. I cannot do that to Leon. It will ruin his life."


    "But, if you didn''t set things straight, many people will judge you," Rune pleaded with Rose. He had seen how Anne looked at Rose in disgust earlier today.


    Soon, many people would think the same way about Rose.


    He couldn''t believe Duke Fournier would let his daughter face embarrassment if the public heard about this gossip.


    "Rune, please stop." Rose gripped the man''s arm and pleaded back. "You have agreed to be my fake boyfriend for a year. I need you to be my side for exactly THIS reason."


    Rune went silent. He of course remembered their agreement.


    He agreed easily to be Rose''s fake boyfriend because he wanted the chance to be by her side and make their fake relationship into a real one.


    "Okay, I am sorry." Rune sighed.


    Rune swallowed. He loved this woman from the first time he saw her and seeing her hurt pained his heart.


    Of course, he would do anything for her. He nodded.


    "Good." Rose closed her eyes and whispered her next words, which turned Rune dumbfounded. "Now, kiss me. When people see us, I want us to look natural. So, you have to get used to kissing me."

 Chapter 1019 - Im Having Fun, You Dont Have To Worry About Me

    "Are- are you sure?" Rune asked haltingly. He stared at Rose and realized that her eyes were gleaming with tears. The incident today must have shaken her because Rose was not ready.


    She came to Bacilia because she needed to keep up an appearance in front of the media, the Bacilian upper-classes, and of course, Leon.


    Rose would show everyone that she and Leon were on good terms, and she had a boyfriend that she loved. Her life was good. Then, she would say goodbye to her old life and started somewhere new.


    Rune came with her because he was in love with Rose and would do anything to help her. However, no matter how much he wanted to kiss Rose, he didn''t want to take advantage of the poor girl.


    "Yes, I am sure. We have to look natural," Rose insisted. "This is a very critical period for our family, and the royal family too. I can''t let any scandal destroy my family or Leon''s reputation."


    Rune looked at Rose deeply and sighed. He was grateful that his family kept a really low profile and didn''t have to care about what other people thought of them.


    The Schneiders were a very respected family in the world, both among regular humans and the Alchemist clan.


    They never had any problems with their reputation and could even go out freely without having to worry about their privacy. Not many people knew how they actually looked.


    Rune was a good example. Nobody among the regular people even knew who he was. Aleksis was under the spotlight once when her husband introduced her to the public more than a dozen years ago.


    He did it to extinguish gossips about him and many other women who wanted to take advantage of his fame and wealth. Also, to show the world that he was a changed man.


    London Schneider was known as the patriarch of the Schneider family and he led the family business in Europe. He led a public life but still managed to keep a low profile since people didn''t even know he was married to L, a really famous singer, and have a daughter with her.


    Now, he had retired and disappeared from the public eye, together with L and their children, the teenager, Lily and one new baby on the way.


    The Schneiders never announced their children or grandchildren to the public, until the day they needed to take over the business, just like Caspar Schneider, his father, who was announced as London Schneider''s successor in the Schneider Group.


    Caspar took a new name, Sebastian Schneider, and was now leading the business in Germany.


    That''s why, Rune could have such an easy life and do whatever he wanted, go wherever, and be with whoever. No need to think about the news, gossips, or other people''s talks about his personal life.


    However, such luxury was not part of Rose''s life. From when she was young, she was already under the spotlight as the daughter of a wealthy and powerful Duke.


    Now, when her ''half-brother'' was appointed as the crown prince and soon to be king, the pressure became multiplied.


    Whatever she did and whoever she was with would always be under scrutiny. Rune could only sympathize with Rose and tried his best not to make her life harder.


    "I will not kiss you," Rune said with a firm voice. "We don''t have to kiss in front of strangers and reporters just to show people that we are in love and in a committed relationship."


    Rose batted her eyes when she heard the man. "What do you mean? I am really okay if you kissed me. We need to show people that we are real lovers..."


    Rune shook his head. "We can show people that we are lovers, but we don''t have to go with the cheap way to show it."


    "If you think you are taking advantage of me... " Rose smiled faintly as she touched Rune''s cheek. "...you don''t. I am asking you to kiss me. I want you to kiss me."


    Rune chuckled and he took Rose to his embrace. "No, I don''t feel like kissing you just for the sake of kissing. Like I said, if you are worried that I won''t act in my role properly, don''t worry. I will not disappoint you."


    He was surrounded by men who loved their wives and women who loved their husbands deeply.


    However, out of so many role models he had around him, only his father Caspar was used to displaying his love publicly.


    It was understandable because Caspar was a womanizer in the past and he enjoyed showing affection to his wife. The others were more reclusive and it was okay.


    Alaric never showed affection publicly. His family never saw him kissed his wife in front of them, except for very, very rare occasions, but who could say that he didn''t love Aleksis?


    His gesture, his eyes, and everything he did show how devoted he was to her.


    London was slightly more open with his affection for L, but since his wife was a reclusive person, London didn''t force his affection on her in front of many people.


    Altair, Nicolae, and Lauriel were the same. The most they would display was holding their partner''s hands and that was it.


    So, no... Rune was not going to force the public display of affection just to make people believe he loved Rose.


    He loved her, and he didn''t need to pressure himself and her to act excessively just to make people think he loved her.


    Rune wanted their kiss to be sincere and filled with love. Not just some meeting of lips in front of strangers to please the people he didn''t even know or care about.


    Finally, Rose relented. Somehow, Rune''s confidence rubbed off on her too.


    That''s right. They could do it well in front of Rose''s friends.  Surely they could do it in front of those nobles and reporters too, right?


    "Thank you," Rose let out a sigh. She closed her eyes and let her head rested on the man''s c.h.e.s.t as he kept embracing her.


    There was silence for five minutes. Only the cool breeze and the sounds of leaves rustle could be heard, and each other''s heartbeats.


    It was very peaceful.


    Rune and Rose spend a good one hour in Reverand Hill and talked about the country''s history, and more details about the royal family. Rune tried to remember everything he needed to know so he could play his part well.


    "I think we should go back now," Rose decided. She took out her phone to check the news. The royal gala should start in two hours. There must be many news articles about it now, she thought.


    She had postponed checking the news after they arrived in Reverand Hill because she didn''t want to feel upset. She needed to calm down and feel better before she could face another blow.


    "Gosh..." Rose''s eyes turned round when she opened the internet and checked some news sites on her phone.


    "What is it?" Rune came to her side and saw her phone screen. "Did they slander you again?"


    "No... but..." Rose looked up at Rune and bit her lip, looking obviously annoyed. "They went to my house and harassed my mother to give a statement."


    "Oh.. what did they want?" Rune asked.


    "They all wanted to know from my mother''s own lips that Leon and I were dating in the past."


    "Did your mother say anything?"


    "Of course not. She sent securities to kick those reporters out of our gate, but now people become suspicious... ugh!" Rose massaged her temple and tried so hard to hold back her tears. "Sarah Miller! I hate you!"


    "What do you want to do? People already heard about the rumors. You must set things straight," Rune advised her.


    "Yeah, you are right. I have no choice but come to the royal gala and introduce you. If I didn''t come, like what I planned initially, they will think that the rumor is true," Rose clenched her jaws and gripped her swing hard.


    "It''s in one or two hours. I think we should go home now and get ready. It''s okay to be late a little bit. It''s better than trying to avoid it altogether," Rose finally made a decision. She held Rune''s hand. "I''m sorry for dragging you into this mess."


    "Haha.. no, it''s okay. I feel like going on a new adventure," Rune chuckled. "I am having fun. You don''t have to worry about me."

 Chapter 1020 - Im Roses Older Brother

    Rose smiled when she heard him. "Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better."


    "Thank you! I''m happy you think that way," Rune was all smiles when he heard her compliment. "Let''s go back."


    He took Rose''s hand and lifted her from her swing. The girl shrieked because she didn''t expect him to lift and carry her all of a sudden.


    "Hey.. what are you doing?" She laughed while wrapping her arms around his neck. "You startled me."


    "I just feel like doing it," Rune replied with a grin.


    That''s right. He didn''t need to kiss Rose in public to show people how he felt about her. People would be able to see it from the little things he did for her.


    "Thank you," Rose whispered and buried her face on his c.h.e.s.t. She felt comforted and consoled. Somehow, the burden that she faced today didn''t feel so bad anymore.


    Rune easily carried Rose''s body in his arms, walking through the meadow and toward their parked car. He only put her down to open the car door for her.


    Rose smiled sheepishly as she got inside the car and buckled up. She felt happy that Rune was there with her, during her dark times.


    Inwardly, she promised to herself that if the man was still willing to accept her, she would learn to return his love.


    ***


    "Gosh... so many journalists!" Rose complained as their car reached the Fournier''s mansion gate. There were a dozen or so reporters waiting around the gate and they quickly swarmed the car when they realized Rose was in it.


    "Lady Rose, we need a statement from you regarding Lady Sarah''s allegation earlier today," a middle-aged female reporter quickly asked as the car stopped in front of the gate, waiting for it to open automatically.


    Rose smiled sweetly and shook her head. She tapped on Rune''s shoulder and motioned him to drive through, as the gate opened in front of them.


    "Lady Rose! We need to know the truth!"


    The commotion behind them soon became a distant sound, as they drove away from the gate. Behind them, the electronic gate closed in front of the grumpy reporters.


    "We used to be friendly with the reporters. They love Leon after the shocking announcement," said Rose with a sigh. "Now, it looks like they would still love Leon but hate me. I am, after all, the legitimate daughter who has it all and he was the abandoned son."


    Rune turned to Rose and listened to her venting, not saying anything. He knew most reporters loved sensational news. It gave them something to bait people to read their sites.


    Soon, they arrived in front of the mansion. Rune parked the car nicely and opened the door for Rose.


    The girl was impressed by his gentlemanlike attitude. Even though Rune was not from the upper class, he seemed to have a perfect manner. She liked that about him.


    "Rose, honey... you''re back early?" Duchess Fournier came down the stairs and met Rose in the hallway. "I''ve heard of what happened in the Old Town."


    She looked tired and stressed. Seeing her mother in that situation made Rose''s heart ache. She came to her mother and hugged her.


    "It''s nothing, Mom. I''m okay. I just think I need to come to the gala and set things straight," she said with a soft voice.


    Rune stood next to Rose and watched the scene from the side. He really wanted to take Rose out of Medion once this ordeal was over, and maybe brought her to find peace and quiet in Stuttgart where his family castle was located.


    "Uhm... actually, we have a guest," Duchess Fournier stepped back and moved away from Rose. She then turned to the right as if waiting for someone to show up.


    Rose and Rune immediately turned toward that direction to see who was the guest that Duchess Fournier meant.


    From the big library close to the terrace where Rune, Rose, and Duchess Fournier had tea this morning, came out two men.


    One was a middle-aged man, with grey hair. He was handsome and dignified. One could easily guess that he was a wealthy and powerful man from the way he carried himself.


    Ahh... Rune instantly guessed that the man was Rose''s father. His eyes and nose looked a lot like Rose Fournier''s.


    So.. this was Duke Fournier?


    Next to him was a young man, maybe around 25 years old. He was quite young, but his aura was imposing and full of confidence that people might think he was older.


    Rune immediately recognized the man as the crown prince of Medion who was known by the public as Rose Fournier''s half-brother, Duke Fournier''s used-to-be-illegitimate son. Leonard Fournier.


    Leon wore an elegant outfit, a perfect three-piece suit with very expensive leather shoes, a watch that could buy an island, and a very neat haircut. His expression looked calm and collected.


    "I had to disguise myself as one of your father''s bodyguards to enter this place so the reporters wouldn''t find out," Leon added. His tired face showed a faint smile. "I am sorry for what happened."


    Right at that moment, Rune felt annoyed. He thought Leon came to the Fournier''s home to prep Rose on what to say regarding the allegations about their past relationship.


    "It''s fine," Rose replied, forcing a smile.


    "I am worried about you," Leon walked near Rose and looked at her lovingly. "I have set things straight with Anne. She is cool with it."


    Oh.. Rune suddenly felt a pang of jealousy when he watched the scene. Apparently, Leon came because he was worried about Rose?


    What was he doing? Why was he acting like a caring boyfriend?


    Hey, stop it! You are about to marry another woman, dude! That was what Rune wanted to say to Leon''s face.


    However, he had to hold back. Rose hadn''t introduced him, so he must know his place.


    He was worried that Rose would sway and fell for Leon again, even though the man had ditched her for wealth and power.


    Her voice sounded cheerful when she introduced the man to Leon and her father.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, I almost forgot to introduce my boyfriend. Father, Leon.. this Rune Schneider, my boyfriend. He came here with me because I wanted to introduce him to our country and the whole family." Rose turned to Rune and mouthed her apology for not introducing him sooner.


    Rune smiled broadly and winked at her. He quickly reached out his hand to shake the Duke''s and the prince''s hands.


    "Hello, my name is Rune Schneider. I am very excited to be here. We had a lovely chat earlier today with Her Grace, Duchess Fournier. I am looking forward to knowing Rose''s family members."


    Duke Fournier looked conflicted, but he reached out his hand and shook Rune''s hand. He could immediately assess the man in front of him.


    Rune looked like a simple man from the middle, or maybe even lower class. However, he also appeared confident and intelligent.


    Duke Fournier knew his daughter was an easygoing woman who could make friends with people from all walks of life.


    However, he actually wished she would find a man from the same level as hers to be her boyfriend.


    "Schneider?" Leon furrowed his brows. "Are you by any chance, a member of the Schneider family from the Schneider Group?"


    "A fixer?" Leon looked at Rune intently, as if trying to understand the reason why Rose decided to date the man.


    Other than his good looks and seemingly intelligent brain, there was nothing interesting about his appearance, Leon thought.


    A fixer was just another name for a freelancer that didn''t really have a proper job. They do whatever work to help other people on their projects.


    "Rune didn''t know that I am wealthy and come from a noble family," Rose added. "Please don''t make him feel uncomfortable. He came here for my sake..."


    "Oh..." Leon smiled and finally reached out his hand to shake Rune''s hand. "I''m sorry for being rude. Rose''s boyfriend is welcomed in Medion anytime. My name is Leonard.. Fournier, I''m Rose''s older brother."

 Chapter 1021 - They Matched

    Rune smiled when he heard Leon''s words. He could hear the slight bitterness in the man''s voice. It was obvious that Leon was still in love with Rose. It was not surprising though, because... any man who couldn''t see how precious Rose was would be stupid.


    However, Leon still chose another woman. That was what made his tone bitter. Rune really didn''t understand why a man could make such a decision. You can always make more money, but you cannot force love.


    Rune thought Rose understood this better than Leon. Ahh.. come to think of it, maybe that''s the thing with wealthy people.


    Since they had money, they knew that money is not everything. Family, love, friendship.. they were all worth more than money. While poor people who didn''t have money always wanted to have money since they think it was what would bring them happiness.


    "Thank you, I like the capital so far. Rose told me after the wedding, she would take me around the other parts of Medion as well," Rune replied. He reached out his hand to shake Leon''s hand. "By the way, congratulations on your wedding."


    Leon forced a smile and shook Rune''s hand. "Thank you. I hope you will enjoy your stay."


    "We will come to the royal gala tonight and meet Princess Anne and her family officially," Rose added. "I came home to get ready."


    "Thank you," Leon turned to Rose and smiled. "I am sorry, I cannot stay too long. I have a fiancee to care for. I only came here to make sure you are okay."


    "Of course. Thanks for stopping by," Rose nodded. The girl was truly a good actress because she could fake a really sweet smile when she talked to Leon. "How are you going to go back to the royal palace?"


    "Your father''s driver will send me back, under disguise. Don''t worry," Leon replied.


    "Okay, take care and see you tonight at the palace," Rose bowed down her head slightly and motioned Rune to follow her upstairs.


    Leon turned and watched the two walk the stairs to the second floor. His expression was flat but Duke and Duchess Fournier knew behind his calm and flat expression, Leon must be hiding his sadness.


    They knew this man inside and out since he was raised like their own child, together with Rose. When everything turned out this way... they didn''t know what to say.


    "Your Highness, thank you for coming and check on our daughter. We will see you at the royal ball," Duchess Fournier curtseyed to Leon and turned to follow Rose upstairs.


    Leon didn''t respond.


    ***


    Rune brought a nice tuxedo for the event so he could look nice when standing next to Rose. He was determined not to embarrass the girl in front of her upper-class society.


    He already prepared an excuse that the tuxedo was a gift from Aleksis, his wealthy sister in New York, if Rose asked.


    When Rose and her mother went down the stairs to meet the men, Rune was amazed to see how beautiful she was, that he was standing frozen in place with his mouth slightly open.


    Rose wore an elegant grey brocade dress with a very simple design. It went all the way to her heels and had a low-cut V-neckline.


    Rune immediately imagined this dress as a white wedding dress. How gorgeous she would look as a bride, he thought.


    "You look amazing!" he gushed as Rose came near. His eyes twinkled by fascination.


    Your loss, Leon. Don''t regret your choices later. It''s too late, Rune thought to himself. He was happy that his competition was too dumb to let Rose go.


    He could picture the moment in the future when Leon regretted his decision, and it would be too late.


    People should always be accountable for the choices they made.


    "Ah, I have to thank my sister for this. She has an impeccable taste," Rune replied. "When she knew I want to go to your home country to attend your brother''s wedding, she bought me this tuxedo."


    "Ah, I see," Rose nodded in understanding. She remembered the twin boys she met at Central Park and their numerous bodyguards.


    This sister of Rune''s was the one who married a man from the mafia family, right? Rose remembered that through her husband''s connection, she had a good relationship with the Schneider family. That''s why Rune could book a table at The Lily''s in New York.


    "We will go in two cars," Duchess Fournier informed them. "Our chauffeurs are waiting."


    She looked so elegant and stunning tonight, together with her husband. The Duke and Duchess were the picture-perfect aristocratic couple.


    Seeing them somehow reminded Rune of the two Alchemist leaders, Ned and Portia.


    "Your family is very impressive," Rune whispered to Rose as they walked side by side toward the courtyard to get to the car.


    "Yeah, my father and mother are both from old noble families that have been rooted for centuries in this kingdom. Too bad their lineage will end with me," Rose replied.


    "Didn''t Leon use your family name now?" Rune asked.


    "Ahh.. that''s right. Everyone thinks Leon is a Fournier." She looked away. "I guess he is really my family now."


    Rune realized he shouldn''t bring up Leon in their conversation. It wouldn''t do anyone any good.


    He decided to change the subject and talked about what Rose thought about Terry and JM that she met earlier today.


    "By the way.. I received an invitation from Pierre to have dinner at their hotel tomorrow. What do you think?" he asked her as they walked toward the Rolls Royce parked in the courtyard. Duke and Duchess Fournier had entered the first car and it was ready to leave.


    "Oh, sure, why not? We don''t have anything planned for tomorrow yet," Rose replied. She smiled to Mr. Rolland who opened the door for her and Rune. "Thank you, Mr. Rolland."


    "My p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Your Grace," Mr. Rolland touched the tip of his hat with a broad smile.


    Rose got it and sat gracefully in the backseat, followed by Rune.


    "Okay, I will tell them that we will come," Rune nodded to Mr. Rolland who closed their door and got in the driver''s seat.


    As the car was moving slowly toward the gate, Rune quickly took out his phone and replied Terry''s message.


    Soon, a reply from Terry came to his phone.


    [Gosh, you didn''t tell me that you are dating a duke''s daughter? She is the crown prince''s half-sister! How could you end up in Bacilia with the prince''s sister?? You must tell me everything!]


    Runse smiled to himself as he read Terry''s text. His brother was still as nosy as ever.


    [I''ve got nothing to tell you.] He replied briefly, just to annoy Terry.


    [Wait.. how did you meet her? She doesn''t hang out with lower-class people.] Apparently, Terry was quite persistent.


    [You are wrong. Rose is different. She hangs out with all kinds of people. She is a really kind and sweet girl.]


    [....]


    [What does ''....'' mean?]


    [I was saying you''re so lucky. She is so beautiful and she is a noblewoman. Plus, she looked like she has a really nice personality. She is perfect.] Terry praised Rose sincerely now that he had read a lot about the girl from the media.


    [Wait.. what? Blind date?]


    In his hotel suite, Terry furrowed his brows and turned to JM who was talking on the phone with her boyfriend, Altair.


    "These guys are so lucky with online dating," he murmured. JM lowered her phone and looked at her brother with a questioning look.


    "What do you mean? I heard there are so many scams with online dating," JM commented. "Are you thinking of getting a girlfriend from a dating website?"


    "No, of course not," Terry shook his head and shuddered. He was not looking for any woman for a committed relationship. He just couldn''t believe Rune and Nicolae''s luck.


    Both men were set up on blind dates by their nephews and both found the perfect women, the love of their life.


    Well.. Terry was not sure yet how was it between Rune and Rose, but Nicolae was really happy with Marie. They were truly a match made in heaven.


    Hmm.. maybe Rune was also fated to be with Rose? Just look at their names. They matched!

 Chapter 1022 - Attending The Royal Gala

    "What? So, they met on an online dating app?" JM couldn''t believe her hearing. "How is that possible?"


    Terry shrugged. "It''s hard to believe, but do you think he would lie about such a thing? No, right?"


    JM furrowed her brows, looking confused. "Rose is not the type of girl that needs help to get a boyfriend, don''t you think?"


    "I agree..." Terry shook his head. All his brothers were confusing him. Why couldn''t they just get into an easy relationship? And what''s more... they all had to pretend to be someone they were not. Wasn''t it tiring?


    "I am curious to know why Rune pretend to be poor," he commented. "If you noticed his outfit earlier today, it looked like he intentionally appeared like someone from the lower class. I am actually surprised and impressed that Rose is willing to accept him, being the wealthy aristocratic girl that she is."


    "I am surprised too," JM agreed. "I think Rose is a really special woman that she doesn''t care if she is dating someone wealthy or poor. It''s actually very commendable."


    "Hmmm... I still think there is something terribly wrong with it." Terry was not that optimistic about things because he had witnessed many relationsh.i.p.s turned sour and how people were not always as nice as they made people think about them.


    "Just hope Uncle Rune will be happy with Rose," JM said. "I actually like seeing them today. They look so good together."


    "Well.. they do look good together." Terry had nothing bad to say about it. He agreed.


    Rune and Rose actually looked quite similar. Both had blond hair, quite long, and they seem to have the same taste in clothing. Rose just wore expensive outfits, while Rune had cheaper ones.


    He wondered if the Schneiders already knew that their youngest son was now in love with someone.


    ***


    The car stopped in front of a massive courtyard and Mr. Rolland quickly opened the car door for Rune and Rose. Rune got out first and then helped Rose out with her dress and high heels.


    The royal gala held by the royal family was meant to be private and they only invited very select aristocratic families in the capital and high-level government officials and their families.


    Since Princess Anne would become the queen after she married Leon and he ascended the throne to replace King Henry Camille, those important people need to get to know her personally. It was such an important occasion.


    Leon was introduced in a similar manner to the aristocrat families and the high officials in Moravia several months back before his engagement to Anne was officially announced.


    Both countries seemed to welcome the union with open hearts and the people were excited about the possibilities and opportunities arising from it.


    Only one person was feeling the opposite of joy and she was standing gracefully beside Rune, expertly faking a sweet smile when she saw the royal staff came and welcome them.


    "Good evening, Lady Rose. You look lovely tonight. Please follow me," said an efficient female staff with a respectful smile. She motioned Rose to follow her walk up the marble stairs.


    Rose turned to Rune and gave her hand for him to hold. The man quickly understood and held her hand. He almost felt nervous. He hadn''t attended any formal events this caliber in years.


    In fact, if he could remember, the last real formal event he attended that was worthy of wearing a tuxedo was the Virconnect 4th anniversary where he and London were invited by Alaric to attend, together with Aleksis.


    That was the moment where Alaric introduced his wife and children to the whole world. The event was very prestigious and formal.


    All the wealthiest and most elite people were among the attendance. It was almost as exclusive as the annual Ritz Gala.


    Now, this one was a royal event. It couldn''t get any more formal than this one. Rune hated formal events and tried to avoid them as much as possible.


    However, since his presence was needed by the woman he loved, he set aside his discomfort and act as naturally as possible.


    Rose noticed his uneasiness and thought Rune was feeling intimidated because they were surrounded by the rich and famous in the Medion''s capital.


    "I am fine," Rune squeezed her hand softly. "I am just not used to attending such high-class events. I hope I won''t make any mistakes."


    "You''re doing great. The rest, you can just follow me." Rose smiled and touched his cheek with her other hand.


    Reporters were very interested in the newly arrived couple. Even though they were not allowed to enter the royal palace courtyard, many were equipped with telelens cameras that could take clear pictures from hundreds of meters away.


    When they saw Rose and Rune walked holding hands up the royal palace stairs, they quickly snapped many pictures and live reported from the venue.


    Many people already read the news about the incident in Old Town earlier that day and were wondering if the allegations were true.


    "If Lady Rose Fournier was really in love with her half-brother, as alleged by Lady Sarah, don''t you think she wouldn''t show her face in her brother''s engagement party?" someone asked the question when they saw the couple entering the palace entrance.


    "This is not an engagement party. Prince Leon and Princess Anne are already engaged," replied the other.


    "Ah, you know what I mean. Even though they were already engaged formally in Moravia, this is the first time that Princess Anne came to Medion, and the event tonight is meant to introduce her to the public as his fiancee. So, we can just call it their engagement party in Medion."


    "Ah.. you are right. So, do you think the gossip is accurate, or is it just a lie, spread by some people to drive a wedge between the two families?"


    "I don''t know what to think. Let''s not make any assumptions. We should wait until the press conference. I believe the palace will hold the press conference one day before the wedding. We can ask whatever we want during the conference."


    So many people were discussing the gossips regarding Rose and Leon, and which Duchess wore the best dress or had the most diamonds.


    People enjoyed the entertainment provided by the media from the start of the royal ball, until late at night.


    "Please have a seat, Your Grace. The king and queen will arrive shortly," said the royal staff, after she guided Rose and Rune to their table in one of the most coveted sections. It was right next to the table where the monarchs would sit.


    Rune could see that the Fourniers were really close to the king, not just because they raised the future king, but Duke Fournier was King Henry''s dearest cousin.


    "Where are your parents?" Rune asked. He looked around them, trying to locate the Duke and Duchess. He thought they should have been at their tables.


    "They probably went to see the king and talk," Rose shrugged. "Let''s sit. I feel like I need a drink. Something strong preferably."


    She waved and smiled sweetly to one of the royal staff and made a motion that she needed a drink.


    A female staff quickly came with a tray filled with several choices of drinks. She took one c.o.c.ktail and started enjoying it without caring about other people around them.


    There were many wealthy-looking people sitting or standing around them, and more came through the door as time went by.


    So, this was how Medion''s high society looked like, he thought. There were quite a few young people attending the event too. They all dressed to the nine.


    Rune felt lucky that he made the right choice by wearing his expensive tuxedo.


    Poor people would stand out like a sore thumb among these very wealthy people. He didn''t want to embarrass Rose after what happened earlier today.


    She didn''t need the extra stress.


    "Rose, welcome! We are so happy to have you tonight," A middle-aged woman with a velvet blue dress called Rose with a smile on her face. She was followed by a girl with an annoying smirk on her face.


    Rune remembered the girl was called Lisa Bisset, one of the girls who were accompanying Princess Anne in Old Town. Why did she approach Rose? Did they have a bad intention?

 Chapter 1023 - The Extravagant Event

    Rune''s questions were immediately answered when Lisa Bisset and the older lady stood arrogantly in front of Rose and snickered.


    "So you have the audacity to come to the royal gala," Lisa shook her head disapprovingly.


    "Of course, I have to come. Tonight is my brother''s happy day. I am here to support him," Rose replied with her classy expression.


    "Come on, Rose. We know you love Leon. After so many years, you just don''t change. Princess Anne is a really nice girl. It will be better for everyone if you just leave quietly and never show your face again in Medion so you don''t hurt her feelings." Lisa crossed her arms on their c.h.e.s.t. "Please stop embarrassing yourself."


    Rose smiled sweetly and continued sipping her c.o.c.ktail. Actually, Lisa didn''t need to tell Rose what to do, Rose planned exactly that. She would exit the stage gracefully and never come back.


    However, she hated being told what to do by some stuck-up lady like Lisa Bisset and her mother. So Rose pretended not to hear her.


    Lisa was obviously upset to see Rose still look nonchalant and unaffected.


    Now, she turned to Rune and sized him up, as if to determine if the man belonged in their high society event or not.


    However, it was obvious that Lisa wanted Rune to hear everything, to make him ''aware'' that Rose was never in love with him because she harbored feelings for another man.


    "Don''t you know that she was dating her half-brother in the past?" Lisa smirked and asked Rune. "She only brings you here as cover. I feel so sorry for you. She is scamming you!"


    Now, it was Rune''s turn to also pretend not to hear Lisa''s words. He sipped his c.o.c.ktail just like Rose did and acted as if the girl and her mother were invisible like the air.


    This made Lisa really infuriated. She thought these two people were very alike. Maybe they did belong together.


    "Don''t ignore me when I''m speaking!" she stomped her feet impatiently. Lisa turned to her mother and pouted. "Mother, they are very rude. They are acting as if we are not here."


    Lady Bisset narrowed her eyes angrily. "Her mother should be really embarrassed that she failed to educate her only daughter."


    She grabbed Lisa''s hand and pulled her to another table.


    Once the two hags were out of their sights, Rune turned to Rose and asked what was the cause for the enmity between her and those girls from today.


    "Enmity? What enmity?" Rose feigned ignorance. "That''s how we talk around here."


    "Yeah.. well, I told you Sarah doesn''t like me because she had a crush on Leon when we were teenagers. As for Lisa..." Rose rolled her eyes. "She was this ugly kid who no one wanted to be friends with, while everyone liked me and wanted to be my friends. I was quite popular in school. I think she hates me because she wants to be me. I don''t know if you understand what I mean."


    Rune looked at Rose intently and realized that the girl was right. Rose never had an arrogant attitude and she could be friends with people from all walks of life.


    When Rose told Rune that she was popular, there was no hint of arrogance about it. She talked as-a-matter-of-factly.


    Rune could see that Lisa was trying to pull Rose down when she finally got the chance and attacked Rose through her only weakness, which was her past relationship with Leon.


    "By the way, thank you so much for being so patient with me and all this craziness," Rose smiled and touched Rune''s hand. "I owe you greatly. You even gave her the silent treatment that she deserves... hahaha. Lisa Bisset is nothing but a waste of oxygen to me."


    Rune smiled when he heard Rose''s words. He was happy that she showed how much she appreciated what he did for her.


    After Lisa and her mother were gone, the two could sit in peace and enjoyed their drinks. In the meantime, more guests were coming and finally, Duke and Duchess Fournier arrived at their table.


    "We went to see the king and had a small talk," Duke Fournier explained. "They will be here shortly."


    Duchess Fournier sat next to her daughter and kept asking Rose if she was okay, to which the girl replied with a fake smile.


    "I am so proud of you, honey..." Duchess Fournier whispered and tapped Rose''s hand.


    Rose was so quiet that night. She kept herself busy with drinks after drinks, that Rune became worried.


    "Don''t you think you have had too much to drink?" the man leaned in and whispered gently to her ear. "Are you trying to get drunk tonight?"


    Rose shook her head weakly. "I''m trying to get numb so I don''t cry in the middle of this crowd. So, if you have any alternatives to liquor, I am all ears."


    Rune sighed when he heard her answer. Had he ever felt so despondent that he just wanted to numb his feelings? No. He wouldn''t understand what Rose was feeling.


    So, he could only show her sympathy and no longer asked her questions.


    Finally, at 8 pm sharp, the royal staff announced the arrival of the monarchs and the bride and groom to be.


    The whole audience immediately rose to their feet and turned toward the massive entrance, to welcome the monarchs and future monarchs of Medion.


    Rune had seen King Henry Camille and Queen Helen in news on the internet when he read about the engagement last month.


    It would make things so much easier for Rose. Queen Helen was a beautiful woman in her 50''s who had a cold expression. She barely smiled at anyone, that Rune was reminded of the ice queen when he saw her.


    Behind them, Leon and Anne walked together, holding hands, followed by the king and queen of Moravia. They were all wearing regal outfits and for a moment made Rune feel like they were going back in time.


    Inwardly, he was thinking of Terry. Rune thought Terry would have loved to be here and witness everything, probably with a hidden camera on his suit.


    When the king and his small group walked past the audience, one by one, the men bent their knees and the women curtseyed to show their respect to their king.


    King Henry, Queen Helen, Leon, Anne, and her parents all sat at the most prestigious table not far from the Fournier''s table.


    Duke and Duchess Fournier only sat after the monarchs sat, then followed by the rest of the audience.


    More staff came with trays filled with drinks and hors d''oeuvres. The royal gala was about to start officially.


    King Henry decided to stand up and speak. As soon as he did that, everyone became silent and turned their attention to him.


    "Welcome, everyone. We are very grateful that you all make time to come and attend our small event to introduce Princess Anne and her family to Medion." King Henry Camille spoke with his deep voice. "Our two countries will soon become one, and I am happy to announce that the union will start today."


    "We will have a formal introduction soon, but before that, please enjoy the food and drinks provided by our staff." The king smiled broadly and motioned everyone to get something from the trays. "We also have some traditional Moravian cakes for you to try."


    Soon, a full-size orc.h.e.s.tra showed up at the stage in the middle of the hall and started playing several beautiful classical music compositions. The atmosphere turned very lively and festive.


    The happier the music was being played, the more Rose took c.o.c.ktails from the waiter''s trays.


    "Isn''t this lovely?" she whispered to Rune. "Have you ever been to an event more extravagant than this one? Ah.. of course, you haven''t."


    Rose asked him questions and replied to them herself.


    "You are right, this is my first time," Rune replied with a smile. "It''s nice."


    "Well... I hope you enjoy the event," she added. "This and the royal wedding are probably your only chance of ever attending anything of such extravagance. I don''t plan on ever going into any more of these wonderful events in the future."


    "I understand," Rune replied. "And I don''t mind. I''m not big on parties. In fact, I actually hate it. always try to avoid them if possible."


    "You are a very interesting man," Rose smiled. "You are doing so well at this party even though you hate it. Thank you for making the effort."

 Chapter 1024 - Rune Schneider Of The Schneider Group

    The event went well and festive. The Medion''s creme de la creme were present in the ballroom.


    They all made use of the time to catch up and discuss the topics that only the people of the high society would discuss: the country''s economy, politics, security, and the potentials in the future.


    Rose did her best to look interested so the guests wouldn''t think she was forced to come. Rune commended her acting skills.


    She met all the ladies who came to their table and she asked about their children or their charity foundations, etc.


    Most of the older generation seemed to adore her. They watched her grow up and knew how sweet she was.


    Rune was happy to know that only a few bad apples who treated Rose badly, like Lisa and Sarah, and it was because they were just jealous bitches. It was totally not Rose''s fault.


    "When will you hold your exhibition?" Lady Lauder asked Rose while they were talking over at the Fournier''s table. "Your mother told me you are a very talented painter."


    "Oh.. I don''t know yet," Rose smiled sweetly. "I need to have at least 20 paintings ready before I can have an exhibition. It''s still a long way to go for me."


    "Well.. you know who owns the biggest art galleries in Medion and throughout Europe, if you ever decided on showing us your beautiful artworks," Lady Lauder said with a wink.


    "Don''t mention it. Just work well, and create your best art," said Lady Lauder again.


    "I will. Thank you so much!"


    They talked a little bit more about arts and Rune could see Rose''s expression turned brighter and happy.


    She finally felt better and it even looked like she was slowing down on her c.o.c.ktail, much to Rune''s relief.


    ***


    The journey home was quiet. Rose closed her eyes in her seat and tried to get rid of the headache from drinking too much.


    She was grateful to have Rune by her side, to stop her from doing embarrassing things while she was tipsy.


    She couldn''t remember exactly what happened throughout the event. She only had flashes of memory in her brain from the royal gala.


    She met and talked with several nice ladies, got into argument with her old schoolmates, and finally was formally introduced to Princess Anne and her parents.


    They were never prepared to rule because in the past the king had appointed his son, and later grandsons to be the heir to the throne.


    The king''s only son died in an accident and Prince Heinrich, the only grandson born to the male descendant was appointed to be the crown prince.


    Unfortunately, the young prince died of a heart attack a few years later. So, the court finally appointed the only male descendant left to replace him as the crown prince, even though the man was not born from the male lineage.


    His mother was the old king''s youngest daughter and he was said to be born out of wedlock, something that the royal family was reluctant to accept.


    However, they were desperate for a male heir, since the kingdom insisted on using the centuries-old principles, that only male descendants and his male heirs could inherit the throne.


    When Moravia accepted heirs from the female lineage, the way was finally opened for the female descendants to be considered for the throne too.


    When Prince Renald Hanenberg, the last crown prince suddenly made an announcement that he was no longer interested in power and wanted to step down, at the same time breaking all ties with the dynasty, the royal family was truly in shambles.


    They finally realized that the time had truly changed and they had to accept females to inherit the throne.


    That''s why Anne''s mother, who was the old king''s daughter, was offered the position as the queen and her husband would serve as the king.


    However, after she was betrothed to Leon and would soon get married to him, the two families had been considering uniting their families into one, and their kingdoms too.


    They would share the power together and their kingdoms would be more influential in Europe. This arranged marriage would bring a lot of benefits for many people.


    From Anne''s expression earlier today, when she was introduced to Duke and Duchess Fournier, Rose could tell that the princess was head over heels for Leon.


    Couldn''t blame her, of course, since she was a normal woman. Leon had his charms. He was devilishly good-looking with a high IQ and a calm demeanor.


    Many women around Rose liked Leon too since they were younger, and so they vented their hatred to Rose for getting the man that they fancied.


    Now, they took it as an opportunity to mock Rose and threw shades on her after she failed to keep the man. They laughed over her suffering.


    Fortunately, Rose was a strong woman. She could take any accusations and insults like a lady that she was. She always held her head high and showed them that she was unaffected.


    She smiled sweetly and treated Anne well when their two families came together and talked. She introduced Rune as her boyfriend and did it so naturally.


    Rune also did his part well. He already promised Rose that he would make people believe that they were a couple who were in love with each other, without needing to show public display of affection and he kept his word.


    "We''re here. Wake up, Rose." Rune tapped Rose''s shoulder gently and woke her up.


    He thought the girl fell asleep because she closed her eyes and her breathing looked very soft.


    Rose opened her eyes and smiled wearily. She looked so tired. Rune understood that she must be feeling fatigued. Pretending was tiring.


    "I wasn''t asleep," she said with a soft voice. "I am just tired."


    "Hmm.. I can see that," Rune responded. He got out of the car and waited for Rose by the door. He reached out his hand to help her get up. "Do you want me to carry you upstairs?"


    "Would you do that?" Rose asked him with a faint smile. The man nodded. Rose shrugged. "Sure, why not?"


    She got out of the car and held Rune''s hand. The man swiftly scooped her up and carried her in his arms.


    "Thank you, Mr. Roland. I will take Rose from here," said Rune politely to their driver.


    The middle-aged man nodded with a smile.


    "Good night, Mr. Roland. Thank you for tonight," said Rose. She wrapped her arms around Rune''s neck and closed her eyes.


    Rune walked with Rose in his arms. Nobody said a word. He opened Rose''s door with one hand and walked inside her beautiful bedroom.


    "Sleep well, Rose," he said after he carefully placed her in bed.


    "Thank you, Rune," Rose nodded with a smile.


    "You''re welcome."


    "You should get some rest too," said Rose and she waved at him.


    "Thanks." Rune smiled and turned around. He walked out of her chamber and closed the door behind him.


    The night went by peacefully.


    ***


    She got up and freshen up to go downstairs for breakfast. Both her eyes had dark circles around them that made her look like a panda. Rune thought she looked cute.


    "Good morning," Rune opened a chair for her. "I have been talking with your parents about things to do in Bacilia today."


    "Oh, you have?" Rose sat on her chair and got her napkin ready. "Thanks."


    Rune went back to his chair and offered to pour tea for Rose. The girl nodded and gave him her cup.


    "You seem like you didn''t sleep well last night," Duchess Fournier commented.


    "I am fine, Mother." Rose shook her head. "Don''t worry about me."


    Duke Fournier who was reading the news on his tablet suddenly furrowed his brows and turned to Rune with a questioning look.


    "Your name is Rune Schneider, right?" He asked him.


    Rune nodded. "Yes, Sir."


    "Are you related to the Schneider of the Schneider Group?" The duke asked again.


    Rune had explained to them yesterday that he only shared the same last name with that family and was not part of them, so he was surprised to receive the same question this morning.


    "No... why did you ask?" he asked the man, feeling confused. "Is there something wrong?"


    Duke Fournier sighed and showed his tablet. "Some reporters wrote an article about Rose and they said she is dating Rune Schneider of the Schneider Group."

 Chapter 1025 - Who Was Spreading The Lies?

    "I-I don''t understand..." Rune was so confused when he heard that question from Duke Fournier.


    Nobody knew who he was. So, how could some reporter write an article that Rose Fournier was dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group?


    He only remembered being introduced to the public once, when he came with Terry and London to the Ritz Gala, decades ago. He was 27 back then, still very young.


    Now, it had been almost 16 years since the event. Even if people still remember Rune Schneider from back then, they would all think that he was now older. Much older than his persona today.


    When they saw him now, they would think he was Rune, the 25-year-old freelancer. He also looked so young.


    Nobody would associate him with the Rune Schneider from the past, who must now be in his forties, even if they remember him 16 years later.


    "What is it that you don''t understand?" Duke Fournier asked him.


    He looked confused too. This was too unbelievable.  Why would the reporters write lies in their articles?


    Rune turned to Rose and looked at her probingly. He was trying to understand what was going on. Did Rose find out his identity and tell other people about it?


    It didn''t seem like it.


    Was it Terry?


    No, it''s impossible. Terry was annoying and he was nosy, but he would never sell his own family. Besides, why would he do it?


    Hey... wait a minute.


    Rune asked permission to take the tablet from Duker Fournier''s hand. Once he held the tablet, he checked the article more thoroughly and find out more details.


    "It says here that the journalist who wrote this article got the exclusive info from Lady Sarah Miller..." He read the text out loud, then turned to Rose. "Did you say anything to Sarah about me?"


    Rose let out an angry growl. She was so furious when she heard Sarah was responsible for the misinformation.


    "I didn''t tell her even your name!" she blurted. "I only introduce you to Leon. I told him your name, but he knew you are not from THAT Schneider family. So, I don''t know how Sarah would even know your name."


    "Well.. you saw from the incident in Old Town yesterday that Sarah is close to Anne," Rune tried to find the connection between Leon and Sarah, and how the misinformation ended up at the reporter''s hand.


    "Yes, I think Sarah is intentionally s.u.c.k.i.n.g up to Princess Anne, thinking she could gain benefit from being her friend," Rose replied.


    Rose bit her lip. Gosh, at times like this, her mother still remembered to scold her for her language?


    She only used the words "s.u.c.k.i.n.g up". They were not even that bad.


    Arrgghh..!


    However, even though she was annoyed, Rose was a filial daughter. She nodded and apologized. "I''m sorry, Mother."


    "I know you are angry. After all that happened, you have the right to be upset, but you are a lady. A real lady doesn''t curse," her mother reminded her.


    Rose tried so hard not to roll her eyes. She coughed and touched Rune''s arm, asking him to continue.


    "So, what do you think?" she asked him.


    Rune let out a sigh. He took a look at the article again and then looked at Rose. "Maybe Leon told Anne about me and Anne told Sarah? Then Sarah used that information to intentionally embarrassed you."


    "What?" Rose didn''t understand the direction of his words. "How could she embarrass me by letting people know I''m dating you?"


    He added, "After the big scandal, where Sarah accused you of dating your own half-brother, now you are dating an heir of one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the world. This info would make you look good. So, why would she want you to look good? Doesn''t she hate you? I am sure she is twisting this information just to embarrass you."


    Finally Rose got it.


    So, Probably Leon told his wife-to-be that she didn''t need to worry about Rose, since Rose was in love with another man. She was in a relationship with Rune Schneider.


    Anne then shared this information with Sarah.


    Since Leon knew that Rune was just a regular man, a fixer, that had nothing to do with the Schneider family from Schneider Group, he must have told Anne the same thing, that Rune was just a regular guy.


    However, when Sarah heard this information, she might see the opportunity to embarrass Rose further by claiming that she was dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group.


    The Schneider family was notoriously private, but they wouldn''t let some strangers pretend to be part of their family.


    And this would become so embarrassing on Rose''s side if the family heard about this impostor and decided to blow his cover.


    That''s why Sarah talked to the reporter, so this would become big news and the Schneider family would soon hear about it.


    She couldn''t believe Leon would do such a thing, to embarrass her.


    But, maybe it was really just Sarah, being the jealous evil bitch that she was.


    "I need to call Leon," Rose quickly decided. She ran upstairs to get her phone and quickly dialed Leon''s number when she returned to the dining room.


    "Hey, good morning, Rose. Is anything the matter?"


    Rose turned on the speaker on her phone so her family and Rune could hear her conversation with Leon.


    "Leon, did you tell anyone about me dating Rune?" Rose quickly asked the man, without further ado.


    "Yes," Leon replied. "What is this about?"


    "Who did you tell about Rune?" Rose kept pressing.


    "I told Anne." For a moment, Leon didn''t say anything. He let out a sigh before he finally continued. "She was jealous of you. She kept saying that she was worried that I will go back to you."


    "Of course not. I know Rune is just a regular man. He told me that he only shared the same last name with them, and has nothing to do with that family," Leon replied. "I told Anne the truth. What is this about?"


    "So.. you didn''t tell your bride that Rune is from the Schneider Group?" Rose asked again.


    "No, I wouldn''t lie to her." Leon could hear the urgency in Rose''s voice and he asked her what was the problem. "What happened, Rose? Is there a problem?"


    "Could you please ask your wife if she told anyone about Rune? I will be waiting," Rose asked again. "This is very important."


    "Uhm.. okay," Leon relented.


    "When you asked her, send her the link to this article, and ask her if she knows anything about it. Ask her if she told Sarah that Rune is from the Schneider family, or not. I want to know if Sarah made this up herself or if Anne was the one who told her this lie." Rose hang up and send the link to the article to Leon''s phone.


    She added a text under the link.


    [If you don''t get her to tell you the truth, I will not protect you anymore. I have enough of being humiliated.]


    She closed her phone and put it on the table. She closed her eyes and massaged her temple. This was really a bad way to start the day.


    They might humiliate the man in public for pretending to be part of their family when in reality, he was just a victim of some evil girl''s jealousy toward Rose.


    Rune didn''t deserve to be embarrassed like this, just because he was stuck being with her, in the wrong place and the wrong time.


    "Let''s eat. Leon will call me back," she said, forcing a smile. "Once we know what happened, I will think of what to do to control the damage."


    "Can''t we just call the journalist who wrote the article and explain that Rune is not part of that family?" Duchess Fournier asked. "We just need to set things straight."


    "Maybe, we''ll see," Rose replied. She knew it was going to be difficult to set things straight after the initial misinformation was published.


    The public would think she was backpedaling after the article was published and some people called out the lies and tried to do damage control.


    Rune didn''t know what to say.


    The truth was, now he wouldn''t actually mind if his real identity as part of the Schneider family was discovered. It would help Rose. She wouldn''t be humiliated by the article.


    But.... if Rose knew he was actually wealthy, would she still want him to be her fake boyfriend?

 Chapter 1026 - Runes Decision

    They ate breakfast in silence. Duke and Duchess Fournier were busy thinking about how they could do damage control. Rose was thinking about how she had brought so much trouble to Rune.


    She realized, Sarah would take that opportunity to embarrass Rune and made it as if the man was an impostor and pretended to be someone from the upper-class to be with Rose.


    Rune was innocent and he didn''t deserve to be treated that way, just because Sarah was having a grudge against Rose.


    Uff, Rose was imagining all sorts of things she wanted to do to Sarah for causing this problem. She really wanted to pull Sarah''s hair and drag her on the road until she screamed and begged for forgiveness.


    Rose was not a violent woman. In fact, she was very cool and nonchalant. However, she had been poked too many times that she was losing patience.


    Meanwhile, Rune was thinking hard about how he should handle the situation. He didn''t mind being anyone, actually. He could be rich or poor, whatever Rose needed him to be.


    He only needed to know how she would react if she knew he was not actually poor. Would she still accept him to be her fake boyfriend to teach Leon a lesson on humility?


    Wouldn''t it actually be better if Rose was dating a really wealthy man like Rune? Leon would see that Rose could get someone better than him.


    In terms of wealth and power, even the Camilles and the Fourniers from Medion were nothing compared to the Schneiders whose wealth and power had been acc.u.mulated for centuries and only grew by the day.


    So, if Rose was dating Rune Schneider, she was actually getting an upgrade. Yes, it was noble on Rose''s side if she could take a simple and poor man to be her boyfriend and later husband.


    She could also make her point to show Leon that wealth and power didn''t matter to her.


    However, it wouldn''t do Rose any good if she kept having the poor man as her boyfriend. Rune remembered how Leon looked down on him yesterday when he came to the Fournier''s mansion.


    Leon could tell that Rose was still in love with him from her gesture. He had known her all her life anyway. So, it was hard to fool him.


    Maybe he could even tell that Rose was intentionally dating Rune to show Leon that she still didn''t care about someone''s wealth and status.


    Leon might not suspect that Rune and Rose''s relationship was fake, but he could be thinking that Rose was using Rune while Rune was being clueless.


    Leon might think Rose pretended to love Rune and tricked the man into a relationship and asked him to come to Moravia.


    Hmm... the more Rune thought of it, the more he was convinced that it would be better if he came out to Rose as himself.


    In addition to all the reasons mentioned above, if someone like Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group deemed Rose worthy to be his girlfriend, it should shut down the gossips that had been circulating in the public about Rose and Leon, right?


    RING


    RING


    "Hello," she spoke. "What did she say?"


    Everyone at the dining table turned their attention to Rose, trying to listen attentively to whatever words came out of her mouth.


    Seeing their curiosity, Rose decided to put Leon on speaker.


    "Good morning, Rose." Leon''s voice sounded tired. They could hear him sigh several times.


    "Yes? I don''t have all day. Tell me what she did!" Rose snapped. She was really angered by what happened this morning. From the sound of Leon''s words, it looked like Anne actually had something to do with it.


    "I talked to Anne, and she said she told Sarah about your boyfriend and they were joking about him," Leon replied.


    "They were joking about him? How??" Rose became more impatient.


    Leon sighed.


    "Sarah said she would play a joke on you by telling a reporter that you are dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group. They said it was a harmless joke."


    "Well, you know how dumb Sarah could be, don''t you? She didn''t know the impact on your reputation if people think you are lying to the public about your boyfriend. I am actually disappointed that Anne took part in it by not telling me of what Sarah did."


    "YOU THINK SARAH IS TOO DUMB TO KNOW THE IMPACT ON MY REPUTATION? Gosh, Leon? Have you turned dumb now? Of course, she knew! She intentionally did it!" Rose looked like she wanted to throw her phone to the floor.


    "All right, maybe she did know and she did it to spite you," Leon replied. His voice stayed calm even though they could hear that he was also feeling annoyed.


    "What will you do to rectify this problem?" Rose asked. "It''s your wife and her stupid mouth who caused this."


    "Rose, please don''t talk about Anne that way. She didn''t mean to hurt you. It was Sarah''s fault. Anne''s only fault was that she didn''t stop Sarah from doing the vile deed," Leon said. "I have talked to Anne and given her an understanding."


    "So... you will not do anything to help me address this problem?" Rose bit her lip as her tears were slowly dripping down her cheeks. "I am so disappointed in you, Leon. After everything that we''ve been through together.."


    "Rose.. what happened between us is in the past. We have to move on. I have my own life now, and I am sure you have yours too," Leon interrupted Rose. His words were cold and it pained Rune to watch the suffering on Rose''s face.


    He just wanted to hug her and told her he would fix everything for her.


    "I can''t believe you treat me like this," said Rose with an obvious disappointment in her tone, "Apparently, our friendship for two decades means nothing to you."


    SLAM!


    Before Leon could finish his sentence, Rose had tossed her phone to the end of the room with all her might. It hit the cabinet and fell to the floor with a bang.


    Suddenly Rose''s body was shaking and then she stumbled. If Rune was not quick to catch her, she might have fallen and hit the chair.


    The man hugged her and supported her body. Duchess Fournier was frantic and ran to her daughter''s side.


    "Rose, are you okay?" she asked in a worried tone.


    Rose nodded weakly. "I-I am okay, Mother. I just feel a little unwell."


    "I am so disappointed in Leon. How could he treat you this way," the duchess was in a rage. "He should have taught Anne a lesson for disrespecting you and let Sarah pull this stunt."


    Rune helped Rose sit on her chair and gave her a cup of tea so she could calm herself down.


    "Take this," he said gently.


    "Ah, it''s okay," Rune said with a smile. "I am not bothered whatsoever."


    Rose sipped her tea and thought about her conversation with Leon. Apparently, even if Anne was at fault, if Leon had to choose between Anne and Rose, Leon would always take his wife''s side.


    To Rose, it finally felt the final nail in the coffin. Leon was really gone from her life. Like he said on the phone, now he had his new life, and Rose was only part of the past.


    She put down her cup and looked at Rune intently. "I have decided that I will clear your name as soon as possible. I will talk to the journalist and tell him that you are not from THAT Schneider family."


    "What will you tell them? They might think you are only correcting it now since you are worried that you are found out, after lying about my identity," Rune asked her.


    Rose shrugged. "That''s fine. I don''t really care. I think this needs to be extinguished as soon as possible. We don''t want the Schneider to hear about this and come after us."


    Rune smiled when he heard her. "Nah.. they will not after us."


    "How could you be so confident?" Rose asked him.


    Rune scratched his head. "Well.. you remember that my sister is close to the Schneider family, right? That''s why we could get a reservation at The Lily in New York?"


    "It''s okay. I can talk to them. I''m actually quite close to that family too..." Finally, Rune decided that he better tell Rose who he was.

 Chapter 1027 - Runes Confession

    "How would you talk to them?" Rose asked Rune with a concerned look. It was obvious that she couldn''t believe him. She thought the man was just trying to make her feel better.


    "I have my way, don''t worry." Rune sat back on his chair and motioned them to continue eating. "Let''s finish breakfast and talk later."


    Seeing how the man looked so calm, finally Rose and her parents felt a bit relieved. They went back to their seats and continued eating. Once they were done with breakfast, Rune asked Rose to his room and talked.


    He wanted to explain some things to her to help ease her worries.


    "Do you need a new phone?" He walked to the corner of the dining room and picked up Rose''s phone from the floor. It had been damaged by the impact and the screen was broken. He held out the phone and asked her, "Should we throw it away and get you a new one?"


    Rose nodded. "Yeah.. I don''t need it."


    Rune walked toward the trash bin and tossed the phone there. He held out his hand and motioned Rose to come. "Let''s go upstairs. I have something to tell you."


    Rose furrowed her brows. She wasn''t used to seeing Rune acting this way. Somehow, today, the man looked firm and imposing. Where did this change come from? She was wondering.


    She always knew that Rune was confident, but today he looked more confident than usual. Rose felt intrigued.


    "Father, Mother.. I need to talk to Rune," she said to her parents.


    Duke Fournier nodded. "Okay. I need to go see His Majesty to discuss something. Your mother will join me."


    "Okay, see you later," Rose said. She turned around and reached Rune''s hand and walked together with him out of the dining room and went up to the second floor.


    "He looks like a good man," commented the duke. His wife sighed. She was still feeling objection because Rune came from the lower class. However, she agreed with her husband that Rune looked like a nice guy.


    He was cool and collected, amidst the situation they were in. He was also very modest and humble. He didn''t seem to be in it for Rose''s money. Like what Rose told her yesterday, Rune actually could make a lot of money from his inventions but he was not interested.


    "Rose told me that Rune is actually a scientist, not just a mere fixer," Duchess Fournier replied to her husband''s words.


    "Is that so?" The duke looked interested. "What does he do? I mean.. what is he working on right now? Maybe we can help him to get recognized."


    Duchess Fournier sighed. "I don''t think he wants to be recognized. He seems to be so nonchalant about making money or getting recognition from the public. Rose said he is working on some medicine and many pharmaceutical companies are interested in them, but he turned the offers down."


    "That''s... unusual," said the duke.


    "I agree. Rose said, Rune is not interested in money, so we don''t have to worry that the man is chasing her for her money," the duchess added.


    "I never met anyone who doesn''t like money," said the duke. He massaged his temple. Now, his perception of Rune Schneider changed a little bit. He thought the man was very interesting.


    "It''s a relief that he is not after our money, but..." Duchess Fournier bit her lip. "... how would he provide for our daughter if they get married and have a family? It will all be on Rose."


    Duchess Fournier went silent. Her husband was right. What do they need more money for? She should only think about their daughter''s happiness.


    Growing up wealthy, and surrounded by immense wealth their whole life, the duchess and duke were aware that money couldn''t buy happiness.


    Shouldn''t their focus of priority now be the wellbeing and mental health of their only daughter?


    Rose was experiencing so many heartbreaking events and now she needed their support more than ever. If she was happy with Rune, and the man treated her well, then the duke and duchess must support their relationship.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Rune and Rose had reached his room. The man sat on the sofa and patted the side next to him, giving a sign for Rose to sit.


    "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Rose sat gracefully and asked Rune without further ado.


    The man looked at her intently. "Which one do you prefer more? A wealthy man or a poor man?"


    Rose didn''t understand his question. "What kind of question is that?"


    "Which one do I want... as a what?" Rose asked back. She stared at the man with confusion written all over her face.


    "As your boyfriend," Rune replied. "If you need me to be the rich Schneider, we don''t need to refute the claim. Let''s just pretend that I am a member of that family. I will make it happen."


    "How?" Rose was baffled. Now she saw the man as an enigma. She just realized that she didn''t really know Rune.


    Yes, she had met some of his family members, but they were all enigmas on their own.


    His nephews were surrounded by bodyguards, his sister married a powerful man from the mafia, he had a close friend who was also the adopted brother of a famous supermodel, JM, and JM was dating Rune''s nephew.


    Now, he could easily say that he would make it happen if Rose wanted him to be a wealthy man?


    "You don''t have to worry about the how," Rune explained. "Now, I just need to hear from you, what do you want, and I will make it happen. I want you to trust me."


    "I do trust you, but..." Rose bit her lip. It was so hard to believe this.


    "But?"


    "I''m not troubled by those things," Rune replied. "I don''t mind."


    "But..."


    "Rose, look at me," Rune became impatient. He touched her hand and squeezed it gently. "If I told you that my family is actually wealthy, will you still use me as your fake boyfriend?"


    Rose was stunned when she heard his words. "Wh-what do you mean?"


    "My family is quite wealthy. That''s why I don''t need the money. I won''t ever sell my inventions to any pharmaceutical companies, and I can live without having to work for the rest of my life."


    Rose stared at Rune without blinking. She couldn''t believe her own hearing.


    "Rose..." Rune squeezed her hand again. "Did you hear me?"


    "C-come again?" Rose''s mind went blank.


    Rune didn''t expect that his confession would invite this reaction from Rose. He wanted to laugh but at the same time, he felt sorry for her. Rose must be feeling shocked.


    Rose pressed her lips in shock. "How... how come?"


    "Well.. my nephews intentionally created a profile on that dating website to get me blind dates. I was too busy to find a girlfriend and they decided to ''help'' me. Of course, to avoid getting all the gold-diggers in New York City to swarm me, they chose to hide the fact that I come from a wealthy family. You did the same too in your profile, didn''t you? So, you must understand why we did it."


    Rose nodded. She too claimed to be a poor artist on her dating profile back then.


    Ruse continued his words, "When I went back from the Amazon, they told me they had found me a perfect girl. That was you."


    He smiled faintly when he remembered the event. "I was skeptical in the beginning, but I went anyway. However... when I saw you, I realized that they were right."


    Rose didn''t say anything. She looked at the man intently, trying to not miss any single word from his lips, even though it felt so difficult. Her mind was all over the place.

 Chapter 1028 - Roses Reaction

    "When I saw you in that cafe... I felt something that I have never felt before. I knew immediately that I have fallen in love at first sight, for the first time in my life," Rune added.


    "...." Rose was really out of words when she heard him. Her eyes went round and her lips parted, trying to say something, but she couldn''t.


    "I always thought it was stupid and people make things up when they said they fall in love at first sight," Rune chuckled. "I guess, I got my karma. I suddenly met the girl who makes me want to do anything to be near her, right at the moment I saw her for the first time."


    "Rune..." Finally, Rose could let out a word. It was his name.


    "Yes?" Rune asked Rose with a playful glint in his eyes.


    He thought things went better than he expected. So far, Rose didn''t show any bad reaction. She was mostly just shocked.. but her gestures didn''t indicate that she felt betrayed or wronged.


    "I... don''t know what to say," Rose said with a low voice. "Are you saying that... you are really Rune Schneider from the Schneider family? THE Schneider family? The one who owns the biggest conglomerate group in the world?"


    Rune shook his head. "No, we don''t own the biggest conglomerate group in the world."


    "Wait.. what?"


    "It''s my brother-in-law," Rune said with a smile. "He owns the biggest conglomerate group in the world. You''ve met his kids in Central Park."


    Rose furrowed her brows, trying to remember the meeting in Central Park. Was it.... the meeting with the twins?


    "Do you mean the twin boys?" she asked him. "Ireland and Scotland?"


    "Yes. They are Scotland and Ireland Linden. Their father is Elios Linden. My older sister is married to him." Rune wanted to pinch Rose''s nose because the girl looked so cute with the expression of shock plastered on her face.


    "B-but.. I thought your sister is married to a head of mafia..." she blurted.


    "What makes you say that?" Rune couldn''t believe what he heard. How could Rose think Elios was a mafia? Did she have a sixth sense?


    Yes, Elios Linden or Alaric Rhionen was now a respectable businessman, but in the past, he was an assassin, a king of the underworld. So, thinking that he was a mafia was not too far from the truth.


    "The numerous bodyguards," Rose replied. "I figured the twins'' father must have a lot of enemies, that''s why he always makes sure that his sons are protected by over a dozen bodyguards."


    "Aha... got it!" Rune nodded. He admired Rose''s intelligence. This girl was truly the perfect woman. Not only she was beautiful, had a great personality, she was also very smart.


    Rune could imagine that when they had kids together, the kids would definitely be smart and beautiful like Rose.


    "Hey..." Rose had to wave in front of Rune''s face because the man didn''t seem to hear her words. "Are you daydreaming?"


    She noticed that Rune often had that silly smile on his face when they were having a conversation like this. The man smiled sheepishly and shook his head.


    Of course, he wouldn''t tell her that he was daydreaming about their life and kids together in the future.


    "Did you say something?" Rune asked Rose with a smile.


    "I was asking you.. so your sister is really married to the owner of RMI? She is not married to a mafia boss?" Rose repeated her question that she had uttered while Rune was daydreaming.


    "Yes. She is Aleksis Schneider, Elios Linden''s wife. I think you might have heard of her," Rune replied.


    Rose was deep in thoughts. She remembered Elios Linden was very famous and everyone knew he married the only daughter of the Schneider family.


    So.. if Rune said Aleksis Schneider was his sister, then it meant...


    It meant...


    He was really Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group!


    This was so unbelievable!


    Rose didn''t feel wronged or lied to, because she understood the reason why Rune didn''t reveal his wealthy family background.


    He was really handsome, he was really smart, and he also had a nice personality. Rose felt clicked with him and had no trouble living together with him.


    He was not fussy, fun, and nice to be around. His wealth was just an added bonus.


    Not that Rose needed it.


    She came from a really wealthy family herself.


    Well.. it''s true that her family''s wealth was nothing compared to the Schneider''s, but why would she need more money? What she had now was enough to last her several lifetimes.


    "Yes, I do have heard of Aleksis Schneider..." Rose bit her lip. "I know she is Elios Linden''s wife."


    "Right...?" Rune rested his back on the sofa and his body became relaxed. "So, do you believe me now?"


    He loved this moment, so much. He could finally be honest to her. It was tiring to keep pretending to be someone he was not.


    If he could go back to being himself and still stay by Rose''s side, it would be best. Somehow, it looked like Rose would accept him for who he was.


    "I am not playing a prank on you,"  Rune said. "Uhm... what can I do to make you believe me that I am really Rune Schneider?"


    "I.. I just never heard of you before. I don''t know The Schneiders have a son like you," Rose admitted. "I don''t know.. this all seems so crazy!"


    "Ohkay..." Rune massaged his temple. Apparently Rose didn''t trust him?


    What should he do to prove his identity to her?


    "What can I do to prove to you that I''m a Schneider?" Rune asked.


    Rose crossed her arms on her c.h.e.s.t and thought about something. "Hmm... I know Elios Linden''s face. He is very well known. If you can show me your picture with Elios and the twins from Central Park, I will believe you."


    "Eh...?" Rune batted his eyes when he heard her. It was not easy to do since Elios hated being photographed.


    So, Rune didn''t keep any pictures of them being together.


    Uff... what should he do?


    The girl pursed her lips. "Why not now?"


    "Well.. it''s 4 am in New York now. They are still sleeping," Rune explained. "If I called them now, Elios might kill me."


    "You''re joking! How could he kill you??"


    "Hahahha.. yeah, I was joking. But I really don''t want to disturb their sleep. If you insist that I am lying and pranking you, without giving me the chance to prove to you that I am honest, then I have no choice but to leave. I cannot stay here if you think I am a liar." Rune stared at Rose intently. Somehow, this time, Rose felt her heart skipped a beat.


    She didn''t know why, but today her view of Rune changed drastically.


    She felt flattered that this man, an heir to one of the wealthiest families in the world (if his words were true) was willing to disguise himself as a poor man just to be with her?


    Who would do something like that?


    Rune Schneider was crazy!


    "No... don''t leave," said Rose with a hoarse voice. She gripped Rune''s arm. "I will wait."


    Rose nodded. "Yeah... that''s fine."


    "Okay, then. You can come here in four hours and I will take you to meet my sister and her family." Rune said.


    "Thank you," Rose let out a long sigh. She didn''t see any signs that Rune was lying. So... maybe he was really telling the truth?


    This was really shocking!


    "Btw, you haven''t answered my question," Rune said when he saw her sighing.


    "Hmm? Which question?" Rose looked dumbfounded. She really thought her brain didn''t work properly this morning that she couldn''t remember Rune asking her anything.


    "Do you need a wealthy boyfriend or a poor boyfriend?" Rune repeated his question.


    "Oh.. that." Rose closed her eyes and thought about the question carefully. "Hmmm... I think, I need..."


    "Yes?"


    Rose opened her eyes and stared straight at Rune. "I need you... to be yourself."


    "Oh..." Rune was so happy to hear that, his smile curved up so wide. "That means you need a wealthy boyfriend? I am wealthy. That''s who I really am."


    "Let''s wait until you can prove to me that you are really Rune from the Schneider family," Rose said quickly. "If you are really him.. then, I will feel a bit relieved."


    "You''ll see, in four hours." Rune smiled broadly as he took out his phone and texted Aleksis. When his sister woke up, she would know what happened and she would definitely help him.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    PLEASE DON''T BUY THE SECOND-TIER PRIVILEGE THAT COSTS YOU 2K COINS.


    It was a mistake and was supposed to be 200 coins. I have changed the tier price and it will only be activated on April 1.


    It''s only 6 days away. So, please, please, just wait.

 Chapter 1029 - Rose Has So Many Questions

    Rose stared at Rune with a complicated expression. How did she feel when she heard his confession that he was actually a really wealthy man?


    She didn''t even know what to feel. This was all too shocking


    For one, now she realized that this revelation on Rune''s side explained so many things.


    No wonder Rune didn''t seem interested in money. No wonder, he could easily book a table at ''The Lily'' in the St. Laurent Hotel New York.


    No wonder he knew so many influential people. Yet, he hid his identity behind a persona of a simple and modest man.


    Rose looked at his clothes. They were nice but she could tell the quality was not too good, since they were cheap.


    Was it comfortable to wear them? Rose had some cheap outfits too in her closet. She used them when she wanted to appear unassumingly. But she didn''t wear them often.


    Now, she imagined how uncomfortable it must have been for Rune to wear them every day for almost two months while he was around her.


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Rune looked up and saw how Rose stared at him with that complicated expression. "Is there something on my face?"


    "No.. nothing," Rose quickly replied. "I better go to my room and do things. I''ll see you in four hours."


    She got up from the sofa and turned around to leave Rune''s bedroom. Her mind was in a mess and she didn''t know how to handle this new situation yet. She needed time to think.


    "Uhm.. okay, see you later," Rune could only watch Rose leave.


    He knew this was a lot of information to digest. He just hoped that after Rose took some time to think, she wouldn''t have a bad feeling about Rune lying to her all this time and covering up his identity.


    Rose closed the door behind her and went to her own room. She needed to think. Also, she needed to find out more about who exactly was her fake boyfriend.


    Rune tapped his fingers on his phone screen after Rose left. He already sent a text message to his sister, telling Aleksis about what happened, and asked her to talk to him through Virconnet with Alaric and their twin boys after they had breakfast.


    However, somehow, his mind was telling him that he was forgetting something. What was it that he had forgotten?


    He only needed to show the Lindens to Rose, right?


    And once she saw them, she would believe he was Rune Schneider, since Elios Linden''s wife is a Schneider.


    So, why did his brain keep telling him that it wasn''t enough?


    "Gosh!" Suddenly, something came to his mind when he was thinking about Elios and Aleksis. Rune facepalmed himself and muttered, "She will search about me on the internet. I must remove my tracks."


    Rune was not really known by the public. He was happy with that fact. He could move around easily without being recognized as part of the Schneider family, unlike London who led the Schneider Group for over 15 years, before he retired.


    However, there was one event where Rune was introduced to the public... it was around 16 years ago.


    If Rose happened to search in the right place and found that information, she would be confused since 16 years ago Rune Schneider was already 27 years old.


    Gosh..!


    Rune just told her that he was a Schneider, and he didn''t know yet how she would respond to it, since Rose was taking time alone to think about it.


    Rune couldn''t risk telling her his other secret, that he was actually.. an immortal. No no no...


    He must stop Rose from finding out about the event from 16 years ago.


    Rune found Pavel''s number on his phone and frantically called the man. It was easier to talk to Pavel directly since he lived in London. He must be awake by now.


    "Hey, Mr. Rune Schneider. How are you?" Pavel''s croaky voice rang from the other end of the line.


    "I''m not so good, Pavel." Rune didn''t beat around the bush. He immediately told Pavel his problems. "Yeah.. so, I cannot let any new about me from 16 years ago come up to the surface today. Do you understand?"


    Pavel chuckled when he heard Rune''s dilemma. "I understand, Sir. We will take care of this, don''t worry."


    "Ah, thank you so much for your help, Pavel. I am sorry I bothered you this early," Rune said with an apologetic tone.


    After he ended the call, Rune let out a long sigh. He was happy that he was a  quick thinker.


    If he didn''t ask Pavel to help remove his digital tracks from 16 years ago, he would have to tell Rose the truth of why he kept looking so young.


    ***


    Rose was sitting on her chair in her bedroom. She furrowed her brows, looking baffled.


    As Rune had predicted, Rose did try to search for more information about Rune Schneider, but she couldn''t find anything. Not even a single picture.


    After thinking deeply about Rune''s secret, Rose decided that she could understand why Rune hid his identity from her.


    Rose didn''t feel angry about it, since she did the same thing. Besides, Rune didn''t owe her anything, including his identity.


    In fact, it was Rose who had been piling up debt after debt since Rune had helped her so much. He agreed to be her fake boyfriend for a year and he always did his best to play his role.


    He didn''t have to do it for Rose, but he did it anyway.


    She quickly took her tablet from her desk and fiddled with it. She wanted to know a lot of things about Rune.


    However, the more she searched, the more confused she became. She couldn''t find anything about the man on the internet.


    It''s like he didn''t exist. How could anyone not have any digital tracks in this modern era?


    "Why can''t I find information about him anywhere?" she asked herself. "How strange."


    Rose decided to keep her question for later and asked Rune about it. The man might have a very good reason.


    She looked at her watch and noticed that she would soon meet Aleksis and Elios Linden. Uff... She really hoped Rune was telling her the truth.


    She didn''t want to hate the man for scheming her and pretending to be Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group for whatever reason.


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Aleksis already woke up and replied to his text. She agreed to talk to him and Rose on Virconnect. That was a relief.


    "Are you ready? My sister wants to meet you," Rune said with a beaming face.


    Rose nodded. "Yes."


    "Let''s go to my room," Rune said.


    They went back to his room and Rune immediately get connected to the Lindens in New York.


    "Good morning, Rune," Aleksis''s pretty face was the first thing Rose noticed when the room before them changed into a beautiful classic living room in a huge mansion. Aleksis stood out among the three men sitting by her sides.


    Actually, not three men, but two teenagers and one very handsome man. Rose recognized the twins immediately.


    "Hey, Aleksis.. thank you for taking the time to talk to us, and I''m sorry to bother you this early," Rune greeted his sister.


    Aleksis smiled broadly and shook her head, "Nah. I''m happy to see you and... Rose. By the way, hello, Rose, I''ve heard so much about you from my brother. How are you?"


    How... how could this woman have two teenage boys and one a.d.u.l.t son? Rose was wondering.


    She remembered that JM was dating the twins'' older brother. That means Aleksis'' first son was around JM''s age.


    How was that possible? Aleksis looked like she was in her 20''s herself.


    Gosh.. maybe this was how super-wealthy people truly were, Rose thought in admiration.


    They could look this young because they must have access to the best age-defying or rejuvenating technology available, ones that even Rose couldn''t access because she was not from their level.


    Yes, that must be it.


    "Uhm.. Rose, my sister asked how you are doing?" Rune whispered to Rose''s ear and moved the girl from her reverie.


    Rose batted her lashes and turned her attention to Aleksis again, then she looked at the twins, and finally at their father.


    Whoaaa... she gasped when she caught sight of Alaric.


    There was no mistaking it.. this man was really Elios Linden!


    Everyone knew his physical appearance because it was quite unique.


    However, Elios reminded Rose a little bit of the man she met in New York, Summer''s father. Rune took her once to have dinner with the Medicis.


    Wait.. didn''t Rune say that the two men were brothers? Or did Rose misunderstand him?


    Why did Nicolae Medici and Elios Linden look quite similar but they have different last names?


    Rose took a deep breath.


    Now she had even more questions than before.


    .


    .


    >>>>


    Thank you sooo much for sticking by this book and supporting it. I wish I could publish more but I am currently very sick. I''m sorry I couldn''t reply to your comments lately, like usual.


    I got an infection caused by gallstones.. huhuhuhu. Luckily no need for surgery, but I got a scare.


    I hope when I recover, I can write more for The Alchemists.


    I just realized, this book has so many chapters already, and yet here you are, still reading and still enjoying it. It really boosts my self-confidence as a writer. I need it, to remind me the reason of why I write in the first place.


    I have been wanting to be a writer since I was 12 and my dream took a back seat for over 20 years.


    Now, with your support, I can really see myself being a full-time writer.


    So, thank you so, so much!

 Chapter 1030 - Meeting The Lindens

    Rose took a deep breath.


    Now she had even more questions than before. For example, why Elios Linden and his brother had different last names. And why Rune never told Rose from the beginning that he was actually a member of the Schneider family.


    Rune noticed the confusion on Rose''s face and he knew she must have a lot of questions. He nudged her arm and tilted his chin toward Aleksis.


    "That''s my sister. If you have any questions, you can ask her," he said.


    "Right.. oh, right," Rose nodded her head, still looked confused. She smiled toward Aleksis and finally found her voice to greet her. "Hello, my name is Rose Fournier. Nice to meet you all."


    "Nice to meet you too, Rose," Aleksis replied with a sweet smile. As for her husband, as usual, his smile was reserved for only very important people, mostly his family. He just looked at Rose with a cold expression.


    "Hi, Auntie Rose, nice to meet you again," said Ireland with his crisp voice. Scotland nodded beside him. "It''s been a while. How are you?"


    "I''m good, thank you," Rose''s mood turned so much better when she saw the twins. The two familiar faces gave her comfort. "So... you are here with your parents. You have such a beautiful family. I have no words..."


    Aleksis laughed when she heard Rose''s words. She liked Rose already.


    Aleksis already read some information about Rose when she checked her background before she allowed Rune to come and live together with Rose in the East Village.


    She also had heard about Rose from her twin boys and Rune. Now that she could meet Rose directly and talk to her, Aleksis could understand why they liked her.


    This beautiful girl looked really compatible with Rune and Aleksis could only hope that these two would really hit it off and became a real couple.


    Rose would be a nice addition to their big family.


    "My name is Aleksis Schneider Linden. This is my husband Elios Linden, and my two sons, Scotland and Ireland. It''s so good to finally meet you. So, you are both in Medion today? I''ve heard about how beautiful your country is," Aleksis said. "Thank you for having my brother with you. He said he is having a great time."


    "Uhm.. well, actually, it''s me who has to say thank you," Rose said. "Rune has been helping me with so many things. I am grateful that he is here with me."


    Aleksis thought things moved quite fast for Rune and Rose since her brother is at the phase where he was starting to open up about his identity to the girl.


    She remembered, with London and L it took longer. Only after their baby, Lily, was born, London finally revealed his identity to L.


    "Well... I really can''t believe this..." Rose gushed. "Rune initially told me he only shared the same last name with the Schneiders and that his family came from a humble background... but suddenly... this...."


    "Well, our family likes privacy. I hope you would forgive my brother for hiding his identity from you. He always planned to reveal everything in a timely manner. So, I guess, today is the day," Aleksis said.


    "Yes, I think you are right," Rose sighed. "Well, I am not angry that Rune decided to hide his identity from me. I totally understand it. I am just shocked... that is all. You are... you are both very famous."


    "Are we?" Aleksis and Alaric exchanged glances.


    Both were very private people, but apparently, Alaric''s position as the owner of RMI made him unable to escape people''s attention.


    As long as RMI was still controlling most businesses in the world, people would always remember him as the founder and the owner of the giant tech conglomerate, even though he rarely showed himself to the public.


    This was what Rose meant by ''famous''.


    Rose was embarrassed by her reaction earlier. She was a noble girl and was used to meeting high officials and royals, but seeing the sister of her fake boyfriend who turned out to be the wife of Elios Linden, she felt awestruck.


    "Thank you, I''m so happy to hear that," Aleksis said. "We heard from Rune that you are an artist. I would love to see your work sometimes. We have an extensive art collection and always enjoy seeing new artworks."


    ''I bet you do,'' said Rose inwardly. She read somewhere that this family had the most complete art collection, spread in their many homes.


    "Ahh.. I''m flattered that you are willing to see my works. I will send some to Manhattan as a present when I return to New York." Rose''s face was beaming. She loved that Aleksis seemed genuinely interested in her and her arts.


    This made Rose feel so good about their meeting. Gosh.. she loved Rune''s family!


    "You should come and see us when you return here," Aleksis suggested. "We must have dinner together. I can''t wait to meet you in person."


    "I have met the Medicis for dinner last month. I think Mr. Nicolae Medici is Mr. Elios Linden''s brother. That''s what Rune told me." Rose smiled sweetly. "I''m sorry if I come across as rude, but I am genuinely wondering why they have different last names if they are brothers."


    Initially, she wanted to ask Rune about it after the conversation with the Lindens ended. However, since Aleksis invited her to dinner, Rose thought she might as well ask the question.


    Fortunately, Aleksis and Alaric didn''t seem offended. They knew it was an honest question since Rose had met Nicolae and realized he and Alaric looked somewhat similar, and Rune had explained to her that both men were brothers.


    "Ahh!! That makes sense!" Rose pressed her lips in surprise. "What a lovely story. I am so happy you can meet your brother. It''s a story with a happy ending."


    This time Alaric replied since Rose talked to him directly. "Thank you. It was a long road but we did get our happy ending."


    Meanwhile, Rune just stood by the side, observing Rose converse with Aleksis and her family.


    He was happy to see that slowly the ice broke and Rose could feel more comfortable talking to the Lindens.


    The atmosphere became really warm and the conversation went by fluidly. By the time they were finished, Rose felt like she had found a new friend.


    "It''s so good to see you, Rose. Thank you for the lovely chat," Aleksis finally ended their conversation. The twins had to meet their teacher and study. "We should definitely have dinner together when you are back in New York."


    "Yes, I''d love to have dinner with you. Thank you so much for today. I know you must be extremely busy. I am grateful that you are willing to meet me and confirm everything I need to know about Rune," said Rose.


    "Well.. he is my little brother. Of course, I will do anything for him," Aleksis winked. "Okay, have a great day for you both. See you later!"


    "Bye, Auntie Rose!!" the twins waved with broad smiles on their faces. Alaric nodded toward Rune and Rose.


    The Virconnect call ended and, for a moment, nobody said anything.


    Rose batted her eyes and turned to Rune. "So, you are really Rune Schneider."


    The man grinned. "I am."


    "What a coincidence...." Rose pressed her lips, seemingly still surprised by how the event was unfolding.


    This morning during breakfast, she was really upset because of the article. She was stressed, thinking that Rune would be shamed when the whole Medion saw Rose being mocked publicly.


    Sarah Miller, that wench, would laugh at Rose after causing the embarrassing incident.


    However, now the table had turned. The article turned out to be true. So, now Rose didn''t need to do anything to refute the article.


    She WAS really dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group!


    Ha!


    "That''s great, now I''m relieved," Rose said. She let out a long sigh. "I was so upset this morning. Now, I feel better."


    "I am happy to hear that," Rune said. He touched Rose''s arm gently. "I actually didn''t want to divulge my secret this early.. but I had no choice. Sarah is trying to embarrass you."


    "Yeahh.. thank you, so much," Rose said.


    "Hmm.. So, now that you have seen my sister, do you really believe me?" Rune asked her.


    Rose stared at the man intently and bit her lip. "I do... but, I still have so many questions."


    "Fire away," Rune responded. "I will answer them."

 Chapter 1031 - Why Are You Doing This?

    Rose bit her lip and looked conflicted. She wanted to ask so many questions, but after she had found out that this man was actually rich.... like much, much wealthier than her family, she felt a bit intimidated.


    Now, she realized she was no longer the rich girl and he was the poor guy, and that she was giving him face whenever they went out together and she paid for their lunch or providing him with her resources.


    It was actually the opposite. It was Rune who had been giving HER face by pretending to be poor and let her take charge.


    "Yes?" Rune stared at Rose and repeated his words. "If you have any more questions. I will answer them."


    "Uhm... okay," Rose finally let out a sigh and sat next to Rune. "I really want to know why you are doing all these."


    Rune knew what she meant, but he still asked her to clarify her questions. "Doing these... as in what?"


    "Pretending to be poor and follow me around and put up with everything thrown at you," Rose said. She was now feeling guilty for giving all these troubles to him.


    Gosh... what was his sister thinking about her now? She was so sweet earlier. Did Aleksis know Rune was disguising himself as a poor man to stay with Rose?


    "I told you that I pretended to be poor to avoid meeting gold-diggers," Rune explained. "You did the same."


    "Yes, but you could have stopped pretending when you found out that I am not a poor artist. I already told you who I am when we met my friends for dinner." Rose continued, "Now, I feel really bad for using you."


    "Why do you have to feel bad? It''s my decision to do it. And I don''t mind, honestly. Without my family''s wealth, I''m really just a poor scientist that you always know. There is nothing different about me," Rune replied. "I don''t suddenly become smarter or dumber... or my personality changed or something. I don''t have to take an acting class to be who I am around you... haha. So, it''s really not hard."


    "Hmm.. that''s true, but..." Rose found it difficult to explain to Rune what made her feel bad about the whole thing.


    She was actually embarrassed. She was feeling second-hand embarrassment for her friends and her parents who all thought Rune was from a humble background and treated him as such.


    It''s not like they treated him badly. But, like George for example, he offered Rune Schenider a job at his family business. And Duchess Fournier almost accused Rune of dating Rose for her money.


    Rose could already imagine how embarrassed they all would feel if they found out the truth... that the man whom they thought was a poor freelancer was actually the youngest son of one of the wealthiest families in the world. He had more money than they all combined.


    Goshh....! She just wanted to bury her head in the sand.


    Not that he didn''t try to create a machine to read minds though.


    With Aldebar, sometimes Rune talked about how amazing it would be if they could invent the machine that all men would definitely pay a lot of money for:  the machine that could read the women''s mind.


    They knew this would be the ultimate invention of the millennium. Now, Rune would love to have such a machine to know what was inside Rose''s beautiful head.


    "But...?" Rune crossed his arms on his c.h.e.s.t and smiled playfully to lighten the atmosphere. "There is no but. I like doing it and I am having fun."


    "You are?" Rose looked at the man with a worried expression as if she was worried that she would be offending him. Her change of behavior bothered Rune.


    He really didn''t want Rose to change and suddenly treat him with respect. He wanted her to keep being herself.


    "Rose, listen to me." Rune decided to take Rose''s hands and held them with his. "Please don''t change. I like you for who you are. You are confident, feisty, and smart. I don''t want you to tiptoe around me just because you heard that my family is wealthy. I am still Rune, your fake boyfriend for a year. We''re not going to cancel our agreement just because of this small issue, right?"


    Rose stared at her hands on Rune''s grip. Then, she looked up and saw the man''s face, smiling broadly. Somehow her heart palpitated.


    The man was really the same man she saw this morning before he revealed his secret. This man was the same man she shared a loft apartment with for six weeks in New York before they went to Medion.


    He didn''t change one bit, because like he said, deep down, he was exactly the same person.


    He could change his appearance and wore expensive branded limited edition stuff on his body, but his personality and his quirkiness remained the same.


    So, why would Rose change her attitude around him and make things awkward between them?


    Rune was right when he asked Rose to stay the same too because... Rose was still Rose, and Rune was still Rune.


    Their wealth didn''t turn them into someone else that now they became strangers.


    "Oh, Rune..." Rose finally smiled, with tears slowly dripping to her cheeks. "You always know the right thing to do and the right words to say."


    "Hey, hey.. why are you crying?" Rune batted his eyes in confusion. "I don''t mean to make you cry."


    "No.. this is not sad tears, I promise," Rose quickly withdrew her right hand and wiped her tears. She chuckled. "This is happy tears. I am feeling moved because I finally feel like I have someone who is always on my side, no matter what. It''s been a tough couple of years and I am so tired."


    Rose was tired of pretending that she was okay and she had held it in for years, always showing to the world that she was okay.


    "Oh... in that case, I am happy to hear that," Rune said. He was relieved that all this revelation didn''t have a bad impact on his relationship with Rose.


    He believed Rose''s maturity contributed to this. If Rose was childish and entitled, she would throw tantrums, accusing Rune of playing her by doing all these.


    However, it was actually the opposite, Rose could see his sincerity and his good intention behind everything that he did. Rose didn''t even feel entitled to know Rune''s real identity.


    If Rose would probe deeper, Rune would have to tell her the truth that the reason he kept pretending to be poor even after Rose revealed her identity was that one night Rose got drunk and cried despondently, saying she would only marry a poor man, to make Leon see that wealth and power didn''t matter to her.


    She said the poorer, the better.


    Rune didn''t want them to go there since it would make Rose feel embarrassed.


    "So... are we good now?" Rune asked Rose after the girl finished drying her tears. "Do you have more questions for me?"


    "You actually haven''t answered my question of why are you doing this? What''s in it for you?" Rose asked the all-important question.


    What''s in it for Rune? Why did he go through all these for her? What''s his real motive?


    Was he really interested in Rose romantically, like what he hinted at in the past, or was he just enjoying the adventure? Someone like him must be surrounded by so many beautiful girls, right?


    So... why Rose?


    "I am doing this because I want to be near you. I have explained to you before, Rose. I really like you. I have never felt any attraction to other girls, the way I am feeling for you." Rune answered truthfully. He believed this was the best time to come clean about his feelings for her. "I believe, it was a love at first sight on my part."


    "Oh..." Slowly Rose felt her heart beating faster. She didn''t know why.


    Hearing Rune admitted that he was really attracted to her boosted Rose''s confidence that was shattered to pieces when Leon chose Princess Anne over her.


    This man, who confessed that he had never felt attracted to other girls, but fell in love at first sight with Rose while she was disguised as a poor artist, was no ordinary man.


    He was Rune Schneider from Schneider Group!

 Chapter 1032 - Lets Continue Our Agreement

    "Did you use this pickup line on any other girls?" Rose finally found her voice.


    "What pickup line?" Rune shook his head in confusion.


    "The thing about never feel attracted to other girls but fall in love at first sight with me... It''s a good pickup line, you know," Rose explained.


    Rune laughed when he heard her words. "No.. no... I don''t have pickup lines. I was never interested in any women to learn how to pick up girls. I only said those words to you."


    Rose batted her eyes as she stared at the man. It was hard to believe that a man like Rune never had a girlfriend before.


    And he even said that he was never interested in a woman before he met Rose?


    Wouldn''t this make him too good to be true?


    After her past experience with Leon, she didn''t really believe in true love or even love at first sight.


    However, this man before her said those things like it was real.


    Was there really love at first sight?


    Rose had never known anyone who experienced such a thing. So, hearing from Rune about him falling  in love with her at first sight, Rose felt flattered but also confused.


    What if it was not really love? How did he know? He said with his own words that he was never in love. So, how did he know that this one is love?


    ''Gosh, why am I even thinking about it?'' Rose thought to herself.


    She was not in love with Rune. At least not yet. So, whether he was in love with her or not, it shouldn''t really matter, should it?


    "Rose, what I feel for you is my own business. You don''t have to feel pressured to return my feelings," Rune said, as if reading Rose''s mind. "I am happy being around you and I enjoy everything that we do together. You don''t owe me to love me back."


    Rose swallowed.


    "Can you read minds??" She blurted.


    "Noo.. hahahaha.. I wish I can read minds," Rune laughed out loud when he heard her. "I would have made a lot of money if I could do that."


    "But you are not interested in money," Rose smiled.


    "Hm... that''s true," Rune nodded. "So, did I just read your mind?"


    Rose nodded sheepishly. "You did."


    "So, what do you think?" Rune asked her again. "Now that you know who I am, what should we do about our agreement? I have told you how I feel from the beginning. Who I am now and before is not relevant."


    Rose took a deep breath. She looked straight at Rune when she finally replied. "I want to thank you for staying by my side throughout this shitty situation. I have no words to describe how I am grateful for your presence and your patience..."


    Rune was surprised to hear Rose''s words. He didn''t expect her to be so grateful.


    Rose was really a good lady who was raised in perfect manners. She knew how to appreciate other people.


    Now, whatever feeling that Rune had for her, had multiplied because of how Rose responded to everything today.


    She also knew how to be grateful and was not ashamed of showing it.


    Somehow, slowly Rune realized why he could fall in love with this girl. It was her personality and her attitude.


    The physical attraction that he called ''love at first sight'' wouldn''t last if Rose wasn''t an interesting person and she didn''t have a great personality.


    The more they spent time together, the more Rune could see all sides of Rose that made her who she was, and he loved her for her.


    "Thank you for saying that, Rose," Rune smiled broadly. "I really appreciate it. It makes everything that I do for you worth it."


    "So... with that said... I hope we can continue our agreement," Rose added. "There is no one in the world that I trust more than you to carry out this role, as my fake boyfriend. You are doing it so, so well."


    "Thank you for confirming that, Rose sweetheart," Rune replied with a laugh. "I''ll do my best."


    Both looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Rune was really happy that on the day he decided to tell Rose his identity, things went out well. There was no drama like what happened to London and L.


    Gosh.. maybe that''s where Rose and L were different. L was too childish and selfish, while Rose was m.a.t.u.r.e and elegant.


    "So, now that I get to keep my role as your fake boyfriend. Who do you want me to be? Do you want me to the young master from a wealthy family, or do you want me to be the poor scientist again? The choice is yours. I will do as you say," Rune added.


    Rose remembered the article written by the journalist. Sarah Miller wanted to embarrass Rose and Rune in public, but Rose would have the last laugh.


    "Let''s just keep your current persona. We don''t have to say anything and refute the article," Rose finally decided. "We''ll see if they try to instigate me further."


    "Sounds good," said Rune.


    Rose wiped her wet eyes. She didn''t realize that her eyes were already gleaming with tears as she realized that she would have so much easier time in Medion with Rune beside her.


    Suddenly, she hugged the man. "Oh,thank you so much!"


    Rune was pleasantly surprised by her action. He patted her back and returned her embrace.


    This was truly a good day.


    ***


    After Rose found out who Rune really was, she encouraged the man to wear better and more comfortable outfits and just be himself.


    She loved that he accepted her for who she was, and so she wanted to do the same to him.


    They had a great time exploring Old Town and saw many historical places. Rose acted as a good tour guide and explained the stories behind so many beautiful old buildings scattered around the area.


    "Let''s get you a new phone," Rune said when they were done with the sightseeing. He remembered that she broke her phone in the morning and now she hadn''t had a new one.


    "Hmm... do I really need it though?" Rose shrugged. "I don''t feel like talking to anyone."


    "But your parents will need to know where you are and how they could get in touch with you," Rune said. He smirked when he added his next words. "If you want to avoid some people. you can just block them."


    He meant Leon.


    Rune would prefer that Rose cut ties with Leon after the royal wedding and she would get her life back. However, he knew his place and didn''t say it blatantly.


    "Hmm.. okay. I''ll get a new phone," Rose finally relented.


    "Can''t we come to meet them early?" Rose asked him. "I mean, we can go and meet them for a chat, and then have dinner together. What do you think?"


    "I''d love that. But I need to check with Pierre if they are available or not. Remember, they are here for work, not vacation," Rune responded.


    "Ahh, you are right," Rose chuckled. "Sorry, I forgot. Go ahead and ask them."


    Rune immediately took out his phone and talked to Terry to ask where they were and what they were doing.


    "JM and I are in Old Town. We are still mapping the area for filming. I have my camera persons here," Terry replied. "What''s up?"


    "Oh, Rose asked if it''s possible for us to meet earlier. We are in Old Town after sightseeing and don''t have anywhere else to go. After walking for hours, I think we both want to sit somewhere and relax," Rune explained.


    "Oh, of course! Just come to my suite. I will be there shortly. I would LOVE to meet Rose and chat with her. I''ll send you my suite detail. You can talk to the hotel staff. They will let you in."


    "Great. See you later!"


    Rune hung up and kept his phone in his pocket. "He would love to see you and chat with you. We better go to their hotel and wait in his suite."


    He hoped she could give him access to the royal wedding. It would be amazing if he could attend.

 Chapter 1033 - Lovely Afternoon

    "What are you doing?" JM laughed when she saw her brother punching the air. She had gotten used to his antics since she was very young.


    Terry must be feeling really good about something.


    What could it be? It must be related to his work. He was such a workaholic, she thought.


    When Terry was still leading the Schneider Group in America, he was really busy with work and barely had time for personal life. Though he didn''t mind that since the high profile girls he was dating were all busy people too.


    JM naively thought Terry was like that because his role demanded it. She predicted that Terry would start enjoying life as soon as he stepped down, took on a new identity, and became a university student, making movies, his lifelong dream and hobby.


    Apparently, she was wrong. Terry was just as busy and a go-getter now as he was before.


    Just look where they were now and what they were doing.


    Tsk.


    JM knew it was futile to ask Terry to slow down and enjoy life like a normal human being.


    Maybe working was his life?


    She didn''t know.


    At least she was happy that he wanted to involve her in his projects. They now had more time together for bonding as siblings.


    In the past, her brother was always too busy and she couldn''t get enough time to be with him. Plus, their worlds seemed to contradict, so it was hard to have an overlap.


    He was in the business world, and she was in the entertainment.


    However, now things were different. Look, they had been spending the whole week together, planning and executing projects. JM was really happy with the outcome.


    "We might be able to attend the royal wedding," Terry replied JM''s question. His face was beaming with excitement. "That''s why I am super excited!"


    "Aha." JM nodded in understanding.


    "That''s enough. You guys can rest. We will reconvene after dinner and discuss tomorrow''s work," Terry said to his two camera persons.


    They looked happy because work ended early. The two men packed their equipment and got ready to go back to their hotel rooms.


    Meanwhile, Terry took JM''s hand and strode to go back to the Millicent Hotel.


    ***


    Rose''s decision to come early to dinner was proven to be the best decision since they could rest and relax after exploring Old Town on foot all afternoon.


    Terry was staying in the biggest suite available at the Millicent Hotel, located on the top floor. It was a two-bedroom suite that he shared with his sister. It had a spacious lounge facing the balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows.


    The hotel staff let them enter on Terry''s order and now both were sitting on the terrace enjoying a glass of wine each while watching the Old Town from above.


    "Are you sure we can just make ourselves at home?" Rose asked again. She was not used to entering other people''s places and doing whatever she wanted without the owner present. Even with her closest friends, she respected boundaries.


    However, Rune and Terry seemed to not have such a thing. Was it because Terry was really Rune''s brother?


    Their family was really interesting, Rose thought to herself.


    "Yeah, don''t worry about it. Pierre and JM are family," Rune said. "Besides, Pierre already told us to come and wait for them here."


    "Uhm.. okay, then," Rose finally looked relieved.


    She looked around the luxurious suite and now she could totally picture Rune being a young master from a wealthy family.


    Come to think of it, Rose should have been suspicious since Rune always carried himself perfectly in fancy or luxurious settings. He was never intimidated or looked out of place.


    Yes, he did pretend to admire their seats in the first-class cabin when they flew to Medion, but he knew exactly how all the buttons worked. He didn''t have problems with anything at all. He knew what to do and how to behave.


    Gosh, now, looking back, Rose could finally see differently all scenes that they went through together. She started to think it was funny and endearing.


    "So, you said you have two biological siblings and one adopted. I have met your older sister. She was wonderful! What about your brother? Where is he now?" Rose decided to talk about Rune''s family members to pass the time.


    "Uhm... three," Rune corrected Rose.


    "Three biological siblings," the man repeated his words. "I told you my mother is pregnant."


    "Oh..." Rose pressed her lips.


    She totally forgot about the fact.  Since it was too bizarre, her mind seemed to block that information.


    Now, that Rune brought that up, she was now wondering about how Rune responded to the news.


    Rose couldn''t imagine being in his shoes.


    What if Duchess Fournier suddenly told Rose that she was pregnant at 50? Whoaa... Rose didn''t want to think about it.


    She would be worried to death about her mother''s safety. Giving birth, especially at a later age, was no joke.


    "Yes, my parents are expecting. I will be a big brother soon," Rune explained. "Don''t worry about my mother. She is very healthy and my father pampers her to no end. My parents are really looking forward to the new bundle of joy. We are all excited."


    Now, Rose really thought Rune could read minds. He could guess everything that was going on in her mind and explained before she even asked those questions.


    "I can take you to see my parents if you want," Rune added. "They are wonderful people."


    "Oh, I am sure they are." Rose smiled when she heard him. "I believe you."


    She knew the Schneiders must be wonderful people like Rune claimed. She had been interacting closely with Rune for almost two months and found him to be really grounded and likable.


    She had also met Aleksis and had a great first impression of her. Rose could tell that they both were raised by loving parents.


    However, hearing that Rune would take her to meet his parents, Rose suddenly felt her c.h.e.s.t pounding. How would he introduce her to them?


    Rose''s parents only knew Rune as their daughter''s boyfriend. She didn''t tell them that their relationship was fake.


    Did Rune also do the same thing? Or did his family know about their agreement?


    "Do they.. know about me?" She asked Rune haltingly.


    Rune shook his head. "No. Only Aleksis and her family know about you. I mean, her kids are basically the ones responsible for setting us up.. hehehe..."


    "Yeah, I will tell my parents slowly, and then my brother."


    "Okay." Rose remembered that Rune haven''t told her about this brother of his. "Is your brother London Schneider?"


    She had heard of London Schneider when the man was still leading the Schneider Group in Europe before he retired. She had also heard of Aleksis, as she was married to Elios Linden.


    However, she had never heard of Rune Schneider. Why did his family hide him?


    "Yes, London is my older brother," Rune replied.


    "Oh.. you must be really young compared to your siblings. They are both in their 40''s," Rose blurted. "It''s amazing that you can all have such a good relationship."


    Rune could only grin when he heard Rose''s words.


    Yeah... how to put it? He was also in his 40''s like his older siblings.


    Unfortunately, this was not yet the time to come clean about that one secret.


    Rune must be patient and get Rose''s heart first. Once they became a real couple, he would propose to her and reveal his biggest secret.


    Until then, he was forced to lie again.


    "Yeah... I am lucky to have such an amazing brother and sister," he replied. "I will take you to meet London and his family. Oh.. by the way, I will tell you a big secret, now that you know who my brother is."


    "What is it?" Rose asked with interest. Rune seemed more and more interesting by the day, she thought.


    "Do you know who my brother is married to?" Rune couldn''t believe he suddenly turned into Terry when he whispered his question. He had that look of a gossipy Terry now.


    "Who???" Rose was obviously interested to know. London Schneider was a dream husband to many. Ever since he was photographed bringing his cute little daughter to work and many business events, people were wondering who was that lucky woman who could snatch him from bachelorhood.


    The man was notoriously private about his personal life, so his wife had always been a mystery to many.


    Rose couldn''t wait to know the answer.

 Chapter 1034 - Roses Feeling Starts To Change

    Rune chuckled when he saw her reaction. Yes, this was a really big secret that would become big headlines on news sites if the media ever found out.


    "Do you know ''L''?" He asked Rose.


    The girl nodded. "Of course, I do. Who doesn''t? She is very famous and talented. What about Elle?"


    "Well... she is my sister-in-law, because my brother London is married to her," Rune explained. He waited to see the change of expression on Rose''s face after he dropped the shocking news.


    He was satisfied with her reaction. Rose''s mouth was agape when she heard the fact.


    "No way!" She pressed her lips. "They are never together...! How could they meet and get into a relationship and get married???? This is so shocking!!"


    "Well, I''m telling the truth. My brother and L got married around 15 years ago," Rune added.


    "Wait, what? FIFTEEN YEARS AGO???? Elle is only 35! Or is it 36? But she is still very young! How could she have been married for that long???" Rose was truly shocked.


    This Schneider family was really, really interesting!


    "That sounds funny," Rose commented. "So, the beautiful daughter that London Schneider often took to the office or his business meetings is his daughter with Elle?"


    "Yes, that''s right. They are expecting a new baby soon. That''s why my brother decided to retire and focus on his family."


    "Oh.. is it a surprise baby?" Rose asked. She was curious to know why the seemingly happy couple waited to have another baby after so long.


    From the news, she knew London Schneider''s daughter was now a teenager of 15 or 16 years old. Fifteen years was a long time. So, was it possible that this new baby was unexpected?


    Rune shook his head. "No, it''s not a surprise baby. They wanted the baby and planned for it. My brother was traumatized by his wife''s suffering during the first labor that he didn''t want to see her going through the same situation. It was a micro-prem.a.t.u.r.e birth and was quite dangerous."


    "Oh..."


    "Yeah... It took them a long time to get themselves ready for the next one. So, now that Elle was pregnant, London decided to just leave behind everything and spend all his time exclusively with his family."


    "Oh.. that''s wonderful," Rose gushed. She could see how the men in that family doted on their wives.


    From what Rune told her, his father pampered his mother to no ends, and now London seemed to love his wife so much that for so many years he didn''t want her to suffer from difficult labor. So, he didn''t want to have more children.


    Now that she thought of it, even Elios Linden who looked cold and reclusive was obviously warm toward his wife, Aleksis.


    "I''ll take you to see them sometimes," Rune said. "Do you like L''s music?"


    "I do!! I love her work. She is very gifted. I was actually sad when I heard that she retired from music," Rose said. "Now, that I know she is London Schneider''s wife, everything makes sense. They both retired at around the same time. Gosh.. If I didn''t know this info from you, I would never put two and two together."


    "Ahahaha.. don''t worry about it. Nobody would. My family is very good at removing our tracks," Rune finally explained to Rose. "You know that my sister is married to Elios Linden, right? So, you know he is very powerful and basically controls the internet with his Splitz and Virconnect? Even if there is any news leaked about my brother and L, he could easily have them removed."


    Rose shook her head. "No, I didn''t know. I just know those facts this afternoon. I didn''t think that way. Wow.. this is...."


    "This is what?"


    "I don''t know what to say..." Rose now remembered how she couldn''t get anything when she tried to search for information about Rune online.


    Did he also remove his track? Why did he do that?


    He was not married to a superstar like London and needed to hide his personal life. If his words were true, that he had never had a girlfriend before, then why would Rune remove his digital tracks?


    Or.. was he actually lying about never having any girlfriend?


    What if he actually had a wife???


    ''No, Rose... don''t be prejudiced. Rune showed his sister to you. She wouldn''t let her brother woo Rose if he was married to another woman, right?'' Rose scolded herself.


    What woman would do that to another woman?


    But.. if he had got nothing to hide, why did he remove his tracks?


    Rose would love to know a thing or two about him.


    "Oh, did you, by any chance, search for me online?" Rune asked her casually. He twirled his wine glass while waiting for Rose to reply to his question.


    Rose shook her head in disbelief.


    Seriously! This man must be able to read minds, she was convinced. Rune kept correctly guessing what was in her mind.


    "Oh, so you did?" Rune laughed. "I was just guessing. I think that''s the most logical thing someone would do if they are interested in finding out information about other people."


    Rose didn''t respond to that. She was embarrassed to be found out. What would he think of her now?


    Would he think she was stalking him?


    "If you are wondering, I did ask my digital tracks to be removed," Rune explained. "But not for the reasons that you might think."


    "Ah, okay..."


    "Someday, I will tell you why. But now, please trust me when I am telling you that I am not hiding secret girlfriends or even a wife," Rune added.


    Rose coughed when she heard his words, uttered in a serious tone. She said, "It''s okay. I mean.. even if you have girlfriends or.... a wife, it''s none of my business..."


    "Why is it none of your business?" Rune asked her. "Aren''t I your boyfriend for the next year?"


    Rose didn''t say anything.


    Besides, didn''t she tell herself that if Rune was still willing to accept her, she would learn to return his feelings?


    After spending so much time together, sometimes even 24 hours a day, Rose had felt so comfortable with Rune''s presence.


    Wasn''t he a really good man who had done so much for her? And he already explained that the reason he did what he did was that he was in love with Rose?


    So, instead of chasing after another man who was about to get married, wouldn''t it be better for Rose to open her heart for this man?


    Rose often heard that it was better to marry a man who loved her than to marry the man she loved. Oftentimes, when a woman married for love, she would sacrifice so much for the other person and the one-sided love could end in suffering.


    However, if the man was the one who loved her, he would be devoted and loyal. The man would treat her like a queen.


    Rose could see it firsthand. With Leon, she was the one who suffered. Now that she had Rune beside her, she had always got protected and cared for.


    Surely love could grow after a while, right?


    With that in mind, Rose finally nodded. "You are right. You are my boyfriend and you shouldn''t chase after other women."


    Did this mean...


    Rose had started to give him a chance?


    "Rose..." Rune stared at her in disbelief. Then, he put down his glass on the table and held Rose''s hand. His words were serious when he spoke. "I will not even look at another woman."


    Rose touched his cheek and smiled. "I know."


    Right at that moment, Rune''s heart was filled with warmth to the brim. Rose''s action was gentle and he could feel her warm affection for him.


    When her hand touched his cheek, his heart started palpitating and there was a strong urge to pull her closer and kiss her lips.


    However, he didn''t want to be presumptuous. Rune squeezed Rose''s hand gently and asked permission. "Can I... kiss you?"


    Rose nodded, then she lowered her face, looking shy.


    Rune didn''t waste time. He immediately pulled her head closer and tilted his face to kiss her deeply.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    I hope you liked this chapter. I will take a break tomorrow from publishing and will return to regularly publishing again after one week.

 Chapter 1035 - The Warm Dinner

    The kiss could have lasted longer if only they didn''t hear someone opened the door to the terrace and chirped, "Ahh.. here you are!"


    Terry stood rooted in his place with his hand pressed on his lips when he realized that he was interrupting a kiss between Rune and Rose. He felt so guilty for barging in without knocking.


    After he arrived back in his suite, he was looking for them everywhere. The terrace balcony was the last place he went to, thinking Rune and Rose might already leave or something.


    That''s why he didn''t knock.


    Right then, he knew he had just interrupted something special that was going on between Rune and the girl he liked.


    Terry loved gossip and he was mischievous, but he would never ruin his brother''s chance with a girl. So, this incident really made him feel guilty. However, it was too late to step back and close the door, pretending that he wasn''t there.


    "Ehehehe.. I''m so, sorry for interrupting such a beautiful moment. I didn''t know you guys are here," he said with a nervous laugh. "You can go back to doing whatever it is you are doing. I will be waiting in the living room."


    Rune and Rose had instantly let go of each other''s lips when they heard Terry barge in. Now, both looked away in the opposite direction with blushing faces.


    "Ahem.. okay, we''ll see you shortly," Rune coughed and took his wine glass and downed its content.


    Rose did the same. She drank so fast that she almost choked on the wine. Rune quickly put down his glass and checked on Rose.


    "Yeahh... I''m fine.. hahaha.. That was awkward," she said sheepishly.


    "He really didn''t mean it. Pierre would never intentionally bother other people," Rune explained to Rose. "Hmm... that was indeed awkward."


    They looked at each other in knowing smiles and, with a silent agreement, they took their glasses and went inside to see Terry and JM in the living room.


    When they arrived, Rune and Rose saw Terry and JM sat on the couch pouring wine for themselves. They all pretended like nothing happened earlier and sat together to chat.


    "How is your work today?" Rune asked Terry as he sat across from the guy. He lifted his glass and made a sign, asking for it to be refilled.


    "Oh, it was great! We found many beautiful locations and inspirations came flowing in. I am really happy that I chose this city to do my project," Terry admitted. He poured wine into Rune''s glass and then lifted the bottle to Rose''s direction. "Would you like more wine, Your Grace?"


    Rose quickly waved and corrected Terry, "My name is Rose."


    She didn''t like it if Terry stood on ceremony with her just because she was a noble.


    "Ah, I''m sorry. I didn''t want to be presumptuous by going on a first-name basis with the country''s future king''s sister," Terry said. "When we met the first time, I didn''t know who you are, my brother here didn''t tell me anything."


    "Oh, please just call me Rose," Rose shook her head, looking upset. "I will leave if you still call me by that."


    Terry liked Rose even more. He thought Rose was really down-to-earth even though she was actually a girl from the high nobility. He had seen and witnessed so many other socialites, who were not even from her level, acting snobbish and annoying.


    "Please, don''t go.. I am sorry. I will call you Rose from now on." Terry quickly stopped Rose by pouring wine into her glass and gave it to her. "Let''s cheer for our second meeting."


    Finally, Rose smiled and raised her glass. "Cheers! Welcome to my country!"


    The other three people followed suit. They clinked their glasses and then drank their wine merrily. After he sipped his wine, Rune told Terry and JM that he had introduced Rose to Aleksis and her family, and now Rose knew who he really was.


    "Please tell her that I am really Rune Schneider from the Schneider family and that I don''t have a secret wife," Rune said with a laugh. He glanced at Rose and smiled so broadly.


    He remembered earlier today Rose was probing him if he really didn''t have any woman back home, a girlfriend or wife. He thought it was a good sign.


    If Rose didn''t care about him, why would she asked about other women in his life, right?


    "Oh, my god! You did???" Terry was surprised to hear Rune''s explanations. Now, he really thought that Rune and Rose were a good match. Things seemed really going smoothly for them.


    "Yeah..." Rose looked at Terry seriously. "I am very surprised. I thought I was the one who is good at hiding my identity... apparently, he is too."


    Terry laughed when he heard her. "So, you hid your identity from him too? That''s so funny. So, what did you do? Did you pretend to be poor like he did?"


    Rose nodded with a sheepish smile. "Yeah. For someone like me, it''s important to meet people who will appreciate my personality and character, not my wealth or status. I think you understand what I mean."


    "I do, yeah..." Terry laughed internally when he heard their story. This couple was really a match made in heaven, he thought.


    He decided to help Rune and confirm his statement that he was single before he met Rose and he didn''t have any secret wives or girlfriends.


    "Rose, Rune here is an honest man. You can trust him with your life. He never had any girlfriend and to be honest, all of us were worried that he might never be interested in any breathing human beings as his life partner. He had always been interested in science or adventures. So, when we heard that he finally found someone that made his heart flutter, we are so over the moon," he explained.


    Rose pressed her lips and looked at Rune. She now believed the man completely.


    "Well.. I''m flattered," she said with a low voice. A moment later she whispered to Rune, "Thank you."


    Her heart was filled with warmth. After her experience with Leon that shattered her confidence and broken her heart, today Rose finally felt her cold heart was filled with such warmth.


    Not once did Rose feel rushed or pressured to accept Rune''s feelings. It seemed if she kept playing this game, Rune could even do it forever.


    They chatted over wine and discuss the country''s history and Terry''s plan for his projects.


    It was such a good moment that they decided to order food from the hotel''s restaurant to be delivered to the suite so they could eat inside while continuing their chat, instead of going down to dinner.


    Two hours later, several servants came and delivered the dishes they ordered.


    "Hey, the food is here," Terry motioned them to move to the dining room. "Let''s continue chatting over dinner."


    Everyone followed him and they all sat facing delicious dishes. They talked and laughed during dinner. Terry made a lot of jokes and he shared all the Hollywood gossips he got to know firsthand.


    The warm atmosphere, good food, and great conversation were truly the things that Rose needed to make her happy amidst her sad situation. She was smiling whenever she talked and she kept laughing over Terry''s jokes.


    Rune was glad he decided to open up his identity to Rose and then brought her to meet Terry and JM again. If he compared Rose this morning and in the evening, he could see how much she had changed.


    Slowly, the sad Rose was gone and now he could see a happy and glowing woman. By the time dinner ended, Rose''s mood had been so good that she decided to invite Terry and JM to attend the royal wedding.


    Terry''s face was beaming when he heard the kind offer. He wanted to ask to be invited before Rose leaving, but apparently, she decided to invite them out of her own will.


    "Will that be okay? I don''t want you to feel forced to invite us, just because we are Rune''s family," Terry said, faking a concern.


    "Ahaha.. not at all. The groom is my ''brother'', so of course, as his ''family'' we can invite our friends to come. You just need to say yes, and I''ll make it happen," Rose said.


    Terry didn''t stand on ceremony and quickly nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. Thank you so much!"

 Chapter 1036 - Beautiful Beaches

    Rune only rolled his eyes when he saw Terry''s excitement. He could tell that it was exactly what Terry wanted and his concern earlier was fake.


    However, Rose was too nice and just thought it would be the right thing to do to invite Rune''s family to the wedding. Besides, she thought it would be good for her to be surrounded by friends during the sad event.


    "I will send the formal invitation tomorrow morning. I need to ask my father for his approval, but I am sure he doesn''t mind," Rose added.


    "Ahh.. that will be amazing! Thank you!" Terry glanced at Rune and secretly winked at his brother.


    "Okay, we need to go home now. It''s late," Rune said. He turned to Rose and asked, "Do we have anywhere to go tomorrow?"


    "We can go relax at the beach," Rose replied. "We have nice beaches around here. What do you think?"


    "That will be lovely," Rune said excitedly. "I haven''t gone to a decent beach in a while."


    He immediately gave Terry a side-eye when he noticed Terry had that longing expression on his face, wanting to be inivited.


    Gosh, no way! Terry was supposed to focus on his work, wasn''t he? It was time for Rune to have quality time with Rose.


    Luckily Terry got the hint and he didn''t try at the slightest to be included. He wished them well when they took their leave.


    On their way back to the Fournier mansion, Rose complimented Rune on his close relationship with his family. She didn''t have any siblings and was a bit jealous that the man was surrounded by loving brothers and sister.


    "I would love to meet your other family," Rose said after they arrived back in her home.


    "They would love to meet you too," Rune said. "Once your obligation in Medion ends, we can travel and meet my parents and brother. We have a nice castle in Stuttgart."


    Rose''s steps halted. She remembered this man was very wealthy. It shouldn''t be a surprise that his family owned a castle or two... or ten.


    However, she felt that she would need to get used to this from now on. It was not easy.


    "Sounds wonderful," she said.


    They bid good night to each other and went to their respective rooms. It was a long day, but Rose felt it was well spent.


    ***


    In the morning, during breakfast, Duke and Duchess Fournier tried to talk to Rose and Rune about the article from the day before.


    They were still concerned that their daughter would be embarrassed publicly if they didn''t refute the article immediately and the Schneider family caught wind of this situation.


    Even the smallest mistake or stain would be blown up out of proportion. This made them worried about the daughter''s mental health.


    "So, I plan to invite the owner of Medion Times for a drink and make him change the article," Duke Fournier said after he put down his coffee cup on the table. "We cannot let the misunderstanding become bigger and cause a problem in the future."


    Rose and Rune exchanged glances. The man shook his head gently, asking Rose not to divulge his secret to her parents. Not yet. He was not ready if they found out about who he was. Besides, where was the fun in that?


    Rose cleared her throat and shook her head. "There is no need to do that, father. Don''t give them any attention. If we showed them that we don''t care about the article, they will stop."


    Duke Fournier looked confused. "But they have published misinformation... and what if that family found out? It will be so embarrassing."


    This time, it was Rune who replied the duke. "It''s okay, Sir. Let me handle the Schneider family. My brother-in-law knows them really well and if anything happened, he would help me talk to them."


    Rose looked at Rune with an amused expression. Now that she knew the truth, she could find the situation funny.


    Rune was not lying, but he also still didn''t reveal his identity. By saying that his brother-in-law was close with the Schneiders, he must mean Elios Linden, who was married to the only Schneider daughter.


    Clever, she said to herself. She now saw Rune in a different light. This man was truly m.a.t.u.r.e and easy to be around. He really could carry himself well, wherever he went and with whomever he met.


    Rose must know Rune very well since he was her boyfriend. So, the duke would just trust his daughter. The man finally sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will not pursue this matter further. I will trust you both with handling this issue."


    "Thank you, Sir, and I''m sorry for the trouble it has caused your family. I never knew my family name could bring problems for people I care about," Rune said with an apologetic tone.


    "Hmm.. it''s okay. I''m sorry on behalf of my daughter. Because she has some petty people who dislike her, you got into this mess with her," Duke Fournier replied.


    "I have absolutely no problem with it," Rune said. "I''ll weather everything for Rose. I hope Sir and Madam know it."


    Rose hiccuped when she heard Rune''s words. Seriously. This man was too good, she thought. Rune could take advantage of the situation they were in and used it to win Rose''s parents'' hearts.


    She was truly amused by him.


    The duke was visibly pleased. That''s how he would like to see his daughter being treated, with so much care and appreciation, unlike... certain someone.


    Duke Fournier patted Rune on the shoulder and didn''t say anything else.


    ***


    "This beach is really nice," Rune commented. "I especially love the fine sand on my feet. The scenery is beautiful."


    "We have many beaches in Bacilia," Rose replied. "We can do beach-hopping today if you want."


    "I''d love that!" Rune was so excited to hear her offer. He would love doing anything here in Bacilia, as long as it was with Rose.


    "Very well... we can stay here for one hour, after that I will take you to the second beach," Rose said with a smile.


    "Yes, yes... Let''s do it!"


    ***


    Rosa wasn''t exaggerating when she said the beaches in Bacilia were pretty. In some of them, the water was often had clear turquoise color. They looked oh so beautiful.


    This reminded Rune of some beaches in Bermuda or Asia that he visited with his family.


    "What''s your favorite beach in the world?" Rose asked Rune when they were sitting together by the beach on two sun chairs and enjoying c.o.c.ktails.


    Rune had seen many places that most people would only dream of visiting. Especially since his family owned many resorts all over the world, they always had nice places to go to.


    Yet, he could easily claim that his favorite beach in the world was none other than the one located in the small island near Singapore that his father gifted to his mother.


    That''s where they spent a lot of their time together as a family.


    "There is this place that my family owns," Rune replied. "The private beach is really nice, but what makes it special is because my family spends a lot of family time together since I was really young. So, I always associate the place with happiness."


    This reminded Rose of her favorite hill, the one owned by her grandfather. Ahh.. she understood what he meant.


    "That must be really nice," she commented. "I really like the fact that your family seems really close-knit and warm."


    "They are," Rune smiled widely. "We usually gather for Christmas and New Year holiday. You are invited if you would like to come."


    Christmas was less than two months away and Rune didn''t know if Rose would come, but he thought he got nothing to lose if he invited her right away. Many things can happen in two months, right?


    "Oh..." Rose was silent when she heard he casually invited her to meet his whole family.

 Chapter 1037 - Rose Changes Her Mind

    Rose was okay to meet Rune''s parents and then slowly met his siblings... but to meet them all together at once?


    That''s a bit too much, wasn''t it?


    Rune noticed her reluctance and quickly waved his hand. "Don''t think about it. I was just saying that you are invited if you want to come. I know you must have a lot to do in Medion during the holiday seasons. Maybe the royal family would like to throw some events too that would require your presence."


    Rose shook her head. "Nah, I won''t be here by then. I will probably spend Christmas with my friends in Paris. Peter and Helene will be there and George said he will fly to spend the holiday with us before Peter and Helene get married."


    "Ah, I see.." Rune nodded in understanding. "In that case, I hope you will have fun."


    Inwardly, he felt dejected. Maybe he did come too strong earlier by inviting Rose to meet his whole family. She might freak out.


    Gosh.. this ruined their pace. Earlier she already said that she would want to meet his parents, but now, maybe she wouldn''t want to anymore.


    Rune scolded himself for being impatient.


    He didn''t show his disappointment on his face and acted like everything was fine. Well.. he did have a lifetime if he wanted to wait for Rose, and his lifetime meant for as long as she lived.


    ***


    Rune decided not to talk about it again and enjoyed his time with Rose while he could. They visited another beach and spent the whole day sipping c.o.c.ktails and watching the ocean.


    There was peace in their mind when they did that. Rune was glad to see that slowly Rose looked happier.


    In fact, she actually changed her phone number when her new phone arrived and asked her parents not to give it to anyone.


    "Ahh... time flies when you are having fun," Rose commented. She rose from the sun chair and pointed to the west. "Such a beautiful sunset. Too bad it''s finally over and we have to go home."


    "You are right," Rune said in agreement.


    Tomorrow was the big day. It was finally the moment of truth.


    Leon would get married and then all this would be over.


    ***


    "We can invite Pierre and JM to come to my home and then we can go together to the church," Rose said after she got in the car and buckled up, ready to go home.


    "Their hotel is closer to the church," Rune commented. He also entered the car and got ready to drive. "Wouldn''t it be better if they just go there directly?"


    Rose shook her head. "No. The security protocol is quite strict. This is not a regular wedding, but a royal wedding. They can only come with us."


    They didn''t say anything again in the car until they arrived at the Fournier''s mansion gate. Over the past days, some reporters were still trying to get their statement regarding the gossip that Rose was in a relationship with her half-brother for years.


    "Hey... Your Grace, we need your statement," said a female journalist stubbornly when the car was slowing down and waited for the gate to open so it could go through. "Tomorrow is the big day. I believe the people need to know the truth."


    Rose bit her lip. She turned to Rune and asked him with his eyes, what should she do. If she kept avoiding them, these journalists would never feel satisfied.


    They would keep chasing until they could get what they wanted: the truth, or if not, they might make up whatever they thought would sell.


    "Stop the car," Rose touched Rune''s arm gently. Her voice sounded tired. The joy she showed all day when they were at the beach had gone. Rune slowly stopped the car and waited to see what Rose wanted to do.


    "Your Grace... you look so lovely today." The reporter smiled broadly and came to approach Rose. She reached out a recording device and asked Rose''s permission to record her statement.


    Rose shook her head. "Not here. Please come in. I will accept you in my home. You can come in, but I want you all to give me your word that you will not publish anything until after the wedding. Understood?"


    Rune looked at Rose with confusion. What was it that Rose was trying to do? Did she finally decide to wash her hands from all things related to Leon?


    Well.. Maybe it was time.


    "Oh, my... are you serious, Your Grace?" The journalists all looked beaming and have disbelief expressions plastered on their faces.


    "Yes, I am serious. I will have my family lawyer make you sign an agreement. If anyone of you  violated the agreement and publish anything before I allow you to do it, I will sue the hell out of your news agencies." Rose stared at them intently. "Even until you die, you still won''t finish paying for your debt to my family. I will make sure of that."


    They all turned silent. This was the first time they saw Rose acting harshly toward the journalists. Even Rune was surprised. He only saw this side of her today.


    Apparently, Rose could act like a badass too.


    Ahh.. he shouldn''t have surprised, should he? He knew Rose had guns and she was good at using them. Of course, she was a badass. All this time, he only got to see her weak side because of her heartbreak.


    But the truth was, Rose was not a weak girl who could be easily intimidated.


    He loved seeing this side of her for the first time. He hoped he would see it more often in the future.


    After Rose motioned him to drive, Rune stepped on the gas and drive the Bentley to pass through the gate. Rose made a sign to the gatekeeper that she allowed the journalists to enter.


    The man nodded respectfully and came to meet the horde of reporters and asked all of them to register their ID and filled the guest book.


    They felt lucky because they persevered. After waiting for Rose and her parents faithfully for days, finally, they were allowed to enter and get her statement.


    Some other journalists who were not as patient had stopped coming. Now, they would regret their decision because they would miss such an important event.


    The Fourniers were not known for being open to the press. They loved their privacy and didn''t like sensational news. They also tend to have quite a perfect public image.


    So, having the opportunity to get up close with them was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially because they were the future king''s immediate family.


    ***


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Rune asked Rose after they got out of the car and Rose walked inside her home.


    Rose nodded. "Yes. It''s time for me to clear everything. I will leave this country as soon as the royal wedding is over. I don''t want to leave a bad taste after I''m gone."


    Rune''s steps halted. He knew she was serious. "What will you tell them?"


    Rose turned to him when she realized he had stopped walking. She stopped her steps too. She said with a low voice, "The truth."


    "No, silly..." Rose chuckled. Her face looked bright again. "That I am dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider Group and I hope they will stop spreading lies about me and my half-brother."


    Rune smiled when he heard her. He liked that. "Ah, that''s good. We should tell them that, so they will stop chasing you with the nasty rumor."


    "I suppose you are okay with that? You don''t mind me announcing our ''relationship'' to the public?" Rose asked Rune seriously.


    The man shook his head, "Of course not. I am happy to be of use for you."


    "Oh, Rune.. you are too sweet," Rose sighed. "I don''t deserve you."


    She walked over and touched his cheek. Her eyes were clearly filled with gratitude. "If your family members are half as nice as you, I would love to meet all of them. I can imagine a holiday with your entire family must be amazing."


    Rune batted his eyes when he heard Rose''s words. His ears didn''t play tricks on him, did they?


    Was Rose really saying that she would come to meet his entire family for the holiday?


    He thought Rose was not into it when they had this discussion two days ago?

 Chapter 1038 - The Interview (1)

    "Are you serious about wanting to meet my family?" The man asked to confirm. He didn''t want to be presumptuous and make his own assumption.


    "Yes, I am serious," Rose replied.


    "But, didn''t you say that you will spend the holiday with your friends in Paris?" Rune asked again. "You said it will be a good time to spend time with Peter and Helene before they get married and George will come too."


    "Yes, I did say that," Rose nodded. "But I will only spend two or three days in Paris, and then I can come and see your family. Didn''t you say that you always spend around one week to ten days together at that little island that belongs to your mother?"


    "Yes, yes.. we do. In that case, you are very welcome," Rune said with a grin. He couldn''t believe that Rose finally changed her mind about going. He became curious and wanted to know why. "What made you change your mind?"


    "Oh... I don''t know," Rose shrugged. "You?"


    "Me?" Rune was very pleased to hear her reply. Did that mean, Rune could touch Rose''s heart that now she had decided to open the door for him to enter?


    This development made him so happy.


    "Yes," Rose replied with a smile. "You are a kind man and I am impressed by your family. If you still have a space for me... I would love to come and join your family for the holiday."


    Right at that moment, Rune felt like he wanted to jump up and down and hug Rose. But he held back and only nodded coolly. He pretended to be deep in thoughts. "Hmm... I''ll think about it."


    His pretend action made Rose laughed. She hit his shoulder and rolled her eyes. "You...!"


    "I''m joking..." Rune laughed too. "Of course, we have a space for you. I am looking forward to introducing you to my family."


    "Ah.. okay, that''s good." Rose smiled and kissed his cheek. "Let me freshen up to see the reporters. Are you joining me?"


    Rune nodded. "Yes, if you want me to."


    His face was beaming with happiness because Rose took the initiative to kiss him.


    "I do." Rose nodded. "If you don''t mind, I want you to come with me and talk to the reporters."


    "Okay, then I will wash my face and change too." Rune agreed. "I''ll see you downstairs."


    "Yeah, I''ll be down in ten minutes."


    "See you."


    ***


    Ten minutes later, Rune was walking down the stairs in fresh new clothes. He intentionally looked his best, since Rose seemed to plan to introduce him publicly, at least to those reporters.


    He must not be a letdown. If the reporters saw him looking simple and modest, they might think that Rose had a bad taste in men. Hehe.


    Luckily he listened to Aleksis''s advice to bring with him some nice expensive clothing for occasions like this.


    Rune looked elegant and wealthy as he caught the attention of ten reporters with their cameras and notes, waiting in the majestic living room.


    Rose was standing cooly at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him. She turned to him when she heard Rune''s steps coming down from the second floor.


    "Hey," she said with a smile. "We are still waiting for my family lawyer to come and give them all NDA to sign before we can start."


    "Okay," Rune replied. His family did the same when they needed to have this type of conversation with certain people or journalists. So, he was quite familiar with the procedure.


    "She is already on the way. In the meantime, we can have small talk with the reporter about what they think can be done to boost tourism in Medion," said Rose with a chuckle. "Better than sitting in silence for one hour, don''t you think?"


    The reporters laughed when they heard her words. They had a good impression of Rose Fournier since her family was famous in the country for their charitable works and their support for many good causes.


    Also, Rose was never involved in any scandal throughout her young life, unlike many descendants of the other noble families.


    At least until the rumors spread about her past relationship with her half-brother came out to the surface.


    Now, they could finally sit together with the most sought-after woman in their kingdom, to give her statement about all the rumors that had been swirling around her presence.


    "Sorry, you all have to wait for a little bit. My family''s attorney is still on the way. If you have other pressing appointments, you can just leave," Rose said to the reporters.


    They all shook their heads in unison.


    "It''s okay, Your Grace. We will wait," one of them replied to represent their colleagues. They all nodded in confirmation.


    "Very well," Rose smiled at them. She treated the reporters well because she knew they were just doing their jobs.


    Two maids came and serve them teas, cakes, and coffees. She offered them to enjoy themselves while waiting for her attorney to come.


    The reporters obeyed. They secretly stole glances at Rune and wondered if this man was Rose''s boyfriend. They thought Rose and Rune looked close, but they didn''t show overly PDA.


    They remembered the article from a few days ago about Rose dating a man from the Schneider family. Was this the man?


    The article didn''t have a picture to go with it, so they were not sure. They only knew the name but not the face.


    Duchess Fournier and her husband arrived fifteen minutes later from a state event and were surprised to see the horde of reporters in their living room.


    The duchess greeted them and the guests immediately bowed down in respect to her and the duke.


    "How are you?" Duchess Fournier nodded to them and then turned to Rose, asking her what was going on, using only her eyes.


    Rose immediately explained what happened and, for a moment, her mother looked at her with disapproval in her eyes, but Duchess Fournier didn''t say anything. She only nodded and finally left them.


    Half an hour later, finally, the Fournier family''s attorney arrived with her assistant. The attorney was a feisty woman in her forties, looking sharp with an impeccable suit and carrying a briefcase with her.


    She greeted everyone in the living room and quickly took out some doc.u.ments and handed distributed them to the reporters with pens.


    "Please sign the non-disclosure and legal agreement before we can start the interview," she said to them in a pleasant but firm voice. "Her grace will talk to you, but there are some things that you have to keep confidential."


    She added, "Also, Lady Rose has already asked that the articles shouldn''t be published until AFTER the royal wedding. So, you have to sign to confirm that you agree with her terms."


    The reporters skimmed the legal agreement and signed. Five minutes later, everything was done and they could start the interview.


    Finally, the most awaited time had arrived.


    "Okay, now, you may start asking questions," Rose sat gracefully on a beautiful chair, facing the reporters, while Rune sat next to her.


    "Lady Rose, thank you for allowing us this opportunity to talk to you to clear all the rumors out there. We have read a lot of news about you and your family, especially since your half-brother will get married tomorrow. He is, after all, our future king. So, of course, there bound to be so much interest in himself and the people closest to him." An older reporter spoke after Rose motioned them to start.


    "Yes, I understand that," Rose nodded. "What is your name, Sir?"


    "Ah, I''m David Nolan, Your Grace. I''m with the Bacilia Chronicles." The man introduced himself, clearly happy that Rose showed interest in him as a person.


    "Okay, Mr. Nolan. Thank you for coming. And your question is?" Rose asked him patiently.


    The reporter smiled and checked his notebook before he asked the burning question that everyone in the room was dying to know the answer to.


    "Did you always know that Prince Leon is actually your father''s bastard son, growing up? And how was your relationship with him before Duke Fournier announced him to be his son? We never really get to know your perspective about this issue since two years ago."


    Rune turned to Rose and looked at her attentively.


    This journalist really didn''t hold back on his question, he thought. They were quite personal questions to ask, and Rune was interested in knowing how Rose would handle them.


    Rose was unfazed. She replied to David Nolan''s question with a pleasant voice, like before. There was no hint of resentment or feeling offended in her expression.


    "Leon is my best friend because we grew up together. I never knew that he was my half-brother. I found out at the same time as everyone else. Does that answer your question?" she looked at Mr. Nolan calmly. "Before, and after the announcement, we have a great relationship. He is a very good man and I treasure our friendship and the years we spent together."


    .


    >>>>>


    IMPORTANT:


    The next chapter, 1039, is not a chapter about Rune and Rose. It''s a chapter where I post a very important announcement regarding my new book and my plan to join Spirity Award 2021.


    DON''T UNLOCK THE CHAPTER IF YOU DON''T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW BOOK.


    You can skip to chapter 1040 which I will publish tomorrow.


    However, if you are interested in finding out what I have planned for the new book, its relation to "The Alchemists", and READING THE FIRST CHAPTER, go ahead, go to chapter 1039. It''s quite special.


    I intentionally capped the coin price at the lowest (5 coins), by only adding the complete text AFTER publishing,  so you don''t have to spend many coins on the 1800 word text. Let me know what you think. xx

 Chapter 1039 - ANNOUNCEMENT: New Book (First Chapter)

    From the author:


    Hey... it''s Vina (Missrealitybites). Thank you so, so much for your tremendous support for this book. I am forever grateful.


    "The Alchemists" is the first book that I wrote after I stopped writing for over 15 years. This book is very, very important to me. And if you have read this far, including the spin-off, congratulations for reading around 1.7 million words for one book!


    This is equal to 36 copies of "The Great Gatsby".


    Looking back, I didn''t know that I could someday become a real writer. So, getting this support from you means the world to me.


    I think I have mentioned several times that I always dreamed to be a writer since I was 12, but then, my dream took a backseat when I was 20.


    The last time I ever wrote anything in my a.d.u.l.t life was in 2003 and then life (or they say ''shit'') happened.


    I thought I would never write again.


    Well, I thought wrong.


    After 16 long years, I finally write again, and then, the rest is history.


    I went back to writing in early 2019 and "The Alchemists" came, followed by "Finding Stardust", and more recently "The Cursed Prince".


    I am so happy, that after 2 years, slowly my work gets more recognition and more people read my books.


    It was a very lonely journey in the beginning because I barely got readers in the first year.


    If you didn''t read and comment and let me know how much you like this book, I honestly would have thought that I lack talent and that my book sucks. And, maybe I would just stop writing.


    So.. thank you so much, for being there for me and cheering me as I move forward in my writing career.


    Now, I have more readers and even a book in the Top 10 ranking. It is so humbling and exciting at the same time.


    Most of my readers are now reading "The Cursed Prince" since it''s the most popular one, but I hope slowly they would also take a look at my other books, like "The Alchemists" and "Finding Stardust".


    Crossing fingers! ^^


    Anyway... what I wanted to say is, I plan to join the writing competition that is organizing this year. It''s called WSA ( Spirity Award) 2021, and it offers prizes up to $10k and... (this is the best part) the chance for ADAPTATION.


    Yes, that''s right. They are working together with Tencent Pictures (who produce a lot of movies and TV shows for Netflix) and they would choose stories that would be adapted into movies or series.


    How crazy is that?


    I really want to join the WSA this year and write a story that would get people''s attention to my books. If you really like "The Alchemists", and dream to see it on the screen, THIS MIGHT BE OUR CHANCE!


    If my story won the competition, maybe they will look at my other works too like "The Alchemists" and turn it into a movie or Netflix TV show.


    Sigh... I don''t know, maybe I dream too big, but at the moment, I want to at least try and do something. I will work so hard and do my best.


    I hope you will support me in the WSA and we work together to win it. I think, if you like "The Alchemists", you will like the new book too.


    The story I am about to write is inspired by Lauriel''s story (I even use a name similar to his) and there will be some crossovers between the new book and "The Alchemists".


    Don''t worry, the story is completely different. I just like adding some elements that you might recognize from my other books, like "The Alchemists" and "Finding Stardust".


    I am very excited about the new book, and I hope you will be too. I will still continue "The Alchemists", at least until this volume with Rose and Rune ends and I will give you a proper ending.


    My target is to end this volume by April and working on the side to publish the new book next week.


    When the time comes, I hope you will support the new book by adding it to your library, and vote for it with power stones, etc.


    Ssshh.. since you are so special, I''m giving you the first peek. I only published the first chapter for your eyes only. This is it. Please read it and let me know what you think.


    Much love, Vina


    .


    CHAPTER 1: PETRICHOR


    "Crazy! It says here that the billionaire is associated with an organ trafficking scandal on the black market. According to the news, he got a fresh heart for his transplant yesterday from a victim of human trafficking in Asia."


    "It is so awful. They said he''s already had multiple organ transplants throughout the years to stay alive."


    "He''s almost a century old, but still trying to stay alive and in power."


    "It feels like if a person has a lot of money, he can even ward off death."


    "Ahhh .. it''s so nice to be rich. They can do anything with their money. That''s right. Rich people can get plastic surgery to keep them looking young, and if their organs are damaged or failed, they could just replace them with organs from the black market."


    "Yeah, also, with technological advances that they can buy with money, they can live young for hundreds of years."


    "Uff.. so lucky!"


    It was a lazy Saturday and not many people came to the cafe. So, most of the tables were empty.


    Their voices were the only things that rang in the cafe, except for the occasional coffee maker when the barista made coffee for guests.


    A handsome man wearing dark sunglasses, who was sitting in a corner of the cafe, reading a book, glanced at the source of the noise and took a deep breath.


    Loriel, the man''s name, was starting to get annoyed, that he felt the d.e.s.i.r.e to pull his neck-length black hair.


    That corner was his regular spot whenever he came to this cafe to leisurely enjoy his book and tea, and he had been having peace before the two ladies came and started gossiping loudly.


    Actually, the women''s voices were not super loud but the man had a very sharp sense of hearing.


    Also, usually there were many other guests here who could all cover each other''s sounds. However, today, there were only these two ladies and they happened to talk about the same boring nonsense over and over again. It got tiring fast.


    He frowned, and the calm expression on his face turned dark when he heard the enthusiasm in their voices as they debated how much money did the billionaire pay for the organ, and how nice it was to be rich because they could extend their life span and live longer.


    In fact, maybe in the future, rich people could live forever if they could keep changing their bodies and organs. People were already thinking in that direction and so many books and movies were written about the subject.


    Loriel pressed his temple in annoyance.


    Those fools don''t know that living forever is bad, he thought.


    He had lived for fifteen centuries, looking like a young man as he was now, and he couldn''t see where was the fun of it.


    In fact, if he could be honest ... he actually wanted to die.


    The sound of their chattering was getting louder and more excited, making Loriel increasingly more annoyed.


    Finally, his patience ran out.


    The man put down his book on the table and looked out the window to his left.


    Ah ... it hadn''t rained in a long time, he thought as he saw how sunny it was outside.


    He glanced at the two women who were still engrossed in gossiping about the various celebrities and rich people they read on the internet and giggled every now and then while they were gossiping.


    He focused his attention back on the book in his right hand, then he counted internally.


    10, 9, 8, 7 ..... 3, 2,1.


    Not long after, there was a sound of blaring thunder and suddenly rain fell so hard.


    The sound of rain falling to the earth and the water droplets as they hit the glass windows beside him was quite loud, and it quickly overtook the voices of the two women who were chatting earlier.


    They both tried to keep talking but they could barely hear themselves, because of the sound of the rain falling so violently from outside the window.


    Feeling bad if they had to scream while chatting, the two women finally gave up and decided to stop talking and focused their attention on the food and drinks that were in front of them.


    The two women then ate and did not speak anymore.


    The handsome man sighed with satisfaction and appeared to be reading his book again as if nothing had happened.


    Loriel really liked the sound of the rain, but he understood enough not to bring down rain whenever he felt like it.


    However, today was an exception.


    It had not rained in New York for a long while, so he could justify what he did today.


    "Sir, this is a new pot of tea for you." Suddenly, a waiter came with a tray and smiled at him sweetly. "The tea in your teapot must be cold by now."


    Loriel took his book down when the waiter offered to replace his now-cold tea.


    "Thank you," said Loriel in a flat voice.


    "You''re welcome, Sir," said the waiter cheerfully, and then she went back inside, leaving this regular customer with his book, much to his delight.


    This was one of the busiest cafes in Midtown and he loved coming here. Their impeccable service was one of the reasons.


    Since two years ago, he would always sit here to enjoy his tea and a slice of cake, without missing a day, watching the people come and go.


    It was good to relieve his boredom, because, contrary to what those fools thought, living forever was not really fun.


    It was extremely lonely.


    That was also the reason why he chose to move to New York, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. He liked being surrounded by people, but he hated their noise.


    Well, he couldn''t have it all, could he?


    After living for over 15 centuries, he knew better than to complain.


    That was life. You win some, you lose some.


    Loriel looked outside the window again and forgot about his book. He rested his chin on his hand and watched the rain falling.


    He remembered how much she loved the rain and said they smelled really nice.


    "They have a name for it now," he whispered. "It is called petrichor, honey."

 Chapter 1040 - The Interview (2)

    When he heard Rose''s calm reply, Rune''s admiration for the girl grew even more. She managed to still say nice things about Leon to the reporters, despite what happened.


    Rose was a true lady, he said to himself.


    Rune could see that even though their relationship didn''t work and Rose''s heart was broken badly by the man she once loved, she was not petty and vengeful about Leon.


    She sat there gracefully and talked about Leon from a perspective of a good friend.


    She still protected the man and didn''t air his dirty laundry just to get even.


    Rose didn''t even act passive-aggressive or make herself look like the victim, in the hope that Leon would read those articles and realized how much he had hurt her.


    No. Rose was calm and unfazed. Her smile never left her beautiful face.


    This gesture didn''t escape the reporters'' attention. They took notes of what she told them and acted super polite when they asked their questions.


    Rune felt so lucky. If only Leon was not dumb enough to toss away such a precious gem like Rose, Rune would never meet her and fall in love with this amazing woman.


    He actually thought Leon could have got everything if he was a bit bolder. When his real father, the king, and Duke Fournier demanded him to take their offer and become Duke Fournier''s illegitimate son, so the king could make him his heir, Leon could have said no.


    The king and queen would have no choice but to relent since there was really no other male heir that could take the role.


    Leon actually had the bargaining power, if he had more confidence in himself.


    He could demand to be acknowledged by his real father. And he wouldn''t have to become Rose''s brother.


    That way, they could still be together.


    However, Leon didn''t do that. He didn''t have the confidence to take what was rightfully his, and accepted that bad deal, with the consequences of losing Rose.


    He thought he really had to choose and, in the end, he chose the bad deal for himself and hurt Rose in the process.


    If Rune was in the same position, he would obviously make different choices. He was smarter than Leon and had more self-worth.


    The thing was, that''s how Leon and Rune were different. Rune probably would never understand how poverty and being conditioned to live as someone who was deemed not good enough all his life really damaged Leon''s self-esteem.


    That''s why he did what he did, all to get the acknowledgment he had been craving for all his life.


    But, whatever, Rune didn''t care. It''s Leon''s loss, and his gain.


    "Thank you for your clarification, Your Grace," said another reporter. She continued with her own questions. "How do you feel about Princess Anne? When is the first time you met her and do you have a good relationship with her?"


    Rune knew from Rose that she had never met Anne before their encounter in Old Town last week. And that first encounter didn''t go well and even left a bad taste on them respectively.


    After Leon ended their relationship, Rose was not involved in Leon''s life. She immediately left Medion and focused on her life abroad. Rose stayed in Paris for a while before she moved to New York.


    And it looked like, Leon didn''t want Rose to meet Anne too, before their engagement was finalized. That''s why Rose only met the princess once Anne already came to Medion to get married.


    However, still with a nice smile on her face, Rose explained sweetly that she would have loved to meet Anne sooner, but they were just too busy and couldn''t find time to meet and get to know each other better.


    "Princess Anne is a wonderful woman," Rose added. "We met several times when she already came to Bacilia. I can tell that she will make my brother really happy."


    "Do you think she likes you?" the reporter asked again.


    "Of course she likes me. Princess Anne has a beautiful soul, so she likes everyone... hahaha," Rose replied in a joking manner. "Kidding aside, I think we need to spend more time together so we can build a better relationship. However, I believe, over time she and I will become good friends."


    "Have you and Her Highness Princess Anne ever talked about the rumor surrounding your relationship with Prince Leon?" Another journalist asked a question.


    "Which rumor? We have quite a lot of them," said Rose, looking sincerely confused. "I don''t want to assume."


    "Ahem.. what I meant was the rumor that you and her fiance,  Prince Leon, used to be lovers." The journalist cleared her throat and handed Rose her tablet. "We actually have an exclusive picture of you and Prince Leon."


    "What picture?" Rose asked, this time she looked genuinely confused. The other reporters tried to take a look at the picture on the tablet, but the journalist quickly covered it with her hand and only let Rose see it.


    When she saw what was on the tablet screen, suddenly, Rose''s face turned pale.


    Rune could take a quick glance as he was sitting beside Rose. He immediately understood why Rose looked distraught.


    The picture that the journalist was showing Rose was a picture of her and Leon kissing, taken by a hidden camera.


    They seemed to be sitting together on Rose''s favorite hill and the picture was taken using telelens from somewhere quite far.


    They were either paparazzi or a private investigator.


    Rune''s blood immediately boiled when he realized someone was really eager to destroy Rose''s reputation and took the effort to hire someone to stalk on her and Leon and took their pictures.


    With this concrete evidence, no matter what Rose said, it would be of no use. People would think she was lying. Her reputation and Leon would be tarnished forever.


    He took a deep breath and his c.h.e.s.t was filled with sympathy for Rose. Now, he was determined to find out who was responsible for it and punish them.


    After what happened these days, he thought he could narrow down the suspects. Probably people related to Lisa Bisset and/or Sarah Miller.


    Those sore losers.

 Chapter 1041 - Like Father Like Son

    "What do you want?" Rose returned the tablet to the owner and asked her with a flat expression. She no longer smiled sweetly like before.


    Gosh... luckily she invited those reporters to talk, so she wouldn''t have to face such a big shock if they decided to publish the picture without her knowledge.


    Now that they actually showed it to her, Rose had a feeling that they wanted something from her in exchange for the picture being destroyed.


    "We need an exclusive," said the journalist with a smile. "I hope Your Grace can grant us an exclusive interview after the wedding?"


    "I have nothing else to add after the wedding," Rose replied. "I don''t know what can I offer once my brother gets married."


    "Well.. we cannot touch the royal family, but I think the public would like to get up close and personal with you since you grow up with our future king." The journalist kept her tablet in the bag, to avoid other journalists taking a peek into it.


    Rune and Rose knew, the reporter just wanted to get more materials for their article. This picture was used to blackmail Rose into agreeing to an interview.


    They didn''t feel enough with the intimate press conference that Rose was holding now.


    ''Ungrateful jerk,'' Rune complained inwardly. He raised his hand and asked the journalist something.


    "I''m sorry, what media are you from?"


    "I am a journalist for Bacilia Gazette," said the journalist cheerfully.


    "Ah, okay. Thank you," Rune nodded. He took out his phone and texted something.


    "Please leave your card with my lawyer," said Rose finally. "We will get in touch."


    She hated being blackmailed into talking but she couldn''t let the picture see the light of day. For now, she decided to buy time. Once she knew what to do, she would handle this issue.


    "Ah.. thank you so much, Your Grace," the reporter smiled broadly and gave her business card to the Fournier''s family attorney.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in Berlin, Caspar Schneider furrowed his brows and tapped his slender fingers on his phone screen. His wife, who noticed his unusual expression, touched his arm and asked him what was going on.


    "Hmm... I just got a text message from Rune. It''s quite weird and makes me think our son is kidnapped or something, and the kidnapper is sending me this SMS from his phone," Caspar replied.


    "What? Kidnapped? Are you serious?" Finland was obviously distraught when she heard him. "What happened?"


    "No, no.. I''m joking." Caspar laughed and quickly added, "Rune sent me a text message, asking me to send word to Jan to buy a magazine in Medion. It''s called Bacilia Gazette. He said he didn''t want to ask Jan directly since Jan wouldn''t take him seriously, and think he is joking with this request."


    "Hahaha.. that makes sense. Why would he ask you to buy a company? It doesn''t sound like him," Finland replied. "The kid is up to something."


    "Yeah.. I agree. This might have something to do with the girl he is seeing,"  Caspar responded. "What''s her name again? Do you remember? Aleksis told us her name the other day."


    "Rose?"


    "Ah.. yeah, that''s her." Caspar nodded with a bright face. He remembered searching for a little bit of information about Rose after he found out about Rune''s mission to get a wife by going to Medion.


    Caspar liked what he found out about Rose so far, and so did his wife.


    "Doesn''t he know that Jan is invited to the royal wedding? He can just tell Jan directly when they meet in Bacilia," Finland shook her head. "Give me your phone. Let me talk to him."


    Caspar gave Finland his phone. The woman took it and read the text sent by her youngest son. A sweet smile slowly curved up on her face. She turned to look at her husband.


    "He is your son after all," she said with a chuckle. "I remember you buying this company or that company decades ago to teach some people lessons."


    "I did, didn''t I?" Caspar laughed when he heard his wife''s words.


    Ahhh.. that''s right. He did do such a thing when he was trying to woo his wife.


    This would be really interesting to see.


    [Sure. We can buy the magazine. Just tell Jan about it yourself. He is actually in Bacilia now. He will be attending the royal wedding tomorrow. You can call him and arrange a meeting.]


    Finland sent the SMS reply to her son.


    That''s right. When Caspar told Jan the other day about wanting to take some break so he could focus on spending time with his wife, to celebrate their pregnancy, Jan told them about a special invitation from the Medion and Moravian royal families.


    It looked like, they were using this opportunity to invite many prominent families in the world and big business owners, so they would be interested in investing their money or open businesses in Medion.


    The Schneider Group was one of the conglomerate groups that were sought after by the royal family to open their business in the country. They had so many lines of business, especially in tourism.


    Medion was determined to improve its tourism industry and made it an international destination for upper-class Europeans. By inviting the representatives from the Schneider Group, the royal family hoped they could open discussion for such cooperation in the future.


    Now, Caspar regretted asking Jan to come and represent his family. It would have been fun if he showed up and surprise his son... hehehe.


    Oh well...


    Rune''s eyes went round when he opened his phone and read the reply from his mother.


    ''What?? The royal family invited representatives from the Schenider family?'' His brows twitched.


    Was that why Sarah Marshall intentionally fed the journalist with ''false information'' that Rose Fournier was dating a man from the Schneider family?


    Because she knew the family would actually come to attend the royal wedding?


    Ha. She might be laughing out loud after the article was published, thinking Rose and Rune would be humiliated when the ''real'' Schneider family came.


    Gosh.. Jokes on you, Sarah, Rune said inwardly.


    This new development amused him so much, that he started grinning uncontrollably.

 Chapter 1042 - Looking Like A Million Dollar

    "Why are you grinning?" Rose whispered to Rune when she saw his expression. "Is there something funny?"


    Rune nodded. "Yes."


    "Care to share?" Rose asked him.


    "Uhm... you will know tomorrow. I don''t want to spoil the surprise," Rune replied with an even wider smile.


    Seeing the man seem so happy about something, Rose couldn''t help but feel happy too. It''s good to see something positive happen for a change.


    All right. She wouldn''t force him. He must have his reason why he didn''t want to share this funny thing with her right away.


    After seeing the shocking picture, Rose was no longer in the mood to continue talking with the journalists. She politely asked them to leave and her lawyer made sure they all had signed the legal agreement and ushered them to the door.


    Now, there were only the two of them in the living room. Rose nudged Rune''s arm and tilted her chin toward the dining room. "Do you want to have dinner? I think my parents are already there, waiting for us."


    "Yes, sure," Rune replied. He took her hand and walked together to the dining room. There, they saw the Fourniers were sitting on the dining chairs, waiting for them.


    "How did it go?" Duchess Fournier asked Rose. She looked really tired. Maybe the whole situation finally took its toll on her.


    After two years of suffering humiliation from her husband''s sudden statement that he cheated on her with their maid and it resulted in a bastard, today she also had to see her daughter suffer the same humiliation because the press mercilessly wrote about how she was a homewrecker who dated her own half-brother.


    Words could hurt so much more than actions. She was so tired of dealing with everything that happened to her family.


    And to add insult to injury, she also had to attend the royal wedding tomorrow with her whole family and pretended that they were okay.


    The duchess felt like going abroad after the royal wedding and lived in exile, where no other socialites knew her and the scandal that involved their family.


    She would take Rose with her. Let her husband deal with everything in Medion. He brought it upon himself and this family when he accepted the king''s plea.


    King Henry Camille was a coward who couldn''t even own up to his past sins and acknowledge his biological son.


    Duchess Fournier resented the king so much. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do. He was their king, and she was only his subject.


    "It went well," Rose replied. She decided to lie to her mother because she saw how tired the duchess was and how much she had suffered for the past two years.


    The last thing Duchess Fournier needed to hear was the fact that some random magazine had a picture as evidence that Rose and Leon were in a relationship in the past.


    This would really break her. Rose didn''t have the heart to tell her mother about this. She would try to handle it herself first before she came to her parents.


    "Ah, okay. That''s good." the duchess breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to her husband and said, "I think we should go on a holiday after the royal wedding. What do you think?"


    The duke nodded. "Yes, love. I agree with you."


    He too wished things would end quickly. He couldn''t wait to take Rose out of the country to calm their minds. He would just need to reveal his identity tomorrow.


    He believed that should be enough to counter all the negative press about Rose.


    Because... who would think Rose was a homewrecker who wanted to stand between her half-brother and his wife if she had someone from the Schneider family for a boyfriend?


    The thought made him feel calm.


    All right. He had to end things tomorrow.


    ***


    "Your Grace, your guests are here." The butler announced the news to Rose in the morning right after the family finished breakfast.


    Rune already told Terry that the Fourniers usually finished breakfast at 8:30, so he and JM were advised to come right after. Terry did well and they reached the mansion at 8:30, right on the dot.


    "Bring them to the lounge, we will meet them soon," Rose said to the butler. She turned to Rune and said, "What great timing. How lovely!"


    "Yeah. They are very busy people and have good time management," Rune replied.


    It was true. Terry was a very busy businessman before he took his current identity and was used to dealing with tight schedules.


    JM was no different. As a very famous supermodel with so many jobs booked, she needed to plan well so she could meet all her work obligations. So, it was no wonder that the two could arrive at perfect timing.


    Rose took her parents to meet Terry and JM in the lounge and introduced them as Rune''s relatives. She already told them about Pierre and JM and explained how she had invited the two to come with them to the royal wedding.


    Duchess and Duke Fournier didn''t mind. They were looking forward to meeting Rune''s relatives. After they ended the breakfast, all four of them went to see Terry and JM in the lounge.


    "Hello, good morning," the duchess greeted them when they entered. Terry and JM immediately rose from their seats and bowed their heads a little, to show their respect.


    The Fourniers had a good impression immediately. Terry looked his best with his expensive tuxedo and who didn''t know JM?


    The girl''s beauty had graced so many magazine covers in the past ten years, since she was 16. The duchess was so surprised to know that JM was related to this poor man who was dating her daughter.


    When she heard the name Jean-Marie Wang, she didn''t know that it was actually JM, the famous supermodel, since JM almost never use her real name.


    Rune now suddenly didn''t look so shabby anymore in her eyes. Being related to JM was a marvelous thing.


    Today, JM was wearing a beautiful limited edition dress from the world''s most famous designer, Gianni Ballerini. She looked like a million dollars.


    Well.. it was actually a literal statement. The dress she was wearing was not just a dress. It was a work of art.


    Duchess Fournier knew the designer only made two of this dress and she wondered how JM could get her hands on it.  Even she couldn''t get the chance to buy it.


    The dress would surely attract everyone''s attention. It was made of blue silk with hand-painted motifs. There were many beautiful crystals sewn around the long V neckline, giving the very beautiful and simple design a touch of elegance that was very, very subtle.


    The crystals were placed expertly not to look stand out and distract people from the wearer''s beautiful face, but they glittered slightly when the dress was under the light. Just to give the impression of being a sparkling goddess, without screaming for attention.


    "Oh, my... I love your dress," the duchess praised JM''s dress. "Isn''t it Ballerini''s legendary design?"


    "Why, yes. You know it?" JM was happy to hear the compliment. "I love this dress too."


    "Oh.. Rumor has it he only produced two of this dress. I heard one went to his museum, and the other one was bought by a secret client," Duchess Fournier continued. She clicked her tongue in admiration, as she came closer and checked the dress better with her eyes.


    Yes, she was not wrong. This was the dress that she read in the fashion magazine. She believed all people who had an interest in fashion would know this piece of art.


    So, how did JM end up wearing this magnificent dress?


    "Ah, that''s right," JM replied with a beaming face. "My boyfriend bought it for me. I love him so much!"


    Rune hid his smile when he saw the duchess'' reaction. She must not expect that JM had a boyfriend who could afford to buy her such an expensive dress, which even she, a duchess, couldn''t get.


    Duchess Fournier must have thought that as a model, JM must be dating someone wealthy... but surely not THAT wealthy.


    Now, she must be wondering who was this mysterious boyfriend of JM''s who purchased a dress that cost almost a million dollars?

 Chapter 1043 - The Wedding Day (1)

    "JM''s boyfriend is Rune''s nephew, mother," Rose said suddenly. She remembered their conversation about Rune''s weird family dynamic. "His older sister has a.d.u.l.t children and the son is in a relationship with JM."


    The duchess was baffled when she heard this. She turned to Rune and assessed the man. It was hard to believe that Rune had an a.d.u.l.t nephew because he actually didn''t look older than JM. Both seemed to be in their mid-twenties.


    "Ahem.. yes, Rose is correct." Rune gave JM a subtle side-eye. He didn''t think there was a need for that girl to gush about her boyfriend because it would just attract further interest from other people, in this case, Duchess Fournier.


    "I told you before that my brother-in-law has a good relationship with the Schneider family. He is quite successful and my nephew inherits a lot of money from his father," he explained. "Since he loves JM very much, he often spoils her with nice things."


    "Ahh.. how nice!" Duchess Fournier pressed her lips in admiration. Again. Rune''s image had apparently gone up by a few notches in her eyes for having a wealthy relative.


    Rune pretended to look at his watch and reminded them that it was time to go. "It''s almost 8. Doesn''t the ceremony start at 9?"


    "Ah, you are right," Duchess Fournier nodded. Her attention shifted from the Ballerini dress to her husband. "We should go now."


    They forgot about the dress and the fact that Rune apparently had a multibillionaire nephew and got ready to go. They used two luxury cars to go to the Baciilia Central Church where the wedding ceremony would take place.


    Then they would all go to the royal palace and attended the reception there. The bride and groom would ride on a golden carriage all the way from the church to the palace so the people could see them and cheer for them.


    It would be broadcasted to the whole country. Even many media from other countries were invited to attend and publish or broadcast the event. Medion was working hard to attract more businesses and tourists.


    So, the media attention was very much welcomed there. All the esteemed guests could see themselves under the spotlight as soon as the cars they rode stopped in front of the church''s main entrance and they got out of the car.


    Fortunately, the royal security protocol was very tight and those journalists were also quite respectful, so the attendees could feel comfortable enough getting out of their cars and walked into the church''s entrance.


    "You can go inside," Rose told JM, Rune, and Terry after they got off the car. "My parents and I have to wait for the bride and groom. We will enter together with them."


    In the eyes of the world, the Fournier was Leon''s immediate family. So, they were required to come together with him and walked behind the king and queen.


    Princess Anne would be walking with her parents on each side and then they would take their place inside the church.


    "Please follow me, Sir and Madame," a very efficient official came and bowed down a little to Rose''s guests and made a sign for them to follow her.


    Rune actually didn''t want to leave Rose but he realized that he was a nobody in this kingdom and as part of the royal family, it was part of Rose''s duty to do her role. He could only squeeze her hand gently and smiled to show his support.


    "I''ll see you very soon," he whispered.


    Rose smiled back and waited until the three people disappeared behind the church doors. She and her parents immediately turned their attention to the gate as a black Rolls Royce entered and then stopped.


    Leon got out of the car gracefully wearing his regal outfit, which showed his status as the crown prince. For a moment, Rose was stunned to see the man she used to love looked so dashing and royal-like on the day of his wedding.


    Never in a million years, she thought Leon would look like this on his wedding day. When they were younger, Rose thought she would marry down since Leon was a commoner, and so she expected them to have a very simple wedding since her parents wouldn''t approve of their relationship.


    She even thought they would elope somewhere and had a quick and simple wedding just to make it official before they could live as husband and wife.


    However, who would have thought that fate was playing jokes on her.


    On his wedding day, Leon looked like a prince and she was not his bride. He actually married a real-life princess and their wedding was the talk of the country, even the whole of Europe since the union was also a way for the two countries to merge and became one.  It was quite big of a deal.


    "Father," Leone greeted Duke Fournier and formally called him his father. The duke nodded and smiled while his wife couldn''t even force a fake smile. Leon greeted her too. "Lady Fournier."


    The duchess didn''t say anything. Even though soon Leon would be the king of this country and she also regretted how she treated Leon in the past for dating her daughter, Duchess Fournier couldn''t bring herself to pretend that she didn''t blame Leon for all the negative spotlights that Rose was facing.


    Rose forced a smile and bowed down her head a little when she was faced to face with Leon. "You look healthy, Your Grace."


    "Thank you, Rose." Leon swallowed hard, and then looked away. He couldn''t bear to see the woman he used to dream of marrying now had to stand by his side as a family when he married another woman.


    None of them said anything. The royal musician suddenly blew the trumpet and announced the arrival of the monarchs, followed by the bride and her family.


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    I have finally published the new book, which is inspired by Lauriel Medici. The title is "The Cursed King". You can find it by cl.i.c.k.i.n.g my profile and see it among my "Original Works".


    Please add it to your library and vote your power stones to it.


    In the new book, you will notice so many crossovers with "The Alchemists" and it will be the direct sequel to "The Cursed Prince".


    It will be exciting because I can FINALLY combine all my books and make the red thread to connect them all together.


    If you read "The Alchemists" (and "The Prince Who Cannot fall In Love") together with "Finding Stardust", you will notice that they share the same universe, even though in FS, the story later moves to another planet.


    Well, it was hard to make a crossover with "The Cursed Prince" as it is set in an entirely different timeline, but now with "The Cursed King", I can make it happen!


    I will try to end this volume with Rune and Rose''s story as soon as possible before I switch my focus to "The Cursed King".


    I will change the Privilege Tier prices and make them 1 coin again with a 50%, so you don''t have to pay much coin to read "The Alchemists" in May if this book is still not ending by then.


    If you really like "The Alchemists" and wish to see my book(s) turned into movies or TV shows... Please support me in Spirity Award 2021 and let''s win the competition together.


    I couldn''t do it without you.

 Chapter 1044 - The Wedding Day (2)

    Rose''s heart ached when she saw Leon smile so widely at the sight of his bride. He walked toward Princess Anne and kissed her hand. They both turned around for the cameras and smiled at the journalists and the people who were flocking the gate.


    Leon seemed to whisper something to Princess Anne and her face looked beaming. Maybe he was whispering ''I love you''? Rose was wondering.


    Gosh, Rose, stop it! She scolded herself. Leon was in the past. She couldn''t possibly let herself stuck in the past now that the man had chosen to move on from her.


    It was over.


    Besides.. she had Rune now. The man was so good to her. Right now, Rose only needed to heal her broken heart and make it whole again, before she could accept a new love.


    But deep inside she knew, if she would ever love again... it would probably be him.


    Rune was the most pleasant and easy-going person she had ever met. Being around him always made her feel relaxed and happy.


    If she didn''t know personally that he came from a super-wealthy family, Rose might never suspect the man had a lot of money. He was so humble and down to earth.


    Her mind went to the man. Rune was already inside the church and soon she could see him.


    "Let''s go in," her mother whispered.


    The king and queen had walked gracefully toward the church''s magnificent entrance and so they had to follow behind them. King and Queen of Moravia walked together with Leon and Anne behind them, followed by Duke and Duchess Fournier with Rose.


    King Henry Camille and his wife went to the front row seat on the left pew, while Anne''s parents went to the front row seat on the right pew, which was assigned for the bride''s family.


    Duke and Duchess Fournier sat next to the monarchs, while Rose immediately snuck into the second row where Rune, JM, and Terry were sitting. Since they were part of the "groom''s family and friends" they were given such prestigious seats.


    Terry was super happy because he could witness the royal wedding from the best position. He was grateful that Rune was involved with a girl from such a level, so they could get the benefit.


    When the bride and groom walked together, holding hands, down the aisle, the music played and the atmosphere in the church became very solemn.


    This was it.


    The wedding ceremony finally began.


    Everything felt blurry for Rose. She didn''t remember much of it as her mind was wandering and it felt like he brain wanted to block the memory from being recorded.


    All through the beautiful ceremony, and when the bride and groom uttered their wedding vows, Rune held her hand and squeezed it softly, as if letting her know that she was not alone.


    He also couldn''t care less about the important ceremony, unlike Terry who took a lot of notes for his movie. Rune just wanted the event to end as soon as possible.


    Two hours later, on top of the golden carriage, the new husband and wife, the future monarchs of Medion and Moravia were seen waving at the thousands of people crowding the streets on the way to the royal palace.


    The people cheered and threw flower petals at the couple to show their love and support. Leon was very popular among the public because they considered him the people''s prince.


    The court publicist did a great job of elevating his image for being a commoner for almost his whole life, just like most of them. That''s why the people felt a connection with the future king.


    His activities and hard work to bring in many new businesses and opened more opportunities for Medion made him even more popular and liked. This wedding was the culmination of all his achievements.


    Once he officially married the princess from Moravia, the people could see the realization of the plan to merge the two countries.  Medion would no longer be such a small country.


    This alone was enough to make everyone in the country feel so excited.


    "Let''s go home," Duchess Fournier said to Rose after the carriage left.


    Their cars had arrived to bring them back to the mansion. They would rest for a few hours before going to the royal palace to attend the royal reception.


    All the government officials, ambassadors, representatives from neighboring countries, and family and friends of both extended families would attend the extravagant event.


    "Are you okay?" Rune asked Rose when he opened the door for her.


    Rose shrugged and smiled. "Why wouldn''t I be okay?"


    "Because you are a human with feelings?" Rune asked back. He said those words with a playful tone and Rose only smiled when she heard him.


    She sat in the back seat and once he entered to sit beside her, she held his hand and patted it with her other hand. Then, she said, "Thank you for being here. I really appreciate it."


    "It''s my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Rose," Rune smiled broadly.


    "Just one more day, and then we can go home," Rose said. She was referring to their loft apartment in New York.


    Her words made Rune feel very happy. It meant that, to Rose, her home was no longer Bacilia, but... New York.... with him?


    "We are close to my family home, by the way. I can take you to Germany to get a change of scenery," he said. "What do you think? I promise it will be nice."


    Before Rose could answer, Terry and JM entered the car and sat across from them. The conversation between Rose and Rune paused.  They didn''t want the guests to hear what they were talking about.


    "It''s such a beautiful wedding..." Terry gushed. "The couple look so perfect for each other. They seem so in love!"


    Gosh..! Rose was trying to block everything that was happening in that church from her mind, but here, Terry and his big mouth was excitedly discussing it.


    .


    .


    >>>>>


    From the author:


    Hahaha.. I can imagine Rune''s frustration. Terry and his big mouth... tsk.


    By the way, this book is getting slower in publishing because I am super busy with work the past two weeks. I''m very sorry, it seems my plan to end this volume in April, is not gonna work.


    So, therefore, I will change the price of Privilege again starting May 1 and make it only 1 coin for all 7 chapters. I will also give a 99% discount to unlock the privilege chapters.


    That means, you almost won''t need to spend coins on this book while I publish the remaining chapters to end it. Probably, around 20 more chapters max.


    Also, since many people seem to want the book to continue after Rune and Rose''s story ends, I will keep the book open (and not mark it completed) since I might add a new volume in the FUTURE, after I have more free time. The next volume will be about Aldebar.


    I hope, by that time, I would have been popular enough to draw a new audience to read this book, so they could enjoy the stories about The Schneider - Medici - Linden families, together with you.


    That''s actually the main reason why I joined Spirity Award (WSA) 2021, to get the attention for THIS book.


    For the competition, I am writing a story called "The Cursed King". It will be a direct sequel to "The Cursed Prince" to draw readers in, but the story is actually very much like "The Alchemists".


    In fact, it''s inspired by Lauriel Medici. Now, let''s hope the new book will become popular and new readers would want to read the story that inspires it. "The Alchemists".


    Btw, have you added the book to your library?


    This is the second chapter to give you a glimpse of how the story will be like. I hope you''d like it.


    PS: this long note is written AFTER I published this chapter, so you don''t pay extra coins for it.


    .


    .


    CHAPTER 2 - WHATEVER


    .


    Gosh.. he missed her so very badly.


    How long had it been?


    A little bit over 1500 years. He just needed to wait another 55 years, until the year 2100 came.


    If you had waited for over 15 centuries.. surely five decades didn''t feel that long, did it?


    But why did he feel his c.h.e.s.t so heavy every time he thought about that fifty-five long years? He was like a long-distance runner who had exhausted all his energy on the first 100 miles and now was struggling to reach the finish line.


    He wished he could end his life right now.


    Oh.. if only she went to the afterlife, it was easier to find her there. Unfortunately, she went to the future. And now, all he could do was wait until the day he could see her again. He missed hugging her, kissing her, and loving her.


    Gosh.. he missed her scent and her smile, and the way she shyly talked with her low voice.


    His mind wandered to the moment she first came to his palace. She curtseyed and greeted him with her melodious voice, that he only appreciated after she was gone.


    "Your Majesty..."


    He growled in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e when she called him ''Your Majesty.''


    He said, "Call me by my name."


    She looked surprised by his order, but she was a princess after all. She could immediately control her expression and did as he said. "Loriel."


    He growled again. "That is NOT my name."


    Now, she was in a panic and Loriel almost felt sorry for her. This woman was betrothed to him since they were not even born. That''s right. It was part of the silly vows made by their mothers who were best friends for life


    They were so close that they regretted the fact that they were not sisters. So, to secure the familial relationship, they promised if they had one son and one daughter, the two would be betrothed to be married.


    She was born six years after him and both were made aware of the engagement as soon as possible. From the looks of it, she accepted the agreement between their mothers with an open heart.


    However, Loriel''s heart belonged to someone else. He hated this woman for trying to claim her right to be his wife.


    "I-I''m sorry, Your Majesty..." She was almost crying, but she kept her head high and looked at him with a sincere expression. "I didn''t know your other name."


    Seeing her eyes gleaming with tears but she kept trying to look tough, Loriel''s heart softened. He was not an evil man, after all.


    He waved his hand impatiently and told her to just call him whatever she liked.


    "Forget it. You can just call me whatever. Not that it matters," he said.


    She lowered her head. Seemed to be deep in thoughts. This gesture made Loriel feel interested. Now, he was wondering what was going on in that beautiful head.


    Yeah.. he would be an idiot if he didn''t know she was beautiful. She had this soft creamy hair, falling down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her petite face was blessed with two perfect diamond-like eyes and flawless brows. Her nose was small and tall.


    She looked like a perfectly drawn painting of a goddess. Her red lips moistened as she subconsciously licked them when she was nervous. And when she was thinking, her face looked so serious in an adorable way.


    "What are  you thinking?" Loriel asked her impatiently. He just had to know what she was thinking.


    She was startled when she heard him. She looked up to him with batted eyes.


    Her reaction made Lauriel question his own voice. Did he talk too loudly that she was startled? Or was she that scared of him? She reminded him of a little mouse who was cornered and scared to death.


    Was he that scary to her?


    "Wh-what I was thinking?" she asked him back.


    "Don''t you have ears?" Loriel knew this question was unnecessary and rude, but he disliked her for being scared of him. Oh.. how different she was from her, the woman he loved with all his heart.


    She was fearless, witty, cunning, and was just... amazing. While this woman before him was the typical damsel in distress who was weak and must definitely need saving from dragons or something.


    He had enough chasing away dragons and monsters. Now, he just wanted to live a peaceful life.


    "I do have ears, Your Majesty¡ªLo.. Loriel." She licked her lips again as she was getting more and more nervous.


    Dammit. He didn''t love her and he hated their betrothal, but he was a normal man after all. She had that ridiculous womanly charm in her, and the way she unintentionally licked her lips when she was nervous slowly drove him crazy.


    Crazy with l.u.s.t.


    "So?" By now, Loriel had accepted the fact that she would probably call him ''Loriel'' for the rest of their lives.


    "You told me to call you ''Whatever''..." she finally replied with a shy expression. "I don''t think it''s a good name."


    Her answer left Loriel speechless.

 Chapter 1045 - The Wedding Day (3)

    "It was really nice, indeed," JM replied to her brother''s remark. "It''s truly the wedding of the decade."


    "Are you thinking of getting married soon?" Terry looked at his sister with narrowed eyes. "Has Altair proposed to you?"


    At that question, JM only smiled sheepishly. She didn''t reply. Her attitude made Terry purse his lips. He was wondering if that was really the case.


    Did Altair propose to his sister? But.. but.. they were only 26. Why would they want to get married so early?


    Terry was now almost 50 but even he didn''t have a steady girlfriend, let alone thinking about getting married.


    He could understand Rune was trying to approach Rose and he might already fall in love with her. But Rune was a m.a.t.u.r.e man. He was currently in his forties. Altair was only 26.


    What would a 26-year-old man do as a husband and maybe father?


    Too young....


    Definitely too young.


    Terry narrowed his eyes and grabbed JM''s hands. He asked her urgently. "Tell me, did he really propose to you? Aren''t you both too young to get married?"


    "Uhmm.. not too young," JM shrugged. "His mother got married when she was 20."


    She took a bottle of chilled champagne from the minibar next to her and asked Rose if she could open it. "I am a little parched after the long ceremony. Can we drink this?"


    Rose nodded with a smile. "Of course. Let me open it for you."


    Before she took it from JM''s hand, Rune had taken the bottle and shook his head at Rose. "Let me do it, Rose. I''m a man. Ladies shouldn''t do the hard work."


    "It''s not hard work," said Rose. "It''s nothing."


    "Well.. please at least let me do this simple thing for you," Rune insisted.


    Finally, Rose gave in and nodded. "Fine."


    "Hehehe... Thank you," said Rune with a broad smile. He carefully opened the champagne bottle and asked JM to give him glasses to fill. "Who else wants to drink?"


    Rose raised her hand. After the long ceremony earlier, she also thought she needed a drink.


    Not because she was parched like JM though.


    In fact... she wished they kept a stronger liquor in this car.


    Oh, wait.. no. It''s not good to get drunk in front of strangers on the day of Leon''s wedding, she thought again. People would talk. She couldn''t take the risk.


    Rune poured wine into the glasses handed to him. JM took one glass, then Rose, then Terry, and finally, he poured champagne for himself.


    After he put the bottle on the ice bucket, he quickly drank his champagne, to prevent Terry or JM to toast for the wedding. This champagne was not a celebratory drink for Rose. It meant nothing, just like bottled water.


    Uff.. JM should have taken water, not champagne, Rune complained inwardly. This girl must be so used to drinking in her profession that she automatically took champagne from the minibar.


    "This is good stuff," JM commented. "As expected from the Medion''s royal family."


    "Thank you," Rose said with a smile.


    "Well.. my father is trying his hands on winery lately, so I grow to appreciate more types of wine," JM explained. "We don''t live in Champagne, so our wine will never be called champagne, but I believe, someday our production would be as popular."


    "That sounds amazing," said Rose. "I like going to vineyards. I think it has a unique charm."


    "Well, you are invited to come to our vineyard whenever you want," JM winked at Rune. "Just let my uncle over there know, and he will take you."


    Rune cleared his throat. "Ahem.. I also have never been to your family''s vineyard."


    "Ah, then, it''s the more reason why you both should come and visit,"


    "Wait.. you still haven''t replied to my question if you and Altair want to get married?" Terry interrupted their conversation. "Tell me, is it true?"


    JM shrugged. "Why do you want to know so much?"


    "Because you are too young... Too young," said Terry, slowly looking frustrated.


    "You forgot that Altair''s mother got married when she was twenty. I am now 26, brother," replied JM.


    "Yes, but it was a long time ago. Time has changed," said Terry. "Now is the modern time. Women don''t get married until they are at least forty."


    Rose and JM spouted their drinks when they heard the man. Both ladies exchanged glances and wiped their lips with napkins.


    "Forty?" JM pursed her lips. "We literally just attended a wedding where the bride is twenty, or half the age you said to be the age for a woman to get married."


    Terry stood his ground. He sipped his drink and then replied smugly. "It''s different with the royal family. I think you don''t know this, but to them, v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y is very important to ensure that the child given birth in the marriage is really the rightful heir."


    He turned to Rose with an apologetic look. "I am sorry if my words offended you, Your Grace."


    Rose bit her lip and waved her hand, pretended to be cool about it. "You are not offending me. Don''t worry. That''s the truth."


    JM furrowed her brows. She didn''t understand what Terry was trying to say. "Is that really the reason why the bride is really young? But, I think it''s because the groom is also quite young. I think he is only 25."


    "How could you doubt my word?" Now, Terry was annoyed. "Have I ever lied to you?"


    JM chuckled, "Yes, many times in fact."


    "Well.. okay, fair enough, BUT I don''t lie about the world''s facts, okay? This is just public knowledge. Royal families, everywhere in the world care a lot about the rightful heirs. So, to make sure that the children born to the king are really his, his bride must be a v.i.r.g.i.n who has never had s.e.x with anyone before," Terry explained smugly.


    He added, "In the past, the bride and groom will consummate their marriage under the supervision of the king or some doctors to ensure that they do it properly. Without the consummation, a marriage can be annulled."


    JM was horrified to hear the explanation from her older brother. Her face paled and she pressed her lips in shock.


    She couldn''t imagine doing the deed for the first time under the observation of other people...


    It must be super stressful... right?


    "That is.... horrible," she said before she downed her champagne in one go.

 Chapter 1046 - You Have To Treasure Your Brother

    "Hey.. slow down with your drink, will you?!" said Terry with widened eyes. "Nobody will supervise you and Altair on your wedding night."


    "I know.." JM coughed and almost choked on her drink. "I dare anyone who would try to do it."


    "Nobody will dare. You think too much about it," Rune quickly said. He didn''t want these two fools to keep talking about Leon and his wedding night with Anne.


    He glanced at Rose and noticed the change in her expression. The girl slowly added more drink into her glass and sipped it without saying anything.


    "I don''t think they still do it. This is the modern times after all," Rune added. He opened the car window to get fresh air. "Let''s stop talking about weddings and such. I have enough in one day."


    "But, I really want to know if my sister here is already proposed for marriage by her boyfriend," Terry insisted. "I have the right to know."


    "No, you don''t," said Rune impatiently. "It''s their personal business. We should be happy for them if they do want to get married and tell us the good news, but other than that, we are not entitled to anything."


    Terry knew Rune was right, but still, he was disappointed that JM didn''t want to let him know the truth. JM knew how Terry was a sucker for gossip and he wouldn''t be able to sleep at night before he found out the truth.


    How cruel of JM to torture her beloved brother like this?


    Terry took the bottle of champagne which was now almost empty and poured the remaining champagne into his glass. When JM saw his annoyed expression, the girl chuckled and finally laughed.


    She knew how much bothered he was because of this. She wrapped her hands around his shoulders and smiled broadly. "No, he hasn''t proposed... hehehehe. I just love annoying you."


    Terry gave her a side-eye. "Really?"


    "Really. I promise, you will be the first to know if he did propose to me, my dear brother," said JM sweetly.


    Terry sipped his drink with furrowed brows. Then he turned to JM and asked, "He hasn''t even mentioned marriage to you?"


    JM shook her head. "No, not yet."


    "Is he not serious with you? What is that boy doing? You have been dating for almost ten years now!" Terry complained and shook his head in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.


    He chided, "How dare he to keep you on a string. You are so kind, beautiful, have a great character.. yet, he hasn''t even made his intention clear???? I have to go and talk to him. Isshh...!"


    How confusing.


    Just minutes ago Terry was so against JM and Altair getting married, but now he was disappointed because Altair had not actually proposed to his sister?


    [Can you make up your mind? Which one was it that you want Altair to do? To propose or not to propose?]


    However, apparently Rose found Terry funny. She laughed out loud when she heard the man and nodded affirmatively.


    "You are right. A man should make his intention clear from the beginning. I think, after ten years of being in a relationship, JM deserves to get something from her boyfriend, even though they don''t plan to get married as soon as possible," she said with a smile.


    "Wait.. so, you agree with Pierre?" Rune asked Rose. Now, he was wondering if Leon also made his intention clear from the beginning when he started dating Rose.


    Ahh.. he suddenly remembered his own doing. Rune thought he also made his intentions clear, right?


    He had told Rose that he liked her and was interested to be her real boyfriend, not just the fake one, and he would love for her to come and meet his family.


    In fact, he already did show his family to her. Rose had met his older sister, Aleksis and her family, and now they shared a car with JM and Terry, who are also Rune''s family by extension.


    "Of course, I agree with Pierre," Rose replied. "Pierre is wise and I think it''s obvious that he cares a lot about JM. Ah.. I wish I have a brother who cares about me that much and threatens men who are only toying with my feelings."


    Right at that moment, Rune hiccuped. He would treat Rose well, of course, but it was not nice to think that Rose had a scary older brother that would threaten him...


    "Hmm.. didn''t Leon, uhm, I mean Prince Leon protect you from boys?" JM asked Rose. "I know he was only acknowledged two years ago as your brother, but from what I know, you both grew up together. Didn''t he protect you and take care of you like my brother here did to me?"


    Dammit. Rune was now on the edge of his seat. He didn''t expect JM to innocently ask that question. Didn''t she read the tabloids? There were so many gossips on the tabloid about Rose and Leon''s past relationship.


    "No, sadly, he didn''t," Rose replied softly. Her expression didn''t look offended. "Leon has too many things that he needed to do. I am not in his priority to protect. So... you have to treasure your brother here. He really loves you."


    Rose''s words put a big smile on Terry''s face. He was glad that this princess understood him and saw where he was coming from. His appreciation for Rose became higher and higher.


    Ahh.. hopefully, Rune could really get this girl, he thought to himself.


    Rose would be a nice addition to their family.


    JM turned to her brother and gave him a side-eye. "Fine. I know you love me. Thank you."


    "Uhm.. you didn''t look sincere," Terry complained.


    JM cleared her throat and repeated her words. She forced a smile and held back from rolling her eyes. "I know you love me, and only think of what''s best for me. Please don''t threaten my boyfriend. I promise, he is serious and when the time comes, he will make me his wife and you will be the first to know when he proposes. Okay?"


    "Okay..." Finally, Terry was satisfied.

 Chapter 1047 - I Really Want To Love You

    The small group finally arrived in the Fournier''s residence. Rune was glad that the conversation had changed from Leon and Anne''s wedding into JM and Altair''s wedding in the future.


    Even though Terry still preferred to see his sister get married after she turned 40, he still loved discussing how amazing their wedding in the future would be.


    In his opinion, Altair was the culmination of two of the most powerful and wealthiest families in their clan, in fact, maybe even in the world.


    His father was the wealthiest man currently, and his mother or Rune''s sister was the only daughter of the Schneider family. That fact alone was enough to demand an amazing wedding of the century for JM.


    She deserved no less than that, he thought.


    JM only chuckled and rolled her eyes from time to time. She knew her boyfriend was very wealthy, but she wouldn''t demand such a thing when they did get married. She was not a gold-digger.


    "You can rest for a bit in the guest room," said Rose after they got off the car and walked together to enter her grand residence.


    She added, "We have eight hours before the wedding reception. Unless you prefer to go back to your hotel and come back here in six hours so we can go to the reception together?"


    Terry and JM exchanged glances. The offer to rest in the guest rooms was actually very generous. It saved them time from going back and forth to their hotel.


    "Ahh, that sounds perfect. We can actually chill out here and wait," said Terry, on behalf of his sister.


    "That''s good. Actually, I booked a spa session with the best spa in town," said Rose. "They will come here and do the treatment while we wait for the reception. Do you want to join me and my mother?"


    She directed her question to JM. The supermodel''s face was beaming with excitement. She quickly nodded and replied, "Absolutely. What a perfect way to spend the day."


    "I know, right?" said Rose with a smile. She turned to Rune. "Then, I will take JM with me for a spa treatment. We will start at 11. Do you mind having lunch with my father? My mother, JM, and I will probably something small for lunch during our treatment."


    "Sure," said Rune. He was glad to see Rose seemed to keep herself busy by doing nice things to herself. "I think Pierre and I can spend time together. We haven''t met in a long time before Bacilia and there is so much to catch up on."


    "Sounds perfect. Then, we can all rest. My butler will show Pierre and JM their rooms. You can rest and enjoy yourself. If you need anything, you can come down and find the butler or any maids downstairs."


    "Thank you," said JM with a big smile on her face. She took Terry''s hand to follow the butler who was waiting at the foot of the stairs, ready to show them their rooms.


    Rose and Rune stayed behind a little bit and let the two guests leave them. Once Terry and JM disappeared from sight, both exchanged glances.


    "Thank you for having my family here," said Rune apologetically. "And.. I am sorry if Pierre talked too much today."


    "Ah.. that''s fine. I like Pierre''s honesty. It''s better to be surrounded by people who speak their mind than be with people who treat you well in front of you, but once you turned your back at them, they stab you."


    "Ah.. you are right, but still I apologize for Pierre. He didn''t know about your problem with Leon. He is actually a nice guy and knows how to read the room and is very considerate of other people''s feelings. However, he didn''t know... so he kept talking about Leon and..."


    "Sshh.. can we stop talking about Leon?" Rose put her index finger on Rune''s lips. She smiled faintly and moved her body closer to the man. "I don''t mind Pierre. He didn''t know. Plus, it''s a given that people will talk about the wedding. It''s a royal wedding after all and it attracts a lot of attention."


    "Rose..." he swallowed.


    "Can you stop talking about Leon and Anne?" Ruse looked at him deeply. "I am trying to move on and get over that guy, but here you are... talking about him. What do you want me to do?"


    "Eh...?" Rune was cornered when Rose kept approaching him and now their front bodies touched. "I-I don''t mean to make you sad. I was just apologizing for my brother..."


    Rose looked at the man with a glint in her eyes. Her expression was hard to guess.


    "Okay," said Rose finally. She moved back and left Rune whose heart was pounding from his c.h.e.s.t. "Enjoy your day. See you later for the reception."


    She turned around and walked toward the garden through the side door. Before she opened the door to go out, Rune found his voice.


    "I will not talk about Leon again. I promise. I just don''t want to make you sad," he said with a determined voice.


    Rose''s steps halted. She stood where she was for a few seconds, then turned around. Her face was decorated with a sweet smile.


    "Thank you," she said in a low voice.


    Rune couldn''t hold back himself after he saw such a sweet smile on Rose''s face. He walked to her with long steps and stopped in front of her.


    "And I want to make my intentions clear from the beginning." His voice was filled with determination. "I like you a lot, and I don''t wish to toy with your feelings. I hope we can be together when you are ready. I can wait, no matter how long."


    Rose bit her lip when she heard his words.


    "I really.. really want to love you," she whispered. "You are such a good man... but my heart is broken and I need time to pick up all the little pieces..."


    "It''s okay," Rune said. "I can wait."


    "It might take a long time..." Rose said again.


    "It''s okay.. time is not an issue," said Rune dotingly. "It will never be an issue."

 Chapter 1048 - Spa Treament

    Rose looked at Rune for a good one minute, trying to understand what he was trying to say. Why was he so certain that time would not be an issue? Did he know how long would it take for one person to get over a heartbreak?


    Rose wished she had the man''s confidence. However, she didn''t want to keep him on a string, just like what Pierre said about a relationship earlier.


    That''s why she preferred to be honest. If Rune had made his intentions clear.. then so should she.


    "Thank you for your kind words," she whispered. "I hope it won''t take too long though."


    She touched his cheek and then tilted her face and kiss Rune on the lips.


    The man was in a daze because of the unexpected kiss. Before he could get a hold of himself and returned the kiss, Rose had let go of her lips and walked away.


    "See you later," she said, waving her right hand, without looking back.


    Rune could only stand rooted in his spot, watching the girl leaving until she was out of sight. After Rose was gone from his vision, the man touched his lips. He could still feel her sweet lips there.


    And her scent around him.


    Dammit. He should have been able to control his feelings and return that sweet kiss.


    It was too late now.


    Rune could only scold himself and finally decided to go to his room and calm himself down.


    ***


    As planned, JM came down from her room at 11 am to meet Rose and her mother who was getting ready to be pampered by the spa team.


    When they arrived, the staff was pleasantly surprised to know they would treat not only the crown prince''s sister but also the most famous supermodel in the world today, JM.


    The session started with some photo sessions and the excited therapists all ask JM for an autograph. For people who work in the beauty and wellness industry like them, meeting someone like JM was the highlight of their careers.


    Actually, meeting Rose was amazing too, but they had met her several times already since her mother often booked the spa sessions from their company in the past. So, seeing Rose again was not as exciting as the first time.


    However, it''s different with JM. She didn''t live in Bacilia and there was no way to tell if she would ever visit again. So, the chance to meet her this time felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    After the incidental fans'' meet-and-greet ended, finally, Rose, Duchess Fournier, and JM could enjoy the wonderful spa session that lasted for almost four hours. They got a massage, scrub, flower bath, and several other treatments.


    By the time the ladies were done, the men could see how glowing and happy all their faces were.


    "Thank you so much for the spa session," said JM with a big smile to Rose. "It''s been a while since I experience such a wholesome pampering. It was marvelous!"


    "Well.. I am glad you like it," said Rose. "They also seemed to have a great time."


    "Ah, yeah.. they are nice people."


    It''s true that it was now modern times and men and women could do whatever they wanted without being prejudiced or being labeled. The spa was not only for women, but men could also enjoy it.


    However, with today''s arrangement, it would be awkward if the women did the spa together with the men since they were not couples, and there was no option for Rune to do it together with Terry.


    So, they could only keep their envy to themselves.


    "Are you ready to go?" Rose asked everyone with a sweet smile. "The reception will start in an hour. As part of the royal family, we have to be there early."


    "Yes, we are ready," Rune replied on behalf of the others.


    "Okay, let''s go."


    Just like this morning. They went in two cars. The duke and duchess took one car, and the young people took the second car.


    JM brought another dress to attend the reception, so she didn''t have to wear the Ballerini dress from this morning for the second time.


    This time, she was wearing another legendary dress from Ballerini, that was even more beautiful than the previous one.


    Now, she was convinced that the man must be a billionaire, in fact, he might be even a multi-billionaire. That fact could narrow down the names of her possible boyfriends, something that made the duchess feel really curious.


    It was not really Altair that made Duchess Fournier''s interest piqued, but actually who Rune really was. Since Rose revealed that JM''s boyfriend was Rune''s nephew, the duchess had been wondering who Rune actually was.


    He never showed off about himself or his family. In fact, he was so humble and down to earth and it looked like he was letting people believe that he was poor. Come to think of it, this didn''t make sense.


    He didn''t like money and didn''t seem to need it. It could be two reasons. It was either he was a very simple man who was not interested in money, or he was actually a wealthy man who had a lot of it and didn''t like discussing wealth at all and lived modestly.


    Initially, Duchess Fournier thought it was the first. Rune was simply not interested in material things. But now, she slowly thought that the man might not be that simple after all.


    If his nephew was a multibillionaire, then, there was a chance that Rune was not as poor as he wanted people to think he was.

 Chapter 1049 - I Have Bought The Magazine

    Duchess Fournier decided to ask Rose more about Rune later. Right now, she would keep her curiosity to herself.


    The small group entered the palace ground in less than half-hour. The two stunning ladies immediately attracted a lot of attention from the journalists who were waiting for all the wedding reception attendees.


    Rose hated being under the spotlight, but she kept smiling and treated them kindly because she was a lady who shouldn''t show that she was annoyed by anything,


    Her gracefulness made Rune feel proud walking beside her. JM and Terry walked together with Rose and Rune, while the duke and duchess, went their separate ways, to meet the monarchs. As the ''parents'' of the groom, they would appear together when the reception started.


    The wedding reception was held on a grand scale. All the most important people in the kingdom and the neighboring countries were present, to give their support and blessings to the newly wedded husband and wife.


    All the dukes and duchess, Viscounts and Viscountess, government officials, ambassadors, representatives of big organizations, chamber of commerce, guests from the several kingdoms in Europe, could be seen in the venue.


    The royal family also invited many industry leaders to attend the wedding reception. Prince Leon was very serious about growing the economy in Medion after he ascended the throne which many people predicted would be next year.


    He wanted to open as many opportunities as possible for business owners and industry leaders to invest in Medion. That was why people saw many famous faces in the business world attending the high-profile event.


    It felt like the event for the creme de la creme. JM and Terry recognized many people and they clicked their tongues several times when they realized how prestigious this event was, that they felt lucky to be invited by none other than Rose Fournier herself.


    "Hey, Rose. I didn''t know you dare to show up at the wedding reception," Sarah Miller came with Lissa Bisset when they saw Rose was standing with Rune in a corner of the ballroom, watching the guests come in one by one.


    The sight of two annoying ladies made Rose felt sick to her stomach. However, she faked a sweet smile as always and replied to Sarah''s remark nonchalantly. "Of course I have to come. It''s Leon''s happy day. I have to support him."


    "If I were you, I would know my place and immediately leave the country. Don''t you read how many news outlets write about you and Leon?" Sarah chided Rose. "I can''t believe you have such thick skin to still attend his wedding reception."


    "Geez.. I wonder who fed the news outlet the gossip," Rose spoke sarcastically. "Don''t you think I don''t know what you did, Sarah."


    "Hey.. what did I do?" Sarah shrugged. "I am not the one who was dating her own brother."


    Her narrow face and small eyes looked evil and this made Rune think how a bad character affected someone''s physical appearance for the worse.


    Rose really wanted to hit Sarah at that moment, but she maintained her composure. No matter how angry she was at Sarah, Rose had to hold back. Sarah Miller, Lisa Bisset, and almost everyone attending this reception didn''t know that Rose and Leon were not actually half-siblings.


    So, even if the news broke that they were dating in the past, it shouldn''t have been a problem, since they were not really related by blood unless people wanted to count being a distant relative as one.


    If Rose lashed out here, this secret might be exposed, and she must not be the one who exposed it. Her parents would suffer another embarrassment for lying to the public, and it would also have a bad impact on the monarchs and Leon himself.


    Rose didn''t have the heart to destroy many people just to get the satisfaction of being right. So, she kept her cool and tried to avoid the two ''evil step sisters''.


    "Rune, do you want to join me and get some champagne?" she asked Rune with a smile, acting like Sarah and Lisa were nothing but air.


    "Sure," Rune replied. He took Rose by the hand and walked together with her toward the center of the ballroom, where the royal staff prepared a big table with buckets and buckets of champagne to choose from.


    Sarah looked annoyed because Rose didn''t seem affected by her agitation. She walked by their side and smiled mockingly while saying, "I have a surprise for you, Rose. I am sure you will love it."


    Then she turned around and left the couple. Rose''s steps halted when she heard Sarah''s words. Suddenly all the worst-case scenarios played out in her mind.


    What was it that Sarah was planning this time?


    Finally, Rose couldn''t hold back any longer. She turned around and wanted to chase Sarah to ask her what she planned, but Rune quickly held her hand and calmed her down.


    "Rose... don''t worry about her. Whatever it is that she is planning, it won''t work," he said to her dotingly to calm the woman down. "I will take care of it."


    Rose massaged her temple and let out a frustrated sigh. "But that journalist had my picture with Leon... what if Sarah can get her hands into it? She will definitely use it to her advantage."


    "She won''t, don''t worry," said Rune.


    "How can you be so sure?" Rose asked Rune. "I know Sarah. If she was that confident, it means she has something big with her. Imagine if she decided to spread the pictures... it will be the biggest scandal. I can''t let her get away with it."


    "Really, she won''t get that picture," Rune said patiently. "I have taken care of that. She might get something else, but I promise I will take care of that too."


    "How?" Rose looked at Rune in disbelief.


    Oh, it''s so nice to have this man''s confidence, she thought.


    Rune grinned when he replied to her question. "Because I have bought that magazine. So, now that damn picture is mine."


    Rose pressed her lips in shock when she heard the man.


    Wait.. what? So, Rune bought that magazine to prevent the picture from seeing the light of day?


    It must have cost him a fortune, no?


    Wait.. he was very, very wealthy. So, buying that company was nothing. But still.. when did he do it? They only met the journalist yesterday.


    Rose was very impressed.


    "That is... amazing," she muttered. "Thank you."

 Chapter 1050 - The Alchemists: From The Author

    Rose was very impressed with Rune. Suddenly, all her worries about the picture were gone. It felt so good, to have someone stand up for her and protect her. Leon used to do that... but now he actually became the source of her sufferings.


    Rose felt grateful, having Rune by her side. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it," Rune said with a smile. Even without her asking, he would do it.


    .


    .


    >>>>


    FROM THE AUTHOR:


    Thank you so much for reading this book, this far. We have come a long way, from February 2019, until now, May 2021. It has been a wonderful 27 months for the most part. This is the first book that I write on this platform and for the public after I stopped writing for over 18 years.


    This book means so much to me, and your support in the form of reviews, coins to unlock the book, comments, and feedback, helped me to keep going and writing, even though this book was not popular. Well.. it''s actually STILL NOT POPULAR to this day.


    For every one of you on this platform that happened to find this book and liked it, there are 10k people who didn''t. It shows how unpopular this book is, even though as most of you said it''s a really good book. Sadly, just being good is not enough.


    So, thank you for reading so far. I know I haven''t been able to update regularly lately because, I have explained so many times, my time is limited and I have to prioritize the books or jobs that will bring me money and put food on the table for my kids.


    I have apologized many times, and even changed the privilege into 1 coin and gave a 99% discount for the new chapters as a way to make up for it.


    For those of you who came to and are not used to reading digital novels and serialized like these, I am sure you will always compare it to traditional novels you buy from the book store. You buy it, you read it, and be done with it.


    s are different. The stories are written every day by the authors and readers enjoy it every day too, as part of their daily life, like reading newspapers with your morning coffee.


    FYI, If we compare this book to a traditional book you buy from a bookstore, by the time you have read "The Alchemists" and "The Prince Who Cannot Fall In Love" until the last chapter, it would be the same as reading 40 traditional books, the size of The Great Gatsby.


    That''s what 27 months of writing "The Alchemists" give you.


    I know some of you complain about the amount of coins and time you spend reading this book. Well, that''s 40 books for ya.


    You can get a traditional paperback for $5. Well, this book is 40 times that. I hope you can do the math.


    Q: WHY DON''T YOU FINISH THE ALCHEMISTS BEFORE YOU START WRITING OTHER BOOKS?


    Last year, on average, The Alchemists only made $20-$50 per month. I am an interpreter by profession and I charge my clients $100/hour for phone interpreting and $400 per day for all-day conference/seminar.


    So... imagine earning so little for so much effort... It broke my heart and made me think I shouldn''t be a writer in the first place since people didn''t think my book was good enough to read.


    Do you see how pitiful it was for me to continue writing a book that took 4 hours of my time every day to get so little money?


    Btw, last year, I wasn''t even confident enough with my English that I hired an editor to edit this book and I spent $500 per month just to get the chapters edited.


    If I was a businessman, I would have already quit since the investment surely only brought me losses. The book made $50 per month but lost $500. That''s the dumbest thing someone could ever do. Right?


    However, I am an artist, an idealist, who kept thinking I just need my big break, for people to someday see my work and get recognition. So, I kept writing.


    However, after Covid-19, the pandemic severely depleted my source of income because people don''t do conferences anymore and interpreters couldn''t get work. So, I can no longer afford an editor.


    Because of that, I started editing the book on my own. It ended up being a good decision because I could improve my English and now I can write directly in English.


    Q: WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MANY BOOKS? WHY NOT JUST FOCUS ON ONE?


    I started writing another book because I want to be popular. I want to get my big break. I want to make money from my stories, not to keep losing money. I started writing Finding Stardust and still write The Alchemists together. Sadly, that book also didn''t do well.


    From February to December 2020, I was writing the two books together because I didn''t get a lot of interpreting jobs due to the pandemic. By January 2021, I suddenly got a bestselling book: "The Cursed Prince".


    FINALLY, I got a book that sells. The Cursed Prince''s popularity brings a new audience to my early books and slowly they started to make more. If last year, The Alchemists made around $20-$50 per month, in 2021, it is starting to make $400 per month and more.


    Without "The Cursed Prince" perhaps some of you wouldn''t be here and "The Alchemists" will still make $50 per month.


    I think, in the 27 months of The Alchemists being published, it has earned around $3500 total. So, on average, it made $129 for every month of its existence.


    ($3500 : 27 months = $129)


    For comparison, The Cursed Prince made that $3500 in just one month.


    So, should I continue writing The Alchemists or should I focus on writing the ONLY book that makes me money?


    Who will pay for my kids'' school and food if I chose to focus on The Alchemists?


    Many authors just dropped their books and started new ones when their early books don''t sell. I don''t do that.


    In the 27 months that I am writing on , I have published almost 5.8 million words (in two languages), so it''s around 2.9 million words just for the English books. That''s around 100k words per month or 2.1 copies of "The Great Gatsby" per month. It means I am constantly writing.


    I don''t become lazy and give up just because my books are not popular and didn''t earn. I still write 100k words per month. Honestly, it was made possible because I was stuck at home by the pandemic and couldn''t do my regular interpreting jobs.


    Writing is very fulfilling and even though it didn''t make me money, my soul was enriched and I became happier. That''s why I kept going.


    How I wish I can write all day.


    However, since the beginning of 2021, after one year of Covid-19, businesses have started to have a new normal and I started getting jobs back to do remote simultaneous interpreting. That''s why from January 2021, my update rate for The Alchemists and Finding Stardust is slowing down.


    Should I say no to interpreting jobs that pay me $100 per hour or should I write a book that on average gives me $129 per month?


    You might ask, "Well, remote interpreting only takes an hour, why don''t you write the rest of the day?"


    Have you seen how interpreters work? To do the one-hour job, we need several hours of preparation, and after the job is done, our brain will be so tired that we can''t do any intelligent work for the next several hours. That''s one of the reasons why the interpreter''s fee is high.


    After working all day at a conference for 5 days, I usually couldn''t function for the whole next week. It''s just so tiring.


    So, now that I start to resume my day job, I don''t have that much time anymore to write.


    I have "The Alchemists", "Finding Stardust", "The Prince Who Cannot Fall In Love", and "The Cursed Prince". Out of four, only one book makes me decent money.


    Maybe you wonder why I keep saying my books don''t make money since you spend a lot of coins on them. The thing is, as the creator, I only keep less than 30% of what the books earned.


    The rest are divided between Google or Apple as the app store provider and as the platform. That''s how it works.


    One chapter normally costs 6 coins or $0.12 (twelve cents) of which I get to keep 3.6 cents.


    MOST PEOPLE who read books on use fast passes to read the books for free. Only less than 5% pay with coins. It''s sad fact, but it is what it is.


    So... a book can only earn if it''s hugely popular and have soooo many readers to get that 5% into a significant number. My books aren''t.


    Only "The Cursed Prince" is popular enough to earn money to justify the time I spend writing it.


    Since I have to prioritize, I decided to pause writing Finding Stardust because that book made the least money. On average, that book only made $90 per month. So it was paused for two months.


    I also could have made a prem.a.t.u.r.e ending for The Alchemists so I can end the book and focus ONLY on The Cursed Prince.


    However, I cannot bring myself to do it. My stories are my arts and once it''s published, I never revise the story and plot and I never regret my choices.


    I decided, I want to write it properly, even though it''s slow. And I hope you can bear with it. If it''s too much of a hassle for you and you don''t want to wait, worry not. You can read the ending of the book under this note. I won''t leave you hanging. You can read how the story ends and leave this book for good.


    However, if you are willing to wait for the artwork to be crafted carefully and slowly, please be patient and wait. And while you wait, you can read my other books or my friends'' books.


    From what I can see, I am just writing The Alchemists and Finding Stardust for charity since many readers keep saying how much they loved the books and want them to continue. I keep writing them because I love the readers.


    Since The Cursed Prince is making good money, I even decided to continue Finding Stardust by hiring a co-author to write the book with me and use the money I earn from TCP to subsidize Finding Stardust.


    I pay the author $450 per month to get 30 chapters that you are now reading daily while the book is only making $100. She makes rough chapters based on my outline and I rewrite them and make them nice and according to my style.


    You can call it stupidity for spending more on a book than earning from it, or you can see that it''s how I show my appreciation and love to my readers.


    Some of you said you feel hurt because I keep writing new ones without ending the old ones, and you said you refuse to read any new book I will be writing and will even stop reading the current books since it has taken you such a long time and still you don''t read the ending.


    You make it sound like I never end my books or I drop them. That statement actually confuses me.


    The Alchemists HAS FIVE DIFFERENT STORIES and FOUR OF THEM ARE COMPLETED. Only the last one (Rune and Rose'' story) is still not ending.


    FINDING STARDUST IS COMPLETED, only the sequel is not ending, and from May 2021, I have resumed the sequel, by subsidizing it with my own money.


    THE PRINCE WHO CANNOT FALL IN LOVE IS COMPLETED, I am just writing the bonus chapters to show Mischa and Vega''s life after they got together.


    THE CURSED PRINCE IS ONGOING and I am writing chapters EVERY DAY WITHOUT FAIL.


    So.. please tell me, when do I leave people hanging? If you have read all my books to the latest chapters, you have read books equal to 62 copies of The Great Gatsby.


    All that in only 27 months of writing or less than 2.5 years.


    Those are 7 completed stories (Caspar & Finland, Alaric & Aleksis, London & L, Nicolae & Marie, Vega - Ren - Mischa, Finding Stardust, Till Death Do Us Part/Ludwina & Andrea) and 3 ongoings (The Cursed Prince, Queen Of Akkadia, Rune & Rose).


    Saying that you refuse to read whatever new books I will write because I haven''t ended a few books is quite hurtful to hear. I understand it, but it doesn''t make it less hurtful.


    The thing is, even if I don''t write "The Cursed King" to join the biggest competition that has the potential to launch my career as a writer, it doesn''t mean suddenly The Cursed Prince can end in May for you to read the ending.


    It doesn''t mean I can suddenly write two chapters per day for The Alchemists and Finding Stardust.


    Writing takes inspiration and ample time. Today, I might find inspiration to write The Alchemists, and tomorrow I find the inspiration to write Finding Stardust, etc. Even if I am not writing The Cursed King, I might still not write The Alchemists.


    Q: YOU SAID YOU CANNOT WRITE FOR THE ALCHEMIST BUT LAST WEEK YOU CAN WRITE FOR MA.S.S RELEASE EVENT


    I can force myself to write for mass releases or special events like last week, but it will really drain me and I cannot keep doing it.


    Q: YOU CAN WRITE THE CURSED PRINCE EVERY DAY. SO, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO WRITE OTHER BOOKS TOO. WHY NOT PAUSE TCP AND FOCUS ON THE ALCHEMISTS TO END IT AND THEN YOU CAN CONTINUE TCP?


    Well, I consider TCP as a job since writing the book earns me money, so I can focus my time there. Since The Alchemists doesn''t make money, I consider it an art or a hobby. I only write it when I have spare time.


    CONCLUSION


    I hope my long-ass explanation helps clarify a lot of things to you. I welcome you to stay and continue the journey with this book albeit slow. Or, you can end it here and find other books that are written according to your needs or expectation.


    However, I won''t leave you hanging. Below is the outline of Rune''s story and how the story will end. I hope it can give you closure. Please read it, and move on from this book. I hope you will find other books that will give you happiness.


    My heart is fragile and I cannot receive too many complaints. I''d rather have a few readers who are patient and supportive, than many readers but demand so much from me.


    For those of you who wish to stay and read the book even though it''s slow, I want to say thank you. You can still read the outline below to get an idea of how the story will unfold. As always, it''s just an outline. The story might change as I am writing them and you will still end up with surprises and twists as you read it in the future.


    PS: If you are annoyed that I posted a lengthy author''s note and you had to pay 5 coins or ten cents for it, please DM me on Instagram, I will give you a voucher to redeem 100 coins back.


    Thank you for reading this lengthy explanation. I hope this will be the last time I ever need to write something like this again.


    .


    HOW RUNE AND ROSE END UP TOGETHER


    (Spoiler - don''t scroll if you don''t want to read).


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    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Jan will come to the royal wedding reception to represent the Schneider family. The Schneider was invited by Anne, without telling Leon, because Anne and Sarah wanted to embarrass Rose in front of the ''person who had the connection to the real Scneiders''.


    Anne and all the jealous girls thought Jan''s presence would expose ''Rune''s real identity as an impostor'' and embarrass Rose.


    When he found out, Leon felt very sorry for Rose and wanted to help Rose, but instead, he was shocked to find Rune and Jan not only knew each other, but Jan also told everyone present that Rune was really the youngest son of THE Schneider family.


    The revelations made Anne, Sarah, and Lisa shocked. Rose got the last laugh. After the wedding, she decided to go to Germany with Rune to meet his family. However, a surprise awaited them at the airport. Leon came to stop her from leaving.


    He couldn''t accept the fact that Rose finally moved on from him and said he regretted marrying Anne. He wanted Rose to forgive him and took him back.


    He would even do whatever Rose asked him to do in the past, to tell the public the truth, that they were not siblings and his biological father was the king himself. And... he would annul his marriage to Anne.


    After what Anne did to embarrass Rose, Leon realized he couldn''t stay with a woman who intentionally hurt Rose, the woman he loved.


    Rose felt so conflicted after Leon came and begged her to forgive him. She was torn between Leon and Rune.


    Her indecisiveness hurt Rune and he decided to leave. He didn''t want to be an option. He was also giving Rose the space to search her heart and really thought about what she wanted.


    Three months later, Rune bumped into Rose in New York. He was just reading breaking news on the internet that Prince Leon of Medion stepped down from his role and admitted to the public that he was actually not Duke Fournier''s illegitimate son, but the king''s.


    This created an uproar in the country and the scandal even made Medion became a trending topic worldwide. Leon and Anne were said to be separated to think about their marriage.


    Having read the news, Rune thought Rose had got back together with Leon. So, when he bumped into her, he congratulated her for getting her first love back. Rose said no, Rune was wrong. She was not getting back with Leon.


    Rose asked Rune if he wanted to have dinner with her. From that moment on, Rune and Rose decided to start dating again and see if they could go to the next step.


    THE END.

 Chapter 1051 - Sarah Feels So Stupid

    While Rune and Rose tried to enjoy the wedding reception by avoiding attention from nosy guests who already read the gossip about Leon and Rose, JM had to meet so many fans who recognized her at the party.


    Most of them were high-class women who were into fashion and who could only wish all their diet and plastic surgeries could make them look at least half of what she looked naturally.


    "Oh my god... I didn''t know you will be here," a chubby countess chirped when she came to see JM. "How is your stay in Bacilia so far? Are you invited by the royal family?"


    "I am having a great stay. Thank you very much." JM smiled sweetly. She then added, "Well.. I came here with my brother. We are actually invited by¡ª"


    JM had not finished her words when two girls came to her and gushed excitedly.


    "JM? It''s really you?" Sarah was wide-eyed when she looked closer and confirmed the beautiful girl that she was eyeing was really THAT supermodel. "Oh my god.. I am your big fan!"


    Terry was very proud of his sister who became a role model for so many young women. This reaction happened wherever they went together. JM was not only beautiful but she was also known to have a great personality and everyone loved working with her.


    Her reputation as a nice and likable celebrity always preceded her and most women were not embarrassed to admit that they idolized her. Women wanted to be her and men wanted to be with her.


    "Ahaha... yes, it''s me," said JM with a smile.


    "Is that a Ballerini dress?" Sarah asked in amazement. She was into fashion and knew how expensive and exclusive this piece of artwork that JM was wearing tonight. She looked at the supermodel in a worship-like expression.


    "Why yes.. you know this one?"


    "Ah, of course, I do. I attended his fashion show whenever I can," said Sarah proudly. "I saw you walk his runway last year. You were amazing!"


    "Thank you so much. You are too kind," said JM. "I like my job and am grateful I can do what I  love."


    Sarah noticed Terry and she batted her lashes. Didn''t JM say she came with her brother? Was this man JM''s brother?


    No wonder they looked similar. This man was really handsome, she thought. As expected of JM''s family.


    "Can I have pictures with you?" Sarah finally asked shyly. Usually, she was a feisty woman, but in front of her idol, she couldn''t help but look starstruck.


    JM smiled and nodded. "Sure."


    Sarah pulled Lisa''s hand so her friend would come closer. "What are you doing? Come here, so we can have pictures together."


    "Ah, that''s right." Lisa smiled sheepishly. She tilted her head toward JM and whispered. "I am also your fan. I love your dress."


    "Thank you. You look lovely too," said JM sweetly. She accepted Lisa and Sarah''s phones and gave them to Terry. "Could you please take our pictures?"


    The man nodded. He put down his glass on a passing waiter''s tray and expertly took several nice pictures of the ladies.


    "Whaa.. we look so pretty here," Lisa gushed when she saw the results. She turned to Terry and smiled sweetly. "You took great pictures. Thank you. Are you a photographer?"


    Terry shook his head nonchalantly. "No, but I''m studying to be a movie director."


    "Whoaaa.. sounds amazing! I hope I can see your movies in the cinema someday," said Lisa excitedly.


    "Oh, you will." Terry smiled proudly. "I am already working on some ideas."


    "Sounds wonderful." Sarah and Lisa were over the moon to have the opportunity to meet these talented siblings. JM was already very famous, and it looked like her brother someday would become an important person too.


    The two noble ladies decided to treat JM and Terry extremely well, so they could give a great impression.


    "How long have you been in Bacilia and until when do you plan to stay here?" Sarah asked JM when they had a small talk. "I can take you around if you want to explore the city or even the country."


    "Well, we''ve been here for one week and we have explored the capital for quite a bit. We have a good friend here who has been showing us places," JM replied.


    "Oh.. who is your friend? I will know them since the capital is quite small and people from the upper class know each other," said Sarah proudly.


    Was she invited by the bride''s family or... the groom''s? Also, did JM come to the church this morning?


    "There she is." JM waved at Rose who was standing in the corner with Rune and talked in a low voice. Rose waved back and smiled at her.


    Sarah and Lisa turned to see who JM was waving to. When they saw who it was, the two girls furrowed their brows.


    No.. this couldn''t be!


    Did Rose invite JM to the wedding?


    Really??


    "You know Rose Fournier?" Sarah asked JM with a disbelief expression plastered on her face. "How did you two meet?"


    "Oh, she is dating my boyfriend''s uncle," said JM lightly. "He introduced us to Rose."


    "What? She is dating your boyfriend''s UNCLE?"


    So, Rose was dating an older man, huh?


    And here she was, going to the wedding reception with another man who was obviously not her boyfriend since the man was really young. Ha!


    Damn! She was such a s.l.u.t, Sarah thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Rose dated her own half-brother in the past and now cheated on her older boyfriend by dating Rune Schneider, ahem.. the fake Schneider.


    What a perfect night!


    "Wait.. are you sure Rose is dating your boyfriend''s uncle?" Sarah asked, feigning a concern. JM nodded firmly. Sarah then shook her head and showed a sympathetic expression. "Oh.. I''m sorry you have to find out this way. But... Rose is cheating on your uncle. She has been going out with another man while she is in Bacilia this week."


    JM looked shocked to hear that. "Really? Oh my god..."


    Sarah touched JM''s arm and whispered. "Do you see the young man beside her? That''s the man she is having an affair with."


    JM who just took a glass of wine from a waiter''s tray almost choked on her wine when she heard Sarah''s words.


    She swallowed her wine with difficulty and asked Sarah, "You mean that man wearing a really nice tuxedo?"


    "Yes, that''s him. I met them in Old Town several days ago and I heard from a trusted source that the man is staying at her family home."


    Terry could immediately read what kind of person were these two young women hovering around his sister and he immediately decided he didn''t like them.


    "Ahem..." JM looked at Sarah dead in the eye as she said, "That''s my boyfriend''s uncle."


    Sarah and Lisa couldn''t comprehend what JM was saying the first time. They were dumbfounded. What did she say just now?


    "Un-uncle?" Finally, Lisa found her voice. She thought she had misheard JM, so she asked again to confirm.


    The stunning supermodel nodded and repeated her words. "That''s my boyfriends'' uncle. Rose is not cheating on him."


    "Wait.. what? Didn''t you say she is dating your boyfriend''s UNCLE? But... the man she is with is around your age. How is that possib¡ª"


    Sarah suddenly went silent.  She felt so stupid.


    "He looks quite young, yes." JM smiled. "It''s in their gene."

 Chapter 1052 - Could It Be...?

    Sarah was truly out of words. She shook her head as if trying to convince herself that she misheard the words that came out of JM''s lips. No... that guy over there cannot be the uncle of JM''s boyfriend.


    He was too young! And... too poor.


    JM''s boyfriend must be ultra-rich, judging from the dress that he could easily gift her. Sarah knew how much the dress cost. It was not just a dress, but a wearable artwork that costs A LOT of money, even by very rich people''s standards.


    Someone who could easily spend that much money on a single dress, must be really, really, really loaded, and she could only think of a few families who were on that level.


    Could it be....?


    "Are-are you sure you are not seeing the wrong man?" Finally, she asked JM to confirm.


    The beautiful supermodel nodded. "Yes, I am not blind. I can recognize my family members easily."


    Sarah could sense that JM sounded annoyed, so Sarah didn''t ask again and just believed her. Sarah glanced at Rune and saw him talking with Rose and his face was all smiles.


    Actually, Sarah saw Rune for the first time, she thought Rune was good-looking and he seemed compatible with Rose. However, knowing the man was just a commoner, she didn''t think he was of the same level as them.


    Now, Sarah wasn''t so sure anymore. If Rune was really related to JM''s boyfriend, the ultra-wealthy man... maybe he was someone to be reckoned with.


    "Sarah.. look," Lisa whispered to Sarah and distracted her attention from JM. "The representative from the Schneider Group is here. He came!"


    Sarah turned to the right, following Lisa''s direction. Ah, Lisa was right. Sarah almost forgot that they had prepared a surprise, a bad one, for Rose.


    Since she claimed that she was dating Rune Schneider from THE Schneider family, which was obviously a lie, it''s time to set her straight and expose the truth.


    At least.. that''s the plan they made when they talked about inviting the Schneider family to the royal wedding.


    Princess Anne herself was the one to sign the invitation.  They thought it would give them a good laugh.


    Now, Sarah looked at JM and then turned her attention to Rune. JM wouldn''t possibly lie. If she said Rune was related to her boyfriend... she must be telling the truth.


    That means, Rune might really be someone important. He was more than meets the eye.


    So, would someone important lie about his identity? Would he really claim to be someone he was not?


    Sarah bit her lip. Somehow, she started to think that she might be really wrong this time. She looked at the royal couple who just got married.


    Princess Anne looked beaming, holding the prince''s hand as they met and talked with the VIP guests who came to them and congratulated them. They looked a bit tired after the wedding ceremony in the morning and then prepare for the reception, but they still smiled and talked to people.


    "We should go there and talk to them," said Lisa. She held Sarah''s arm and nudged her to walk with her toward Leon and Anne. Sarah turned to JM and nodded her goodbye awkwardly. JM just furrowed her brows and then smiled at her.


    Weird, she thought to herself. She didn''t really understand why those girls seemed to be interested in Rune. She decided to walk toward Rune and Rose who were enjoying some c.o.c.ktails while chatting. Terry quickly strutted behind her.


    "So many important people," Terry commented as he walked beside JM and cast his glance around them. He recognized many faces attending the wedding reception and hoped they wouldn''t recognize him.


    He had changed his hairstyle and dressed a bit casually tonight. So, he thought he looked different from his old self, Terrence Chan, the president of the Schneider Group who retired at the age of 40, several years ago.


    When he was the president, he was always dressed impeccably, looking formal and business-like. One of the reasons was to look older.  Now, with his current appearance, he looked so young and relaxed.


    Well.. this would be a good test, to see if people would really be suspicious of his new identity.


    "Hey, how are you enjoying the party?" Rose asked them with a smile. She waved at a servant and told JM and Terry to get drinks for themselves. "You should try the Bacislia sling, it''s Medion''s signature c.o.c.ktail. I think you will like it."


    She pointed at glasses with red drinks in them. JM and Terry nodded and took her advice. They sipped the c.o.c.ktail and their faces immediately beamed.


    "This is good!" JM commented. "It''s like Singapore Sling, but different."


    "Yeah.. that''s the reason why it''s named Bacilia Sling. The inventor, a very famous restaurateur in Medion, was impressed by Singapore Sling and wanted to have one for ourselves. So, he assigned his connoisseur to create something that we can be proud of," Rose explained.


    "I love it!" JM commented. She took a big sip and smiled so broadly. "I will ask for the recipe later.. hehehe."


    "Hi, Rose," Anne smiled so sweetly when she reached the small group. She spoke to Rose with her melodious voice. "I hope you are enjoying the party. I am so happy you are here for our wedding. I want my husband to be surrounded by his whole family on our happy day."


    Rose forced a smile and nodded. "It''s my duty to... come here. I am wishing you and Leon happiness."


    She glanced at Leon who just arrived behind his new wife. His face looked apologetic and he forced a smile too. He knew Rose his whole life and could tell when she was feeling uncomfortable, even though she could fake a smiley face.


    "You are here with your boyfriend, right?" Anne asked Rose, then turned to Rune. "Glad to meet you. The Fourniers said that you and Rose are very serious about your relationship. I am happy for you two. The Schneider family is a very respectable family and we are honored to be related to them soon."

 Chapter 1053 - Jan Van Der Ven

    Rose furrowed her brows when she heard Anne''s sweet words. She didn''t have any relationship whatsoever with this princess from Moravia. They had met only a few times and she always kept her distance.


    So, why would Anne act all nice and smiling like this? Didn''t she dislike Rose? Leon had confessed that Anne was the one who gave the reporters false information about Rune being part of the Schneider family.


    She had apologized for her action, not to Rose though, but instead to Leon. She said it was meant to be a joke.


    However, Rose knew, and Leon must know too, that Anne did it out of jealousy. It was done out of petty, and not intended for humor.


    Anne must have the knowledge that Rune was not part of the Schneider family, but she said it just now as if she didn''t know?


    What kind of game was she playing?


    Rose hated fake people who acted nice and all smiles before her, but stabbed her behind her back. Initially, she thought her hatred for Anne was just mere jealousy since Anne was marrying the man she loved. But now, Rose was certain that she hated Anne for being childish and fake.


    She felt really sorry for Leon for having such a woman as his wife. Anne was too young to be anyone''s wife, Rose thought. She was imm.a.t.u.r.e and petty. Didn''t Leon see that? Couldn''t he make better choices for himself?


    Rose had let the man go and tried to move on, but she still cared about Leon and wished he would have a better woman as his wife.


    Rose knew Leon too well and she knew he was not compatible with such a woman. This imm.a.t.u.r.e princess from Moravia would only make him suffer.


    Sigh. Rose looked down and focused on her Bacilia Sling. She didn''t want to see Anne''s face nor hear her voice because they would only make her mad.


    "I am glad you think my family would be a good addition to your family," Rune spoke on Rose''s behalf. "I really like Rose and I hope she would be able to see our future together. I can''t wait for the day to come."


    Anne looked at Rune from head to toe, as if assessing the man, then she smiled again. "Yes, of course, that''s why we are so happy that we invited your family to attend our wedding. I didn''t know that Rose is dating someone from the Schneider family and that you will come here. Oh, there he is!"


    She waved her hand and smiled at a man who was walking in their direction. Spontaneously, Rune, Rose, JM, and Terry turned to see who Anne was waving to.


    Leon''s face suddenly turned murky. He just realized what his wife did when he recognized the man who came.


    It was Jan Van Der Ven, a very important man from the Schneider Group. Why was he here? Leon was not notified that the Schneider family would send a representative. He didn''t even know they were invited.


    "I don''t remember inviting them," he muttered to Rose, apologetically.


    He was thinking of inviting the Schneider to invest in Medion, but he didn''t think of inviting them to his wedding since they were not close. Did Anne invite them without his knowledge?


    For what? And why didn''t she tell him?


    After the incident with the article stating that Rose was dating Rune Schneider from the Schneider family, shouldn''t Anne learn not to do something like this again?


    "Don''t you have to meet your parents?" Leon tried to salvage the situation by telling Rose to go with Rune and saw her parents. He couldn''t let Rune and Rose be embarrassed when someone from the real Schneider family came and expose Rune as a fake.


    "No, I came with them," said Rose casually. "I don''t need to meet my parents."


    "But, I think it will be better if you go and see your parents because..." Leon didn''t continue his words. Jan had arrived and greeted them with a broad smile.


    "Good evening, Your Highness," he said, "Thank you for having me. On behalf of the Schneider family and Schneider Group, I would like to wish you both a happy wedding and a great life together, filled with happiness."


    Leon looked helpless, that he couldn''t say anything but smile nervously. He turned to Rose and looked at her with regret in his eyes.


    "Thank you for taking the time to come to our wedding, we really appreciate it," said Anne gracefully. "Please, no need to stand on ceremony. The Schneider family would soon become our family too, now that their son is dating my husband''s sister here."


    She smiled wickedly as she glanced at Rune. Jan only noticed the people around the royal couple after Anne pointed at Rune and he batted his eyes, looking surprised.


    "Hey, you are all here? Why did nobody tell me?" he asked them, looking pleasantly surprised. "When did you arrive in Bacilia?"


    Rune shrugged. "I arrived last week. I didn''t know our family is invited, so I didn''t tell anyone I will attend this wedding. I actually came here as Rose''s guest."


    "Rose?" Jan turned to Rose and quickly admire the girl''s beauty. Inwardly, he thought Rose and Rune looked so good together. Heck, they actually looked very similar.


    So, this was the woman who could melt Rune''s heart and made him feel love?


    She looked like a really nice woman. Beautiful, and intelligent.


    Rune cleared his throat. "This is Rose. She is my.... girlfriend."


    "Wait..." Anne furrowed her brows and raised her hand, looking confused. "Do you know each other?"


    Jan nodded. "Yes, of course. This is Rune Schneider, he is my good friend and my boss. As you might already know, my family has been working for the Schneider family for generations."


    Anne needed a few moments to digest the information. She turned to look at Rune and studied the man. Then, she turned to Jan and tried to see if he was joking.


    Apparently, Jan was not joking.


    "Is there a problem?" Jan asked Anne.


    At this point, Rose already knew what Anne was trying to do. Apparently, after spreading rumors that Rune was an impostor who claimed to be a member of the Schneider family, she wanted to ''expose'' his lies, by inviting someone who was really from that family, to make Rose and Rune embarrassed.


    However, her plan backfired when the man who came to represent the family actually confirmed Rune''s identity.


    "No... no, there is no problem," Anne muttered unclearly. She faked a smile and took her leave. "Thank you for coming to our wedding. I hope you will have a good time."


    Rose really wanted to smack Anne at that point. However, she held back. This was Leon''s wedding day. She must not let it ruined.


    Meanwhile, Leon only looked at his wife''s back as she walked away from them. His heart was conflicting. He could also deduce the same conclusion as Rose and now he was really disappointed in Anne.


    Rose never bothered Anne and she had suffered enough throughout this ordeal. Why couldn''t Anne just leave Rose alone?


    "I am happy to meet you, Sir. Thank you for coming to our wedding," Leon said to Jan. Then he turned to Rune. Leon looked at the man intently, before finally admitting that Rune was very impressive.


    "Ah.. don''t mention it. We are looking forward to getting to know Medion more and decide on what to invest in this country," said Jan calmly.

 Chapter 1054 - Rune And Leon

    "What do you think about Medion so far?" Then, Jan turned to Rune and asked his opinion.


    The man was all smiles when from the corner of his eyes he could see Sarah Miller and Lisa Bisset were talking to Anne and they all looked so confused.


    Gosh.. this was sweet, he thought. He just wished those cowardly bitches would come to them and heard what he was about to say next.


    "Oh, I think Medion is really beautiful. I have yet to explore the country to give my opinion on it as a whole. The capital is okay, I see some potential. I am not sure about the other parts."


    Then, he looked at Leon and smiled at the man.


    He knew Leon wanted to bring as much investment as possible from the big corporations and wealthy conglomerates to Medion as a way to ''prove his worth'' to his biological father, the king. People had so much hope put on him and he wanted to make them proud.


    He was liked by the people and he wanted them to think he deserved his title and the throne.


    So, obviously, getting on the Schneider family''s good side was important to him, since the family controlled a very big group with thousands of subsidiaries that would surely make a significant difference to a small kingdom like Medion.


    If they could get the Schneiders to invest in this country, they would also look attractive to other potential investors, who in turn would come and invest as well.


    Another important thing to note was that the Schneider family had a really good relationship with RMI, Rhionen-Meier Industries, which was currently the largest conglomeration that controlled media and technology.


    Rune never thought his position as the son from the Schneider family would matter so much, until today. He always took it for granted since power and wealth didn''t interest him.


    However, Rose interested him. And right now, it was important to use his status as a tool to teach those people, who always tried to hurt Rose, a good lesson on humility.


    Rune also didn''t want to lie to himself and pretended he wouldn''t enjoy teaching Leon the same lesson as well.


    That''s why the handsome man just shrugged nonchalantly and added, "To be honest, Medion is too small to do anything worthy of our time. I am only here for my girlfriend."


    Did he just call her ''his girlfriend''?


    Was she really Rune''s girlfriend?


    Whoaaa... this is big news, Jan thought to himself.


    He observed the woman and realized she was Rose Fournier, the woman who was said to be the crown prince''s half-sister and recently was being gossiped as his... ex-girlfriend?


    Jan loved a good gossip every now and then. It was a good distraction from his hectic life. In this regard, he was a bit like Terry. He read a little bit about the royal family before he came to Bacilia to find a topic for conversation when he met the prince and the monarchs later.


    From his research, he found some disturbing news that made his brows twitch. The gossip was new and was quite scandalous. He had heard about how Leon could become the crown prince and his complicated relationship with the Fournier family.


    Now, he finally met those people in person. He looked at Rose and realized the quiet girl looked so beautiful and graceful. At a glance, she and Rune could pass as siblings, since they both had a similar physical appearance with their long blonde hair and slender body.


    Rose looked nothing like her so-called half-brother, Prince Leon. And they also seemed to have an awkward relationship. Even though both people maintain civil and respectful attitudes, Jan could see they were holding back something.


    This whole situation made the man feel interested. Now, when he heard Rune''s remarks about Medion being too small to be worthy of their time, Jan could guess that Rune didn''t have a good impression on the royal family.


    Leon was offended by Rune''s remark. He knew the man was throwing shade on him and the whole kingdom because he disliked Leon.


    The prince was still struggling to accept the fact that Rose''s ''boyfriend'' was actually the real Rune Schneider from THE Schneider family.


    However, for the past two years, Leon had been trained with royal etiquette and knew he shouldn''t be agitated. So, Leon kept his smile.


    "I am sorry to hear that Mr. Schneider doesn''t find our kingdom worthy of investment," he said politely. "Perhaps you could share what is it that you think we can do better in the future?"


    Rose who initially enjoyed how Rune''s exposed identity made Anne feel embarrassed and looked for an excuse to leave, now started to feel uncomfortable by the obvious rivalry between the two men, Leon and Rune.


    She knew Rune didn''t like Leon and the feeling was mutual. But the way they talked with each other, pretending to be polite but secretly hostile made her feel bad to be in the middle.


    "I need a drink," she said.


    Rose wanted to walk away and left both men, but Rune held her arm and asked her to stay.


    "Rose, sweetheart, I have something to tell Leon and this is related to you," he said gently." Would you please listen to what I am about to say?"


    "Okay," she said flatly.


    Rune turned to Leon and spoke firmly. "I like Medion because this is Rose''s homeland. However, I don''t like the way she is being treated by some people, including by the woman you just married, when all Rose did is protect you and her family''s honor. They intentionally spread gossips that are damaging her reputation and even threatened her with certain pictures. If you can do something about it, punish those who are responsible or... let''s say, make them give a public apology, I can reconsider my recommendation."


    Jan smiled when he heard Rune''s words. He had a feeling that there was something interesting happened between the three people.


    Ahh.. Rune, were you truly in love? You had never done anything like this before, Jan thought to himself.


    However, Rune was not done. The man continued his words. He spoke calmly and he was well articulate, but every single word was a thinly-veiled threat.


    "For me, giving a good recommendation is hard, but I can easily give a dissuasion if I really don''t like something. I can imagine if the Schneider Group and RMI decided to blacklist a certain country, others would only follow."


    Leon stood still in his place. He looked at Rune who no longer paid him any heed.


    The man''s undivided attention was solely focused on Rose, the beautiful woman who was standing beside him.


    Meanwhile, Rose looked at Rune with her mouth agape. She was surprised by what Rune did just now.


    She didn''t expect the man to threaten Leon to set his wife straight or else he would use his voice to punish the whole kingdom.


    By now, she could kind of understand the power that his big family could have over a small kingdom like Medion.


    Leon swallowed. He, too, understood pretty much the same thing. Who would have thought Rose would meet a man from one of the most powerful families in the world after he left her?


    And now, the man who seemed to love her was determined to impress Rose by doing all these things for her.

 Chapter 1056 - She Is Not My Half-Sister

    "I feel unwell," said Rose to Rune. Her voice was barely audible. "Can you take me home?"


    Her face paled and her body staggered. Rune quickly held her shoulder and supported her body. The man''s face was filled with worry.


    "Oh, no... do you need anything? A drink?" He asked Rose.


    The girl shook her head. "No. Just... take me home, please..."


    "Okay." Rune waved at Jan and Terry. "Rose is unwell. I will go home with her now. Can you go back on your own?"


    "Yes, sure," said Terry calmly. He turned to Jan. "We have Jan here. I am sure we can get a ride from him."


    "That''s right," said Jan in confirmation. "You can just take Her Grace home. I will handle everything here."


    "Thank you, Jan. I know I can rely on you."  Rune turned to Rose and smiled dotingly at her. "I will carry you because you look very pale. Will that be all right?"


    The girl nodded. Her vision was blurry and she didn''t care about their surroundings anymore. "Please.. just take me away from here."


    From her voice, Rune could conclude that Rose was feeling sad by Leon''s treatment earlier. Her resolve to look okay during Leon''s wedding wavered because of their conversation earlier.


    Somehow, Rune could understand what Rose was thinking.


    Leon didn''t care enough about her to set Anne and her friends straight.


    However, when Rune asked Leon to make his wife apologize publicly for her treatment toward Anne by threatening him with dissuading the Schneider Group and other investors not to invest in Medion, Leon seemed to relent.


    This meant, the investment was worth more than Rose''s feelings to him.


    This was the final nail in the coffin. Finally, Rose could not take it anymore. She didn''t want to stay at the wedding for much longer.


    Rose had sacrificed so much to save their family''s face and Leon''s reputation, and now she had come to a point that she had had enough.


    Rune lifted Rose and carried her in his arms. The girl automatically wrapped her hands around the man''s neck and closed her eyes.


    "Let''s get out of here," whispered Rune.


    He walked gently with Rose in his arms, not caring what other people would think of them. He actually wanted to stay longer so he could see whether Leon would really make his wife apologize to Rose publicly or not.


    However, that didn''t matter now. What''s important was he already got his message across. Leon now knew who Rose was involved with.


    Today, Rune felt grateful for his background. Even though for him, wealth and power didn''t mean anything, but they did to other people.


    So, with his family background, Rune could elevate his value as a man who was in love with Rose. If he was just a regular man from the middle class, Leon might think Rose was downgrading her dating game.


    However, since she was dating Rune Schneider, Rose was obviously going for an upgrade. This felt so satisfying on so many levels.


    "Where are they going?" Lisa asked Sarah who was standing beside her, watching Rune walked with Rose in her arms. "Is she sick?"


    "Tch.. I think she is just whoring for attention," said Sarah, rolling her eyes. "It''s obvious that she wants to steal the spotlight from the bride. So shameless."


    Leon who was standing close to them couldn''t help but overhear their conversation. His ear immediately turned red and his c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger.


    He could understand why Anne treated Rose that way. It was because she was feeling insecure, thinking Leon was still in love with Rose, which, even if it was true, shouldn''t mean anything because... Anne and Leon were already married.


    However, Leon couldn''t justify the hatred on Sarah and Lisa''s part. They didn''t have any personal issues with Rose. They were not married to Leon.


    In fact, they were actually long-time acquaintances with Rose. They all went to school together.


    Of all people, they should know Rose was nothing like they accused her of. Rose was not shameless. It was actually the opposite. She was selfless and kind.


    Ah.. maybe, Sarah was still holding a grudge because Leon rejected her to date Rose?


    Leon''s mind wandered to the past when they were all teenagers. Even though he was only a maid''s son, he could attend the prestigious school where children of Medion''s high society went to study.


    That''s where he and Rose got to know Sarah, Lisa, and many other people. Leon was two years their senior and was very smart. His intelligence and also good looks attracted so many girls from the upper class.


    Sarah was one of them. She was not shy to show her fondness to Leon and she went so far as to confess her love to him. However, Leon, who was in love with Rose, rejected her flatly.


    And that''s when Sarah started to treat Rose like she was her mortal enemy. Apparently, even after so many years, the grudge didn''t subside.


    Today, Rose was not even together with Leon, but Sarah still kept her hatred in her heart. Leon really didn''t understand this wicked woman.


    "Could you both please stop?" The man finally decided to scold Sarah. He looked at her dead in the eye. "Pleas shut up. I won''t tolerate such behavior from now on."


    Leon continued his words with an expression of contempt. "If you don''t want me to ask the staff to kick you both out of this event, I suggest you shut up. You know full well that Rose is not how you claim her to be. She is kind and noble. Unlike... certain women who only know how to gossip and bring down other women."


    Sarah pressed her lips when she heard Leon''s harsh words. She turned to Anne and asked for her help.


    "Your Highness... your husband is defending Rose Fournier," she pouted. "He said I only know how to gossip and bring down other women. It''s obvious, he is still in love with Rose. That''s why he keeps defending her. I am so sorry that you have to hear this."


    Anne could only bit her lip and didn''t say anything. She already had an argument earlier with Leon regarding Rose. She surely didn''t want to ruin the atmosphere further by bringing that up.


    No. Not on her wedding day.


    "Anne, if you still hang out with these two snakes, I will be very disappointed in you," said Leon seriously. "Today, they conspire with you to bring down Rose. Next time, they will do the same thing to you. Once a snake, always will be a snake."


    He spoke while throwing a serious side-eye toward Sarah and Lisa. The two women looked shocked that the quiet prince suddenly talked so much and ended up scolding them.


    This was so embarrassing!


    "No... we just..."


    "How could you do this to me...?" Sarah shook her head and then ran away from the ballroom, crying. Lisa immediately followed suit.


    Anne stared at Leon said with pursed lips, "Thank you for kicking out the only people I call friends in this country. Now, I have no one."


    "You are wrong. You have me. You will always have me," said Leon impatiently. "They are not really your friends. They only approached you because they were jealous of Rose and wanted to destroy her."


    "Why would they do that? If Rose is so innocent, surely she wouldn''t have so many women who hate her," said Anne stubbornly.


    "If you meant Sarah, she hated Rose from when we were teenagers," said Leon. His voice sounded tired. "She was in love with me but I rejected her for Rose."


    "Oh..." Anne''s eyes widened when she finally heard this fact from Leon.


    Now that she thought of it clearly, Leon''s words made sense. That explained why Sarah was so vicious when it came to Rose. She couldn''t possibly do all those for Anne''s sake.


    "That''s the truth," Leon continued. "If you want to make real friends here in Medion, I suggest you stop hanging out with Sarah and Lisa."


    Anne pursed her lips. She knew Leon was right. However, she was still stubborn.


    "But... the fact remains that Rose is your half-sister and she harbors feeling for you," she said bitterly. "Even if Sarah didn''t have any personal grudge toward her, it doesn''t change the fact that Rose is in love with her own brother. How disgusting."


    "No, Anne... you are wrong," finally, Leon couldn''t take it anymore. "We are not related. She is not my half-sister. I am not Duke Fournier''s illegitimate son."


    Anne thought she misheard him.

 Chapter 1057 - A Friendly Hug

    Rose closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind. She wanted to be away from the royal palace as soon as possible. Now that she had attended the wedding and gave face to her family and the monarchs, she could plan her life and go out of Medion for good.


    Rune didn''t say anything after they got inside the car and went home. He knew this must be the hardest day of Rose''s life.


    He wished he could do more to make her feel better, but sadly, other than threatening Leon and those awful chicks, he couldn''t do much to soothe Rose''s feelings.


    This was something that she needed to resolve on her own. She needed to love herself more than she loved Leon and her family and said enough was enough.


    "Thank you," Rose suddenly opened her eyes and turned to Rune who was sitting in the backseat next to her.


    "You''re welcome," Rune replied with a smile. He didn''t need to ask what was the thank you for, because that would mean he wanted Rose to say what he had done for her.


    It kind of sounded like he was fishing for acknowledgment, didn''t it? So, he just said ''you''re welcome''.


    He knew Rose was grateful because he came all the way to Medion to keep her company, he stood up for her, and he helped her from people who had malicious intent toward her.


    "Now that the wedding is over, I want to get out of this country," said Rose in a low voice.


    "Where do you want to go?" asked Rune gently. He thought maybe Rose wanted to go back to New York. "Do you want to go home to New York?"


    So, imagine his surprise when Rose shook her head and replied, "Does your offer to meet your family in Germany still stand?"


    "Oh..." Rune was pleasantly surprised to hear this. Rose was willing to meet his family? They did talk about it before this, but Rose didn''t make a definitive plan for it, so he thought she was just being nice to him and didn''t really want to come.


    However, just now she said she wanted to go and see his family? For real this time?


    Gosh... Rune didn''t see that coming.


    His father and mother would be so excited if he could bring Rose to see them. He knew how much they wanted to see him fall in love and be happy with a woman, just like his other siblings.


    "Why the face?" Rose furrowed her brows. "You no longer want me to meet your family?"


    "It''s not it... " Rune was so excited! If they were not in the car, he would lift Rose to the air and dance around with her in his arms. That''s how happy he was!


    "So?" Rose pursed her lips.


    It took her a lot of courage to ask Rune to take her and meet his family, especially now that she found out he came from a very respectable and powerful family. But, now the man no longer wanted her?


    How embarrassing!


    "Nothing... I am just so happy," said Rune, smiling ear to ear. "I thought I misheard."


    "Ah... you didn''t mishear," said Rose. "I think I will join you to see your family in Germany. I mean, I have brought you to see my family and explored my hometown. Isn''t it only fair if I also visit your family and see your hometown?"


    "That''s true."


    "I also haven''t got any plans for Christmas. So, if you would still have me.. I would love to join your family for Christmas on your mother''s private island. You said it''s very festive and fun," Rose added. "I think I badly need it at the time of the year."


    Rune was feeling so touched. He knew Rose was sad, and he felt honored that she choose to be with him during her lowest moments and when she was feeling vulnerable.


    It showed how much she trusted him and felt so comfortable around him. This level of trust was something that he didn''t know Rose had for him.


    "Then, you are most welcome to join me with my family. We will be happy to have you," said Rune excitedly. "When do you want to go?"


    "Hmm... I can get ready tomorrow and pack. We can leave... the day after tomorrow?"


    "Yes, that sounds perfect," said Rune.


    He took out his phone and texted Jan to get a private plane for him and Rose the day after tomorrow to go to Germany and visited his parents.


    "What are you doing?" Rose asked him when Rune put his phone back into his pocket.


    "I was getting our flight ready," he said nonchalantly.


    "Ah..." Rose smiled. She nodded. "You are very efficient."


    "Thank you," said Rune, still smiling ear to ear.


    Meanwhile, Rose decided to lean her head on Rune''s c.h.e.s.t and closed her eyes again.


    Being with Rune was so effortless, she thought. There was no need to lower herself as she did with Leon.


    The man was lower than her in class, wealth, and status, so Rose had to act in such a way to show him that their differences in social status didn''t matter. She didn''t need to do any of those with Rune, even when he still pretended to be poor.


    And another thing that she liked about him was, he stood up for her when no one else would.


    This made Rose feel safe and protected. She didn''t feel embarrassed to show her vulnerable side in front of this man. With Rune, she could just be herself, and it felt so liberating.


    Meanwhile, Rune felt his heart was pounding hard. Didn''t Rose know the effect she had on him?


    With her leaning her head against his c.h.e.s.t in such an intimate manner, Rune was so tempted to c.a.r.e.s.s her hair and kiss her forehead as he would to a girlfriend.


    But, was she already his girlfriend that he was allowed to do such gestures?


    Rose knew how he felt about her and that he wanted to be her real boyfriend, not a fake one, but they had not really talked about their status.


    And this didn''t seem like the right time to discuss their relationship. Were they now really boyfriend and girlfriend... or...?


    Finally, Rune only held his breath and looked away. He rubbed her arm to show his support, but he didn''t do anything further.


    It''s okay. They would have plenty of time to talk about their relationship tomorrow, or later after they reached Germany.


    He better enjoyed this night with Rose in his arms.


    Rune decided to wrap his hands around her waist and hugged her. It was a friendly hug. He thought that was what Rose needed at the moment.

 Chapter 1058 - The Public Apology

    After they reached the Fournier mansion, Rose retreated to her bedroom, saying she had a headache. Rune understood that Rose must want to have an alone time after what happened. So, he bid her goodnight and went to his room too.


    He took a refreshing shower and decided to go to the kitchen and made tea for himself. With a cup of tea in his hand, the man went back up to his room and talked to Terry and asked about their plans tomorrow.


    "Oh, JM and I will go sightsee some more, and in three days we will go back to the states," said Terry. "What about you?"


    "Hmm... maybe I will go home to Stuttgart and see my family," said Rune. "I have enough of Medion this week. And Rose said she wants to go with me."


    "She did?" Terry became excited. "So... are you planning to tell her who you are?"


    "She knows who I am now," said Rune. "I already told her that I am Rune Schneider from THE Schneider family."


    "No, not that one, silly..." Terry chuckled. "I mean... does she know who you REALLY are? When she sees your parents... what do you think she will say?"


    "Oh.. that one," Rune chuckled too. Terry just reminded him that Rose might freak out if she knew he was an immortal. He had not got the chance to tell her this.


    Besides, he couldn''t just let any woman he was dating know that actually he was a forty-year-old man who looked 25, and will never age for the rest of his life because he was an immortal... unless he was sure that she was the one.


    Truth be told, Rune was sure he loved Rose and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But... he must not share the information and divulge his family''s secret if Rose was not going to accept him to be her husband.


    He would only tell her everything after she was sure of her feelings and knew that she loved Rune and wanted to be with him. Rune could wait for the day to come.


    He would be patient.


    "I have my own plans," he replied to Terry.


    Yeah, he had no choice. He couldn''t introduce Caspar and Finland as his parents to Rose. Not yet. Later, after Rose and he were more serious in their relationship, he would open up to her and tell her EVERYTHING.


    "Good if you know what to do," said Terry. "I am just worried about you."


    "Thanks, but you don''t have to worry about me. I am an a.d.u.l.t," Rune chuckled. "I know how things work."


    They spoke a bit more, while Rune finished his tea, before he finally ended the call.


    ***


    The next day, Rose told her parents about her plan to spend some time with Rune in Germany for a holiday.


    "Where are you going in Germany?" Duchess Fournier asked. She suspected that her daughter wanted to flee their country to avoid more gossip.


    She heard some people talked in the wedding reception that the Schneiders sent their representative to the wedding and were curious if they came for Rose Fournier''s sake since she was dating their son.


    The duchess turned pale when she heard their question and just smiled - pretended not to answer because she wanted to look humble - when in reality, she was so embarrassed.


    This was it...


    "Well, I plan to take Rose to meet my family in Stuttgart," said Rune, on behalf of Rose. "My sister and brother want to meet her."


    He planned to introduce Caspar and Finland as his brother and sister-in-law in the meantime. He was sure his parents wouldn''t mind.


    "Oh... I see." Duchess Fournier sipped her tea. "Please take good care of my daughter while she is with you."


    "I will do my best to care for and protect Rose, Your Grace," said Rune with a smile. He was happy to receive the duchess'' blessings.


    "Gosh.. I am right here," said Rose, pretended to purse her lips. "You guys talk as if I am not here and that I am a little girl who needs protection."


    "Well... you should know that you will always be my little girl," said the duchess firmly. "You cannot ask me to change."


    Rose shook her head and smiled. "I know that."


    Duke Fournier who was reading the news furrowed his brows. He looked up and said, "This is weird. I am reading so many apologies from the news sites on their front page."


    "Apologies?" Rose asked her father to clarify. "What do you mean, father?"


    Duke Fournier gave his tablet and showed it to Rose. "See it for yourself. Bacilia Gazette just published a statement. They apologize for the misinformation that they had helped spread the past week and would like to ask for forgiveness from you."


    Rose''s eyes bulged when she heard her father''s response. She also had read the news on the tablet in her hand. So, it was true!


    Bacilia Gazette just posted the statement. She scrolled down and saw many related articles. Apparently, Medion Times, and several other big news agencies posted similar public apologies.


    Rose''s eyes were teary as she read those statements one by one. She wiped her tears and gave back the tablet to her father.


    "Thank you," she said in a hoarse voice as she came to Rune and hugged the man.


    Even though the man didn''t say anything, Rose KNEW it must be his doing.


    There was no other man who could pull such strings and cared enough about her to do it. Only Rune.


    Rune was caught off guard. He didn''t expect Rose to hug him in front of her parents and thank him.


    Uhm.. actually this was not his doing. He only threatened Leon to set his wife straight by making Anne and her two friends issue a public apology.


    It looked like Leon didn''t want to embarrass his wife and instead forced the media to issue the statement. This was not what Rune wanted.


    However, apparently, it made Rose feel happy? Then, it''s fine too.


    .


    ----------


    I will publish one more chapter later today ^^

 Chapter 1059 - I Am Here To Correct My Mistakes

    "Why are you thanking him?" The duchess was confused when she saw what Rose did.


    Rose hugged Rune, rested her head on his shoulder, and kissed his cheek before she went back to her seat and turned to her mother, "I thanked him because Rune made them apologize."


    "What? Is that true?" Duchess Fournier asked Rune.


    The man was still feeling euphoric by the kiss that just landed on his cheek earlier. He absentmindedly replied, "Well, technically... yes."


    "I don''t understand," said the duchess again. She turned to her husband. "Do you know anything about this?"


    Duke Fournier shook his head.


    "Mother... Rune here is Rune Schneider," Rose finally explained. "When the news agencies were writing that I am dating Rune Schneider, they did it to mock me, thinking my boyfriend claimed to be someone from the Schneider family when he is actually an impostor. Anne and Sarah fed them with the lies."


    "But..." Duchess Fournier turned to Rune. "No offense, but... it''s true, isn''t it?"


    "No, it''s a lie," Rose pouted. "He made me think he is poor and that he only shares the same last name with them. But he is actually one of them."


    Fortunately, Rose quickly added. "But I understand why he did it. I also did the same thing to him. I pretended to be a struggling artist because I don''t want to date men who are only after our family''s wealth."


    "Oh..." Duchess Fournier pressed her lips in surprise. She looked at Rune intently, trying to wrap her head around this fact.


    So... this man... was really Rune Schneider? It was so hard to believe because Rune had always been so humble and easygoing. He didn''t care if they all thought he was poor and whatnot.


    "This is shocking," the duchess could only mutter.


    "I am very sorry if have been rude by not explaining myself better," Rune said apologetically. "My name is Rune and my family is actually wealthy. I just don''t have a habit of introducing myself from that angle. I hope you will forgive me."


    The duchess waved, Her face looked beaming, no longer worried and confused like before. "Not at all. I am not offended. I was just surprised. It''s all good."


    Rune was relieved because he had cleared the situation with Rose''s parents. This way, they would trust him more to bring Rose with him to meet his family.


    The atmosphere during breakfast became so much brighter and warmer. Rose and her parents were very happy to see all the public apologies plastered on the news sites. It gave them peace of mind after the stressful past week.


    In the afternoon, Rose went shopping for gifts with Rune to give to his family as souvenirs from Medion. Then, she packed her small suitcase with some clothes and everything she would need for the holiday.


    ***


    "Are you ready to go?" Rune asked Rose in after Mr. Rolland entered the mansion and reported that the car was ready.


    Rose nodded happily, "I am ready."


    "I forgot to ask what time is your flight," the duchess asked. She came to hug Rose and take her to the door.


    "We are not in a hurry, anytime Rose is ready, the plane will depart. We are not waiting for any other passenger," Rune explained.


    "Oh..." Duchess Fournier almost forgot that this man before her came from a very wealthy family. It shouldn''t come as a surprise if he had a private jet to travel whenever he wanted. They didn''t need to follow a certain schedule. "Then, you guys have fun!"


    "Thank you, mother," Rose said as she hugged her mother. She also hugged her father. The couple stood by the doorway, holding hands, watching Rose and Rune enter the car. Mr. Rolland put their bags in the trunk, then got into the driver''s seat.


    Rune and Rose rolled down their windows respectively to wave at Duke and Duchess Fournier, as the car drove away from the mansion.


    "Goodbye, Mom... I will see you in two weeks," said Rose.


    "Take care!"


    The journey to the airport would last for half an hour. This time, they didn''t go to the international terminal to check-in, like usual. The car would go directly to the runway. The plane staff would handle all their paperwork while Rose and Rune could immediately relax in the cabin.


    "We are here, Your Grace," said Mr. Roland after he stopped the car and got out of the driver''s seat. The loyal driver opened the doors for Rose, then Rune, then he took their bags from the trunk.


    However, he suddenly halted his steps when his eyes caught sight of a man walked from the left. Apparently, there was another car waiting on the runway and the passenger only came out when Rose came out of her car.


    "Your Highness," Mr. Roland greeted Leon in a stammer. He was wondering why Leon came to see Rose all of a sudden. The driver turned to see Rose who was standing frozen in her place. Her mouth agape.


    "Rose..." Leon smiled apologetically. "I am sorry for disrupting your travel plan, but I... I need to see you and talk to you."


    "Leon..." Rose muttered. "What are you doing here?"


    "I don''t want to regret this my whole life..." Leon''s voice turned hoarse. He reached out a hand to Rose. "I am such a jerk. I don''t deserve you..."


    Rose was surprised to see the man''s eyes were gleaming with tears. Was Leon crying?


    Why?


    "What do you want, Leon?" Rose asked the man coldly. "You are a married man. You shouldn''t come here. This will make people think you are after another woman when you already have a wife. Many people will misunderstand."


    Leon shook his head. "This is not a misunderstanding. I have made the biggest mistakes in my life... and I am here to correct them."

 Chapter 1060 - Leons Apologies

    "Rose... please, forgive me. I was such a fool and I didn''t know what''s good for me," Leon pleaded with Rose. His voice was hoarse and he couldn''t help it when tears started falling from the corners of his eyes. The man looked so miserable. "I was too insecure and I kept chasing acknowledgment from my father..."


    Rose was frozen in her spot. She never expected that Leon would come to see her at the airport like this... and begged for forgiveness.


    She had wanted this to happen for a long time, and after two years, she thought it would never happen.


    "Rose..."  Rune got out of the car and touched Rose''s arm. He looked at her dotingly and asked, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk to him?"


    Please say no, he wished internally.


    As a gentleman, Rune would offer the woman a chance to settle her problem with her ex-boyfriend, but as a man in love, he would wish that she didn''t give her ex a time of day.


    Didn''t Leon get his chance to apologize for two years straight? What did he do with his time? Enough was enough and now Rose should just kick him to the curb. He made his bed and he should lay on it.


    Rose didn''t reply. She was too shocked to say anything. She could only look at Leon with disbelief.


    "I don''t love Anne. I thought I could love her if I put my mind into it. I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing... for my family, for my kingdom..." Leon stepped slowly, closer to Rose, and finally stopped right in front of her.


    He looked at Rose deeply. "I know she is childish and petty, but I thought it was because she is young. But when I found out what she did to you... I couldn''t take it anymore. I realized... I cannot live with someone who intentionally hurt you. So, I made a decision to leave."


    "Oh, Leon...." Rose pressed her lips in shock and tears started forming in her eyes. She whispered, "Why are you doing this? Please don''t do this..."


    "For once, I want to be honest with myself, Rose..." Leon looked so guilty and ashamed, and the sight truly broke Rose''s heart. "I have only loved you. Yesterday, all I could think about was the fact that the only times I''ve ever felt truly happy... were when I was with you."


    His tears started dripping uncontrollably. "I have got everything I wanted in life. So I thought I was supposed to be happy, right? But why am I feeling the most miserable that I have ever been? I hate my life. I hate the royal family... and I hate the woman I married. All I could think about is you, and how I have ruined the only chance I ever had to be happy. I am such an idiot..."


    Leon continued his words. "As soon as I found out that you are leaving... I realized that I must not let you go without telling you how sorry I am for what happened. I am sorry for what I did to you and for all the pain that I have caused you. Rose... I am truly sorry..."


    He looked at Rose sincerely and repeated his words since the girl didn''t respond to his apologies. "Rose... will you forgive me? I have made all the reporters who write those gossips about you apologize and I will make Sarah and Lisa apologize too. But I realize, the person who owes you the biggest apology is me. I have hurt you the most, and I cannot even begin to describe how awfully sorry I am for what happened..."


    Rose furrowed her brows when she heard Leon''s explanation. She looked at Rune and Leon alternately. "You did.. what? So, you''re the one who made the news sites post the public apologies?"


    Leon nodded. "Yeah. That''s the least that I could do. I didn''t know they had been writing so many awful gossips about you. I was too busy to notice such things. I only found out after the wedding... I am sorry I didn''t do it sooner. I am sorry, I failed to protect you."


    "Oh..." Rose turned to Rune with a conflicted expression. She had thought it was all Rune''s doing and thanked the man for it when actually Leon was the one who did it.


    Rune suddenly felt cornered. He didn''t refute it when Rose thanked him for the public apologies because even though he didn''t directly order it, he was the reason why Leon forced the journalists to apologize.


    But now, this made him look like a liar who took credit over someone else''s work.


    Shit. He could do so much more than that. But he didn''t want to use excessive force when he already threatened Leon to do something for Rose.


    "Rose, I hope you know that he only did it after I told him to," Rune said to Rose. "If he was truly sincere, he wouldn''t wait to do it until he knew you have finally moved on and forgotten about him."


    "Rose, you are the closest person to me in this universe. I have lost you once, due to my own foolishness... I don''t want to lose you again," Leon spoke.


    He added, "I didn''t do it because I was jealous that you have found a new man. No, I did it... and I am doing this.. to show you that I really love you. I always have. And I realized that wealth and power mean nothing... when you are not by my side."


    ''It''s too little too late, buddy,'' was what Rune wanted to say while rolling his eyes. However, he managed to hold back and showed a flat expression.


    He looked at Rose and rubbed her arm gently. "Rose, it''s time to go."


    To his surprise, Rose pulled her arm loose.


    "Rose..?" Rune couldn''t hide the shock in his voice. His cool disappeared and was replaced by a disappointed expression.


    Why did Rose brush off his hand?


    ---------


    I wrote 1500 words already and I think I can add more to make it two chapters (1k words each). You can expect another chapter later today - Asian time, so maybe next morning US timezone.


    Also, I''m down with flu. Sorry for the very slow updates for this book. It almost ends. We are getting there very, very soon.

 Chapter 1061 - Runes Decision

    Rose turned to him, and the tears in her eyes made Rune''s heart ached. He was looking at her side profile and he didn''t realize the girl was holding back tears while keeping a flat expression.


    And now, she couldn''t hold back her tears any longer. She started sobbing uncontrollably


    "Rune..." She touched his hand and pleaded with him. "Can I have a moment in private with Leon, please?"


    Rune felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard her words. Somehow, something in his head told him that Rose would forgive Leon. She always did.


    Rose had tolerated him and did everything for his sake for the past two years. She had sacrificed so much for this man, even when it broke her heart.


    Was it because he was her first love? People said first love never dies.


    Rune remembered how it was with his siblings. Aleksis and London all married their first loves, who were also the loves of their lives. Their love for their spouses was undeniable.


    Was this how Rose felt about Leon?


    Would she take him back no matter what happened between him and Rose in the past?


    "Rose... we have a plan to go to Germany together," Rune reminded her. "It''s time to go."


    He didn''t want her to stay behind and have her private moment with Leon. He knew what would happen if he let Rose talk in private with her ex-boyfriend.


    She would forgive Leon, and then come to Rune to apologize and told him that he should go to Germany alone. She would thank him for being such a good man. She would thank him for being a good fake boyfriend.


    And then, she would apologize, saying that she didn''t think they could be more than friends. She would wish him happiness and hope that someday he would find a woman who was lucky to be his girlfriend.


    Rune could already imagine everything in his head right now. He didn''t want it.


    "I really need to talk to Leon," said Rose firmly. "Please.. can you wait?"


    They were not taking any commercial airline. They could go whenever they wanted, just needed to clear the schedule with the airport. It was not a big deal.


    Surely they could wait, right? That was what Rose thought.


    Unfortunately, Rune didn''t think that way.


    He was jealous and upset, because, even after everything that happened, Rose still gave in to Leon, swayed by his apologies, and let him talk her into speaking in private.


    He was sure that it wouldn''t end well.


    "I am sorry, I cannot wait," Rune replied curtly. "Either you come with me to Germany and meet my family AS WE HAVE PLANNED together, or you want to stay and settle your issues with Leon."


    He suddenly felt ashamed for being petty this one time but he was just human with feelings and he didn''t want to be an option.


    He had made his intention clear from the beginning. He was in love with Rose and he wanted to be in a real relationship with her. He wanted her to meet his family. And when the time was right, he wanted to marry her.


    Rune did not want to play with her feelings. He was willing to wait until she was ready, but he didn''t want her to keep coming back to Leon and only came to him when she realized that it didn''t work.


    "Why are you doing this?" Rose looked at Rune with furrowed brows. "I just want to talk to him. You said I can settle my issues with Leon."


    "Yes. I did say that..." Rune let out a long sigh. "I think you still have unresolved issues with him. And I don''t want to stop you. You can take all the time you need to talk to him. I don''t want you to rush just because you think you have to catch a plane."


    The man added, "That''s why, if you chose to stay and talk to him in private, I will go. Just let me know when you are ready to fly to Germany, I''ll come and pick you up. Or... if you decided not to go, so I would know where we stand."


    Rose''s eyes dimmed when she heard his words uttered in a flat tone. She knew he was right. Rune was being very kind by giving her the time, as much as she wanted and needed, to talk with Leon and resolved her issues with the man.


    If Rune said he would wait for her inside the plane while she was talking with Leon, things would become awkward when she ended up choosing Leon and told Rune to go by himself.


    And this arrangement also gave Rose the freedom to talk to Leon as much as she needed. She wouldn''t feel rushed, just because someone was waiting for her.


    Her tears fell down harder as she realized how good this man was to her.


    "Rune..." Rose bit her lip. She came forward and wrapped her arms to hug Rune''s neck, and whispered, "Thank you."


    Rune smiled bitterly and patted her back. "Let me know if you are ready to go... or not."


    When he let go of her, Rune immediately took his bag from the car and walked to the plane, didn''t look back at all.


    He didn''t want her to see that he, too, was crying. He had a feeling that Rose would never contact him and asked him to come and pick her up.


    This was the end of his short-lived romance. Could it even be called romance? It was one-sided at best.


    Rose looked at Rune''s back view until it disappeared with her body shaking, as she sobbed silently. She wanted to ask him to wait and not leave right away, but she knew it was not fair of her to make him wait.


    He was too good for her.


    Mr. Roland who witnessed the scene could only let out a long sigh.


    .


    ------------


    What do you think about Rune''s decision? Is it the right thing to do?

 Chapter 1062 - Why Doesnt She Call?

    The two-hour journey felt like forever. Rune couldn''t wait to leave Bacilia. His heart was in a mess and he felt like crying.


    All his life, he had never felt so miserable. He was raised in a loving and happy family.  His life was perfect. He only knew and received things that were the best of the bests.


    His parents loved him, his siblings doted on him. He could do whatever he wanted in life. Everything he wanted, he would get it.


    Except for today.


    As he leaned his back on the seat and closed his eyes, Rune thought about Rose and what she would decide after she talked with Leon.


    Now, he understood why his uncle, Aldebar, chose to stay single. He was happy with his life and so was Rune, until he met Rose. He realized that falling in love, when it was one-sided, was the worst feeling ever.


    He could understand his parents'' and his siblings'' happiness when they were with their better half. Of course, they were happy. Their love was requited and they were loved back.


    Unrequited love hurt so badly.


    He pressed his temple and thought about how Rose must have felt for the past two years.


    She must be really hurt and sad because the man she loved didn''t love her like she loved him. He cared more about wealth and power than her.


    Oh, Rune.. stop it, he chided himself. He imagined himself in Rose''s position. She had been crying alone for two years and kept her sadness to herself.


    Surely she was glad that finally... Leon came to his senses and realized what''s good for him, wasn''t she?


    If Rose felt happy with Leon, then Rune would wish them the best.


    He hated Leon after what he did to Rose, but Rune wouldn''t force his opinion on her by telling Rose that she deserved a man better than Leon. It was not his place to do such a thing.


    The heart wants what it wants.


    If what Rose wanted to feel happy was her first love back... then so be it.


    So be it.


    ***


    Finland and Caspar were surprised to see their youngest son arrived in their home in Berlin alone. However, they didn''t say anything. They could tell something must have happened between Rune and Rose and she canceled her visit to Germany to meet them.


    They knew when the time was right and Rune was ready, he would share with them about what happened.


    "I''ve missed you so much!" Finland said as she came to hug her son. "How was the flight? Are you tired? Do you want to eat something?"


    Rune hugged her back. "The flight was okay. I am not hungry. Maybe later."


    "Ah... okay."


    "Congratulations on the baby by the way," Rune added as he let go of his hug. "I am happy for you both. I''ve been wanting to congratulate you in person. So.. how many months in?"


    He intentionally talked about his parents'' new baby so they wouldn''t ask him about what happened to Rose.  Of course, Finland knew this and she wouldn''t do anything to pester her son who obviously looked sad, but Rune just didn''t want to make the day about him.


    His parents were feeling overjoyed after getting such good news that they were expecting. He didn''t want to rain in their parade with his awful love story. He better keep it to himself.


    "It''s almost 12 weeks," his father replied. "So.. the first trimester is almost over. We only have two more months before I will take a long break from work and hand over everything to Jan."


    "That''s wonderful," Rune gushed. "So... we will have two babies in the family soon."


    Finland coughed when she heard him. "Uhm... please don''t remind me of that..."


    She still couldn''t get herself used to normalize the fact that she and her daughter-in-law would have babies in the same year.


    Rune chuckled when he saw his mother''s reaction. He kissed her cheek and then told them he was tired from the trip and wanted to rest.


    "I will meet you later for dinner. I think I need to lie down and rest for a bit," he said.


    "Sure. Rest well. We will have London and L for dinner. They are happy to know you are here. Lily missed you too."


    "Ah, okay."


    Rune took his bag and went to his room at the far end of the hallway. It was a huge room with a mini library and a big lounge sofa. He tossed his bag to the corner and sat on the sofa.


    It''s been 2.5 hours since the last time he saw Rose. Was she still talking with Leon? Why hadn''t she called?


    Rune already told her to take her time and text or call him when she was done. If she wanted to go to Germany, Rune would come and get her. If she decided that she no longer wanted to come... then Rune would know where they stood.


    If she chose the latter, Rune would understand that Rose had got back together with Leon and there was no chance for Rune to be in a relationship with her.


    However, she still had not called or texted.


    So.. did that mean they were still talking?


    "Gosh.. I am so impatient," Rune muttered to himself.


    Rune should just wait.


    ***


    Until dinner time, Rose still didn''t call or text him, and this made Rune become more restless. What was Rose doing with Leon that they were still not done talking?


    Were they even talking? Or... did they do something else?


    Uff... Rune couldn''t help but think about all the worst possible scenarios.


    Maybe they did talk... and then Rose fell for Leon again. So, they had makeup s.e.x. And they were still not done.


    Or... they really made up and now Rose felt bad about telling Rune and be honest about it.


    And... even if Rose was trying to be honest about what happened, could Rune accept it? Wouldn''t it hurt so bad?


    .


    I know the last few chapters are sad for Rune, but I promise that this story will also have a happy ending ^^.

 Chapter 1063 - The Reason Why Rose Doesnt Call

    Rune couldn''t focus on his dinner. He also didn''t have an appetite. London and L who were hoping to distract him from his sadness by talking about their family and the upcoming events for the holiday finally gave up and let him be.


    They discussed Finland''s and L''s pregnancies. They predicted that L would give birth in spring and Finland would give birth in summer. Both husbands were so excited about the new addition to their families and were exchanging tips and support.


    "I can''t wait for our year-end holiday together," Caspar commented. "Next year we will have two new family members."


    "Who knows.. maybe Uncle Lauriel and Rosalien will have a kid too next year?" London responded. "They will have a spring wedding, right?"


    Caspar rubbed his chin. He didn''t know if Loriel or Rosalien wanted children. Loriel already had two sons from his late fiancee and he loved them to bits, but when Luna was pregnant, he was not expecting to have children and that was the reason why Luna left him.


    However, maybe things had changed now? Gosh.. Caspar needed to meet Loriel again talked to him. They had not met for a long time.


    "Do you think Lauriel wants children?" Caspar turned to Rune who was sipping his wine absentmindedly. The young man was zoning out because the conversation at the dining table was around babies and weddings.


    He was reminded of his own failure. He, too, would love to get married and have children, now that he had found the woman to anchor his heart.


    However, if the woman didn''t want the same thing and preferred to be with another man, Rune could only swallow his disappointment and stop thinking about her altogether.


    "Uncle Lauriel?" Rune furrowed his brows and his mind wandered to the moment he and Lauriel had the conversation in Amazon interior about his relationship with Rosalien. It was there that Lauriel shared with Rune about his plan to marry his girlfriend of 15 years.


    "Yes. You traveled with him for two weeks to Amazon. Did he say anything?" Caspar asked again. Rune shook his head.


    "I can''t really remember, sorry," he said.


    "Ah, it''s okay. I will ask Lauriel myself," said Caspar and he immediately changed the topic. They continued talking about the planned holiday.


    Everyone always looked forward to the opportunity to gather in a complete formation since they all lived in different parts of the world and were busy with their respective lives.


    As usual, they would spend it on F Island since it was located in the tropics and they could escape the cold winter for two weeks.


    After dinner, Rune went to his room and told his family he needed to finish some work. Once he was alone, the man checked his phone and see if Rose had sent him a message.


    There was none.


    It''s been twelve hours. This couldn''t be a coincidence. Whatever Rose was doing with Leon, it must have ended now. If she still didn''t send news to Rune, it must be intentional.


    Rose didn''t send Rune any message because she didn''t want to.


    ***


    THREE WEEKS LATER


    "This is the best holiday ever," said Altair in excitement as he rose from his seat and raised his glass. "I am so happy to see everyone present. JM and I have an announcement to make."


    Everyone gasped in unison. After dating since they were 16, would Altair and JM finally tie the knot? It had been more than ten years and the couple seemed to be more in love than ever.


    Just look at them exchanging glances with big smiles plastered on their faces!


    The whole family met in F-Island as usual. This time there was a new addition to the big family. Vega gave birth to a new baby in spring this year and now both she and Mischa was holding a child in their arms. They looked the happiest they had ever been.


    Altair knew from the way JM gushed about his niece and nephew all the time that his girlfriend had started to think about motherhood. So, this got him thinking of that too.


    Wouldn''t it be nice to have his children grow up together with Vega''s adorable children? That meant, he and JM shouldn''t wait for much longer.


    JM had enjoyed 12 years of a fulfilling career as a model and traveled the world. She was now ready to leave behind the fast pace lifestyle and settled down somewhere nice and quiet.


    Meanwhile, Altair thought he already needed to show off his wife since the tabloids kept posting fake news about him dating this model or that actress. It''s time to put those gossips to rest.


    That''s why, he decided to talk to JM about getting married and the girl couldn''t be happier.


    "JM and I want to get married next year," said Altair with a broad smile. "We plan to hold an intimate wedding here. So, I hope you don''t mind coming back here in summer."


    "No, of course, not!"


    "Whoaaa.. congratulations!"


    "This is amazing news!"


    Everyone present clapped and congratulated the couple. Marion wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn''t believe that her Little Monkey had grown up to be a bride and would soon build her own family.


    Gosh.. when did time go so fast?


    JM got up from her seat and locked hands with her fiance. She turned to him and smiled broadly.


    "That went well," she whispered to him.


    "That went well," Altair replied. He kissed her lips and hugged her. "I love you so much!"


    Rune forced a smile and he sipped his wine, pretending this scene didn''t make him think about Rose.


    If only things had gone according to plan, Rose would have been here with him, attending his family event in F-Island. Unfortunately, fate said otherwise.


    Rose still didn''t contact him and Rune finally knew the reason. Last week, he read the news that broke the internet. The crown prince of Medion announced his resignation from all his royal duties and the annulment of his marriage to Princess Anne of Moravia.


    He also explained that he was not actually the illegitimate son of Duke Fournier, but the king himself. The news exploded with journalists scrambled to find out the reason for his sudden decision to make this controversial announcement.


    They all came to the conclusion that Prince Leon was in love with Rose Fournier.


    The royal palace still declined to comment.


    .


    -----------


    From the author:


    I have several announcements to make:


    If you haven''t already known, I have a Discord server where I share stuff about my books, trivia, ill.u.s.trations, etc. Think of it as my home gallery for my works.


    I still haven''t talked a lot about my books on the server because I am shy... ahahaha. At the moment there are more authors in there (since I make a lot of friends among W e b n o v e l authors) and only a few readers. I promise to have more books related discussions once I have more readers join. So, feel free to join me there. This is the link:


    bit.ly/missrealitybites


    I also created a P a t r e o n account for my future works. It''s still empty now, but once I end this book, The Alchemists, I will start posting there on my P a t r e o n.


    So, if you wish to support me directly and read my future works, you can go ahead and become my patron. The support starts at $2 per month.


    It''s here:


    w w w . p a t r e o n. c o m/missrealitybites


    Just remove the space between letters.


    My book, "The Cursed King" will probably the last book I sign to W e b n o v e l with an exclusive contract. This exclusive contract means they have all the right to make a decision with my story. If wants to boost it or make it into movies, or if they want to keep hidden in the bas.e.m.e.nt and no one will read it, it''s totally their decision.


    It''s like I rent out my house exclusively to W e b n o v e l and they can do whatever they want with it. This exclusive contract is valid until 70 years after I die (basically the contract is valid for as long as the IP right is valid).


    My next books will only be signed as non-exclusive. Meaning, I only let them use one room, and I get to decide what to do with the other rooms in my house.


    So, if I signed a  non-exclusive contract, I can publish my books to completion on other platforms, not just W e b n o v e l, I can also sell the books directly to readers and even print a paperback by myself and sell them to readers to add to their collection.


    With non-exclusive contracts, I get to keep the rights and this is something that I want to have. I also get to keep most of the money generated from my books if readers bought my books.


    Right now, with exclusive contracts, I only keep 30% and it''s not much especially with the fact that I lost my rights to my own works.


    Imagine making $50 per month from Finding Stardust and losing the right to do whatever I want with the book? It''s really not worth it.


    So yeah.. my future books will be on non-exclusive contracts, except for maybe if I joined next year''s W e b n o v e l Spirity Award again. The books for the contest must be exclusive.


    I have so many projects planned for the future and everything will be up on P a t r e o n and maybe scattered on many different platforms, including W e b n o v e l.


    So, this is how I publish my new works in the future:


    TIER 1


    On P a t r e o n, for $2 support per month, you will get access to 1 chapter per week for 2 different stories. I plan to publish exclusive new novels there, among a few are "1912-1932", "The Pirate Prince", "The Runaway Empress", and some side stories that are like fanfictions of my existing books.


    Some plans in the pipeline for the side stories are: a story about Kaoshin and Arreya (Finding Stardust) when they met in the mage academy, the story of Aldebar''s first love, Lauriel and Rosalien''s story (we still don''t know how they ended up falling in love, right?), etc. These side stories will not be available on W e b n o v e l.


    TIER 2


    For $5 support per month, you will get access to the above in addition to a comic I''m working on with an artist. I have two stories that I want to turn into comics, but the second artist has a prior commitment and could only start in 5 months.


    The first comic is for "The Cursed Prince", and the second comic will be for "1912-1932". I will share with you later what 1912-1932 is about. Tbh, it''s my favorite story ever and I would never give the rights to any platforms. I can''t wait for you to read it!


    If you have become my supporter for 6 months with $5 per month, I will send you the e-book version of the books you have been supporting.


    TIER 3


    For $10 support per month, you will get all the above, but after you become my patron for 6 months, you are eligible to receive the paperback version of the books you have been supporting. Shipping is not included.


    If you just want the paperbacks and don''t want to commit to supporting for 6 months, I will announce on P a t r e o n or Instagram/FB how you can buy the books once I have printed a new batch.


    By the way, If you don''t already know, you can connect with me on Instagram or Facebook page, both under the same handle "Missrealitybites".


    All tiers in P a t r e o n, the $2, $5, and $10 per month will also get access to all artworks I commission for my books.


    I cannot wait to end "The Alchemists" on W e b n o v e l and embark on a new journey with you in P a t r e o n. I will still write The Cursed Prince, Finding Stardust, and The Cursed King here on W e b n o v e l, until they are finished.


    x Vina - Missrealitybites

 Chapter 1064 - Rune Schneider, What Are You Doing Here?

    Rune''s big family quickly realized that he was not having fun like the rest of them and had been forcing himself to smile amidst everyone''s happiness because he didn''t want to ruin their holiday.


    No matter what, he was their baby brother, the youngest son... and everyone doted on him. They wanted to see Rune happy. They had heard about his story with Rose and felt sorry for his bad luck.??


    "What''s your plan after the year-end holiday?" Aldebar decided to keep his nephew busy so he would stop thinking about Rose. "If you have nothing to do, I would like to travel to the South Pole. Do you want to join me?"


    Rune had traveled to so many places and explored the world. However, he had never gone to the South Pole. So, Aldebar''s offer sounded very attractive to him.


    "When?" he asked his uncle.


    "Mid January," Aldebar responded. "I just want to see new scenery. I am wondering if you are interested in going. The window for traveling to the South Pole is only between November and January and we will leave from Punta Arena, Chile."


    Rune thought for a while and then nodded. He thought it would be nice to explore a completely new place. He really appreciated what Aldebar was doing and his good intention. He nodded and said, "Sounds good. I will go with you."


    "Very well. I will make the arrangement for us," Aldebar smiled to hear Rune''s response.


    He really hoped Rune would move on from his heartbreak soon. Though, as a man who was once in his nephew''s position, Aldebar knew better how it was not going to be easy.


    The family had fun and enjoyed a lot of activities on the island. The two pregnant women spent most of their time sunbathing by the pool and enjoyed mocktails.


    Their husbands truly spoiled them by giving them foot massages or be on their beck and call whenever the ladies wanted something. It was quite funny to see two men that looked like a spitting image of each other took care of their pregnant wives who had similar appearances.


    Inwardly, everyone thought London must have fallen in love with L because she reminded him of his own mother. And sure enough, now that both women were similarly expecting babies, they looked more and more alike.


    ***


    After the wonderful holiday, Rune went with Aldebar to the South Pole. He had been wanting to go there but had not found the right time.


    So, when his uncle suggested they travel there, out of his kindness to distract Rune from his heartbreak, Rune became excited and went with him.


    "Uncle Rune, are you free this weekend?" Summer who was hanging out with the twins at their mansion suddenly clung to Rune when she saw the man walk through the door.


    He just dropped Aldebar at the airport. His uncle wanted to go back to Germany and did some other research, while Rune wanted to spend some more time with his sister''s family.


    "No," Rune replied. "I am always expensive. Why do you ask?"


    Summer chuckled when she heard his response. It seemed Rune had got his sense of humor back. She took out a flyer from the table and showed it to Rune.


    "I have to write some stupid report for English class," she pursed her lips. "My teacher asked me to write about some art exhibition in the city center. I have to choose between these five exhibitions to visit and make my paper. I want to go there but my father and mother are quite busy."


    "We want to go as well," Scotland and Ireland spoke too. "Will you go with us?"


    "Hmm..." Rune shrugged. "Sure. Let''s go there."


    Rune was not really interested in art exhibitions. He would prefer to visit a science exhibition, but he loved his nephews and niece so much that he would go anywhere with them.


    "Great! We love you, Uncle Rune!"


    So, now, he thought, going out with the twins and Summer would bring a refreshing change of scenery.


    There were several types of art exhibitions in East Village this weekend. Since all seemed interesting, Summer decided to toss a coin to choose the one they should visit.


    And the coin pointed them in the direction of modern art exhibitions held by a new gallery in town that showcased several up-and-coming artists. Rune was reminded of Rose when he stepped down from the car in front of the gallery.


    Rose was an artist too. How did she do with her artwork? Was she still painting? When will she hold her own exhibition? Did she still keep her loft apartment in East Village?


    Rune walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets, admiring paintings and sculptors showcased in the gallery. After half an hour of checking the artwork, he realized he actually quite enjoyed the experience.


    This was no less enjoyable than a scientific exhibition, he thought.


    As he walked deeper into the gallery, following Summer''s and the twins'' steps, suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a simple but beautiful painting in acrylic to his right.


    It was the picture of a swing hung from a lone oak tree. Somehow he thought the swing looked awfully familiar. Did he see it before? Where?


    As his eyes focused on the swing, he stepped forward, not paying attention to other things around him.


    That looked very much like the swing in Reverand Hill, Rose''s favorite place in the world.


    Ahh.. dammit. This must be just a coincidence, but Rune immediately thought about Rose again.


    The man let out a long sigh. He thought he had got over her.


    Apparently not.


    "Rune..."


    Rune was startled when he suddenly heard Rose''s voice call his name. He sighed and turned toward the origin of the sound. The man chided himself for being so weak. He must be hallucinating and thinking he heard Rose''s voice.


    "Rune Schneider? What are you doing here?" Rose stepped forward awkwardly when she saw Rune turn to see her. Her beautiful face was filled with longing.


    .


    -------------


    Btw, what do you think about the new cover? It''s Caspar and Finland.

 Chapter 1065 - Im Sorry

    Rune couldn''t say anything for a few moments. He still couldn''t believe that the beautiful woman before him was Rose.


    "Hello?" When Rose spoke again, finally the man was moved from his reverie. He batted his eyes and looked at Rose carefully.??


    "I came with my niece and nephews to see the exhibition," he said. "What are you doing here?"


    Rose smiled and tilted her head toward the painting on the wall. "That''s my painting."


    "Oh.. no wonder it feels familiar," Rune gushed. "So, it''s yours."


    "Yeah. I was offered to do this exhibition on short notice. Peter gave my name to the curator," Rose explained. "I am grateful. The crowd''s enthusiasm is exciting."


    "You deserve it," said Rune sincerely. He cast his glance around the room, trying to see if he could recognize other paintings by Rose. "Do you have any more artworks on display?"


    "Yeah. I''ve got five more," Rose replied. "Do you want to see them?"


    Rune nodded. "Sure."


    With the corner of his eyes, he could see Ireland and Scotland, together with Summer were busy taking notes about the artworks in the exhibition. So, he decided to follow Rose walked around the gallery. She showed him five more paintings close by.


    The first one was Medion royal palace as seen from the top of a hill. The second one was an alley which Rune recognized from the Old Town in Bacilia, not far from the restaurant owned by Rose''s family.


    He was happy that he had visited Rose''s hometown so he could recognize the places or the elements from her paintings.


    The third one was the majestic Bacilia cathedral. The fourth painting showed one night on a beautiful beach that was filled with gleaming bioluminescent, which reminded Rune of the beach in Maldives that looked like it was glowing at night.


    "Where is this?" He asked Rose with interest.


    "Oh.. this is a beach in Bacilia," Rose explained. "Actually, we went there..."


    "Really? I didn''t know the beach is a bioluminescent one," Rune furrowed his brows, trying to remember the beaches that he went to with Rose.


    "It''s because we went there in the daytime. One beach is a bioluminescent one and you could have seen the glow if we came at night," Rose said again. "I forgot to tell you about it."


    "Whoaaa... it''s so pretty," Rune gushed. "I wish I could see it."


    "Well, you can," Rose said with a smile. "It''s not like you cannot go there."


    "Well..." Rune went silent when he heard Rose''s words. It''s true. He could just go to Bacilia again and visit the beach at night.


    However, why would he go there? If he couldn''t go there with Rose, what''s the point.


    Right?


    Rose seemed to guess what the man was thinking and she changed the subject. "How are your parents? Are they okay?"


    She remembered Rune said his middle-aged mother was pregnant. So, she wanted to know if Rune''s mother was okay. Being pregnant at an older age had many health risks, so she wanted to show that she cared.


    "They are okay. I just met them for the year-end holiday. Everyone is fine," Rune explained. He looked at Rose deeply and asked her about her family too, just to be polite, since she already asked about his parents. "How is your family?"


    "Well, both my parents are healthy. I couldn''t ask for more, really," said Rose.


    "Ah, good to know." Rune nodded. Suddenly, he remembered the news that broke the internet several weeks ago.


    That means, after everything was over, Rose could have Leon again completely. Their love would finally have its happy ending.


    Well.. now the man felt conflicted.


    Should he congratulated Rose for this? Or...


    He wanted to show her that he was a gentleman and that he was happy for her. Since it was her choice to go back to Leon, then it means between her and Rune there was nothing else to discuss.


    "How long will you be in New York?" Finally, he decided to go roundabout on the matter. Since Rose was here for the exhibition only, she must be going home to Medion after the exhibition ended, back to Leon''s arms.


    This thought made him feel bitter, but Rune could keep the smile on his face.


    Rose batted her eyes when she heard the question. Then, she laughed nervously. "I live here. So..."


    "Huh?"


    Rune tilted his head and looked at Rose deeply. Did she say she lived here? Did this mean Rose and Leon decided to move to New York City after Leon stepped down from his royal duties?


    Gosh... Rune felt his heart ached. He wouldn''t want to bump into them when he was in New York. So, if Rose and Leon really moved here, New York would become a no-go place for him.


    Sigh.


    "Why the face?" Rose asked Rune haltingly. She had seen the man looking uncomfortable and assumed he didn''t like to see her again and especially the fact that Rose would live in New York permanently. So, did this mean he didn''t want to see Rose in this city?


    "Nothing," Rune lied. "What''s wrong with my face?"


    "You don''t seem happy to know that I am now living in New York," said Rose bluntly. "Is that why? Do you hate seeing me if we bump into each other in this city?"


    "..." Rune couldn''t lie anymore. So, he chose to say nothing.


    "Well, don''t worry. New York is such a big city. I don''t think we''ll bump into each other often," Rose blit her lip. Her expression looked hurt and this made Rune feel so bad. She added, "And if we do see each other by chance, I will get out of your way. You wouldn''t even know I''m here."


    Rose smiled bitterly and then turned around to leave the man. Before she could walk away, Rune suddenly spoke up.


    "Rose, I am not so heartless that I can just act as if nothing happened between us when I bump into you and Leon in New York.."


    Rose''s steps halted when she heard him speak. Her brows furrowed and then the beautiful woman turned around. She walked closer to Rune and looked at him deeply.


    "Why would you bump into me and Leon in New York?" she asked him. "Do you think he lives here?"


    "Doesn''t he?"


    Rose shook her head. "I have no idea where he is."


    "What?" Rune became so confused. He muttered, "I don''t understand."


    Rose looked at the man for a good while, to read his expression and then realization dawned on her. She touched his shoulder gently. "Did you think I got back with Leon and now he moved in with me, here in New York?"


    Rune felt his throat parched and his voice sounded so hoarse when he replied to Rose''s question. "I read the news..."


    Rose sighed and lowered her head. She now understood why Rune acted this way. It was all her fault.


    "I''m sorry," she whispered and slowly two drops of tears fell down to her cheeks.

 Chapter 1066 - The Real Reason Rose Didnt Call Rune (1)

    "Sorry...? Sorry for what?" Rune asked Rose, not understanding.


    So, he realized he had misunderstood Rose, thinking that she got back together with Leon and that was why she never called him back. ??


    When Leon gave up his royal title and stepped down from all his royal duties, Rune assumed it was because Rose demanded it from him.


    However, it was not her fault that Rune misunderstood. He never tried to call her and asked how she was doing.


    Maybe something big happened and Rose couldn''t contact him... and after a while, it became awkward to call him since they had not spoken with each other for a long time.


    Rune shouldn''t have kept his pride and waited for her to call. He could have taken the initiative too.


    Gosh.. pride was truly a man''s worst trait.


    "I am sorry, I should have called you," Rose said. "but I didn''t."


    "Oh..." Rune scratched his head and nodded. "I was wondering about that."


    "Can we sit somewhere?" Rose asked the man. "People are looking at us."


    From the corner of her eyes, she could see people started staring at them. They did attract people''s attention easily, as it usually happened with very attractive people.


    A very beautiful woman or a handsome man would make people look twice, but together, they would somehow amplify their attractiveness level and make people couldn''t get their eyes off of them.


    And after they looked carefully, they recognized Rose from the gossip sites as the woman who became the third wheel in the crown prince of Medion''s marriage with his new wife.


    Rose could feel the eyes were all on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. So, she suggested they sat somewhere and avoided the public eye.


    "Sure. Where do you have in mind?" Rune asked. "I am new to this place."


    He wouldn''t normally come to see art exhibitions. This was his first. So, he didn''t know where would be a good place for them to sit down and talk.


    Gosh...  his heart fluttered and he felt his c.h.e.s.t puffed up.  Seeing Rose again and knowing the fact that she didn''t actually get back together with Leon made him so happy beyond measure.


    He became giddy and it showed in his attitude.


    "Well.. there is a nice cafe outside of this building," Rose said. She could see that Rune came with the three teenagers. So, she tilted her face toward them. "Do they bring their bodyguards?"


    Rune nodded. "Yeah, they are somewhere around here. I am sure they are watching the kids inconspicuously."


    "You can tell them where we are going, or you can also take them with us. Up to you."


    Rune didn''t need to be asked twice. He waved at the teenagers and asked them to come.


    "Hey... auntie Rose, how are you?" Summer was smiling broadly when she saw Rose standing with Rune. "I came to see your paintings. They are so beautiful."


    "Huh? You know she will have her works exhibited here?" Rune furrowed his brows and looked at the girl intently. Somehow, he felt suspicious that, just like the first blind date, those teenagers also arranged for him to meet Rose at the exhibition.


    "Yes, I can read," said Summer innocently. "I thought you knew."


    "Uhm.. no," Rune looked guilty. He realized he didn''t bother checking the details of the art exhibition to see who were the painters taking part in the exhibition. Ah... if only he did that, he would have known that Rose would be here.


    He narrowed his eyes and looked at the teenagers with an enquiring look. Summer and her cousins avoided his gaze by talking to Rose, acting all innocent.


    "Yeah, we enjoy the exhibition. It''s really nice," Ireland chirped too.


    "Why thank you," Rose was very happy to see their enthusiasm. She pointed at Rune. "Your uncle and I haven''t met in a long time. So, we are thinking of finding a nice cafe to sit down and talk. Would  you like to join us?"


    "Ah.. thank you," Summer replied with a smile, but then she shook her head. "I still have to write my report. So, I need to stay here and see more artwork. You can just go together. When we are done, we will come to you."


    "Very well. Enjoy your research," Rune said to  Summer, Ireland, and Scotland. "Rose and I will go to a cafe outside of this building and catch up."


    "Sure. See you later," said Ireland, seconded by Summer and Scotland.


    Rose and Rune exchanged glances and then smiled. They both had a tacit understanding that the teenagers intentionally let them spend time together without their interruption.


    "Shall we go now?" Rune asked.


    "Yes," Rose replied.


    The man reached out his hand to hold Rose''s hand but instantly remember that they were no longer fake lovers, so he retracted his hand. The man smiled awkwardly and pointed at the exit.


    They walked outside the building under the hopeful gazes of three teenagers.


    "I hope they sort out their issue and start dating," Summer said with a sigh. Then, she turned to her cousins. "They look so good together, don''t you think?"


    Both boys nodded. "Yeah."


    ***


    Rune and Rose got a table at the most hidden part of the cafe to give them privacy. After the waiter took their orders, they both sat silently, looking at each other without words.


    "How are you doing?" Finally, Rune decided to break the ice. "Are you okay?"


    Rose nodded. "Yes. I am well. I am keeping myself busy with my work. You?"


    "Oh, just the usual thing. I went to the South Pole with my uncle. Other than that, there is nothing special happening..."


    "Sounds exciting!"


    "Yeah, it was."


    Then another silence.


    The waiter came with their drinks not long after. Hot coffee for Rune and Hot tea for Rose. They started sipping their drinks and slowly they were feeling more relaxed to talk about their relationship.

 Chapter 1067 - [Bonus chapter]The Real Reason Rose Didnt Call Rune (2)

    "I don''t understand why you never called me," said Rune gently to open the conversation. He tried to make his voice sound neutral, not judging, blaming, nor demanding.


    Rose looked away to hide her gleaming eyes.


    "I''m sorry," she said again.


    "There is nothing to apologize for," Rune commented. "Please stop saying sorry. I am just curious."


    "Well..." Rose looked down on her tea and then she slowly spoke, explaining what happened. "Leon and I had a long talk. He finally realized that everything he thought he wanted, apparently didn''t make him feel happy. And he regretted his decision to leave me for power and wealth. He begged me to forgive him and take him back."


    Rune imagined that must be what happened too. Leon was acting shameless and begged Rose to forgive him.


    Rune was wondering if Rose accepted Leon''s request to get back together, so she didn''t bother calling Rune.


    Seeing how they were not together, Rune ?ssumed the rekindled relationship didn''t work out.  So, now Leon and Rose went their separate ways. Was that what happened?


    "I thought about it for days," Rose admitted truthfully. "It was the turning point of my life and I didn''t want to make the wrong decision. So, I asked him to give me time."


    She continued her explanation with a hoarse voice. "After three days, I realized that I cannot be with someone who made me an option. So, finally, I told him I forgive him, but I cannot be with him. It was not easy for me to say no to Leo since I loved him so much, and I waited for him for two years after the breakup."


    Rune''s heart fluttered when he heard Rose say she rejected Leon''s offer to reconcile.


    "Oh..." He reached out his hand and touched Rose''s right hand on the table. "Why didn''t you say anything to me?"


    Rose looked at his hand on hers and her tears started dripping down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and tried to look fine. Rune felt his heart ached when he saw her trying to act tough.


    The man immediately took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Rose.


    "Please, use this," he said gently.


    Rose took his handkerchief and nodded gratefully. She wiped her tears with her left hand, letting her other hand be touched by him. It felt quite intimate, but they both pretended that it wasn''t.


    "Thank you," Rose said. She put the handkerchief on the table and continued her explanation. "After the talk with Leon, I got into a deep depression. I couldn''t leave my room for weeks. It was really hard. I thought about calling you and explained what happened, but I couldn''t bring myself to do it. My days became darker and darker... and..."


    Rune finally understood what happened and he felt like crying too. Why didn''t he call her first? Or at least... tried to find out what was going on with Rose? He didn''t know she was battling depression. It must be so hard being in her situation.


    Of course, calling a man to explain her condition was the last thing Rose could do. She was struggling just to stay sane.


    Oh... Rune felt so guilty. He could have called Duke or Duchess Fournier to check up on Rose. It was very easy for him to get their contact. However, he didn''t do it and just ?ssumed the worst.


    "I am very sorry, Rose..." the man whispered in a croaked voice. He really didn''t know what to say. He was wrong about Rose.


    "It''s okay. I am much better now," Rose smiled faintly. "My art helped me with my depression and I slowly recovered. However, by the time I was myself again...  it was already too late to talk to you. It felt awkward to suddenly call you and said, ''Hey, sorry for the radio silence. Can we start over?''"


    Rune understood what Rose meant. After some time, and they drifted apart because of the lack of communication, they would feel awkward.


    "I am sorry for not checking up on you," the man said, feeling guilty. "I honestly thought you decided to get back together with Leon and didn''t have the heart to tell me the truth. So, I waited... and waited... and finally, after weeks of no news, I thought you are already happy with him. And then, I read the news everywhere about Leon and you and Anne... And..."


    He paused and looked at Rose deeply. Rune used both hands to grab Rose''s right hand and squeeze it gently. "Rose, I can''t stop thinking about you. I thought you have got back together with Leon, so  I spent all my time trying to keep myself busy and forget about you. It is so hard..."


    Rose looked at the man with gleaming eyes. She nodded weakly. "I am feeling the same. However... I realized that I am not good enough for you. That''s why I decided not to chase after you. I am too embarrassed to call you anyway."


    "Huh? Why? How could you think you are not good enough? Why did you feel embarrassed to call?"


    Rose wiped her eyes with Rune''s handkerchief again. She shook her head dejectedly. "I realized that I am a pathetic woman who couldn''t move on from the man who had treated her badly. My self-worth was close to zero and then you came... such a kind and amazing man. I feel like, you are too good for me."


    "...."


    "Yes, it''s true. I thought about it for a long time," Rose admitted.  "You did so much for me, and you could actually get any woman you want. After ghosting you for months by not calling you, it felt awkward to suddenly call. Added to the fact that I thought you are too good for me..."


    She smiled bitterly and added, "I realized I should have just stayed away and mended my heart, starting over my life and trying to achieve my dream as an artist."


    Rune felt his heart suddenly become so light. So, that was the real reason why Rose didn''t call him. Not because she got back together with Leon, not because she was still in love with that man.


    .


    .


    ---------------


    From the author:


    Thank you so much for your support to this book, and for being so patient. I decided to write this bonus chapter to fulfill your summoning pens. It is a new feature from .


    With this pen, you can summon the author to publish a bonus chapter using 200 points. I already saw your summons for The Alchemists for days, so I tried to find time to write the bonus chapter. I hope you liked it.


    PS: If you would like to support me with your golden tickets, could you please vote for "The Cursed Prince"? It''s currently #5. My other books won''t get a chance to even enter the Top 20. :(


    Thank you so much ^^

 Chapter 1068 - [Bonus chapter] Welcome Home

    "Oh, Rose..." Rune couldn''t hold back his feelings any longer. He rose from his seat and came to the girl, pulled her to his embrace, and hugged her tightly. "Please don''t say I am too good for you. I love you. I hope you know that."


    Rose started sobbing softly when their bodies touched and she heard Rune''s soothing voice. The man didn''t resent her for the radio silence?


    He understood what she was feeling?


    Rose looked up and saw the man''s face only inches away from hers. His eyes looked gentle and his smile curved up on his face, making him look so welcoming and doting.


    Rose couldn''t believe Rune still treated her like she didn''t do anything bad.


    She ghosted him.


    Any man would feel their ego bruised if a woman did such a thing to them.


    Right?


    "Why...?" Finally, that was all Rose could ask. "Why do you love me? You can get any other women you could ever want... You are smart, rich, and you have a good personality. Any woman would want to be your girlfriend."


    Rose was worried if Rune was actually a strange man who was attracted to broken women, that''s why he could be interested in her. So, she looked at him deeply, trying to see something wrong in the way he looked at her.


    There was none.


    She only saw gentleness, understanding, and acceptance.


    She couldn''t believe this man was sincerely in love with her.


    Rune replied with a smile. "Why not?"


    He didn''t want to speak further and said that she was beautiful, kind, interesting, and all that. What''s the point? She wouldn''t believe him.


    Her self-esteem was ruined by what she had experienced in the past. He would need to show her, that she was worthy, not just say it with words. So, he tugged her chin closer and landed a deep kiss on her lips.


    Action speaks louder than words. Right at that moment, Rose realized she had got all the answers she wanted to know. Her knees suddenly felt weak as she melted in his embrace.


    Rune held her more tightly and supported her waist with one hand, as his other hand supported her back and rubbed her hair lovingly. Rose kissed him back. The two didn''t care about their surroundings because this reunion filled their hearts with so much joy.


    "Oh my... you have no idea, how happy I am today," Rune gushed when he reluctantly removed his lips from Rose''s. "I am so glad I am a good uncle. I agreed to accompany my niece and nephews to come to see the exhibition... I am rewarded with seeing you."


    Rose chuckled when she heard him.


    "You are a good uncle. Also a good man."  She looked at Rune deeply. "And I feel lucky that I took that offer to participate in this exhibition. I could bump into you and..."


    She lowered her face. Rune tugged her chin and smiled at Rose. "No, I am the lucky one."


    The girl finally smiled back and shook her head. "Rune Schneider. Are we really going to fight over who is the lucky one between us?"


    "Ahahaha... no, you can win this one," Rune replied. His voice sounded relieved. He clasped her hands and spoke gently. "So... does this mean, we can start over?"


    "Yes..." Rose smiled sheepishly.  "If you still want it."


    "I do," Rune replied. He pulled Rose to sit beside him so he didn''t have to let go of her hand. "Should we pick up where we left off?"


    "I''d love that," Rose said. "Where do you live now?"


    When they were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, Rose had asked Rune to move in with her. However, after the fateful trip to Medion, Rune never returned to her loft apartment.


    She was wondering if he was staying at his sister''s place or in hotels. Now she knew his family owned the biggest hotel chain in the world. That was also the reason why they could easily dine at The Lily without prior reservation.


    "I am staying at the Lindens,"  Rune explained. "I just arrived several days ago."


    "Oh..." Rose nodded. "How are you? How is your mother? How was the family year-end holiday? Is everything okay?"


    "Ahaha... so many questions, but I''d love to answer all of them. What do you think if we talk at dinner?" The man asked Rose. "I also want to know how you are doing. I don''t read the media after the news broke out because... I was jealous and I couldn''t bring myself to read more news about your relationship with Leon."


    Rose nodded in understanding. "Well, I''d love to catch up with you properly. So... where should we have dinner?"


    There were several places where they could have dinner that held importance for both Rune and Rose, like the cafe in East Village where they had their first blind date... or The Lily where they had proper and fancy dinner for the first time. It led to their first kiss.


    Or... they could also go to...


    "What about dinner in my place?" Rose asked Rune with a faint smile. "The past few months I spent so much time learning how to cook because I didn''t feel like meeting anyone. I just kept myself busy in the kitchen to find something to do. I can cook now, so I don''t mind cooking for dinner."


    Rune clicked his tongue in excitement when he heard the offer. Yeah... having dinner at Rose''s place was perfect.


    It''s not that he wanted to see how good were her cooking skills now, but he felt that being invited back to her apartment showed that they really picked up where they left off.


    "Well... I agree. Dinner at your place sounds good. I can also help," Rune said. He cleared his throat and continued. "I actually haven''t really unpacked my bag since my arrival several days ago. Do you mind if I brought my suitcase with me?"


    He batted his eyes and smiled so sweetly, that Rose couldn''t help but laugh out loud.


    "Yes. you can bring your suitcase," Rose finally nodded and replied. She then added, "Welcome home."


    .


    --------------


    From the author:


    I''m sorry for taking such a long time to publish a new chapter for "The Alchemists". In the past four days, I sat for hours in front of my ??ptop and tried to type more words for this chapter. Every time I could only add 100-200 words. I couldn''t finish this chapter.


    My heart was not in this book this week so I couldn''t force myself to write for it. My heart and mind are currently filled with "The Cursed Prince" because the story is now in a very important part and it''s hard to break focus.


    I wanted to do Rune and Rose justice, that''s why I waited until I could put my heart into their story again.  Today, it worked!


    I hope you like this chapter :).

 Chapter 1069 - [Bonus ]Rune Wants To Go Home?

    Aleksis was surprised to see her brother came home from the exhibition looking dreamy. He had this silly grin on his face that looked suspicious because Rune was usually a serious man.


    So... did something happen in the exhibition? She was wondering. Her question was answered when the twins told her that Uncle Rune met Auntie Rose in the exhibition and they spent time in a cafe to catch up.


    "They were so cute together," Ireland said. "Totally looked like two people in love."


    "I think they got back together, Mom," Scotland added.


    "Oh my..." Aleksis was very happy to hear that. She pressed her lips in excitement and quickly went to Rune''s room to talk to her brother. She was astonished when she entered the room and saw Rune was packing up his stuff.


    "Where are you going?" she asked Rune curiously. ;


    "Home," Rune replied with a smile.


    He put the last item in his suitcase and then closed it. His answer made Aleksis feel confused.


    What? Rune wanted to go home? Why??


    Didn''t his conversation with Rose go well? So, why did he decide to leave New York? Were the boys mistaken?


    "Why?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    "Why not?" Rune asked back.


    Aleksis let out a long sigh. Ahh.. this can''t be. It seemed her sons were wrong about Rune and Rose getting back together. She now felt sorry for her brother.


    But.. if that''s what happened, why on earth did he look happy and dreamy? Was he happy to meet Rose and get his closure... so now he could finally move on?


    Oh... if that is the case, then Aleksis felt happy for him, even though deep inside she actually hoped Rune could have ended up with Rose and be happy together.


    However, fate might say otherwise. ; No matter what happened, she would always support Rune to find his happiness.


    Maybe he would really feel happy to go back home to his experiments in Germany.


    "What time is your flight?" Aleksis asked Rune after the man finished packing his bag. "I will go with you to the airport."


    Rune looked up and furrowed his brows. "Airport? Why would I want to go to the airport?"


    "Huh? Didn''t you say you wanted to go home?" Aleksis asked back.


    "Yes."


    "Don''t you need to take the plane to get to Germany?" Aleksis asked again. "Unless you plan to swim to Europe."


    "Oh..." Rune chuckled when he heard her question. He finally realized Aleksis had misunderstood him. "No. I am not going home to Germany..."


    "So...? Where are you going?"


    "I am going home to Rose''s place," Rune replied with a big smile on his face. His answer was really unexpected and, for a moment, made Aleksis dumbfounded.


    "Are you serious?" She finally asked after she found her voice. Aleksis felt so moved. She loved her youngest brother so much and really wanted to see him happy.


    It looked like being with Rose truly gave him happiness, so she wanted him to get back together with Rose. And it was finally happening. She was over the moon.


    "Oh my god... Congratulations!!" She jumped in joy and hugged her brother excitedly. "I am so happy for you!!"


    "Ahaha.. thank you," Rune grinned happily. "We have talked and realized we love each other and want to be together. So, I will move back in with Rose.... as soon as possible."


    "That is so great!" Aleksis pressed her lips and shook her head in disbelief.


    So, this was really happening, she thought. Her little brother was really in love and would settle down with Rose. This was such a good day!


    "So, when are you going to tell her about us?" Aleksis asked again. "You haven''t told her about our secrets, right?"


    "Yeah... I initially planned to bring her to Germany and see mother and father in Christmas and then take her to our family year-end holiday to introduce her to the whole family and tell her our secrets, but..." Rune sighed. "But things happened. So, now, I will have to find the right moment. It might take a while."


    "Ah.. okay. I am sure you know better," Aleksis patted her brother''s shoulder to give him support. "I am happy for you. I hope you can bring her to see our family and she can be part of us soon."


    "I hope so too, sis," Rune replied. He hugged Aleksis. "Thank you for supporting me."


    "You are welcome, Rune. That''s what a sister does, in case you don''t know," she said with a laugh. She pulled Rune''s arm and sat on the bed. "Now, tell me what happened between you and Rose. How did you two get back together? I know she is quite stubborn. So, I am curious to know..."


    Rune explained everything to Aleksis. His eyes lit up and his face was beaming with happiness when he spoke about Rose. It was obvious that he was truly in love.


    All these made his sister feel extremely happy. She was glad to Rune finally experience love and his love story got a happy ending.


    "Congratulations!" She said again and hugged Rune. "Now, got get her back. Don''t forget to keep me updated about what happens."


    "Of course," Rune nodded. "What do you think if I come here with Rose to have dinner together sometime?"


    "That will be wonderful," Aleksis said. "I would love to meet her in person."


    "All right. I will talk to Rose. I will let you know when we can come for dinner here."


    Rune bid his sister goodbye and went to Rose''s apartment. His bag felt so light when he took it out of the car and he pressed the bell in front of her building. The door opened and he took the elevator to get to Rose''s floor.


    "Rune, welcome home," Rose smiled broadly when she opened the door for the man.


    Rune put down his bag to the floor and pulled Rose to his embrace before he landed a sweet kiss on her lips.


    They kissed passionately for a long time, to vent their longing for each other.


    .


    .


    ***********


    From the author:


    Yes! Finally, Rune is getting his happy ending. We are sooo close to ending his story. I will just need to write a few chapters for him to bring Rose to meet his family, tell her their secret, and probably the wedding.


    PAPERBACK COPY:


    By the way, I have good news for you. allows us authors to print the book in a small quantity for giveaways. So, I have printed "The Alchemists" volume 1 (Caspar''s and Finland''s story) to gift you for being so supportive with this book after, gosh... more than 1000 chapters!


    I have 30 copies to gift. So, they are VERY LIMITED. You won''t find the paperback anywhere in the world, because they are not for sale.


    You can have one copy IF:


    1. You are willing to pay for the shipping from Bali, Indonesia, to your place (I think it''s around $20 to Singapore and $50 to USA). Sorry, I can''t pay the shipping for all the books. I already paid for the printing on my end. If you want the paperback, you have to cover the shipping.


    2. You write a review for this book. We are now at 312 reviews. So, if you want the paperback copy and you are willing to pay for the shipping, you can write a review for "The Alchemists" and then send me an email with your details ( username and address) to: [email ;protected] to arrange the shipping for the books.


    This is a first-come-first-serve basis. So, if you see that the review already reaches 342, it means you cannot write a review to claim the paperback even if you are willing to pay for shipping.


    PS: Attached is the covers for the book.

 Chapter 1070 - Rune Is Thinking About Buying A House

    You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com or NovelTeam.Net


    Note:


    To everyone who has been waiting for this book to resume, thank you so much for your patience. ^^


    .


    .


    .


    ____________________


    After the kiss, Rune moved back a little to see Rose better. She was still as beautiful as ever and he felt so lucky to finally have her back in his life. The man smiled sweetly. "I am back."


    "Yes, you are..." Rose nodded. She never needed to put on any makeup to look beautiful, but it seemed she made an extra effort tonight. "Come on in."


    They clasped hands and walked inside. Rune took his bag with one hand and his other hand held Rose''s hand. The loft studio looked slightly different from what he remembered. There were new paintings hanging on the wall and the couch in the living room was new. It was a comfortable brown leather sofa.


    He was about to put his bag in the closet next to the sofa but Rose shook her head. She pointed upstairs, toward the mezzanine. Rune''s heart skipped a beat.


    He already expected that he and Rose would share a bed once they moved back in together because this time they were really in a relationship, no longer in a fake one. So, sleeping together was expected.


    Actually... his heart was filled with anticipation, and he had to get rid of the thought while he was traveling here, so he would stop thinking about having sex with Rose.


    Rune told himself it would happen sooner or later, but that was NOT the main thing that he wanted to get from being reunited with Rose.


    "We can get a new and bigger bed tomorrow," she said shyly. "I still have my old bed for now."


    Her current bed was very comfortable but it was not really comfortable to accommodate two people in the long run. This made Rune feel so happy.


    "That''s a good idea," he said with a smile.


    "You can just put your stuff inside the wardrobe. I have cleared some space for you," Rose said. She pointed at the big closet in the corner of the room. "You can use the space in the dresser too. The shelves on the right are empty."


    "I don''t have much stuff," Rune said. He was grateful that Rose was so thoughtful. It seemed she worked hard to prepare the space for him after she returned from the exhibition so it would be ready for Rune when he came.


    He cast his glance around them. This building was owned by Rose''s best friend and she lived here for free. It was perfect for a single person. However, if they would get married and then someday raise a family, maybe they have to look for a bigger and nicer place to live.


    Money was not an issue. The question would be where they would want to settle down? Rune loved traveling but he had been doing it for decades now. He could enjoy living in a quiet place and have a relaxing life with a wife and children.


    However, he understood that Rose was still young, much younger than himself because they had different timelines in life, one being an immortal and the other was a regular human. Someone like Rose might still enjoy traveling, or living in big cities and pursuing her dreams.


    Didn''t she say that she wanted to be a painter? Maybe she would prefer to continue living in New York.


    If that''s the case, Rune would get a house, or a mansion in this city so Rose could still live nearby her friends, stay connected with the art scene in New York and carve her career as an artist.


    He would support her dream and be part of her happiness.


    "Thank you, Rose." Rune nodded happily. He took out his bag and placed it in the closet. "I will unpack later. I am feeling hungry. Wanna eat dinner?"


    "Yes. What do you want to eat?" Rose asked him.


    "Normally I would prefer home-cooked dishes. We can cook together," the man replied. "But we can save it for later. Let''s go grocery shopping tomorrow and cook. Tonight we can eat out. What do you think about eating dinner at the brasserie across the street?"


    "That''s a good idea," Rose concurred. "Let me get changed and we can go."


    "Then, I will be waiting downstairs." Rune kissed his girlfriend''s cheek and went down from the mezzanine. He felt at home.


    Things were finally going in the right direction. After dinner, they could continue with wine by the balcony and talk about their plans for the future. He also must prepare to reveal his family''s secrets to Rose.


    She was hiding her real identity from Rune for months when they first got to know each other. She was actually a member of a royal family in a small kingdom in Europe. It was not a bad secret at all.


    If anything, it only showed that Rose was a humble woman who didn''t wish to use her affluent background to look better than anyone else.


    Rune''s family''s secret, however, was much bigger than Rose''s secret and might not be perceived as bad, depending on how Rose would see the situation.


    Would she be mad if she found out Rune had been lying to her all this time? Would she think he was making up stories if he told her that he was an immortal and so was the rest of his family?


    Or... worse, would she fear him and think he and his family were freaks?


    "She would never do that," the man muttered to himself as he walked down the stairs and went to the kitchen to get some water to drink. "She would never think of me as a freak, but... she might not feel comfortable with the fact that the man she is in a relationship with was born almost two decades before her."


    His steps halted.


    The man looked up to the loft and sighed. He needed to find a good time to lay down all his cards before he even have a talk with Rose about their future together.. The conversation about buying a house and settling down should only happen after Rose knew who Rune actually was.


    Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com or NovelTeam.Net

 Chapter 1071 - [Bonus ] Dinner With Rose

    Rune thought for a long time what was the best way he could reveal his secret to Rose. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn''t feel the cold wind blowing against his cheeks. His mind was filled with scenarios.


    The sounds of Rose''s footsteps descending the loft stairs finally moved Rune from his reverie thoughts. He turned and saw Rose walking down toward him.


    "You''re so beautiful," Rune said with a big smile on his face. He saw Rose''s cheeks flushed.


    "Thank you," Rose replied shyly. They held hands going out of the apartment to the brassiere across the street.


    "Good evening. How many people?" asked a waiter as soon as they entered the restaurant.


    "Two people," said Rune kindly.


    "Okay. Please have a seat, Madam and Sir."


    The waiter led them to one of the empty tables. Rune pulled out a chair for Rose and sat down beside her after she sat. The waiter held out the menu.


    "Would you like to order a drink first while you decide what you''d like to eat tonight?"


    "Red wine for me," said Rose. Then she turned to Rune. "What would you like to drink?"


    "I''ll have red wine as well." Rune nodded to the servant.


    "Excellent. I''ll be back with a drink and some pastry while you two pick a dish from the menu."


    The waiter left and reappeared ten minutes later with a tray of two glasses of red wine and a basket of bread.


    "Enjoy," he said, setting the wine glasses and bread on the table. He then also laid out the spoons, forks, and knives. "Would you like to order the food now?"


    "Yes," said Rune. He mentioned several dishes on the menu as an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Rose also mentioned her order. The waiter took careful notes and then repeated their orders to make sure he took notes properly.


    "Is that all?" he asked after confirming their order.


    "Yes, that''s all," said Rose.


    "Alright. Thank you, Miss. I''ll be right back,"


    The waiter received the two menus from Rose and Rune then immediately went inside to give their orders to the chef.


    While waiting for their orders to arrive, Rose and Rune enjoyed the pastry served by the waiter while chatting.  They discussed the response of visitors to the exhibition that Rose attended and what her plans were for the future.


    "Oh, the exhibition was quite successful. Even though it is still wintertime now, we got many visitors," said Rose with a big smile. "I am so happy with the outcome."


    "This is a joint exhibition, isn''t it?" asked Rune. "Would you like to try a solo exhibition?"


    "Ah... I am not there yet." Rose laughed. "I haven''t done that many artworks. In order for me to hold my own exhibition, I need a minimum of 20 pieces of artwork. Maybe I can have that many after a few more years..."


    "Ah, I see." Rune nodded. "Do you want to continue living and working in New York? You can actually pain wherever, right? For example, we can go to Switzerland for a holiday and you can just paint while we are on the mountain?"


    "Yes, that''s right." Rose looked at Rune with a twinkle in her eye. "I''ll start from here by making my best paintings one by one. When I''m ready, I might consider an invitation from Lady Lauder to show her my paintings. She owns the largest art gallery in Medion. She also has many galleries in all of Europe."


    Every time she talked about art, Rose''s expression became more cheerful and excited. This made Rune very happy. He remembered that Rose was depressed for months after the news broke her past relationship with Leon.


    Seeing that now Rose was able to talk passionately about her dream to become an artist, Rune became convinced that Rose had truly recovered.


    Since Rose didn''t mind going back to Europe with Rune to see his family, they decided to discuss the possibilities of traveling together soon. They both agreed that a trip in the spring or summer would be a good choice.


    The waiter came with the dishes they ordered. Rune and Rose continued their conversation over dinner. It was a really pleasant dinner.


    "The food is good," Rune smiled happily. "We''re lucky to have such a nice eatery across the street from our place."


    "Yeah. But let''s try cooking tomorrow," Rose replied. "I kind of miss your cooking."


    "You do?"


    Rose lowered her head and nodded shyly. She didn''t like his cooking per se, but actually the moment they spent together in the kitchen. It was always sweet and filled with warmth.


    ***


    When Rune opened the apartment door, a heartwarming feeling rushed over him. The man smiled to himself as he remembered that this place was now his home.


    Ah.. still, if they''re going to get married and start a family, they''ll definitely need a new, bigger place. He really wished he could enjoy a quiet life with Rose in a nice home. He looked forward to seeing their children play happily in the large garden of their house.


    Oh, that''s right. Before he even thought further about their home, Rune remembered he had to first discuss his big secret with Rose. His family being part of the Alchemist clan was a more important and urgent issue.


    How should he approach this matter?


    "Rose..." Rune called softly, as they stepped into the apartment.


    "Yes?" Rose turned her head and saw that the expression on Rune''s handsome face looked a little complicated. This made her wonder if something bad had happened during their time apart, and now Rune wanted to talk about it. Rose frowned. Her voice faltered when she asked him, "Is there  anything you would like to tell me?"


    Rose''s words made Rune smile faintly. Ah, he knew Rose was very smart. She immediately knew that Rune wanted to tell her something important.


    "Yeah... I want to talk to you over wine. Would you to have a drink on the balcony?" Rune asked back.


    "Sounds good," said Rose with a nod. "I''d love to hear about how family vacation went."


    "Okay, let me get wine for us," said Rune with a smile. "You can wait for me on the balcony."


    "All right," Rose wrapped her scarf and walked out the side door onto the balcony while Rune went to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and two glasses for them.


    Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com or NovelTeam.Net

 Chapter 1072 - Runes Dilemma

    Meanwhile, Rune walked towards the kitchen to get a bottle of cold wine from the fridge. He then went to the balcony and sat next to Rose, who occupied the small sofa in the corner.


    Rune poured wine into a glass for Rose and then poured himself a drink. He then put the bottle of wine on the table before briefly telling her what happened during his family vacation.


    The two of them enjoyed the wine while talking.


    "Our vacation on the family island was great. JM and her boyfriend announced their engagement," said Rune.


    "Oh, really? Wow¡­ that''s wonderful," said Rose.


    She could just send a congratulation note to JM''s social media account.


    Rune nodded. "They have been in a relationship for more than 10 years since they were both 16 years old. Finally, they announced that they would marry next year."


    "Wow... I have to congratulate them," said Rose enthusiastically.


    "Well, we can congratulate them when they get back to New York. Their parents live here, you know. We can have dinner with them sometime."


    Rune just smiled, seeing Rose''s reaction. Ahh.. he remembered that when he went on vacation with his family, he was in despair because he kept thinking about Rose when Altair and JM announced their engagement. He was heartbroken but had to look happy for his nephew''s luck in romance.


    Now Rune didn''t have to feel left out. Since Rose had accepted his love, later, he could also propose to Rose and plan their wedding.


    "What about your mother?" Rose asked again. "If I remember correctly, at that time you said she was pregnant?"


    "Oh, yeah¡­ you remember that." Rune chuckled. "My mother''s pregnancy is fine. My brother, London, and his wife are also expecting their new baby. In a few months, I will have a new nephew or niece, and at the same time... a younger sibling¡­ ahahaha."


    Rose also laughed at Rune''s words. She understood Rune''s dilemma. At his age, it would be difficult to accept the fact that his mother was about to give birth to a new baby, and he would soon become a big brother.


    After being the youngest child for four decades, it''s time for Rune to pass the torch to a new kid. Ha. He was not sure how he would handle being a big brother at this age. Perhaps, he just needed to get used to it, just like his mother needed to get used to the fact that she would be having a baby at 70.


    "That must be a lot of fun to have siblings," said Rose. "I''m an only child, so I always feel lonely."


    Rose suddenly fell silent. When she remembered her lonely childhood, she thought of Leon. In the past, Leon was her best friend, when she felt lonely because her parents had no other children. They grew up together. Her relationship with Leon became so close that they both fell in love.


    Ah, she better get rid of Leon from her mind as much as possible. Leon was now a part of her past. If she brought up the man, maybe Rune would feel offended or jealous.


    Rose then decided to change the subject. "You and your older siblings are quite far apart, aren''t you? But you all have such a great relationship. It''s so admirable."


    "Huh? Why do you say that?" asked Rune.


    A moment later he immediately realized what Rose meant. He pinched himself. Of course, Rose thought he was much younger than his two older siblings because Alexis already had adult children. This year, Vega and Altair turned 26 years old.


    Rose must have guessed that Rune was the same age as her nephew and niece since he looked so young. So, she concluded that Rune and Alexis were very far apart in age.


    Uff... if Rose found out that Rune was actually 42 years old now... would that girl feel turned off? Rune had never felt so insecure with his age until he fell in love with a regular human.


    "Well, our family is really close. We stay connected even though we are separated by distance and time.. hehehe," said Rune with a chuckle. He scratched his head even though it wasn''t itchy. He instantly felt awkward at the mention of age.


    He gripped his wine glass and looked at Rose deeply. Would he be able to reveal all his secrets now? Was this even a good time?


    Wasn''t his relationship with Rose still relatively new? Well, if he shared his secrets with her now and it turned out Rose couldn''t accept his situation... was Rune ready to say goodbye?


    Ahh... it was so hard. Rune just got her back. He couldn''t bear to have his heart broken again in such a short time.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Rose with furrowed brows.


    Rune smiled and shook his head weakly. "Nothing. You''re so beautiful, and I feel very lucky to have you."


    Rose looked down with blushed cheeks. "Is this a pickup line?"


    "No, it''s not... I''m just being honest," Rune insisted.


    "Hmm... okay," said Rose. She put down her wine glass on the table beside the sofa and moved to sit on Rune''s lap.


    The young man felt his chest pounding violently as Rose''s soft body pressed against his. The girl''s distinct scent filled his nostrils. He really liked the scent of roses that Rose always wore, it suited her perfectly.


    He put his glass on the table as well and wrapped his arms around Rose''s waist. They then hugged warmly for a while.


    Right at that moment, Rune realized that he still didn''t have the courage to reveal his family''s secret to Rose. Now was not a good time. This relationship was very new. He didn''t want to fuck it up so soon.


    Rune realized he still needed more time to judge whether Rose could really accept him or not. He looked at the girl with a smile. "Thank you for having me back into your life. I am very happy."


    .


    .


    ___________________________


    From Missrealitybites:


    I delayed writing this book because I thought I had to write a snusnu chapter for Rose and Rune. I just couldn''t do it, and I was not sure why. I finally found the answer.. It''s in the next chapter.

 Chapter 1073 - Rose Misunderstands

    "Uhmm..." Rose smiled back and then brought her face closer to Rune''s. Then, she landed a kiss on the man''s lips.


    She was happy too.


    The truth was, Rose was grateful that Rune gave her a chance to resume their relationship. She had disappointed him by ghosting him and didn''t contact him for a long time. He must have felt sad and hurt at that time. However, when he saw Rose again yesterday, he still treated her sweetly.


    Rose knew she would never meet a man as good as Rune again.


    Rune''s heart pounded as they kissed more passionately and his carnal desire got awakened. He wrapped his arms around Rose and caressed her waist affectionately. As the girl started to moan, Rune slipped his hands under Rose''s shirt and moved up to knead her breasts from outside her bra.


    Ohh...  it felt so heavenly!


    "Ahh... Rune..." Rose''s sexy moans made Rune tremble. He was filled with lust. Her mounds were so bouncy and sexy.


    Oh, my God... what am I doing? Rune cursed inwardly. He couldn''t just have sex with Rose. He really, really wanted to do it, but suddenly he realized he had to stop.


    Of course, this was what all normal men want. He had been fantasizing about what it was like to make love to her. Moreover, it seemed that Rose also wanted the same thing. She had given him signs that she wanted them to go in that direction.


    She changed the living room sofa which previously could be opened into a bed, so Rune could sleep there, now it was just a regular couch. She also told Rune to put his things in her bedroom closet.


    Rose also planned to buy a bigger bed for them. They all indicated that she expected Rune and her to sleep together after they were in a relationship. That''s what any normal couple would do, right?


    This was certainly very much welcomed by the man. Rune really wanted to sleep with Rose and make love to her all night long, every night if possible.


    However, just as they were actually about to step in that direction, suddenly Rune''s mind was filled with various scenarios. It seemed unfair to Rose if Rune slept with her and bind her further to him before he told her the Schneider family''s secret.


    What if Rose became pregnant after they became intimate and when Rune revealed that he was an Alchemist, Rose couldn''t accept him? She would get stuck with a child that she might not want...


    Indeed they could use protection when they had sex. However, even the most sophisticated contraceptives were not 100% failproof. Was Rune willing to take that risk?


    "Rose, sweetheart..." Rune lowered his hands from Rose''s chest and ended their hot kiss. The girl was dazed. She wondered why Rune ended their kiss all of a sudden. She looked at Rune in astonishment.


    "What is it?" Rose asked quietly. "Are you okay?"


    Rune closed his eyes sadly. He had to restrain himself with great difficulty. He must not be selfish. He shouldn''t let lust overcome him and ruin Rose''s life just for one night of pleasure.


    Come on, Rune. You are better than this, he chided himself.


    Rune finally opened his eyes and looked at the girl he really loved deeply. "Rose... I love you so much. I... I really want to make love to you."


    "..." Rose smiled awkwardly at Rune''s words. It was strange to hear a man say that when they were just making out and he suddenly stopped his advances. Did Rune actually not want to sleep with her? Rose swallowed hard. She was afraid to hear his next words, but she forced herself to ask anyway. "But?"


    Rune answered with difficulty. What should he tell her? That he was a conservative man who prefer to wait for marriage before he had sex with his woman?


    Ugh... that might actually be worse. Rose would think he was a weirdo.


    He had to find an excuse. But what?


    "But... " Rune finally decided, honesty was the best policy. He looked at Rose earnestly. "I''m not ready."


    "Oh..." Rose didn''t expect Rune to give such an answer. He was not ready for sex? That was hard to believe, yet Rose knew he was not lying. She could tell from being around him all this time, Rune was not a liar. Besides, why would he lie about such things? She bit her lip, trying to guess what actually happened. "Why are you not ready? Do you have... a problem?"


    To Rose, this man, Rune Schneider, was too perfect. He was very handsome, intelligent, he came from a very wealthy family and also had a very good character. In short, he was the ideal man.


    So actually Rose felt it would be very natural if, behind his perfection, Rune had a flaw.


    Was he... impotent? Was that the reason why he couldn''t have sex with her now? Was he dealing with a problem down there? Maybe he couldn''t get it up? Or... perhaps, he had a micropenis and he needed time to feel secure enough to show Rose his goods?


    Ah.. that actually made sense. They had never had sex before. So Rose didn''t know if her boyfriend had any problems in that department. Whatever it was.


    Ahem.


    Ah... what normal man didn''t want to have sex with the woman he loved? If Rune said that he wasn''t ready, he must have a good reason.


    Uff... Rose bit her lip harder. Rune must be impotent or... small.


    This made Rose feel so sorry for the man. She could imagine, with a problem like that, Rune must be feeling very insecure with himself. He must also be worried that Rose would look down on him because of the problem.


    In fact... Rose really loved Rune, and she would accept him for who he was.


    Even if he suffered from impotence, Rose would try to help him recover. Rose would be patient and wait until he was ready to be intimate. Besides, love was not just about sex, right?


    .


    .


    ___________________________


    From Missrealitybites:


    So, the reason why it was so hard for me to write their snusnu, was because it really isn''t the time for it. Rune still didn''t have the courage to be open to Rose about his family''s secret and it is quite understandable.


    His reason is actually very noble.  He doesn''t want to make Rose feel trapped to stay with him and accept his family if she got pregnant, even though she actually couldn''t accept Rune being an immortal.


    I assure you, they will do it when the perfect time comes. In the meantime, please enjoy their interaction as Rune introduced Rose to his family one by one. I already wrote around 5 chapters for this book and will edit and publish them slowly.. Rose will meet Vega and Mischa, and finally Caspar and Finland.

 Chapter 1074 - Invitation To Dinner At The Lindens

    Rose decided to stop asking questions and discussing the matter so that Rune wouldn''t lose his confidence. She wrapped her arms around the man''s neck and kissed his cheek.


    "Okay," she said with a sweet smile.


    "Uhm... really?" asked Rune in a choked voice. "You... don''t mind?"


    Rose nodded. "I don''t mind. We''ll be together forever anyway. There''s no rush."


    Those words sounded so sweet to Rune''s ears. He really hoped it would come true, that after he shared his secret with Rose, she would be able to accept him, and they would be together forever.


    "Ahh... you''re right." Rune breathed a sigh of relief. He hugged her waist again, more tightly, and kissed her cheek back. "Thank you. You are a wonderful girl."


    "What''s so wonderful about it?" Rose chuckled. "I didn''t do anything."


    "Ahh . . . you''re really wonderful and I''m lucky to have you," said Rune stubbornly. He appreciated that Rose intentionally changed the subject and act so cool about this whole thing so as not to make Rune feel pressured.


    She was also not nosy. She didn''t force him to tell her what exactly happened that he had to wait to be intimate with her. Being around Rose was so pleasant and effortless.


    She was so relaxed and so understanding. That was the vibe he wanted to surround himself with, and he was grateful he found it in her.


    "Haha . . . you are sweet. Thank you," said Rose. She got down from Rune''s lap and took their empty wine glasses. "Let''s go to bed now. It''s midnight."


    Rune nodded. He got up from his chair and picked their an almost empty bottle of wine. He then walked with Rose to the kitchen to store their glasses and bottles of wine.


    "I''ll take a shower first," the man said after he had washed the glasses and walked over to Rose who was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs to her room in the loft.


    Rose nodded. "Okay. I''ll wait upstairs. I''ll sleep first. Once you''re done, you can just lie down beside me."


    "Thank you," said Rune. He kissed her lips and then rushed into the bathroom to wash up. Actually, Rune didn''t take a shower because he was feeling dirty, but because he still felt aroused from making out with Rose earlier.


    Ah, if only he and Rose had opened up to each other about their family secrets, maybe tonight he and Rose could have spent their night in passionate lovemaking.


    Unfortunately, Rune had to control his urge. That''s why he needed to take a really cold shower to calm his body which had been experiencing a reaction due to their kissing and groping earlier. He needed to be able to cool off before climbing into the same bed and sleeping with Rose in his arms.


    ***


    ***


    The next day, when the sun was already high in the sky, Rose opened her eyes. It took her a few minutes to gather her senses and remember what had happened last night. The girl looked around and realized that Rune was no longer by her side.


    Before she had time to wonder where the man had gone, Rose smelled delicious food coming from the kitchen, leading the girl to conclude that Rune had woken up first and cooked them lunch¡­ or breakfast. Ah.. but it''s already noon. So lunch it is.


    Rose then got up and immediately freshened up, then went downstairs for food. Rose''s arrival at the dining table, which was connected to the kitchen, was warmly welcomed by Rune with a smile.


    "Good afternoon, Rose," Rune pulled out a chair for her, after placing his phone on the table.


    "Good afternoon." Rose kissed Rune''s cheek, then sat down in her chair and prepared a napkin. "What''s the news today?"


    Ah... Rose was so meticulous, even the little movements of Rune, who brought his cell phone to the dinner table, did not go unnoticed by Rose.


    It was true that Rune didn''t usually check his cellphone when he was with other people, but last night, before going to bed, he texted Aleksis about their latest news. This morning he got a reply from Aleksis, who invited him and Rose to have dinner together at her family''s house.


    "Yeah... my sister, Aleksis, invited us to dinner at her family''s house." Rune sat down in his chair. "Do you have any plans tonight?"


    "Oh..." Rose was silent for a few minutes and bit her lower lip.


    Even though they had previously met each other through Virconnect, Rose still felt uncomfortable about meeting the founder and owner of a giant technology conglomerate, Elios Linden.


    The man''s handsome face was filled with a cold expression and Rose thought he must have a serious character. However, Alexis was very open and friendly to Rose.


    However, Aleksi was very open and friendly to Rose.  So, meeting her would be nice.  Rose also wanted to know the latest news about Ireland and Scotland, the twins.


    Rose was actually happy that Rune had invited her to meet his family one by one.  This showed the seriousness of the man in their relationship. She just felt a little nervous. Would they like her?


    Seeing Rose''s doubtful expression, Rune poured tea for Rose and said casually, "If you mind it, we can postpone it to another time. They live in New York, actually. So we can visit them any time. Like I said before, only if you want to and aren''t busy or have another plan."


    "Ahh . . . no, really. I''m delighted to receive an invitation to dinner and to meet your sister''s family. I would like to see Ireland and Scotland again." The girl shook her head and accepted the teacup from Rune''s hand. "I also want to give them a present."


    "Oh my... don''t bother, Rose." Rune chuckled. "I''m sure my sister is very pleased that you can come to dinner tonight even without bringing any gifts."


    Rose pursed her lips. "Why not?"


    When they talked on Virconnect then, Rose had promised to bring her painting for Aleksis.


    Rose was sure they loved art because the Linden family had the most extensive art collection, spread over their many homes around the world. It would be an honor to have her painting hang on the wall of one of the Linden houses.


    Rose would be very happy if the famous Linden family liked her painting!


    Seeing Rose''s enthusiasm, Rune was relieved. He would reply to a text message from his sister and state that Rose and he accepted the dinner invitation from Aleksis. "Alright, I''ll let Aleksis know that we''re coming."


    The atmosphere during their simple lunch became noticeably brighter and warmer. Rune was very happy because slowly Rose would meet his family. Starting with Aleksis and her family, then London and his family¡­. and finally his parents.


    He was still trying to think of an excuse to give Rose if she asked why his sister looked so young. Rune still couldn''t tell Rose that the rest of his family were immortals.


    Later he would have to tell her everything when Rose had met her mother. Gosh¡­ if Rose met her mother, who was already in her 70s and still looked young, he would have to tell the truth.


    "What are you thinking about?" asked Rose who noticed Rune''s expression looked a bit flustered and he took a deep breath. "Is there a problem?"


    "Oh . . . nothing bad," said Rune quickly. "I was just thinking about something. It doesn''t matter."


    He peeled a hard-boiled egg and placed it on Rose''s plate, distracting her from him.


    "Hmm... alright." Rose didn''t force Rune to answer her questions.. She also wanted to enjoy her breakfast in peace.

 Chapter 1075 - Dinner At The Lindens

    ***


    Dinner at the Linden''s was scheduled to start at 6 pm. Aleksis sent the family car and driver to pick up Rose and Rune because the winter nights were still very cold, and she didn''t want them to go through the hassle of taking the subway or taxi.


    When the couple arrived in the courtyard of the Linden family mansion, Rose was amazed by its splendor. You could say the courtyard alone was larger than Rose''s house in Medion, even though the Fourniers were considered quite wealthy in their country.


    In addition, the mansion building belonging to the Linden family had a distinctive design with some intricate carvings adorning the white columns.


    Rose could only keep her admiration in her heart and say nothing. Rune quickly knocked on the door and waited for the host to open it.


    "Hey.. welcome!" Alexis opened the door and greeted the two guests with a big smile. She hugged Rune and ruffled her brother''s hair happily. She then hugged Rose with the same warmth. "I''m glad I finally get to meet you in person, Rose."


    When Rose could take a good look at Alexis, she was dumbfounded. Despite meeting each other online on Virconnect months ago and seeing how young and beautiful Aleksis still looked, at that moment Rose thought it was all because of Virconnect''s filter or something.


    She didn''t expect that in the real world, Alexis truly looked so young. In fact, if they stood together side by side, people would think that Alexis and Rose were of the same age.


    Didn''t this woman already have two teenage children? No¡­ that''s not even the main thing. Alexis was the mother of JM''s fiance, right?


    If Altair Linden, JM''s fiance was now 26 years old, didn''t that mean that Alexis should be in her late forties now?


    So, why did she still look like a girl in her 20s?


    Rose immediately pushed the thought out of her mind and chided herself. Of course, people as wealthy as Aleksis Linden had access to the world''s best rejuvenating and anti-aging technologies. Money could surely buy anything today, including time.


    Rose was a girl from a noble family and was used to meeting high officials and nobles, but seeing her boyfriend''s sister who was Elios Linden''s wife, she couldn''t help but be amazed.


    "Hello, Auntie Rose, Uncle Rune!" Ireland greeted Rose and Rune with a big smile on his face, followed by Scotland.


    "Hello Ireland, Hello Scotland," said Rose with a sweet smile.


    "Nice to see you guys again," Ireland said in a crisp voice. "How are you?"


    "We''re both very well, thank you." Rose''s mood changed for the better when she saw the twins. The two familiar faces seemed to give a sense of comfort after feeling intimidated when she saw their impressive mother.


    The twins exchanged glances for a moment, then they smiled and elbowed each other.


    "Welcome, Rose. I''m glad you agreed to have dinner with us," Alexis said pleasantly. She immediately invited Rose and Rune to enter.


    When they stepped deeper into the Linden family mansion, Rose and Rune were immediately greeted with various kinds of art that adorned the corners of the room. Starting from antique jars and vases, beautiful paintings, several sculptures, and other clay sculptures that gave an aesthetic impression of their own.


    This reminded Rose to give her painting as a gift to the Linden family.


    Rose lifted the canvas tote bag that she was carrying. "As promised, I''ll give you a painting as a gift when I get back to New York."


    "Ah¡­ you still remember it," Alexis said with a smile.


    "I do." Rose''s face lit up as she handed the bag to Alexis. "Now I brought it myself for you."


    Rune smiled lightly at the interaction between his older sister and the woman he loved. He had already told Rose that she didn''t need to give gifts, but Rose had insisted.


    "Oh...thank you, Rose. I''m so happy with your gift!" said Alexis.


    She then took out Rose''s acrylic painting from the bag and her beautiful face instantly lit up with a beaming smile. "Gosh... this is great. Rose, you''re really talented!"


    Aleksis immediately took Rose by the hand and led her inside, toward the family dining room.  However, before they could go any further, the bell rang from the mansion''s main door.


    "Oh, that must be Vega and Mischa," said Alexis with a broad smile. "Before you guys got here, I got word that they just arrived at the airport. The timing is perfect, let me greet them first."


    Now Rose had a lot of questions on her mind. Who just came? Was it another Rune''s sibling? Or was it his nephew? Rune had not told her about Vega and Mischa.


    "Mom!" Vega exclaimed with a big smile as she entered the mansion. She walked with long strides to meet her mother.


    Aleksis who had reached her daughter immediately hugged Vega tightly. She kissed her left and right cheeks and then let go and looked at her with a loving gaze.


    Vega and Mischa now lived in Grindelwald, in the mansion Caspar gave them as a wedding gift. It was there that they had a wedding party and then it was just a matter of raising their little babies.


    Rose who saw the warm interaction of the mother and child was surprised. Was Vega Aleksis'' biological daughter? So, that means Aleksis already had 4 children, and the eldest, Vega, even had children of her own?


    Rose stared at Vega and Mischa with her mouth open in astonishment. Vega was a beautiful 26-year-old woman who looked so fresh and happy. She looked very much like her father, Elios Linden.


    Ahh... if they, Elios and Vega, were standing side by side, Rose would think that the two of them were siblings.


    She then looked behind Vega and found a handsome man in his thirties with blonde hair and blue eyes, pushing a double stroller. There was a boy about two years old in the first stroller, and a tiny baby girl next to him.


    The two children were seen sleeping peacefully.  Vega gave birth to a new baby in the past summer, making the couple have complete pair of children.


    "Are the kids still sleeping?" Aleksis greeted the handsome man and then hugged him. Mischa nodded with a smile.


    "Soon, they will wake up," he said lightly. Mischa lifted his face and saw the figure of Rune who was standing with a wide smile next to a beautiful girl who looked very much like him. Mischa immediately greeted the man. "Hey, Rune. Nice to meet you here."


    "Hey, Mischa. Nice to meet you too," said Rune happily. He hugged Mischa and then introduced Rose to Vega and his newly arrived husband. "You guys look so happy. Was the flight nice?"


    "It''s okay," Mischa replied.


    "This is Rose Fournier¡­ my girlfriend," said Rune with a sheepish smile. He turned to Rose and gave her a broad smile. "Rose, this is my niece, Vega, and that''s her husband, Mischa. They live in Grindelwald. It''s such a beautiful place."


    "Oh, they do? I know that place. It''s heaven on earth.. It must be nice to wake up in the morning and see the view," Rose commented.

 Chapter 1076 - Alaric And Luna

    Rune then turned to Rose and introduced Vega and Mischa to her. "Rose, hey, meet my niece, her name is Vega, and this is her husband, Mischa Rhionen."


    Rose batted her eyes in surprise. She couldn''t believe her own ears. So, she assumed correctly when she thought the guests were Aleksis''s children.


    Rose was very surprised to see Vega who looked like she was of the same age as her mother, Aleksis. Even though Rose had already guessed that the two were mother and daughter, she still found it hard to believe when Rune confirmed it.


    Gosh... Rose was now becoming more and more convinced that super-rich people actually had different standards of living and their level was unthinkable to the ordinary people.


    Now Rose believed what Rune used to say that his family had youthful appearances. A woman from a very wealthy family like Aleksis must have access to the very expensive anti-aging regiment.


    Those rich people could look young because they received treatments from the best technology to slow down aging and rejuvenate their skin, something that Rose definitely couldn''t get as she wasn''t on their level.


    Aleksis'' husband, Elios Linden was also the owner of the company group with the most advanced technology! Things like that must be easy for them to get.


    Seeing Rose''s amazed expression, Rune also planned to quickly introduce Rose to Caspar and Finland.


    Perhaps after introducing Rose to his parents he would be able to find the right time to discuss the important and more pressing matter of his family''s identity as a member of the Alchemist clan.


    In the past, Rune had thought about introducing his parents as his older brother and sister-in-law for a while. Well, until he could get the confidence that Rose wouldn''t think of his family as... freaks. Then, he would tell her the truth.


    However, now he decided to tell the truth and reveal that all his family members looked young because they were immortals so that Rose wouldn''t get confused even more.


    Rune cleared his throat. "Would you like to say hello?"


    Rose snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, hello good evening, Vega and Mischa. Nice to meet you."


    "Good evening. Nice to meet you, Rose," Vega said pleasantly.


    Mischa just nodded and greeted Rose with the same friendliness as his wife. Rose felt relieved because Rune''s family were all very kind to her. What''s more, they also seemed to really love each other. Their gestures and words toward each other were filled with warmth and love.


    Aleksis smirked seeing that Rune had introduced Rose as his girlfriend. He was no longer a fake boyfriend to her. Among all their family members, Aleksis was the one who knew in detail how Rune''s and Rose''s relationship started as a fake one.


    She was happy for Rune. Since Rose seemed like a really sweet girl, she was happy to see Rose become part of their big family. Aleksis smiled to herself when she remembered the day Rune confessed that he had fallen in love, at first sight, many months ago.


    The beautiful wife of Elios Linden then clapped her hands and exclaimed happily, "Let''s start the dinner, it''s already six."


    "Yes, I am hungry," Ireland commented.


    "Okay, let''s go to the dining room," Aleksis chuckled and wrapped her arm around his shoulder and walked with him to the dining room. Their steps were followed by the others.


    After welcoming Vega and Mischa, the family went down to the massive dining room to enjoy dinner and filled the chairs around the dining table. It was a really big and airy room with glass doors from floor to ceiling that opened to the garden, filled with all kinds of flowers.


    Elios cared for a lot of bonsais in his garden and from this room, they could all admire his handiwork. There was also a huge koi pond in the middle of the garden that was filled with hundreds of those colorful fish.


    After they were all seated, suddenly they heard the sounds of babies cooing. Mischa was right, his two young children woke up when their noses smelled food.


    "Daddy..." His two-year-old son immediately reached out and asked to be carried, while his white-haired baby girl immediately started crying loudly after she opened her eyes.


    "Ahahaha¡­ wait a minute," Vega laughed as she got up from her chair. She took the baby from the double stroller and carried her. "Let me feed this little one. She likes to eat outside."


    She excused herself out through the glass doors and sat down on one of the comfortable rattan sofas in the garden to nurse her baby. The baby girl named Luna immediately stopped crying and ate quietly.


    Everyone in the dining room looked at each other and laughed. Mischa smiled the widest as he looked at his wife who was breastfeeding Luna while humming her a song. Rose could see the man''s eyes were filled with love.


    "Daddy..." His son''s voice made Mischa turn his attention to him


    "Oh, sorry," he said with a chuckle. "Let me take you out of there."


    Mischa carried his son and sat him on a high chair provided by a servant.


    "Do you want some juice?" asked Mischa attentively. The boy who looked very much like him nodded with a broad smile. Rose was mesmerized by the father and son pair who looked so much alike, especially when they smiled.


    "He is the cutest baby boy I have ever seen! What''s his name?" asked Rose who took the seat across from Mischa, next to Rune. She realized that the son of the newly arrived couple was very much like the father, and their daughter was very much like the mother.


    "This is Alaric," said Mischa. "Alaric Junior. Alaric, say hi to Auntie Rose."


    The boy fluttered his long lashes and smiled broadly. He looked like an angel and made Rose feel tempted to pinch his cheeks, but of course, she didn''t do it. "Hello, Auntie Rose."


    "Hello, Alaric...." Rose nodded and smiled back. Then she turned to Mischa. "That is a really nice name. If he''s a junior, that means his name is taken from.. his grandfather''s name?"


    "That''s right," said Mischa. "We named him after my¡­adoptive father."


    "Oh..." Rose nodded. "I''ve never heard of anyone with that name. It''s very unique."


    "Thank you."


    Elios smiled faintly as he proceeded to sip his wine. He almost never smiled as far as Rose remembered from the two encounters they had had so far.


    So, seeing the man smile at the mention that his first grandchild was named after another man instead of himself made Rose feel that there must be a story behind the name. However, she didn''t want to be nosy and so she didn''t probe into the naming decisions.


    "Alaric is such a cool name. It sounds powerful, masculine, and cool. I like it. What about his sister? What''s her name?" Rose asked again. "I think you guys are very lucky to have two cute kids. Alaric is so handsome, and his little sister is adorable."


    "His sister''s name is Luna," Mischa explained. "We named her after Vega''s grandmother."


    "Ahhh¡­ Luna, like the moon. So beautiful." Rose nodded in understanding. "I can see they both will grow up into very beautiful children. Ahh... they are so adorable."


    Right at that moment, Rose realized that she was surrounded by people who seemed to win the genetic lottery. Every single one of them. From the youngest to the oldest, they looked like perfect humans.


    Suddenly she felt the need to pinch her arm. It was like being in a twilight zone. The oldest man and woman in this room must be Elios Linden and Aleksis, since they were the grandparents, but why did they look just as young as their children?


    She smiled awkwardly at Rune and mouthed her impression. "Your family is really nice."


    Rune winked at her and replied, also without a sound. "They will soon become your family too."


    Rose coughed and her cheeks immediately flushed red. She took her wine glass and sipped her wine to cover up her blushing face.


    Rune smiled to himself when he saw her reaction. Ahh... he was serious with his feelings for Rose and he couldn''t wait to take their relationship to the next level. However, he must be patient and tread carefully.


    Rose already looked overwhelmed when she met Aleksis''s family.. Rune must find out what she thought about them after they got home before he could think of what to do next.